p2
Banned deucer.
poek97 / hootie / nedor
tdp / calm pokemaster
[OVERVIEW]
Mega Scizor is one of the best Pokemon in OU for many reasons, which include being extremely easy to fit on a team and its ability to check a wide array of threats in the tier, ranging from Ice-types to Fairy- and Rock-types, such as Kyurem-B, Weavile, Mega Diancie, Clefable, Tyranitar, and Terrakion. Mega Scizor is also a great answer to Dragon-types that lack Fire-type coverage and is able to set up on Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Mega Metagross. On top of being a fantastic answer to the aforementioned Pokemon and others, Mega Scizor is one of the most threatening setup sweepers in the tier, as it can find setup opportunities extremely easily and can be very difficult to stop at +2 due to Technician boosting Mega Scizor's STAB moves further. However, more Pokemon are running Fire-type coverage, such as Latios, Clefable, and Jirachi, to lure and shut down Mega Scizor. Other Pokemon such as Heatran, Mega Charizard X, Talonflame, and Keldeo are all common in OU too, and they can prevent Mega Scizor from doing too much damage. On top of lures and other high-usage answers, Mega Scizor is vulnerable to being worn down by Spikes, and it is also very prone to being trapped and taken out by Magnezone.
[SET]
name: Bulky Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Roost
move 3: Bullet Punch
move 4: Bug Bite / U-turn
item: Scizorite
ability: Light Metal
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 60 Def / 124 SpD / 60 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance boosts Mega Scizor's Attack, making it more threatening and allowing it to take advantage of passive threats such as Ferrothorn, Hippowdon, Clefable lacking Fire-type coverage, and Landorus-T lacking Swords Dance. Roost is necessary, as it allows Mega Scizor to consistently switch into the threats it beats, such as Ice-, Fairy-, and Rock-types, and helps prevent Mega Scizor from being worn down too much from entry hazards. Bullet Punch is the STAB move of choice, as it is boosted by Technician and is Mega Scizor's strongest option that also has priority, letting it pressure faster threats such as Terrakion, Weavile, and Mega Diancie. Bug Bite allows Mega Scizor to break through the likes of Slowbro and Tangrowth and is also boosted by Technician. U-turn is an alternative option over Bug Bite that allows Mega Scizor to switch out of Pokemon such as Rotom-W and Landorus-T, but this forces Mega Scizor to lose its boosts from Swords Dance while also struggling more with the likes of Slowbro, Tangrowth, and Suicune. Superpower can also be used, as it breaks through Steel-types easily, dealing heavy damage to Skarmory, Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Bisharp, and also allows Mega Scizor to wear down Keldeo.
Set Details
========
The given EV spread allows Mega Scizor to avoid the 2HKO from Mega Alakazam's Focus Blast and outspeed Mega Venusaur. The remaining EVs are placed into Defense to provide some buffer against the likes of Landorus-T and Excadrill. The last 16 EVs are placed into Attack to hit a jump point in conjunction with an Adamant nature. Light Metal is the ability of choice to reduce the damage Scizor takes from switching into Weavile's Low Kick, as Scizor regains Technician upon Mega Evolution. Scizorite is mandatory on this set, as it allows Scizor to Mega Evolve and drastically increases its bulk, allowing it to take on the threats such as Kyurem-B, Mega Diancie, and Weavile.
Usage Tips
========
Mega Scizor should be switched into threats such as Weavile, Clefable, Mega Diancie, and other Fairy- and Ice-types, but beware of Fire-type coverage and try to scout for it first. Avoid setting up early-game, especially when Mega Scizor's answers are still healthy. If using U-turn, attempt to wear down the likes of Keldeo and Heatran with the same; otherwise, double switching should be used. If Mega Scizor's answers are weakened, try to set up and sweep with it late-game. Although this set has defensive investment and Roost, avoid letting Mega Scizor get worn down, especially by repeated attacks against Rocky Helmet users and pressure from entry hazards, as otherwise, it will find itself in 2HKO range of the likes of Mega Diancie and offensive Landorus-T and be easier to pick off.
Team Options
========
Tyranitar is a great option to pair with Mega Scizor, as it takes on Flying-types that Mega Scizor struggles with such as Talonflame and Zapdos while appreciating Mega Scizor wearing down Keldeo. Mega Scizor appreciates Pokemon such as Clefable and Tornadus-T with Knock Off, as they remove Leftovers from the likes of Rotom-W, Talonflame, and Heatran, making them a lot easier to wear down. Bulky Grass-types such as Amoonguss and Tangrowth can pressure Heatran with Spore, Sleep Powder, or Stun Spore, while Tangrowth can outright OHKO it after a little amount of prior damage with Earthquake. Amoonguss also checks Keldeo reliably, which Mega Scizor hates dealing with. Latios appreciates Mega Scizor taking on Fairy- and Ice-types and can check Water-types, especially Keldeo, in return. Entry hazard stacking is effective with U-turn Mega Scizor, as it can quickly wear down grounded answers, but most Spikes users open up large weaknesses to opposing Fire-types. Water-types cover many of Mega Scizor's weaknesses; bulky Water-types such as Slowbro can take on the likes of Mega Charizard X and Talonflame, while Rotom-W can check Talonflame, form a VoltTurn core with Mega Scizor, and check Ground-types to ease pressure off Mega Scizor. Offensive Water-types such as Keldeo and Manaphy are great for breaking down Mega Scizor answers such as Heatran and Garchomp. Starmie can do the same but also has access to Rapid Spin, which allows it to ease pressure against Spikes stacking teams.
[SET]
name: Offensive Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: Bug Bite
move 4: Superpower
item: Scizorite / Life Orb
ability: Technician
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance boosts Mega Scizor's Attack, making it very threatening, especially when backed by the increased power compared to the bulky Swords Dance set. Bullet Punch hits faster threats including Ice-, Fairy-, and Rock-types while also dealing heavy damage to Pokemon that don't resist it, such as Latios and offensive Garchomp. Bug Bite nails bulky Grass- and Water-types such as Amoonguss, Tangrowth, Rotom-W, Slowbro, and Suicune. Superpower OHKOes Heatran and Bisharp, puts a massive dent into Keldeo, and deals great damage to Ferrothorn while also being Mega Scizor's only option for hitting Skarmory.
Set Details
========
252 Attack EVs along with an Adamant nature maximize Mega Scizor's Attack, allowing it to hit as hard as possible, while 252 Speed EVs allow Mega Scizor to outspeed threats such as Rotom-W and Choice Specs Magnezone and also get the jump on base 70 Speed Pokemon with a non-Speed-boosting nature such as Bisharp and Breloom. A Jolly nature can be run over Adamant to outspeed faster variants of Rotom-W as well as base 70 Speed Pokemon with a Speed-boosting nature. This also allows Mega Scizor to outspeed tank Garchomp; however, Jolly Mega Scizor is still outsped by fast Heatran. Scizorite is used to increase Mega Scizor's power and bulk, also increasing Speed slightly. Life Orb is a viable alternative, though, as Scizor then gains an increased power boost at the cost of worse longevity and bulk. Technician is the ability of choice as Light Metal is extremely situational and it boosts the power of Scizor's STAB moves, the most notable ones being Bullet Punch and Bug Bite.
Usage Tips
========
This Scizor set lacks the bulk to set up early- and mid-game to apply pressure to its checks, so it's better off saving its attempts to sweep until late-game when its checks and counters are worn down. Scizor can't reliably switch into threats its bulky set could handle, such as Mega Metagross, Mega Diancie, and Latios, as it lacks the bulk and longevity required to keep switching in. If the opponent has Heatran, scout the reaction to Scizor and use this to your advantage by using Superpower on it if their initial reaction is to hard switch Heatran in against Scizor.
Team Options
========
Similarly to other Scizor sets, this one also struggles to deal with Heatran, which outspeeds Scizor despite the latter's Speed investment. Water- and Ground-types such as Keldeo, Starmie, Manaphy, Garchomp, Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Dugtrio are all capable of pressuring Heatran and other Fire-types, but many dislike being burned by Lava Plume or poisoned by Toxic. Alternatively, Heatran can be crippled or weakened through the likes of Stun Spore Amoonguss, Knock Off Clefable and Tornadus-T, and Body Slam Jirachi. Healing Wish users such as Jirachi and Latios can heal Scizor if it gets weakened too much. Jirachi can also set up Stealth Rock and cripple Fire-types such as Heatran, Talonflame, Mega Charizard X and Y with Body Slam. Latios can effectively check Keldeo and appreciates Scizor taking on Weavile. Physical attackers such as Bisharp and Swords Dance Talonflame pair well with Scizor, as they all break down checks they have in common, potentially paving the way for the other to sweep. Alternatively, lures for common Mega Scizor answers can work well, such as Earthquake Tangrowth, Hidden Power Ice Landorus-T, and Power Herb Solar Beam Heatran, which can lure in and pick off switch-ins such as Heatran, Garchomp, and Keldeo, respectively.
[SET]
name: Pursuit
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Roost
item: Scizorite
ability: Light Metal
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 84 Atk / 176 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Pursuit allows Mega Scizor to trap Psychic-types such as Latios, Latias, Mega Alakazam, and non-Fire Punch Jirachi. Bullet Punch hits decently hard and gives Mega Scizor a solid option to hit threats such as Weavile, Terrakion, Kyurem-B, and Clefable. U-turn allows Mega Scizor to generate momentum from switch-ins such as Landorus-T and Rotom-W. Roost allows Mega Scizor to stay healthy and lets it reliably take on the threats it is supposed to beat.
Set Details
========
The given Attack investment along with an Adamant nature allows Mega Scizor to OHKO Latios as it tries to switch out, while the remaining EVs are placed into HP and Special Defense in order to handle hits from the likes of Mega Alakazam and Mega Gardevoir well. Light Metal is Scizor's most useful ability before it Mega Evolves, as it reduces the damage Scizor takes from Low Kick from the likes of Weavile, and Scizor regains Technician upon Mega Evolution anyway. Scizorite is the item of choice, as the increased bulk makes Scizor a more reliable Pursuit trapper.
Usage Tips
========
This Mega Scizor set lacks the offensive presence that the other sets have, so it shouldn't be played as if it can sweep late-game. It should be played conservatively and used to trap the threats it aims to trap, such as Latios, Mega Metagross, and Mega Alakazam. Mega Scizor still has utility outside of trapping in being able to reliably pressure Rock-, Ice-, and Fairy-types with its strong Bullet Punch, which shouldn't be overlooked, although the lack of physical bulk means it struggles to take on threats such as Mega Lopunny and Excadrill. If the opponent no longer has Pokemon that Mega Scizor is needed for, it can be sacrificed in order to let its teammates switch in for free.
Team Options
========
Water-types such as Manaphy and Keldeo appreciate Mega Scizor taking on Latios and removing it. Belly Drum Azumarill can also take advantage of this, as Latios is typically used as a revenge killer for +6 Azumarill. Other Pokemon that fast Psychic-types threaten such as Hydreigon, Breloom, Amoonguss, and physically defensive Tangrowth also appreciate Mega Scizor taking on said Psychic-types, and they also appreciate Mega Scizor being able to deal with Weavile. This set shouldn't be solely relied upon to handle Psychic-types, especially Latios, as stray Hidden Power Fire lures can shut down Mega Scizor quickly; additional Steel-types such as Jirachi and Heatran can thus work as a backup plan for Latios. They can also set up Stealth Rock to weaken Mega Scizor's answers.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Scizor can also opt to run Choice Band instead of Life Orb on offensive sets, utilizing a moveset of Bullet Punch, U-turn, Superpower, and Pursuit. This provides immediate power, but it can be easily punished by Rocky Helmet users such as Landorus-T and Garchomp and is a lot easier to play around, as it cannot switch moves or use Swords Dance to boost its power further. Defog can also be used on Mega Scizor, but it is very inefficient, as using Defog prevents Mega Scizor from running Pursuit or Swords Dance. Defog Mega Scizor also struggles with common entry hazard setters such as Skarmory and Ferrothorn. Mega Scizor can also utilize Baton Pass alongside Swords Dance to switch out of answers such as Keldeo and Talonflame, but this forces Mega Scizor to forgo coverage or recovery.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Mega Charizard X and Y, Heatran, and Talonflame are all very annoying for Mega Scizor to face, as they can usually switch in and beat it one-on-one. Mega Charizard Y is an exception, as it cannot take a +2 Bullet Punch from offensive variants of Mega Scizor after Stealth Rock damage. Heatran also fears hard switching into Superpower, which shuts it down, but otherwise it handles Mega Scizor fine.
**Electric-types**: Magnezone and Magneton are common answers to Scizor because of Magnet Pull, which allows them to trap Scizor and either OHKO or drastically weaken it with Hidden Power Fire. However, although Choice Specs Magnezone shuts down defensive Mega Scizor easily, offensive variants of Mega Scizor can outspeed it. Zapdos is a great Mega Scizor counter because its solid bulk, useful typing, and access to Heat Wave allow it to reliably answer Mega Scizor many times throughout the course of games. However, Zapdos's Stealth Rock weakness can be exploited by using U-turn as it switches in to switch into a Pokemon that threatens Zapdos. Lastly, Mega Manectric is a decent revenge killer that outspeeds Mega Scizor, has Intimidate to soften up its attacks, and has Fire-type coverage that quickly gets rid of it.
**Water-types**: Most Water-types struggle to switch into Mega Scizor, but a decent number of them either outspeed Mega Scizor or are bulky enough to take it on when they are healthy. Examples include Keldeo, which switches into most moves with ease and threatens Scizor with Scald; Manaphy, which lacks the resistances that Keldeo's Fighting typing provides but resists Bullet Punch and can threaten Scizor with a Scald burn or Hidden Power Fire; Volcanion, which resists Scizor's STAB moves thanks to its Fire typing and threatens Scizor easily with Flamethrower or Steam Eruption; and Rotom-W, which can typically switch into bulkier variants of Mega Scizor and threaten it with Will-O-Wisp. However, Rotom-W cannot outspeed offensive variants of Mega Scizor unless it runs a hefty amount of Speed investment.
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Skarmory can wall Mega Scizor with ease unless it is in a last Pokemon one-on-one situation. However, if Skarmory has Taunt and an attacking move, it can prevent bulky Mega Scizor from setting up and healing while slowly wearing it down. Quagsire is another notable defensive Pokemon that is capable of walling Mega Scizor, as it has access to Unaware, which completely shuts down Mega Scizor's attempts to boost with Swords Dance. From there, Quagsire can either fish for a Scald burn or set up with Curse. Suicune and Alomomola are two very bulky Pokemon that can switch in and threaten Mega Scizor with a Scald burn. Alomomola has access to Regenerator, which means it can consistently keep up with the pressure from switching into repeated U-turns.
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