Pokemon:
Scizor
Bug/Steel
70 HP/130 AT/100 DEF/55 SPA/80 SPD/65 SPE
Swarm: When HP below 1/3, increases power of Bug Moves 1.5x
Technician: Moves with 60 Base Power or less increase 1.5x
Light Metal: Weight of bearer is halved
New Gen 5 Moves:
Venom Shock/Special Poison/65 BP/100 Acc/2x Power if it hits a Poisoned opponent
Sing A Round/Special Normal/60 BP/100 Acc/Unconfirmed effect
Acrobat/Physical Flying/55 BP/100 Acc/2x Power if user is itemless
Bug Opposition/Physical Bug/30 BP/100 Acc/Lower's targets SPA
New Previous Gen Moves:
Vacuum Wave/Special Fighting/40 BP/ 100 Acc/Attacks with Priority
Analysis:
Scizor rolls out of Gen 4 as the undisputed champion of OU and a good option for Uber play. Now, as the beginning of Gen 5 approaches, it is clear Scizor has its work cut out for itself if it wants to keep its bragging rights because the status quo has really changed.
Focusing first on what has changed for Scizor itself, we can see that really not much at all is different. It did not gain anything of use in any area. The new ability is next to useless, and the new moves it gained are all vastly inferior to the other options Scizor has.
As far as what the surroundings will hold for Scizor, on the outset at least, its looking pretty good. In a metagame in OU and in Ubers that's shaping up to be full of inclement weather, this is only a good thing for Scizor. In all 4 weathers, Scizor becomes more dangerous. Scroll down to see more information on this point. Scizor is also the bane of frail sweepers, and there is certainly a whole new batch of those in Gen 5. Adding all this to the fact that some of Scizor's main counters have taken a hit this generation(Heatran and Magnezone for starters) makes for a pretty good metagame for Scizor again.
Speaking of counters, it is worth making a small note of Shandera. On the surface, it appears that Scizor is doomed because of the advent of this new Shadow Tag Pokemon that resists both of its STAB moves. However, at closer inspection, Shandera is nothing more than a small speedbump on Scizor's road to victory. Consider each Shandera-Scizor matchup in any given match:
1. Shandera switches in, eats a U-Turn, and Scizor escapes, leaving Shandera damaged and exposed.
2. Shandera switches in, and eats 2 Bullet punches + entry hazards before an attack. A probable KO.
3. Shandera switches in, and eats a Night Slash. OHKO.
4. Shandera switches in while Scizor pursuits. Shadera must attack now or else gets OHKO'd. So, you lose Scizor, but Shandera is open to revenge and whatever was pursuited takes your damage. Advantage: Scizor user.
5. Shandera switches into a Superpower. Scizor gets OHKO'd and Shandera can get a free set up. However, as strategic players know, Superpower should not just be tossed around(even more so now people know that Shandera is running around). Plus, Shandera is risking itself for that predicted Superpower. Suppose Scizor uses something else.....
6. Shandera comes in to revenge kill Scizor after any move but U-Turn. You lose scizor. However, every pokemon in the game is subject to this as you cannot switch out. Scizor is in the same boat as any other pokemon in this situation. Not to mention that Scizor will probably only have used U-Turn up to the point where Shandera can be eliminated.
Thus, it is clear that Scizor has a multitude of answers for even its most capable adveraries.
Sets:
Scizor - Technician @ Choice Band
248 HP/252 AT/8 SPE/Adamant
~U-Turn
~Bullet Punch
~Superpower
~Pursuit/Night Slash
In Gen 5 OU, this is the only Scizor set that matters. There are better Pokemon options to choose from if you want to use Scizor for something other than this set. Since we are not sure how tiers will work out in Gen 5 yet, we cannot properly create any Ubers Scizor sets yet, so this is the only Scizor set we can outline right now.
Examining this set, it becomes clear right away why this set has dominated OU from the release of Platinum. STAB U-Turn and Bullet Punch coming off a 130 Base Attack is just what one needs when searching for power, speed, and strategy all in one Pokemon. The other two moves serve as powerful and deadly coverage moves. The beauty of this set is really U-Turn which dents anything coming in, and allows the user to switch to an appropriate counter. Combine this with some Entry Hazards and good team support, and watch how fast the opposing team will go down.
Teammate Options:
Number one on this list should be anything that can get down Stealth Rock at the very least. Optimally, Scizor should have Spikes or Toxic Spikes support as well. The more residual damage going on, the better for Scizor because a typical turn will involve Scizor switching in, the opponent then switching in something that will eat Entry Hazards on its way to counter Scizor, U-Turn to a counter for the Scizor counter, and then the opponent switching out the Scizor counter to bring something else in that will eat more Entry Hazards. Some good options for multiple Entry Hazard support are Smeargle, Skarmory, Foretress, Iwaparesu, and Nattorei. If one is content with just Stealth Rock, then obviously there are a whole host of options for a simple Stealth Rock laying.
Number two on this list should be a Rapid Spin blocker to keep your hazards on the field. If you are the type of player to only lay Stealth Rock, then a Ghost becomes a lot less necessary. There are a host of good options for Rapid Spin blockers, however.
After these positions have been filled, provided you have at least one good fire resist, the rest of your team should be a function of your play style and your own strategies. Scizor is so universal that you can fit him into just about any team in this way. Even on weather-based teams:
Sandstorm Scizor: Scizor is immune to the sandstorm damage at the end of every turn while every Pokemon who isn't has to deal with yet another form of indirect damage. All this damage can add up very quickly, and thats not even including damage from powerful direct attacks.
Rain Scizor: Scizor's only weakness will be halved in power in the rain. Teammates of Scizor who can wreak havoc in the rain will enjoy having Scizor easily dispatch of any grassers who deside to stay in against him, or deal with switching out and going through the cycle of residual damage again.
Sun Scizor: Water moves which usually annoy Scizor will be halved in the sun. If Scizor can avoid those fire attacks, which it has to do anyway, it can do very well. In particular, Scizor owns most of the grass types looking to benefit from the Sun.
Hail Scizor: This is the only iffy weather for Scizor. The bad news is that Scizor will be taking damage every turn from the hail. The good news is that Scizor destroys just about everything that excels under Hail conditions. Everything that doesn't excel in the hail will be in the same boat as Scizor as far as advantages are concerned.
Conclusion:
By and large, Scizor is still a top tier threat. Just how great he'll be remains to be seen. It goes without saying that every player will need to keep Scizor in mind when creating a team and considering that Scizor did not change at all from Gen 4 to Gen 5, this is a testament to Scizor's dominance that existed in the post-Platinum OU metagame.
Scizor
Bug/Steel
70 HP/130 AT/100 DEF/55 SPA/80 SPD/65 SPE
Swarm: When HP below 1/3, increases power of Bug Moves 1.5x
Technician: Moves with 60 Base Power or less increase 1.5x
Light Metal: Weight of bearer is halved
New Gen 5 Moves:
Venom Shock/Special Poison/65 BP/100 Acc/2x Power if it hits a Poisoned opponent
Sing A Round/Special Normal/60 BP/100 Acc/Unconfirmed effect
Acrobat/Physical Flying/55 BP/100 Acc/2x Power if user is itemless
Bug Opposition/Physical Bug/30 BP/100 Acc/Lower's targets SPA
New Previous Gen Moves:
Vacuum Wave/Special Fighting/40 BP/ 100 Acc/Attacks with Priority
Analysis:
Scizor rolls out of Gen 4 as the undisputed champion of OU and a good option for Uber play. Now, as the beginning of Gen 5 approaches, it is clear Scizor has its work cut out for itself if it wants to keep its bragging rights because the status quo has really changed.
Focusing first on what has changed for Scizor itself, we can see that really not much at all is different. It did not gain anything of use in any area. The new ability is next to useless, and the new moves it gained are all vastly inferior to the other options Scizor has.
As far as what the surroundings will hold for Scizor, on the outset at least, its looking pretty good. In a metagame in OU and in Ubers that's shaping up to be full of inclement weather, this is only a good thing for Scizor. In all 4 weathers, Scizor becomes more dangerous. Scroll down to see more information on this point. Scizor is also the bane of frail sweepers, and there is certainly a whole new batch of those in Gen 5. Adding all this to the fact that some of Scizor's main counters have taken a hit this generation(Heatran and Magnezone for starters) makes for a pretty good metagame for Scizor again.
Speaking of counters, it is worth making a small note of Shandera. On the surface, it appears that Scizor is doomed because of the advent of this new Shadow Tag Pokemon that resists both of its STAB moves. However, at closer inspection, Shandera is nothing more than a small speedbump on Scizor's road to victory. Consider each Shandera-Scizor matchup in any given match:
1. Shandera switches in, eats a U-Turn, and Scizor escapes, leaving Shandera damaged and exposed.
2. Shandera switches in, and eats 2 Bullet punches + entry hazards before an attack. A probable KO.
3. Shandera switches in, and eats a Night Slash. OHKO.
4. Shandera switches in while Scizor pursuits. Shadera must attack now or else gets OHKO'd. So, you lose Scizor, but Shandera is open to revenge and whatever was pursuited takes your damage. Advantage: Scizor user.
5. Shandera switches into a Superpower. Scizor gets OHKO'd and Shandera can get a free set up. However, as strategic players know, Superpower should not just be tossed around(even more so now people know that Shandera is running around). Plus, Shandera is risking itself for that predicted Superpower. Suppose Scizor uses something else.....
6. Shandera comes in to revenge kill Scizor after any move but U-Turn. You lose scizor. However, every pokemon in the game is subject to this as you cannot switch out. Scizor is in the same boat as any other pokemon in this situation. Not to mention that Scizor will probably only have used U-Turn up to the point where Shandera can be eliminated.
Thus, it is clear that Scizor has a multitude of answers for even its most capable adveraries.
Sets:
Scizor - Technician @ Choice Band
248 HP/252 AT/8 SPE/Adamant
~U-Turn
~Bullet Punch
~Superpower
~Pursuit/Night Slash
In Gen 5 OU, this is the only Scizor set that matters. There are better Pokemon options to choose from if you want to use Scizor for something other than this set. Since we are not sure how tiers will work out in Gen 5 yet, we cannot properly create any Ubers Scizor sets yet, so this is the only Scizor set we can outline right now.
Examining this set, it becomes clear right away why this set has dominated OU from the release of Platinum. STAB U-Turn and Bullet Punch coming off a 130 Base Attack is just what one needs when searching for power, speed, and strategy all in one Pokemon. The other two moves serve as powerful and deadly coverage moves. The beauty of this set is really U-Turn which dents anything coming in, and allows the user to switch to an appropriate counter. Combine this with some Entry Hazards and good team support, and watch how fast the opposing team will go down.
Teammate Options:
Number one on this list should be anything that can get down Stealth Rock at the very least. Optimally, Scizor should have Spikes or Toxic Spikes support as well. The more residual damage going on, the better for Scizor because a typical turn will involve Scizor switching in, the opponent then switching in something that will eat Entry Hazards on its way to counter Scizor, U-Turn to a counter for the Scizor counter, and then the opponent switching out the Scizor counter to bring something else in that will eat more Entry Hazards. Some good options for multiple Entry Hazard support are Smeargle, Skarmory, Foretress, Iwaparesu, and Nattorei. If one is content with just Stealth Rock, then obviously there are a whole host of options for a simple Stealth Rock laying.
Number two on this list should be a Rapid Spin blocker to keep your hazards on the field. If you are the type of player to only lay Stealth Rock, then a Ghost becomes a lot less necessary. There are a host of good options for Rapid Spin blockers, however.
After these positions have been filled, provided you have at least one good fire resist, the rest of your team should be a function of your play style and your own strategies. Scizor is so universal that you can fit him into just about any team in this way. Even on weather-based teams:
Sandstorm Scizor: Scizor is immune to the sandstorm damage at the end of every turn while every Pokemon who isn't has to deal with yet another form of indirect damage. All this damage can add up very quickly, and thats not even including damage from powerful direct attacks.
Rain Scizor: Scizor's only weakness will be halved in power in the rain. Teammates of Scizor who can wreak havoc in the rain will enjoy having Scizor easily dispatch of any grassers who deside to stay in against him, or deal with switching out and going through the cycle of residual damage again.
Sun Scizor: Water moves which usually annoy Scizor will be halved in the sun. If Scizor can avoid those fire attacks, which it has to do anyway, it can do very well. In particular, Scizor owns most of the grass types looking to benefit from the Sun.
Hail Scizor: This is the only iffy weather for Scizor. The bad news is that Scizor will be taking damage every turn from the hail. The good news is that Scizor destroys just about everything that excels under Hail conditions. Everything that doesn't excel in the hail will be in the same boat as Scizor as far as advantages are concerned.
Conclusion:
By and large, Scizor is still a top tier threat. Just how great he'll be remains to be seen. It goes without saying that every player will need to keep Scizor in mind when creating a team and considering that Scizor did not change at all from Gen 4 to Gen 5, this is a testament to Scizor's dominance that existed in the post-Platinum OU metagame.
