Almost Any Ability

Analysis written by Quantum Tesseract.
« back to home
Skarmory

Overview

Thanks to its excellent Steel / Flying typing, Skarmory can check many common threats and has few exploitable weaknesses, both of which can be covered with abilities. Skarmory's Ground immunity lets it avoid Spikes and switch freely into Earthquake, and its multiple viable abilities with different weaknesses keep the foe guessing as to how to hit it. A good support movepool, in combination with an excellent Defense stat, allows it to reliably wall physical attackers and manage entry hazards throughout the match, and an immunity to Toxic prevents it from being worn down easily. However, Skarmory's low HP and Special Defense stats leave it vulnerable to special attackers, and Skarmory's Steel typing lets it get trapped by Magnet Pull.

Physically Defensive

Set Comments

Moves

Roost is a source of active recovery for Skarmory, letting it stay healthy throughout the match. Brave Bird gives Skarmory a bit of offensive presence and lets it do something versus Taunt and Magic Bounce Pokemon, while Iron Head is another option to do more against Rock-type Pokemon such as Tyranitar that would otherwise get a free switch in but is weaker otherwise. Whirlwind phazes setup sweepers and prevents Skarmory from being setup bait for Pokemon that can take its uninvested STAB attacks. Toxic or Taunt can be run on Unaware sets to pressure switch-ins, keep entry hazards off the field, or prevent recovery, but they are otherwise not recommended due to Skarmory's passivity without Whirlwind. Defog clears entry hazards for Skarmory's team and allows free switching. Stealth Rock allows Skarmory to punish the switches it causes and lets it slowly wear down foes with Whirlwind. Spikes may be run over Stealth Rock to better wear down grounded switch-ins but isn't as reliable as Stealth Rock at dealing damage and doesn't affect many Defoggers and so is usually only advisable on teams that already have Stealth Rock.

Set Details

248 HP EVs alongside 252 Defense EVs maximize Skarmory's physical bulk and allow it to take as many hits as possible. Flash Fire removes Skarmory's major weakness against physical attackers and lets it check Pokemon such as Entei, Fire Blast Garchomp, and Volcarona. Because the majority of Magnet Pull users are Fire-type, Flash Fire Skarmory can afford to run Leftovers or Rocky Helmet to be less annoyed by Stealth Rock and wear down physical attackers, respectively. Unaware is another alternative that compensates for Skarmory's passivity, meaning that it can freely recover in front of setup sweepers such as Landorus-T, Gyarados, Kartana, and Swords Dance Garchomp without worrying about eventually getting overpowered. Shed Shell is the preferred item on any non-Flash Fire set, as Skarmory is very susceptible to Fire-type Magnet Pull users otherwise. Intimidate can allow Skarmory to take powerful hits that other sets wouldn't such as an Adaptability-boosted Close Combat from Life Orb Terrakion.

Usage Tips

Switch Skarmory liberally into most physical attacks, as it takes very little from them and can use the free turns to recover, manage entry hazards, or chip the opponent's team. Keep Skarmory at high health whenever possible, as many physical attackers such as Terrakion can do heavy damage, especially after a boost. Skarmory is a great answer to the physical half of VoltTurn cores and is almost impossible to wear down no matter the power because it takes one-eighth damage from U-turn, so regularly switch it into those attacks for the team. Avoid getting Shed Shell removed, as Skarmory may then be trapped by Magnet Pull Pokemon such as Heatran and prevented from doing its job. Bring Skarmory directly in on entry hazard setters that it beats to Defog, as switching into Stealth Rock greatly pressures it.

Team Options

As Skarmory is a physical wall, specially defensive Pokemon such as Meloetta, Chansey, and Magearna make for good teammates. Should Flash Fire not be run, Fire-type switch-ins such as Tapu Fini, Flash Fire Ferrothorn, and Toxapex are needed due to Skarmory's weakness to Fire-type moves, and Electric-type answers such as Landorus-T, Ferrothorn, and Zygarde are useful to take those attacks for Skarmory. Magic Bounce Pokemon such as Chansey pair well with Skarmory, as they take entry hazard control pressure off of Skarmory and reflect back Taunt. Ground-weak Pokemon such as Heatran, Toxapex, and Magearna appreciate Skarmory's immunity to those attacks. Fire-weak Pokemon such as Magearna also pair well with Flash Fire Skarmory, as it can take on threats such as Entei and Alolan Marowak. Pokemon weak to physical attacks such as Hoopa-U and Chansey are good teammates for Skarmory, as it covers those weaknesses.

Strategy Comments

Other Options

Prankster Skarmory can use priority Taunt, Defog, and entry hazard setting to better control the battlefield but is much easier to take out. Toxic is a decent option over Brave Bird to annoy some switch-ins such as Zapdos but is unreliable with the prevalence of Poison Heal and makes Skarmory even more prey to Taunt and Magic Bounce. Volt Absorb allows Skarmory to check Electric-type Pokemon such as Zapdos and annoy Magearna but is generally less useful of an immunity than Fire.

Checks and Counters

« back to home