[SET]
Defensive (HP) (Skarmory) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
Tera Type: Fairy / Ghost
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Iron Defense / Whirlwind
- Body Press / Brave Bird
- Roost
- Spikes / Stealth Rock
[SET COMMENTS]
Skarmory is a prolific defensive Pokemon; it's able to switch into and threaten out many common physical attackers like Zacian-C, Ogerpon-W, and both Urshifu Formes. It also has access to entry hazards and can deal with the tier's common spinners. Iron Defense lets Skarmory match the boosts from setup sweepers like Roaring Moon and Calyrex-I while also boosting Body Press, potentially turning it into a late-game sweeper. Brave Bird can be run to more instantly threaten Ogerpon and Great Tusk. With Brave Bird, you should run Whirlwind instead of Iron Defense, as it helps Skarmory wear down foes with hazards while still hindering setup sweepers. Should the team not have a Stealth Rock setter, or have another Spikes setter, like Hisuian Samurott or Meowscarada, Skarmory can run Stealth Rock instead. Tera Fairy is used as it's a good defensive type that doesn't overlap with any of Skarmory's weaknesses, letting it handle attackers like Cinderace or Zekrom that would otherwise have a type advantage over it. Tera Ghost is an alternative that lets Skarmory spinblock Great Tusk and Iron Treads to keep hazards up while making it more resilient against Fighting-types like Zamazenta. However, the Dark-type weakness does hurt, especially against Urshifu-S and Weavile. Tera Dragon is an alternative that can make Skarmory into a better Ogerpon-W answer, but does come with a worse matchup into Zacian-C and Calyrex-I, making it more situational.
Skarmory appreciates an HP donation from almost any God. However, it does tend to fit better on bulkier teams, so Gods like Arceus and Ho-Oh are great fits. Teammates with Knock Off like Weavile, Clefable, and Great Tusk rid the opponent of their Heavy-Duty Boots, allowing Skarmory to rack up chip damage with Whirlwind and entry hazards. The latter two also provide Stealth Rock to complement Skarmory's Spikes. Ghost-types like Arceus-Ghost, Pecharunt, and Gholdengo can spinblock for Skarmory to allow it to keep entry hazards up; the latter also blocks Defog thanks to Good As Gold. Lastly, strong special attackers like Kyogre, Hisuian Electrode, and Gholdengo can use Skarmory as a relatively free entry point, so pairing it up with a specially defensive Pokemon like Eternatus, Ting-Lu, or Dondozo makes for a very solid defensive core.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/pannu.517892/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/dragonphoenix333.608218/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/kenn.604741/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
Defensive (HP) (Skarmory) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
Tera Type: Fairy / Ghost
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Iron Defense / Whirlwind
- Body Press / Brave Bird
- Roost
- Spikes / Stealth Rock
[SET COMMENTS]
Skarmory is a prolific defensive Pokemon; it's able to switch into and threaten out many common physical attackers like Zacian-C, Ogerpon-W, and both Urshifu Formes. It also has access to entry hazards and can deal with the tier's common spinners. Iron Defense lets Skarmory match the boosts from setup sweepers like Roaring Moon and Calyrex-I while also boosting Body Press, potentially turning it into a late-game sweeper. Brave Bird can be run to more instantly threaten Ogerpon and Great Tusk. With Brave Bird, you should run Whirlwind instead of Iron Defense, as it helps Skarmory wear down foes with hazards while still hindering setup sweepers. Should the team not have a Stealth Rock setter, or have another Spikes setter, like Hisuian Samurott or Meowscarada, Skarmory can run Stealth Rock instead. Tera Fairy is used as it's a good defensive type that doesn't overlap with any of Skarmory's weaknesses, letting it handle attackers like Cinderace or Zekrom that would otherwise have a type advantage over it. Tera Ghost is an alternative that lets Skarmory spinblock Great Tusk and Iron Treads to keep hazards up while making it more resilient against Fighting-types like Zamazenta. However, the Dark-type weakness does hurt, especially against Urshifu-S and Weavile. Tera Dragon is an alternative that can make Skarmory into a better Ogerpon-W answer, but does come with a worse matchup into Zacian-C and Calyrex-I, making it more situational.
Skarmory appreciates an HP donation from almost any God. However, it does tend to fit better on bulkier teams, so Gods like Arceus and Ho-Oh are great fits. Teammates with Knock Off like Weavile, Clefable, and Great Tusk rid the opponent of their Heavy-Duty Boots, allowing Skarmory to rack up chip damage with Whirlwind and entry hazards. The latter two also provide Stealth Rock to complement Skarmory's Spikes. Ghost-types like Arceus-Ghost, Pecharunt, and Gholdengo can spinblock for Skarmory to allow it to keep entry hazards up; the latter also blocks Defog thanks to Good As Gold. Lastly, strong special attackers like Kyogre, Hisuian Electrode, and Gholdengo can use Skarmory as a relatively free entry point, so pairing it up with a specially defensive Pokemon like Eternatus, Ting-Lu, or Dondozo makes for a very solid defensive core.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/pannu.517892/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/dragonphoenix333.608218/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/kenn.604741/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
Last edited:
