[AAA] Skarmory

[Quantum Tesseract]

I just checked and don't have any analyses in WIP, so I'll be taking Skarmory if that's alright.
Grammar Ready, QC [2/2] GP [1/1]
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
Skarmory @ Shed Shell / Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
Ability: Fluffy / Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Brave Bird / Iron Head
- Whirlwind
- Defog / Stealth Rock / Spikes

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 but is weaker otherwise. Whirlwind phazes setup sweepers and prevents Skarmory from being setup bait for Pokemon that can take its uninvested STAB attacks. 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, which Fluffy further increases by halving the damage of contact moves. Shed Shell prevents Magnet Pull Pokemon such as Heatran and Victini from trapping Skarmory and taking it out. Leftovers gives Skarmory passive recovery and makes it better at its job, but lets some archetypes remove it outright and is generally less useful on Fluffy sets, while Rocky Helmet is a workable alternative to Leftovers to further annoy contact attackers.

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. Avoid Pokemon that use physical attacks that do not make contact, particularly Hoopa-U and Kyurem-B, as they can ignore the boosts from Fluffy. 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 1/8 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 4x 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 and Doublade 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. Intimidate may be run over Fluffy to better check physical attackers that do not make contact and affect Mold Breaker attackers such as Mega Gyarados, but it doesn't block damage as well. 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. Unaware Skarmory with Whirlwind serves as an excellent physical setup check. 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

Magic Bounce and Taunt: Magic Bounce reflects both entry hazards and Whirlwind, leaving Skarmory with little options due to Brave Bird lacking power off of Skarmory's low Attack stat. While Skarmory can Defog against Magic Bounce, it cannot do so against Taunt, and Magic Bounce users can set up freely without wasting turns using Taunt.

Special Attackers: Skarmory has a low Special Defense stat, letting even weak special attackers bypass it. Scald and Volt Switch in particular are troubling, as very little likes risking a burn and Volt Switch can wear down switch-ins.

Magnet Pull: Magnet Pull prevents Skarmory from switching out of an unfavorable matchup, allowing it to get KOed before doing its job. While Skarmory can carry Shed Shell or use Whirlwind on a predicted switch to rack up damage, these Pokemon can remove Skarmory and leave its teammates vulnerable to strong attackers.

Super Effective Attackers: Super effective attacks, particularly Fire-type moves, can usually easily KO Skarmory. Fire-type attacks are boosted by Fluffy, letting them do even more to it, while Fusion Bolt doesn't make contact and bypasses it in that way.

Mold Breaker: Mold Breaker ignores abilities, so users of this can bypass Fluffy on all attacks. While this doesn't outright beat Skarmory, it makes its job much harder.

 

[Quantum Tesseract]

I just checked and don't have any analyses in WIP, so I'll be taking Skarmory if that's alright.
Quality Control, QC [0/2]
Overview

* Excellent Steel / Flying type lets it check many common threats and leaves few exploitable weaknesses.
* Ground immunity lets it avoid spikes and prevent Arena Trap from Dugtrio
* Good support movepool allows it to reliably wall and manage hazards throughout the match.
* Good Defense stat lets it take on most physical attackers
* Immunity to Toxic prevents it from being worn down
* Low HP and Special Defense leave it vulnerable to special attackers
* Steel typing lets it get trapped by Magnet Pull

Physically Defensive
Skarmory @ Shed Shell / Leftovers
Ability: Fluffy / Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Brave Bird
- Defog / Stealth Rock

Set Comments

Moves

* Roost gives Skarmory active recovery and lets it stay healthy throughout the match.
* Whirlwind phazes out setup sweepers and prevents Skarmory from being setup bait.
* Brave Bird give Skarmory a bit of offensive presence and lets it do something versus Taunt and Magic Bounce.
* Defog clears hazards for Skarmory's team and allows for 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.

Set Details

* 248 HP EVs alongside 252 Defense EVs maximize Skarmory's physical bulk and allow it to take as many hits as possible.
* Fluffy halves the damage of contact moves and allows Skarmory to check most physical attackers better.
* Shed Shell prevents Magnet Pull Pokemon such as Heatran and Victini from trapping Skarmory.
* Flash Fire is another option to take on Fire-type Pokemon such as Entei that try to take advantage of Skarmory's weakness or Fluffy's boost to Fire-type moves.
* Leftovers gives Skarmory passive recovery and makes it better at its job, but lets some archetypes remove it outright and is generally only useful on Flash Fire sets.

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.
* Avoid Pokemon that use physical attacks that do not make contact, particularly Hoopa-U and Kyurem-B, as they can ignore the boosts from Fluffy
* Keep Skarmory at high health, 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 volt-turn cores and is almost impossible to wear down no matter the power because it takes 1/8 damage from U-turn.
* Avoid getting Shed Shell knocked off, as Skarmory may then be trapped by Magnet Pull Pokemon such as Heatran.

Team Options

* As Skarmory is a physical wall, specially defensive Pokemon such as Meloetta, Chansey, and Magearna make 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 4x weakness to Fire-type moves.
* Electric-type answers such as Landorus-T, Ferrothorn, and Zygarde are useful to take those attacks for Skarmory.
* Magic Bounce Pokemon such as Zapdos or Chansey pair well with Skarmory, as they take hazard control pressure off of Skarmory and reflect back Taunt.

Strategy Comments

Other Options

* 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.
* A specially defensive set may be run to set hazards more reliably and check mixed attackers, but even with investment Skarmory is not particularly specially bulky.
* Intimidate may be run over Fluffy to better check physical attackers that do not make contact and effect Mold Breaker attackers such as Mega Gyarados, but doesn't block damage as well.
* 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.
* Rocky Helmet is a workable alternative to Leftovers on Fluffy sets to further annoy contact attackers but is usually inferior to both other items.

Checks and Counters

Magic Bounce and Taunt: Magic Bounce reflects both entry hazards and Whirlwind, leaving Skarmory with little options due to Brave Bird's lacking power off of Skarmory's low attack stat. While Skarmory can Defog against Magic Bounce, it cannot against Taunt, and Magic Bounce users can set up freely without wasting turns using Taunt.

Special Attackers: Skarmory has a low special defense stat, letting even weak special attackers bypass it. Scald and Volt Switch in particular are troubling, as very little likes risking a Burn and Volt Switch can wear down switch-ins.

Magnet Pull: Magnet Pull prevents Skarmory from switching out of an unfavorable matchup, allowing it to get KOd before doing its job. While Skarmory can carry Shed Shell or use Whirlwind on a predicted switch to rack up damage, these Pokemon can remove Skarmory and leave its teammates vulnerable to strong attackers.

Super-effective attackers: Super Effective attacks, particularly Fire-type moves, can usually easily KO Skarmory. Fire-type attacks are boosted by fluffy, letting them do even more to it, while Fusion Bolt doesn't make contact and bypasses it in that way.

Mold Breaker: Mold Breaker ignores abilities, so users of this can bypass Fluffy on all attacks. While this doesn't outright beat Skarmory, it makes its job much harder.

Ready for QC

 

[Laxpras]

I just checked and don't have any analyses in WIP, so I'll be taking Skarmory if that's alright.
Quality Control, QC [0/2]
Overview

* Excellent Steel / Flying type lets it check many common threats and leaves few exploitable weaknesses.

• note its innate immunities as well as those possibly gifted by abilities

* Ground immunity lets it avoid spikes and prevent Arena Trap from Dugtrio
* Good support movepool allows it to reliably wall and manage hazards throughout the match.
* Good Defense stat lets it take on most physical attackers
* Immunity to Toxic prevents it from being worn down
* Low HP and Special Defense leave it vulnerable to special attackers
* Steel typing lets it get trapped by Magnet Pull

Physically Defensive
Skarmory @ Shed Shell / Leftovers
Ability: Fluffy / Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Brave Bird
- Defog / Stealth Rock / spikes

Set Comments

Moves

* Roost gives Skarmory active recovery and lets it stay healthy throughout the match.
* Whirlwind phazes out setup sweepers and prevents Skarmory from being setup bait.
* Brave Bird give Skarmory a bit of offensive presence and lets it do something versus Taunt and Magic Bounce.
* Defog clears hazards for Skarmory's team and allows for 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.
or can be ran if a teammate has SR

Set Details

* 248 HP EVs alongside 252 Defense EVs maximize Skarmory's physical bulk and allow it to take as many hits as possible.
* Fluffy halves the damage of contact moves and allows Skarmory to check most physical attackers better.
* Shed Shell prevents Magnet Pull Pokemon such as Heatran and Victini from trapping Skarmory.
* Flash Fire is another option to take on Fire-type Pokemon such as Entei that try to take advantage of Skarmory's weakness or Fluffy's boost to Fire-type moves.
* Leftovers gives Skarmory passive recovery and makes it better at its job, but lets some archetypes remove it outright and is generally only useful on Flash Fire sets.
note that shed shell should be used with fluffy, not flash fire, generally.

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.
* Avoid Pokemon that use physical attacks that do not make contact, particularly Hoopa-U and Kyurem-B, as they can ignore the boosts from Fluffy
* Keep Skarmory at high health, 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 volt-turn cores and is almost impossible to wear down no matter the power because it takes 1/8 damage from U-turn.
* Avoid getting Shed Shell knocked off, as Skarmory may then be trapped by Magnet Pull Pokemon such as Heatran.

Team Options

* As Skarmory is a physical wall, specially defensive Pokemon such as Meloetta, Chansey, and Magearna make 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 4x weakness to Fire-type moves.
* Electric-type answers such as Landorus-T, Ferrothorn, and Zygarde are useful to take those attacks for Skarmory.
* Magic Bounce Pokemon such as Zapdos or Chansey pair well with Skarmory, as they take hazard control pressure off of Skarmory and reflect back Taunt.
mons that like the ground immunity
mons that like the fire immunity
mons that hate physical hits (zam hoopa)

Strategy Comments

Other Options

* 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.
prankster with taunt
* A specially defensive set may be run to set hazards more reliably and check mixed attackers, but even with investment Skarmory is not particularly specially bulky.
* Intimidate may be run over Fluffy to better check physical attackers that do not make contact and effect Mold Breaker attackers such as Mega Gyarados, but doesn't block damage as well.
* 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.
* Rocky Helmet is a workable alternative to Leftovers on Fluffy sets to further annoy contact attackers but is usually inferior to both other items.
rocket helmet also good option for flash fire since shed shell is less necessary

Checks and Counters

Magic Bounce and Taunt: Magic Bounce reflects both entry hazards and Whirlwind, leaving Skarmory with little options due to Brave Bird's lacking power off of Skarmory's low attack stat. While Skarmory can Defog against Magic Bounce, it cannot against Taunt, and Magic Bounce users can set up freely without wasting turns using Taunt.

Special Attackers: Skarmory has a low special defense stat, letting even weak special attackers bypass it. Scald and Volt Switch in particular are troubling, as very little likes risking a Burn and Volt Switch can wear down switch-ins.

Magnet Pull: Magnet Pull prevents Skarmory from switching out of an unfavorable matchup, allowing it to get KOd before doing its job. While Skarmory can carry Shed Shell or use Whirlwind on a predicted switch to rack up damage, these Pokemon can remove Skarmory and leave its teammates vulnerable to strong attackers.

Super-effective attackers: Super Effective attacks, particularly Fire-type moves, can usually easily KO Skarmory. Fire-type attacks are boosted by fluffy, letting them do even more to it, while Fusion Bolt doesn't make contact and bypasses it in that way.

Mold Breaker: Mold Breaker ignores abilities, so users of this can bypass Fluffy on all attacks. While this doesn't outright beat Skarmory, it makes its job much harder.

wasn't a lot to add, changes in bold then 1/2

 

[motherlove]

I just checked and don't have any analyses in WIP, so I'll be taking Skarmory if that's alright.
Quality Control, QC [1/2]
Overview

* Excellent Steel / Flying type lets it check many common threats and leaves few exploitable weaknesses. both of them can be mitigated with an ability
* Ground immunity lets it avoid Spikes, switch freely into Earthquake, and prevent Arena Trap from Dugtrio irrelevant when you wall duggy anyway.
* Has multiple viable abilities with different weaknesses to keep the foe guessing.
* Good support movepool allows it to reliably wall and manage hazards throughout the match.
* Good Defense stat lets it take on most physical attackers
* Immunity to Toxic prevents it from being worn down
* Low HP and Special Defense leave it vulnerable to special attackers
* Steel typing lets it get trapped by Magnet Pull
I dunno if "poor offensive pressence means it has to shuffle things around a lot" would be worth mentionning, up to you.

Physically Defensive
Skarmory @ Shed Shell / Leftovers / helmet
Ability: Fluffy / Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Brave Bird put brave bird before ww imo, no attacks skarm is bad, also slash iron head as it can help it pressure rock types like ttar
- Defog / Stealth Rock / Spikes

Set Comments

Moves

* Roost gives Skarmory active recovery and lets it stay healthy throughout the match.
* Whirlwind phazes out setup sweepers and prevents Skarmory from being setup bait.
* Brave Bird give Skarmory a bit of offensive presence and lets it do something versus Taunt and Magic Bounce.
* Defog clears hazards for Skarmory's team and allows for 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. just wanted to point out that I like this part.

Set Details

* 248 HP EVs alongside 252 Defense EVs maximize Skarmory's physical bulk and allow it to take as many hits as possible.
* Fluffy halves the damage of contact moves and allows Skarmory to check most physical attackers better. I would say something about taking advantage of eq immunity since it's one of the main ways to pass fluffy usually
* Shed Shell prevents Magnet Pull Pokemon such as Heatran and Victini from trapping Skarmoryl; Shed Shell should only really be run alongside Fluffy I wouldn't say only as magpull electric types are a thing, but something like "flash fire can run another item such as lefties or rocky helmet since it's not threatened by common magpull users".
* Flash Fire is another option to take on Fire-type Pokemon such as Entei that try to take advantage of Skarmory's weakness or Fluffy's boost to Fire-type moves no idea what you mean by that. put that point between fluffy and shed shell
* Leftovers gives Skarmory passive recovery and makes it better at its job, but lets some archetypes remove it outright and is generally only useful on Flash Fire sets. if you do the previous changes, then that point is redundant

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.
* Avoid Pokemon that use physical attacks that do not make contact, particularly Hoopa-U and Kyurem-B, as they can ignore the boosts from Fluffy
* Keep Skarmory at high health, 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 volt-turn cores and is almost impossible to wear down no matter the power because it takes 1/8 damage from U-turn.
* Avoid getting Shed Shell knocked off, as Skarmory may then be trapped by Magnet Pull Pokemon such as Heatran.
* switch it in directly into sr users that it can wall so that you can defog straight away as rocks pressure skarm otherwise

Team Options

* As Skarmory is a physical wall, specially defensive Pokemon such as Meloetta, Chansey, and Magearna make 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 4x weakness to Fire-type moves.
* Electric-type answers such as Landorus-T, Ferrothorn, and Zygarde are useful to take those attacks for Skarmory.
* Magic Bounce Pokemon such as Zapdos or Chansey pair well with Skarmory, as they take hazard control pressure off of Skarmory and reflect back Taunt. zapdos is super redundant with skarm unless you run spd, which you shouldn't run with magic bounce
* Ground-weak Pokemon such as Heatran, Toxapex, and Magearna appreciate Skarmory's immunity to those attacks.
* Fire-weak Pokemon such as Magearna and Doublade pair well with Flash Fire Skarmory, as it can take on threats such as Entei and 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

* 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. put that point at the end cause it's the least important one
* Prankster Skarmory can use use priority Taunt, Defog, and Hazard Setting to better control the battlefeild.
* A specially defensive set may be run to set hazards more reliably and check mixed attackers, but even with investment Skarmory is not particularly specially bulky. don't run spd skarm, remove that point altogether imo
* Intimidate may be run over Fluffy to better check physical attackers that do not make contact and effect Mold Breaker attackers such as Mega Gyarados, but doesn't block damage as well.
* 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.
* Rocky Helmet is a workable alternative to Leftovers on Fluffy sets to further annoy contact attackers but is usually inferior to both other items; on Flash Fire sets, it gives Skarmory a way to annoy Pokemon such as Lucario by punishing Close Combat. add to main set
* mention unaware

Checks and Counters

Magic Bounce and Taunt: Magic Bounce reflects both entry hazards and Whirlwind, leaving Skarmory with little options due to Brave Bird's lacking power off of Skarmory's low attack stat. While Skarmory can Defog against Magic Bounce, it cannot against Taunt, and Magic Bounce users can set up freely without wasting turns using Taunt.

Special Attackers: Skarmory has a low special defense stat, letting even weak special attackers bypass it. Scald and Volt Switch in particular are troubling, as very little likes risking a Burn and Volt Switch can wear down switch-ins.

Magnet Pull: Magnet Pull prevents Skarmory from switching out of an unfavorable matchup, allowing it to get KOd before doing its job. While Skarmory can carry Shed Shell or use Whirlwind on a predicted switch to rack up damage, these Pokemon can remove Skarmory and leave its teammates vulnerable to strong attackers.

Super-effective attackers: Super Effective attacks, particularly Fire-type moves, can usually easily KO Skarmory. Fire-type attacks are boosted by Fluffy, letting them do even more to it, while Fusion Bolt doesn't make contact and bypasses it in that way.

Mold Breaker: Mold Breaker ignores abilities, so users of this can bypass Fluffy on all attacks. While this doesn't outright beat Skarmory, it makes its job much harder.

This seems pretty good, 2/3.

 

[Sobi]

Quantum Tesseract

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Overview

Thanks to its excellent Steel / Flying typing type, Skarmory can check many common threats and has few exploitable weaknesses, (AC) – (remove) both of which can be covered with abilities. Skarmory's Ground immunity lets it avoid Spikes and switch freely into Earthquake, and its while 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 while an immunity to Toxic prevents it from being worn down easily. However, a Skarmory's low HP and Special Defense stats leave it vulnerable to special attackers, and while Skarmory's Steel typing lets it get trapped by Magnet Pull.

Physically Defensive
Skarmory @ Shed Shell / Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
Ability: Fluffy / Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Brave Bird / Iron Head
- Whirlwind
- Defog / Stealth Rock / Spikes

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 but is weaker otherwise. Whirlwind phazes out setup sweepers and prevents Skarmory from being setup bait for Pokemon that can take its uninvested STAB attacks. Defog clears entry hazards for Skarmory's team and allows for 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 (RC) 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, which Fluffy further increases by halving the damage of contact moves. Flash Fire is another option to take on Fire-type Pokemon such as Entei that try to take advantage of Skarmory's weakness and offers Skarmory more freedom in item choice. Shed Shell prevents Magnet Pull Pokemon such as Heatran and Victini from trapping Skarmory and taking it out. Flash Fire is another option to take on Fire-type Pokemon such as Entei that try to take advantage of Skarmory's weakness and offers Skarmory more freedom in item choice. Leftovers gives Skarmory passive recovery and makes it better at its job (RC) but lets some archetypes remove it outright and is generally less useful on Fluffy sets; (SC) while however, (felt the clause was getting a bit too long) Rocky Helmet is a workable alternative to Leftovers to further annoy contact attackers.

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. Avoid Pokemon that use non-contact physical attacks that do not make contact, particularly Hoopa-U and Kyurem-B, as they can ignore the boosts from Fluffy. Keep Skarmory at high health whenever possible, as many physical attackers such as Terrakion can do heavy damage, (AC) –especially after a boost. Skarmory is a great answer to the physical half of volt-turn VoltTurn cores and is almost impossible to wear down no matter the power because it takes 1/8 damage from U-turn, so regularly switch it into those attacks for the team should the need arise. Avoid getting Shed Shell removed knocked off, 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 4x weakness to Fire-type moves, while 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 and Doublade 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, (AC) 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 (RC) but is much easier to take out. Intimidate may be run over Fluffy to better check physical attackers that do not make contact and affect effect Mold Breaker attackers such as Mega Gyarados, but it doesn't block damage as well. 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. Unaware Skarmory with Whirlwind serves as an excellent physical setup check. 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

Magic Bounce and Taunt: Magic Bounce reflects both entry hazards and Whirlwind, leaving Skarmory with little options due to Brave Bird's lacking power off of Skarmory's low Attack stat. While Skarmory can Defog against Magic Bounce, it cannot do so against Taunt, and Magic Bounce users can set up freely without wasting turns using Taunt.

Special Attackers: Skarmory has a low Special Defense stat, letting even weak special attackers bypass it. Scald and Volt Switch in particular are troubling, as very little likes risking a burn, and Volt Switch can wear down switch-ins.

Magnet Pull: Magnet Pull prevents Skarmory from switching out of an unfavorable matchup, allowing it to get KOed before doing its job. While Skarmory can carry Shed Shell or use Whirlwind on a predicted switch to rack up damage, these Pokemon can remove Skarmory and leave its teammates vulnerable to strong attackers.

Super Effective Attackers: Super effective attacks, particularly Fire-type moves, can usually easily KO Skarmory. Fire-type attacks are boosted by Fluffy, letting them do even more to it, while Fusion Bolt doesn't make contact and bypasses it in that way.

Mold Breaker: Mold Breaker ignores abilities, so users of this can bypass Fluffy on all attacks. While this doesn't outright beat Skarmory, it makes its job much harder.

Very well written!
GP 1/1 :)

(Also, wrt to am qc checks, pointing out grammar errors is completely redundant; yeah, you're probably slightly ticked off by them and want to kindly point it out, but that's what GP is for! QC should be adding content (and removing incorrect content), not simply rephrasing sentences.)

 

[Kris]

I just checked and don't have any analyses in WIP, so I'll be taking Skarmory if that's alright.
Grammar Ready, QC [2/2] GP [1/1]
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
Skarmory @ Shed Shell / Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
Ability: Fluffy / Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Brave Bird / Iron Head
- Whirlwind
- Defog / Stealth Rock / Spikes

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 but is weaker otherwise. Whirlwind phazes setup sweepers and prevents Skarmory from being setup bait for Pokemon that can take its uninvested STAB attacks. 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, which Fluffy further increases by halving the damage of contact moves. Shed Shell prevents Magnet Pull Pokemon such as Heatran and Victini from trapping Skarmory and taking it out. Leftovers gives Skarmory passive recovery and makes it better at its job, but lets some archetypes remove it outright and is generally less useful on Fluffy sets, while Rocky Helmet is a workable alternative to Leftovers to further annoy contact attackers.

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. Avoid Pokemon that use physical attacks that do not make contact, particularly Hoopa-U and Kyurem-B, as they can ignore the boosts from Fluffy. 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 1/8 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 4x 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 and Doublade 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. Intimidate may be run over Fluffy to better check physical attackers that do not make contact and affect Mold Breaker attackers such as Mega Gyarados, but it doesn't block damage as well. 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. Unaware Skarmory with Whirlwind serves as an excellent physical setup check. 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

Magic Bounce and Taunt: Magic Bounce reflects both entry hazards and Whirlwind, leaving Skarmory with little options due to Brave Bird lacking power off of Skarmory's low Attack stat. While Skarmory can Defog against Magic Bounce, it cannot do so against Taunt, and Magic Bounce users can set up freely without wasting turns using Taunt.

Special Attackers: Skarmory has a low Special Defense stat, letting even weak special attackers bypass it. Scald and Volt Switch in particular are troubling, as very little likes risking a burn and Volt Switch can wear down switch-ins.

Magnet Pull: Magnet Pull prevents Skarmory from switching out of an unfavorable matchup, allowing it to get KOed before doing its job. While Skarmory can carry Shed Shell or use Whirlwind on a predicted switch to rack up damage, these Pokemon can remove Skarmory and leave its teammates vulnerable to strong attackers.

Super Effective Attackers: Super effective attacks, particularly Fire-type moves, can usually easily KO Skarmory. Fire-type attacks are boosted by Fluffy, letting them do even more to it, while Fusion Bolt doesn't make contact and bypasses it in that way.

Mold Breaker: Mold Breaker ignores abilities, so users of this can bypass Fluffy on all attacks. While this doesn't outright beat Skarmory, it makes its job much harder.

http://www.smogon.com/tiers/om/analyses/aaa/skarmory uploaded

 

[motherlove]

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

• Skarmory @ Leftovers / Rocky Helmet / Shed Shell
• Ability: Flash Fire / Unaware / Intimidate
• EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
• Impish Nature
• - Roost
• - Brave Bird / Iron Head
• - Whirlwind / Toxic / Taunt
• - Defog / Stealth Rock / Spikes

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 set to pressure switchins, keep entry hazards off the field or prevent recovery, but 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 pokemons such as Entei, Fire Blast Garchomp and Volcarona. Because the majority of magnet pullers are fire type, Flash Fire skarmory can afford to run leftovers or rocky helmet to be less annoyed by stealth rocks or wear down physical attackers respectively. Unaware is another alternative that compensates for Skarmory's passivity, meaning it can freely recover in front of boosting pokemons such as Landorus-T, Gyarados, Kartana or 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 pullers 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 1/8 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

• Magic Bounce and Taunt: Magic Bounce reflects both entry hazards and Whirlwind, leaving Skarmory with little options due to Brave Bird lacking power off of Skarmory's low Attack stat. While Skarmory can Defog against Magic Bounce, it cannot do so against Taunt, and Magic Bounce users can set up freely without wasting turns using Taunt.
• Special Attackers: Skarmory has a low Special Defense stat, letting even weak special attackers bypass it. Scald and Volt Switch in particular are troubling, as very little likes risking a burn and Volt Switch can wear down switch-ins.
• Magnet Pull: Magnet Pull prevents Skarmory from switching out of an unfavorable matchup, allowing it to get KOed before doing its job. While Skarmory can carry Shed Shell or use Whirlwind on a predicted switch to rack up damage, these Pokemon can remove Skarmory and leave its teammates vulnerable to strong attackers.
• Super Effective Attackers: Super effective attacks, particularly Electric-type moves, can usually easily KO Skarmory. While Fire-type attacks may be blocked by Flash Fire sets, Skarmory has other viable abilities, and thus may sometimes be weak to that as well.
• Mold Breaker: Mold Breaker ignores abilities, so users of this can bypass Flash Fire or Unaware. While this doesn't outright beat Skarmory, it makes its job much harder.

Laxpras Quantum Tesseract