Is it a bird or is it a plane? Skarmory Discussion

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http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-dp/227.shtml

65/80/140/40/70/70

Physical (stab in bold)
Steel Wing
Pluck
Drill peck
Brave Bird
Pursuit
Rock Slide
X-Scissor
Return
Night Slash
Thief

Special
Air Slash
Hidden Power
Dark Pulse
Flash Cannon

Support
Stealth Rock
Spikes
Whirlwind
Roar
Roost
Rest
Curse
Swords Dance
Protect
Taunt
Toxic
Agility


With all the hype over Rhyperior, I feel as though our favorite tin bird is being neglected. It's still make a pretty good physical tank, and it can phaze a bit better now that it can use Whirlwind and Drill Peck in tandem.

This thing has got a decent physical movepool, with a decent physical attack stat to go with it, but where it really shines is as a support pokemon. It can set up SR or Spikes and then start phazing for damage. it can Toxistall. It could be a curse sweeper, although aside from Curselax those were never really that good.

Skarmory @ Leftovers
- Drill Peck / Steel Wing / Aerial Ace
- Spikes / Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
- Roost

The standard set pretty much. Some people like Steel Wing, but Drill Peck is generally the better choice. Usually you'll see Spikes here as something else will probably set up SR earlier on. I'm not too good with EVs and such so i wont be including those.

Skarmory @ Choice Band
- Brave Bird
- Steel Wing
- Rock Slide
- Night Slash / Pursuit

I'm not a fan of Choice Band pokemon, but this is the set my friend was using, so whatever.
 
There has been several discussions on Skarmory. And I made one too.

Still IMO the best physical wall in D/P. It can also outstall CBRhyINFERIOR pretty bad with Roost.

I use Skarm in like 99% of my WiFI teams. It's still handy, mainly because

1) Starmie is gone as a Spinner due to a Pursuit weak
2) No one likes getting Spiked
3) I just made CSpecs Mence KO a Bliss with Spikes + Stealth Rock

Night Slash is rather useless on Skarm IMO. At least use Pursuit or something over it. You may never know. You could potentially lock and destroy Alakazam or somthing
 
Roost does turn it into a prediction game though. Earthquake does a hell of a lot of damage to a roosting Skarmory. 60% odd with a neutral/0 EV Rhyperior.
 
That's why you don't immediately roost against Rhyperior unless you're sure it's locked under CB Stone Edge.

Of course, if you're at 50% health this becomes a big prediction game. But prediction games are fun anyway
 
I'm using Aerial Ace/Roost/Spikes/Whirwind, I chose Aerial Ace over Drill Peck so I can still hit some Double Teamers.
100 atk, 252 Hp, 152 def, Impish.

It's working (at least for my team) better than Gliscor.
 
I don't think Skarmory is going to hurt Double Teamers with Aerial Ace and you might as well use Drill Peck to OHKO heracross
 
I'm using Aerial Ace/Roost/Spikes/Whirwind, I chose Aerial Ace over Drill Peck so I can still hit some Double Teamers.
100 atk, 252 Hp, 152 def, Impish.

It's working (at least for my team) better than Gliscor.

Drop Aerial Ace for Drill Peck. It's just better.
 
Magnezone hasn't gone away, and if I run Skarmory I really wouldn't want it to be taken out so easily. I'd put Shed Shell over Leftovers all the time unless there's some threshold attack I'm not aware of where leftovers become really important.
 
>_>
This is the 4th skarmory discussion; as if we needed to take up more space and make another one lol. Even I made one earlier too. Anyway, I think I'm the only person who actually uses magnezone lol, and even then I don't use it too often. Unlike surgo, I would carry leftovers over shed shell since skarm can't really afford to not gain that HP.
 
I've been wanting try and have SR and Spikes on skarm but will that work? It does need whirlwind afaik but then there's roost and drill peck for actual damage.

And wow skarm learns swords dance? Late-game sweep?
 
well

Sorry about that. I did a search and didn't see any topics devoted to it, but i only checked the first like 7 pages of results I got.

I'm going to be using it on a team with Jirachi, so I might have Magnezone problems. Still Jirachi can U-Turn out and if I predict a Magnezone switchin i can just Phaze on the switch and rack up some SR and Spikes damage.

It's stilla great physical tank though and even after a Roost when it picks up a ground weakness it's still not likely to get OKHO'd due to it's monstrous defense.
 
Roost makes birds vulnerable to ground, does it? Is the weakness just for the roosting turn or until it switches?
 
Roost makes birds vulnerable to ground, does it? Is the weakness just for the roosting turn or until it switches?

For the roosting turn, for the roosting turn.

Roost/Drill Peck/ (Spikes/SR) / Whirlwind seems to be the way to go for the standard. I would rather take leftovers, seeing as Skarms needs all the HP regen he can get. And i'll probably be able to predict a magnezone switch in and whirlwind it for switch damage.
 
Drop Aerial Ace for Drill Peck. It's just better.

I've learned my lesson and will pay attention to Egg Moves now, didn't know that I could have Whirwind and Drill Peck in this gen. But anyway, used a Pidgeot to get Roost and Whirwind, so I could save the TM for something better.
 
I still have my suspicions about the above user :/

But anyways, Skarmory is extremely useful, from what I can tell with the current warstories. Bring it in on something that can't counter it, and the person is automatically forced to switch, setting up for Spikes

Roost is the only healing option it has, and it is rather useful. You probably won't be keeping it in on the turn it is Roostin if they bring in their Rhyperior or Garchomp, so that really isn't a problem

Leftovers is better than Beautiful Skin, due to reasons already mentioned.
 
meh...

Rest has never been a really good move. It's more for those pokemon who like the randomness of Resttalkers, and Manaphy who proves to be nearly invincible in the rain.

Anyways, I've noticed most people run Spikes on Skarmory, I've always believed SR to be superior and running both is like begging Starmie to come out and ruin your fun.
 
SR is superior, as its faster to set up, but SR can be covered by other things like swampert. There are a few spikers, and skarm is the best.

As for rest, I used skarm as a setup/whirlwind and run thing. In that case, rest becomes a choice as you can AT it with blissey.

But maybe its because I'm still thinking 3rd gen. =\
 
While we're on topic, what's different about Stealth Rock? I've always though it was the same as Spikes (takes out 25% HP with three layers), but Rock type (so flies that are weak to Rock would lose 50% HP each time they switch in).
 
Only one layer of Stealth Rock can be put down, and it does 1/8 damage. Other than that you've got it right (flying type takes double the damage, or 1/4, etc)
 
Aww, I was gonna say that...and then I accidentally clicked something. D:

Anyway, thinking about testing the non-attacking Subskarm on Competitor eventually when I actually bother to make a decent team someday...

@ Lefties
Impish; 252 HP/Def
-Substitute
-Whirlwind
-Spikes/Stealth Rock
-Roost

It was popular back in the day when I had internets...
 
1/8, that's nice @.@
But I think Skarmory's better off using only Spikes, like always. That's a reason to use Skarmory over Gliscor, too.
 
Skarmory isn't fast enough to put up a sub against most rapid spinners. You'll probably be better off using a ghost to counter spinners.
 
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