[OVERVIEW]
Scizor's great typing and strong Technician-boosted priority make it one of the tier's premier pivots and revenge killers. It's also an incredibly potent late-game sweeper due to how easily it can whittle down its checks with Knock Off or U-turn, and its classic combination of Swords Dance and Bullet Punch allows it to cleave through weakened teams with ease. Good natural bulk alongside its typing and Roost makes it a solid check to Pokemon like Tapu Bulu and Zarude, giving it both offensive and defensive duties; offensive sets must still be wary around these threats, though. Thanks to its set versatility it can be hard to discern what Scizor is running at Team Preview, and guessing the wrong set can be very costly. However, Scizor struggles a fair amount with being a Steel-type that gets completely fried by Fire coverage from Pokemon like Salamence, Mew, and Hatterene, and its mediocre Speed tier can leave it overly reliant on Bullet Punch for revenge killing purposes, which is easily exploitable by Pokemon like Moltres, Keldeo, and Celesteela. It also struggles a little bit with four-moveslot syndrome on Swords Dance sets, particularly offensive ones.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance + Roost
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: Knock Off / U-turn
move 4: Roost
item: Heavy-Duty Boots / Safety Goggles
ability: Technician
nature: Adamant
evs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Bullet Punch is Scizor's main cleaning tool and is also useful mid-game to revenge kill Pokemon like Nihilego and Mamoswine. Knock Off is generally preferred as Scizor's coverage move of choice to threaten Pokemon like Moltres, Salamence, and Volcanion on the switch, removing their Heavy-Duty Boots and making them much easier to break through with Bullet Punch late-game. It can also cripple switch-ins like Celesteela and Keldeo for Scizor's teammates. U-turn is also a solid option that still does good damage to the aforementioned threats and also allows Scizor to potentially bring in a teammate like Primarina to exploit checks such as Salamence and Keldeo. Roost is important for checking Pokemon like Amoonguss and Lycanroc-D over the course of a game. Heavy-Duty Boots is the preferred item to ensure that Scizor can stay healthy regardless of entry hazards being up, creating more opportunities for it to nab a Swords Dance boost and making it a sturdier check to threats like Tapu Bulu and Nihilego. Safety Goggles can be used instead to allow Scizor to completely blank Amoonguss and defeat it one-on-one, since it's bulky enough to handle Foul Play, but it doesn't help much with anything else. 44 Speed EVs are used to outspeed Mantine so that Scizor can beat it with a boosted Knock Off if it has taken enough chip damage. 216 Speed EVs can also be used to outspeed Aegislash if Scizor is running Knock Off, but it's generally not wise to cut into Scizor's bulk that much.
Scizor fits on a wide range of balanced and offensive teams thanks to its great offensive and defensive utility, and its best teammates depend on which moves it's running. Both Knock Off and U-turn variants will appreciate Pokemon that can switch into the likes of Rotom-H and Moltres such as Rhyperior and one's own Rotom-H, while U-turn variants also appreciate offensive checks such as Keldeo, Azumarill, and Primarina that can take advantage of the free turns U-turn generates. The likes of Incineroar and Crawdaunt can weaken checks to Scizor like Rotom-W and Keldeo and appreciate Scizor's ability to bring them in safely on foes like Celesteela. Incineroar can also form a pivot core with Scizor and checks Chandelure. Other wallbreakers such as Lycanroc-D and Nidoqueen can take advantage of Scizor's switch-ins if it brings them in safely via U-turn. Stealth Rock support is necessary to achieve certain KOs on foes like Azumarill at +2; good setters to pair with Scizor include Kommo-o, which checks Fire-types like Chandelure and Rotom-H; Krookodile, which checks Galarian Slowbro and Rhyperior, and Nidoqueen; which checks all of the aforementioned Pokemon in addition to other annoyances like Buzzwole.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Bullet Punch
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Knock Off
move 4: Dual Wingbeat
item: Choice Band
ability: Technician
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Bullet Punch is very strong with a boost from Choice Band, making it an excellent revenge killing tool. U-turn allows Scizor to take advantage of the switches it forces against Pokemon like Tangrowth and Mamoswine to gain momentum and does large damage to switch-ins like Quagsire and Rotom-W. Knock Off is Scizor's main way to cripple threats it struggles to break through like Salamence and Tentacruel. Dual Wingbeat is used to guarantee an OHKO on Amoonguss and Buzzwole while also doing great damage to foes like Kommo-o and Keldeo.
Choice Band Scizor is a good fit on teams that need to compress the roles of wallbreaker and revenge killer into a single slot, and it can also come serve as a pivot into Grass-types like Tangrowth and Amoonguss for offensive teams, though it must be wary of Sleep Powder and Spore. Rotom-W and Rotom-H are great teammates that can create a VoltTurn core with Scizor, being able to check certain Pokemon that Scizor can struggle with like Volcanion, Celesteela, and Moltres. They also provide Defog support for Scizor to ensure it isn't worn down by entry hazard damage over the course of a game. Other partners that can break through the likes of Celesteela and Moltres are appreciated, such as Rhyperior and Thundurus. Pokemon that can weaken Rotom-W and Rotom-H can make it much easier for Scizor to sweep late-game with Bullet Punch. Good examples include Chandelure, Keldeo, and Mamoswine, all of which Scizor can bring in via U-turn. Entry hazard support from the likes of Kommo-o, Mew, and Krookodile is appreciated, as it makes Scizor's U-turn incredibly punishing to switch into, quickly wearing down Pokemon like opposing Kommo-o and Tentacruel.
[SET]
name: Offensive Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: Knock Off / Bug Bite
move 4: Quick Attack
item: Life Orb
ability: Technician
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Bullet Punch is Scizor's primary sweeping tool and lets it revenge kill Pokemon like Lycanroc-D. Technician-boosted Quick Attack gives Scizor a second priority move that allows it to bypass revenge killing from certain Pokemon like Keldeo, Thundurus, and Rotom-H if they're sufficiently weakened. Knock Off threatens foes resistant to Bullet Punch like Aegislash and Gyarados in addition to crippling Fire-types such as Volcanion and Rotom-H that rely on their Heavy-Duty Boots to check Scizor. Bug Bite can be used to break through foes like Tangrowth and Amoonguss after a boost and is also a very strong move to throw out in general thanks to the boost it receives from Technician, but Scizor can struggle to break through Steel-types when using it. Adamant is generally the preferred nature because Scizor needs all the power it can get, and it doesn't mind its lower Speed because it usually will use Bullet Punch to clean up.
This set fits near-exclusively on hyper offense teams due to its poor longevity and all-or-nothing nature preventing it from fulfilling many defensive duties. It's at home on dual screens teams featuring setters like Grimmsnarl, which can create opportunities for Scizor via support options like Thunder Wave and Taunt. Pokemon that can weaken checks like Keldeo, Moltres, and Rotom-H such as Incineroar, Diggersby, and Gyarados are all helpful teammates. Krookodile is a notable partner that can set up Stealth Rock, helping Scizor with achieving KOs on Pokemon like Celesteela and Zarude after a boost. Linoone appreciates Scizor's ability to weaken Steel-types like Celesteela and opposing Scizor to open a path for it to sweep late-game, or it can weaken them on its own to enable Scizor's sweep. Scizor can also fit on Spikes-based hyper offense teams with setters like Froslass and Mew. The chip damage from Spikes allows Scizor to break through Pokemon like Kommo-o, Amoonguss, and Tentacruel much more easily. Other good teammates include Galarian Moltres, which appreciates Scizor's ability to take out checks like Azumarill, and Clangorous Soul Kommo-o, which can lure in and weaken Pokemon like Quagsire. Kommo-o appreciates Scizor's ability to deal with annoyances like Hatterene and Primarina too. Finally, Scizor is a staple on Sticky Web hyper offense teams, pairing wonderfully with the likes of Thundurus-T and Gyarados, as it can break through checks to them like Amoonguss with ease in addition to providing valuable defensive utility and revenge killing capabilities. Good Sticky Web setters to pair with Scizor include Ribombee and Shuckle.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A physically defensive set can be used as a good check to Krookodile, Lycanroc-D, and Dragon Dance Salamence, but it is too passive to be worth using. A set with Bullet Punch, U-turn, Knock Off, and Roost can be used with a Life Orb or Heavy-Duty Boots to act as a strong pivot with some longevity, though it's generally ineffective due to its inability to boost its power. Rocky Helmet can be used on bulky Swords Dance sets or defensive sets to punish Pokemon like Zarude and Tapu Bulu more directly.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Scizor struggles to get through the likes of Rotom-H, Moltres, Incineroar, and Volcanion without proper prediction, and they can all revenge kill it if it's locked into Bullet Punch. They all hate having their item removed by Knock Off, though.
**Water-types**: Keldeo and Rotom-W can switch into Scizor at least once and proceed to threaten it out with a strong STAB move or the threat of a burn. They can be quickly worn down by U-turn, though. Quagsire is a good counter to most Scizor sets, being able to stomach even Choice Band U-turn, and it can heal off the damage with Recover.
**Steel-types**: Celesteela and Fire Punch Jirachi can revenge kill most Scizor sets if they're at full HP, but they must be wary of switching directly into it, as they hate being hit with Knock Off. Cobalion can counter Scizor and use it as an opportunity to set up a Swords Dance.
**Electric-types**: Rotom-H and Thundurus can revenge kill Scizor thanks to their resistance to Bullet Punch, with Rotom-H also acting as a decent switch-in to it. It must be wary of Knock Off, though. Rotom-W can also revenge kill Scizor or threaten to burn it with Will-O-Wisp, though it can find itself being walled if it's facing a bulkier variant.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Lilburr, 481709]]
- Quality checked by: [[Twilight, 344575], [Hilomilo, 313384], [Estarossa, 461329]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
Last edited by a moderator:
with this set, making it an excellent revenge killing tool.
4/3
