[OVERVIEW]
At first glance, Scizor might seem like a potent threat; it has only one weakness, it's considerably strong when it sets up with Swords Dance, and it efficiently uses strong priority. Compelling as these reasons may be, Scizor is, simply put, a less-than-mediocre Pokemon in Doubles OU. Despite it having only one weakness, this same weakness leaves it immediately exploitable for any Fire-type or anything with Fire-type coverage, either of which is commonly found on most teams. Common Water-types also threaten it to a lesser extent by virtue of resisting Scizor's Bullet Punch and being able to do considerable damage or burn it with their own STAB moves. Scizor is also the bearer of lackluster STAB coverage and low Speed, forcing it to rely on Bullet Punch as its main STAB move. Due to this, it is usually outclassed by the likes of Mega Metagross and Aegislash as an offensive Steel-type and by Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Diancie as a Mega Evolution. However, Scizor can still be used, albeit with an ounce of viability. It can become a somewhat threatening setup sweeper with Swords Dance and its strong priority boosted by Technician. Furthermore, being primarily a priority attacker, it can avoid being beaten by opposing forms of speed control, and it still beats Mega Diancie.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Bullet Punch
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Protect
item: Scizorite
ability: Light Metal
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Bullet Punch is Scizor's main attacking move and boasts priority as well a boost from both Technician and STAB. Knock Off provides useful coverage for threats that Bullet Punch cannot hit, such as Aegislash and Jirachi, and is otherwise a useful neutral coverage attack. Swords Dance is the only reason to use Scizor; by boosting Scizor's Attack to threatening levels, it's the best way to prevent Scizor from being outclassed by the likes of Genesect and Mega Metagross. Protect allows Scizor to stall out a turn in order to allow time for an ally to get rid of an opposing threat.
Set Details
========
As Scizor doesn't really rely on its Speed by virtue of being a priority-based attacker, maximum HP and Attack investment and an Adamant nature are recommended. Scizor can also use 252 HP / 80 Atk / 176 SpD with a Careful nature to avoid the 2HKO from offensive Thundurus, allowing for more setup opportunities, albeit at the cost of less immediate attacking power. Scizor's ability pre-Mega Evolution doesn't really matter, but Light Metal is used for the rare instance that Scizor switches in on a weight-dependent move such as Low Kick.
Usage Tips
========
Before setting up, it's usually a good idea to remove threats to Scizor, mainly Fire-types, in order to maximize its potential on the field. As it is most effective at threatening opposing teams when boosted by Swords Dance, time is money with Scizor, and it should begin to set up as soon as possible. Fortunately, Scizor has relatively good bulk and is able to set up in the face of many common threats, such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Diancie, and Kyurem-B. Scizor can also be used as an effective late-game sweeper with its strong priority, as it is able to clean up a weakened team even through opposing speed control. It can also use its strong priority to effectively revenge kill faster foes.
Team Options
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To be used viably, Scizor mandates teammates that counter opposing Fire-types. For example, Water-types such as Keldeo, Rotom-W, and Gyarados can all be paired with Scizor to discourage opposing Fire-types from switching in. Landorus-T and Terrakion can also heavily threaten opposing Fire-types with their Ground- or Rock-type coverage. By the same token, a check to opposing sun teams, such as your own Fire-type, is also useful. Fire-types also benefit from Scizor threatening Mega Diancie. Examples of good Fire-type partners include Talonflame, Heatran, and Rotom-H. Redirection is also a useful mode of support to use with Scizor so that it has the easiest time setting up. However, some of the most widely applicable redirectors, such as Jirachi and Amoonguss, stack a Fire-type weakness with Scizor. With that in mind, Scizor teams have limited viable redirection options, but some good ones include Togekiss and Clefairy. Wide Guard users such as Swampert and Conkeldurr also benefit Scizor by letting it avoid an opposing Heat Wave, the most common Fire-type attack, which would ignore redirection by virtue of being a spread move.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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For an alternative to Knock Off, Bug Bite could be used for a somewhat strong secondary STAB move that also can nab a Sitrus Berry from an opposing Rotom-W if Scizor is running at least 92 Speed EVs. Aerial Ace could also be used for Keldeo and Amoonguss, as can Superpower for Mega Kangaskhan and Heatran. As Scizor has a decent support movepool, it could also run a support set with moves such as Feint, Tailwind, and Quick Guard.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Talonflame, Heatran, Infernape, and Mega Charizard Y, or Pokemon that commonly carry Fire-type coverage, such as Hydreigon and Salamence, all immensely threaten Scizor by exploiting its prominent weakness to Fire-type attacks.
**Intimidate and Burns**: An opposing Will-O-Wisp from the likes of Gengar and Rotom-W stops Scizor dead in its tracks, but Intimidate is not that much of a menace due to Swords Dance outweighing Intimidate's single drop in Attack.
**Quick Guard**: As Scizor primarily relies on Bullet Punch for attacking, Quick Guard users such as Keldeo and Terrakion weaken Scizor's offensive presence and force it to use only Knock Off to attack.
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