Will tone this down, lol. Anyways, getting a head start on updating this to fit the current metagame.
Gangsta Pants
[Overview]
<p>It's not easy being a lizard. BW2 OU is a fast-paced and hard-hitting metagame, and Scrafty's good 65 / 115 / 115 bulk is not always enough to stand up to the increase in power. Scrafty's ever-present weaknesses to Fighting and Flying are more troublesome than ever, with the introduction of threats such as Keldeo and Technician Breloom, while Tornadus still holds relevance in the OU tier. This makes it more difficult for Scrafty to set up, and even after a Dragon Dance, common users of Choice Scarf can still outspeed it, particularly Terrakion. However, as grim as things may have become for Scrafty, its great Dark / Fighting STAB combo, two great abilities in Moxie and Shed Skin, and good boosting moves in Dragon Dance and Bulk Up allow Scrafty to remain viable. As such, although Scrafty struggles in the BW2 OU environment, with proper team support and smart playing, Scrafty can be successful.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Hi Jump Kick / Drain Punch
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Leftovers / Lum Berry / Life Orb
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although its less-than-stellar Speed and average Attack make it an odd choice, Scrafty makes a decent user of Dragon Dance. It is blessed with Dark- and Fighting-type STABs in Drain Punch and Crunch that are resisted by only Heracross and Toxicroak, neither of which is extremely common. Moxie is the preferred ability here, as it gives a +1 Attack boost after each kill, boosting Scrafty’s modest Attack to intimidating levels. Hi Jump Kick is the preferred STAB choice here, as it provides much-needed power. However, Drain Punch is usable for its recovery and perfect accuracy, but its lower Base Power is often undesirable in many cases, as Scrafty does not hit hard enough without a couple boosts to its Attack. Crunch is chosen as Dark STAB and complements Drain Punch or Hi Jump Kick well, hurting Psychic- and Ghost-types as well as being solid and reliable. Ice Punch allows Scrafty to dispose of certain bulky Flying-types, notably Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Dragonite.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Life Orb makes Scrafty an immediately powerful threat, while Leftovers can potentially allow it to gain more Dragon Dances under its belt. With a Jolly nature and maximum Speed investment, Scrafty is able to outrun up to positive-natured base 111s, most notably Tornadus, and obliterate them with Ice Punch. An alternate spread of 140 HP / 176 Atk / 192 Spe with an Adamant nature is usable, as it makes Scrafty stronger and bulkier, but at the cost of Speed. For example, after one Dragon Dance, Scrafty will only be able to outspeed neutral-natured base 100s at best, and will thus be more susceptible to Pokemon such as Infernape, Keldeo, and Terrakion. Even with no investment in defenses, Scrafty makes great use of its 65 / 115 / 115 base defenses by withstanding common priority moves and attacks such as Latios's unboosted Draco Meteor and Keldeo's rain-boosted Surf ; even a Mach Punch from unboosted Adamant Conkeldurr will never OHKO Scrafty.</p>
<p>Scrafty doesn't have many options other than the ones listed already. It can use ThunderPunch for Gyarados, but other than that, Ice Punch vastly outclasses it. Scrafty can run a moveset of Dragon Dance, Rest, Drain Punch, Crunch with Shed Skin to reliably set up on weaker Pokemon, such as Gliscor, but it is susceptible on the turns Shed Skin does not activate. Shed Skin is also useful to remove burns or paralysis that might cripple Scrafty whilst it sets up. Taunt is useful if Ice Punch is not needed, as it can prevent Hippowdon or Skarmory from phazing Scrafty and also stop Ferrothorn from setting up Spikes or paralyzing with Thunder Wave; it also stops the use of Protect to deter Hi Jump Kick. Finally, Chople Berry deserves a special mention as an alternative item choice. This allows Scrafty to survive an otherwise fatal blow such as Terrakion's Close Combat or Conkeldurr's Drain Punch, provided that Scrafty has a reasonable amount of health left. However, it is situational at best, and in other instances you might miss out on valuable Leftovers recovery or the Life Orb power boost.</p>
<p>Since its base 90 Attack might not always hit hard enough, it is important to pair Scrafty up with entry hazard users such as Froslass, Scolipede, or Ferrothorn; the former two also attract Dark- and Rock-type moves for Scrafty to set up on. Amoonguss is also a useful teammate to take on Breloom and Keldeo, while attracting Steel-types that Scrafty can use as setup fodder. Zapdos is a viable teammate, as it has good synergy with Scrafty both offensively and defensively.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Crunch / Dragon Tail
move 4: Rest
item: Leftovers
ability: Shed Skin
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 8 Atk / 248 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Scrafty's impressive bulk, in conjunction with its typing and ability, make it a fine user of the move Bulk Up. Drain Punch and Crunch, both of which receive STAB, have excellent coverage together, hitting all but Heracross and Toxicroak, both of which are uncommon, for at least neutral damage. Drain Punch also has the advantage of restoring Scrafty's HP while simultaneously dishing out damage, making Scrafty even more difficult to KO. After accumulating enough boosts, Scrafty can simply use Rest to completely restore its HP, and thanks to Shed Skin, potentially wake up immediately after using the move with no consequences.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and nature maximize Scrafty's ability to take special attacks, as its Defense and Attack will be boosted by Bulk Up. Payback is an option over Crunch; while it has 100 Base Power when going second, it no longer doubles in power on the switch and only hits for a meager 50 Base Power against notable threats such as Reuniclus. Dragon Tail is another viable option over Crunch, allowing Scrafty to beat opposing stat boosters such as Conkeldurr, Salamence, and Suicune. Dragon Tail also has the advantage of hitting all Pokemon bar the irrelevant Shedinja for at least neutral damage alongside Drain Punch, although Dragon Tail will generally not hit as hard as Crunch and does not provide useful coverage. Intimidate is a useful ability over Shed Skin to weaken physical attackers, allowing Scrafty to tank better. However, this makes Rest significantly less reliable.</p>
<p>Scrafty can also be EVed to outspeed certain threats such as Metagross, Scizor, and Vaporeon; however, you are usually better off simply investing in its defenses, especially since Metagross and Vaporeon are not very common. While Scrafty's Special Defense is very good, it will still fold to powerful special attacks such as Keldeo's Hydro Pump, so exercise caution when setting up. Zapdos is a great teammate as it can check Fighting and Flying-types. Amoonguss is also a viable choice to take on Keldeo, while Spore allows Scrafty some free setup turns. Reuniclus has decent synergy with Scrafty and can handle opposing Fighting-types.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>An anti-lead set can work effectively, as Fake Out can be used to break any Focus Sash that the opposing Pokemon might hold, while the rest of Scrafty's movepool can enable it eliminate the opposing threat. However, thanks to Team Preview, dedicated leads are practically non-existent, and Scrafty is not fast enough to handle most of them anyway.</p>
<p>In addition to what has been previously listed, Scrafty also has access to Head Smash, Stone Edge, Fire Punch, and ThunderPunch (among other moves). However, Scrafty is better suited to using Ice Punch on the Dragon Dance set, as it otherwise has difficulty defeating the omnipresent Gliscor, Dragonite, and Salamence. Head Smash might seem cool, but the heavy recoil is not worth it. Zen Headbutt is a usable option on the Dragon Dance set to hit Toxicroak and, to a lesser extent, Heracross, among other Fighting-types that Scrafty may have a hard time with. However, Ice Punch is more important to handle Dragonite, Gliscor, and Landorus-T.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Physically bulky Pokemon, such as Hippowdon and Skarmory, take little from anything Scrafty has to offer and can phaze Scrafty out as long as it isn't the last Pokemon on its team. Quagsire, albeit rare, can check Scrafty very well as it ignores all of its boosts thanks to Unaware. Powerful Flying- and Fighting-type moves can inflict serious damage on Scrafty, as long as it hasn't yet accumulated numerous Bulk Up boosts, or if the attacks are special. Good users of these moves are Terrakion, Keldeo, Tornadus, and Conkeldurr. Most users of Choice Scarf, especially Terrakion and Keldeo, will be able to outspeed Scrafty even after a Dragon Dance boost and can inflict a good amount of damage on it. Toxicroak, and to a lesser extent Heracross, resist both of Scrafty's STABs and can retaliate with super effective Fighting attacks. Users of Trick and Encore will also cripple most Scrafty sets, as they can lock Scrafty into Bulk Up or Dragon Dance. While Scrafty has decent defenses, boosted hits from powerhouses such as Latios and Keldeo will often be too much for Scrafty to handle.</p>
Gangsta Pants
[Overview]
<p>It's not easy being a lizard. BW2 OU is a fast-paced and hard-hitting metagame, and Scrafty's good 65 / 115 / 115 bulk is not always enough to stand up to the increase in power. Scrafty's ever-present weaknesses to Fighting and Flying are more troublesome than ever, with the introduction of threats such as Keldeo and Technician Breloom, while Tornadus still holds relevance in the OU tier. This makes it more difficult for Scrafty to set up, and even after a Dragon Dance, common users of Choice Scarf can still outspeed it, particularly Terrakion. However, as grim as things may have become for Scrafty, its great Dark / Fighting STAB combo, two great abilities in Moxie and Shed Skin, and good boosting moves in Dragon Dance and Bulk Up allow Scrafty to remain viable. As such, although Scrafty struggles in the BW2 OU environment, with proper team support and smart playing, Scrafty can be successful.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Hi Jump Kick / Drain Punch
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Leftovers / Lum Berry / Life Orb
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although its less-than-stellar Speed and average Attack make it an odd choice, Scrafty makes a decent user of Dragon Dance. It is blessed with Dark- and Fighting-type STABs in Drain Punch and Crunch that are resisted by only Heracross and Toxicroak, neither of which is extremely common. Moxie is the preferred ability here, as it gives a +1 Attack boost after each kill, boosting Scrafty’s modest Attack to intimidating levels. Hi Jump Kick is the preferred STAB choice here, as it provides much-needed power. However, Drain Punch is usable for its recovery and perfect accuracy, but its lower Base Power is often undesirable in many cases, as Scrafty does not hit hard enough without a couple boosts to its Attack. Crunch is chosen as Dark STAB and complements Drain Punch or Hi Jump Kick well, hurting Psychic- and Ghost-types as well as being solid and reliable. Ice Punch allows Scrafty to dispose of certain bulky Flying-types, notably Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Dragonite.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Life Orb makes Scrafty an immediately powerful threat, while Leftovers can potentially allow it to gain more Dragon Dances under its belt. With a Jolly nature and maximum Speed investment, Scrafty is able to outrun up to positive-natured base 111s, most notably Tornadus, and obliterate them with Ice Punch. An alternate spread of 140 HP / 176 Atk / 192 Spe with an Adamant nature is usable, as it makes Scrafty stronger and bulkier, but at the cost of Speed. For example, after one Dragon Dance, Scrafty will only be able to outspeed neutral-natured base 100s at best, and will thus be more susceptible to Pokemon such as Infernape, Keldeo, and Terrakion. Even with no investment in defenses, Scrafty makes great use of its 65 / 115 / 115 base defenses by withstanding common priority moves and attacks such as Latios's unboosted Draco Meteor and Keldeo's rain-boosted Surf ; even a Mach Punch from unboosted Adamant Conkeldurr will never OHKO Scrafty.</p>
<p>Scrafty doesn't have many options other than the ones listed already. It can use ThunderPunch for Gyarados, but other than that, Ice Punch vastly outclasses it. Scrafty can run a moveset of Dragon Dance, Rest, Drain Punch, Crunch with Shed Skin to reliably set up on weaker Pokemon, such as Gliscor, but it is susceptible on the turns Shed Skin does not activate. Shed Skin is also useful to remove burns or paralysis that might cripple Scrafty whilst it sets up. Taunt is useful if Ice Punch is not needed, as it can prevent Hippowdon or Skarmory from phazing Scrafty and also stop Ferrothorn from setting up Spikes or paralyzing with Thunder Wave; it also stops the use of Protect to deter Hi Jump Kick. Finally, Chople Berry deserves a special mention as an alternative item choice. This allows Scrafty to survive an otherwise fatal blow such as Terrakion's Close Combat or Conkeldurr's Drain Punch, provided that Scrafty has a reasonable amount of health left. However, it is situational at best, and in other instances you might miss out on valuable Leftovers recovery or the Life Orb power boost.</p>
<p>Since its base 90 Attack might not always hit hard enough, it is important to pair Scrafty up with entry hazard users such as Froslass, Scolipede, or Ferrothorn; the former two also attract Dark- and Rock-type moves for Scrafty to set up on. Amoonguss is also a useful teammate to take on Breloom and Keldeo, while attracting Steel-types that Scrafty can use as setup fodder. Zapdos is a viable teammate, as it has good synergy with Scrafty both offensively and defensively.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Drain Punch
move 3: Crunch / Dragon Tail
move 4: Rest
item: Leftovers
ability: Shed Skin
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 8 Atk / 248 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Scrafty's impressive bulk, in conjunction with its typing and ability, make it a fine user of the move Bulk Up. Drain Punch and Crunch, both of which receive STAB, have excellent coverage together, hitting all but Heracross and Toxicroak, both of which are uncommon, for at least neutral damage. Drain Punch also has the advantage of restoring Scrafty's HP while simultaneously dishing out damage, making Scrafty even more difficult to KO. After accumulating enough boosts, Scrafty can simply use Rest to completely restore its HP, and thanks to Shed Skin, potentially wake up immediately after using the move with no consequences.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and nature maximize Scrafty's ability to take special attacks, as its Defense and Attack will be boosted by Bulk Up. Payback is an option over Crunch; while it has 100 Base Power when going second, it no longer doubles in power on the switch and only hits for a meager 50 Base Power against notable threats such as Reuniclus. Dragon Tail is another viable option over Crunch, allowing Scrafty to beat opposing stat boosters such as Conkeldurr, Salamence, and Suicune. Dragon Tail also has the advantage of hitting all Pokemon bar the irrelevant Shedinja for at least neutral damage alongside Drain Punch, although Dragon Tail will generally not hit as hard as Crunch and does not provide useful coverage. Intimidate is a useful ability over Shed Skin to weaken physical attackers, allowing Scrafty to tank better. However, this makes Rest significantly less reliable.</p>
<p>Scrafty can also be EVed to outspeed certain threats such as Metagross, Scizor, and Vaporeon; however, you are usually better off simply investing in its defenses, especially since Metagross and Vaporeon are not very common. While Scrafty's Special Defense is very good, it will still fold to powerful special attacks such as Keldeo's Hydro Pump, so exercise caution when setting up. Zapdos is a great teammate as it can check Fighting and Flying-types. Amoonguss is also a viable choice to take on Keldeo, while Spore allows Scrafty some free setup turns. Reuniclus has decent synergy with Scrafty and can handle opposing Fighting-types.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>An anti-lead set can work effectively, as Fake Out can be used to break any Focus Sash that the opposing Pokemon might hold, while the rest of Scrafty's movepool can enable it eliminate the opposing threat. However, thanks to Team Preview, dedicated leads are practically non-existent, and Scrafty is not fast enough to handle most of them anyway.</p>
<p>In addition to what has been previously listed, Scrafty also has access to Head Smash, Stone Edge, Fire Punch, and ThunderPunch (among other moves). However, Scrafty is better suited to using Ice Punch on the Dragon Dance set, as it otherwise has difficulty defeating the omnipresent Gliscor, Dragonite, and Salamence. Head Smash might seem cool, but the heavy recoil is not worth it. Zen Headbutt is a usable option on the Dragon Dance set to hit Toxicroak and, to a lesser extent, Heracross, among other Fighting-types that Scrafty may have a hard time with. However, Ice Punch is more important to handle Dragonite, Gliscor, and Landorus-T.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Physically bulky Pokemon, such as Hippowdon and Skarmory, take little from anything Scrafty has to offer and can phaze Scrafty out as long as it isn't the last Pokemon on its team. Quagsire, albeit rare, can check Scrafty very well as it ignores all of its boosts thanks to Unaware. Powerful Flying- and Fighting-type moves can inflict serious damage on Scrafty, as long as it hasn't yet accumulated numerous Bulk Up boosts, or if the attacks are special. Good users of these moves are Terrakion, Keldeo, Tornadus, and Conkeldurr. Most users of Choice Scarf, especially Terrakion and Keldeo, will be able to outspeed Scrafty even after a Dragon Dance boost and can inflict a good amount of damage on it. Toxicroak, and to a lesser extent Heracross, resist both of Scrafty's STABs and can retaliate with super effective Fighting attacks. Users of Trick and Encore will also cripple most Scrafty sets, as they can lock Scrafty into Bulk Up or Dragon Dance. While Scrafty has decent defenses, boosted hits from powerhouses such as Latios and Keldeo will often be too much for Scrafty to handle.</p>
Overview:
[I really toned down the overview to fit the current metagame, and mention it's not quite as good as it was at its prime. I'm writing an overview that isn't fluffy nor exactly mean, but as for now I'm toning it down.]
Set Comments of DD:
[I removed the mention of Zapdos and replaced it with Landorus-T 'cause Lando is far more relevant. Also, Scrafty is only a decent user of DD, lol. I removed any mention of Shed Skin entirely, because you'll almost always want Moxie, plus Moxie is the only ability on the set, so Shed Skin is AC at best. I also went ahead and explained Crunches purpose as the current comments never explained why Crunch is used here, which is secondary STAB.]
AC of DD:
[I did a lot here. 90 Attack is a little weak so Scrafty likes hazard support; Froslass is probably the best choice because it deters the use of Fighting-type moves, while attracts Dark and Rock moves as well as Espeon that give Scrafty perfect opportunities to set up, and the Spikes also help Scrafty achieve some KO's it would otherwise miss out on. By Frog's request, Amoonguss was also mentioned as a teammate to take on Keldeo and Breloom, incapacitate some common counters with Spore, and lure Heatran/Ferro for Scrafty to set up with. Also acknowledged that I'm sure it only survives unboosted Mach Punch from Conk; I'm sure boosted will score a KO. I'll add in other examples of Scrafty's nice bulk soon.]
Set Comments of BU
[Not much had to be done here, but I still did some. I acknowledged that Heracross and Toxicroak are not all that common, and I acknowledged that Attack is also boosted by BU hence why there only needed to be a small amount of Attack investment.]
AC of BU
[I did a little here, but there wasn't much. I removed Cofagrigus from the AC entirely because it's fairly irrelevant in OU these days, not to mention its analysis was deleted, so it was obviously deemed unviable. I replaced the "Virizion's Focus Blast" with "Keldeo's Hydro Pump" because nobody really uses Virizion these days, even if it's still viable. Keldeo is much more relevant and should be acknowledged.]
Checks and Counters:
[There's quite a bit that I added here. I removed Swampert entirely, because aside from being less relevant than it once was, is not cut out for the tank role anymore, and these days only CB Pert is good, so that mention was removed. I also acknowledged that Hippowdon and Skarmory also laugh at most of what Scrafty has to offer besides a boosted Hi Jump Kick. I replaced Staraptor and Virizion with Tornadus and Keldeo, respectively, because no one really uses either of those aforementioned two, and rain's pretty popular so Tornadus and Keldeo are definitely mention worthy. I also mentioned most Scarf users are a pain, because Scrafty's Speed is pretty crippling so most common Scarf users should ideally be able to outspeed Scrafty. I also added Keldeo into the sentence about boosted powerhouses being able to take it out, it's pretty strong and counts with that Specs Hydro Pump being overkill. Oh, and the two Pokemon that resist Dark / Fighting combo, Hera and Croak, are also worth mentioning as Scrafty counters.]
[I really toned down the overview to fit the current metagame, and mention it's not quite as good as it was at its prime. I'm writing an overview that isn't fluffy nor exactly mean, but as for now I'm toning it down.]
Set Comments of DD:
[I removed the mention of Zapdos and replaced it with Landorus-T 'cause Lando is far more relevant. Also, Scrafty is only a decent user of DD, lol. I removed any mention of Shed Skin entirely, because you'll almost always want Moxie, plus Moxie is the only ability on the set, so Shed Skin is AC at best. I also went ahead and explained Crunches purpose as the current comments never explained why Crunch is used here, which is secondary STAB.]
AC of DD:
[I did a lot here. 90 Attack is a little weak so Scrafty likes hazard support; Froslass is probably the best choice because it deters the use of Fighting-type moves, while attracts Dark and Rock moves as well as Espeon that give Scrafty perfect opportunities to set up, and the Spikes also help Scrafty achieve some KO's it would otherwise miss out on. By Frog's request, Amoonguss was also mentioned as a teammate to take on Keldeo and Breloom, incapacitate some common counters with Spore, and lure Heatran/Ferro for Scrafty to set up with. Also acknowledged that I'm sure it only survives unboosted Mach Punch from Conk; I'm sure boosted will score a KO. I'll add in other examples of Scrafty's nice bulk soon.]
Set Comments of BU
[Not much had to be done here, but I still did some. I acknowledged that Heracross and Toxicroak are not all that common, and I acknowledged that Attack is also boosted by BU hence why there only needed to be a small amount of Attack investment.]
AC of BU
[I did a little here, but there wasn't much. I removed Cofagrigus from the AC entirely because it's fairly irrelevant in OU these days, not to mention its analysis was deleted, so it was obviously deemed unviable. I replaced the "Virizion's Focus Blast" with "Keldeo's Hydro Pump" because nobody really uses Virizion these days, even if it's still viable. Keldeo is much more relevant and should be acknowledged.]
Checks and Counters:
[There's quite a bit that I added here. I removed Swampert entirely, because aside from being less relevant than it once was, is not cut out for the tank role anymore, and these days only CB Pert is good, so that mention was removed. I also acknowledged that Hippowdon and Skarmory also laugh at most of what Scrafty has to offer besides a boosted Hi Jump Kick. I replaced Staraptor and Virizion with Tornadus and Keldeo, respectively, because no one really uses either of those aforementioned two, and rain's pretty popular so Tornadus and Keldeo are definitely mention worthy. I also mentioned most Scarf users are a pain, because Scrafty's Speed is pretty crippling so most common Scarf users should ideally be able to outspeed Scrafty. I also added Keldeo into the sentence about boosted powerhouses being able to take it out, it's pretty strong and counts with that Specs Hydro Pump being overkill. Oh, and the two Pokemon that resist Dark / Fighting combo, Hera and Croak, are also worth mentioning as Scrafty counters.]
