[OVERVIEW]
Scrafty has a legitimate niche that stems from its wonderful ability Intimidate as well as its access to Bulk Up. While it has heavy competition with Incineroar and Krookodile, its typing prevents it from being entirely outclassed, allowing it to beat physical threats like Carracosta and Choice Specs Greninja as well as Taunt Mega Gyarados if played correctly. In addition, a Dark and Fighting typing work very well with each other offensively, allowing Scrafty to beat Pokemon like Meloetta, Aegislash, and Heatran with the same set. Despite its rather low HP, its defenses are very high, allowing it to win some matchups even without Intimidate's help such as against Mega Metagross barring Iron Head flinches, Choice Specs Greninja, and Magnezone. However, Scrafty has a very middling base 90 Attack, so it is very vulnerable to Pokemon that can stall it out, like Kee Berry Mew, Mega Slowbro, and Zygarde. It is also slightly stretched thin in EVs, and it isn't especially versatile in its moves, items, or EV spread. Furthermore, it is torn between KOing Heatran and tanking Mega Lopunny or Magnezone's attacks, being unable to do all three consistently at the same time. It is generally not preferred over the other two Dark-type Bulk Up Intimidate users, Incineroar and Krookodile. Both not only have higher Attack stats, but they also have much better ways than Scrafty for dealing with stall. Furthermore, Incineroar has Darkest Lariat, which is able to bypass Defense boosts, and Krookodile has a speedy Rock Tomb plus Taunt.
[SET]
name: Intimidatingly Bulky (Bulk Up)
move 1: Foul Play
move 2: High Jump Kick
move 3: Bulk Up
move 4: Fake Out
item: Darkinium Z
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 180 Atk / 76 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Foul Play gives Scrafty a STAB Black Hole Eclipse to beat threats like Mega Metagross, Meloetta, Aegislash, and Victini. High Jump Kick is Scrafty's Fighting-type STAB attack to beat foes like Magnezone, Heatran, and Incineroar. Bulk Up boosts Scrafty's physical offense and bulk for it to take on Pokemon like Mega Charizard X, Garchomp, and bulky Mega Metagross barring Iron Head flinches. Fake Out hits foes for chip damage and breaks Magnezone's Sturdy and Choice Scarf Dragonite's Multiscale.
Set Details
========
76 Special Defense EVs along with 252 HP EVs lets Scrafty tank a Gigavolt Havoc from Magnezone. 180 Attack EVs maximize damage output in order to most reliably KO things like bulky Heatran, Garchomp, and bulky physical Dragonium Z Dragonite. Intimidate is run to crucially lower the Attack of foes like Mega Charizard X and Garchomp. Alternatively, a spread of 244 HP / 100 Atk / 84 Def / 80 SpD can be run to always tank Mega Lopunny's Fake Out followed by High Jump Kick. However, this will sacrifice consistency against bulky Heatran and bulky physical Dragonium Z Dragonite.
Usage Tips
========
Use Fake Out for free chip damage and to break Sturdy on Pokemon like Magnezone, as well as Dragonite's Multiscale if it is running physical Dragonium Z or Choice Scarf. Don't send Scrafty into Pokemon with defensive setup like Kee Berry Mew, Mega Slowbro, and Zygarde, as Scrafty does very little damage even after Bulk Up. Against bulkier Pokemon that Scrafty is unable to OHKO after a Fake Out, like Donphan, Crustle, and Garchomp, it is best to set up Bulk Up until they are in KO range from Black Hole Eclipse. This is especially so Scrafty does not have to worry about Counter from Donphan and Crustle and can tank any of Garchomp's attacks. If the spread with 180 Attack EVs is being run, do not use Fake Out against Garchomp to avoid Rough Skin damage; however, if the alternate spread with 84 Defense EVs is being run, use Fake Out first to secure the KO. Against certain stall Pokemon that Scrafty is able to beat, like Type: Null, Mega Sableye, and Registeel, spam Bulk Up for Attack boosts. The exception is Registeel, against which you should only use Bulk Up four times before using two High Jump Kicks followed by Black Hole Eclipse. If Registeel uses Seismic Toss before it reaches +6 Defense, just begin using High Jump Kick early too. Against Zeraora, Scrafty will need to predict whether it is running Bulk Up + Electrium Z or not. If it is not, use Black Hole Eclipse immediately for the KO. If it is, set up Bulk Up once while they also use Bulk Up. While Scrafty will still have the advantage in damage rolls in the case of a misprediction, for maximum reliability Scrafty will need to attack immediately against another Bulk Up from Zeraora or set up Bulk Up again before attacking against a Charge from Zeraora. Against offensive Mega Metagross, use Black Hole Eclipse, and use Bulk Up against bulky variants. Fake Out's damage will help you tell how much bulk it has. Against bulky Mega Charizard X, use Bulk Up twice, and then use Black Hole Eclipse followed by High Jump Kick. If you see it's offensive by damage rolls from Fake Out, forego setting up the second Bulk Up, and attack with Black Hole Eclipse. If Mega Gyarados does not have Taunt, use Bulk Up immediately, and use attacking moves according to if it has Mega Evolved or not. If Gyarados does have Taunt, you will need to predict when it uses Taunt by not using Bulk Up and when it will Mega Evolve, using Foul Play or High Jump Kick accordingly. Although Gyarados can win, this matchup is still in Scrafty's favor.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that can beat Fairy-types like Mega Charizard Y, Magnezone, and Ferrothorn can greatly help cover Scrafty's deathly weakness to Fairy, beating Pokemon like Magearna, Mega Mawile, Mega Gardevoir, Tapu Lele, and Primarina. In return, Scrafty can beat Pokemon like Heatran, Mega Charizard X, and Garchomp. Clefable can beat Pokemon like Dragonite, Mega Charizard Y, and Landorus-T. In return, Scrafty can beat Pokemon like Mega Metagross, Meloetta, and Magnezone. Stallbreakers like Serperior and Tapu Bulu can beat Pokemon that are too bulky for Scrafty to handly like Zygarde, Kee Berry Mew, and Mega Slowbro. In return, Scrafty can beat foes like Victini, Incineroar, and Naganadel.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Scrafty can run Crunch to beat Bold Mega Sableye, but it will lose out on Z-Move damage output as well as the ability to punish regular Gyarados for using Dragon Dance. If beating Magnezone is not a priority, Fake Out can be replaced by Taunt, alongside Foul Play being replaced with Crunch, for better matchups against some stall Pokemon such as Kee Berry Mew and Mega Slowbro. However, this is generally not worth giving up Fake Out, as it not only messes with damage rolls, but these stall matchups are also prediction based. This pales in comparison to Scrafty's primary competition Incineroar's ability to beat both of these consistently and Krookodile's higher Speed and access to Rock Tomb for speed control. Counter is also an option to punish harder-hitting physical attackers like Choice Band Dragonite and non-Swords Dance Mega Blaziken, but it requires the removal of one of Scrafty's four very valuable moves.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types like Magearna, Tapu Lele, and Mega Gardevoir can exploit Scrafty's deathly weakness to Fairy and OHKO it.
**Flying-types**: Flying-types like Choice Band or Flyinium Z Dragonite, Landorus-T, and Mega Pinsir can beat Scrafty due to its general weakness to Flying and inability to KO them in time.
**Fighting-types**: Although Mega Lopunny has a very shaky matchup against Scrafty, other Fighting-types like Kommo-o, Mega Blaziken, Mega Medicham, and Pheromosa can hit it with their super effective STAB moves, not to mention all of them besides Mega Medicham resist Dark.
**Stall**: Stall Pokemon like Kee Berry Mew, Slowbro, and Zygarde-C can stall out Scrafty due to its lackluster Attack stat.
**Excessively Powerful Attacks**: Pokemon like Mega Charizard Y, Substitute Torrent Greninja, Normalium Z Porygon-Z, and Substitute Volcarona can simply one-shot Scrafty with their extremely high-power STAB moves.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Eriey, 470842]]
- Quality checked by: [[Chickenpie2, 305552], [Alakazam, 267708], [pqs, 425798]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Estronic, 240732]]
Scrafty has a legitimate niche that stems from its wonderful ability Intimidate as well as its access to Bulk Up. While it has heavy competition with Incineroar and Krookodile, its typing prevents it from being entirely outclassed, allowing it to beat physical threats like Carracosta and Choice Specs Greninja as well as Taunt Mega Gyarados if played correctly. In addition, a Dark and Fighting typing work very well with each other offensively, allowing Scrafty to beat Pokemon like Meloetta, Aegislash, and Heatran with the same set. Despite its rather low HP, its defenses are very high, allowing it to win some matchups even without Intimidate's help such as against Mega Metagross barring Iron Head flinches, Choice Specs Greninja, and Magnezone. However, Scrafty has a very middling base 90 Attack, so it is very vulnerable to Pokemon that can stall it out, like Kee Berry Mew, Mega Slowbro, and Zygarde. It is also slightly stretched thin in EVs, and it isn't especially versatile in its moves, items, or EV spread. Furthermore, it is torn between KOing Heatran and tanking Mega Lopunny or Magnezone's attacks, being unable to do all three consistently at the same time. It is generally not preferred over the other two Dark-type Bulk Up Intimidate users, Incineroar and Krookodile. Both not only have higher Attack stats, but they also have much better ways than Scrafty for dealing with stall. Furthermore, Incineroar has Darkest Lariat, which is able to bypass Defense boosts, and Krookodile has a speedy Rock Tomb plus Taunt.
[SET]
name: Intimidatingly Bulky (Bulk Up)
move 1: Foul Play
move 2: High Jump Kick
move 3: Bulk Up
move 4: Fake Out
item: Darkinium Z
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 180 Atk / 76 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Foul Play gives Scrafty a STAB Black Hole Eclipse to beat threats like Mega Metagross, Meloetta, Aegislash, and Victini. High Jump Kick is Scrafty's Fighting-type STAB attack to beat foes like Magnezone, Heatran, and Incineroar. Bulk Up boosts Scrafty's physical offense and bulk for it to take on Pokemon like Mega Charizard X, Garchomp, and bulky Mega Metagross barring Iron Head flinches. Fake Out hits foes for chip damage and breaks Magnezone's Sturdy and Choice Scarf Dragonite's Multiscale.
Set Details
========
76 Special Defense EVs along with 252 HP EVs lets Scrafty tank a Gigavolt Havoc from Magnezone. 180 Attack EVs maximize damage output in order to most reliably KO things like bulky Heatran, Garchomp, and bulky physical Dragonium Z Dragonite. Intimidate is run to crucially lower the Attack of foes like Mega Charizard X and Garchomp. Alternatively, a spread of 244 HP / 100 Atk / 84 Def / 80 SpD can be run to always tank Mega Lopunny's Fake Out followed by High Jump Kick. However, this will sacrifice consistency against bulky Heatran and bulky physical Dragonium Z Dragonite.
Usage Tips
========
Use Fake Out for free chip damage and to break Sturdy on Pokemon like Magnezone, as well as Dragonite's Multiscale if it is running physical Dragonium Z or Choice Scarf. Don't send Scrafty into Pokemon with defensive setup like Kee Berry Mew, Mega Slowbro, and Zygarde, as Scrafty does very little damage even after Bulk Up. Against bulkier Pokemon that Scrafty is unable to OHKO after a Fake Out, like Donphan, Crustle, and Garchomp, it is best to set up Bulk Up until they are in KO range from Black Hole Eclipse. This is especially so Scrafty does not have to worry about Counter from Donphan and Crustle and can tank any of Garchomp's attacks. If the spread with 180 Attack EVs is being run, do not use Fake Out against Garchomp to avoid Rough Skin damage; however, if the alternate spread with 84 Defense EVs is being run, use Fake Out first to secure the KO. Against certain stall Pokemon that Scrafty is able to beat, like Type: Null, Mega Sableye, and Registeel, spam Bulk Up for Attack boosts. The exception is Registeel, against which you should only use Bulk Up four times before using two High Jump Kicks followed by Black Hole Eclipse. If Registeel uses Seismic Toss before it reaches +6 Defense, just begin using High Jump Kick early too. Against Zeraora, Scrafty will need to predict whether it is running Bulk Up + Electrium Z or not. If it is not, use Black Hole Eclipse immediately for the KO. If it is, set up Bulk Up once while they also use Bulk Up. While Scrafty will still have the advantage in damage rolls in the case of a misprediction, for maximum reliability Scrafty will need to attack immediately against another Bulk Up from Zeraora or set up Bulk Up again before attacking against a Charge from Zeraora. Against offensive Mega Metagross, use Black Hole Eclipse, and use Bulk Up against bulky variants. Fake Out's damage will help you tell how much bulk it has. Against bulky Mega Charizard X, use Bulk Up twice, and then use Black Hole Eclipse followed by High Jump Kick. If you see it's offensive by damage rolls from Fake Out, forego setting up the second Bulk Up, and attack with Black Hole Eclipse. If Mega Gyarados does not have Taunt, use Bulk Up immediately, and use attacking moves according to if it has Mega Evolved or not. If Gyarados does have Taunt, you will need to predict when it uses Taunt by not using Bulk Up and when it will Mega Evolve, using Foul Play or High Jump Kick accordingly. Although Gyarados can win, this matchup is still in Scrafty's favor.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that can beat Fairy-types like Mega Charizard Y, Magnezone, and Ferrothorn can greatly help cover Scrafty's deathly weakness to Fairy, beating Pokemon like Magearna, Mega Mawile, Mega Gardevoir, Tapu Lele, and Primarina. In return, Scrafty can beat Pokemon like Heatran, Mega Charizard X, and Garchomp. Clefable can beat Pokemon like Dragonite, Mega Charizard Y, and Landorus-T. In return, Scrafty can beat Pokemon like Mega Metagross, Meloetta, and Magnezone. Stallbreakers like Serperior and Tapu Bulu can beat Pokemon that are too bulky for Scrafty to handly like Zygarde, Kee Berry Mew, and Mega Slowbro. In return, Scrafty can beat foes like Victini, Incineroar, and Naganadel.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Scrafty can run Crunch to beat Bold Mega Sableye, but it will lose out on Z-Move damage output as well as the ability to punish regular Gyarados for using Dragon Dance. If beating Magnezone is not a priority, Fake Out can be replaced by Taunt, alongside Foul Play being replaced with Crunch, for better matchups against some stall Pokemon such as Kee Berry Mew and Mega Slowbro. However, this is generally not worth giving up Fake Out, as it not only messes with damage rolls, but these stall matchups are also prediction based. This pales in comparison to Scrafty's primary competition Incineroar's ability to beat both of these consistently and Krookodile's higher Speed and access to Rock Tomb for speed control. Counter is also an option to punish harder-hitting physical attackers like Choice Band Dragonite and non-Swords Dance Mega Blaziken, but it requires the removal of one of Scrafty's four very valuable moves.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types like Magearna, Tapu Lele, and Mega Gardevoir can exploit Scrafty's deathly weakness to Fairy and OHKO it.
**Flying-types**: Flying-types like Choice Band or Flyinium Z Dragonite, Landorus-T, and Mega Pinsir can beat Scrafty due to its general weakness to Flying and inability to KO them in time.
**Fighting-types**: Although Mega Lopunny has a very shaky matchup against Scrafty, other Fighting-types like Kommo-o, Mega Blaziken, Mega Medicham, and Pheromosa can hit it with their super effective STAB moves, not to mention all of them besides Mega Medicham resist Dark.
**Stall**: Stall Pokemon like Kee Berry Mew, Slowbro, and Zygarde-C can stall out Scrafty due to its lackluster Attack stat.
**Excessively Powerful Attacks**: Pokemon like Mega Charizard Y, Substitute Torrent Greninja, Normalium Z Porygon-Z, and Substitute Volcarona can simply one-shot Scrafty with their extremely high-power STAB moves.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Eriey, 470842]]
- Quality checked by: [[Chickenpie2, 305552], [Alakazam, 267708], [pqs, 425798]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Estronic, 240732]]
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