Scyther

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http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-bw/123.shtml
http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80110

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[Overview]

  • Stupidly good base stats - 110 Attack and 105 Speed, beaten only by Cranidos/Aaken and Sneasel respectively
  • 70/80/80 defensive stats - comparable to Bronzor's 57/86/86
  • Excellent ability in Technician - boosts Aerial Ace, Bug Bite, Quick Attack, and Pursuit
  • Capable of destroying everything after a Swords Dance
  • Awful typing: Five horrible weaknesses (Electric, Fire, Rock, Ice, Flying), including a 4x Stealth Rock weakness, but 3 useful resistances as well as an Earthquake immunity help greatly in setting up

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move1: Swords Dance
move2: Aerial Ace
move3: Brick Break
move4: Quick Attack
item: Life Orb / Berry Juice
ability: Technician
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 196 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 236 Spe

Set Comments

  • This is the classic sweeper Scyther. The epitome of power and speed, the combination of its four moves creates perfect balance and covers all the bases – though the lack of Bug Bite hurts a bit, Scyther is perhaps one of the only Pokemon that hardly ever suffers 4MSS.
  • Swords Dance boosts your Attack to a stupidly high 44 (Adamant) or 40 (Jolly), which means that Aerial Ace can obliterate anything that doesn't resist it, OHKOing even max/max Impish Gligar. Brick Break deals with those pesky Rock- and Steel-types that have the effrontery to resist your main STAB, and Quick Attack polishes off jokers such as Sucker Punch Croagunk and Sneasel who may try to revenge-kill you with their own priority.
  • A boosting move, a STAB move, a coverage move, and a priority move all come together beautifully to create a deadly sweeper that can OHKO the entire metagame.
  • Jolly gives you 22 Speed, sufficient to outrun just about everything, including Choice Scarf 14 Speed Pokemon such as Cranidos.

Additional Comments

  • Life Orb’s power is very important to guarantee OHKOs on Sneasel and Croagunk with Quick Attack, but Berry Juice can be important if you lack Rapid Spin support, as you get what equates to an extra life through the healing once you switch into it. However, if you want to be extra condescending you can slap a Lum Berry on and set up on Machop’s Dynamicpunch (Jolly Scyther outruns Choice Scarf Machop).
  • Unusually for a Little Cup Pokemon, Scyther can be almost fully EVed, with only 4 EVs misplaced overall. Attack and Speed are both maximised, while leaving enough EVs to gain a nice extra point in both defensive stats, giving you a respectable overall spread.
  • The reason you shouldn’t put any EVs in HP is because Scyther gets 23 HP unboosted, so can switch three times rather than two into Stealth Rock.
  • If you're having trouble with keeping Stealth Rock off the field, Scyther can easily be used as a lead to bypass the problem altogether. While admittedly more risky, Scyther is capable of sweeping an unweakened team if it gets a free turn to set up, or at least causing them large numbers of casualties before they are able to stop it, giving you an easier time cleaning up the wreckage with the rest of your team.

Teammates and Counters

  • Rapid Spin support is essential to make sure Scyther isn't crippled as soon as it switches in - Anorith, Starmie, and Squirtle make good options, the former two especially for their ability to bluff attacking sets
  • Pursuit support is vital to remove such threats as Choice Scarf Gastly whom Scyther cannot stop with Quick Attack, as well as stopping threats such as Misdreavus and Pururiru, who will attempt to block Rapid Spin.
  • Diglett can be a useful fallback for a fail-safe removal of any faster attackers who may try to stop you, such as Choice Scarf Houndour, especially since Diglett can hit Electric-, Rock-, and Fire-types for super effective damage with its STAB Earthquake.
  • If Bronzor is giving you grief, Magnemite, Krabby, or Houndour all make good options to remove it; the latter two can also break down the opponent's team in readiness for Scyther's sweep.
  • Wynaut can get you in for free with Shadow Tag + Encore

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move1: U-turn
move2: Aerial Ace
move3: Brick Break
move4: Pursuit / Quick Attack
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Technician
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 196 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 236 Spe

Set Comments

  • Outrunning nigh-on everything in the tier with Choice Scarf and making revenge-killers pay the price is nice
  • STAB U-turn is a great scouting tool, while Aerial Ace is an immensely powerful weapon
  • Quick Attack is less necessary due to the increased Speed and the fact that you are locking yourself in, so a fast Technician Pursuit makes for a useful alternative if you are troubled by Ghost-types

Additional Comments

  • Can scout out teams as well as eliminate fast Pokemon that try to revenge kill you
  • Choice Scarf is one of the best revenge killers in the game
  • Prone to revenge killing due to inability to switch moves
  • Rapid Spin support is vital to get rid of Stealth Rock, or you will die very quickly
  • Much weaker than Swords Dancer offensively, but can get cheap damage through repeated hit-and-run attacks with U-turn

Teammates and Counters

  • Useful ability to revenge kill faster threats makes it a useful partner for Pokemon that are prone to being revenge-killed, such as Abra and Starmie, as well as breaking down the opponent's team for a sweep by one of your teammates through repeated hit-and-run attacks.
  • Ability to revenge kill Ghosts is very useful indeed if your team is plagued by Misdreavus or Gastly, helping out teammates who have trouble with them, such as Yanma and Tangela

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move1: U-turn
move2: Aerial Ace
move3: Quick Attack
move4: Brick Break / Pursuit
item: Choice Band
ability: Technician
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 196 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 236 Spe

Set Comments

  • Scyther has some tricks that Gligar and other common Choice Pokemon only wish they had
  • The immense strength of CB Aerial Ace
  • The utility of strong STAB U-turn, in a mini-Scizor way
  • Very strong pseudo-priority Quick Attack
  • Optional access to a very, very fast Technician Pursuit
  • All of the above moves are very strong off the bat

Additional Comments

  • Can weaken or destroy teams through pivoting around U-turn and breaking things with Choice Band Aerial Ace and Quick Attack - can make for easy pickings for a set-up sweeper such as Dratini or cleaner such as Starmie
  • Choice Band is more suited to wallbreaking
  • Prone to revenge killing if you lock yourself in
  • Rapid Spin support is vital to get rid of Stealth Rock, or you will die very quickly

Teammates and Counters

  • As you'll primarily be using U-turn, Aerial Ace, and Quick Attack, Steel- and Rock-types can be particularly troublesome - Diglett is a good choice to get rid of or weaken them.
  • Machop is another useful choice.
  • You can also use Scyther to pivot away from potential revenge-killers with super effective STAB moves such as Houndour and Elekid thanks to U-turn - Diglett can deal with them as well.

[SET]
name: Bulky Scyther
move1: Aerial Ace
move2: U-turn
move3: Quick Attack
move4: Roost
item: Berry Juice / Pre-Evolution Stone
ability: Technician
nature: Jolly / Impish
evs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 196 SpD

Set Comments

  • While breaking things in an all-or-nothing, death-or-glory blaze of pumice and silicon is undoubtedly very fun and effective, it nevertheless neglects another aspect of Scyther – its very capable defensive stats.
  • Scyther’s big Speed and Attack stats are impressive even when unboosted, Roost gets a cool 50% recovery, and is almost unobtainable if you want 5th gen stuff added on – a luxury Scyther does not have.
  • Pre-evolution Stone bucks up the defensive stats a tad, though Berry Juice is usually better even if it does only have one use.
  • Scyther can alternate between Roost and attacks to stall out Pokemon, or use U-turn to escape and pivot around the opponent's team - thanks to its bulk it can do so with considerable ease.

Additional Comments

  • The EVs are extremely economical, and add up to exactly 508. With a Jolly nature, you get a respectable 18 Speed and 17 Attack, alongside 25 / 17 / 17 defences.
  • The reason HP isn’t maximised is to grant Scyther a HP stat of 25, allowing at most 3 switches into Stealth Rock. If you want more power or Speed, then rearrange as appropriate.

Teammates and Counters

  • Again, Scyther can pivot away from Electric-, Rock-, Steel-, Fire-, and Ice-types trying to stop him, allowing you to polish them off with Diglett or Magnemite.
  • The lack of power compared to the other sets is significant, so it is vulnerable to offensive threats with OHKO potential. This list is not extensive but means that you are at risk from bulky Rock-types such as Geodude and Onix - Krabby can help you out with them as well as Bronzor.

[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move1: Baton Pass
move2: Swords Dance / Agility
move3: Aerial Ace / Bug Bite
move4: Substitute / Brick Break
item: Liechi Berry / Custap Berry
ability: Technician
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 196 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 236 Spe

Set Comments

  • Essentially just play like you would a standard sweeper Scyther, but then when your destruction is imminent, simply Baton Pass away to a cleaner who can sweep the rest of your opponent's team.
  • Liechi Berry gives your gift an extra kick, but Custap Berry can be very helpful to guarantee the Pass in tandem with Substitute.
  • If you are feeling very ballsy you could try running Swords Dance and Agility on the same set for an even more powerful boost.

Additional Comments

  • Same EVs as the sweeper set, though you can run a more defensive spread if you wish to focus on passing your boosts

Teammates and Counters

  • You'll want a very powerful physical cleaner who is unlikely to be troubled by Electric-, Rock-, Fire-, Ice-, or Flying-type moves to pass to in order to maximise the chances of a successful pass.
  • Cranidos, Cubone, and Aron are all reasonably good choices.

[Team Options]

  • Support: Rapid Spin support to remove Stealth Rock (Staryu, Kabuto, Anorith), Stealth Rock support to weaken opposing team (Kabuto, Bronzor), Pursuit support to remove Ghost-types that inhibit your sweep or block Rapid Spin (Stunky, Munchlax), Screen support to help setting up (Bronzor, Abra), Wynaut can also give you a free setup turn.
  • Offensive Complements: Diglett can remove Rock-, Steel-, Fire-, and Electric-type revenge-killers and can try to Pursuit away Gastly and Misdreavus. Magnemite, Krabby, and Houndour all have significant offensive cohesion with Scyther, the latter two are good wallbreakers, and all three can remove Bronzor with varying degrees of reliability. Machop is also useful as a wallbreaker due to No Guard Dynamicpunch.
  • Cranidos, Cubone, and Aron all make good Baton Pass recipients or Tailwind teammates.

[Optional Changes]

  • Agility set - Agility / Aerial Ace / Brick Break / Quick Attack. Lacks the power of the Swords Dancer and usually inferior as a sweeper, as well as not helping all that much to cover priority, but can easily work as a way to surprise Choice Scarf Gastly who think they can easily revenge kill, as Scyther is now faster than essentially everything in the tier. You can also now run more defensive EVs as the need for extra Speed is lessened.
  • Double Dance set - Swords Dance / Agility / Aerial Ace / Brick Break. Scyther gets perfect coverage in two moves and is fully capable of running both boosting moves, but unfortunately this only accentuates Scyther's weakness to priority.
  • Bug Bite - secondary STAB move
  • Tailwind for extra team support

[Counters]

  • Bronzor
  • Ice Shard Shellder
  • Revenge killers - Choice Scarf Gastly, Aaken, Anorith
  • Extremespeed Dratini can get a free hit in
  • Bulky Rock-types can stop non-Swords Dance sets

[Dream World]

  • Scyther gets Steadfast through the Dream World, which is pretty much useless compared to Technician, which Scyther owes so much of its success to.

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Choice Scarf should be a different set; it plays completely different than Choice Band.

Additionally, with Choice Band set it should be 100% required that QA be on the set, psuedo-STAB priority + 105 base Attack + Choice Band = must have. Brick Break / Pursuit should be slashed.
 
I think that an Agility set should be added in somewhere because I personally think it's one of the best sets that scyther can run. Like you said, a 110 base attack is amazing and after its speed is boosted gets boosted to astronomical level, it's pretty tough to stop. To make it even harder to bring down, it also gets to invest greatly in its amazing bulk thanks to not having to run any speed evs.

Just something to think about.
 
Scyther can run a very effective double dance set as well, since AA + BB = perfect coverage and you'd be working with something along the lines of 40 attack and 44 speed with a jolly nature
 
Sledge said:
I think that an Agility set should be added in somewhere because I personally think it's one of the best sets that scyther can run. Like you said, a 110 base attack is amazing and after its speed is boosted gets boosted to astronomical level, it's pretty tough to stop. To make it even harder to bring down, it also gets to invest greatly in its amazing bulk thanks to not having to run any speed evs.

Just something to think about.
Click to expand...

Kannon said:
Scyther can run a very effective double dance set as well, since AA + BB = perfect coverage and you'd be working with something along the lines of 40 attack and 44 speed with a jolly nature
Click to expand...

What Pokemon can outpace Scyther that aren't OHKOed by an SD Quick Attack?

Scyther's main (read: only) weakness is priority. Agility won't help it much tbh.
 
Move BP to bottom set. Even though it's one of the best passers in the game (maybe after Venonat), not much can make better use of those boosts than it can and the loss of moveslots/turns is annoying.

As for Agility, it's at least worthy of an OC mention. Scarf Ghosts, Rocks, Steels, Tangela under the sun, Scarf Gligar, and probably a few others can take a SD QA but will have trouble with a LO other attack. SD is better much of the time, but Agility (or even double dance) is not without it's cool points. I have tested it in the gen 4 LC ubers metagame with good success, as a lead actually which brings me to my next point. You should probably note that using it as a lead simply to avoid being hit by SR is a solid option since it saves the struggle of trying to keep SR off the field or having a huge chunk of HP cut off your best Pokemon every time you switch in.
 
I made the suggested changes.

- Choice sets separate
- Agility and Double Dance sets in OC (need more opinions on them)
- Baton Pass moved to bottom
- Added comments about Lead Scyther to Swords Dance
 
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