QC Checks: panamaxis, Iconic
GP Checks: Fatecrashers, Aeron Ee1
Skarmory
Status: GP 2 / 2
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[OVERVIEW]
<p>In the 5th generation, Skarmory retains its place as one of OU's premier physical walls of OU even in the 5th generation. In comparison to DPP, it got a useful boost to Sturdy, which now acts as a constant Focus Sash for Skarmory. With Roost, Whirlwind, and its huge physical defense, Skarmory can easily take on monstrously powerful physical attackers like Haxorus, Excadrill, Landorus, and Swords Dance Garchomp. Outside of walling the aforementioned threats, Skarmory can also lay down entry hazards, such as Spikes and Stealth Rock, making it a valuable asset for stall-oriented teams. Despite its low Special Defense, which can undermine its walling capabilities, Skarmory still shines as one of the best physical walls in the metagame.</p>
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Roost
move 3: Whirlwind
move 4: Brave Bird / Taunt
item: Leftovers / Shed Shell
nature: Impish
ability: Sturdy
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Skarmory's trademark physically defensive set from the 4th generation, unchanged. Skarmory can easily wall many powerful physical attackers like Conkeldurr with its high Defense and auspicious typing, which grants it a valuable immunity to Ground-type attacks, in addition to a resistance to many types. With its immense physical bulk, Skarmory can get many opportunities to lay down 3 layers of Spikes. Roost provides reliable recovery, keeping Skarmory healthy and allowing it to stall longer. Whirlwind helps Skarmory phaze set-up sweepers, and rack up entry hazard damage, making it an excellent shuffler.</p>
<p>There are two options for the last move. Taunt helps out against stall teams; against opposing walls, it allows Skarmory to shut down Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Hippowdon. Brave Bird prevents Skarmory from becoming complete Taunt bait itself for faster Pokemon and Prankster abusers. It also lands OHKO's on Breloom and Virizion, and deals heavy damage to Conkeldurr. As such, it better suits bulky offense teams.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>There are two item choices. Shed Shell will help Skarmory escape unscathed from its best counter, Magnet Pull Magnezone. However, Leftovers will provide recovery every turn, and help Skarmory heal off damage that it might have taken from weak attacks upon switching in, thus keeping it at full health and maintaining Sturdy's effect. The 252 EVs in both Defense and HP maximize Skarmory's physical bulk, while the remaining 4 EVs are invested in Special Defense.</p>
<p>Skarmory appreciates having a teammate to take the powerful special attacks that it will often find itself prey to. Pairing it with a special wall such as Chansey or Jellicent will therefore be effective. Chansey, in addition to forming a SkarmBliss-like defensive combination, also has the ability to pass 353 HP Wishes to Skarmory, keeping it healthy. On the other hand, Jellicent also acts as an effective spinblocker, although it shares an Electric-type weakness with Skarmory.</p>
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Roost
move 3: Whirlwind
move 4: Brave Bird / Taunt
item: Leftovers / Shed Shell
nature: Careful / Impish
ability: Sturdy
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Despite having low Special Defense, Skarmory can utilize its Steel typing, and run a specially defensive set. Skarmory's Steel typing grants it valuable resistances to common Dragon-, Ghost- and Grass-type attacks. Along with Roost, these resistances help Skarmory switch in and wall choice-locked Pokemon with ease, while still retaining the ability to wall physical attacks comfortably.</p>
<p>This set runs pretty much the same moves as the physically defensive set. Spikes is what distinguishes Skarmory from other bulky Steel-types bar Ferrothorn. Roost allows Skarmory to heal off any damage obtained while it sets up Spikes and significantly increases its longevity. Whirlwind is self-explanatory; shuffling the opponent's team members, thereby racking up residual damage if entry hazards have been layed down. Whirlwind also phazes any stat boosts which the opponent might have obtained.</p>
<p>Leftovers is the usual item one would see on Skarmory, although Shed Shell can enable it to escape certain death from the likes of Magnezone. As with the first set, there is a move choice over Brave Bird and Taunt. Brave Bird OHKOes Virizion and Breloom even without any investment in Attack, while Taunt allows Skarmory to shut down slower walls like Blissey and Ferrothorn.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and nature maximize Skarmory's Special Defense. Even without any investment, Skarmory has a great Defense stat and can comfortably take most powerful physical attacks. An Impish nature can be used to bolster Skarmory's Defense at the cost of some Special Defense.</p>
<p>Instead of running Spikes on Skarmory itself, another Pokemon can be used to lay entry hazards. This will free up a moveslot, and allow Skarmory to run both Brave Bird and Taunt on the same set. This can prove especially useful against stall teams. Deoxys-S is a good candidate for this role, as it can also provide team support with dual screens, softening the blows from special attacks that Skarmory takes.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Toxic is an interesting option, and can be used in place of Brave Bird, though it will make Skarmory complete Taunt bait. Surprisingly, Skarmory has access to some boosting moves such as Curse, Swords Dance, and Agility, which are sadly wasted on Skarmory, as it has neither the stats nor the movepool to utilize them effectively. If the recoil damage from Brave Bird proves to be troublesome, Drill Peck is a safer, albeit weaker option.</p>
<p>Counter is another viable move, as Skarmory takes physical hits well, and can help net a surprise KO. However, once used, it loses much of its value in its surprise factor. Skarmory can also set up Stealth Rock, though this would mean having to forgo Spikes.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Magnezone is the best Skarmory counter in existence, as it can effectively trap and eliminate Skarmory with STAB Thunderbolt. However, if Skarmory is at full health, it can survive a Thunderbolt from Magnezone thanks to Sturdy and Whirlwind it out. Skarmory's typing gives it weaknesses to common Electric- and Fire-type attacks. This can be exploited by powerful special attackers like Starmie, which, in addition to OHKOing Skarmory with Thunderbolt, can also Rapid Spin its entry hazards away. Heatran can take anything Skarmory throws at it and eliminate it with a STAB Fire Blast. In the same vein, Electric-types such as Zapdos and Thundurus can switch in with ease, and eliminate Skarmory with their STAB attacks.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Skarmory gets the ability Broken Armor, which boosts its Speed and lowers its Defense every time it is hit by a physical attack. There is no use trying to utilize such an ability, even in conjunction with Swords Dance; Skarmory is always better off running Sturdy.</p>
GP Checks: Fatecrashers, Aeron Ee1
Skarmory
Status: GP 2 / 2
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[OVERVIEW]
<p>In the 5th generation, Skarmory retains its place as one of OU's premier physical walls of OU even in the 5th generation. In comparison to DPP, it got a useful boost to Sturdy, which now acts as a constant Focus Sash for Skarmory. With Roost, Whirlwind, and its huge physical defense, Skarmory can easily take on monstrously powerful physical attackers like Haxorus, Excadrill, Landorus, and Swords Dance Garchomp. Outside of walling the aforementioned threats, Skarmory can also lay down entry hazards, such as Spikes and Stealth Rock, making it a valuable asset for stall-oriented teams. Despite its low Special Defense, which can undermine its walling capabilities, Skarmory still shines as one of the best physical walls in the metagame.</p>
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Roost
move 3: Whirlwind
move 4: Brave Bird / Taunt
item: Leftovers / Shed Shell
nature: Impish
ability: Sturdy
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Skarmory's trademark physically defensive set from the 4th generation, unchanged. Skarmory can easily wall many powerful physical attackers like Conkeldurr with its high Defense and auspicious typing, which grants it a valuable immunity to Ground-type attacks, in addition to a resistance to many types. With its immense physical bulk, Skarmory can get many opportunities to lay down 3 layers of Spikes. Roost provides reliable recovery, keeping Skarmory healthy and allowing it to stall longer. Whirlwind helps Skarmory phaze set-up sweepers, and rack up entry hazard damage, making it an excellent shuffler.</p>
<p>There are two options for the last move. Taunt helps out against stall teams; against opposing walls, it allows Skarmory to shut down Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Hippowdon. Brave Bird prevents Skarmory from becoming complete Taunt bait itself for faster Pokemon and Prankster abusers. It also lands OHKO's on Breloom and Virizion, and deals heavy damage to Conkeldurr. As such, it better suits bulky offense teams.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>There are two item choices. Shed Shell will help Skarmory escape unscathed from its best counter, Magnet Pull Magnezone. However, Leftovers will provide recovery every turn, and help Skarmory heal off damage that it might have taken from weak attacks upon switching in, thus keeping it at full health and maintaining Sturdy's effect. The 252 EVs in both Defense and HP maximize Skarmory's physical bulk, while the remaining 4 EVs are invested in Special Defense.</p>
<p>Skarmory appreciates having a teammate to take the powerful special attacks that it will often find itself prey to. Pairing it with a special wall such as Chansey or Jellicent will therefore be effective. Chansey, in addition to forming a SkarmBliss-like defensive combination, also has the ability to pass 353 HP Wishes to Skarmory, keeping it healthy. On the other hand, Jellicent also acts as an effective spinblocker, although it shares an Electric-type weakness with Skarmory.</p>
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Roost
move 3: Whirlwind
move 4: Brave Bird / Taunt
item: Leftovers / Shed Shell
nature: Careful / Impish
ability: Sturdy
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Despite having low Special Defense, Skarmory can utilize its Steel typing, and run a specially defensive set. Skarmory's Steel typing grants it valuable resistances to common Dragon-, Ghost- and Grass-type attacks. Along with Roost, these resistances help Skarmory switch in and wall choice-locked Pokemon with ease, while still retaining the ability to wall physical attacks comfortably.</p>
<p>This set runs pretty much the same moves as the physically defensive set. Spikes is what distinguishes Skarmory from other bulky Steel-types bar Ferrothorn. Roost allows Skarmory to heal off any damage obtained while it sets up Spikes and significantly increases its longevity. Whirlwind is self-explanatory; shuffling the opponent's team members, thereby racking up residual damage if entry hazards have been layed down. Whirlwind also phazes any stat boosts which the opponent might have obtained.</p>
<p>Leftovers is the usual item one would see on Skarmory, although Shed Shell can enable it to escape certain death from the likes of Magnezone. As with the first set, there is a move choice over Brave Bird and Taunt. Brave Bird OHKOes Virizion and Breloom even without any investment in Attack, while Taunt allows Skarmory to shut down slower walls like Blissey and Ferrothorn.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and nature maximize Skarmory's Special Defense. Even without any investment, Skarmory has a great Defense stat and can comfortably take most powerful physical attacks. An Impish nature can be used to bolster Skarmory's Defense at the cost of some Special Defense.</p>
<p>Instead of running Spikes on Skarmory itself, another Pokemon can be used to lay entry hazards. This will free up a moveslot, and allow Skarmory to run both Brave Bird and Taunt on the same set. This can prove especially useful against stall teams. Deoxys-S is a good candidate for this role, as it can also provide team support with dual screens, softening the blows from special attacks that Skarmory takes.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Toxic is an interesting option, and can be used in place of Brave Bird, though it will make Skarmory complete Taunt bait. Surprisingly, Skarmory has access to some boosting moves such as Curse, Swords Dance, and Agility, which are sadly wasted on Skarmory, as it has neither the stats nor the movepool to utilize them effectively. If the recoil damage from Brave Bird proves to be troublesome, Drill Peck is a safer, albeit weaker option.</p>
<p>Counter is another viable move, as Skarmory takes physical hits well, and can help net a surprise KO. However, once used, it loses much of its value in its surprise factor. Skarmory can also set up Stealth Rock, though this would mean having to forgo Spikes.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Magnezone is the best Skarmory counter in existence, as it can effectively trap and eliminate Skarmory with STAB Thunderbolt. However, if Skarmory is at full health, it can survive a Thunderbolt from Magnezone thanks to Sturdy and Whirlwind it out. Skarmory's typing gives it weaknesses to common Electric- and Fire-type attacks. This can be exploited by powerful special attackers like Starmie, which, in addition to OHKOing Skarmory with Thunderbolt, can also Rapid Spin its entry hazards away. Heatran can take anything Skarmory throws at it and eliminate it with a STAB Fire Blast. In the same vein, Electric-types such as Zapdos and Thundurus can switch in with ease, and eliminate Skarmory with their STAB attacks.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Skarmory gets the ability Broken Armor, which boosts its Speed and lowers its Defense every time it is hit by a physical attack. There is no use trying to utilize such an ability, even in conjunction with Swords Dance; Skarmory is always better off running Sturdy.</p>
