[SET]
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet / Shed Shell
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Spikes / Defog
- Iron Defense / Toxic / Whirlwind / Defog
- Body Press / Brave Bird
- Roost
[SET COMMENTS]
Skarmory is a great physical wall in the metagame thanks to its impressive defensive typing and great physical bulk allowing it to handle threats such as Excadrill, Gyarados, and Meowscarada among other foes. Skarmory also serves as a valuable Spikes user thanks to it being able to set up against threats such as Buzzwole, Blissey, Iron Treads, and non-Flamethrower Clefable. The combination of Iron Defense and Body Press is Skarmory’s preferred choice to make progress against teams, as it allows it to stonewall threats such as Scizor, Bisharp, and Tyranitar while also further pressuring threats such as Blissey and Hippowdon. Dropping Iron Defense and Body Press for Whirlwind or Toxic and Brave Bird respectively is also an option on more offensive teams to pressure threats such as Buzzwole and Serperior more effectively while also offering extra team support by phasing or spreading poison damage. However, this comes at the cost of being far more passive against Gyarados and Excadrill and lacks a proper response to Bisharp and Dragon Dance Mega Tyranitar. On stall teams, Skarmory has the choice of running Defog in place of either Spikes or Iron Defense and can also run an EV spread of 248 HP / 76 Def / 184 Spe with an Impish nature to outspeed Choice Band Tyranitar, allowing it to boost or safely heal up before Tyranitar can 2HKO it. Skarmory’s main item of choice is Rocky Helmet to get residual damage off against foes with U-turn such as Meowscarada, Scizor, and Galarian Zapdos while also chipping setup sweepers such as Gyarados, but it can also run Shed Shell on bulkier playstyles such as balance and stall in order to avoid being trapped by Magnezone. Skarmory can struggle a lot against special attackers such as Latios and Enamorus, so specially defensive walls such as Galarian Slowking, Blissey, Chansey, and specially defensive Skeledirge are good partners to shore up that weakness. Mega Tyranitar is another good partner, since it can switch into and Pursuit trap threats that pressure Skarmory such as Iron Moth, Galarian Slowking, and non-Close Combat Aegislash. Common pivots that take advantage of Skarmory such as Cinderace, Thundurus, and Thundurus-T also hate being Pursuit trapped by Mega Tyranitar. Skarmory also has issues against Fire-types such as Cinderace and Victini, so bulky Water-types such as Slowbro, Slowking, Gastrodon, and Alomomola can help deal with them. Electric-types such as Thundurus, Thundurus-T, Sandy Shocks, and Zeraora can also threaten Skarmory, so bulky Ground-types such as Hippowdon and Gastrodon are good partners to hinder them, but bulky Grass-types such as Tangrowth, Amoonguss, and Mega Venusaur also work as teammates at the cost of being unable to block Volt Switch. The aforementioned Ground-types can also form strong entry hazard stacking cores with Skarmory that bulkier playstyles such as stall enjoy greatly. Offensively, wallbreakers such as Cinderace, Iron Hands, Latios, and Galarian Zapdos make for good partners, since they appreciate Skarmory's Spikes helping them chip their checks so they can wallbreak easier.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/runo.568189/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/arishem.546157/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/clouds.356215/
Last edited:
