QC : 2/2 [Diana] [Aerrow]
[Overview]
<p> Skorupi is truly underrated, as it has great Defense, decent Attack, and good Speed. In addition, Skorupi's movepool is expansive, with a wide assortment of attacks and support moves – specifically Toxic Spikes. It also gets a variety of decent special moves, but its Special Attack is quite low, so none of these moves will do much damage. Overall, Skorupi is a pretty good Pokemon as long as you use it as a physical wall that resists Fighting-type attacks, since Ferroseed, among others, outclasses it otherwise.</p>
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Acupressure
move 4: X-Scissor
item: Eviolite
ability: Battle Armor
nature: Careful
EVs: 36 HP / 36 Atk / 196 Def / 236 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Skorupi could be a fantastic wall, but its lack of reliable recovery really hampers this potential. This set makes Skorupi a bit more useful, providing it with recovery in the form of Rest, and "offenses" in the form of Sleep Talk. Acupressure randomly raises one of Skorupi's stats by two levels, and it works fantastically in tandem with Sleep Talk to potentially transform Skorupi into a powerful yet bulky mono-attacker. X-Scissor gives Skorupi an attacking move so it can actually do damage to opposing Pokemon. Skorupi is essentially unbeatable if it can get two boosts in its Defense and Special Defense stats, especially since its ability, Battle Armor, stops opposing Pokemon from landing an otherwise devastating critical hit.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs maximize Skorupi's defenses and raise its Attack to sponge hits more easily and do slightly more damage. The remaining EVs are put into HP, so Skorupi can switch into Stealth Rock with a lot more flexibility. A Careful nature increases Skorupi's Special Defense. A good partner for Skorupi is a Pokemon that can set up dual screens such as Bronzor. This allows it to take less damage from super effective attacks such as Fire Blast and Brave Bird. Ferroseed is another good partner, as it can set up entry hazards to weaken Fire- and Flying-types that threaten Skorupi. Doduo checks Skorupi unless it has a Defense boost from Acupressure, as the scorpion's only attacking move, X-Scissor, is ineffective against the two-headed bird who, in turn, can KO with Brave Bird.</p>
[SET]
name: Toxic Spiker
move 1: Toxic Spikes
move 2: Cross Poison
move 3: X-Scissor / Bug Bite
move 4: Knock Off
item: Eviolite
ability: Sniper
nature: Jolly
EVs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Skorupi can easily set up Toxic Spikes with Eviolite and decent defensive stats. Cross Poison has a high chance of getting a critical hit, which means that Skorupi's ability, Sniper, will activate and inflict triple the amount of damage a regular hit would do. X-Scissor hits harder than Bug Bite, which means it would almost always be the better move to use. However, Bug Bite can steal the opponent's berry, which is the only reason you would use it over X-Scissor. Knock Off gets rid of an opposing Pokemon's item, such as Scraggy's and Mienfoo's Eviolite, making it much less formidable.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs maximize Skorupi's Attack and Speed stats, which are the most important in this set since it will need to to dish out the maximum amount of damage after setting up two layers of Toxic Spikes. The rest are put into HP and Defense to give Skorupi some bulk. Bronzor makes a good partner, as it can set up dual screens and resist the Psychic-type attacks directed at Skorupi. Ferroseed is also a good partner, as it can set up both Spikes and Stealth Rock, which will soften up opposing Pokemon for Skorupi. It also allows you to have every entry hazard on just two Pokemon, which is a useful trait in a Little Cup team, as it will deal the maximum amount of damage to any Pokemon switching in, which is always useful. Magnemite poses a threat to Skorupi, so a Fighting-type Pokemon, such as Mienfoo or Scraggy, is useful to send it running. Magnemite also helps Skorupi, as it counters Doduo, which gives our scorpion friend a lot of trouble.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>With Gligar now out of the picture, Skorupi could run a Swords Dance set, except for the fact that it is easily revenge killed by Pokemon such as Doduo. Skorupi does get some nice special moves, but its Special Attack stat just isn't high enough to use them effectively. Skorupi could run an Agility set as well, but this is outclassed by other, more powerful Pokemon such as Drilbur and Dratini. Aqua Tail could be used, but Cross Poison does more damage to Fire-types.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Doduo counters Skorupi with its STAB Brave Bird, and it can finish off weakened variants with Quick Attack. Gastly can Substitute up and then use Hypnosis on Skorupi, since all of its moves are ineffective against the ghost except for Knock Off, which does not do much damage anyway. Magnemite walls both of Skorupi's sets hard, and can get a Substitute up and attempt a sweep. Flame Orb Taillow also KOes Skorupi with Brave Bird.</p>
[Dream World]
<p Skorupi receives the ability Keen Eye from the Dream World, which prevents accuracy drops. However, it is nearly useless since Accuracy lowering moves are nonexistent competitively, so Sniper and Battle Armor are always superior.</p>
