Well thats what I was missing, thank you.Scald will still work on Pokemon that are afloat (think Celesteela) as well as Bulu / Koko who think they can sneak a free switch-in otherwise. This is doubly true for Bulu as it can swap without too much issue and immediately threaten out with Horn Leech or Wood Hammer.
Although I still think modest defog+3 attacks is the way to go with this thing. Calm is overkill, and bold just feels like youre fishing for scald burns and not doing much of anything else. It fits best as a pivot on balanced/offensive teams imo, sort of like vaporeon in gen 4, without wish.