Other The OU Theorymon Project (CLOSED)

[Pipotchi]

Scrafty @ Choice scarf | Intimidate
Adamant | 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
-Parting Shot
-High Jump Kick
-Crunch
-Ice Punch

Scrafty's High Jump Kick actually outdamages Hammer Arm from Pangoro (its the same damage as a hammer arm off a 132 attack stat) and doesnt cut your speed after using it, so can be used as a relatively decent revenge killer, outspeeding anything up to base 111 (Thundurus' base speed). Adamant is chosen over jolly because adamant allows you to still outspeed threats like latias and latios and gives you to damage to ohko them after stealth rock or a little prior damage- this is good because latias will be switching into stealth rock quite often in order to defog. crunch is an ohko on latios after SR and has a 56% of ohkoing latias, while scrafty avoids a 2hko from dragon pulse from the latter.
Crunch + adamant nature also allows you to outspeed and ohko the frailer ghosts like gengar and froslass, while doing half damage to aegislash in shield form. Ice punch is to deal with pokemon who would usually be able to soak up these moves such as lando-T who is 2hkod from -1 adamant ice punch, and gliscor also is beaten.
Poison jab isnt included because its too weak and does nothing against mega mawile. The elemental punches are way too weak to deal with anything that isnt 4x super effective so its probably not even worth running anything but ice punch.

This could probably be used with a choice band too if you wanted to but this leaves you very weak to being worn down which sounds like a bad idea. Even with a choice band and adamant nature scrafty cant break through walls like mandibuzz even after she takes stealth rock damage.

 

[U-Ralph]

I was wondering for a more defensive pivot, a bit like landorus-T do with U-turn :

Scrafty @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
- Parting Shot
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Ice Punch

But, after a quick look, i do not see what threat it can effectively wall.

 

[higglybiggly]

Well Scrafty isn't threatening anything very much, as it didn't before. However Scrafty is an excellent lure for Fairies. The stat drops from Parting Shot means it's an excellent partner for set up sweepers, but it can't do much alone. If I was to use this I'd probably pair it up with a Rock Polish Lando-t to benefit from the -2 attack that M-Mawile would get, and/or a nasty plot Thundurus to benefit from the drops on Azumarill and Togekiss. Obviously it's not a perfect world and this combo isn't going to work a lot of the time but that's the gist of what Scrafty's role would be. I'd probably use Intimidate on it to force switches and if the opponent decided to stay in the partner will benefit from a -2 atk drop.

 

[Chou Toshio]

Is there ANY reason to use Crunch over Knock Off on this thing? Seriously-- better power (for the most part), support (on a supporting Pokemon), and just being awesome. Knock Off is Scrafty's Dark Stab of choice on every set for sure.

 

[Yoshuriken]

U-Ralph beat me to making a defensive pivot set, so I'll suggest this variant:

Scrafty @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Evs: 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Parting Shot
- Swagger
- Foul Play/Knock Off
- Drain Punch/High Jump Kick/Iron Head/Ice Punch

By having both Parting Shot + Intimidate and Swagger, Scrafty can mess with both physical and special 'mons. If he's facing a physical attacker, Parting Shot him and switch to your counter/setup sweeper. If he's facing a special attacker, Swagger him and proceed to Foul Play. This set could take a lot of damage in the process though, so a Wish passer is a must as a partner, in particular Sylveon would be great because she resists Fighting and appreciates the Attack drops Scrafty makes.

 

[Seiterman]

Parting Shot doesn't really mesh well with any of Scrafty's previous roles (DD and Bulk Up, mainly,) so while those sets still could be used for surprise factor, they wouldn't particularly benefit from this change.

The two sets I see using this move are something like the Scarf set Pipotchi listed or a bulkier pivot.

Despite a middling attack stat, Scrafty manages to deal acceptable damage between High Jump Kick, Knock Off and Ice Punch while providing support with Parting Shot and Knock Off. Unfortunately, the Scarf set still manages to get outsped by a lot of stuff, and without any bulk investment you're basically asking to take a Brave Bird to the face (CB Talonflame OHKO's with Brave Bird without bulk investment.) You can't really forgo investment in Speed or Attack. I also think this set would be highly predictable, as the only reason it would be useful is Parting Shot. While the move is fantastic, it's not a big deal to switch in something that can VoltTurn out or that just doesn't care about decreased offenses. Slower VoltTurners can even turn out after Scrafty does, giving a big momentum advantage.

On the other hand, the bulky pivot set cannot forgo investment into HP, but may be able to forgo Def or SpDef investment (depending on what you want to do.) Scrafty needs 252 HP and 252 Def to be able to survive a Brave Bird, but even then it likely won't happen so there's no real point in worrying about that. A bigger issue I see here is a lack of resistances. Scrafty is immune to Psychic and resists Dark, Ghost and Rock. Meanwhile, his weaknesses to Fighting, Fairy and Flying are very troublesome, as two of them are very common attacking types (the third is a quadruple weakness to boot.) While invested Scrafty can take a neutral hit or two, it has no real means of recovery aside from Drain Punch (which is pitifully weak against neutral foes,) and Leftovers. This gives it a problem in repeatedly taking those hits and makes it very prone to being worn down. Intimidate certainly helps against many physical attackers, though (and makes it able to take those CB Brave Birds I spoke of earlier.)

Overall, Scrafty is certainly better at utilizing Parting Shot than Pangoro, though I feel it would be fairly tricky to use. It would likely benefit more offensive teams, giving setup opportunities to dangerous sweepers.

 

[Yoshuriken]

I pretty much agree with you Sieterman, although I don't believe Scrafty must invest in either Speed or Attack. The ability to switch in on a hit with max HP and (Sp)Def and then gain momentum with Parting Shot is something that should not be overlooked. Yes, his typing is rather lackluster and without investment his attack is low, but Knock Off is okay without investment and Swagger + Foul Play gives many a wall good attacking prowess, including Scrafty.
(Also, Scrafty could Toxic stall if he really wanted to and use Parting Shot as a means of escaping Steels/Poisons, but that's almost certainly inferior.)

 

[Seiterman]

I pretty much agree with you Sieterman, although I don't believe Scrafty must invest in either Speed or Attack. The ability to switch in on a hit with max HP and (Sp)Def and then gain momentum with Parting Shot is something that should not be overlooked. Yes, his typing is rather lackluster and without investment his attack is low, but Knock Off is okay without investment and Swagger + Foul Play gives many a wall good attacking prowess, including Scrafty.
(Also, Scrafty could Toxic stall if he really wanted to and use Parting Shot as a means of escaping Steels/Poisons, but that's almost certainly inferior.)

The problem I see with Swagger is that Scrafty isn't nearly fast enough to use it. He needs to take a hit before he can use it (and possibly a hit coming in,) so he'll likely be crippled by whatever he switched in on. The other issue is that Swagger is too dicey. If a given strategy only has a 50% chance of working in my favor, I'd rather find another strategy.

The EV investment problem is dependent on the set. Base 58 Speed is way too low to make a Scarf set work without any investment; you'll just end up being outsped by everything anyway. As for Attack on either set, the problem is that Foul Play is the only possible move that Scrafty could use without it. Other moves (either Fighting STAB, Knock Off and Ice Punch,) won't really hurt most opponents. Again, you could use SwagPlay, but I don't want to risk losing one or more Pokemon that way.

 

[Yayz]

Is there ANY reason to use Crunch over Knock Off on this thing? Seriously-- better power (for the most part), support (on a supporting Pokemon), and just being awesome. Knock Off is Scrafty's Dark Stab of choice on every set for sure.

The reason I listed crunch is because I didn't know it got knock-off. So there's that.

 

[LoDart210]

I dunno, parting shot on scrafty makes sense thematically, but in terms of competitive battling, it doesn't make much sense. It has a higher special defense, low HP, and attack stat that needs boosting and a speed stat that is a joke. Parting Shot makes sense on something that is fast and would normally deal a lot of damage otherwise. I would say mienshao but it doesn't fit the character of the pokemon.

Scrafty would have to rely on fully investing in defense and hp, running intimidate, and avoiding talonflame and special attackers. I mean, I could see it forcing a switch on say, Aegislash, if it is sent in on a predicted shadow ball or something.

I can't really seem to work with this theorymon, so instead I will read the discussion and see if I can contribute better then.

 

[amzaneok]

There are a couple sets for this thing, I think.

Choice Band
Scrafty @ Choice Band
Intimidate
Adamant Nature
236 HP / 252 Atk / 20 Spe
Parting Shot
Hi Jump Kick
Knock Off
Ice Punch / Thunderpunch

Scrafty is rather bulky with maximum HP investment, and can hit reasonably hard with Choice Band. Parting Shot and Knock Off both function well to neuter a switch-in to help a team mate set up, while High Jump Kick keeps Scrafty reasonably threatening. Ice Punch for Dragon-types, Thunderpunch for Gyarados and Azumarill. Pretty straight forward. The 20 Speed EVs allow it to outpace uninvited base 60 Speed Pokémon, with the rest invested in HP and Attack for bulk and strength.

Support
Scrafty @ Leftovers
Intimidate
Impish Nature
252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Parting Shot
Scary Face
Knock Off
Toxic / Drain Punch

This set is a lot more interesting. With Intimidate and maximum physical defenses, Scrafty is no slouch at tanking physical threats. The purpose of this set is to force something out with Intimidate and great defense and cripple the switch-in with one of its utility options. Scary Face, which, when coupled with Parting Shot, provides ample opportunities for a team mate to set up. This would pair well with Autotomize Aegislash, for example. Knock Off is there for its usual utility and crippling support (especially if you predict a slow threat coming in, who wouldn't mind Scary Face). The last slot can be filled with either Toxic to cripple threats permanently throughout the match (and Steel-types are usually too scared to switch in on Scrafty with the threat of Hi Jump Kick), or Drain Punch could be used for a little extra recovery.

 

[lalala45]

Well, I thought about parting shot scrafty for about a bit, and I think compared to pangoro, I think they both have equal potential. The thing about scrafty is that despite better bulk, he isn't as strong to break through a lot of bulky pokes in the long run, but is able to check mons like latias and aegislash much better as well as other offensive pokes such as greninja (assuming you are running some bulk in the specially defensive stat). Not having to worry about status somewhat with shed skin is cool, and as a parting shot mon, he could easily gain some momentum for your team. Having a ton of bulk as well as drain punch for recovery allows scrafty to stay in the battle for as long as possible, and is invaluable as a team member and to set up sweepers as well. Intimidate on a parting shot mon is such a good ability that it should better mandatory on a parting shot mon like scrafty should he be able to get it in the future.

However, and I mention again, despite having strong stabs such as hi jump kick and knock off, with only a 90 base attack stat, he's not going to be able to break through most defensive/mixed walls without some sort of boosting move (barring 4x weak stuff). So, therefore, what is the point of being a bulky pivot if you can't fight back? (Its why I don't ever use blissey, its a sitting duck). goodra, for example could live an ice punch from scrafty and deal a lot of damage back with draco meteor, which is pathetic if you ask me. Not to mention that good players can play around hi jump kick and eat half of your health away if you are choiced.

I'm not saying that parting shot on scrafty is bad, I'm just saying that its better on something with a little more "oomph".

As for pangoro (despite it being a scrafty thread), he has his own advantages and shortcomings; its like scrafty but the opposite. Pangoro has really good offensive potential with a base 124 attack stat as well as 3 good abilities in scrappy, iron fist, and mold breaker. Mold breaker guarantees a parting shot will happen especially to magic bouncers as well as being able to kill things like Rotom-w with earthquake and dragonite with multiscaled ignored with stone edge (banded stone edge). Scrappy can checkmate some mons in certain situations (example being that you are about to hammer arm a ferrothorn, and there's an aegislash in the back, if he switches to aegislash, aegislash dies to hammer arm). You get damage on something right away, and could even play with low sweep and parting shot to get more momentum (drop opposing mon's speed, and parting shot if they switch). Finally, iron fist allows your fighting stab to hit really hard and could grant 2hkos that a non-iron fist pangoro could not get.

His shortcomings are scrafty's advantages; Pangoro does not have as much bulk to take advantage of his offensive capabilities, meaning that as a parting shot mon he could get taken out early in the match, and sometimes may not come in until mid to late game. With max hp, he can take some hits, but lack of recovery allows his stay somewhat limited. Despite this, set up sweepers still consider pangor as a very invaluable team member with decent support. If only he could take more hits than his bulk provides.

tldr: Pangoro's potential=scrafty's potential.

 

[Seiterman]

There are a couple sets for this thing, I think.
-Sets-

A) Is it worth it to outspeed neutral base 60's on that first set? That group includes Aegislash, Clefable and Sylveon in terms of OU Pokemon (Porygon2 and Magnezone are also there and can hold their own, but really don't wanna stay in on this guy anyway.) Aegislash wants to be slower most of the time so he can effectively Stance Dance, so you're not gaining much there. Meanwhile, the two fairies aren't effectively damaged by anything on the CB set anyway. You can Parting Shot to safety instead of eating a Hyper Voice/Moonblast, but I don't think either of them are going to mind too much since they aren't really powerhouses in the first place. Also, keep in mind that in a hypothetical metagame with Parting Shot Scrafty, you might start to get some speed creep to combat that, which can easily cause you to lose Scrafty in these matchups.

B) I'm very skeptical about Scary Face, as I doubt someone is gonna leave a mon in while you do a Scary Face/Parting Shot combo. It's like asking your opponent to bring Talonflame in to kick Scrafty's ass. =/

 

[skies]

Parting shot seems like a waste of time for him, as he's got other things to be worrying about. Like the fact that fairies totally destroy his soul

-1 252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Scrafty: 312-372 (93.4 - 111.3%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
4 SpA Togekiss Dazzling Gleam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Scrafty: 268-316 (80.2 - 94.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Klefki Dazzling Gleam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Scrafty: 192-228 (57.4 - 68.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
4 SpA Clefable Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Scrafty: 264-312 (79 - 93.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

The only common Fairy-type attacks in OU that Scrafty cannot survive with proper investment is really Mega Gardevoir + Sylveon's Hyper Voice, but those are both beyond powerful. And Mega Mawile, but not many things can switch into its Play Rough. I do believe, however, that if you're running it Defensively, you should run
252 HP / 84 Def+ / 172 SpD, as this spread allows it to avoid the 252+ M-Garchomp, Talonflame, Conkeldurr, and even avoiding the OHKO from 252+ Mega Heracross' Close Combat. It may seem odd, but it seems the most effective on paper imo. I'd also love to run a set like this, but with Leftovers and Knock Off / Drain Punch / Parting Shot / Ice Punch for nice coverage.
Also, just a few notes, Scrafty only needs an Impish Nature and 120 Defense EVs to survive a Choice Band Talonflame after Intimidate, while if Scrafty runs 28 or below EVs is the only time it can secure a OHKO after Intimidate with 252+ Choice Band. And with 192/0+ is the only time Mega Pinsir secures the OHKO with Return.

 

[amzaneok]

A) Is it worth it to outspeed neutral base 60's on that first set? That group includes Aegislash, Clefable and Sylveon in terms of OU Pokemon (Porygon2 and Magnezone are also there and can hold their own, but really don't wanna stay in on this guy anyway.) Aegislash wants to be slower most of the time so he can effectively Stance Dance, so you're not gaining much there. Meanwhile, the two fairies aren't effectively damaged by anything on the CB set anyway. You can Parting Shot to safety instead of eating a Hyper Voice/Moonblast, but I don't think either of them are going to mind too much since they aren't really powerhouses in the first place. Also, keep in mind that in a hypothetical metagame with Parting Shot Scrafty, you might start to get some speed creep to combat that, which can easily cause you to lose Scrafty in these matchups.

B) I'm very skeptical about Scary Face, as I doubt someone is gonna leave a mon in while you do a Scary Face/Parting Shot combo. It's like asking your opponent to bring Talonflame in to kick Scrafty's ass. =/

The 20 EVs is a small investment. I don't see why not, honestly.

In regards to Scary Face, yes, I've thought of Talonflame. If the opponent has Talonflame their switch into Scrafty is so damn obvious. This is where you either go directly for the Parting Shot or Scary Face. Scary Face allows you to bring in anything that can KO it but can't take a Flare Blitz. Usually you'll be using Parting Shot though immediately. Being forced out by Talonflame is nothing new for many Pokémon.

Also, that's why I said to be sure to keep up hazards. The switching that these two moves combined would cause is pretty great. No matter what way you look at it, something is getting a stat reduction that will cripple it with this set, and the opponent is going to be in a bad position no matter what. Scary Face just let's you Parting Shot into something that can take the incoming hit and abuse the speed drop.

 

[Salemance]

Scrafty huh? I can see this being an interesting slow pivot, but it may end up Parting Shot more than it would like (of course, most Pokémon just go for the U-Turn and Volt-Switch spam anyway, so its nothing new).

Would a Parting Shot set though eclipse his other sets though? I would think not, and I wonder if Parting Shot would be the lesser option of the Scrafty sets if this was added.

 

[skies]

Just for reference:
252 w/ Scarf outspeeds base 97+
252+ w/ Scarf outspeeds base 111+
Most relevant Pokemon this outspeeds: Thundurus, Gengar, Latias/Latios.

I wouldn't necessarily say it is still slow after Scarf, but you sacrifice too much bulk imo.

 

[Yoshuriken]

Well, with Choice Scarf and max speed+ you are aiming to abuse a fast Parting Shot to gain momentum rather than a slow one, and also be able to revenge kill things with your max attack. The problem is Scrafty only has 90 base attack and 58 base speed, so there seems to be much better scarfers around (and there is). Although, Scarfed Rotom-W doesn't have super high attack or speed either, but both stats are significantly higher than Scrafty, he has comparable bulk, a much better typing, Trick, Will-O-Wisp, etc.
Really, the only reason to use Scarf Scrafty (that has a good sound to it) is you need his exact typing or want Parting Shot on your scarfer.

 

[Pipotchi]

Well, with Choice Scarf and max speed+ you are aiming to abuse a fast Parting Shot to gain momentum rather than a slow one, and also be able to revenge kill things with your max attack. The problem is Scrafty only has 90 base attack and 58 base speed, so there seems to be much better scarfers around (and there is). Although, Scarfed Rotom-W doesn't have super high attack or speed either, but both stats are significantly higher than Scrafty, he has comparable bulk, a much better typing, Trick, Will-O-Wisp, etc.
Really, the only reason to use Scarf Scrafty (that has a good sound to it) is you need his exact typing or want Parting Shot on your scarfer.

To be honest Id say theres more reason to use scarfed scrafty than a slow one if youre going to use parting shot- scrafty is going to get worn down incredibly quickly if he is attempting slow parting shots and absorbing hits every time before he switches out, and that's because his only recovery from a parting shot set would be a drain punch, which is next to nothing without boosts. 112 speed with a choice scarf is not going to revenge kill any speed boosting sweepers or other scarfed pokemon, but it will revenge almost anything else- at least thats what I was surprised about playing pangoro. 110 seems to be the number to beat for your dark type, allowing it to outpace the latis and also the fast ghosts gengar and froslass. For this purpose his speed is enough.
Scrafty has the additional benefit from having enough bulk that most scarfed pokemon are unlikely to kill him in one shot, for instance scarfed latios will deal 84% maximum to scrafty with draco meteor and is ohkoed by knock off. Scarfed gengar has a 6% chance of ohkoing, and is of course destroyed by knock off too. You take out the scarfer and then the rest of the team is likely outsped by you if you are scarf scrafty- if you aren't, then the next time you switch in you are just fodder basically.
I also dont think his support moveset is interesting enough to choose it over his quite powerful attacking options with high jump kick and knock off. Swagger is depressing to play against for sure, but I dont really consider it worthy of much discussion especially when it doesn't even have priority- it also conflicts highly with intimidate, not to mention scrafty is going to be crippled permanently from anything decent at +1 or +2. Foul play is an interesting support move which would make a lot of sense on a defensive dark type that didnt have an ability that lowers attack.

If it works on pangoro then it will almost definitely work on a pokemon which is almost a straight upgrade to it, at least stats-wise. I overlooked knock-off originally but yea, it turns out that knock off from scrafty does basically the same damage as crunch from pangoro, who has 124 base attack.

252+ Atk Pangoro Crunch vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Mew: 278-330 (68.8 - 81.6%)
252+ Atk Scrafty Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Mew: 270-320 (66.8 - 79.2%)

Scrafty doesnt have a good attack stat but that doesnt mean it doesnt deal a lot of physical damage. Anyways, I feel like hitting things are somewhat of a secondary role- its about what works best with parting shot, which is of course an excellent move on par with volt switch and u-turn. A lot of choice-locked pokemon use u-turn or volt switch because it allows them to act without having to worry about being locked into a move and manually switching the next turn. Seeings as scrafty will probably be using parting shot more than his other moves, a choice item isnt too hindering on him either. So yea I would say scarf is his best role, although band seems good too as it allows you to smack any switch-ins expecting a boosting set a lot harder. Outside of choice items and AV, you probably want to make use of scraftys good boosting moves bulk up and dragon dance.

I kinda went off track, but basically: yes there are better scarfers if you want a dedicated revenge killer. This is a unique type of scout pokemon which shouldnt be considered in the same way. Scarf helps this do its unique job a lot better, and therefore should proobably be used. Dont forget that parting shot is a really really really good move and the set should really revolve around it due to it being such a separate niche.

 

[Seiterman]

The 20 EVs is a small investment. I don't see why not, honestly.

In regards to Scary Face, yes, I've thought of Talonflame. If the opponent has Talonflame their switch into Scrafty is so damn obvious. This is where you either go directly for the Parting Shot or Scary Face. Scary Face allows you to bring in anything that can KO it but can't take a Flare Blitz. Usually you'll be using Parting Shot though immediately. Being forced out by Talonflame is nothing new for many Pokémon.

Also, that's why I said to be sure to keep up hazards. The switching that these two moves combined would cause is pretty great. No matter what way you look at it, something is getting a stat reduction that will cripple it with this set, and the opponent is going to be in a bad position no matter what. Scary Face just let's you Parting Shot into something that can take the incoming hit and abuse the speed drop.

20 EV's is tiny, yeah, but it could be put towards bulk. It's a small investment for what honestly amounts to a small advantage, so I suppose it could go either way (though I'd still get paranoid about speed creep.)

As for Scary Face, my mention of Talonflame was meant to be more of a general example. Talonflame is far from the only Pokemon that could come in on that (or Parting Shot, for that matter.) Scenarios where you get Parting Shot and Scary Face on one target will likely either be against bad opponents or against Pokemon that quite frankly don't care about the stat reductions. I just have to wonder if the moveslot could be better utilized.

I think Parting Shot on its own does the job of Scary Face better. With that one move you can force switches and benefit from having SR up. Speaking of SR, I'd think this guy would be a good addition to many VoltTurn teams, resisting SR, having a slow switching move to take hits for frailer Pokemon, and allowing something more powerful a turn or two to set up.

 

[amzaneok]

20 EV's is tiny, yeah, but it could be put towards bulk. It's a small investment for what honestly amounts to a small advantage, so I suppose it could go either way (though I'd still get paranoid about speed creep.)

As for Scary Face, my mention of Talonflame was meant to be more of a general example. Talonflame is far from the only Pokemon that could come in on that (or Parting Shot, for that matter.) Scenarios where you get Parting Shot and Scary Face on one target will likely either be against bad opponents or against Pokemon that quite frankly don't care about the stat reductions. I just have to wonder if the moveslot could be better utilized.

I think Parting Shot on its own does the job of Scary Face better. With that one move you can force switches and benefit from having SR up. Speaking of SR, I'd think this guy would be a good addition to many VoltTurn teams, resisting SR, having a slow switching move to take hits for frailer Pokemon, and allowing something more powerful a turn or two to set up.

The point of Scary Face is that it's a get out of jail free card for Scrafty. Say, for example, Togekiss switches in (who Scrafty has no business staying in on). Scary Face hits it on the switch-in, and Scrafty is free to Parting Shot out the next turn into something that can handle a -1 SpA Togekiss (a lot of things). It has plenty of utility in supporting both itself AND its team mates. Of course, it also makes it more difficult to Taunt Scrafty.

 

[Seiterman]

The point of Scary Face is that it's a get out of jail free card for Scrafty. Say, for example, Togekiss switches in (who Scrafty has no business staying in on). Scary Face hits it on the switch-in, and Scrafty is free to Parting Shot out the next turn into something that can handle a -1 SpA Togekiss (a lot of things). It has plenty of utility in supporting both itself AND its team mates. Of course, it also makes it more difficult to Taunt Scrafty.

Why wouldn't you just use Parting Shot in the first place? The point is that the intermediate step of using Scary Face is entirely needless.

 

[Ryolain]

Here's my take a Parting Shot offensive pivot that lures its counters in order to allow a late-game sweep:

Scrafty @ Lefties
Moxie / Shed Skin
252 HP / 252 Att / 4 Def, Brave
-Parting Shot
-Bulk Up
-Drain Punch
-Payback / Knock Off

One of the main reasons Scrafty struggles to run a Bulk Up set in OU now is that its low Speed and Attack make it hard for it to get any opportunities to set up. Parting Shot makes it 100x easier to clear out Scrafty's checks by luring them in then immediately bouncing out with Parting Shot on the switch, leaving them crippled and giving you a free switch to something that can take them out. With Parting Shot's fantastic ability to build momentum and allow Scrafty to get away from his checks unscathed, his path to a clean sweep can be opened much more easily than it is now.

This isn't necessary relevant to Parting Shot, but I think Payback definitely merits use on Scrafty since his horrible speed combined with a negative nature means it will almost always outdamage even a boosted Knock Off (100 BP vs. 97.5 BP). It also has the advantage of getting a boost against Megas, though if you prefer Knock Off's side effect it's certainly still viable. Drain Punch also fits better with his slow speed, allowing you to recover off the damage you'll be taking from pretty much always attacking second, and the boosts from BU/Moxie allow it to become more viable in terms of damage output.

 

[amzaneok]

Why wouldn't you just use Parting Shot in the first place? The point is that the intermediate step of using Scary Face is entirely needless.

Prevents a switch in that threatens Scrafty from setting up a Swords Dance or Nasty Plot expecting the Parting Shot, and lets it sneak out safely to come back in for more Parting Shot fun. It functions like a two turn Memento that doesn't sack your user but still provides great momentum in cases where Scrafty has to switch anyways. It can scout double switches as well. Usually you'll go straight for the Parting Shot or Knock Off but if the enemy is packing something you don't have a great answer to mid to late game that Speed drop would save your bacon.

Scrafty doesn't have many other options to support its team mates anyways. May as well pack a situational move for assurance when it has the slots for it.

 

[alexwolf]

Most people here are treating Scrafty the wrong way. What you gotta do is take advantage of the sweet move called Parting Shot as much as possible, to give set up chances to sweepers such as SD Talonflame, SubSD Garchomp, Mega Pinsir, etc. Checking some dangerous and common Pokemon such as Aegislash, Mamoswine, DD Mega Tyranitar, DD Mega Gyarados, and Excadrill is just the means to reach the goal, which is use Parting Shot. Here is the set i would use:

Scrafty @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Parting Shot
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Taunt

First the moves. Parting Shot is obvious. Then Drain Punch gives some staying power and allows to deal with some of the Pokemon you check, such as Excadrill and Tyranitar, and also OHKO the only common Pokemon that could make Parting Shot backfire, Bisharp. Knock Off is one of the best moves in the game and it's even better with STAB, so it's an obvious choice, and makes sure that between Parting Shot and Knock Off, almost nothing can switch into Scrafty without being at least annoyed by it. Offensive Pokemon lose their power and defensive Pokemon that didn't have much power to begin with and relied on status or phazing hate losing their item. Finally, Taunt stops annoying status and phazing moves that would hinder your set up sweepers. For example, if Hippowdon or Skarmory switch into Scrafty, uisng Parting Shot doesn't really prevent them from staying in and phazing your set up sweeper. However, if you first use Taunt on them, you are then free to use Parting Shot, as no matter what the opponent does, stay in or switch out, your sweeper will get an advantageous match up and will be able to set up.

Then the spread. Max Def + Intimidate gives to Scrafty quite a bit of chances to switch into some common threats of OU. Here are some calcs that showcase the usefulness of the spread:

• -1 252 Atk Life Orb Aegislash-Blade Sacred Sword vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Scrafty: 125-148 (37.4 - 44.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
• -1 252 Atk Aegislash-Blade Sacred Sword vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Scrafty: 96-114 (28.7 - 34.1%) -- 99.5% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
• -1 0 Atk Aegislash-Blade Sacred Sword vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Scrafty: 80-96 (23.9 - 28.7%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
• 252 Atk Mega Tyranitar Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Scrafty: 85-101 (25.4 - 30.2%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after sandstorm damage and Leftovers recovery
• 252+ Atk Mold Breaker Mega Gyarados Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Scrafty: 108-127 (32.3 - 38%) -- 1.4% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
• -1 252+ Atk Life Orb Mamoswine Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Scrafty: 101-121 (30.2 - 36.2%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
• -1 252+ Atk Mold Breaker Excadrill Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Scrafty: 81-96 (24.2 - 28.7%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
• -1 252+ Atk Life Orb Mold Breaker Excadrill Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Scrafty: 105-125 (31.4 - 37.4%) -- 0% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

While Scrafty 2HKOs all of those targets at worst with Drain Punch (you need SR for Mega Gyarados), except from Aegislash, which is 3HKOed at worst by Knock Off. But even if Aegislash lowers your Atk with King's Shield, you can always gtfo with Parting Shot, leaving it with -2 Atk and -1 SpA.

So, Parting Shot Scrafty would be any sweeper's best friend, while also oferring great utility between checking some top tier threats, Intimidating stuff, and being a dick with Knock Off. Definitely a solid OU Pokemon!