[OVERVIEW]
Skarmory is a defensive staple in BW OU, checking many of its best Pokemon and avoiding passivity by setting up entry hazards. It's able to check Ground-types like Excadrill, Mamoswine, Garchomp, and Landorus-T as well as other common Pokemon like Scizor, Breloom, Tyranitar lacking Fire Blast, and Dragonite lacking Fire Punch. Roost and immunity to common residual damage methods like Spikes, sand, and Toxic let it consistently handle them. Normally physically defensive, it can also run a specially defensive EV spread to switch into Pokemon like Alakazam, Latios, and Tornadus while still checking most of the aforementioned threats relatively well. This gives it flexibility in fitting on teams. Setting Spikes, besides reducing its passivity, achieves fantastic progress for teams. Its defensive utility and ability to counter Excadrill, one of the most common spinners, and punish it with Rocky Helmet lets it keep entry hazards up more consistently. These traits alongside Stealth Rock and Sturdy also make it a great Custap Berry lead on hyper offense teams. Spikes also wears down Skarmory's common switch-ins, like Heatran, Jellicent, and Politoed, especially with Whirlwind. However, Skarmory's Fire and Electric weaknesses let common Pokemon, like Heatran and Thundurus-T, and specialized coverage, like Fire Blast on Tyranitar and Garchomp, get past it. Strong special attackers like Keldeo, Alakazam, and Latios can overwhelm physically defensive sets, as can common rain threats, with Tentacruel and Starmie successfully spinning on burned Skarmory. Magnezone, often paired with the Dragon-types Skarmory checks like Garchomp and Dragonite lacking Fire Punch, can trap and remove Skarmory. Skarmory also cannot punish Pokemon immune to Spikes, like Reuniclus, Rotom-W, and Xatu, which can hit it super effectively, set up on it, punish Spikes and Whirlwind with Magic Bounce, or inflict it with status. Ferrothorn competes with it on sand teams as a Steel-types Spikes setter, resisting Water and having better special bulk to stave off rain teams. Skarmory also competes with other Steel-types like Heatran and Jirachi given their better offensive presence and prowess in checking Psychic-types, respectively.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Roost
move 2: Spikes
move 3: Whirlwind
move 4: Brave Bird / Taunt
item: Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
ability: Sturdy
nature: Impish / Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Spikes wears down switch-ins like Tyranitar, Keldeo, and Heatran while also supporting Skarmory's hard-hitting teammates and giving Whirlwind offensive potential. Whirlwind stops setup sweepers like Scizor, Dragonite, and Landorus-T while also punishing switches by forcing entry hazard damage. Brave Bird makes Skarmory not complete Taunt fodder, hits Fighting-types like Breloom, and breaks Alakazam's Focus Sash. Taunt prevents Pokemon like Gastrodon, Ferrothorn, and Gliscor from healing or setting up entry hazards and beats other Skarmory if the Speed tie is won.
Set Details
========
Defense investment is preferred to make Skarmory as sturdy as possible against Ground- and Dragon-types like Excadrill, Mamoswine, Landorus-T, Garchomp and Dragonite lacking Fire Punch, in addition to Tyranitar lacking Fire Blast and Jirachi lacking Thunder. However, a specially defensive spread with 252 Special Defense EVs and a Careful nature better checks Pokemon like Latios, Alakazam, Tornadus, Fire Blast Tyranitar, and Reuniclus lacking Thunder. This spread still answers most physical attackers relatively well, though it requires more care. Leftovers is preferred to reduce Skarmory's reliance on Roost to remain healthy, especially with Stealth Rock up. Rocky Helmet instead punishes common contact moves, mainly U-turn, Crunch, and Outrage, and makes Excadrill unable to keep Skarmory's Spikes off the field long-term. However, it makes Skarmory more reliant on frequent Roosts and easier to get in 2HKO range of strong attackers. Shed Shell is also an option to switch out of Magnezone, making teams that rely on Skarmory getting trapped, primarily DragMag teams, struggle greatly.
Team Options
========
This set fits best on sand teams, which appreciate it blanket checking so many strong attackers, and Spikes and sand have great synergy in wearing down the opposing team. Tyranitar sets sand and can set up Stealth Rock with a Chople Berry set that also Pursuit traps Reuniclus, Latios, and Jellicent, which can set up on, force out, and cripple Skarmory. This Tyranitar set also breaks Alakazam's Focus Sash with Pursuit and beats Alakazam if it misses Focus Blast. Tyranitar can also check Heatran and Volcarona if running Tanga Berry, and both sets appreciate Skarmory setting Spikes and beating Ground-types like Gliscor, Garchomp, and Landorus-T. Psychic-types like Alakazam, Latios, and Reuniclus work well with each other and love Spikes wearing down foes and Skarmory switching into Tyranitar, Jirachi, and Ferrothorn. Focus Sash Alakazam can revenge kill any Pokemon and punish Pokemon that try to set up on Skarmory, mainly Reuniclus and Volcarona, with Encore and Thunder Wave. Latios switches into Fire-, Water-, and Electric-types like Heatran, Keldeo, and Thundurus-T while bringing sweeping potential with a Choice Scarf set, which revenge kills and cripples Pokemon like Reuniclus and Volcarona. Once foes are worn down, in part from Skarmory's Spikes and possibly Rocky Helmet, Reuniclus can sweep with Calm Mind late-game. Ground-types like Gliscor, Gastrodon, and Excadrill can switch into Electric-type moves. Gliscor can provide Stealth Rock and Knock Off to wear down Pokemon even more quickly in tandem with Skarmory's Spikes. It also better checks Terrakion with its Fighting resistance, better switches into Fire Blast Tyranitar, and gives Skarmory general defensive backup. Gastrodon, on the other hand, checks Fire-, Electric-, and Water-types like Heatran, Thundurus-T, and Rotom-W while spreading Toxic to rack up even more passive damage with Spikes. Gliscor and Gastrodon can succeed together with Skarmory, as the trio's defensive synergy lets it check and easily wear down most of the metagame. Excadrill pressures Reuniclus and checks Electric- and Dragon-types while appreciating Skarmory countering bulky Ground-types like Landorus-T and Gliscor. Jellicent can take on Fire- and Water-types like Volcarona, Politoed, and Keldeo, spread more residual damage with Will-O-Wisp, and stop recovery with Taunt, letting Skarmory's Spikes damage really stick. Skarmory answers common Ground- and Grass-types in return. Offensive Heatran sets Stealth Rock and enjoys Spikes support and a more dedicated defensive Steel-type.
[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Brave Bird
move 4: Taunt
item: Custap Berry
ability: Sturdy
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Skarmory can nearly always set Stealth Rock or Spikes, oftentimes both, thanks to Sturdy and Custap Berry providing it insurance. Brave Bird chips a target so one of its partners can break through it later. It also stops Rapid Spin attempts if the recoil KOes Skarmory first, which is guaranteed if Sturdy activates beforehand. Taunt prevents slower leads from setting entry hazards and setting up, giving this set's offensive teammates more room to set up and sweep.
Set Details
========
An offensive spread is chosen to get into Custap Berry range more efficiently and empower Brave Bird, which helps Skarmory more easily self-KO.
Team Options
========
This set fits on very offensive teams that need both Stealth Rock and Spikes up from the start of the game. Jellicent can spinblock and use Will-O-Wisp alongside Spikes to quickly wear down its switch-ins. Choice Scarf Tyranitar can work with Jellicent to keep Skarmory's Spikes up against Starmie hyper offense teams while keeping hyper offense threats under control before they get a Speed boost. Swords Dance Terrakion and Garchomp can more easily sweep with Spikes wearing down very bulky Pokemon like Ferrothorn and Slowbro, and they can check Volcarona and Thundurus-T. Volcarona can more easily drop Bug Gem with Spikes wearing down Tyranitar into KO range of its +1 Bug Buzz. Swords Dance Scizor brings a strong priority revenge killer, sets up on the Choice-locked Dragon- and Ice-type moves that bother hyper offense, and benefits greatly from Spikes wearing switch-ins like Politoed and Volcarona. Offensive Starmie can use Rapid Spin if Skarmory fails to stop Stealth Rock with Taunt while outspeeding and threatening faster Pokemon like Latios, Garchomp, and Keldeo. Spikes also helps it wear down and take out Ferrothorn.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Stealth Rock can be run on the defensive set should no other Pokemon be able to fit the move. However, this is a rare problem. Toxic can cripple certain switch-ins, like Thundurus-T, Keldeo, Volcarona, and Politoed lacking Refresh, especially in tandem with sand and entry hazards. However, it fails to bother many other switch-ins, and the moveslot is usually better spent on Brave Bird or Taunt. Drill Peck can threaten Fighting-types like Brave Bird without recoil and with better PP for longer games. However, it's too weak to really threaten Pokemon like Latios, Starmie, and Volcarona. Counter lets Skarmory take advantage of its physical bulk to get a surprise KO, especially against boosted Pokemon on offensive teams, like Dragonite and Scizor. However, Counter is worse in a majority of other matchups, mainly sand and rain. A faster defensive Taunt set can shut down standard opposing Skarmory and faster Tyranitar, Breloom, and Jellicent, which would cripple or set up on Skarmory. However, the loss in bulk makes Skarmory a noticeably less reliable wall. Secret Power can be run over Brave Bird on the defensive set to punish Pokemon that try to exploit Skarmory's passivity, like Heatran, Alakazam, Xatu, and Tentacruel, with paralysis. Thief can be run with no item to steal Leftovers from common switch-ins like Politoed, Rotom-W, Excadrill, and Ferrothorn, leaving them worn down more quickly, while also giving Skarmory a way to punish Taunt from Jellicent.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Heatran and Volcarona threaten to OHKO Skarmor and are free to use Stealth Rock or Quiver Dance. However, they are worn down quickly by entry hazards and other residual damage sources.
**Electric-types**: Magnezone traps Skarmory and OHKOes it with Thunderbolt. However, Shed Shell can circumvent it. Other Electric-types like Thundurus-T and Rotom-W threaten to KO Skarmory and use it to set up or gain momentum with Volt Switch, respectively. They're are also immune to Spikes, making shuffling from Whirlwind throughout the game less important if Stealth Rock isn't up.
**Strong Special Attackers**: Pokemon like Reuniclus, Alakazam, Keldeo, and Latios can break through Skarmory with the appropriate coverage due to its mediocre special bulk. A specially defensive set can handle them more easily, but they still hurt it quite a lot.
**Status**: Burns from Pokemon like Politoed, Tentacruel, and Jellicent wear Skarmory down quickly and force it to use Roost much more often, denying it opportunities to set Spikes. Paralysis can get Skarmory KOed if bad luck makes full paralysis activate as it tries to use Roost.
**Taunt**: Taunt users like Gliscor, Jellicent, and opposing faster Skarmory leave Skarmory unable to do anything, making it difficult to set up Spikes consistently.
**Anti-Entry Hazard Pokemon**: A lot of the progress Skarmory makes is through entry hazard damage, so anti-hazard Pokemon like Tentacruel, Xatu, and Excadrill—if Skarmory is lacking Rocky Helmet—prevent and undo progress.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Ophion, 433215]]
- Quality checked by: [[Finchinator, 114198], [BluBirD252, 347088]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [CryoGyro, 331519]]
Skarmory is a defensive staple in BW OU, checking many of its best Pokemon and avoiding passivity by setting up entry hazards. It's able to check Ground-types like Excadrill, Mamoswine, Garchomp, and Landorus-T as well as other common Pokemon like Scizor, Breloom, Tyranitar lacking Fire Blast, and Dragonite lacking Fire Punch. Roost and immunity to common residual damage methods like Spikes, sand, and Toxic let it consistently handle them. Normally physically defensive, it can also run a specially defensive EV spread to switch into Pokemon like Alakazam, Latios, and Tornadus while still checking most of the aforementioned threats relatively well. This gives it flexibility in fitting on teams. Setting Spikes, besides reducing its passivity, achieves fantastic progress for teams. Its defensive utility and ability to counter Excadrill, one of the most common spinners, and punish it with Rocky Helmet lets it keep entry hazards up more consistently. These traits alongside Stealth Rock and Sturdy also make it a great Custap Berry lead on hyper offense teams. Spikes also wears down Skarmory's common switch-ins, like Heatran, Jellicent, and Politoed, especially with Whirlwind. However, Skarmory's Fire and Electric weaknesses let common Pokemon, like Heatran and Thundurus-T, and specialized coverage, like Fire Blast on Tyranitar and Garchomp, get past it. Strong special attackers like Keldeo, Alakazam, and Latios can overwhelm physically defensive sets, as can common rain threats, with Tentacruel and Starmie successfully spinning on burned Skarmory. Magnezone, often paired with the Dragon-types Skarmory checks like Garchomp and Dragonite lacking Fire Punch, can trap and remove Skarmory. Skarmory also cannot punish Pokemon immune to Spikes, like Reuniclus, Rotom-W, and Xatu, which can hit it super effectively, set up on it, punish Spikes and Whirlwind with Magic Bounce, or inflict it with status. Ferrothorn competes with it on sand teams as a Steel-types Spikes setter, resisting Water and having better special bulk to stave off rain teams. Skarmory also competes with other Steel-types like Heatran and Jirachi given their better offensive presence and prowess in checking Psychic-types, respectively.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Roost
move 2: Spikes
move 3: Whirlwind
move 4: Brave Bird / Taunt
item: Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
ability: Sturdy
nature: Impish / Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Spikes wears down switch-ins like Tyranitar, Keldeo, and Heatran while also supporting Skarmory's hard-hitting teammates and giving Whirlwind offensive potential. Whirlwind stops setup sweepers like Scizor, Dragonite, and Landorus-T while also punishing switches by forcing entry hazard damage. Brave Bird makes Skarmory not complete Taunt fodder, hits Fighting-types like Breloom, and breaks Alakazam's Focus Sash. Taunt prevents Pokemon like Gastrodon, Ferrothorn, and Gliscor from healing or setting up entry hazards and beats other Skarmory if the Speed tie is won.
Set Details
========
Defense investment is preferred to make Skarmory as sturdy as possible against Ground- and Dragon-types like Excadrill, Mamoswine, Landorus-T, Garchomp and Dragonite lacking Fire Punch, in addition to Tyranitar lacking Fire Blast and Jirachi lacking Thunder. However, a specially defensive spread with 252 Special Defense EVs and a Careful nature better checks Pokemon like Latios, Alakazam, Tornadus, Fire Blast Tyranitar, and Reuniclus lacking Thunder. This spread still answers most physical attackers relatively well, though it requires more care. Leftovers is preferred to reduce Skarmory's reliance on Roost to remain healthy, especially with Stealth Rock up. Rocky Helmet instead punishes common contact moves, mainly U-turn, Crunch, and Outrage, and makes Excadrill unable to keep Skarmory's Spikes off the field long-term. However, it makes Skarmory more reliant on frequent Roosts and easier to get in 2HKO range of strong attackers. Shed Shell is also an option to switch out of Magnezone, making teams that rely on Skarmory getting trapped, primarily DragMag teams, struggle greatly.
Team Options
========
This set fits best on sand teams, which appreciate it blanket checking so many strong attackers, and Spikes and sand have great synergy in wearing down the opposing team. Tyranitar sets sand and can set up Stealth Rock with a Chople Berry set that also Pursuit traps Reuniclus, Latios, and Jellicent, which can set up on, force out, and cripple Skarmory. This Tyranitar set also breaks Alakazam's Focus Sash with Pursuit and beats Alakazam if it misses Focus Blast. Tyranitar can also check Heatran and Volcarona if running Tanga Berry, and both sets appreciate Skarmory setting Spikes and beating Ground-types like Gliscor, Garchomp, and Landorus-T. Psychic-types like Alakazam, Latios, and Reuniclus work well with each other and love Spikes wearing down foes and Skarmory switching into Tyranitar, Jirachi, and Ferrothorn. Focus Sash Alakazam can revenge kill any Pokemon and punish Pokemon that try to set up on Skarmory, mainly Reuniclus and Volcarona, with Encore and Thunder Wave. Latios switches into Fire-, Water-, and Electric-types like Heatran, Keldeo, and Thundurus-T while bringing sweeping potential with a Choice Scarf set, which revenge kills and cripples Pokemon like Reuniclus and Volcarona. Once foes are worn down, in part from Skarmory's Spikes and possibly Rocky Helmet, Reuniclus can sweep with Calm Mind late-game. Ground-types like Gliscor, Gastrodon, and Excadrill can switch into Electric-type moves. Gliscor can provide Stealth Rock and Knock Off to wear down Pokemon even more quickly in tandem with Skarmory's Spikes. It also better checks Terrakion with its Fighting resistance, better switches into Fire Blast Tyranitar, and gives Skarmory general defensive backup. Gastrodon, on the other hand, checks Fire-, Electric-, and Water-types like Heatran, Thundurus-T, and Rotom-W while spreading Toxic to rack up even more passive damage with Spikes. Gliscor and Gastrodon can succeed together with Skarmory, as the trio's defensive synergy lets it check and easily wear down most of the metagame. Excadrill pressures Reuniclus and checks Electric- and Dragon-types while appreciating Skarmory countering bulky Ground-types like Landorus-T and Gliscor. Jellicent can take on Fire- and Water-types like Volcarona, Politoed, and Keldeo, spread more residual damage with Will-O-Wisp, and stop recovery with Taunt, letting Skarmory's Spikes damage really stick. Skarmory answers common Ground- and Grass-types in return. Offensive Heatran sets Stealth Rock and enjoys Spikes support and a more dedicated defensive Steel-type.
[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Brave Bird
move 4: Taunt
item: Custap Berry
ability: Sturdy
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Skarmory can nearly always set Stealth Rock or Spikes, oftentimes both, thanks to Sturdy and Custap Berry providing it insurance. Brave Bird chips a target so one of its partners can break through it later. It also stops Rapid Spin attempts if the recoil KOes Skarmory first, which is guaranteed if Sturdy activates beforehand. Taunt prevents slower leads from setting entry hazards and setting up, giving this set's offensive teammates more room to set up and sweep.
Set Details
========
An offensive spread is chosen to get into Custap Berry range more efficiently and empower Brave Bird, which helps Skarmory more easily self-KO.
Team Options
========
This set fits on very offensive teams that need both Stealth Rock and Spikes up from the start of the game. Jellicent can spinblock and use Will-O-Wisp alongside Spikes to quickly wear down its switch-ins. Choice Scarf Tyranitar can work with Jellicent to keep Skarmory's Spikes up against Starmie hyper offense teams while keeping hyper offense threats under control before they get a Speed boost. Swords Dance Terrakion and Garchomp can more easily sweep with Spikes wearing down very bulky Pokemon like Ferrothorn and Slowbro, and they can check Volcarona and Thundurus-T. Volcarona can more easily drop Bug Gem with Spikes wearing down Tyranitar into KO range of its +1 Bug Buzz. Swords Dance Scizor brings a strong priority revenge killer, sets up on the Choice-locked Dragon- and Ice-type moves that bother hyper offense, and benefits greatly from Spikes wearing switch-ins like Politoed and Volcarona. Offensive Starmie can use Rapid Spin if Skarmory fails to stop Stealth Rock with Taunt while outspeeding and threatening faster Pokemon like Latios, Garchomp, and Keldeo. Spikes also helps it wear down and take out Ferrothorn.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Stealth Rock can be run on the defensive set should no other Pokemon be able to fit the move. However, this is a rare problem. Toxic can cripple certain switch-ins, like Thundurus-T, Keldeo, Volcarona, and Politoed lacking Refresh, especially in tandem with sand and entry hazards. However, it fails to bother many other switch-ins, and the moveslot is usually better spent on Brave Bird or Taunt. Drill Peck can threaten Fighting-types like Brave Bird without recoil and with better PP for longer games. However, it's too weak to really threaten Pokemon like Latios, Starmie, and Volcarona. Counter lets Skarmory take advantage of its physical bulk to get a surprise KO, especially against boosted Pokemon on offensive teams, like Dragonite and Scizor. However, Counter is worse in a majority of other matchups, mainly sand and rain. A faster defensive Taunt set can shut down standard opposing Skarmory and faster Tyranitar, Breloom, and Jellicent, which would cripple or set up on Skarmory. However, the loss in bulk makes Skarmory a noticeably less reliable wall. Secret Power can be run over Brave Bird on the defensive set to punish Pokemon that try to exploit Skarmory's passivity, like Heatran, Alakazam, Xatu, and Tentacruel, with paralysis. Thief can be run with no item to steal Leftovers from common switch-ins like Politoed, Rotom-W, Excadrill, and Ferrothorn, leaving them worn down more quickly, while also giving Skarmory a way to punish Taunt from Jellicent.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Heatran and Volcarona threaten to OHKO Skarmor and are free to use Stealth Rock or Quiver Dance. However, they are worn down quickly by entry hazards and other residual damage sources.
**Electric-types**: Magnezone traps Skarmory and OHKOes it with Thunderbolt. However, Shed Shell can circumvent it. Other Electric-types like Thundurus-T and Rotom-W threaten to KO Skarmory and use it to set up or gain momentum with Volt Switch, respectively. They're are also immune to Spikes, making shuffling from Whirlwind throughout the game less important if Stealth Rock isn't up.
**Strong Special Attackers**: Pokemon like Reuniclus, Alakazam, Keldeo, and Latios can break through Skarmory with the appropriate coverage due to its mediocre special bulk. A specially defensive set can handle them more easily, but they still hurt it quite a lot.
**Status**: Burns from Pokemon like Politoed, Tentacruel, and Jellicent wear Skarmory down quickly and force it to use Roost much more often, denying it opportunities to set Spikes. Paralysis can get Skarmory KOed if bad luck makes full paralysis activate as it tries to use Roost.
**Taunt**: Taunt users like Gliscor, Jellicent, and opposing faster Skarmory leave Skarmory unable to do anything, making it difficult to set up Spikes consistently.
**Anti-Entry Hazard Pokemon**: A lot of the progress Skarmory makes is through entry hazard damage, so anti-hazard Pokemon like Tentacruel, Xatu, and Excadrill—if Skarmory is lacking Rocky Helmet—prevent and undo progress.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Ophion, 433215]]
- Quality checked by: [[Finchinator, 114198], [BluBirD252, 347088]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [CryoGyro, 331519]]
Last edited: