[OVERVIEW]
Skarmory's Flying typing makes it an even more effective check than other Steel-types to all the physical attackers such as Metagross and Snorlax that rely on Earthquake to hit Steel-types. This comes with the added bonus of being hit neutrally by Fighting and Rock, too, making it an effective check to Superpower Deoxys-A and Rock Slide Groudon and one of the sturdiest physical walls in the metagame. Skarmory's utility movepool allows it to fill multiple roles by offering Spikes support, phazing, and Taunt backed up by a decent Speed tier. However, Skarmory's Flying typing makes it even more susceptible to being trapped by Magneton than Forretress, and it takes neutral damage from Latios's, Latias's, and Mewtwo's Ice Beam. It also faces stiff competition from other defensive Steel-types due to lacking both Explosion and reliable recovery. Primarily, it competes with Forretress, which offers Rapid Spin support on top of Spikes, better base HP, and Explosion.
[SET]
name: Defensive Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Whirlwind / Roar
move 3: Toxic / Taunt
move 4: Pursuit / Protect / Drill Peck
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Whirlwind helps rack up damage through Spikes and prevents Skarmory from being setup fodder for Heracross and Calm Mind wallbreakers such as Latias, Latios, and Kyogre. Toxic gives Skarmory another way to pressure its foes and puts the opponent's sweepers like Swords Dance Groudon and Calm Mind Kyogre on a timer. Taunt is an option to stop Forretress from setting Spikes, prevent last Pokemon Snorlax from setting up with Curse, and shut down Blissey's utility. Pursuit allows Skarmory to be an effective answer to Deoxys-A, with 100 Special Attack EVs guaranteeing an OHKO on it switching out after Spikes. Protect allows Skarmory to get more recovery from Leftovers while also letting it scout for a foe's Fire- or Electric-type coverage. A set utilizing Drill Peck with a spread of 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def hits Blissey for a fair bit of a damage and puts Latios in range of +1 Kyogre's Ice Beam.
Skarmory can set Spikes so that powerful wallbreakers such as Deoxys-A, Calm Mind Mewtwo, and Latios can run through their checks. Notably, Snorlax is put in 3HKO range by the latter two's unboosted Thunder after just one layer. Skarmory's extremely poor special bulk can be mitigated by walls such as Blissey and Snorlax, both being able to sponge hits from Latios and Latias. Blissey also provides an answer to Kyogre and appreciates how Skarmory can switch into Groudon and Deoxys-A and potentially remove the latter. Magneton and Dugtrio can both trap opposing Magneton, ensuring that Skarmory can check the opponent's physical wallbreakers. Groudon and Ho-Oh together can help Skarmory immensely, as Ho-Oh covers Skarmory's weakness to Fire, while Groudon's sun makes Thunder inaccurate.
[SET]
name: Magneton Lure
move 1: Hidden Power Ground
move 2: Spikes
move 3: Whirlwind
move 4: Toxic / Taunt
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This set attempts to lure in Magneton and KO it with Hidden Power Ground while also providing Spikes support. Whirlwind stops Skarmory from being complete setup fodder while stacking the damage from Spikes. Toxic can put foes on a timer, being extremely useful to catch a special attacker that wishes to switches into Skarmory like Kyogre or Calm Mind Latios. Taunt stops Forretress and Deoxys-D from setting their own Spikes while also limiting Blissey's utility. Maximum Speed with a Jolly nature ensures that Skarmory at worst Speed ties with opposing Magneton, with maximum Attack allowing for an OHKO on offensive variants and a 2HKO on bulkier ones.
As this Skarmory doesn't invest in bulk, it is usually found on more offensive teams. Strong wallbreakers such as Deoxys-A, Calm Mind Latios, Mewtwo, and Choice Band Lugia appreciate their checks being chipped by Spikes and Magneton being gone. Groudon can take on some of the burden of checking physical attackers, as this Skarmory forgoes defensive investment, while also taking Electric-type attacks. Metagross can act as a secondary Steel-type, threatening Latios and Latias while also being able to lure Ho-Oh in and OHKO it with Rock Slide.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
172 Special Attack EVs on the defensive set guarantee a Pursuit OHKO on Deoxys-A switching out without a layer of Spikes, but the investment leaves Skarmory frailer than it'd like to be. Hidden Power Fire on teams with sun support can 2HKO even specially defensive Forretress, but it's too reliant on sun being up, and rain makes it unusable. Counter allows Skarmory to absorb a strong hit such as boosted Groudon's Rock Slide or Metagross's Hidden Power Fire to KO them, but it's extremely situational.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Magneton**: Magneton can trap Skarmory and OHKO with Thunderbolt, but it must be wary of Hidden Power Ground.
**Ho-Oh**: Ho-Oh can use Sacred Fire to OHKO Skarmory and is immune to Spikes. It doesn't like being poisoned by Toxic, however.
**Strong Special Attackers**: Latios, Latias, Mewtwo, and Kyogre can all easily OHKO Skarmory with their coverage moves, or STAB moves in Kyogre's case.
**Forretress**: Forretress can set Spikes alongside Skarmory while also threatening to remove Spikes from its side of the field with Rapid Spin. Hidden Power Fire under sun will do a lot of damage to Forretress, though.
**Fire- and Electric-type Coverage**: Metagross, Snorlax, Deoxys-A, and Groudon can all run some form of Fire- or Electric-type coverage to KO Skarmory. Skarmory can scout for it with Protect, however.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Lasen, 273339]]
- Quality checked by: [[Inspirited, 127823], [SuperEpicAmpharos, 306959]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Finland, 517429]]
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