[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 3-4 points
**Overview**: Although its Steel-type evolution Scizor is clearly a cut above, Scyther carves out its own niche as an inexpensive, speedy physical attacker with pivoting and sweeping capabilities. Access to Defog sweetens the pot further; however, its poor bulk without Eviolite and devastating Stealth Rock vulnerability without Heavy-Duty Boots prevent it from reliably fulfilling its promises in the teambuilder. Due to these flaws, Scyther remains a budget option, requiring proper positioning and team support to be effective in most matchups.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Offensive Pivot**: STAB U-turn is a powerful tool in Scyther's kit, letting it threaten KOs and force switches against foes to generate momentum for its team or take advantage of a lull in the action to clear the field with Defog.
**Setup Sweeper**: If Scyther is brave enough to abandon its Heavy-Duty Boots, it can instead use Eviolite. It can take advantage of this added bulk to improve its sweeping capabilities with Swords Dance, slicing through teams with its unique, Technician-bolstered moveset.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Bug Bite, U-turn, Dual Wingbeat, Aerial Ace
**Setup Moves**: Swords Dance
**Utility Moves**: Defog, Substitute, Tailwind, Pounce
**Coverage**: Close Combat, Thief, Trailblaze, Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
**Quick Attack**: Quick Attack is an attractive option on Swords Dance sets, letting Scyther clean up weakened teams with a Technician-boosted priority move. Unlike Scizor's Bullet Punch, Scyther does not naturally have STAB with Quick Attack, so these sets usually opt for Tera Normal.
**Agility**: Trailblaze is typically sufficient to boost Speed, but Scyther can opt for Agility as its setup move when outspeeding fast Choice Scarf and Booster Energy users is a must.
Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Due to its crippling quadruple weakness to Stealth Rock, Scyther is often forced to dedicate its item slot to Heavy-Duty Boots, lest it sacrifice half of its health pool upon switching in.
**Eviolite**: Scyther can leverage its Eviolite-boosted bulk to become a much more effective setup sweeper, although its poor defensive typing can limit its opportunities for success. It can be difficult to justify Eviolite over Heavy-Duty Boots unless Scyther Terastallizes into a non-Rock-weak typing or entry hazards can be reliably kept off the field by its teammates.
Niche Items
========
**Choice Scarf**: Rarely, Choice Scarf may be advisable to make Scyther a more effective pivot, catching faster opposing Pokemon off guard. This is risky, as its health will be worn down much more quickly without Heavy-Duty Boots or Eviolite.
**No Item**: Scyther does not learn Knock Off, but it does get the next best thing: Technician-boosted Thief. Scyther is much less effective without an item, but it can hamper enemy switch-ins by stealing theirs, especially Pokemon that happen to rely on Eviolite and Heavy-Duty Boots themselves!
Tera
========
As a low-cost Tera Captain, Scyther becomes a much more effective, versatile, and powerful setup sweeper. Its reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots is greatly reduced when it can shed its Rock weakness, opening it up to bulkier Swords Dance sets that are more capable of taking hits. Defensive Tera types greatly benefit Scyther, especially ones that trade its Stealth Rock weakness for a resistance, like Tera Steel and Ground. Other options include Tera Grass on Trailblaze sets, Tera Normal to clean up with Technician Quick Attack, and Tera Flying to boost the power of Dual Wingbeat to sky-high levels.
Draft Strategy
========
Scyther should only be drafted on teams that function well without it. There are much better options for pivots, setup sweepers, and especially entry hazard removers elsewhere on the draft board. That being said, some teams can find use in its toolkit, and they may find it worthwhile to account for its shortcomings to maximize its potential value.
**Slow Pivots**: A slow pivot can pair nicely with Scyther to keep the pressure on foes with a constant barrage of momentum moves; Pokemon such as Galarian Slowking, Empoleon, and Swampert can fulfill this role.
**Entry Hazard Control**: Relying on a relatively frail, quad-Rock-weak Pokemon to keep hazards off the field is a fool's errand; better hazard removers like Great Tusk, Terapagos, and Iron Treads are a necessity, especially to free up Scyther's item slot for the coveted Eviolite.
**Knock Off Absorbers**: Scyther can rarely afford to lose its item to Knock Off, so it appreciates Dark-resistant allies that can switch into Knock Off relatively unbothered, such as Great Tusk, Ting-Lu, and Urshifu-S.
**Wallbreakers**: As a pivot, Scyther can assist wallbreakers in hitting the field safely; as a setup sweeper, Scyther needs these same wallbreakers to break through foes' defenses before it can attempt a sweep. Either way, it benefits greatly from teammates like Ursaluna-B, Azumarill, and Landorus.
Checks and Counters
========
**Stealth Rock**: Scyther's quadruple weakness to Rock means that if it switches in while Stealth Rock is on the field, it will lose half of its health, putting it in KO range of many moves that Scyther would otherwise comfortably endure.
**Item Removal**: Whether it's using Heavy-Duty Boots or Eviolite, Scyther relies heavily on its held item. It loathes switching into moves like Knock Off and Trick.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types resist both of Scyther's STAB types as well as many of its Technician-boosted coverage options like Trailblaze and Quick Attack. While they do have to respect Close Combat, most bulky Steel-types can survive at least one hit and KO Scyther in return.
**Contact Effects**: Nearly all of Scyther's moves make contact with the foe; its strongest move, Dual Wingbeat, hits twice. Damage from Rocky Helmet and Rough Skin can quickly rack up, and status effects inflicted by abilities such as Flame Body and Static will greatly hamper Scyther if they activate.
**Rock-type Coverage**: Scyther's immunity to Ground and quadruple resistance to Fighting may make it seem like a good switch-in to Pokemon of these types, but since almost all of them have access to Rock-type attacks, most of them can easily muscle past it, even through Eviolite.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/burningmonsoul.582655/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/drizzle.313217/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/theuncultured.629845/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 3-4 points
**Overview**: Although its Steel-type evolution Scizor is clearly a cut above, Scyther carves out its own niche as an inexpensive, speedy physical attacker with pivoting and sweeping capabilities. Access to Defog sweetens the pot further; however, its poor bulk without Eviolite and devastating Stealth Rock vulnerability without Heavy-Duty Boots prevent it from reliably fulfilling its promises in the teambuilder. Due to these flaws, Scyther remains a budget option, requiring proper positioning and team support to be effective in most matchups.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Offensive Pivot**: STAB U-turn is a powerful tool in Scyther's kit, letting it threaten KOs and force switches against foes to generate momentum for its team or take advantage of a lull in the action to clear the field with Defog.
**Setup Sweeper**: If Scyther is brave enough to abandon its Heavy-Duty Boots, it can instead use Eviolite. It can take advantage of this added bulk to improve its sweeping capabilities with Swords Dance, slicing through teams with its unique, Technician-bolstered moveset.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Bug Bite, U-turn, Dual Wingbeat, Aerial Ace
**Setup Moves**: Swords Dance
**Utility Moves**: Defog, Substitute, Tailwind, Pounce
**Coverage**: Close Combat, Thief, Trailblaze, Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
**Quick Attack**: Quick Attack is an attractive option on Swords Dance sets, letting Scyther clean up weakened teams with a Technician-boosted priority move. Unlike Scizor's Bullet Punch, Scyther does not naturally have STAB with Quick Attack, so these sets usually opt for Tera Normal.
**Agility**: Trailblaze is typically sufficient to boost Speed, but Scyther can opt for Agility as its setup move when outspeeding fast Choice Scarf and Booster Energy users is a must.
Common Items
========
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Due to its crippling quadruple weakness to Stealth Rock, Scyther is often forced to dedicate its item slot to Heavy-Duty Boots, lest it sacrifice half of its health pool upon switching in.
**Eviolite**: Scyther can leverage its Eviolite-boosted bulk to become a much more effective setup sweeper, although its poor defensive typing can limit its opportunities for success. It can be difficult to justify Eviolite over Heavy-Duty Boots unless Scyther Terastallizes into a non-Rock-weak typing or entry hazards can be reliably kept off the field by its teammates.
Niche Items
========
**Choice Scarf**: Rarely, Choice Scarf may be advisable to make Scyther a more effective pivot, catching faster opposing Pokemon off guard. This is risky, as its health will be worn down much more quickly without Heavy-Duty Boots or Eviolite.
**No Item**: Scyther does not learn Knock Off, but it does get the next best thing: Technician-boosted Thief. Scyther is much less effective without an item, but it can hamper enemy switch-ins by stealing theirs, especially Pokemon that happen to rely on Eviolite and Heavy-Duty Boots themselves!
Tera
========
As a low-cost Tera Captain, Scyther becomes a much more effective, versatile, and powerful setup sweeper. Its reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots is greatly reduced when it can shed its Rock weakness, opening it up to bulkier Swords Dance sets that are more capable of taking hits. Defensive Tera types greatly benefit Scyther, especially ones that trade its Stealth Rock weakness for a resistance, like Tera Steel and Ground. Other options include Tera Grass on Trailblaze sets, Tera Normal to clean up with Technician Quick Attack, and Tera Flying to boost the power of Dual Wingbeat to sky-high levels.
Draft Strategy
========
Scyther should only be drafted on teams that function well without it. There are much better options for pivots, setup sweepers, and especially entry hazard removers elsewhere on the draft board. That being said, some teams can find use in its toolkit, and they may find it worthwhile to account for its shortcomings to maximize its potential value.
**Slow Pivots**: A slow pivot can pair nicely with Scyther to keep the pressure on foes with a constant barrage of momentum moves; Pokemon such as Galarian Slowking, Empoleon, and Swampert can fulfill this role.
**Entry Hazard Control**: Relying on a relatively frail, quad-Rock-weak Pokemon to keep hazards off the field is a fool's errand; better hazard removers like Great Tusk, Terapagos, and Iron Treads are a necessity, especially to free up Scyther's item slot for the coveted Eviolite.
**Knock Off Absorbers**: Scyther can rarely afford to lose its item to Knock Off, so it appreciates Dark-resistant allies that can switch into Knock Off relatively unbothered, such as Great Tusk, Ting-Lu, and Urshifu-S.
**Wallbreakers**: As a pivot, Scyther can assist wallbreakers in hitting the field safely; as a setup sweeper, Scyther needs these same wallbreakers to break through foes' defenses before it can attempt a sweep. Either way, it benefits greatly from teammates like Ursaluna-B, Azumarill, and Landorus.
Checks and Counters
========
**Stealth Rock**: Scyther's quadruple weakness to Rock means that if it switches in while Stealth Rock is on the field, it will lose half of its health, putting it in KO range of many moves that Scyther would otherwise comfortably endure.
**Item Removal**: Whether it's using Heavy-Duty Boots or Eviolite, Scyther relies heavily on its held item. It loathes switching into moves like Knock Off and Trick.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types resist both of Scyther's STAB types as well as many of its Technician-boosted coverage options like Trailblaze and Quick Attack. While they do have to respect Close Combat, most bulky Steel-types can survive at least one hit and KO Scyther in return.
**Contact Effects**: Nearly all of Scyther's moves make contact with the foe; its strongest move, Dual Wingbeat, hits twice. Damage from Rocky Helmet and Rough Skin can quickly rack up, and status effects inflicted by abilities such as Flame Body and Static will greatly hamper Scyther if they activate.
**Rock-type Coverage**: Scyther's immunity to Ground and quadruple resistance to Fighting may make it seem like a good switch-in to Pokemon of these types, but since almost all of them have access to Rock-type attacks, most of them can easily muscle past it, even through Eviolite.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/burningmonsoul.582655/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/drizzle.313217/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/theuncultured.629845/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
Last edited:
