[OVERVIEW]
Mega Scizor thrives thanks to a powerful Bullet Punch, which hits the common Fairy-types, Kyurem-B, and Tyranitar super effectively. With Swords Dance and a powerful priority attack, it does quite well blasting through the opposition. Thanks to a great defensive typing and solid defensive stats, opportunities to set up Swords Dance are fairly easy to come by. This also helps Mega Scizor retain its effectiveness in a metagame where Intimidate is quite common. Mega Scizor's moves tend to have pretty low Base Power, but that ends up somewhat working to its advantage thanks to Technician providing these moves with an extra boost. Bug Bite, its other common attack with somewhat low Base Power, also allows Mega Scizor to take advantage of the ubiquity of healing Berries such as Sitrus, Mago, and Iapapa. However, Mega Scizor is rather slow; although this is somewhat mitigated by its primary attack having priority, if Psychic Terrain is set or the foe resists Steel-type moves, it's fairly easy to capitalize on Mega Scizor's low Speed. Since Psychic Terrain inhibits Mega Scizor's primary way of circumventing its problematic Speed tier, it rarely works on teams with Tapu Lele. Fire-type Pokemon and attacks are the largest obstacles Mega Scizor has to overcome, as they immediately shut it down. Aside from Fire- and Steel-types shutting Mega Scizor down, it otherwise does quite well against the majority of common Pokemon.
[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Bullet Punch
move 2: Bug Bite
move 3: Swords Dance
move 4: Protect
item: Scizorite
ability: Light Metal
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 132 Atk / 40 SpD / 84 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Bullet Punch functions as Mega Scizor's primary STAB attack, dealing respectable damage and making up for Mega Scizor's relatively low Speed. With many prominent threats having a Steel-type weakness and the move getting a Technician boost, Mega Scizor is able to get by with a 40-Base Power attack as its main mode of offense. Bug Bite offers a stronger, though non-priority STAB attack and takes advantage of the plethora of healing Berries used in Doubles, including Sitrus, Mago, and Iapapa. Swords Dance helps Mega Scizor retain its offensive presence in the face of Intimidate users and clean late-game. Doubles is a metagame built on positioning and keeping control of field effects, so Protect is a useful tool in aiding Mega Scizor's team to do just that.
Set Details
========
Being able to take out Tapu Lele with a priority Bullet Punch as a teammate switches in to change the terrain is one of Mega Scizor's more crucial roles. 132 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature are used to ensure this is accomplished on non-bulky variants of Tapu Lele. 84 Speed EVs ensure that Mega Scizor can move before uninvested Tapu Fini, hitting it with Bug Bite to eat a potential Berry before being picked off. After these offensive benchmarks are accounted for, the spread focuses on general bulk, maximizing HP and patching up Mega Scizor's lower Special Defense. Light Metal should be used as Scizor's ability before Mega Evolution, as it makes Scizor a better switch-in to Low Kick, and Scizor should never attack without Mega Evolving to gain Technician anyway. For more offensive teams, a spread of 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe and an Adamant nature is a solid option that grats Mega Scizor the ability to outrun Modest Volcanion and maximize its power.
Usage Tips
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If Scizor needs to use Bullet Punch, do whatever you can to ensure that Psychic Terrain will not be set when Scizor attacks. If the opponent has a Tapu Lele already on the field, switching to another Island Guardian accomplishes this; switching to another Island Guardian on a predicted Tapu Lele switch can also make sure Scizor's attack will go through provided that the teammate being switched out is slower than the departing foe. If Scizor is low on health, keep in mind that Bug Bite can offer a form of healing when used on foes likely to be carrying an HP-restoring Berry. Mega Scizor is most effective early- or mid-game as a tool to pick off weakened foes, but late-game it shines as a cleaner. Use Swords Dance once all opposing Fire-types have been removed to take advantage of its cleaning ability. Once Scizor is on the field, it should Mega Evolve as soon as possible, as there is no benefit to attacking or defending with Scizor pre-Mega Evolution.
Team Options
========
Scizor's primary attack is a form of priority, so teammates with the ability to remove Psychic Terrain are an absolute necessity. Tapu Fini, which also provides Heal Pulse support and protects Mega Scizor from confusion after eating a Wiki Berry, and Tapu Koko, which takes on faster threats and Celesteela, are two prime candidates for this role. Fire-types in general are Scizor's biggest enemies, so teammates such as Tapu Fini, Volcanion, Heatran, and bulkier Landorus-T sets are a huge help in removing them. Steel-types, though not as troublesome as Fire-types, also resist Mega Scizor's attacks and thus should be dealt with through teammate support from Pokemon such as Volcanion, Heat Wave Zapdos, and Heatran. Stealth Rock support, though not typically seen as a requirement on Doubles teams, is crucial for a variety of offensive benchmarks. For example, after a Swords Dance boost, having Stealth Rock on the opposing side of the field ensures that Mega Scizor will OHKO Tapu Koko, Mega Tyranitar, and Assault Vest Kyurem-B. Landorus-T, Heatran, and Tyranitar are all decent options for setting Stealth Rock. Allies such as Marshadow, Kyurem-B, and Zygarde that appreciate the removal of Fairy-types can benefit from Mega Scizor's presence on a team.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
For a bulkier cleaning set, Mega Scizor can opt to use Roost in place of Protect, as this eliminates the reliance on Bug Bite for recovery. However, Mega Scizor may miss the positioning benefits that Protect offers. Knock Off can be used instead of Bug Bite for the utility it provides in removing non-Berry items as well as gaining a much stronger hit on Aegislash. Tailwind and U-turn can be used instead of Swords Dance and Bug Bite—this makes Mega Scizor more focused on team support than late-game cleaning.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types**: Mega Scizor has lots of difficulty against Fire-types such as Volcanion, Mega Charizard Y, and Heatran; it is not only unable to hit most even neutrally but also 4x weak to their STAB attacks. Some foes, such as Mega Salamence and Zapdos, will sometimes carry Fire-type coverage moves to help them take on Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn.
**Steel-types**: Mega Scizor deals little damage to most Steel-types thanks to their resistance to both Steel- and Bug-type moves. Celesteela and Genesect are the most threatening, as they have access to Flamethrower, though Aegislash is also difficult for Mega Scizor to deal with thanks to King's Shield sharply lowering its Attack stat.
**Intimidate**: Access to Swords Dance prevents Attack drops from Intimidate being permanent; however, as a physical attacker, Mega Scizor doesn't appreciate having its damage output lowered by foes such as Landorus-T and Scrafty.
**Spectral Thief**: Swords Dance boosts become far more dangerous to attain when a Marshadow is healthy on the opponent's team, as Marshadow can use Spectral Thief to steal them and use the boosts against Scizor's team. However, if Marshadow is even slightly weakened, a +2 Bullet Punch is likely to get the KO.
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