Skarmory (OU) [QC 2/2] [GP 2/2]

wyc2333

A=X+Y+Z Y: Hard Work
[OVERVIEW]

Skarmory stands out as the tier's best Spikes user and one of the best physical walls. Its movepool makes it a strong pick for teams that appreciate the extra residual damage it can inflict with Spikes and, most of the time, Toxic. Its Steel / Flying typing is also perfect for its role as a wall, leaving it without any physical weaknesses and with a resistance to all but two physically attacking types, namely Rock and Fighting. However, two exploitable weaknesses to specially attacking types make it vulnerable to Fire- and Electric-type attacks. Despite this, Skarmory is an incredible Pokemon that should always be considered.

[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Whirlwind / Roar
move 3: Protect / Drill Peck / Taunt
move 4: Toxic / Drill Peck
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Spikes allows Skarmory to apply residual damage to the opposing team and is the primary reason to use it. Whirlwind is one of the main reasons to use Skarmory over other Spikers because most of the time it prevents Skarmory from being setup bait for foes. It also allows Skarmory to take advantage of Spikes by phazing foes and racking up residual damage. Protect gives Skarmory an extra turn of Leftovers recovery and is quite effective due to Skarmory's immunity to Toxic, Sandstorm damage, and Spikes. It also gives Skarmory a method of scouting for unexpected Fire- and Electric-type attacks. Taunt is an option that allows Skarmory to stop opposing Spikers from laying Spikes. Toxic allows Skarmory to threaten spinners such as Cloyster and non-Refresh Claydol, both of which can switch in and remove Spikes without fear. It also allows Skarmory to threaten many other Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Swampert without Refresh, Zapdos, Salamence, Suicune, Jolteon, and Porygon2. Furthermore, it pairs great with Protect to apply more damage to the foe; even defensive Starmie has trouble with Toxic + Protect Skarmory. Drill Peck is an option that allows Skarmory to do a lot of damage to Fighting-types such as Heracross, prevent Gengar from switching in for free, and hurt Taunt Gyarados. It also prevents Refresh Claydol and Forretress from regaining health with Leftovers against Skarmory. Keep in mind that Skarmory can't use Drill Peck and Whirlwind on the same moveset, so Roar must be used in place of Whirlwind if Drill Peck is opted for. Drill Peck can also be used alongside Toxic in place of Protect at the cost of recovery and scouting ability.

The EVs maximize Skarmory's special bulk. This allows Skarmory to take advantage of weak special attackers such as defensive Swampert with ease. It also gives it a better chance to survive Magneton's Thunderbolt. If Taunt is used, it is recommended to run a decent amount of Speed investment to outspeed opposing Skarmory.

Team Options
=========
Spikes wears down grounded walls and makes powerful attackers such as Tyranitar more difficult to switch into. Blissey forms the fearsome SkarmBliss core with Skarmory: Blissey can handle special attackers that trouble Skarmory, while Skarmory can handle physical attackers such as Snorlax that take advantage of Blissey. Gengar not only takes advantage of Skarmory's Spikes but also has the added benefit of being able to block Rapid Spin, which makes it a great teammate. Swampert can back Skarmory up as a physical wall and run Roar to utilize Spikes even better. Fast sweepers, such as offensive Starmie and Aerodactyl, appreciate Spikes wearing down the opponent's team so that they can clean late-game. Pokemon such as Jolteon that force a lot of switches are also great with Spikes support, as the switches they force become much more potent with the additional residual damage. Dugtrio or Hidden Power Fire Magneton can trap opposing Magneton, which can often be disastrous for teams that rely on Magneton to check Skarmory. At the very least, they can revenge kill Magneton after it has trapped Skarmory, making a one-for-one trade.

[SET]
name: Offensive Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Drill Peck
move 3: Hidden Power Ground
move 4: Taunt
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Spikes is obligatory on Skarmory. STAB Drill Peck hits surprisingly hard and discourages Gengar from freely switching in. Hidden Power Ground OHKOes Magneton lacking investment in bulk, which can be game changing, as Magneton is the only answer to Skarmory on many teams. Taunt shuts down opposing Skarmory and helps Skarmory beat Blissey without a Fire-type move. Roar can almost always force out setup sweepers that try to set up on Skarmory and can rack up residual damage as well.

The EVs maximize Skarmory's Attack and Speed, which enables it to outspeed Modest Magneton that has Hidden Power Fire and OHKO it with Hidden Power Ground. A Jolly nature can be considered to outspeed Timid Magneton and the rare Medicham, but as a result, Skarmory's Attack will be lower, meaning Skarmory is no longer able to guarantee OHKO on Magenton without investement in bulk.

Team Options
=========
Since this Skarmory set isn't bulky, it fits on Spikes offensive teams. Jolteon absorbs Electric-type attacks for Skarmory, and its STAB Thunderbolt synergizes well with Spikes because Pokemon immune to Spikes are often vulnerable to Electric-type attacks. Gengar acts as a spinblocker for Spikes from Skarmory, while Skarmory takes Dark-, Ghost-, and Psychic-type attacks for Gengar. Offensive Swampert can be an excellent glue, while Skarmory can switch into Grass-type attacks for Swampert. Bulky Tyranitar resists Fire-type attacks and can take some Electric-type attacks for Skarmory, and Spikes support makes it harder for foes to switch into its STAB Rock Slide. Moltres can pivot into Fire-type moves for Skarmory and run Roar to better utilize Spikes. Thanks to Starmie's access to Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, and Psychic, it threatens many Pokemon that are immune to Spikes.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Rest can be used, allowing Skarmory to cure itself of status and regain health at the cost of being inactive for two sleep turns. Hidden Power Flying can be used over Drill Peck in order to run Whirlwind on the same set. Using Whirlwind over Roar allows Skarmory to phaze Soundproof users. However, Hidden Power Flying is weaker than Drill Peck, and Soundproof users aren't common enough to justify this tradeoff. Soft Sand on the offensive Spikes set can be used to have a better chance to OHKO bulky Magneton, though Skarmory will miss out on recovery from Leftovers.

Checks and Counters
===================
Skarmory is quite easy to counter due to its lack of offensive presence and low Special Defense. Magneton is the best counter to Skarmory; thanks to Magnet Pull, it can switch in, trap Skarmory, and KO it with Thunderbolt. It is to be emphasized that Timid or bulky Magneton variants are more reliable at trapping offensive Spikes Skarmory; however, Timid Magneton has a lower chance to OHKO standard Skarmory with full investment in special bulk. Any decently strong special attacker with a Fire- or Electric-type move can scare Skarmory, especially if it is not concerned about Toxic or Drill Peck, such as Jirachi.

Most of the time, the main issue for the opposing team is dealing with Spikes set by Skarmory. Spinners such as Starmie, Claydol, Forretress, and Cloyster can remove Spikes. Refresh Claydol, Starmie, and Forretress don't care about Toxic, but they will be worn down by Drill Peck. While Rapid Spin is not commonly found on offensive teams, they usually have at least five members that can deal with Skarmory. As offensive teams usually don't switch enough for Spikes damage to really rack up, it may be fine for them if there are one or two layers of Spikes on their side.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[wyc2333, 336830]]
- Quality checked by: [[Triangles, 118250], [vapicuno, 5454]]
- Grammar checked by: [[deetah, 297659], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
 
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Everything's great. The only thing I would additionally mention with regards to preventing Spikes is that while Rapid Spin is used to remove Spikes mostly for balanced or stall builds, offense teams usually have at least 5 pokemon that can hit skarm for heavy damage. As games with offensive teams don't usually have enough turns and switches for Spikes damage to really rack up, they usually still do fine with one or two layers of Spikes on their side.

QC 2/2
 
This is an AMGP Check; as such, you may choose to disregard any changes listed below.

A quick note: When referring to types, always include a hyphen (i.e. Fire-type moves, Fire- and Electric-type moves). When using a dual-typing, use a spaced forward-slash (i.e. Steel / Flying typing).

Additions
Removals
Comments
[OVERVIEW]

Skarmory stands out as the tier's best Spikes user and one of the best physcial physical walls. On one hand, its type Steel / Flying typing is almost perfectly suitable for its role, which has no physical weaknesses and resistances for all but 2 physical attacking types, namely Rock and Fighting. However, 2 exploitable weaknesses on its special side make it vulnerable to Fire Fire- and Electric Electric-type attacks. On the other hand, Skarmory's move pool movepool (exists as a compound word) gives it exactly what it needs, making it a strong consideration in pick for teams that appreciate the extra residual damage from Spikes and , (AC) most of the time, Toxic. For these reasons, Skarmory is an incredible Pokemon that should always be thought about. considered.

[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Whirlwind / Roar
move 3: Protect / Drill Peck / Taunt
move 4: Toxic / Drill Peck
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
The move "Spikes" Spikes (more concise) is , (AC) the primary reason to use Skarmory, and allows it to apply residual damage. Whirlwind is one of the main reasons to use Skarmory over other Spikers because most of the time it prevents Skarmory from being a setup bait for the opponent. It also allows Skarmory to abuse Spikes. (remove period) by phazing foes away and racking up residual damage. (How does Whirlwind allow Skarmory to abuse Spikes?) Protect gives Skarmory extra recovery and is quite effective due to Skarmory's immunity to Toxic, Sandstorm, and Spikes. It also gives Skarmory a method of scouting for surprising Fire Fire- and Electric Electric-type attacks. Taunt can be used as it is an option that allows Skarmory to stop opposing Spikers. Toxic allows Skarmory to threaten Spinners such as Claydol without Refresh and Cloyster, otherwise they are able to both of which can switch in and Rapid Spin away Spikes without fear. It also allows Skarmory to threaten many Pokemons Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Swampert without Refresh, Zapdos, Salamence, Suicune, Jolteon, and Porygon 2. Porygon2. Furthermore, it pairs greatly with Protect for applying more damage, and damage; even defensive Starmie can have has trouble with Toxic + Protect Skarmory. Drill Peck can be used instead, as it is an option allows Skarmory to do a lot of damage to Fighting types Fighting-types such as Heracross, prevent Gengar from switching in for free, and hurt Taunt Gyarados. It also prevents Refresh Claydol and Forretress from regaining health with Leftovers against Skarmory. Keep in mind that Skarmory can't use Drill Peck and Whirlwind on the same move set, moveset, so Roar must be used in place of Whirlwind. Drill Peck can also be used alongside Toxic in place of Protect at the cost of a recovery move. turn of recovery and scouting ability.

The EVs simply max maximize Skarmory's Special Defense. special bulk. (Special Defense isn't the only stat that's maximized here) This allows Skarmory to capitalize on weak special attackers such as defensive Swampert with ease. It also gives it a better chance to survive Magneton's Thunderbolt. If Taunt is used, it is recommended to run a decent Speed investment to outspeed opposing Skarmory.

Team Options
=========
Spikes from Skarmory can be useful to wear wears down grounded walls and make makes powerful attackers such as Tyranitar more dangerous. Blissey forms an the infamous SkarmBliss combo core with Skarmory in that : (add colon) it Blissey can handle special attackers that trouble Skarmory, (RC) and in return, while Skarmory handles physical attackers such as Snorlax who can take advantage of Blissey. Gengar not only takes advantage of Spikes, (RC) but also has the added benefit of being able to block Rapid Spin. Swampert can back Skarmory up as a physical wall, and it can run Roar to abuse Spikes. Fast sweepers, (RC) such as offensive Starmie and Aerodactyl, (RC) like Spikes to wear down the opponent's team so that they can clean up in the late game. Pokemon such as Jolteon that forces force a lot of switches is are also great alongside Spikes, as the switches it they force become much more potent. Hidden Power Fire Magneton or and Dugtrio can trap opposing Magneton, which can often be disastrous for teams that rely on Magneton to damage check Skarmory. At the very least, they can revenge kill Magneton, making a 1 for 1 trade.

[SET]
name: YOLOskarm
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Drill Peck
move 3: Hidden Power Ground
move 4: Taunt
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
The move "Spikes" Spikes is obligatory. STAB Drill Peck hits surprisingly hard, and discourages Gengar from getting a free switch. Hidden Power Ground OHKOs Magneton without lacking investment in bulk, which is game-changing because as Magneton is the only answer to Skarmory on many teams. Taunt shuts down an opposing Skarmory, and helps Skarmory beat Blissey without a Fire lacking Fire-type move. coverage. Roar can almost always force out setup sweepers trying to set up on Skarmory. (remove period) and can rack up residual damage as well. (It's good to note any additional benefits if possible.)

The EVs max maximize Skarmory's Attack and Speed, which enables Skarmory to outspeed Modest Magneton with Hidden Power Fire and OHKO it with Hidden Power Ground. A faster spread can be considered for Timid Magneton and the rare Medicham, but Attack will be lower. Soft Sand can be used to have a better chance to KO bulky Magneton, though it lacks recovery from Leftovers. (If the item is not listed in the main set, it's better to include it in the Other Options section.)

Team Options
=========
Since YOLOskarm isn't bulky, it fits on Spikes Offense. Jolteon absorbs Electric Electric-type attacks for Skarmory, and its STAB Thunderbolt synergies well with Spikes. Gengar acts as a Spinblocker. Offensive Swampert is an excellent glue, and Skarmory walls Grass attacks for Swampert. Bulky Tyranitar resists Fire Fire-type attacks and can take some Electric Electric-type attacks, and Spikes supports its STAB Rock Slide. Moltres can pivot into Fire moves and run Roar to abuse Spikes. Thanks to Thunderbolt, Ice Beam , (AC) and even Psychic, Starmie threatens many Pokemons Pokemon that are immune to Spikes.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Rest can be used, allowing it to remove Status and regain health at the cost of two Sleep turns. Hidden Power Flying can be used over Drill Peck in order to run Whirlwind. This allows Skarmory to phaze Soundproof users. However, Hidden Power Flying is less powerful, and with Baton Pass clause, Soundproof users aren't common enough to justify this. (The earlier mention about the use of Soft Sand on the YOLOskarm set can go here.)

Checks and Counters
===================
Skarmory is quite easy to counter due to its lack of Offense power and weak Special Defense. Magneton is the best counter to Skarmory. : (remove period, add colon) Thanks to Magnet Pull, it can switch in, trap Skarmory, and KO it with Thunderbolt. To be emphasized, with YOLOskarms around, Timid or bulky Magneton is more reliable, but Timid Magneton has a worse chance to OHKO standard Skarmory with rather higher Special Defense. ; (remove period, add semicolon) however, it will lose to YOLOskarm's Hidden Power Ground if it loses the speed tie. Any decently strong special attacker with a Fire Fire- or Electric Electric-type move can scare Skarmory, especially if it is not concerned with Toxic and Drill Peck such as Jirachi. (The second sentence was improved to better get the message across about Magneton's ability to trap and eliminate Skarmory. The two share the same Speed stat, so mentioning a speed tie here helps.)
Most of the time, the main issue is dealing with Spikes from Skarmory. Rapid Spinners such as Starmie, Claydol, Forretress , (AC) and Cloyster can remove Spikes. Refresh Claydol, Starmie , (AC) and Forretress don't care about Toxic, but they will be worn down by Drill Peck. While Rapid Spin is used to remove Spikes mostly for balanced or stall builds, offensive teams usually have at least 5 members that can deal with Skarmory. As offensive teams don't usually have enough turns and switches for Spikes damage to really rack up, it may still be fine for them with one or two layers of Spikes on their side.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[wyc2333, 336830]]
- Quality checked by: [[Triangles, 118250], [vapicuno, 5454]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
 
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Nice work :blobthumbsup: AMGP check, implement what you want (looks like I was working on this at the same time as another amchecker, so use your discretion to decide what changes to implement).

General comments:
  • Affix "-type" when using a type as an adjective (eg. "Fire- and Electric-type attacks", not "Fire and Electric attacks")
  • Make sure to use the serial comma (put a comma before the last "and" or "or" in a list)
  • Unless you're talking about EV spreads or percentages, you should generally write out numbers in full ("two", not "2")
add remove (comment)
(AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; AH=add hyphen; AP=add period; SC=semicolon)
[OVERVIEW]

Skarmory stands out as the tier's best Spikes user and one of the best physcial walls. On one hand, Its type is almost perfectly suitable perfect ("suitable" = "ok but could be better", which i don't think is what you mean) for its role as a wall, which as it has no physical weaknesses and resistances for resists all but 2 two physical attacking types, namely Rock and Fighting. However, 2 exploitable weaknesses on its special side make it vulnerable to Fire and Electric attacks. (moved downwards; cons should go after pros) On the other hand, (this doesn't contrast with the sentence where you said "on one hand") Skarmory's move pool movepool also gives it exactly what it needs, making it a strong consideration in for teams that appreciate the extra residual damage from it can inflict with Spikes and, (AC) most of the time, Toxic. However, two exploitable weaknesses on Skarmory's special side make it vulnerable to Fire- and Electric-type attacks. For these reasons Despite this, Skarmory is an incredible Pokemon that should always be thought about.

[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Whirlwind / Roar
move 3: Protect / Drill Peck / Taunt
move 4: Toxic / Drill Peck
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
The move "Spikes" Spikes is the primary reason to use Skarmory, and (moved to end of the sentence; it's more important to describe what the move does first) allows it Skarmory to apply residual damage to the opposing team and is the primary reason to use it. Whirlwind is one of the main reasons to use Skarmory over other Spikers, (AC) because most of the time it prevents Skarmory from being a setup bait for the opponent foes ("opponent" = opposing player, "foe" = opposing Pokemon; also made plural for consistency). It also allows Skarmory to abuse its own (subjective change) Spikes. Protect gives Skarmory extra turn of Leftovers recovery and is quite effective due to Skarmory's immunity to Toxic, Sandstorm damage, and Spikes. It also gives Skarmory a method of scouting for surprising unexpected (subjective change) Fire- (AH) and Electric Electric-type attacks. Taunt can be used, (AC) as it allows Skarmory to stop opposing Spikers from laying Spikes. Toxic allows Skarmory to threaten spinners such as Claydol without Refresh and Cloyster (RC) otherwise they are able to that would otherwise switch in and use (try to avoid using move names as verbs) Rapid Spin away to remove Spikes without fear. It also allows Skarmory to threaten many other Pokemons Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Swampert without Refresh, Zapdos, Salamence, Suicune, Jolteon, and Porygon 2 Porygon2. Furthermore, it pairs greatly very well with Protect for applying to apply more damage to the foe; (SC) and even defensive Starmie can have trouble with Toxic + Protect Skarmory. Drill Peck can be used instead, as it allows Skarmory to do a lot of damage to Fighting-types (AH) such as Heracross, prevents Gengar from switching in for free, and hurts Taunt Gyarados. It also prevents Refresh Claydol and Forretress from regaining health with Leftovers against Skarmory. Keep in mind that Skarmory can't use Drill Peck and Whirlwind on the same move set moveset, so Roar must be used in place of Whirlwind if Drill Peck is opted for. Drill Peck can also be used alongside Toxic at the cost of a recovery move.

The EVs simply max maximize Skarmory's Special Defense. This allows Skarmory to capitalize take advantage of weak special attackers such as defensive Swampert with ease. It also gives it a better chance to survive Magneton's Thunderbolt. If Taunt is used, it is recommended to run a decent amount of Speed investment to outspeed opposing Skarmory.

Team Options
=========
Spikes from Skarmory can be useful to wear down grounded walls and make powerful attackers such as Tyranitar more dangerous difficult to switch into ("make x more dangerous" sounds like you're increasing it's power or something, which is not the case). Blissey forms an infamous combo core with Skarmory in that since it can handle special attackers that trouble Skarmory, and while in return, Skarmory handles can handle (sentence parallelism) physical attackers such as Snorlax who can that (parallelism) take advantage of Blissey. Gengar not only takes advantage of Skarmory's Spikes, but also has the added benefit of being able to block Rapid Spin, (AC) which makes it a great teammate. Swampert can back Skarmory up as a physical wall (RC) and it can run Roar to abuse Spikes. Fast sweepers, such as offensive Starmie and Aerodactyl, like appreciate Spikes to wear wearing down the opponent's team so that they can clean up in the late game late-game. Pokemon such as Jolteon that forces force a lot of switches is are also great alongside with (sounds awkward) Spikes support, as the switches it force become much more potent (repetition). Dugtrio or (moved here so the reader doesn't think dugtrio also has hp fire) Hidden Power Fire Magneton or Dugtrio can trap opposing Magneton, which can often be disastrous for teams that rely on Magneton to damage Skarmory. At the very least, they can revenge kill Magneton after it has trapped Skarmory, making a 1 for 1 one-for-one trade.

[SET]
name: YOLOskarm
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Drill Peck
move 3: Hidden Power Ground
move 4: Taunt
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
The move "Spikes" Spikes is obligatory on Skarmory. STAB Drill Peck hits surprisingly hard (RC) and discourages Gengar from getting a free switch freely switching in. Hidden Power Ground OHKOes Magneton without bulk investment, which is can be game-changing because Magneton is the only answer to Skarmory on many teams. Taunt shuts down an opposing Skarmory (RC) and helps Skarmory beat Blissey without a Fire Fire-type move. Roar can almost always force out setup sweepers trying that try to set up on Skarmory.

The EVs maximize Skarmory's Attack and Speed, which enables Skarmory it to outspeed Modest Magneton with that has (current phrasing makes it sound like skarm has hp fire) Hidden Power Fire and OHKO it with Hidden Power Ground. A faster EV spread can be considered for to outspeed Timid Magneton and the rare Medicham, but Skarmory's Attack will be lower as a result. Soft Sand can be used to have a better chance to OHKO bulky Magneton, though it lacks Skarmory will miss out on recovery from Leftovers.

Team Options
=========
Since YOLOskarm isn't bulky, it fits on Spikes Offense offense teams. Jolteon absorbs Electric Electric-type attacks for Skarmory (RC) and its STAB Thunderbolt synergies synergizes (typo) well with Spikes. Gengar acts as a spinblocker (maybe make this sentence a little longer?). Offensive Swampert is an excellent glue Pokemon, and Skarmory walls can switch into (you can "wall" pokemon, not moves) Grass Grass-type attacks for Swampert. Bulky Tyranitar resists Fire Fire-type attacks and can take some Electric Electric-type attacks for Skarmory, and Spikes supports make it harder to switch into its STAB Rock Slide. Moltres can pivot into Fire Fire-type moves for Skarmory and run Roar to abuse Spikes. Thanks to its access to Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, (AC) and even Psychic, Starmie threatens many Pokemons Pokemon that are immune to Spikes.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Rest can be used, allowing it Skarmory to remove cure itself of status and regain health at the cost of being inactive for two sleep turns. Hidden Power Flying can be used over Drill Peck in order to run Whirlwind on the same set. This Using Whirlwind over Roar allows Skarmory to phaze Soundproof users. However, Hidden Power Flying is less powerful weaker than Drill Peck, and with Baton Pass clause, (don't refer to metagame shifts) Soundproof users aren't common enough to justify this trade-off.

Checks and Counters
===================
Skarmory is quite easy to counter due to its lack of Offense offensive presence and weak low Special Defense. Magneton is the best counter to Skarmory; (SC) thanks to Magnet Pull, it can switch in, trap Skarmory, and OHKO it with Thunderbolt. It is to be emphasized (RC) that with YOLOskarms around, Timid or bulky Magneton variants is are more reliable at trapping Skarmory; (SC) but however, Timid Magneton has a worse lower chance to OHKO standard Skarmory with rather higher full investment in Special Defense. Any decently strong special attacker with a Fire- (AH) or Electric Electric-type move can scare out Skarmory, especially if it said special attacker is not concerned with about Toxic and or Drill Peck such as Jirachi.
Most of the time, the main issue for the opposing team is dealing with Spikes from set by Skarmory. Rapid Spinners such as Starmie, Claydol, Forretress, (AC) and Cloyster can remove Spikes. Refresh Claydol, Starmie, (AC) and Forretress don't care about Toxic, but they will be worn down by Drill Peck. While Rapid Spin is used to remove Spikes mostly for balanced or stall builds not commonly found on offensive teams, offensive teams they usually have at least 5 five members that can deal with Skarmory. As offensive teams don't usually have enough turns and switches usually don't switch enough for Spikes damage to really rack up, it may still be fine for them with if there are one or two layers of Spikes on their side.
 
Add Remove Comments (AC) = Add Comma (RC) = Remove Comma (SC) = Semicolon
Just a tip Luna Fantasia, when adding commas and the like it's better to not have a space in between the comma and the rest of the sentence. The author will then sometimes implement the comma with the space still there. For example, instead of doing "...that appreciate the extra residual damage from Spikes and , (AC) most of the time..." do "...that appreciate the extra residual damage from Spikes and, (AC) most of the time..." Keep up the hard work, both amcheckers!

GP 1/2

garchompstamp.gif


[OVERVIEW]

Skarmory stands out as the tier's best Spikes user and one of the best physical walls. Its Steel / Flying typing is perfect for its role as a wall, which means it has no physical weaknesses and resists all but two physically attacking types, namely Rock and Fighting. Skarmory's movepool also gives it exactly what it needs, making it a strong pick for teams that appreciate the extra residual damage it can inflict with Spikes and, most of the time, Toxic. However, two exploitable weaknesses on Skarmory's special side make it vulnerable to Fire- and Electric-type attacks. Despite this, Skarmory is an incredible Pokemon that should always be considered.

[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Whirlwind / Roar
move 3: Protect / Drill Peck / Taunt
move 4: Toxic / Drill Peck
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Spikes allows Skarmory to apply residual damage to the opposing team and is the primary reason to use it. Whirlwind is one of the main reasons to use Skarmory over other Spikers, (RC) because most of the time it prevents Skarmory from being setup bait for foes. It also allows Skarmory to abuse Spikes by phazing foes away and racking up residual damage. Protect gives Skarmory an extra turn of Leftovers recovery and is quite effective due to Skarmory's immunity to Toxic, Sandstorm damage, and Spikes. It also gives Skarmory a method of scouting for unexpected Fire- and Electric-type attacks. Taunt is an option that allows Skarmory to stop opposing Spikers from laying Spikes. Toxic allows Skarmory to threaten spinners such as Claydol without Refresh and Cloyster, both of which can switch in and use Rapid Spin to remove Spikes without fear. It also allows Skarmory to threaten many other Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Swampert without Refresh, Zapdos, Salamence, Suicune, Jolteon, and Porygon2. Furthermore, it pairs greatly with Protect to apply more damage to the foe; even defensive Starmie has trouble with Toxic + Protect Skarmory. Drill Peck is an option that allows Skarmory to do a lot of damage to Fighting-types such as Heracross, prevent Gengar from switching in for free, and hurt Taunt Gyarados. It also prevents Refresh Claydol and Forretress from regaining health with Leftovers against Skarmory. Keep in mind that Skarmory can't use Drill Peck and Whirlwind on the same moveset, so Roar must be used in place of Whirlwind if Drill Peck is opted for. Drill Peck can also be used alongside Toxic in place of Protect at the cost of recovery and scouting ability.

The EVs maximize Skarmory's special bulk. This allows Skarmory to take advantage of weak special attackers such as defensive Swampert with ease. It also gives it a better chance to survive Magneton's Thunderbolt. If Taunt is used, it is recommended to run a decent amount of Speed investment to outspeed opposing Skarmory.

Team Options
=========
Spikes wears down grounded walls and makes powerful attackers such as Tyranitar more difficult to switch into. Blissey forms the infamous SkarmBliss core with Skarmory(Remove space): Blissey can handle special attackers that trouble Skarmory, while Skarmory can handle physical attackers such as Snorlax that take advantage of Blissey. Gengar not only takes advantage of Skarmory's Spikes, but it also has the added benefit of being able to block Rapid Spin, which makes it a great teammate(Remove space). Swampert can back Skarmory up as a physical wall and can run Roar to abuse utilize Spikes even better. Fast sweepers, such as offensive Starmie and Aerodactyl, appreciate Spikes wearing down the opponent's team so that they can clean late-game. Pokemon such as Jolteon that force a lot of switches are also great with Spikes support, as the switches they force become much more potent. Dugtrio or Hidden Power Fire Magneton can trap opposing Magneton, which can often be disastrous for teams that rely on Magneton to check Skarmory. At the very least, they can revenge kill Magneton after it has trapped Skarmory, making a one-for-one trade.

[SET]
name: YOLOskarm Offensive Spikes (Talked this over with TDP, he and I agreed that this name isn't that iconic and thus should be renamed)
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Drill Peck
move 3: Hidden Power Ground
move 4: Taunt
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Spikes is obligatory on Skarmory. STAB Drill Peck hits surprisingly hard and discourages Gengar from freely switching in. Hidden Power Ground OHKOes Magneton lacking investment in bulk, which can be game-changing, (AC) as Magneton is the only answer to Skarmory on many teams. Taunt shuts down opposing Skarmory and helps Skarmory beat Blissey without a Fire-type move(Remove space). Roar can almost always force out setup sweepers that try to set up on Skarmory and can rack up residual damage as well.

The EVs maximize Skarmory's Attack and Speed, which enables it to outspeed Modest Magneton that has Hidden Power Fire and OHKO it with Hidden Power Ground. A faster EV spread can be considered to outspeed Timid Magneton and the rare Medicham, but as a result, Skarmory's Attack will be lower.

Team Options
=========
Since YOLOskarm this Skarmory set isn't bulky, it fits on Spikes Offense offensive teams. Jolteon absorbs Electric-type attacks for Skarmory and its STAB Thunderbolt synergizes well with Spikes. Gengar acts as a spinblocker for Spikes from Skarmory, while Skarmory takes Dark-, Ghost-, and Psychic-type attacks for Gengar. Offensive Swampert can be an excellent glue, while Skarmory can switch into Grass-type attacks for Swampert. Bulky Tyranitar resists Fire-type attacks and can take some Electric-type attacks for Skarmory, and Spikes makes foes it harder for foes to switch into its STAB Rock Slide. Moltres can pivot into Fire-type moves for Skarmory and run Roar to abuse better utilize Spikes. Thanks to Starmie's access to Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, and Psychic, it threatens many Pokemon that are immune to Spikes.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Rest can be used, allowing Skarmory to cure itself of status and regain health at the cost of being inactive for two sleep turns. Hidden Power Flying can be used over Drill Peck in order to run Whirlwind on the same set. Using Whirlwind over Roar allows Skarmory to phaze Soundproof users. However, Hidden Power Flying is weaker than Drill Peck, and Soundproof users aren't common enough to justify this trade-off. Soft Sand on the YOLOskarm offensive Spikes set can be used to have a better chance to OHKO bulky Magneton, though Skarmory will miss out on recovery from Leftovers.

Checks and Counters
===================
Skarmory is quite easy to counter due to its lack of offensive presence and low Special Defense. Magneton is the best counter to Skarmory; (SC) thanks to Magnet Pull, it can switch in, trap Skarmory, and KO it with Thunderbolt. It is to be emphasized that with YOLOskarms an offensive Spikes Skarmory around, Timid or bulky Magneton variants are more reliable to trap Skarmory; however, Timid Magneton has a lower chance to OHKO standard Skarmory with full investment in special bulk. Any decently strong special attacker with a Fire- or Electric-type move can scare Skarmory, especially if it is not concerned about Toxic or Drill Peck, (AC) such as Jirachi.
Most of the time, the main issue for the opposing team is dealing with Spikes set by Skarmory. Rapid Spinners such as Starmie, Claydol, Forretress, and Cloyster can remove Spikes. Refresh Claydol, Starmie, and Forretress don't care about Toxic, but they will be worn down by Drill Peck. While Rapid Spin is not commonly found on offensive teams, they usually have at least five members that can deal with Skarmory. As offensive teams usually don't switch enough for Spikes damage to really rack up, it may be fine for them if there are one or two layers of Spikes on their side.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[wyc2333, 336830]]
- Quality checked by: [[Triangles, 118250], [vapicuno, 5454]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
 
Implemented + credits. Thank you as always.

Ready for a next check.
 
Last edited:
remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma;
GP 2/2
[OVERVIEW]

Skarmory stands out as the tier's best Spikes user and one of the best physical walls. Its movepool makes it a strong pick for teams that appreciate the extra residual damage it can inflict with Spikes and, most of the time, Toxic. Its Steel / Flying typing is also perfect for its role as a wall, which means it has no leaving it without any physical weaknesses and resists with a resistance to all but two physically attacking types, namely Rock and Fighting. However, two exploitable weaknesses on Skarmory's special side to specially attacking types make it vulnerable to Fire- and Electric-type attacks. ("two exploitable special weaknesses to Fire and Electric make it vulnerable to foes like x and y" would be a lot better, this is just a type chart) Despite this, Skarmory is an incredible Pokemon that should always be considered.

[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Whirlwind / Roar
move 3: Protect / Drill Peck / Taunt
move 4: Toxic / Drill Peck
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Spikes allows Skarmory to apply residual damage to the opposing team and is the primary reason to use it. Whirlwind is one of the main reasons to use Skarmory over other Spikers because most of the time it prevents Skarmory from being setup bait for foes. It also allows Skarmory to abuse take advantage of Spikes by phazing foes and racking up residual damage. Protect gives Skarmory an extra turn of Leftovers recovery and is quite effective due to Skarmory's immunity to Toxic, Sandstorm damage, and Spikes. It also gives Skarmory a method of scouting for unexpected Fire- and Electric-type attacks. Taunt is an option that allows Skarmory to stop opposing Spikers from laying Spikes. Toxic allows Skarmory to threaten spinners such as Cloyster and non-Refresh Claydol without Refresh and Cloyster, both of which can switch in and use Rapid Spin to remove Spikes without fear. It also allows Skarmory to threaten many other Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Swampert without Refresh, Zapdos, Salamence, Suicune, Jolteon, and Porygon2. Furthermore, it pairs greatly great with Protect to apply more damage to the foe; even defensive Starmie has trouble with Toxic + Protect Skarmory. Drill Peck is an option that allows Skarmory to do a lot of damage to Fighting-types such as Heracross, prevent Gengar from switching in for free, and hurt Taunt Gyarados. It also prevents Refresh Claydol and Forretress from regaining health with Leftovers against Skarmory. Keep in mind that Skarmory can't use Drill Peck and Whirlwind on the same moveset, so Roar must be used in place of Whirlwind if Drill Peck is opted for. Drill Peck can also be used alongside Toxic in place of Protect at the cost of recovery and scouting ability.

The EVs maximize Skarmory's special bulk. This allows Skarmory to take advantage of weak special attackers such as defensive Swampert with ease. It also gives it a better chance to survive Magneton's Thunderbolt. If Taunt is used, it is recommended to run a decent amount of Speed investment to outspeed opposing Skarmory.

Team Options
=========
Spikes wears down grounded walls and makes powerful attackers such as Tyranitar more difficult to switch into. Blissey forms the infamous fearsome SkarmBliss core with Skarmory: Blissey can handle special attackers that trouble Skarmory, while Skarmory can handle physical attackers such as Snorlax that take advantage of Blissey. Gengar not only takes advantage of Skarmory's Spikes (RC) but it also has the added benefit of being able to block Rapid Spin, which makes it a great teammate. Swampert can back Skarmory up as a physical wall and run Roar to utilize Spikes even better. Fast sweepers, such as offensive Starmie and Aerodactyl, appreciate Spikes wearing down the opponent's team so that they can clean late-game. Pokemon such as Jolteon that force a lot of switches are also great with Spikes support, as the switches they force become much more potent with the additional residual damage. Dugtrio or Hidden Power Fire Magneton can trap opposing Magneton, which can often be disastrous for teams that rely on Magneton to check Skarmory. At the very least, they can revenge kill Magneton after it has trapped Skarmory, making a one-for-one trade.

[SET]
name: Offensive Spikes
move 1: Spikes
move 2: Drill Peck
move 3: Hidden Power Ground
move 4: Taunt
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Spikes is obligatory on Skarmory. STAB Drill Peck hits surprisingly hard and discourages Gengar from freely switching in. Hidden Power Ground OHKOes Magneton lacking investment in bulk, which can be game changing, (RH) as Magneton is the only answer to Skarmory on many teams. Taunt shuts down opposing Skarmory and helps Skarmory beat Blissey without a Fire-type move. Roar can almost always force out setup sweepers that try to set up on Skarmory and can rack up residual damage as well.

The EVs maximize Skarmory's Attack and Speed, which enables it to outspeed Modest Magneton that has Hidden Power Fire and OHKO it with Hidden Power Ground. A faster EV spread (not rly possible, do you mean a Jolly nature?) can be considered to outspeed Timid Magneton and the rare Medicham, but as a result, Skarmory's Attack will be lower. (meaning it's no longer able to do what?)

Team Options
=========
Since this Skarmory set isn't bulky, it fits on Spikes offensive teams. Jolteon absorbs Electric-type attacks for Skarmory, (AC) and its STAB Thunderbolt synergizes well with Spikes. (why exactly?) Gengar acts as a spinblocker for Spikes from Skarmory, while Skarmory takes Dark-, Ghost-, and Psychic-type attacks for Gengar. Offensive Swampert can be an excellent glue, while Skarmory can switch into Grass-type attacks for Swampert. Bulky Tyranitar resists Fire-type attacks and can take some Electric-type attacks for Skarmory, and Spikes support makes it harder for foes to switch into its STAB Rock Slide. Moltres can pivot into Fire-type moves for Skarmory and run Roar to better utilize Spikes. Thanks to Starmie's access to Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, and Psychic, it threatens many Pokemon that are immune to Spikes.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Rest can be used, allowing Skarmory to cure itself of status and regain health at the cost of being inactive for two sleep turns. Hidden Power Flying can be used over Drill Peck in order to run Whirlwind on the same set. Using Whirlwind over Roar allows Skarmory to phaze Soundproof users. However, Hidden Power Flying is weaker than Drill Peck, and Soundproof users aren't common enough to justify this trade-off tradeoff. Soft Sand on the offensive Spikes set can be used to have a better chance to OHKO bulky Magneton, though Skarmory will miss out on recovery from Leftovers.

Checks and Counters
===================
Skarmory is quite easy to counter due to its lack of offensive presence and low Special Defense. Magneton is the best counter to Skarmory; thanks to Magnet Pull, it can switch in, trap Skarmory, and KO it with Thunderbolt. It is to be emphasized that with an offensive Spikes Skarmory around, Timid or bulky Magneton variants are more reliable to trap at trapping offensive Spikes Skarmory; (i may have misunderstood this spectacularly though, am i removing a nuance of a metagame trend reference? if so better to just outright specify that they're more reliable in general because they beat offensive sets) however, Timid Magneton has a lower chance to OHKO standard Skarmory with full investment in special bulk. Any decently strong special attacker with a Fire- or Electric-type move can scare Skarmory, especially if it is not concerned about Toxic or Drill Peck, such as Jirachi.

Most of the time, the main issue for the opposing team is dealing with Spikes set by Skarmory. Spinners such as Starmie, Claydol, Forretress, and Cloyster can remove Spikes. Refresh Claydol, Starmie, and Forretress don't care about Toxic, but they will be worn down by Drill Peck. While Rapid Spin is not commonly found on offensive teams, they usually have at least five members that can deal with Skarmory. As offensive teams usually don't switch enough for Spikes damage to really rack up, it may be fine for them if there are one or two layers of Spikes on their side.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[wyc2333, 336830]]
- Quality checked by: [[Triangles, 118250], [vapicuno, 5454]]
- Grammar checked by: [[deetah, 297659], [, ]]
 
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