Gen 1 [PU] Scyther [GP 1/1]

[Gangsta Spongebob]

[OVERVIEW]

Initially, Scyther's blistering fast base 105 Speed—tied for the fastest in the tier—excellent base 110 Attack, and access to powerful tools like Swords Dance and Hyper Beam may make it seem like it has a place in PU. However, Scyther is held back by its horrendous coverage, which is limited to Normal-type attacks and Wing Attack, denying it any effective means to get past Rock-types and Gastly. Additionally, its terrible typing and low Special allow the tier's many Fire-types to often OHKO it outright, while its BoltBeam weakness dooms it against common threats like Nidoqueen and Dragonair. Despite its lower Speed, Pinsir is preferred as a Bug-type attacker due to its better coverage, while Fearow better fills the role of a speedy physical attacker. While it looks quite solid at first glance, it advised that you avoid using Scyther.

[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Hyper Beam
move 3: Slash
move 4: Wing Attack

[SET COMMENTS]
Swords Dance boosts Scyther's Hyper Beam, letting it cleave past weakened teams and OHKO or 2HKO every Pokemon that isn't resistant or immune to Normal. While Slash doesn't have its power boosted by Sword Dance, it serves as a powerful and spammable attack with its near 100% critical hit rate. Wing Attack lets Scyther deal some damage to Gastly, and it can 2HKO at +2. Toxic can be used over Wing Attack to give Scyther some way to harm Rock-types.

Scyther is stonewalled by Omanyte and Graveler, so Porygon is an essential partner in walling these threats. Even with Wing Attack, Gastly is a nuisance, so checks to it like Drowzee and Abra are appreciated. Rapidash and Arcanine give Scyther trouble, so Omanyte is useful in stopping these threats. Offensive threats like Machamp are appreciated for their ability to force damage on bulky threats like Nidoqueen, allowing Scyther to clean late-game.

[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/

 

[Sabelette]

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[OVERVIEW]

Initially, Scyther's blistering fast base 105 Speed, (RC) —tied for the fastest in the tier—, (RC) excellent base 110 Attack, and access to powerful tools like Swords Dance and Hyper Beam may make it seem like it has a place in PU. However, Scyther is held back by its horrendous coverage, which is limited to Normal-type attacks and Wing Attack, denying it any effective means to get past Rock-types and Gastly. Additionally, its terrible typing and low Special allow the tier's many Fire-types to often OHKO it outright leave it often OHKOed by the tier's excellent Fire-types, while its BoltBeam weakness dooms it against common threats like Nidoqueen and Dragonair. Despite its lower Speed, Pinsir is preferred as a Slashing Bug-type attacker and Swords Dance user due to its better coverage, while Fearow better fills the role of a speedy physical attacker is better performed by Fearow. While it looks quite solid at first glance, it advised that you avoid using Scyther.

[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Hyper Beam
move 3: Slash
move 4: Wing Attack

[SET COMMENTS]
Swords Dance allows boosts Scyther's to boost the power of its Hyper Beam, letting it cleave past weakened teams and 1-2HKO OHKO or 2HKO every Pokemon that isn't resistant or immune to Normal. While Slash doesn't have its power boosted by Sword Dance, it serves as a powerful and spammable attack with its near 100% critical hit rate. its near 100% critical hit rate lets it serve as an instantly powerful and spammable attack. Wing Attack lets Scyther deal some damage to Gastly, and it can 2HKO at +2. Toxic can be used over Wing Attack to give Scyther some way to harm Rock-types.

Scyther is stonewalled by Rock-types such as Omanyte and Graveler, so Porygon is an essential partner in walling these threats. Even with Wing Attack, Gastly is a nuisance, so checks to it like Drowzee and Abra are appreciated. Rapidash and Arcanine can give Scyther a considerable amount of trouble, so Omanyte is useful in stopping these threats. Scyther's excellent Speed makes it suited for a cleaner role, so offensive Offensive threats like Machamp are appreciated for their ability to force damage on bulky threats like Nidoqueen, allowing Scyther to clean late-game.

[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gangsta-spongebob.535530/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/