bigtalk
Banned deucer.
[OVERVIEW]
Mega Scizor's brilliant Bug / Steel typing and excellent mixed bulk allow it to handle notable offensive threats in 1v1 including Mega Metagross, Kartana, Magearna, and Meloetta. Access to Iron Defense and reliable recovery in Roost lets it beat most physical setup sweepers that can't 2HKO it, including Swords Dance Mega Mawile and Landorus-T, Dragon Dance Dragonite, and non-Taunt Mega Gyarados. Mega Scizor's moveset also gives it a very high PP count, allowing it to outstall certain defensive Pokemon like non-Hidden Power Fire Mega Venusaur, Mega Aggron, and Porygon2. However, Mega Scizor's glaring 4x weakness to Fire means that it is easily beaten by Fire-type Pokemon like Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, and Heatran. Furthermore, this weakness is exploited by threats like Kommo-o, Naganadel, Necrozma, and Mew that carry Fire-type coverage. Mega Scizor competes with other tanky Steel-types like Magearna, Mega Metagross, Mega Mawile, and Aegislash, which give up a neutrality to Ground for a reduced weakness to Fire that lets them handle foes with Fire-type coverage more reliably and have greater offensive presence and access to a wider variety of coverage moves. Registeel, in particular, gives Mega Scizor stiff competition as a stall Pokemon. It similarly has a Double Dance set, access to recovery in Rest, and the ability to PP stall defensive Pokemon; however, it also sports superior defensive stats and the ability to hold Leftovers. Mega Scizor should mainly be considered over Registeel for its ability to handle Ground- and Fighting-types in addition to the range of Pokemon that are handled by Steel-types.
[SET]
name: Stall
move 1: Roost
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: Iron Defense
move 4: Struggle Bug / Bug Bite
item: Scizorite
ability: Light Metal
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 68 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Roost sustains Mega Scizor's health, letting it set up on and beat most offensive Pokemon that can't 2HKO it. Bullet Punch is Mega Scizor's main attacking move, which is boosted by Technician and hits foes like Crustle, Golem, and Mega Gardevoir super effectively. Iron Defense boosts Mega Scizor's Defense to nearly impenetrable levels, letting it wall most physical attackers that can't hit it super effectively, including setup sweepers like Mega Mawile, Landorus-T, Dragon Dance Dragonite, and non-Taunt Mega Gyarados. Struggle Bug lets Mega Scizor actually beat Magearna instead of being setup fodder for it and softens blows from other special attackers like Meloetta and Porygon-Z. Bug Bite is another option that is boosted by Technician and hits Psychic-types like offensive Deoxys-S hard. It also allows Mega Scizor to beat certain Pokemon that avoid the 2HKO from Bullet Punch and can 2HKO it in return like Mega Tyranitar and Mega Medicham.
Set Details
========
252 HP and 68 Special Defense EVs ensure that Mega Scizor survives Hydro Cannon from Choice Specs Greninja. The rest of the EVs are placed into Defense with a Relaxed or Impish nature to maximize its physical walling capabilities, nearly guaranteeing that it survives Earthquake followed by Tectonic Rage from Jolly Landorus-T. An Impish nature is used even if Struggle Bug is opted for so that Mega Scizor outspeeds Mega Tyranitar. Scizor should immediately Mega Evolve, so for the most part its pre-Mega ability is irrelevant. However, Light Metal has circumstantial use to avoid giving a useful ability to Trace users like Hidden Power Fire Mega Alakazam.
Usage Tips
========
Mega Scizor matches up well against most non-Fire-type physical attackers such as Landorus-T, Mega Lopunny, and non-Taunt Mega Gyarados, as well as common Sturdy users like Crustle, Golem, and Donphan. Against most physical setup sweepers like Dragon Dance Dragonite and Mega Gyarados, Swords Dance Landorus-T, and Shell Smash Crustle, Mega Scizor should attempt to fully set up with Iron Defense and then chip away at them with Bullet Punch. Likewise, against most special attackers like Magearna, Meloetta, and Z-Conversion Porygon-Z, Mega Scizor should lower their Special Attack as necessary with Struggle Bug until it can comfortably take their hits, then use Bullet Punch to break through them. Mega Scizor can also be used to beat certain stall Pokemon such as Mega Venusaur, Mega Aggron, Clefable, and Chansey due to its moveset's very high PP count. Be aware that Pokemon such as Tapu Lele, Magearna, Dragonite, and Greninja occasionally carry Fire-type coverage, which will allow them to beat Mega Scizor. This may be likely if the opposing team appears to be luring in threats that are weak to Fire-type moves. Rest stallers such as Registeel, Type: Null, and Mega Audino should be avoided, as they will win the PP war against Mega Scizor. Taunt users such as Mega Sableye and Kee Berry Mew can also beat it with ease. Mega Scizor should also watch out for hard-hitting special attackers such as Substitute + Torrent Greninja, Tail Glow Manaphy, and Metal Sound Aegislash and Magnezone, as they tend to overwhelm it. If Mega Scizor is running Bug Bite over Struggle Bug, it should be used in scenarios where the opposing Pokemon can 2HKO Mega Scizor and two Bullet Punches will not knock them out but two Bug Bites or the combination of Bug Bite + Bullet Punch will. This is the case against foes like Mega Tyranitar, Mega Medicham, and Choice Specs Greninja. Against Kartana, Mega Scizor should not bother using Iron Defense because Kartana will ignore its Defense boosts with Sacred Sword. Instead, it should use Struggle Bug or Bug Bite twice and then follow up with Bullet Punch, which will nearly always knock out an uninvested Kartana. Against Rock-type Sturdy users like Crustle and Golem, Mega Scizor should initially avoid using Bullet Punch, since they can potentially knock it out with Counter. Instead, it should boost up with Iron Defense against Crustle and use Struggle Bug until these foes are within KO range of Bullet Punch. Against Greninja, use Roost turn one. If Greninja uses Hydro Cannon, spam Roost until Choice Specs Greninja depletes itself of Hydro Cannon PP or until Life Orb Greninja wears itself down sufficiently from recoil. If Choice Specs Greninja does not use Hydro Cannon, Mega Scizor should use Struggle Bug, as it will 2HKO Greninja if it locks itself into Dark Pulse, and if not then Mega Scizor will comfortably tank any other hit Greninja can throw at it. Note that Greninja is far from a guaranteed matchup, since Mega Scizor will lose to Substitute + Torrent and Hidden Power Fire variants regardless of what it does. Against Zeraora, use Iron Defense first if you predict it to be running a purely physical set. Struggle Bug should be used if you predict it to be running a mixed set, as even if Zeraora uses Charge turn one, a Special Attack drop will nearly guarantee that Mega Scizor survives both Electrium Z-boosted Thunder and Electrium Z-boosted Plasma Fists from it the following turn. Use Roost on turns after Zeraora uses Charge so that Mega Scizor isn't put into KO range from the boosted damage.
Team Options
========
Bulky Water-types such as Tapu Fini, Mega Gyarados, and Primarina are excellent teammates, as they can reliably take on Fire-types Mega Charizard X, Heatran, and Mega Gyarados for Mega Scizor; Tapu Fini can also take on Mega Charizard Y if it's running Z-Rain Dance. In return, Mega Scizor deals with Grass-types like Kartana, Tapu Bulu, and Serperior and bulky special tanks like Mega Gardevoir and Tapu Lele for them. Dragon-types like Garchomp, Zygarde-C, Kommo-o, and Mega Altaria can also handle Fire-types well, and they appreciate Mega Scizor's ability to deal with Fairy-types such as Magearna, Mega Gardevoir, and Mega Mawile, as well as Choice Specs Greninja and Porygon-Z. Mega Tyranitar is another great partner that can deal with both Charizard formes, Heatran, and Pokemon with Fire-type coverage such as Naganadel and Mew. In return, Mega Scizor can take on many of the Fighting-, Steel-, and Ground-types that trouble it like Mega Lopunny, Mega Metagross, and Donphan. Specially offensive Steel-types like Celesteela, Genesect, and Aegislash give Mega Scizor trouble, so Fire-types like Heatran, Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, and Incineroar are appreciated for their ability to break past them. Heatran can also deal with both Charizard formes for Mega Scizor and wall Pokemon such as Naganadel and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele that use Fire-type coverage to hit Steel-types. In return, Mega Scizor can take care of Ground- and Rock-types that trouble these Pokemon like Landorus-T, Garchomp, Crustle, and Golem. Mega Scizor also tends to struggle with hard-hitting special attackers such as Substitute + Torrent Greninja, Tail Glow Manaphy, and mixed Shell Smash Carracosta, so Pokemon that can deal with them are appreciated. Zeraora can be an effective partner, as it's able to outspeed and beat these Pokemon in addition to many of Mega Scizor's defensive answers such as Mega Charizard Y, Mega Gyarados, and Mega Slowbro. If it's running Outrage, it can also lure in Dragon-types that trouble Mega Scizor such as Mega Charizard X and Naganadel. In return, Zeraora greatly appreciates Mega Scizor's ability to deal with Ground-types like Landorus-T, Golem, and Donphan. Chansey can handle most non-setup special attackers well and appreciates Mega Scizor's ability to deal with most physical attackers, including Fighting-types like Sawk, in return.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Swords Dance can be used with Bug Bite and an Adamant nature to let Mega Scizor pose an offensive threat, potentially letting it win matchups against Pokemon like Mega Audino, Mega Slowbro, Kee Berry Mew, and Stored Power Necrozma. However, Mega Scizor will lose its ability to check setup sweepers, and it's generally outclassed as a Swords Dance user by the likes of Kartana and Mega Mawile, since they can hit much harder right off the bat. A set with Curse + Laser Focus allows Mega Scizor to reliably break Pokemon that boost their defenses such as Ferrothorn and Bulk Up Adamant Landorus-T. Mega Scizor struggles to find room for both of these moves, however, and using Curse over Iron Defense means that Mega Scizor won't be able to reliably beat Swords Dance users like Landorus-T and Garchomp.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-types and Fire-type Coverage**: Pokemon like Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, Heatran, and Volcarona can easily OHKO Mega Scizor with their STAB moves. Pokemon like Tapu Lele, Naganadel, Necrozma, and Mew often carry Fire-type coverage, and others such as Dragonite, Garchomp, and Mega Mawile occasionally run it as well.
**Strong Special Attackers**: Pokemon like Substitute + Torrent Greninja, Tail Glow Manaphy, mixed Shell Smash Carracosta, and Metal Sound Aegislash and Magnezone can overwhelm Mega Scizor with their strong neutral attacks.
**Rest Stallers**: Stall Pokemon like Registeel, Type: Null, and Mega Audino will win the PP war against Mega Scizor thanks to Rest.
**Taunt**: Pokemon such as certain Mega Gyarados variants, Mega Sableye, Kee Berry Mew, and stall Deoxys-S don't mind Bullet Punch or Bug Bite and can prevent Mega Scizor from setting up boosts or recovering with Taunt.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[bigtalk, 466663]]
- Quality checked by: [[Osra, 239997], [Alakazam, 276708], [pqs, 425798]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [, ]]
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