|
-
Shed Skin
- 1/3 chance to heal status every turn.
-
Moxie
- Boosts Attack by one stage if the wielder knocks out another Pokemon.
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Intimidate
- Lowers the foe's Attack one stage. Decreases wild encounter rate.
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Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
65
|
- |
271 |
334 |
- |
| Atk |
90
|
194 |
216 |
279 |
306 |
| Def |
115
|
239 |
266 |
329 |
361 |
| SpA |
45
|
113 |
126 |
189 |
207 |
| SpD |
115
|
239 |
266 |
329 |
361 |
| Spe |
58
|
136 |
152 |
215 |
236 |
Overview
Scrafty stands out as the only fully evolved Pokemon with a Dark / Fighting typing, meaning it gets neutral coverage against everything in UU bar Heracross with its STAB moves alone. In addition to this, it gets two useful abilities, Shed Skin and Moxie, with the former preventing status moves such as Will-O-Wisp from crippling it and the latter allowing it to gain extra Attack boosts easily. With 65 / 115 / 115 defenses, it can also set up Dragon Dance or Bulk Up easily. However, don't think Scrafty doesn't have any flaws. Its base 90 Attack leaves much to be desired, making its damage output low without any Attack boosts. Its base 58 Speed doesn't make this any better, as this leaves it prone to fast Pokemon such as Crobat and Choice Scarf Heracross. However, despite these flaws Scrafty is a very threatening sweeper that every team should be prepared for.
With such a low Speed stat, it is only natural that a Dragon Dance set would be considered. With one Dragon Dance boost, Scrafty hits 354 Speed, which allows it to outspeed threats such as Cobalion, Mienshao, and Zapdos, which otherwise it wouldn't be able to. Hi Jump Kick is the preferred Fighting-type STAB move, as it will deal a lot of damage to anything that doesn't resist it after a Dragon Dance boost; however, Drain Punch is more reliable and provides some healing. Crunch is used in order to get past the Ghost- and Psychic-types who resist Hi Jump Kick and Drain Punch, and also allows it to hit almost every Pokemon in UU for at least neutral damage. For the last move, Ice Punch hits Zapdos and Gligar for super effective damage, while Zen Headbutt can be used to hit Heracross on the switch. It is worth noting that either move will also deal heavy damage to Crobat.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Dragon Dance Scrafty should always use as much Attack and Speed as possible, with the leftover EVs placed into Special Defense in order to prevent Download users from gaining a Special Attack boost. It should also always use a Jolly nature, as otherwise at +1 it would lose out on outspeeding Cobalion, Mienshao, and Zapdos. If Moxie is used as the ability, Lum Berry is the preferred item choice, as this gives it a one-time insurance policy against any status move, especially Will-O-Wisp. However, if using Shed Skin as the ability, Life Orb should be used in order to increase Scrafty's damage output. An advantage to using Shed Skin is that it works however many times you want it to, albeit slightly unreliably, while Lum Berry only works once.
Although Dragon Dance boosts its subpar Speed to a respectable level, there are still a handful of Pokemon that outspeed Scrafty after it has used Dragon Dance. The most notable examples are Crobat and Choice Scarf Heracross. Gligar walls Heracross thanks to its massive bulk with Eviolite and resistance to both of its STAB moves, and can also support Scrafty's team further by providing Stealth Rock support. Gligar also sponges any hit from Crobat, although it cannot do much back. Zapdos is another great choice for a partner due to its resistance to Brave Bird, allowing it to take down Crobat with Thunderbolt, and it also serves as a decent check to Heracross if necessary. Because many Fighting-type attacks will be aimed at Scrafty, using a Ghost-type Pokemon on your team, such as Cofagrigus or Chandelure, is a good idea in order to switch in on these attacks.
Scrafty has access to another boosting move as well: Bulk Up. By utilizing Bulk Up, Scrafty sponges any non-super effective move with ease and can simultaneously deal lots of damage in return. In fact, with two Bulk Up boosts, it can even take a Life Orb-boosted Hi Jump Kick from Mienshao, a testament to how bulky it is. To add on to this, Scrafty boasts nearly unresisted STAB coverage, giving it a huge advantage over other users of Bulk Up. However, Shed Skin truly is Bulk Up Scrafty's ace in the hole. With Shed Skin, it gains a chance of waking up from Rest early, reducing the consequences of using the move. For its STAB moves, Drain Punch is used instead of Hi Jump Kick because survivability is preferred over power on this set, and Crunch allows it to cover Pokemon such as Chandelure, Mismagius, and Slowbro.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The given EV spread is intended to improve Scrafty's Special Defense, allowing it to take special attacks. If your team does not need the additional coverage from Crunch, Dragon Tail is an option to allow Scrafty to phaze, giving it the ability to rack up entry hazard damage on the opponent. If Dragon Tail is used, an EV spread of 252 HP / 232 SpD / 24 Spe gives Scrafty just enough Speed to prevent Swampert from phazing it out.
Although Bulk Up improves Scrafty's physical bulk considerably, Mienshao can still OHKO it with Hi Jump Kick after a single Bulk Up boost, and any Heracross deals heavy damage to it with Close Combat while resisting both Drain Punch and Crunch. Gligar works as a teammate, as it walls Heracross, while Slowbro is another good teammate that can handle Mienshao. Ghost-types can also switch in on the Fighting-type attacks that scare off Scrafty, so Pokemon such as Cofagrigus and Chandelure are also good teammates here.
Scrafty is most commonly seen as a setup sweeper, but it can take a more unconventional route with a Choice Band set. This variant of Scrafty is capable of hitting hard right off the bat and using its solid bulk, decent defensive typing, and Intimidate to good use, which opens up more switch-in opportunities for Scrafty. Another perk that makes this set worthwhile is that it can lure in phazers, such as Blastoise and Swampert, and traditional checks to Scrafty, such as Crobat and Heracross, and damage them heavily. Hi Jump Kick is the main attack used, as it is Scrafty's strongest STAB attack, and with a Choice Band boost, it is capable of 2HKOing defensive Swampert as well as OHKOing standard Kingdra. Crunch is a secondary STAB that hits opposing Ghost- and Psychic-types that brush off Hi Jump Kick such as Cofagrigus and Slowbro, respectively. In the third slot, Scrafty can opt for Ice Punch, hitting Gligar for major damage while also covering other Flying-types. However, Stone Edge is a good alternative that maintains coverage on Flying-types and can nab KOs on offensive Zapdos as well as stallbreaker Crobat. In the last slot, Drain Punch is preferred, as it is a reliable STAB for when Scrafty can't afford to miss and provides a way to recover lost health. Zen Headbutt is another alternative that allows Scrafty to hit Poison-types and Heracross, which resists Scrafty's STABs.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The given EVs maximize Scrafty's Attack while allowing it to outspeed minimum Speed base 60s, such as Swampert and Porygon2. The rest of the EVs are invested in bulk, with four placed in Special Defense to prevent Porygon2 and Porygon-Z from getting a Special Attack boost from Download. While neither of them want to switch into Scrafty, it is better to not give them that boost so they don't become big threats when Scrafty is locked into an unfavorable move in Porygon2's case, or low on health in Porygon-Z's case. An Adamant nature is needed on this variant of Scrafty, seeing as it gains valuable KOs with the nature, such as against Heracross with Zen Headbutt and Crobat with Stone Edge. Intimidate is the preferred ability because it gives a nice buffer against physical attacks. Neither Moxie nor Shed Skin is as beneficial as Intimidate on this variant of Scrafty, as it is too slow to take advantage of Moxie boosts and while Shed Skin heals Scrafty of deliberating status, Intimidate is generally more useful overall, considering that it allows Scrafty to come into physical attackers with more ease. An alternative spread of 32 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spe allows Scrafty to outspeed and 2HKO Gligar switch-ins with Ice Punch before they can Roost; however, this drastically reduces Scrafty's bulk, lowering its longevity and switch-in opportunities. Head Smash is an option over Ice Punch and Stone Edge, as it allows Scrafty to OHKO Togekiss and physically defensive Zapdos after Stealth Rock, but the heavy recoil is undesirable.
Scrafty really appreciates entry hazard support, given that even with a Choice Band, it sometimes lacks the raw power to muscle past some defensive Pokemon. With Stealth Rock on the opposing side, Scrafty can OHKO SubRoost Zapdos with Stone Edge and guarantee an OHKO on Heracross with Zen Headbutt. With Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes, Qwilfish is 2HKOed by Zen Headbutt, and offensive Trick Room Cofagrigus is OHKOed by Crunch. Rhyperior makes for a great partner, being able to set up Stealth Rock and combat Togekiss. Qwilfish is another great partner, being able to lure in Psychic-type attacks, a Fighting resistance for Scrafty, and set up layers of Spikes. Pokemon that appreciate physical walls such as Slowbro, Cofagrigus, and Golurk removed make excellent partners for Scrafty. Several examples are Choice Scarf Mienshao, Heracross, and Darmanitan. In general, any Pokemon that appreciates the elimination of bulky Ghost- and Psychic-types is an excellent partner with Scrafty. Raikou and Zapdos make fantastic partners as well, considering they can easily deal with Togekiss and Tornadus and can also use Volt Switch to bait in their counters, such as Snorlax, Porygon2, and Umbreon, for Scrafty to easily deal with. Lastly, Scrafty loves paralysis support, as it patches up Scrafty's low Speed and keeps it from being revenge killed as easily. Togekiss is an excellent Pokemon for the job, as it has well rounded bulk that allows it to easily spread paralysis around.
Other Options
Besides what's already listed, Scrafty does not have many other viable options. Stone Edge is notable for doing more damage to Crobat on the switch than Ice Punch or Zen Headbutt, and also does more damage to all other Flying-types bar Gligar. Head Smash always OHKOes Crobat after Stealth Rock, something Stone Edge doesn't always do, even with Stealth Rock. However, Head Smash's recoil means it hurts Scrafty more than it helps it. Taunt prevents Roar users such as Suicune from phazing Scrafty and also blocks status moves, although it is not good coverage-wise. Substitute is an option to allow it to set up on Dragon Tail users such as Blastoise and Milotic, although these Pokemon may instead use Roar or Haze, respectively.
Checks and Counters
Crobat is your best bet at taking care of Scrafty. Assuming Crobat's standard 176 HP EV spread, it can switch in on any of Scrafty's unboosted attacks, including Ice Punch and Zen Headbutt, outspeed even after Scrafty has used one Dragon Dance and scare it off with Brave Bird. To top it off, Crobat can even use Roost to recover from damage taken while switching in on Scrafty's attacks. If Scrafty does not use Ice Punch, Gligar walls it to no end thanks to its massive Defense with Eviolite, its resistance to Hi Jump Kick, and its neutrality to Crunch. RestTalk Suicune can force Scrafty out with Roar, but be aware that Suicune will likely take massive damage from a +1 Hi Jump Kick in the process. Intimidate Hitmontop can take Scrafty's Hi Jump Kick as well as any of its other moves and retaliate with Close Combat.
Due to its meager base 58 Speed, Scrafty is outsped by any viable Choice Scarf user, making it easy to revenge kill. Heracross and Mienshao are both notable for this due to their Fighting-type STAB moves to use against it, and Choice Scarf Mienshao outspeeds Scrafty even after it has used Dragon Dance twice. Pokemon such as Weavile and Crobat outspeed a boosted Scrafty even without a Choice Scarf, although Weavile cannot safely switch in on Scrafty and none of Weavile's Fighting-type attacks will KO Scrafty without it being weakened first.
