#227
Skarmory
Armor Bird Pokémon
SteelFlying
Its feathers, which fall off as it grows, are thin and sharp. In times long past, warriors used them as swords.
Base Stats
HP 65
Attack 80
Defense 140
Sp. Atk 40
Sp. Def 70
Speed 70
Total 465
Type Effectiveness
Abilities
Held Items
Forms
Evolution Chain
Moves
Locations
Details
Category Armor Bird Pokémon
Height 1.7 m
Weight 50.5 kg
Base Exp 163
Growth Rate Slow
Capture Rate 25
Base Happiness 70
Gender 50% ♂ / 50% ♀
Habitat Rough Terrain
Egg Groups Flying
Sprites
Front
Back
Front Shiny
Back Shiny
Official Art
Official Art (Shiny)Competitive
Physically Defensive
Strategy Overview
- Due to its very high Defense stat, great defensive typing of Steel / Flying, and access to reliable recovery in Roost, Skarmory functions as one of the most consistent checks to Necrozma-DM, Mega Salamence, Swords Dance Arceus formes, and Rayquaza without V-create.
- Not only does Skarmory function as a formidable physical wall, but it also has various options of utility it can provide to the team: Skarmory can provide Spikes support, which is a rare entry hazard in the tier, use Whirlwind to phaze setup sweepers, including the ones behind Substitute, and use Toxic to punish common Defog users. It can also opt for Stealth Rock if the rest of the team does not run it.
- Thanks to the level of role compression it offers as both a blanket check to many physical attackers and a hazard setter, Skarmory secures its place on many stall teams.
- However, Skarmory's HP stat is mediocre at best, and combined with a poor Special Defense stat, it is very easily threatened by essentially any special attackers in the tier.
- Skarmory has a very crowded moveset and cannot afford to employ any attacking moves due to its obligation to provide its team with as many utility options as possible. As a result, Skarmory is very passive, meaning it is extremely vulnerable to Taunt users like Yveltal and useless against Mega Sableye. It also falls prey to Shadow Tag users and relies solely on residual damage and its teammates to inflict any damage to foes, although Shed Shell and Rocky Helmet can alleviate some of these problems to an extent.
- Skarmory faces competition with many bulky Steel-types in the tier; Celesteela has much better special bulk to check Deoxys-A and support Arceus formes, Ferrothorn is also a Spikes setter but is passive to a much lesser extent and checks Primal Kyogre, and Necrozma-DM is much harder to trap with Shadow Tag users and checks top-tier threats like Xerneas.
Common Teammates
Competitive data from Smogon University via data.pkmn.cc