Scrafty Analysis



Possessing both Intimidate and Fake Out, Scrafty occupies a niche shared only by Hitmontop. With access to a varied movepool and heavy bulk, Scrafty is an excellent supportive Pokemon that can both pick up crucial KO’s and allow allies to set up. While Dark / Fighting is a decent typing offensively, this 4x weakness to Fairy holds Scrafty back from being a top tier Pokemon in a Tapu filled format.





Pros
*65 / 115 / 115 Bulk is exceptional; Scrafty can invest heavily in HP and Attack while still being bulky enough to withstand both Physical and Special Attacks
*58 Speed Stat underspeeds the likes of Tyranitar, Aegislash, and Gothitelle, allowing Scrafty to operate under Trick Room
*A wide offensive and supportive movepool allow Scrafty to deal damage to common threats in the metagame
*Access to STAB Knock Off also serves as a check to Gothitelle and Cresselia
*STAB Low Kick also deals hefty damage to threats like Snorlax and Tyranitar
Cons
*Glaring quad weakness to Fairy Types, making Scrafty incredibly susceptible to Tapu Pokemon
*Scrafty can not EV to survive a +252 SpA Tapu Lele Moonblast without Roseli Berry
*95 Attack stat is lackluster; Scrafty misses important damage thresholds after a single Intimidate
*Lack of Item flexibility; Scrafty can only really run Assault Vest and Pinch Berry
*Assault Vest is still better unless you are using a Perish Trap team and require Protect
Set - Assault Vest
Scrafty @ Assault Vest  
Ability: Intimidate  
Level: 50  
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Atk / 100 SpD  
Brave Nature  
IVs: 0 Spe  
- Low Kick / Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge / Snarl / Super Fang / Ice Punch
- Fake Out
*Because Scrafty already possesses Intimidate, it does not require extra Defense investment to live Super Effective Attacks
*Assault Vest allows Scrafty to live numerous threats in the metagame while dealing damage
*Low Kick and Drain Punch are interchangeable
*Low Kick allows Scrafty to hit much harder against common threats, while Drain Punch is used to allow Scrafty to stick around for longer
*Knock Off is essential on Scrafty, a STAB Dark type move that helps remove the common Pinch Berries, Assault Vest, and Choice Items
*The Third moveslot is largely up to personal preference
*Stone Edge allows Scrafty to handle Charizard Y and Volcarona, and can be helpful for teams lacking a solid answer
*Snarl and Super Fang both push Scrafty onto a more supportive role, relying on its allies to pick up KO’s
*Ice Punch can be used for those seeking an answer to Salamence and Landorus; however it often misses KO even without an attack drop
*Fake Out is the reason why you should be using Scrafty
*+156 Attack allows Scrafty to hit important benchmarks, such as
*156+ Atk Scrafty Low Kick KO’s 4/0 Heatran 56.3% of the time
*156+ Atk Scrafty KO’s 180 / 60 Def Mega Tyranitar
*156+ Atk Scrafty 2HKO’s 68 / 188 Def Snorlax through Pinch Berry
*156+ Atk Scrafty Stone Edge KO’s 100 / 156 Def Mega Charizard Y 100% of the time
*156+ Atk Scrafty Stone Edge KO’s 252 / 0 Def Volcarona 100% of the time
*252 HP with 0 Defense EVs still allows Scrafty to survive -1 44 Atk Mega Salamence Double Edge 100% of the time, as well as make -1 +252 Atk Landorus-T Earthquake a 4HKO
*252 / 100 Special Defense Assault Vest Scrafty allows for:
*252 SpA Choice Specs Tapu Koko Dazzling Gleam to 2HKO
*252 SpA Aerilate Mega Salamence Hyper Voice to 3HKO
*+252 SpA Ludicolo Hydro Vortex in the Rain to 2HKO
*+252 SpA Mega Charizard Y Overheat in the Sun to 2HKO
*+252 SpA Tapu Lele Dazzling Gleam to 2HKO
*+124 SpA Tapu Fini Moonblast is a 2HKO 93.8% of the time
*Brave Nature with 0 Speed IVs allows Scrafty to reach 56 Speed, underspeeding Min Speed Aegislash and Tyranitar



Using Scrafty
*Scrafty is most commonly found on Trick Room teams, as its low speed, access to Fake Out, and Intimidate are incredibly useful
*Scrafty also finds itself onto Perish Trap teams because of aforementioned traits
*Scrafty also edges out Hitmontop in usage because of its higher bulk and access to Knock Off
*Scrafty fares very well into Sun, Sand, and Trick Room teams
*Charizard Y teams can not reliably KO Scrafty, and will often lose their Charizard Y to a Stone Edge
*Sand Teams typically use Salamence to counteract Scrafty; however if an ally is able to check Salamence (Porygon2, Cresselia), then Scrafty can dismantle both Excadrill and Tyranitar
*Trick Room teams rely on a few key threats such as Snorlax, Tyranitar, Stakataka, and Aegislash
*Not only does Scrafty deal heavy damage to all of the above, but it also threatens common Trick Room setters, all of whom do not like getting hit by Knock Off
*Scrafty is very weak into the common LeleMetagross archetype because Tapu Lele not only stops Fake Out, but also outright KO’s Scrafty
*Scrafty can not fit onto fast, hyper offensive teams as a Trick Room counter, so please do not use it as such
*The most common Scrafty team revolves around three Pokemon running a fast mode, with Scrafty, a Trick Room setter, and a Trick Room sweeper allowing for a slower option
*Common partners include Tapu Fini, Cress / Gothitelle, and Snorlax
*Tapu Fini provides Misty Terrain, prevent Amoonguss from putting Scrafty to sleep in or out of Trick Room
*Because of Fake Out, Scrafty allows Cresselia / Gothitelle, and Snorlax to set up Trick Room or Belly Drum respectively
*Intimidate also allows Cresselia and Gothitelle to survive Darkium Z from Tyranitar

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