What is a good moveset for Scyther?

Question

If you have a good competitive moveset for Scyther, post an answer below and upvote the best ones. Movesets for Scizor belong on its own dedicated question.

Be sure to include full set details in your post, e.g. items, abilities, natures and EVs. Some detail, including the intended game mode for your set, is also appreciated. Access the full list of guidelines here.

Scyther Pokédex and learnset for reference.

Answer 1

Gen V

Scyther (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bug Bite
- Aerial Ace
- Pursuit
- Quick Attack

I wish this thing got Acrobatics. As is, you'll have to use Aerial Ace. Aerial Ace and Bug Bite are boosted by Technician and get STAB. Pursuit takes down Psychics and anything else switching out, and gets boosted by Technician. Quick Attack provides priority and gets boosted by Technician. Life Orb allows you to deal more damage. Standard sweeping EVs.

Comments

Bad thing about this is that imo it's unlikely that someone will switch. And with scyther's speed you don't need no quick attack. Also, pursuit and qa will only have a base power of 60 with technician while bug bite and areal ace (which are nice moves!) will have 90 base power + STAB

---

Quick Attack has priority however, which is invaluable. And in the actual metagame, people are switching out constantly.

---

I feel like you could maybe swap out Pursuit for Swords Dance for some boosted attack. Just a suggestion though, but Pursuit you can trap them.

Answer 2

Scyther @ Evolite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 200 Atk / 58 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pursuit / Night Slash
- Aerial Ace
- Brick Break
- Swords Dance

---

Pursuit can hit escaping foes, Night-slash is for Coverage. Aerial-ace is awesome STAB. Brick-break is awesome coverage. Swords-dance is awesome boosting. You may wonder why I do not have a Bug type move, it is because I wanted to mix it up a bit and I have the same type coverage +Ghost type coverage.

Answer 3

Scyther (M/F) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Aerial Ace
- Bug Bite
- Pursuit / Quick Attack

Okay, 1st Scyther can make some switches and then it will set up a Sword Dance, if the opponent doesn't switch and attacks you still have our Focus Sash so either way you will still set up a Sword Dance. Aerial Ace is for STAB and gets the Technician boost. Bug Bite is STAB, get the Technician boost, and it could steal the opponents berries. You could use Pursuit when you expect your opponent to switch out and it will get the Technician boost OR you can use Quick Attack for Revenge Killing Faster Pokemon than you, and after a Sword Dance, Quick Attack hits hard.

Answer 4

Gen 9 NU Swords Dance

Scyther @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Technician
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Aerial Ace
- Close Combat
- Trailblaze

Scyther lost Roost and Knock Off in Gen 9, but it did gain some new tools in Close Combat and Trailblaze. These two new tools allow Scyther to become a fully dedicated Swords Dance sweeper. Swords Dance boosts Scyther's already good attack to allow it to break/clean through teams. Aerial Ace is for Flying STAB that also gets boosted by Technician. Close Combat gives Scyther useful super effective coverage against Pokemon such as Copperajah, Tera Ice Jolteon, Lycanroc, and Perrserker. Close Combat is also useful for dealing neutral damage to Pokemon such as Eelektross. Trailblaze is used to allow Scyther to outspeed fast Pokemon such as Jolteon and Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Passimian, Medicham, Mabosstiff, and Honchkrow. Trailblaze also gets boosted by Technician, which is neat. U-turn is an option over Trailblaze to make Scyther a budget Ninjask that can pivot out of bad matchups. Tera Fighting is used to make Scyther's Close Combats stronger as well as allowing Scyther to turn its 4x rock weakness to a resist.

Answer 5

Gen 9 NU Choice Scarf

Scyther @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Technician
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Aerial Ace
- Close Combat
- Night Slash / Defog

Choice Scarf Scyther is used in Gen 9 NU as a Choice Scarf user that can outspeed other Choice Scarf users such as Passimian, Bruxish, Mabosstiff, and Toxicroak. U-turn is used as Scyther's Bug STAB that allows it to bring in other teammates, and is useful for escaping Pokemon it cannot beat. Aerial Ace is used for a Flying STAB boosted by Technician that allows Scyther to hit Pokemon such as Passimian, Toxicroak, Paldean Tauros, and opposing Scyther super effectively. Close Combat allows Scyther to hit Steel- and Rock-types such as Perrserker, Magneton, Lycanroc, and Klawf super effectively. Night Slash allows Scyther to chip Ghost-types such as Drifblim and Rotom. Defog is an option to clear away hazards since Scyther is good at forcing switches, granting it opportunities to use Defog.

Answer 6

Gen 9 NU Swords Dance + Quick Attack

Scyther @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Technician
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- U-turn
- Aerial Ace / Wing Attack
- Quick Attack

A Swords Dance Scyther set with Quick Attack. Swords Dance allows Scyther to be a potent cleaner late game. Scyther should use Swords Dance either late-game or when its checks are weakened or eliminated. U-turn is used for the Bug STAB since it allows Scyther to escape out of bad matchups and bring in a teammate. While Swords Dance + U-turn may sound like a weird combo, a +2 U-turn can be useful to deal more chip damage to Scyther's checks such as Sandaconda, Rotom, Sableye, and Avalugg should they switch in on the turn Scyther uses Swords Dance. Aerial Ace is used for a Technician boosted Flying STAB. Wing Attack is an alternative since Aerial Ace and Wing Attack have the same base power, with the difference being Wing Attack having more PP, which can be useful against Stall teams. Quick Attack gives Scyther a priority move boosted by Technician, allowing it to pick off faster Pokemon such as Hisuian Sneasel, Pyroar, Choice Scarf users such as Mesprit, and Trailblaze Scyther, and Quiver Dance boosted Oricorio-Pa'u, Vivillon, and Lilligant. Tera Normal is used to make Quick Attack have both the Technician boost and the x2 STAB boost.

Answer 7

Scyther (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Technician
EVs: 80 HP / 16 Def / 252 SpA / 20 SpD / 140 Spe
Modest Nature
- Silver Wind
- Vacuum Wave
- Ominous Wind
- Hidden Power [Ground]

Role: Special Sweeper

---

Silver Wind is 60 Power, So with Technician that becomes 90 power, with a 10% chance to raise all of your stats. Vacuum Wave is priority, with a power boost from Technician. Ominous Wind is coverage, power boosted from Technician, and a 10% chance to boost all stats. While HP Ground I butchered his Iv's to get 59 power, so it's about a 90 power attack.

Comments

why would you alter scyther natural talent with its Atk? makes no sense at all. in the end, with Ev's you could bring out much more power with it Atk stat than its SAtk. i hear you with hidden power, since itd be the only ground type attack scyther can put out, and that covers fire and electric weaknesses. but if i had to have a move to cover that, id just teach it U-turn.

---

Scyther as a special sweeper is just (no offense) useless. Even with max EVs and IVs and the nature its only 229 as opposed to if you do the same to his attack its 350. Choice specs would be well replaced with like an eviolite.

Answer 8

Scyther @ Liechi Berry
Ability: Swarm
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Endure
- Reversal
- X-Scissor
- Swords Dance / Slash / Night Slash /Aerial Ace

You use endure to get scyther's hp down to one so reversal can be at max power. This will also activate your liechi berry to boost your attack, and swarm will also activate making x-scissor really dangerous. The final move can be used for coverage or to get in off sword dance if you can take a few hits from your opponent before using endure.

Answer 9

Gen VI

Scyther @ Eviolite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Aerial Ace
- Agility
- Swords Dance
- Baton Pass

Bulky Baton Passer. Set up with Swords Dance and Agility while soaking up large amounts of damage. Aerial Ace provides STAB and Tech abuse while being boosted by Adamant Nature and helping you deal with Taunt. Just watch out for Stone Edge :P

Answer 10

Now with 6th gen's buff to Fury Cutter, this moveset is possible.

Scyther @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fury Cutter
- U-turn
- Aerial Ace
- Knock Off / Brick Break

Fury Cutter - Doubles power if used consecutively. STAB.

U Turn - STAB with switch.

Aerial Ace - STAB.

Knock Off / Brick Break- ...

Answer 11

Scyther @ Focus Sash / Wide Lens
Ability: Technician
EVS: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Counter
- Aerial Ace
- Brick Break
- Fury Cutter / X-Scissor

Okay, so this set doesn't have much going for it, I know. But its main purpose is to counter physical sweepers with... what else? Counter. The reason why it has no Def EVs is because it doesn't need them. HP is the only factor in how powerful Counter is, and with its Focus Sash, if an OHKO is negated by it, Counter's power will be as high as it gets. Aerial Ace is for STAB, Technician boost and priority. Brick Break is to break barriers and/or destroy special walls. Fury Cutter has high, however not perfect accuracy, is boosted by Technician, has STAB and gains power every turn if used consecutively. X-Scissor is an alternative if you don't want to switch out the Focus Sash for a Wide Lens or similar item, since it still gains STAB.
Swords Dance is a popular choice for Scyther's movesets, but here, it doesn't really need it.

Answer 12

Sweeper Defensive Set:

Scyther @ Eviolite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bug Bite
- Aerial Ace
- Night Slash / Knock Off

Moves:

Swords Dance (eviolite should make you able to hung on at least a single move, and then you can sweep your opponents with technician STAB aerial ace)

Bug Bite (60 base power, this means technician. with STAB, it has the same power then aerial ace, and can even eat the target's berry. this is not very useful in generally, but with technician it becomes AWESOME)

Aerial Ace (duh. is the best move for a sweeper technician scyther, and after a swords dance, which turn you should survive due to eviolite, you will completely break your opponents)

Night Slash/Knock Off (night slash for wall breaks, and knock off for removing items. but I would still go with night slash becuase it deals more damage, and with the critical hit it will completely "tear" ((lol this is literally what a "slash" move does :3)) the target

i've been swept by this 3 times and can say, it's PRETTY MUCH useful

Answer 13

Scyther isn't bad. Not bad at all. It can be hard to take down once tailwind has been set up.

Scyther @ Eviolite / Focus Sash
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature / Adamant Nature
- Aerial Ace
- X-Scissor
- Swords Dance
- Tailwind

Aerial Ace > MUST HAVE for Technician Scyther due to STAB and Technician Boost making it really powerful
X-Scissor > STAB move for Scyther
Swords Dance > Makes it hit harder
Tailwind > Makes it really fast

Answer 14

Gen 9 NU Offensive Pivot

Scyther @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Technician
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Defog
- Aerial Ace
- Close Combat
- U-turn

If you feel like using a Defog user other than Drifblim, Oricorio, or Braviary, here is a Defog Scyther set. Scyther uses an offensive EV spread over a defensive one since Scyther doesn't have Roost in Gen 9. Defog lets Scyther clear away hazards from the field. Aerial Ace is used for a Flying STAB that gets boosted by Technician. Close Combat is used for coverage against Pokemon such as Copperajah, Lycanroc, Perrserker, and Tera Ice Jolteon. U-turn is for a Bug STAB that allows Scyther to switch out, which is useful since Scyther tends to force switches. If you need to use Tera on this Scyther set, Fighting is an option to be able to resist Rock moves as well as boosting the power of Close Combat.