Scizor. The Pincer Pokemon. Introduced in Generation 2. (Which is my favorite generation, so it’s *ahem* not a coincidence.) Believe it or not, Scizor wasn’t always my favorite Pokemon. It was Boltund since he was a dog, and I’ve always loved electricity. However, while I was playing Pokemon HeartGold, I used a Metal Coat on my Scyther to fill up my Pokedex, and that was that. Yet, slowly but surely, I started to see the upsides of Scizor. It’s typing, moveset, and overall appeal. So I used it more, more, and more. Suddenly, Scizor was my favorite Pokemon!

So first, let’s launch a little Pokemon lesson, as most people here have no idea what the heck a Scizor is. So let me clear that up for you. Scizor is a Bug/Steel-type that is known as the Pincer Pokemon. It evolves from Scyther (who’s also really cool.) Because it’s a Bug and Steel type, it only has one weakness: fire. Since fire-types are rare in the early game, he’s an asset if you manage to snag a Scyther early on. Its stats are also incredible, possessing a 130 Attack stat and a solid 100 Defense stat. Its Speed suffers a sharp drop upon evolution, but if you use Agility, that is quickly remedied, having the same speed as the lightning-fast Jolteon. It has the Technician ability, meaning that its weaker moves are more powerful. That makes its signature move, Bullet Punch, stronger while also being a STAB priority move. STAB stands for Same Type Attack Bonus, and it gives you a power boost if the move type is the same as the Pokemon’s type. Aside from being a powerhouse, it’s also loved by the community. It’s gotten a Mega Evolution in Pokemon X and Y, giving it more offensive and defensive prowess. It also has made numerous anime appearances. Characters like Goh, Guzma, Minnie, Katie, and others possess Scizors. Okay, let’s say you’re still not convinced. Let’s look at some other aspects of Scizor.

For starters, Scizor’s overall design is intriguing. That red exterior, believe it or not, is all metal. Its eye-patterned pincers are meant to scare other Pokemon, a fantastic intimidation tactic. While it does evolve from a Bug/Flying-type, its wings are not used for flying. Instead, it flaps them at high speeds to glide and keep a warm temperature. Mega Scizor is also interesting to see, as it gains more armor and its pincers become serrated. And its wings are even more important for Mega Scizor since it will begin to melt if it stays in the battle for too long. Ouch. 

Scizor has also had an intriguing life in the world of Competitive Pokemon. It started as a part of Baton Pass teams in its first two generations. It passed Agility and Swords Dance to its hard-hitting teammates to assist them. Unfortunately, though, a lot of Pokemon did what it did as well. Even with its solid Defense stat, it was outclassed as a Bug/Steel-type tank by Forretress, who carried the ever-important Spikes. This continued in Generation 3, and it became a mainstay on Baton Pass teams. Again, though, it was rivaled at passing Iron Defense by Mawile, who had a lot more type resistances than neutralities. Unfortunately again, he never had a role as a standalone Pokemon. His two stabs, Silver Wind and Steel Wing didn’t pack the power it needed, even after Swords Dance. Hidden Power Ground and Rock wouldn’t KO the fire types it needed to hit, and it would often be forced to switch out, losing those crucial boosts. However, it really hit its stride in Generation 4. It received the Technician ability, which boosted its Bullet Punch and Bug Bites in Platinum. Thanks to that, its popularity skyrocketed. With one turn of Swords Dance, its set of U-Turn, Bullet Punch, and Pursuit paired with Life Orb decimated the metagame. But that’s not all. It had many more options up its metal sleeves. Agility patched up its middling speed, Substitute could provide a safety net, Iron Defense could solidify a defensive set, Roost recovered its health, Aerial Ace hit other Bug Types and Infernape, Night Slash offered a more powerful Dark-Type attack, and Bug Bite did the same. There was no shortage of Scizor sets. It continued its crusade into Generation 5, in which he was utilized on Rain teams. Since his only weakness was fire, and Rain Dance weakened Fire-type moves, it was perfect for Scizor. Its new Acro-Zor set (Acrobatics + Flying Gem)  was terrifying while Gems were still allowed. It gained a Mega Evolution in Generation 6, finally giving it the Special Defense stat it longed for. It stayed a constant threat throughout the generation. Generations 7 and 8 saw it drop to UnderUsed in the Smogon meta. However, it’s still a threat and remains actively in use. Now, the majority of our audience had no idea what they read, so let’s talk about Scizor’s moveset. 

Scizor has many tricks up its metal sleeves. It has Bug Bite and X-Scissor for its main Bug-type move. It usually uses Bullet Punch as its steel-type move, but it also has Iron Head and Steel Wing. Dual Wingbeat can handle Volcarona, which resists Bullet Punch and Bug Bite. It used to have hidden Power Ground to defeat Fire and Steel types, but it was removed in Generation 8. Some teams use Sand Tomb and Groudium Z for a pseudo-Earthquake, but it can only be used once. Superpower can crush steel-types, U-Turn can be used to keep momentum, Knock Off ruins most Pokemon, and Pursuit can smack ghosts and psychics. Swords Dance is a popular move for raising Scizor’s already stellar Attack. It also has a defensive counterpart in Iron Defense, which helps it solidify a defensive niche. Speaking of Defensive, there are many defensive movesets. Most of them utilize Roost, which provides longevity. They also use Toxic as a steady source of damage and Curse as a middle ground between Swords Dance and Iron Defense. My favorite way to use Scizor is to go all out with Bullet Punch, U-Turn, Dual Wingbeat, and Superpower. My held item is Assault Vest to weaken non-STAB fire attacks or strong special attacks. For my second set, he’s a setup Sweeper. I use Bug Bite, Bullet Punch, Swords Dance, and Agility. Occa berry weakens stray fire attacks, so he can live longer.

Overall, I love Scizor. He’s a great Pokemon competitively and as a general Pokemon. It’s a jack-of-all-trades: Powerful, defensive, fast, (if using Agility), and popular. What Pokemon do you want me to cover next? I’ll probably do Ampharos, but let me know!