Competitive Information for Skarmory [Sword/Shield]
Steel / Flying
Abilities:
This Pokemon's accuracy can't be lowered by others; ignores their evasiveness stat.
If this Pokemon is at full HP, it survives one hit with at least 1 HP. Immune to OHKO.
If a physical attack hits this Pokemon, Defense is lowered by 1, Speed is raised by 2.
Disclaimer: All videos and opinions are owned by their respective creators and may not reflect our views.
Movesets for Singles
Looking for a competitive moveset for Skarmory? These builds are optimized for Sword/Shield Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the Sword/Shield metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
WhimsicottDracovishRillaboomNihilegoRotom-HeatStoutlandShiinoticGigalithQwilfishBoltund
Meet Skarmory, a distinguished Pokémon ready to dominate with its Steel and Flying typing! It's a sight to see Skarmory out in the 8th generation battlefield. Its only type-related weaknesses are Electric and Fire. Discover how Skarmory excels in battles with the movesets provided below.
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Careful (+SpD, -SpA)
EVs: 236 Hp / 92 Def / 180 SpD
Moveset:
- Brave Bird
- Body Press
- Protect
- Taunt
Dominating single battles, Skarmory is a magnificent Double Wall. This moveset was constructed to have enough defenses and bulk to take both physical and special hits. Leftovers are always a great recovery option to ensure Skarmory last longer regaining it's life every turn. With Sturdy, if Skarmory is at full hp it survives one hit with at least 1 hp. Immune to ohko.
◆ Body Press is a physical 80-base power Fighting-type move (uses Skarmory's defense stat as attack in damage calculation).
◆ Protect is a status move (prevents moves from affecting your Skarmory this turn).
◆ Taunt is a status move (target can't use status moves its next 3 turns).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/maae3
Item: White Herb / Weakness Policy
Ability: Weak Armor
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Brave Bird / Sky Attack
- Double-Edge / Slash
- Iron Head / Steel Wing
- Night Slash
Prepare for single battles with Skarmory as a fabulous Physical Sweeper. It's meant to overwhelm foes with forceful physical moves. White Herb will reset Skarmory's negative stat changes once. Weakness Policy activates if Skarmory is hit by a super effective move. The Weakness Policy is consumed and its Attack and Special Attack are increased by two stages each. With Weak Armor, if a physical attack hits Skarmory it's defense is lowered by 1 and it's speed is increased by 2 stages.
◆ Sky Attack is a physical STAB-boosted 140-base power Flying-type move (charges, then hits turn 2. 30% flinch. High crit).
◆ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
◆ Slash is a physical 70-base power Normal-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Iron Head is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Steel-type move (30% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Steel Wing is a physical STAB-boosted 70-base power Steel-type move (10% chance to raise your Skarmory's defense by 1 stage).
◆ Night Slash is a physical 70-base power Dark-type move (high critical hit ratio).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mbae3
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Impish (+Def, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Hp / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Moveset:
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Spikes
- Whirlwind
Skarmory stands out as a stunning Physical Wall in single battles. The purpose of this moveset is to take a large amount of physical hits while dealing some decent damage. Leftovers are always a great recovery option to ensure Skarmory last longer regaining it's vitality every turn. With Sturdy, if Skarmory is at full hp it survives one hit with at least 1 hp. Immune to ohko. Skarmory should first lay Spikes to force the opponent to make a rather painful decision when switching in and out of the battlefield. Roost can wear out Life Orb users, such as Metagross and Gyarados, while keeping Skarmory up-to-shape for the next assault. Whirlwind is great against Pokemon such as Bulk Up Conkeldurr or merely shuffling for extra damage from the opponent landing on Spikes. Brave Bird ties it all together nicely with it being a high Base Power STAB move that handles threats nicely, especially Fighting-types such as Machamp and Scrafty.
◆ Roost is a status move (heals 50% hp. Flying-type removed until turn ends).
◆ Spikes is a status move (hurts grounded foes on switch-in. Max 3 layers).
◆ Whirlwind is a status move (forces the target to switch to a random ally).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mcae3
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Stealth Rock
- Drill Peck
- Whirlwind
- Swords Dance
Skarmory stands out as a pretty decent Physical Sweeper in single battles. This configuration strives to take down the opponent's team with forceful physical attacks. Leftovers are always a great recovery option to ensure Skarmory last longer regaining it's HP every turn. With Sturdy, if Skarmory is at full hp it survives one hit with at least 1 hp. Immune to ohko. This Skarmory has the Stealth Rock/Whirlwind combo it sets up Stealth Rock and can then Whirlwind its opponents away.
◆ Drill Peck is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Flying-type move that deals a large amount of damage.
◆ Whirlwind is a status move (forces the target to switch to a random ally).
◆ Swords Dance is a status move (raises your Skarmory's attack by 2 stages).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mdae3
Item: Weakness Policy
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Autotomize
- Night Slash / Rock Slide
- Steel Wing
- Drill Peck / Aerial Ace
Dominating single battles, Skarmory is pretty popular Physical Sweeper. This strategy is built to overwhelm foes with forceful physical moves. Weakness Policy activates if Skarmory is hit by a super effective move. The Weakness Policy is consumed and its Attack and Special Attack are increased by two stages each. With Sturdy, if Skarmory is at full hp it survives one hit with at least 1 hp. Immune to ohko.
◆ Night Slash is a physical 70-base power Dark-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Rock Slide is a physical 75-base power Rock-type move (30% chance to make the foes flinch).
◆ Steel Wing is a physical STAB-boosted 70-base power Steel-type move (10% chance to raise your Skarmory's defense by 1 stage).
◆ Drill Peck is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Flying-type move that deals a hefty amount of damage.
◆ Aerial Ace is a physical STAB-boosted 60-base power Flying-type move (this move does not check accuracy).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/meae3
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Skarmory? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive Sword/Shield Double Battles. The VGC is the ultimate test of strategy and skill, and these movesets and EVs are designed to excel against multiple opponents at once while providing essential support to your team. Dominate the Sword/Shield metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
WhimsicottDracovishRillaboomNihilegoRotom-HeatStoutlandShiinoticGigalithQwilfishBoltund
Item: White Herb / Weakness Policy
Ability: Weak Armor
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Brave Bird / Sky Attack
- Rock Slide
- Double-Edge / Slash
- Iron Head / Steel Wing
Ready for double battles? Skarmory is an extraordinary Physical Sweeper. The main aim of this moveset is to overwhelm foes with lethal physical power. White Herb will reset Skarmory's negative stat changes once. Weakness Policy activates if Skarmory is hit by a super effective move. The Weakness Policy is consumed and its Attack and Special Attack are increased by two stages each. With Weak Armor, if a physical attack hits Skarmory it's defense is lowered by 1 and it's speed is increased by 2 stages.
◆ Sky Attack is a physical STAB-boosted 140-base power Flying-type move (charges, then hits turn 2. 30% flinch. High crit).
◆ Rock Slide is a physical 75-base power Rock-type move (30% chance to make the foes flinch).
◆ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
◆ Slash is a physical 70-base power Normal-type move (high critical hit ratio).
◆ Iron Head is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Steel-type move (30% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Steel Wing is a physical STAB-boosted 70-base power Steel-type move (10% chance to raise your Skarmory's defense by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/naae3
Movepool
Want to know what moves Skarmory can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon Sword/Shield generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by type, category, accuracy, and power. Moves in bold get the same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Skarmory.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Skarmory can perform in Sword/Shield. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive SS Move and Ability Combos for Skarmory
- Moves: Whirlwind + Spikes
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Moves: Body Press + Curse
- Moves: Body Press + Iron Defense
- Moves: Body Press + Steel Wing
- Ability: Weak armor + Item: White herb
- Ability: Weak armor + Item: Weakness policy
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Assurance + Item: Rocky Helmet
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Moves with Priority: Detect, Endure, Protect, Feint
- Moves that Break Screens: Defog
- Moves that inflict status: Toxic
Moves that boost Skarmory's stats
- Agility
- Autotomize
- Curse
- Iron Defense
- Metal Claw
- Steel Wing
- Swords Dance
Most notable and possible best moves for Skarmory
- Body Press
- Brave Bird
- Protect
- Rest
- Roost
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Skarmory in Sword and Shield
- Careful Nature ( 236/0/92/0/180/0 )
- Jolly Nature ( 0/252/0/0/4/252 )
- Optimize Skarmory's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon Sword and Shield
Usage Data
Explore the latest analytical usage data for this Pokémon from various VGC and online competitions. We use this data to develop our strategies and movesets. The data is categorized by competition and skill level: top-ranking trainers, mid-level players, and entry-level players.
THIS SECTION IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Some builds on this page have been hidden, click here to display them
Here are the best movesets for Skarmory. Top rated Skarmory Sword/Shield movesets. You can find Skarmory builds Sword/Shield. Skarmory movesets Sword/Shield are listed here. VGC Skarmory Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Skarmory in Sword/Shield along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for evolution