Summary

Skarmory, with a monstrous defense stat of 140 and a typing which is sand-immune and only has two weaknesses (to special types), functions as a potent physical wall. This, plus its ability to lay Spikes and phase opponents out with Roar, makes it one of the best support Pokemon in the entire ADV OU tier. This distinction still exists in the draft format -- however, it is noticeably weaker than the top-3 billing it usually receives.

The biggest limiting factor for Skarmory in draft is the general lack of sand, which has the greater effect of enabling more Electric and Fire types which are less scared of Rock- and Ground-type moves that dominate OU. With a Special Defense stat of only 70, Skarmory not only loses out to the early-round picks of Raikou, Jolteon, Zapdos, Moltres, and special Charizard, but also niche mid-round picks such as Magnet Manectric and Blaziken. Its main adversary in OU, Magneton, is rarely drafted but does serve the same role in draft as it does in OU: it traps and eliminates Skarmory.

This does not mean that Skarmory is a bad Pokemon by any means, as it is still picked by many in the first round and still gets taken within the middle of the second round in pools of experienced drafters. It is one of the most effective users of the best move in the format, Spikes, and its Toxic immunity alongside its access to Taunt, Protect, and Toxic itself still gives it plenty of roles to fill on a team and makes it a potent stall Pokemon. The combination of Spikes and Toxic make Skarmory deal a health bar's worth of indirect damage per game, a figure only heavily eclipsed by Tyranitar's sand. With a serviceable attack stat of 80, Skarmory can also run physical options in a pinch: Drill Peck, Hidden Power Steel, and Hidden Power Ground can be used in particular matchups to cripple Pokemon such as Heracross and Breloom. Skarmory also excels versus the same physical threats it does in OU -- fighters like Machamp and Hariyama struggle to put a dent in the metal bird, and Pokemon that prefer physical damage but can attack on both sides, such as Metagross, have to pack weaker Fire or Electric coverage to deal big chunks of damage to bulky Skarmory sets.

Summary written by Scraf

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