Metal Scizors For Knockout
My Four Favorite Words...
My Four Favorite Words...
Article Written by Cetra
Dedicated to Jerin H.
12/19/2010
Format MD-On
Dedicated to Jerin H.
12/19/2010
Format MD-On
There are a lot of cards that come into our format overhyped. There are even more of those cards that flop in the eye of the players. Of all the recently released cards in our format, Scizor Prime is probably one of the most over hyped yet 'flopped' cards out there. But what most players see as a body that's easily played around is actually a lightning fast tank capable of over coming most opponents with a single pokemon.
The List:
4x Scyther SF
4x Scizor PRIME
2x Uxie
1x Uxie Lv. X
3x Unown R
1x Smeargle UD
1x Unown Q
1x Giratina PL 9
1x Shaymin UL
1x Skarmory UD
4x Pokemon Collector
4x Plus Power
3x Blackbelt
3x Pokemon Communication
3x Pokedex
2x Bebe's Search
2x E. Belt
2x Warp Point
2x Interviewer's Questions
1x Palmer's
1x Switch
1x Judge
1x Luxury Ball
8x Basic Steel Energy
4x Sp. Metal Energy
Card Analysis:
The Big Guns:
4x Scyther SF
4x Scizor PRIME
2x Uxie
1x Uxie Lv. X
3x Unown R
1x Smeargle UD
1x Unown Q
1x Giratina PL 9
1x Shaymin UL
1x Skarmory UD
4x Pokemon Collector
4x Plus Power
3x Blackbelt
3x Pokemon Communication
3x Pokedex
2x Bebe's Search
2x E. Belt
2x Warp Point
2x Interviewer's Questions
1x Palmer's
1x Switch
1x Judge
1x Luxury Ball
8x Basic Steel Energy
4x Sp. Metal Energy
Card Analysis:
The Big Guns:
Your main attacker, Scizor is more than just a pretty body with positives against most of the meta game.
To begin, We use the SF Scyther. Why? With no grass energy in the deck, you won't be attacking with it, but honestly if you wind yourself up in the position in which you would NEED to attack with Scyther, you're probably doing something wrong in the first place. Why run something you can't attack with? Free retreat gives you lots of options both in the start of your game and throughout the match's entirety.
Now to the more important bit, we have Scizor Prime. Most players will imediately think of Scizor's body...Red Armor prevents all damage done to Scizor prime by any of your opponents' Pokemon with any special energy attached to them. The body is nice, there's no denying that and it can provide outs vs Luxchomp and also put pressure on your opposing Gyarados player when thinking about rescue and warp energies. However, the body alone does not a good play make.
Metal Scizors is where Scizor Prime REALLY shines. For a cost of 2 energy, you're batting 70 damage yoru second turn with a constant increase of +20 per metal energy you choose to attach to your attacking scizor. Usually this wouldn't seem all that amazing, but when your opponent is getting smacked around for 70 consistently on your second turn and stare at a second Scizor charging on the bench, pressure gets pretty high. Tack on the fact that your most popular sniper, Garchomp C, will have difficulties setting themselves up to Bench KO you around your body and it should become clear how serious a threat Scizor can become.
Now you have your defensive capabilities. 100 hp isn't amazing, but it's about right for a stage 1 and it puts you up to pare with most sps. Now tack on SP. Metal energies and E.Belt and you're suddenly a lot less frail.
Power Draw:
These are pretty basic things to run over, but still deserve explanation.
A staple in almost (if not all) decks today, Uxie is a quick, searchable source of draw power that can even atack in any deck that runs energy! Set Up is great for...well set up and psychic restore hits a solid 20 and even takes advantage of one of the most popular type weaknesses in the format, psychic.
Uxie Lv. X is a great bonus to your standard Uxie. Trade Off gives you a constant source of draw and Zen Blade is an easy back up attack for when you need something solid. Tack on an unown Q and you're an easily maneuverable tech.
Now we come to Unown R. Usually seen in speed decks like shuppet, Unown R is a fast, searchable source of single use power draw, allowing it to be discarded from the bench in exchange for drawing 1 card from your deck. Searchable with your most popular and dead weight late game supporter card, Pokemon Collector, Unown R is a solid choice in both speed and versatility.
Techs...So Many Techs...
Smeargle UD
Smeargle UD
A popular choice is several decks right now, smeargle is a solid single card tech choice in almost every deck you can think of. In Scizor, it's great for taking an extra supporter, or even sending up as a stall while still being able to do something to benefit you.
Skarmory:
Skarmory is a common tech in steel decks. For a single energy, it allows you to search your deck for a metal energy (including SP. Metal) and attach it to one of your pokemon. Great for recovery, stall and setup, skarmory, though not completely necessary, is a good tech card to have available.
Unown Q:
Found in almost every deck in the format today, Unown Q is great for a searchable retreat card.
Giratina Pl 9 w/ Let Loose:
A less common, but all the same popular tech card, Giratina PL 9 is a searchable judge. Great for wrecking your opponent's hand before a crucial KO or messing up set up, the only downside you'll find here is getting Bright Looked active.
Shaymin:
Probably an unexpected addition to this deck is Shaymin Ul. It's purpose? Searchable and deadly energy manipulation. One drop at the right moment can save your energy on a damage scizor or even add damage via moved metal energies. The additional manipulation comes in handy in most every matchup and usually evades sprays in the SP matchup.
T/S/S Analysis:
Pokemon Search:
Pokemon Search:
A staple in every deck, Pokemon Collector is the major setup supporter of our meta. In Scizor, it not only works for nabbing basics like scyther, it can also be used to pull out unown Rs and recycled Unown Rs for usage late game.
A secondary staple, more versatile in a sense than Collector is Bebe's Search. Plain and simple, at the exchange of a card from your hand, you get any Pokemon from your deck.
New to the Pokemon search staple line is Pokemon Communication. Basically a Bebe's Search Trainer, communication is a quick way of getting what you need.
Luxury Ball is slightly less flexible that the above mentioned, but at the same time is a quick and generally useful means of grabbing a needed Pokemon from the deck.
Pokedex:
Another Card usually found in speed decks, pokedex is an underrated draw trainer that's spammable and great for deck thinning.
Judge:
Great for disruption for both Gdos AND Sp, Judge is a great and versatile supporter card in Scizor. Plays like Giratina without the hassle of wasting a bench space.
Plus Power:
Severely Underrated, Plus Power is a great surprise when you need to add a little extra damage to your punch. Severely unexpected, it will usually throw your opponent for a loop in pre turn damage calculations. Don't knock it til you try it.
Black Belt:
New to the format, Black Belt is yet another way to add necessary damage for your KOs. Great for retaliation, black belt is another surprise for your opponent when you drop 3 in a row turn for turn to keep up in prize counts, especially if you wind up losing a charged scizor and need an extra push for return KO.
Interviewer's Questions:
Plain and simple, it helps you grab energy. What's the good of a fast attacker if you don't have energy?
Palmer's:
A staple for most decks now that night maintenance is gone, Palmer's is great for recycling Pokemon and Energy, not to mention Unown Rs.
E. Belt:
A staple tool in most decks, its added bonuses in HP and attack power make Scizor Prime and anything else its attached to a lot more formidable.
Switch & Warp Point
Another plain and simple card, they're used to manipulate your field.
All About Energy:
Some may be thinking, why just metals? The simple fact is for consistent attachments. When every energy has the potential to add 20 more damage to your attack, it's safer not to gamble with unnecessary things like Call and Warp.
So How's It Work?
Short and sweet, Scizor is all about hitting fast, hitting hard and taking prizes. Your basic set up will land you a charged Scizor by your second turn, allowing you to take some cheap prizes while you either choose to continue building your active Scizor or a fresh one on your bench. This ensures you're taking a prize close to every turn which more often than not overwhelms whatever it is you're playing against. Tack on your body and your ability to tank with E. Belt and SP. Metal and you can usually easily maneuver around any matchup.
Matchups:
Luxchomp - Your Favor:
This match is fairly simple. Keys are that you need to maintain 2 Scizor Prime. Each Sp is pretty easy to KO and with a slew of special energy cards, they have a pretty difficult time attacking or disrupting your bench, let alone actually KOing your main attacker.
Biggest issues: Giratina. Simple and clean, don't play it in this matchup or you risk getting bright look stalled. Sniping benched Scythers. Spraying Shaymin.
Gdos - Even/Hard:
This matchup is all about your letlooses/Judge and your black belts. If you can trade prizes while maintaining 2 scizor w/ black belt on top of timing your disruption and you shoul dbe fine. Their seekers become great tools to reuse Let Loose and Shaymin, on top of healing your damaged Scizors.
Biggest issues are your HP and their Hp, but with e. belt, sp metal and skill the matchup is far from unbeatable.
Regigigas - Even:
I should know this matchup better than anyone. The body is annoying, the attack is even worse. Toss in all their techs and you have a VERY hard matchup. Drag off is dangerous, but you CAN OHKO them and if that happens, the game is pretty much set. You both have speed, you both have heavy hitting attacks. The matchup comes down to trading prizes, holding your belts and playing smart. If I have a hard time with this matchup, most Regi players will, and that's saying A LOT.
Gengar - Even/Favorable:
Contrary to popular belief, the lock doesn't hurt you all once you have a scizor out and attacking. You're generally faster and though fainting spell is deadly, you can usually recover faster. You have resistance and can usually manipulate your hand to avoid dangerous poltergiests. Black belt, like in most other matchups is a great tool.
Machamp - Your Favor:
With new builds, Machamp is starting to run more and more special energy. If they don't have a means of pulling up your bench, all you need to do is build up a benched scizor for OHKOs and once their momentum is gone, manipulating your field with shaymin basically wins you the game.
Things to watch out for: Teched Regirocks help their recovery and they CAN technically OHKO you even though it's usually difficult.
Dialga Chomp - Even/Unfavorable:
Don't give up hope here. Another surprise with this matchup is that shutting off your body doesn't give them the game. Due to how the list is built, you don't NEED Red Armor. This said, the matchup basically revolves around trading/taking prizes. You have speed, but they're sp which is generally annoying. Watch your black belts and manage your scizors and you should be fine.
This is a far from unfavorable matchup. With practice you usually come out on top.
Loose Ends:
Skarmory:
Skarmory:
As mentioned before, Skarmory, though good, isn't necessary. Good techs include Regice for Gengar, another Judge, an additional smeargle or even a 3rd e. belt.
This is completely up to you and your meta.
What About Dialga?
As previously mentioned, Dialga has proven to be more of a minor annoyance than a threat. Your list doesn't focus on your body and instead chooses to focus on your speed and power. That said, keep this in mind: Metal Scissors wins you games; Red Armor just seals the deal.
Why So Many Black Belt?
It wins you games. The ability to trade prizes easily when need be devastates your opponent's momentum. You may think of 3 as an overkill, but when you're actually playing the deck, you come to realize how much of a necessity it actually is.
Closing:
To finish off, Scizor is a severely underrated deck. Much like Giratina X, it's viewed all too often for it's body when it should be viewed as one of the best speed tanks in the format.
Special Thanks:
Scizor for being so Awesome
Jerin H. For Building the deck and taking the title of Marysville City Champion with his list
Cetra A.K.A. Jaron D. for writing this article as requested by the deck creator
Phoenix Games for providing us a great place to test our decks
And all of you who read through this article
Thank you for your time
Cetra
Scizor for being so Awesome
Jerin H. For Building the deck and taking the title of Marysville City Champion with his list
Cetra A.K.A. Jaron D. for writing this article as requested by the deck creator
Phoenix Games for providing us a great place to test our decks
And all of you who read through this article
Thank you for your time
Cetra
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