Firstly, no, I’m not a Scyther basher, so I’m not saying Scyther is bad or overated. What I am saying is that Scyther can fit into every deck, but should not go into every deck.
Lets look at Scyther
Basic Pokemon
Scyther
70HP
Attacks:
G Swords Dance: During your next turn Scyther’s Slash attack’s base damage is 60 instead of 30.
CCC Slash 30
Weakness: R
Resistance: F
Retreat Cost: -
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Scyther’s good points:
70 HP
Free Retreat
Resistance to Fighting
“Chance” of doing 30 or 60 damage by turn 2 or 3 (chance because you would have to have a DCE and a grass energy to do 60 by turn 2)
Scyther’s bad points:
Weakness to Fire
Can’t attack until at least turn 2 or 3 without help from other Pokemon (e.g. Venusaur and his Pokemon Power: Energy Trans)
As you can see Scyther’s good points out weigh its bad points, but does this mean it can be put into any deck?
With it’s only damaging attack doing 30 for colourless energy, it can be put into any deck. The free retreat, resistance to fighting and HP, steer a lot of trainers towards this Pokemon. Mainly Scythers belong in Haymakers and Grass decks, but a lot of trainers place them in Psychic decks, a lot of which are meant to stall. Scyther is a good staller against fighting Pokemon, because of it’s resistance and it also can retreat for free, where a lot of stall decks have little energy, such as Damage Swap decks, to pay for the retreat cost of other Pokemon such as Likitung, Snorlax or Chansey (not so much for Chansey though).
Water decks, Fire decks, Fighting decks, Psychic decks, Electric decks- they all have Scyther in them, but other cards can be placed in there place instead, which are of the same type.
Psychic has Fossil Gastly and then Haunter who are better than Scyther in a Psychic Deck, as you also have the option to evolve them at a later stage, into the almighty Gengar! Both Fossil Gastly and Fossil Haunter have free retreat and resistance to fighting…and… what’s this NO WEAKNESS!!! Now that’s gotta help a Psychic deck facing another Psychic deck! What’s more they both have 50HP and are both better stallers in this case. Gastly does 10 damage on turn 1 for Psychic energy and it also has a chance of paralysing. Haunter has the awesome Pokemon Power: Transparency (Whenever a Pokemon attacks Haunter, flip a coin. If heads prevent that damage and all effects), and the awesome attack Nightmare for 1 Psychic and 1 Colourless energy does 10 damage and is automatically asleep, which now reduces the chance of hitting Haunter to 25%.
Water, unfortunately doesn’t have the free retreat Pokemon with 70HP that is basic, but it does have Articuno. No weakness, 2 colourless retreat cost and resistance to fighting. For 3 water energy it does 30 damage, with a chance of paralysing and for just 1 more water energy it does 50 and a chance of doing either 10 damage to each of your opponents benched Pokemon or to your own benched Pokemon.
Electric has the almighty Electabuzz, which has weakness to fighting, no resistance and 2 colourless retreat cost. It can do 10 damage and have a chance of paralysing for 1 electric energy, and then for just 1 more it does 30 and has a chance of either doing an extra 10 damage to your opponent or 10 damage to itself.
Fire has Fossil Magmar, which has weakness to water, no resistance and 1 retreat cost. It does 10 damage for 1 fire energy at then your opponent has a 50% chance of attacking you and for 1 more fire energy it does 20 damage and it has a chance of poisoning.
Fighting has Hitmonchan who for 1 fighting energy does 20 damage and then for 1 more fighting energy and 1 colourless energy does 40 damage. It has 2 colourless retreat, a weakness to Psychic and no resistance.
Other cards can be put to use rather than Scyther, such as valuable trainers, energy or the above Pokemon. So don’t start saying Scyther is the best card because it is fast, it has resistance and it’s HP is high for a basic. Start thinking IS Scyther the best card to go in my deck. Will he work well with the other Pokemon, trainers and style of my deck, or am I just putting him in because he’s SOOOO good. SCYTHER IS A GREAT CARD!!! I’m not taking that away from him. But just remember, “A deck that doesn’t flow, is a deck that doesn’t go.”
Scyther SHOULD NOT be in every deck.
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