Skarmory

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Skarmory
Image:Skarmory.png
National
Mantine - Skarmory (#227) - Houndour
Johto
Mantine - Skarmory (#198) - Doduo
Hoenn
Spinda - Skarmory (#115) - Trapinch
Japanese name Airmd
Stage Basic
Evolves from None
Evolves to None
Generation Second
Species Armor Bird Pokémon
Type Steel / Flying
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight 112.0 lb (49.95 kg)
Ability Keen Eye/Sturdy

Skarmory (エアームド Eāmudo?, Airmd) is one of the 493 fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion dollar[1] Pokémon media franchise – a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. Despite only originally available in the Silver Version of Pokémon Gold and Silver, Skarmory has risen to fame among trainers due to its overuse among both player-to-player battles and online battle simulators, such as Pokémon NetBattle. Skarmory is popular because of its ability to easily absorb physical hits.

The drawing and sprite design of Skarmory was created by Ken Sugimori for its 2000 release on the Game Boy Color. Skarmory's image is based on the Greek myth, the Stymphalian Birds. The Stymphalian Birds are most famous as being part of one of the The Twelve Labours of Hercules, as Hercules was sent to destroy the vicious crows, thought to be made of metal.

Skarmory is a portmanteau of the words sky, or possibly scar, and armory. The Japanese name, Eāmudo, is a portmanteau of the Japanese pronunciations for the words air and armored.

Contents

[edit] Biology

Skarmory is a species of avian Pokémon whose flesh is entirely composed of a tough silvery metal, save for its distinctive red wing plumes. Its shelled skin gains its toughness from a young age through a rather harsh process: Skarmory mothers nest in bushes of bramble, and the constant exposure of the chicks to the thorny environment of a bramble bush causes scratches and abrasions that prompt the development of the skin into hard steel shells. Surviving infancy in a bramble bush ensures a strong body and a strong chance for survival in the wilderness for the rest of a Skarmory’s life.

Skarmory is by no means restricted by its protective shell; While its metal exterior is sturdy, its bones are hollow and light, allowing it easy flight just like any other bird. Onlookers often wonder if Skarmory’s anatomy constitutes a genuine improvement to its aerial mobility: the Pokémon is capable of flying at a top speed of 190 miles per hour, because of its streamlined body and hollow bones.

Skarmory behaves like a real-life bird of prey such as an eagle in its hunting and battling habits. It routinely hunts by swooping down to ground level and picking its prey with its clawed talons. Alternatively, it uses its sharp talons and sword-like wing tips to seemingly slice through its targets at its blindingly fast speed, a tactic it uses both for hunting and when in a trainer-directed Pokémon battle. Another way Skarmory is like other birds is the molting of its feathers, which Skarmory performs once a year. The wings, as a result of being battered and worn out by the battles the Pokémon wages, molt once a year to restore the feathers' sharpness. The fallen feathers left behind have been used by people in the past to craft weaponry such as swords, daggers, and arrow heads. Skarmory's bladed tail feather also resembles a can opener.

[edit] In the Pokémon video games

In the Pokémon video games, Skarmory is a rare Pokémon, found in mountainous fields, or a grassy plateau covered with volcano's ash. It is found in Route 45 in Pokémon Silver and Crystal versions; Route 113 in the Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald versions; and in the FireRed version, Skarmory is located in the Ruin Valley on Six Island and the Sevault Canyon on Seven Island. In Pokémon Colosseum, Gonzap, the boss of Team Snagem, has a Shadow Skarmory.

Skarmory has high physical defense and yet no physical weaknesses, and even two physical type immunities -Ground and Poison. Since its arrival in the Gold/Silver/Crystal generation, it has been considered a premiere physical defensive pokémon. Skarmory appears as the first boss character in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and cannot be befriended there, but other Skarmories found in the wild can be.

With the coming of the Advance generation, Skarmory became more efficient by learning the move Spikes, inflicting damage each time the foe makes a swap. Although the Normal move Rapid Spin blows away spikes, Skarmory can use the move Substitute to block the effect of blowing away spikes. Additionally, Skarmory has the ability to use Whirlwind and Roar, both of which serve the function of forcing the foe to switch. This technique can be used both to negate foe stat bonuses as well as inflict more damage with Spikes. This tactic is commonly feared and is a dangerous strategy. These Spikes techniques have caused Skarmory to become a popular Pokemon in online battling, as well as its high defense. Skarmory's main fears in competitive battling are Magneton and its new evolution Jibacoil. They can easily shrug off anything Skarmory throws at them due to their typing, and their Magnet Pull ability prevents Skarmory from retreating to safety (leaving it open to suffer a quick KO by a Thunderbolt). One probabbly counter-offensive against Magneton or Jibacoil is to attack them with a Hidden Power-Ground, due to they are Electric/Steel type, and Ground attacks are 4x effective.

Another use of Skarmory, though ussualy not used, is to make it a physical sweeper. With a moveset of Agilty, Drill Peck/Sky Attack, Steel Wing and Hidden Power-Ground/Rest/Protect. Agility will increase Skarmory's Speed, allowing it to use both Drill Peck or Sky Attack and Steel Wing with a STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) due to Skarmory is a Steel/Flying Pokémon; and then Hidden Power to attack Magneton or Jibacoil, or Rest who fully heal Skarmory's HP and Status (combined with a Chesto Berry or a Lum Berry held to Skarmory, who wakes up Skarmory from its Sleeping Status), or Protect against oponent sweepers. These last three options depends on the strategy used.

Skarmory may be an annoy Pokémon, with a Leftover held and a moveset of: Sandstorm, Sand Attack/Double Team, Rest and Toxic.

In the FireRed/Leaf Green series, Skarmory can learn Rock Slide By Tutoring. This can be used against one of the Skarmory's weakness, the Fire-type Pokémon. Skarmory's Hidden Power-Ground doesn't affect Fire/Flying Pokémon like Charizard, Moltres and Ho-oh; but Rock Slide, and even do 4x times damages due to those Pokémon are Fire/Flying type (both types are weak against Rock-type attacks).

In the FireRed/Leaf Green series, too, Skarmory has a 5% chance of holding a Sharp Beak, an item that boosts the power of Flying-type attacks.

In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Skarmory is able to learn an attack called "Stealth Rock" through the use of TM 76. The attack is basically a Rock-type variation of Spikes, which means it can damage a Flying type or Levitator when it switches in.

Skarmory forms part of the "SkarmBliss" combo which includes Blissey and Pokémon like Suicune or Dusclops to stall the opponent into submission.

[edit] In the Pokémon animé

In the episode Hot Matches, Ash and his friends meet a trainer named Mickey who owns a Skarmory. Mickey is looking for challenges against Fire-type Pokémon, as Fire-types are strong against the Steel-type Skarmory and Mickey wants to prove Skarmory's strength. Brock challenges Mickey, and Brock sends out his Vulpix. Skarmory battles and defeats the Vulpix. Ash's Cyndaquil then battles Mickey's Skarmory, but the battle is interrupted by Team Rocket. After the ordeal with Team Rocket, the battle recommences, and Cyndaquil pulls through for the win. Several other Skarmory have appeared since then, including one belonging to Atilla of Team Rocket, a second belonging to Winona of the Fortree City Gym, and one living in the Valley of Steel, which (alongside Magnemite and Magneton) attacked any humans or non-Steel Pokémon that entered the valley.

In the Pokemon anime edition of "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters Out Of The Gate!", Skarmory is the main antagonist of the episode. Responsible for kidnapping Pikachu(and later on his little brother Pichu), the Skarmory's behavior while guarding its prisoners is notably bizarre. Constantly muttering to herself about how she doesn't "like this one bit", she reacts violently when Team Go-Getters, comprised of Squirtle, Charmander, and Chikorita comes to rescue Pikachu and Pichu. Although she overpowers the team, Skarmory is ultimately defeated through the use of Corsola quills the team got from their friend Aunty Kangaskhan and a combination of Water Gun, Flamethrower, and Leaf Blade. After her defeat, Skarmory retains no memory of her previous actions, and indeed begins to act quite kindly to her former enemies, suggesting she was not in control of herself.

In the Pokémon Chronicles episode Delibird's Dilemma, Meowth and Wobbuffet run into a Skarmory, which blasts them off.

[edit] In other media

Falkner, the Violet City Gym-leader, caught a Skarmory in Ch. 99 "VS. Sunkern".[2] Winona, the Fortree City Gym Leader, used a Skarmory in Ch.245 "VS. Vibrava". [3] Emerald also uses a Skarmory in "Ch.03 VS. Illumise"[4], most likely owned by Crystal.

Skarmory appears several times in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, popular in sets as being one of the first "Metal-type" cards. Due to Skarmory's overuse by players of the TCG, players have nicknamed Skarmory the "lost legendary bird". This theory is backed up by the artwork of the Skarmory's Neo Revelations appearance, a crop of a large picture of fellow Flying-types, Lugia and Ho-oh. Skarmory has appeared in the Neo Genesis, Neo Revelations, Expedition (appears twice), Skyridge, EX Dragon and EX Deoxys sets.

[edit] References

Publications
  • Barbo, Maria. The Official Pokémon Handbook. Scholastic Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-439-15404-9.
  • Loe, Casey, ed. Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition Official Perfect Guide. Sunnydale, CA: Empire 21 Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-930206-15-1.
  • Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., August 2004. ISBN 1-930206-50-X
  • Mylonas, Eric. Pokémon Pokédex Collector’s Edition: Prima’s Official Pokémon Guide. Prima Games, September 21 2004. ISBN 0-7615-4761-4
  • Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Emerald Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., April 2005. ISBN 1-930206-58-5

[edit] External links

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