Is Scizor Good in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Playthrough?
Metal Coat trade from Scyther. Bug/Steel with one weakness (Fire, 4x). AbilityTechnician boosts Bullet Punch into a priority nuke. Handles Candice, Lucian, and shreds anything that doesn't resist Steel. One of the best trade evolutions in the game. BD players who find Scyther should prioritize this.
Scyther has the type edge here and should clean up Roark's team.
Scyther resists most of Gardenia's coverage and hits back hard.
Scyther has the type edge here and should clean up Maylene's team.
Scyther has the type edge here and should clean up Crasher Wake's team.
Scyther has the type edge here and should clean up Fantina's team.
Scyther trades roughly evenly with Byron's team.
Scyther resists most of Candice's coverage and hits back hard.
Scyther trades roughly evenly with Volkner's team.
Scizor trades roughly evenly with Aaron's team.
Scizor has the type edge here and should clean up Bertha's team.
Flint's team hits Scizor's weaknesses hard.
Scizor has the type edge here and should clean up Lucian's team.
Scizor trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Catch Scyther on Route 229 (walking, Lv 52, uncommon).
Most players are ready to trade before reaching Aaron.
How to Get Scizor in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
A trade step sits in Scizor's 2-stage line from Scyther. The step cards below map each stage with catch locations and evolution methods. Scyther shows up at solid rates, so the starting catch is the easy part.
How to Obtain Scizor in BDSP
The path to Scizor starts with Scyther at Lv. 16-63 via walking encounters. 1 catchable stage total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Catch ScytherBig Bluff CavernLv.16-63CaveBrilliant DiamondRate 80%Unique encounterGrassland CaveLv.58-63CaveBrilliant DiamondPost-gameRiverbank CaveLv.58-63CaveBrilliant DiamondPost-gameStill-Water CavernLv.58-63CaveBrilliant DiamondPost-gameSunlit CavernLv.58-63CaveBrilliant DiamondPost-gameRoute 229Lv.52GrassBrilliant DiamondRate 5%
Step 2Scizor ✓
Scizor Weakness
Scizor is weak to Fire. Watch out for Fire attacks, those deal 4x damage. On the flip side, it's immune to Poison-type moves entirely. It resists 8 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely. With 70 HP and balanced defenses, Scizor can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Fire |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Normal, Ice, Psychic, Bug, Dragon, Steel, Fairy |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Grass |
| 0x (Immune) | Poison |
What is Scizor Weak Against
ExcellentBest Pokemon Against Scizor
 Ponyta Fire | C | |
Ponyta Fire | C | |
Ponyta Fire | C | |
Ponyta Fire | C | |
 Rapidash Fire | B | |
Rapidash Fire | B | |
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Zapdos's Heat Wave also KOs at 116-136%.
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Scizor View Weavile builds →Knock Off20-23% Ice Shard6-7% | ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilityMagic Guard ItemLeftovers NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Scizor View Clefable builds →Moonblast11-13% Knock Off9-11% | ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilityStatic ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Scizor View Zapdos builds →Hurricane33-39% Volt Switch21-25% Heat Wave 4x116-136%KO | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityNatural Cure ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureBold Moves View Blissey builds →
| ||
Scizor Evolutions
Scizor evolved from Scyther's chain using a trade. It's a non-standard trigger, so check the details below. Breed this form to get Scyther eggs (average hatch time). The evolution from Scyther pushed Scizor to 500 total stats. Attack saw the largest single gain at +20. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
BDSP Scizor Best Moveset
Dropped from S-tier but A reflects 130 Attack with AbilityTechnician boosting priority MoveBullet Punch by 50% for Steel TermStab that always moves first. Bug/Steel typing resists 8 types. The moveset runs priority offense with real bulk at 70/100/80. The one weakness is a 4x Fire vulnerability that demands team support.
Best Build
Scizor best EVs are Attack and HP
Physical Tank Moveset
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
- Roost
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Egg moves make a real difference. Scizor gets Baton Pass and Counter exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Flying and Normal coverage and more rounds out the picture alongside Bug Buzz and Iron Head.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
It has a steel-hard body. It intimidates foes by upraising its eye-patterned pincers.
Scizor Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Guide
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Scizor looks average on paper at 500 BST. But Technician is why it sees play. Build around that and it pulls its weight. B-Tier wallbreaker on our tier list. Bullet Punch with Heavy-Duty Boots is the standard set.
Mega Evolution isn't available in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, but Scizor does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Scizor hits 600 BST.
Scizor is obtained by trade-evolving Scyther. Catch or evolve a Scyther first, then trade. Trade needs a Game Boy Advance link cable and a second GBA running another Gen 3 game (FireRed, LeafGreen, Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald). Trade Scyther to a friend, then have them trade it back. The 2026 Switch re-release supports the same trade through local wireless on the Pokemon Center 2F Wireless Club, with no cables required. The Metal Coat must be held during the trade. Bring one over from a sibling Gen 3 game if needed.
Scizor gets Technician, Swarm, and Light Metal. But Technician is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that. On wall sets, Technician pairs with Scizor's base 100 Defense to absorb physical hits on the switch.
Game Availability
Available since Gold & Silver, Scizor appears in 19 games spanning 9 generations. Beyond its original form, it gained a Mega form in Generation 6.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GSDebut
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORASMega
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves