Is Scyther Good in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Playthrough?
Brilliant Diamond Underground catch. AbilityTechnician boosts Wing Attack and Bug Bite. Scizor via Metal Coat trade is Bug/Steel with one weakness (Fire). Scyther alone is fast with good Attack. BD players should grab one.
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 Scyther in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
A trade step sits in Scyther's 2-stage line from Scyther. The step cards below map each stage with catch locations and evolution methods. Scyther shows up in the wild, so the starting catch is the easy part.
Where To Catch Scyther in BDSP
The path to Scyther starts with Scyther at Lv. 16-63 via walking encounters. 1 catchable stage total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Scyther ✓Big 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 2Evolve into Scizor
Scyther Weakness
Scyther's Bug/Flying typing leaves it vulnerable to Rock, Fire, Electric, Ice, and Flying. Rock hits land at 4x, so they're the biggest threat. It shrugs off Ground-type attacks completely.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Rock |
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Electric, Ice, Flying |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Bug |
| 0.25x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground |
What is Scyther Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Scyther
 Probopass RockSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Probopass builds →Power Gem 4x129-152%KO Thunderbolt 2x46-55% | ||
 Graveler RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Graveler builds →Stone Edge 4x190-224%KO Fire Blast 2x41-48% | ||
 Manectric Electric | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Manectric builds →Thunderbolt 2x92-109%KO Overheat 2x87-103%KO | ||
 Golbat Poison | C | |
Obtain MethodMt Coronet Surfing | ||
 Luxray Electric | C | |
 Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Probopass RockSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Probopass builds →Power Gem 4x129-152%KO Thunderbolt 2x46-55% | ||
Graveler RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Graveler builds →Stone Edge 4x190-224%KO Fire Blast 2x41-48% | ||
Manectric Electric | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Manectric builds →Thunderbolt 2x92-109%KO Overheat 2x87-103%KO | ||
Golbat Poison | C | |
Obtain MethodMt Coronet Surfing | ||
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Probopass RockSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Probopass builds →Power Gem 4x123-146%KO Thunderbolt 2x46-54% | ||
 Staraptor Normal | B | |
Graveler RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Graveler builds →Stone Edge 4x180-213%KO Fire Blast 2x39-47% | ||
 Dodrio Normal | C | |
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Probopass RockSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Probopass builds →Power Gem 4x119-141%KO Thunderbolt 2x45-54% | ||
 Magnezone ElectricSteel | B | |
Staraptor Normal | B | |
Graveler RockGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Graveler builds →Stone Edge 4x182-214%KO Fire Blast 2x38-45% | ||
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Probopass RockSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Probopass builds →Power Gem 4x120-141%KO Thunderbolt 2x44-52% | ||
Magnezone ElectricSteel | B | |
 Mamoswine IceGround | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Mamoswine builds →Stone Edge 4x152-179%KO Ice Fang 2x74-88% | ||
Staraptor Normal | B | |
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Probopass RockSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Probopass builds →Power Gem 4x120-141%KO Thunderbolt 2x44-52% | ||
Magnezone ElectricSteel | B | |
Mamoswine IceGround | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Mamoswine builds →Stone Edge 4x152-179%KO Ice Fang 2x74-88% | ||
Staraptor Normal | B | |
Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
 Rhydon GroundRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Rhydon builds →Stone Edge 4x233-274%KO Avalanche 2x47-55% Fire Blast 2x37-44% Thunderbolt 2x30-36% | ||
Probopass RockSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Probopass builds →Power Gem 4x119-140%KO Thunderbolt 2x44-52% | ||
 Magcargo FireRock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Magcargo builds →Ancient Power 4x103-121%KO Overheat 2x111-131%KO | ||
 Skarmory Steel | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Skarmory builds →Brave Bird 2x93-110%KO Rock Slide 4x79-94% | ||
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Tyranitar can KO Scyther with Stone Edge (315-370%).
 Tyranitar RockDark | A | |
Recommended Build AbilitySand Stream ItemChoice Band NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Scyther View Tyranitar builds →Crunch63-74% Stone Edge 4x315-370%KO | ||
 Salamence Dragon | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityIntimidate ItemLife Orb NatureAdamant Moves View Salamence builds →
| ||
Scyther Evolutions
Evolving Scyther into Scizor takes a trade. It's not a simple level-up, so check the chain details below. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
BDSP Scyther Best Moveset
110 Attack at 105 Speed with AbilityTechnician boosting weaker moves by 50%. Bug/Flying TermStab gives the moveset fast physical offense. Dropped from A-tier to C because the modern format outgrew these numbers, and 4x MoveStealth Rock weakness costs half HP on every switch.
Best Build
Scyther best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Dual Wingbeat
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
- Bug Bite
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
You'll want to breed for Baton Pass and Counter on Scyther. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Bug Buzz and X-Scissor, they expand what Scyther can actually threaten in practice.
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 is nearly impossible to parry its attacking scythes. Its movements are like a ninja’s.
Scyther Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Guide
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Scyther isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Scizor to unlock its full potential. At 500 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, watch for Aerodactyl (Rock), Arcanine (Fire), and Jolteon (Electric) when using Scyther. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Aerodactyl is the most dangerous since Rock moves deal 4x damage. Ice and Flying-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.
No. Scyther only evolves into Scizor through a real trade. There is no in-game alternative in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. 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.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Run Technician on Scyther. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Scyther also gets Swarm and Steadfast, but they don't compare. With base 105 Speed, Technician gives Scyther an edge before opponents can react.
In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Scyther fills the sweeper role. It's a physical attacker with base 110 Attack. Base 105 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.
Game Availability
Scyther has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 22 titles across all 10 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
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 6ORAS
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