Skarmory
Steel
Best attacking moveset: Steel Wing and Brave Bird, worth 9.9 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Skarmory can learn 6 combinations. Steel Wing with Brave Bird does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Slash | 12 | 1.0s | +8 | |
| Steel Wing | Steel | 14 | 1.0s | +8 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brave Bird | 130 | 2.0s | -100 | |
| Flash Cannon | Steel | 100 | 2.5s | -100 |
| Sky Attack | 80 | 2.0s | -50 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Skarmory has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, photobomb.
Other forms
Numbers
| Max CP | 2,383 at level 50, 2,108 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 1,204 CP at level 20, or 1,506 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 1,139 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 148 attack · 226 defense · 163 stamina |
What it costs
| Second charged move | 75,000 Stardust and 75 Candy |
|---|---|
| Buddy distance | 5 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 5,000 Stardust and 5 Candy |
| Size | 1.7 m and 50.5 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Skarmory does not have one best moveset, it has 3. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Fighting, Bug, Grass.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Fighting | Air Slash + Brave Bird | 14.0 |
| Bug | Air Slash + Brave Bird | 14.0 |
| Grass | Air Slash + Brave Bird | 14.0 |
| Rock | Steel Wing + Flash Cannon | 12.9 |
| Ice | Steel Wing + Flash Cannon | 12.9 |
| Fairy | Steel Wing + Flash Cannon | 12.9 |
| Normal | Steel Wing + Brave Bird | 9.9 |
| Steel Wing + Brave Bird | 9.9 | |
| Poison | Steel Wing + Brave Bird | 9.9 |
| Ground | Steel Wing + Brave Bird | 9.9 |
| Ghost | Steel Wing + Brave Bird | 9.9 |
| Psychic | Steel Wing + Brave Bird | 9.9 |
| Dragon | Steel Wing + Brave Bird | 9.9 |
| Dark | Steel Wing + Brave Bird | 9.9 |
| Fire | Air Slash + Brave Bird | 9.0 |
| Water | Air Slash + Brave Bird | 9.0 |
| Steel | Air Slash + Brave Bird | 5.9 |
| Electric | Air Slash + Brave Bird | 5.9 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Skarmory is actually for.
Counters: what beats Skarmory
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Blacephalon | FireGhost | Incinerate + Mind Blown Legacy | 30.2 |
 Regieleki | Electric | Lock On + Thunder Cage Legacy | 28.1 |
 Reshiram | DragonFire | Fire Fang + Fusion Flare Legacy | 25.1 |
 Zeraora | Electric | Volt Switch + Plasma Fists | 24.6 |
 Zekrom | DragonElectric | Charge Beam + Fusion Bolt Legacy | 24.0 |
 Xurkitree | Electric | Thunder Shock + Discharge | 23.7 |
 Chandelure | GhostFire | Fire Spin + Overheat | 22.9 |
 Cinderace | Fire | Fire Spin + Pyroball | 22.6 |
 Volcarona | BugFire | Fire Spin + Overheat | 22.4 |
 Darmanitan | Fire | Fire Fang + Overheat | 22.3 |
Ranked by damage per second against Skarmory's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.