Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25266931-20170224140119/@comment-26397825-20170228040430

To further extrapolate on the sword = fast, scythe = slow thing, the only time we've seen him use the scythe was in the Battle of Beacon when he sliced the Griffon in two. You know what? He was fucking slow. Ironwood had time to speak and make excuses and be worried about Qrow approaching him with a scythe. The only part of that scene which was quick was the actual act of swing the blade in a straight line - he didn't adjust it or have to change his momentum. He was able to make a single underhand swing.

The sword is much faster, and against a speedy opponent like Tyrian he needs the speed. He needs to be able to adjust his footing and the angle on which he attacks in a split second, which the scythe doesn't let him do.

The scythe is great against large, slow enemies that take a lot of damage to defeat. It is  fucking stupid  to use it against small, fast enemies that can dodge bullets without even looking.