|
-
Keen Eye
- The wielder's accuracy cannot be lowered.
-
Sheer Force
- Increases power of moves with secondary effects by 30%, but removes the effects.
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Defiant
- Boosts Attack by two stages for every stat drop.
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Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
100
|
- |
341 |
404 |
- |
| Atk |
123
|
253 |
282 |
345 |
379 |
| Def |
75
|
167 |
186 |
249 |
273 |
| SpA |
57
|
135 |
150 |
213 |
234 |
| SpD |
75
|
167 |
186 |
249 |
273 |
| Spe |
80
|
176 |
196 |
259 |
284 |
Overview
An incredibly dangerous Pokemon in NU, Braviary is famous for being among the few Pokemon in the tier that have no hard counters. This impressive feat is achieved through a combination of a gigantic 123 base Attack, as well as a decent Speed stat that allows him to outspeed all relevant defensive Pokemon. While most of the work Braviary needs to do can be done through his powerful STAB moves, he does have an ace up his sleeve: Superpower. This differentiates Braviary from its Normal / Flying type cousins by giving it a very easy way to break through Rock- and Steel-types, meaning Braviary can function with much less team support than some of the other birds. He also comes with a surprising amount of bulk, especially when compared to other Pokemon with the same typing. This combination of Speed, power, and bulk allows Braviary to act as either a revenge killer or a wallbreaker, depending on the user's requirements. Braviary's weakness to the seemingly omnipresent Stealth Rock does clip his wings somewhat, but access to Roost allows him to circumvent the issue to a degree. He only wishes he had an ability more consistently useful than Defiant...
When equipped with a Choice Band, Braviary hits like a train and, between his incredibly powerful STAB moves and Superpower, close to nothing is safe switching in. Brave Bird is Braviary's primary weapon and will maim anything that does not resist it, as well as some Pokemon that do. The amount of recoil damage can rack up very quickly though, so it should be used with caution. Return is a slightly less powerful but very useful alternative STAB move to Brave Bird, as it does not harm Braviary with recoil damage. It is very useful for certain moments when Braviary absolutely cannot take recoil damage, but it should be noted that it is easier for the opponent to take advantage of Return, primarily due to its inability to hit Ghost-types. Superpower is Braviary's not-so-secret weapon, and it means that even the likes of Regirock cannot safely switch in to this monster. U-turn rounds out the set and is a fantastic move for scouting what the opponent will switch into Braviary, as well as building up residual damage. This works fantastically well with entry hazards—particularly Spikes—as many of Braviary's checks are weak to them. Braviary is weak to Stealth Rock however, so U-turn's effectiveness can be severely limited if it is on the field.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The EV spread is designed to outspeed all base 70 Speed Pokemon and still take advantage of Braviary's good natural bulk. The only notable Pokemon Braviary will not outspeed with this spread is maximum Speed Gardevoir. An Adamant nature can also be used with 252 Speed, primarily for the ability to 2HKO Alomomola, as well as to generally hit much harder. However, it should be noted that Adamant Braviary will be outsped by Timid Samurott and Ludicolo. Alternatively, 252 Speed EVs with Jolly can also be used to Speed tie with Timid Gardevoir. If an alternative EV spread is chosen, be sure not to put the spare 4 EVs in HP, as putting them somewhere else will enable you to potentially switch into Stealth Rock four times. Braviary has very few other options for his moveset, and should almost always go with the moves listed.
While this set is already incredibly dangerous, entry hazard support can take it to a completely different level. Garbodor and Cacturne can both provide Spikes support, while using Drain Punch and Seed Bomb respectively to deal with any Rock- or Steel-types attempting to trouble Braviary. Stealth Rock from the likes of Golem and Regirock will also always be appreciated, and Braviary can take advantage of Ground-type moves aimed at them. Being weak to Stealth Rock itself, Braviary will of course appreciate Rapid Spin support. Unfortunately, there are very few decent Rapid Spin users in NU, and those that are usable share poor defensive synergy with Braviary. Torkoal and Armaldo are still decent spinners and can remove Stealth Rock from the field, but share a Rock-type weakness with Braviary which can lead to difficulty with teambuilding. Usually it is better to pair Braviary with Pokemon that can keep Stealth Rock off the field in the first place by threatening common users of the move. Both Marowak and Torterra spring to mind for this role; Marowak in particular can break every Sturdy Stealth Rock user with Bonemerang. This set punches massive holes in opposing teams, so a Pokemon that can take advantage of those holes makes for a fantastic teammate. Swellow is one of the most potent late-game sweepers when its counters have been removed and can form an effective "double-bird" strategy with Braviary. Braviary with a Choice Band lacks solid counters so most of the time it is better to play around it. Wearing it down with Stealth Rock and recoil damage, then following up with priority moves from the likes of Skuntank and Zangoose is very effective, as is revenge killing it with Pokemon such as Rotom-S
Braviary possesses a fairly average Speed stat, and, because of that, it is odd to think of him as an effective Choice Scarf user. However, boosting Speed is relatively uncommon in NU (outside of Choice Scarf) and thus Choice Scarf Braviary has an effective niche. Fast threats such as Tauros and Zangoose are abundant, and with a Choice Scarf Braviary can outspeed and OHKO them. Brave Bird is the STAB move of choice and still hits really hard even without a boosting item. Return is an essential reliable STAB move, which is often the best choice for sweeping late-game, as it has no drawbacks. Superpower is still a great move on Braviary, as it allows him to revenge kill Rock Polish Relicanth whilst also hitting Regirock and other Pokemon that resist Normal- or Flying-type attacks as they switch in. U-turn completes the set by giving Braviary an excellent way to maintain momentum and rack up damage on his checks.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Maximum Speed and Attack EVs are both necessary for Choice Scarf Braviary to get the job done. The Jolly nature ensures that Braviary will outspeed Modest Exeggutor in the sun, as well as +2 Combusken, +1 Butterfree, and standard Electrode. If these threats are not particularly relevant or threatening to your team, then by all means run Adamant for the extra power. There really are no other options for Braviary, as all the other moves he can use are outclassed.
Choice Scarf Braviary lacks the wallbreaking power of Choice Band, and as such his life can be made much easier by entry hazards. Both Cacturne and Garbodor are excellent users of Spikes, while Golem and Regirock make good teammates to use Stealth Rock. Revenge killers need to switch in and out often and Braviary can struggle to do because of his weakness to Stealth Rock. He appreciates the absence of Stealth Rock, so Rapid Spin users such as Torkoal and Armaldo can make good teammates, or better yet Pokemon that can prevent Stealth Rock going up such as Marowak. Braviary also takes on the role of late-game sweeper when he uses Choice Scarf, so teammates that can soften up the opposing team are very useful. Choice Band Golurk and Choice Specs Exeggutor are amongst the best wallbreakers in the tier and can easily force their way through another team. Countering Braviary himself is also much more doable when it holds Choice Scarf. Regirock is a fantastic response as it will not be broken even by Superpower, while Alomomola also easily beats Braviary.
While Braviary is most often used as a wallbreaker, this set takes checks to those sets, such as Regirock, Golem, and Carracosta, and uses them as setup bait to prepare for a devastating sweep. Slower teams and stall have trouble preventing this monster from setting up as they must fear a Choice Band-boosted Brave Bird. Bulk Up is really an excellent move for Braviary, allowing him to boost his already through the roof Attack and providing a cushion to better take Rock-type attacks from the likes of Regirock. Substitute aids in this, providing a barrier from status that would otherwise be a death sentence for this set as well as from revenge killers and priority. Braviary can simply set up a Substitute on the many slower status users that populate NU and obtain free turns of setup. However, Braviary's real ace in the hole is Roost; it removes Braviary's Rock-type weakness for a turn and therefore can be used to PP stall Rock-type attacks, allowing Braviary to set up and sweep afterwards. Lastly, Braviary is left with a choice of STAB move; no Pokemon is immune to Brave Bird, unlike Return, but it also means that Braviary will have difficulty KOing Electric-types. The recoil damage is troublesome with Substitute, but Roost at least somewhat makes up for it, and the higher power of Brave Bird makes it the superior STAB move in most cases.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
While it might seem unorthodox to run a specially defensive spread on an offensive behemoth, it prevents Electric-types, such as Rotom-S and Zebstrika, from revenge killing Braviary, as well as preventing Pokemon such as Vileplume, Alomomola, and Tangela from breaking its Substitutes without significant investment. Luckily, Braviary possesses enough HP if fully invested to make 101 HP Substitutes, which means that he can set up on Seismic Toss users such as Lickilicky and Mawile. The given Speed EVs are enough to outrun Adamant Torterra, Modest Exeggutor, and Ampharos. More Speed EVs can be invested, with 80 being an option to outspeed Adamant Ramparados and most bulky variants of Misdreavus. Faster variants of Misdreavus tend to not carry Will-O-Wisp, rendering further investment in Speed unneeded.
As this set sets up on most Rock-types and physically defensive Pokemon, partners that struggle with them, such as Swellow, Tauros, and Zangoose, will appreciate its presence. Even with Substitute, status is a huge issue, so a cleric is recommended; Vileplume, Audino, and Musharna are good choices. If Brave Bird is chosen, a Ground-type—good examples being Piloswine and Golurk—is mandatory to defeat Electric-types. Likewise, if Return is chosen, a Pursuit user, such as Skuntank, is vital to remove Ghost-types. Overall, the support required for Bulk Up Braviary to function at his best is minimal, and he does well against the majority of teams and so can be thrown onto many a team without too much thought.
The BW2 move tutors finally gave Braviary Roost, meaning he can rest his tired wings and develop a whole new dimension to the way he functions. Previously, almost all Braviary would use Choice items, but Roost gives it the flexibility to use Life Orb, which arguably makes him harder to switch into now that he can change moves. Brave Bird is still the main move Braviary will be using and can actually be used less cautiously as you can simply switch moves if the opponent brings in a Rock- or Steel-type. Return is the slightly safer, slightly weaker option, but the lack of recoil can really come in handy, considering Braviary would otherwise be taking Brave Bird and Life Orb recoil at the same time. Superpower absolutely destroys Rock- and Steel-types, and the need to predict against them drops significantly since Braviary outspeeds them. Roost is what differentiates this set from the others and allows Braviary to brush off his weakness to Stealth Rock, as well as recovering damage from Life Orb and Brave Bird recoil. Braviary forces a large number of switches anyway, so finding an opportunity to use Roost is not difficult.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The EV spread is used to ensure Braviary will always outspeed base 70 Speed Pokemon while still maintaining some of his good natural bulk. The only notable Pokemon Braviary will miss out on outspeeding by not running maximum Speed is maximum Speed Gardevoir. If your team is concerned about a fast Gardevoir then maximum Speed is still usable, while if you find Braviary to somehow be lacking in power, then an Adamant nature with 252 Speed EVs can be used. It should be noted that Adamant Braviary will be outsped by Ludicolo and Samurott with their respective Speed boosting natures. Life Orb Braviary hits nearly as hard as Choice Band, but the recoil damage can really add up quickly. Leftovers can be used instead for extra survivability, but the power output is really lacking. U-Turn is a good alternative to either STAB move on this set but it gets nowhere near as much utility as it does on a Choice set, since Braviary will rarely need to switch out. Substitute can also be used over Return, which will actually let Braviary stall Pokemon such as Regirock out of Stone Edges, but missing out on a reliable STAB can hurt.
Life Orb Braviary forces switches to no end, and, as such, it absolutely loves entry hazard support. Cacturne and Garbador again make great teammates by setting up Spikes and checking some of Braviary's checks with Seed Bomb and Drain Punch. Stealth Rock should be on almost every team, and Braviary pairs well with common users such as Regirock and Golem, being able to switch in on Ground-type moves aimed at them. Life Orb Braviary is a wallbreaker, and as such he pairs well with late-game sweepers that are effective once Rock- and Steel-types have been removed. Swellow in particular springs to mind and forms an effective "double-bird" strategy with Braviary. As for specific counters, the ability to change moves really limits any potential switch-ins to Braviary. Generally you are going to have to play around Braviary, wear him down through recoil, then either revenge kill him or take him down with priority. There are some exceptions, though. For example, Alomomola will never be 2HKOed by Adamant Life Orb Brave Bird and can easily heal itself with Wish, Protect, and Regenerator.
Other Options
Braviary has a very shallow movepool, and, in almost every case, the moves listed above will be the best options to go with. He can use a combination of Sheer Force and Rock Slide, but Defiant is a much better ability for him as it prevents both Luxray and Tauros from using Intimidate to check him. Retaliate could be effective on the Choice Scarf set, but Return has far more utility and is more consistent. That really is the extent of Braviary's viable options, so just stick to the sets listed.
Checks and Counters
Actual counters to Braviary are very hard to come by, particularly for the Choice Band and Life Orb sets. Rock- and Steel-types such as Regirock, Probopass, Lairon, and Bastiodon can easily switch in on Brave Bird, but have difficulty taking a Superpower. Pairing one of these with a solid way to take Fighting-type attacks, such as Musharna or Misdreavus, and then predicting around Braviary can be effective. Bulk Up Braviary also turns many of these usual checks into set up fodder, but Roar Lairon and Power Gem Probopass can deal with him. Bulky Electric-types such as Stunfisk also take on versions carrying only Brave Bird with ease. Stealth Rock is an incredibly common move and getting it up means that any Braviary set without Roost can only come in a maximum of four times, limiting the amount he can damage a team. Additionally, wearing him down with Brave Bird and maybe even Life Orb recoil is a very effective way to deal with him. Priority users can come in handy for finishing off a weakened Braviary, particularly Mach Punch Gurdurr, Quick Attack Zangoose, and Sucker Punch Skuntank. Alomomola is among the best checks to Braviary, as it can take any attack bar Adamant Choice Band Brave Bird. If it does happen to run into this, then it can simply switch out to an appropriate Pokemon that resist the attack and heal itself with Regenerator.
