Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
60
|
- |
261 |
324 |
- |
| Atk |
85
|
185 |
206 |
269 |
295 |
| Def |
42
|
108 |
120 |
183 |
201 |
| SpA |
85
|
185 |
206 |
269 |
295 |
| SpD |
42
|
108 |
120 |
183 |
201 |
| Spe |
91
|
196 |
218 |
281 |
309 |
Overview
Despite terrible defenses and a lack of overall power, Murkrow can often be a valuable team member. Possessing potent STAB moves and a fantastic ability in Insomnia, which allows him to switch into the common Venusaur's Sleep Powder, Murkrow has the potential to wreak the havoc that his evolution, Honchkrow, once did upon the tier. However, though faster than his evolution, Murkrow lacks the same raw power - he is not a Pokemon to simply throw onto a team as a wallbreaker. Indeed, Murkrow requires quite a bit of support to be effective.
Though by far not the most powerful wallbreaker in the tier, Murkrow makes up for his mediocre Attack with powerful STAB moves in Brave Bird and Sucker Punch. Heat Wave dents Registeel and Steelix switch-ins, while Hidden Power Grass 2HKOes Omastar and Rhyperior. Despite the fact that Life Orb adds even more passive damage in addition to Brave Bird recoil and Stealth Rock, it is needed to bolster Murkrow's lackluster Attack.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The EVs listed are simple - Attack is maxed to grant Murkrow as much power as possible, and maxing Speed allows him to outspeed the common base 80 Pokemon in the tier, such as Venusaur, whom Murkrow can OHKO with Brave Bird. Due to Murkrow's generally low damage output, however, entry hazard support is almost a necessity - after Spikes and Stealth Rock damage, Pokemon other than dedicated walls or those with resistances to Murkrow's STAB moves will find it difficult to avoid a 2HKO.
Murkrow is best compared to Swellow, one of the most powerful sweepers in the tier, with access to Guts to boost his own Brave Bird. The factor that stops Murkrow from being outclassed by Swellow is his decent Special Attack, which, for instance, allows him to 2HKO Omastar and Rhyperior, two Pokemon whom Swellow can never break without the help of his teammates. Murkrow also has a strong priority move in Sucker Punch, which can super effectively hit threats such as Scarf Rotom, against whom Swellow would be helpless. He plays a very different role than other wallbreakers such as Kabutops and Blaziken - the latter seek to break through the cores of teams with brute force and high coverage, while Murkrow makes good use of his relatively high Speed to pick off weakened threats and dent switch-ins for other Pokemon to defeat.
Other Options
Murkrow has multiple support moves, such as Whirlwind and FeatherDance, that are unfortunately unusable due to his extremely low defenses. However, Murkrow can make relatively good use of Substitute to ease prediction on switches, but Stealth Rock damage combined with Life Orb and Brave Bird recoil lead to a swift demise when taking into account the 25% health sacrifice for Substitute. Murkrow has access to Roost, but there is little time to use it, and time is much better spent using Brave Bird. A Lonely nature is possible, but Murkrow needs all the Speed he can get - indeed, it is Murkrow's redeeming factor. Murkrow can use Hidden Power Fighting to nail Aggron, but Hidden Power Grass is generally superior.
Checks and Counters
Though Life Orb Heat Wave can heavily damage it, Registeel easily survives and can cripple Murkrow with Thunder Wave or take a sizable portion of health simply with Iron Head. Steelix, although he has lower Special Defense, performs in the same way as Registeel, though he lacks Thunder Wave. Rotom is also a great counter as defensive variants can neuter Murkrow with paralysis or a burn. If outspeeding Murkrow is not possible, strong priority moves, such as Aqua Jet from Azumarill, can also deal with Murkrow. Be warned, however, that Sucker Punch will still strike and inflict decent damage. Milotic makes a decent counter - though not able to switch into repeated Brave Birds, she can use Recover to negate the damage.
