Noctowl is very sturdy and can take quite a battering from special attacks, so it is easy to send it in and fire off Hypnosis to send and opponent to sleep. Reflect and Whirlwind are stable choices, with Reflect providing support and Whirlwind being good for foiling Pokémon who try to block your Hypnosis via substitute. Night Shade rounds it all out, giving Noctowl a reliable set damage move to make up for its low offensive capabilities.
With Psycho Shift, Noctowl can rid itself of any troublesome status it may incur. Gone with the Stun Spore from switching into a Grass-type, and the Toxic when switching into a Water. Other OptionsNoctowl's Special Attack is below average, but somewhat usable so it can use a few special attacks. Air Slash is the obvious candidate as it receives STAB. Hidden Power Ground can be used to provide good type coverage alongside Air Slash, as everything that resists Flying (Rock, Steel and Electric-types) takes super-effective damage from it. Toxic is a general sort of status move and not bad on Noctowl, though you will have to watch out for the fact that Noctowl invites Steels to switch in pretty easily. Psych Up can steal Calm Minds from the likes of Grumpig and Hypno. Light Screen is a good option over Reflect, if you team is in greater need of protection against special attacks. Featherdance is on offer, but usually an inferior choice compared to Reflect. With good defenses and access to Hypnosis, Noctowl is a decent option to set up Rain Dance or Sunny Day. Although it doesn't receive any benefits from either move, it can set up a Swift Swimmer or Chlorophyll user for a sweep. Damp Rock or Hot Rock are recommended if you're planning to use the weather changing moves. EVsNoctowl has two good stats: HP and Special Defense, and as such most of your efforts should go towards those two. OpinionNoctowl, despite not shaking the very metagame to its foundations, has had a number of improvements in the newest generation. Hypnosis now boasts a 70% accuracy, allowing Noctowl to put opponents to sleep more often. Roost gives it a reliable recovery move, making it rather sturdy. Being is the most defensive of the Normal/Flying Pokémon, is both a blessing and a curse. Noctowl stands out from its brethren with its unique stat distribution, but it still lacks any sort of significant offense. CountersYou don't have to be Ozymandias to take down this Nite Owl. Noctowl doesn't have any super specific counter-Pokémon, and anything that can survive its Status-based onslaught will have no trouble neutralizing its threat. Taunt will ruin Noctowl most of the time, especially from something that has tons of HP such as Tyranitar or Exploud. Similarly any Pokémon with the ability Natural Cure will make Noctowl's efforts somewhat pointless. |
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