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Intimidate
- Lowers the foe's Attack one stage. Decreases wild encounter rate.
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Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
85
|
- |
311 |
374 |
- |
| Atk |
120
|
248 |
276 |
339 |
372 |
| Def |
70
|
158 |
176 |
239 |
262 |
| SpA |
50
|
122 |
136 |
199 |
218 |
| SpD |
50
|
122 |
136 |
199 |
218 |
| Spe |
100
|
212 |
236 |
299 |
328 |
Overview
Boasting good Attack and Speed coupled with great type coverage, Staraptor is a viable physical attacker in OU play. Intimidate is a great ability on Staraptor, as it helps it switch in on physical hits much easier to compensate for its rather miserable defenses. Staraptor really shines out of all the Normal- / Flying-type hybrids because of Intimidate and a Fighting-type move in Close Combat to beat opposing Steel- and Rock-types. Dodrio and Swellow lack a strong Fighting-type move to budge these Steel- and Rock-types and this is probably the main reason why Staraptor is on a different level. You might find the results to be a bit mediocre due to its Stealth Rock weakness; however, Staraptor can still be potent threat when used correctly.
Staraptor's good Speed and Attack stats make it a good candidate for a Choice Band set. Intimidate makes him a good choice as a lead and helps when sending him out later, just don't get too over zealous when switching into physical attacks; his defenses are still poor. Brave Bird and Return / Double-Edge provides raw power, while Close Combat rounds off the coverage. U-turn allows Staraptor to scout.
Brave Bird and Return / Double-Edge are his main weapons and both hit incredibly hard, while Close Combat hits for at least neutral damage on every Rock- and Steel-type. The STAB Normal attacks are mostly for Electric-types, especially Zapdos, who also resists Fighting. Double-Edge guarantees an OHKO on Zapdos, but Return is usually preferable as two recoil moves is rather excessive, let alone when paired with a Stealth Rock weakness.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The fourth slot is the sort of "utility" move. U-turn allows you to scout your counter and get in a hit, while Pursuit is always a great move on Choice Banders and Staraptor makes good use of it. It's especially good against the likes of Celebi and Blissey, who will run, fearing a Brave Bird. Quick Attack is for protection against Reversal/Flail users and to take down other weakened but faster foes. It does upwards of 45% to the likes of Azelf, Raikou, and Weavile (just be careful of Weavile using Ice Shard).
Like most Choice Banders, Staraptor will benefit from Wish support, but it's even more essential with Staraptor due to the recoil of Brave Bird and Double-Edge. To varying degrees, Jirachi, Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Umbreon can work. Rapid Spin support—Starmie and Forretress are excellent choices for this—to remove Stealth Rock will also aid his survivability.
Not many physical walls can switch in because if Staraptor wields a Choice Band, its Attack skyrockets to 558 or 508, depending on the nature you select. In addition to this, Staraptor has fantastic coverage which means that not many physical walls can switch in to its dangerous STAB moves. Rotom-A is your safest switch in to this set; resisting both of Staraptor's STAB moves while shrugging off Pursuit or U-turn. Acknowledge the sets and begin to counter Rotom-A. If they are the special attacking versions, Snorlax and Blissey is your best bet to stop these guys because they have fantastic bulk to weather the attacks from Rotom-A. Choiced Rotom will usually have Trick under their sleeves to screw up Blissey and Snorlax; therefore, Heatran can be great to absorb Trick and Will-O-Wisp, while Jolteon can partner well to take Thunderbolt and cushion Shadow Ball due its decent Special Defense.
Unlike the previous set, Choice Scarf trades the extra power of a Choice Band for extra Speed to make Staraptor faster than many would-be revenge-killers. Sporting an impressive 427 Speed and 372 Attack, this Staraptor forces you to think twice before switching in due to its solid Attack and great type coverage. On top of all this, Intimidate really puts the icing on the cake because it allows Staraptor to switch in on physical attacks much easier. Don't get too cocky switching in on physical attackers though, especially those of the highest caliber, because Staraptor still has a poor Defense stat even with Intimidate factored in. Like the previous set, this one provides optimal coverage, which is only resisted by Rotom-A. Pursuit allows Staraptor to deal with weakened Rotom-A.
Staraptor is a great offensive threat because of its high powered dual STAB attacks. Brave Bird, Return, and Double-Edge all wield more than 100 Base Power and can harm anything in Staraptor's way. The choices for your Normal-type STAB move is totally your choice. Return provides good damage without attaining any recoil damage, while Double-Edge gives the additional damage in exchange for some HP. Rock- and Steel-types can be quite upsetting because they resist Staraptor's precious STAB attacks, but thankfully, Staraptor has Close Combat under its belt which covers both types, and gives Staraptor some good overall type coverage. Your selection for your final move depends on what you decide to do with Staraptor. U-turn allows Staraptor to scout out for incoming counters while you exit and bring in an appropriate Pokémon to plow through your opponent's counter to Staraptor. Pursuit, on the other hand, plays a different role than U-turn. Pursuit traps those pesky Ghost-types and catches fleeing special walls like Blissey.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Staraptor can often find good opportunities to switch in, but Stealth Rock hinders this bird from repeatedly switching in and out. Staraptor will greatly appreciate Rapid Spin users to remove the offending Rocks, thus providing extra survivability for Staraptor. Speaking of living longer, like many Choice users, Staraptor needs Wish support to help it stay alive. Double-Edge and Brave Bird's recoil, as well as Stealth Rock damage, can chip off Staraptor's HP more quickly than is comfortable, and therefore Wish users like Hypno, Chansey, and Blissey can help Staraptor. Staraptor doesn't mind Stealth Rock on the field to help it sweep late game.
With the swap for Speed in exchange for power, Staraptor is going to lack the raw power to muscle through some bulky Pokémon. Skarmory, Jirachi, Metagross, and Bronzong are great counters for Staraptor because these individuals resist both of its beloved STAB moves and they are neutral to Close Combat. With all these Steel-types being listed, packing Magnezone can really be a good service alongside Staraptor. Magnezone can trap Skarmory without Shed Shell and strike back with Thunderbolt or use Magnet Rise to dodge Ground-type moves.
Rotom-A is arguably the greatest counter to Staraptor. It can take all of Staraptor's attacks and strike back with Will-O-Wisp or Thunderbolt. Heatran is probably the best partner for Staraptor to handle these annoying ghouls. Heatran can take Will-O-Wisp, survive a Thunderbolt, and dispose them with a STAB Fire-type attack, but Scarf variants should watch out for a rare but possible Thunder Wave.
With Life Orb, Staraptor trades survivability and raw power for the freedom to switch between attacks. With this freedom, Staraptor can abuse its high Base Power attacks and attempt a sweep with its excellent type coverage. When Staraptor is at low health, simply use Roost to alleviate damage and continue your rampage.
Like on any of its other sets, Brave Bird and Close Combat are mandatory due to their great coverage in just two moves and immense power. Return is the main option for the third slot as it provides consistent, reliable damage and is boosted by STAB, making it a strong option for picking off frail and weakened enemies. Roost is also given a slot to compensate for residual damage Staraptor may suffer, such as Stealth Rock damage and recoil from Life Orb and Brave Bird.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Essentially, the choice between an Adamant and Jolly nature is up to the user's preference. Whereas a Jolly Nature enables Staraptor to tie with and possibly come out on top against positive-natured base 100's such as Zapdos and Jirachi, an Adamant nature can be used for the added power. A Jolly nature is almost always the better option for being able to attack faster Pokemon before Staraptor's weak defenses suffer a hit. To illustrate the effectiveness of Life Orb Staraptor, some calculations assuming a Jolly nature are listed below:
- Jolly Life Orb Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 220 Def Bold Celebi: 88.1% - 104%
- Jolly Life Orb Brave Bird vs. 240 HP / 216 Def Relaxed Swampert: 48.1% - 56.9%
- Jolly Life Orb Brave Bird vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Neutral Suicune: 62.6% - 74%
- Jolly Life Orb Brave Bird vs. 188 HP / 252 Def Bold Vaporeon: 52.9% - 62.5%
- Jolly Life Orb Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Neutral Gliscor: 56.2% - 66.4%
- Jolly Life Orb Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Blissey: 81.5% - 96.1%
- Jolly Life Orb Close Combat vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Neutral Heatran: 94.7% - 111.5%
- Jolly Life Orb Close Combat vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Neutral Jirachi: 46.8% - 55.3%
As with the Choice Band set, not a lot of Pokemon can safely switch into Staraptor due to the pure power of Staraptor's moves. Even bulky Water-type Pokemon, such as Swampert and Vaporeon, are not safe from Brave Bird's chance to 2HKO. Only Rotom-A resists or is immune to all of Staraptor's moves and can cripple Staraptor with Thunderbolt, Discharge, or Will-O-Wisp. Jirachi, Bronzong, and Metagross can survive Close Combat and can use their choice of move to remove Staraptor. This Staraptor set also has issues with being revenge killed by Pokemon that carry a Choice Scarf, such as Jirachi and Tyranitar.
Life Orb Starmie is the number one teammate for Life Orb Staraptor. In addition to having a great offensive and defensive partnership with it, Starmie can remove Stealth Rock with Rapid Spin and eliminate most of Staraptor's counters with a powerful Hydro Pump. Forretress is another Rapid Spinner who, while it doesn't counter anything significant, can set up entry hazards in the face of physically defensive Pokemon who might cause Staraptor some trouble. Speaking of entry hazards, the above calculations may lead to OHKOs and 2HKOs with Stealth Rock or a single layer of Spikes, so having a team member who can lay down these hazards further enables Staraptor's sweep.
This set is on a different field as the other sets because it aims to stick around longer than the other sets. You are limited to two attacking moves in exchange for two support moves. The core idea of this set is to remain in the match as long as possible, with Roost to heal off Stealth Rock damage and Brave Bird recoil. Staraptor can utilize Substitute to dodge status that would otherwise render it useless.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
With Staraptor's massive Attack, opponents are usually forced to switch out, and for this reason Substitute is a great move to scout for switch-ins. Behind a Substitute, you can heal off damage or hurt the opponent with Brave Bird or Close Combat. This set may have lost some gleam on the offensive side but Flying + Fighting is good coverage that is only resisted by Rotom-A and Zapdos, which is surprisingly only a small group of Pokémon who wall this set.
The choice for Staraptor's item is a tough selection, but Sharp Beak is usually the best option. Sharp Beak boosts Brave Bird's power and can trick opponents into thinking you hold a choice item. Leftovers is another option but you will lose some power which this set really needs to perform effectively.
As mentioned before, Rotom-A and Zapdos can easily come on this set and strike back with Thunderbolt. Rotom-A is the toughest to counter since it can provide a shock with Trick in their arsenal, which can ruin your counter for Rotom. Heatran can take Thunderbolt and Trick and can carve a chunk of HP with a STAB Fire-type move. Jolteon has Volt Absorb to take Thunderbolt from Rotom and a Choice Specs Shadow Ball should 2HKO them. Blissey stops Zapdos cold and can spam Seismic Toss or cripple the bird with Toxic.
Other Options
Life Orb can be used in conjunction with Agility but it has no room on the other sets. If Life Orb is used with the SubRoost set, Staraptor's HP would run down far too quickly. FeatherDance is an interesting option but Staraptor shouldn't go near that move because it is far better at sweeping than running a defensive set.
In theory, Foresight can help Staraptor use its Normal-type STAB moves against Ghost-type Pokémon. An Adamant Staraptor with Life Orb under its belt can deal 60.20% - 71.05% on a max HP / max Defense Rotom with Double-Edge. Rotom-A is a trouble to deal with, and this is one way to actually penetrate through them with a STAB move. Though not recommended, you don't have to maximize your Speed, but a minimum of 296 Speed is required to outspeed Jolly Heracross, or 319 Speed for Jolly Electivire. Any remaining EVs should go into HP.
Checks and Counters
Skarmory, Jirachi, Metagross and Bronzong resist both STAB moves, have high Defense, and are neutral to Close Combat, making all four of them excellent choices against Staraptor. Rhyperior's massive HP and Defense, coupled with his Solid Rock ability, which reduces his Fighting weakness, also makes him a good counter.
Although they get hit hard by Brave Bird, Ghosts are often good switch-ins thanks to their immunity to both Close Combat and Return/Double-Edge. They can cripple Staraptor with Will-O-Wisp or simply attack him with super effective attacks like Thunderbolt (Gengar, Rotom-A, Mismagius), ThunderPunch, or Ice Punch (Dusknoir). Rotom-A makes an excellent counter, resisting Brave Bird and taking nothing from Return and Close Combat, whilst also being able to shrug off Staraptor's U-turn. Rotom can then hit back with Thunderbolt. Zapdos resists both Brave Bird and Close Combat, and easily kills Staraptor with Thunderbolt, but it must watch out from a Choice Band Double-Edge which can OHKO Zapdos with Stealth Rock in play.
Otherwise, just try to outpredict him as he'll usually be restricted by Choice Band/Scarf.
