Honchkrow discussion


Ah Honchkrow, everyones favourite boss krow. Honchkrow was way too strong for UU last gen, resulting in the first 100% in favour of ban. However, Honchkrow is seeing surprisingly little use this gen. Will this change in the upcoming months? Will Honchkrow prove way too much for UU to handle? I don't know, so lets just see what Honchkrow can do.

Type: Drak/Flying
Ability: Insomnia, Super Luck, Moxie
base stats:

HP: 100
Atk: 125
Def: 52
SpAtk: 105
SpDef: 52
Spe: 71

Movesets:

Physical Attacker:
move 1: Sucker Punch
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Roost / Pursuit
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 Def

Set that got Honchkrow banned last gen. The rediculous power of Honchkrows Brave Bird lets him 2HKO pretty much anything that doesn't resist it, and take a good chunk out of even some resists. Sucker Punch offers priroity to Honchkrow, and he makes prefect use of it, destroying many would be revenge killers. Superpower rounds out his attacks, smashing the Steels and Rocks that resist Brave Bird. Last slot is really up in the air. Roost can be used to heal off damage from Styealth Rock, Brave Bird, and Life Orb. Pursuit can be used for mindgames, but has little use outside of that, and the power is disappointing.

Opinion about Honchkrow: He's one of the best Pokemon i've ever used. Sucker Punch has saved my ass so many times, and his generally powerful attacks can easily blow holes into the opposing team for something else to clean up. The amount of prediction wars i've had to go through when sweeping with Honchkrow can get annoying, but they aren't the hardest.


P.s> Didn't put Nasty Plot because I honestly doubt its effectiveness this gen, and Honchkrow honestly has better things to do then special sweeping.
 
He has a couple niche options, and once its dream world ability is released it'll probably see a lot more use.

As for the last slot of his set, he has a couple niche options. Heat Wave hits steels without lowering its attack, Night Slash gives it dark STAB that doesn't require the opponent to attack (if you ever need it), Tailwind is a nice support option, and Taunt is another thing that could see some use since it attracts status like a magnet. In fact, here's an idea for a set that would absolutely tear up UU stall teams:

Honchkrow @ Leftovers
252 Atk/252 Spe/4 Def
Adamant(jolly) / Insomnia(Super Luck)

Taunt
Roost
Brave Bird/Drill Peck/Night Slash
Superpower

Superpower+Brave Bird has almost perfect coverage, and his respectable HP stat means that it's very good at dealing with set-damage attacks if you use it smartly. Night Slash goes with super luck, Insomnia goes with all of them.
 
DarkBird


Nature:Jolly/Adamant
Physical Attacker:
move 1: Sucker Punch
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Roost / Superpower
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 Def

This is a set i use and it works really well. But i mainly prefer roost over superpower since it lowers attack and defense, but even though moxie covers for attack its still good to at least get your health back up. Just incase someone switches you can get a roost off so this beast can last longer. Only problem are steel and rock types mostly used: Scizor Ttar, and gross and thats when superpower comes in so its kind of hard.....so try to always keep a pokemon with a ground type moves(make sure they are bulky enough) just in case you don't use super power.

Heres a battle of me using the set:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rojrgt8Y8yY&feature=channel_video_title

ps: If anyone want me to test a set out just ask me and ill post a battle of the set.
 
He has a couple niche options, and once its dream world ability is released it'll probably see a lot more use.
His dream world ability is released... Which is basically a shock that its not mentioned as a set on the intro. His Moxie set would basically be as its not like he has access to much moves (since Superpower and Heatwave are tutor moves)...

Honchkrow
Moxie @ leftovers, Adamant
252 Atk/120 Def/124 Sp Def/12 Spe
Sucker Punch
Brave Bird
Substitute
Roost

EVs are so it can take hits well - I like to support this with screens - and the speed is there to help avoid status by certain slower walls. Now since you don't have access to Superpower you're basically stuck with his two STAB attacks - but that's not so bad coverage is quite good especially once you net a kill boosting your attack. Roost and leftovers are for longevity as you can acquire some health back even if your sucker punch fails while roost is to help you recover from Brave bird recoil and substitute. Your only issue at times is netting that kill when you still don't have any attack boosts from moxie Suicune and Slowbro become a problem - steels are a given and so is Zapdos but if you've netted a boost there is a chance of you winning with proper prediction. Once Honchkrow acquires its boost it becomes difficult to stop - but definitely not very easy to use as this will require lots of predictions. I find it best to use him as a late game sweeper with most mons being weakened already and walls - especially steels - are out of the way.
 
Insomnia is much better than Moxie.
This. Without Heat Wave, Superpower, or anything else from 4th gen, Honchkrow can't touch Steel types at all, and many Rock types won't fear a Sucker Punch all that much; his only (physical) attacking options are BB, Drill Peck, Sucker Punch and Pursuit (gamefreak y u no giv Drill Liner? D:). Even if it did get Superpower and Heat Wave, neither of which really benefit from Moxie; I guess Superpower's attack drop is nullified, but it's not like you'd be staying in anyways. I love Honchkrow, but Moxie really only limits it's already not-so-great movepool.
 
This. Without Heat Wave, Superpower, or anything else from 4th gen, Honchkrow can't touch Steel types at all, and many Rock types won't fear a Sucker Punch all that much; his only (physical) attacking options are BB, Drill Peck, Sucker Punch and Pursuit (gamefreak y u no giv Drill Liner? D:). Even if it did get Superpower and Heat Wave, neither of which really benefit from Moxie; I guess Superpower's attack drop is nullified, but it's not like you'd be staying in anyways. I love Honchkrow, but Moxie really only limits it's already not-so-great movepool.
Keep in mind that there aren't a whole lot of Steels in UU anyway (Cobalion and Escavalier being neutral to BB anyway), and the only way you're going to touch Rhyperior and friends regardless of ability is random crap like HP Water. I really think that Moxie is what's going to make Honchkrow's niche - I've already swept several teams (and in a few cases, came back from a 2-5 situation) with a SubRoost Moxie Honchkrow. :(
 

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If stall is ever an issue, Honchkrow solves it. Nothing on a stall team can stand up to this beast. And god help you if he gets a Moxie boost.
 
I have been using my honchkrow with psych up. Maybe snatch too. These moves makes use of setup moves that people might use fearing sucker punch. I have killed a lot of salamences with this set.

Honchkrow
Insomnia @ Life Orb, Adamant
252 Atk/252 SpD
~Sucker Punch
~Brave Bird
~Superpower
~Psych up/Snatch

Actually SpD might go to Spe but I have been using it to counter weak grass types using sleep powder... It is just because of my team. Anyway it copies or snatches the dragon dances or curses. Actually I copied full +6 calm mind from shadow tag Gothitelle after my choice locked cham finally has been killed. It can be useful in many ways...
 

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If stall is ever an issue, Honchkrow solves it. Nothing on a stall team can stand up to this beast. And god help you if he gets a Moxie boost.
Physically defensive Zapdos has been working fine for me as a counter. Honchkrow is hardly a stallbreaker considering it's SR weak and it needs to run Life Orb.
 
A Honchkrow set I've used to effect in OU was:

Honchkrow @ Leftovers
Adamant, Moxie
252 attack/HP for lefties+subs(can't really remember)
Sucker Punch
Brave Bird
Substitute
Night Shade

The reason Night Shade is thrown in there is to get the set amount of damage on the pokemon you can't really kill with your STABs. And behind a substitute means that they either boost up, while you deal damage with night shade, or attack with sucker punch if they try and break the sub.

I'm not sure how this will work in UU though, and can't really test because I can't get onto PO for a while. But give it a go, because after 1 kill this thing becomes deadly!
 
Moxie is THE reason to use Honchkrow, people.

Krow loves Trick Room support, since it gives it a brief window where it doesn't need to rely on Sucker Punch for dealing with faster threats, and can usually grab a boost before time runs out, allowing it to plow through offensive teams with a +2 or even a +3 Sucker Punch alone.

Roost really should be used because of SR weak, LO, Brave Bird, etc., so really only the fourth slot is debatable. I've used Taunt, which wrecks Chansey and co, and HP Grass for smashing Rhyperior / Water/Ground mons / Donphan (although Brave Bird still does a fair amount against the latter two). Taunt so far seems to be the more useful move.
 
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned his revenge killing capabilities. My main UU team (peaked #9) uses him as a scarfed revenge killer to great effect.

Mao (Honchkrow) (M) @ Choice Scarf Trait: Insomnia
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Lonely Nature (+Atk, -Def)
- Brave Bird
- Pursuit
- Night Slash
- Superpower


I know his SR weakness is a pain, and does come back to haunt me, but if I hold him back til he's really necessary, he has great coverage and can 2HKO Chansey w/Superpower if given the chance. The EV spread+Scarf gives me 383 atk and 361 Speed, which is more than enough for most of my revenge killing needs. Insomnia blocks sleep powder set-ups and gives Honch a free switch in. Pursuit is just there to catch pokes I KNOW will flee me when I switch in, though I usually don't choose it because it guarantees that I have to switch after I use it once, with its pathetic 40 BP. I actually just realized I should change it to Adamant nature (I made up this set when I was still a beginner). People are caught off guard when they see Honch @ all in this metagame, let alone a scarfed Honch. He can easily sweep late game with Brave Bird provided steels and rocks are gone. I love my Honchkrow ^^
 
I run Sub/Roost Moxie and gotten far better results than I ever did with the 4th Gen Mixed set. Hate to say it, but Honch's niche really is Moxie.
Although, this is hardly a bad thing as Honchkrow is probably the best (read: only competent) Moxie sweeper around. Everything else either has something better to run, or just doesn't work well with it.
 
how is moxie able to take care of rhyperior?
It doesn't that's why Rhyperior is the best counter against Moxiekrow IMO as Rhyperior can basically set up on it or just outright attack it with Rock blast (I prefer rock blast as it goes through the sub variants which I find to be more effective given that sub blocks status). While even with +2 boost an adamant Moxikrow will still not be dealing much damage (since Rhyperior's weaker defense is on the special side).
 
As if MixKrow can do anything either? Superpower never Ohko's Rhyperior. And afaik that's it's most effective move against it...
 
Last gen many good players were putting HP Grass on Honchrow as a "filler move" to surprise Rhyperior (their moveset was Brave Bird/Sucker Punch/Superpower/HP Grass). Though i doubt that this would fix the main problem; sure, you KO Rhyperior, but you're still walled by steel pokes. With Moxie, of course, since it lacks Superpower.
 
Well, Moxie IS a great ability, but doesn't everyone like a crit with Sucker Punch?
Or perhaps a Spore immunity? (Which actually makes Krow one of the best Breloom counters)
And with that pesky Ferrothorn lurking around, we all love to hit it with Heat Wave RIGHT??
Yes, I use Da Krow Boss in Standard OU play.

Heat Wave - Ferrothorn, Scizor(?)
Brave Bird - Keldeo, Conkeldurr, Breloom (?), Infernape (?)
Sucker Punch/ Night Slash - Reuniculus, Jellicent
Roost for nice healing, HP Grass for... yes Rhypy

I miss 4th gen :(
 
^The idea is to use HP Grass if you predict the Rhyperior switching in, which forces it to either switch or die since Honchkrow can outspeed and KO the next turn (I assume HP Grass 2HKOs through Solid Rock).
 
Life Orb with Brave Bird / Pursuit? comes to mind, especially on weaker Pokemon.

Not sure if Sucker Punch would be a reliable STAB with Moxie, only getting 8 uses.
 

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