Murkrow
[Overview]
<p>Here in VGC, Murkrow finds a great niche with the Prankster ability, which only 6 other Pokemon get. Murkrow really stands out from the others, with its typing and movepool giving it advantages over other Prankster users. With the support moves it has, Murkrow has amazing potential to fit on nearly any team. However, Murkrow is not without its drawbacks. It has 60 / 42 / 42 defenses, meaning even with as much invested bulk as possible and an Eviolite, it won't be able to take many hits from the opposition. Its weaknesses to common spread moves in VGC, such as Discharge, Rock Slide, and Blizzard, can be a thorn in your side. This is no big problem though, as the benefits Prankster provides easily outweigh these downsides. Murkrow may seem a somewhat odd Pokemon, but when used correctly, it can wreak havoc upon the opposing team.</p>
[SET]
name: Prankster Abuse
move 1: Quash
move 2: FeatherDance
move 3: Thunder Wave / Tailwind
move 4: Protect / Taunt
item: Eviolite
nature: Calm
ability: Prankster
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Murkrow has all the right tools it needs to abuse Prankster to its fullest. Quash forces attacks such as Rock Slide and Earthquake to move last, and Murkrow is the only Prankster user to receive access to this excellent move. FeatherDance, essentially a double Intimidate, is another unique tool, lowering your opponents Attack stat by two stages. The third move can be a tough choice: Thunder Wave is very useful to cripple sweepers and prevent common speedy threats from sweeping your team, but Tailwind virtually guarantees that your team is faster than your opponent's, giving you a nice sweeping opportunity. The last move is also preferential. Protect is a staple in VGC play because it is useful on nearly anything; Protect enables Murkrow to avoid damage for a turn or Protect itself when the opponent might double target it while Murkrow's partner goes in for the KO. Taunt allows Murkrow to prevent Trick Room from being set up, ruins Amoonguss's attempts to Spore, and so on. Furthermore, Murkrow is one of the few Pokemon able to outspeed and Taunt Prankster Sableye.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and nature give Murkrow as much special bulk as possible, because most of the time, Murkrow has FeatherDance to stop physical threats from doing much damage to it. Prankster is one of the only reasons to use Murkrow, and is therefore the obvious choice. Sucker Punch or Brave Bird can be put into the set for attacking options; just change the nature from Calm to Careful. However, do note that Brave Bird's recoil can take a toll on Murkrow's longevity.</p>
<p>Steel-types, such as Metagross and Bisharp, can be useful to sponge powerful moves aimed at Murkrow. Most special attacking Trick Room Pokemon pose a threat to Murkrow, as it doesn't have many moves that can hurt them much. Some good teammates to sponge moves from these threats would include Cresselia, Bronzong, or bulky Hitmontop. Murkrow has good synergy with Garchomp because Murkrow is immune to Earthquake, meaning Garchomp can easily fireaway strong Earthquakes at will. Pokemon weak to physical attacks make good teammates to go with Murkrow, because it can support them with FeatherDance, granting its teammates many setup opportunities.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>For a special attacking option, you can run Snarl. While you lose priority in doing so, it allows Murkrow to mess with opposing special attackers. Confuse Ray is a decent choice if you feel lucky enough to use it. Perish Song is a cool option to force switches, but VGC battles are very fast-paced, making this less of an option than in standard play. Roost is another option, but Murkrow is very frail and might not be able to make much use of extra health. Focus Sash is also an option to help Murkrow with its frailty issues, but it might limit options for items on other team members, so Eviolite is usually better.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Murkrow is weak to many common spread moves, such as Rock Slide, Discharge, and Blizzard. Special attackers are good checks to Murkrow due to the fact that many aren't bothered by the tools Murkrow uses. Additionally, despite packing FeatherDance, Murkrow will likely still fall to powerful STAB Rock Slide from Pokemon such as Terrakion and Tyranitar. Mental Herb is quite annoying for Murkrow because it removes the attack drop from FeatherDance. This causes Murkrow to waste a turn, which can cost the match in VGC. Finally, due to Clear Body, Murkrow can't do much to Metagross.</p>
