[OVERVIEW]
Noivern is the fastest Dragon-type in the tier and has strong attacks backed by an adequate Special Attack stat that hit a large majority of the tier for neutral damage. Noivern is not particularly frail for such a fast Pokemon either, and it has a useful defensive typing as well as access to Roost, which let it check offensive Pokemon such as Shaymin, Emboar, Heracross, and Araquanid. However, Draco Meteor and Hurricane have high drawbacks in reducing power and having shaky accuracy, and Noivern's only passable strength means it can rarely afford to use its more accurate and safe STAB moves, leading to it struggling to break down bulkier foes. Having a Stealth Rock weakness hinders Noivern as well, as it often switches around. Noivern also competes with various other fast Pokemon that can threaten offensive teams, such as Swellow, Jolteon, and Sneasel, which have safer or more spammable attacks that offer more consistent damage.
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Hurricane
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Roost
item: Life Orb
ability: Infiltrator / Frisk
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Draco Meteor is Noivern's strongest STAB move and most powerful attack, putting a significant dent in most Pokemon that do not resist it; however, it does harshly lower Noivern's Special Attack after use. Hurricane is Noivern's next best STAB move, allowing it to dish out good damage without weakening itself, and it can threaten to OHKO Shaymin and non-Assault Vest Araquanid. Flamethrower hits Steel-types such as Doublade, Bronzong, and Escavalier and is an easy way to pick off Durant and weakened Grass-types. Roost keeps Noivern healthy despite Life Orb recoil and general damage, increasing its longevity. It also temporarily removes Noivern's Flying typing, which can be useful to heal up on the likes of Virizion's Stone Edge and Emboar's Wild Charge.
Focus Blast is an option for Rock-types such as Rhyperior and Gigalith as well as putting more pressure on specially defensive Pokemon such as Umbreon, Snorlax, Porygon2, and Registeel. However, Focus Blast misses out on the 2HKO on those Pokemon without prior damage and leaves Noivern with no accurate attack nor a way to threaten Doublade.
Set Details
========
Noivern favors a straightforward spread of maximum Special Attack and Speed investment to optimize its offensive capability. The remaining EVs go into Special Defense to prevent Porygon2 from getting a Special Attack boost from Download, though this is more beneficial for Noivern's teammates than itself, as Noivern gets OHKOed by Ice Beam regardless. A Timid nature is essential, as Noivern would not outspeed the likes of Virizion, Salazzle, and Choice Scarf Emboar otherwise as well as fail to Speed tie with opposing Noivern. Life Orb significantly strengthens Noivern's attacks while giving it the freedom to switch moves as well as use Roost. Infiltrator allows Noivern to hit foes behind a Substitute, which works out very well for it, since the foe would already have lost some of its health beforehand, likely making it easier for Noivern to KO. Frisk can scout the foe's item, which can be useful for revealing foes' Choice items and surprise Z-Moves, making them easier to play around.
Usage Tips
========
Noivern usually aims to OHKO slower frail Pokemon, but its useful resistances, decent bulk, and access to Roost mean that it can occasionally function as an offensive pivot. Noivern can threaten out slower offensive Pokemon such as Flygon, Heracross, Salazzle, and Durant as well as offensively check the likes of Emboar, Shaymin, Virizion, and Araquanid with the aid of Roost. While Draco Meteor is powerful, one should be wary of any Fairy-types or Pokemon that can set up with ease on a -2 Noivern. Hurricane can be a good move to throw out in uncertain situations like these, especially since Hurricane followed by Draco Meteor deals the most damage against slower neutral switch-ins. If the opponent has Pokemon that can take both of Noivern's STAB moves, double switching may be necessary unless Noivern can take them down on the switch with its coverage moves.
Team Options
========
Since Noivern has a hit-and-run like playstyle, Pokemon that can prevent or remove Stealth Rock become important partners to allow Noivern to preserve its longevity and spend more time attacking than using Roost. Espeon is favored as a more offensive form of hazard control that can help Noivern pressure teams further; however, Espeon is very frail and bears a Pursuit weakness, so its longevity can be expected to be quite poor. Cryogonal, Donphan, Dhelmise, and Hitmontop are examples of Rapid Spin users that can pair decently with Noivern. Cryogonal has longevity and can guard Noivern against Ice-type moves and most bulky Fairy-types as well as take on a popular Stealth Rock setter in Nidoqueen, while the latter three can switch into the bulky Rock-types that set up Stealth Rock and sponge Noivern's hits, and Hitmontop even has access to Foresight to help guarantee a spin. However, it should be noted that all of them share a weakness with Noivern, be it Rock, Ice, or Fairy. Gligar and Mantine can use Defog and have decent longevity, although they tend to forfeit a lot of offensive momentum.
In terms of offensive partners that can help break down Pokemon that Noivern can't, Pokemon that have decent defensive synergy with Noivern, such as Nidoqueen, Durant, Escavalier, and Doublade, are among the most appealing; they can switch into most of Noivern's weaknesses and vice versa. They can all threaten Fairy- and Rock-types, and Nidoqueen can set up Stealth Rock whereas the Steel-types can threaten most specially defensive Pokemon such as Cresselia, Snorlax, and Porygon2 as well as Umbreon in Durant and Escavalier's case. Powerful physical attackers such as Emboar, Heracross, Bruxish, Mega Glalie, Choice Band Snorlax, Choice Band Rhyperior, and Araquanid can break down Pokemon that give Noivern issues.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Taunt is an option to let Noivern stallbreak, but Noivern tends to struggle actually pressuring most specially defensive Pokemon on its own without being forced to use Roost a lot and waste Taunt turns, so it's more effective to deny the foe's recovery and let a teammate handle the situation. With that said, Noivern can find it tough to find a moveslot for it. U-turn allows Noivern to gain momentum against bulky switch-ins and pivot into its wallbreaking teammates, although Noivern would be reluctant to sacrifice coverage and incur unnecessary Life Orb recoil for it. Noivern also has access to Switcheroo, which may make Choice Specs an interesting choice, but the inability to switch moves and access its coverage makes it overshadowed by Swellow in this regard. Noivern may use a bulkier set with Taunt + Super Fang to fare better against bulky Pokemon while still efficiently checking Pokemon like Emboar, Heracross, Shaymin, Virizion, and Araquanid with Air Slash; however, this heavily squanders Noivern's matchup against offense. Dragon Pulse is an option over Draco Meteor for a more reliable STAB move, but Draco Meteor's raw damage output combined with the few number of Pokemon that resist it as well as the huge damage disparity between the two makes it not worth giving up Draco Meteor. Boomburst may be appealing for those who want a spammable drawback-free move for Noivern to work with, but Swellow is a far better user of it. Noivern has the Speed and bulk to be a mildly effective user of Tailwind, though Noivern finds it difficult to replace one of its moves for it, as Tailwind tends to not be overall effective enough to warrant it at times. Noivern has access to Bloom Doom for Solar Beam and Iron Tail, which can sting Diancie, but neither actually OHKOes Diancie, and both are better replaced with more generally useful moves.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Draco Meteor's Special Attack drop and the inaccuracy of Hurricane and Focus Blast mean that Noivern can have a tough time bringing down foes with repeated hits, especially against those that can heal themselves. Florges, Cresselia, Porygon2, Bronzong, Mantine, Snorlax, and Umbreon are all examples of Pokemon with enough bulk to sponge Noivern's blows and heal back up while threatening to status or outdamage Noivern over time. However, they should be slightly cautious of the occasional Taunt or Super Fang, while the Fighting-weak bulky Pokemon risk getting downed by two consecutive Focus Blasts if they aren't careful on the switch.
**Rock-type Pokemon**: Diancie is the most solid offensive Noivern answer, taking next to nothing from its attacks. Gigalith is not 2HKOed by Focus Blast, and Noivern still has to contend with the dismal accuracy. Rhyperior cannot switch into Focus Blast and has a slight chance to be 2HKOed by Draco Meteor, but it still functions as a decent check. Aerodactyl can switch into anything but Draco Meteor and threaten to revenge kill Noivern.
**Ice-type Pokemon**: While none of the offensive Ice-types can switch in, Mega Glalie, Sneasel, Abomasnow, and Piloswine can all snipe down Noivern with ease using Ice Shard. Noivern is also threatened out by the occasional bulky Ice-types, such as Cryogonal or Regice.
**Faster Pokemon**: Although Noivern isn't very frail, several faster Pokemon have the power or coverage to take Noivern down. Pokemon such as Swellow, Hidden Power Ice Jolteon, and Aerodactyl can pick off Noivern with ease. Choice Scarf users such as Gardevoir, Flygon, and Tyrantrum can destroy Noivern with their super effective STAB moves. Weather sweepers such as Kingdra, Omastar, Ludicolo, Kabutops, and Alolan Sandslash can all tear Noivern apart, although Noivern is relatively safe from Sun sweepers. Noivern is also susceptible to Comfey's Draining Kiss, especially if it is Calm Mind-boosted.
Noivern is the fastest Dragon-type in the tier and has strong attacks backed by an adequate Special Attack stat that hit a large majority of the tier for neutral damage. Noivern is not particularly frail for such a fast Pokemon either, and it has a useful defensive typing as well as access to Roost, which let it check offensive Pokemon such as Shaymin, Emboar, Heracross, and Araquanid. However, Draco Meteor and Hurricane have high drawbacks in reducing power and having shaky accuracy, and Noivern's only passable strength means it can rarely afford to use its more accurate and safe STAB moves, leading to it struggling to break down bulkier foes. Having a Stealth Rock weakness hinders Noivern as well, as it often switches around. Noivern also competes with various other fast Pokemon that can threaten offensive teams, such as Swellow, Jolteon, and Sneasel, which have safer or more spammable attacks that offer more consistent damage.
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Hurricane
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Roost
item: Life Orb
ability: Infiltrator / Frisk
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Draco Meteor is Noivern's strongest STAB move and most powerful attack, putting a significant dent in most Pokemon that do not resist it; however, it does harshly lower Noivern's Special Attack after use. Hurricane is Noivern's next best STAB move, allowing it to dish out good damage without weakening itself, and it can threaten to OHKO Shaymin and non-Assault Vest Araquanid. Flamethrower hits Steel-types such as Doublade, Bronzong, and Escavalier and is an easy way to pick off Durant and weakened Grass-types. Roost keeps Noivern healthy despite Life Orb recoil and general damage, increasing its longevity. It also temporarily removes Noivern's Flying typing, which can be useful to heal up on the likes of Virizion's Stone Edge and Emboar's Wild Charge.
Focus Blast is an option for Rock-types such as Rhyperior and Gigalith as well as putting more pressure on specially defensive Pokemon such as Umbreon, Snorlax, Porygon2, and Registeel. However, Focus Blast misses out on the 2HKO on those Pokemon without prior damage and leaves Noivern with no accurate attack nor a way to threaten Doublade.
Set Details
========
Noivern favors a straightforward spread of maximum Special Attack and Speed investment to optimize its offensive capability. The remaining EVs go into Special Defense to prevent Porygon2 from getting a Special Attack boost from Download, though this is more beneficial for Noivern's teammates than itself, as Noivern gets OHKOed by Ice Beam regardless. A Timid nature is essential, as Noivern would not outspeed the likes of Virizion, Salazzle, and Choice Scarf Emboar otherwise as well as fail to Speed tie with opposing Noivern. Life Orb significantly strengthens Noivern's attacks while giving it the freedom to switch moves as well as use Roost. Infiltrator allows Noivern to hit foes behind a Substitute, which works out very well for it, since the foe would already have lost some of its health beforehand, likely making it easier for Noivern to KO. Frisk can scout the foe's item, which can be useful for revealing foes' Choice items and surprise Z-Moves, making them easier to play around.
Usage Tips
========
Noivern usually aims to OHKO slower frail Pokemon, but its useful resistances, decent bulk, and access to Roost mean that it can occasionally function as an offensive pivot. Noivern can threaten out slower offensive Pokemon such as Flygon, Heracross, Salazzle, and Durant as well as offensively check the likes of Emboar, Shaymin, Virizion, and Araquanid with the aid of Roost. While Draco Meteor is powerful, one should be wary of any Fairy-types or Pokemon that can set up with ease on a -2 Noivern. Hurricane can be a good move to throw out in uncertain situations like these, especially since Hurricane followed by Draco Meteor deals the most damage against slower neutral switch-ins. If the opponent has Pokemon that can take both of Noivern's STAB moves, double switching may be necessary unless Noivern can take them down on the switch with its coverage moves.
Team Options
========
Since Noivern has a hit-and-run like playstyle, Pokemon that can prevent or remove Stealth Rock become important partners to allow Noivern to preserve its longevity and spend more time attacking than using Roost. Espeon is favored as a more offensive form of hazard control that can help Noivern pressure teams further; however, Espeon is very frail and bears a Pursuit weakness, so its longevity can be expected to be quite poor. Cryogonal, Donphan, Dhelmise, and Hitmontop are examples of Rapid Spin users that can pair decently with Noivern. Cryogonal has longevity and can guard Noivern against Ice-type moves and most bulky Fairy-types as well as take on a popular Stealth Rock setter in Nidoqueen, while the latter three can switch into the bulky Rock-types that set up Stealth Rock and sponge Noivern's hits, and Hitmontop even has access to Foresight to help guarantee a spin. However, it should be noted that all of them share a weakness with Noivern, be it Rock, Ice, or Fairy. Gligar and Mantine can use Defog and have decent longevity, although they tend to forfeit a lot of offensive momentum.
In terms of offensive partners that can help break down Pokemon that Noivern can't, Pokemon that have decent defensive synergy with Noivern, such as Nidoqueen, Durant, Escavalier, and Doublade, are among the most appealing; they can switch into most of Noivern's weaknesses and vice versa. They can all threaten Fairy- and Rock-types, and Nidoqueen can set up Stealth Rock whereas the Steel-types can threaten most specially defensive Pokemon such as Cresselia, Snorlax, and Porygon2 as well as Umbreon in Durant and Escavalier's case. Powerful physical attackers such as Emboar, Heracross, Bruxish, Mega Glalie, Choice Band Snorlax, Choice Band Rhyperior, and Araquanid can break down Pokemon that give Noivern issues.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Taunt is an option to let Noivern stallbreak, but Noivern tends to struggle actually pressuring most specially defensive Pokemon on its own without being forced to use Roost a lot and waste Taunt turns, so it's more effective to deny the foe's recovery and let a teammate handle the situation. With that said, Noivern can find it tough to find a moveslot for it. U-turn allows Noivern to gain momentum against bulky switch-ins and pivot into its wallbreaking teammates, although Noivern would be reluctant to sacrifice coverage and incur unnecessary Life Orb recoil for it. Noivern also has access to Switcheroo, which may make Choice Specs an interesting choice, but the inability to switch moves and access its coverage makes it overshadowed by Swellow in this regard. Noivern may use a bulkier set with Taunt + Super Fang to fare better against bulky Pokemon while still efficiently checking Pokemon like Emboar, Heracross, Shaymin, Virizion, and Araquanid with Air Slash; however, this heavily squanders Noivern's matchup against offense. Dragon Pulse is an option over Draco Meteor for a more reliable STAB move, but Draco Meteor's raw damage output combined with the few number of Pokemon that resist it as well as the huge damage disparity between the two makes it not worth giving up Draco Meteor. Boomburst may be appealing for those who want a spammable drawback-free move for Noivern to work with, but Swellow is a far better user of it. Noivern has the Speed and bulk to be a mildly effective user of Tailwind, though Noivern finds it difficult to replace one of its moves for it, as Tailwind tends to not be overall effective enough to warrant it at times. Noivern has access to Bloom Doom for Solar Beam and Iron Tail, which can sting Diancie, but neither actually OHKOes Diancie, and both are better replaced with more generally useful moves.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Draco Meteor's Special Attack drop and the inaccuracy of Hurricane and Focus Blast mean that Noivern can have a tough time bringing down foes with repeated hits, especially against those that can heal themselves. Florges, Cresselia, Porygon2, Bronzong, Mantine, Snorlax, and Umbreon are all examples of Pokemon with enough bulk to sponge Noivern's blows and heal back up while threatening to status or outdamage Noivern over time. However, they should be slightly cautious of the occasional Taunt or Super Fang, while the Fighting-weak bulky Pokemon risk getting downed by two consecutive Focus Blasts if they aren't careful on the switch.
**Rock-type Pokemon**: Diancie is the most solid offensive Noivern answer, taking next to nothing from its attacks. Gigalith is not 2HKOed by Focus Blast, and Noivern still has to contend with the dismal accuracy. Rhyperior cannot switch into Focus Blast and has a slight chance to be 2HKOed by Draco Meteor, but it still functions as a decent check. Aerodactyl can switch into anything but Draco Meteor and threaten to revenge kill Noivern.
**Ice-type Pokemon**: While none of the offensive Ice-types can switch in, Mega Glalie, Sneasel, Abomasnow, and Piloswine can all snipe down Noivern with ease using Ice Shard. Noivern is also threatened out by the occasional bulky Ice-types, such as Cryogonal or Regice.
**Faster Pokemon**: Although Noivern isn't very frail, several faster Pokemon have the power or coverage to take Noivern down. Pokemon such as Swellow, Hidden Power Ice Jolteon, and Aerodactyl can pick off Noivern with ease. Choice Scarf users such as Gardevoir, Flygon, and Tyrantrum can destroy Noivern with their super effective STAB moves. Weather sweepers such as Kingdra, Omastar, Ludicolo, Kabutops, and Alolan Sandslash can all tear Noivern apart, although Noivern is relatively safe from Sun sweepers. Noivern is also susceptible to Comfey's Draining Kiss, especially if it is Calm Mind-boosted.
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