Django
Started from the bottom...
Braviary
[Overview]
<p>An incredibly dangerous Pokemon in NU, Braviary is famous for being among the few Pokemon in the tier that have no hard counters. This impressive feat is achieved through a combination of a gigantic 123 base Attack, as well as a decent Speed stat that allows it to outspeed all relevant defensive Pokemon. While most of the work Braviary needs to do can be done through its powerful STAB moves, it does have an ace up its sleeve: Superpower. This differentiates Braviary from its Flying- and Normal-type cousins by giving it a very easy way to break through Rock- or Steel-types, meaning Braviary can function with much less team support than some of the other birds. It also comes with a surprising amount of bulk, especially when compared to other Pokemon with the same typing. This combination of speed, power, and bulk allows Braviary to act as either a revenge killer or a wallbreaker, depending on the user's requirements. Braviary's weakness to the seemingly omnipresent Stealth Rock does clip it's wings somewhat, but access to Roost allows it to circumvent the issue to a degree. It only wishes it had an ability more consistently useful than Defiant...</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Superpower
move 4: U-turn
item: Choice Band
ability: Defiant
nature: Jolly
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>When equipped with a Choice Band, Braviary hits like a train and, between its incredibly powerful STAB moves and Superpower, close to nothing is safe switching in. Brave Bird is Braviary's primary weapon and will maim anything that does not resist it, as well as some Pokemon that do. The amount of recoil damage can rack up very quickly though, so it should be used with caution. Return is a slightly less powerful but very useful alternative STAB move to Brave Bird, as it does not harm Braviary with recoil damage. It is very useful for certain moments when Braviary absolutely cannot take recoil damage, but it should be noted that it is easier for the opponent to take advantage of Return, primarily due to its inability to hit Ghost-types. Superpower is Braviary's not so secret weapon, and it means that even the likes of Regirock cannot safely switch in to this monster. U-turn rounds out the set and is a fantastic move for scouting what the opponent will switch into Braviary, as well as building up residual damage. This works fantastically well with entry hazards—particularly Spikes—as many of Braviary's checks are weak to them. Braviary is weak to Stealth Rock however, so U-turn's effectiveness can be severely limited if it is on the field.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is designed to outspeed all base 70 Speed Pokemon and still take advantage of Braviary's good natural bulk. The only notable Pokemon Braviary will not outspeed with this spread are maximum Speed Gardevoir and Jolly Absol. An Adamant nature can also be used with 252 Speed, primarily for the ability to 2HKO Alomomola, as well as to generally hit much harder. However, it should be noted that Adamant Braviary will be outsped by Timid Samurott and Ludicolo. Alternatively, 252 Speed EVs with Jolly can also be used to speed tie with Timid Gardevoir. If an alternative EV spread is chosen, be sure not to put the spare 4 EVs in HP, as putting them somewhere else will enable you to potentially switch into Stealth Rock four times. Braviary has very few other options for its moveset, and should almost always go with the moves listed</p>
<p>While this set is already incredibly dangerous, entry hazard support can take it to a completely different level. Garbodor and Cacturne can both provide Spikes support, while using Drain Punch and Seed Bomb respectively to deal with any Rock- or Steel-types attempting to trouble Braviary. Stealth Rock from the likes of Golem or Regirock will also always be appreciated, and Braviary can take advantage of Ground-type moves aimed at them. Being weak to Stealth Rock itself, Braviary will of course appreciate Rapid Spin support. Unfortunately, there are very few decent Rapid Spin users in NU, and those that are usable share poor defensive synergy with Braviary. Torkoal and Armaldo are still decent spinners and can remove Stealth Rock from the field, but share a Rock-type weakness with Braviary which can lead to difficulty with teambuilding. Usually it is better to pair Braviary with Pokemon that can keep Stealth Rock off the field in the first place by threatening common users of the move. Both Marowak and Torterra spring to mind for this role; Marowak in particular can break every Sturdy Stealth Rock user with Bonemerang. This set punches massive holes in opposing teams, so a Pokemon that can take advantage of those holes makes for a fantastic teammate. Swellow is one of the most potent late game sweepers when its counters have been removed and can form an effective "double-bird" strategy with Braviary. Absol and Cinccino are also in the same boat as Swellow, as they really appreciate the wallbreaking power of Braviary. Braviary with a Choice Band lacks solid counters so most of the time it is better to play around it. Wearing it down with Stealth Rock and recoil damage, then following up with priority moves from the likes of Absol or Zangoose is very effective, as is revenge killing it with Pokemon such as Rotom-S</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Superpower
move 4: U-turn
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Defiant
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Braviary possesses a fairly average Speed stat, and, because of that, it is odd to think of the eagle as an effective Choice Scarf user. However, boosting Speed is relatively uncommon in NU (outside of Choice Scarf) and thus Scarf Braviary can find an effective niche. Fast threats such as Cinccino and Zangoose are abundant, and with a Choice Scarf Braviary can outspeed and OHKO them. Brave Bird is the STAB move of choice and still hits really hard even without a boosting item. Return is an essential reliable STAB move, which is often the best choice for sweeping late game, as it has no drawbacks. Superpower is still a great move on Braviary, as it allows you to revenge kill Rock Polish Relicanth whilst also hitting Regirock and other Normal- or Flying-type resists as they switch in. U-turn completes the set by giving Braviary an excellent way to maintain momentum and rack up damage on its checks.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Maximum Speed and Attack EVs are both necessary for Choice Scarf Braviary to get its job done. The Jolly nature ensures that Braviary will outspeed Modest Exeggutor in the sun, as well as +2 Combusken, +1 Butterfree, and standard Electrode. If these threats are not particularly relevant or threatening to your team, then by all means run Adamant for the extra power. There really are no other options for Braviary, as all the other moves it can use are outclassed.</p>
<p>Choice Scarf Braviary lacks the wallbreaking power of Choice Band, and as such its life can be made much easier by entry hazards. Both Cacturne and Garbodor are excellent users of Spikes, while Golem and Regirock make good teammates to use Stealth Rock. Revenge killers need to switch in and out often and Braviary can struggle to do because of its weakness to Stealth Rock. It appreciates the absence of Stealth Rock, so Rapid Spin users such as Torkoal or Armaldo can make good teammates, or better yet Pokemon that can prevent Stealth Rock going up such as Marowak. Braviary also takes on the role of late game sweeper when it uses Choice Scarf, so teammates that can soften up the opposing team are very useful. Choice Band Emboar and Choice Specs Exeggutor are amongst the best wallbreakers in the tier and can easily force their way through another team. Countering Braviary itself is also much more doable when it holds Choice Scarf. Regirock is a fantastic response as it will not be broken even by Superpower, while Alomomola also easily beats Braviary.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Roost
item: Life Orb
ability: Defiant
nature: Jolly
evs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The new move tutors finally gave Braviary Roost, meaning it can rest its tired wings and develop a whole new dimension to the way it functions. Previously, almost all Braviary would use Choice items, but Roost gives it the flexibility to use Life Orb, which arguably makes it harder to switch into now that it can change moves. Brave Bird is still the main move Braviary will be using and can actually be used less cautiously since you can simply switch moves if the opponent brings in a Rock- or Steel-type. Return is the slightly safer, slightly weaker option, but the lack of recoil can really come in handy, considering Braviary would otherwise be taking Brave Bird and Life Orb recoil at the same time. Superpower absolutely destroys Rock- and Steel-types, and the need to predict against them drops significantly since Braviary outspeeds them. Roost is what differentiates this set from the others and allows Braviary to brush off its weakness to Stealth Rock, as well as recovering damage from Life Orb and Brave Bird recoil. Braviary forces a large number of switches anyway, so finding an opportunity to use Roost is not difficult.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is used to ensure Braviary will always outspeed base 70 Speed Pokemon while still maintaining some of its good natural bulk. The only notable Pokemon Braviary will miss out on outspeeding by not running maximum Speed are maximum Speed Gardevoir and the rare Jolly Absol. If your team is concerned about a fast Gardevoir then maximum Speed is still usable, while if you find Braviary to somehow be lacking in power, then an Adamant nature with 252 Speed EVs can be used. It should be noted that Adamant Braviary will be outsped by Ludicolo and Samurott with their respective Speed boosting natures. Life Orb Braviary hits nearly as hard as Choice Band, but the recoil damage can really add up quickly. Leftovers can be used instead for extra survivability, but the power output is really lacking. U-Turn is a good alternative to either STAB move on this set but it gets nowhere near as much utility as it does on a Choice set, since Braviary will rarely need to switch out. Substitute can also be used over Return, which will actually let Braviary stall Pokemon such as Regirock out of Stone Edges, but missing out on a reliable STAB can hurt.</p>
<p>Life Orb Braviary forces switches to no end, and, as such, it absolutely loves entry hazard support. Cacturne and Garbador again make great teammates by setting up Spikes and checking some of Braviary's checks with Seed Bomb and Drain Punch. Stealth Rock should be on almost every team, and Braviary pairs well with common users such as Regirock and Golem, being able to switch in on Ground-type moves aimed at them. Life Orb Braviary is a wallbreaker, and as such it pairs well with late game sweepers that are effective once Rock- and Steel-types have been removed. Swellow in particular springs to mind and forms an effective "double-bird" strategy with Braviary. As for specific counters, the ability to change moves really limits any potential switch-ins to Braviary. Generally you are going to have to play around Braviary, wear it down through recoil, then either revenge killing it or taking it down with priority. There are some exceptions, though. For example, Alomomola will never be 2HKOed by Adamant Life Orb Brave Bird and can easily heal itself with Wish, Protect, and Regenerator.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Braviary has a very shallow movepool, and, in almost every case, the moves listed above will be the best options to go with. It can use a combination of Sheer Force and Rock Slide, but Defiant is a much better ability for Braviary since it prevents both Luxray and Tauros from using Intimidate to check it. Retaliate could be effective on the Choice Scarf set, but Return has far more utility and is more consistent. That really is the extent of Braviary's viable options, so just stick to the sets listed.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Actual counters to Braviary are very hard to come by, particularly for the Choice Band and Life Orb sets. Rock- or Steel-types such as Regirock, Probopass, Lairon, or Bastiodon can easily switch in on Brave Bird, but have difficulty taking a Superpower. Pairing one of these with a solid way to take Fighting-type attacks, such as Musharna or Misdreavus, and then predicting around Braviary can be effective. Bulk Up Braviary also turns many of these usual checks into set up fodder, but Roar Lairon and Power Gem Probopass can deal with it. Bulky Electric-types such as Stunfisk also take on versions carrying only Brave Bird with ease. Stealth Rock is an incredibly common move, and getting it up means that any Braviary set without Roost can only come in a maximum of four times, limiting the amount it can damage a team. Additionally, wearing it down with Brave Bird and maybe even Life Orb recoil is a very effective way to deal with it. Priority users can come in handy for finishing off a weakened Braviary, particularly Mach Punch Gurdurr, Quick Attack Zangoose, and Sucker Punch Absol. Alomomola is among the best checks to Braviary, as it can take any attack bar Adamant Choice Band Brave Bird. If it does happen to run into this, then it can simply switch out to an appropriate resist and heal itself with Regenerator.</p>
Note to GP people: Bulk Up Braviary will be added to this once its onsite, so thats why I talk about Bulk Up in Checks and Counters.
[Overview]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Superpower
move 4: U-Turn
item: Choice Band
ability: Defiant
nature: Jolly
evs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Superpower
move 4: U-Turn
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Defiant
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Roost
item: Life Orb
ability: Defiant
nature: Jolly
evs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Its an eagle.
- Famed for having close to 0 hard counters in NU.
- Gigantic Attack stat and an ok Speed stat
- Combined with excellent dual STAB = death
- Differentiates from Swellow / Dodrio wth Superpower
- Also surprisingly bulky compared to its Flying-type cousins.
- Can function as both a revenge killer and wallbreaker
- Stealth Rock weakness sucks, can handle it with Roost though.
- All it needs now is an ability which is actually useful...
name: Choice Band
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Superpower
move 4: U-Turn
item: Choice Band
ability: Defiant
nature: Jolly
evs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Hits like an absolute train. Between incredibly powerful STABs and Superpower nothing is safe switching in.
- Brave Bird is Braviarys primary weapon, and will maim anything that does not resist it, and even some of those that do. The recoil can add up quickly though, so be careful when using it.
- Return is another great STAB move, and very useful for those moments when you absolutely cannot take recoil damage. Easier to spam than Brave Bird, but is less powerful and easier to take advantage of with immunities.
- Superpower is Braviarys not so secret weapon, meaning even the likes of Regirock are not safe switching in.
- U-Turn is a fantastic move for a choice Pokemon, being able to build up residual damage on its counters and wear them down. Particularly effective with entry hazards.
- 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe with Jolly is usable to outspeed all base 70 and below Pokemon, while retaining some extra bulk. The only notable benchmarks missing between this and maximum Speed is Gardevoir and Jolly Absol.
- Adamant can be used with 252 Speed however, for the ability to 2HKO Alomomola, and generally smash face. Should be noted that Adamant is outsped by Timid Samurott and Ludicolo.
- 252 Speed Jolly also usable to speed tie with Gardevoir
- Not putting 4 EVs into HP means you can switch into Stealth Rock 4 times.
- Choice Band just makes Braviary nigh on impossible to switch into.
- Entry hazard support makes this even more menacing. Cacturne or Garbador can provide Spikes support, while both can use Seed Bomb or Drain Punch to do decent damage to Rock or Steel types attempting to trouble Braviary.
- Stealth Rock from Golem or Regirock will always be appreciated, and Braviary can switch in on Ground-type attacks aimed at them.
- Rapid Spin support can always be helpful, but unfortunately the common Rapid Spin users share poor synergy with Braviary. Torkoal and Armaldo are still somewhat useful at removing Stealth Rock from the field.
- Perhaps a better option is to pair Braviary with a Pokemon that stops Stealth Rock going up in the first place, like Marowak or Torterra.
- This set punches huge holes in teams, so something to take advantage of that is useful. Swellow can sweep late game and form an effective double bird strategy.
- Absol and Cinccino love to be on the same team as this, as Braviary can easily break through walls for them.
- Actually countering this set is incredibly difficult. Most of the time it is better to play around it, wear it down with SR and recoil damage, then KO it with priority from Gurdurr or Absol, or revenge kill with something like Rotom-S
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Superpower
move 4: U-Turn
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Defiant
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Despite its average Speed stat, Braviary can still act as a great revenge killer in NU. Faster threats like Swellow and Cincicno are very popular, and Braviary can easily revenge them
- Brave Bird is the primary STAB, still hits hard even without a boosting item.
- Return is an essential reliable STAB without drawbacks, which is often the best choice for sweeping a team late game.
- Superpower is still useful, despite not possesing the same wallbreaking power. It allows you to revenge kill Rock Polish Relicanth, as well as hit Regirock and other Flying or Normal resists as they come in.
- U-Turn is fantastic for maintaining momentum.
- Maximum Speed and Attack because yeah, thats what you want.
- Jolly is needed to outspeed Modest Exeggutor in Sun, as well as +2 Combusken, +1 Butterfree and the standard Electrode. If these threats are not relevant to your team, then by all means run Adamant for the extra power.
- Other options are non existant
- Entry hazard support makes this even more menacing. Cacturne or Garbador can provide Spikes support, while both can use Seed Bomb or Drain Punch to do decent damage to Rock or Steel types attempting to trouble Braviary.
- Stealth Rock from Golem or Regirock will always be appreciated, and Braviary can switch in on Ground-type attacks aimed at them.
- Rapid Spin support can always be helpful, but unfortunately the common Rapid Spin users share poor synergy with Braviary. Torkoal and Armaldo are still somewhat useful at removing Stealth Rock from the field.
- Perhaps a better option is to pair Braviary with a Pokemon that stops Stealth Rock going up in the first place, like Marowak or Torterra.
- This set is a late game cleaner / revenge killer, so something to soften up the opposing team is good. Pokemon like Specs Exeggutor and Choice Band Emboar come to mind.
- Raichu and Sawsbuck can struggle with faster threats like Cinccino, so this can make a great partner.
- Countering this set is much easier, since it does not hit anywhere near as hard. Regirock is a fantastic response, because Choice Scarf Superpower will not break thorugh it and is very easy to take advantage of.
- Alomomola also beats it.
name: Life Orb
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Roost
item: Life Orb
ability: Defiant
nature: Jolly
evs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Braviary can finally rest its tired wings and use Roost, adding another dimension to how it is used.
- This forces loads of switches, and is even harder to switch in than a Choice Band set, since it can easily hit Rock or Steel types after they switch in.
- Brave Bird still hits hard as hell, even easier to spam now that you can change moves.
- Return is the safer, slightly less powerful option, useful for when Life Orb + Brave Bird recoil is adding up.
- Superpower destroys Rock and Steel types, and Braviary will be outspeeding them so the need to predict drops significantly.
- Roost is a great move for Braviary, allowing it to brush off that Stealth Rock weakness, as well as recover damage from Brave Bird and Life Orb. This set forces a load of switches, so finding opportunities to use it is not hard
- 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe with Jolly is usable to outspeed all base 70 and below Pokemon, while retaining some extra bulk. The only notable benchmarks missing between this and maximum Speed is Gardevoir and Jolly Absol.
- Adamant can be used with 252 Speed however, for the ability to 2HKO Alomomola, and generally smash face. Should be noted that Adamant is outsped by Timid Samurott and Ludicolo.
- 252 Speed Jolly also usable to speed tie with Gardevoir
- Life Orb hits almost as hard as Choice Band, but the recoil can spell a quick end for Braviary. Leftovers maintains survivability, but is much weaker.
- Using U-Turn over Return or Brave Bird is possible, but is no where near as effective as on a Choice set.
- Substitute is another option instead of Return, and can actually let you stall Pokemon like Regirock out of Stone Edges. Missing out on having that flawless STAB move can hurt though.
- This set in particular absolutely loves entry hazard support. Cacturne and Garbador use Spikes, and can hit Rock / Steel types with Seed Bomb and Drain Punch.
- Stealth Rock from Golem and Regirock is always nice, and they can lure Ground moves for Braviary to switch in on.
- This set punches huge holes in teams, so something to take advantage of that is useful. Swellow can sweep late game and form an effective double bird strategy.
- Specific counters are hard to come by, generally you are going to have to predict around this. Wearing it down with Stealth Rock and recoil is still a good plan, followed by revenge killing / priority.
- Sheer Force Rock Slide exists, but Defiant is better since it stops Defensive Luxray beating Braviary, as well as removing Intimidate Tauros as a check.
- Retaliate could be useful for extra powerful revenge killing.
- Not too many options, thats about it.
- Counters are very hard to come by, expecially for the Choice Band and Life Ord set.
- Regirock, Probopass, Lairon, Bastidon and other Rock / Steel types can switch in on Brave Bird, but really struggle to take Superpower. Pairing one of these with Misdreavus or Musharna and then predicting around Braivary can be effective.
- Power Gem Probopass and Roar Lairon beat Bulk Up Braviary
- Stealth Rock really clips Braviarys wings, and limits the amount of times it can come in to terrorise you.
- Wearing it down with Brave Bird recoil is also a viable strategy
- Priority can be great for beating it, particularly Mach Punch Gurdurr, Quick Attack Zangoose and Sucker Punch Absol.
- Electric types can switch into Brave Bird and most can revenge kill. Rotom-S, Zebstrika, Electabuzz etc.
- Alomomola with Regenerator can switch in on any attack, and if it happens to be Adamant Choice Band Brave Bird it can then switch out to the appropriate resist.
- In a pinch Drifblim can take a Brave Bird, while taking nothing from any of Braviarys other attacks.