marilli
With you
[Overview]
<p>Dodrio is average as a Flying-type goes. Its physical options are limited to a whopping 4 types, and all of them leave it hopelessly walled by Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon. It is too frail to abuse Taunt effectively, while the Stealth Rock weakness and Brave Bird recoil only compounds the problem. Granted, Dodrio’s base 100 Speed and 110 Attack allows it to dole out serious pain with Brave Bird after its counters are removed, but so can myriad of other Normal- and Flying-types. The bottom line is, don’t expect Dodrio to do too much.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Pursuit / Toxic
item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set has a very deep strategy: Brave Bird until Dodrio dies, the opponent dies, or a Rock-type shows up. Brave Bird and Return are obligatory dual STABs that make the most of Dodrio’s puny movepool. STAB Quick Attack, especially with the Choice Band boost, is surprisingly strong and can come in handy for revenge killing Sharpedo and other speedy threats. Pursuit can kill Cryogonal, Rotom, and other physically frail threats that switch out in fear of a Brave Bird. However, Pursuit from a Choice Scarf Dodrio is depressingly weak, so Toxic is an option to slowly wear down Rock-type Pokemon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Band is often the superior item choice; it allows Dodrio to hit excruciatingly hard with Brave Bird, and Quick Attack will often be enough for revenge killing purposes. Still, Choice Scarf allows Dodrio to outspeed most of the metagame and function as an effective revenge killer. The EVs and nature emphasize Attack and Speed, Dodrio’s two standout traits. Make sure the remaining 4 EVs don’t go into HP, as otherwise Dodrio will not be able to switch into Stealth Rock four times.</p>
<p>Dodrio requires a healthy amount of support in order to be a viable option. As with every Stealth Rock weak Pokemon, Dodrio appreciates Rapid Spin support from the likes of Claydol. Claydol also happens to be a solid switch-in to likes of Aggron, Steelix, and Rhydon. As Dodrio is helpless against Steel- and Rock-types, Dugtrio and Magneton can be helpful teammates; Magneton is especially notable, as it resists all of Dodrio’s weaknesses and lures in Earthquakes for Dodrio to safely switch in. Dodrio can also utilize Baton Pass in his Choice Band set—a strategy known as dry passing. Even with no boosts to pass, Dodrio’s Baton Pass acts as a safe scouting move when a Rock-type switch-in is highly probable. However, this requires the sacrifice of Brave Bird, Dodrio’s strongest Flying-type STAB, so you would have to be content with the weaker power of Drill Peck instead.</p>
[SET]
name: Utility Attacker
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Roost
move 4: Taunt / Toxic
item: Life Orb / Sharp Beak
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Dodrio is one of the few Flying-types with access to Taunt, and although it certainly does not have the ideal bulk for the move, it does have the speed. Taunt and Roost let Dodrio beat otherwise troublesome physical walls such as Gligar and Cofagrigus. Once again, Brave Bird is the attacking move of choice due to its high Base Power. As Dodrio lacks many other options, Return is listed as a recoil-free STAB move that can hit Electric-types. The struggle to stay alive with Taunt and Roost may seem pointless, but this Dodrio is significantly easier to use, as it can deny game-changing setup from the likes of SubPunch Aggron and Shell Smash Omastar. Many Pokemon salivate at the prospect of setting up on Choiced attacks, and sacrificing Dodrio's life for the game is far more desirable than getting swept by an Omastar. If you dislike Taunt on such a frail Pokemon, Toxic is an option over Taunt to combat physical walls — with Toxic, Dodrio can cripple the predictable Gligar or Rhydon switch-in with little risk.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and Nature are again self explanatory. Life Orb is the preferred item for its significant power boost, but Sharp Beak can be used if you do not desire strong recoil on Brave Bird. Even with the increased damage from Life Orb, Dodrio will still be hard countered by Rock- and Steel-types. However, this set is not completely helpless against them. Dodrio can Taunt Steelix and Omastar to prevent hazards, though this is a risky proposition. Toxic will wear down Rock-types such as Rhydon and Omastar, and will allow another Flying-type to clean up afterward. Dodrio can act as an effective stallbreaker thanks to Taunt, and any stall team without a Rock- or Steel-type will have a hard time beating this this set. Still, beware of Dodrio’s paltry bulk; Uxie’s Psychic or Qwilfish’s Waterfall chips away half of Dodrio’s health, and attempting to stall them out is the equivalent of begging for a critical hit. Rapid Spin support from Claydol or Hitmonchan helps significantly, as this Dodrio aims to stay around longer at the cost of a weaker Brave Bird.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>You may expect that Dodrio has multiple options as a Normal-type, but you would be sadly mistaken. Its special options are limited to Hidden Power, Tri Attack, and the legendary Mud Slap; none of them are viable thanks to Dodrio’s pathetic Special Attack stat. Other than its STABs, its strongest physical moves include Faint Attack and Steel Wing. Steel Wing is indeed its strongest move against Rhydon, mustering a 3HKO against Eviolite Rhydon assuming Choice Band, but is otherwise a bad idea. As for supporting options, Dodrio has access to Accupressure, Agility, and Baton Pass, allowing it to pass a random +2 boost in any stat or a consistent +2 boost in Speed. However, Accupressure is gimmicky in nature, and has a tendency to boost the most useless stat in any given circumstance; unless Lady Luck is your acquaintance, Baton Passing Accupressure is a high risk and low reward strategy.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>As repeated throughout this analysis, Dodrio is walled by Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon. Steelix, Aggron, and Rhydon can take hits from Dodrio until the cows come home, and they can either limit Dodrio’s switches with Stealth Rock or simply blast Dodrio into next week with a super effective STAB move. Physical walls such as Gligar, Alomomola, and Cofagrigus can status Dodrio and stall out its Brave Bird. However, these walls need to watch out for Taunt, since they are incapable of dealing much damage to Dodrio.</p>
<p>Dodrio can threaten to trample over your team should it lack a Flying-type resist. However, Dodrio is weak to Stealth Rock and has pathetic defenses; anything that can outspeed Dodrio should not have a difficult time OHKOing it. Even if Dodrio happens to outspeed your entire party, do not fear; Brave Bird’s massive recoil should kill off Dodrio after a few attacks, ensuring that no matter how bad you are, Dodrio will never 6-0 you.</p>
<p>Dodrio is average as a Flying-type goes. Its physical options are limited to a whopping 4 types, and all of them leave it hopelessly walled by Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon. It is too frail to abuse Taunt effectively, while the Stealth Rock weakness and Brave Bird recoil only compounds the problem. Granted, Dodrio’s base 100 Speed and 110 Attack allows it to dole out serious pain with Brave Bird after its counters are removed, but so can myriad of other Normal- and Flying-types. The bottom line is, don’t expect Dodrio to do too much.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Pursuit / Toxic
item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set has a very deep strategy: Brave Bird until Dodrio dies, the opponent dies, or a Rock-type shows up. Brave Bird and Return are obligatory dual STABs that make the most of Dodrio’s puny movepool. STAB Quick Attack, especially with the Choice Band boost, is surprisingly strong and can come in handy for revenge killing Sharpedo and other speedy threats. Pursuit can kill Cryogonal, Rotom, and other physically frail threats that switch out in fear of a Brave Bird. However, Pursuit from a Choice Scarf Dodrio is depressingly weak, so Toxic is an option to slowly wear down Rock-type Pokemon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Band is often the superior item choice; it allows Dodrio to hit excruciatingly hard with Brave Bird, and Quick Attack will often be enough for revenge killing purposes. Still, Choice Scarf allows Dodrio to outspeed most of the metagame and function as an effective revenge killer. The EVs and nature emphasize Attack and Speed, Dodrio’s two standout traits. Make sure the remaining 4 EVs don’t go into HP, as otherwise Dodrio will not be able to switch into Stealth Rock four times.</p>
<p>Dodrio requires a healthy amount of support in order to be a viable option. As with every Stealth Rock weak Pokemon, Dodrio appreciates Rapid Spin support from the likes of Claydol. Claydol also happens to be a solid switch-in to likes of Aggron, Steelix, and Rhydon. As Dodrio is helpless against Steel- and Rock-types, Dugtrio and Magneton can be helpful teammates; Magneton is especially notable, as it resists all of Dodrio’s weaknesses and lures in Earthquakes for Dodrio to safely switch in. Dodrio can also utilize Baton Pass in his Choice Band set—a strategy known as dry passing. Even with no boosts to pass, Dodrio’s Baton Pass acts as a safe scouting move when a Rock-type switch-in is highly probable. However, this requires the sacrifice of Brave Bird, Dodrio’s strongest Flying-type STAB, so you would have to be content with the weaker power of Drill Peck instead.</p>
[SET]
name: Utility Attacker
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Roost
move 4: Taunt / Toxic
item: Life Orb / Sharp Beak
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Dodrio is one of the few Flying-types with access to Taunt, and although it certainly does not have the ideal bulk for the move, it does have the speed. Taunt and Roost let Dodrio beat otherwise troublesome physical walls such as Gligar and Cofagrigus. Once again, Brave Bird is the attacking move of choice due to its high Base Power. As Dodrio lacks many other options, Return is listed as a recoil-free STAB move that can hit Electric-types. The struggle to stay alive with Taunt and Roost may seem pointless, but this Dodrio is significantly easier to use, as it can deny game-changing setup from the likes of SubPunch Aggron and Shell Smash Omastar. Many Pokemon salivate at the prospect of setting up on Choiced attacks, and sacrificing Dodrio's life for the game is far more desirable than getting swept by an Omastar. If you dislike Taunt on such a frail Pokemon, Toxic is an option over Taunt to combat physical walls — with Toxic, Dodrio can cripple the predictable Gligar or Rhydon switch-in with little risk.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs and Nature are again self explanatory. Life Orb is the preferred item for its significant power boost, but Sharp Beak can be used if you do not desire strong recoil on Brave Bird. Even with the increased damage from Life Orb, Dodrio will still be hard countered by Rock- and Steel-types. However, this set is not completely helpless against them. Dodrio can Taunt Steelix and Omastar to prevent hazards, though this is a risky proposition. Toxic will wear down Rock-types such as Rhydon and Omastar, and will allow another Flying-type to clean up afterward. Dodrio can act as an effective stallbreaker thanks to Taunt, and any stall team without a Rock- or Steel-type will have a hard time beating this this set. Still, beware of Dodrio’s paltry bulk; Uxie’s Psychic or Qwilfish’s Waterfall chips away half of Dodrio’s health, and attempting to stall them out is the equivalent of begging for a critical hit. Rapid Spin support from Claydol or Hitmonchan helps significantly, as this Dodrio aims to stay around longer at the cost of a weaker Brave Bird.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>You may expect that Dodrio has multiple options as a Normal-type, but you would be sadly mistaken. Its special options are limited to Hidden Power, Tri Attack, and the legendary Mud Slap; none of them are viable thanks to Dodrio’s pathetic Special Attack stat. Other than its STABs, its strongest physical moves include Faint Attack and Steel Wing. Steel Wing is indeed its strongest move against Rhydon, mustering a 3HKO against Eviolite Rhydon assuming Choice Band, but is otherwise a bad idea. As for supporting options, Dodrio has access to Accupressure, Agility, and Baton Pass, allowing it to pass a random +2 boost in any stat or a consistent +2 boost in Speed. However, Accupressure is gimmicky in nature, and has a tendency to boost the most useless stat in any given circumstance; unless Lady Luck is your acquaintance, Baton Passing Accupressure is a high risk and low reward strategy.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>As repeated throughout this analysis, Dodrio is walled by Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon. Steelix, Aggron, and Rhydon can take hits from Dodrio until the cows come home, and they can either limit Dodrio’s switches with Stealth Rock or simply blast Dodrio into next week with a super effective STAB move. Physical walls such as Gligar, Alomomola, and Cofagrigus can status Dodrio and stall out its Brave Bird. However, these walls need to watch out for Taunt, since they are incapable of dealing much damage to Dodrio.</p>
<p>Dodrio can threaten to trample over your team should it lack a Flying-type resist. However, Dodrio is weak to Stealth Rock and has pathetic defenses; anything that can outspeed Dodrio should not have a difficult time OHKOing it. Even if Dodrio happens to outspeed your entire party, do not fear; Brave Bird’s massive recoil should kill off Dodrio after a few attacks, ensuring that no matter how bad you are, Dodrio will never 6-0 you.</p>
Them birds
[Overview]
• Bird types
• Spam Brave Bird until it dies, the opponent dies, or a steel-type comes in
• Receives competiton from Braviary and other bird-types
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Pursuit / Toxic
item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
• Hi. I’m Dodrio. And I spam Brave Birds.
• Dual-STAB because he doesn’t have options. At least Brave Bird hits hard
• Pursuit is there for hitting physically frail things that switch out in fear of brave bird
• Scarf Pursuit is depressingly weak, though so it's understandable running Toxic or other move instead.
• Quick Attack is strong priority for revenging Sharpedo and stuff
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
• Simple 252/252 spread, no HP because otherwise it’s divisible by 4 which sucks. Not that it matters anyway with recoil damage.
• Early bird gives a significant chance at a 1-turn sleep or even 0-turn sleep so if you're into rng's then you can switch into sleep powders and hope for the best.
• Weak to SR and spinning is appreciated
• Band is better because only thing that prevents Braviary from running band is its subpar speed. Base 100 isn’t a terrible speed to run Choice Band.
• Scarf is pretty darn fast, though. But kinda weak, too.
• Appreciates hazards, appreciates something to combat Aggron, Steelix & co.
[SET]
name: Utility Attacker
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Roost
move 4: Taunt
item: Life Orb / Sharp Beak
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
• Taunt+Roost lets it beat otherwise troublesome mons such as Alomomola, Gligar, Ferroseed (idk how much he does back?), etc.
• Brave Bird is again the attacking move of choice due to high power. Return because. QA is viable, i guess, to bypass sucker punchers but sharp beaked qa is possibly the weakest attack you've ever seen from a mon as frail as dodrio (doesn't 2hko Honchkrow after rocks).
• Dodrio's pretty darn frail so Taunt and Roost is truly limited to stallbreaking
• Easier to use than the first set: the opponent can easily put the band set in an awkward position by saving his shell smash Omastar or the like until Dodrio gets a kill. B/c offensive Omastar isn't his defensive response, it's going to be hard to remove it via Dugtrio or whatever. Prevents game winning sweeps & setups, etc. at the cost of some power.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
• Life Orb > Sharp Beak, according to Nails during an irc discussion, and changed accordingly. idk but w/e
• Can prevent set-up by Rockmons, though it's rather precarious.
• Takes half from Uxie & Qwilfish, and other defensive mons, so you can shut them down but needs good prediction. They have a hard time switching in, actually, so you can still break through with good play
• Still unable to get past Steelix, Aggron & co. so help is needed.
[Other Options]
• The given sets literally have all of Dodrio’s competitive movepool
• Accupressure Baton Passing is its other ‘niche’ but that kinda sucks
• Dry Passing on Choice set is OK, but requires the sacrifice of Brave Bird.
[Checks and Counters]
• SR
• Steel-types, Rock-types, or even both!
• Anything faster
• Priority
• Recoil
• Super bulky stuff, Ghosts with Will-O-Wisp. These generally need to watch out for the Taunt set.
[Overview]
• Bird types
• Spam Brave Bird until it dies, the opponent dies, or a steel-type comes in
• Receives competiton from Braviary and other bird-types
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Pursuit / Toxic
item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
• Hi. I’m Dodrio. And I spam Brave Birds.
• Dual-STAB because he doesn’t have options. At least Brave Bird hits hard
• Pursuit is there for hitting physically frail things that switch out in fear of brave bird
• Scarf Pursuit is depressingly weak, though so it's understandable running Toxic or other move instead.
• Quick Attack is strong priority for revenging Sharpedo and stuff
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
• Simple 252/252 spread, no HP because otherwise it’s divisible by 4 which sucks. Not that it matters anyway with recoil damage.
• Early bird gives a significant chance at a 1-turn sleep or even 0-turn sleep so if you're into rng's then you can switch into sleep powders and hope for the best.
• Weak to SR and spinning is appreciated
• Band is better because only thing that prevents Braviary from running band is its subpar speed. Base 100 isn’t a terrible speed to run Choice Band.
• Scarf is pretty darn fast, though. But kinda weak, too.
• Appreciates hazards, appreciates something to combat Aggron, Steelix & co.
[SET]
name: Utility Attacker
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Roost
move 4: Taunt
item: Life Orb / Sharp Beak
ability: Early Bird
nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
• Taunt+Roost lets it beat otherwise troublesome mons such as Alomomola, Gligar, Ferroseed (idk how much he does back?), etc.
• Brave Bird is again the attacking move of choice due to high power. Return because. QA is viable, i guess, to bypass sucker punchers but sharp beaked qa is possibly the weakest attack you've ever seen from a mon as frail as dodrio (doesn't 2hko Honchkrow after rocks).
• Dodrio's pretty darn frail so Taunt and Roost is truly limited to stallbreaking
• Easier to use than the first set: the opponent can easily put the band set in an awkward position by saving his shell smash Omastar or the like until Dodrio gets a kill. B/c offensive Omastar isn't his defensive response, it's going to be hard to remove it via Dugtrio or whatever. Prevents game winning sweeps & setups, etc. at the cost of some power.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
• Life Orb > Sharp Beak, according to Nails during an irc discussion, and changed accordingly. idk but w/e
• Can prevent set-up by Rockmons, though it's rather precarious.
• Takes half from Uxie & Qwilfish, and other defensive mons, so you can shut them down but needs good prediction. They have a hard time switching in, actually, so you can still break through with good play
• Still unable to get past Steelix, Aggron & co. so help is needed.
[Other Options]
• The given sets literally have all of Dodrio’s competitive movepool
• Accupressure Baton Passing is its other ‘niche’ but that kinda sucks
• Dry Passing on Choice set is OK, but requires the sacrifice of Brave Bird.
[Checks and Counters]
• SR
• Steel-types, Rock-types, or even both!
• Anything faster
• Priority
• Recoil
• Super bulky stuff, Ghosts with Will-O-Wisp. These generally need to watch out for the Taunt set.