Overview
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When looking at Noivern, the first thing one notices is its incredible Speed stat, which separates it from other, slower Dragon-types. In addition, it has access to two powerful STAB moves in Draco Meteor and Hurricane, as well as access to Switcheroo and U-turn, which gives it a small niche over other Dragon-types. Unfortunately, Noivern's Speed is its only great stat; all of its other stats are mediocre. Its highest offensive stat, Special Attack, is only an average base 97. Noivern also has a poor defensive typing, being weak to Stealth Rock and common Ice-type attacks. This combined with Noivern's poor bulk means it is prone to being worn down very quickly, and its coverage moves in general have shaky accuracy. This seemingly gives little reason to use it over other Dragon-types, such as Latios, which boasts much higher Special Attack, and better all-around bulk. However, Noivern is still a viable choice as it has several advantages which give it a niche, the main one being its insane Speed. This allows Noivern to be a potent revenge killer without needing a Choice Scarf, giving Noivern the opportunity to run a power-boosting item instead. While Noivern has flaws, it can still do its job incredibly well, and should always be considered for a team in need of its virtues.
Choice Specs
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name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Switcheroo / U-turn / Hurricane
ability: Infiltrator / Frisk
item: Choice Specs
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
========
Draco Meteor is Noivern's main STAB move and does a large amount of damage with a Choice Specs boost. Focus Blast and Flamethrower are Noivern's ways of dealing with the Steel-types that resist its Dragon STAB. Focus Blast is Noivern's best option against Heatran, Terrakion, and Aggron, while Flamethrower is more reliable and deals with Scizor, Skarmory, Ferrothorn, Lucario, and Mega Mawile better. Switcheroo allows Noivern to cripple the defensive checks to Noivern such as Chansey, Blissey, and the increasingly common Assault Vest users, while a fast U-turn provides momentum for the team. Hurricane, while inaccurate, can also be used in the last slot as a powerful secondary STAB move, but should really only be used on a rain team due to its unreliability.
Set Details
========
Choice Specs is the ideal item on Noivern, as it makes up for Noivern's mediocre Special Attack stat, while the Timid nature takes advantage of Noivern's most defining quality: its Speed. The EVs maximize Special Attack and Speed, which benefit Noivern's hit-and-run nature. Infiltrator is Noivern's preferred ability, as it allows Noivern to hit through Substitutes, hence giving Noivern valuable utility, but Frisk can be used to scout the opponent's item. Air Slash can be used over Hurricane as a more reliable Flying-type STAB move, but its a low Base Power limits its effectiveness. Noivern can also use the powerful Boomburst, but it often has trouble fitting it into a set, as it does not provide super effective coverage against anything, and the ability to hit through Substitutes isn't as valuable when using Infiltrator as an ability.
Usage Tips
========
This set shows Noivern primarily being used as a revenge killer. Bring Noivern in to revenge a Pokemon, and use the appropriate coverage move. Try not to use Draco Meteor immediately, as the Special Attack drop can be debilitating early in the game when you don't fully know the opponent's team. Instead, either use an appropriate coverage move for who you expect will switch in, or U-turn to scout what the opponent's check to Noivern is. In general, using U-turn throughout the game is helpful to scout your opponent's sets, which works great when using Frisk. Late-game, Noivern can also clean up with strong, Choice Specs-boosted moves. Finally, Noivern is viable on a rain team, as it boosts the accuracy of Hurricane, giving Noivern freedom to run it over Flamethrower.
Team Options
========
Scizor is an excellent teammate, as it forms a U-turn core and can eliminate some of Noivern's main counters such as Assault Vest Tyranitar and Chansey. It is also able to Pursuit trap things that Noivern has weakened, and provides good defensive synergy; it can take the Dragon- and Ice-type attacks aimed at Noivern. Excadrill can Rapid Spin away Stealth Rock, which is detrimental to Noivern, especially as Noivern will be switching a lot; Excadrill also provides good offensive synergy due to its STAB Earthquake and Iron Head being able to take out Steel- and Fairy-types, respectively. Magnezone forms a VoltTurn core with Noivern, and can trap and eliminate Steel-types with Magnet Pull. Noivern also appreciates the support of teammates such as Heatran, Mega Aggron, Bisharp, and Venusaur that can counter the Fairy-types that like to switch in on Noivern.
Life Orb
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name: Life Orb
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: U-turn / Roost / Dragon Pulse
ability: Frisk / Infiltrator
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid / Naive
Moves
========
Draco Meteor is a STAB move and is Noivern's most powerful neutral option, while Focus Blast and Flamethrower provide coverage against the variety of Steel-type Pokemon that resist Draco Meteor. Roost allows Noivern to heal itself and provides a way of mitigating Life Orb and Stealth Rock damage. U-turn obtains momentum for the team, while also dealing decent damage to Psychic- and Dark-types if using a Naive nature. Dragon Pulse is a consistent, reliable way of cleaning late-game, but it is not really necessary most of the time, as Noivern is primarily a revenge killer.
Set Details
========
By using Life Orb, Noivern sacrifices power for the ability to change moves, which allows it to use its coverage much more effectively. Its EVs are standard for a special sweeper: maximum Special Attack and Speed. A Naive nature can be helpful in order to make U-turn do more damage, as Noivern will die a lot quicker with Life Orb, making the Special Defense drop insignificant, but Timid is still an option, as U-turn is mainly used for momentum, not coverage. Timid is always the best option if you choose to not run U-turn. As Noivern will be switching and U-turning a lot, Frisk is the more useful ability in the long run, as it lets Noivern learn about the opponent's sets, most importantly their Choice Scarf user and their Mega Evolution. However, Infiltrator is still useful, as being able to hit through Substitutes is always handy.
Usage Tips
========
This Noivern set is also a very useful revenge killer, but with the freedom of switching moves, Noivern can U-turn more after every hit, which provides useful momentum for the team. Once things have been weakened and Noivern's counters have been eliminated, Noivern can clean late-game with its coverage moves, as well as Dragon Pulse. It is particularly good to use Draco Meteor often to dent things, and then U-turn or switch out afterwards. Also, if you choose to run Roost, take advantages of the switches Noivern forces and Roost to heal whenever it is necessary.
Team Options
========
Once again, Scizor makes an excellent teammate due to its offensive synergy with Noivern and also due to them creating a U-turn core. Spinners are also mandatory partners, with Excadrill being the best at that role due to its excellent defensive synergy and ability to beat spinblockers such as Trevenant and Gourgiest-S with Shadow Claw. Bulky Steel-types in particular are good because they resist the Dragon-, Fairy-, and Ice-type attacks aimed at Noivern, while also being able to wall Tyranitar reasonably well; Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Forretress are examples of such. Conkeldurr can hit Tyranitar, Chansey, and Blissey hard with Drain Punch; most bulky Fighting-types make for good teammates for the same reason.
Other Options
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Noivern has access to Taunt to prevent Chansey and Blissey from using Toxic or Thunder Wave, but Switcheroo is usually a superior option. Additionally, Noivern has Super Fang, which can help with very bulky walls, but Noivern shouldn't be staying in on them anyway. Tailwind is an option for if Noivern is close to dying to allow a sweep for slower Pokemon such as Dragonite and Haxorus, but like Super Fang, takes up a valuable moveslot. Finally, Noivern has access to Dark Pulse, Psychic, and Shadow Ball as coverage options against some Pokemon, but Draco Meteor does more damage than these moves in most cases.
Checks & Counters
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**Chansey and Blissey**: Chansey and Blissey, being the insane special walls that they are, can tank any hit from Noivern, even a super effective Focus Blast. They can then proceed to either cripple Noivern with status or simply recover by using one of Softboiled or Wish + Protect. However, if Choice Specs Noivern is running Switcheroo, it can cripple Chansey and Blissey by giving them an unwanted Choice Specs, so this must be kept in mind.
**Bulky Fairy-types**: Bulky Fairy-types, such as Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir, are excellent checks because they are immune to Noivern's main STAB, resist Focus Blast, and take very little damage from Noivern's other moves, while being able to OHKO back with Moonblast or Hyper Voice, although Switcheroo can cripple Sylveon. Azumarill can also take most of the moves that Noivern can offer and KO with Play Rough.
**Offensive Threats**: Any Pokemon that can either outspeed Noivern or tank a hit from it and KO back can effectively revenge kill it. This includes Choice Band Talonflame, which can OHKO Noivern with Brave Bird after Stealth Rock, and Weavile, who can use any of its Ice-type STAB moves to severely dent Noivern.
**Ice Shard**: Due to Noivern's 4x weakness to Ice, users of Ice Shard make excellent revenge killers. This includes Mamoswine, Weavile, and Cloyster.
**Stealth Rock**: Noivern's typing gives it a nasty weakness to Stealth Rock, which can be easily taken advantage of at the beginning of the game. This seriously damages Noivern's durability as it likes to switch out very often.
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When looking at Noivern, the first thing one notices is its incredible Speed stat, which separates it from other, slower Dragon-types. In addition, it has access to two powerful STAB moves in Draco Meteor and Hurricane, as well as access to Switcheroo and U-turn, which gives it a small niche over other Dragon-types. Unfortunately, Noivern's Speed is its only great stat; all of its other stats are mediocre. Its highest offensive stat, Special Attack, is only an average base 97. Noivern also has a poor defensive typing, being weak to Stealth Rock and common Ice-type attacks. This combined with Noivern's poor bulk means it is prone to being worn down very quickly, and its coverage moves in general have shaky accuracy. This seemingly gives little reason to use it over other Dragon-types, such as Latios, which boasts much higher Special Attack, and better all-around bulk. However, Noivern is still a viable choice as it has several advantages which give it a niche, the main one being its insane Speed. This allows Noivern to be a potent revenge killer without needing a Choice Scarf, giving Noivern the opportunity to run a power-boosting item instead. While Noivern has flaws, it can still do its job incredibly well, and should always be considered for a team in need of its virtues.
Choice Specs
########
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: Switcheroo / U-turn / Hurricane
ability: Infiltrator / Frisk
item: Choice Specs
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
========
Draco Meteor is Noivern's main STAB move and does a large amount of damage with a Choice Specs boost. Focus Blast and Flamethrower are Noivern's ways of dealing with the Steel-types that resist its Dragon STAB. Focus Blast is Noivern's best option against Heatran, Terrakion, and Aggron, while Flamethrower is more reliable and deals with Scizor, Skarmory, Ferrothorn, Lucario, and Mega Mawile better. Switcheroo allows Noivern to cripple the defensive checks to Noivern such as Chansey, Blissey, and the increasingly common Assault Vest users, while a fast U-turn provides momentum for the team. Hurricane, while inaccurate, can also be used in the last slot as a powerful secondary STAB move, but should really only be used on a rain team due to its unreliability.
Set Details
========
Choice Specs is the ideal item on Noivern, as it makes up for Noivern's mediocre Special Attack stat, while the Timid nature takes advantage of Noivern's most defining quality: its Speed. The EVs maximize Special Attack and Speed, which benefit Noivern's hit-and-run nature. Infiltrator is Noivern's preferred ability, as it allows Noivern to hit through Substitutes, hence giving Noivern valuable utility, but Frisk can be used to scout the opponent's item. Air Slash can be used over Hurricane as a more reliable Flying-type STAB move, but its a low Base Power limits its effectiveness. Noivern can also use the powerful Boomburst, but it often has trouble fitting it into a set, as it does not provide super effective coverage against anything, and the ability to hit through Substitutes isn't as valuable when using Infiltrator as an ability.
Usage Tips
========
This set shows Noivern primarily being used as a revenge killer. Bring Noivern in to revenge a Pokemon, and use the appropriate coverage move. Try not to use Draco Meteor immediately, as the Special Attack drop can be debilitating early in the game when you don't fully know the opponent's team. Instead, either use an appropriate coverage move for who you expect will switch in, or U-turn to scout what the opponent's check to Noivern is. In general, using U-turn throughout the game is helpful to scout your opponent's sets, which works great when using Frisk. Late-game, Noivern can also clean up with strong, Choice Specs-boosted moves. Finally, Noivern is viable on a rain team, as it boosts the accuracy of Hurricane, giving Noivern freedom to run it over Flamethrower.
Team Options
========
Scizor is an excellent teammate, as it forms a U-turn core and can eliminate some of Noivern's main counters such as Assault Vest Tyranitar and Chansey. It is also able to Pursuit trap things that Noivern has weakened, and provides good defensive synergy; it can take the Dragon- and Ice-type attacks aimed at Noivern. Excadrill can Rapid Spin away Stealth Rock, which is detrimental to Noivern, especially as Noivern will be switching a lot; Excadrill also provides good offensive synergy due to its STAB Earthquake and Iron Head being able to take out Steel- and Fairy-types, respectively. Magnezone forms a VoltTurn core with Noivern, and can trap and eliminate Steel-types with Magnet Pull. Noivern also appreciates the support of teammates such as Heatran, Mega Aggron, Bisharp, and Venusaur that can counter the Fairy-types that like to switch in on Noivern.
Life Orb
########
name: Life Orb
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Flamethrower
move 4: U-turn / Roost / Dragon Pulse
ability: Frisk / Infiltrator
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid / Naive
Moves
========
Draco Meteor is a STAB move and is Noivern's most powerful neutral option, while Focus Blast and Flamethrower provide coverage against the variety of Steel-type Pokemon that resist Draco Meteor. Roost allows Noivern to heal itself and provides a way of mitigating Life Orb and Stealth Rock damage. U-turn obtains momentum for the team, while also dealing decent damage to Psychic- and Dark-types if using a Naive nature. Dragon Pulse is a consistent, reliable way of cleaning late-game, but it is not really necessary most of the time, as Noivern is primarily a revenge killer.
Set Details
========
By using Life Orb, Noivern sacrifices power for the ability to change moves, which allows it to use its coverage much more effectively. Its EVs are standard for a special sweeper: maximum Special Attack and Speed. A Naive nature can be helpful in order to make U-turn do more damage, as Noivern will die a lot quicker with Life Orb, making the Special Defense drop insignificant, but Timid is still an option, as U-turn is mainly used for momentum, not coverage. Timid is always the best option if you choose to not run U-turn. As Noivern will be switching and U-turning a lot, Frisk is the more useful ability in the long run, as it lets Noivern learn about the opponent's sets, most importantly their Choice Scarf user and their Mega Evolution. However, Infiltrator is still useful, as being able to hit through Substitutes is always handy.
Usage Tips
========
This Noivern set is also a very useful revenge killer, but with the freedom of switching moves, Noivern can U-turn more after every hit, which provides useful momentum for the team. Once things have been weakened and Noivern's counters have been eliminated, Noivern can clean late-game with its coverage moves, as well as Dragon Pulse. It is particularly good to use Draco Meteor often to dent things, and then U-turn or switch out afterwards. Also, if you choose to run Roost, take advantages of the switches Noivern forces and Roost to heal whenever it is necessary.
Team Options
========
Once again, Scizor makes an excellent teammate due to its offensive synergy with Noivern and also due to them creating a U-turn core. Spinners are also mandatory partners, with Excadrill being the best at that role due to its excellent defensive synergy and ability to beat spinblockers such as Trevenant and Gourgiest-S with Shadow Claw. Bulky Steel-types in particular are good because they resist the Dragon-, Fairy-, and Ice-type attacks aimed at Noivern, while also being able to wall Tyranitar reasonably well; Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Forretress are examples of such. Conkeldurr can hit Tyranitar, Chansey, and Blissey hard with Drain Punch; most bulky Fighting-types make for good teammates for the same reason.
Other Options
########
Noivern has access to Taunt to prevent Chansey and Blissey from using Toxic or Thunder Wave, but Switcheroo is usually a superior option. Additionally, Noivern has Super Fang, which can help with very bulky walls, but Noivern shouldn't be staying in on them anyway. Tailwind is an option for if Noivern is close to dying to allow a sweep for slower Pokemon such as Dragonite and Haxorus, but like Super Fang, takes up a valuable moveslot. Finally, Noivern has access to Dark Pulse, Psychic, and Shadow Ball as coverage options against some Pokemon, but Draco Meteor does more damage than these moves in most cases.
Checks & Counters
########
**Chansey and Blissey**: Chansey and Blissey, being the insane special walls that they are, can tank any hit from Noivern, even a super effective Focus Blast. They can then proceed to either cripple Noivern with status or simply recover by using one of Softboiled or Wish + Protect. However, if Choice Specs Noivern is running Switcheroo, it can cripple Chansey and Blissey by giving them an unwanted Choice Specs, so this must be kept in mind.
**Bulky Fairy-types**: Bulky Fairy-types, such as Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir, are excellent checks because they are immune to Noivern's main STAB, resist Focus Blast, and take very little damage from Noivern's other moves, while being able to OHKO back with Moonblast or Hyper Voice, although Switcheroo can cripple Sylveon. Azumarill can also take most of the moves that Noivern can offer and KO with Play Rough.
**Offensive Threats**: Any Pokemon that can either outspeed Noivern or tank a hit from it and KO back can effectively revenge kill it. This includes Choice Band Talonflame, which can OHKO Noivern with Brave Bird after Stealth Rock, and Weavile, who can use any of its Ice-type STAB moves to severely dent Noivern.
**Ice Shard**: Due to Noivern's 4x weakness to Ice, users of Ice Shard make excellent revenge killers. This includes Mamoswine, Weavile, and Cloyster.
**Stealth Rock**: Noivern's typing gives it a nasty weakness to Stealth Rock, which can be easily taken advantage of at the beginning of the game. This seriously damages Noivern's durability as it likes to switch out very often.
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