[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 4 Onwards
**Price Range**: 12-13 points
**Overview**: Corviknight is a solid utility Pokemon due to its fantastic defensive typing, highly customizable bulk, and decent utility movepool. While it is excellent at supporting a team's offensive capabilities through U-turn and Defog, Corviknight struggles to deal damage due to its poor offensive stats and is liable to being setup fodder due to its lack of Toxic or phazing moves. Despite facing stiff competition as a pivot, Corviknight still has a decent niche in enabling offensively drafted teams by being a slow pivot and providing secondary hazard removal.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Defensive Pivot**: Corviknight's primary role is to pivot into opposing attackers and safely bring in your own. This set is generally run with heavy defensive investment, tailored to your opponent's draft, and minimum Speed. The combination of Roost, U-turn, and Defog allows it to pivot in and potentially remove hazards multiple times per game. Brave Bird is usually the best attacking move for Corviknight, but Drill Peck, Iron Head, Body Press, or some combination of the aforementioned moves are alternatives depending on the matchup.
**Setup Sweeper**: Corviknight is capable of using its high natural bulk to set up on slower threats or weak attackers with Bulk Up or Iron Defense. Once opposing Fire- and Electric-type attackers are significantly weakened or removed, Corviknight can become nearly impossible to deal with once it is set up and can close out games.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Brave Bird, Iron Head, Drill Peck
**Setup Moves**: Bulk Up, Iron Defense
**Utility Moves**: Roost, Defog, U-turn, Taunt
**Coverage**: Body Press
Niche Moves
========
**Light Screen / Reflect**: Corviknight has access to dual screens, allowing it to forgo its usual utility in favor of supporting teammates with dual screens and safe entry with U-turn.
**Agility and Power Trip**: A combination of Agility, Bulk Up, and Power Trip can turn Corviknight into a fearsome sweeper in the right matchup. This set may also utilize Weakness Policy to forgo the necessary turns spent using Bulk Up to strengthen Power Trip.
**Tailwind**: Corviknight can provide speed control to its teammates with Tailwind + U-turn.
Common Items
========
**Leftovers**: Leftovers supplements Corviknight's reliable recovery with Roost and is more effective in keeping it healthy with reliable hazard removal or on setup sets.
**Rocky Helmet**: Rocky Helmet is usually Corviknight's only option to chip opposing Pokemon using U-turn or Flip Turn. Rocky Helmet can also help Corviknight win some one-on-one matchups where physical contact is expected, such as versus Palafin and Great Tusk.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: While Corviknight enjoys an immunity to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, its Stealth Rock neutrality limits its ability to pivot and Defog; Heavy-Duty Boots removes this limitation and has more free turns to use Roost and Defog.
Niche Items
========
**Eject Button**: As Corviknight can often find itself switching into a U-turn only to be faced with an incoming powerful Fire- or Electric-type, Eject Button allows Corviknight to safely pivot out and steal the momentum back once in a battle.
**Weakness Policy**: Corviknight can utilize its mixed bulk to tank a super effective attack such as Volt Switch or a weak Flamethrower and use Agility, turning it into a deadly sweeper.
**Light Clay**: Only used with dual screens, Light Clay allows Corviknight's screens to stick on the field longer for its teammates.
**Red Card**: Red Card is another option to stop opposing setup sweepers from taking advantage of Corviknight.
Tera
========
Corviknight should rarely be considered as a Tera Captain due to its already excellent defensive typing. Carefully consider the matchup if you must use Corviknight as a Tera user, as Terastallization will either get rid of its immunity to grounded entry hazards or gain a new weakness to Stealth Rock. Corviknight should only consider Tera on offensive sets, giving a new defensive typing that grants it more time to set up for a sweep. Tera Dark is one option, as it boosts the damage dealt by Power Trip, while Tera Flying is another option that can increase damage dealt by Brave Bird.
Draft Strategy
========
Corviknight is best drafted on offensively-oriented teams after you have first secured several premier attacking threats. Due to its strengths in typing, bulk, and non-requirement for Tera, it is extremely versatile with the types of attacking threats you choose to surround it with, as it rarely overlaps roles with most offensive Pokemon. Since it has little way to combat setup and is unable to spread Toxic, it typically performs poorly on more balanced and defensively-oriented teams, so keep this in mind when drafting Corviknight.
**Offensive Partners**: Corviknight tends to draw out opposing Fire- and Electric-type Pokemon, making Ground-type Pokemon good partners for Corviknight to pivot in. Pokemon like Garchomp and Great Tusk are excellent partners, as they are able to immediately threaten out opposing Fire- and Electric-types and attack or set up hazards. Thanks to Corviknight's low Speed, it is also able to offer support to frail and powerful wallbreakers like Chi-Yu, Iron Valiant, and Enamorus.
**Defensive Partners**: As Corviknight is vulnerable to being set up on and cannot punish with phazing or Toxic, it often appreciates partners that can fill these roles. Defensively, Unaware users such as Clodsire, Dondozo, and Skeledirge make decent partners to halt opposing setup sweepers. Corviknight also appreciates partners that can cover one or more of its weaknesses and use phazing moves, such as Iron Hands or and Hippowdon.
**Entry Hazard Control**: Corviknight is one of the most reliable Defoggers, but it rarely can function as a team's primary form of hazard control due to its relatively passive nature and often gets in the way of maintaining your own hazards. Defogging also often results in a huge loss of momentum, which is generally unadvisable for offensive teams. Corviknight enjoys having a teammate with Rapid Spin such as Great Tusk or Donphan to remove Stealth Rock, enabling items other than Heavy-Duty Boots.
Checks and Counters
========
**Setup Sweepers**: Corviknight's low Speed and lack of Toxic and Whirlwind open it up to being taken advantage of by faster setup sweepers, where Corviknight can only attempt to punish them with a slower Taunt or pivot to a teammate to handle the threat.
**Fire-type Attackers**: Corviknight can often do little in the face of opposing Fire-types, taking massive damage and risking a burn from most Fire-type attacks, further reducing its poor offensive output. It is often fodder for Pokemon such as Gouging Fire and Chi-Yu, which can proceed to set up with Dragon Dance or launch powerful attacks and threaten to OHKO Corviknight.
**Electric-type Attackers**: Electric-types resist both of Corviknights STAB types and can punish Corviknight with their powerful STAB moves or generate momentum through Volt Switch. Pokemon like Zapdos and Rotom-W threaten to OHKO or severely damage Corviknight, and Pokemon like Raging Bolt can easily set up Calm Mind in front of its face.
**Taunt**: Faster Pokemon are able to deny Corviknight's support moves with Taunt, stopping it from Defogging, using Roost, or setting up.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/diviniya.618293/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno6377.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ut.523866/
**Draft Order**: Round 4 Onwards
**Price Range**: 12-13 points
**Overview**: Corviknight is a solid utility Pokemon due to its fantastic defensive typing, highly customizable bulk, and decent utility movepool. While it is excellent at supporting a team's offensive capabilities through U-turn and Defog, Corviknight struggles to deal damage due to its poor offensive stats and is liable to being setup fodder due to its lack of Toxic or phazing moves. Despite facing stiff competition as a pivot, Corviknight still has a decent niche in enabling offensively drafted teams by being a slow pivot and providing secondary hazard removal.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Defensive Pivot**: Corviknight's primary role is to pivot into opposing attackers and safely bring in your own. This set is generally run with heavy defensive investment, tailored to your opponent's draft, and minimum Speed. The combination of Roost, U-turn, and Defog allows it to pivot in and potentially remove hazards multiple times per game. Brave Bird is usually the best attacking move for Corviknight, but Drill Peck, Iron Head, Body Press, or some combination of the aforementioned moves are alternatives depending on the matchup.
**Setup Sweeper**: Corviknight is capable of using its high natural bulk to set up on slower threats or weak attackers with Bulk Up or Iron Defense. Once opposing Fire- and Electric-type attackers are significantly weakened or removed, Corviknight can become nearly impossible to deal with once it is set up and can close out games.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Brave Bird, Iron Head, Drill Peck
**Setup Moves**: Bulk Up, Iron Defense
**Utility Moves**: Roost, Defog, U-turn, Taunt
**Coverage**: Body Press
Niche Moves
========
**Light Screen / Reflect**: Corviknight has access to dual screens, allowing it to forgo its usual utility in favor of supporting teammates with dual screens and safe entry with U-turn.
**Agility and Power Trip**: A combination of Agility, Bulk Up, and Power Trip can turn Corviknight into a fearsome sweeper in the right matchup. This set may also utilize Weakness Policy to forgo the necessary turns spent using Bulk Up to strengthen Power Trip.
**Tailwind**: Corviknight can provide speed control to its teammates with Tailwind + U-turn.
Common Items
========
**Leftovers**: Leftovers supplements Corviknight's reliable recovery with Roost and is more effective in keeping it healthy with reliable hazard removal or on setup sets.
**Rocky Helmet**: Rocky Helmet is usually Corviknight's only option to chip opposing Pokemon using U-turn or Flip Turn. Rocky Helmet can also help Corviknight win some one-on-one matchups where physical contact is expected, such as versus Palafin and Great Tusk.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: While Corviknight enjoys an immunity to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, its Stealth Rock neutrality limits its ability to pivot and Defog; Heavy-Duty Boots removes this limitation and has more free turns to use Roost and Defog.
Niche Items
========
**Eject Button**: As Corviknight can often find itself switching into a U-turn only to be faced with an incoming powerful Fire- or Electric-type, Eject Button allows Corviknight to safely pivot out and steal the momentum back once in a battle.
**Weakness Policy**: Corviknight can utilize its mixed bulk to tank a super effective attack such as Volt Switch or a weak Flamethrower and use Agility, turning it into a deadly sweeper.
**Light Clay**: Only used with dual screens, Light Clay allows Corviknight's screens to stick on the field longer for its teammates.
**Red Card**: Red Card is another option to stop opposing setup sweepers from taking advantage of Corviknight.
Tera
========
Corviknight should rarely be considered as a Tera Captain due to its already excellent defensive typing. Carefully consider the matchup if you must use Corviknight as a Tera user, as Terastallization will either get rid of its immunity to grounded entry hazards or gain a new weakness to Stealth Rock. Corviknight should only consider Tera on offensive sets, giving a new defensive typing that grants it more time to set up for a sweep. Tera Dark is one option, as it boosts the damage dealt by Power Trip, while Tera Flying is another option that can increase damage dealt by Brave Bird.
Draft Strategy
========
Corviknight is best drafted on offensively-oriented teams after you have first secured several premier attacking threats. Due to its strengths in typing, bulk, and non-requirement for Tera, it is extremely versatile with the types of attacking threats you choose to surround it with, as it rarely overlaps roles with most offensive Pokemon. Since it has little way to combat setup and is unable to spread Toxic, it typically performs poorly on more balanced and defensively-oriented teams, so keep this in mind when drafting Corviknight.
**Offensive Partners**: Corviknight tends to draw out opposing Fire- and Electric-type Pokemon, making Ground-type Pokemon good partners for Corviknight to pivot in. Pokemon like Garchomp and Great Tusk are excellent partners, as they are able to immediately threaten out opposing Fire- and Electric-types and attack or set up hazards. Thanks to Corviknight's low Speed, it is also able to offer support to frail and powerful wallbreakers like Chi-Yu, Iron Valiant, and Enamorus.
**Defensive Partners**: As Corviknight is vulnerable to being set up on and cannot punish with phazing or Toxic, it often appreciates partners that can fill these roles. Defensively, Unaware users such as Clodsire, Dondozo, and Skeledirge make decent partners to halt opposing setup sweepers. Corviknight also appreciates partners that can cover one or more of its weaknesses and use phazing moves, such as Iron Hands or and Hippowdon.
**Entry Hazard Control**: Corviknight is one of the most reliable Defoggers, but it rarely can function as a team's primary form of hazard control due to its relatively passive nature and often gets in the way of maintaining your own hazards. Defogging also often results in a huge loss of momentum, which is generally unadvisable for offensive teams. Corviknight enjoys having a teammate with Rapid Spin such as Great Tusk or Donphan to remove Stealth Rock, enabling items other than Heavy-Duty Boots.
Checks and Counters
========
**Setup Sweepers**: Corviknight's low Speed and lack of Toxic and Whirlwind open it up to being taken advantage of by faster setup sweepers, where Corviknight can only attempt to punish them with a slower Taunt or pivot to a teammate to handle the threat.
**Fire-type Attackers**: Corviknight can often do little in the face of opposing Fire-types, taking massive damage and risking a burn from most Fire-type attacks, further reducing its poor offensive output. It is often fodder for Pokemon such as Gouging Fire and Chi-Yu, which can proceed to set up with Dragon Dance or launch powerful attacks and threaten to OHKO Corviknight.
**Electric-type Attackers**: Electric-types resist both of Corviknights STAB types and can punish Corviknight with their powerful STAB moves or generate momentum through Volt Switch. Pokemon like Zapdos and Rotom-W threaten to OHKO or severely damage Corviknight, and Pokemon like Raging Bolt can easily set up Calm Mind in front of its face.
**Taunt**: Faster Pokemon are able to deny Corviknight's support moves with Taunt, stopping it from Defogging, using Roost, or setting up.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/diviniya.618293/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno6377.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ut.523866/
