[overview]
**Draft order**: Round 6 onwards
**Price range**: 6-7 points
**Overview**:
Braviary is a cheap wallbreaker that excels in forcing pressure against opposing teams through either of its abilities. Sheer Force can be used in conjunction with Body Slam to consistently punch holes into the enemies' defenses, while Defiant can take advantage of Intimidate and Defog users. However, as much as it does excel offensively, it is also not hard to offensively check Braviary either, boasting a mediocre Speed stat while being part Flying-type, giving it access to a plethora of weaknesses. It also prefers to run different items rather than Heavy-Duty Boots, so Stealth Rock can hinder its capabilities in a match.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Wallbreaker**: Coupled with a Life Orb, Sheer Force Braviary can use Body Slam to break down teams. It also has access to Close Combat to hit any Steel- and Rock-types that look to switch into its STAB attacks. Defiant Braviary can also wallbreak after activating its ability, but it would potentially be easier for foes to revenge it, as its main STAB-boosted damage would be from recoil moves such as Brave Bird and Double-Edge.
**Setup Sweeper**: Braviary has decent enough bulk where it can look to use Bulk Up against more physically offensive teams and have enough longevity for the rest of the match due to Roost. It can also use Agility if Speed is all it needs to bypass revenge killers on a Sheer Force + Life Orb set to win.
**Defensive Utility**: Braviary can make use of its bulk to become a defensive tool for the team while having reliable recovery in Roost to persistently survive attacks. It can act as a pivot, having access to U-turn, and asBraviary it is immune to Ground, it can conveniently switch in on Ground-types that want to set up entry hazards and Defog on them.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Body Slam, Double-Edge, Brave Bird, Acrobatics, Facade, Thrash
**Setup moves**: Bulk Up, Agility
**Utility moves**: U-turn, Roost, Defog, Whirlwind, Tailwind, Substitute
**Coverage**: Close Combat, Rock Slide, Zen Headbutt, Iron Head
Niche Moves
========
**Hurricane**: Some physically defensive Pokemon lack high Special Defense, such as Dondozo, Weezing, and Donphan. Even though Braviary doesn’t have the greatest Special Attack, with Sheer Force and Life Orb, it can look to potentially bait these type of Pokemon in and 2HKO them.
**Heat Wave**: In the same sense as Hurricane, Heat Wave would only be used on Steel-types that otherwise would hinder a physically offensive Braviary, such as Forretress, Skarmory, and any Steel-type that looks to use IronPress.
Common Items
========
**Life Orb**: Braviary can use Life Orb to bolster the damage output for Body Slam on Sheer Force sets.
**Choice Scarf**: As Braviary lacks Speed, it can use a Choice Scarf to help beat down naturally faster Pokemon that threaten it.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots can help negate Braviary’s weakness to Stealth Rock and let it consistently pivot around with U-turn.
Niche Items
========
**Choice Band**: In scenarios where Life Orb + Sheer Force sets cannot grant necessary KOs, Choice Band gives Braviary a higher damage output when used against teams that struggle resisting Double-Edge and Brave Bird.
**Leftovers**: Bulky Braviary setup sets can use Leftovers to grant it passive recovery to help keep it healthy in conjunction with Roost.
**Rocky Helmet**: Defensive sets can potentially use Rocky Helmet to hinder physical attackers and pivots. This can also potentially be used with Bulk Up sets if Braviary wants a way to slowly beat down a Pokemon while keeping itself healthy with Roost so it can sweep.
**Lum Berry**: Lum Berry can allow Braviary to get past status effects that otherwise could prevent setup sets from working.
**Resistance Berries**: Braviary can use a resistance Berry to give it a free turn to use Agility in a scenario where it can win.
Tera
========
Braviary is a reliable pick as a cheap secondary option for a Tera Captain, as it can still function in a game and serve out the role it was provided to do while giving the higher-tier Pokemon access to Tera. However, in games where it is able to Tera, it can consistently deal large amounts of damage with Tera Normal while also shedding its original weaknesses. Tera Flying and Fighting can be used to increase its Flying-type STAB moves and Fighting-type coverage potential, respectively, while Tera Electric and Steel can be used for better defensive utility and allow for setup opportunities.
Draft Strategy
========
Braviary allows you to have a strong offensive wallbreaker for a cheap price while also giving you access to a reliable Choice Scarf user. It should never be the premier wallbreaker drafted on a team, so it is advised to pick it towards the end of drafts where you have filled your team out with higher-tiered Pokemon that can fill roles. However, Braviary still offers solid role compression for its price, as it offers flexibility for being a pivot and secondary entry hazard remover.
**Speed Control**: Even though Braviary can run Choice Scarf or use Agility, it is still quite slow and can easily be revenge killed, so having faster Pokemon is highly desired. Examples include Greninja, Ogerpon, and Iron Valiant.
**Entry Hazard Removal**: Braviary prefers to run Life Orb to maximize damage on Sheer Force sets, so without Heavy-Duty Boots, it appreciates having solid entry hazard removal to prevent any damage from Stealth Rock. Examples include Great Tusk, Scizor, and Terapagos.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Specially offensive Pokemon can help complement an offensive core with Braviary, synergizing to beat past defensive cores. Examples include Enamorus, Raging Bolt, and Iron Moth.
**Pivots**: Pivots are essential to be able to safely get Braviary onto the field without it taking damage, as it would affect its chances of being able to wallbreak or set up consistently. Examples include Rotom-W, Landorus-T, and Palafin.
Checks and Counters
========
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Physically defensive Pokemon that are not blown back by Body Slam or can tank Braviary’s coverage moves can consistently switch in and sponge hits to prevent any progress being forced. On top of this, if coupled with a Rocky Helmet, it can slowly get whittled down to where it KOs itself. Examples include Gholdengo, Pecharunt, and Metagross.
**Revenge Killers**: Braviary lacks in Speed, so a plethora of faster Pokemon can look to outspeed and KO it, and as long as the opposing Pokemon are naturally faster, they can consistently run Booster Energy or Choice Scarf to invalidate Choice Scarf Braviary as well. Examples include Iron Boulder, Iron Bundle, and Chi-Yu.
**Entry Hazards**: Braviary prefers to run Life Orb, so it has a gaping weakness to Stealth Rock if entry hazard removal is lacking. It can also become damaged by Spikes as well if it uses Tera to change its type.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/blittius.546554/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf.608304/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sablolol.466715/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
**Draft order**: Round 6 onwards
**Price range**: 6-7 points
**Overview**:
Braviary is a cheap wallbreaker that excels in forcing pressure against opposing teams through either of its abilities. Sheer Force can be used in conjunction with Body Slam to consistently punch holes into the enemies' defenses, while Defiant can take advantage of Intimidate and Defog users. However, as much as it does excel offensively, it is also not hard to offensively check Braviary either, boasting a mediocre Speed stat while being part Flying-type, giving it access to a plethora of weaknesses. It also prefers to run different items rather than Heavy-Duty Boots, so Stealth Rock can hinder its capabilities in a match.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Wallbreaker**: Coupled with a Life Orb, Sheer Force Braviary can use Body Slam to break down teams. It also has access to Close Combat to hit any Steel- and Rock-types that look to switch into its STAB attacks. Defiant Braviary can also wallbreak after activating its ability, but it would potentially be easier for foes to revenge it, as its main STAB-boosted damage would be from recoil moves such as Brave Bird and Double-Edge.
**Setup Sweeper**: Braviary has decent enough bulk where it can look to use Bulk Up against more physically offensive teams and have enough longevity for the rest of the match due to Roost. It can also use Agility if Speed is all it needs to bypass revenge killers on a Sheer Force + Life Orb set to win.
**Defensive Utility**: Braviary can make use of its bulk to become a defensive tool for the team while having reliable recovery in Roost to persistently survive attacks. It can act as a pivot, having access to U-turn, and as
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB moves**: Body Slam, Double-Edge, Brave Bird, Acrobatics, Facade, Thrash
**Setup moves**: Bulk Up, Agility
**Utility moves**: U-turn, Roost, Defog, Whirlwind, Tailwind, Substitute
**Coverage**: Close Combat, Rock Slide, Zen Headbutt, Iron Head
Niche Moves
========
**Hurricane**: Some physically defensive Pokemon lack high Special Defense, such as Dondozo, Weezing, and Donphan. Even though Braviary doesn’t have the greatest Special Attack, with Sheer Force and Life Orb, it can look to potentially bait these type of Pokemon in and 2HKO them.
**Heat Wave**: In the same sense as Hurricane, Heat Wave would only be used on Steel-types that otherwise would hinder a physically offensive Braviary, such as Forretress, Skarmory, and any Steel-type that looks to use IronPress.
Common Items
========
**Life Orb**: Braviary can use Life Orb to bolster the damage output for Body Slam on Sheer Force sets.
**Choice Scarf**: As Braviary lacks Speed, it can use a Choice Scarf to help beat down naturally faster Pokemon that threaten it.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots can help negate Braviary’s weakness to Stealth Rock and let it consistently pivot around with U-turn.
Niche Items
========
**Choice Band**: In scenarios where Life Orb + Sheer Force sets cannot grant necessary KOs, Choice Band gives Braviary a higher damage output when used against teams that struggle resisting Double-Edge and Brave Bird.
**Leftovers**: Bulky Braviary setup sets can use Leftovers to grant it passive recovery to help keep it healthy in conjunction with Roost.
**Rocky Helmet**: Defensive sets can potentially use Rocky Helmet to hinder physical attackers and pivots. This can also potentially be used with Bulk Up sets if Braviary wants a way to slowly beat down a Pokemon while keeping itself healthy with Roost so it can sweep.
**Lum Berry**: Lum Berry can allow Braviary to get past status effects that otherwise could prevent setup sets from working.
**Resistance Berries**: Braviary can use a resistance Berry to give it a free turn to use Agility in a scenario where it can win.
Tera
========
Braviary is a reliable pick as a cheap secondary option for a Tera Captain, as it can still function in a game and serve out the role it was provided to do while giving the higher-tier Pokemon access to Tera. However, in games where it is able to Tera, it can consistently deal large amounts of damage with Tera Normal while also shedding its original weaknesses. Tera Flying and Fighting can be used to increase its Flying-type STAB moves and Fighting-type coverage potential, respectively, while Tera Electric and Steel can be used for better defensive utility and allow for setup opportunities.
Draft Strategy
========
Braviary allows you to have a strong offensive wallbreaker for a cheap price while also giving you access to a reliable Choice Scarf user. It should never be the premier wallbreaker drafted on a team, so it is advised to pick it towards the end of drafts where you have filled your team out with higher-tiered Pokemon that can fill roles. However, Braviary still offers solid role compression for its price, as it offers flexibility for being a pivot and secondary entry hazard remover.
**Speed Control**: Even though Braviary can run Choice Scarf or use Agility, it is still quite slow and can easily be revenge killed, so having faster Pokemon is highly desired. Examples include Greninja, Ogerpon, and Iron Valiant.
**Entry Hazard Removal**: Braviary prefers to run Life Orb to maximize damage on Sheer Force sets, so without Heavy-Duty Boots, it appreciates having solid entry hazard removal to prevent any damage from Stealth Rock. Examples include Great Tusk, Scizor, and Terapagos.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Specially offensive Pokemon can help complement an offensive core with Braviary, synergizing to beat past defensive cores. Examples include Enamorus, Raging Bolt, and Iron Moth.
**Pivots**: Pivots are essential to be able to safely get Braviary onto the field without it taking damage, as it would affect its chances of being able to wallbreak or set up consistently. Examples include Rotom-W, Landorus-T, and Palafin.
Checks and Counters
========
**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Physically defensive Pokemon that are not blown back by Body Slam or can tank Braviary’s coverage moves can consistently switch in and sponge hits to prevent any progress being forced. On top of this, if coupled with a Rocky Helmet, it can slowly get whittled down to where it KOs itself. Examples include Gholdengo, Pecharunt, and Metagross.
**Revenge Killers**: Braviary lacks in Speed, so a plethora of faster Pokemon can look to outspeed and KO it, and as long as the opposing Pokemon are naturally faster, they can consistently run Booster Energy or Choice Scarf to invalidate Choice Scarf Braviary as well. Examples include Iron Boulder, Iron Bundle, and Chi-Yu.
**Entry Hazards**: Braviary prefers to run Life Orb, so it has a gaping weakness to Stealth Rock if entry hazard removal is lacking. It can also become damaged by Spikes as well if it uses Tera to change its type.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/blittius.546554/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf.608304/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sablolol.466715/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Last edited:
