[OVERVIEW]
Honchkrow is a threatening wallbreaker and potential cleaner in the metagame. Honchkrow has access to a very strong Brave Bird and a great coverage option in Superpower to increase its offensive presence. Moxie gives Honchkrow an Attack boost every time it KOes a Pokemon, threatening a snowball effect in which it keeps racking up boosts. Sucker Punch helps Honchkrow revenge kill and clean due to its priority. Sadly, Honchkrow is burdened with poor bulk and Speed, relying on Sucker Punch to KO faster threats like Salazzle and Flygon, and Sucker Punch is easily exploitable by switching to a resistant Pokemon or setting up on it. Honchkrow is also weak to Stealth Rock, giving it fewer opportunities to switch in. Brave Bird recoil also weakens Honchkrow, exploiting its restricted longevity. Despite its decent niche, it is rather difficult to justify using Honchkrow as a wallbreaker compared to other Pokemon like Mega Blastoise, Zygarde-10%, and Virizion, as they are faster, have more reliable setup options, and have better defensive utility in the case of Mega Blastoise.
[SET]
name: Darkinium Z
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Taunt
item: Darkinium Z
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Brave Bird is a very powerful STAB move and breaks holes in the opponent's team. Sucker Punch in conjunction with Darkinium Z allows Honchkrow to have a one-time powerful Dark-type STAB move and not have to rely on prediction, doing massive damage to Brave Bird-resistant Pokemon like Bronzong and Metagross. Sucker Punch on its own is a fantastic priority move to revenge kill Pokemon like Gardevoir and Salazzle and can let Honchkrow clean weakened teams. Superpower gives Honchkrow a way to break past Steel-, Dark-, and Rock-types that can take a Brave Bird and not worry about Sucker Punch like Registeel and Rhyperior. Superpower also hits Mandibuzz hard when it uses Roost. Taunt allows Honchkrow to ease some prediction and stallbreak, disrupting the likes of Umbreon and Registeel and gives Honchkrow a way to stop them from spreading Toxic while also preventing entry hazard removal via Defog. Pursuit can help when reading switches from faster Pokemon that want to predict Sucker Punch and remove Psychic-types, Ghost-types, and weakened Pokemon.
Set Details
========
The EVs in Speed and a Jolly nature allow Honchkrow to outspeed most defensive Pokemon like Florges and Mantine, giving it the opportunity to use Taunt to prevent entry hazards from being removed or effectively KO them if sufficiently weakened. Additionally, the EVs let it outspeed the likes of Metagross as well as standard Florges and Cresselia sets. Darkinium Z makes Sucker Punch a one-time attack to break through Bronzong and Metagross without having to rely on Sucker Punch. Z-Sucker Punch also heavily dents Cresselia. Life Orb is a solid option if you have another Pokemon with a Z-Crystal and is a lot more threatening versus teams without Darkinium Z Z-Sucker Punch targets, but this weakens Honchkrow more quickly, giving it less time to wallbreak, and makes it a liability to getting revenge killed. Adamant is an alternative nature and is useful to wallbreak more easier, but Honchkrow will lose the Speed that allows it to threaten Metagross, no longer Speed tie with Tyrantrum, and be unlikely to beat Cresselia. Darkinium Z can also be used for Z-Taunt; it gives Honchkrow +1 Attack immediately and helps in scenarios when using Superpower, as it can lower its Attack and Defense, which Z-Taunt alleviates. However, it's situational, and Black Hole Eclipse is a much better option.
Usage Tips
========
Honchkrow is best used early-game to support a different sweeper by punching a massive hole in the opponent's team. Honchkrow can also be used as a late-game cleaner due to the combination of Moxie and Sucker Punch. Sucker Punch-resistant Pokemon like Virizion and Toxicroak need to be removed, and faster Pokemon such as Salazzle and Raikou need to be chipped into range of Sucker Punch before Honchkrow attempts to clean. Bring Honchkrow in with a double switch, with a slow pivot, or after a teammate has been knocked out. It also needs to be kept as healthy as possible, so try to keep Stealth Rock off the field and do not let it get afflicted with any status condition. Toxic puts it on a timer, burns make it lose its offensive presence, and paralysis cuts its Speed and can potentially make it miss out on a crucial KO, so ensure you prevent that as best as you can. Honchkrow should never be switched into strong attacks, as it is rather frail. However, switching into predicted Psychic- and Ground-type moves is alright barring Zygarde-10%'s Thousand Arrows. Decide if conserving Honchkrow's HP for a late-game sweep is worth it because recklessly using Brave Bird or switching into Stealth Rock cuts into Honchkrow's HP a lot, so it might not get to clean late-game.
Team Options
========
Some of Honchkrow's best teammates are entry hazard setters and removers; the best example is Donphan, which is effective at spinning and keeping hazards on the opponent's side of the field, and it is an effective check to some faster threats like Zygarde-10% and Raikou. Araquanid is also really good for setting Sticky Web and weakening the opponent's team for Honchkrow to clean more easily. Tsareena is also good, as both it and Honchkrow are really potent wallbreakers, and Tsareena can use Rapid Spin reliably. Honchkrow works best with Pokemon Feraligatr, Virizion, and Barbaracle that can pressure Rock- and Steel-types. Fire-types like Ninetales and Arcanine also threaten Steel-types. Healing Wish users like Gardevoir and Shaymin are great partners as they can heal Honchkrow when it is weakened, allowing more reckless play. Slow pivots like Tsareena and Forretress are extremely important to bring Honchkrow in safely. Fast pivots like Raikou and Flygon work as well, as they can force switches to give Honchkrow opportunities to come in.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Night Slash is a good option for a consistent Dark-type STAB moveas not having to play mind games versus Metagross can be invaluable at times, but due to its abysmal Speed, Honchkrow appreciates the priority that Sucker Punch provides. Roost is good for recovery, but Honchkrow has to give up Superpower or Taunt, which are both useful, and Honchkrow has horrible defenses, so it has few opportunities to heal. Steel Wing is decent for Diancie but very situational. Choice Scarf allows Honchkrow to be an effective revenge killer and a fast cleaner, but Honchkrow likes to use different moves and not have to worry about locking into a move. Fightinium Z is great for knocking down Steel- and Rock-types like Registeel and Tyrantrum without the drops that come with Superpower, but Honchkrow sorely misses the Dark-type nuke with Darkinium Z. Protect can be viable when First Impression from Golisopod can threaten to KO and is mainly good as a 4th slot move.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Diancie**: Diancie resists both of Honchkrow's STAB moves, can take a Superpower, and OHKOes it back with Moonblast.
**Flying-resistant Pokemon**: Unless they are all chipped, physically defensive Pokemon resistant to Flying like Steelix and Rhyperior can tank hits from Honchkrow and remove it with powerful attacks. However, they need to watch out for Superpower if they are weakened.
**Faster Dark-resistant Pokemon**: Due to its subpar Speed, Honchkrow is heavily pressured by Pokemon like Virizion and Drapion which all KO it back. Virizion resists Sucker Punch and can OHKO with Close Combat, and Drapion resists Sucker Punch and can damage Honchkrow with Poison Jab.
**Faster Priority**: Due to its bad defenses, Honchkrow is prone to being revenge killed by faster priority moves like Extreme Speed from Linoone and Zygarde-10%, which outprioritize Sucker Punch. Accelerock from Lycanroc-D and Ice Shard from Vanilluxe and Mega Glalie also outprioritize Sucker Punch and OHKO Honchkrow back. Honchkrow must also be wary of First Impression from Golisopod, which also OHKOes it.
**Residual Damage**: Due to its Flying typing, Stealth Rock cuts into Honchkrow's already limited longevity. Status conditions such as burns, especially from Scald and Will-O-Wisp, make it lose a lot of offensive pressure. Brave Bird recoil makes Honchkrow easier to revenge kill.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[WMAR, 273646]]
- Quality checked by: [[zizalith, 410251], [MrAldo, 227521], [phantom, 180300]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Fireflame479, 231476 ], [Rabia, 336073]]
Honchkrow is a threatening wallbreaker and potential cleaner in the metagame. Honchkrow has access to a very strong Brave Bird and a great coverage option in Superpower to increase its offensive presence. Moxie gives Honchkrow an Attack boost every time it KOes a Pokemon, threatening a snowball effect in which it keeps racking up boosts. Sucker Punch helps Honchkrow revenge kill and clean due to its priority. Sadly, Honchkrow is burdened with poor bulk and Speed, relying on Sucker Punch to KO faster threats like Salazzle and Flygon, and Sucker Punch is easily exploitable by switching to a resistant Pokemon or setting up on it. Honchkrow is also weak to Stealth Rock, giving it fewer opportunities to switch in. Brave Bird recoil also weakens Honchkrow, exploiting its restricted longevity. Despite its decent niche, it is rather difficult to justify using Honchkrow as a wallbreaker compared to other Pokemon like Mega Blastoise, Zygarde-10%, and Virizion, as they are faster, have more reliable setup options, and have better defensive utility in the case of Mega Blastoise.
[SET]
name: Darkinium Z
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Superpower
move 4: Taunt
item: Darkinium Z
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Brave Bird is a very powerful STAB move and breaks holes in the opponent's team. Sucker Punch in conjunction with Darkinium Z allows Honchkrow to have a one-time powerful Dark-type STAB move and not have to rely on prediction, doing massive damage to Brave Bird-resistant Pokemon like Bronzong and Metagross. Sucker Punch on its own is a fantastic priority move to revenge kill Pokemon like Gardevoir and Salazzle and can let Honchkrow clean weakened teams. Superpower gives Honchkrow a way to break past Steel-, Dark-, and Rock-types that can take a Brave Bird and not worry about Sucker Punch like Registeel and Rhyperior. Superpower also hits Mandibuzz hard when it uses Roost. Taunt allows Honchkrow to ease some prediction and stallbreak, disrupting the likes of Umbreon and Registeel and gives Honchkrow a way to stop them from spreading Toxic while also preventing entry hazard removal via Defog. Pursuit can help when reading switches from faster Pokemon that want to predict Sucker Punch and remove Psychic-types, Ghost-types, and weakened Pokemon.
Set Details
========
The EVs in Speed and a Jolly nature allow Honchkrow to outspeed most defensive Pokemon like Florges and Mantine, giving it the opportunity to use Taunt to prevent entry hazards from being removed or effectively KO them if sufficiently weakened. Additionally, the EVs let it outspeed the likes of Metagross as well as standard Florges and Cresselia sets. Darkinium Z makes Sucker Punch a one-time attack to break through Bronzong and Metagross without having to rely on Sucker Punch. Z-Sucker Punch also heavily dents Cresselia. Life Orb is a solid option if you have another Pokemon with a Z-Crystal and is a lot more threatening versus teams without Darkinium Z Z-Sucker Punch targets, but this weakens Honchkrow more quickly, giving it less time to wallbreak, and makes it a liability to getting revenge killed. Adamant is an alternative nature and is useful to wallbreak more easier, but Honchkrow will lose the Speed that allows it to threaten Metagross, no longer Speed tie with Tyrantrum, and be unlikely to beat Cresselia. Darkinium Z can also be used for Z-Taunt; it gives Honchkrow +1 Attack immediately and helps in scenarios when using Superpower, as it can lower its Attack and Defense, which Z-Taunt alleviates. However, it's situational, and Black Hole Eclipse is a much better option.
Usage Tips
========
Honchkrow is best used early-game to support a different sweeper by punching a massive hole in the opponent's team. Honchkrow can also be used as a late-game cleaner due to the combination of Moxie and Sucker Punch. Sucker Punch-resistant Pokemon like Virizion and Toxicroak need to be removed, and faster Pokemon such as Salazzle and Raikou need to be chipped into range of Sucker Punch before Honchkrow attempts to clean. Bring Honchkrow in with a double switch, with a slow pivot, or after a teammate has been knocked out. It also needs to be kept as healthy as possible, so try to keep Stealth Rock off the field and do not let it get afflicted with any status condition. Toxic puts it on a timer, burns make it lose its offensive presence, and paralysis cuts its Speed and can potentially make it miss out on a crucial KO, so ensure you prevent that as best as you can. Honchkrow should never be switched into strong attacks, as it is rather frail. However, switching into predicted Psychic- and Ground-type moves is alright barring Zygarde-10%'s Thousand Arrows. Decide if conserving Honchkrow's HP for a late-game sweep is worth it because recklessly using Brave Bird or switching into Stealth Rock cuts into Honchkrow's HP a lot, so it might not get to clean late-game.
Team Options
========
Some of Honchkrow's best teammates are entry hazard setters and removers; the best example is Donphan, which is effective at spinning and keeping hazards on the opponent's side of the field, and it is an effective check to some faster threats like Zygarde-10% and Raikou. Araquanid is also really good for setting Sticky Web and weakening the opponent's team for Honchkrow to clean more easily. Tsareena is also good, as both it and Honchkrow are really potent wallbreakers, and Tsareena can use Rapid Spin reliably. Honchkrow works best with Pokemon Feraligatr, Virizion, and Barbaracle that can pressure Rock- and Steel-types. Fire-types like Ninetales and Arcanine also threaten Steel-types. Healing Wish users like Gardevoir and Shaymin are great partners as they can heal Honchkrow when it is weakened, allowing more reckless play. Slow pivots like Tsareena and Forretress are extremely important to bring Honchkrow in safely. Fast pivots like Raikou and Flygon work as well, as they can force switches to give Honchkrow opportunities to come in.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Night Slash is a good option for a consistent Dark-type STAB moveas not having to play mind games versus Metagross can be invaluable at times, but due to its abysmal Speed, Honchkrow appreciates the priority that Sucker Punch provides. Roost is good for recovery, but Honchkrow has to give up Superpower or Taunt, which are both useful, and Honchkrow has horrible defenses, so it has few opportunities to heal. Steel Wing is decent for Diancie but very situational. Choice Scarf allows Honchkrow to be an effective revenge killer and a fast cleaner, but Honchkrow likes to use different moves and not have to worry about locking into a move. Fightinium Z is great for knocking down Steel- and Rock-types like Registeel and Tyrantrum without the drops that come with Superpower, but Honchkrow sorely misses the Dark-type nuke with Darkinium Z. Protect can be viable when First Impression from Golisopod can threaten to KO and is mainly good as a 4th slot move.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Diancie**: Diancie resists both of Honchkrow's STAB moves, can take a Superpower, and OHKOes it back with Moonblast.
**Flying-resistant Pokemon**: Unless they are all chipped, physically defensive Pokemon resistant to Flying like Steelix and Rhyperior can tank hits from Honchkrow and remove it with powerful attacks. However, they need to watch out for Superpower if they are weakened.
**Faster Dark-resistant Pokemon**: Due to its subpar Speed, Honchkrow is heavily pressured by Pokemon like Virizion and Drapion which all KO it back. Virizion resists Sucker Punch and can OHKO with Close Combat, and Drapion resists Sucker Punch and can damage Honchkrow with Poison Jab.
**Faster Priority**: Due to its bad defenses, Honchkrow is prone to being revenge killed by faster priority moves like Extreme Speed from Linoone and Zygarde-10%, which outprioritize Sucker Punch. Accelerock from Lycanroc-D and Ice Shard from Vanilluxe and Mega Glalie also outprioritize Sucker Punch and OHKO Honchkrow back. Honchkrow must also be wary of First Impression from Golisopod, which also OHKOes it.
**Residual Damage**: Due to its Flying typing, Stealth Rock cuts into Honchkrow's already limited longevity. Status conditions such as burns, especially from Scald and Will-O-Wisp, make it lose a lot of offensive pressure. Brave Bird recoil makes Honchkrow easier to revenge kill.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[WMAR, 273646]]
- Quality checked by: [[zizalith, 410251], [MrAldo, 227521], [phantom, 180300]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Fireflame479, 231476 ], [Rabia, 336073]]
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