[SET]
Physically Defensive (Corviknight) @ Leftovers / Rocky Helmet / Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Fluffy / Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Brave Bird / Body Press
- U-turn
- Roost
- Defog
[SET COMMENTS]
Corviknight is a premier physical wall and slow-pivot that can check a huge swathe of the tier's vicious attackers thanks to its fantastic defensive typing only boosted further by great defensive stats and an amplification ability as well as access to reliable recovery and the highly coveted Defog. With Fluffy, Corviknight is one of the most reliable checks to the tier's most powerful wallbreakers like Roaring Moon, Zamazenta, and Great Tusk, often able to act as a team's sole check to these dangerous threats. Intimidate, meanwhile, allows Corviknight to more reliably check Chien-Pao and Ogerpon-W's non-contact Icicle Crash and Ivy Cudgel respectively while still acting as a solid secondary check to the rest of the tier's physical attackers. Brave Bird is Corviknight's most consistent attack, notably doing solid damage to Great Tusk. Alternatively, Body Press is an option that threatens Heatran, Kingambit, and Iron Treads. Leftovers provides Corviknight with consistent chip recovery even when it isn't clicking Roost, but Rocky Helmet punishsz contact moves from the likes of Great Tusk, Zamazenta, and non-Magic Guard Roaring Moon. Alternatively, Heavy-Duty Boots is an option to negate Corviknight's Stealth Rock neutrality, giving it more switch-in opportunities.
Corviknight can act as an anchor and hazard remover on almost any style of team from fat to offense, but it particularly thrives on balance and bulky offense structures where it can use U-turn to support the tier's most powerful wallbreakers. Frail but speedy wallbreakers like Chien-Pao, Meowscarada, and Deoxys-S thrive with support from Corviknight's slow U-turn while also forcing out the slower attackers like Ceruledge and Sandy Shocks that threaten Corviknight; Chien-Pao in particular, alongside wallbreakers like Ceruledge and Ogerpon-Hearthflame, greatly appreciates Corviknight's hazard removing capabilities. Corviknight is incredibly passive, so it also appreciates the presence of other powerful wallbreakers like Primarina, Ceruledge, or Great Tusk. RegenVest users like Swampert, Manaphy, and Roaring Moon are the most natural defensive pairing, with these teammates able to switch in on special attackers like Zapdos, Iron Moth, and Deoxys-S that seek to prey on Corviknight's average Special Defense; these RegenVest users also form a sturdy VoltTurn core with Corviknight, allowing them to more easily cover each other's backs or bring in powerful attackers. If running Intimidate, a more sturdy check to physical wallbreakers like Zamazenta and Great Tusk may be needed, while either ability fails to check Fire-types like Ceruledge or Ogerpon-Hearthflame; this can make other bulky pivots like Pecharunt, physically defensive Manaphy, or Iron Hands into great teammates.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Level 99 Corviknight is an option for an even slower U-turn, guaranteeing you switch out after an opposing Corviknight, but this comes at the cost of running a weaker, frailer Corviknight overall. Iron Head is an option to hit Scream Tail super effectively, but is generally worse than Brave Bird. Iron Defense is an option over Defog to act as a win condition on bulkier teams, but this is somewhat inconsistent and comes with the opportunity cost of not running consistent hazard removal. On the even gimmickier side, Bulk Up and Agility in tandem with Power Trip is a tempting option, but this set suffers from even less consistency while being incredibly passive before multiple boosts. Physically Defensive Corviknight may consider running no item alongside Well-Baked Body to become a sturdy check to Fire-types like Cinderace, Ogerpon-H, and especially Ceruledge. Specially defensive sets have a few additional abilties worth considering: Water Absorb to check Primarina and Ogerpon-W, Bulletproof to check Gholdengo and Weather Ball users, and Vessel of Ruin to blanket-check special attackers like Latios and Deoxys-S are the most common. Delta Stream is a niche option on physically defensive sets to gain a resistance to Chien-Pao and Mamoswine's Ice-type moves as well as Iron Boulder and Ogerpon-C's Rock-type moves. Unaware is also an option to help against setup sweepers like Zamazenta and Deoxys-S.
Checks and Counters
===================
Electric-Type Moves: If not running Volt Absorb, Corviknight is incredibly vulnerable to Electric-types like Zapdos, Thundurus, and Sandy Shocks. Non Electric-types like Deoxys-S, Latios, and Gholdengo also occasionally run Thunderbolt, especially on Hadron Engine sets, with the express purpose of eliminating Corviknight.
Fire-type Moves: Similarly, non-Well Baked Body sets (especially Fluffy) are completely at the mercy of Fire-types like Iron Moth, Ceruledge, and Heatran while also being vulnerable to Fire-type coverage from the likes of Azelf and Desolate Land Landorus.
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gimmicky.540420/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gambit.652656/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
Physically Defensive (Corviknight) @ Leftovers / Rocky Helmet / Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Fluffy / Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Brave Bird / Body Press
- U-turn
- Roost
- Defog
[SET COMMENTS]
Corviknight is a premier physical wall and slow-pivot that can check a huge swathe of the tier's vicious attackers thanks to its fantastic defensive typing only boosted further by great defensive stats and an amplification ability as well as access to reliable recovery and the highly coveted Defog. With Fluffy, Corviknight is one of the most reliable checks to the tier's most powerful wallbreakers like Roaring Moon, Zamazenta, and Great Tusk, often able to act as a team's sole check to these dangerous threats. Intimidate, meanwhile, allows Corviknight to more reliably check Chien-Pao and Ogerpon-W's non-contact Icicle Crash and Ivy Cudgel respectively while still acting as a solid secondary check to the rest of the tier's physical attackers. Brave Bird is Corviknight's most consistent attack, notably doing solid damage to Great Tusk. Alternatively, Body Press is an option that threatens Heatran, Kingambit, and Iron Treads. Leftovers provides Corviknight with consistent chip recovery even when it isn't clicking Roost, but Rocky Helmet punishsz contact moves from the likes of Great Tusk, Zamazenta, and non-Magic Guard Roaring Moon. Alternatively, Heavy-Duty Boots is an option to negate Corviknight's Stealth Rock neutrality, giving it more switch-in opportunities.
Corviknight can act as an anchor and hazard remover on almost any style of team from fat to offense, but it particularly thrives on balance and bulky offense structures where it can use U-turn to support the tier's most powerful wallbreakers. Frail but speedy wallbreakers like Chien-Pao, Meowscarada, and Deoxys-S thrive with support from Corviknight's slow U-turn while also forcing out the slower attackers like Ceruledge and Sandy Shocks that threaten Corviknight; Chien-Pao in particular, alongside wallbreakers like Ceruledge and Ogerpon-Hearthflame, greatly appreciates Corviknight's hazard removing capabilities. Corviknight is incredibly passive, so it also appreciates the presence of other powerful wallbreakers like Primarina, Ceruledge, or Great Tusk. RegenVest users like Swampert, Manaphy, and Roaring Moon are the most natural defensive pairing, with these teammates able to switch in on special attackers like Zapdos, Iron Moth, and Deoxys-S that seek to prey on Corviknight's average Special Defense; these RegenVest users also form a sturdy VoltTurn core with Corviknight, allowing them to more easily cover each other's backs or bring in powerful attackers. If running Intimidate, a more sturdy check to physical wallbreakers like Zamazenta and Great Tusk may be needed, while either ability fails to check Fire-types like Ceruledge or Ogerpon-Hearthflame; this can make other bulky pivots like Pecharunt, physically defensive Manaphy, or Iron Hands into great teammates.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Level 99 Corviknight is an option for an even slower U-turn, guaranteeing you switch out after an opposing Corviknight, but this comes at the cost of running a weaker, frailer Corviknight overall. Iron Head is an option to hit Scream Tail super effectively, but is generally worse than Brave Bird. Iron Defense is an option over Defog to act as a win condition on bulkier teams, but this is somewhat inconsistent and comes with the opportunity cost of not running consistent hazard removal. On the even gimmickier side, Bulk Up and Agility in tandem with Power Trip is a tempting option, but this set suffers from even less consistency while being incredibly passive before multiple boosts. Physically Defensive Corviknight may consider running no item alongside Well-Baked Body to become a sturdy check to Fire-types like Cinderace, Ogerpon-H, and especially Ceruledge. Specially defensive sets have a few additional abilties worth considering: Water Absorb to check Primarina and Ogerpon-W, Bulletproof to check Gholdengo and Weather Ball users, and Vessel of Ruin to blanket-check special attackers like Latios and Deoxys-S are the most common. Delta Stream is a niche option on physically defensive sets to gain a resistance to Chien-Pao and Mamoswine's Ice-type moves as well as Iron Boulder and Ogerpon-C's Rock-type moves. Unaware is also an option to help against setup sweepers like Zamazenta and Deoxys-S.
Checks and Counters
===================
Electric-Type Moves: If not running Volt Absorb, Corviknight is incredibly vulnerable to Electric-types like Zapdos, Thundurus, and Sandy Shocks. Non Electric-types like Deoxys-S, Latios, and Gholdengo also occasionally run Thunderbolt, especially on Hadron Engine sets, with the express purpose of eliminating Corviknight.
Fire-type Moves: Similarly, non-Well Baked Body sets (especially Fluffy) are completely at the mercy of Fire-types like Iron Moth, Ceruledge, and Heatran while also being vulnerable to Fire-type coverage from the likes of Azelf and Desolate Land Landorus.
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gimmicky.540420/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/gambit.652656/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
Last edited:
