LC Spotlight: Bunnelby
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Bunnelby's Beginning
When Bunnelby was first introduced, it was assumed to merely be another useless but adorable Normal-type Pokémon with mediocre abilities and pathetic stats akin to the likes of Bidoof, Sentret, and Patrat. However, this quickly changed once its Hidden Ability, Huge Power, was revealed; Huge Power allows Bunnelby to hit an immense 26 Attack with a neutral nature. In addition, Bunnelby's moveset was discovered to contain numerous solid coverage moves, such as Earthquake for various Rock- and Steel-types that resist its STAB moves, Wild Charge for Archen, Stone Edge for Larvesta and Archen, and even Thief for frailer Ghost-types. Between U-turn to gain momentum, STAB priority in Quick Attack, and of course, the sheer power of its STAB Return, it soon became clear that Bunnelby was to become a force to be reckoned with.
Unfortunately for Bunnelby, the release of XY saw the unbanning of a number of powerful threats such as Sneasel and Gilgar, which outshined Bunnelby as physical attackers with their much higher stats, resulting in Bunnelby's relatively low usage. It also faced significant competition from Meditite, another Pokémon that got unbanned after XY's release, which overshadowed Bunnelby thanks to its better typing and coverage moves as well as access to a similar ability in Pure Power. Furthermore, Bunnelby was easily checked by the extremely common Misdreavus, which was able to cripple the bunny with its fast Will-O-Wisp and then use Bunnelby as setup fodder for Nasty Plot, not fearing Thief very much thanks to its above average physical bulk. As if that weren't enough, Normal wasn't the best type offensively, being unable to hit any type super effectively and being resisted by several common types; Bunnelby's typing also held it back defensively by leaving it vulnerable to omnipresent Fighting-type attacks.
Bunnelby's Hop to Greatness
However, with each suspect test and subsequent ban, Bunnelby got ever-so-slightly better. Each of Sneasel, Tangela, Yanma, Swirlix, and Gligar getting removed from the tier reduced competition for Bunnelby as an offensive Pokemon. Bunnelby's first big break came with the bans of Murkrow and Meditite. Murkrow was a potent offensive check to Bunnelby, able to come in on Earthquake and revenge kill Bunnelby with a powerful Sucker Punch or render it near useless with priority Thunder Wave; more importantly, Bunnelby was almost always first compared with Meditite before it was able to make it onto a team, so Meditite's ban helped immensely in that regard. However, it was Misdreavus's ban that really pushed Bunnelby into the spotlight, as Misdreavus was the most popular Pokémon in the metagame before its ban and simultaneously one of the most effective Bunnelby checks available. Without such a potent check to hold it back, it was finally Bunnelby's time to shine.
Playing With Bunnelby
Bunnelby is often used as either a revenge killer or a late-game cleaner with its Choice Scarf set, a role that it can perform extremely well with its phenomenal Attack stat and wide offensive movepool. On top of Return as its primary STAB move and Earthquake as a powerful coverage move, Bunnelby can run a variety of options, from U-turn to Wild Charge to Stone Edge to Thief to even Quick Attack to bypass slower priority moves; however, this does result in some degree of four-moveslot syndrome. Bunnelby can also effectively utilize a Life Orb set, which pairs especially well with Sticky Web support; the boost in power given by Life Orb and the ability to switch between moves allows Life Orb Bunnelby to act as one of the tier's premier wallbreakers.
As with most all-out attackers, it is preferable to avoid using Bunnelby early-game and wait until its potential checks are down, sticking to U-turn whenever a switch to one of its checks is predicted. Bunnelby's frailty makes it difficult to switch it into most attacks, so the best way to get it into play is with a slow U-turn or Volt Switch from a Pokémon such as Larvesta, which can counter Pumpkaboo, and Chinchou, which can check Earthquake-lacking Archen. Entry hazard control support is also a good idea because Bunnelby tends to pop in and out of the battle with U-turn, and switching so often with hazards being up will greatly hinder Bunnelby's longevity.
Playing Against Bunnelby
If you see Bunnelby on the opposing team, don't be fooled by its cute looks, because it can cut through unprepared teams like butter with its raw power alone. However, as threatening as it is, Bunnelby's awful bulk leaves it susceptible to revenge killers, be it through powerful priority attacks or faster Pokémon; examples of those are Fletchling and Timburr, both of which can KO Bunnelby after the slightest bit of prior damage with priority Acrobatics and Mach Punch, respectively, and Choice Scarf Mienfoo, which can outspeed even the Choice Scarf variants of Bunnelby and threaten it with a super effective Fighting-type STAB move.
Although Bunnelby's ridiculous damage output usually leaves smart predictions with several possible switch-ins or merely revenge killing the bunny as the most reasonable answers, there are several Pokémon that can still effectively switch into it at least a few times. Pumpkaboo is arguably the best answer to Bunnelby in LC, being immune to Normal-type attacks and resisting Earthquake and Wild Charge; if Stealth Rock isn't up, it will even be able to stomach Thief from Choice Scarf Bunnelby. Ferroseed lacks a reliable recovery move and takes neutral damage from Earthquake, but its sheer bulk will allow it to withstand a few of Bunnelby's assaults regardless. Bunnelby sets without Wild Charge or Stone Edge will struggle to break through Archen, particularly defensive Eviolite variants, and if Stealth Rock isn't up, Recycle + Berry Juice Magnemite becomes a decent check if it is at full health with its Berry Juice intact.
Summary
Bunnelby had a rough debut in the Little Cup metagame, with a bunch of Pokémon outclassing it; however, once these Pokémon started being banned, Bunnelby gradually started to shine until it became the feared threat it is now.
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