Braviary [QC 0/3]

[Swamp Link]

Overview
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• Strong as hell
• Flying is really good offensively
• Defiant discourages Defog
• Good coverage
• Pairs really well with hazard leads, especially Sticky Web
• Mediocre Speed
• Common weaknesses, including Stealth Rock

Wallbreaker
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name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Superpower
move 4: U-turn / Roost
ability: Defiant
item: Choice Band / Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly

Moves
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• Brave Bird is stupidly strong
• Return is strong STAB without recoil and isn't resisted by Electric-types
• Superpower gets almost perfect neutral coverage
• U-turn works with the CB set to keep momentum on things that Braviary can't break
• If using Life Orb, then Roost is recommended to stay healthy
• Facade could be used over Return to continue hitting hard even if Braviary is burned, but it misses out on several KOs if it is not burned

Set Details
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• Choice Band is better for the ridiculous power, 2HKOing Slowbro with Brave Bird
• Life Orb lets you switch moves though, and with Roost it can have more survivability, and it's still powerful enough to 2HKO Slowbro after Stealth Rock
• Maximum Speed is used because Braviary fits really well on Sticky Web teams, where it wants as much Speed as it can get
• Adamant because it lets you do things like 2HKO Slowbro
• Jolly is good to outrun Adamant Heracross and such
• Defiant because it's awesome

Usage Tips
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• Switch it in on predicted Defogs
• Be careful of status from Defog Mew
• Even without the Defiant boost, this is a terrific mid-game wallbreaker
• Spam Brave Bird
• Use Return if they have an Electric-type that they'll probably go to or recoil is a problem
• U-turn if they have one of the few things that wall this, such as Mega Aggron, Doublade, or Metagross
• If Life Orb, use Roost on predicted switches to continue breaking, but don't give up momentum for it if you can't afford to

Team Options
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• Web
• Suicide hazard leads
• Pokemon that can clean up afterwards
• Something that can pressure Steel-types
• Volt Switch partner is nice
• Healing Wish

Choice Scarf
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name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Return
move 3: Superpower
move 4: U-turn
ability: Defiant
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
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• Brave Bird has great neutral coverage and power for revenge killing and cleaning
• Return is weaker but has no recoil and hits Electric-types
• Superpower gets near-perfect neutral coverage
• U-turn works great with a Choice Scarf for momentum

Set Details
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• Defiant because a Scarf Braviary with a Swords Dance boost is terrifying
• Scarf to revenge kill and clean
• Adamant because you're outrun by most scarfers anyway

Usage Tips
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• Switch it into predicted Defog
• Be careful of status from Defog Mew
• Spam Brave Bird
• Clean with it late game, it's powerful enough to crush weakened teams
• Use U-turn mid game if they have walls you want to pressure, but don't waste a Defiant boost
• This is still strong mid-game

Team Options
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• Web
• Suicide hazard leads
• Volt Switchers are better because this set makes better use of U-turn
• Strong wallbreakers to beat the stuff that can now handle it, like Slowbro

Sub Bulk Up
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name: Sub Bulk Up
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Bulk Up
move 3: Brave Bird
move 4: Roost
ability: Defiant
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 212 SpD / 44 Spe
nature: Careful

Moves
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• Substitute protects from status and eases set up
• Bulk Up makes you harder to take down and more powerful
• Brave Bird is the sole attacking move because of its good power and coverage, with no immunities
• Roost keeps you healthy to keep setting up

Set Details
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• HP, Special Defense EVs, and Careful nature make it so that every bulky water's Scald fails to break the sub (except Empoleon on an absolute max roll but who even uses that)
• 44 Spe outruns Suicune so that you can sub on it
• 252 HP will give you 101 HP subs for Seismic Toss, nothing uses that, but it's still best for bulk
• 124 Speed outruns defensive Arcanine, but that breaks the Sub with Flare Blitz before you have 2 boosts anyway, so it becomes a prediction game between Flare Blitz and Will-o-Wisp. If you Bulk Up on the switch, you have to predict correctly whether to use Sub on Will-o-Wisp or Bulk Up on Flare Blitz. It's not worth it most of the time.

Usage Tips
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• Late game win condition or mid-game stallbreaker
• Quagsire stops this thing, so don't try to do stuff if that's still around
• Set up subs on forced switches
• Bulky waters are set up bait before they get Calm Mind boosts
• Don't risk Scald burning you, though
• This thing needs a few boosts before it does damage
• You can force stuff out to set up initially if they think you're a choice set
• Steer clear of strong special attackers like Mega Manectric
• Be careful of revenge killers

Team Options
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• It's a surprisingly independent Pokemon
• Struggles with Electric-types a lot
• Goes on more balanced teams as a potential win condition
• Volt Switch users that can bait in Grass-types are cool
• Special walls such as Umbreon and Florges can't 2HKO, so they are set up bait, making Pokemon that lure them out (not a difficult task) are good partners

Other Options
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• Sheer Force
  
• Tailwind
• Sharp Beak to bluff Choice
• Wacan Berry to lure Electrics and make them kill

Checks & Counters
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• Mega Aggron
• Rhyperior
• Metagross
• Doublade
• Bulky waters for Scarf
• Hydreigon and other ground-immune Scarfers revenge kill
• Electric-types check but get wrecked by Frustration

 

[Swamp Link]

As I understood it, the protocol for non-UU Pokemon was just to post a thread without posting in the Reservation Index, and QC could reject it if they didn't like it. If that's wrong, I apologize.

 

[Kushalos]

Facade should probably be slashed with Return, so that if Braviary gets burned it can still do massive damage.

 

[Swamp Link]

I don't agree with slashing it because Return gets some pretty important KOes, but I'll mention it.

252+ Atk Choice Band Braviary Return vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Raikou: 334-394 (103.7 - 122.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Braviary Return vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Rotom-H: 249-294 (103.3 - 121.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Braviary Return vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Ampharos: 184-217 (47.9 - 56.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

All of these are missed by Facade, as well as general power if Braviary tries to clean with Return. And if you're Scarf:

252+ Atk Braviary Facade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Rotom-H: 115-136 (47.7 - 56.4%) -- 85.5% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Braviary Facade vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Raikou: 153-181 (47.5 - 56.2%) -- 27.3% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
52+ Atk Braviary Facade vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Ampharos: 117-138 (30.4 - 35.9%) -- 39.2% chance to 3HKO

All of these are guaranteed 2HKOes with Return, and I haven't found Braviary to really be a Will-o-Wisp magnet, because it just utterly destroys every user of the move. But yeah, I'll mention it in moves.