My Bird Team(s) [E17 SPOILERS]

[Zemenes]

When I saw episode 17 was out I immediately wanted to play a run with the new grass starter, Rowlett. I intended to do a Grass mono-run but then I ran into a shiny Pidgey as soon as the game started. I catch it and see that it has 30 SpA IVs, perfect for a Mega-Pidgeot. I then thought about doing a Flying mono-run but Rowlett loses it's Flying type with evolution.  That's how I decided to do a full bird team.  

 

I ended up having a blast playing this and found the game lends itself pretty well to this type of run. There are 3 bird starters to choose from: Rowlett, Piplup, and Torchic, and you can immediately catch a Pidgey, Hoothoot, and Spearow. Getting through the first gym is a bit rough due to its Electric type but luckily Spearow and Hoothoot both evolve right at level 20 to take on the gym.

 

In the early game I swept entire teams with Echoed Voice on my Tinted Lens Noctowl, and even gave it a Metronome once I got a few stickers. Other weak pokemon such as Unfeazant and Aromatisse made brief appearances on my team and I had fun figuring out how to make a team with such limited options.

 

There were a few notable power spikes that came just in time when the battles were starting to get really rough. I've never been happier than when I got to Beryl Ward and got to add both Talonflame and Dodrio to my then sad-looking team. I also replaced my Fearow with a shiny one I found (sorry buddy). Soon after I got Murkrow, (the future MVP of my team) and it actually looked like I had something that could work.  Once I made it to the forest it was birds everywhere and I even got a few special attackers like Chatot, Oricorio and Swanna to round out my team. 

 

The next notable development was when I got my Piplup from 7th street. I decided then that I had enough birds to make 2 full teams, one for each starter. This had me bringing back some of the birds I'd cycled out of my main team and once again I had a lot of work to do to figure out how to make something out of the weak birds. Now I've gotten to the end of Ep 17 and I have two very powerful teams to show for my efforts:

 

Team 1 - Decidueye Squad

  Reveal hidden contents

• Decidueye:
  • Ability: Long Reach
  • Item: Decidium-Z (Previously Assault Vest)
  • Moveset: Leaf Blade, Spirit Shackle, Brave Bird, Sucker Punch

 

        The start of all the bird madness. While he lacks the speed to be an offensive powerhouse, he hits hard and can take a hit or two before going 

        down. Sucker Punch is a great priority move and was often able to help take down some of those speedy glass cannons the game throws at you.

 

• Talonflame:
  • Ability: Gale Wings
  • Item: None (sometimes Flying Gem or one of the seeds)
  • Moveset: Flare Blitz, Acrobatics, Roost, Tailwind

 

        The fastest of them all. Priority flying moves are pretty strong, even if it only works at full health. Talonflame is one of the 3 saviors of my team that

        would come in to shut down all sorts of threats. If he couldn't take down the threat himself, he'd priority tailwind and let someone else do the job.

 

• Staraptor:
  • Ability: Reckless
  • Item: Silk Scarf
  • Moveset: Brave Bird, Return, Close Combat, Quick Attack

 

        A late addition to the party Staraptor came in to relieve Dodrio of her duty. He hits hard and fast just like Dodrio but quite a bit harder.

        I would love to give him a Choice Band but unfortunately I'm Team Aqua.

 

• Sigilyph:
  • Ability: Magic Guard
  • Item: Flame Orb / Toxic Orb
  • Moveset: Stored Power, Psycho Shift, Cosmic Power, Roost

 

        The setup troll. I'll admit I got this off of smogon back when it was Sigliyph's best set. Simply Burn / Toxic you're opponent while setting up with

        Cosmic Power until you can unleash massive Stored Power's. Burn is better for setting up on physical attackers but Toxic can be used to take

        down Dark enemies in a much more reasonable time frame.

 

• Togekiss:
  • Ability: Serene Grace
  • Item: Choice Specs
  • Moveset: Air Slash, Dazzling Gleam, Flamethrower, Extrasensory

 

         Who doesn't love to be flinched constantly? I ended up giving Togekiss the Choice Specs because it lacked more powerful attack moves like the

         rest of my team. With this it does massive damage and the flinch is just a small bonus rather than the actual strategy. Has over 20 confirmed

         Garchomp statue kills under his belt.

 

• Pidgeot:
  • Ability: Keen Eye
  • Item: Pidgeotite
  • Moveset: Hurricane, Heat Wave, Roost, Tailwind

        

        The shiny birb that made me change my ways. It took a long time to get good but now that I finally have the Mega Ring it performs fantastically. 

        Even before the Mega evolution she would at least come through by providing Tailwind support for my other slow hitters.

 

Team 2: The Bubble Band (Some rain synergy)

  Reveal hidden contents

• Empoleon:
  • Ability: Torrent
  • Item: Lefovers
  • Moveset: Scald, Flash Cannon, Grass Knot, Stealth Rock

 

      As a bulky Stealth Rock user, Empoleon is a great lead. In the rain Scald hits hard and outside of it the burn chance still gives it utility. Empoleon has ran Hydro Pump in the

      past and is great when paired up with Pelipper for powerful openings to double battles. Torrent actually does something for Empoleon because of his bulk. Torrent and rain

      boosted Hydro Pumps saved my butt more than once.

 

• Pelipper:
  • Ability: Drizzle (OP plz nerf)
  • Item: Damp Rock
  • Moveset: Hydro Pump, Hurricane, Roost Tailwind

     

       Before the days of Mega evolutions and choice items Pelipper was the hardest hitting thing in my lineup. Hydro pump in the rain kills everything and given a Tailwind, he can

       sweep better than Cinderella. He's bulky enough to setup his own Tailwind and also casually has perfect accuracy Hurricane. The second savior of my run and the special king.

 

• Oricorio (Pom-Pom):
  • Ability: Dancer
  • Item: Choice Specs (borrows it from Togekiss) or Zap Plate
  • Moveset: Revelation Dance, Hurricane, Tailwind, Teeter Dance

 

       Another Pokemon that benefits from Pelipper's rain support. When Oricorio has Choice Specs, Hurricane in the rain can hit hard and with the speed that Pelipper lacks.

       Leading with Oricorio and Pelipper I was able to sweep the goons trying to stop me from getting my Mega ring without a single "fainted" soul. I'm still looking for a better

       moveset to support the Choice Specs or a different item besides the Zap Plate.

 

• Honchkrow:
  • Ability: Moxie
  • Item: Black Glasses
  • Moveset: Drill Peck, Sucker Punch, Superpower, Roost

 

       The third savior and MVP of my run, Honchkrow shows how disgusting a combo Moxie + STAB Sucker Punch is. Switch it in to revenge-kill anything low on health and then

       sweep the rest of your opponent's team with Sucker Punch because you can. Just use a few PP-Ups first. I thought Aegislash would be hard but Honchkrow barely blinked at it.

       Also saved me as a Murkrow using Prankster Taunt to stop the bug leader from getting their Prankster Rain Dance and saving my birds from the wrath of Swift Swim Anorith.

 

• Hawlucha:
  • Ability: Unburden
  • Item: None (sometimes Flying Gem or one of the seeds)
  • Moveset: Acrobatics, High Jump Kick, Drain Punch, Swords Dance

 

       When the seeds are good Hawlucha is disgusting. Sometimes they let him get off a free Swords Dance while boosting his attack and activating Unburden. The rest of the time

       he's still pretty good. You can alternatively put a Focus Sash on him to guarantee a Swords Dance but sometimes they won't OHKO to activate his Unburden and you can't buy

       more of them. Has performed great since I got him but came late enough that my teams were already fine without him.

 

• Archeops:
  • Ability: Defeatist
  • Item: None (He don't need no silly Flying Gem ever)
  • Moveset: Acrobatics, Rock Slide, Outrage, U-Turn

     

       The Arceus slayer herself. She's totally a bird I swear.  She hits disgustingly hard with Acrobatics and is fantastic in double battles with her Rock Slide. Her ability is kind

       of irrelevant because she'll die if she gets so much as breathed on. This is where U-Turn can help her get powerful hits in but get away so she can come back and do it again.

       This hit and run method is how she was able to slay a god single-handedly (while the rest of my team took the hits and "fainted").

 

 

Honorable mentions: Noctowl, Fearow, Aromatisse, Dodrio, Toucannon, Chatot, Swanna

 

I'm looking forward to Torchic eventually becoming available so I can start a third bird team. I've already got a few birds ready including Skarmory, Xatu, Braviary, and Mega Altaria (when that happens).

 

Overall this was a fantastic run. My only complaint is that every single Pokemon that you ever face in any double battle knows Rock Slide. And the rest know Discharge. I wish I kept a tally of how many of my poor birds were murdered with these foul methods because it would be in the hundreds.

[GenEric]

ALL HAIL BIRB TEAM

[gryson]

hey, how did you beat florina's cradily?

[Zemenes]

That took a few tries but I eventually managed to set up and sweep with Echoed Voice Noctowl. It was just a OHKO for the Cradily.