roman
Banned deucer.
[OVERVIEW]
Noivern takes advantage of passive balance staples like Mandibuzz, Milotic, Bronzong, and Shaymin by stopping them in their tracks with Taunt and breaking them down with Flamethrower or STAB Hurricane. Furthermore, one of the best unboosted Speed tiers and a decent Special Attack stat backed up by Life Orb or a one-time nuke in Flyinium Z allow Noivern to revenge kill common wallbreakers such as Salazzle and Virizion, and its Dragon typing lets it switch into and check metagame threats like Shaymin, Ninetales, and Golisopod consistently. Its resistance to Fighting-type attacks is also notable, as it can at least force predictions with Fighting-types like Bewear. However, Noivern's lackluster bulk means that its ability to stallbreak will waver against walls like Gyro Ball Bronzong and Moonblast Cresselia, as it'll be pressured into healing with Roost consecutively. Similarly, Noivern's base 97 Special Attack can come off as lackluster if it's not using its Z-Move or running Life Orb. Noivern's massive weakness to residual damage like Toxic poison and Stealth Rock damage in conjunction with mediocre bulk lowers its potential to stallbreak.
[SET]
name: Taunt + Roost
move 1: Hurricane
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Roost
move 4: Flamethrower
item: Flyinium Z / Life Orb
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Hurricane is Noivern's extremely strong STAB attack. Taunt lets Noivern stop Stealth Rock setters like Registeel and prevent walls like Mandibuzz from healing. Roost gives it longevity, allowing it to beat Pokemon like Shaymin more consistently. Flamethrower allows Noivern to somewhat mitigate its inability to hit Steel-types. It also gives Noivern a way to KO weakened Pokemon without having to rely on Hurricane's poor accuracy. Super Fang is an option to let it more immediately chip at Flying-resistant Pokemon like Tyrantrum, Mega Ampharos, and Bronzong as they switch in.
Set Details
========
252 Special Attack and Speed EVs allow Noivern to be as strong and fast as possible. A Timid nature allows Noivern to outpace Pokemon like Salazzle and Virizion. Flyinium Z gives Noivern a one-time nuke that lets it more reliably revenge kill opposing Pokemon, as Supersonic Skystrike doesn't check accuracy. Life Orb trades the reliable nuke that Flyinium Z provides for a more consistent damage output. Infiltrator lets Noivern check Substitute Pokemon like Shaymin, Salazzle, and Virizion more easily and bypass Light Screen, letting it OHKO Pokemon like Linoone before they can set up. Noivern can opt for a set running Taunt / Roost / Fang / Hurricane along with Leftovers. This set utilizes an EV spread of 168 HP / 40 Def / 88 SpA / 4 SpD / 208 Spe so it can more consistently switch into Pokemon like Virizion and Golisopod.
Usage Tips
========
Use Taunt liberally against walls like Registeel, Milotic, and Mandibuzz that could potentially carry Toxic, as Noivern is very vulnerable to it and will be crippled for the rest of the game. Capitalize on Noivern's plethora of resistances by switching in and checking Pokemon like Shaymin, Golisopod, and Ninetales throughout games. Play cautiously against experienced players that might try to lure Noivern's Z-Move by sacrificing a useless teammates. If running Super Fang, keep it hidden until an opportune moment. For example, catch Flying-resistant Pokemon like Diancie and Registeel off guard by hitting them hard with Super Fang on the switch. Take advantage of Noivern's amazing Speed to prevent setup Pokemon like Salazzle and Virizion from sweeping your team. Keep Noivern healthy by using Roost consistently, especially if Stealth Rock is up and you are struggling to get your remover in safely, as Noivern's mediocre bulk combined with the residual damage from Stealth Rock will make it difficult to switch into attackers like Ninetales and Golisopod.
Team Options
========
Pair Noivern with entry hazard removers like Mega Blastoise to help mitigate its crippling weakness to Stealth Rock. Defensive Pokemon like Cresselia, Porygon2, and Registeel work well in conjunction with Noivern, as they can switch in and beat faster revenge killers that Noivern is vulnerable to. Wallbreakers like Bewear, Yanmega, and Gardevoir synergize well with Noivern, as they can help break down each other's counters. Steel-types like Registeel and Bronzong help mitigate Noivern's weakness to Fairy-, Ice-, and Rock-type attacks while also providing it with Stealth Rock support. Setup sweepers like Virizion and Salazzle appreciate Noivern's ability to remove walls like Gligar.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Although Noivern lacks solid other viable options, it can opt for a Choice Specs set utilizing moves like Flamethrower, Draco Meteor, Hurricane, U-turn, and Switcheroo, but it is inferior to other wallbreakers in terms of raw power. It can also try a Life Orb set running Draco Meteor / Hurricane / Flamethrower / Roost.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types like Florges tank Noivern's attacks and revenge kill it with super effective STAB Moonblast.
**Faster Revenge Killers and Priority**: Choice Scarf users like Tyrantrum, Flygon, and Gardevoir all outpace and KO Noivern. Other naturally faster Pokemon like Aerodactyl beat Noivern too. Priority from Pokemon like Mega Glalie, Sneasel, and Zygarde-10% is also threatening.
**Status**: Status, especially paralysis, ruins Noivern, as it can no longer revenge kill sweepers like Virizion. Toxic poison wears it down quickly, preventing it from beating walls like Mandibuzz.
**Residual Damage**: Toxic poison, Stealth Rock, and weak attacks wear down Noivern quickly.
**Rock-types**: Rock-types like Gigalith and Diancie capitalize on their ability to take any of Noivern's attacks by firing off powerful attacks or setting up Stealth Rock.
**Specially Defensive Walls**: Although Noivern can manage to get past a plethora of walls thanks to Taunt + Roost, it still struggles to beat others like Diancie and Gyro Ball Bronzong, both of which run right through it.
Noivern takes advantage of passive balance staples like Mandibuzz, Milotic, Bronzong, and Shaymin by stopping them in their tracks with Taunt and breaking them down with Flamethrower or STAB Hurricane. Furthermore, one of the best unboosted Speed tiers and a decent Special Attack stat backed up by Life Orb or a one-time nuke in Flyinium Z allow Noivern to revenge kill common wallbreakers such as Salazzle and Virizion, and its Dragon typing lets it switch into and check metagame threats like Shaymin, Ninetales, and Golisopod consistently. Its resistance to Fighting-type attacks is also notable, as it can at least force predictions with Fighting-types like Bewear. However, Noivern's lackluster bulk means that its ability to stallbreak will waver against walls like Gyro Ball Bronzong and Moonblast Cresselia, as it'll be pressured into healing with Roost consecutively. Similarly, Noivern's base 97 Special Attack can come off as lackluster if it's not using its Z-Move or running Life Orb. Noivern's massive weakness to residual damage like Toxic poison and Stealth Rock damage in conjunction with mediocre bulk lowers its potential to stallbreak.
[SET]
name: Taunt + Roost
move 1: Hurricane
move 2: Taunt
move 3: Roost
move 4: Flamethrower
item: Flyinium Z / Life Orb
ability: Infiltrator
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Hurricane is Noivern's extremely strong STAB attack. Taunt lets Noivern stop Stealth Rock setters like Registeel and prevent walls like Mandibuzz from healing. Roost gives it longevity, allowing it to beat Pokemon like Shaymin more consistently. Flamethrower allows Noivern to somewhat mitigate its inability to hit Steel-types. It also gives Noivern a way to KO weakened Pokemon without having to rely on Hurricane's poor accuracy. Super Fang is an option to let it more immediately chip at Flying-resistant Pokemon like Tyrantrum, Mega Ampharos, and Bronzong as they switch in.
Set Details
========
252 Special Attack and Speed EVs allow Noivern to be as strong and fast as possible. A Timid nature allows Noivern to outpace Pokemon like Salazzle and Virizion. Flyinium Z gives Noivern a one-time nuke that lets it more reliably revenge kill opposing Pokemon, as Supersonic Skystrike doesn't check accuracy. Life Orb trades the reliable nuke that Flyinium Z provides for a more consistent damage output. Infiltrator lets Noivern check Substitute Pokemon like Shaymin, Salazzle, and Virizion more easily and bypass Light Screen, letting it OHKO Pokemon like Linoone before they can set up. Noivern can opt for a set running Taunt / Roost / Fang / Hurricane along with Leftovers. This set utilizes an EV spread of 168 HP / 40 Def / 88 SpA / 4 SpD / 208 Spe so it can more consistently switch into Pokemon like Virizion and Golisopod.
Usage Tips
========
Use Taunt liberally against walls like Registeel, Milotic, and Mandibuzz that could potentially carry Toxic, as Noivern is very vulnerable to it and will be crippled for the rest of the game. Capitalize on Noivern's plethora of resistances by switching in and checking Pokemon like Shaymin, Golisopod, and Ninetales throughout games. Play cautiously against experienced players that might try to lure Noivern's Z-Move by sacrificing a useless teammates. If running Super Fang, keep it hidden until an opportune moment. For example, catch Flying-resistant Pokemon like Diancie and Registeel off guard by hitting them hard with Super Fang on the switch. Take advantage of Noivern's amazing Speed to prevent setup Pokemon like Salazzle and Virizion from sweeping your team. Keep Noivern healthy by using Roost consistently, especially if Stealth Rock is up and you are struggling to get your remover in safely, as Noivern's mediocre bulk combined with the residual damage from Stealth Rock will make it difficult to switch into attackers like Ninetales and Golisopod.
Team Options
========
Pair Noivern with entry hazard removers like Mega Blastoise to help mitigate its crippling weakness to Stealth Rock. Defensive Pokemon like Cresselia, Porygon2, and Registeel work well in conjunction with Noivern, as they can switch in and beat faster revenge killers that Noivern is vulnerable to. Wallbreakers like Bewear, Yanmega, and Gardevoir synergize well with Noivern, as they can help break down each other's counters. Steel-types like Registeel and Bronzong help mitigate Noivern's weakness to Fairy-, Ice-, and Rock-type attacks while also providing it with Stealth Rock support. Setup sweepers like Virizion and Salazzle appreciate Noivern's ability to remove walls like Gligar.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Although Noivern lacks solid other viable options, it can opt for a Choice Specs set utilizing moves like Flamethrower, Draco Meteor, Hurricane, U-turn, and Switcheroo, but it is inferior to other wallbreakers in terms of raw power. It can also try a Life Orb set running Draco Meteor / Hurricane / Flamethrower / Roost.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-types**: Fairy-types like Florges tank Noivern's attacks and revenge kill it with super effective STAB Moonblast.
**Faster Revenge Killers and Priority**: Choice Scarf users like Tyrantrum, Flygon, and Gardevoir all outpace and KO Noivern. Other naturally faster Pokemon like Aerodactyl beat Noivern too. Priority from Pokemon like Mega Glalie, Sneasel, and Zygarde-10% is also threatening.
**Status**: Status, especially paralysis, ruins Noivern, as it can no longer revenge kill sweepers like Virizion. Toxic poison wears it down quickly, preventing it from beating walls like Mandibuzz.
**Residual Damage**: Toxic poison, Stealth Rock, and weak attacks wear down Noivern quickly.
**Rock-types**: Rock-types like Gigalith and Diancie capitalize on their ability to take any of Noivern's attacks by firing off powerful attacks or setting up Stealth Rock.
**Specially Defensive Walls**: Although Noivern can manage to get past a plethora of walls thanks to Taunt + Roost, it still struggles to beat others like Diancie and Gyro Ball Bronzong, both of which run right through it.
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