What is a good moveset for Braviary?

Question

This thread is for Unovan Braviary. For Hisuian Braviary, please go here.

If you have a good competitive moveset for Braviary, post an answer below and upvote the best ones. Movesets for its pre-evolutions, if any, can also be shared on this thread.

Be sure to include full set details in your post, e.g. items, abilities, natures and EVs. Some detail, including the intended game mode for your set, is also appreciated. Access the full list of guidelines here.

Braviary Pokédex and learnset for reference.

Comments

Likely Tier: Neverused.

Answer 1

Braviary (M) @ Choice Band / Choice Scarf
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly / Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Return
- Superpower
- U-turn

Standard set where the item can be shifted depending on requirements. Return is a spammable wallbreaking attack for the CB set, and high-BP attacks in general ensure Braviary hits hard as a revenge killer with CS. Superpower stops Steel and Rock from walling Braviary, and U-turn is a safe option if you can't risk your opponent making an aggressive switch.

Choice between Jolly and Adamant depends on the metagame. Check speed tiers to see what can get the jump on Braviary without Jolly and decide if that matters enough to your team.

Comments

I took the option for Sheer Force + Crush Claw off this set because SF boosted Crush Claw is weaker than unboosted Return.

Answer 2

I personally like this moveset for Braviary. Hope you like it.

Braviary @ Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Return
- Superpower

More defensive variant of the standard set, utilising Leftovers and Roost. May be useful to teams that value Braviary's resistances and ability to deal high damage.

Answer 3

As always I will post a VGC 2017 set:

Braviary @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
Level: 50
EVs: 228 HP / 92 Atk / 4 Def / 156 SpD / 28 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Return
- Tailwind
- Protect

this set is bulky enough to resist a life orb tapu koko's thunderbolt without electric terrain, it is used to set tailwind. Those ev in attack are for ko 100% of the time bulky tapu bulu, over the 62% chance to OHKO non invested tapu lele.

Answer 4

Gen 8 NU

Braviary @ Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 HP / 120 SpD / 136 Spe
Careful Nature
- Bulk Up
- Roost
- Substitute
- Brave Bird

This set was actually created in BW NU, but the EVs have been adjusted for this set to become usable in Gen 8 NU. 252 HP is for bulk. 136 Speed EVs allow Braviary to outspeed Max Speed (without a speed boosting nature) base 65 Speed Pokemon like Sirfetch'd. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Special Defense. Bulk Up is to boost your attack and defense, allowing Braviary to hit hard and take more physical hits. Roost is for healing. Substitute is to help setup and can help with predicted status moves. Brave Bird is the only attacking move on this set because its STAB. Although Brave Bird is resisted by Pokemon like Tyrantrum, Bronzong, and Copperajah, they can only tank so many Brave Birds before they are knocked out by Brave Bird.

Answer 5

Maybe this works in game (GEN VI):

Braviary @ Leftovers / Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Superpower
- Bulk Up
- Roost

• Brave Bird (STAB, good damage and the recoil problem can be solved with Roost)
• Superpower (coverage)
• Bulk Up (will be a tank after some and is great with Superpower)
• Roost (after Bulk Up and with a good HP, this can be very useful)

I guess Braviary can be a great Pokémon in game, easy to find and breed, awesome Attack and great HP, Speed isn't that bad, but if he can't outspeed, he can 'tank'.

Answer 6

Gen 8 NU

Braviary (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Iron Head
- U-turn

Choice Band Braviary. Brave Bird is strong STAB. Close Combat provides coverage against rock and steel types like Tyrantrum and Copperajah. Iron Head targets Diancie since it (Diancie) is 4x weak to steel type moves. U-Turn is for pivoting.

Comments

no normal move?

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Normal moves do not hit anything useful in NU at the moment that this set doesn’t already hit.

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And iron head does?

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Iron Head is for Diancie. Since Diancie is 4x weak to steel moves, Choice Band Iron Head OHKOes Physically Defensive Diancie if Stealth Rock is up. You can also do a lot of damage to Diancie even without Stealth Rock up.

252 Atk Choice Band Braviary Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Diancie: 272-324 (89.4 - 106.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

252 Atk Choice Band Braviary Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Diancie: 272-324 (89.4 - 106.5%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO

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Oh ok. I'm not a competitive wizz

Answer 7

3 Attacks + Roost
Gen 8 NU

Braviary (M) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- U-turn / Iron Head
- Roost

Brave Bird is for flying STAB. Close Combat provides coverage against rock and steel types. U-Turn is for pivoting. Iron Head can be used instead of U-Turn so you can serve as Diancie lure that beats it. Roost is for healing.

Answer 8

Gen 9 NU Dual Dance

Braviary @ Power Herb
Ability: Sheer Force
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sky Attack
- Acrobatics
- Bulk Up
- Agility

A Dual Dance set that Braviary can use in Gen 9 NU. Even though this set has only Flying STABs for the attacking moves, this set is still good in NU due to the lack of Pokemon who resist Flying moves in the tier. Bulk Up is used to boost Braviary's Attack and Defense stats, allowing it to become a potent breaker. Agility is used to allow Braviary to outspeed the faster Pokemon in the tier. Now for the reason this set has two Flying STABs. Sky Attack is normally not used in competitive in due to the charge turn it has. However this set has Power Herb to bypass the charging turn to have a really powerful Flying nuke. And I mean really powerful, since Sky Attack gets boosted by Sheer Force, meaning Sky Attack has a 182 BP, and with STAB and essentially Tera Flying, Braviary can dish out a powerful attack in one turn. Once Power Herb is used, Braviary can use Acrobatics since it will have double power since Braviary would no longer have an item. Tera Flying is used to make Braviary's STAB moves hit as hard as possible. Fun fact, a +1 Tera Flying Sky Attack can OHKO Sandaconda, a Pokemon seen on most teams.

+1 252+ Atk Sheer Force Tera Flying Braviary Sky Attack vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Sandaconda: 386-456 (110.9 - 131%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+1 252+ Atk Sheer Force Tera Flying Braviary Sky Attack vs. 252 HP / 176+ Def Sandaconda: 408-482 (117.2 - 138.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Being able to OHKO Sandaconda as a physical attacker is really neat. Also, like I mentioned earlier, this set doesn't need any coverage moves since there aren't much Pokemon who resist Flying moves. Enjoy!

Answer 9

Wargle (Braviary) (M) @ Leftovers

Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bulk Up
- Brave Bird
- Rock Slide
- Shadow Claw

Note-only for NU battling environment only.

This guy worked surprisingly well as a physical tank. Bulk Up is for earning the title of "tank", Brave Bird is STAB backed by good HP and Leftovers, Rock Slide and Shadow Claw are good coverage. Adamant is to make him ridiculously powerful. 252 EVs in HP give him great bulk for a bird paired with Bulk Up.

Answer 10

Braviary (M) @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 116 HP / 252 Atk / 140 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Fly
- Superpower
- Crush Claw

This is a pretty good move set, especially if it used a Flying type move, as it will be boosted by Sharp Beak. Superpower for coverage against Ice and Rock. Crush Claw is STAB.

Comments

Fly is way too predictable. Having 2 strong flying moves is overkill also.

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Superpower isn't as useful as you'd think if it's not paired with Bulk Up or another move that can power up the lost stats. Otherwise, You'll have to switch out once you use Superpower. It weakens both Attack and Defense, Braviary's best stats.

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Great moveset :)

Answer 11

Braviary (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sheer Force / Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Bulk Up
- U-turn
- Crush Claw / Return, I prefer Crush Claw though for the chance of Def. Drop

I'm sure a lot of you think this is bad, but it's not...trust me.
+Special Defense because he's weak to Thunderbolt/Thunder, then Bulk Up lets you make up for Defense, while the Jolly nature makes you move first for Bulk Up. Let's say you run into Rock moves. You want to use Bulk Up first right? Leftovers gives you health as you sweep.

Answer 12

Braviary @ Sharp Beak / Sky Plate
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Superpower
- Brave Bird
- Crush Claw
- Roost

Superpower: one use and you have a sweeper
Brave Bird: item + attack boost + STAB = total annihilation
Crush Claw: STAB, chance to lower opponents defense
Roost: Heal from recoil from Brave Bird

Answer 13

Braviary @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Crush Claw / thrash
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Rock Slide

Crush Claw or Thrash: Both are STAB. Crush Claw for 50% chance of lowering the opponents Defense, and Thrash for high power, but becoming confused after 2-3 turns. I would go with Crush Claw.
Brave Bird: STAB, high power.
Close Combat: High power, covers Ice and Rock weakness, but lowers Defense and Sp. Defense each by one stage.
Rock Slide: Covers Fire and Flying types, and in a double battle hits both opponents. It has a 30% Flinch chance.

Comments

Defiant doesn't raise Attack if you're lowering your own stats

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Oh right I completely forgot about this I'll just fix it really quick.

Answer 14

Braviary (M) @ Power Herb
Gen 6
Ability: Sheer Force
Role: Bulky Physical Sweeper: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD / (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Superpower
- Sky Attack
- Roost
- Zen Headbutt

Superpower covers up Rock and Ice. Sky Attack has a high critical hit-ratio and may make the target flinch. With the Power Herb, it executes in 1 turn. Roost heals the user. Zen Headbutt may make the target flinch.

Comments

Sky Attack + Power Herb isn’t as good as Life Orb + Brave Bird. Being able to use it multiple times effectively is much better, and it even does more damage because of Life Orb. Sure, it’s gonna take big recoil, but it’s still much better. Faster variants are also usually better.

Answer 15

Gen 8 NFE

Rufflet (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 248 HP / 76 Atk / 176 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Substitute
- Hone Claws
- Brave Bird
- Roost

Similar to Sub Bulk Up, but Hone Claws is in its place. Substitute is to help you setup. Hone Claws raises your attack and accuracy, meaning Hone Claws can get rid of the accuracy drop from Hustle. Brave Bird is strong STAB and can be incredibly dangerous if Rufflet sets up Hone Claws. Roost is to recover HP and allows you to heal off the recoil from Brave Bird.

Answer 16

Gen 8 NU

Braviary (M) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 56 HP / 252 Atk / 200 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Defog
- Roost

Offensive Defog Braviary set. Brave Bird is STAB. Close Combat is coverage against steel, rock, and ice types. Defog is for clearing away entry hazards. I'm not sure if many people know this, but if Braviary's Defog gets bounced back by Defog, it can activate Defiant since Braviary's evasion is lowered instead of the Magic Bounce Pokemon. Roost is for healing. 200 Speed EVs to outspeed Adamant Toxicroak.

Answer 17

Braviary (M) @ Life orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly / Adamant Nature
- Heatwave
- Superpower
- Bulk up
- tailwind

So you guys might say this is the worst build ever. But i'm not gonna judge So I replaced bravebird with heatwave to counter ice type(because flying type is only strong at grass, bug and fighting type and fire type is strong against Bug, Steel, Grass, Ice). And used superpower to deflect rock type bulk up for making for its defense and offense stronger tailwind to make it kinda speedy.

Answer 18

Braviary @ Power Herb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 156 HP / 252 Atk / 100 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sky Attack
- U-Turn
- Crush Claw / Defog
- Roost / Tailwind

I’m not a fan of the idea that Life Orb + Brave Bird takes something around 40% of your own health to maybe 2HKO a physically defensive beast such as Umbreon, Cofagrigus, or Toxapex. I think Braviary is better suited for a supporting pivot that has the ability to just destroy something in front of it. Sheer Force Sky Attack offers an explosive amount of damage, and U-Turn allows you to get a good switch in, as usual. From there, it depends if you plan to switch more or less. Crush Claw/Roost allows you to stay in and keep fighting, while Defog or Tailwind supports the rest of your team. Neither the set nor the EVs aren’t perfect or well-tested, but I think this could be a good niche for Angry Bird.

Comments

What are the evs supposed to do exactly?

Answer 19

Braviary @No item
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk/ 252 Spe/ 4HP
Nature: Jolly +Spe -SpA
-U-Turn
-Acrobatics
-Superpower
-Roost

Acrobatics is one of the best flying moves out there, doubled the power to 110 when theres no held item and it gets STAB making it 165 power

Roost for healing and makes it more defensive for the turn

Superpower for a very hard hitting coverage and there is no need to worry about the attack and defence drop because that is when the defiant ability comes in, doubling its attack, making it at +1 attack after every superpower

U Turn is perfect especially when braviary gets frail from so many defence drops from superpower, quickly attack and get outta here

Comments

For Defiant to activate, your stats have to be lowered by an opponent.

Answer 20

Gen 9 NU

Life Orb Set:
Braviary (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
Tera Type: Normal / Flying
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Body Slam
- Bulk Up
- Close Combat
- Brave Bird

Body Slam is STAB that is boosted by Sheer Force + Life Orb. Specifically in Showdown!, the Life Orb will not damage you. It won't work in S/V, only Showdown! (I learned the hard way.) Bulk Up is for boosting, obviously. Close Combat does absolutely massive damage, but you might not survive anything afterward. Brave Bird is more STAB that does crazy damage at the cost of his HP. But his HP is pretty high, so... I guess you'll be fine. Tera Normal / Flying is for offensive purposes.

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Choice Band Set:
Braviary (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Double-Edge
- Iron Head
- Close Combat
- Brave Bird

This set does more damage, and you get to be as reckless as you want. Double-Edge is STAB that hits really hard, but you lose HP as a result. You guys should use DE more often. Anyways, Iron Head can hit Fairy types that you can effectively bait by using your Tera. Otherwise, there's always Close Combat to make use of your Tera + it hits really hard. Brave Bird is Double-Edge but Flying type. Not much to say here.

Me personally, I recommend the Choice Band set. But it's good to have options, right?

Comments

What Fairy-type are you luring with Braviary?

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Ik I didn't post these sets, but Diancie exists in NU, so Iron Head hits that if it hasn't used its tera, and there's also Alolan Ninetales due to its 4x steel weakness if it didn't use its tera(but that mon is rather rare nowadays in NU since it basically fell off). Otherwise, you'd do more damage to Fairy-types (that isn't Klefki) with STAB Double-Edge than a super effective Iron Head. For Klefki, Close Combat deals more damage to it than Iron Head. (Also I'd like to mention Braviary is only NU by usage atm because a Showdown player by the name of Uberfiend uses it too much and plays too much mons xd)