Competitive Information for Honchkrow [X/Y]
Dark / Flying
Abilities:
Movesets for Singles
What is a good competitive moveset for Honchkrow? These builds have been optimized for Pokemon competing in X/Y Single Battles. The movesets and EVs have been specifically calibrated to deal the most amount of damage to the largest group of potentially common opponents and typing threats for the X/Y generation metagame.
Honchkrow is a notable Dark and Flying-typed Pokemon. Honchkrow are common Pokemon to see in the XY metagame. Honchkrow is weak to Electric, Fairy, Ice, and Rock-typed attacks.
Item: Scope Lens / Shell Bell
Ability: Super Luck
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Brave Bird / Sky Attack
- Night Slash / Sucker Punch
- Double-Edge / Return
- Superpower
Physical Sweeper Honchkrow (Super Luck)
Honchkrow is a marvelous Physical Sweeper. The purpose of this moveset is to take down the opponent's team with brute physical power. Scope Lens/Razor Claw increases Honchkrow critical hit ratio by 1 stage and combined with Honchkrow's Super Luck ability will double these chances even further. With Super Luck, Honchkrow's critical hit ratio is raised by 1 stage.
♦ Sky Attack is a physical STAB-boosted 140-base power Flying-type move (charges, then hits turn 2. 30% flinch. high crit).
♦ Night Slash is a physical STAB-boosted 70-base power Dark-type move (high critical hit ratio).
♦ Sucker Punch is a physical STAB-boosted priority-increased 80-base power Dark-type move (usually goes first. fails if target is not attacking).
♦ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
♦ Return is a physical 0-base power Normal-type move (max 102 power at maximum happiness).
♦ Superpower is a physical 120-base power Fighting-type move (lowers your Honchkrow's attack and defense by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gs10a1ae
Item: Scope Lens / Life Orb
Ability: Super Luck
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Dark Pulse / Snarl
- Air Cutter
- Psychic
- Heat Wave / Incinerate
Special Sweeper Honchkrow (Super Luck)
Honchkrow is a sensational Special Sweeper. It attempts to take down the opponent's team with high-damaging special attacks. Scope Lens/Razor Claw increases Honchkrow critical hit ratio by 1 stage and combined with Honchkrow's Super Luck ability will double these chances even further. Life Orb boosts the power of Honchkrow's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Super Luck, Honchkrow's critical hit ratio is raised by 1 stage.
♦ Snarl is a special STAB-boosted 55-base power Dark-type move (100% chance to lower the foes special attack by 1 stage).
♦ Air Cutter is a special STAB-boosted 60-base power Flying-type move (high critical hit ratio. hits adjacent foes).
♦ Psychic is a special 90-base power Psychic-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
♦ Heat Wave is a special 95-base power Fire-type move (10% chance to burn the foes).
♦ Incinerate is a special 60-base power Fire-type move (destroys the foes berry/gem).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gs11a1ae
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Moxie
Nature: Careful (+SpD, -SpA)
EVs: 210 Hp / 252 Atk / 45 SpD
Moveset:
- Brave Bird
- Payback
- Swagger
- Screech
Honchkrow Physical Tank (Moxiekrow)
Honchkrow is pretty popular Physical Tank. It's meant to take a nice amount of physical hits while dealing some decent damage. Leftovers are always a great recovery option to ensure Honchkrow last longer regaining it's health points every turn. With Moxie, Honchkrow's attack is raised by 1 stage if it attacks and koes another pokemon.
♦ Payback is a physical STAB-boosted 50-base power Dark-type move (power doubles if your Honchkrow moves after the target).
♦ Swagger is a status move (raises the target's attack by 2 stages and confuses it).
♦ Screech is a status move (lowers the target's defense by 2 stages).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gs12a1ae
Item: Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
Nature: Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Brave Bird
- Night Slash
- Superpower
- Drill Peck / Pursuit
Honchkrow Physical Sweeper (Scarfkrow)
Honchkrow is an awesome Physical Sweeper. It is designed to take down the opponent's team with brute physical power. Choice Scarf will increase Honchkrow's speed by 1.5x but will lock you into the first move you pick. With Moxie, Honchkrow's attack is raised by 1 stage if it attacks and koes another pokemon.
♦ Night Slash is a physical STAB-boosted 70-base power Dark-type move (high critical hit ratio).
♦ Superpower is a physical 120-base power Fighting-type move (lowers your Honchkrow's attack and defense by 1 stage).
♦ Drill Peck is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Flying-type move that deals a nice amount of damage.
♦ Pursuit is a physical STAB-boosted 40-base power Dark-type move (power doubles if a foe is switching out).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gs13a1ae
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Moxie
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch / Night Slash
- Roost
- Substitute
Honchkrow Physical Sweeper (Big Boss Crow)
Honchkrow is an astounding Physical Sweeper. It attempts to take down the opponent's team with brute physical power. Life Orb boosts the power of Honchkrow's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Moxie, Honchkrow's attack is raised by 1 stage if it attacks and koes another pokemon. This is pretty self-explanatory. First turn, use Substitute and depending on what the opponent switch-into your honchkrow from there you can Brave Bird or Sucker Punch them. Moxie (the hidden ability) gives it an Attack boost every time it faints a Pokemon (directly, so having it killed by residual damage like Sand or Hail won't trigger it).
Brave Bird would probably be the best move to use once you set up a Substitute, since you'll get STAB. That alone will pack a very big punch, and can be the catalyst of getting the Moxie boost.
♦ Sucker Punch is a physical STAB-boosted priority-increased 80-base power Dark-type move (usually goes first. fails if target is not attacking).
♦ Night Slash is a physical STAB-boosted 70-base power Dark-type move (high critical hit ratio).
♦ Roost is a status move (heals 50% hp. flying-type removed until turn ends).
♦ Substitute is a status move (Honchkrow takes 1/4 its max hp to put in a substitute).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gs14a1ae
Movesets for Doubles
What is a good doubles moveset for Honchkrow? These builds have been optimized for X/Y Double Battles. They have movesets and EVs specifically calibrated to generally work best versus multiple Pokemon at once as well as helping to support other team members and allys in the X/Y generation metagame.
Item: Scope Lens / Shell Bell
Ability: Super Luck
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Brave Bird / Sky Attack
- Night Slash / Sucker Punch
- Double-Edge / Return
- Superpower
Doubles Physical Sweeper Honchkrow (Super Luck)
Honchkrow is an awesome Physical Sweeper. It attempts to take down the opponent's team with brute physical power. Scope Lens/Razor Claw increases Honchkrow critical hit ratio by 1 stage and combined with Honchkrow's Super Luck ability will double these chances even further. With Super Luck, Honchkrow's critical hit ratio is raised by 1 stage.
♦ Sky Attack is a physical STAB-boosted 140-base power Flying-type move (charges, then hits turn 2. 30% flinch. high crit).
♦ Night Slash is a physical STAB-boosted 70-base power Dark-type move (high critical hit ratio).
♦ Sucker Punch is a physical STAB-boosted priority-increased 80-base power Dark-type move (usually goes first. fails if target is not attacking).
♦ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
♦ Return is a physical 0-base power Normal-type move (max 102 power at maximum happiness).
♦ Superpower is a physical 120-base power Fighting-type move (lowers your Honchkrow's attack and defense by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gd10a1ae
Item: Scope Lens / Life Orb
Ability: Super Luck
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Air Cutter
- Heat Wave / Incinerate
- Snarl / Dark Pulse
- Icy Wind
Doubles Special Sweeper Honchkrow (Super Luck)
Honchkrow is a phenomenal Special Sweeper. It is meant to take down the opponent's team with high-damaging special attacks. Scope Lens/Razor Claw increases Honchkrow critical hit ratio by 1 stage and combined with Honchkrow's Super Luck ability will double these chances even further. Life Orb boosts the power of Honchkrow's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Super Luck, Honchkrow's critical hit ratio is raised by 1 stage.
♦ Heat Wave is a special 95-base power Fire-type move (10% chance to burn the foes).
♦ Incinerate is a special 60-base power Fire-type move (destroys the foes berry/gem).
♦ Snarl is a special STAB-boosted 55-base power Dark-type move (100% chance to lower the foes special attack by 1 stage).
♦ Dark Pulse is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Dark-type move (20% chance to flinch the target).
♦ Icy Wind is a special 55-base power Ice-type move (100% chance to lower the foes speed by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gd11a1ae
Movepool
Wondering what moves can Honchkrow learn? Here is the list of moves this Pokemon can learn in this selected generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by move type, category, accuracy, and power. Bolded moves will gain the same-type attack bonus (STAB) if this Pokemon uses them.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Honchkrow can perform in X/Y. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive XY Move and Ability Combos for Honchkrow
- Moves: Swagger + Flatter
- Moves: Swagger + Foul play
- Moves: Swagger + Psych up
- Moves: Swagger + Screech
- Moves: Flatter + Psych up
- Moves: Psych up + Haze
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Moves: Perish song + Protect
- Ability: Super luck + Item: Scope lens
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Assurance + Item: Rocky Helmet
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Moves with Priority: Endure, Protect, Snatch, Sucker Punch
- Moves that Break Screens: Defog
- Moves that inflict status: Thunder Wave, Toxic
Moves that boost Honchkrow's stats
- Calm Mind
- Nasty Plot
- Ominous Wind
- Steel Wing
Most notable and possible best moves for Honchkrow
- Protect
- Rest
- Roost
- Snarl
- Taunt
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Honchkrow in X and Y
- Adamant Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Modest Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Optimize Honchkrow's EV spread for Pokemon X and Y
Related Videos
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Here are the best movesets for Honchkrow. Top rated Honchkrow X/Y movesets. You can find Honchkrow builds X/Y. Honchkrow movesets X/Y are listed here. VGC Honchkrow Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Honchkrow in X/Y along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for evolution