Analysis
Honchkrow is a very strong Pokémon in the 35 metagame that all teams should strive to find an answer to. Boots is the best Honchkrow item, as it allows it more opportunities to come in which it can already struggle with as its bulk is lacking. STAB Brave Bird coming off a Base 125 Attack stat is very strong, and with this in mind, not many Pokémon can and will switch into it. Superpower is a great coverage move which allows it to hit Bisharp, and to a small extent Rhydon, for super effective damage. Sucker Punch is very useful for picking off faster targets, such as Shell Smash Blastoise and Noivern, and pairs well with its Moxie ability which allows it to become a KO machine. The three moves I just mentioned can struggle with Physically Defensive Houndstone and Sandaconda which is why, in the last slot, Honchcrow runs Dark Pulse. This is a great way to break through would-be checks and can make Honchkrow hard to stop.
However, 71 Speed is a bit lacking which is why some players opt in to run Choice Scarf Honchkrow. Brave Bird + Superpower is a nasty combo that can be tricky to play around, Lash Out is strong STAB that doesn’t make you lose recoil, and U-Turn is a good momentum tool to have.
Honchkrow is very strong but it can have its flaws. First off, while Brave Bird can do a lot of damage to Sandaconda, after factoring in Rocky Helmet and recoil damage there’s a lot Honchkrow has to take, in addition to stealth rocks damage if it’s a scarf set. Honchkrow also greatly struggles into Stunfisk, who not only eats Brave Birds for breakfast but also can paralyze Honchkrow thanks to the Static ability, and sometimes even burn it with Scald. Honchkrow also struggles with Rhydon despite having Superpower, but Rhydon isn’t as popular as the previous Pokémon. Despite this, Honchkrow is definitely one of the best Pokémon in this month, being able to threaten a great portion of the meta.
Written by OceanicGamer