Squawkabilly
Type: Normal / Flying
Base Stats: 82 HP / 96 Atk / 51 Def / 45 SpA / 51 SpD / 92 Spe
Abilities: Guts (Green/Blue Forms) / Sheer Force (Yellow/White Forms) / Hustle / Intimidate
Notable Moves:
- Double-Edge
- Tera Blast
- Facade
- Quick Attack
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- U-Turn
- Taunt
- Parting Shot
Pros:
- Most of its abilities are great, especially Guts.
- Access to high-power base moves such as STAB Guts-boosted Facade and Brave Bird helps mediate its otherwise mediocre Attack stat.
- Has both U-Turn and Parting Shot to pivot.
Cons:
- Incredibly subpar stats all around, with terrible bulk, below average Attack stat by OU standards, and only okay speed.
- Has non-existent coverage, forcing it to rely on Tera Blast.
- Normal/Flying is a bad typing offensively and defensively, giving it a weakness to Stealth Rock as well as vulnerable to common attacking types like Electric and Ice, while giving it a poor STAB combination offensively, as both are walled by Rock and Steel types.
- It having it to run a Flame Orb makes it easily worn down, especially on top of its only valid Flying type move causing recoil.
- Almost everything it does is directly outclassed by Staraptor outside of absorbing burns.
Terastal Potential:
- In order to give it the coverage it needs and get rid of its weakness to Electric, Ice, and, Rock type moves, it should become a Tera Fighting type. Fighting type Tera Blast counters Steel and Rock types that try to switch in such as Tyranitar and Corviknight.
Potential Sets:
Guts Attacker
Squawkabilly @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 At / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Brave Bird
- Tera Blast
- U-Turn/Parting Shot/Quick Attack
This should be Squawkabilly’s primary set, taking advantage of its access to STAB Guts-boosted Facade. Brave Bird and Facade are very strong and can do decent damage to most mons that don’t resists it. Fighting type Tera Blast takes down any Rock or Steel types that attempt to switch in, as they would otherwise wall it. The last set is somewhat flexible. U-Turn and Parting Shot are pivoting moves, either dealing chip damage or lowering the opponent’s offenses to make it safer for another Pokémon to switch in, as well as possibly forcing the opponent to swap out. Alternatively, Quick Attack gives Squawkabilly some much needed priority against faster opponents to make up for its middling speed.
Other Options:
- Hustle is another strong ability that boosts the power of its moves while also not forcing it to run a Flame Orb, but it’s very unreliable due to the lowered accuracy, and Squawkabilly is too frail to afford to miss any moves. Not to mention Guts-boosted Facade is far stronger than any of its Hustle boosted moves, even with a Life Orb.
- Roost can help it deal with getting worn down by status, entry hazards, and recoil more easily, but Squakabilly’s bulk is so awful that it rarely makes a difference, and wasting a turn recovering often just makes it even more vulnerable to getting revenge killed.
- Tera Normal may seem like a cool idea to make Facade hit even harder, but without the extra coverage, Squawkabilly is too easily walled.
Overall Thoughts:
Sadly, Squawkabilly is most likely ending up at the bottom or near-bottom tier. Its poor stats and typing do not help matters with the current power creep and offensively-oriented metagame. However, considering Chatot had decent success as a PU or ZU mon in the past and has a similar role, I can Squawkbilly potentially making a splash there. But it certainly no has no chance for OU.
Last edited:
