Fearow Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Drill Peck gains a STAB bonus and is Fearow's best option for a Flying-type move, allowing it to take on Grass- and Fighting-types. Double-Edge gains a STAB bonus as well and deals great damage to a foe that doesn't resist it. Drill Run hits Rock- and Steel-types, such as Golem, Probopass, and Pawniard for super effective damage and prevents Fearow from being setup fodder against them. U-turn gains momentum against an opposing team and allows Fearow to switch out of unfavorable matchups. Set Details Maximum Attack and Speed EVs in conjunction with a Jolly nature allow Fearow to be as fast and effective as it can, outspeeding the likes of Basculin, Gourgeist-S, and Swanna, as well as Speed tying with Ninetales and Dodrio. Choice Band allows Fearow to deal massive damage and allows Fearow to be an effective wallbreaker, but has the drawback of locking it into a singular move. Keen Eye is the preferred ability because Sniper is illegal with Double-Edge. Usage Tips Fearow performs best early- to mid-game by breaking through walls and wearing down foes for its teammates. Fearow could use U-turn for momentum if you expect a foe to switch out. Either via VoltTurn chains or after a teammate has been KOed, Fearow can be brought in on a weak attacker. Most of the time, Fearow should lock itself into Double-Edge, unless the opponent has Steel-, Rock-, or Ghost-type Pokemon or if Fearow is weakened. If you predict a Rock- or Steel-type to switch in, such as Probopass or Golem, use Drill Run. Drill Peck should only be used in situations where you need a bit more damage to take out a Ghost-type, if you're faced with a bulky Grass- or Fighting-type such as Quilladin or Monferno, or if Fearow has been weakened to the point that Double-Edge can bring it in a foe's KO range. Attempt not to switch in Fearow if Stealth Rock is up on its side of the field or into any attack in general due to its pitiful defenses. Team Options Entry hazard removal from Pokemon such as Swanna, Vibrava, and Armaldo can allow Fearow not to be pressured or put into priority moves' KO range by residual damage from Stealth Rock. Entry hazard setters such as Probopass, Golem, Stunfisk, and Roselia can weaken the opposing team when they switch in, as well as breaking Focus Sash and Sturdy so Fearow can clean more easily. Monferno can take on Ice-, Steel-, and Rock-types for Fearow and can allow it to sweep more easily, and Steel-types such as Klang, Probopass, and Pawniard can take on Ice- and Rock-types for Fearow. Golem, Gabite, and other Ground-types can weaken Steel- and Rock-types for Fearow and check Electric-types, but they have to be careful of coverage moves. Setup sweepers such as Leafeon, Huntail, and Simipour can clean more easily thanks to Fearow's wallbreaking. Pokemon that can deal with Ghost-types, such as Pawniard and Stoutland, can allow Fearow to spam Double-Edge more freely, with the former using Dark-type moves or trapping them with Pursuit and the latter using a Scrappy Frustration or Facade. Volt Switch users, such as Probopass, Raichu, Zebstrika, and Rotom-F, can form a VoltTurn core with Fearow and generate more momentum for their team.

As Fearow already has decent Speed, this set focuses on powering up Fearow's average Attack to make up for the average Base Power of all its moves. Return is Fearow's most reliable STAB move, and Drill Peck provides useful coverage against Ghost- and Fighting-types. Drill Run is what differentiates Fearow from most other Normal / Flying types, as it allows Fearow to damage most Rock- and Steel-types significantly. The last move is for utility purposes, with U-turn being the more useful option to allow Fearow to scout the opposing team and escape its counters. Pursuit is more situational, but it takes advantage of Fearow's Speed to defeat Haunter whether it stays in or switches out. Choice Band maximizes Fearow's average power and works better with U-turn so that Fearow doesn't get worn down too much from recoil and Stealth Rock damage. However, Life Orb makes use of Fearow's overall coverage and utility, as even a Choice Band doesn't completely make up for the average Base Power of its attacks. Life Orb is not the best item to pair with U-turn simply because the recoil prevents Fearow from switching in up to five times with Stealth Rock up as its EV spread allows. Roost can be utilized with Life Orb to mitigate all the residual damage Fearow takes, but it will rarely have an opportunity to use it due to its poor bulk. Stealth Rock support from Pokemon such as Golem and Metang is required to allow Fearow to OHKO Haunter with a Choice Band Pursuit even if it do not switch out. As Fearow is quickly worn down by Stealth Rock itself, offensive pressure from Pokemon such as Choice Band Sawk and Taunt Samurott is helpful in order to prevent the opponent from setting them up easily. Teammates that are immune to Electric-type moves, such as Seismitoad and Lightningrod Zebstrika, are good partners as they prevent Fearow and its team from being taken advantage of by Volt Switch users.

Thanks to Fearow's good Attack, awesome Speed, and access to U-turn, a Choice Band set is viable. Return is a very strong STAB move that does good damage to any Pokemon who doesn't resist it. Fearow doesn't learn Brave Bird, so Drill Peck is his best Flying-type attack, hitting Grass-, Bug-, and Fighting-types hard. U-turn is great for scouting, and is one of Fearow's few advantages over Dodrio. Quick Attack is helpful for finishing off faster Pokemon who are low on health. Pursuit can be used to trap Ghost- or Psychic-type Pokemon, but many of them can simply outspeed and KO Fearow. The EV spread maximizes Fearow's offensive capabilities. A Jolly nature is preferred, as it lets Fearow outspeed important threats, such as max Speed Hitmonlee, Rotom, and Houndoom. An Adamant nature is also acceptable, however, as Fearow always appreciates the extra power. Choice Scarf can be used over Choice Band, since Fearow reaches 448 Speed with an Adamant nature, enough to outspeed most other Choice Scarf users. With a Choice Scarf, Fearow can outspeed and KO Sceptile, Alakazam, and Choice Scarf Adamant Hitmonlee. However, without a boost, Fearow lacks the power needed to KO many Pokemon, allowing them to take his hits and KO him in return. Fearow has significant trouble getting past Rock-, Electric-, and Steel-types. For that reason, Donphan is a great teammate for Fearow, because he can KO Aggron and other Steel- and Rock-types with his STAB Earthquake. Donphan is also able to switch into Rock- and Electric-type attacks aimed at Fearow, while Fearow can destroy the Grass-types whom Donphan fears in return. Dugtrio is another option, since he can trap the Pokemon who give Fearow problems and KO them with Earthquake. Rhyperior and Torterra also make good partners, as they can easily set up with Rock Polish against most of Fearow's counters and proceed to sweep your opponent's team. With Fearow's poor defenses and weakness to Stealth Rock, almost any neutral attack will OHKO him if he switches in on it when Stealth Rock is up. For that reason, Rapid Spin support is necessary. Hitmontop is a reliable Rapid Spinner, thanks to Foresight, and can take the Rock-type attacks directed at Fearow; Donphan is also a good option for this role. While Fearow hates Stealth Rock placed on his side of the field, he greatly appreciates entry hazards on the opponent's side. Donphan is again a great choice to supply this, as his excellent physical bulk gives him plenty of opportunities to set up Stealth Rock. Rhyperior, Aggron, Omastar, and Uxie are great options too, thanks to their ability to set up entry hazards easily.

Fearow got Baton Pass as an XD move, so it can be nice to pass stuff around when people are expecting the Choice Band version. Use 252 Speed EVs with Jolly if you're using Substitute, or the suggested EVs with Adamant and Agility.

Fearow is a staple in UU teams, so you can just about bet your boots that you will face one in an UU tournament. It's not hard to figure out; just pick an attack move. It's one of the fastest UU Pokemon, and with Choice Band backing it, it can deal quite a fair bit of damage, even without having to be a super effective hit. Quick Attack, despite being weak, can sometimes make all the difference when you need it the most, and Hidden Power Ground is there to deal with nasty Rock or Steel-types.

Set Details Double-Edge is Fearow's primary STAB move, dealing massive damage to foes that don't resist it. Despite the recoil, its extra power over Return is very important. For example, Double-Edge has around a 50% chance to 2HKO Hidden Power Electric Octillery with Spikes up, while Return only has a 5.3% chance to do the same. Drill Peck lets Fearow revenge kill Primeape, hit Grass-types very hard, and attack when it's afraid of recoil. Drill Peck also 2HKOes Pineco, not giving it easy Spikes. This is a unique trait for a Normal-type, as every other Normal-type can only 3HKO Pineco at best. Fearow's Sleep Talk rolls are one of the most consistent in the tier, as both attacking moves threaten the same Pokemon. RestTalk keeps Fearow alive over the course of a game, mitigates Double-Edge recoil, and makes it less afraid of status. Fearow's Speed and Spikes immunity means RestTalk gives it significant longevity and lets it deal damage over the course of a battle. Team Options Pineco is a very important teammate for Fearow, as it sets up the Spikes that wear down Fearow's checks. Toxic, Giga Drain, or Hidden Power Water on Pineco lets it lure in and cripple Graveler and Pupitar, making them unable to switch into Fearow over the course of a game. Pokemon that can lure in and wear down Rock-types can also make it easier for Fearow to break through them. Since Rock-types rarely run Rest, Weezing is good at weakening them for Fearow. It can poison Rock-types with Sludge Bomb or even lure them in and deal massive damage with Hidden Power Water. Its Explosion can also make it easier for Fearow to break through Rock-types or bulky Pokemon like Wigglytuff. Wigglytuff can set up with Curse and whittle Graveler down with repeated attacks, potentially even paralyzing it if using Body Slam, quickly forcing Graveler to use Explosion. Wigglytuff can force Sudowoodo in and repeatedly use Curse, getting into a Curse war with Sudowoodo. Eventually, Wigglytuff forces Sudowoodo to use Self-Destruct, due to Sudowoodo being worn down by repeated attacks and not 3HKOing Wigglytuff back. It also switches into Dewgong nicely, a threat many Fearow teams struggle to switch into. Octillery is important to switch into Graveler and Sudowoodo and threaten them out with Surf, while it appreciates Fearow's ability to take advantage of Grass-types. If the opponent chooses to use Explosion on Octillery with their Rock-type, they will leave their team wide open to Fearow. Pokemon that take advantage of Spikes such as Xatu, Dugtrio, and Stantler can form a formidable offensive core with Fearow, either breaking holes for it to clean up or cleaning up after it blows a hole in the opposing team. Other Options Return is an option over Drill Peck to give Fearow more favorable Sleep Talk pulls against neutral targets while also being a better attack to throw around if it can't afford recoil damage. However, Fearow becomes much worse at revenge killing Primeape and Hitmonlee, one of its most unique and valuable traits over other Normal-types. Return also makes it worse against Pineco and leaves it walled by the admittedly rare Gastly. Hidden Power Ground lets Fearow more directly make progress against the Rock-types and especially Magnemite, but it means Fearow lacks Drill Peck to revenge kill Primeape and Hitmonlee and lowers its HP and Attack DVs, also generally making it far more vulnerable when sleeping due to Hidden Power Ground being a terrible Sleep Talk roll. A 3 attacks set with Substitute and Hidden Power Ground gives Fearow maximum coverage while also scouting switch-ins; however, the lack of RestTalk severely lowers its defensive utility and makes it far too vulnerable to being worn down by Double-Edge recoil. Checks and Counters Rock-types: Graveler switches in and spins away Fearow's team's Spikes, making it difficult for Fearow to wear it down long-term. Sudowoodo is more physically bulky than Graveler and can break holes in Fearow's team with Curse and Self-Destruct, but it can't spin away Fearow's team's Spikes, so it's slightly easier to chip down. Pupitar is frailer than Graveler and can't spin away Spikes, but it's still only 5HKOed and is more threatening offensively, since it outruns Octillery. The rare Shuckle struggles to deal immediate damage to Fearow, but it completely walls Fearow while PP stalling it with Defense Curl. Magnemite: Magnemite resists Double-Edge and can scare Fearow away with Thunder. However, its poor HP means it's vulnerable to being pushed into 2HKO range after taking just one Double-Edge after Spikes. Dewgong: Dewgong only gets 3HKOed by Double-Edge, can severely damage Fearow with Ice Beam, and can stay alive with RestTalk. However, it's vulnerable to getting chipped down by Spikes and doesn't OHKO Fearow from high health, meaning it's often forced to use Rest after switching in. Weezing: Although Weezing does not resist Double-Edge, its bulk lets it only get 4HKOed by Fearow without Spikes, and it can threaten Fearow out with Thunder or Explosion afterwards. RestTalk, although rare on Weezing, also makes it much sturdier against Fearow if used. However, Weezing is 3HKOed with Spikes on the field, still takes a lot of damage without Spikes, and is slower than Fearow.

Other Options: Mirror Move