Pikipek Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Brave Bird is a STAB option that packs a lot of power; however, in conjunction with Life Orb, it cuts Pikipek's HP very quickly. Drill Peck, on the other hand, is a less aggressive STAB option that preserves Pikipek's HP but is significantly weaker. Bullet Seed is a must, since it is a spectacular Grass-type coverage move against many Water- and Rock-types, notably OHKOing Onix and Tirtouga (even through Solid Rock), and deals an enormous amount of damage to Chinchou. As further coverage, Brick Break hits Pawniard very hard, OHKOing it even through Eviolite; on the other hand, Flame Charge boosts Pikipek's Speed, turning it into a potent sweeper once its checks and priority users are removed from the battle. Substitute is an interesting option that can be used as a reliable way to bypass Sucker Punch from Pawniard; it also protects Pikipek from status moves like Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave. Finally, U-turn can be used as well because Pikipek hits 17 Speed, outpacing many Pokemon and gaining momentum; it also does chip damage. Set Details The given EVs spread is used to maximize Pikipek's Speed and Attack. Fully invested Speed with a Jolly nature allows Pikipek to hit 17 Speed, which let it outpace many Pokemon sitting at 16 Speed, such as Jolly Pawniard and Jolly Rufflet; note that Pikipek will still Speed tie with Jolly Onix and Jolly Mienfoo. The leftover 36 EVs are put into Defense to turn a guaranteed OHKO from Life Orb Jolly Pawniard Sucker Punch into a 56% chance to OHKO; they also reduce the amount of damage taken by Pikipek from other priority users, such as Timburr and Corphish. 10 HP IVs make Pikipek hit 19 HP, turning Life Orb recoil from 2 HP per move to 1 HP per move. Life Orb boosts Pikipek's damage output significantly, allowing Pikipek to OHKO Timburr and Foongus much more often. Usage Tips This set can be used in the first turns of the match to gain momentum against opposing leads; however, keep in mind that Jolly Pikipek Speed ties with Jolly non-Choice Scarf Mienfoo and, more dangerously, with Jolly Onix. Pikipek can work more efficiently when priority users (specifically Pawniard) and faster Electric- and Rock-types (including Choice Scarf Chinchou and Archen) are removed from the field. When using Pikipek, prediction is essential; even though Brave Bird or Drill Peck should be the move to spam the most, Bullet Seed should be used when a Chinchou or Rock-type switch-in is predicted, since it has a very high chance to KO speedy variants of Chinchou, while Brick Break or Flame Charge should be used only when it's obvious that a Steel-type is entering the battlefield or when the opponent struggles to deal with a +1 Speed Pikipek. Team Options Diglett traps and removes Steel-, Electric-, and Rock-types, opening some holes for Pikipek; its Stealth Rock also helps turn 2HKOs into OHKOs. In a similar way, Drilbur can break through Electric- and Rock-types as well as Pawniard; it can also set up Stealth Rock for Pikipek and remove it from its side with Rapid Spin. Chinchou pairs very well with Pikipek, providing an Electric immunity, a resistance to Ice-type moves, good type synergy, and a slow Volt Switch to let Pikipek come in unscathed; in exchange, Pikipek removes Grass-types and helps with the Ground-types that trouble Chinchou. Remember that Diglett can outspeed Pikipek and OHKO it with Rock Slide. Pawniard and Alolan Grimer are good partners, as Pikipek lures in Honedge and allows them to Pursuit trap it. Strong priority users such as Carvanha, Corphish, Timburr, and Croagunk are good partners for Pikipek, because they help mitigate the issue with Diglett (especially Carvanha and Corphish), and also help against weather sweepers (in particular against Slush Rush users, such as Cubchoo and Alolan Sandshrew, that are problematic for Pikipek). Slow components of a VoltTurn core, like defensive Mienfoo and Chinchou, help Pikipek come in on things it can take advantage of, such as slow Ground-types like Hippopotas or Fighting-types such as Timburr. Pikipek itself is a nice U-turn user, gaining momentum against slower Electric-types if you opt for Chinchou as a partner. Since this set is more inclined to deal huge blows instead of pick off foes, Sticky Web support from Surskit can turn Life Orb Pikipek into a sweeping machine, easily outspeeding many foes at -1 Spe (just be wary of Defiant users such as Mankey and Pawniard). Finally, this Pikipek set is particularly good against slower Rock-types, making it a great member of "bird spam" cores that struggle against Rock-types.

Moves Brave Bird is the main move Pikipek should be using, as it is a powerful STAB move that severely dents anything neutral to Flying and has a good chance to OHKO Timburr and Foongus. Skill Link Bullet Seed is what sets Pikipek apart from other Flying-types, allowing it to do a huge amount of damage to typical Flying-type checks such as Chinchou, Onix, and Shell Smash users such as Tirtouga and Omanyte. For the third moveslot, Brick Break is the prime choice because it can heavily damage Pawniard and Steel-types in general, which resist both Brave Bird and Bullet Seed; however, Drill Peck can be used as a more conservative STAB option when Pikipek's health is low. Finally, U-turn is used to gain momentum and works very well with Pikipek's boosted Speed. Set Details Maximum Attack investment is required in order to boost Pikipek's offensive presence, as without it, Pikipek may be in a difficult position when attempting to clean or damage the opposing team. Maximum Speed is also necessary, as it gives Pikipek the ability to outspeed Pokemon such as Jolly Choice Scarf Pawniard, +1 Jolly Scraggy, and Modest Choice Scarf Chinchou. Finally, 36 Def EVs allow Pikipek to take physical priority moves more easily. Choice Scarf boosts Pikipek's Speed to a very high level, outspeeding base 60 Speed Pokemon with a positive nature and a Choice Scarf like Pawniard. A Jolly nature should typically be chosen, because it allows Pikipek to outspeed 16 Speed Choice Scarf users such as Jolly Pawniard and Jolly Rufflet and Speed tie with 17 Speed Choice Scarf users like Jolly Mienfoo and Timid Chinchou, which is a notable benchmark. An Adamant nature is viable as well, since it significantly improves the chances of OHKOing Timburr and Foongus; however, Pikipek will only Speed tie with Pawniard and Rufflet and get outsped by Timid Chinchou and Jolly Mienfoo, making it the inferior choice. Usage Tips Choice Scarf Pikipek should be brought in early in the match, as it can be useful to gain momentum against the opposing lead, or to eliminate the opposing lead itself with Bullet Seed (in Onix's case) or severely dent it with a Brave Bird (in Mienfoo's case). U-turn or coverage moves should be used when a switch is predicted. Remember that Choice Scarf Pikipek is not going to punch huge holes in the opposing team; it should be played with "hit-and-run" tactics, with frequent switches out or U-turn uses, unless the opponent lacks a way to stop Pikipek; in that case, just spam Brave Bird or Bullet Seed on frail and slower enemies. Pikipek applies a large amount of pressure on its checks when it's paired with other powerful Flying-types such as Archen and Vullaby; the aforementioned partners can severely weaken the Flying-type checks, leaving Pikipek free to pick them all off. Team Options A powerful Ground-type is a nice partner for Pikipek, as Pikipek suffers from the presence of Electric- and Steel-types; it also suffers from Rock-types, but Bullet Seed is almost always a good answer to them. Both Diglett and Drilbur can be helpful because they check Electric- and Steel-types like Pawniard, Magnemite, and in Mold Breaker Drilbur's case, Bronzor. Diglett can trap Magnemite and Pawniard, proceed to KO them with Earthquake, and set up Stealth Rock; on the other hand, Drilbur can set up Stealth Rock, remove the entry hazard from Pikipek's side of the field, and OHKO Magnemite with Sturdy thanks to Mold Breaker. Chinchou makes for a fine partner, because it has interesting type synergy with Pikipek; Chinchou can absorb Electric-type moves and resists Ice-type attacks, while Pikipek comes in on Ground-type moves and easily removes Grass-types. Pikipek has no real chance against Gastly if locked in Bullet Seed or Brick Break, and can't do anything at all to Honedge; this makes Choice Scarf Pawniard an excellent teammate for Pikipek, since it can trap both of these Ghost-types with Pursuit. In exchange, Pikipek is immune to the Ground-type moves that scare Pawniard away. Alolan Grimer plays a similar role, but it can run an Eviolite set to wall and trap Gastly by resisting both its STAB types, and trap Honedge without fearing a Sacred Sword too much. Finally, when paired with Nasty Plot Vullaby, Pikipek forms a powerful Flying-type core that uses both physical and special attacks, which weakens their shared checks.