Staraptor
Attack
Defense
Stamina
Best Movesets
Analysis
Staraptor is arguably the best regional bird in the game in terms of stats, boasting the same Attack stat as Machamp! It's also blessed with a great Flying Type moveset to compound its power, making it a very solid investment for early-game players. Less prepared trainers can use it as a cheap option to solo Machamp and other Flying-weak raids by evolving high level Starly without the need to invest any stardust.
Offense
- Wing Attack and Gust* are fairly comparable, with the former offering shorter move windows/easier dodging and the latter offering better damage.
- Quick Attack is theoretically superior, but doesn’t have much practical use.
- Sand Attack isn't doing Staraptor any favors.
- Either of the Flying Type Fast Moves should be paired with Fly for great Flying DPS.
- Brave Bird is a step down.
- Close Combat and especially Heat Wave perform terribly.
Defense
- Gust* is the clear winner, with extremely high damage output for a fast move and superior energy gains given the way that defenders operate.
- Wing Attack hits harder than Quick Attack and offers better coverage.
- Fly is Staraptor's only 2-bar move and has a relatively early damage window, making it a great move on Defense
- Close Combat and Brave Bird are equally hard to dodge, but the former has better counter coverage.
- Heat Wave is slightly inferior to Close Combat, but its different effectiveness profile gives it some merit.
- Sand Attack isn't great on defense.
- Return is impossible to dodge, but its damage is rather pitiful even with STAB.
Wing Attack is provides the best energy generation and deals decent damage, and is Staraptor's preferred Fast Attack. Gust provides incredible damage, but its energy generation is average at best Quick Attack is not recommended since its typing can't benefit from a Super Effective multiplier.
Fly is Staraptor's primary charge move thanks to its lower energy cost in addition to receiving STAB. Close Combat also has a fairly low cost and provides valuable coverage against Steel- and Rock-type Pokemon. Brave Bird is extremely powerful, but it is rather costly and the debuff is not ideal. Heat Wave is a bad move.
Staraptor has a terrifying moveset and is an incredibly potent closer. Its coverage is almost perfect and can easily clean teams up when backed behind shields. However, Staraptor's frailty and high dependence on shields can make it pretty unreliable. It also competes with the more meta Flying-type Pokemon that are more reliable.
