Noivern

Using Noivern in a Playthrough

Noibat evolves into Noivern at level 48, so the line requires carrying a relatively weak unevolved Pokemon for a long time before reaching its full value. Noivern is Flying/Dragon with excellent base 123 Speed, base 97 Special Attack, and balanced 85/80/80 bulk. Draco Meteor or Dragon Pulse and Hurricane or Air Slash provide dual STAB, while Flamethrower, Boomburst, U-turn, Roost, Taunt, Switcheroo, Super Fang, and other coverage or utility make Noivern an effective fast attacker and pivot. Frisk reveals opposing held items, Infiltrator lets damaging and status moves ignore Substitute plus several screen effects, and the Hidden Ability Telepathy prevents damage from allies' attacks in doubles. Flying/Dragon grants a Ground immunity and strong resistances to Grass plus resistances to Fire, Water, Fighting, and Bug, but Rock, Dragon, and Fairy are super effective and Ice deals quadruple damage. Timid is usually ideal because base 123 Speed is the defining strength, while Modest is viable only when external speed control is reliable.

Noivern in Competitive Pokémon

Noivern was placed in RUBL in XY but maintained a real UU niche because base 123 Speed lets it outrun a large portion of the unboosted metagame. Choice Specs Draco Meteor and Hurricane provide strong wallbreaking pressure, while Flamethrower covers Steel-types and U-turn or Switcheroo can preserve momentum or cripple defensive answers. Infiltrator is especially valuable because it ignores Substitute and screen effects, preventing several otherwise safe setup strategies from blocking Noivern's attacks. Smogon's XY analysis describes it as a moderate wallbreaker and offense killer whose Speed and utility differentiate it from stronger but slower Dragon-types. The drawbacks are the quadruple Ice weakness, Stealth Rock vulnerability, merely base 97 Special Attack, and the imperfect accuracy or stat drops attached to its strongest STAB moves. Noivern is therefore strongest as a fast opportunistic attacker rather than a Pokemon that brute-forces every neutral matchup.

Noivern in Nuzlockes

Noivern is very useful once Noibat finally reaches level 48, but the long unevolved period is the most dangerous part of raising the family. Base 123 Speed allows Noivern to avoid many attacks outright, while Roost and U-turn provide recovery and escape options. Air Slash and Dragon Pulse are safer than Hurricane and Draco Meteor when the additional power is unnecessary, especially because Hurricane can miss and Draco Meteor sharply reduces Special Attack after use. Ice attacks are the critical danger because they deal quadruple damage, while Rock, Dragon, and Fairy moves are also super effective. Frisk is unusually useful in a Nuzlocke because revealing an opposing held item can expose a Choice item, damage booster, or Berry before the player commits to a risky line.

Noivern is a nocturnal aerial predator whose huge ears generate ultrasonic waves powerful enough to shatter large boulders. It uses those waves both to locate targets and to disorient or immobilize them before attacking from the air. Wild Noivern is known for a violent temper, but it can become surprisingly tame when approached with ripe fruit, which remains a favorite food from the Noibat stage. Its combination of sonic weaponry, high-speed flight, and fruit-seeking behavior makes it both a predator and an opportunistic frugivore.