Pidove

Using Pidove in a Playthrough

Pidove evolves into Tranquill at level 21 and Unfezant at level 32, giving Unova an early regional bird that reaches its final stage at a reasonable point in the story. Unfezant has base 93 Speed and strong physical Attack—105 in Generation V and increased to 115 from Generation VI onward—but its physical Flying movepool has historically been much less impressive than that Attack stat suggests. Fly, Return in older games, Facade, U-turn, Quick Attack, Steel Wing, and later options can still provide useful story damage, while Super Luck raises the critical-hit ratio, Big Pecks prevents Defense drops, and the Hidden Ability Rivalry modifies damage according to the target's gender and is therefore inconsistent. Normal/Flying provides complete Ghost and Ground immunities plus Grass and Bug resistances, while Electric, Ice, and Rock attacks are dangerous. Adamant gives the line more physical power and Jolly preserves Speed, and although Unfezant is perfectly serviceable for the main story, its limited high-quality physical Flying options prevent it from exploiting its statistics as cleanly as regional birds such as Staraptor.

Pidove in Competitive Pokémon

Unfezant has had a weak competitive history despite respectable-looking Attack and Speed. Smogon places it in BW ZU and explicitly notes that it was badly outclassed in NU because its offensive movepool was exceptionally shallow; even with base 105 Attack, it lacked a strong, dependable physical Flying STAB and often resorted to Return, U-turn, Pluck, Aerial Ace, or support moves. Tailwind, Hypnosis, Taunt, U-turn, and Super Luck provided limited utility, but inaccurate sleep and mediocre 80/55 special bulk made those strategies inconsistent. Generation VI raised Unfezant's Attack from 105 to 115, yet SM analysis still placed it in ZU because the movepool problem remained, with other Normal/Flying attackers offering stronger STAB or broader coverage. Its competitive lesson is a useful one for the site: strong base stats alone do not guarantee viability when a Pokemon cannot translate those stats into high-quality moves.

Pidove in Nuzlockes

The Pidove line is useful in Nuzlockes because it is obtainable early, reaches Unfezant at level 32, and gains both Ground and Ghost immunities that create completely safe switches against known attacks. Base 93 Speed and respectable physical Attack let Unfezant remove many ordinary opponents before they retaliate, and Fly can serve as both field utility in older games and usable physical STAB. Its poor Special Defense makes strong Electric or Ice attacks particularly dangerous, and Rock moves are also super effective while Stealth Rock can gradually wear it down in games where opponents use hazards. Super Luck can produce helpful critical hits but should never be treated as a guaranteed damage plan, while Rivalry is too matchup-dependent to be relied upon. Adamant or Jolly Unfezant is safest as a fast attacker and immunity pivot rather than a Pokemon expected to absorb repeated special attacks.

Pidove is friendly and sincerely tries to obey its Trainer, but it is notoriously forgetful and may fail to remember instructions almost immediately after receiving them. It likes following people and is commonly comfortable around humans. Its poor memory is a defining behavioral trait rather than a lack of willingness to cooperate.