Rufflet

Using Rufflet in a Playthrough

Rufflet evolves into Braviary at level 54, making the family a late investment despite the strength of both final forms. Standard Braviary is a Normal/Flying physical attacker with base 123 Attack, 100 HP, and 80 Speed; Brave Bird, Return in older games, Body Slam, Close Combat or Superpower, Rock Slide, U-turn, Roost, and Bulk Up give it strong offense and useful longevity. Keen Eye prevents accuracy drops, Sheer Force boosts attacks with secondary effects while removing those effects, and the Hidden Ability Defiant raises Attack by two stages whenever an opponent lowers one of Braviary's stats. Hisuian Braviary instead becomes Psychic/Flying and shifts toward special offense with base 112 Special Attack, 110 HP, and 65 Speed, using Psychic, Esper Wing, Air Slash or Hurricane, Calm Mind, Roost, and coverage rather than physical Normal STAB. Its abilities are Keen Eye, Sheer Force, and the Hidden Ability Tinted Lens, which doubles the damage of resisted attacks and makes its dual STAB harder to switch into. Adamant or Jolly suit standard Braviary, while Modest or Timid are more natural for the Hisuian form; the main practical drawback for either route is carrying Rufflet all the way to level 54.

Rufflet in Competitive Pokémon

Standard Braviary had a real BW competitive niche despite being officially NU. Smogon describes it as an extremely powerful physical attacker whose base 123 Attack, Brave Bird, Superpower, Return, U-turn, Roost, and Choice items made both Choice Scarf revenge-killing and Choice Band wallbreaking viable in RU and UU play. Defiant is especially useful because opposing Intimidate or other stat drops can turn directly into an Attack boost, while Roost helps offset Brave Bird recoil and Stealth Rock damage. Hisuian Braviary occupies a different modern role: Psychic/Flying typing, base 112 Special Attack, Sheer Force or Tinted Lens, Esper Wing, Psychic, Hurricane, and Calm Mind make it a slower special breaker rather than a direct analogue of the standard form. Its base 65 Speed and five weaknesses prevent easy sweeping without support, but Tinted Lens can make conventional resistances much less reliable. The two forms therefore share strong Flying offense but have almost opposite attacking profiles.

Rufflet in Nuzlockes

Braviary is powerful in Nuzlockes once Rufflet finally reaches level 54, but the long unevolved period is itself a meaningful risk. Standard Braviary's base 100 HP and 123 Attack let it survive moderate neutral damage and end fights quickly, while its Ground and Ghost immunities create useful switch opportunities. Brave Bird is extremely strong but recoil can turn a clean victory into dangerous chip, so non-recoil Flying or Normal options are often safer when they already guarantee the knockout. Hisuian Braviary trades the Ghost immunity for a strong Fighting resistance and Psychic resistance, but it becomes weak to Ghost and Dark in addition to Rock, Electric, and Ice. Roost is valuable on either form, and Jolly or Timid natures can be safer than maximum-power alternatives when moving first prevents a dangerous retaliation.

Rufflet is a male-only young bird that is extremely combative from birth. It deliberately challenges opponents larger and stronger than itself, sometimes even attacking its own parent, because repeated battles and injuries are believed to make it stronger. Its thick talons can crack hard Berries and even split Shellder shells so Rufflet can eat the contents. Despite its bravado, it cries when it loses a fight.