Is Noctowl viable in X/Y competitive?

Question

I really need an Insomnia Pokemon, and Noctowl is one of my favorite Pokemon. Any ideas for a set and who to replace?? Here's my team:

Noivern (M) @ Choice Specs
6 HP, 252 SpAtk, 252 Spe
31/31/x/31/31/31
Frisk
Timid Nature
-Draco Meteor
-Hurricane
-Focus Blast
-Boomburst

Quick question: Should I go with Boomburst or Flamethrower? I need an Aegislash counter move on my Noivern. :D

Garchomp (M) @ Choice Band
6 HP, 252 Atk, 252 Spe
31/31/x/31/31/31
Rough Skin
Jolly Nature
-Fire Fang
-Earthquake
-Dragon Claw
-Iron Head

Pinsir (M) @ Pinsirite
6 HP, 252 Atk, 252 Spe
31/31/31/x/31/x
Hyper Cutter
Jolly Nature
-Swords Dance
-Quick Attack
-Close Combat
-Earthquake

Cradily (F) @ Leftovers
220 HP, 144 Def, 144 SpDef
31/31/31/31/31/31
Storm Drain
Bold Nature
-Recover
-Stealth Rock
-Giga Drain
-Ancient Power

Avalugg (M) @ Scope Lens
240 HP, 240 Def, 28 SpDef
31/31/31/x/31/31
Sturdy
Impish Nature
-Rapid Spin
-Recover
-Avalanche
-Curse

Talonflame (M) @ Life Orb
6 HP, 252 Atk, 252 Spe
31/31/31/x/31/x
Gale Wings
Adamant Nature
-Swords Dance
-Roost
-Brave Bird
-Flare Blitz

I know I have a massive Rocks weakness, but Talonflame will be replaced with Aegislash soon. If this is the wrong spot, please put this on the RMT. Thanks!

Comments

I wouldn't go with Noctowl since you'll have three flying types all sharing Ice and Rock weaknesses, that is until Aegislash comes.

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Wouldn't this question be more appropriate asked on the Battle subway?

Answer 1

One might get the impression that Noctowl is just another generic Normal / Flying Pokemon like the rest, but it's completely different. Noctowl has great specially defensive stats, as well as a rather decent Special Attack compared to the other, more physically oriented, birds. Noctowl is also quite fast for a defensive Pokemon, and NU (NU: Never Used) in general. Due to its Flying typing, Noctowl resists Grass-type moves, and thanks to its Insomnia ability, it becomes a great answer to the many Grass-types in NU, most notably Tangela and Vileplume. However, even though it has these things going for it, there are still many obstacles that hinder Noctowl. Noctowl is weak to the common Ice-, Electric-, and Rock-types moves in the tier, including Stealth Rock, while its horrible Defense stat makes it susceptible to almost any physical move it doesn't resist. However, if you play to Noctowl strengths, take advantage of its good support movepool, and account for its weaknesses, Noctowl can become a great addition to your team. Source.

Not necessarily. When Smogon says Noctowl has great Special Defense/HP stats, they mean a spread of 95/100. Even though this is decent, Noctowl dies to Ice Shard. And any other physical move, actually. A Specs Noctowl set is especially bad, due to the fact that you're not taking advantage of its special bulk. Here is a recommended moveset:

Noctowl @ Leftovers
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Nature: Calm (^SpD vAtk)
- Roost (For obvious reasons)
- Whirlwind (To take advantage of hazards and switch out threats)
- Air Slash / Night Shade (For damage. Air Slash isn't as reliable as Night Shade, but MAY do more damage.)
- Toxic / Reflect / Magic Coat (Toxic to stall with Roost, Reflect to boost defense (even though Ledian does a better job at this), and Magic Coat to bounce back hazards.)