Spearow Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Double-Edge is Spearow's most powerful STAB attack, but it inflicts recoil damage on Spearow after use. Drill Peck is another good STAB attack that provides super effective coverage against Grass- and Fighting-types. U-turn allows Spearow to keep up momentum for its team and switch out of its checks and counters while dealing chip damage. Drill Run is used ito hit Electric-, Rock-, and Steel-types for super effective damage, as the latter two types resist all other STAB. However, all Electric-types other than Magnemite are hit harder by Double-Edge. Set Details Sniper is the preferred ability, as Spearow doesn't have a better ability to use; the ability has decent synergy with Drill Run to attempt to land critical hits. Life Orb powers up Spearow's moves, but gives a tiny bit of recoil damage. The IVs in HP lower Spearow's HP to an amount where the Life Orb recoil only takes off one point of HP and also allow Spearow to switch into Stealth Rock for 5 times at most. The investment in Attack lets Spearow hit as hard as possible, while the EVs in both defenses give a tiny boost to Spearow's bad bulk. The investment in Speed is backed up by a Jolly nature, allowing Spearow to Speed tie with Drilbur and Mienfoo. Usage Tips Make sure to not recklessly switch in Spearow, as it's extremely frail, and with Stealth Rock up, Spearow will take damage every time it switches in, wearing it down quite easily. U-turn out when you predict that a check or counter to Spearow will switch in, as you can switch to another Pokemon that can proceed to beat that threat; the move also helps to keep momentum for the team. Spearow can, however, be switched in to outspeed and revenge kill a Pokemon, but this should be done carefully, as Spearow is frail. Team Options Magnemite is a good teammate in particular, as it covers all of Spearow's weaknesses. In return, Spearow beats the Fighting-types that trouble Magnemite while being immune to Ground. Cleric support from Pokemon such as Spritzee and Snubbull is quite useful, as status cripples Spearow. Rapid Spin or Defog users such as Drilbur or Vullaby make for pretty good teammates too, as they can remove Stealth Rock, which troubles Spearow. Pokemon that can take care of Rock-types reliably, such as Pawniard and Mienfoo, make good teammates too. Pokemon that can set up Stealth Rock, such as Drilbur or Ferroseed, help Spearow get a KO more easily. Knock Off users such as Pawniard and Mienfoo can weaken the foe by removing their item while dealing damage and also help Spearow to pick off foes. Ground-types that beat the Electric-types that trouble Spearow, such as Diglett and Hippopotas, are good teammates as well, especially Diglett, as it traps and beats the Pokemon that trouble Spearow after it U-turns out. Other U-turn or Volt Switch users can form the VoltTurn combination with Spearow and are therefore good partners too, especially slow ones like Chinchou, as they can grant Spearow a safe switch in.

Despite how limited Spearow's movepool is, it has just enough going for it to be a great user of Choice Scarf. Drill Peck is in the first moveslot, gaining STAB and hitting Fighting- and Grass-types extremely hard thanks to Spearow's good base 60 Attack. Return is Spearow's second STAB move, with excellent neutral coverage. Quick Attack is another option in the second slot, having priority but also being significantly weaker than Return. U-turn is a great move for scouting and keeping momentum. Pursuit is used in the final moveslot as a great tool for putting Ghost- and Psychic-types into a checkmate position. The given EVs maximize Spearow's Attack and Speed, with the rest being put in Spearow's defenses to increase its overall bulk. An Adamant nature is used over Jolly as Spearow already reaches 24 Speed with a Choice Scarf, and Spearow needs all the power it can get. Sniper is the preferred ability for Spearow, as not only can it be convenient at times, but it's the only ability Spearow can profit from competitively. Aside from the options given above, Spearow doesn't have much else to use on this set. It's possible to put some of Spearow's Special Defense EVs into its Special Attack and switch its nature to Naughty; you can then switch out one of the moves above with one from its special movepool. Options include Hidden Power, Heat Wave, and Ominous Wind. However, don't expect too much from Spearow and its Base 31 Special Attack. Spearow can also carry a Choice Band over a Choice Scarf and use a Jolly nature; Spearow will hit a lot harder but it will be much slower, which can be crucial in some cases. Rapid Spinners make excellent teammates for Spearow, as it will be switching in and out often, with the potential to rack up Stealth Rock damage very quickly. Fighting-types are also good teammates to get rid of Rock- and Steel-types, who wall Spearow with ease. Dark-types are also helpful, as they get rid of Ghost-types who may try and come in on Spearow.

Spearow can utilize a Life Orb effectively to damage the opponent as much as possible. Pluck is the preferred option over Drill Peck, as it allows Spearow to restore its health by picking off Oran Berries, a common hold item in Little Cup. Quick Attack is Spearow's only form of priority, which helps it finish off weakened Pokemon. Return gives Spearow a powerful STAB move to use, and Heat Wave allows Spearow to hit Steel-types that would otherwise wall this set. Like the Choice set, Spearow appreciates entry hazard support, since it often finds that it just does not have enough power to knock out walls. Phanpy, although weak to Ice-type attacks, resists Rock-type attacks and is immune to Electric-type attacks, meaning that Phanpy can easily switch in to set up Stealth Rock. Like the previous set, the EV spread allows Spearow to reach its maximum potential by maxing Attack and Speed. The remaining EVs are dumped into Defense and Special Attack, increasing each stat by one point. No HP EVs are used, along with a 0 HP IV, so that Spearow reaches 19 HP in order for Life Orb's recoil to deal only one damage to Spearow

This set focuses primarily on scouting and revenge killing the opponent with Spearow's attacks. Return is Spearow's main attack, backed up by Drill Peck for a secondary STAB attack, which hits Grass-, Fighting-, and Bug-types harder than Return. Pluck can be used over Drill Peck in order to pick off Oran Berries, and to give Spearow a means of recovery. Heat Wave allows Spearow to hit Steel-types that resist Return and Drill Peck for decent damage, despite its low Special Attack. U-turn is the last attack, allowing Spearow to scout for its counters and bring momentum to your team. Spearow pairs well with Pokemon that can cover Spearow's weaknesses. Bronzor makes a good defensive teammate because it has decent defensive synergy with Spearow, and can set up Stealth Rock to make revenge killing easier. Since Spearow will be locked onto one move, having a Pokemon with Rapid Spin can be greatly beneficial, since it allows Spearow to switch in without losing a quarter of its health. The EV spread maximizes its Attack and Speed stat, while its HP, Defense, and Special Attack stats are boosted by one.