Staraptor was the first regional bird to be out-and-out strong. Pidgeot was sadly outclassed by both Fearow and Dodrio, Noctowl was super lacking, and while Swellow was a step in the right direction it still relied on Guts shenanigans in an era before it could inflict them on itself. Then in comes the hawk-starling with its massive Attack, solid Speed, Intimidate, and Close fucking Combat. GameFreak was no longer afraid to get creative with the early birds. Unfezant was a bit of a dip (mostly because its stats, abilities, and moves are mismatched) but then we got goddamn Talonflame with its non-Normal typing and signature ability so amazing that they overreacted and nerfed it into the ground the next gen. Even Toucannon is a solid ingame bruiser, and with a bit more Speed it might’ve been an interesting Skill Link user. Corviknight, though, has become my instant favorite. Fantastic design, incorporating a theme and justifying a cool typing without making it overly anthropomorphic, and capturing all kinds of little details for real ravens like the shaggy beard, wedge-shaped tail, and nasal bristles. It looks like the actual bird but also looks like a proper, battle-ready monster. From the sound of the leaks, its stats, abilities, and movepool go great together and add up to a powerful Pokémon. Now we know that its pre-evolutions are fantastic, too, and fairly unique with their mono-Flying typing. It might just be my new favorite Pokémon line of all.
>>40994768To be fair though, Corviknight evolves from a Great Tit/Chickadee that becomes some sort of magpie/Hooded Crow blend and then finally a raven.
