Talonflame

Despite being a "starter bird" of the Kalos region, Talonflame is a popular competitive choice for having the strongest priority in the game in the form of Gale Wings and Brave Bird. Combine that with the highest Speed stat of all generation VI Pokemon, and you have a Pokemon capable of sweeping through weakened teams late-game. Although its other stats are very mediocre, Talonflame makes up for this with access to a lot of useful moves and great compatibility with numerous items.

One of Talonflame's greatest strengths is that it places a lot of restrictions on the opponent's options in Team Preview. A Flying-type check becomes mandatory, and Talonflame-weak Pokemon such as Blaziken and Lopunny are unable to move as freely because Talonflame is a great check to them. However, it's important to note that many people bring Stealth Rock support with Talonflame-weak sweepers, so don't expect an easy match just because the opponent's win condition is a Blaziken. Talonflame also does a lot of damage to itself thanks to recoil from its most common attacks and common Rocky Helmet users.