Noivern

The first thing that stands out about Noivern is its fantastic Speed tier; UU's congested Speed tiers have lots of threats between 331 and 361, and Noivern blazes past them with a blistering 379. Due to this, Noivern can gain momentum on the likes of Zarude, Cobalion, Azelf, Raikou, and Keldeo, a trait almost unique to it. Beyond that, Noivern's fantastic typing and great movepool give it great defensive utility and a powerful STAB Draco Meteor. With Flamethrower, Noivern has nearly unresisted coverage, which gives it an unparalleled ability to outspeed and bully offensive teams. Noivern's plentiful resistances and decent natural bulk let it check the likes of Azelf, Keldeo, Zarude, Skarmory, and Cobalion, giving it many opportunities to switch in. The main issue Noivern faces is competition with Crobat for a teamslot; Crobat's higher Speed gives it an edge one-on-one with Noivern, and it has the typing to better check Pokemon like Amoonguss and Conkeldurr that Noivern can struggle with. Still, Noivern's extra resistances to Water and Fire allow it to check the likes of Keldeo and Darmanitan, giving it the edge on a number of teams. Noivern also competes with Salamence to a lesser extent due to their shared typing; Salamence's bulk generally makes it better, as it can more reliably handle threats like Scizor and Cobalion, but some teams need Noivern's Speed tier. Another hindrance is Noivern's mediocre neutral power; it struggles to do lasting damage to Pokemon like Hippowdon, Slowking, Nihilego, and Mandibuzz without entry hazard support. Noivern is also entirely blanked by certain Fairy-types like Primarina and Togekiss.