Murkrow is secretly one of the strongest Pokemon in all of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. Naturally, that makes it a must–get Pokemon for any player, and players will need to evolve it in order to complete their Pokedex.
There are many different things that can make a Pokemon strong, but Murkrow has found a way to qualify as such despite having low stats and not even being fully evolved. Murkrow was arguably the most powerful Pokemon in the first Pokemon Scarlet & Violet ranked series and still inhabits a critical niche in competitive play.
Even for those who aren’t interested in playing competitively, Murkrow and its evolution Honchkrow are Pokemon worth checking out. Here’s how to catch them and what makes Murkrow so powerful.
How to Catch Murkrow
Murkrow can be found across much of the southern and western portions of the Paldea region. Players can find the Pokemon in the areas surrounding Mesagoza and Levincia, the area between Porto Marinada and Medali, and many more. It can also be found in Area Zero outside of Research Station No. 2.
Players likely won’t have much trouble finding the Pokemon, though it generally tends to spawn at night. Odds are that players will encounter plenty of Murkrows on their journey across Paldea without even going out of their way to look for one.
How to Evolve Murkrow into Honchkrow
Players can evolve Murkrow into Honchkrow by using a Dusk Stone. The item can be used on a Murkrow at any time to start the evolution, with no prerequisites in terms of its moves or level.
Dusk Stones can be found in a number of different ways in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. Players can find one behind the Montenevera gym or get them through auctions in Porto Marinada. There is also a small chance they can be found on the ground in the wilds of Paldea.
Unfortunately, evolving Murkrow into Honchkrow doesn’t result in the immediate power spike that evolving Growlithe into Arcanine does. While some Pokemon have instant access to all their best moves when they evolve via a stone or item, Honchkrow needs to be leveled up to learn many of its best moves.
Why is Murkrow a Strong Pokemon?
Murkrow is one of the strongest Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet because of its Prankster ability and the move Tailwind. Prankster allows it to instantly set up Tailwind, allowing both Murkrow and its ally to move faster in double battles. It also has access to a long list of support moves, including Thunder Wave, Taunt, and more.
On top of this, it has the move Haze. Haze resets all stat changes, making it a hard counter to Dondozo and Tatsugiri, two of the strongest Pokemon in the game when they work together. Haze also works well for supporting allies, as Haze can help to boost up Pokemon like Gholdengo, whose stats drop when they use certain moves.
Murkrow’s versatility and impactfulness make it one of the most common Pokemon to see in ranked play.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available for the Nintendo Switch.