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Staraptor is a Pokemon evolved from Starly in Pokemon GO. Starly is fairly common on its own in the mobile title, much like it was in the Generation IV line of Pokemon games.
The Flying/Normal-type Pokemon will likely see an uptick in use after July 17's Community Day. This is due to Pokemon GO trainers catching a high volume of Starly (the Community Day pick for this July), then evolving them into Staraptor.
This particular Pokemon sports a considerably high attack stat compared to other common bird Pokemon evolutions like Pidgeot and Swellow. Due to this, it has some applications in PvE and PvP battles.
Pokemon GO: Top movesets for Staraptor in PvE and PvP fights
Another upside to Staraptor to coincide with its attack stat is its high-quality Flying-type move collection in Pokemon GO. It makes this Pokemon an excellent option for early to mid-game trainers who may not have yet stockpiled higher-tier Flying-type options.
Depending on where players would like their Staraptor to battle, optimizing its moveset for the job doesn't hurt. Fortunately, its best moves work particularly well in both PvE and PvP formats, but minor tweaks can give it an edge in either arena.
As a PvE battler in Pokemon GO, Staraptor's top move combination on offense is Gust and Brave Bird. These moves deal very solid DPS and receive a damage boost when used by a Flying-type Pokemon thanks to the mechanic of Same Type Attack Bonuses (STAB), which increases a move's damage when it matches the typing of its user.
This moveset also performs well when Staraptor is defending gyms in PvE, though utilizing Close Combat in lieu of Brave Bird can give it the ability to win type matchups against Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock, and Steel-type opponents.
In Pokemon GO's PvP battle leagues, Staraptor has a few more options in moveset composition. Gust and Brave Bird are still the top billings, as the former was recently given to Staraptor and has provided an improved Fast Move option over Quick Attack and Wing Attack.
If trainers like, they can also pick up Close Combat as a second Charged Move to counter certain opponents in PvP as a Fighting-type move. However, if users are searching for a neutral damage option (if they were dealing with opponents resistant to Flying-type moves), Quick Attack can serve decently as a Fast Move choice with quality energy generation.
Staraptor does possess the move Heat Wave, but it's a poor choice in most arenas for the Flying-type Pokemon. The move is also costly to activate energy-wise and doesn't receive STAB when used by Staraptor. This essentially relegates Heat Wave to a highly situational move that won't typically help this Flying-type Pokemon in most situations.
As long as trainers stick to Flying-type moves for Staraptor, they should be able to deal a decent amount of damage against opponents as long as it doesn't have a type disadvantage.
