OU Manaphy

[bludz]

QC: p2, DennisEG, Colonel M
GP: CryoGyro

[OVERVIEW]

* Manaphy has always been an exceptional wallbreaker because of its access to Tail Glow, which allows it to accrue Special Attack at an absurd rate.
* With very good natural bulk and a defensive typing with only 2 weaknesses, Manaphy can find many opportunities to set up a Tail Glow.
* Manaphy's access to a wide variety of coverage options makes it difficult to switch into for faster pokemon, which are usually the best way to check it.
* Waterium Z allows Manaphy to fire off an extremely powerful Hydro Vortex one time or to set up a Z-Rain Dance, which gives it a speed boost, furthering its ability to sweep and improving its matchup against faster pokemon and teams.
* Manaphy's somewhat low speed tier can prevent it from sweeping, and even at +1 there are some Choice Scarf users that can still outspeed it.
* While Manaphy's coverage is very good, it is incapable of covering the entire metagame in just 3 moves, so it will be vulnerable to different Pokemon depending on its coverage.
* Waterium Z variants miss out on Leftovers recovery, which often works in tandem with Manaphy's natural bulk to set up a sweep.

[SET]
name: Z Manaphy
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Rain Dance
move 3: Surf
move 4: Psychic / Energy Ball
item: Waterium Z
ability: Hydration
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Tail Glow allows Manaphy to boost its Special Attack by three stages in one turn.
* Rain Dance works in conjunction with Hydration to heal status conditions as well as boost Surf's power. Rain Dance can also be used with Waterium Z to boost Manaphy's Speed by one stage.
* Surf is the STAB move of choice; the negligible damage from burns makes Surf's raw damage output preferable to Scald's burn chance.
* Psychic in the last moveslot allows Manaphy to defeat Mega Venusaur, Toxapex, and Amoonguss.
* Energy Ball is an option for beating down bulky Water-types like Tapu Fini and Rotom-W without using Hydro Vortex.
* Ice Beam provides coverage against Dragon- and Grass-types such as Latios, Tapu Bulu, and Tangrowth.

Set Details
========

* Maximum Special Attack EVs provide Manaphy with more power with which to break through opposing pokemon.
* Maximum Speed EVs with a Timid Nature allow Manaphy to outspeed threats such as Tapu Lele and speed tie with other speed-boosting nature base 100 Speed Pokemon. Having maximum speed is particularly helpful when using the +1 speed boost from Z-Rain Dance.
* The item of choice is Waterium Z because it gives Manaphy two options. The first is the ability to set up Z-Rain Dance, which nets +1 Speed as well as setting up Rain. The other is to fire off a powerful 175-Base Power Hydro Vortex to break through pokemon that Manaphy does not have super effective coverage for.

Usage Tips
========

* Manaphy should be treated as either a late-game sweeper or a holepuncher, depending on the matchup.
* Against bulkier teams, use Manaphy early- or mid-game to bust open holes for other members of the team to clean up. Hydro Vortex can be used in these matchups to help deal maximum damage, while Rain Dance can be used without the Z-Crystal. Alternatively, Manaphy can be saved for late-game once its checks and counters have been sufficiently weakened or removed.
* Against more offensive teams, Manaphy can use its natural bulk to find opportunities to set up a Tail Glow and threaten to get a KO. In some cases, it will be possible to also set up Z-Rain Dance and perform a sweep. Often, Z-Rain Dance will not be enough to sweep on its own unless the opposing team has been severely weakened because Manaphy is not that powerful without a Tail Glow boost.
* VoltTurn is great for getting Manaphy free switches against pokemon it threatens such as Heatran and Alolan Marowak.
* Because this Manaphy set lacks Leftovers, it's not recommended to switch it directly into attacks if you plan on using it as a wincon. If not, it can be switched into more passive pokemon or those that can't deal much damage to it.
* Manaphy relies on having near-full HP to take hits and set up, so it is recommended to pair it with entry hazard removers.

Team Options
========

* Mega Scizor is an excellent partner because it can pivot out on Fire-types such as Alolan Marowak and Heatran to provide Manaphy with many opportunities to set up.
* Jirachi helps Manaphy by checking faster Dragon-types such as Latios and providing U-turn and Healing Wish support.
* Mega Metagross also pairs well with Manaphy due to its ability to Pursuit trap Latios and surprise other Manaphy checks with coverage moves - Mantine with Thunder Punch, Ferrothorn with Hammer Arm, and so on.
* Magnezone helps to eliminate Ferrothorn, which is one of the biggest annoyances to Manaphy. It's also helpful for Tapu Koko to an extent.
* Alolan Marowak helps Manaphy with its weakness to Electric-types such as Tapu Koko as well as Grass-types such as Tangrowth and Serperior.
* Tapu Koko can beat down bulky Water-types for Manaphy, while Manaphy threatens Alolan Marowak and bulky Ground-types in return.
* Tapu Bulu similarly threatens bulky Water-types and provides Grassy Terrain support to help heal Manaphy slightly. Manaphy can threaten many of Tapu Bulu's best checks such as Skarmory, Celesteela, and Mega Scizor, and can help to overload Ferrothorn and lure Mega Venusaur.
* Tornadus-T is a good partner that helps check Grass-types, provides momentum, and has 100% accurate Hurricanes in rain.

[SET]
name: Tail Glow + 3 Attacks
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Surf
move 3: Ice Beam / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Energy Ball
item: Leftovers / Wacan Berry
ability: Hydration
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Tail Glow is mandatory on all Manaphy sets to boost its Special Attack greatly.
* Surf is the STAB move of choice because of its reliable damage output.
* Ice Beam hits Dragon- and Grass-types such as Latios and Tangrowth that might be used to check Manaphy.
* Energy Ball can be used to defeat opposing Water-types such as Tapu Fini.
* Hidden Power Fire allows Manaphy to effectively lure Ferrothorn and deal with Mega Scizor.
* Psychic can be used for bulky Poison-types that resist Surf, mainly Mega Venusaur and Toxapex.

Set Details
========

* Maximum Special Attack puts more power behind Manaphy's attacks.
* Maximum Speed with a Timid Nature allows Manaphy to Speed tie with other Speed-boosting nature base 100 Speed Pokemon.
* Leftovers provides Manaphy with more longevity to check pokemon such as Heatran and get more setup opportunities.
* Wacan Berry is an option for Manaphy to be able to take a hit from Electric-types such as Magnezone.

Usage Tips
========

* Against bulkier teams, Manaphy should be used to plow through slower pokemon after one or two Tail Glow boosts. Set up against pokemon that can't touch Manaphy such as Mega Sableye and Celesteela.
* Against offensive teams, Manaphy should be used to check specific threats such as Fire- and Ground-types. It can also use these pokemon to set up and then fire off powerful attacks that are difficult to switch into.
* In general, Manaphy appreciates Pursuit support to remove Latios, which is one of its main checks.
* Pivoting move users provide great support for Manaphy, since they help it get free turns to set up and limits the damage it takes upon switching in.

Team Options
========

* Steel-types like Mega Scizor and Mega Metagross help with Latios and appreciate Manaphy's ability to threaten their checks such as Heatran and Landorus-T, respectively.
* Sweepers and late-game cleaners such as Excadrill, Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, and Pheromosa appreciate Manaphy's wallbreaking capabilities and ability to threaten many of their common checks.
* Weavile is a nice partner for Manaphy for its ability to Pursuit trap common checks such as Latios and threaten faster teams with its speed tier.
* Mega Alakazam can check pokemon such as Tapu Koko and Kartana, which otherwise might be problematic for Manaphy.
* Magnezone is great for removing opposing Ferrothorn that can get in Manaphy's way.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

* A Calm Mind + Rain Dance set can be used as a bulky set up sweeper and status absorber, but the metagame's strong attackers are not kind to it.
* U-turn is an option on Tail Glow sets to retain momentum for the team, but loses out on useful coverage.
* Non-Waterium Z Z-Crystals could be used as one-time ways to beat lured switch-ins (such as Subzero Slammer on Latios) but is too situational.
* Scald can be used as an alternative to Surf to fish for burns, but isn't recommended on Waterium Z sets because of the large drop in power on Hydro Vortex. The low damage burn does per turn also means that Surf's higher base power is usually preferred.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Grass-types**: Ferrothorn and Assault Vest Tangrowth are some of the best Manaphy checks, but Ferrothorn has to beware Hidden Power Fire variants. Kartana and Serperior outspeed Manaphy and threaten to KO with super effective STAB moves. Mega Venusaur is tricky for Manaphy to deal with if lacking Psychic, since it can tank a +3 Hydro Vortex or Ice Beam and retaliate with Giga Drain. Amoonguss doesn't take its attacks too well, but specially defensive variants can beat non-Psychic or Ice Beam Manaphy. Tapu Bulu checks non-Ice Beam Manaphy.

**Water-types**: Mantine and Toxapex can Haze away Manaphy's stat boosts and laugh off moves outside of Hidden Power Electric (as well as Psychic for the latter). Tapu Fini, Rotom-W, and Slowking can take on non-Energy Ball variants of Manaphy decently well.

**Dragon-types**: Latios and Latias outspeed Manaphy and can threaten it with Draco Meteor or Thunderbolt. Kyurem-Bcan usually take one boosted hit and retaliate with Fusion Bolt.

**Electric-types**: Tapu Koko is a big threat to any non-Wacan Berry Manaphy set, as it outspeeds and threatens to OHKO. Thundurus also an offensive check to it.

**Faster threats**: Mega Alakazam, Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Pheromosa, Greninja, and Meta Metagross are among many pokemon that can revenge kill Manaphy after a bit of prior damage.

**Shedinja**: Thanks to Wonder Guard, Shedinja walls Manaphy lacking Shadow Ball or Hidden Power Fire.

 

[p2]

[OVERVIEW]
Manaphy has always been an exceptional breaker because of its access to Tail Glow, which allows it to accrue Special Attack at an absurd rate. With very good natural bulk and defensive typing with only 2 weaknesses, Manaphy can find many opportunities to set up a Tail Glow. It also has access to a wide variety of coverage options which make it difficult to switch into for faster pokemon which are usually the best way to check it. In Generation 7, Manaphy received a buff in viability thanks to the release of Z moves. Waterium Z allows Manaphy to fire off an ultra powerful Hydro Vortex one time, or to set up a Z Rain Dance which gives it a speed boost, furthering its ability to sweep and improving its matchup against faster pokemon and teams.
this should be in bullets

[SET]
name: Z Manaphy
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Rain Dance
move 3: Surf
move 4: Psychic / Energy Ball
item: Waterium Z
ability: Hydration
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Tail Glow allows Manaphy to boost its Special Attack three stages in one turn.
• Rain Dance works in conjunction with Hydration to heal status conditions, as well as boost Surf's power. Rain Dance can also be used with Waterium Z to boost Manaphy's Speed by one stage.
• Surf is the STAB of choice; it is stronger than Scald and its Hydro Vortex is also stronger. The nerf to burn status makes Surf's raw damage output preferable to Scald's burn chance.
• Psychic in the last slot allows Manaphy to defeat Mega Venusaur, Toxapex, and Amoonguss.
• Energy Ball is also an option for beating down bulky Water-types like Rotom-Wash and Tapu Fini.

i think ice beam should be mentioned bc of things like serp/lati/bulu
Set Details
========

• Max Special Attack EVs provide Manaphy with more power to break through opposing pokemon.
• Max Speed EVs with a Timid Nature allows Manaphy to outspeed Genesect and speed tie with other speed-boosting nature base 100s. Having max speed is particularly helpful when using the +1 speed boost from Z Rain Dance.
• The item of choice is Waterium Z, because it gives Manaphy two options. The first is the ability to set up Z Rain Dance which nets +1 Speed as well as setting up Rain. The other is to fire off a powerful 175 base power Hydro Vortex to break through pokemon which it does not have super effective coverage for.

Usage Tips
========

• Manaphy should be treated as either a late-game sweeper or a holepuncher, depending on the matchup.
• Against bulkier teams, use Manaphy early- or mid-game to bust open holes for other members of the team to clean up. Hydro Vortex can be used in these matchups to help deal maximum damage, while Rain Dance can be used without the Z crystal. Alternatively, it can be saved for the late game once its checks and counters have been sufficiently weakened/removed.
• Against more offensive teams, Manaphy can use its natural bulk to find opportunities to set up a Tail Glow and threaten to get a KO. In some cases, it will be possible to also set up Z Rain Dance and perform a sweep. Often, Z Rain Dance will not be enough to sweep on its own unless the other team has been severely weakened, because Manaphy is not that powerful without a Tail Glow boost.
• Volt-Turn is great for getting Manaphy free switch-ins against pokemon it threatens such as Heatran or Hippowdon.
  
• Because this Manaphy set lacks Leftovers, it's not recommended to switch it directly into opposing attacks if you plan on using it as a pivotal part of your game plan. If not, it can be switched into more passive pokemon or those which can't deal much damage to it.
• Manaphy relies on having close to full HP to take hits and set up, so it is recommended to pair it with hazard removal.

Team Options
========

• Genesect is an excellent partner, because it U-turn out on Fire-types such as Alolan Marowak and Heatran to provide Manaphy many opportunities.
• Jirachi helps Manaphy by checking faster Dragons such as Latios, while also providing U-turn and Healing Wish support.
• Mega Metagross also pairs well with Manaphy due to its ability to Pursuit trap Latios and lure other Manaphy checks with coverage moves - Mantine with Thunder Punch, Ferrothorn with Hammer Arm, and so on.
• Magnezone helps to eliminate Ferrothorn which is one of the biggest annoyances to Manaphy. It's also helpful for Tapu Koko to an extent.
• Alolan Marowak helps Manaphy with weaknesses to Electric-types such as Tapu Koko and Xurkitree, as well as Grass-types such as Serperior and Kartana.
• Tapu Koko can beat down bulky Waters for Manaphy, while Manaphy threatens Alolan Marowak and bulky Grounds in return.
• Tapu Bulu similarly threatens bulky Waters, while also providing Grassy Terrain support to help heal Manaphy slightly. Manaphy can threaten many of Tapu Bulu's best checks such as Skarmory, Celesteela, Mega Scizor, and can help to overload Ferrothorn and lure Mega Venusaur.

mention pursuit altaria
[SET]
name: TG + 3 Attacks
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Surf
move 3: Ice Beam / HP Fire
move 4: Energy Ball / HP Electric
item: Leftovers / Wacan Berry
ability: Hydration
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Tail Glow is mandatory on all Manaphy sets to boost its Special Attack greatly.
• Surf is the STAB of choice because of reliable damage output.
• Ice Beam hits Dragon- and Grass-types which might be used to check Manaphy.
• Energy Ball can be used to defeat opposing Water-types.
• Hidden Power Fire allows Manaphy to effectively lure Ferrothorn and deal with Mega Scizor more effectively.
• Hidden Power Electric also hits Water-types, but has the added bonus of nailing Mantine which can otherwise take other attacks from Manaphy and Haze away the boosts, then Roost.
• Dazzling Gleam hits for Dragon- and Fighting-types such as Latios and Keldeo.
• Shadow Ball nails Psychic-types such as Slowking and Tapu Lele, as well as hitting Shedinja.
• Psychic for bulky Poison-types that resist Surf, mainly Mega Venusaur and Toxapex

Set Details
========

• Max Special Attack provides more power behind Manaphy's attacks.
• Max Speed with a Timid Nature allows Manaphy to speed-tie positive speed natured base 100s and to always outspeed non Scarf Genesect.
• Leftovers provides Manaphy with more longevity to check pokemon such as Heatran, and provide more setup opportunities in the long run.
• Wacan Berry is an option to be able to take a hit from Electric-types such as Tapu Koko and Scarf Magnezone.

Usage Tips
========

• Against bulkier teams, Manaphy should be used to plow through slower pokemon after 1-2 Tail Glow boosts. Set up against pokemon that can't touch Manaphy, such as Mega Sableye and Celesteela.
• Against offensive teams, Manaphy should be used to check specific threats such as Fire- and Ground-types. It can also use these pokemon to setup and then fire off powerful attacks which are difficult to switch into.
• In general, Manaphy appreciates Pursuit support to remove Latios, which is one of its main checks.
• Volt-Turn is great support for Manaphy since it helps it get free turns to set up and limits the damage it takes upon switching in.

Team Options
========

• Steel-types like Mega Scizor and Mega Metagross help with Latios and appreciate Manaphy's ability to threaten their checks such as Heatran and Landorus-T respectively.
• Sweepers and late-game cleaners such as Excadrill, Scarf Tapu Lele, and Pheromosa appreciate Manaphy's wallbreaking capabilities and ability to threaten many of their common checks
• Weavile is a nice partner for Manaphy for its ability to Pursuit trap common checks such as Latios and threaten faster teams with its speed tier
• Mega Alakazam can check pokemon such as Tapu Koko and Kartana which might otherwise be problematic for Manaphy

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Calm Mind + Rain Dance can be used as a bulky set up sweeper and status absorber, but the power creep this generation has not been kind to this set. U-turn is an option on Tail Glow sets to retain momentum for the team, but lose out on useful coverage. Non-Water Z crystals could be used as one-time lures on predicted switches (i.e. boosted Ice Beam on Latios switchin) but seems pretty subpar overall.
this needs to be bullets too

Checks and Counters
===================
**Electric-types**: Tapu Koko is a big threat to any non-Wacan Manaphy set as it outspeeds and threatens to OHKO. Scarf Magnezone and Scarf Xurkitree are similarly threatening, but are easier to play around due to the choice lock.

**Dragon-types**: Latios and Latias outspeed Manaphy and can threaten it with Draco Meteor or Thunderbolt.

** Other Faster threats**: Mega Alakazam, Scarf Tapu Lele, Pheromosa, Greninja, and Meta Metagross are among several pokemon which can revenge kill Manaphy after a bit of prior damage.

**Grass-types**: Kartana and Serperior outspeed Manaphy and threatens to KO with super effective STAB. Mega Venusaur is tricky for Manaphy to deal with if lacking Psychic, since it can tank a +3 Hydro Vortex or Ice Beam and retaliate with Giga Drain. Amoonguss doesn't take it too well, but SpD variants can beat non-Psychic or Ice Beam Manaphy. Tapu Bulu checks non Ice Beam Manaphy.

**Water-types**: Mantine and Toxapex can Haze away stat boosts by Manaphy, and laugh off moves outside of HP Electric for Mantine, and HP Electric or Psychic for Toxapex. Tapu Fini, Rotom-Wash, and Slowking can tank on non-Energy Ball variants of Manaphy decently well.

**Shedinja**: Walls Manaphy lacking Shadow Ball or HP Fire.

 

[PK Gaming]

The only thing i'd really add is Thundurus in the checks and counters section alongside Tapu Koko.

 

[Shurtugal]

I believe Z-Surf is still viable on 3 attack manaphy. Even without the versatility of Rain Dance, Z-Surf is just a huge boon for Manaphy, allowing it to muscle past a lot of its counters (most notable being unaware Clefable, assuming you predict when it won't protect). I think some mention of it should be warranted, I think 3 attack and Z-Manaphy play differently enough for two sets, but that 3 attacks can still run waterium.

I would not mention Lati@s as checks / counters just yet, or at least until the meta stablizes, because right now the meta really doesn't favor Lati@s -- I have a sinking feeling they might even drop to uu, because they're pretty irrelevant as of writing this.

Mention Ferrothorn in Grass types. Ferrothorn is by far one of the most reliable answer to Manaphy since most usually do not carry hp fire.

Add unaware clef somewhere, the mon is still used somewhat (more so than lati@s in my experiences).

Assault vest magnezone is becoming increasingly more popular, and with access to mirror coat and strong thunderbolts it can pretty much hard counter non-Z move Manaphy.

Speaking of AVest I would add a section just for them: AVest Magearna can eat a +3 surf and volt switch to a faster threat, AVest Torn (maybe, haven't seen it around much) and AVest Tangrowth.

 

[DennisEG]

hey man
remove add

QC: p2,

[OVERVIEW]

• Manaphy has always been an exceptional breaker because of its access to Tail Glow, which allows it to accrue Special Attack at an absurd rate.
• With very good natural bulk and defensive typing with only 2 weaknesses, Manaphy can find many opportunities to set up a Tail Glow.
• Access to a wide variety of coverage options which make it difficult to switch into for faster pokemon which are usually the best way to check it.
• Waterium Z allows Manaphy to fire off an ultra powerful Hydro Vortex one time, or to set up a Z Rain Dance which gives it a speed boost, furthering its ability to sweep and improving its matchup against faster pokemon and teams.
• mention how its speed let it down to sweep entire teams, also how you lose passiv recovery when using z crystal which could be crucial late game sweep.

[SET]
name: Z Manaphy
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Rain Dance
move 3: Surf
move 4: Psychic / Energy Ball
item: Waterium Z
ability: Hydration
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Tail Glow allows Manaphy to boost its Special Attack three stages in one turn.
• Rain Dance works in conjunction with Hydration to heal status conditions, as well as boost Surf's power. Rain Dance can also be used with Waterium Z to boost Manaphy's Speed by one stage.
• Surf is the STAB of choice; it is stronger than Scald and its Hydro Vortex is also stronger. The nerf to burn status makes Surf's raw damage output preferable to Scald's burn chance.
• Psychic in the last slot allows Manaphy to defeat Mega Venusaur, Toxapex, and Amoonguss.
• Energy Ball is also an option for beating down bulky Water-types like Rotom-Wash and Tapu Fini.
• Ice Beam provides coverage against Dragon- and Grass-types such as Latios, Tapu Bulu, and Serperior.

Set Details
========

• Max Special Attack EVs provide Manaphy with more power to break through opposing pokemon.
• Max Speed EVs with a Timid Nature allows Manaphy to outspeed Genesect and speed tie with other speed-boosting nature base 100s. Having max speed is particularly helpful when using the +1 speed boost from Z Rain Dance.
• The item of choice is Waterium Z, because it gives Manaphy two options. The first is the ability to set up Z Rain Dance which nets +1 Speed as well as setting up Rain. The other is to fire off a powerful 175 base power Hydro Vortex to break through pokemon which it does not have super effective coverage for.

Usage Tips
========

• Manaphy should be treated as either a late-game sweeper or a holepuncher, depending on the matchup.
• Against bulkier teams, use Manaphy early- or mid-game to bust open holes for other members of the team to clean up. Hydro Vortex can be used in these matchups to help deal maximum damage, while Rain Dance can be used without the Z crystal. Alternatively, it can be saved for the late game once its checks and counters have been sufficiently weakened/removed.
• Against more offensive teams, Manaphy can use its natural bulk to find opportunities to set up a Tail Glow and threaten to get a KO. In some cases, it will be possible to also set up Z Rain Dance and perform a sweep. Often, Z Rain Dance will not be enough to sweep on its own unless the other team has been severely weakened, because Manaphy is not that powerful without a Tail Glow boost.
• Volt-Turn is great for getting Manaphy free switch-ins against pokemon it threatens such as Heatran or Hippowdon.
  
• Because this Manaphy set lacks Leftovers, it's not recommended to switch it directly into opposing attacks if you plan on using it as a pivotal part of your game plan. If not, it can be switched into more passive pokemon or those which can't deal much damage to it.
• Manaphy relies on having close to full HP to take hits and set up, so it is recommended to pair it with hazard removal.

Team Options
========

• Genesect is an excellent partner, because it U-turn out on Fire-types such as Alolan Marowak and Heatran to provide Manaphy many opportunities.
• Jirachi helps Manaphy by checking faster Dragons such as Latios, while also providing U-turn and Healing Wish support.
• Mega Metagross also pairs well with Manaphy due to its ability to Pursuit trap Latios and lure other Manaphy checks with coverage moves - Mantine with Thunder Punch, Ferrothorn with Hammer Arm, and so on.
• Magnezone helps to eliminate Ferrothorn which is one of the biggest annoyances to Manaphy. It's also helpful for Tapu Koko to an extent.
• Alolan Marowak helps Manaphy with weaknesses to Electric-types such as Tapu Koko and Xurkitree, as well as Grass-types such as Serperior and Kartana.
• Tapu Koko can beat down bulky Waters for Manaphy, while Manaphy threatens Alolan Marowak and bulky Grounds in return.
• Tapu Bulu similarly threatens bulky Waters, while also providing Grassy Terrain support to help heal Manaphy slightly. Manaphy can threaten many of Tapu Bulu's best checks such as Skarmory, Celesteela, Mega Scizor, and can help to overload Ferrothorn and lure Mega Venusaur.
• mention torn too, can uturn out while manaphy provide 100% acc hurricane.

[SET]
name: TG + 3 Attacks
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Surf
move 3: Ice Beam / HP Fire
move 4: Energy Ball / HP Electric
item: Leftovers / Wacan Berry
ability: Hydration
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Tail Glow is mandatory on all Manaphy sets to boost its Special Attack greatly.
• Surf is the STAB of choice because of reliable damage output.
• Ice Beam hits Dragon- and Grass-types which might be used to check Manaphy.
• Energy Ball can be used to defeat opposing Water-types.
• Hidden Power Fire allows Manaphy to effectively lure Ferrothorn and deal with Mega Scizor more effectively.
• Hidden Power Electric also hits Water-types, but has the added bonus of nailing Mantine which can otherwise take other attacks from Manaphy and Haze away the boosts, then Roost.
• Dazzling Gleam hits for Dragon- and Fighting-types such as Latios and Keldeo.
• Shadow Ball nails Psychic-types such as Slowking and Tapu Lele, as well as hitting Shedinja.
• Psychic for bulky Poison-types that resist Surf, mainly Mega Venusaur and Toxapex

Set Details
========

• Max Special Attack provides more power behind Manaphy's attacks.
• Max Speed with a Timid Nature allows Manaphy to speed-tie positive speed natured base 100s and to always outspeed non Scarf Genesect.
• Leftovers provides Manaphy with more longevity to check pokemon such as Heatran, and provide more setup opportunities in the long run.
• Wacan Berry is an option to be able to take a hit from Electric-types such as Tapu Koko and Scarf Magnezone.

Usage Tips
========

• Against bulkier teams, Manaphy should be used to plow through slower pokemon after 1-2 Tail Glow boosts. Set up against pokemon that can't touch Manaphy, such as Mega Sableye and Celesteela.
• Against offensive teams, Manaphy should be used to check specific threats such as Fire- and Ground-types. It can also use these pokemon to setup and then fire off powerful attacks which are difficult to switch into.
• In general, Manaphy appreciates Pursuit support to remove Latios, which is one of its main checks.
• Volt-Turn is great support for Manaphy since it helps it get free turns to set up and limits the damage it takes upon switching in.

Team Options
========

• Steel-types like Mega Scizor and Mega Metagross help with Latios and appreciate Manaphy's ability to threaten their checks such as Heatran and Landorus-T respectively.
• Sweepers and late-game cleaners such as Excadrill, Scarf Tapu Lele, and Pheromosa appreciate Manaphy's wallbreaking capabilities and ability to threaten many of their common checks
• Weavile is a nice partner for Manaphy for its ability to Pursuit trap common checks such as Latios and threaten faster teams with its speed tier
• Mega Alakazam can check pokemon such as Tapu Koko and Kartana which might otherwise be problematic for Manaphy.
• mention Magnezone as can trap ferro, also had synergy with manaphy

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• A Calm Mind + Rain Dance can be used as a bulky set up sweeper and status absorber, but the power creep this generation has not been kind to this set.
• U-turn is an option on Tail Glow sets to retain momentum for the team, but loses out on useful coverage.
• Non-Water Z crystals could be used as one-time lures on predicted switches (i.e. boosted Ice Beam on Latios switchin) but seems pretty subpar overall.
• i think is worth to mention scald over surf for the main stab move just for the sake of burn, however the damage output isnt significatively decreased.

Checks and Counters
===================
**Electric-types**: Tapu Koko is a big threat to any non-Wacan Manaphy set as it outspeeds and threatens to OHKO. Scarf Magnezone and Scarf Xurkitree are similarly threatening, but are easier to play around due to the choice lock.

**Dragon-types**: Latios and Latias outspeed Manaphy and can threaten it with Draco Meteor or Thunderbolt.

** Other Faster threats**: Mega Alakazam, Scarf Tapu Lele, Pheromosa, Greninja, and Meta Metagross are among several pokemon which can revenge kill Manaphy after a bit of prior damage.

**Grass-types**: Kartana and Serperior outspeed Manaphy and threatens to KO with super effective STAB. Mega Venusaur is tricky for Manaphy to deal with if lacking Psychic, since it can tank a +3 Hydro Vortex or Ice Beam and retaliate with Giga Drain. Amoonguss doesn't take it too well, but SpD variants can beat non-Psychic or Ice Beam Manaphy. Tapu Bulu checks non Ice Beam Manaphy.

**Water-types**: Mantine and Toxapex can Haze away stat boosts by Manaphy, and laugh off moves outside of HP Electric for Mantine, and HP Electric or Psychic for Toxapex. Tapu Fini, Rotom-Wash, and Slowking can tank on non-Energy Ball variants of Manaphy decently well.

**Shedinja**: Walls Manaphy lacking Shadow Ball or HP Fire.

Solid analysis, just small things to add.
QC 2/3

 

[PK Gaming]

The Overview is missing cons, and while Manaphy is incredibly (incredibly...) formidable in Gen 7, it's still worth pointing them out imo. I'd mention that Manaphy is incapable of covering the entire metagame with its coverage, rendering it vulnerable to different Pokemon depending on the coverage move that is used. I'd also mention that it's occasionally struggles to set up in this fast paced, incredibly hard hitting metagame, and that there are a few notable scarfers that outspeed it at +1.

EDIT: Looks like DennisEG beat me too it, heh

 

[Colonel M]

* Energy Ball is also an option for beating down bulky Water-types like Rotom-Wash and Tapu Fini.

Minor nitpick - I would put a higher emphasis on Tapu Fini than Rotom-Wash since Rotom-Wash is a little less common (and relevant) than Tapu Fini. Also I would mention that it's a "faster" or "more efficient" way of beating these Pokemon, as Rain boosted Hydro Vortex really pushes through Tapu Fini:

+3 252 SpA Manaphy Hydro Vortex (175 BP) vs. 248 HP / 16+ SpD Tapu Fini in Rain: 318-375 (92.7 - 109.3%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO

Almost makes you wonder about Hydro Pump, ja?

* Ice Beam provides coverage against Dragon- and Grass-types such as Latios, Tapu Bulu, and Serperior.

I'd just slap Tangrowth over Serperior. Personal preference in terms of metagame threats.

Max Speed EVs with a Timid Nature allows Manaphy to outspeed Genesect

Remove Genesect - maybe non-Scarf Tapu Lele can be in its place instead.

* Genesect is an excellent partner, because it U-turn out on Fire-types such as Alolan Marowak and Heatran to provide Manaphy many opportunities.

Natural replacement is Mega Scizor.

* Alolan Marowak helps Manaphy with weaknesses to Electric-types such as Tapu Koko and Xurkitree, as well as Grass-types such as Serperior and Kartana.

Definitely need more relevant mons in its place. Thundurus lacking Knock Off or HP Flying instead of Xurkitree, uh... probably Amoonguss and Assault Vest Tangrowth for the Grass-types. I guess Serperior works still if you want to keep it here since Alolan Marowak is always slower than offensive Tapu Bulu and faces risk of Stone Edge.

Probably could mention Alolan Ninetales as a viable partner as Dual Screens Manaphy is pretty brutal for teams to answer to right away.

Second set - write out Hidden Power Fire and Hidden Power Electric as such. These should not be abbreviated as they currently are.

* Ice Beam hits Dragon- and Grass-types which might be used to check Manaphy.
* Energy Ball can be used to defeat opposing Water-types.

Just list one or two examples of such Pokemon it bypasses.

* Dazzling Gleam hits for Dragon- and Fighting-types such as Latios and Keldeo.

Honestly I wouldn't use Dazzling Gleam, and while hitting Latios is nice, I think a really big reason to use it is because it allows Manaphy to muscle through Kyurem-B which otherwise checks Manaphy, though +3 Ice Beam will KO Kyurem-B after Stealth Rock and a little wearing down (+3 252 SpA Manaphy Ice Beam vs. 4 HP / 0- SpD Kyurem-B: 249-293 (63.5 - 74.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO). Latios are also starting to pack a lot of heat with Gigavolt Havoc in spl - something Manaphy doesn't really want to consider in its equation since Whirlpool can trap it too.

To be honest this and Shadow Ball feel a bit more Other Options considering that right now I feel the Grass-types are a huge deal and things like Psychic are very good for breaking through Toxapex while still hitting Mega Venusaur / Amoonguss.

* Max Speed with a Timid Nature allows Manaphy to speed-tie positive speed natured base 100s and to always outspeed non Scarf Genesect.

Removal of Genesect please.

* Wacan Berry is an option to be able to take a hit from Electric-types such as Tapu Koko and Scarf Magnezone.

Scarf Magnezone is rather underwhelming in the tier - I would feel more comfortable with a different Pokemon mentioned or just mentioning Magnezone in general since Wacan can allow Manaphy to tank one Thunderbolt if there's no Electric Terrain.

* Against offensive teams, Manaphy should be used to check specific threats such as Fire- and Ground-types. It can also use these pokemon to setup and then fire off powerful attacks which are difficult to switch into.

I would urge caution setting up Tail Glow against Heatran unless they have expended their Bloom Doom or aren't using it. In a dire pinch a player could opt to immediately Bloom Doom Manaphy and prevent it from doing it's job. Naturally a good way to respond is switching something to receive the Bloom Doom. It's minor, but I think something to mention.

* Scald can be used as an alternative option to fish for burns, but isn't recommended on Waterium Z sets because of the larger drop in power on Hydro Vortex

Since Scald is absent in the second set I would just mention that Surf's higher base power and the lowered damage from burn give reasons to why it's an inferior choice.

In Checks and Counters Kyurem-B is able to live at least one boosted hit; especially if it's the Waterium Z if it has used up Hydro Vortex, and KO it with Fusion Bolt. Obviously Wacan works slightly against Fusion Bolt, so it's okay to mention it as a non-Wacan threat. Slap it with Dragon-types.

**Grass-types**: Ferrothorn and AV Tangrowth are some of the best Manaphy checks, but Ferrothorn has to beware HP Fire variants. Kartana and Serperior outspeed Manaphy and threatens to KO with super effective STAB. Mega Venusaur is tricky for Manaphy to deal with if lacking Psychic, since it can tank a +3 Hydro Vortex or Ice Beam and retaliate with Giga Drain. Amoonguss doesn't take it too well, but SpD variants can beat non-Psychic or Ice Beam Manaphy. Tapu Bulu checks non Ice Beam Manaphy.

Write out Assault Vest and Hidden Power Fire. In this case Specially Defensive should be written out too.

Great analysis still - just a bit dated considering the meta's development and the last time this poor thing gotten a Quality Control check. It got a little worse within the meta but its premise is still the same. I think there's some minor variations that can be made with slashes on the second set (Psychic could probably just be over Hidden Power Electric and Hidden Power Electric in moves since Mantine isn't as common, but it's not really a big deal and HP Electric covers some of the stuff Energy Ball was hitting anyway with the added bonus).

3/3

Let's bring Manaphy home bois.

 

[bludz]

implemented, ready for GP

 

[CryoGyro]

GP 1/1
remove add capitalize comments

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[OVERVIEW]

* Manaphy has always been an exceptional wallbreaker because of its access to Tail Glow, which allows it to accrue Special Attack at an absurd rate.
* With very good natural bulk and a defensive typing with only 2 weaknesses, Manaphy can find many opportunities to set up a Tail Glow.
* Access Manaphy's access to a wide variety of coverage options which makes it difficult to switch into for faster pokemon, (comma) which are usually the best way to check it.
* Waterium Z allows Manaphy to fire off an ultra extremely powerful Hydro Vortex one time, (comma) or to set up a Z-(hyphen)Rain Dance, (comma) which gives it a speed boost, furthering its ability to sweep and improving its matchup against faster pokemon and teams.
* Manaphy's somewhat low speed tier can prevent it from sweeping, and even at +1 there are some Choice Scarf users which that can still outspeed it.
* While Manaphy's coverage is very good, it is incapable of covering the entire metagame in just 3 moves, so it will still be vulnerable to different Pokemon depending on its coverage. (period)
* Waterium Z variants miss out on Leftovers recovery, (comma) which often works in tandem with Manaphy's natural bulk to set up a sweep. (period)

[SET]
name: Z Manaphy
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Rain Dance
move 3: Surf
move 4: Psychic / Energy Ball
item: Waterium Z
ability: Hydration
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Tail Glow allows Manaphy to boost its Special Attack by three stages in one turn.
* Rain Dance works in conjunction with Hydration to heal status conditions, (comma) as well as boost Surf's power. Rain Dance can also be used with Waterium Z to boost Manaphy's Speed by one stage.
* Surf is the STAB move of choice; it is stronger than Scald and its Hydro Vortex is also stronger. The nerf to burn status the negligible damage from burns (try to avoid mentioning changes between generations) makes Surf's raw damage output preferable to Scald's burn chance.
* Psychic in the last moveslot allows Manaphy to defeat Mega Venusaur, Toxapex, and Amoonguss.
* Energy Ball is also an option for beating down bulky Water-types like Tapu Fini and Rotom-Wash without using Hydro Vortex. (period)
* Ice Beam provides coverage against Dragon- and Grass-types such as Latios, Tapu Bulu, and Tangrowth.

Set Details
========

* Maximum Special Attack EVs provide Manaphy with more power with which to break through opposing pokemon.
* Maximum Speed EVs with a Timid Nature allows Manaphy to outspeed threats such as Tapu Lele and speed tie with other speed-boosting nature base 100s Speed Pokemon. Having maximum speed is particularly helpful when using the +1 speed boost from Z-(hyphen)Rain Dance.
* The item of choice is Waterium Z, (comma) because it gives Manaphy two options. The first is the ability to set up Z-(hyphen)Rain Dance, (comma) which nets +1 Speed as well as setting up Rain. The other is to fire off a powerful 175-Base Power base power Hydro Vortex to break through pokemon which it that Manaphy does not have super effective coverage for.

Usage Tips
========

* Manaphy should be treated as either a late-game sweeper or a holepuncher, depending on the matchup.
* Against bulkier teams, use Manaphy early- or mid-game to bust open holes for other members of the team to clean up. Hydro Vortex can be used in these matchups to help deal maximum damage, while Rain Dance can be used without the Z-Crystal crystal. Alternatively, it Manaphy can be saved for the late-(hyphen)game once its checks and counters have been sufficiently weakened/ or removed.
* Against more offensive teams, Manaphy can use its natural bulk to find opportunities to set up a Tail Glow and threaten to get a KO. In some cases, it will be possible to also set up Z-(hyphen)Rain Dance and perform a sweep. Often, Z-(hyphen)Rain Dance will not be enough to sweep on its own unless the other opposing team has been severely weakened, (comma) because Manaphy is not that powerful without a Tail Glow boost.
* Volt-(hyphen)Turn is great for getting Manaphy free switch-ins switches against pokemon it threatens such as Heatran or and Alolan Marowak.
* Because this Manaphy set lacks Leftovers, it's not recommended to switch it directly into opposing attacks if you plan on using it as a pivotal part of your game plan wincon. If not, it can be switched into more passive pokemon or those which that can't deal much damage to it.
* Manaphy relies on having close to near-full HP to take hits and set up, so it is recommended to pair it with entry hazard removal removers.

Team Options
========

* Mega Scizor is an excellent partner, (comma) because it can U-turn pivot (avoid using moves as verbs) out on Fire-types such as Alolan Marowak and Heatran to provide Manaphy with many opportunities to set up.
* Jirachi helps Manaphy by checking faster Dragons Dragon-types (Dragons is no longer accepted) such as Latios, (comma) while also and providing U-turn and Healing Wish support.
* Mega Metagross also pairs well with Manaphy due to its ability to Pursuit trap Latios and lure surprise other Manaphy checks with coverage moves - Mantine with Thunder Punch, Ferrothorn with Hammer Arm, and so on.
* Magnezone helps to eliminate Ferrothorn, (comma) which is one of the biggest annoyances to Manaphy. It's also helpful for Tapu Koko to an extent.
* Alolan Marowak helps Manaphy with its weaknesses to Electric-types such as Tapu Koko, (comma) as well as Grass-types such as Tangrowth and Serperior.
* Tapu Koko can beat down bulky Waters Water-types for Manaphy, while Manaphy threatens Alolan Marowak and bulky Grounds Ground-types in return.
* Tapu Bulu similarly threatens bulky Waters, while also providing Water-types and provides Grassy Terrain support to help heal Manaphy slightly. Manaphy can threaten many of Tapu Bulu's best checks such as Skarmory, Celesteela, and Mega Scizor, and can help to overload Ferrothorn and lure Mega Venusaur.
* Tornadus-T is a good partner which that helps check Grass-types, provides momentum, (comma) and has 100% accurate Hurricanes in rain.

[SET]
name: TG Tail Glow + 3 Attacks
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Surf
move 3: Ice Beam / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Energy Ball / Hidden Power Electric
item: Leftovers / Wacan Berry
ability: Hydration
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Tail Glow is mandatory on all Manaphy sets to boost its Special Attack greatly.
* Surf is the STAB move of choice because of its reliable damage output.
* Ice Beam hits Dragon- and Grass-types such as Latios and Tangrowth which that might be used to check Manaphy.
* Energy Ball can be used to defeat opposing Water-types such as Tapu Fini.
* Hidden Power Fire allows Manaphy to effectively lure Ferrothorn and deal with Mega Scizor more effectively.
* Hidden Power Electric also hits Water-types, but has the added bonus of nailing Mantine, (comma) which can otherwise take other attacks from Manaphy and Haze (if you were wondering, I consider Haze as a verb fine because phaze, which means pseudo-Haze, is an accepted term) away the its boosts, then Roost.
* Psychic can be used for bulky Poison-types that resist Surf, mainly Mega Venusaur and Toxapex. (period)

Set Details
========

* Maximum Special Attack provides puts more power behind Manaphy's attacks.
* Maximum Speed with a Timid Nature allows Manaphy to speed-tie positive speed natured base 100s Speed tie with other Speed-boosting nature base 100 Speed Pokemon.
* Leftovers provides Manaphy with more longevity to check pokemon such as Heatran, (comma) and provide get more setup opportunities in the long run.
* Wacan Berry is an option for Manaphy to be able to take a hit from Electric-types such as Magnezone.

Usage Tips
========

* Against bulkier teams, Manaphy should be used to plow through slower pokemon after 1-2 one or two Tail Glow boosts. Set up against pokemon that can't touch Manaphy, (comma) such as Mega Sableye and Celesteela.
* Against offensive teams, Manaphy should be used to check specific threats such as Fire- and Ground-types. It can also use these pokemon to set(space)up and then fire off powerful attacks which that are difficult to switch into.
* In general, Manaphy appreciates Pursuit support to remove Latios, which is one of its main checks.
* Volt-Turn is Pivoting move users provide great support for Manaphy, (comma) since it they helps it get free turns to set up and limits the damage it takes upon switching in.

Team Options
========

* Steel-types like Mega Scizor and Mega Metagross help with Latios and appreciate Manaphy's ability to threaten their checks such as Heatran and Landorus-T, (comma) respectively.
* Sweepers and late-game cleaners such as Excadrill, Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, and Pheromosa appreciate Manaphy's wallbreaking capabilities and ability to threaten many of their common checks. (period)
* Weavile is a nice partner for Manaphy for its ability to Pursuit trap common checks such as Latios and threaten faster teams with its speed tier. (period)
* Mega Alakazam can check pokemon such as Tapu Koko and Kartana, (comma) which might otherwise might be problematic for Manaphy. (period)
* Magnezone is great to remove for removing opposing Ferrothorn which may stand in Manaphy's way that can get in Manaphy's way.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

* A Calm Mind + Rain Dance set can be used as a bulky set(space)up sweeper and status absorber, but the power creep this generation has not been metagame's strong attackers are not kind to this set it.
* U-turn is an option on Tail Glow sets to retain momentum for the team, but loses out on useful coverage.
* Non-Waterium Z crystals Z-Crystals could be used as one-time lures on predicted switches ways to beat lured switch-ins (i.e. boosted Ice Beam such as Subzero Slammer on Latios switchin) but seems pretty subpar overall. (this needs to be more specific. Is it lacking in power? Too situational?)
* Scald can be used as an alternative option to Surf to fish for burns, but isn't recommended on Waterium Z sets because of the larger drop in power on Hydro Vortex. The burn nerf low damage burn does per turn also means that Surf's higher base power is usually preferred.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Electric-types**: Tapu Koko is a big threat to any non-Wacan Berry Manaphy set, (comma) as it outspeeds and threatens to OHKO. Thundurus is another also an offensive check to it.

**Dragon-types**: Latios and Latias outspeed Manaphy and can threaten it with Draco Meteor or Thunderbolt. Kyurem-Black can usually live take one boosted hit and retaliate with Fusion Bolt.

** Other Faster threats**: Mega Alakazam, Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Pheromosa, Greninja, and Meta Metagross are among several many pokemon which that can revenge kill Manaphy after a bit of prior damage.

**Grass-types**: Ferrothorn and Assault Vest Tangrowth are some of the best Manaphy checks, but Ferrothorn has to beware Hidden Power Fire variants. Kartana and Serperior outspeed Manaphy and threatens to KO with super effective STAB moves. Mega Venusaur is tricky for Manaphy to deal with if lacking Psychic, since it can tank a +3 Hydro Vortex or Ice Beam and retaliate with Giga Drain. Amoonguss doesn't take its attacks too well, but Specially Defensive specially defensive variants can beat non-Psychic or Ice Beam Manaphy. Tapu Bulu checks non-(hyphen)Ice Beam Manaphy.

**Water-types**: Mantine and Toxapex can Haze away stat boosts by Manaphy's stat boosts, (comma) and laugh off moves outside of HP Hidden Power Electric for Mantine, and HP Electric or Psychic for Toxapex (as well as Psychic for the latter). Tapu Fini, Rotom-Wash, and Slowking can tank take on non-Energy Ball variants of Manaphy decently well.

**Shedinja**: Walls Thanks to Wonder Guard, Shedinja walls Manaphy lacking Shadow Ball or HP Hidden Power Fire.

Your writing is good, just please proofread more carefully in the future.

 

[Colonel M]

Uploading.

Yeah nothing funny today. Got nothing.