[OVERVIEW]
- Dark+Flying is a good defensive typing that lets it use its massive bulk (110/105/95) and reliable recovery in the form of roost quite well
- Key immunity to Psychic is great in a meta where Tapu Lele is firing off Specs Psychics and Mega Alakazam is a common partner
- However, being Stealth Rock weak means that Mandibuzz has a hard time coming in and beating what it needs to beat
- Terrible offensive stats means Mandibuzz is limited to Foul Play and Toxic to threaten whatever it faces
- However, having access to STAB Foul Play, which threatens any physical sweeper that uses Swords Dance to Boost and that isn't Dark (sans Bisharp, which is still checked), is still incredibly important
- Has access to great utility moves like Defog, Taunt, Toxic, U-Turn, Knock Off, Tailwind, Snatch
- Has base 80 speed, which lets it outspeed slower attackers like Azumarill and Tyranitar while also being able to taunt slower defensive mons like Skarmory and Chansey
- Common weaknesses in Electric, Fairy, Rock, Ice
- Increased prevalence of strong Electric types due to Electric Terrain and strong Fairy types in the form of the Tapus really hurts Mandibuzz
- Mandibuzz struggles to find a niche in this fast-paced offensive metagame with Fairies and Electrics running rampant, but it still is a decent enough check that it can fit on balanced and semi-stall teams
[SET]
name: Mixed defensive
move 1: Foul Play
move 2: Roost
move 3: Taunt/Toxic/Whirlwind
move 4: Defog/Toxic/Knock Off/U-Turn
item: Leftovers
ability: Overcoat
nature: Bold/Impish
evs: 248 HP / 136 Def / 108 SpD / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Roost and Foul Play are mandatory, as the former gives you reliable recovery and sheds you of your Rock-type weakness, while the latter is your primary source of damage and is a great way to beat physical sweepers as they set up with Swords Dance.
Your other moveslots are very flexible. Taunt is great since you outspeed everything up to Adamant Azumarill and can Taunt them, which is great versus Ferrothorn, non-lead Skarm, Hippowdon, and most fat defensive pokemon. Defog is great utility, but you are already SR weak and lose to common SR setters like Clefable and Heatran. Toxic is great for whittling down fat walls like Chansey and Hippowdon, especially after you've taunted them, while Knock Off is great for helping whittle down switch ins like Hippowdon, Ferrothorn, and Chansey, all of who hate losing their items. U-Turn is a notable option because Mandibuzz sucks up a lot of momentum, and a relatively slow U-Turn is a great way to get it back. Finally, Whirlwind is a good option if you absolutely need a phazer. All in all, the last two slots really depend on what your team needs, and Mandibuzz should be built accordingly.
Set Details
========
These EVs are pretty flexible. No matter what though, you'll be running 248 HP EVs to maximize Mandibuzz's health while allowing her to switch into Stealth Rock four times. while 16 Speed lets you outspeed fully invested Adamant Azumarill to hit it with Foul Play after the Belly Drum.
Leftovers provides passive health regeneration, and is the best item choice for Mandibuzz. Overcoat is the ability of choice, as it makes Mandibuzz immune to the chip damage of Sandstorm and Hail, while making her immune to Spore, Sleep Powder, and Stun Spore, letting her beat Breloom and check Mega Venusaur more easily. A Bold nature and 0 Attack IVs are used because Foul Play uses the foe's Attack stat instead of Mandibuzz's, so the lower Attack minimizes the amount of damage that confusion and opposing users of Foul Play will do. If you opt to run Knock Off or U-Turn, an Impish nature and 31 Attack IVs maximize the damage it will do, but Mandibuzz's attack stat is awful so don't expect a large increase in damage.
This mixed defensive spread lets you beat LO Gengar, Mega Metagross, Mega Lopunny, DD Mega Charizard X, and all Mega Scizor, while letting you check (i.e. beat with some chip damage) Adamant Mega Medicham, Bisharp, Sand Rush Excadrill, Banded Tapu Bulu (assuming you don't get hit by Stone Edge on the switch), non-Dazzling Gleam (Mega) Alakazam, Banded Hoopa-U, and more.
You can shift the EVs around if you want to beat physical/special threats better, pretty self-explanatory.
Usage Tips
========
Mandibuzz's bulk and typing allow her to enter the field on resisted or non-threatening attacks, where it either walls the attacker and wears it down with Foul Play, or fires off a Taunt/Toxic to force it out. Taunt and Toxic in conjunction are fantastic to wear down passive threats such as Chansey, Hippowdon, and Slowbro, but it also can wear down defensive pairings, with one member often being rendered completely useless by Taunt while the other is quickly worn down by Toxic.
Alternatively, the combination of Taunt and Defog turns Mandibuzz into a dedicated anti-hazard wall capable of removing hazards and preventing them from being set up again. Ferrothorn can't do anything against Taunt+Defog, as it can't Leech Seed Mandibuzz and Power Whip/Gyro Ball do pitiful damage and are PP stalled. Excadrill takes enormous amounts of damage from Foul Play (even Specially Defensive sets) and if it doesn't pack Toxic, can't even threaten Mandibuzz meaningfully.
If Stealth Rocks aren't up (and they ideally shouldn't be, making sure hazards are clear when you're using Mandibuzz is paramount to ensuring that she beats what she's supposed to beat), have no fear switching it into powerful threats like Mega Metagross, Mega Scizor, and Mega Charizard X, as the first two are hard-countered and the last is hard checked by Mandibuzz. Once you scout special attackers like Mega Alakazam for their coverage options for you, if they don't pack Fairy coverage, you can easily hard check them as well.
Team Options
========
Being weak to Fairy and Electric which are very common in this generation, Mandibuzz really likes to have special walls that can soak up powerful attacks for it. Chansey makes for a good partner, as it can work as a cleric to keep Mandibuzz and the rest of the team free of status, which Mandibuzz despises. Mandibuzz also works well with a reliable Stealth Rock user, such as Hippowdon or Specially Defensive Excadrill, as SR lets Mandibuzz counter a lot more physical attackers. As Mandibuzz ideally doesn't want to have to run Defog, having a partner that can spin away hazards is fantastic, and Specially Defensive Excadrill is one of the best partners Mandibuzz can ask for. Not only does SpDef Drill spin away hazards and set up its own through Magic Bounce due to Mold Breaker (making it great versus Mega Sableye which is a huge problem for Mandibuzz), it's immune to Electric type attacks and resists Fairy type attacks as well, nearly perfectly complementing Mandibuzz. Heatran, Jirachi, and Ferrothorn, all have good synergy with Mandibuzz, can set up hazards, and are able to take on Fairy-types thanks to their typing and movepool.
Offensively, Defog Mandibuzz pairs great with sweepers that hate Stealth Rock, such as Volcarona, Mega Pinsir, and Mega Charizard X and Y. Pokemon that are also threatened by Mega Metagross and Mega Scizor (such as Nihilego and Phermosa) also love Mandibuzz's ability to beat the two threats handily (assuming Stealth Rocks are off the field).
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Mandibuzz has a decent enough movepool that it can run some surprising options to the benefit of its team.
Tailwind is great for offensive teams, as Mandibuzz is fat enough to set one up with relative ease and possibly multiple times throughout a match.
Snatch is hilarious and a very niche option that is fantastic against fat teams and teams that use boosters, as being able to Snatch recovery moves and set up moves like Calm Mind and Dragon Dance is very useful. In conjunction with Toxic, Snatch lets Mandibuzz either boost up at an equivalent rate and wear down the opponent with Toxic, or force switches and Toxic them instead.
Finally, another niche option is Iron Defense on specially defensive sets. Running Iron Defense means you hard counter threats like Bisharp, Mega Gyarados, Mega Charizard X, Mega Metagross, and pretty much all physical attackers which can't instantly 2HKO you on the switch. If you do run Iron Defense, Toxic is a great pairing option since it lets you wear down whatever's boosting alongside you or hit the inevitable switch-in.
Checks and Counters
===================
Fairy-types: Most Fairy-types are not very threatened by Mandibuzz, since they resist Foul Play, meaning Toxic is usually the only way Mandibuzz can really inflict damage on them. Tapu Lele and Tapu Fini both threaten to OHKO or 2HKO Mandibuzz with their STAB Moonblasts, while the latter also prevents Mandibuzz from hitting it with a Toxic. Azumarill also doesn't fear Mandibuzz, although after a Belly Drum it still must watch out for Foul Play.
Electric-types: Tapu Koko obliterates Mandibuzz with a +1 STAB LO Thunderbolt, and by virtue of Electric Terrain, it also powers up all Electric moves as well. This is a huge issue for Mandibuzz, who absolutely cannot take on Tapu Koko or common electric types (Alolan Raichu) even without the effects of Electric Terrain.
Mega Sableye: Thanks to its typing, Magic Bounce, and movepool, Mega Sableye can switch into Mandibuzz with no fear and proceed to either Burn it or Knock Off Mandibuzz's Leftovers and PP stall Mandibuzz with Burn damage.
Special Attackers: Despite Mandibuzz being a hard check to Gengar, it struggles with many special attackers. Pokemon such as Thundurus, Tapu Lele, Tapu Koko, Keldeo, Mega Charizard Y, and Latios are all capable of severely damaging Mandibuzz, if not OHKOing it.
Stealth Rock: Taking 25% each time it switches in on Stealth Rock is awful for Mandibuzz, who needs to be at full health to counter Mega Metagross, Mega Charizard X, and other strong attackers. Pressuring Mandibuzz and forcing it to switch in on rocks will wear it down rapidly.
Status: Toxic puts a timer on Mandibuzz, preventing it from staying in for extended periods of time. Burn's residual damage now is matched by Leftover's heal, but halving the damage of Foul Play greatly reduces Mandibuzz's ability to threaten physical sweepers.
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