The Little Cup Handbook™ Chapter Two: The S Ranks
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Introduction Page
So, you're not all that hipster after all, are you? That's okay; not everyone has the unique capacity to prowl cities for off-beat bean water shops that some others do. No, we here at Smogon's Flying Press understand; people like you are all about winning, no matter how hard you have to try! Winning an online Pokémon battle fills your heart with joy, brings peace to your mind, and boosts your self-esteem to great heights; we get it! We know that natural-born winners such as yourself require only the best of the best when it comes to Pokémon, so that's what we're gonna give you; Little Cup's resident S-ranks are next on the slate in this chapter of the Little Cup Handbook!
Welcome to the Little Cup Handbook, where you'll learn about a few interesting LC Pokémon and how they stack up! You'll get vital statistics such as common sets and metagame matchups, as well as some neat tidbits of info that you didn't even know you wanted to know! And with that, as they say on smogon.com, neutral luck to you!
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| 1 | Mienfoo | 40.026% | Species: Martial Arts Pokémon |
Overview
What does the perfect Pokémon look like? Is it a Pokémon that can operate effectively on any team archetype? Is it a reliable defensive Pokémon that can still maintain an offensive presence? Is it a Pokémon that isn't ever truly out of a match until it's 100% fainted? Or, better yet, is it all of those things and more? Though Pokémon perfection may yet elude us, Mienfoo makes a case pretty dang close to it. In fact, by all the categories listed above, as backed and defined by its stats, movepool, abilities, and typing, Mienfoo may very well be Little Cup's Most Perfect Pokémon.
Meta Matchup
If there were one word that effectively summed up the Little Cup metagame, it'd be "Mienfoo." Consistently the most-used Pokémon in LC, Mienfoo certainly lives up to its usage stats; it's useful in every matchup due to its plethora of viable movesets and its ability to function successfully as a member of any playstyle. It also serves as the metagame's number one Pawniard check, which is in itself an indicator of Mienfoo's viability. Add in all of the other Pokémon Mienfoo itself threatens, such as powerful sweepers like Carvanha and Omanyte and bulky Pokémon like Porygon and Ferroseed, and it's no wonder Mienfoo is such a staple of the metagame.
- lol nice caterpie
- distinct niche!
- average at best
- pretty solid
- a! big! threat
- tier titan
Common Sets
Bulky Attacker- Mienfoo @ Eviolite
- Level: 5
- Ability: Regenerator
- EVs: 196 Def / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
- Jolly Nature
- - Drain Punch / High Jump Kick
- - Knock Off
- - U-turn
- - Taunt / Acrobatics / High Jump Kick / Stone Edge
Choice Scarf Attacker- Mienfoo @ Choice Scarf
- Ability: Regenerator / Reckless
- Level: 5
- EVs: 236 Atk / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
- Adamant Nature
- - High Jump Kick
- - Knock Off
- - U-turn
- - Drain Punch / Stone Edge
- Baton Pass Pivot
- Mienfoo @ Eviolite
- Level: 5
- Ability: Regenerator
- EVs: 76 HP / 76 Atk / 116 Def / 196 SpD
- Impish Nature
- - Baton Pass
- - Swords Dance / Bulk Up / Substitute
- - Drain Punch / High Jump Kick
- - Knock Off / Taunt / Substitute
Combat Tips
Trivia
Mienfoo's national Pokédex number, 619, is equal to its Unova Pokédex number in Black 2 and White 2, 219, added to the square of its weight in kilograms, 20. Its base Defense, its base Special Defense, and the level at which it evolves into Mienshao are all equal, at 50. Its base experience yield is 70, which is equal to its base friendship, double its height in inches, and also one-fifth of its base stat total. Its catch rate, 180, is equal to its weight in kilograms multiplied by its height in decimeters.
Your first priority when you see a Mienfoo on an opponent's team should be to attempt to read what set it could possibly be. Is there a severe Pawniard weakness outside of the Mienfoo? If so, it's most likely the bulky attacker variant. Is the opponent's team super offensively oriented? Watch out for a Choice Scarf variant. Usually, a dead giveaway that the opponent's Mienfoo is Baton Pass is when it's paired with (and quite often adjacent to in Team Preview) a Carvanha or Bunnelby. Knowing Mienfoo's set is going to help you figure out what on your team is going to be the most apt means of defeating the kung-fu weasel. In general, however, you can't go wrong against Mienfoo with bulky Fairy- and Poison-type Pokémon such as Snubbull and Foongus.
Usage Tips
Using Mienfoo, quite similar to combatting it, is dependent on the moveset you opt to run. The bulky attacker variant should be utilized as a pivot throughout the early stages of the match to wear down the opposition and cripple various Pokémon with Knock Off. It can also sponge some big hits early on thanks to Regenerator. Choice Scarf Mienfoo functions similarly; however, be aware that it is much frailer than its Eviolite-sporting counterpart and should be used to punch holes in the opposing team as opposed to being a punching bag. The Baton Pass set is pretty self-explanatory: get it in, set up, and then get a huge threat in safely with a nifty boost.
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| 2 | Pawniard | 29.971% | Species: Sharp Blade Pokémon |
Overview
It's not all that often that an LC Pokémon's looks correlate with its ability to rip through teams, but make no mistake: Pawniard is all it's cut out to be! With an excellent offensive typing, access to powerful STAB attacks such as Knock Off and Sucker Punch, and just-good-enough Speed, Pawniard has incredible offensive prowess. Don't get the wrong impression, though, because Pawniard is no glass cannon! Its Dark / Steel typing and access to powerful priority help it defend against onslaughts of powerful Flying-type Pokémon such as Fletchling and stop enormously threatening setup sweepers such as Shell Smash Omanyte. In essence, Pawniard has the moveset, typing, versatility, and power to carve itself a place at the very top of Little Cup!
Meta Matchup
You would be hard pressed to find a more metagame-shaping threat than Pawniard. It is the defining force behind several metagame trends, namely the prevalence and viability of Fighting-type Pokémon and coverage, the relevance of the 17 Speed tier (the Speed tier above Pawniard), and the omnipresence of Mienfoo, which fits into both of the two above categories. Pawniard's penchant for carving up teams derives from its arsenal of powerful STAB moves, such as Knock Off, Sucker Punch, and Iron Head, which grant it near-perfect neutral coverage. It also has access to incredible utility moves such as Swords Dance, Stealth Rock, and Thunder Wave, opening its roles up beyond simply attacking. Resisting Flying- and Grass-type attacks is also a huge plus in a tier crawling with Fletchling and Snivy. Pawniard's access to the Defog-deterring Defiant is only the icing on the cake for one of the metagame's most defining Pokémon.
- lol nice caterpie
- distinct niche!
- average at best
- pretty solid
- a! big! threat
- tier titan
Common Sets
-
Standard Pawniard - Pawniard @ Eviolite / Berry Juice
- Level: 5
- Ability: Defiant
- EVs: 156 Atk / 36 Def / 116 SpD / 196 Spe
- Jolly Nature
- - Sucker Punch
- - Knock Off
- - Iron Head
- - Stealth Rock / Brick Break
- Choice Scarf Attacker
- Pawniard @ Choice Scarf
- Level: 5
- Ability: Defiant
- EVs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 196 Spe
- Jolly Nature
- - Knock Off
- - Iron Head
- - Pursuit
- - Brick Break
Life Orb Attacker- Pawniard @ Life Orb
- Level: 5
- Ability: Defiant
- EVs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 196 Spe
- IVs: 9 HP
- Jolly Nature
- - Sucker Punch
- - Knock Off
- - Iron Head
- - Swords Dance / Rock Tomb
Trivia
No other Pokémon share the same typing as Pawniard and its evolutionary line. Incidentally, its unique dual typing, Dark / Steel, is composed of the two new types that were introduced in the second generation games. Additionally, without including immunities, Pawniard resists exactly half of the eighteen types!
Combat Tips
In order to build an effective Little Cup team to any degree, it is absolutely mandatory to include a Pawniard check. These include Pokémon such as Ponyta, Mienfoo, and most Pokémon faster than 16 Speed, resistant to Sucker Punch, and capable of carrying Fighting-type coverage. Pawniard is such a threat unto itself that figuring out the set it is running isn't so important as stopping it, immediately, at any cost. Luckily, for the most part, Pawniard's checks are mostly the same between sets, so playing conservatively with your Pawniard checks is the key to successfully stopping the Sharp Blade Pokémon.
Usage Tips
Pawniard is the epitome of simple effectiveness. The main idea is to utilize Knock Off and some of Pawniard's excellent utility options in the early-game to weaken its checks and support the team. Setting up Stealth Rock and using Knock Off and Thunder Wave help cripple common Pawniard checks such as Ponyta and Mienfoo, easing Pawniard's cleanup in the late-game. Additionally, getting a good read on your opponent can monumentally increase your success with Pawniard, as Sucker Punch mind games are a big part of the threat of Pawniard. If all else fails, you can go by the old adage Sucker Twice, Knock Once! Pawniard is also an effective defensive Pokémon due to its excellent dual typing. It can serve as an excellent check to Flying- and Grass-type attackers such as Fletchling and Snivy, so bring Pawniard in on them and begin wreaking havoc.
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| 13 | Porygon | 12.608% | Species: Virtual Pokémon |
Overview
Revered as THE best catch-all Pokémon in the metagame, Porygon's sheer bulk and offensive presence, in tandem with its diverse movepool, earn it a spot on numerous teams. Porygon is easily capable of supporting itself throughout the entirety of a match, with its only true hindrances being its middling Speed stat and weakness to the plethora of threatening Fighting-types that reside in Little Cup. Whether it's serving as a bulky annoyance to the opponent or a bazooka-of-a-Pokémon with a Download-boosted Tri Attack, Porygon's impact on LC is indisputable.
Meta Matchup
Does your team appear to be weak to something? Is that weakness to anything but Fighting-type moves? If you answered yes to both questions, Porygon fits on your team. Its sheer versatility and bulk make it a candidate for any team looking for an answer to a variety of the metagame's top-tier threats. Plus, Porygon is capable of running almost any Hidden Power to some success, allowing it to further prepare against a plethora of threatening Pokémon. Add in the defensive usefulness of Trace or the offensive threat of Download and you have one versatile virus on your hands!
- lol nice caterpie
- distinct niche!
- average at best
- pretty solid
- a! big! threat
- tier titan
Common Sets
-
Defensive Porygon - Porygon @ Eviolite
- Level: 5
- Ability: Trace
- EVs: 236 HP / 196 Def / 76 SpD
- Calm Nature
- - Recover
- - Ice Beam / Tri Attack
- - Psychic / Tri Attack
- - Thunder Wave
- Bulky Attacker
- Porygon @ Eviolite
- Level: 5
- Ability: Download
- EVs: 156 HP / 40 Def / 240 SpA / 40 Spe
- Modest Nature
- - Tri Attack
- - Psychic
- - Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Fighting / Ice Beam
- - Recover
- Choice Scarf Attacker
- Porygon @ Choice Scarf
- Level: 5
- Ability: Download
- EVs: 36 Def / 236 SpA / 196 Spe
- Timid Nature
- - Tri Attack
- - Psychic
- - Ice Beam / Hidden Power Fighting / Hidden Power Fire
- - Trick / Thunderbolt / Hyper Beam
Combat Tips
Uncovering which Porygon set you're facing is essential to your success; combating Porygon's Trace set unprepared may leave a majority of your team paralyzed with fear, while the Download set will leave more holes in your team than are present in an argument from Donald Trump. Strong Fighting-type Pokémon should be able to threaten Porygon immensely, so long as you don't switch them into a Psychic or even Thunder Wave. It should be noted that specially defensive Shed Skin Scraggy is a solid switch-in to any Porygon set, bar the rarely seen yet equally viable Hyper Beam Porygon.
Usage Tips
Porygon is one of the few Pokémon that allow some wiggle room in terms of prediction thanks to its insane bulk and access to reliable recovery (even on offensive sets!). A comfortable switch-in to Porygon doesn't exist, meaning a free turn will directly result in your opponent's tears. Against defensively oriented teams, Porygon is an extremely capable disrupter and wallbreaker, so utilize it as such. Faster, more offensive teams will struggle to break through Porygon's high defenses immediately, so take that opportunity to spread Thunder Wave to your heart's content!
Trivia
Porygon has not made a major appearance in the anime since two Porygon appeared in the banned episode "Electric Soldier Porygon", which itself has only aired once due to a flashing strobe effect seen in the episode having caused over 600 Japanese children to be hospitalized for seizure-like symptoms. The number of this episode, 38, added to Porygon's base HP, 65, yields its Fiore browser number, 103. In other news, its English, Japanese, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Korean, Greek, and Russian names are all "Porygon" or transliterations thereof.
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That concludes Chapter Two of the Little Cup Handbook! We here in the LC community hope you have a real nifty time using all the tips, tricks, and trivia you picked up from this chapter of the Handbook. Don't forget to try out the tier, and be on the lookout for the next chapter when it gets released via our publisher, Smogon's Flying Press!
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