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Cute Charm
- Can infatuate Pokemon of opposite gender when struck.
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Technician
- Increases the Base Power of moves with 60 or less by 50%.
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Skill Link
- Multi-hit moves will always hit the maximum number of times.
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Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
55
|
- |
251 |
314 |
- |
| Atk |
50
|
122 |
136 |
199 |
218 |
| Def |
40
|
104 |
116 |
179 |
196 |
| SpA |
40
|
104 |
116 |
179 |
196 |
| SpD |
40
|
104 |
116 |
179 |
196 |
| Spe |
75
|
167 |
186 |
249 |
273 |
Overview
For a long time, Minccino wasn't a very useful Pokemon in Little Cup, and there are a few reasons as to why. For instance, the only notable thing about Minccino is its base 75 Speed. It also goes down quickly to basically anything, including priority moves. However, the most painful thing of all is its Normal typing. In a metagame filled to the brim with offensive Fighting-types who almost always have a super effective priority attack, Minccino's appearance is hardly a threat. In fact, you don't even need to use a Fighting-type to beat Minccino; anything with a decent Attack stat can easily destroy it, while Minccino fails to even come close to scraping anything.
With so many disadvantages, you would wonder why anyone would even consider using Minccino in the first place. However, there is one thing that really gives Minccino a step-up from it's former position: Skill Link; this gracious ability gives Mincinno a very deadly move in Tail Slap, as the guarantee to always hit five times is threatening. Skill Link allows Minccino to break Substitutes, Focus Sashes, and even 2HKO anything that switches in and can't outspeed it, bar resistances and immunities. Minccino has asserted its authority as one of the most dangerous offensive Normal-types ever in Little Cup, and if you let it take advantage of your Pokemon, you're in for a rough ride.
Tail Slap and Skill Link come together to form a very effective combination. Add Life Orb to the mix, and the opposing Pokemon should be terrified. Despite having 85% accuracy, Tail Slap is going to cause major damage if it hits your opponent. It should be stressed that Tail Slap should almost always be the attack Minccino uses, unless you know a more accurate attack will KO, or the opponent resists Tail Slap. Even a super effective Aqua Tail or Seed Bomb is less powerful than a neutral Tail Slap, so don't get greedy for that super effective message. The choice between an Adamant and a Jolly nature isn't a tough one; nothing really dangerous sits at the base 17 Speed tier, and Adamant is good because it gives Minccino as much power as possible. However, if you really want to outspeed almost anything, a Jolly nature can be used. If Minccino's longevity is unappealing, Eviolite can be used as it gives Minccino 14 / 15 defenses, which means it can take hits a bit better than it can with Life Orb. If you do this, however, the power drop is definitely noticeable. Aqua Tail hits the Rock-types who resist Tail Slap for super effective damage, and it hits Ground-types hard too. U-turn is useful to get out of tough situations and to bring out another sweeper. Knock Off is used to stop defensive Pokemon that rely on Eviolite, such as Misdreavus, by getting rid of their Eviolite, making them easier to beat. However, if bulky Water-types such as Tirtouga and Omanyte get you down, Seed Bomb can be used to deal good damage to them.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The EV spread is simple; give Minccino enough Speed to outpace the lower half of the tier, and then give it enough power to really hurt something. Entry hazards make Minccino's job easier and can help put it's foes in its KO range, so Pokemon such as Dwebble pair with it nicely. A switch-in for Fighting-types is also helpful, as they can easily OHKO Minccino with any super effective move; Misdreavus fills this role nicely, and so does Shelmet, who can provide the aforementioned entry hazards. Minccino also has the ability to KO potential threats to setup sweepers or bring them in with U-turn, so Pokemon such as Scraggy love to have Minccino on their team.
Minccino is already fast enough on its own, and can thus easily outpace the entire unboosted metagame with a Choice Scarf. With this major Speed boost, Adamant is the recommended nature as Minccino doesn't need any more Speed than it already has. Despite this, it's not very different from the Life Orb set. Tail Slap and Skill Link are kept because it dishes out major damage, and it means that Minccino will have an easier time 2HKOing set-up sweepers with its improved Speed. Aqua Tail and U-turn are still there to hit Rock- and Ground-types and scout, respectively. Seed Bomb is used to hit bulky Water-types.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The same EV spread from the Life Orb set is used; it lets Minccino outspeed any non-Scarfed Pokemon, and even some that are. This gives setup sweepers a much harder time, as they'll wish that they had attacked instead of powering up as they're torn apart by a Tail Slap. Sadly, Minccino doesn't have a large plethora of options for this set. Wake-Up Slap can be used to hit Steel-types, but it's so weak that you're better off having a more effective Pokemon deal with them. Magnemite does this job very well, as it can trap Steel-types with Magnet Pull and KO them with Hidden Power Fire. Other than that, there's not much else that can be done that wouldn't ruin the flow that this set has.
Other Options
Minccino's movepool is very large, so it does have a few alternatives. Gunk Shot can be used; however, it provides little coverage. Encore and Thunder Wave are both options, but because Minccino is so frail you're better off letting another Pokemon do this job. Wide Lens can be used to help increase Tail Slap's accuracy, while King's Rock gives it a 41% chance to cause a flinch, which makes 2HKOing the opponent easier. However, Life Orb, Eviolite, and Choice Scarf all have much more utility than Wide Lens and King's Rock is a bit too inconsistent. Protect is also an option to block Fake Out if you're willing to give up a moveslot.
Checks and Counters
Minccino dies swiftly to priority moves. The most notable one is Sucker Punch, which is always a guaranteed hit against Minccino because all of its moves activate it. Ghost-types such as Misdreavus, Drifloon, and even the occasional Gastly can all switch into a Tail Slap and either set up on or KO Minccino. Bronzor and Ferroseed resist all of Minccino's moves bar U-turn and can set up entry hazards without fear. Ferroseed is probably the best Steel-type counter, as its Iron Barbs ability carves away a large chunk of Minccino's HP every time Tail Slap hits. Lileep can come in on Aqua Tail and get a Storm Drain boost, but it must watch out for U-turn. Tirtouga and Omanyte, although rare, can also take an Aqua Tail but must watch for Seed Bomb variants. Abra, if brought out correctly, can use Hidden Power Fighting and OHKO non-Choice Scarf Minccino, although it's a 2HKO if Eviolite is used. Slowpoke can take a Tail Slap and easily spread status. Anything with above 18 Speed also defeats non-Choice Scarf Minccino with relative ease.
