Mienshao [QC 3/3] [GP 3/3]

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Mienshao

[Overview]

<p>For the first time in history, Mienshao makes its appearance in the UU metagame&mdash;and just as everyone expected, it absolutely wrecks everything. For starters, it resides in the nigh-unmatched 105 Speed tier, which only extremely fast Pokemon such as Raikou and Azelf can ever hope to touch it. Its Attack stat matches that of the mighty Heracross, but its STAB, Hi Jump Kick, is actually stronger than Close Combat, meaning Mienshao actually out-damages the stag-beetle. To make matters even better, two of its abilities makes Hi Jump Kick even scarier. On one hand, we have Regenerator, which ensures that Mienshao can afford to miss and not die from recoil. On the other, we have Reckless, which takes an already obscenely powerful move, and boosts it by another 20% to an astounding 156 Base Power. On top of all this, its decent base 95 Special Attack allows it to also use special moves to defeat its would-be counters, such as Gligar. However, its defenses are downright terrible, sitting at a mere 65 / 60 / 60, even resisted STAB attacks will do a considerable amount of damage, so you must keep this in mind when using this monster.</p>

[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb
ability: Regenerator / Reckless
nature: Naive / Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is Mienshao's most common set; it has an extremely limited amount of safe switch-ins and will cause some severe pain to any team that lacks one of them. Hi Jump Kick is stronger than Heracross's Close Combat, and to give you an idea of how strong it is, it actually 2HKOes 252/252+ Suicune after Stealth Rock even without Reckless. U-turn lets Mienshao chip away at its counters while giving you momentum and has excellent synergy with Regenerator. Stone Edge lets it deal with many foes that resist its STAB, primarily Zapdos, Chandelure, and Crobat. Hidden Power Ice gets around Gligar, one of Mienshao's would-be counters, as it is able to finish it off over 90% of the time assuming it switches into Hi Jump Kick while Stealth Rock is on the field.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The choice between Mienshao's two great abilities, Regenerator and Reckless, comes down to longevity versus a considerable increase in power to Mienshao's STAB. While Regenerator helps it stay alive for a very long time, Reckless does some cool things, such as pushing 0/0 Flygon from a 2HKO to an OHKO and 252/0 Swampert from a 3HKO to a 2HKO (both after Stealth Rock damage). The given EV spread simply maximizes Mienshao's fantastic offensive capabilities, but you can choose to drop this set's Speed down to 330 with no consequence other than giving up the Speed tie against opposing Mienshao and the odd Mismagius, although it requires 216 Speed EVs to do so. However, the added bulk or Special Attack that it would get out of doing so isn't usually worth it. If Gligar isn't an issue for you, Mienshao can also use other moves such as Grass Knot and Fake Out over Hidden Power Ice. Keep in mind, however, that Grass Knot fails to OHKO 252 HP Rhyperior (as does Reckless Hi Jump Kick) and Swampert, nor does it 2HKO Slowbro. Fake Out is even less useful, as it lacks any sort of boost and gives your opponent an opportunity to virtually switch something in for free. Should you choose not to use special moves on this set, you should use a Jolly nature and move the 4 Special Attack EVs to Special Defense to prevent Download users from getting Special Attack boost, should they come in to revenge kill Mienshao. Choice Band is also a usable item on this set, but keep in mind that Regenerator will more than make up for Life Orb recoil and that Choice Band fails to boost Mienshao's special moves.</p>

<p>This set works fairly well on almost any balanced or offensive team, and there are a few partners that work especially well with it. Due to its fraility, Mienshao will appreciate opportunities to come in without receiving any damage, which makes slower U-turn and Volt Switch users, such as Gligar and Rotom-C, good partners. The latter is especially useful, as it takes advantage of a couple of Mienshao's counters, namely Slowbro and Slowking. Choice Scarf Moxie Heracross is a great offensive partner, as Mienshao usually weakens its counters enough to allow it to sweep late-game. Slowbro or Slowking, Mienshao, and Amoonguss form a cool Regenerator core that is really hard to wear down.</p>

[SET]
name: Substitute + Baton Pass
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Hi Jump Kick
move 4: Stone Edge / Swords Dance
item: Life Orb
ability: Regenerator
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Don't let this set's name fool you, despite what you might think, its purpose is not to Baton Pass Substitutes. Instead, it works in a variety of ways and can adapt to the opponent's team and strategy much more easily than any other Mienshao set. Under normal battle conditions, you use Substitute to ease prediction or get an additional hit in on a slower opponent coming in. For all intents and purposes, Baton Pass is to be used the same way as U-turn, as it achieves the same "switch" advantage as U-turn does. The true beauty of this set lies in that it's not dead weight against opponents with hard counters, as you can use Substitute on an opponent's switch to Slowbro or Gligar, for example, then Baton Pass to Shaymin or another Pokemon that takes advantage of them. Hi Jump Kick's sheer power is so scary that it usually allows it to use Substitute without a problem; and with Regenerator healing off all the lost HP in creating them, Mienshao can continue to threaten the opponent's team for a very long time. Stone Edge provides coverage against Pokemon, such as Chandelure, Xatu, and Zapdos, which resist or are immune to Mienshao's STAB.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EV spread simply maximizes Mienshao's relevant offensive stats while preventing a Special Attack boost to Choice Scarf Porygon-Z that attemps to revenge kill it. Even though it'll normally want to stick to the given moves, it can also choose to use Hidden Power Ice in the fourth moveslot to hit Gligar, but most of the time it's better to just use Substitute on the switch and then Baton Pass to a counter. The fourth moveslot can be Bulk Up, Work Up, or even Calm Mind, depending on your team, as that slot is mainly filler.</p>

<p>As this set is 100% countered by Sableye, you should make sure you carry something to take care of it. The cool thing about this is that this Pokemon can very easily be one of your Baton Pass receivers. Speaking of which, good receivers are obviously good teammates, especially if they can come out with a Substitute intact. Shaymin is probably the best, as it can come in on Slowbro or Slowking, Qwilfish, and Gligar, and has the typing and bulk to keep the Substitute intact during the pass. Zapdos and Rhyperior work well too, as they'll both manage to keep the Substitute up against Crobat, another common switch-in, with the latter also being able to set up Stealth Rock.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Aerial Ace / Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Reckless / Regenerator
nature: Jolly / Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Thanks to its base 105 Speed, Mienshao raises the bar in UU when it comes to fast revenge killers. When equipped with a Choice Scarf, Mienshao takes the title of fastest Pokemon in the tier, as other common users run neutral Speed natures. This has led to Mienshao undeniably becoming one of the better Choice Scarf users in the tier, on par with the likes of Flygon and Darmanitan, with its only drawback being the unreliability of its two main attacks. Hi Jump Kick is Mienshao's foremost STAB move; it's ridiculously powerful even unboosted, especially if you opt for Reckless. U-turn acts as an effective offensive pivot and momentum grabber, working in tandem with Regenerator to restore Mienshao's HP. Stone Edge offers coverage on Pokemon such as Crobat and Zapdos. In the fourth slot, Aerial Ace provides an additional check to one of the most dangerous Pokemon in the tier, Heracross, as well as a way to revenge kill Virizion, Roserade, and opposing Mienshao, without relying on Hi Jump Kick. However, Hidden Power Ice attains coverage on Gligar, which would otherwise turn Mienshao into dead weight by continuously switching into its other attacks with impunity.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs maximize offenses and Speed, with an alternate spread of 252 Atk / 40 SpA / 216 Spe is usable, as there's really nothing you miss out on in terms of Speed with this spread and it buffs Hidden Power. A Naive nature should be used if running Hidden Power, keeping the move as strong as possible with only minimum investment. The choice between Reckless and Regenerator comes down to the argument of power and sustainability; do you need Mienshao to decimate opponents with the click of a button, or would you rather be more conservative and have a backup plan in case Mienshao misses with Hi Jump Kick? If neither Aerial Ace or Hidden Power Ice prove to be effective, Toxic may be run in the fourth slot to help Mienshao's teammates break through sturdy walls.</p>

<p>Because Mienshao is designed to primarily function as a revenge killer, it doesn't really require teammates. However, Dark- or Ghost-type Pokemon, such as Bisharp or Chandelure, are effective teammates for Mienshao as they can eliminate opposing Ghost-type Pokemon that can otherwise freely switch in on Hi Jump Kick. Pokemon that benefit from Mienshao pivoting out of the likes of Slowbro and Sableye, such as Raikou and Tornadus, can also make good teammates for Mienshao, as they can use the momentum shift to generate opportunities to set up and begin their sweeps.</p>

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Hi Jump Kick
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Baton Pass
item: Life Orb
ability: Reckless / Regenerator
nature: Naive / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Taking a more offensive role as opposed to the more utility role it typically fills, Mienshao can utilize Swords Dance to rip opposing teams into pieces. Once backed by the Swords Dance boost, Hi Jump Kick becomes terrifyingly powerful with Reckless, capable of dishing a lot of hurt to many defensive Pokemon found in the tier:</p>

<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 252/252+ Bronzong 123.67% - 145.56%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 252/252+ Suicune 104.21% - 122.77%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 248/244+ Slowbro 55.47% - 65.39%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 252/4 Claydol 95.06% - 111.73%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 252/252+ Gligar 44.91% - 52.99%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 248/236+ Zapdos 68.15% - 80.16%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 176/0 Crobat 54.37% - 64.23%</li>
</ul>

<p>Once Stealth Rock damage is factored in, everything in the tier suffers a 2HKO or OHKO from Reckless +2 Hi Jump Kick, bar Ghost-type Pokemon. Stone Edge offers coverage to the many Pokemon that are immune to Mienshao's Fighting-type STAB, namely Ghost-type Pokemon such as Sableye, Chandelure, or Cofagrigus, as all other Flying-, Poison, Bug-, or Psychic-type Pokemon are 2HKOed by Hi Jump Kick. Hidden Power Ice allows Miensho to bypass Gligar without the need for a Swords Dance boost, but serves very little purpose beyond that point, while Baton Pass allows Mienshao to retreat while passing its boosts onto another Pokemon, such as Crobat, giving them additional utility and a chance to open the game up.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs maximize power and Speed while preventing a Special Attack boost to Pokemon with Download, namely Porygon2 and Porygon-Z, in the event that you use a Jolly nature. However, dropping the Speed EVs down to 216 is acceptable, as you won't miss out on anything other than tying with opposing base 105 Speed Pokemon, and it'll let you get some more power behind Hidden Power Ice. The choice of ability plays off of whether you're using Mienshao strictly as a sweeper or as a passer, as Reckless suits the sweeper better and Regenerator the passer.</p>

<p>Lures for the Pokemon that stop this set cold, such as Crobat, Sableye, and Cofagrigus, are this set's most useful partners. Another option is to weaken them before trying to sweep through the use of offensive partners with the same counters. Slowbro and Slowking will definitely be weakened enough for Mienshao to break them after dealing with a Life Orb Darmanitan or Arcanine, potentially closing the match out. If you run Baton Pass over Hidden Power Ice, something like mixed Flygon with Draco Meteor can be used to take out Gligar expecting a physical set. Head Smash Scrafty is a cool lure for Crobat, but comes at a hefty price, sacrificing the majority of Scrafty's HP.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Because of Mienshao's rather eclectic movepool, filler moves such as Knock Off, Taunt, Reflect, and Toxic can be used if desired in many of Mienshao's fourth slots. A specially attacking set running Aura Sphere, Grass Knot, Hidden Power, and a filler move can be used as an effective lure, catching many of its common checks off-guard. In the same manner, a Calm Mind set might seem tempting, but is far less effective than standard physical sets, and therefore isn't recommended. Mienshao also has access to Payback, which might seem useful for getting past threats such as Cofagrigus and Slowbro, but its above-average Speed stat is too fast to effectively use the move.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Ghost-types, especially Cofagrigus and Sableye, are the best switch-ins to any Mienshao set, as they are immune to Hi Jump Kick, take paltry damage from Mienshao's other attacks, and can burn Mienshao, rendering it useless for the rest of the match. Bulky Pokemon that carry a resistance to Mienshao's Fighting-type STAB, such as Slowbro, Slowking, and Qwilfish, are also great checks to Mienshao, as they can effectively stomach most anything Mienshao throws their way. Gligar also makes an effective shutdown to Mienshao, but will be 2HKOed by Hidden Power Ice, which most sets run. Pokemon such as Crobat and Zapdos can take an unboosted Hi Jump Kick with ease, but must be weary of a super effective Stone Edge being hurled their way. Pokemon found in lower tiers, such as Amoonguss, can beat Mienshao through sleep or paralysis. Fast Choice Scarf users can also effectively manhandle Mienshao, but it always has the option of switching out and restoring its HP via Regenerator.</p>
 

Nas

Banned deucer.
Fake Out shouldn't be on that analysis. Anywhere. The All-Out Attacker should just have HP Ice in the last slot, removing Gligar to aid a MoxieCross sweep is too useful to pass up for a move that does practically nothing to, well, everything.

Also, I used Swords Dance/Hi Jump Kick/Stone Edge/Baton Pass for a while and it worked pretty well, so maybe on the BP set Swords Dance can be slashed next to Substitute as well?
 

kokoloko

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lol I knew that was coming.

While I do agree with you that Fake Out is utter shit, it's still the most used set, so it's gotta be in there somewhere. I'll gladly move it to AC (OO?), though.
 
On the Swords Dance set I would rather see Baton Pass slashed instead of U-turn. U-turn gets rid of your boosts, and Baton Pass essentially does the same thing, except without doing damage, and passing along to boosts to another sweeper. I've personally had a lot of success with Baton Pass + Swords Dance along with HJK and SE, as you can pass to things like Bisharp, who are immune to Psychic-type moves and resist Flying-type moves, one of the best partners for Mienshao. Mienshao definitely has a bunch of awesome passing partners. While HP Ice is useful to take out Gligar, Baton Pass has served me quite well, as Gligar is pretty easy to deal with by means of other teammates.
 

kokoloko

what matters is our plan!
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Two-Time Past SPL Champion
lol that is so obvious that I'm kind of embarrassed I overlooked it. Changed.

I'm not sure if Hasty or Naive is better for HP Ice versions tbh, I've used both and it's never made a difference so far. Hasty makes it so Download doesn't boost Porygon2/-Z's SpA, but Naive lets it take Sucker Punches and weak priority better, so idk. I'd obviously mention the merits of both in AC but I dunno which one to make the primary choice.
 
No Porygon2/Z in their right mind would ever switch into Mienshao, so Hasty is kind of pointless. Just go with Naive.
 

Psychotic

Banned deucer.
I think the Choice Scarf set should come before the Baton Pass set tbh. It is one of the best revenge killers in the tier right now, who can clean up at the end of games, and is notable over Heracross because it can revenge kill almost all other scarfers. It also has the ability to break through one of it's biggest counters in Gligar, and has U-Turn, things Heracross could only dream of. It doesn't give a shit about hazards either because of Regenerater. I honestly think that Choice Scarf is Mienshao's best set overall, but putting it first might be asking too much. PK can back me up on this.
 
On the first set I think Grass Knot should replace Fake Out or have a slash by U-turn. Grass Knot lets it get past Slowbro and get a OHKO on Rhyperior which it couldn't do otherwise. U-turn isn't really that usefull outside of scarf set and fake out isn't good. Grass Knot is better than AC.

For counters Cofagrigus counters it every time. I guess Dusclops/Dusknoir counter it but...meh.

Edit @ Breh: I think Reckless is outclassed by Hitmonlee who gets Hi-Jump-Kick as well as Double-Edge. Hitmonlee also has Mach Punch and Sucker Punch.
 

breh

強いだね
Is Reckless OO material at least? It's not mentioned at all. I realize Regenerator is a pretty cool ability, but having one of the strongest moves in the game is not shabby at all.
 

kokoloko

what matters is our plan!
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Two-Time Past SPL Champion
Grass Knot barely 2HKOs Slowbro and it has Regenerator and HJK already does a shitload to Rhyperior, so nah, OO is good enough.

ps. I don't need suggestions on content just yet, this is a WIP because I haven't had time, not because I'm stumped.

EDIT: I'm blind and missed Psycho's post, so here:

I really, really disagree with you on this one, SubPass Mienshao is honestly one of the best sets I have ever used. It just does everything. I can either use Sub like a regular offensive mon to get a free hit in on whatever, dry-BP to gain / keep momentum, or BP the Subs away against opponents with hard-counters or when you have something that can take advantage of a free Sub. It's just so good (I'm honestly considering making it the first set).
 

FlareBlitz

Relaxed nature. Loves to eat.
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Past SPL Champion
Is Reckless OO material at least? It's not mentioned at all. I realize Regenerator is a pretty cool ability, but having one of the strongest moves in the game is not shabby at all.
This is an important point. Scarf and CB Mienshao don't gain very much from Regenerator at all, being resistant to SR and not having to take LO damage (and if it takes direct damage it'll probably die anyway). The added power boost from Reckless seems incredibly useful, especially on the scarf set. I would argue that it should be the primary / only option on the Scarf set, and a strong slash on the Band set. Some calcs:

Scarf Regen HJK
v. 4/0 Flygon: 82.7% - 97.7%
v. 252/252+ Swampert: 39.7% - 46.9%
v. 252/228+ Arcanine (-1): 30.7% - 36.2%
v. 4/0 Shaymin: 60.7% - 71.6%
v. 232/0 Togekiss: 58.5% - 69.1%
v. 4/0 Nidoking: 42.1% - 49.7%

Scarf Reckless HJK:
v. 4/0 Flygon: 99% - 116.9%
v. 252/252+ Swampert: 47.6% - 56.1%
v. 4/0 Arcanine (-1): 36.7% - 43.2%
v. 4/0 Shaymin: 72.4% - 85.6%
v. 232/0 Togekiss: 70.2% - 82.9%
v. 4/0 Nidoking: 50.5% - 59.4%


Band Regen HJK:
v. 4/0 Heracross: 64.9% - 76.5%
v. 252/228+ Zapdos: 32.9% - 38.9%
v. 252/252+ Hitmontop (-1 ): 50.3% - 59.5%
v. 252/252+ Nidoqueen: 31.8% - 37.5%
v. 4/0 Azelf: 70.9% - 83.6%
v. 252/252+ Rhyperior: 64.3% - 75.6% (...rhyperior is a badass)

Band Reckless HJK:
v. 4/0 Heracross: 77.8% - 91.7%
v. 252/228+ Zapdos: 39.7% - 46.7%
v. 252/252+ Hitmontop (-1 ): 60.5% - 71.4%
v. 252/252+ Nidoqueen: 38% - 44.8%
v. 4/0 Azelf: 85.3% - 100.3%
v. 252/252+ Rhyperior: 76.7% - 90.6% (seriously, what a badass)
 

kokoloko

what matters is our plan!
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Two-Time Past SPL Champion
For future reference, when an analysis is marked [WIP], you don't stamp it yet.

-__________- smh

EDIT: Okay, I finished the skeleton; since you (BAN ME PLEASE)s already approved it, I'll write it up ASAP.
 

kokoloko

what matters is our plan!
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Two-Time Past SPL Champion
Okay, something's changed. Scarf set should look like this:

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Aerial Ace / Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Reckless / Regenerator
nature: Jolly / Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Changes in bold. Make sure you change the skeleton / write-up accordingly. AA is obviously for Heracross mainly, but its also nice to not have to rely on HJK against Virizion, Roserade, and opposing Mienshao. The fourth slot is honestly filler for the most part anyway, but AA is more useful overall than HP Ice.
 
Okay, something's changed. Scarf set should look like this:

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Aerial Ace / Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Reckless / Regenerator
nature: Jolly / Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Changes in bold. Make sure you change the skeleton / write-up accordingly. AA is obviously for Heracross mainly, but its also nice to not have to rely on HJK against Virizion, Roserade, and opposing Mienshao. The fourth slot is honestly filler for the most part anyway, but AA is more useful overall than HP Ice.
I'll add that then.

Sorry this isn't written up yet, but Thanksgiving and my Birthday have sent this to the temporary low-priority list. It should be up in a few days.
 
Reserving for an amateur check.

Something from a quick glance: in HTML you can write the em dashes as &mdash — not sure about spaces between them though. In Word, you can use Alt+0151 from the numpad, but I can't tell if it works the same for analyses so you should use &mdash for it. There's also the en dash in situations where em dash seems too big, done with Alt+0150 (though I don't know if it's &ndash for HTML code)

remove add comments

[Overview]

<p>For the first time in history, Mienshao makes its appearance in the UU Mmetagame--&mdashand just as everyone expected, it absolutely wrecks everything. For starters, it resides in the nigh-unmatched 105 speed tier of 105, where only extremely fast Pokemon such as Raikou and Azelf can ever hope to touch it. Its Attack stat matches that of the mighty Heracross, but its STAB move of choice, Hi Jump Kick, is actually stronger than Close Combat, meaning Mienshao actually out-damages the stag-beetle. To make matters even better, two of its abilities help make its Hi Jump Kick even scarier. On one hand we have Regenerator, which essentially makes sure Mienshao can afford to miss and not die to recoil unless it moved first and they attacked it. On the other, we have Reckless, which takes an already obscenely powerful move, and boosts it by another 20% to an astounding 156 Base Power. On top of all this, its very decent base 95 Special Attack allows it to also use special moves to defeat its would-be counters, namely Gligar and Slowbro. However, its defenses are downright terrible. Sitting at a mere 65/60/60, even unSTABed and/or resisted hits will do a considerable amount of damage, so you must keep this in mind when using this monster. Don't let Mienshao's one flaw discourage you, though; there's a reason why people are finding it hard to make teams without it, and it's easily one of the best Pokemon in the metagame at the moment.</p>

[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb
ability: Regenerator / Reckless
nature: Naive / Hasty Why is Naive the primary nature? Isn’t it better to not give Porygon-Z a SpA boost?
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is Mienshao's most common set--&mdashit has an extremely limited amount of safe switch-ins and will cause some severe pain to any team that lacks one of them. Hi Jump Kick is stronger than Heracross's Close Combat, and to give you an idea of how strong it is--&mdashit actually 2HKOs 252/252+ Suicune after Stealth Rock... without Reckless. U-turn lets it chip away at its counters while giving you momentum and has excellent synergy with Regenerator. Stone Edge lets it deal with many foes who resist its STAB; primarily Zapdos, Chandelure, and Crobat. Hidden Power Ice lets it get around one of its would-be counters--&mdashGligar--&mdashbeing able to finish it off over 90% of the time assuming it switches into Hi Jump Kick while Stealth Rock is on the field.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The choice between Mienshao's two great abilities, Regenerator and Reckless, comes down to longevity versus a considerable increase in power to Mienshao's STAB. While Regenerator helps Mienshao it stay alive for a very long time, Reckless does some cool things, such as pushing 0/0 Flygon from a 2HKO to an OHKO and 252/0 Swampert from a 3HKO to a 2HKO (both after Stealth Rock damage). The given EV spread simply maximizes Mienshao's fantastic offensive capabilities this could be scratched, according to what Aldaron has decided, but you can choose to drop this set's Speed down to 330 (requires 216 EVs) with no consequence other than giving up the Speed-tie against opposing Mienshao and the odd Mismagius. However, the added bulk or Special Attack that it would get out of doing so isn't usually worth it. If Gligar isn't an issue for you, Mienshao can also use more niche moves such as Grass Knot and Fake Out over Hidden Power Ice. Keep in mind, however, that Grass Knot fails to OHKO 252 HP Rhyperior (as does Reckless Hi Jump Kick) and Swampert, and does not 2HKO Slowbro either. Fake Out is even less useful, as it lacks any sort of boost and gives your opponent an opportunity to switch something in virtually for free. Should you choose not to use special moves on this set, you should use a Jolly nature and move the 4 SpA EVs to SpD to prevent Download users from getting a beneficial boost, should they come in to revenge-kill Mienshao. Choice Band is also a usable item on this set, but keep in mind that Regenerator will more than make up for Life Orb recoil and that Choice Band fails to boost Mienshao's special moves.</p>

<p>While tThis Mienshao works fairly welldecently on almost any balanced or offensive team, there are a few partners that work especially well with it. Due to its very noticeable fragilityfrailty, Mienshao will appreciate opportunities to come in without receiving any damage, making slower U-turn and Volt Switch users such as Gligar and Rotom-C good partners. The latter is especially useful, as it takes advantage of a couple of Mienshao's counters, namely Slowbro and Slowking. Choice Scarf Moxie Heracross is a great offensive partner, as Mienshao usually weakens its counters enough to allow it to sweep late-game. Slowbro/Slowking + Mienshao + Amoonguss form a cool Regenerator core that is really hard to wear down.</p>

[SET]
name: Substitute + Baton Pass
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Hi Jump Kick
move 4: Stone Edge / Swords Dance
item: Life Orb
ability: Regenerator
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Don't let this set's name fool you, as despite what you may think its primary purpose is not actually to Baton Pass Substitutes. Instead, it works in a variety of ways and can adapt to the opponent's team and strategy much more easily than any other Mienshao set. Under normal battle conditions, you use Substitute as you would on any random offensive Pokemon to ease prediction or get an additional hit in on a slower opponent coming in. For all intents and purposes, Baton Pass is to be used the same way as U-turn, as it achieves the same "switch" advantage as U-turn does. The true beauty of this set lies in that it's not dead weightdeadweight against opponents with hard-counters, as you can use Substitute on an opponent's switch to--&mdashfor example&mdash--Slowbro or Gligar, then Baton Pass to Shaymin or another Pokemon that takes advantage of them and proceed to destroy things from there. Mienshao's STAB Hi Jump Kick's sheer power is so scary that it usually allows it to use Substitute without a problem; and with Regenerator healing off all the lost HP creating them, Mienshao can continue to threaten the opponent's team for a very long time. Stone Edge provides coverage against Pokemon, such as Chandelure, Xatu, andor Zapdos, which resist or are immune to Mienshao's STAB.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EV spread simply maximizes Mienshao's relevant offensive stats what Aldaron said still applies here while preventing giving a Special Attack boost to Choice Scarf Porygon-Z attempting to revenge kill it. While it'll normally want to stick to the given moves, it can also choose to use Hidden Power Ice in the fourth moveslot to break Gligar, but most of the time it's better to just use Substitute on the switch and then Baton Pass out of it. The fourth moveslot can also be Bulk Up, Work Up, or even Calm Mind if it would help your team, as that slot is mainly filler.</p>

<p>As this set is 100% countered by Sableye, you should make sure you carry something to take care of it. The cool thing about this is that this Pokemon can very easily be one of your Baton Pass recievers. Speaking of which, good pass targets are obviously good teammates, especially if they can come out with a Substitute intact. Shaymin is probably the best at this, as it comes in on Slowbro/King, Qwilfish, and Gligar, and has the typing and bulk to keep the Substitute intact during the pass. Zapdos and Rhyperior work well too, as they'll both manage to keep the Substitute up against Crobat, another common switch-in--&mdashwith the latter also being able to set up Stealth Rock.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Aerial Ace / Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Reckless / Regenerator
nature: Jolly / Naive Again Naive? Shouldn’t it be Hasty, since that’s the reason you gave it 4 SpD EVs?
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Thanks to its base 105 Speed stat, Mienshao raises the bar in UnderUsed when it comes to fast revenge killers. When equipped with a Choice Scarf, Mienshao takes the title of fastest Pokemon in the tier, as other common users run neutral Speed natures. This has led to Mienshao undeniably becoming one of the better Choice Scarf users in the tier, on par with the likes of Flygon and Darmanitan, with its only drawback being the unreliability of its two main killing moves. Hi Jump Kick is Mienshao's generic STAB move; it's ridiculously powerful even unboosted, especially if you opt for Reckless. U-turn lets it act as an effective offensive pivot and momentum grabber, working in tandem with Regenerator to restore Mienshao's HP. Stone Edge offers coverage on Pokemon such as Crobat and Zapdos, common non-Ghost-type switch-ins to Hi Jump Kick. In the fourth slot, Aerial Ace gives you an additional way to check one of the most dangerous Pokemon in the tier, Heracross, as well as a way to revenge kill Virizion, Roserade, and opposing Mienshao without relyinghaving to rely on Hi Jump Kick. However, Hidden Power Ice attains coverage on Gligar, which would otherwise turn Mienshao into dead weight maybe specify how it would accomplish that?.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs are spread to maximize offenses and Speed, with an alternate spread of 252 Atk /40 SpA / 216 Spe being usable, since there's really nothing you miss out on Speed-wise with this spread and it buff's Hidden Power. A Naive or Hasty nature should be used if running Hidden Power, keeping the move as strong as possible with only minimum investment. The choice between Reckless and Regenerator comes down to the argument of Ppower andvs. Ssurvivability - do you need Mienshao to decimate opponents with the click of a button, or would you rather be more conservative and have a backup plan in case Mienshao misses with Hi Jump Kick? If neither Aerial Ace or Hidden Power Ice are proving to be effective, Toxic may be run in the fourth slot to help Mienshao's teammates break through sturdy walls.</p>

<p>Because this Mienshao set is designed to primarily function as a revenge killer, it really has no better teammates. However, Dark- or Ghost-type Pokemon, such as Bisharp or Chandelure, make effective teammatespartners for Mienshao as they can eliminate opposing Ghost-type Pokemon that can otherwise freely switch in on Hi Jump Kick. Pokemon that benefit from Mienshao U-Turning out of the likes of Slowbro and Sableye, such as Raikou, Tornadus, or any other fast sweepers, can also make good teammates for Mienshao, as they can use the momentum shift to generate opportunities to set up and beging their sweeps.</p>

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Hi Jump Kick
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Baton Pass
item: Life Orb
ability: Reckless / Regenerator
nature: Naive / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe What’s the point of giving 4 SpD EVs if you’re gonna use Naive?

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Taking a more offensive role as opposed to the more utility-offensive role it typically fills, Mienshao can utilize Swords Dance to rip opposing teams into piecesshreds. Once backed by the Swords Dance boost, Hi Jump Kick becomes terrifyingly powerful if backed bywith Reckless, capable of dishing a lot of hurt to many defensive Pokemon found in the tier:</p>

<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 252/252+ Bronzong 123.67% - 145.56%</li>
<li>High Jump Kick vs. 252/252+ Suicune 104.21% - 122.77%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 248/244+ Slowbro 55.47% - 65.39%</li>
<li>High Jump Kick vs. 252/4 Claydol 95.06% - 111.73%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 252/252+ Gligar 44.91% - 52.99%</li>
<li>High Jump Kick vs. 248/236+ Zapdos 68.15% - 80.16%</li>
<li>High Jump Kick vs. 176/0 Crobat 54.37% - 64.23%</li>
</ul>

<p>Once Stealth Rock damage is factored in, everything in the tier suffers a 2HKO or OHKO from Reckless +2 Hi Jump Kick, bar Ghost-type Pokemon. Stone Edge offers coverage to the many Pokemon that resist Fighting-type STAB, namely Ghost-type Pokemon, such as Sableye, Chandelure, or Cofagrigus, as all other Flying-, Poison, Bug-, or Psychic-type Pokemon are 2HKO'ed by Hi Jump Kick. Hidden Power Ice allows Miensho to bypass Gligar without the need for a Swords Dance, but serves very little purpose beyond that point, while Baton Pass allows Mienshao to retreat while passing its boosts onto another Pokemon, such as Crobat or another mid-game Pokemon, giving them additional utility and a chance to open the game up.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs maximize power and Speed while preventing a Special Attack boost to Download Pokemon, such as Porygon2 or Porygon-Z, in the event that you use a Jolly nature. However, dropping the Speed EVs down to 216 is acceptable, as you won't miss out on anything other than tying with opposing base 105s, and it'll let you get some more power behind Hidden Power Ice. The choice of ability plays off of whether you're using Mienshao strictly as a sweeper or as a passer, as Reckless suits the sweeper better and Regenerator the passer.</p>

<p>Lures for the Pokemon that stop this set cold, such as Crobat, Sableye, or Cofagrigus, are this set's most useful partners. Another option is to weaken them before trying to sweep through the use of offensive partners with the same counters. Slowbro and/or Slowking will definitely be weakened enough Regenerator helps them, though for Mienshao to break them after dealing with a Life Orb Darmanitan or Arcanine, potentially closing the match out. If you run Baton Pass over Hidden Power Ice, something like Mixed Flygon with Draco Meteor can be used to take out Gligar and Sableye as the latter tries to Will-O-Wisp it expecting a Choice set. Head Smash Scrafty is a cool lure for Crobat, but comes at a hefty price, sacrificing the majority of Scrafty's HP.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Because of Mienshao's rather eclectic movepool, filler moves such as Knock Off, Taunt, Reflect, and Toxic can be used if so desired in many of Mienshao's fourth slots. A Specially-Attacking set running Aura Sphere, Grass Knot, Hidden Power, and a filler move can be used as an effective lure, catching many of its common checks off-guard. In the same manner, a Calm Mind set may seem tempting, but Mienshao cannot effectively pull it off, andtherefore isn't recommended. Mienshao also gets access to Payback, which may seem useful for getting past threats such as Cofagrigus and Slowbro, but because of its above-average Speed stat, it's too fast to make effective use of the move.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Ghost-types, especially Cofagrigus and Sableye, are arguably the best switch-ins to any Mienshao set, as they resist Hi Jump Kick, take paltry damage from Mienshao's other attacks, and can burn Mienshao, rendering it useless for the rest of the match. Bulky Pokemon that carry a resistance to Mienshao's Fighting-type STAB, such as Slowbro, Slowking, and Qwilfish, also make great checks to Mienshao, as they can effectively stomach most anything Mienshao throws their way. gGligar also makes an effective shutdown to Mienshao, but will be crapped all over by Hidden Power Ice, which most sets run. Pokemon such as Crobat and Zapdos can take an unboosted Hi Jump Kick with ease, but must be weary of a super effective Stone Edge being hurled their way. Pokemon found in lower tiers, such as Amoonguss, can beat Mienshao through Ssleep or Pparalysis. Fast Choice Scarf users can also effectively manhandle Mienshao, but it always has the option of switching out and restoring its HP via Regenerator.</p>


Extremely well written, the only things I'd look over are the choice of nature (though it did pass QC, so there must be a reason for it) and explaining why you're using those EV spreads, though that can be argued about.

Great job overall, it was a really interesting read!
 

Redew

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Working over Ernesto's check

Remove add

[Overview]

<p>For the first time in history, Mienshao makes its appearance in the UU Mmetagame--&mdashand just as everyone expected, it absolutely wrecks everything. For starters, it resides in the nigh-unmatched 105 speed tier of 105, where only extremely fast Pokemon such as Raikou and Azelf can ever hope to touch it. Its Attack stat matches that of the mighty Heracross, but its STAB move of choice, &mdash;Hi Jump Kick&mdash;, is actually stronger than Close Combat, meaning Mienshao actually out-damages the stag-beetle. To make matters even better, two of its abilities help make its Hi Jump Kick even scarier. On one hand we have Regenerator, which essentially makes sure Mienshao can afford to miss and not die to recoil unless it moved first and they attacked it. On the other, we have Reckless, which takes an already obscenely powerful move, and boosts it by another 20% to an astounding 156 Base Power. On top of all this, its very decent base 95 Special Attack allows it to also use special moves to defeat its would-be counters, namely Gligar and Slowbro. However, its defenses are downright terrible. Sitting at a mere 65/60/60, even unSTABed and/or resisted hits will do a considerable amount of damage, so you must keep this in mind when using this monster. Don't let Mienshao's one flaw discourage you, though; there's a reason why people are finding it hard to make teams without it, and it's easily one of the best Pokemon in the metagame at the moment.</p>

[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb
ability: Regenerator / Reckless
nature: Naive / Hasty Why is Naive the primary nature? Isn’t it better to not give Porygon-Z a SpA boost?
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is Mienshao's most common set--&mdashit has an extremely limited amount of safe switch-ins and will cause some severe pain to any team that lacks one of them. Hi Jump Kick is stronger than Heracross's Close Combat, and to give you an idea of how strong it is--&mdashit actually 2HKOs 252/252+ Suicune after Stealth Rock...even without without Reckless. U-turn lets it chip away at its counters while giving you momentum and has excellent synergy with Regenerator. Stone Edge lets it deal with many foes who resist its STAB;, primarily Zapdos, Chandelure, and Crobat. Hidden Power Ice lets it get around one of its would-be counters--&mdashGligar--&mdashbeing able to finish it off over 90% of the time assuming it switches into Hi Jump Kick while Stealth Rock is on the field.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The choice between Mienshao's two great abilities, Regenerator and Reckless, comes down to longevity versus a considerable increase in power to Mienshao's STAB. While Regenerator helps Mienshao it stay alive for a very long time, Reckless does some cool things, such as pushing 0/0 Flygon from a 2HKO to an OHKO and 252/0 Swampert from a 3HKO to a 2HKO (both after Stealth Rock damage). The given EV spread simply maximizes Mienshao's fantastic offensive capabilities this could be scratched, according to what Aldaron has decided, but you can choose to drop this set's Speed down to 330 (requires 216 EVs) with no consequence other than giving up the Speed-tie against opposing Mienshao and the odd Mismagius, although it requires requires 216 EVs to do so. However, the added bulk or Special Attack that it would get out of doing so isn't usually worth it. If Gligar isn't an issue for you, Mienshao can also use more niche other moves such as Grass Knot and Fake Out over Hidden Power Ice. Keep in mind, however, that Grass Knot fails to OHKO 252 HP Rhyperior (as does Reckless Hi Jump Kick) and Swampert, and does not 2HKO Slowbro either. Fake Out is even less useful, as it lacks any sort of boost and gives your opponent an opportunity to switch something in virtually for free. Should you choose not to use special moves on this set, you should use a Jolly nature and move the 4 Special Attack EVs to Special Defense to prevent Download users from getting a beneficial boost, should they come in to revenge-kill Mienshao. Choice Band is also a usable item on this set, but keep in mind that Regenerator will more than make up for Life Orb recoil and that Choice Band fails to boost Mienshao's special moves.</p>

<p>While tThis Mienshao works fairly welldecently Well works fine here on almost any balanced or offensive team, there are a few partners that work especially well with it. Due to its very noticeable fragilityfrailty, Mienshao will appreciate opportunities to come in without receiving any damage, making slower U-turn and Volt Switch users, such as Gligar and Rotom-C, good partners. The latter is especially useful, as it takes advantage of a couple of Mienshao's counters, namely Slowbro and Slowking. Choice Scarf Moxie Heracross is a great offensive partner, as Mienshao usually weakens its counters enough to allow it to sweep late-game. Slowbro(space)/(space)Slowking + Mienshao + Amoonguss form a cool Regenerator core that is really hard to wear down.</p>

[SET]
name: Substitute + Baton Pass
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Hi Jump Kick
move 4: Stone Edge / Swords Dance
item: Life Orb
ability: Regenerator
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Don't let this set's name fool you, as despite what you may think, its primary purpose is not actually to Baton Pass Substitutes. Instead, it works in a variety of ways and can adapt to the opponent's team and strategy much more easily than any other Mienshao set. Under normal battle conditions, you use Substitute as you would on any random offensive Pokemon to ease prediction or get an additional hit in on a slower opponent coming in. For all intents and purposes, Baton Pass is to be used the same way as U-turn, as it achieves the same "switch" advantage as U-turn does. The true beauty of this set lies in that it's not dead weightdeadweight "dead weight" is what it's supposed to be against opponents with hard-counters, as you can use Substitute on an opponent's switch to--&mdashfor example&mdash-- I wouldn't even use emdashes; just put for example after "Gligar" Slowbro or Gligar, then Baton Pass to Shaymin or another Pokemon that takes advantage of them and proceed to destroy things from there. Mienshao's STAB Hi Jump Kick's sheer power is so scary that it usually allows it to use Substitute without a problem; , and with Regenerator healing off all the lost HP creating them, Mienshao can continue to threaten the opponent's team for a very long time. Stone Edge provides coverage against Pokemon, such as Chandelure, Xatu, andor Zapdos, which resist or are immune to Mienshao's STAB.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EV spread simply maximizes Mienshao's relevant offensive stats what Aldaron said still applies here while preventing giving a Special Attack boost to Choice Scarf Porygon-Z attempting to revenge kill it. While it'll normally want to stick to the given moves, it can also choose to use Hidden Power Ice in the fourth moveslot to break Gligar, but most of the time it's better to just use Substitute on the switch and then Baton Pass out of it. The fourth moveslot can also be Bulk Up, Work Up, or even Calm Mind if it would help your team, as that slot is mainly filler.</p>

<p>As this set is 100% countered by Sableye, you should make sure you carry something to take care of it. The cool thing about this is that this Pokemon can very easily be one of your Baton Pass recievers receivers. Speaking of which, good pass targets are obviously good teammates, especially if they can come out with a Substitute intact. Shaymin is probably the best at this, as it comes in on Slowbro/ or SlowkKing, Qwilfish, and Gligar, and has the typing and bulk to keep the Substitute intact during the pass. Zapdos and Rhyperior work well too, as they'll both manage to keep the Substitute up against Crobat, another common switch-in--&mdashwith the latter also being able to set up Stealth Rock.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Aerial Ace / Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Reckless / Regenerator
nature: Jolly / Naive Again Naive? Shouldn’t it be Hasty, since that’s the reason you gave it 4 SpD EVs?
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Thanks to its base 105 Speed stat, Mienshao raises the bar in UnderUused when it comes to fast revenge killers. When equipped with a Choice Scarf, Mienshao takes the title of fastest Pokemon in the tier, as other common users run neutral Speed natures. This has led to Mienshao undeniably becoming one of the better Choice Scarf users in the tier, on par with the likes of Flygon and Darmanitan, with its only drawback being the unreliability of its two main killing moves. Hi Jump Kick is Mienshao's generic STAB move; it's ridiculously powerful even unboosted, especially if you opt for Reckless. U-turn lets it act as an effective offensive pivot and momentum grabber, working in tandem with Regenerator to restore Mienshao's HP. Stone Edge offers coverage on Pokemon, such as Crobat and Zapdos, common non-Ghost-type switch-ins, to Hi Jump Kick. In the fourth slot, Aerial Ace gives you an additional way to check one of the most dangerous Pokemon in the tier, Heracross, as well as a way to revenge kill Virizion, Roserade, and opposing Mienshao without relyinghaving to rely on Hi Jump Kick. However, Hidden Power Ice attains coverage on Gligar, which would otherwise turn Mienshao into dead weight maybe specify how it would accomplish that?.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs are spread to maximize offenses and Speed, with an alternate spread of 252 Atk /40 SpA / 216 Spe being is usable, since there's really nothing you miss out on Speed-wise with this spread and it buff's Hidden Power. A Naive or Hasty nature should be used if running Hidden Power, keeping the move as strong as possible with only minimum investment. The choice between Reckless and Regenerator comes down to the argument of Ppower andvs. Ssurvivability - Put a semi-colon instead of an emdashdo you need Mienshao to decimate opponents with the click of a button, or would you rather be more conservative and have a backup plan in case Mienshao misses with Hi Jump Kick? If neither Aerial Ace or Hidden Power Ice are proving to be effective, Toxic may be run in the fourth slot to help Mienshao's teammates break through sturdy walls.</p>

<p>Because this Mienshao set is designed to primarily function as a revenge killer, it really has no better teammates. However, Dark- or Ghost-type Pokemon, such as Bisharp or Chandelure, make effective teammatespartners Optional for Mienshao as they can eliminate opposing Ghost-type Pokemon that can otherwise freely switch in on Hi Jump Kick. Pokemon that benefit from Mienshao U-Turning out of the likes of Slowbro and Sableye, such as Raikou, Tornadus, or any other fast sweepers, can also make good teammates for Mienshao, as they can use the momentum shift to generate opportunities to set up and beging their sweeps.</p>

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Hi Jump Kick
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Baton Pass
item: Life Orb
ability: Reckless / Regenerator
nature: Naive / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe What’s the point of giving 4 SpD EVs if you’re gonna use Naive?

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Taking a more offensive role as opposed to the more utility-offensive role it typically fills, Mienshao can utilize Swords Dance to rip opposing teams into piecesshreds Optional. Once backed by the Swords Dance boost, Hi Jump Kick becomes terrifyingly powerful if backed bywith Reckless, capable of dishing a lot of hurt to many defensive Pokemon found in the tier:</p>

<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 252/252+ Bronzong 123.67% - 145.56%</li>
<li>High Jump Kick vs. 252/252+ Suicune 104.21% - 122.77%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 248/244+ Slowbro 55.47% - 65.39%</li>
<li>High Jump Kick vs. 252/4 Claydol 95.06% - 111.73%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 252/252+ Gligar 44.91% - 52.99%</li>
<li>High Jump Kick vs. 248/236+ Zapdos 68.15% - 80.16%</li>
<li>High Jump Kick vs. 176/0 Crobat 54.37% - 64.23%</li>
</ul>

<p>Once Stealth Rock damage is factored in, everything in the tier suffers a 2HKO or OHKO from a Reckless +2 Hi Jump Kick, bar Ghost-type Pokemon. Stone Edge offers coverage to the many Pokemon that resist Fighting-type STABs, namely Ghost-type Pokemon, such as Sableye, Chandelure, or Cofagrigus, as all other Flying-, Poison, Bug-, or Psychic-type Pokemon are 2HKO'ed by Hi Jump Kick. Hidden Power Ice allows Mienshao to bypass Gligar without the need for a Swords Dance, but serves very little purpose beyond that point, while Baton Pass allows Mienshao to retreat while passing its boosts onto another Pokemon, such as Crobat or another mid-game Pokemon, giving them additional utility and a chance to open the game up.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs maximize power and Speed while preventing a Special Attack boost to Download Pokemon, such as Porygon2 or Porygon-Z, in the event that you use a Jolly nature. However, dropping the Speed EVs down to 216 is acceptable, as you won't miss out on anything other than tying with opposing base 105s, and it'll let you get some more power behind Hidden Power Ice. The choice of ability plays off of whether you're using Mienshao strictly as a sweeper or as a passer, as Reckless suits the sweeper better and Regenerator the passer.</p>

<p>Lures for the Pokemon that stop this set cold, such as Crobat, Sableye, or Cofagrigus, are this set's most useful partners. Another option is to weaken them before trying to sweep through the use of offensive partners with the same counters. Slowbro and(space)/(space)or Slowking will definitely be weakened enough Regenerator helps them, though for Mienshao to break them after dealing with a Life Orb Darmanitan or Arcanine, potentially closing the match out. If you run Baton Pass over Hidden Power Ice, something like Mixed Flygon with Draco Meteor can be used to take out Gligar and Sableye as the latter tries to Will-O-Wisp it expecting a Choice set. Head Smash Scrafty is a cool lure for Crobat, but comes at a hefty price, sacrificing the majority of Scrafty's HP.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Because of Mienshao's rather eclectic movepool, filler moves such as Knock Off, Taunt, Reflect, and Toxic can be used if so desired in many of Mienshao's fourth slots. A Specially-Attacking set running Aura Sphere, Grass Knot, Hidden Power, and a filler move can be used as an effective lure, catching many of its common checks off-guard. In the same manner, a Calm Mind set may seem tempting, but Mienshao cannot effectively pull it off, andtherefore isn't recommended. Mienshao also gets access to Payback, which may seem useful for getting past threats such as Cofagrigus and Slowbro, but because of its above-average Speed stat, it's too fast to make effective use of the move.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Ghost-types, especially Cofagrigus and Sableye, are arguably the best switch-ins to any Mienshao set, as they resist Hi Jump Kick, take paltry damage from Mienshao's other attacks, and can burn Mienshao, rendering it useless for the rest of the match. Bulky Pokemon that carry a resistance to Mienshao's Fighting-type STAB, such as Slowbro, Slowking, and Qwilfish, also make great checks to Mienshao, as they can effectively stomach most anything Mienshao throws their way. gGligar also makes an effective shutdown to Mienshao, but will be crapped all over on by Hidden Power Ice, which most sets run. Pokemon such as Crobat and Zapdos can take an unboosted Hi Jump Kick with ease, but must be weary of a super effective Stone Edge being hurled their way. Pokemon found in lower tiers, such as Amoonguss, can beat Mienshao through Ssleep or Pparalysis. Fast Choice Scarf users can also effectively manhandle Mienshao, but it always has the option of switching out and restoring its HP via Regenerator.</p>

Good job, you two


GP Approved 1/2
 
Reserving for an amateur check.

Something from a quick glance: in HTML you can write the em dashes as &mdash — not sure about spaces between them though. In Word, you can use Alt+0151 from the numpad, but I can't tell if it works the same for analyses so you should use &mdash for it. There's also the en dash in situations where em dash seems too big, done with Alt+0150 (though I don't know if it's &ndash for HTML code)

remove add comments

[Overview]

<p>For the first time in history, Mienshao makes its appearance in the UU Mmetagame--&mdashand just as everyone expected, it absolutely wrecks everything. For starters, it resides in the nigh-unmatched 105 speed tier of 105, where only extremely fast Pokemon such as Raikou and Azelf can ever hope to touch it. Its Attack stat matches that of the mighty Heracross, but its STAB move of choice, Hi Jump Kick, is actually stronger than Close Combat, meaning Mienshao actually out-damages the stag-beetle. To make matters even better, two of its abilities help make its Hi Jump Kick even scarier. On one hand we have Regenerator, which essentially makes sure Mienshao can afford to miss and not die to recoil unless it moved first and they attacked it. On the other, we have Reckless, which takes an already obscenely powerful move, and boosts it by another 20% to an astounding 156 Base Power. On top of all this, its very decent base 95 Special Attack allows it to also use special moves to defeat its would-be counters, namely Gligar and Slowbro. However, its defenses are downright terrible. Sitting at a mere 65/60/60, even unSTABed and/or resisted hits will do a considerable amount of damage, so you must keep this in mind when using this monster. Don't let Mienshao's one flaw discourage you, though; there's a reason why people are finding it hard to make teams without it, and it's easily one of the best Pokemon in the metagame at the moment.</p>

[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb
ability: Regenerator / Reckless
nature: Naive / Hasty Why is Naive the primary nature? Isn’t it better to not give Porygon-Z a SpA boost?
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is Mienshao's most common set--&mdashit has an extremely limited amount of safe switch-ins and will cause some severe pain to any team that lacks one of them. Hi Jump Kick is stronger than Heracross's Close Combat, and to give you an idea of how strong it is--&mdashit actually 2HKOs 252/252+ Suicune after Stealth Rock... without Reckless. U-turn lets it chip away at its counters while giving you momentum and has excellent synergy with Regenerator. Stone Edge lets it deal with many foes who resist its STAB; primarily Zapdos, Chandelure, and Crobat. Hidden Power Ice lets it get around one of its would-be counters--&mdashGligar--&mdashbeing able to finish it off over 90% of the time assuming it switches into Hi Jump Kick while Stealth Rock is on the field.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The choice between Mienshao's two great abilities, Regenerator and Reckless, comes down to longevity versus a considerable increase in power to Mienshao's STAB. While Regenerator helps Mienshao it stay alive for a very long time, Reckless does some cool things, such as pushing 0/0 Flygon from a 2HKO to an OHKO and 252/0 Swampert from a 3HKO to a 2HKO (both after Stealth Rock damage). The given EV spread simply maximizes Mienshao's fantastic offensive capabilities this could be scratched, according to what Aldaron has decided, but you can choose to drop this set's Speed down to 330 (requires 216 EVs) with no consequence other than giving up the Speed-tie against opposing Mienshao and the odd Mismagius. However, the added bulk or Special Attack that it would get out of doing so isn't usually worth it. If Gligar isn't an issue for you, Mienshao can also use more niche moves such as Grass Knot and Fake Out over Hidden Power Ice. Keep in mind, however, that Grass Knot fails to OHKO 252 HP Rhyperior (as does Reckless Hi Jump Kick) and Swampert, and does not 2HKO Slowbro either. Fake Out is even less useful, as it lacks any sort of boost and gives your opponent an opportunity to switch something in virtually for free. Should you choose not to use special moves on this set, you should use a Jolly nature and move the 4 SpA EVs to SpD to prevent Download users from getting a beneficial boost, should they come in to revenge-kill Mienshao. Choice Band is also a usable item on this set, but keep in mind that Regenerator will more than make up for Life Orb recoil and that Choice Band fails to boost Mienshao's special moves.</p>

<p>While tThis Mienshao works fairly welldecently on almost any balanced or offensive team, there are a few partners that work especially well with it. Due to its very noticeable fragilityfrailty, Mienshao will appreciate opportunities to come in without receiving any damage, making slower U-turn and Volt Switch users such as Gligar and Rotom-C good partners. The latter is especially useful, as it takes advantage of a couple of Mienshao's counters, namely Slowbro and Slowking. Choice Scarf Moxie Heracross is a great offensive partner, as Mienshao usually weakens its counters enough to allow it to sweep late-game. Slowbro/Slowking + Mienshao + Amoonguss form a cool Regenerator core that is really hard to wear down.</p>

[SET]
name: Substitute + Baton Pass
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Hi Jump Kick
move 4: Stone Edge / Swords Dance
item: Life Orb
ability: Regenerator
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Don't let this set's name fool you, as despite what you may think its primary purpose is not actually to Baton Pass Substitutes. Instead, it works in a variety of ways and can adapt to the opponent's team and strategy much more easily than any other Mienshao set. Under normal battle conditions, you use Substitute as you would on any random offensive Pokemon to ease prediction or get an additional hit in on a slower opponent coming in. For all intents and purposes, Baton Pass is to be used the same way as U-turn, as it achieves the same "switch" advantage as U-turn does. The true beauty of this set lies in that it's not dead weightdeadweight against opponents with hard-counters, as you can use Substitute on an opponent's switch to--&mdashfor example&mdash--Slowbro or Gligar, then Baton Pass to Shaymin or another Pokemon that takes advantage of them and proceed to destroy things from there. Mienshao's STAB Hi Jump Kick's sheer power is so scary that it usually allows it to use Substitute without a problem; and with Regenerator healing off all the lost HP creating them, Mienshao can continue to threaten the opponent's team for a very long time. Stone Edge provides coverage against Pokemon, such as Chandelure, Xatu, andor Zapdos, which resist or are immune to Mienshao's STAB.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EV spread simply maximizes Mienshao's relevant offensive stats what Aldaron said still applies here while preventing giving a Special Attack boost to Choice Scarf Porygon-Z attempting to revenge kill it. While it'll normally want to stick to the given moves, it can also choose to use Hidden Power Ice in the fourth moveslot to break Gligar, but most of the time it's better to just use Substitute on the switch and then Baton Pass out of it. The fourth moveslot can also be Bulk Up, Work Up, or even Calm Mind if it would help your team, as that slot is mainly filler.</p>

<p>As this set is 100% countered by Sableye, you should make sure you carry something to take care of it. The cool thing about this is that this Pokemon can very easily be one of your Baton Pass recievers. Speaking of which, good pass targets are obviously good teammates, especially if they can come out with a Substitute intact. Shaymin is probably the best at this, as it comes in on Slowbro/King, Qwilfish, and Gligar, and has the typing and bulk to keep the Substitute intact during the pass. Zapdos and Rhyperior work well too, as they'll both manage to keep the Substitute up against Crobat, another common switch-in--&mdashwith the latter also being able to set up Stealth Rock.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Aerial Ace / Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Reckless / Regenerator
nature: Jolly / Naive Again Naive? Shouldn’t it be Hasty, since that’s the reason you gave it 4 SpD EVs?
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Thanks to its base 105 Speed stat, Mienshao raises the bar in UnderUsed when it comes to fast revenge killers. When equipped with a Choice Scarf, Mienshao takes the title of fastest Pokemon in the tier, as other common users run neutral Speed natures. This has led to Mienshao undeniably becoming one of the better Choice Scarf users in the tier, on par with the likes of Flygon and Darmanitan, with its only drawback being the unreliability of its two main killing moves. Hi Jump Kick is Mienshao's generic STAB move; it's ridiculously powerful even unboosted, especially if you opt for Reckless. U-turn lets it act as an effective offensive pivot and momentum grabber, working in tandem with Regenerator to restore Mienshao's HP. Stone Edge offers coverage on Pokemon such as Crobat and Zapdos, common non-Ghost-type switch-ins to Hi Jump Kick. In the fourth slot, Aerial Ace gives you an additional way to check one of the most dangerous Pokemon in the tier, Heracross, as well as a way to revenge kill Virizion, Roserade, and opposing Mienshao without relyinghaving to rely on Hi Jump Kick. However, Hidden Power Ice attains coverage on Gligar, which would otherwise turn Mienshao into dead weight maybe specify how it would accomplish that?.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs are spread to maximize offenses and Speed, with an alternate spread of 252 Atk /40 SpA / 216 Spe being usable, since there's really nothing you miss out on Speed-wise with this spread and it buff's Hidden Power. A Naive or Hasty nature should be used if running Hidden Power, keeping the move as strong as possible with only minimum investment. The choice between Reckless and Regenerator comes down to the argument of Ppower andvs. Ssurvivability - do you need Mienshao to decimate opponents with the click of a button, or would you rather be more conservative and have a backup plan in case Mienshao misses with Hi Jump Kick? If neither Aerial Ace or Hidden Power Ice are proving to be effective, Toxic may be run in the fourth slot to help Mienshao's teammates break through sturdy walls.</p>

<p>Because this Mienshao set is designed to primarily function as a revenge killer, it really has no better teammates. However, Dark- or Ghost-type Pokemon, such as Bisharp or Chandelure, make effective teammatespartners for Mienshao as they can eliminate opposing Ghost-type Pokemon that can otherwise freely switch in on Hi Jump Kick. Pokemon that benefit from Mienshao U-Turning out of the likes of Slowbro and Sableye, such as Raikou, Tornadus, or any other fast sweepers, can also make good teammates for Mienshao, as they can use the momentum shift to generate opportunities to set up and beging their sweeps.</p>

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Hi Jump Kick
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Baton Pass
item: Life Orb
ability: Reckless / Regenerator
nature: Naive / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe What’s the point of giving 4 SpD EVs if you’re gonna use Naive?

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Taking a more offensive role as opposed to the more utility-offensive role it typically fills, Mienshao can utilize Swords Dance to rip opposing teams into piecesshreds. Once backed by the Swords Dance boost, Hi Jump Kick becomes terrifyingly powerful if backed bywith Reckless, capable of dishing a lot of hurt to many defensive Pokemon found in the tier:</p>

<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 252/252+ Bronzong 123.67% - 145.56%</li>
<li>High Jump Kick vs. 252/252+ Suicune 104.21% - 122.77%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 248/244+ Slowbro 55.47% - 65.39%</li>
<li>High Jump Kick vs. 252/4 Claydol 95.06% - 111.73%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 252/252+ Gligar 44.91% - 52.99%</li>
<li>High Jump Kick vs. 248/236+ Zapdos 68.15% - 80.16%</li>
<li>High Jump Kick vs. 176/0 Crobat 54.37% - 64.23%</li>
</ul>

<p>Once Stealth Rock damage is factored in, everything in the tier suffers a 2HKO or OHKO from Reckless +2 Hi Jump Kick, bar Ghost-type Pokemon. Stone Edge offers coverage to the many Pokemon that resist Fighting-type STAB, namely Ghost-type Pokemon, such as Sableye, Chandelure, or Cofagrigus, as all other Flying-, Poison, Bug-, or Psychic-type Pokemon are 2HKO'ed by Hi Jump Kick. Hidden Power Ice allows Miensho to bypass Gligar without the need for a Swords Dance, but serves very little purpose beyond that point, while Baton Pass allows Mienshao to retreat while passing its boosts onto another Pokemon, such as Crobat or another mid-game Pokemon, giving them additional utility and a chance to open the game up.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs maximize power and Speed while preventing a Special Attack boost to Download Pokemon, such as Porygon2 or Porygon-Z, in the event that you use a Jolly nature. However, dropping the Speed EVs down to 216 is acceptable, as you won't miss out on anything other than tying with opposing base 105s, and it'll let you get some more power behind Hidden Power Ice. The choice of ability plays off of whether you're using Mienshao strictly as a sweeper or as a passer, as Reckless suits the sweeper better and Regenerator the passer.</p>

<p>Lures for the Pokemon that stop this set cold, such as Crobat, Sableye, or Cofagrigus, are this set's most useful partners. Another option is to weaken them before trying to sweep through the use of offensive partners with the same counters. Slowbro and/or Slowking will definitely be weakened enough Regenerator helps them, though for Mienshao to break them after dealing with a Life Orb Darmanitan or Arcanine, potentially closing the match out. If you run Baton Pass over Hidden Power Ice, something like Mixed Flygon with Draco Meteor can be used to take out Gligar and Sableye as the latter tries to Will-O-Wisp it expecting a Choice set. Head Smash Scrafty is a cool lure for Crobat, but comes at a hefty price, sacrificing the majority of Scrafty's HP.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Because of Mienshao's rather eclectic movepool, filler moves such as Knock Off, Taunt, Reflect, and Toxic can be used if so desired in many of Mienshao's fourth slots. A Specially-Attacking set running Aura Sphere, Grass Knot, Hidden Power, and a filler move can be used as an effective lure, catching many of its common checks off-guard. In the same manner, a Calm Mind set may seem tempting, but Mienshao cannot effectively pull it off, andtherefore isn't recommended. Mienshao also gets access to Payback, which may seem useful for getting past threats such as Cofagrigus and Slowbro, but because of its above-average Speed stat, it's too fast to make effective use of the move.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Ghost-types, especially Cofagrigus and Sableye, are arguably the best switch-ins to any Mienshao set, as they resist Hi Jump Kick, take paltry damage from Mienshao's other attacks, and can burn Mienshao, rendering it useless for the rest of the match. Bulky Pokemon that carry a resistance to Mienshao's Fighting-type STAB, such as Slowbro, Slowking, and Qwilfish, also make great checks to Mienshao, as they can effectively stomach most anything Mienshao throws their way. gGligar also makes an effective shutdown to Mienshao, but will be crapped all over by Hidden Power Ice, which most sets run. Pokemon such as Crobat and Zapdos can take an unboosted Hi Jump Kick with ease, but must be weary of a super effective Stone Edge being hurled their way. Pokemon found in lower tiers, such as Amoonguss, can beat Mienshao through Ssleep or Pparalysis. Fast Choice Scarf users can also effectively manhandle Mienshao, but it always has the option of switching out and restoring its HP via Regenerator.</p>


Extremely well written, the only things I'd look over are the choice of nature (though it did pass QC, so there must be a reason for it) and explaining why you're using those EV spreads, though that can be argued about.

Great job overall, it was a really interesting read!
Working over Ernesto's check

Remove add

[Overview]

<p>For the first time in history, Mienshao makes its appearance in the UU Mmetagame--&mdashand just as everyone expected, it absolutely wrecks everything. For starters, it resides in the nigh-unmatched 105 speed tier of 105, where only extremely fast Pokemon such as Raikou and Azelf can ever hope to touch it. Its Attack stat matches that of the mighty Heracross, but its STAB move of choice, &mdash;Hi Jump Kick&mdash;, is actually stronger than Close Combat, meaning Mienshao actually out-damages the stag-beetle. To make matters even better, two of its abilities help make its Hi Jump Kick even scarier. On one hand we have Regenerator, which essentially makes sure Mienshao can afford to miss and not die to recoil unless it moved first and they attacked it. On the other, we have Reckless, which takes an already obscenely powerful move, and boosts it by another 20% to an astounding 156 Base Power. On top of all this, its very decent base 95 Special Attack allows it to also use special moves to defeat its would-be counters, namely Gligar and Slowbro. However, its defenses are downright terrible. Sitting at a mere 65/60/60, even unSTABed and/or resisted hits will do a considerable amount of damage, so you must keep this in mind when using this monster. Don't let Mienshao's one flaw discourage you, though; there's a reason why people are finding it hard to make teams without it, and it's easily one of the best Pokemon in the metagame at the moment.</p>

[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb
ability: Regenerator / Reckless
nature: Naive / Hasty Why is Naive the primary nature? Isn’t it better to not give Porygon-Z a SpA boost?
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is Mienshao's most common set--&mdashit has an extremely limited amount of safe switch-ins and will cause some severe pain to any team that lacks one of them. Hi Jump Kick is stronger than Heracross's Close Combat, and to give you an idea of how strong it is--&mdashit actually 2HKOs 252/252+ Suicune after Stealth Rock...even without without Reckless. U-turn lets it chip away at its counters while giving you momentum and has excellent synergy with Regenerator. Stone Edge lets it deal with many foes who resist its STAB;, primarily Zapdos, Chandelure, and Crobat. Hidden Power Ice lets it get around one of its would-be counters--&mdashGligar--&mdashbeing able to finish it off over 90% of the time assuming it switches into Hi Jump Kick while Stealth Rock is on the field.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The choice between Mienshao's two great abilities, Regenerator and Reckless, comes down to longevity versus a considerable increase in power to Mienshao's STAB. While Regenerator helps Mienshao it stay alive for a very long time, Reckless does some cool things, such as pushing 0/0 Flygon from a 2HKO to an OHKO and 252/0 Swampert from a 3HKO to a 2HKO (both after Stealth Rock damage). The given EV spread simply maximizes Mienshao's fantastic offensive capabilities this could be scratched, according to what Aldaron has decided, but you can choose to drop this set's Speed down to 330 (requires 216 EVs) with no consequence other than giving up the Speed-tie against opposing Mienshao and the odd Mismagius, although it requires requires 216 EVs to do so. However, the added bulk or Special Attack that it would get out of doing so isn't usually worth it. If Gligar isn't an issue for you, Mienshao can also use more niche other moves such as Grass Knot and Fake Out over Hidden Power Ice. Keep in mind, however, that Grass Knot fails to OHKO 252 HP Rhyperior (as does Reckless Hi Jump Kick) and Swampert, and does not 2HKO Slowbro either. Fake Out is even less useful, as it lacks any sort of boost and gives your opponent an opportunity to switch something in virtually for free. Should you choose not to use special moves on this set, you should use a Jolly nature and move the 4 Special Attack EVs to Special Defense to prevent Download users from getting a beneficial boost, should they come in to revenge-kill Mienshao. Choice Band is also a usable item on this set, but keep in mind that Regenerator will more than make up for Life Orb recoil and that Choice Band fails to boost Mienshao's special moves.</p>

<p>While tThis Mienshao works fairly welldecently Well works fine here on almost any balanced or offensive team, there are a few partners that work especially well with it. Due to its very noticeable fragilityfrailty, Mienshao will appreciate opportunities to come in without receiving any damage, making slower U-turn and Volt Switch users, such as Gligar and Rotom-C, good partners. The latter is especially useful, as it takes advantage of a couple of Mienshao's counters, namely Slowbro and Slowking. Choice Scarf Moxie Heracross is a great offensive partner, as Mienshao usually weakens its counters enough to allow it to sweep late-game. Slowbro(space)/(space)Slowking + Mienshao + Amoonguss form a cool Regenerator core that is really hard to wear down.</p>

[SET]
name: Substitute + Baton Pass
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Hi Jump Kick
move 4: Stone Edge / Swords Dance
item: Life Orb
ability: Regenerator
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Don't let this set's name fool you, as despite what you may think, its primary purpose is not actually to Baton Pass Substitutes. Instead, it works in a variety of ways and can adapt to the opponent's team and strategy much more easily than any other Mienshao set. Under normal battle conditions, you use Substitute as you would on any random offensive Pokemon to ease prediction or get an additional hit in on a slower opponent coming in. For all intents and purposes, Baton Pass is to be used the same way as U-turn, as it achieves the same "switch" advantage as U-turn does. The true beauty of this set lies in that it's not dead weightdeadweight "dead weight" is what it's supposed to be against opponents with hard-counters, as you can use Substitute on an opponent's switch to--&mdashfor example&mdash-- I wouldn't even use emdashes; just put for example after "Gligar" Slowbro or Gligar, then Baton Pass to Shaymin or another Pokemon that takes advantage of them and proceed to destroy things from there. Mienshao's STAB Hi Jump Kick's sheer power is so scary that it usually allows it to use Substitute without a problem; , and with Regenerator healing off all the lost HP creating them, Mienshao can continue to threaten the opponent's team for a very long time. Stone Edge provides coverage against Pokemon, such as Chandelure, Xatu, andor Zapdos, which resist or are immune to Mienshao's STAB.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EV spread simply maximizes Mienshao's relevant offensive stats what Aldaron said still applies here while preventing giving a Special Attack boost to Choice Scarf Porygon-Z attempting to revenge kill it. While it'll normally want to stick to the given moves, it can also choose to use Hidden Power Ice in the fourth moveslot to break Gligar, but most of the time it's better to just use Substitute on the switch and then Baton Pass out of it. The fourth moveslot can also be Bulk Up, Work Up, or even Calm Mind if it would help your team, as that slot is mainly filler.</p>

<p>As this set is 100% countered by Sableye, you should make sure you carry something to take care of it. The cool thing about this is that this Pokemon can very easily be one of your Baton Pass recievers receivers. Speaking of which, good pass targets are obviously good teammates, especially if they can come out with a Substitute intact. Shaymin is probably the best at this, as it comes in on Slowbro/ or SlowkKing, Qwilfish, and Gligar, and has the typing and bulk to keep the Substitute intact during the pass. Zapdos and Rhyperior work well too, as they'll both manage to keep the Substitute up against Crobat, another common switch-in--&mdashwith the latter also being able to set up Stealth Rock.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Aerial Ace / Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Reckless / Regenerator
nature: Jolly / Naive Again Naive? Shouldn’t it be Hasty, since that’s the reason you gave it 4 SpD EVs?
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Thanks to its base 105 Speed stat, Mienshao raises the bar in UnderUused when it comes to fast revenge killers. When equipped with a Choice Scarf, Mienshao takes the title of fastest Pokemon in the tier, as other common users run neutral Speed natures. This has led to Mienshao undeniably becoming one of the better Choice Scarf users in the tier, on par with the likes of Flygon and Darmanitan, with its only drawback being the unreliability of its two main killing moves. Hi Jump Kick is Mienshao's generic STAB move; it's ridiculously powerful even unboosted, especially if you opt for Reckless. U-turn lets it act as an effective offensive pivot and momentum grabber, working in tandem with Regenerator to restore Mienshao's HP. Stone Edge offers coverage on Pokemon, such as Crobat and Zapdos, common non-Ghost-type switch-ins, to Hi Jump Kick. In the fourth slot, Aerial Ace gives you an additional way to check one of the most dangerous Pokemon in the tier, Heracross, as well as a way to revenge kill Virizion, Roserade, and opposing Mienshao without relyinghaving to rely on Hi Jump Kick. However, Hidden Power Ice attains coverage on Gligar, which would otherwise turn Mienshao into dead weight maybe specify how it would accomplish that?.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EVs are spread to maximize offenses and Speed, with an alternate spread of 252 Atk /40 SpA / 216 Spe being is usable, since there's really nothing you miss out on Speed-wise with this spread and it buff's Hidden Power. A Naive or Hasty nature should be used if running Hidden Power, keeping the move as strong as possible with only minimum investment. The choice between Reckless and Regenerator comes down to the argument of Ppower andvs. Ssurvivability - Put a semi-colon instead of an emdashdo you need Mienshao to decimate opponents with the click of a button, or would you rather be more conservative and have a backup plan in case Mienshao misses with Hi Jump Kick? If neither Aerial Ace or Hidden Power Ice are proving to be effective, Toxic may be run in the fourth slot to help Mienshao's teammates break through sturdy walls.</p>

<p>Because this Mienshao set is designed to primarily function as a revenge killer, it really has no better teammates. However, Dark- or Ghost-type Pokemon, such as Bisharp or Chandelure, make effective teammatespartners Optional for Mienshao as they can eliminate opposing Ghost-type Pokemon that can otherwise freely switch in on Hi Jump Kick. Pokemon that benefit from Mienshao U-Turning out of the likes of Slowbro and Sableye, such as Raikou, Tornadus, or any other fast sweepers, can also make good teammates for Mienshao, as they can use the momentum shift to generate opportunities to set up and beging their sweeps.</p>

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Hi Jump Kick
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Baton Pass
item: Life Orb
ability: Reckless / Regenerator
nature: Naive / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe What’s the point of giving 4 SpD EVs if you’re gonna use Naive?

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Taking a more offensive role as opposed to the more utility-offensive role it typically fills, Mienshao can utilize Swords Dance to rip opposing teams into piecesshreds Optional. Once backed by the Swords Dance boost, Hi Jump Kick becomes terrifyingly powerful if backed bywith Reckless, capable of dishing a lot of hurt to many defensive Pokemon found in the tier:</p>

<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 252/252+ Bronzong 123.67% - 145.56%</li>
<li>High Jump Kick vs. 252/252+ Suicune 104.21% - 122.77%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 248/244+ Slowbro 55.47% - 65.39%</li>
<li>High Jump Kick vs. 252/4 Claydol 95.06% - 111.73%</li>
<li>Hi Jump Kick vs. 252/252+ Gligar 44.91% - 52.99%</li>
<li>High Jump Kick vs. 248/236+ Zapdos 68.15% - 80.16%</li>
<li>High Jump Kick vs. 176/0 Crobat 54.37% - 64.23%</li>
</ul>

<p>Once Stealth Rock damage is factored in, everything in the tier suffers a 2HKO or OHKO from a Reckless +2 Hi Jump Kick, bar Ghost-type Pokemon. Stone Edge offers coverage to the many Pokemon that resist Fighting-type STABs, namely Ghost-type Pokemon, such as Sableye, Chandelure, or Cofagrigus, as all other Flying-, Poison, Bug-, or Psychic-type Pokemon are 2HKO'ed by Hi Jump Kick. Hidden Power Ice allows Mienshao to bypass Gligar without the need for a Swords Dance, but serves very little purpose beyond that point, while Baton Pass allows Mienshao to retreat while passing its boosts onto another Pokemon, such as Crobat or another mid-game Pokemon, giving them additional utility and a chance to open the game up.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs maximize power and Speed while preventing a Special Attack boost to Download Pokemon, such as Porygon2 or Porygon-Z, in the event that you use a Jolly nature. However, dropping the Speed EVs down to 216 is acceptable, as you won't miss out on anything other than tying with opposing base 105s, and it'll let you get some more power behind Hidden Power Ice. The choice of ability plays off of whether you're using Mienshao strictly as a sweeper or as a passer, as Reckless suits the sweeper better and Regenerator the passer.</p>

<p>Lures for the Pokemon that stop this set cold, such as Crobat, Sableye, or Cofagrigus, are this set's most useful partners. Another option is to weaken them before trying to sweep through the use of offensive partners with the same counters. Slowbro and(space)/(space)or Slowking will definitely be weakened enough Regenerator helps them, though for Mienshao to break them after dealing with a Life Orb Darmanitan or Arcanine, potentially closing the match out. If you run Baton Pass over Hidden Power Ice, something like Mixed Flygon with Draco Meteor can be used to take out Gligar and Sableye as the latter tries to Will-O-Wisp it expecting a Choice set. Head Smash Scrafty is a cool lure for Crobat, but comes at a hefty price, sacrificing the majority of Scrafty's HP.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Because of Mienshao's rather eclectic movepool, filler moves such as Knock Off, Taunt, Reflect, and Toxic can be used if so desired in many of Mienshao's fourth slots. A Specially-Attacking set running Aura Sphere, Grass Knot, Hidden Power, and a filler move can be used as an effective lure, catching many of its common checks off-guard. In the same manner, a Calm Mind set may seem tempting, but Mienshao cannot effectively pull it off, andtherefore isn't recommended. Mienshao also gets access to Payback, which may seem useful for getting past threats such as Cofagrigus and Slowbro, but because of its above-average Speed stat, it's too fast to make effective use of the move.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Ghost-types, especially Cofagrigus and Sableye, are arguably the best switch-ins to any Mienshao set, as they resist Hi Jump Kick, take paltry damage from Mienshao's other attacks, and can burn Mienshao, rendering it useless for the rest of the match. Bulky Pokemon that carry a resistance to Mienshao's Fighting-type STAB, such as Slowbro, Slowking, and Qwilfish, also make great checks to Mienshao, as they can effectively stomach most anything Mienshao throws their way. gGligar also makes an effective shutdown to Mienshao, but will be crapped all over on by Hidden Power Ice, which most sets run. Pokemon such as Crobat and Zapdos can take an unboosted Hi Jump Kick with ease, but must be weary of a super effective Stone Edge being hurled their way. Pokemon found in lower tiers, such as Amoonguss, can beat Mienshao through Ssleep or Pparalysis. Fast Choice Scarf users can also effectively manhandle Mienshao, but it always has the option of switching out and restoring its HP via Regenerator.</p>

Good job, you two


GP Approved 1/2
Yes, thank you you two. I'll get that edited in right away.

Aslo, Naive was run to allow Mienshao to handle priority moves more easily than it would with a Hasty Nature. No Porygon-Z will be staying in on Mienshao anyways.
 
Yea, I assumed that would be a good reason, but I felt like it went against the 4 SpD EVs you put in some sets. That said, while I acknowledge that Porygon-Z wouldn't switch in on it, Scarf Z could revenge, and it's hard to stop +1 Tri Attacks from beating you if you don't have a Specially Defensive Steel-type or a Ghost... Believe you me I know what I'm saying lol (it 2HKOed my Cobalion and would've swept me if I hadn't been able to put it to sleep; it wasn't even Scarfed, I think).

Either way I had a great time reading it.

The reason I changed 'well' and 'teammates' were to not repeat them one sentence apart, though I'm pretty sure they sound better than 'decently' and 'partners', lol. And I can't believe I missed the 'receivers' when I double checked it in Word and here T_T

EDIT: Oh and I just realised em dashes go with a semicolon '&mdash;' in HTML, you need to change the ones I corrected so they appear... Sorry about that!
EDIT 2: Did I double post it? Sorry, I didn't realise!!
 

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