Status said:In Progress [_]
QC 2/2 [x] [x]
GP 2/2 [x] [x]
Done
Mankey
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[Overview]
<p>Mankey is a predictable, yet effective Pokemon that immediately poses an offensive threat with a good physical movepool and high Attack stat. With three great abilities in Vital Spirit, Anger Point, and Defiance, Mankey can switch in on many attacks unaffected. With Mankey's popular Choice Scarf set, it can check a wide variety of threats including Houndour and Scraggy. However, it has its flaws. Mienfoo arguably does Mankey's job better with higher Attack, a better ability, and access to the powerful Hi Jump Kick. Mankey also got almost nothing new this time around to use effectively. Still, underestimate Mankey at your own peril, as it will always be a reliable and useful Pokemon to have on your team.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Final Gambit
move 4: Punishment
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly
ability: Vital Spirit
evs: 116 HP / 196 Atk / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With its good Speed and Attack stats, Mankey plays the role of a revenge killer very well. Close Combat is a great move that Mankey can abuse to deal big chunks of damage and switch out without worrying about the drops to its defensive stats. With a Choice Scarf, Mankey can also outspeed key threats such as Scraggy and Axew. Close Combat gives Mankey a very distinct advantage over Mienfoo and its High Jump Kick, allowing Mankey to comfortably abuse its Fighting STAB without having to predict a switch to a Ghost-type. With U-turn, Mankey can switch out while causing damage along with scouting the opponent's switch-in. Since it lures in Psychic-types, Mankey can utilize this strategy very effectively. When a Psychic-type switches in, Mankey can smack it with a super effective U-turn and go to the appropriate Pokemon to finish it off. Final Gambit is an attack that will easily defeat walls since Mankey has a relatively high HP stat to use this strategy effectively.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Mankey makes a great lead due to its ability to switch while doing damage with U-turn. It has Assurance too, and can use it instead of Punishment if desired; however, Punishment will always be stronger unless the foe is hit with residual damage before Mankey attacks. Due to Death Gambit working better the more HP Mankey has, you can swap the Attack EVs with HP EVs if you're using Mankey mainly for Death Gambit, though this will be a big waste of its offensive capabilities.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + Encore
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Encore
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Close Combat / Cross Chop
item: Oran Berry
nature: Jolly
ability: Anger Point
EVs: 196 HP / 36 Atk / 76 Def / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is based on Mankey's ability to lock Pokemon into setup moves by using Encore. Mankey and Machop are the only two Fighting-types with access to Encore, and Mankey arguably does it better with higher Speed. Many threats that would normally set up on Mankey successfully such as Gastly will be locked into their setup move. Substitute allows Mankey to scout the opponent's move to see if it's Encore-worthy; this is especially helpful to block status moves and lock the foe into them. U-turn allows Mankey to scout the opponent's switch when they're locked into a status move. It also lets Mankey do some damage while it switches to a set up sweeper if the foe decides to stay in. Close Combat and Cross Chop are both powerful Fighting-type moves that Mankey can utilize effectively. Close Combat is the stronger of the two, but it will lower both of Mankey's defenses after use. Since this set is supposed to be bulky rather than offensive, Cross Chop is worth consideration to keep Mankey's defenses at an acceptable level while still boast a high Base Power.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Mankey is EVed to be bulky rather than strong, but if you wish to trade durability for power, you can use an EV spread of 116 HP / 196 Atk / 196 Spe. If you want Mankey to take special hits better, you may move the 76 Defense EVs to Special Defense. Anger Point is the preferred ability as Mankey will become extremely powerful if hit by a critical hit behind a Substitute. However, if you wish to use Vital Spirit to allow Mankey to switch into random sleep-inducing moves, it is also an option. Since Mankey will often get the chance to set up a Substitute, Focus Punch can also be used in the last slot for maximum power.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Mankey doesn't have too many other options to work with. Assurance is an option over Punishment to hit Ghost-types switch-ins that are hit with Stealth Rock. Mankey has access to Claw Sharpen which can be used to boost its already high Attack while also grabbing an Accuracy boost. Choice Band is another option on the Choice Scarf set to boost Mankey's Attack, but it will lose its ability to check Scraggy.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Bulky Ghost- and Psychic-types such as Frillish, Solosis, and Natu can all switch into Close Combat and KO Mankey. Natu, as mentioned before, can switch in on the SubEncore set with ease.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Mankey's Dream World ability is Defiance. With Defiance, Mankey can switch into Pokemon with Intimidate and gain an Attack boost. Pokemon that try to lower Mankey's attack such as Sandile with Intimidate will also fail to do so as Defiance will instead increase Mankey's Attack.</p>