Yoshi
IT'S FINK DUMBASS
A Basic Analysis on Manaphy
Manaphy is an amazing Water type Pokémon with extreme versatility, as well as an amazing set up move, Tail Glow. With base 100 stats across the board, it is hard to hurt a Pokémon like it. It makes a good U-Turner so Pokémon that check and counter can’t hurt it if played right. It can also hide behind a substitute and protect, so it can block attacks and learn the opposing Pokémon’s move set. Despite this, it has one slight downfall if used incorrectly, which is hazards if you are using the wrong set or don’t have a spinner or a defogger. However, it has another huge downfall that Manaphy cannot deal with, which we will talk about later.
First, I’ll be talking about it’s set up. It’s best set up move is Tail Glow, which raises SpA by 2.5x. Take that into consideration, and take it’s max special attack. 328 times 2.5 = 820 special attack. Now, that stat may seem low at first glance, considering mons like x4 attack Excadrill. However, this puts in a TON of work. Check out this calculation: +3 252 SpA Manaphy Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Serperior: 424-500 (145.7 - 171.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO. A huge threat to Manaphy is now gone. With Tangrowth now OU, it becomes more of a common threat to Manaphy. However: +3 252 SpA Manaphy Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Tangrowth: 294-348 (72.7 - 86.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO. While this is a 2KHO, 52.8% of the items used on Tangrowth is rocky helmet, but Assault Vest follows with 40%. This is one of Manaphy only downfalls, but if you get up 2 Tail Glows you’ll be good. Another set up move it could use is Calm Mind, but in my opinion it isn’t as easy to set up with, even with the 1.5x SpD.
Next up is it’s U-Turn. This move is uncommon, but it’s very useful on U-Turn functioned teams. It can be used to swap out from Pokémon that would hurt it, such as Serperior and Tangrowth, which were mentioned before. An argument against this strategy is it doesn’t need to swap out because of Tail Glow. However, U-Turn Manaphy doesn’t run Tail Glow. Instead it’s used as a pivot to get some to a lot of damage off on threating Pokémon, and U-Turn out if Manaphy is threatened. This set is amazing when paired up with a spinner or defogger, because hazards will hurt if you choose not to run leftovers, which is mandatory.
The final move/set I’ll be talking about is Rain Dance. Rain Dance can be run with Tail Glow and U-Turn (but not U-Turn and Tail Glow in the same set). Manaphy’s Hydration ability takes advantage of the rain and heals it’s status at the end of every turn. This is especially help full with Tail Glow when trying to set up. Also, leftovers work amazing with this because now you can heal both health and status without using a move. However, it is hard to set up since it requires at least 2 turns which could give time for another Pokémon to set up or knockout Manaphy.
Now, Manaphy’s biggest downfall is Mega Venusaur. It can almost do nothing to touch it, even with Ice Beam. +3 252 SpA Manaphy Ice Beam vs. 248 HP / 144 SpD Thick Fat Mega Venusaur: 156-184 (42.9 - 50.6%) -- 2.3% chance to 2HKO. That calculation was based off of the defensive Mega Venusaur with 1 Tail Glow up. +3 252 SpA Manaphy Ice Beam vs. 232 HP / 4 SpD Thick Fat Mega Venusaur: 174-206 (48.4 - 57.3%) -- 91.8% chance to 2HKO. That calculation was based off of the offensive Mega Venusaur with 1 Tail Glow up. Now let’s see what Mega Venusaur can do to Manaphy. 252+ SpA Mega Venusaur Giga Drain vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 258-306 (75.6 - 89.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery. This may not be an OKHO but this gives Mega Venusaur a HUGE chunk of health back, and this is extremely threating to Manaphy. That is why I recommend Tornadus-Therian as a partner for Manaphy. It helps with the grass types, (Such as Mega Venusaur and Tangrowth) and forces them to switch back. Therefore, Mega Venusaur won’t be much of a problem if you have Tornadus-Therian or other good Flying types like Talonflame. But, Manaphy does get access to Psychic which could easily OHKO with 1 Tail Glow up, which is the best way to deal with Mega Venusaur with Manaphy, however, it’s always better to have a backup plan. The backup plan is in case Manaphy can’t come out on the Mega Venusaur because it needs that Tail Glow to have a chance to OHKO, which isn’t reliable. It also should be noted that all of the previous calculations had 1 Tail Glow up. Another slight problem is Volcanion which Manaphy can’t do super effective damage to with it’s standard moves. Ancient Power and Hidden Power Electric are there, however, if you would like to run those moves.
Next up we have the sets:
1: This one is the Tail Glow set:
Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Tail Glow
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Energy Ball
This set is the most popular, using Tail Glow to it’s advantage with great coverage to support it. Scald has a chance to burn which is great against Mega Heracross and Excadrill. Ice Beam is great coverage for grass, but it unfortunately cannot touch Mega Venusaur and Ferrothorn. The Energy Ball is extra support for Water types that want to switch in.
2: Now we have the U-Turn set, extremely similar to the last set.
Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- U-Turn
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Energy Ball
This set isn’t on the Smogon Manaphy page, but I believe it should be. The only difference is U-Turn instead of Tail Glow. U-Turn is there so Manaphy can switch out on threats and is there as a pivot like explained before. Unfortunately, due to the similarities between the sets, I cannot say anything further about this set.
3: The third and final set is Rain Dance + Tail Glow. U-Turn + Rain Dance is the same just replace Tail Glow with it.
Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Tail Glow
- Rain Dance
- Scald
- Psychic
This set is hard to set up with as it gives other Pokémon the chance to set up or knockout Manaphy. However, if you do get the full set up, your Manaphy is near unstoppable. With this set, Psychic could be replaced with Energy Ball or Ice Beam. But Psychic is there for Pokémon like Mega Venusaur, Mega Heracross, and Mega Lopunny. Scald is there for the obvious fire types, but this set does not do well against Volcanion. But, as I mentioned before, Ancient Power and Hidden Power Electric are there.
Some good other options are moves like Shadow Ball, just to do extra damage against Pokémon like Gengar and Mew. Another move is Dazzling Gleam which could be used against opposing Fighting and Dragon types. Also, Signal Beam is there but is not recommended. Knock Off is there as an option, but most Manaphys are special.
All in all, Manaphy is an amazing versatile Pokémon with great stats, and can deal with other Pokémon with ease. It also has very few downfalls and while I did not talk about substitute, it is a very good option, but you have to make some unfortunate move changes to fit it on a set. In short, it’s an amazing Pokémon overall.
(Also, if you've seen this analysis anywhere else it's because I posted it in the wrong section on accident.)
Manaphy is an amazing Water type Pokémon with extreme versatility, as well as an amazing set up move, Tail Glow. With base 100 stats across the board, it is hard to hurt a Pokémon like it. It makes a good U-Turner so Pokémon that check and counter can’t hurt it if played right. It can also hide behind a substitute and protect, so it can block attacks and learn the opposing Pokémon’s move set. Despite this, it has one slight downfall if used incorrectly, which is hazards if you are using the wrong set or don’t have a spinner or a defogger. However, it has another huge downfall that Manaphy cannot deal with, which we will talk about later.
First, I’ll be talking about it’s set up. It’s best set up move is Tail Glow, which raises SpA by 2.5x. Take that into consideration, and take it’s max special attack. 328 times 2.5 = 820 special attack. Now, that stat may seem low at first glance, considering mons like x4 attack Excadrill. However, this puts in a TON of work. Check out this calculation: +3 252 SpA Manaphy Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Serperior: 424-500 (145.7 - 171.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO. A huge threat to Manaphy is now gone. With Tangrowth now OU, it becomes more of a common threat to Manaphy. However: +3 252 SpA Manaphy Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Tangrowth: 294-348 (72.7 - 86.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO. While this is a 2KHO, 52.8% of the items used on Tangrowth is rocky helmet, but Assault Vest follows with 40%. This is one of Manaphy only downfalls, but if you get up 2 Tail Glows you’ll be good. Another set up move it could use is Calm Mind, but in my opinion it isn’t as easy to set up with, even with the 1.5x SpD.
Next up is it’s U-Turn. This move is uncommon, but it’s very useful on U-Turn functioned teams. It can be used to swap out from Pokémon that would hurt it, such as Serperior and Tangrowth, which were mentioned before. An argument against this strategy is it doesn’t need to swap out because of Tail Glow. However, U-Turn Manaphy doesn’t run Tail Glow. Instead it’s used as a pivot to get some to a lot of damage off on threating Pokémon, and U-Turn out if Manaphy is threatened. This set is amazing when paired up with a spinner or defogger, because hazards will hurt if you choose not to run leftovers, which is mandatory.
The final move/set I’ll be talking about is Rain Dance. Rain Dance can be run with Tail Glow and U-Turn (but not U-Turn and Tail Glow in the same set). Manaphy’s Hydration ability takes advantage of the rain and heals it’s status at the end of every turn. This is especially help full with Tail Glow when trying to set up. Also, leftovers work amazing with this because now you can heal both health and status without using a move. However, it is hard to set up since it requires at least 2 turns which could give time for another Pokémon to set up or knockout Manaphy.
Now, Manaphy’s biggest downfall is Mega Venusaur. It can almost do nothing to touch it, even with Ice Beam. +3 252 SpA Manaphy Ice Beam vs. 248 HP / 144 SpD Thick Fat Mega Venusaur: 156-184 (42.9 - 50.6%) -- 2.3% chance to 2HKO. That calculation was based off of the defensive Mega Venusaur with 1 Tail Glow up. +3 252 SpA Manaphy Ice Beam vs. 232 HP / 4 SpD Thick Fat Mega Venusaur: 174-206 (48.4 - 57.3%) -- 91.8% chance to 2HKO. That calculation was based off of the offensive Mega Venusaur with 1 Tail Glow up. Now let’s see what Mega Venusaur can do to Manaphy. 252+ SpA Mega Venusaur Giga Drain vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 258-306 (75.6 - 89.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery. This may not be an OKHO but this gives Mega Venusaur a HUGE chunk of health back, and this is extremely threating to Manaphy. That is why I recommend Tornadus-Therian as a partner for Manaphy. It helps with the grass types, (Such as Mega Venusaur and Tangrowth) and forces them to switch back. Therefore, Mega Venusaur won’t be much of a problem if you have Tornadus-Therian or other good Flying types like Talonflame. But, Manaphy does get access to Psychic which could easily OHKO with 1 Tail Glow up, which is the best way to deal with Mega Venusaur with Manaphy, however, it’s always better to have a backup plan. The backup plan is in case Manaphy can’t come out on the Mega Venusaur because it needs that Tail Glow to have a chance to OHKO, which isn’t reliable. It also should be noted that all of the previous calculations had 1 Tail Glow up. Another slight problem is Volcanion which Manaphy can’t do super effective damage to with it’s standard moves. Ancient Power and Hidden Power Electric are there, however, if you would like to run those moves.
Next up we have the sets:
1: This one is the Tail Glow set:
Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Tail Glow
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Energy Ball
This set is the most popular, using Tail Glow to it’s advantage with great coverage to support it. Scald has a chance to burn which is great against Mega Heracross and Excadrill. Ice Beam is great coverage for grass, but it unfortunately cannot touch Mega Venusaur and Ferrothorn. The Energy Ball is extra support for Water types that want to switch in.
2: Now we have the U-Turn set, extremely similar to the last set.
Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- U-Turn
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Energy Ball
This set isn’t on the Smogon Manaphy page, but I believe it should be. The only difference is U-Turn instead of Tail Glow. U-Turn is there so Manaphy can switch out on threats and is there as a pivot like explained before. Unfortunately, due to the similarities between the sets, I cannot say anything further about this set.
3: The third and final set is Rain Dance + Tail Glow. U-Turn + Rain Dance is the same just replace Tail Glow with it.
Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Tail Glow
- Rain Dance
- Scald
- Psychic
This set is hard to set up with as it gives other Pokémon the chance to set up or knockout Manaphy. However, if you do get the full set up, your Manaphy is near unstoppable. With this set, Psychic could be replaced with Energy Ball or Ice Beam. But Psychic is there for Pokémon like Mega Venusaur, Mega Heracross, and Mega Lopunny. Scald is there for the obvious fire types, but this set does not do well against Volcanion. But, as I mentioned before, Ancient Power and Hidden Power Electric are there.
Some good other options are moves like Shadow Ball, just to do extra damage against Pokémon like Gengar and Mew. Another move is Dazzling Gleam which could be used against opposing Fighting and Dragon types. Also, Signal Beam is there but is not recommended. Knock Off is there as an option, but most Manaphys are special.
All in all, Manaphy is an amazing versatile Pokémon with great stats, and can deal with other Pokémon with ease. It also has very few downfalls and while I did not talk about substitute, it is a very good option, but you have to make some unfortunate move changes to fit it on a set. In short, it’s an amazing Pokémon overall.
(Also, if you've seen this analysis anywhere else it's because I posted it in the wrong section on accident.)
