bludz
a waffle is like a pancake with a syrup trap
QC: p2, DennisEG, Colonel M
GP: CryoGyro
[OVERVIEW]
* Manaphy has always been an exceptional wallbreaker because of its access to Tail Glow, which allows it to accrue Special Attack at an absurd rate.
* With very good natural bulk and a defensive typing with only 2 weaknesses, Manaphy can find many opportunities to set up a Tail Glow.
* Manaphy's access to a wide variety of coverage options makes it difficult to switch into for faster pokemon, which are usually the best way to check it.
* Waterium Z allows Manaphy to fire off an extremely powerful Hydro Vortex one time or to set up a Z-Rain Dance, which gives it a speed boost, furthering its ability to sweep and improving its matchup against faster pokemon and teams.
* Manaphy's somewhat low speed tier can prevent it from sweeping, and even at +1 there are some Choice Scarf users that can still outspeed it.
* While Manaphy's coverage is very good, it is incapable of covering the entire metagame in just 3 moves, so it will be vulnerable to different Pokemon depending on its coverage.
* Waterium Z variants miss out on Leftovers recovery, which often works in tandem with Manaphy's natural bulk to set up a sweep.
[SET]
name: Z Manaphy
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Rain Dance
move 3: Surf
move 4: Psychic / Energy Ball
item: Waterium Z
ability: Hydration
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Tail Glow allows Manaphy to boost its Special Attack by three stages in one turn.
* Rain Dance works in conjunction with Hydration to heal status conditions as well as boost Surf's power. Rain Dance can also be used with Waterium Z to boost Manaphy's Speed by one stage.
* Surf is the STAB move of choice; the negligible damage from burns makes Surf's raw damage output preferable to Scald's burn chance.
* Psychic in the last moveslot allows Manaphy to defeat Mega Venusaur, Toxapex, and Amoonguss.
* Energy Ball is an option for beating down bulky Water-types like Tapu Fini and Rotom-W without using Hydro Vortex.
* Ice Beam provides coverage against Dragon- and Grass-types such as Latios, Tapu Bulu, and Tangrowth.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Special Attack EVs provide Manaphy with more power with which to break through opposing pokemon.
* Maximum Speed EVs with a Timid Nature allow Manaphy to outspeed threats such as Tapu Lele and speed tie with other speed-boosting nature base 100 Speed Pokemon. Having maximum speed is particularly helpful when using the +1 speed boost from Z-Rain Dance.
* The item of choice is Waterium Z because it gives Manaphy two options. The first is the ability to set up Z-Rain Dance, which nets +1 Speed as well as setting up Rain. The other is to fire off a powerful 175-Base Power Hydro Vortex to break through pokemon that Manaphy does not have super effective coverage for.
Usage Tips
========
* Manaphy should be treated as either a late-game sweeper or a holepuncher, depending on the matchup.
* Against bulkier teams, use Manaphy early- or mid-game to bust open holes for other members of the team to clean up. Hydro Vortex can be used in these matchups to help deal maximum damage, while Rain Dance can be used without the Z-Crystal. Alternatively, Manaphy can be saved for late-game once its checks and counters have been sufficiently weakened or removed.
* Against more offensive teams, Manaphy can use its natural bulk to find opportunities to set up a Tail Glow and threaten to get a KO. In some cases, it will be possible to also set up Z-Rain Dance and perform a sweep. Often, Z-Rain Dance will not be enough to sweep on its own unless the opposing team has been severely weakened because Manaphy is not that powerful without a Tail Glow boost.
* VoltTurn is great for getting Manaphy free switches against pokemon it threatens such as Heatran and Alolan Marowak.
* Because this Manaphy set lacks Leftovers, it's not recommended to switch it directly into attacks if you plan on using it as a wincon. If not, it can be switched into more passive pokemon or those that can't deal much damage to it.
* Manaphy relies on having near-full HP to take hits and set up, so it is recommended to pair it with entry hazard removers.
Team Options
========
* Mega Scizor is an excellent partner because it can pivot out on Fire-types such as Alolan Marowak and Heatran to provide Manaphy with many opportunities to set up.
* Jirachi helps Manaphy by checking faster Dragon-types such as Latios and providing U-turn and Healing Wish support.
* Mega Metagross also pairs well with Manaphy due to its ability to Pursuit trap Latios and surprise other Manaphy checks with coverage moves - Mantine with Thunder Punch, Ferrothorn with Hammer Arm, and so on.
* Magnezone helps to eliminate Ferrothorn, which is one of the biggest annoyances to Manaphy. It's also helpful for Tapu Koko to an extent.
* Alolan Marowak helps Manaphy with its weakness to Electric-types such as Tapu Koko as well as Grass-types such as Tangrowth and Serperior.
* Tapu Koko can beat down bulky Water-types for Manaphy, while Manaphy threatens Alolan Marowak and bulky Ground-types in return.
* Tapu Bulu similarly threatens bulky Water-types and provides Grassy Terrain support to help heal Manaphy slightly. Manaphy can threaten many of Tapu Bulu's best checks such as Skarmory, Celesteela, and Mega Scizor, and can help to overload Ferrothorn and lure Mega Venusaur.
* Tornadus-T is a good partner that helps check Grass-types, provides momentum, and has 100% accurate Hurricanes in rain.
[SET]
name: Tail Glow + 3 Attacks
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Surf
move 3: Ice Beam / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Energy Ball
item: Leftovers / Wacan Berry
ability: Hydration
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Tail Glow is mandatory on all Manaphy sets to boost its Special Attack greatly.
* Surf is the STAB move of choice because of its reliable damage output.
* Ice Beam hits Dragon- and Grass-types such as Latios and Tangrowth that might be used to check Manaphy.
* Energy Ball can be used to defeat opposing Water-types such as Tapu Fini.
* Hidden Power Fire allows Manaphy to effectively lure Ferrothorn and deal with Mega Scizor.
* Psychic can be used for bulky Poison-types that resist Surf, mainly Mega Venusaur and Toxapex.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Special Attack puts more power behind Manaphy's attacks.
* Maximum Speed with a Timid Nature allows Manaphy to Speed tie with other Speed-boosting nature base 100 Speed Pokemon.
* Leftovers provides Manaphy with more longevity to check pokemon such as Heatran and get more setup opportunities.
* Wacan Berry is an option for Manaphy to be able to take a hit from Electric-types such as Magnezone.
Usage Tips
========
* Against bulkier teams, Manaphy should be used to plow through slower pokemon after one or two Tail Glow boosts. Set up against pokemon that can't touch Manaphy such as Mega Sableye and Celesteela.
* Against offensive teams, Manaphy should be used to check specific threats such as Fire- and Ground-types. It can also use these pokemon to set up and then fire off powerful attacks that are difficult to switch into.
* In general, Manaphy appreciates Pursuit support to remove Latios, which is one of its main checks.
* Pivoting move users provide great support for Manaphy, since they help it get free turns to set up and limits the damage it takes upon switching in.
Team Options
========
* Steel-types like Mega Scizor and Mega Metagross help with Latios and appreciate Manaphy's ability to threaten their checks such as Heatran and Landorus-T, respectively.
* Sweepers and late-game cleaners such as Excadrill, Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, and Pheromosa appreciate Manaphy's wallbreaking capabilities and ability to threaten many of their common checks.
* Weavile is a nice partner for Manaphy for its ability to Pursuit trap common checks such as Latios and threaten faster teams with its speed tier.
* Mega Alakazam can check pokemon such as Tapu Koko and Kartana, which otherwise might be problematic for Manaphy.
* Magnezone is great for removing opposing Ferrothorn that can get in Manaphy's way.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* A Calm Mind + Rain Dance set can be used as a bulky set up sweeper and status absorber, but the metagame's strong attackers are not kind to it.
* U-turn is an option on Tail Glow sets to retain momentum for the team, but loses out on useful coverage.
* Non-Waterium Z Z-Crystals could be used as one-time ways to beat lured switch-ins (such as Subzero Slammer on Latios) but is too situational.
* Scald can be used as an alternative to Surf to fish for burns, but isn't recommended on Waterium Z sets because of the large drop in power on Hydro Vortex. The low damage burn does per turn also means that Surf's higher base power is usually preferred.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-types**: Ferrothorn and Assault Vest Tangrowth are some of the best Manaphy checks, but Ferrothorn has to beware Hidden Power Fire variants. Kartana and Serperior outspeed Manaphy and threaten to KO with super effective STAB moves. Mega Venusaur is tricky for Manaphy to deal with if lacking Psychic, since it can tank a +3 Hydro Vortex or Ice Beam and retaliate with Giga Drain. Amoonguss doesn't take its attacks too well, but specially defensive variants can beat non-Psychic or Ice Beam Manaphy. Tapu Bulu checks non-Ice Beam Manaphy.
**Water-types**: Mantine and Toxapex can Haze away Manaphy's stat boosts and laugh off moves outside of Hidden Power Electric (as well as Psychic for the latter). Tapu Fini, Rotom-W, and Slowking can take on non-Energy Ball variants of Manaphy decently well.
**Dragon-types**: Latios and Latias outspeed Manaphy and can threaten it with Draco Meteor or Thunderbolt. Kyurem-Bcan usually take one boosted hit and retaliate with Fusion Bolt.
**Electric-types**: Tapu Koko is a big threat to any non-Wacan Berry Manaphy set, as it outspeeds and threatens to OHKO. Thundurus also an offensive check to it.
**Faster threats**: Mega Alakazam, Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Pheromosa, Greninja, and Meta Metagross are among many pokemon that can revenge kill Manaphy after a bit of prior damage.
**Shedinja**: Thanks to Wonder Guard, Shedinja walls Manaphy lacking Shadow Ball or Hidden Power Fire.
GP: CryoGyro
[OVERVIEW]
* Manaphy has always been an exceptional wallbreaker because of its access to Tail Glow, which allows it to accrue Special Attack at an absurd rate.
* With very good natural bulk and a defensive typing with only 2 weaknesses, Manaphy can find many opportunities to set up a Tail Glow.
* Manaphy's access to a wide variety of coverage options makes it difficult to switch into for faster pokemon, which are usually the best way to check it.
* Waterium Z allows Manaphy to fire off an extremely powerful Hydro Vortex one time or to set up a Z-Rain Dance, which gives it a speed boost, furthering its ability to sweep and improving its matchup against faster pokemon and teams.
* Manaphy's somewhat low speed tier can prevent it from sweeping, and even at +1 there are some Choice Scarf users that can still outspeed it.
* While Manaphy's coverage is very good, it is incapable of covering the entire metagame in just 3 moves, so it will be vulnerable to different Pokemon depending on its coverage.
* Waterium Z variants miss out on Leftovers recovery, which often works in tandem with Manaphy's natural bulk to set up a sweep.
[SET]
name: Z Manaphy
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Rain Dance
move 3: Surf
move 4: Psychic / Energy Ball
item: Waterium Z
ability: Hydration
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Tail Glow allows Manaphy to boost its Special Attack by three stages in one turn.
* Rain Dance works in conjunction with Hydration to heal status conditions as well as boost Surf's power. Rain Dance can also be used with Waterium Z to boost Manaphy's Speed by one stage.
* Surf is the STAB move of choice; the negligible damage from burns makes Surf's raw damage output preferable to Scald's burn chance.
* Psychic in the last moveslot allows Manaphy to defeat Mega Venusaur, Toxapex, and Amoonguss.
* Energy Ball is an option for beating down bulky Water-types like Tapu Fini and Rotom-W without using Hydro Vortex.
* Ice Beam provides coverage against Dragon- and Grass-types such as Latios, Tapu Bulu, and Tangrowth.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Special Attack EVs provide Manaphy with more power with which to break through opposing pokemon.
* Maximum Speed EVs with a Timid Nature allow Manaphy to outspeed threats such as Tapu Lele and speed tie with other speed-boosting nature base 100 Speed Pokemon. Having maximum speed is particularly helpful when using the +1 speed boost from Z-Rain Dance.
* The item of choice is Waterium Z because it gives Manaphy two options. The first is the ability to set up Z-Rain Dance, which nets +1 Speed as well as setting up Rain. The other is to fire off a powerful 175-Base Power Hydro Vortex to break through pokemon that Manaphy does not have super effective coverage for.
Usage Tips
========
* Manaphy should be treated as either a late-game sweeper or a holepuncher, depending on the matchup.
* Against bulkier teams, use Manaphy early- or mid-game to bust open holes for other members of the team to clean up. Hydro Vortex can be used in these matchups to help deal maximum damage, while Rain Dance can be used without the Z-Crystal. Alternatively, Manaphy can be saved for late-game once its checks and counters have been sufficiently weakened or removed.
* Against more offensive teams, Manaphy can use its natural bulk to find opportunities to set up a Tail Glow and threaten to get a KO. In some cases, it will be possible to also set up Z-Rain Dance and perform a sweep. Often, Z-Rain Dance will not be enough to sweep on its own unless the opposing team has been severely weakened because Manaphy is not that powerful without a Tail Glow boost.
* VoltTurn is great for getting Manaphy free switches against pokemon it threatens such as Heatran and Alolan Marowak.
* Because this Manaphy set lacks Leftovers, it's not recommended to switch it directly into attacks if you plan on using it as a wincon. If not, it can be switched into more passive pokemon or those that can't deal much damage to it.
* Manaphy relies on having near-full HP to take hits and set up, so it is recommended to pair it with entry hazard removers.
Team Options
========
* Mega Scizor is an excellent partner because it can pivot out on Fire-types such as Alolan Marowak and Heatran to provide Manaphy with many opportunities to set up.
* Jirachi helps Manaphy by checking faster Dragon-types such as Latios and providing U-turn and Healing Wish support.
* Mega Metagross also pairs well with Manaphy due to its ability to Pursuit trap Latios and surprise other Manaphy checks with coverage moves - Mantine with Thunder Punch, Ferrothorn with Hammer Arm, and so on.
* Magnezone helps to eliminate Ferrothorn, which is one of the biggest annoyances to Manaphy. It's also helpful for Tapu Koko to an extent.
* Alolan Marowak helps Manaphy with its weakness to Electric-types such as Tapu Koko as well as Grass-types such as Tangrowth and Serperior.
* Tapu Koko can beat down bulky Water-types for Manaphy, while Manaphy threatens Alolan Marowak and bulky Ground-types in return.
* Tapu Bulu similarly threatens bulky Water-types and provides Grassy Terrain support to help heal Manaphy slightly. Manaphy can threaten many of Tapu Bulu's best checks such as Skarmory, Celesteela, and Mega Scizor, and can help to overload Ferrothorn and lure Mega Venusaur.
* Tornadus-T is a good partner that helps check Grass-types, provides momentum, and has 100% accurate Hurricanes in rain.
[SET]
name: Tail Glow + 3 Attacks
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Surf
move 3: Ice Beam / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Energy Ball
item: Leftovers / Wacan Berry
ability: Hydration
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Tail Glow is mandatory on all Manaphy sets to boost its Special Attack greatly.
* Surf is the STAB move of choice because of its reliable damage output.
* Ice Beam hits Dragon- and Grass-types such as Latios and Tangrowth that might be used to check Manaphy.
* Energy Ball can be used to defeat opposing Water-types such as Tapu Fini.
* Hidden Power Fire allows Manaphy to effectively lure Ferrothorn and deal with Mega Scizor.
* Psychic can be used for bulky Poison-types that resist Surf, mainly Mega Venusaur and Toxapex.
Set Details
========
* Maximum Special Attack puts more power behind Manaphy's attacks.
* Maximum Speed with a Timid Nature allows Manaphy to Speed tie with other Speed-boosting nature base 100 Speed Pokemon.
* Leftovers provides Manaphy with more longevity to check pokemon such as Heatran and get more setup opportunities.
* Wacan Berry is an option for Manaphy to be able to take a hit from Electric-types such as Magnezone.
Usage Tips
========
* Against bulkier teams, Manaphy should be used to plow through slower pokemon after one or two Tail Glow boosts. Set up against pokemon that can't touch Manaphy such as Mega Sableye and Celesteela.
* Against offensive teams, Manaphy should be used to check specific threats such as Fire- and Ground-types. It can also use these pokemon to set up and then fire off powerful attacks that are difficult to switch into.
* In general, Manaphy appreciates Pursuit support to remove Latios, which is one of its main checks.
* Pivoting move users provide great support for Manaphy, since they help it get free turns to set up and limits the damage it takes upon switching in.
Team Options
========
* Steel-types like Mega Scizor and Mega Metagross help with Latios and appreciate Manaphy's ability to threaten their checks such as Heatran and Landorus-T, respectively.
* Sweepers and late-game cleaners such as Excadrill, Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, and Pheromosa appreciate Manaphy's wallbreaking capabilities and ability to threaten many of their common checks.
* Weavile is a nice partner for Manaphy for its ability to Pursuit trap common checks such as Latios and threaten faster teams with its speed tier.
* Mega Alakazam can check pokemon such as Tapu Koko and Kartana, which otherwise might be problematic for Manaphy.
* Magnezone is great for removing opposing Ferrothorn that can get in Manaphy's way.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* A Calm Mind + Rain Dance set can be used as a bulky set up sweeper and status absorber, but the metagame's strong attackers are not kind to it.
* U-turn is an option on Tail Glow sets to retain momentum for the team, but loses out on useful coverage.
* Non-Waterium Z Z-Crystals could be used as one-time ways to beat lured switch-ins (such as Subzero Slammer on Latios) but is too situational.
* Scald can be used as an alternative to Surf to fish for burns, but isn't recommended on Waterium Z sets because of the large drop in power on Hydro Vortex. The low damage burn does per turn also means that Surf's higher base power is usually preferred.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-types**: Ferrothorn and Assault Vest Tangrowth are some of the best Manaphy checks, but Ferrothorn has to beware Hidden Power Fire variants. Kartana and Serperior outspeed Manaphy and threaten to KO with super effective STAB moves. Mega Venusaur is tricky for Manaphy to deal with if lacking Psychic, since it can tank a +3 Hydro Vortex or Ice Beam and retaliate with Giga Drain. Amoonguss doesn't take its attacks too well, but specially defensive variants can beat non-Psychic or Ice Beam Manaphy. Tapu Bulu checks non-Ice Beam Manaphy.
**Water-types**: Mantine and Toxapex can Haze away Manaphy's stat boosts and laugh off moves outside of Hidden Power Electric (as well as Psychic for the latter). Tapu Fini, Rotom-W, and Slowking can take on non-Energy Ball variants of Manaphy decently well.
**Dragon-types**: Latios and Latias outspeed Manaphy and can threaten it with Draco Meteor or Thunderbolt. Kyurem-Bcan usually take one boosted hit and retaliate with Fusion Bolt.
**Electric-types**: Tapu Koko is a big threat to any non-Wacan Berry Manaphy set, as it outspeeds and threatens to OHKO. Thundurus also an offensive check to it.
**Faster threats**: Mega Alakazam, Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Pheromosa, Greninja, and Meta Metagross are among many pokemon that can revenge kill Manaphy after a bit of prior damage.
**Shedinja**: Thanks to Wonder Guard, Shedinja walls Manaphy lacking Shadow Ball or Hidden Power Fire.
Last edited: