[Overview]
<p>Mandibuzz is a strange case. Her appearance may seem brittle and vicious, but she is, in fact, the exact opposite. Mandibuzz is extremely bulky thanks to her 110 / 105 / 95 defensive stats, which are backed by an excellent recovery move in Roost. Furthermore, Mandibuzz may seem intimidating, but her offensive stats—base 65 Attack and 55 Special Attack—are absolutely heinous. Attacking is not Mandibuzz's forte, though. This bedraggled bird excels in walling the enemy, and her comprehensive support movepool aids her greatly in this. Unfortunately, Mandibuzz carries the burden shared by almost every Flying-type: a Stealth Rock weakness.</p>
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Roost
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Brave Bird / Whirlwind
item: Leftovers
ability: Overcoat
nature: Careful
evs: 248 HP / 244 SpD / 16 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Mandibuzz has several things going for her: base 80 Speed, which is useful for Taunting slower foes; an immunity to Psychic- and Ground-type moves, plus a Spikes immunity; the Overcoat ability, which nullifies weather damage; and a few useful resistances to predominantly special types, such as Grass and Ghost. Mandibuzz is an excellent complement to defensive cores and offensive teams that require some extra special bulk. Her decent Speed and ability to Roost make her quite an effective wall, as she has the bulk to shake off most attacks, even super effective ones. Pokemon such as Roselia, Steelix, Claydol, and Gligar all have a hard time surmounting Mandibuzz. While Mandibuzz's Dark / Flying typing gives her some useful resistances and immunities, it has its share of downsides too. The Stealth Rock weakness is a huge problem, because a wall that needs Rapid Spin support doesn't exactly scream "reliable". In practice, you will find that Mandibuzz cannot safely wall some foes while Stealth Rock is up. Her typing also gives her a few unwanted weaknesses to Ice- and Electric-type moves, which can hold her back when attempting to wall special attackers, such as Galvantula, Rotom, Abomasnow, and Jynx. The Fighting- and Bug-type weaknesses that Roosting causes annoy Mandibuzz to no end, as the RU tier is full of slow Pokemon that carry Fighting- and Bug-type moves.</p>
<p>Though it may seem crazy to run a set without any attacking moves, the four support moves outlined above are all extremely useful, and Mandibuzz won't be doing much damage with Brave Bird anyway. Toxic is Mandibuzz's most efficient means of damaging foes, and she would be helpless against many defensive Pokemon without it. The threat of Toxic will scare off many Pokemon, and combined with Taunt, turns the vulture into a stall team's worst nightmare. Inversely, Whirlwind gives Mandibuzz the ability to shut down offensive Pokemon that might attempt to set up on her. Sharpedo, for example, cannot OHKO Mandibuzz, and will lose all of its accumulated Speed boosts. Sceptile is unable to SubSeed stall Mandibuzz, who resists its Grass-type moves. Perhaps the most impressive use of Whirlwind, however, is against Honchkrow; Mandibuzz is bulky enough to survive a +1 Brave Bird from Moxie SubRoost Honchkrow and disarm it with Whirlwind, safely preventing a potentially disastrous sweep.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>248 HP EVs are used to minimize Stealth Rock damage, possibly giving Mandibuzz one more switch-in. 16 Speed EVs allow her to outpace Adamant Aggron and Roost before Head Smash connects, lowering the damage to a minimum of 81%. Overcoat is a nifty perk for Mandibuzz, as it prevents weather damage, thus giving Mandibuzz an edge against hail teams. Though Mandibuzz can deal with Honchkrow fairly well, an extra safety measure can be taken; an EV spread of 248 HP / 80 SpD / 180 Spe is like strapping a jetpack onto Mandibuzz's back, and allows her to fly loop-de-loops around Honchkrow. At these speeds, Mandibuzz can easily tag the mob crow with Toxic, which could otherwise be blocked by Substitute. Speaking of Substitute, Mandibuzz can use the move in lieu of Taunt, as a Substitute protects Mandibuzz from status and support moves in much the same way as Taunting. Overall, the move is less useful than Taunt, which has much wider applications. Another move up for consideration is U-turn. This flashy maneuver is a great way to retain momentum against offensive teams, and allows Mandibuzz to escape unfavorable situations, such as Wynaut's company. Teaming Mandibuzz with Pokemon who resist her weaknesses is naturally favorable. Gurrdurr, Qwilfish, Quagsire, Rotom-C, Slowking, and Lanturn are all good examples. As with any Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon, Rapid Spin support is really useful. Claydol is a great choice for a partner, as it resists the Fighting- and Rock-type moves that harrow Mandibuzz, and is also immune to Electric-type moves.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>The RU metagame is riddled with Eviolite users, making Knock Off quite a useful option. The move is far too weak to use as a damaging attack, but having the ability to rid opponents of their precious Eviolites and Choice Scarves is more than worth it. Another interesting option is the Tailwind + U-turn combination. With this, Mandibuzz can set up a sweep for an ally, which is especially useful for slow, powerful attackers, such as Luxray, Rhydon, and Honchkrow. Mandibuzz can also attempt a bulky attacker set; a set consisting of Roost, Nasty Plot, Air Slash, and Taunt can be used with a Calm nature. Air Slash on this set is, on average, stronger than Brave Bird, but it still cannot do anything to Steel-types.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Some of the best Mandibuzz counters are not Pokemon, but attacks; Stealth Rock and Taunt are both quick and painless methods of locking down Mandibuzz, as the obvious Stealth Rock weakness plus Mandibuzz's tendency to run pure support movesets can stop her dead in her tracks. Toxic is also detrimental to Mandibuzz, especially when inflicted by foes too fast to Taunt in time, such as Uxie. As far as Pokemon go, Aggron is one of the worst. It 4x resists Brave Bird, is immune to Toxic, and devastates Mandibuzz with its ridiculously powerful Choice Band-boosted Head Smash. Sans Whirlwind, Mandibuzz is threatened by Klinklang, who can set up a Shift Gear before being Taunted, and tear out the bony bird's feathers with Gear Grind. Mandibuzz's base 80 Speed is excellent for Taunting duties, but when she needs to Roost, it suddenly becomes a curse in disguise; a Roosting Mandibuzz is weak to both Fighting- and Bug-type attacks, which means that slower Pokemon that can use these moves are a threat to Mandibuzz. Samurott, Poliwrath, Hitmonlee, and Gallade can all get a cheap shot in, striking her super effectively. Some Electric-types, such as Rotom and Galvantula, are powerful enough to break through Mandibuzz. Steel-types in general annoy Mandibuzz, as the vulture struggles to do anything to them. Brave Bird is resisted, and Toxic literally does nothing.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Mandibuzz's hidden ability, Weak Armor, decreases her Defense by one stage and raises Speed one stage when she takes a hit. This is counterproductive, and should not be used. Mandibuzz needs her Defense.</p>
