Mienfoo
[Overview]
<p>Boasting great Speed, high Attack, and Regenerator for recovery, Mienfoo can fit onto almost any team. Mienfoo possesses a usable base 55 Special Attack stat, meaning that many of the physically defensive walls will have a hard time stopping this Fighting-type. Mienfoo also has access to many great moves, from the powerful Hi Jump Kick, to the more support-oriented Drain Punch, and even to the ever-useful Fake Out, which can allow Mienfoo to function as a lead. Yet, while Mienfoo is such a potent offensive threat, it certainly has its downfalls. Against Pokemon such as Slowpoke, Mienfoo has few options, and will almost always have to switch out.</p>
[Set]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Drain Punch
move 2: Fake Out
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Payback / Knock Off
item: Eviolite
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 156 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>With an Eviolite equipped, Mienfoo can boast a stat of 18 in both defenses, and that, when in conjunction with Drain Punch, U-turn, and Regenerator can make Mienfoo incredibly difficult to take down. Also, with an Attack stat of 17, Mienfoo can still deal very punishing damage to the Pokemon that stand in its way.</p>
<p>The moves on this set aim to maximize Mienfoo's coverage and deal good damage to the majority of the Little Cup metagame. Drain Punch allows Mienfoo to score super effective hits on threats such as Scraggy or Ferroseed, as well as recover back HP that it might have lost from switching in. Fake Out serves largely as a way to spread additional damage to opponents in order to get them in the KO range from one of Mienfoo's other moves. It can also be used to bypass other priority and chip away at threatening sweepers that may otherwise sweep a team entirely. U-turn allows Mienfoo to function as a scout, as it will then know what the opponent's main switchin will be for easier prediction later in the match. U-turn also possesses the benefit of abusing Mienfoo's ability, Regenerator. This way, every time Mienfoo is low on health it can U-turn away and regain a third of its health. Payback is used to deal super effective damage to Pokemon like Gastly that may switch in trying to absorb a Fighting-type attack and KO with Shadow Ball. With Eviolite, they will fail to KO Mienfoo the majority of the time, and will likely be knocked out by a 100 Base Power super effective Payback. Knock Off can also be used in the last slot, not for dealing damage, but to cripple the Pokemon that will switch in without worry, only to have their defensive stats crippled by the loss of Eviolite.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The EV spread used maximizes Mienfoo's offensive stats, while giving it enough bulk to abuse the recovery from Drain Punch and Regenerator, keeping Mienfoo at a high amount of health so it can continually perform its job. A Jolly nature puts Mienfoo in a Speed tier above Pokemon such as Pawniard, and lets it tie with Pokemon such as Houndour. An Adamant nature means that Mienfoo is outsped by Houndour and only ties with Pawniard, but it gives its moves a much-needed power boost. Stone Edge can also be used in the last slot as a way to hit Flying-types. Toxic is also an option in the last slot, since it lets Mienfoo abuse its recovery from Drain Punch and Regenerator in order to stall opposing Pokemon out. Bounce is also an option to hit Fighting-types super effectively, but the fact that it takes two turns to attack reduces its usefulness severely.</p>
<p>Bulky Mienfoo excels at forcing switches and abusing its recovery to stay around for as long as possible. For this reason, pairing Mienfoo with a Pokemon such as Hippopotas, Ferroseed, or Dwebble that can reliably set up entry hazards makes its ability to scout and force switches even more useful. Also, the use of entry hazards helps make up for the loss in power that comes from running Drain Punch instead of Hi Jump Kick, and Eviolite instead of Life Orb. Pokemon with STAB Pursuit, such as Houndour, are also great partners for Mienfoo to trap and KO Gastly and Duskull that can otherwise easily switch in, absorb a Fighting-type move, and burn Mienfoo.</p>
[Set]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hi Jump Kick / Drain Punch
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>With a Choice Scarf equipped, Mienfoo can outspeed a great deal of fearsome threats and KO them with its great coverage. Hi Jump Kick is used for obvious reasons, as a STAB 130 Base Power move inflicts a great deal of damage even to those that are only hit neutrally. Yet, Drain Punch can also be used in the same slot, as it can still KO the Pokemon that are weak to Fighting-type moves rather easily. The major downfall is that Mienfoo will deal far less damage to Pokemon that are hit neutrally. U-turn allows Mienfoo to take advantage of the switches it forces to scout out the opponent's checks and heal off damage it has taken, thanks to Regenerator. Stone Edge gets near-perfect coverage when used in conjunction with Mienfoo's Fighting-type move of choice, and is also Mienfoo's best way of dealing with Ghost-types that may switch in expecting a Hi Jump Kick or Drain Punch.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The EVs maximize Mienfoo's damage potential and the amount of Pokemon it can outspeed. With 236 Speed EVs and an Adamant nature, Mienfoo outspeeds Scraggy after a Dragon Dance, allowing Mienfoo to KO it with Hi Jump Kick. Also, even with an Adamant nature, Mienfoo reaches 24 Speed after the boost from Choice Scarf, outspeeding many common opposing Choice Scarf users as well. Bounce can be used in the third slot in order to score a super effective hit on Fighting-types, but the one-turn start up makes it generally less useful than Stone Edge.</p>
<p>Choice Scarf Mienfoo has very little that can deal with Pokemon such as Gastly or Duskull, so pairing it with Houndour or Scraggy to counter those threats is very useful.</p>
[Set]
name: Lead
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Hi Jump Kick / Brick Break
move 3: Payback / Stone Edge
move 4: U-turn
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Jolly
evs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Thanks to its ability, Inner Focus, which prevents flinching from Fake Out, Mienfoo can serve a very useful niche as an Anti-Lead. Fake Out serves its customary purposes on this set, breaking Focus Sashes, dealing free damage to threats, and delaying the opponent's set up. Hi Jump Kick, possessing 130 Base Power, is the main damage-dealing move on the set, capable of easily knocking out Ferroseed or other Pokemon weak to Fighting-type attacks in a single hit. Brick Break can be used over Hi Jump Kick if more consistency is desired, and if destroying Light Screen and Reflect is especially useful for your team. Payback and Stone Edge are for the Ghost- and Flying-types that are immune to or resist Mienfoo's STAB, and you should choose the move that benefits your team the most. U-turn is there for scouting purposes, gaining momentum, and helps to start the game off in an advantageous position.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The EV spread maximizes Mienfoo's power and the number of Pokemon it can outspeed. With 236 EVs and a Jolly nature, Mienfoo outspeeds Pawniard, and can tie with Pokemon such as Houndour, giving it the best chance to score KOs or get off a free hit. The choice of item depends on personal preference and can be situational. A Focus Sash allows Mienfoo to take an attack from something such as Abra and hit it with the super effective move of choice, while Life Orb boosts Mienfoo's power, making Fake Out and Hi Jump Kick much stronger. In the third slot, there are a few other options as well. Taunt can be used to ensure that entry hazards are not set up, and Knock Off is an option against Pokemon that will otherwise counter Mienfoo with ease. Drain Punch is also a viable alternative, as it gives Mienfoo a way of recovery, while maintaining the same accuracy and power as Brick Break.</p>
<p>Against other leads running a priority attack along with Focus Sash, Mienfoo struggles, as it can often be knocked out in two hits. Life Orb Mienfoo loses to Pokemon such as Abra, that can take a Fake Out, outspeed Mienfoo the next turn, and KO with a super effective move. Running Pokemon such as Houndour alongside Mienfoo can take advantage of the lack of Stealth Rock on the field. Also, Scarf Chinchou can be very helpful teammates thanks to their ability to KO Ducklett that can easily wall Mienfoo.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Thanks to its large movepool and versatile stats, Mienfoo possesses a few options that, if used properly, can be very effective. A Bulk Up set with Eviolite equipped can be used, with the added benefit over Timburr being that Mienfoo can Baton Pass those boosts and find more chances to set up, thanks to Regenerator. A Calm Mind set is also viable, as Mienfoo does possess a usable, if not immediately threatening, base 55 Special Atttack stat. As with the Bulk Up set, Mienfoo can also Baton Pass these boosts, and even feasibly run Hidden Power Ice to KO Gligar if it switches in as Mienfoo uses Calm Mind, expecting a Drain Punch or Fake Out. Mienfoo's third boosting option is Swords Dance, which can be viable thanks to its high Speed stat, but can still be easily outsped and is still weak to priority attacks.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Gligar can wall virtually any Mienfoo set besides Calm Mind if Mienfoo isn't running Toxic, and can use Aerial Ace or Acrobat to do punishing damage, possibly even scoring a KO when Mienfoo is weakened. Wynaut can trap and KO Choice Scarf variants of Mienfoo, and any variants not carrying U-turn. Slowpoke takes a pittance from all of Mienfoo's attacks outside of U-turn, and can easily wall the Choice Scarf set as long as it is locked into a move besides U-turn. Ghost-types like Duskull can absorb a Fighting-type move and burn Mienfoo, permanently crippling it.</p>
