[Overview]
<p>With great Speed and Attack, coupled with a strong movepool, Mienfoo is a top threat in Little Cup. While posing a large offensive threat, Mienfoo is also a great check to many Pokemon in the metagame due to its outstanding bulk with Eviolite. Its movepool includes many great utility moves, such as U-turn, Fake Out, and Knock Off, but what really sets Mienfoo apart from its Fighting-type brethren is its ability, Regenerator. With Regenerator, Mienfoo can easily heal off minor damage by switching out, making it that much harder to kill. Despite this, Mienfoo still has a small set of hard counters that it must always switch out from.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: Fake Out / Drain Punch
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Knock Off / Stone Edge
item: Eviolite
ability: Regenerator
nature: Impish / Jolly
evs: 156 Atk / 196 Def / 156 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With Eviolite and the given EV spread, Mienfoo is incredibly bulky and reaches a great 17 Attack, which allows Mienfoo to hit both terrifyingly hard, while also being incredibly difficult to take down. The moveset maximizes Mienfoo's coverage and utility with Hi Jump Kick providing a very powerful STAB attack that allows Mienfoo to 2HKO many Pokemon, and specifically to OHKO the ever-dangerous Scraggy. Fake Out is a great utility move for passive damage, and when used in conjunction with U-turn, it will allow Mienfoo to constantly deal damage without taking much back, thanks to Regenerator. Drain Punch is a secondary option, however, due to its consistency and recovery. Knock Off is a great move to use in a metagame filled with Eviolites, but Stone Edge is viable to hit Larvesta and Drifloon hard.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs allow Mienfoo to take a +1 Scraggy Hi Jump Kick most of the time, while giving Mienfoo 17 Attack and 15 Speed. An additional EV spread of 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe with an Adamant or Jolly nature can be used for a more offensive approach. Toxic or Payback are viable moves to use in the last slot should Knock Off or Stone Edge not seem worth it. Toxic will help Mienfoo beat Shelmet, whom it otherwise has no chance of beating, while Payback can hit Gastly, who would otherwise easily switch in. Because Mienfoo causes many switches due to its presence and U-turn, entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Shelmet, Dwebble, or Bronzor is appreciated.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Drain Punch
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Scarf Mienfoo is an excellent revenge killer in the LC metagame; it can easily take out Scraggy and other faster Pokemon without getting hit. U-turn makes Mienfoo a great scout, as it enables Mienfoo to deal minor damage to its switch-ins and switch to an optimal counter; U-turn also abuses Regenerator quite well. Hi Jump Kick is a powerful STAB attack with great neutral coverage that grants Mienfoo many OHKOs, although a miss could spell the end for Mienfoo. Drain Punch is much more reliable in accuracy, and also provides Mienfoo with some form of immediate healing. Stone Edge is useful for hitting threats who would otherwise counter Mienfoo, such as Larvesta, Shelmet, and Gastly.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The listed EVs are used to give Mienfoo maximum Speed and Attack, as Regenerator makes Mienfoo surprisingly durable. Entry hazards from Pokemon such as Dwebble are incredibly useful, the minor damage racked up allows Mienfoo to easily clean up late-game. Due to Hi Jump Kick's recoil, Ghost-types and Pokemon with Protect are common switch-ins to Mienfoo. Stunky is a great answer to Gastly because it can easily trap and KO it with Pursuit.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Hi Jump Kick / Drain Punch
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Eviolite
ability: Regenerator
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 156 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Mienfoo can effectively run a Swords Dance set thanks to its great bulk, Speed, and power. At +2, Mienfoo reaches a jaw-dropping 34 Attack, and can inflict incredible damage with Hi Jump Kick. Hi Jump Kick is the preferred STAB attack for its significantly greater Base Power. However, the risk of missing makes Drain Punch an acceptable option that will still hit incredibly hard after a turn of setup, while its secondary effect also helps with passive damage. Stone Edge is used to give Mienfoo coverage against Ghost- and Bug-types. Baton Pass is a great move on this set, allowing Mienfoo to scout switches early on in the game, abuse Regenerator, and also pass Swords Dance boosts to other physical attackers.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs give Mienfoo 17 Attack and Speed, while also giving it good bulk. An alternative spread of 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe in conjunction with a Jolly nature can be used to make Mienfoo stronger, but the loss of bulk is generally not worth it as Mienfoo does not gain any notable KOs with the added point to Attack. This Mienfoo particularly enjoys entry hazard support, which grant it more KOs, making Pokemon such as Dwebble and Ferroseed great partners to this set. Stunky and Scraggy also pair well with this set as both are able to check Psychic- and Ghost-types and, are both capable of abusing a Baton Passed Swords Dance boost. </p>
[Other Options]
<p>Mienfoo has few other options, due to its great versatility. Nonetheless, there are a few other tricks it can viably pull off. It can run Payback as an option to defeat Gastly quickly, but the Payback nerf, which makes Payback a 50 Base Power move on the switch, makes this a lesser option. Toxic can be used to nail Larvesta, Slowpoke, and other walls on the switch, but Knock Off is generally the better move. With base 55 Special Attack, Mienfoo can possibly run a Calm Mind set using Aura Sphere, but this set is easily stopped by most special walls. It can also Baton Pass Calm Mind or Bulk Up boosts, but Swords Dance allows Mienfoo to sweep on its own and does not force it to pass the boosts.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Although Mienfoo is such a common Pokemon, it has many counters. Slowpoke and Shelmet can endlessly wall Mienfoo with their recovery, great defenses, and resistance to Fighting-type attacks. Larvesta is a great counter to any Mienfoo lacking Stone Edge, as Mienfoo is not only unable to harm it, but also fears a burn from Flame Body. Croagunk and Gastly both also beat it handily by resisting Mienfoo's Fighting-type STAB, but both can be worn down by repeated U-turns. Wynaut can easily take any hit from Mienfoo, and can counter Choice Mienfoo, but fails against Mienfoo using U-turn.</p>
<p>With great Speed and Attack, coupled with a strong movepool, Mienfoo is a top threat in Little Cup. While posing a large offensive threat, Mienfoo is also a great check to many Pokemon in the metagame due to its outstanding bulk with Eviolite. Its movepool includes many great utility moves, such as U-turn, Fake Out, and Knock Off, but what really sets Mienfoo apart from its Fighting-type brethren is its ability, Regenerator. With Regenerator, Mienfoo can easily heal off minor damage by switching out, making it that much harder to kill. Despite this, Mienfoo still has a small set of hard counters that it must always switch out from.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: Fake Out / Drain Punch
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Knock Off / Stone Edge
item: Eviolite
ability: Regenerator
nature: Impish / Jolly
evs: 156 Atk / 196 Def / 156 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With Eviolite and the given EV spread, Mienfoo is incredibly bulky and reaches a great 17 Attack, which allows Mienfoo to hit both terrifyingly hard, while also being incredibly difficult to take down. The moveset maximizes Mienfoo's coverage and utility with Hi Jump Kick providing a very powerful STAB attack that allows Mienfoo to 2HKO many Pokemon, and specifically to OHKO the ever-dangerous Scraggy. Fake Out is a great utility move for passive damage, and when used in conjunction with U-turn, it will allow Mienfoo to constantly deal damage without taking much back, thanks to Regenerator. Drain Punch is a secondary option, however, due to its consistency and recovery. Knock Off is a great move to use in a metagame filled with Eviolites, but Stone Edge is viable to hit Larvesta and Drifloon hard.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs allow Mienfoo to take a +1 Scraggy Hi Jump Kick most of the time, while giving Mienfoo 17 Attack and 15 Speed. An additional EV spread of 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe with an Adamant or Jolly nature can be used for a more offensive approach. Toxic or Payback are viable moves to use in the last slot should Knock Off or Stone Edge not seem worth it. Toxic will help Mienfoo beat Shelmet, whom it otherwise has no chance of beating, while Payback can hit Gastly, who would otherwise easily switch in. Because Mienfoo causes many switches due to its presence and U-turn, entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Shelmet, Dwebble, or Bronzor is appreciated.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Hi Jump Kick
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Drain Punch
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Scarf Mienfoo is an excellent revenge killer in the LC metagame; it can easily take out Scraggy and other faster Pokemon without getting hit. U-turn makes Mienfoo a great scout, as it enables Mienfoo to deal minor damage to its switch-ins and switch to an optimal counter; U-turn also abuses Regenerator quite well. Hi Jump Kick is a powerful STAB attack with great neutral coverage that grants Mienfoo many OHKOs, although a miss could spell the end for Mienfoo. Drain Punch is much more reliable in accuracy, and also provides Mienfoo with some form of immediate healing. Stone Edge is useful for hitting threats who would otherwise counter Mienfoo, such as Larvesta, Shelmet, and Gastly.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The listed EVs are used to give Mienfoo maximum Speed and Attack, as Regenerator makes Mienfoo surprisingly durable. Entry hazards from Pokemon such as Dwebble are incredibly useful, the minor damage racked up allows Mienfoo to easily clean up late-game. Due to Hi Jump Kick's recoil, Ghost-types and Pokemon with Protect are common switch-ins to Mienfoo. Stunky is a great answer to Gastly because it can easily trap and KO it with Pursuit.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Hi Jump Kick / Drain Punch
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Baton Pass
item: Eviolite
ability: Regenerator
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 156 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Mienfoo can effectively run a Swords Dance set thanks to its great bulk, Speed, and power. At +2, Mienfoo reaches a jaw-dropping 34 Attack, and can inflict incredible damage with Hi Jump Kick. Hi Jump Kick is the preferred STAB attack for its significantly greater Base Power. However, the risk of missing makes Drain Punch an acceptable option that will still hit incredibly hard after a turn of setup, while its secondary effect also helps with passive damage. Stone Edge is used to give Mienfoo coverage against Ghost- and Bug-types. Baton Pass is a great move on this set, allowing Mienfoo to scout switches early on in the game, abuse Regenerator, and also pass Swords Dance boosts to other physical attackers.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EVs give Mienfoo 17 Attack and Speed, while also giving it good bulk. An alternative spread of 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe in conjunction with a Jolly nature can be used to make Mienfoo stronger, but the loss of bulk is generally not worth it as Mienfoo does not gain any notable KOs with the added point to Attack. This Mienfoo particularly enjoys entry hazard support, which grant it more KOs, making Pokemon such as Dwebble and Ferroseed great partners to this set. Stunky and Scraggy also pair well with this set as both are able to check Psychic- and Ghost-types and, are both capable of abusing a Baton Passed Swords Dance boost. </p>
[Other Options]
<p>Mienfoo has few other options, due to its great versatility. Nonetheless, there are a few other tricks it can viably pull off. It can run Payback as an option to defeat Gastly quickly, but the Payback nerf, which makes Payback a 50 Base Power move on the switch, makes this a lesser option. Toxic can be used to nail Larvesta, Slowpoke, and other walls on the switch, but Knock Off is generally the better move. With base 55 Special Attack, Mienfoo can possibly run a Calm Mind set using Aura Sphere, but this set is easily stopped by most special walls. It can also Baton Pass Calm Mind or Bulk Up boosts, but Swords Dance allows Mienfoo to sweep on its own and does not force it to pass the boosts.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Although Mienfoo is such a common Pokemon, it has many counters. Slowpoke and Shelmet can endlessly wall Mienfoo with their recovery, great defenses, and resistance to Fighting-type attacks. Larvesta is a great counter to any Mienfoo lacking Stone Edge, as Mienfoo is not only unable to harm it, but also fears a burn from Flame Body. Croagunk and Gastly both also beat it handily by resisting Mienfoo's Fighting-type STAB, but both can be worn down by repeated U-turns. Wynaut can easily take any hit from Mienfoo, and can counter Choice Mienfoo, but fails against Mienfoo using U-turn.</p>
