Mankey (Gen 4, LC Analysis)*

little gk

competitive oosos player
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
MANkey

http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/mankey


Status: I like grammar checks!

_________________________________________________________

[Overview]

<p>With its combination of powerful attacks, Choice Scarf, and U-turn, Mankey can be insanely threatening when used correctly. In addition, the small niche provided by Vital Spirit can be very useful when dealing with rogue Meowth or Shroomish. All in all, Mankey makes a great choice for most teams lacking revenge killers or late-game sweepers.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Payback / Punishment
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Adamant
evs: 116 HP / 196 Atk / 196 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Mankey's main move is Close Combat, thanks to STAB and the move’s sheer power. Unfortunately, many common threats such as Gastly and Mantyke are able to laugh off the attack. Furthermore, the defense drops it brings hinders its ability to stay in. To combat this problem, U-turn is used early in the game to scout for trouble. When facing Ghost-types, Payback hits for super effective damage, and is especially helpful on a predicted switch. Punishment may be used over Payback if you use Mankey primarily as a revenge killer, especially on Ghost-types that set up, such as Drifloon. Ice Punch OHKOes Gligar, along with hitting other Flying-types super effectively.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Though it hits incredibly hard, Pokemon that are either immune or resistant to Close Combat pose huge problems for this set's effectiveness as a whole. The biggest threats are Ghost-types who gain free set up turns by switching into the set's main attack. Fortunately, both Munchlax and Stunky can take care of them reliably. Wynaut poses a problem, coming in on Close Combat or Ice Punch, as Counter can quickly dispatch Mankey. A Houndour can mitigate this by using Dark Pulse and its immunity to Mirror Coat. Mankey's biggest problem is being revenge killed, as no Pokemon can cause it immediate problems.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>For Mankey to be as effective as possible from a sweeping standpoint, Ghost-types, Slowpoke, Wynaut, and Gligar must be out of the battle. To take care of Slowpoke and the Ghost-types that enjoy switching on Close Combat, Munchlax and Stunky can be used. Gligar, on the other hand, can be both easy or a pain to take out. On one hand, Mankey can revenge kill it with its Ice Punch, but that can open a can of worms by allowing Water-types to set up, such as Chinchou. Instead, something with a super effective attack of its own, like Snover, can be a safer and more reliable way to dispatch the bat.</p>

<p>In case one of these threats switches in on a move they can wall, a backup plan is needed. Firstly, Slowpoke is tricky because of its access to Thunder Wave, though Munchlax, Chinchou, and Paras all work well. In Gligar's case, Bronzor or another Gligar can take hits (unless it runs Aqua Tail) and set up on their own. Stunky and Munchlax both take care of Ghost switch-ins.</p>

[Optional Changes]

<p>Unfortunately, Mankey doesn't have a very good movepool, but there are a couple attacks worth mentioning. Earthquake can be used if Poison-types, most notably Croagunk, give your team trouble. Rock Slide can be used to hit Mantyke, while still hitting other Flying-types as Ice Punch does. Mankey is one of the best Beat Up users in Little Cup, but proper team support is of the utmost priority.

<p>With the switches that Mankey can cause, a Substitute and Focus Punch combination can open up holes for your sweepers. Unfortunately, due to Mankey's unimpressive Speed, once your opponent realizes that you are using a SubPunch set, they can easily prevent you from setting up for a second time and leave you without your STAB. A Substitute Salac set may be used to abuse the move Reversal, but faces the same problem as a SubPunch set.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Mankey's best counters are those who can exploit its attacks with immunities and resistances. Ghosts can switch in with ease on Close Combat and proceed to set up on their own; they are the most common threats to Mankey. Slowpoke is one of Mankey's best switch-ins and can wall any of its attacks other than U-turn. Once in, it can use either Zen Headbutt or paralyze it. Wynaut is similar to Slowpoke and can take Mankey out with Counter. When locked in on anything not named Ice Punch, Gligar walls you easily. Mantyke can cause problems, as it is able to set up on anything Mankey can throw at it. Croagunk is a threat with its plethora of priority moves and its resistances to all of Mankey's attacks other than Ice Punch. Ekans resists Close Combat, weakens Mankey with Intimidate, and can cripple Mankey with Glare.</p>
 
MANkey

http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/mankey


Status: I like grammar checks!

_________________________________________________________

[Overview]

<p>With its combination of powerful attacks, Choice Scarf, and U-turn, Mankey can be insanely threatening when used correctly. In addition, the small niche provided by Vital Spirit can be very useful when dealing with rogue Meowth or Shroomish. All in all, Mankey makes a great choice for most teams lacking revenge killers or late game sweepers.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Payback
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Adamant
evs: 116 HP / 196 Atk / 196 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p> In Little Cup, Mankey's combination of stats and movepool make it one of the metagame's most threatening Pokemon. This set allows Mankey to abuse this combination and act not only as a revenge killer, but also as an effective late-game sweeper. Also, its ability, Vital Spirit, creates a niche for it as one of the few Pokemon able to act as a sleep absorber.</p>

<p>Mankey's main move is Close Combat, thanks to its STAB boost and sheer power. Unfortunately, many common threats, such as Gastly and Mantyke, are able to laugh off the attack. Furthermore, with the defense drops it brings, the opponent may gain free turns. To combat this problem, U-turn is used early in the game on free switches and situations involving revenge killing to scout for trouble. When facing Ghost-types, Payback hits for super effective damage, and is especially helpful on the predicted switch. Ice Punch OHKOes Gligar, along with hitting other Flying-types super effectively.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Though it hits incredibly hard, Pokemon that are either immune or resistant to Close Combat pose huge problems for this set's effectiveness as a whole. The biggest threats are Ghost-types who gain free set up turns by switching into the set's main attack. Fortunately, both Munchlax and Stunky can take care of them reliably. Wynaut poses a problem, coming in on Close Combat or Ice Punch, as Counter can dispose of you you quickly. A Houndour can mitigate this by using Dark Pulse and its immunity to Magic Coat. Mankey's biggest problem is whatever comes in after it revenge kills its first target and as such, there are no Pokemon who cause Mankey immediate problems.</p>

[TEAM OPTIONS]

<p>For Mankey to be as effective as possible from a sweeping standpoint, Ghosts, Slowpoke, Wynaut, and Gligar must be out of the battle. To take care of Slowpoke and the Ghosts that enjoy switching on Close Combat, Munchlax and Stunky can easily take them out. Gligar, on the other hand, can be both easy and a pain to take out. On one hand, Mankey can revenge kill it with its Ice Punch, but that can open a can of worms by allowing Water-types to set up. Instead, something with a super effective attack of its own, like Snover, can be a safer and more reliable way to eliminate the bat.</p>

<p>In case one of these threats switches in on a move they can wall, a backup plan is needed. Firstly, Slowpoke is tricky because of its access to Thunder Wave, though Munchlax, Chinchou, and Paras all work well. In Gligar's case, Bronzor or another Gligar can take hits (unless it runs Aqua Tail) and set up on their own. Stunky and Munchlax both take care of Ghost switch ins.</p>

[Optional Changes]

<p>Unfortunately, Mankey doesn't have a very good movepool, but there are a couple attacks worth mentioning. Earthquake can be used if Poison-types, most notably Croagunk, give your team trouble. Mankey is one of the best Beat Up users in Little Cup, but proper team support is of the utmost priority. With the switches that Mankey can cause, a Substitute and Focus Punch combination can open up holes for your sweepers. Unfortunately, due to Mankey's unimpressive Speed, once your opponent realizes that you are using a SubPunch set, they can easily prevent you from setting up for a second time and leave you without your STAB.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Mankey's best counters are those who can exploit its attacks with immunities and resistances. Ghosts can switch in with ease on Close Combat and proceed to set up on their own; they are the most common threats to Mankey. Slowpoke is one of Mankey's best switch-ins and can wall any of its attacks other than U-turn. Once in, it can use either Zen Headbutt or paralyze it. Wynaut is similar to Slowpoke and can take Mankey out with Counter. When locked in on anything not named Ice Punch, Gligar walls you easily. Mantyke can cause problems, as it is able to set up on anything Mankey can throw at it. Croagunk is a threat with its plethora of priority moves and its resistances to all of Mankey's attacks other than Ice Punch.</p>
 
Possible mention of Punishment in Other Options? Does more damage to Ghosts if you're trying to revenge kill. I'm a bit lazy to run calcs right now but I would compare the Gastly damage with Payback to Punishment to see if there's any significance, though iirc neither OHKO. It would be a huge boon though to be able to switch into Gastly's Hypnosis and threaten more. Plus, Punishment increases damage when the opponent as stat-uped, which may help with a Calm Mind Drifloon or whatever.

Rock Slide could possibly be mentioned for Mantyke though it is largely inferior to the other 4 moves mentioned, though it does keep coverage on Paras and Drifloon so you can still hit them after sponging a Hypnosis.
 
I would place Punishment in the Choice Scarf set instead of Payback. Punishment has a 60 BP(+20 for each stat up of the opponent), while Payback has 50 BP(doubles if you attack last). Since Mankey with Choice Scarf isn't going to be outsped, Punishment would be the better choice.
 

Brambane

protect the wetlands
is a Contributor Alumnus
Encore, Seed Bomb, Bulk Up and Reversal can go into OO, right? Encore can be used for Mankey to set up a Substitute on a SubPunch set, Seed Bomb hits Phanpy harder than Ice Punch, Bulk Up just for general stat boosting, and Reversal on a SubSalac Mankey is just insane. Counter could also see some use on a Houndour-style lead with Encore. Just some ideas, probably not set worthy (aside from maybe the Encore Lead, works like Machop, but Mankey is faster).

Also, throw me a bone and mention Ekans in the counters! only 4HKO at the most by Mankey's CC and can use Glare to paralyze it, making Choice Scarf near useless. That derserves some kind of mention.
 
I would place Punishment in the Choice Scarf set instead of Payback. Punishment has a 60 BP(+20 for each stat up of the opponent), while Payback has 50 BP(doubles if you attack last). Since Mankey with Choice Scarf isn't going to be outsped, Punishment would be the better choice.
Payback doubles in damage on the switch...meaning you can take out their Ghost, giving you free reign with Close Combat (fuck Gligar)
 

Snorlaxe

2 kawaii 4 u
is a Top Contributor Alumnus
Very well written analysis GoldenKnight, I just caught a few things here and there. ^_^

Changes in blue
Removals in red

[Overview]

<p>With its combination of powerful attacks, Choice Scarf, and U-turn, Mankey can be insanely threatening when used correctly. In addition, the small niche provided by Vital Spirit can be very useful when dealing with rogue Meowth or Shroomish. All in all, Mankey makes a great choice for most teams lacking revenge killers or late game sweepers.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Payback / Punishment
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Adamant
evs: 116 HP / 196 Atk / 196 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p> In Little Cup, Mankey's combination of stats and movepool make it one of the metagame's most threatening Pokemon. This set allows Mankey to abuse this combination and act not only as a revenge killer, but also as an effective late-game sweeper. Also, its Vital Spirit ability creates a niche for it as one of the few Pokemon able to act as a sleep absorber.</p>

<p>Mankey's main move is Close Combat, thanks to its STAB boost and sheer power. Unfortunately, many common threats, such as Gastly and Mantyke, are able to laugh off the attack. Furthermore, with the defense drops it brings, the opponent may gain free turns. To combat this problem, U-turn is used early in the game on free switches and situations involving revenge killing to scout for trouble. When facing Ghost-types, Payback hits for super effective damage, and is especially helpful on a predicted switch. Punishment may be used over Payback if you use Mankey primarily as a revenge killer, especially on set up Ghost-types. Ice Punch OHKOes Gligar, along with hitting other Flying-types super effectively.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Though it hits incredibly hard, Pokemon that are either immune or resistant to Close Combat pose huge problems for this set's effectiveness as a whole. The biggest threats are Ghost-types who gain free set up turns by switching into the set's main attack. Fortunately, both Munchlax and Stunky can take care of them reliably. Wynaut poses a problem, coming in on Close Combat or Ice Punch, as Counter can dispatch Mankey quickly. A Houndour can mitigate this by using Dark Pulse and its immunity to Magic Coat. Mankey's biggest problem is whatever switches in after it revenge kills its first target, and as such, there are no Pokemon who cause Mankey immediate problems.</p>

[TEAM OPTIONS]

<p>For Mankey to be as effective as possible from a sweeping standpoint, Ghost-types, Slowpoke, Wynaut, and Gligar must be out of the battle. To take care of Slowpoke and the Ghost-types that enjoy switching on Close Combat, Munchlax and Stunky can be used. Gligar, on the other hand, can be both easy or a pain to take out. On one hand, Mankey can revenge kill it with its Ice Punch, but that can open a can of worms by allowing Water-types to set up. Instead, something with a super effective attack of its own, like Snover, can be a safer and more reliable way to dispatch Gligar.</p>

<p>In case one of these threats switches in on a move they can wall, a backup plan is needed. Firstly, Slowpoke is tricky because of its access to Thunder Wave, though Munchlax, Chinchou, and Paras all work well. In Gligar's case, Bronzor or another Gligar can take hits (unless it runs Aqua Tail) and set up on their own. Stunky and Munchlax both take care of Ghost-type switch-ins.</p>

[Optional Changes]

<p>Unfortunately, Mankey doesn't have a very good movepool, but there are a couple attacks worth mentioning. Earthquake can be used if Poison-types, most notably Croagunk, give your team trouble. Rock Slide can be used to hit Mantyke, while still hitting Flying-types. Mankey is one of the best Beat Up users in Little Cup, but proper team support is of the utmost priority.

<p>With the switches that Mankey can cause, a Substitute and Focus Punch combination can open up holes for your sweepers. Unfortunately, due to Mankey's unimpressive Speed, once your opponent realizes that you are using a SubPunch set, they can easily prevent Mankey from setting up for a second time and leave it without its STAB. A Substitute Salac set may be used to abuse the move Reversal, but faces the same problem as the SubPunch set.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Mankey's best counters are those who can exploit its attacks with immunities and resistances. Ghost-types can switch in with ease on Close Combat and proceed to set up on their own; they are the most common threats to Mankey. Slowpoke is one of Mankey's best switch-ins and can wall any of its attacks other than U-turn. Once in, it can use either Zen Headbutt or paralyze Mankey. Wynaut is similar to Slowpoke and can take Mankey out with Counter. When locked in on anything not named Ice Punch, Gligar walls Mankey easily. Mantyke can cause problems, as it is able to set up on anything Mankey throws at it. Croagunk is a threat with its plethora of priority moves and its resistances to all of Mankey's attacks other than Ice Punch. Ekans resists Close Combat and can cripple Mankey with Glare.</p>
 
I'll proofread this for you. ^_^

[Overview]

<p>With its combination of powerful attacks, Choice Scarf, and U-turn, Mankey can be insanely threatening when used correctly. In addition, the small niche provided by Vital Spirit can be very useful when dealing with rogue Meowth or Shroomish. All in all, Mankey makes a great choice for most teams lacking revenge killers or late-game sweepers.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: U-turn
move 3: Payback / Punishment
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Adamant
evs: 116 HP / 196 Atk / 196 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Mankey's main move is Close Combat, thanks to its STAB boost and sheer power. Unfortunately, many common threats such as Gastly and Mantyke are able to laugh off the attack. Furthermore, the defense drops it brings hinders its ability to stay in [It didn't make sense before.] To combat this problem, U-turn is used early in the game to scout for trouble. When facing Ghost-types, Payback hits for super effective damage, and is especially helpful on a predicted switch. Punishment may be used over Payback if you use Mankey primarily as a revenge killer, especially on Ghost-types that set up, such as Drifloon. Ice Punch OHKOes Gligar, along with hitting other Flying-types super effectively.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Though it hits incredibly hard, Pokemon that are either immune or resistant to Close Combat pose huge problems for this set's effectiveness as a whole. The biggest threats are Ghost-types who gain free set up turns by switching into the set's main attack. Fortunately, both Munchlax and Stunky can take care of them reliably. Wynaut poses a problem, coming in on Close Combat or Ice Punch, and dispatching Mankey with Counter. Houndour can mitigate this by using Dark Pulse and its immunity to Magic Coat. Mankey's biggest problem is whatever switches in after it revenge kills its first target, and as such, there are no Pokemon who cause Mankey immediate problems. [This doesn't really make much sense. o_O]</p>

[Team Options]

<p>For Mankey to be as effective as possible from a sweeping standpoint, Ghost-types, Slowpoke, Wynaut, and Gligar must be out of the battle. To take care of Slowpoke and the Ghost-types that enjoy switching on Close Combat, Munchlax and Stunky can be used. Gligar, on the other hand, can be both easy or a pain to take out. On one hand, Mankey can revenge kill it with its Ice Punch, but that can open a can of worms by allowing Water-types to set up, such as Chinchou. Instead, something with a super effective attack of its own, like Snover, can be a safer and more reliable way to dispatch Gligar.</p>

<p>In case one of these threats switches in on a move they can wall, a backup plan is needed. Firstly, Slowpoke is tricky because of its access to Thunder Wave, though Munchlax, Chinchou, and Paras all work well. In Gligar's case, Bronzor or another Gligar can take hits (unless it runs Aqua Tail) and set up on their own. Stunky and Munchlax both take care of Ghost switch-ins.</p>

[Optional Changes]

<p>Unfortunately, Mankey doesn't have a very good movepool, but there are a couple attacks worth mentioning. Earthquake can be used if Poison-types, most notably Croagunk, give your team trouble. Rock Slide can be used to hit Mantyke, while still hitting Flying-types [Mantyke is Flying-type, so you're basically saying Mantyke isn't Flying.]. Mankey is one of the best Beat Up users in Little Cup, but proper team support is of the utmost priority.

<p>With the switches that Mankey can cause, a Substitute and Focus Punch combination can open up holes for your sweepers. Unfortunately, due to Mankey's unimpressive Speed, once your opponent realizes that you are using a SubPunch set, they can easily prevent you from setting up for a second time and leave you without your STAB. A Substitute Salac set may be used to abuse the move Reversal, but faces the same problem as a SubPunch set.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Mankey's best counters are those who can exploit its attacks with immunities and resistances. Ghosts can switch in on Close Combat with ease and proceed to set up on their own; they are the most common threats to Mankey. Slowpoke is one of Mankey's best switch-ins and can wall any of its attacks other than U-turn. Once in, it can use either Zen Headbutt or paralyze it. Wynaut is similar to Slowpoke and can take Mankey out with Counter. When locked in on anything not named Ice Punch, Gligar walls you easily. Mantyke can cause problems, as it is able to set up on anything Mankey throws at it. Croagunk is a threat with its plethora of priority moves and its resistances to all of Mankey's attacks other than Ice Punch. Ekans resists Close Combat and can cripple Mankey with Glare.</p>
Really good job GK!

I was just thinking, what if you had a lure Mankey set? Since almost everyone thinks Mantyke is Choice Scarfed upon switching in, do you think an Expert Belt set can be used to bluff Choice Scarf and potentially destroy one of its switch-ins? I mean, if Wynaut comes in on Mankey's Close Combat, you can switch out form it with U-turn and bring in a Ghost-type to absorb Counter. I don't know if it's good or not, but it's just a suggestion.
 

little gk

competitive oosos player
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Thanks for the checks everyone, they're all in. Fuzzy, I'll go ahead and test that set out a bit and give you some feedback
 

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