[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 4 onwards
**Price range**: 8-9 points
**Tera Price Range**: 10-11 points
**Overview**: With access to Tail Glow and Take Heart, a wide array of coverage options, and a high base stat total, Manaphy can be a dangerous wallbreaker and setup sweeper. It can also function as a pivot due to its reliable defensive typing and utility movepool. However, its lack of power unboosted, vulnerability to disruption, lack of reliable recovery, and inability to raise its Speed make Manaphy a difficult win condition to plan around. It is often underwhelming and one-dimensional compared to similar-priced Water-types that offer more role compression and versatility on a team.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Setup Sweeper**: After a Tail Glow, Manaphy gains the ability to OHKO or 2HKO most Pokemon in the metagame. Alternatively, it can use Take Heart and Acid Armor to snowball out of control against teams that rely on raw power to eliminate it, though this leaves it with very few coverage options if both moves are used.
**Utility Pivot**: Manaphy can use either Flip Turn or U-turn to pivot out on opponents expecting a setup attempt. It can also Knock Off opposing items or set up Light Screen and Reflect while it’s on the field.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Scald, Surf, Hydro Pump, Liquidation
**Setup Moves**: Tail Glow, Take Heart, Acid Armor
**Utility Moves**: Substitute, Knock Off, Flip Turn, Haze, Rest, Sleep Talk, Light Screen, Reflect, U-turn
**Coverage**: Ice Beam, Energy Ball, Grass Knot, Alluring Voice, Psychic, Stored Power, Shadow Ball, Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
**Heart Swap**: This move lets Manaphy disrupt setup sweepers by switching their stat boosts to itself which, in rare situations, can flip games completely on their head.
**Rain Dance**: Rain Dance can be used alongside Rest, in conjunction with the ability Hydration, to provide reliable recovery for Manaphy. This has the added bonus of boosting the power of Manaphy’s Water-type moves.
**Whirlpool**: If Manaphy is able to trap a passive opponent with Whirlpool, it can use the setup opportunity to sweep its way to victory.
Common Items
========
**Leftovers**: Leftovers keeps Manaphy’s health high while it attempts to set up.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots protects Manaphy from entry hazards, most notably Toxic Spikes, that would otherwise wear it down after switching in multiple times. It is also the item of choice on most defensive pivot sets.
Niche Items
========
**Mental Herb**: Manaphy can get the better of foes using Encore or Taunt for one crucial turn, which could be enough for it to sweep uncontested.
**Damage boosting items**: Mystic Water is the most reliable, no-drawback damage boosting item for Manaphy to reach KO thresholds with its Water-type STAB moves that it would not otherwise. Life Orb, Expert Belt, and Choice Specs are all options that can be used when the situation calls for them.
**Resistance Berries**: With a Rindo or Wacan Berry, Manaphy can survive a super effective hit from a Grass- or Electric-type attack from a foe’s revenge killer, and it can OHKO them in return with a boosted attack.
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry is an alternative to Leftovers in situations where its bulk healing is useful.
**Light Clay**: Manaphy can increase the duration of its dual screens with Light Clay and then pivot out to a teammate which can take advantage of the support and positioning.
**Assault Vest**: An Assault Vest can augment Manaphy's bulk, improving its capabilities as a pivot and a soft check to opposing special attackers while still being able to provide utility with Knock Off and Scald.
Tera
========
Manaphy can be more threatening as a Tera Captain, as without the ability to change its type to suit the matchup, it tends to be too linear and predictable. Tera Water can improve its power as a wallbreaker, but defensive Tera types like Poison, Fairy, and Ground are more commonly used to open up setup opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable and give it stronger coverage to beat its typical checks.
Draft Strategy
========
Manaphy can be a good piece on offensive team structures that seek to overwhelm opposing teams by forcing specific prep to deal with each threat. It can also offer defensive utility in matchups where it is better suited to support another win condition. Overall, Manaphy is a high risk, high reward Pokemon that requires support and mindful play to function effectively as a win condition.
**Defensive Pivots**: Bulky pivots like Galarian Slowking, Uxie and Gliscor can help Manaphy hit the field without sacrificing too much of its HP. Manaphy can even form a pivot core with some of these Pokemon on Flip Turn sets.
**Physical Wallbreakers**: Manaphy can struggle to break through specially defensive walls, so pairing it with partners like Gouging Fire, Urshifu-S, and Garchomp can work well in tandem as a strong offensive core.
**Speed Control**: Manaphy should be drafted alongside faster Pokemon such as Meowscarada, Tornadus-T, and Sneasler. It also appreciates paralysis from Thunder Wave and Glare users, as well as Sticky Web support from setters like Ribombee, Galvantula, and Vikavolt.
**Entry Hazards**: Hazard setters such as Garchomp, Ting-Lu, and Sandy Shocks can support Manaphy by helping it reach KO thresholds on crucial opponents that would survive otherwise.
Checks and Counters
========
**Water-resistant Pokemon**: Pokemon which resist Water can often safely switch in on an unboosted Manaphy and KO it in return. Ogerpon-W, Rotom-W, and Kyurem are some examples, although they must be wary if Manaphy is able to Terastalize.
**Revenge Killers:** Manaphy has a mediocre Speed stat and no moves which can boost it, leaving it vulnerable to getting revenge killed by faster Pokemon like Iron Valiant, Meowscarada, and Thundurus-T.
**Mirror Herb:** While Manaphy can be a threatening sweeper, it has a predictable playstyle. Faster Pokemon with Mirror Herb can switch in on it when it sets up and knock out Manaphy with its own boosts, potentially spelling doom for its teammates.
**Disruption:** As a mid-speed, setup reliant Pokemon, Manaphy can find its setup attempts interrupted or aborted by moves like Taunt, Encore and Trick from fast opponents or Prankster users, such as Thundurus, Iron Bundle, and Zarude.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/goldencyber.562690/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/guertena.582655/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/abriel.473082/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
**Draft Order**: Round 4 onwards
**Price range**: 8-9 points
**Tera Price Range**: 10-11 points
**Overview**: With access to Tail Glow and Take Heart, a wide array of coverage options, and a high base stat total, Manaphy can be a dangerous wallbreaker and setup sweeper. It can also function as a pivot due to its reliable defensive typing and utility movepool. However, its lack of power unboosted, vulnerability to disruption, lack of reliable recovery, and inability to raise its Speed make Manaphy a difficult win condition to plan around. It is often underwhelming and one-dimensional compared to similar-priced Water-types that offer more role compression and versatility on a team.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Setup Sweeper**: After a Tail Glow, Manaphy gains the ability to OHKO or 2HKO most Pokemon in the metagame. Alternatively, it can use Take Heart and Acid Armor to snowball out of control against teams that rely on raw power to eliminate it, though this leaves it with very few coverage options if both moves are used.
**Utility Pivot**: Manaphy can use either Flip Turn or U-turn to pivot out on opponents expecting a setup attempt. It can also Knock Off opposing items or set up Light Screen and Reflect while it’s on the field.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Scald, Surf, Hydro Pump, Liquidation
**Setup Moves**: Tail Glow, Take Heart, Acid Armor
**Utility Moves**: Substitute, Knock Off, Flip Turn, Haze, Rest, Sleep Talk, Light Screen, Reflect, U-turn
**Coverage**: Ice Beam, Energy Ball, Grass Knot, Alluring Voice, Psychic, Stored Power, Shadow Ball, Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
**Heart Swap**: This move lets Manaphy disrupt setup sweepers by switching their stat boosts to itself which, in rare situations, can flip games completely on their head.
**Rain Dance**: Rain Dance can be used alongside Rest, in conjunction with the ability Hydration, to provide reliable recovery for Manaphy. This has the added bonus of boosting the power of Manaphy’s Water-type moves.
**Whirlpool**: If Manaphy is able to trap a passive opponent with Whirlpool, it can use the setup opportunity to sweep its way to victory.
Common Items
========
**Leftovers**: Leftovers keeps Manaphy’s health high while it attempts to set up.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots protects Manaphy from entry hazards, most notably Toxic Spikes, that would otherwise wear it down after switching in multiple times. It is also the item of choice on most defensive pivot sets.
Niche Items
========
**Mental Herb**: Manaphy can get the better of foes using Encore or Taunt for one crucial turn, which could be enough for it to sweep uncontested.
**Damage boosting items**: Mystic Water is the most reliable, no-drawback damage boosting item for Manaphy to reach KO thresholds with its Water-type STAB moves that it would not otherwise. Life Orb, Expert Belt, and Choice Specs are all options that can be used when the situation calls for them.
**Resistance Berries**: With a Rindo or Wacan Berry, Manaphy can survive a super effective hit from a Grass- or Electric-type attack from a foe’s revenge killer, and it can OHKO them in return with a boosted attack.
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry is an alternative to Leftovers in situations where its bulk healing is useful.
**Light Clay**: Manaphy can increase the duration of its dual screens with Light Clay and then pivot out to a teammate which can take advantage of the support and positioning.
**Assault Vest**: An Assault Vest can augment Manaphy's bulk, improving its capabilities as a pivot and a soft check to opposing special attackers while still being able to provide utility with Knock Off and Scald.
Tera
========
Manaphy can be more threatening as a Tera Captain, as without the ability to change its type to suit the matchup, it tends to be too linear and predictable. Tera Water can improve its power as a wallbreaker, but defensive Tera types like Poison, Fairy, and Ground are more commonly used to open up setup opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable and give it stronger coverage to beat its typical checks.
Draft Strategy
========
Manaphy can be a good piece on offensive team structures that seek to overwhelm opposing teams by forcing specific prep to deal with each threat. It can also offer defensive utility in matchups where it is better suited to support another win condition. Overall, Manaphy is a high risk, high reward Pokemon that requires support and mindful play to function effectively as a win condition.
**Defensive Pivots**: Bulky pivots like Galarian Slowking, Uxie and Gliscor can help Manaphy hit the field without sacrificing too much of its HP. Manaphy can even form a pivot core with some of these Pokemon on Flip Turn sets.
**Physical Wallbreakers**: Manaphy can struggle to break through specially defensive walls, so pairing it with partners like Gouging Fire, Urshifu-S, and Garchomp can work well in tandem as a strong offensive core.
**Speed Control**: Manaphy should be drafted alongside faster Pokemon such as Meowscarada, Tornadus-T, and Sneasler. It also appreciates paralysis from Thunder Wave and Glare users, as well as Sticky Web support from setters like Ribombee, Galvantula, and Vikavolt.
**Entry Hazards**: Hazard setters such as Garchomp, Ting-Lu, and Sandy Shocks can support Manaphy by helping it reach KO thresholds on crucial opponents that would survive otherwise.
Checks and Counters
========
**Water-resistant Pokemon**: Pokemon which resist Water can often safely switch in on an unboosted Manaphy and KO it in return. Ogerpon-W, Rotom-W, and Kyurem are some examples, although they must be wary if Manaphy is able to Terastalize.
**Revenge Killers:** Manaphy has a mediocre Speed stat and no moves which can boost it, leaving it vulnerable to getting revenge killed by faster Pokemon like Iron Valiant, Meowscarada, and Thundurus-T.
**Mirror Herb:** While Manaphy can be a threatening sweeper, it has a predictable playstyle. Faster Pokemon with Mirror Herb can switch in on it when it sets up and knock out Manaphy with its own boosts, potentially spelling doom for its teammates.
**Disruption:** As a mid-speed, setup reliant Pokemon, Manaphy can find its setup attempts interrupted or aborted by moves like Taunt, Encore and Trick from fast opponents or Prankster users, such as Thundurus, Iron Bundle, and Zarude.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/goldencyber.562690/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/guertena.582655/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/abriel.473082/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
Last edited:
