QC: 3/3 (PK,Bloo,Iconic) GP: 2/2 (Fate, Chou)
Mandibuzz
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[Overview]
<p>Mandibuzz occupies a niche in the metagame thanks to its typing, defensive stats, and movepool. Mandibuzz's Dark / Flying typing makes it a decent check to Pokemon which rely upon Ghost-, Dark-, and Fighting-type moves for coverage. Recovery in the form of Roost, and an immunity to damage from weather conditions courtesy of Overcoat lets Mandibuzz stall more easily than other walls in adverse weather. However, Mandibuzz is unfortunately weak to Stealth Rock, making Rapid Spin support obligatory to prevent it from losing 25% of its HP on each switch in. Due to its poor offenses, Mandibuzz does not fare very well against most boosting sweepers, and is better suited to stalling with Toxic, along with damage from entry hazards and weather.</p>
[Set]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Roost
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Brave Bird
move 4: Taunt / Whirlwind / U-turn
item: Leftovers
ability: Overcoat
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Due to its typing, Mandibuzz is better suited to being a special wall than a physical wall. It can switch into the attacks from threatening sweepers such as Gengar and Hydreigon, Roost off the damage, and stall them out. Toxic is Mandibuzz's main method of dealing damage. Due to its decent base 80 Speed and access to Taunt, Mandibuzz is also adept at wearing down opposing defensive Pokemon.</p>
<p>Brave Bird is Mandibuzz's most powerful attacking option. In particular, it deters Fighting-type Pokemon with Guts from switching in. Whirlwind is an option over Taunt which is best used in conjunction with entry hazards. In addition to racking up residual damage, it also prevents Pokemon like Excadrill from setting up on Mandibuzz in complete safety. U-turn deals minor damage to most Pokemon; however, it is good for gaining momentum, since a number of Pokemon can set up on Mandibuzz with relative ease. Rapid Spin support is a must if you elect to use U-turn.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Knock Off is an option in the fourth slot, allowing Mandibuzz to get rid of the items of Pokemon that wall it. A Dark-type STAB attack is an option over Brave Bird, but it will provide less useful coverage. Payback is fairly inconsistent due to Mandibuzz's Speed, so Dark Pulse is the better choice. Mandibuzz has slightly higher Defense than Special Defense, so using a physically defensive set is an option; however, due to its typing, Mandibuzz is better at taking common special attacks.</p>
<p>Rapid Spin support is welcome from Pokemon such as Starmie and Forretress, since Mandibuzz will otherwise lose a quarter of its health every time its switches in. Steel-type Pokemon resist both of Mandibuzz’s STAB attacks and are immune to Toxic. Bronzong and Skarmory are vulnerable to Taunt; however, offensive Steel-types such as Excadrill and Jirachi can be problematic. Bulky Ground-type Pokemon, such as Hippowdon, make good teammates, as they can switch freely into Electric-type attacks, as well as handle problematic Rock-types such as Terrakion and Tyranitar. Bulky Water-types like Jellicent and Suicune are also capable of handling most Steel-, and Rock-type Pokemon. With Taunt and Roost, Mandibuzz is capable of stalling out certain dedicated walls such as Jellicent and Blissey. Pokemon such as Heatran, who struggle against these Pokemon, partner well with Mandibuzz for this reason. Faster users of Taunt are also troublesome for Mandibuzz. Gliscor is a notable example; with Roost, Taunt, and Toxic, it can easily stall Mandibuzz out.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Mandibuzz can run Nasty Plot, but it is too weak offensively to sweep. It is also outclassed as a Nasty Plot sweeper by Honchkrow, who has the same typing, but better offenses. Mandibuzz can also run a Mean Look + Toxic set, but such a tactic is situational, and will not work unless it can out-stall the opposing Pokemon. Competent opponents will generally know better than to keep a Pokemon in on Mandibuzz if it can barely damage it.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Excadrill can be problematic, as it walls Mandibuzz completely and can freely set up Swords Dance. Mandibuzz can phaze it with Whirlwind, however. Other Steel-types, such as Heatran fare similarly. While they don't resist Dark-type attacks, Metagross and Jirachi are bulky enough to take a Dark Pulse, and can dispose of Mandibuzz via Meteor Mash and Iron Head, respectively. Electric-type Pokemon such as the Rotom formes can beat down Mandibuzz with their STAB Electric-type attacks. Rock-types, including Tyranitar and Terrakion, operate in the same manner. Fast users of Taunt, especially those with recovery, such as Gliscor, can completely shut down Mandibuzz. Whismicott can switch in as Mandibuzz uses Roost and lock it into using Roost with Encore. It can then use Substitute and Leech Seed to drain Mandibuzz of its health. It also has access to Taunt which prevents Mandibuzz from healing with Roost. Thundurus can cause problems for Mandibuzz, as it carries STAB Thunderbolt to hurt Mandibuzz. Additionally, it can prevent Mandibuzz from utilizing its support movepool with priority Taunt.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Mandibuzz’s Dream World ability is Weak Armor, which raises its Speed and lowers its Defense when it is hit by a physical attack. As a defensive Pokemon, Mandibuzz has little need for a Speed boost at the expense of a Defense drop, so this ability has little utility.</p>
Mandibuzz
--------
[Overview]
<p>Mandibuzz occupies a niche in the metagame thanks to its typing, defensive stats, and movepool. Mandibuzz's Dark / Flying typing makes it a decent check to Pokemon which rely upon Ghost-, Dark-, and Fighting-type moves for coverage. Recovery in the form of Roost, and an immunity to damage from weather conditions courtesy of Overcoat lets Mandibuzz stall more easily than other walls in adverse weather. However, Mandibuzz is unfortunately weak to Stealth Rock, making Rapid Spin support obligatory to prevent it from losing 25% of its HP on each switch in. Due to its poor offenses, Mandibuzz does not fare very well against most boosting sweepers, and is better suited to stalling with Toxic, along with damage from entry hazards and weather.</p>
[Set]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Roost
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Brave Bird
move 4: Taunt / Whirlwind / U-turn
item: Leftovers
ability: Overcoat
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Due to its typing, Mandibuzz is better suited to being a special wall than a physical wall. It can switch into the attacks from threatening sweepers such as Gengar and Hydreigon, Roost off the damage, and stall them out. Toxic is Mandibuzz's main method of dealing damage. Due to its decent base 80 Speed and access to Taunt, Mandibuzz is also adept at wearing down opposing defensive Pokemon.</p>
<p>Brave Bird is Mandibuzz's most powerful attacking option. In particular, it deters Fighting-type Pokemon with Guts from switching in. Whirlwind is an option over Taunt which is best used in conjunction with entry hazards. In addition to racking up residual damage, it also prevents Pokemon like Excadrill from setting up on Mandibuzz in complete safety. U-turn deals minor damage to most Pokemon; however, it is good for gaining momentum, since a number of Pokemon can set up on Mandibuzz with relative ease. Rapid Spin support is a must if you elect to use U-turn.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Knock Off is an option in the fourth slot, allowing Mandibuzz to get rid of the items of Pokemon that wall it. A Dark-type STAB attack is an option over Brave Bird, but it will provide less useful coverage. Payback is fairly inconsistent due to Mandibuzz's Speed, so Dark Pulse is the better choice. Mandibuzz has slightly higher Defense than Special Defense, so using a physically defensive set is an option; however, due to its typing, Mandibuzz is better at taking common special attacks.</p>
<p>Rapid Spin support is welcome from Pokemon such as Starmie and Forretress, since Mandibuzz will otherwise lose a quarter of its health every time its switches in. Steel-type Pokemon resist both of Mandibuzz’s STAB attacks and are immune to Toxic. Bronzong and Skarmory are vulnerable to Taunt; however, offensive Steel-types such as Excadrill and Jirachi can be problematic. Bulky Ground-type Pokemon, such as Hippowdon, make good teammates, as they can switch freely into Electric-type attacks, as well as handle problematic Rock-types such as Terrakion and Tyranitar. Bulky Water-types like Jellicent and Suicune are also capable of handling most Steel-, and Rock-type Pokemon. With Taunt and Roost, Mandibuzz is capable of stalling out certain dedicated walls such as Jellicent and Blissey. Pokemon such as Heatran, who struggle against these Pokemon, partner well with Mandibuzz for this reason. Faster users of Taunt are also troublesome for Mandibuzz. Gliscor is a notable example; with Roost, Taunt, and Toxic, it can easily stall Mandibuzz out.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Mandibuzz can run Nasty Plot, but it is too weak offensively to sweep. It is also outclassed as a Nasty Plot sweeper by Honchkrow, who has the same typing, but better offenses. Mandibuzz can also run a Mean Look + Toxic set, but such a tactic is situational, and will not work unless it can out-stall the opposing Pokemon. Competent opponents will generally know better than to keep a Pokemon in on Mandibuzz if it can barely damage it.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Excadrill can be problematic, as it walls Mandibuzz completely and can freely set up Swords Dance. Mandibuzz can phaze it with Whirlwind, however. Other Steel-types, such as Heatran fare similarly. While they don't resist Dark-type attacks, Metagross and Jirachi are bulky enough to take a Dark Pulse, and can dispose of Mandibuzz via Meteor Mash and Iron Head, respectively. Electric-type Pokemon such as the Rotom formes can beat down Mandibuzz with their STAB Electric-type attacks. Rock-types, including Tyranitar and Terrakion, operate in the same manner. Fast users of Taunt, especially those with recovery, such as Gliscor, can completely shut down Mandibuzz. Whismicott can switch in as Mandibuzz uses Roost and lock it into using Roost with Encore. It can then use Substitute and Leech Seed to drain Mandibuzz of its health. It also has access to Taunt which prevents Mandibuzz from healing with Roost. Thundurus can cause problems for Mandibuzz, as it carries STAB Thunderbolt to hurt Mandibuzz. Additionally, it can prevent Mandibuzz from utilizing its support movepool with priority Taunt.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Mandibuzz’s Dream World ability is Weak Armor, which raises its Speed and lowers its Defense when it is hit by a physical attack. As a defensive Pokemon, Mandibuzz has little need for a Speed boost at the expense of a Defense drop, so this ability has little utility.</p>
