Overview
########
- Originally shunned in favor of more offensive Megas, Manectric has several attributes that make it worth picking.
- It sports an incredible 135 base Speed that can't be lowered by Thunder Wave due to its typing, letting it outspeed some of the fastest Pokemon in the metagame such as Shaymin-S, Mega Gengar, and even boosted Mega Gyarados.
- Electric STAB has good neutral coverage and gives Manectric a power boost on Volt Switch.
- Access to Intimidate, which allows it and its teammates to survive attacks they couldn't before
- Outside of its Paralysis immunity, mono-Electric is a pretty poor defensive typing, as it still dies to stronger Earthquakes even after Intimidate.
- Poor defensive stats make it vulnerable to repeated hits and fairly easy to wear down.
- It also faces competition with Charizard, Mawile, and Kangaskhan for the Mega Evolution slot on a team - while Manectric has better utility than these Pokemon, they are far more powerful.
- Despite its shortcomings, Mega Manectric fits well onto teams of all stripes as a Pokemon that can both support through Intimidate and quickly take down powerful Pokemon on the opponent's side of the field.
########
name: Mega Special Attacker
move 1: Volt Switch / Overheat
move 2: Thunderbolt / Overheat
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Protect
ability: Lightiningrod
item: Manectite
evs: 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
========
- Volt Switch, perhaps the most useful move in Manectric's movepool, allows it to get out of battle quickly to keep it alive while still doing decent damage.
- Thunderbolt is for killing things when Volt Switch just isn't strong enough.
- Hidden Power Ice snipes the many Pokemon weak to Ice, such as Garchomp, Shaymin-S, and Landorus-T, before they can move.
- Protect works well with Volt Switch to keep Manectric alive, allows partners to use Earthquake without killing it, and is a generally good move to have.
- Overheat is a viable option over either Electric move, as the Fire coverage is often useful against Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Amoonguss that teams running Manectric (and Manectric itself) may have trouble beating. Whether you wish to replace Volt Switch or Thunderbolt is mostly preference.
========
- The EV spread is designed to outspeed Garchomp before Mega Evolution with a Timid nature - Speed changes due to Mega Evolution do not occur on the turn a Pokemon Mega Evolves, so Manectric must be able to outrun it to KO with Hidden Power Ice.
- If outspeeding Garchomp before Mega Evolution is not a problem, there are other possible EV spreads - 192 Speed outruns all Shaymin-S, 216 outruns base 130s such as Mega Gengar while outrunning base 100s such as Salamence before Mega Evolution.
- Regardless of Speed investment, the remaining EVs should be placed in Special Attack first to do as much damage as possible, and the last several into HP to take hits better.
- Modest is an option over Timid for the higher power, still outrunning Choice Scarf Tyranitar and below with 236 Speed EVs; the inability to outspeed Shaymin-S and Mega Gengar can be fatal however
- While it will change as soon as Mega Evolution occurs, Lightningrod is by far the best ability to use on Manectric's base forme, as that allows it to redirect Electric moves like Thunder Wave to support its teammates and give it a boost to its Special Attack.
========
- Try to avoid staying on the field too long. Even with Intimidate, Mega Manectric's defenses aren't exactly impressive.
- Instead, get in when you find an opening and use it as a sort of hit-and-run attacker, removing specific threats such as Landorus-T or Azumarill then escaping via Volt Switch - this also allows it to come back in and Intimidate the opponent again.
- If the opponent has a dangerous Pokemon on the field that must be stopped at all costs, switching Mega Manectric in simply to activate Intimidate is a last-ditch tactic that can win games, although it may come at the cost of Mega Manectric's life.
- Switching Manectric in pre-Mega Evolution is somewhat risky, but can easily be done and is an excellent move against Pokemon such as Thundurus, who cannot really harm Mega Manectric and often use Electric moves.
- If Manectric is switched in and draws in an Electric move with Lightningrod, it suddenly becomes much more threatening. If this is the case, support through moves such as Follow Me and Fake Out can actually allow it to sweep through teams.
- Late in the game, Manectric is easily capable of cleaning up a weakened team with its high Speed and powerful Thunderbolt. Due to its frailty it may require some support even at this point in the battle, but a healthy Mega Manectric late-game is a force to be reckoned with.
========
- Mega Manectric is most at home on slower teams that face issues with fast, frail attackers.
- Due to its frailty, Manectric appreciates support from users of Follow Me and Fake Out, which can buy it extra turns on the field.
- Wide Guard from the likes of Hitmontop and Aegislash is also welcomed, as this lets Manectric dodge Earthquake.
- One particularly potent partner is Landorus-T - while it may seem redundant and somewhat risky due to Landorus-T's Earthquake, the two compliment each other well, and can shut down not only threats to the other Pokemon but almost every physical attacker in the tier through double Intimidate.
- If using Mega Manectric with Landorus-T or another Intimidate user, Bisharp poses a serious threat with its Defiant ability and strong priority. Fast Fighting-types such as Keldeo therefore make excellent partners, as do bulkier Pokemon like Heatran that can take a hit and KO in return.
########
- When using a rain team, Thunder is an option over Thunderbolt for the increased power. However, its accuracy when Rain goes down is a little bit iffy.
- A supporting set with Thunder Wave and Snarl is also an option. This faces heavy competition from Raikou, however - the better overall bulk and ability to use an item other than a Mega Stone are points in Raikou's favor.
- A set without Manectite can be run, but it has no real use outside of Discharge-based teams.
- Flamethrower if you're too much of a wuss to run Overheat
########
**Bisharp**: Arguably the biggest threat to Mega Manectric. Defiant reverses Intimidate's Attack drop and it can knock out Mega Manectric before it can act with Sucker Punch.
**Speed Control**: While Manectric is immune to paralysis, it is vulnerable to other methods of speed control. Icy Wind and Tailwind both allow Pokemon it once outsped to suddenly outrun it, while under Trick Room it rarely gets the chance to move before taking serious damage.
**Type Advantage**: While it can often remove more offensive Electric resists with Hidden Power Ice, bulkier resists such as Mega Venusaur, Rotom-Heat, and Kyurem-Black all pose significant threats to Mega Manectric, as they can take anything it throws at them with ease and often OHKO in return. Offensive Ground-types not weak to Ice such as Mamoswine and Excadrill still deal heavy damage after Intimidate, often still OHKOing Manectric.
**Bulky Pokemon**: Despite Manectric's power and Speed, several Pokemon can mostly shrug off its attacks and threaten it with either powerful attacks of their own or moves such as Icy Wind. Tyranitar, Mega Kangaskhan, and Cresselia spring to mind, although other Pokemon such as Rotom-Wash and Assault Vest Conkeldurr can also pose a threat in this manner.
**Move Redirecting**: Because Manectric attacks primarily with single-target attacks, it is prone to having its moves redirected. Amoonguss, Jirachi, and ironically opposing Manectric are the biggest threats in this regard.
Last edited:
