Aaronboyer
Something Worth Fighting For
QC: Oglemi
GP: fleur / frenzy
[Overview]
In a tier littered with viable Dark-type Pokemon such as Sableye, Murkrow, Crawdaunt, and Cacturne, Mightyena struggles to establish a niche for itself. However, its unique access to Heal Bell + Roar allows it to compress the roles of cleric and phazer for defensively oriented Spikes stacking teams; this, in tandem with Intimidate and heavy defensive investment, allows Mightyena to pivot into physical attackers such as Pupitar and Vigoroth with relative ease and Roar them out. However, Mightyena is quite passive, not only losing one-on-one against three of the strongest Pokemon in the tier, Hitmonchan, Huntail, and Flareon, but also struggling in matchups against Roselia, Mawile, and the majority of special attackers. Mightyena's lack of notable resistances and reliable recovery further hampers its effectiveness as a defensive Pokemon. Hence, Mightyena should only be considered on teams specifically designed for setting up Spikes and phazing, as otherwise Chimecho or Roselia will better serve as a cleric.
[SET]
name: Cleric Phazer
move 1: Heal Bell
move 2: Roar
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Mightyena has access to the coveted move Heal Bell, which allows it to function as a cleric for bulkier teams. Roar allows Mightyena to shuffle around opposing Pokemon and rack up damage from Spikes. Crunch prevents Mightyena from being overly passive even if uninvested, letting it nab several important KOs such as the 3HKO of Huntail when combined with repeated Spikes damage. Toxic nails Pokemon such as Hitmonchan and Sableye as they switch in and, in tandem with Spikes support, further drains opposing Pokemon's health.
[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]
It's dangerous to rely on Mightyena to check multiple threats throughout the match unless you have Wish support. All of NU's viable Wish users have an unfavorable matchup against Hitmonchan, unlike Chimecho, which can sufficiently heal itself. Thus, unless phazing is an absolute necessity for your team, it's probably better to use Chimecho. Mightyena needs to be paired with a Spiker to function properly; Roselia is an optimal choice, not only having no overlapping type weaknesses, unlike Glalie and Cacturne, but also having access to reliable recovery using Synthesis. Furthermore, Roselia sports the best bulk out of all three of NU's Spikers, fitting best on the defensively oriented teams Mightyena enjoys being used on. Mightyena also needs a bulky spinblocker to keep Spikes in play and check the most prominent Rapid Spin user, Hitmonchan. Sableye is ideal for this. Possessing Fighting- and Normal-type immunities and reliable recovery, Sableye can switch into Hitmonchan time and time again fearing nothing but Toxic, which Mightyena can alleviate with Heal Bell.
[Other Options]
Protect can be used over Toxic to gain extra Leftovers recovery. Offensive sets utilizing either Choice Band or Howl can make use of the perfect neutral coverage that Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fighting provide. However, Murkrow is a better Choice Band user because of its secondary STAB type and higher Speed, while Crawdaunt and Cacturne, though slower than Mightyena, are better at wallbreaking due to their access to Swords Dance.
[Checks and Counters]
Fighting-types such as Hitmonchan and Machoke take nearly nothing from Mightyena’s uninvested resisted Crunch and can force Mightyena out with their strong STAB attacks. While Hitmonchan prefers not to be badly poisoned by Toxic as it switches in, Machoke doesn’t mind whatsoever, as poison activates Guts. Poison- and Steel-types such as Roselia, Venomoth, and Mawile are immune to Toxic, take very little from Crunch, and can either set hazards or super effectively hit Mightyena in return. Strong special attackers such as Plusle, Dewgong, and Wailord can all 2HKO Mightyena. These specific Pokemon can also play around Toxic, with Plusle being able to block status with Substitute and Dewgong and Wailord being able to Rest off the poison.
- Written by: [[Aaronboyer, 239454]]
- Quality checked by: [[Oglemi, 40358]]
- Grammar checked by: [[fleurdyleurse, 195877], [frenzyplant, 185509]]
GP: fleur / frenzy
[Overview]
In a tier littered with viable Dark-type Pokemon such as Sableye, Murkrow, Crawdaunt, and Cacturne, Mightyena struggles to establish a niche for itself. However, its unique access to Heal Bell + Roar allows it to compress the roles of cleric and phazer for defensively oriented Spikes stacking teams; this, in tandem with Intimidate and heavy defensive investment, allows Mightyena to pivot into physical attackers such as Pupitar and Vigoroth with relative ease and Roar them out. However, Mightyena is quite passive, not only losing one-on-one against three of the strongest Pokemon in the tier, Hitmonchan, Huntail, and Flareon, but also struggling in matchups against Roselia, Mawile, and the majority of special attackers. Mightyena's lack of notable resistances and reliable recovery further hampers its effectiveness as a defensive Pokemon. Hence, Mightyena should only be considered on teams specifically designed for setting up Spikes and phazing, as otherwise Chimecho or Roselia will better serve as a cleric.
[SET]
name: Cleric Phazer
move 1: Heal Bell
move 2: Roar
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Mightyena has access to the coveted move Heal Bell, which allows it to function as a cleric for bulkier teams. Roar allows Mightyena to shuffle around opposing Pokemon and rack up damage from Spikes. Crunch prevents Mightyena from being overly passive even if uninvested, letting it nab several important KOs such as the 3HKO of Huntail when combined with repeated Spikes damage. Toxic nails Pokemon such as Hitmonchan and Sableye as they switch in and, in tandem with Spikes support, further drains opposing Pokemon's health.
[ADDITIONAL SET COMMENTS]
It's dangerous to rely on Mightyena to check multiple threats throughout the match unless you have Wish support. All of NU's viable Wish users have an unfavorable matchup against Hitmonchan, unlike Chimecho, which can sufficiently heal itself. Thus, unless phazing is an absolute necessity for your team, it's probably better to use Chimecho. Mightyena needs to be paired with a Spiker to function properly; Roselia is an optimal choice, not only having no overlapping type weaknesses, unlike Glalie and Cacturne, but also having access to reliable recovery using Synthesis. Furthermore, Roselia sports the best bulk out of all three of NU's Spikers, fitting best on the defensively oriented teams Mightyena enjoys being used on. Mightyena also needs a bulky spinblocker to keep Spikes in play and check the most prominent Rapid Spin user, Hitmonchan. Sableye is ideal for this. Possessing Fighting- and Normal-type immunities and reliable recovery, Sableye can switch into Hitmonchan time and time again fearing nothing but Toxic, which Mightyena can alleviate with Heal Bell.
[Other Options]
Protect can be used over Toxic to gain extra Leftovers recovery. Offensive sets utilizing either Choice Band or Howl can make use of the perfect neutral coverage that Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Fighting provide. However, Murkrow is a better Choice Band user because of its secondary STAB type and higher Speed, while Crawdaunt and Cacturne, though slower than Mightyena, are better at wallbreaking due to their access to Swords Dance.
[Checks and Counters]
Fighting-types such as Hitmonchan and Machoke take nearly nothing from Mightyena’s uninvested resisted Crunch and can force Mightyena out with their strong STAB attacks. While Hitmonchan prefers not to be badly poisoned by Toxic as it switches in, Machoke doesn’t mind whatsoever, as poison activates Guts. Poison- and Steel-types such as Roselia, Venomoth, and Mawile are immune to Toxic, take very little from Crunch, and can either set hazards or super effectively hit Mightyena in return. Strong special attackers such as Plusle, Dewgong, and Wailord can all 2HKO Mightyena. These specific Pokemon can also play around Toxic, with Plusle being able to block status with Substitute and Dewgong and Wailord being able to Rest off the poison.
- Written by: [[Aaronboyer, 239454]]
- Quality checked by: [[Oglemi, 40358]]
- Grammar checked by: [[fleurdyleurse, 195877], [frenzyplant, 185509]]
Last edited: