LC Spotlight: Mienfoo

By Gummy.
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Art

Art by mienscapone.

Introduction

Ever since its advent in Black and White, Mienfoo has been a dominant force in Little Cup. Blessed with a useful typing, all-around good stats, an amazing ability in Regenerator, and a movepool containing everything it needed, Mienfoo made a name for itself as an incredibly versatile Pokémon. It was able to act as a bulky pivot with an Eviolite, a cleaner with a Choice Scarf, or a powerful wallbreaker with a Life Orb. Some Mienfoo even ran Flying Gem and Acrobatics to beat other Fighting-types and Foongus. When Scraggy was legal, Choice Scarf Mienfoo was a good check to it. Its plethora of good traits made Mienfoo omnipotent in the BW LC metagame. What held back Mienfoo most was the presence of Misdreavus, arguably the biggest threat in BW LC. Pre-buff Knock Off was not a big problem at all, so Misdreavus could easily switch into Drain Punch and force Mienfoo out for fear of a Will-O-Wisp. Some Mienfoo could run Payback to fight back, but ultimately Misdreavus remained as a good check to the weasel. Even considering this, Mienfoo's pros outweighed its cons, and it remained a ubiquitous threat in BW LC.

However, when XY came about, Misdreavus was banned and Knock Off gained a huge buff. Mienfoo's pivot set soared in popularity, utilizing U-turn and Knock Off to help its team, but Choice Scarf Mienfoo was still a force to be reckoned with, thanks to Mienfoo's decent Speed and great Attack. Mienfoo also was one of the best checks around to Pawniard, which was another dominant Pokémon. Taunt was very useful, putting a stop to hazard stack teams and Dwebble hyper offense. As ORAS developed, Acrobatics Mienfoo became even more common, meaning just using Knock Off on it was risky. U-turn became an even bigger blessing as Gothita and Diglett rose in usage. Fake Out Mienfoo became a good sun check thanks to its ability to stall out sun turns, and it could even be run on sun teams themselves to pivot out to a sun sweeper like Bellsprout or Bulbasaur. Another set gained popularity as well: Swords Dance + Baton Pass, which became a great partner to Pokémon like Carvanha and Aipom. Thanks to its good bulk combined with Regenerator, this set became somewhat common, but it was nothing compared to the usage of the Choice Scarf and pivot sets. Life Orb didn't see much use, with many favoring Timburr or Croagunk as an offensive Fighting-type.

In Sun and Moon, Mienfoo remains as strong as ever; however, the rise of Abra and Vullaby hurts its viability ever so slightly. Thanks to the advent of Z-Moves, Mienfoo gained a new toy in Supersonic Skystrike, which destroyed traditional Fighting-type checks like Foongus and Croagunk. However, the hype over this new set died soon, and many prefer to use the classic Choice Scarf and pivot sets. The opportunity to surprise a would-be check was simply too unreliable when compared to the bulk of an Eviolite set or the speed of a Choice Scarf set. Since Weak Armor got a buff in SM, it became a wildly popular ability, with many hazard setters like Onix and Dwebble beginning to run it. Mienfoo quickly became a way to deal with these Pokémon thanks to its bulk and typing. Reckless also became very common on Mienfoo, usually paired with a Choice Scarf. Reckless High Jump Kick was a powerful tool, and since this set had both power and Speed, the Life Orb set died out. Now, Diglett is as powerful as ever thanks to Arena Trap and a new toy in Tectonic Rage, and thanks to Mienfoo's slow U-turn, they form a potent core that can trap all sorts of threats for another teammate. Fightspam is an incredibly dominant archetype, using two or more Fighting-types to wear down checks together, and Mienfoo is often a staple on these teams. However, with the sheer power of Fighting-type priority Mienfoo lacks in a metagame full of frail Normal-type attackers, Mienfoo began really facing serious competition from Timburr and Croagunk.

Fun Sets

Mienfoo

Thanks to the high number of frail wallbreakers in LC, pivot sets are extremely useful on offensive teams. These are two examples of the extremely common pivot set: the former a slow pivot, the latter a fast one. Slow pivot Mienfoo is the most common SM variant, able to tank a hit and safely U-turn to a frailer team member, like Bunnelby or Carvanha. The fast pivot set was more common in ORAS, and it was used to Taunt hazard setters, setup sweepers, and Thunder Wave users. These sets aren't just pure utility, either; High Jump Kick is a powerful move when it hits, and its high Base Power is complemented by Mienfoo's good base 85 Attack.

Mienfoo

Sometimes considered the single best Mienfoo set, the Choice Scarf variant is incredibly fast, outspeeding the entire unboosted metagame along with most other Scarfers. The only viable Pokémon that can outrun this set are Choice Scarf Doduo and Choice Scarf Gastly, although other 17 Speed Scarfers like Chinchou can Speed tie with it. This set can be used as a late-game cleaner, as a weakened team often can't deal with a fast, powerful High Jump Kick once Fighting-type checks have been eliminated. With Regenerator or sometimes Reckless, this set can terrorize any unprepared team.

Mienfoo

While not often seen in SM, this was a popular set during ORAS thanks to the omnipotence of fast wallbreakers that needed just a bit more power, like Carvanha, Aipom, and Ponyta. Thanks to Mienfoo's bulk, it could set up a Swords Dance and slowpass into a teammate. Once a Carvanha or other Baton Pass recipient came in at +2 Attack, it was as good as game over. While not the most often used or even the best set, Baton Pass Mienfoo can be very helpful in its own right.

Mienfoo

Another set that fell out of common use during SM, this set was used somewhat often in ORAS. Thanks to a high Attack stat and a powerful STAB move in High Jump Kick, Life Orb made Mienfoo a threat. It wasn't worn down as easily as other Life Orb users thanks to its ability, Regenerator. However, some opted to use Reckless; while this did make Mienfoo a glass cannon, a Reckless- and Life Orb-boosted STAB High Jump Kick was not something to mess around with.

Un Sets

Mienfoo has amazing coverage, getting moves like Poison Jab, Stone Edge, Acrobatics, and Bounce. However, many of them just don't do enough damage. The obvious solution seems to be using a Z-Move, but Mienfoo simply prefers another item. Flyinium Z isn't technically unviable, since Supersonic Skystrike can blast through all sorts of Fighting-type checks as well as opposing Fighting-types, but many consider it a waste of the Z-Move slot and too inconsistent to use often. Continental Crush and Acid Downpour are in similar boats, but they are even less viable thanks to the small pools of Pokémon they hit. Choice Band Reckless High Jump Kick may seem nice, but the metagame is so full of Ghost-types and Protect users that it isn't a good idea at all, especially when Life Orb Reckless gives almost the same exact amount of power.

Competition

Despite all of Mienfoo's good traits, Little Cup is still a metagame infested with Fighting-types like Timburr, Croagunk, and Scraggy. While Mienfoo has clear differences from and options over the latter two, it has always faced heavy competition from Timburr. Timburr gets access to many of the things Mienfoo does, like Fighting-type STAB and Knock Off, but it also has better bulk and Fighting-type priority in Mach Punch. However, Mienfoo is faster and gets the great combination of U-turn and Regenerator. One of Mienfoo's biggest points over Timburr is its great synergy with Diglett, a top-tier Pokémon. Thanks to Mienfoo's slow U-turn, Diglett can trap and KO plenty of threats, from Croagunk to Alolan Grimer. Timburr also gets two great abilities in Guts and Iron Fist and has a good coverage move in Ice Punch. While Mienfoo gets Acrobatics, which helps it beat Foongus, and Stone Edge, which can hit Vullaby, it has to choose one or the other. Overall, Mienfoo fits better on offensive teams, while Timburr is a better match on defensive ones. However, if you're looking for a tanky Fighting-type attacker and have no need for a pivot, then Timburr is often the better bet.

Good Cores

Mienfoo Diglett

Mienfoo and Diglett form one of the most common cores in SM, and for good reason. Slow pivot Mienfoo has the bulk to take nearly any neutral hit and U-turn out into Diglett to trap a threat. Thanks to Z-Moves, Diglett can now trap and KO things it couldn't before, like Timburr, with Tectonic Rage. This duo puts heavy pressure on all sorts of Ground-weak Pokémon like Croagunk, Ponyta, and Alolan Grimer, all of which are common in the SM metagame.

Mienfoo Vullaby

Vullaby can take care of Foongus, and Poison Jab Mienfoo can lure in and KO Fairy-types for Vullaby. Both these Pokémon have well-rounded stats, with both offensive and defensive pressure and some form of recovery, making the core hard to break through. They also both get U-turn, meaning they can easily give each other a turn in battle. This core is very common on balanced teams thanks to its versatility.

Mienfoo Carvanha Bunnelby

Mienfoo is one of a handful of slow, bulky U-turn users in LC, which is a very nice thing to have if you're a frail wallbreaker that can't afford to switch into anything. A slow U-turn gives threatening Pokémon a free switch to begin attacking. Swords Dance Baton Pass Mienfoo is one of the best sets on these cores; a Carvanha or Bunnelby at +2 Attack is often a game over if their checks are weakened.

Mienfoo Chinchou Magnemite

Volt Switch users can combine with Mienfoo to form a VoltTurn core that can safely bring in all kinds of things, like Life Orb Staryu and Aipom. Chinchou and Magnemite are two slow and bulky pivots. Magnemite can take care of Fairy- and Flying-types that give Mienfoo trouble, while Chinchou can use Thunder Wave or even Scald burns to restrict opposing Pokémon.

Mienfoo Timburr Scraggy Croagunk

Fighting-types and typespam are two extremely common things in LC. Combine the two and you have one of the most used team archetypes in the tier. Usually these teams utilize two Fighting-types, which can be a combination of any of the four listed above. Many teams only carry one Fighting-type check, which can be worn down, allowing the other fighter to clean up. These types of teams are powerful but also relatively bulky, and they can be hard to stop if you don't preserve your Fighting-type checks carefully.

Checks and Counters

While Mienfoo is a dominating force in the LC metagame, one of its downfalls is its own popularity. The metagame has had years to adapt to it, coverage moves and all. Each generation has only brought more checks to it, like Fairy-types in XY. Mienfoo is reliably beaten by Spritzee, Snubbull, and Foongus, as it has a case of four-moveslot syndrome; it can't (or at least shouldn't) run Poison Jab, Acrobatics, and Stone Edge all at once. Spritzee is incredibly bulky and can switch into any of Mienfoo's moves with ease, except for the rare Poison Jab. Snubbull can switch in safely as well and lower Mienfoo's Attack, forcing it to switch. Foongus only fears the niche Flyinium Z set and can put Mienfoo to sleep with Spore. Ponyta and Larvesta can easily burn Mienfoo with Will-O-Wisp. Both also get Morning Sun, so they don't fear chip damage, and they pressure Mienfoo into being unable to U-turn freely for fear of Flame Body. Mienfoo also has a plethora of Pokémon that beat it 1v1, like Doduo, Vullaby, Abra, and the occasional Rufflet. These Pokémon can all either take a hit or outspeed and OHKO it.

Conclusion

Although many say Mienfoo's viability peaked in ORAS, it's still going strong as an incredibly versatile Pokémon that is part of the reason every LC team needs a Fighting-type check. Even with a notable number of checks, Mienfoo will never be dead weight in any game. It's a great choice to use on any Little Cup team!

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