In-battle formes
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| HP: | 100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Attack: | 100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Defense: | 100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sp. Atk: | 100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sp. Def: | 100 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Speed: | 100 |
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Overview
Manaphy is one of the undisputed strongest stallbreakers in the whole tier thanks to the combination of Tail Glow and Hydration, which makes it temporarily immune to Toxic in rain, so it naturally finds itself a place on several rain teams as their countermeasure to the stall matchup. Additionally, Manaphy is also a deadly wallbreaker with a rain-boosted +3 Hydro Vortex that makes it almost effortless to weaken typical rain checks for the likes of Mega Swampert and Ash-Greninja to clean up. With Psychic as coverage, Manaphy can also break past notable threats to rain, such as Toxapex and Mega Venusaur. Manaphy's great bulk all-around also gives it a plethora of opportunities to set up, and a Water-type resistance helps with the opposing Ash-Greninja matchup in rain. However, Manaphy's relative lack of raw power makes it somewhat predictable and exploitable, as it needs to set up with Tail Glow to actually do damage, making easier to play around than most wallbreakers. This, accompanied by the fact that nearly all teams have something to outspeed it, also makes it a bit easy to play around, as it's not hard to pivot into a faster Water-resistant threat as it sets up Tail Glow, such as Serperior or Protean Greninja, and even when Manaphy does take down a Pokemon on the opposing team, it will be likely forced out by a faster threat such as Choice Specs Tapu Koko or Kartana.
2 Attacks + Rest
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Moves
Rest, in conjunction with Hydration, allows Manaphy to recover all of its HP without consequence while rain is active. Surf is recommended over Scald due to its higher Base Power; Hydro Vortex coming off of Scald notably fails to achieve several notable OHKOs versus targets such as Mega Latias and Chansey at +3, and the added benefit of burns does not help in wearing down the majority of its checks. Ice Beam targets Mega Latias, Tapu Bulu, and Tangrowth without having to use its Z-Move, while Psychic enables Manaphy to break past Toxapex and Mega Venusaur. Toxic can be used instead of a coverage move to annoy Gastrodon and Rotom-W, OHKO Shedinja, and chip away at Grass-types like Tangrowth long-term.
Set Details
20 Speed EVs allow Manaphy to outspeed Timid Magnezone. Waterium Z provides Manaphy with a strong tool to break past specially bulky Pokemon such as Chansey and Assault Vest Magearna as well as Water-type switch-ins such as Mega Latias and Ferrothorn after a Tail Glow boost. An EV spread of 200 HP / 252 SpA / 56 Spe with a Modest nature can be used to outspeed Adamant Tapu Bulu, which works well on Ice Beam variants. Another alternative EV spread of 48 HP / 252 SpA / 208 Spe with a Modest nature can be used to outspeed Gyarados and Tapu Fini but comes at the cost of significantly reducing Manaphy's bulk.
Usage Tips
To maximize Manaphy's effectiveness as a stallbreaker, aim to have rain active as much as you can; the boost it provides Water-type moves allows a boosted Manaphy to break past usual checks such as Mega Latias and Ferrothorn with Hydro Vortex while also providing more opportunities for Manaphy to use Rest. Rest enables Manaphy to be played much more aggressively; HP conservation is not as important when it is able to recover lost HP without much consequence. As such, do not be afraid to use Manaphy to weaken or remove bulkier foes, as it is easily able to find chances to freely recover on passive Pokemon such as Celesteela, Toxapex, and Gastrodon. However, Manaphy should avoid using Rest on the last active turn of rain, as rain will end before Hydration gets a chance to activate. Be sure to conserve Manaphy's Z-Move for bulkier targets such as Ferrothorn, Mega Latias, and Tangrowth, as they become more difficult to break past without it.
Team Options
Manaphy should only be used on rain builds. As such, Pelipper is a mandatory partner for Manaphy; it allows Manaphy to take advantage of Hydration and heal freely with Rest while also boosting the power of Manaphy's Water-type moves, allowing it to bypass some of the sturdiest defensive threats such as Mega Latias and Chansey. Ferrothorn also serves as an excellent partner for Manaphy; it provides Manaphy with entry hazard support while also being able to pivot into Tapu Koko and Mega Latias. Additionally, it possesses the ability to lure in and cripple Pokemon such as Assault Vest Tangrowth and opposing Ferrothorn with Knock Off, making them significantly easier for Manaphy to break through. Other rain staples such as Mega Swampert, Ash-Greninja, and Tornadus-T all appreciate Manaphy's ability to wear down traditional rain checks such as Toxapex, Chansey, and Rotom-W and are able to pivot into some of Manaphy's checks; the former pivots into Tapu Koko and the last into Grass-types such as Kartana and Tapu Bulu.
Three Attacks
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Moves
Surf's added power makes it the preferred STAB move over Scald. Ice Beam is instrumental to break past Grass-types such as Tangrowth and Tapu Bulu and Dragon-types like Mega Latias, Mega Latios, and Kommo-o. Psychic helps out against Toxapex and Mega Venusaur, both of which can be notable annoyances to rain teams.
Set Details
Waterium Z gives Manaphy a strong nuke in Hydro Vortex that can plow through Water-resistant Pokemon like Tapu Fini and Rotom-W at +3 in rain. Hydration helps Manaphy rid itself of Toxic from the likes of Chansey and Toxapex under rain. A Timid nature is preferred to outspeed the likes of Tapu Lele and Kyurem-B and Speed ties with Mega Charizard Y, which would get rid of the rain that Manaphy thrives in thanks to Drought.
Usage Tips
An important aspect of using Manaphy is deciding whether to attack straight away or to set up. If your opponent has a healthy check to Manaphy, such as Gastrodon, specially defensive Tapu Bulu, Amoonguss, or Assault Vest Tangrowth, it might be smart to double switch instead of trying to set up. If your opponent has a faster threat that can knock out Manaphy, such as Tapu Koko or Kartana, don't let them in for free as you set up a Tail Glow; sometimes, it's better to just attack them on the switch, especially if your team doesn't have a dedicated switch-in. Keep Manaphy healthy if it can potentially break a team; it can stomach a hit from the likes of Tapu Fini, Mega Venusaur, and Tangrowth if it needs to, and it can check threats to rain such as Ash-Greninja, for example. Don't be scared of letting Manaphy get inflicted by status as long as your Pelipper is healthy; however, if you're using it outside of a rain team, be very wary of Toxic from Chansey and Gastrodon.
Team Options
Rain support from Pelipper is highly recommended, as Manaphy only excels as a stallbreaker thanks to Hydration, and the Water-type boost from rain is more than welcome, especially for breaking Chansey and opposing Water-types. Teammates such as Mega Swampert, Ash-Greninja, and Kingdra appreciate typical rain checks getting weakened by Manaphy and can make up for Manaphy's subpar Speed. Mega Swampert also provides a very useful Electric-type immunity. While Manaphy helps with Ash-Greninja, other checks such as Ferrothorn, Magearna, and the aforementioned Kingdra help solidify the matchup, as Ash-Greninja is a deadly threat to rain teams.
Other Options
Leftovers can be used over Waterium Z, especially on Rest variants, if Manaphy's team already packs a Z-Move user, but struggling to break past other Water-types like Tapu Fini and Rotom-W isn't quite ideal. Energy Ball helps out with Gastrodon and lets Manaphy save its Z-Move against Tapu Fini and Rotom-W; however, Manaphy can't break past Toxapex and Mega Venusaur without Psychic. Z-Rain Dance is an interesting option for some hyper offensive teams, but more often than not, there are far better sweepers to do the job.
Ice Beam is an option over Psychic on the Rest set to hit bulky Grass-types such as Tangrowth and Tapu Bulu and allows Manaphy to conserve its Z-Move versus Mega Latias. However, it has limited targets and forces Manaphy to use its Z-Move on Toxapex and Mega Venusaur. Rain Dance is also an option over Psychic on the Rest set to let Manaphy be self-sufficient against stall, but this leaves it unable to break past Gastrodon lacking Clear Smog and Toxapex.
Checks and Counters
Water-types: Though niche, Mantine is arguably Manaphy's greatest enemy, being able to wall Manaphy indefinitely and Haze any boosts off. Gastrodon is an excellent check, but Rest variants can beat non-Clear Smog Gastrodon one-on-one. Toxapex struggles with Psychic variants and Rest variants if it's not running Haze; however, it can still be a nuisance to Manaphy otherwise. Lastly, Tapu Fini and Rotom-W resist Manaphy's Water-type STAB moves but are vulnerable to a +3 Hydro Vortex in rain.
Grass-types: The likes of Assault Vest Amoonguss and Ferrothorn take very little damage from whatever Manaphy attempts to do and deal heavy damage with their Grass-type STAB moves. Non-Assault Vest Amoonguss, Tapu Bulu, and Tangrowth are in a similar boat, but they take considerably more from +3 Ice Beam. Mega Venusaur takes on the few variants that lack Psychic.
Mega Latias: Mega Latias switches in seamlessly against Manaphy, and variants packing Thunder can 2HKO it. Calm Mind variants can also slow down Manaphy's wallbreaking attempts.
Revenge Killers: Faster attackers that can OHKO Manaphy, such as Kartana and Tapu Koko, are threats to be careful of, especially if they manage to pivot in as Manaphy sets up. However, other faster attackers can pick it off after some damage, such as Garchomp, Flyinium Z Tornadus-T, Mega Alakazam, and Mega Lopunny.
