The Official Glyx
Banned deucer.
[OVERVIEW]
Manaphy's niche in 1v1 comes from its wide variety of utility options and EV spreads that make it a very flexible partner. As a Water-type Pokemon, Manaphy finds itself in an advantageous position against many of the common Fire-, Steel-, and Ground-types that occupy 1v1 such as Mega Charizard X, Heatran, Magearna, Zygarde-C, Landorus-T, and Donphan. Additionally, Manaphy's access to Grass-type coverage gives it good matchups against many of the top-tier Water-types in 1v1 between Mega Gyarados, Primarina, and Tapu Fini. Even with mimimal investment, Manaphy still has above average bulk, being capable of withstanding powerful attacks like Magearna's Twinkle Tackle, Garchomp's Tectonic Rage, and Choice Specs Naganadel's Draco Meteor. Unfortunately, Manaphy's strongest Water-type move is Surf, which means it often misses out on getting KOs, namely on non-Flame Charge Mega Charizard Y and Choice Scarf Genesect, that it would've gotten if it had a move with higher Base Power like Hydro Pump. Additionally, Manaphy's excessively balanced stats lead to it being required to sacrifice reliability against Pokemon it previously could knock out, withstand attacks from, or outspeed in the interest of gaining matchups against others. This is especially evident in the fringe scenarios of trying to make Manaphy reliably withstand attacks from Landorus-T and Naganadel while still maintaining the power and speed to deal with Mega Charizard X and Smeargle.
[SET]
name: Tail Glow + 3 Attacks
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Surf
move 3: Icy Wind
move 4: Energy Ball
item: Waterium Z
ability: Hydration
nature: Modest
evs: 84 HP / 28 Def / 244 SpA / 152 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Tail Glow is Manaphy's setup move, increasing its Special Attack by three stages so that it can knock out foes like Mega Gyarados, Magearna, Tapu Fini, and Mega Altaria. Surf becomes a powerful STAB Hydro Vortex when used with Waterium Z, giving Manaphy the potential to clear out the common Fire- and Ground-types that occupy the 1v1 metagame such as Heatran, Donphan, and common variants of Landorus-T and Victini. Icy Wind deals important chip damage while also lowering the foe's Speed by one stage, which is essential for taking on Mega Gyarados, Garchomp, Naganadel, and stall Deoxys-S. Energy Ball is a coverage move for dealing with the Water-types that resist Surf and Icy Wind such as Mega Gyarados, Primarina, and Tapu Fini.
Set Details
========
244 Special Attack EVs with a Modest nature ensure that Manaphy knocks out offensive Mega Charizard X in one hit with Hydro Vortex, as well as +1 Magearna after using Tail Glow. 152 Speed EVs guarantee that Manaphy outspeeds Smeargle, Adamant Mega Gyarados, and specially defensive Mega Charizard X. 84 HP EVs and 28 Defense EVs allow Manaphy to withstand a Solar Beam from Mega Charizard Y, as well as giving it the best odds of surviving a Tectonic Rage from Jolly Landorus-T and a Choice Specs-boosted Draco Meteor from Timid Naganadel.
Usage Tips
========
Manaphy is ideally used against a somewhat selective group of Pokemon, specifically those that don't have sufficient special bulk to withstand its Hydro Vortex, fail to knock it out quickly, or both such as Heatran, Celesteela, Mega Altaria, Zygarde-C, and Magearna. When against Pokemon with competent special bulk or a typing neutral to or resisting Water such as Mega Sableye, Stored Power Necrozma, Porygon2, and Primarina, it is ideal to use Tail Glow right away so that Manaphy can go for the KO on the following turns. There are a handful of matchups where it's ideal for Manaphy to go for the attack right away instead of setting up, namely using Hydro Vortex versus offensive Mega Charizard X, Greninja, Landorus-T, and Victini or a combination of Icy Wind followed by another attack for Garchomp and Naganadel. Against Mega Charizard X, it is ideal for Manaphy to use Hydro Vortex right away, as it will immediately KO offensive sets. If Mega Charizard X is slower than Manaphy and survives Hydro Vortex, it means they are running a specially defensive set and will lack the ability to reliably KO Manaphy, even after a Dragon Dance, while Manaphy picks up the 2HKO with Surf. The matchup versus Mega Gyarados is won by using Tail Glow immediately and then following up with Icy Wind to make sure that Mega Gyarados doesn't 2HKO Manaphy after a Dragon Dance as well as deal crucial chip damage. On the third turn, Manaphy picks up the 2HKO with either Hydro Vortex if Gyarados didn't Mega Evolve or Energy Ball if it did. Mega Slowbro is a questionable matchup for Manaphy, as it is very reliant on rolls and careful plays due to Mega Slowbro's ability to boost its Special Defense considerably with Amnesia. The ideal play is to use Energy Ball after the first Tail Glow so that Mega Slowbro gets a possible Special Defense drop and some chip damage, then follow up with another Tail Glow, and repeatedly use Energy Ball, hoping for sufficient rolls to drop Special Defense and KO it.
Team Options
========
Manaphy can find a place in the common Fire / Water / Grass core with Fire-types like Mega Charizard, Heatran, and Victini covering its weakness to Grass-types like Serperior, Mega Venusaur, Ferrothorn, and Kartana, while Manaphy returns the favor by handling the Rock-, Ground-, and Water-types like Mega Tyranitar, Landorus-T, Mega Gyarados, and Mega Swampert that threaten them. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Grass-types cover Manaphy's weakness to Electric-type attacks from Pokemon like Zeraora, Magnezone, and Thunder Punch Mega Metagross, while Manaphy covers their weakness to the aforementioned Fire-types as well as Steel-types like Magearna, Celesteela, and Mega Scizor, which resist their attacks. Bulky Steel-types like Mega Metagross, Celesteela, Heatran, specially defensive Mega Mawile, and Ferrothorn serve as good partners for Manaphy, as they can deal with the powerful special attackers that threaten it between Porygon-Z, Tapu Lele, Mega Gardevoir, Meloetta, and Magnezone, while Manaphy covers Pokemon like Mega Charizard X, Zygarde-C, Mega Sableye, and Victini that would otherwise beat them. It also appreciates assistance from Fairy-types like Magearna, Tapu Lele, Mega Gardevoir, Tapu Fini, and Mega Altaria, as they deal with the Dragon- and Fighting-types like Dragonite, Kommo-o, Haxorus, Pheromosa, and Sawk that either overpower Manaphy or withstand its attacks. Manaphy, in turn, handles the opposing Steel- and Fire-types like Magearna, Celesteela, Heatran, and Victini that the Fairy-types struggle with. Sturdy Pokemon like Magnezone, Donphan, Crustle, and Sawk excel at handling some of the more offensive threats that often KO Manaphy between Mega Charizard Y, Porygon-Z, Meloetta, Genesect, and Kartana, while Manaphy handles Pokemon like Zygarde-C, Landorus-T, Mega Altaria, Mega Sableye, and Mega Swampert that can all withstand attacks from the Sturdy Pokemon and knock them out over a long, drawn-out battle.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Acid Armor and Charm help with Manaphy's physical bulk, boosting its Defense by two stages and lowering the foe's Attack by two stages. These moves help Manaphy buy time to set up against Pokemon like Dragonite and Mega Mawile while also enabling it to stall when used with more defensively oriented sets. Calm Mind is an option that is ideally used on faster builds in order to withstand attacks from the likes of Tapu Lele and Genesect, but this leaves Manaphy missing one of its core moves. Rest can be used in conjunction with the prior defensive setup moves in the interest of stalling foes like Mega Slowbro, Clefable, Jumpluff, and Mega Venusaur rather than going for a quick knockout. Rain Dance can be used alongside Rest and Hydration on more stall-oriented sets in order to get free heals in the duration of the weather. It is mainly useful for canceling out Mega Charizard Y's Drought. Scald can be used in place of Surf on more stall-oriented sets in the interest of fishing for a burn in order to further aid against physical threats like Dragonite and Mega Mawile while also getting continual chip damage against the likes of Mega Scizor, Kyurem, Chansey, and Umbreon; moreover, Chesto Berry and Iapapa Berry can be used in place of Waterium Z so that Manaphy can get immediate recovery that doesn't disrupt its defensive setup. Icium Z can be used over Waterium Z with the base move Blizzard in place of Surf in order for Manaphy to get KOs versus Dragonite, Serperior, and Garchomp, as well as Kommo-o, when used in conjunction with Calm Mind and Icy Wind.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Super Effective Attacks**: As a Water-type, Manaphy suffers from a severe weakness to the Electric- and Grass-types in 1v1 that threaten to KO it before it gets a chance to KO them, namely Zeraora, Magnezone, Serperior, Mega Venusaur, Ferrothorn, and Kartana.
**Wallbreakers**: Though Manaphy is respectably bulky, there are still many Pokemon that simply have the raw power or setup to dispose of Manaphy without needing to hit super effectively, such as Dragonite, Porygon-Z, Tapu Lele, Mega Gardevoir, Pheromosa, and Substitute Volcarona.
**Bulky Pokemon**: There are multiple Pokemon that have the raw bulk, type resistance, and setup to withstand attacks, fire back with their own powerful attacks, and exhaust Manaphy, such as Meloetta, Mega Slowbro, Aegislash, Kommo-o, Clefable, Mega Venusaur, Choice Specs Necrozma, and Whimsicott.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Osra, 239997]]
- Quality checked by: [[Alakazam, 276708], [pqs, 425798], [lost heros, 316445]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [, ]]
Manaphy's niche in 1v1 comes from its wide variety of utility options and EV spreads that make it a very flexible partner. As a Water-type Pokemon, Manaphy finds itself in an advantageous position against many of the common Fire-, Steel-, and Ground-types that occupy 1v1 such as Mega Charizard X, Heatran, Magearna, Zygarde-C, Landorus-T, and Donphan. Additionally, Manaphy's access to Grass-type coverage gives it good matchups against many of the top-tier Water-types in 1v1 between Mega Gyarados, Primarina, and Tapu Fini. Even with mimimal investment, Manaphy still has above average bulk, being capable of withstanding powerful attacks like Magearna's Twinkle Tackle, Garchomp's Tectonic Rage, and Choice Specs Naganadel's Draco Meteor. Unfortunately, Manaphy's strongest Water-type move is Surf, which means it often misses out on getting KOs, namely on non-Flame Charge Mega Charizard Y and Choice Scarf Genesect, that it would've gotten if it had a move with higher Base Power like Hydro Pump. Additionally, Manaphy's excessively balanced stats lead to it being required to sacrifice reliability against Pokemon it previously could knock out, withstand attacks from, or outspeed in the interest of gaining matchups against others. This is especially evident in the fringe scenarios of trying to make Manaphy reliably withstand attacks from Landorus-T and Naganadel while still maintaining the power and speed to deal with Mega Charizard X and Smeargle.
[SET]
name: Tail Glow + 3 Attacks
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Surf
move 3: Icy Wind
move 4: Energy Ball
item: Waterium Z
ability: Hydration
nature: Modest
evs: 84 HP / 28 Def / 244 SpA / 152 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Tail Glow is Manaphy's setup move, increasing its Special Attack by three stages so that it can knock out foes like Mega Gyarados, Magearna, Tapu Fini, and Mega Altaria. Surf becomes a powerful STAB Hydro Vortex when used with Waterium Z, giving Manaphy the potential to clear out the common Fire- and Ground-types that occupy the 1v1 metagame such as Heatran, Donphan, and common variants of Landorus-T and Victini. Icy Wind deals important chip damage while also lowering the foe's Speed by one stage, which is essential for taking on Mega Gyarados, Garchomp, Naganadel, and stall Deoxys-S. Energy Ball is a coverage move for dealing with the Water-types that resist Surf and Icy Wind such as Mega Gyarados, Primarina, and Tapu Fini.
Set Details
========
244 Special Attack EVs with a Modest nature ensure that Manaphy knocks out offensive Mega Charizard X in one hit with Hydro Vortex, as well as +1 Magearna after using Tail Glow. 152 Speed EVs guarantee that Manaphy outspeeds Smeargle, Adamant Mega Gyarados, and specially defensive Mega Charizard X. 84 HP EVs and 28 Defense EVs allow Manaphy to withstand a Solar Beam from Mega Charizard Y, as well as giving it the best odds of surviving a Tectonic Rage from Jolly Landorus-T and a Choice Specs-boosted Draco Meteor from Timid Naganadel.
Usage Tips
========
Manaphy is ideally used against a somewhat selective group of Pokemon, specifically those that don't have sufficient special bulk to withstand its Hydro Vortex, fail to knock it out quickly, or both such as Heatran, Celesteela, Mega Altaria, Zygarde-C, and Magearna. When against Pokemon with competent special bulk or a typing neutral to or resisting Water such as Mega Sableye, Stored Power Necrozma, Porygon2, and Primarina, it is ideal to use Tail Glow right away so that Manaphy can go for the KO on the following turns. There are a handful of matchups where it's ideal for Manaphy to go for the attack right away instead of setting up, namely using Hydro Vortex versus offensive Mega Charizard X, Greninja, Landorus-T, and Victini or a combination of Icy Wind followed by another attack for Garchomp and Naganadel. Against Mega Charizard X, it is ideal for Manaphy to use Hydro Vortex right away, as it will immediately KO offensive sets. If Mega Charizard X is slower than Manaphy and survives Hydro Vortex, it means they are running a specially defensive set and will lack the ability to reliably KO Manaphy, even after a Dragon Dance, while Manaphy picks up the 2HKO with Surf. The matchup versus Mega Gyarados is won by using Tail Glow immediately and then following up with Icy Wind to make sure that Mega Gyarados doesn't 2HKO Manaphy after a Dragon Dance as well as deal crucial chip damage. On the third turn, Manaphy picks up the 2HKO with either Hydro Vortex if Gyarados didn't Mega Evolve or Energy Ball if it did. Mega Slowbro is a questionable matchup for Manaphy, as it is very reliant on rolls and careful plays due to Mega Slowbro's ability to boost its Special Defense considerably with Amnesia. The ideal play is to use Energy Ball after the first Tail Glow so that Mega Slowbro gets a possible Special Defense drop and some chip damage, then follow up with another Tail Glow, and repeatedly use Energy Ball, hoping for sufficient rolls to drop Special Defense and KO it.
Team Options
========
Manaphy can find a place in the common Fire / Water / Grass core with Fire-types like Mega Charizard, Heatran, and Victini covering its weakness to Grass-types like Serperior, Mega Venusaur, Ferrothorn, and Kartana, while Manaphy returns the favor by handling the Rock-, Ground-, and Water-types like Mega Tyranitar, Landorus-T, Mega Gyarados, and Mega Swampert that threaten them. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Grass-types cover Manaphy's weakness to Electric-type attacks from Pokemon like Zeraora, Magnezone, and Thunder Punch Mega Metagross, while Manaphy covers their weakness to the aforementioned Fire-types as well as Steel-types like Magearna, Celesteela, and Mega Scizor, which resist their attacks. Bulky Steel-types like Mega Metagross, Celesteela, Heatran, specially defensive Mega Mawile, and Ferrothorn serve as good partners for Manaphy, as they can deal with the powerful special attackers that threaten it between Porygon-Z, Tapu Lele, Mega Gardevoir, Meloetta, and Magnezone, while Manaphy covers Pokemon like Mega Charizard X, Zygarde-C, Mega Sableye, and Victini that would otherwise beat them. It also appreciates assistance from Fairy-types like Magearna, Tapu Lele, Mega Gardevoir, Tapu Fini, and Mega Altaria, as they deal with the Dragon- and Fighting-types like Dragonite, Kommo-o, Haxorus, Pheromosa, and Sawk that either overpower Manaphy or withstand its attacks. Manaphy, in turn, handles the opposing Steel- and Fire-types like Magearna, Celesteela, Heatran, and Victini that the Fairy-types struggle with. Sturdy Pokemon like Magnezone, Donphan, Crustle, and Sawk excel at handling some of the more offensive threats that often KO Manaphy between Mega Charizard Y, Porygon-Z, Meloetta, Genesect, and Kartana, while Manaphy handles Pokemon like Zygarde-C, Landorus-T, Mega Altaria, Mega Sableye, and Mega Swampert that can all withstand attacks from the Sturdy Pokemon and knock them out over a long, drawn-out battle.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Acid Armor and Charm help with Manaphy's physical bulk, boosting its Defense by two stages and lowering the foe's Attack by two stages. These moves help Manaphy buy time to set up against Pokemon like Dragonite and Mega Mawile while also enabling it to stall when used with more defensively oriented sets. Calm Mind is an option that is ideally used on faster builds in order to withstand attacks from the likes of Tapu Lele and Genesect, but this leaves Manaphy missing one of its core moves. Rest can be used in conjunction with the prior defensive setup moves in the interest of stalling foes like Mega Slowbro, Clefable, Jumpluff, and Mega Venusaur rather than going for a quick knockout. Rain Dance can be used alongside Rest and Hydration on more stall-oriented sets in order to get free heals in the duration of the weather. It is mainly useful for canceling out Mega Charizard Y's Drought. Scald can be used in place of Surf on more stall-oriented sets in the interest of fishing for a burn in order to further aid against physical threats like Dragonite and Mega Mawile while also getting continual chip damage against the likes of Mega Scizor, Kyurem, Chansey, and Umbreon; moreover, Chesto Berry and Iapapa Berry can be used in place of Waterium Z so that Manaphy can get immediate recovery that doesn't disrupt its defensive setup. Icium Z can be used over Waterium Z with the base move Blizzard in place of Surf in order for Manaphy to get KOs versus Dragonite, Serperior, and Garchomp, as well as Kommo-o, when used in conjunction with Calm Mind and Icy Wind.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Super Effective Attacks**: As a Water-type, Manaphy suffers from a severe weakness to the Electric- and Grass-types in 1v1 that threaten to KO it before it gets a chance to KO them, namely Zeraora, Magnezone, Serperior, Mega Venusaur, Ferrothorn, and Kartana.
**Wallbreakers**: Though Manaphy is respectably bulky, there are still many Pokemon that simply have the raw power or setup to dispose of Manaphy without needing to hit super effectively, such as Dragonite, Porygon-Z, Tapu Lele, Mega Gardevoir, Pheromosa, and Substitute Volcarona.
**Bulky Pokemon**: There are multiple Pokemon that have the raw bulk, type resistance, and setup to withstand attacks, fire back with their own powerful attacks, and exhaust Manaphy, such as Meloetta, Mega Slowbro, Aegislash, Kommo-o, Clefable, Mega Venusaur, Choice Specs Necrozma, and Whimsicott.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Osra, 239997]]
- Quality checked by: [[Alakazam, 276708], [pqs, 425798], [lost heros, 316445]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [, ]]
Last edited: