Copyediting Mienshao [GP 0/1]

Lucario

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[OVERVIEW]

Mienshao is the best offensive pivot in NU thanks to its high Attack stat, great speed tier, and good coverage. Mienshao is able to threaten most of the tier with its STAB Close Combat which enables it as a late game sweeper. Its great speed paired with Choice Scarf lets Mienshao outspeed unboosted Pokemon like Lycanroc-D and Talonflame as well as boosted sweepers like Shell Smash Torterra and Dragon Dance Feraligatr. Knock Off punishes Mienshao's switch-ins like Slowbro, Reuniclus, and Talonflame as well as Ghost-types that are immune to Close Combat like Chandelure and Brambleghast, while other coverage options like Stone Edge and Poison Jab hits Flying- and Fairy-type switch-ins with super effective damage. On top of that, Regenerator pushes Mienshao above the competition, effectively letting it ignore hazards on the switch. Mienshao often plays into high risk, high reward; the threat of using Close Combat is high, so Fighting-type resists like Talonflame, Slowbro, and Vileplume can all switch-in and punish it with Flame Body, Rocky Helmet, and Effect Spore respectively. Even with the risk of Rocky Helmet, Mienshao can still pivot with U-turn on predicted switches, giving it the upper hand. Mienshao's poor bulk is heavily expressed when facing priority users like Lucario and Feraligatr as well as faster users of Choice Scarf like Infernape and Munkidori.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Stone Edge / Ice Spinner / Poison Jab
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Regenerator
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Fighting / Dark

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====

Choice Scarf boosts Mienshao's speed to become a premier revenge killer, outspeeding the faster threats in the tier like Lycanroc-D, Noivern, and Thundurus. Knock Off punishes Ghost- and Psychic-types like Basculegion, Chandelure, Slowbro, and Mew that try to switch-in on Close Combat while U-turn gives Mienshao momentum through pivoting and hitting Mew and Slowbro with supereffective damage. Stone Edge hits Flying-types like Talonflame and bulky Noivern that want to punish Mienshao using Close Combat. Ice Spinner hits the previously mentioned Noivern as well as Grass- and Dragon-types like Brambleghast, Tsareena, and Dragalge, but it's usually best to use U-turn against them to bring in a better check or generally keep up momentum and chip them at the same time. Poison Jab can be used for Fairy-types like Sylveon, Florges, and Tera Fairy Slowbro; this is not preferred because it isn't strong and can be exploited by Steel-types like Registeel, Lucario, and Magnezone and other resists like Rhyperior, Krookodile, and Dragalge. Regenerator gives Mienshao a lot of longevity that it normally wouldn't have with its other abilities, letting it switch-in on weaker attacks and hazards without worrying about losing the HP. Tera Fighting gives Mienshao's Close Combat a lot of extra power, allowing it to 2HKO Quagsire, Noivern, and Rhyperior after using Tera, as well as having a roll to 2HKO Swampert. Tera Dark boosts Knock Off's damage and defensively helps Mienshao against Psychic-types like Slowbro, Reuniclus, and Mew while gaining an immunity to Klefki's Thunder Wave, however, it loses its resistance to Lycanroc-D's Accelerock. With passable bulk paired with Regenerator, Choice Scarf Mienshao is a great lead, achieving an OHKO or 2HKO against most hazard setters and Choice Scarf leads like Flygon and Krookodile.

Mienshao appreciates being able to pivot into Pokemon that can take strong hits from Ghost-, Psychic- and Fairy-types like Incineroar, Swampert, Dragalge, and Munkidori, all of which can pivot back into Mienshao if needed. Munkidori is most noteworthy because of its Toxic Chain ability, spreading Toxic on its U-turns to cripple Mienshao's Fairy- and Psychic-type checks like Sylveon, Slowbro, and bulky Mew. This interaction can weaken the Close Combat switch-ins enough to enable Mienshao to freely click Close Combat later in the battle. Offensive threats that lure in Fairy-types like Choice Specs Noivern, Mew, Tera Poison Krookodile, and Tera Steel Flygon help at eliminating Mienshao's checks without weakening it or wasting Close Combat's power points. Choice Scarf variants of Munkidori and Infernape are often what will be used to revenge Mienshao, so Slowbro is a good partner, resisting Psychic from Munnkidori and both of Infernape's STAB attacks. Slowbro and Reuniclus have natural syngery with Mienshao thanks to Regenerator; they can use Future Sight and pivot into Mienshao to threaten Poison-type switch-ins like Vileplume and Dragalge while Mienshao threatens the Dark-types that try to absorb Future Sight, like Krookodile and Alolan Muk. Mienshao isn't weak to hazards thanks to Regenerator, but it is weak to teams that take advantage of a choice locked Mienshao. With that in mind, having a grounded Poison-type like Vileplume or Alolan Muk and a Defog user like Talonflame or Noivern really helps Mienshao stick around for longer, not having to rely so heavily on Regenerator. Pokemon that can take hits from Mienshao's hard switch-ins like Slowbro, Talonflame, and Vileplume are needed for its longevity, so Pokemon like Alolan Muk, Mew, Swampert, and Magnezone all pair nicely with it. Due to Mienshao's main role as a pivot, it pairs well with fast wallbreakers like Lycanroc-D, Munkidori, and Thundurus which threaten Mienshao's checks. Mienshao can't do much to physical walls like Slowbro, Vileplume, and Tera Poison Avalugg, so it enjoys partnering with strong special wallbreakers like Chandelure, Mew, and Toxtricity. These wallbreakers aren't known for their speed and appreciate Mienshao KOing fast Pokemon like Lycanroc-D, Thundurus, and Noivern. Chandelure and Mew can also switch into Choice Scarf Infernape's Close Combat, preserving some momentum.

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Poison Jab / U-turn
move 4: Swords Dance / U-turn
item: Life Orb
ability: Regenerator / Inner Focus
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Poison / Ghost

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====

Life Orb boosts Mienshao's power a lot with little drawback thanks to Regenerator, giving it the oppurtunity to 2HKO Quagsire and after some prior damage it can OHKO Mew and Tsareena. Close Combat and Knock Off pair to make a nearly unresisted combination, the latter enables Mienshao to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types that switch-in on Close Combat like Chandelure, Brambleghast, Slowbro, and Mew. Close Combat and Knock Off synergize better here than Choice Scarf thanks to Mienshao not being locked into one move, giving it a better fighting chance against Psychic- and Ghost-type switch-ins. Poison Jab hits Fairy-types like Sylveon and Florges as well as users of Tera Fairy like Slowbro and Rhyperior. Swords Dance boosts Mienshao's already high Attack, giving it more of a chance to break past physical walls like Slowbro, Swampert, and Vileplume. U-turn retains Mienshao's title of being a strong pivot without being forced to lock into a single move, but it loses out on the power of Swords Dance. Regenerator gives Mienshao more opportunities to break while not caring too much about damage from hazards, Rocky Helmet, and Life Orb. Inner Focus can be used to avoid being Intimidated by Incineroar and Krookodile, but they don't often switch into a Mienshao due to their weakness to Close Combat. Tera Poison boosts Poison Jab's damage, allowing it to OHKO Tsareena and Tera Fairy Slowbro after a Swords Dance boost. Tera Ghost gives Mienshao many immunities to revenge killers like Close Combat from Lycanroc-D and Infernape, Vacuum Wave from Lucario and Mew, and Extreme Speed from Lucario; however it becomes weak to Brute Bonnet's Sucker Punch and no longer resists Lycanroc-D's Accelerock.

Swords Dance Mienshao appreciates hazard support from Swampert, Rhyperior, Klefki, and Dragalge to guarantee some KO thresholds it otherwise would not obtain. Toxic Spikes in particular help to break through physical walls like Swampert, Rhyperior, and Sylveon which cannot afford to run Heavy-Duty Boots. Future Sight support from Slowbro and Reuniclus can punish Poison-types and users of Tera Poison that try to wall Mienshao like Vileplume, Quagsire, and Avalugg while Mienshao punishes Dark-types like Incineroar, Alolan Muk, and Krookodile that try to absorb Future Sight. Faster Pokemon like Talonflame, Noivern, and Raikou can revenge Mienshao, which opens up room for various different walls like Diancie, Slowbro, Registeel, and Alolan Muk to be paired alongside it. Choice Scarf users like Krookodile, Flygon, and Basculegion can all work to KO Pokemon that try to use their higher speed to force Mienshao to switch. Slow pivots like Dragalge, Swampert, and Eject Button Slowbro can all safely bring in Mienshao without threatening any damage. If running U-turn, Dark-types like Krookodile, Alolan Muk, and Incineroar can all be brought in safely on a predicted Psychic-type move from Slowbro, Reuniclus, and Mew. A status absorber, especially one that can absorb burn is very useful to keep Mienshao safe to break at any time, so it naturally pairs well with Milotic, Rest Alolan Muk, and Magic Guard Reuniclus.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====

Mienshao can use Choice Band to take advantage of its high Attack stat, however, it opens more opportunities for your opponent to revenge it. Fake Out is an option for Life Orb Mienshao to revenge kill faster, weaker threats like Thundurus, Agility Gallade, and Chlorophyll boosted Venusaur, but it loses out on the power of Swords Dance and momentum of U-turn. Lastly, Triple Axel can be used over Ice Spinner for a stronger Ice-type move, but it has the chance to miss and needs all three hits to land to be stronger than Ice Spinner. Assault Vest is another option on the Wallbreaker set, giving Mienshao more longevity against special breakers and revenge killers like Noivern and Infernape.

Checks and Counters
====

**Flying-types**: Pokemon like Talonflame and bulky Noivern outspeed non-Choice Scarf Mienshao, can switch into Close Combat from either set, and threaten an OHKO with Brave Bird and Hurricane respectively. Talonflame is able to punish Mienshao thanks to Flame Body having a chance to burn. Oricorio-E is freely able to set up against a choice-locked Mienshao, but it is 2HKOed by Tera Fighting Close Combat.

**Ghost-types**: Chandelure, Basculegion, and Brambleghast can safely switch-in against Choice Scarf Mienshao that is locked into Close Combat and threaten it with an OHKO, but they all have to take caution against Knock Off and the possibility of Mienshao not being Choice Scarf.

**Poison-types**: Vileplume walls Mienshao thanks to adverse damage over time like Rocky Helmet, Toxic, and Leech Seed; it can also restore all of its HP while simultaneously making Mienshao weaker with Strength Sap. Munkidori resists Close Combat and is naturally faster than Mienshao, often forcing it out by bluffing Choice Scarf.

**Psychic-types**: Slowbro, Reuniclus, and bulky Mew resist Mienshao's Close Combat and can force awkward predictions even while they are not on the field. They are all weak to Knock Off but can take the hit with Tera Fairy or Tera Poison, using Mienshao as setup fodder.

**Physical Walls**: Blanket physical walls such as Slowbro, Avalugg, and Quagsire can make it hard for Mienshao to break through bulkier teams as they can recover their HP easily and use Tera if needed. Bulky Fairy-types like Sylveon and Florges resist most of Mienshao's moves, being able to exploit non-Poison Jab variants.

**Priority Users**: Tera Normal Lucario and Arcanine as well as Aqua Jet from Feraligatr and Basculegion all posses strong priority to revenge kill Mienshao, often forcing it to switch out or use its Tera in situations it wouldn't want to. If Mienshao loses its Fighting-typing because of Tera, it can become susceptible to Lycanroc-D's Accelerock, too.

**Faster Pokemon**: Choice Scarf Mienshao doesn't have this issue as much as the wallbreaker set, but Choice Scarf users like Munkidori and Infernape will always outspeed Mienshao, giving them the oppurtunity to outspeed, as well as Venusaur under Sun. Life Orb Mienshao is also outsped by Espeon, Lycanroc-D, Thundurus, and Noivern, all of which threaten it with a KO.

[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lucario.189361/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/kiyo.126266/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/etern.295647/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
 
Last edited:

Kiyo

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[Overview]


I think the overview feels clunky and unfocused. I'd like to see the whole thing restructured to talk about strength/speed/coverage>tools to get past common counterplay>risk of flame body/effect spore/mispredictions>frailty and offensive checks (in that order). It also weirdly feels like the overview downplays how good mienshao is somehow? Like the mon is S rank on the VR but this overview isn't exactly a ringing endorsement rn.

I think you hint at, but don't outright state that this Pokemon is powerful and that its CC can clean teams. In my eyes, the key to its being such a good pivot is the threat of close combat. If you couldn't threaten CC your opponent has no reason to go to slowbro, vileplume, talon in the first place and I think the overview should hint at this dynamic of Mienshao forcing mixed strategy situations where all of cc/knock/uturn are good play and timing/gamestate are big factors in determining how often you should say cc a registeel/krookodile when there is a slowbro/talon in the back vs uturn/stone edge respectively. The more detailed you make this statement the more I think it belongs in set details, but something about it not all being roses and their being drawbacks to each option is fine.

The overview as it stands makes it sound like mienshao is hard stopped by any ghost type right now and thats simply not the case, none of those ghosts are switching into knock off. If you want to make the case that you're in a difficult spot the turn after because locking into CC means something else will have to take a strong fire blast/shadow ball from chandy or polter from bramble i think it needs to be phrased more explicitly

[Choice Scarf]


Love the first line about speed, this is what I want more of in the overview.

I don't think its correct to say Noivern punishes Mienshao for CC'ing, its Flame Body Talon that punishes CC/U-turn. I would also stipulate that its utility/bulky noivern that can swtich in since you do 73 minimum with 2 cc's to any offensive noivern. I think depending on how much you describe the stone edge/ice spinner interactions in the overview its also worth an explicit mention here that miensaho can turn the tables and punish talon/noiv switching in. I think how good ice spinner is is a bit of an overstatement right now, the way motivations tend to work out in game you'll not usually be clicking ice spinner to chip a bramble, tsareena, or dragalge as those Pokemon are more likely to either be handled by something else on your team or are getting uturned/knocked because its a more valuable mid-ground in a lot of spots. I'd prefer it as a passing comment with stone edge about punishing a common switch in and surprising scarf flygon. It COULD be used for cleaning late game and hit the targets you mentioned, but rn it sounds like you're instructing players to try and hit bramble,alge, etc with ice spinner shao.

I would also add that since its bulk is passable, Mienshao often functions well as a lead. It threatens to OHKO/2HKO most of the Stealth Rock setters in the tier and can leverage U-turn to preserve momentum, using powerful teammates to keep the opponent reacting and open the door for opportunities to double switch back to Mienshao to repeat the process later in the game without needing to switch into attacks directly.

Mienshao does most of the removing ghosts and chipping psychics on its own. Furthermore the ghosts and psys aren’t going to stay in on Krookodile/Muk/BB anyways so I’m not sure how they are removing them for Mienshao. It would be more correct to say Mienshao appreciates teammates that can switch into strong Psychic, Ghost, and Fairy -type attacks for the situations where you inevitably mispredict or find yourself choice locked as alluded to in the overview. I think its fine to combine the line about fairies into this sentence/idea because it plays the same. Shao only gives a shit about Fairies after taking a kill or not correctly U-turning on them so it’s the defensive switchins we care about as teammates. Along the lines of what I said about the darks and psys, the poison types aren’t actually the ones killing the fairies because your opponent is just gonna switch. Munki is a good shout but not because you can sludge bomb Sylveon, its because you can Toxic Chain U-turn it and then CC it later with Mienshao and be relatively comfortable since the opponent likely needs to wish to preserve their cc switch for later. I think if you want offensive partners that work to bring Sylveon to low hp for a pjab shao, or chip it into a situation where you can 2hko with cc, you’re far better off looking at the types of pokemon sylveon will switch into as midground. Something that came to mind instantly for me was specs Noivern because it threatens draco to incentivize sylveon in and it can 2hko with hurricane/tera normal boomburst. Other pokemon that from my experience have good chances of getting damage to stick on Sylveon are Tsareena, Mew, Galv, Raikou, Krook, and Flygon. Pokemon that get sticky damage on sylv are more valuable to mienshao as partners than defensive poisons that will force sylveon out, keeping its hp high, and retaining its ability to check mienshao. You CAN play the long game with Muk/Vileplume/Dragalge and hazard stack but its not as simple as I have a muk I am not weak to fairies now.

At this point I’d just loop the munki into the discussion of psychic types that threaten you and add infernape as a mention where you say slowbro is a good partner. I think you can mention something about the natural synergy of getting more regens off with slowbro by getting more free turns from u turn shao, but that’s more of a point on how to play slowbro so im not dead set on it. You kinda mention this with regen core anyways, so I’d probably just expand that to explain how it works in this context.

I like the toxic spikes point, but I feel like the message isn’t coming through clear for me and this should stay more of a general ‘hazards’ mention rather than shouting tspikes first over the others. In my eyes Mienshao doesn’t stay in long enough to care about residuals from t spikes and its more the inherent structure of “control deck” type teams that aim to win thru the passive chip of hazards and tspikes together. I think you need to make it clear to the reader that teams utilizing t spikes will often pack a lot of tools that increase the effectiveness of of tspikes into mienshao such as all the other hazards, protect (which also stalls your close combat) and decreases the net amount of hp you recover with regen, rocky helmet, their own regens, etc.

I think you should rework the section on slowbro/reun and expand it to include other defensive switch ins to the hard mienshao stops. building with pokemon that can switch into attacks from talon/noiv/slowbro/etc. is important Things that take will-o from talon could also be good shouts here.

I also think the u-turn pivoting role is heavily understated and you should mention some powerful wallbreakers that like to get in on slow walls such as bro/plume or fast attackers that threaten out talon/noiv. Lycanroc makes a lot of sense to threaten out the flyings, Munki bops the physdef walls and scarf can chunk the flyings. You mention strong special attackers like Chandy but I think you need to go deeper. This is like the most important part of teambuiding set details for Mienshao go as detailed as possible in this spot.


[Swords Dance]


You can slash U-turn alongside poison jab. I was rocking a terablast shao over pjab the other day and I found you really don’t need the third move very often and I’ve had liked uturn a bunch. The plan is never to use a boosted uturn for damage, but rather to have some more playability with mienshao in the early game. You can risk getting chipped and missing out on some boosting opportunities later but I think its worth the trade off and that sort of thing can be evaluated on a game by game basis.

You mentioned future sight pairing well with shao because it deters poisons from coming in to block cc on the turn future sight activates, but this also goes for preventing dark types to come in and sponge future sight. I’d give this interaction a passing mention since its so close to what you already have.

Maybe mention in the first paragraph along side knock hitting the cc immunes/resists that this set is less prediction reliant because you’re not locked into a bad prediction in the way scarf is. Its weird to compare two sets in the analysis but I think especially if life orb is not revealed the opponent will often assume scarf until proven otherwise.



[Other Options]


Consider AV? It was good in past gens, and it wasn’t awful on the one team I used it (although any other shao set was prob just as good). I wouldn’t have any advice on the correct amount of bulk so unless other QC feel strongly maybe forget I said anything.



[Checks and Counters]


If Talonflame gets its own mention Slowbro deserves its own mention. That being said, I’m not convinced that either need special treatment. They fit fine into generic psychic- and flying-type categories. Speaking of, I would split the “fighting resists” section into separate type sections. At least for Psychic, Flying, Poison, and Ghost since theres a fair few mons that fall into each category and they play differently depending on whether or not they resist knock off/uturn, and each type of mon has something different they need to be careful of. I think omitting Fairies is probably okay if you give them a strong mention in physical walls, but they could get their own mention.

The priority moves section needs some caveats. The vacuum waves are almost never in KO range unless you have some drops or have taken a ton of chip. I would (begrudgingly) mention Arcanine alongside Lucario for Espeed and add the stipulation that they need to have tera normal available to actually KO shao from full, otherwise it’s a chip/drops situation again.

I think faster pokemon deserves a section, even if they are somewhat difficult to find for the scarf set. You mention scarf munki and ape throughout the analysis and I think they can go here. I think this point is more relevant for SD sets and its fine to comment that on the analysis since scarf is less plagued by the issue. That said there are some other fringe viable mons I MIGHT consider listing here, such as venu in sun, qwil kingdra float in rain, and scarf espeon/thundy/noivern.



Lucario This is a lot so tag me when you've implemented and I'll QC stamp
 

etern

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NU Leader
[OVERVIEW]

Mienshao is the best (offensive pivot, slowbro is prob the best overall pivot) pivot in NU thanks to its high Attack stat, great speed tier, and good coverage. Mienshao is able to threaten most of the tier with its STAB Close Combat which enables it as a late game sweeper. Its great speed paired with Choice Scarf lets Mienshao outspeed unboosted Pokemon like Lycanroc-D and Talonflame as well as boosted sweepers like Shell Smash Torterra and Dragon Dance Feraligatr. Knock Off punishes Mienshao's switch-ins like Slowbro, Reuniclus, and Talonflame as well as Ghost-types that are immune to Close Combat like Chandelure and Brambleghast, while other coverage options like Stone Edge and Poison Jab hits Flying- and Fairy-type switch-ins with super effective damage. On top of that, Regenerator pushes Mienshao above the competition, effectively letting it ignore hazards on the switch. Mienshao often plays into high risk, high reward; the threat of using Close Combat is high, so Fighting-type resists like Talonflame, Slowbro, and Vileplume can all switch-in and punish it with Flame Body, Rocky Helmet, and Effect Spore respectively. Even with the risk of Rocky Helmet, Mienshao can still pivot with U-turn on predicted switches, giving it the upper hand. (id remove the rocky helmet mention here bc shao doesnt care about that, and move this line above the flame body sentence so it flows better.) Mienshao's poor bulk is heavily expressed when facing priority users like Lucario and Feraligatr as well as faster users of Choice Scarf like Infernape and Munkidori.

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Stone Edge / Ice Spinner / Poison Jab
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Regenerator
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Fighting / Dark

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====

Choice Scarf boosts Mienshao's speed to become a premier revenge killer, outspeeding the faster threats in the tier like Lycanroc-D, Noivern, and Thundurus. Knock Off punishes Ghost- and Psychic-types like Basculegion, Chandelure, Slowbro, and Mew that try to switch-in on Close Combat while U-turn gives Mienshao momentum through pivoting and hitting Mew and Slowbro with supereffective damage. Stone Edge hits Flying-types like Talonflame and bulky Noivern that want to punish Mienshao using Close Combat. Ice Spinner hits the previously mentioned Noivern as well as Grass- and Dragon-types like Brambleghast, Tsareena, and Dragalge, but it's (usually) usaully best to use U-turn against them to bring in a better check (or generally keep up momentum and chip them at the same time). Poison Jab can be used for Fairy-types like Sylveon, Florges, and Tera Fairy Slowbro; this is not preferred because it isn't strong and can be exploited by Steel-types like Registeel, Lucario, and Magnezone and other resists like Rhyperior, Krookodile, and Dragalge. Regenerator gives Mienshao a lot of longevity that it normally wouldn't have with its other abilities, letting it switch-in on weaker attacks and hazards without worrying about losing the HP. Tera Fighting gives Mienshao's Close Combat a lot of extra power, allowing it to 2HKO Quagsire, Noivern, and Rhyperior after using Tera, as well as having a roll to 2HKO Swampert. Tera Dark boosts Knock Off's damage and defensively helps Mienshao against Psychic-types like Slowbro, Reuniclus, and Mew while gaining an immunity to Klefki's Thunder Wave, however, it loses its resistance to Lycanroc-D's Accelerock. With passable bulk paired with Regenerator, Choice Scarf Mienshao is a great lead, achieving an OHKO or 2HKO against most hazard setters and Choice Scarf leads like Flygon and Krookodile.

Mienshao appreciates being able to pivot into Pokemon that can take strong hits from Ghost-, Psychic- and Fairy-types like Incineroar, Swampert, Dragalge, and Munkidori, all of which can pivot back into Mienshao if needed. Munkidori is most noteworthy because of its Toxic Chain ability, spreading Toxic on its U-turns to cripple Mienshao's Fairy- and Psychic-type checks like Sylveon, Slowbro, and bulky Mew. This interaction can weaken the Close Combat switch-ins enough to enable Mienshao to freely click Close Combat later in the battle. Offensive threats that lure in Fairy-types like Choice Specs Noivern, Mew, Tera Poison Krookodile, and Tera Steel Flygon help at eliminating Mienshao's checks without weakening it or wasting Close Combat's power points. Choice Scarf variants of Munkidori and Infernape are often what will be used to revenge Mienshao, so Slowbro is a good partner, resisting Psychic from Munnkidori and both of Infernape's STAB attacks. Slowbro and Reuniclus have natural syngery with Mienshao thanks to Regenerator; they can use Future Sight and pivot into Mienshao to threaten Poison-type switch-ins like Vileplume and Dragalge while Mienshao threatens the Dark-types that try to absorb Future Sight, like Krookodile and Alolan Muk. Mienshao isn't weak to hazards thanks to Regenerator, but it is weak to teams that take advantage of a choice locked Mienshao. With that in mind, having a grounded Poison-type like Vileplume or Alolan Muk and a Defog user like Talonflame or Noivern really helps Mienshao stick around for longer, not having to rely so heavily on Regenerator. Pokemon that can take hits from Mienshao's hard switch-ins like Slowbro, Talonflame, and Vileplume are needed for its longevity, so Pokemon like Alolan Muk, Mew, Swampert, and Magnezone all pair nicely with it. Due to Mienshao's main role as a pivot, it pairs well with fast wallbreakers like Lycanroc-D, Munkidori, and Thundurus which threaten Mienshao's checks. Mienshao can't do much to physical walls like Slowbro, Vileplume, and Tera Poison Avalugg, so it enjoys partnering with strong special wallbreakers like Chandelure, Mew, and Toxtricity. These wallbreakers aren't known for their speed and appreciate Mienshao KOing fast Pokemon like Lycanroc-D, Thundurus, and Noivern. Chandelure and Mew can also switch into Choice Scarf Infernape's Close Combat, preserving some momentum.

[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Knock Off
move 3: Poison Jab / U-turn
move 4: Swords Dance / U-turn
item: Life Orb
ability: Regenerator / Inner Focus
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Poison / Ghost

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====

Life Orb boosts Mienshao's power a lot with little drawback thanks to Regenerator, giving it the oppurtunity to 2HKO Quagsire and after some prior damage it can OHKO Mew and Tsareena. Close Combat and Knock Off pair to make a nearly unresisted combination, the latter enables Mienshao to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types that switch-in on Close Combat like Chandelure, Brambleghast, Slowbro, and Mew. Close Combat and Knock Off synergize better here than Choice Scarf thanks to Mienshao not being locked into one move, giving it a better fighting chance against Psychic- and Ghost-type switch-ins. Poison Jab hits Fairy-types like Sylveon and Florges as well as users of Tera Fairy like Slowbro and Rhyperior. Swords Dance boosts Mienshao's already high Attack, giving it more of a chance to break past physical walls like Slowbro, Swampert, and Vileplume. U-turn retains Mienshao's title of being a strong pivot without being forced to lock into a single move, but it loses out on the power of Swords Dance. Regenerator gives Mienshao more opportunities to break while not caring too much about damage from hazards, Rocky Helmet, and Life Orb. Inner Focus can be used to avoid being Intimidated by Incineroar and Krookodile, but they don't often switch into a Mienshao due to their weakness to Close Combat. Tera Poison boosts Poison Jab's damage, allowing it to OHKO Tsareena and Tera Fairy Slowbro after a Swords Dance boost. Tera Ghost gives Mienshao many immunities to revenge killers like Close Combat from Lycanroc-D and Infernape, Vacuum Wave from Lucario and Mew, and Extreme Speed from Lucario; however it becomes weak to Brute Bonnet's Sucker Punch and no longer resists Lycanroc-D's Accelerock.

Swords Dance Mienshao appreciates hazard support from Swampert, Rhyperior, Klefki, and Dragalge to guarantee some KO thresholds it otherwise would not obtain. Toxic Spikes in particular help to break through physical walls like Swampert, Rhyperior, and Sylveon which cannot afford to run Heavy-Duty Boots. Future Sight support from Slowbro and Reuniclus can punish Poison-types and users of Tera Poison that try to wall Mienshao like Vileplume, Quagsire, and Avalugg while Mienshao punishes Dark-types like Incineroar, Alolan Muk, and Krookodile that try to absorb Future Sight. Faster Pokemon like Talonflame, Noivern, and Raikou can revenge Mienshao, which opens up room for various different walls like Diancie, Slowbro, Registeel, and Alolan Muk to be paired alongside it. Choice Scarf users like Krookodile, Flygon, and Basculegion can all work to KO Pokemon that try to use their higher speed to force Mienshao to switch. Slow pivots like Dragalge, Swampert, and Eject Button Slowbro can all safely bring in Mienshao without threatening any damage. If running U-turn, Dark-types like Krookodile, Alolan Muk, and Incineroar can all be brought in safely on a predicted Psychic-type move from Slowbro, Reuniclus, and Mew. A status absorber, especially one that can absorb burn is very useful to keep Mienshao safe to break at any time, so it naturally pairs well with Milotic, Rest Alolan Muk, and Magic Guard Reuniclus.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====

Mienshao can use Choice Band to take advantage of its high Attack stat, however, it opens more opportunities for your opponent to revenge it. Fake Out is an option for Life Orb Mienshao to revenge kill faster, weaker threats like Thundurus, Agility Gallade, and Chlorophyll boosted Venusaur, but it loses out on the power of Swords Dance and momentum of U-turn. Lastly, Triple Axel can be used over Ice Spinner for a stronger Ice-type move, but it has the chance to miss and needs all three hits to land to be stronger than Ice Spinner. Assault Vest is another option on the Wallbreaker set, giving Mienshao more longevity against special breakers and revenge killers like Noivern and Infernape.

Checks and Counters
====

**Flying-types**: Pokemon like Talonflame and bulky Noivern outspeed non-Choice Scarf Mienshao, can switch into Close Combat from either set, and threaten an OHKO with Brave Bird and Hurricane respectively. Talonflame is able to punish Mienshao thanks to Flame Body having a chance to burn. (mention that oricorio-pom-pom gets free setup on a choice locked shao)

**Ghost-types**: Chandelure, Basculegion, and Brambleghast can safely switch-in against Choice Scarf Mienshao that is locked into Close Combat and threaten it with an OHKO, but they all have to take caution against Knock Off and the possibility of Mienshao not being Choice Scarf.

**Poison-types**: Vileplume walls Mienshao thanks to adverse damage over time like Rocky Helmet, Toxic, and Leech Seed; it can also restore all of its HP while simultaneously making Mienshao weaker with Strength Sap. Munkidori resists Close Combat and is naturally faster than Mienshao, often forcing it out by bluffing Choice Scarf.

**Psychic-types**: Slowbro, Reuniclus, and bulky Mew resist Mienshao's Close Combat and can force awkward predictions even while they are not on the field. They are all weak to Knock Off but can take the hit with Tera Fairy or Tera Poison, using Mienshao as setup fodder.

**Physical Walls**: Blanket physical walls such as Slowbro, Avalugg, and Quagsire can make it hard for Mienshao to break through bulkier teams as they can recover their HP easily and use Tera if needed. Bulky Fairy-types like Sylveon and Florges resist most of Mienshao's moves, being able to exploit non-Poison Jab variants.

**Priority Users**: Tera Normal Lucario and Arcanine as well as Aqua Jet from Feraligatr and Basculegion all posses strong priority to revenge kill Mienshao, often forcing it to switch out or use its Tera in situations it wouldn't want to. If Mienshao loses its Fighting-typing because of Tera, it can become susceptible to Lycanroc-D's Accelerock, too.

**Faster Pokemon**: Choice Scarf Mienshao doesn't have this issue as much as the wallbreaker set, but Choice Scarf users like Munkidori and Infernape will always outspeed Mienshao, giving them the oppurtunity to outspeed, as well as Venusaur under Sun. Life Orb Mienshao is also outsped by Espeon, Lycanroc-D, Thundurus, and Noivern, all of which threaten it with a KO.

[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lucario.189361/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/kiyo.126266/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
looks good, qc 2/2
 

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