Manaphy Movesets & Wettbewerbs-Sets

Under rain, Manaphy is one of the metagame's most incontestable stallbreakers, as it has access to a deadly setup move in Tail Glow as well as the formidable combination of Hydration and Rest, which essentially makes it immune to status ailments and immediately replenishes its entire health without any negative consequences as long as rain is active. Furthermore, the aforementioned Tail Glow in combination with a Z-Move makes Manaphy a fearsome wallbreaker as well, as it is capable of effortlessly breaking through common Water-resistant Pokemon such as Tapu Fini and Tangrowth after a boost from rain. Energy Ball is the preferred coverage option, as it allows Manaphy to preserve the Z-Move against Tapu Fini and Rotom-W and break through Gastrodon, which is one of the very few options teams may employ in their endeavor to handle Manaphy defensively. Psychic can be run instead, allowing Manaphy to overwhelm Toxapex, Mega Venusaur, and Amoonguss without expending its Z-Move. Alternatively, Ice Beam may be used in order to preserve the Z-Move against the likes of Mega Latias, Hydreigon, and Tangrowth while still severely denting Amoonguss. Waterium Z is paramount to Manaphy's breaking prowess, as it enables Manaphy to break through the bulkiest of threats such as Chansey, Ferrothorn, Blissey, and Tapu Fini after a boost under rain. The given EV spread allows Manaphy to outspeed everything up to Timid Magnezone. 72 Speed EVs may be run instead in order to outspeed Modest Heatran, which may allow Manaphy to dodge a lethal Bloom Doom. Manaphy's full potential is realized only when rain is active. As such, Manaphy only fits on rain teams as a dedicated stallbreaker that can also reliably wallbreak major portions of the metagame. Rain support from Pelipper is mandatory, as it allows Manaphy to make full use of Hydration in conjunction with Rest while also crucially boosting the power of Hydro Vortex to an extent where many Water-resistant Pokemon are OHKOed after a boost from Tail Glow. Ferrothorn is a very useful teammate due to its ability to pivot into many threats Manaphy has a negative matchup against, such as Tapu Koko and Kyurem. Moreover, Ferrothorn can also provide Knock Off or Thunder Wave support, situationally easing Manaphy's wallbreaking by removing crucial items from the likes of Chansey and Mantine, and letting it outspeed faster Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny and Mega Medicham, respectively. Ferrothorn can also provide valuable hazard support, which helps Manaphy in picking up more KOs. For example, one layer of Spikes nearly guarantees the OHKO with Hydro Vortex on Chansey under rain after using Tail Glow. Furthermore, Manaphy is easily threatened out by faster Grass-types such as Rillaboom and Kartana. Therefore, Corviknight and Zapdos are good partners because of their ability to easily pivot into said Grass-types and threaten them out. Lastly, late-game cleaners that benefit from Manaphy's tremendous wallbreaking capabilities such as Mega Swampert, which is mandatory on rain teams, and Ash-Greninja make for excellent partners by easily cleaning up after Manaphy has concluded its wallbreaking as well as strengthening the matchup against offensive teams.

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-Wash 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.

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-Wash, 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-Wash 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.

Moves Tail Glow allows Manaphy to easily break through defensive cores. STAB Surf is Manaphy's main move to hit walls like Chansey and Clefable as well as common Fire-, Ground-, and Rock-types, which includes Heatran, Excadrill, and Tyranitar. Ice Beam hits Grass-types like Serperior, Amoonguss, and Tangrowth; Dragon-types like Latios, Mega Latias, and Mega Altaria; Flying-types like Zapdos and Tornadus-T; and Ground-types that are 4x weak to Ice like Garchomp, Gliscor, and Landorus-T. Energy Ball gives Manaphy coverage to hit other Water-types like Slowbro, Rotom-W, Keldeo, Suicune, and other Manaphy. Set Details Maximum Special Attack and Speed EVs with a Modest nature allow Manaphy to OHKO Mega Metagross after one Tail Glow and 2HKO Chansey after two Tail Glows while being as fast as possible. A Timid nature allows Manaphy to Speed tie with threats like Mega Charizard Y and Mega Medicham that run a Timid or Jolly nature. Leftovers gives Manaphy passive recovery, helping it stay healthy. Lum Berry is a also viable option to remove status ailments like paralysis, Toxic poison, and burn, making it easier for Manaphy to set up. Usage Tips Manaphy enjoys setting up on foes that cannot threaten it back like Heatran, Skarmory, Gliscor, and Choice-locked Pokemon like Choice Scarf Magnezone and Tyranitar locked into Hidden Power Fire and Pursuit, respectively. Manaphy appreciates faster foes being crippled through means like paralysis and removing Choice Scarfs or eliminated. If Manaphy is holding Lum Berry, use it to set up freely on foes that use status moves like Thunder Wave from Clefable and Slowbro and Spore from Amoonguss. Be wary of the foe's status moves like Thunder Wave, which can cripple Manaphy's Speed, and Toxic, which can slowly chip it down. Team Options Magnezone is a good partner, as it can remove Ferrothorn while also being able to trap and revenge kill Mega Metagross. Mega Metagross can Pursuit trap Latios and Latias while also checking Clefable and wearing down Ferrothorn. Latios can remove entry hazards and wear down similar checks like Ferrothorn, Clefable, and Chansey. Latios can also bait Tyranitar to use Pursuit, giving Manaphy a free turn to set up with Tail Glow. Healing Wish users like Latias and Clefable can restore Manaphy's health and remove any status. Latias can also remove hazards for Manaphy, while Clefable can provide Thunder Wave and Knock Off support. Manaphy appreciates teammates that can help with speed control, which makes Sticky Web Shuckle a great partner, making Manaphy harder to revenge kill.

Moves Tail Glow enables Manaphy to bust through defensive teams. Rain Dance helps Manaphy remove status effects thanks to its ability Hydration while also boosting the damage of its Surf. Surf is Manaphy's strongest STAB move and main move to break through walls like Chansey. Ice Beam is used to hit Grass- and Dragon-types like Amoonguss, Serperior, Tangrowth, Latios, Mega Altaria, and Mega Latias. Psychic is also a viable option, as it can hit Pokemon like Keldeo, Amoonguss, and Mega Venusaur for super effective damage. Set Details 240 HP EVs give Manaphy a high chance to avoid a 2HKO from Mega Metagross while also always surviving a Thunderbolt from Choice Scarf Magnezone even after Stealth Rock damage. They also allow Manaphy to always avoid the 2HKO from maximum Special Attack Life Orb Clefable and the OHKO from Choice Specs Latios's Draco Meteor. 160 Special Attack EVs with a Modest nature let Manaphy OHKO Mega Metagross after Stealth Rock damage and one Tail Glow boost. 108 Speed EVs allow Manaphy to outspeed Jolly Bisharp, Mega Metagross before it Mega Evolves, and defensive Garchomp. Usage Tips Manaphy should look to set up on Pokemon that cannot threaten it like Heatran; Landorus-T; and Choice-locked Pokemon like Pursuit Choice Scarf Tyranitar, Ice Shard Choice Band Weavile, and Hidden Power Fire Magnezone. When Manaphy is paralyzed, poisoned by Toxic, or burned, use Rain Dance to remove the status effect. This also means that Manaphy has an easier time setting up versus more defensive Pokemon such as Clefable and Chansey, as their status moves won't be effective. You can also use Rain Dance before Manaphy has a status aliment on it to keep it safe from status. With less Special Attack, Manaphy appreciates its counters like Ferrothorn and Chansey being weakened or eliminated before setting up. Also, keep in mind Rain Dance also boosts the damage output of Surf. Faster threats like Thundurus, Mega Lopunny, Latios, and Mega Metagross can revenge kill Manaphy but can rarely OHKO it thanks to the extra EVs invested into HP. Team Options Mega Metagross has access to Pursuit to trap and eliminate Latios and Mega Latias and get chip damage on Chansey as it switches out. Mega Metagross can also wear down Ferrothorn with Hammer Arm while also checking Clefable. Magnezone can remove Ferrothorn for Manaphy and can also revenge kill or wear down Mega Metagross. Latias can provide entry hazard removal thanks to Defog while also providing Healing Wish support. Latios can wear down Manaphy's checks and counters like Ferrothorn, Chansey, and Clefable. Tornadus-T can help Manaphy deal with Grass-types like Serperior while also appreciating Manaphy's Rain Dance, allowing Hurricane to always hit. Excadrill is a good partner, as it's able to check common Electric-types that threaten Manaphy while also removing entry hazards thanks to Rapid Spin and providing Stealth Rock support. Weavile can Pursuit trap Latios and Latias, weaken Tornadus-T, and offensively check Mega Metagross that lack Bullet Punch. Weavile can also remove items like Leftovers from Ferrothorn and Eviolite from Chansey, making it easier for Manaphy to break through them.

While Manaphy's other setup move, Tail Glow, seems more appealing with its massive +3 Special Attack boost, Calm Mind is actually Manaphy's most reliable form of stat boosting. A common way of defeating the Tail Glow set involves equipping Kyogre, Palkia, or Dialga with a Choice Scarf and taking it down with Thunder. However, with a Calm Mind boost, the aforementioned Pokemon will not be doing enough damage to stop Manaphy from setting up another Calm Mind, using Rest to recover the damage, and then waking up immediately if rain is active. Manaphy can then alternate between Calm Mind and Rest to slowly set up until it is ready to sweep. The beauty of this set is Manaphy's ability to singlehandedly destroy stall teams without crumbling immediately to offensively based teams. While the Tail Glow set is scary due to its ability to hit extremely hard and quickly, the Calm Mind set instills a whole new type of fear, a fear that is slowly sewn into your opponent's mind as they helplessly watch the prince of the seas take apart their team. Calm Mind and Rest are obviously the crux of the set, allowing Manaphy to set up on what would have been 2HKOs. Scald is the preferred STAB in this case, as a potential burn can cripple the physical attackers attempting to bypass Manaphy's Special Defense boosts. Ice Beam rounds off the set, as it allows the best possible coverage, as well as OHKOing dangerous threats such as Shaymin-S, Rayquaza, and other Dragon-types. To demonstrate Manaphy's durability after a Calm Mind, here are a few damage calculations: 252 SpA Kyogre, Palkia, or Dialga Thunder vs. +1 Manaphy 48.02% - 56.93% 252 SpA Kyogre, Palkia, or Dialga Thunder vs. +2 Manaphy 36.14% - 43.07% 252 SpA+ Kyogre or Dialga Thunder vs. +1 Manaphy 52.97% - 62.38% 252 SpA+ Kyogre or Dialga Thunder vs. +2 Manaphy 39.60% - 47.03% 252 SpA Shaymin-S Seed Flare vs. Manaphy 61.39% - 72.77% 252 SpA Thundurus Thunder vs. Manaphy 62.87% - 74.75% As shown above, with the exception of Modest Choice Scarf Kyogre or Dialga (which still need two very high damage rolls to 2HKO with Thunder), none of the listed revenge killers of the Tail Glow set can stop Manaphy from setting up Calm Minds, unless they land a critical hit, which admittedly is likely enough for a slowly boosting Pokemon such as Calm Mind Manaphy. The EV spread makes Manaphy as bulky as possible while retaining the ability to outspeed an unboosted Rayquaza and Speed tie with base 100s, most notably Palkia. A bulkier spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD with a Bold nature can be used, as it allows Manaphy to survive a Jolly Choice Scarf Zekrom's Bolt Strike at full health. This EV spread also makes Manaphy harder to take down with physical attacks in general, but Manaphy really likes the ability to KO Rayquaza before it can do anything. As for moves, Grass Knot is an option to take down Kyogre, but Ice Beam is by far the better move due to its super effective coverage; unless Kyogre is carrying Choice Specs or has both Calm Mind and Thunder, it will lose to Manaphy anyway. Because Manaphy's main attraction is Hydration in tandem with Rest, support from Kyogre is essential. The biggest problem with this is that Manaphy and Kyogre both share weaknesses to Electric- and Grass-type attacks. Dialga resists both Grass- and Electric-type moves and can use the combination of Bulk Up and Draco Meteor to lure out Groudon and put it out of commission. Defensively, Giratina and Giratina-O also resist both Electric- and Grass-type moves. Choice Scarf Zekrom is especially dangerous because it outspeeds and OHKOes both Manaphy and Kyogre with Bolt Strike. A Dialga holding a Choice Specs also defeats Manaphy, as it resists Scald, it takes a pittance from Ice Beam, and Manaphy cannot set up on it as Thunder 2HKOes Manaphy even at +2. Because Electric-type attacks are extremely common in Ubers, Ground-types that take advantage of Choice-locked Electric-type attacks are extremely useful. Swords Dance Arceus-Ground and Garchomp can switch into Choice Electric-type attacks and snag a free Swords Dance. While extremely risky, Substitute + Hone Claws Dugtrio can severely punish a Choice Scarf Zekrom locked into Bolt Strike by trapping it, setting up a Substitute, and using Hone Claws multiple times in order to sweep. Ferrothorn is, in general, a good check to Manaphy, although if it gets burned by Scald on the switch-in, Manaphy can easily set up on it. Calm Mind Kyogre, Arceus-Water, Arceus-Dragon, Arceus-Grass with Judgment, Arceus-Electric, Mewtwo, and Latias can also defeat Calm Mind Manaphy one-on-one. A Kyogre with Roar can force Manaphy out if it's not the last Pokemon. Because of this, a Ferrothorn of your own works very well to defeat the aforementioned Calm Mind users—apart from Arceus-Grass—by using Leech Seed and Power Whip to whittle down their HP. A Choice Scarf Zekrom of your own also works very well, as it can revenge kill Kyogre, Arceus-Water, Arceus-Dragon, Mewtwo, and Latias easily. Dialga can also defeat Arceus-Grass, as can Lugia, Chansey, and Blissey. Even though it prefers sun, Ho-Oh can check Grass Arceus, as well as combating sun teams. Arceus-Steel, Jirachi, Blissey, and Chansey also help to combat Choice Specs Dialga. Rayquaza can be troublesome if it catches Manaphy using Rest as it switches in, as Air Lock nullifies Kyogre's rain. Choice Scarf Palkia, Salamence, and Garchomp can easily revenge kill Dragon Dance Rayquaza, while fast Steel-types can take down Swords Dance variants.

Manaphy's other major attraction is its semi-unique boosting move, Tail Glow. With it, Manaphy can gain a huge +3 Special Attack boost, transforming into an offensive powerhouse in a single turn. Not only that, but against slower, more defensive teams, Manaphy can reach +6 in the space of two turns, and without an appropriate counter, any stall team will be swiftly flattened. Surf is its main STAB attack, and it is powerful enough to 2HKO Ferrothorn in the rain while Manaphy avoids being OHKOed in return. Ice Beam gives Manaphy excellent coverage, OHKOing Rayquaza and hitting Grass- and Dragon-types extremely hard. Grass Knot, however, can be used to severely damage opposing Kyogre on the switch-in or to simply OHKO slower variants if Manaphy has a Tail Glow boost. There are actually a number of different ways to play Tail Glow Manaphy. The given EV spread allows Manaphy to be as strong and fast as possible, but because Tail Glow gives Manaphy a huge +3 Special Attack boost, a bulky spread can be used so Manaphy can survive more hits. A spread of 252 HP / 40 SpA / 216 Spe with a Timid nature allows Manaphy to always survive Choice Scarf Kyogre's Thunder after Stealth Rock and one round of Leftovers recovery while OHKOing in return with Grass Knot after Stealth Rock damage. If Speed is not too important, another spread of 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD with a Calm nature takes full advantage of Manaphy's bulk, as it allows Manaphy to survive attacks such as Thundurus's Thunder and Shaymin-S's Seed Flare. If you are using a bulky spread, Manaphy can use Scald to potentially land a burn on its counters. Energy Ball is usable over Grass Knot if you want a quick way to take out opposing Manaphy, but Grass Knot is better in all other scenarios. As for the item choice, Leftovers is the most preferred, as Tail Glow gives Manaphy a huge boost in power while letting it take advantage of its decent bulk. However, if overkill attacking power is your thing, Life Orb can be used, as it does allow Manaphy to OHKO some variants of offensive Dialga with Surf. Another way of playing Tail Glow Manaphy is to use the main EV spread, but to equip a Wacan Berry onto it and use Tail Glow and three attacks instead of Rest. With a Wacan Berry, Manaphy can bait in common revenge killers, such as Choice Scarf Zekrom and Kyogre, survive an Electric-type attack, and OHKO in return with the appropriate coverage move. The easiest way to take out Tail Glow Manaphy is to find something that outspeeds it and can hit it with a strong, super effective attack. Unless Manaphy is holding a Wacan Berry, Choice Scarf Zekrom will always OHKO Manaphy with Bolt Strike. Choice Scarf Dialga is the next best check to Manaphy, as it can outspeed and OHKO offensive Tail Glow Manaphy, while defensive Manaphy will fail to OHKO in return with Surf. Choice Scarf Kyogre and Palkia will also defeat Manaphy that lack Grass Knot. Arceus-Electric, Thundurus, and Shaymin-S can OHKO Manaphy with their super effective Thunder or Seed Flare, respectively, although Thundurus and Shaymin-S need a Life Orb or Choice Specs to do so. Because of this, Bulk Up mixed Dialga is an excellent teammate for Manaphy, as it resists both Grass- and Electric-type attacks while being able to lure out Groudon and KO it with a Draco Meteor. The Giratina formes and Ferrothorn are also great to take on the aforementioned Pokemon. Ground-type setup sweepers are also good to switch into Choice-locked Electric-type attacks, and these include Swords Dance Garchomp, Arceus-Ground, and Substitute + Hone Claws Dugtrio.

This set is designed to abuse Toxic and Rest. Poison your foes and stall them out with Rest, while they slowly die from the intensifying damage. Ice Beam is present to kill off Rayquaza, lest he spoil your fun with Air Lock. Grass Knot will hit Kyogre and also takes a big chunk out of Groudon. Light Screen and Reflect are options in the final two slots for more stalling potential and team support. Heart Swap could also be used here to prevent foes from setting up on you. Since this is a defensive set, the EVs should reflect it. You'll want this Manaphy to be slow so it can take hits, as even Thunder from Choice Scarf Kyogre fails to OHKO, barring a critical hit. The Special Attack EVs ensure you will always OHKO minimum HP Rayquaza and can then Rest up to full health. Because Manaphy still has a slight chance to OHKO Rayquaza even with minimum Special Attack, it is possible, although not recommended, to switch the Special Attack EVs to either of the defensive stats. You can also opt to simply max out HP and Special Defense. This gives you a chance to survive Thunder from Modest Choice Specs Kyogre, as Manaphy will always survive a hit from Timid versions. This Manaphy, while being able to outstall some of its common counters with Toxic, still needs to watch out for some of the above threats, more specifically Choice Specs Kyogre, Calm Mind Latias and Latios, and Dialga (especially Bulk Up variants), as they can set up on you now that Dialga does not have to fear boosted Ice Beams and is immune to Toxic. Rest + Sleep Talk Kyogre with Calm Mind can set up on Manaphy without Grass Knot and can Rest off Toxic. Choice Scarf Garchomp is, once again, a great partner, as it is able to switch in on Thunder aimed at Manaphy, outrun all of these threats, and KO them with strong Dragon- and Ground-type strikes. Latias can Calm Mind alongside Kyogre and defeat it with Grass Knot. Again, this set fears opposing weather changers, such as Groudon, Tyranitar, and Rayquaza, from coming in on Rest and setting up a sweep that could spell doom for your team. Choice Scarf Palkia is a nice check for these threats, able to severely hurt or KO them all with a powerful Draco Meteor (or Aura Sphere for Tyranitar). You can also use Choice Scarf Dialga, who makes a better check to Swords Dance Rayquaza, but will be outsped by Jolly variants of Rayquaza after a single Dragon Dance, meaning you will be unable to revenge kill it. Make sure to use Kyogre to replace the rain after these threats are eliminated.

This set aims to utilize Manaphy's decent bulk to pull off a slow sweep. The idea is to switch into a Pokemon who can't really threaten Manaphy and set up a Calm Mind. From there, Calm Mind up and Rest off damage when Manaphy's HP gets low. Even after just one Calm Mind, Manaphy manages to survive many attacks with plenty of HP to spare, allowing it to continue to use Calm Mind and Rest until it is powerful enough to sweep. Manaphy is also able to take physical hits reasonably well. For instance, it can survive an unboosted Garchomp's Outrage and KO back with Ice Beam. Surf is Manaphy's STAB move, being bolstered by the rain that Kyogre provides. The last move is for coverage. Ice Beam KOes Rayquaza who can nullify the weather, and hence remove Manaphy's ability to Rest. Ice Beam also hits Dragon-type Pokemon like Garchomp, Giratina, Latias, and Latios for super effective damage while allowing Manaphy to hit Dialga and Palkia for neutral damage. Grass Knot is for Kyogre switch-ins. Here are a few damage calculations to demonstrate Manaphy's ability to take hits: Neutral 252 SpA Kyogre, Palkia, Dialga Thunder vs +1 Manaphy: 48.02% - 56.93% Neutral 204 SpA Latias Thunder vs +1 Manaphy: 55.45% - 65.35% Neutral 252 SpA Latios Thunder vs +1 Manaphy: 64.85% - 76.73% As shown above, after a Calm Mind, Manaphy can take on quite a lot of special attacks and Rest off the damage while continuing to build up Calm Minds. It should be noted, however, that Latias and Latios can Calm Mind alongside Manaphy, and Shaymin-S can easily remove the Special Defense boosts gained through Calm Mind with Seed Flare. The EVs are relatively simple; max Speed allows Manaphy to tie with Palkia and Salamence. Max HP is used for bulk, while the rest go into Special Attack. Like all Manaphy sets, this set requires rain support from Kyogre. Hydration coupled with Rest is what makes Manaphy so deadly, and without it, Manaphy is rather weak and lacks recovery. A bulky Kyogre with Thunder Wave is best for Calm Mind Manaphy, as Kyogre being able to survive most of a match is critical. Thunder Wave Kyogre can also lure out and cripple many of Manaphy's counters, like Latias and Palkia. The hard-hitting Choice Specs Kyogre also fit alongside Manaphy, with Kyogre breaking down special walls with its insanely powerful attacks so Manaphy can clean up later. It should be noted that Kyogre and Manaphy have the same typing, and therefore, the same weaknesses. Swords Dance Garchomp, Latias, and Dialga are great Pokemon to switch into Electric-type attacks with their ability to set up on them. Automatic weather-inducers (Groudon, Tyranitar, and to an extent Rayquaza) will obviously cause problems for Manaphy, especially if they switch in while Manaphy Rests. Groudon can be lured using Mixed Bulk Up Dialga, who can draw in Groudon and proceed to KO it with Draco Meteor. Garchomp can check any Tyranitar without Ice Beam. Rayquaza is only dangerous should it catch Manaphy Resting, so a Choice Scarf Garchomp or Palkia is sufficient to check it. Manaphy will also has issues with other Pokemon who can Calm Mind alongside it. Kyogre, Latias, Latios, and Giratina can Calm Mind alongside Manaphy and eventually strike it down. Teammates who can defeat such opponents will greatly help Manaphy set up and sweep. Calm Mind Latias can switch into Calm Mind Kyogre and Calm Mind alongside it. Latias and Latios are best defeated by Pursuit users. Tyranitar is generally not a good idea, as its Sand Stream ability will kill the rain that Manaphy desperately needs. Scizor and Metagross are probably the best Pursuit users to use alongside Manaphy, as they resist the Dragon-type STAB moves from Latias and Latios and can Pursuit them to death. Beware, however, that Thunder from either of them can 2HKO both Scizor and Metagross.

This is Manaphy's best sweeping set, allowing it to easily increase its Special Attack to astronomical levels with Tail Glow, Rest off the damage, wake up instantly thanks to Hydration, and sweep. Make sure you are packing rain support when using this set, as that is what makes Manaphy truly shine. Ice Beam is generally the better option in the last slot, giving Manaphy an easy OHKO on Rayquaza, who can negate rain's side-effects with Air Lock, making Hydration useless. It also helps against the other Dragon-types, like Giratina, Latias, and Latios. Grass Knot ensures an OHKO on Kyogre, hits Palkia harder than Ice Beam, and can hit Groudon and Tyranitar who may come in to stop the rain. Neither option leaves you entirely helpless against certain foes, however. For example, if you go with Ice Beam, you can still 2HKO Kyogre with Surf, thanks to boosts from Tail Glow, Life Orb, and Drizzle. If you opt for Grass Knot, then you can still 2HKO Rayquaza with a Life Orb Surf after a Tail Glow boost. Latios can also be 2HKOed by boosted Surfs in the rain, even accounting for Soul Dew (his more defensive sister will usually survive two hits though). The choice of item depends on your personal preference. Leftovers makes for a sturdier Manaphy and can ease set-up. Life Orb gives it some extra kick, and the 10% recoil can be made up for with Rest, especially with Hydration. The EVs are fairly straightforward. Max Special Attack is necessary to inflict as much damage as possible. The Speed EVs allow Manaphy to outrun all base 90s who do not hold a Choice Scarf, including Kyogre, Groudon, and Dialga, while also letting Manaphy beat max Speed Adamant Rayquaza. The HP EVs give Manaphy decent bulk to assist in setting up, while also minimizing Life Orb recoil. One could also elect to pull EVs from HP to increase Manaphy's Speed to 319 (Timid, 216 EVs), if you are paranoid about Jolly Rayquaza. Manaphy needs to mainly watch out for powerful attackers who are faster than it and resist Surf. Palkia has a 4x resistance to Water-type attacks, is not particularly weak to Ice Beam and Grass Knot, and will fry Manaphy with Thunder. Latios and Latias also defeat Manaphy in a similar fashion, but must watch out for Ice Beam. Dialga is not weak to any of Manaphy's assaults, and it also has Thunder to hit Manaphy. Kyogre will also make mincemeat out of those Manaphy running Ice Beam over Grass Knot and can even set up on poor Manaphy with Calm Mind. Manaphy will be unable to get past Blissey if it has Calm Mind. While they can't switch in on a boosted attack, Rayquaza, Groudon, and Tyranitar can come in on the turn Manaphy uses Rest, forcing it to sleep for two turns, while all of them can employ their own stat-boosting moves to prepare for a sweep of their own. Finally, Manaphy is also vulnerable to being revenge killed from Pokemon such as Garchomp, Mewtwo, Shaymin-S, and Darkrai. Blissey can take any special attack thrown at Manaphy and respond with debilitating status, such as Toxic or Thunder Wave. A Choice Scarf Palkia makes a good check to all of these threats (except opposing Choice Scarf Palkia), destroying them all with its powerful Dragon-type attacks. Wobbuffet can trap and KO all of these threats, sans Choice Specs Kyogre or Darkrai, or employ Encore and Safeguard to turn these Pokemon into set-up bait for Manaphy. A specially defensive Dialga provides resists to Manaphy's Grass and Electric weaknesses and can cripple the above threats with Thunder Wave, making them less of a threat for Manaphy. Thunder Wave Kyogre, while sharing weaknesses with Manaphy, acts as a great lure for Manaphy's counters, so it can render them useless by paralyzing them. A Latias of your own is also a great partner, as it is capable of taking down Kyogre and most Palkia with relative ease, although it cannot switch in directly for the fear of Spacial Rend or Outrage, while also being able to take any Electric- or Grass-type moves thrown at Manaphy. Choice Scarf Garchomp can also provide Manaphy with an Electric-type immunity and will outspeed and KO all of these threats with its powerful Earthquake or Outrage. Scizor is also a good teammate to deal with Mewtwo, Darkrai, Shaymin-S, Latios, and Latias, all of whom may try to revenge kill Manaphy, with Bullet Punch or U-turn. Scizor can also take on Choice Scarf Garchomp locked into Outrage.