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Mankey

Statbasemin-minmax max+
HP40N/A2023N/A
Att8012141718
Def359101314
Sp.A359101314
Sp.D459111415
Spe7011131617


SET 1
name: Choice Monkey
move 1: Close Combat / Cross Chop
move 2: Payback
move 3: U-Turn
move 4: Rock Slide / Ice Punch
ability: Vital Spirit
nature: Jolly
item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf
evs: 116 HP / 196 Atk / 196 Spe

SET COMMENTS

Boost either one of Mankey's higher stats: Choice Band will hurt and kill something, provided you predict correctly, at the cost of having mediocre Speed. This can be fixed by using Choice Scarf, as Mankey does have a good 80 base Attack which can still hurt many things.

Close Combat gets STAB and has the power fit for a hit-and-run Pokémon. Payback gives neutrality to the set and lets you OHKO any ghost that switches is expecting to sponge a Close Combat. U-Turn is great to scout who did your opponent bring in to counter Mankey and to gain the upper hand. Rock Slide covers Flying enemies that resist your STAB move. Ice Punch has a slim chance of OHKOing max HP/Def Gligar with Choice Scarf; having Stealth Rock on the field almost guarantees the kill and a Choice Band always OHKOs. However, being a 3rd generation Tutor move, it is incompatible with the 4th generation level-up move Close Combat. If you want to have an elemental punch, Cross Chop will have to suffice as your STAB move.

SET 2
name: Reversal
move 1: Endure
move 2: Bulk Up
move 3: Reversal
move 4: Payback / Rock Slide / Ice Punch
ability: Vital Spirit
item: Salac Berry
nature: Jolly
evs: 116 HP / 196 Atk / 196 Spe

SET COMMENTS

Bulk Up until you see the opponent's next move will KO Mankey. Endure to 1 HP to get a full power STAB Reversal and activate your Salac Berry. Now sweep with Reversal and your last move: Payback covers Ghosts and only Croagunk resists Fighting/Dark; while Rock Slide and Ice Punch cover Flying-types. Ice Punch is more useful if Gligar is showing up too often. Beware of priority users with this set.

Also note that due to the power formula for Reversal, Mankey can only have a maximum 150 power Reversal [floor(64*1/22) = 2; 150 power].

SET 3
name: Anger Point
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Bulk Up
move 3: Close Combat / Reversal
move 4: Payback / Rock Slide
ability: Anger Point
item: Salac Berry
nature: Jolly
evs: 196Atk / 196Spe

SET COMMENTS

Put up your Substitute and Bulk up whenever you get the chance, hoping the opponent will critical against your Substitute. Bulk Up will give slightly more endurance to your Substitutes against physical attackers,and gives you a back-up plan in case Anger Point never activates.

Not investing in HP EVs leaves Mankey at 20 HP, which means Salac Berry will activate after the third Substitute. If you choose to use Reversal, put 116 EVs in HP so Salac will activate after the fourth Substitute, giving you one more chance to activate Anger Point and leaving you with a more powerful attack than Close Combat (150 vs. 120).

Ice Punch is illegal with Anger Point, so it is not included

SET 4
name: Special Surprise
move1: Focus Blast
move2: Overheat
move3: Hidden Power Ice
move4:Thunder / Thunderbolt
item: Choice Specs
ability: Vital Spirit
nature: Modest
evs: 236 SpA / 196 Spe

SET COMMENTS

Mankey has a shallow but usable special movepool, although his base 35 Special Attack makes it an inferior option compared to the physical sets. With Choice Specs and a Modest nature you reach 21 Special Attack, an usable number, especially considering the high base power of Mankey's special arsenal.

Mankey gets a powerful STAB Focus Blast, but its accuracy may give you a hard time. Overheat has a fantastic 140 power but leaves you with a measly 10 Special Attack after one use. The Hidden Power of choice gives you added type coverage, and can help in KOing certain Pokémon. Grass takes care of Rhyhorn, Onix, Cranidos, Kabuto and Omanyte, while Ice hits Gligar, Tangela and Drifloon, possible switch-ins into Mankey; although what HP Grass hits is less likely to switch in, fearing a super effective Close Combat. If you are crazy enough to use a Special-oriented Mankey, you might as well gamble with Thunder's higher power, or go for Thunderbolt to trade 25% accuracy for 25% less power.

While it's certainly amusing seeing Mankey exploding in a blast of fire or launching electrical shocks at its opponents, one must remember that Mankey uses its full potential using a physical set.

OTHER OPTIONS

Mankey's physical movepool, which includes access to the elemental punches, Brick Break, Focus Punch, Double-Edge, Iron Tail, and Aerial Ace, is quite large; however, any moves not listed in the sets are generally inferior due to limited coverage or low base power, but could be useful to take on a specific threat.

In the support department, Makey gets Taunt, which can prevent a counter from setting up; and Screech, which can allow Mankey to turn 2HKOs into OHKOs if you nail opponents on the switch.

EVs

116HP / 196Atk / 196Spe maximizes Attack and Speed and leaves room for two HP points.

For the Special attacking set, 236SpA / 190Spe maximizes those stats, and leaves EVs to compensate to the stats lowered by using different IVs for Hidden Power.

OPINION

Mankey may look at first sight as yet another generic Fighting-type inferior to Meditite, but where the monkey excels is in the movepool department. Mankey has lots of options to use as a STAB move, from Cross Chop to Reversal, apart from moves that give it a good type coverage.

Mankey may be weaker than Meditite, but its decent Speed, coupled with a Sleep immunity and access to a wide movepool sould make it a solid choice for your team

COUNTERS

Mankey will be choiced more often that not, so prediction is the key to giving you an advantage. Gligar takes little fom anything Mankey can offer, barring Ice Punch. Ghosts can come into its STAB attacks and threaten with Shadow Ball. Mankey is quite frail, so revenge killing will be easy.