KACAW! This bird may be NU but it has a niche in LU, so might as well give it an analysis. On Wiki Skeleton: Spoiler == General == Pretty amazing bulk on both sides of spectrum Has reliable recovery in Roost to back it up and a great defensive typing Big Pecks is also pretty cool to prevent Defense drops from Drapion/Krookodile Walls plenty of threats such as Sceptile, Spiritomb, Krookodile, Mesprit, etc. Whirlwind, Taunt, and Roost are also great and allow it to combat other stall teams SR weakness sucks, can hinder its walling ability Offensive stats are pretty weak Some exploitable weaknesses Still, play Mandibuzz to its strengths, and it can be an excellent defensive Pokemon == Specially Defensive == Mandibuzz @ Leftovers Trait: Big Pecks EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD Careful Nature - Roost - Whirlwind - Taunt - Brave Bird / Foul Play / Toxic Mandibuzz's standard walling/stallbreaking set Walls many prominent threats and stops stall teams Roost is a great recovery move to allow Mandibuzz to stall Whirlwind phazes and stops setup; works especially well with hazards Taunt is great to stop setup and break down stall teams Brave Bird is good STAB to work with while Foul Play heavily damage physical attackers; Toxic though can be used to wear down stuff ===Other Options=== Nasty Plot Physically Defensive Weak Armor Punishment U-turn Heat Wave === Checks and Counters === Aggron Magneton SR weakens it Electric-types Wear it down [/HIDE] Written: Spoiler == General == Mandibuzz has great mixed bulk; 110 / 105 / 95 defenses mean it can take a lot of hits from many of the prominent Pokemon in the tier, which makes it a great defensive Pokemon. In addition, Mandibuzz has access to reliable recovery in [[Roost]], so it can be a very difficult opponent to defeat. Mandibuzz also has access to great utility options in [[Taunt]] and [[Whirlwind]], so it can phaze and prevent setup all at once. Its Speed is no slouch for a defensive Pokemon, sitting at a good 80. Mandibuzz also makes an excellent stallbreaker between its access to Taunt and Roost as well as its typing. That said, Mandibuzz does come with some flaws. While it is a great wall, it lacks much offensive presence, so it may not always hit hard. Mandibuzz also has three exploitable weaknesses, especially to [[Stealth Rock]], which hinder its walling abilities at times. Mandibuzz is also fairly one dimensional, so it is very predictable once it comes in. That said, with its bulk, typing, and movepool, Mandibuzz makes for a very solid defensive Pokemon. == Wall == {{set | pkmn = Mandibuzz | item = Leftovers | ability = Big Pecks | nature = Careful | ev = 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD | move1 = Roost | move2 = Taunt | move3 = Whirlwind | move4 = Foul Play | move41 = Brave Bird | gen = 5 }} Mandibuzz is best used as a special wall, handling many common threats such as {{5glu|Sceptile}}, {{5glu|Uxie}}, {{5glu|Lilligant}}, and {{5guu|Mismagius}}. Mandibuzz's great bulk and support movepool make it an excellent special wall in LU, and it is also in general very difficult to defeat. It provides excellent utility to stall and balanced teams, and also handles physical threats such as {{5glu|Krookodile}} and {{5glu|Absol}} despite its lack of investment in Defense. [[Roost]] is reliable recovery for Mandibuzz, and keeps it consistently healthy to repeatedly check the prominent threats it is supposed to. [[Taunt]] deters setup, and makes Mandibuzz good insurance against stall teams because of its bulk and recovery. [[Whirlwind]] is a phazing move that also deters setup, and makes Mandibuzz an excellent bulky phazer to rack up hazard damage. [[Foul Play]] is powerful and reliable, and heavily damages physical attackers hoping to come in on Mandibuzz. [[Brave Bird]], however, hits Grass-types and Poliwrath quite hard. === Other Options === A physically defensive spread is perfectly viable, if Mandibuzz is to be used as a physical wall, and as such can be used over the EV spread above. [[U-turn]] is a good move on Mandibuzz, allowing it to function as a bulky pivot for more offensive teams. [[Nasty Plot]] is also an interesting option alongside [[Dark Pulse]], [[Air Slash]], and [[Heat Wave]] to make Mandibuzz a special sweeper, although the lack of power does hurt it. Mandibuzz can also run [[Knock Off]] to strip off items such as [[Eviolite]] and [[Choice Band]], making many Pokemon much less effective. [[Tailwind]] is also a good option to set up a sweep for other Pokemon. === Checks and Counters === Steel-types such as {{5glu|Magneton}} and {{5glu|Aggron}} can take advantage of Mandibuzz's presence and destroy it with their STAB moves. {{5glu|Rhydon}} can also come in on Mandibuzz with ease and make quick work of it. Electric-types such as {{5glu|Manectric}} and {{5glu|Rotom-C}} are major threats to Mandibuzz, defeating it with [[Thunderbolt]] or [[Volt Switch]]. {{5glu|Jynx}} and {{5glu|Cryogonal}} are also good answers, and the latter can also use [[Rapid Spin]] to remove hazards Mandibuzz utilizes with Whirlwind. {{5glu|Kabutops}} can also do this, and defeat Mandibuzz with [[Stone Edge]]. [[Stealth Rock]] and [[Toxic]] are the banes to Mandibuzz, as both severely hinder its ability to wall.[/HIDE]
Maybe a slight tweak on the EV spread? The one I used for the NU analysis was 224 HP / 32 Def / 252 SDef. It hits one above a Lefties number on the HP, and adds the remains to the Defence. Slightly more efficient? *shrugs* I'd also mention how careful Mandibuzz should be when Roosting. She exposes herself to Bug and Fighting-types every time she uses it, which isn't always ideal.
Mandibuzz is so underrated. Really good wall. U-Turn needs to go in the set comments as well. Pivots on walls is what makes HO possible. Make the set just named "Wall", and slash in the defensive EV spread. Both are very good. In C+C talk about Rock and Ice.
Mention how dark typing is a huge weakness as well as a huge strength. It generally makes it a better special wall being able to wall things like Psychics, but hinders it as a physical wall because it takes neutral damage to fighting types. Also, mention that it is indeed SR weak, but because of it's fantastic 110 / 105 / 95 weaknesses, it can roost off any damage with ease. Finally, mention that with 80 speed it is a very effective stall breaker, running a faster taunt than basically every wall in the tier. Good check to Sigilyph. Can phaze Gatr. Good check to Lilligant once something else has been Sleep Powdered. Brave Bird OHKOs Sceptile and Lilligant after SR with no investment.