Special
Sweeper
100Speed · Fast

Manaphy Best Moveset

100 across every stat on Water with AbilityHydration clearing all status every turn under rain. Held ItemLeftovers with NatureTimid at 100 Speed sets up with MoveTail Glow for +3 Sp. Atk in one turn. Under rain, Hydration makes Manaphy immune to status. One Tail Glow turns modest 100 Sp. Atk into devastating 400. A-Tier through rain-enabled setup.

SABCDEFSSSSADiamond, Pearl & PlatinumIVDP/PtPEAKBlack & White / B2W2VBW/B2W2X & Y / ORASVIXY/ORASSun & Moon / USUMVIISM/USUMScarlet & Violet / Legends Z-AIXSV/LZACURRENT
Gen IV — Diamond, Pearl & PlatinumS

Tail Glow tripled Sp. Atk in one turn in Gen IV (Diamond & Pearl). Hydration cured all status in Rain. Combined with permanent Drizzle, Manaphy was unstoppable. Banned from standard play.

Physical/Special split overhauled move damage

Best Moves

SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
HM3
Surf
Water90COMMONSTAB
TM44
Rest
PsychicCOMMONRecovery
TM13
Ice Beam
Ice90COMMONCoverage
TM4
Calm Mind
PsychicCOMMONUtility
Lv 1
Tail Glow
BugRAREUtility
TM86
Grass Knot
GrassRARECoverage

Best Build

Experimental
Special Setup Sweeper
Ability
Hydration
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Manaphy
Timid+SPE

Manaphy best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed

EVs

Special Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • SurfSTAB
  • RestRecovery
  • Ice Beam
  • Calm Mind
Gen V — Black & White / B2W2S

Tail Glow plus Rain support meant one turn of setup followed by a sweep nothing could stop in Gen V (Black & White). Still restricted.

Hidden Abilities became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 1
Tail Glow
BugCOMMONUtility
TM13
Ice Beam
Ice90COMMONCoverage
TM44
Rest
PsychicCOMMONRecovery
HM3
Surf
Water90COMMONSTAB
TM55
Scald
Water80COMMONSTAB
TM53
Energy Ball
Grass90RARECoverage
Experimental
Special Attacker
Ability
Hydration
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Manaphy
Timid+SPE
EVs

Special Attacker Moveset

  • Tail Glow
  • Ice Beam
  • RestRecovery
  • SurfSTAB
Gen VI — X & Y / ORASS

Dropped to standard play in Gen VI (X & Y). Weather nerfed to five turns made Hydration unreliable, and without permanent Rain the Tail Glow sweep was interruptible.

Fairy type added to the gameMega Evolution became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 1
Tail Glow
BugCOMMONUtility
HM3
Surf
Water90COMMONSTAB
TM13
Ice Beam
Ice90COMMONCoverage
TM53
Energy Ball
Grass90COMMONCoverage
TM55
Scald
Water80RARESTAB
Experimental
Special Sweeper
Ability
Hydration
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Manaphy
Timid+SPE
EVs

Special Sweeper Moveset

  • Tail Glow
  • SurfSTAB
  • Ice Beam
  • Energy Ball

Recommended Teammates

Gen VII — Sun & Moon / USUMS

Tail Glow plus 100/100/100 bulk meant Manaphy could find setup opportunities even without Rain support in Gen VII (Sun & Moon). Held the top tier for two gens.

Z-Moves became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 1
Tail Glow
BugCOMMONUtility
TM94
Surf
Water90COMMONSTAB
TM29
Psychic
Psychic90COMMONCoverage
TM44
Rest
PsychicCOMMONRecovery
TM13
Ice Beam
Ice90COMMONCoverage
Experimental
Special Attacker
Ability
Hydration
Item
Wateriumz
Best Nature for Manaphy
Timid+SPE
EVs

Special Attacker Moveset

  • Tail Glow
  • SurfSTAB
  • PsychicCoverage
  • RestRecovery
Gen IX — Scarlet & Violet / Legends Z-AA

Dropped after missing Sword & Shield in Gen IX (Scarlet & Violet). Without Rain, Manaphy was a good Pokemon but no longer an elite one. Five gens of competitive play.

Terastallization became available
SRCMOVETYPECATPWRPOPROLE
Lv 1
Tail Glow
BugCOMMONUtility
TM123
Surf
Water90COMMONSTAB
TM188
Scald
Water80RARESTAB
Lv 76
Take Heart
PsychicRAREUtility
Lv 31
Acid Armor
PoisonRAREUtility
TM41
Stored Power
Psychic20RARECoverage
TM135
Ice Beam
Ice90RARECoverage
TM227
Alluring Voice
Fairy80RARECoverage
Experimental
Special Attacker
Ability
Hydration
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Manaphy
Timid+SPE
EVs

Special Attacker Moveset

  • Tail Glow
  • SurfSTAB
  • ScaldSTAB
  • Take Heart

Recommended Teammates

Manaphy Weakness

Type-wise, Manaphy takes extra damage from Electric and Grass. 4 resistances help offset the weaknesses. Manaphy's overall bulk (100/100/100) lets it take a hit or two from most weaknesses before going down.

Manaphy Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Electric, Grass
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Water, Ice, Steel

What is Manaphy Weak Against

Good
2Weak
4Resist
0Immune
Score0
4xCritical
None
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
None

What is Manaphy Strong Against

3Strong
3Resisted
0Immune
Score0
½xResisted
0xImmune
None

Best Pokemon Against Manaphy

Evolution

Manaphy doesn't evolve, so breeding's where the action is. You'll find no compatible partners across two egg groups, and eggs are quick to hatch. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

No Evolution
Manaphy
#490Manaphy
Does not evolve

Breeding

Moderate

Manaphy is genderless — breed with Ditto to get Phione eggs. Phione does not evolve into Manaphy. Part of the Fairy and Water1 egg groups.

Egg Groups
Gender
GenderlessDittoDitto only
Hatch Time
10 cycles·2,570 steps
Fast~3 min with Flame Body

How to Get Manaphy

All 12 games

No wild encounters for Manaphy in Scarlet & Violet. It's available in Legends: Arceus and can be transferred over. The details below show where to find it.

Manaphy is not available as a wild encounter in this game.

Also Obtainable In:

Pokemon transfers only go forward through generations, never backward. Direct cross-gen trades aren't supported.

Base Stats

An unusually even spread gives Manaphy flexibility. HP barely edges ahead. But any other stat isn't far off. Near-impossible to catch and follows a slow 1.25M XP grind. Yields 3 HP EVs.

Base Stats
Legend
HP100
B
Attack100
B
Defense100
B
Sp. Atk100
B
Sp. Def100
B
Speed100
B
Total600
Details
Catch Rate
Legendary3 / 255
Growth Rate
Slow1.25M XP
Height0.3 m
Weight1.4 kg
Base XP270
Abilities
Hydration
Cures any major status ailment after each turn during rain.
EV Yield
HP+3AtkDefSpASpDSpe
Strong HP training target
Pokedex Entry

Rumored to migrate across the oceans and visit Hisui’s coastal waters only rarely. Although Manaphy resembles Phione, it is also quite different. The relation between the two is unclear.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Manaphy Guide

  • Manaphy is a Mythical Pokemon rated B-Tier. At 600 BST, it hits hard. It excels as a sweeper. Base 100 HP stands out.

  • Manaphy's biggest threats include Manectric (Electric) and Roserade (Grass), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. Manaphy has enough bulk to absorb a hit, but don't push the matchup. Pivot to a teammate that resists.

  • Hydration is the go-to ability for Manaphy. It cures any major status ailment after each turn during rain. It's Manaphy's only ability.

  • Base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Manaphy is a special attacker with base 100 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Tanky enough to absorb a few hits. Best used as a sweeper.

  • The core moveset is Tailglow, Surf, Scald, and Takeheart. Tailglow leads at 0% usage. Surf provides reliable STAB damage.

Game Availability

Manaphy first appeared in Diamond & Pearl and has been available in 12 titles. Mythical distribution means event-only access in most games, making it one of the harder Pokemon to collect.

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