With 493 Pokemon to catch and adventure with, it's easy to finda varietythat jive with your personal tastes. While the big, burly, and powerful types, like the aforementioned Garchomp and Tyranitar, are the favorites of many Pokemon trainers, others tend to favor cuter Pokemon. Now, just because Pokemon are cute and adorable doesn't mean that they're not powerful. Just look at the considerable punches packed by Mew, Celebi, and Jirachi, for example.
Out of all the new creatures in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl,one of the hardest to obtainis the fan favoriteManaphy.This precious water Pokemon sports a charming design that belies its powerful and versatile attacks. Thanks to its well rounded stats, there are many ways to shape a Manaphy for battle. Here are two that we're particularly fond of.
If you're offensive minded or don't care about competitive play, then Manaphy can be used as a pure attacker with numerous special moves at its disposal. The moveset we've given our special-attack Manaphy includes Tail Glow, Surf, Ice Beam, and Grass Knot. Tail Glow is a wicked boost that powers up Manaphy's already high special-attack rating. Surf is a surefire water attack that takes advantage of Manaphy's water type. Ice Beam is great for taking out flyers, dragons, and Grass types. As for Grass Knot, we feel that it's the most underrated attack in the game due to its stupid name and vague description. In practice, it's almost always the best choice for a special-attack grass-move. (The only case when it would suck would be when using it against small Pokemon, like say a fearsome army of Luvdiscs.) With a really powerful boost move to power up its mighty Water, Ice, and Grass moves, this Manaphy is a powerhouse that can take out a wide variety of Pokemon.
Now, if you're into online battling or want to take full advantage of Manaphy's innate ability, then we have another suggested moveset. Setting up Manaphy with Rain Dance, Rest, Surf, and Ice Beam makes it a very difficult opponent to knock out. Using Rain Dance lets Manaphy take advantage of its hydration ability, which cures all status problems when it rains. This also includes the induced sleep of Rest, so you get the healing power of Rest without losing any turns. While losing Grass Knot diminishes its offensive versatility, a Manaphy with this setup can heal itself often (and without penalty!), should it run into any problems. Not only is this sturdy Manaphy tough to take out, it's also fantastic to annoy the hell out of the friends you battle.
