Community POTW #23

[wunderkind]

Mienshao is an excellent lead Pokemon, especially with Hi Jump Kick and switch out recovery from Regenerator.
Abilities
Inner Focus: Why would you ever even consider this opposed to the other two?
Regenerator: This ability is amazing. 33% recovery when you switch? Yes please! Combine this with U-turn for max effectiveness.
Reckless: Could be usable to power up Hi Jump Kick, or maybe even to just give Jump Kick more power to compensate. Regenerator is still better IMO.

This is my lead Mienshao. It's similar to others, but it's still different:

Kill the opponent's lead
@Fighting Gem
Regenerator
Jolly
252 Atk/252 Spd/4 HP
-Hi Jump Kick
-Acrobatics
-U-Turn
-Stone Edge
Send this out, the use Hi Jump Kick. It gets x1.5 for STAB, then another x1.5 from Fighting Gem. This gives HJK 292 base power, if my math is right (and I'm sure it is ). This could probably take out most any lead. Acrobatics works perfectly when the Gem is used, U-Turn can abuse Regenerator, which is what you should be using (although I suppose Reckless could add on to HJK's power). Stone Edge is coverage.

Here's one I just thought of:
Reversal
@Fighting Gem/Leftovers/Something
Regenerator
Jolly
252 Atk/252 Spd/4 HP
-Endure
-Reversal
-U-Turn
-Something-for-coverage
Endure drops you to one HP, so Reversal does a lot of damage (especially if you use FG). Then U-Turn allows you to switch/heal, so you can do it all over again. You could try Quick Guard to watch out for priority moves I guess.

Pre-Evo Corner
Mienfoo could effectively use any of Mienshao's sets in Little Cup (if he's in it). Base 85 Attack is pretty good for basics.

[Blue Harvest]

Its a weasel mantis. huh.

Mantis @ Life Orb
Jolly
Regenerator
252 Speed / 252 Attack / 4 HP

Fake Out
Hi Jump Kick
Stone Edge
U-turn

Fake Out + U-turn is really annoying and you won't get worn down because of Regenerator. Hi Jump Kick 2HKOs virtually everything that doesn't resist it.



Weasel @ Life Orb / Leftovers
Jolly
Regenerator
252 Speed / 252 HP / 4 Attack

Substitute
Baton Pass
Hi Jump Kick
Stone Edge

Sub on an obvious switch and Baton Pass a sub to something. Pairs well with Rotom W since it can Baton Pass in with an intact Sub against Skarmory and Gliscor.



Mixed WeaselMantis @ Life Orb
Hasty / Naive
Regenerator
252 Speed / 252 Attack / 4 Special Attack

Hi Jump Kick
Stone Edge
HP Ice
Bulk Up

HP Ice plows through Gliscor in one hit after Stealth Rocks. After a Bulk Up and Stealth Rocks you OHKO Specially Defensive Skarmory with Hi Jump Kick (89.8% - 106%). Then again Terrakion can run this set with about as much success (and Swords Dance instead of Bulk Up). Swords Dance would almost work but Bulk Up gives you a more reasonable chance of surviving stuff like Scarfchomp Outrage and Scizor Bullet Punch.




It gets Calm Mind, Aura Sphere, Hidden Power and Grass Knot for a CM set but thats literally all its Special movepool consists of besides Hyper Beam and Round. Could make a decent Baton Passer but its outclassed by stuff like Gorebyss and Mew. Any defensive Bulk Up sets are horribly outclassed by Scrafty who is resistant to status and lol, doesn't have worse defenses than Breloom. Theres also Swords Dance but good luck sweeping with something with only 105 base speed and no priority.. also THOSE horrible defenses.

[grantholomew]

Um…so Mienshao gets Aura Sphere? But its Attack is higher than his Special Attack? That’s a waste of Aura Sphere. At least he gets the new, super-awesome version of Hi-Jump Kick and the new, super-awesome version of Drain Punch. This set is probably already done to some extent, but that's because this fills up so fast on Sunday alone!

Ancient Kung Fu Style of Mienshao
Mienshao @ Leftovers/Muscle Band
Trait: Regenerator/Reckless
EVs: 4 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant (+Attack, -Sp. Attack), Jolly (+Speed, -Sp. Attack)
- Hi-Jump Kick
- Drain Punch
- Bulk Up/Fake Out
- U-turn/Rock Slide
Okay, so Hi-Jump Kick and Drain Punch are two really good STAB moves to use. Bulk Up is good for raising Attack and Defense, but with Mienshao’s poor Defenses, it may not be worth it. Alternatively, Fake Out can take out those Focus Sashers and Sturdy guys, and it’s really annoying anyway. U-turn is for scouting…everyone’s already said that…and it works great with Regenerator if you’re already hurt. Rock Slide is good for Flying types and all that. So basically, for abilities, use Regenerator if you’re gonna switch out a lot, but use Reckless if you’re gonna spam Hi-Jump Kick. For item, I’d just do Leftovers for more healing (backed with Drain Punch and Regenerator U-turn) or Muscle Band for raw power. I wouldn’t use a Choice Band on a Fighting-type lest a Ghost-type is switched in.

[PMSandStormSBBZ]

Yes! Finally! It's been a long time since I posted here (from Leavanny, remember?). Mienshao is actually one of my favorite Pokemon in 5th Gen. With a nice base 105 Speed, tying with Zoroark, an awesome base 125 Attack, an acceptable base 95 Special Attack, and the infamous 'Regenerator U-Turn' strategy, you're bound to rip your hair out against this guy.

Abilities:

Inner Focus
Prevents you from flinching. Only works against 'Attacking Leads' like Infernape or stuff.
Regenerator
Heals up to 33.3% of HP once switching out. Pairs nicely with U-Turn, as U-Turn heals 1/3 of your HP every time you use it unless its the last one standing.
Reckless
Increases recoil attacks' power by 20%, but the recoil is also increased. Only useful with Hi-Jump Kick.

Movesets:


Attacking Lead

-Fake Out
-Hi-Jump Kick
-U-Turn
-Acrobatics / Stone Edge
Item Attached: Normal Gem / Focus Sash
Ability: Regenerator / Inner Focus
EVs and Nature: 4 HP / 252 Att / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)

An Attacking Lead. Don't say that this set outclassed by Infernape, this thing is still a awesome attacking lead.
Fake Out is the awesome thing here. It has exceptionally high priority, and flinches everything without Inner Focus.
Hi-Jump Kick is the new Close Combat, only 'better'. It has 130 power, but 90 accuracy, and if you miss, have a Ghost-type switch in (I'm looking at you, Shadow Tag Chandelure), or try to hit a Pokemon using Protect, you're in for a world of pain, so it's better to scout the other opponent's team before spamming those kicks around.
U-Turn makes things fun. It helps scout your opponent's team, and also helps escape Shadow Tag users like Chandelure and others.
The final choice is a coin toss.Acrobatics pairs nicely with the Normal Gem, helping to deal massive damage to opposing Infernape, having him either choose to set up Stealth Rock or to attack and probably lose, since most Infernape leads don't completely EV in Speed. However, Stone Edge is there for type coverage against other Pokemon.

Normal Gem is there to help boost the power of Fake Out and relieve Mienshao of its item, therefore using Acrobatics better. However, if you are running Stone Edge or you feel that Mienshao REALLY needs a Focus Sash, then give it one to survive ANY lead.

Other Options

Choice Items are nice, able to play similar to Choice Band Scizor, with its U-Turn and all.
Low Kick is an option over Hi-Jump Kick, but its general unreliability turns this one down.
A Swords Dance late-game sweeper can work well.
Special attacks MAY work well with Mienshao, so Calm Mind with Aura Sphere, Hidden Power, and Grass Knot could work. Also, a decent mixed sweeper can work.

Double and Triple Battles
Why would you use this thing for Double/Triple Battles? This guy may have pretty good coverage and a hard-hitting Hi-Jump Kick, but that's about it. In turn, it is KO'ed like Infernape, and is extremely frail.

Counters
GHOST TYPES. Golurk stands out as he resists or is immune to all of its attacks except Acrobatics and the rare Grass Knot. Also, a bit of prediction helps alot, as it SPAMS U-TURN LIKE CRAZY.

Conclusion
AWESOME. I recommend it in any offense team, with balanced stats, and other goodies.

[Soperman]

With the addition of a powered up Jump Kick and ridiculously powered High Jump Kick, plus reckless, and Mienshao's good attack and speed, well... You know what comes next.

I WILL RECKLESSLY JUMP AND KICK THEM
Moves:
-High Jump Kick
-Drain Punch
-Rock Slide / Stone Edge
-Bounce
Ability: Reckless
Items: Wide Lens
EVs and Natures: Adamant (+att, - Spatt)
252 attack, 252 speed, 4 hp

Ok, so wide lens for High Jump Kick, giving it about 99 accuracy. Reckless boosts High Jump Kick's power, making it so strong it should be illegal. Drain Punch is in case you DO miss, Rock Slide and Stone Edge for flying types (take your pick), and Bounce is a pretty decent attack, no with better accuracy thanks to the wide lens. EVs and natures are self explanatory.

Bother Bother Bother
-Fake Out
-U-turn
-Drain Punch / Detect / Swagger
-Bounce
Ability: Regenerator
Item: Dunno you choose
EVs and Natures: Jolly (+spd, -Spatt)
252 speed, 252 hp, 4 attack

This moveset os purely to bother. Fake Out in the beginning is a given. Bounce is good thanks to your speed, and its annoying because the opponent will miss you for a turn, and you can paralyze them. Drain Punch if you want extra health, Detect to waste their pp, and swagger to confuse them. U-turn is to hit-and-run-and-heal. I can't think of any items at the moment, so you can choose. Jolly is obvious, however, I chose the EVs to be fast and not as easy to kill.

[3.14kachu]

And now, something completely different!

Mienshao@Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 Spd, 252 HP, 4 Atk

~Calm Mind
~Bulk Up
~Me First
~Drain Punch

I guarantee that this is the weirdest set you will find on this thread, but hear me out. First, judge whether the opponent is physical or special, and use Bulk Up or Calm Mind, depending on which one will counter the oncoming attack. Then, use Me First to use a more powerful attack back at the opponent, whether they be physical or special. Use Drain Punch to simultaneously avoid Taunt and give Mienshao a valuable healing move.

[arceusvictini]

Mienshao @Flying Gem
Trait: Regenerator
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe/ 4 HP
- Hi Jump Kick/Drain Punch/Detect/Fake Out/Stone Edge/Bulk Up
- Hi Jump Kick/Drain Punch/Detect/Fake Out/Stone Edge/Bulk Up
- Hi Jump Kick/Drain Punch/Detect/Fake Out/Stone Edge/Bulk Up
- Acrobatics
HJK=power. Drain Punch=more HP. Detect=Wastes PP. Fake Out=Flinches for damage on first turn. Stone Edge= Powerful Attack. Bulk Up= Boosts Atk and Def. Acrobatics= First time a sky high Base Power.

[sacredflapjacks]

Ability: regenerator
item: life orb
nature: jolly

-fake out
-u turn
-hi jump kick/drain punch
- Stone edge/rock slide

This is the set I've been using with my Mienshao, and it's killer. You open up with fake out, and then u-turn to restore life orb damage through regenrator.
Stone edge does more damage, but rock slide has more accuracy and can make the opponent flinch, Hi jump kick is good, but with the life orb you'll be taking more damage, so you might not want to risk it by missing, so you can use drain punch instead.

Counters for this set:
Any ghost pokemon that can learn mean look can kill this Mienshao rather quickly, if it's using psychic.

Choiceshao

ability: regenerator
item:choice scarf/ choice band
nature: adamant/ jolly

-u turn
-drain punch
-dig
-bounce

With this set, you can u turn with a choice band for tons of damage, choice band drain punch for tons of damage, or you could hide using bounce or dig.


NOTE: I forgot to put evs, and I'm on my iPod, so I can't go back and change it, anyways, for both sets, you should put 252 evs in speed, 252 in attack, and 4 in hp.

[Skyliner]

There are way to many sets I could make, but here are some.

Mienshao @ Life Orb
Regenerator
Jolly
4HP 252Atk 252Spe
- Bulk Up/Swords Dance
- Baton Pass
- Drain Punch/ U-Turn
- Stone Edge/ Rock Slide/ U-Turn

Use Bulk Up or Swords Dance to increase your stats, then Baton Pass out. Baton Pass also activates regenerator so you can gain 33.3% of your HP back.
Drain Punch is if you want to sweep with him, or you need to regain more than 33.3% HP, and it also goes well with Life Orb. Stone Edge and Rock Slide are to eliminate flying weakness. I would use Rock Slide because my Mienshao last for a long time, and it's nice to have more PP. U-Turn eliminates psychic weakness and regenerates damage back. Life Orb damage can also be regenerated back.


Mienshao @ Life Orb
Regenerator
Timid
4HP 252SpA 252Spe
- Calm Mind
- Baton Pass
- Aura Sphere/Focus Blast
- HP Dark/HP Rock/Grass Knot

This is like the above set, but for special stats. Calm Mind up, then Baton Pass. Baton Pass regenerates HP. Aura Sphere and Focus Blast are STAB. I recommend you use Aura Sphere because it never misses and has more PP. Focus Blast can still be used if you like power, but like I said before my Mienshao usually last longer. Hidden Power Dark eliminates psychic weakness, Hidden Power Rock eliminates flying weakness. Grass Knot is cool because there are lots of heavy pokemon in use nowadays. Life Orb damage can be regenerated back.


Mienshao @ Life Orb/(no item)
Reckless/Inner Focus
Jolly
4HP 252Atk 252Spe
- Fake Out/Knock Off
- Taunt
- Drain Punch
- U-Turn/Acrobatics

Use Fake Out if you plan on using U-Turn, so you can do damage when you switch. If you plan on using Acrobatics then use Knock Off to get rid of the opponents item. Taunt is good for ruining movesets, espicially rest talkers. Drain Punch is a great STAB move. U-turn goes great with Fake Out, because you can switch out and do damage at the same time, and regenerate. If you can, then try using it with another U-turner to keep switching back and doing damage. Use Life Orb with U-Turn. If you use Acrobactics, then use Knock Off because people may trick items on to you. Remember not to give Mienshao an item if you plan on using Acrobatics.

These are my favorite Regenerator movesets for Mienshao.

[Inchtall]

Kung Fu Master

Mienshao@Expert Belt
Regenerator
Jolly, Proud of it's power
252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 Defense
U-turn, Rock Tomb,
Hi-Jump Kick, Meditate

Start off the battle with Meditate, and increase your already high Attack. Hi-Jump Kick will be used for STAB and to deal with those pesky Normal, Dark, Rock, Ice, and Steel types. Rock Tomb will be used to deal with Flying and Ice opponents and lower their speed, and U-turn will be used to score some damage on Dark, Grass, and Psychic types and get a high tail out of there.

[Skyliner]

Kung Fu Master

Mienshao@Expert Belt
Regenerator
Jolly, Proud of it's power
252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 Defense
U-turn, Rock Tomb,
Hi-Jump Kick, Meditate

Start off the battle with Meditate, and increase your already high Attack. Hi-Jump Kick will be used for STAB and to deal with those pesky Normal, Dark, Rock, Ice, and Steel types. Rock Tomb will be used to deal with Flying and Ice opponents and lower their speed, and U-turn will be used to score some damage on Dark, Grass, and Psychic types and get a high tail out of there.

Why would you use meditate when he has Bulk Up and Swords Dance?

[Nijaskills]

YES. FINALLY.

Mienshao is a total Boss, able to sweep through weakened teams without any boosts. It has base 105 speed, which out-speeds notable threats such Hydreigon, Haxorus, the vast base 100 speed tier, Garchomp, Landorus, and Zoroark. It unfortunately misses out on the other Genies, Infernape, Starmie, Gengar, Espeon, and the Musketeers Trio, but it's still fast. It has an amazing ability in Regenerator, allowing it to recover 1/3 of its health whenever it switches out, which pairs incredibly with U-Turn and Life Orb, and makes a HJK miss less crippling.

Fake Out Abuse
Mienshao @ Life Orb
Regenerator
Naive (+Spe -SpDef)/Jolly (+Spe -SpAtk) Nature
- Fake Out
- Hi Jump Kick
- U-Turn/Substitute
- Hidden Power Ice/Stone Edge/Taunt

Life Orb Fake Out really packs a punch, and since it now has +3 Priority, only Protect will let something dodge it. Hi Jump Kick is Mienshao's strongest move, with 195 base power after STAB. It hits incredibly hard, doing a minimum of 46% to Max/Max Skarmory, and hitting harder than Garchomp's Outrage. U-turn lets you get off a hit and get out of there, activating Regenerator as you go. Hidden Power Ice is really Mienshao's only way to touch Gliscor, and it will OHKO if Gliscor switches into a HJK first. However, if Gliscor isn't a problem to you, you can run Stone Edge to get physical coverage on Flying-types and run a Jolly Nature. On the other hand, give it Taunt, and it can function as an offensive anti-lead. Substitute lets Mienshao scout switches, or set up on Protects, that many people will try to use against Fake Out and Hi Jump Kick, leaving them in a bit of a predicament. Not many things can either take two hits from Mienshao or take one and out-speed it.


Choice
Mienshao @ Choice Scarf/Choice Band
Regenerator
Naive (+Spe -SpDef)/Jolly (+Spe -SpAtk) Nature
-Hi Jump Kick
-U-Turn
-Stone Edge
-Hidden Power Ice/Drain Punch

Mienshao can make an incredibly powerful Choice user. Regenerator is an ideal ability for a choice user, which generally needs to switch out a lot. With a Choice Scarf, it out-speeds pretty much the entire metagame, letting it work as a powerful revenge killer, and with a Choice Band, it hits incredibly hard with Hi Jump Kick. U-turn lets you keep momentum, scouting switches, Stone Edge destroys flyers, and Hidden Power Ice hits Gliscor. Drain Punch is another option, letting Mienshao recover some of its health without switching out, and is more reliable than Hi Jump Kick.

Comments/Additional Options
Team Preview is a blessing to Mienshao, because it lets you scout and see if your opponent has any Ghost-Types that they might switch in on your Hi Jump Kick to try and get a free 50% hit on you. Mienshao has the ability to run a special set, getting access to Aura Sphere, but its Special movepool is a little sparse, and it is outclassed by Lucario, which has a much higher special attack. Mienshao is the fastest user of Me First, and is the only one that is faster than the many Dragon-types, and paired with Substitute or Taunt, which forces your opponent to attack, it could form a potent combination. Mienshao gets both Swords Dance and Work Up, so a boosting set could be viable, but it doesn't really have the coverage to sweep effectively, and is in many occasions too frail to set up.

Counters
Jellicent hard counters Mienshao, especially those with HP Ice, but even Stone Edge is only a 3HKO, and Jellicent can stall it out with Will-O-Wisp and Recover.
Gliscor also hard counters Mienshao, but only if it lacks HP Ice.
Anything that outspeeds Mienshao (Tornadus, Thundurus, Infernape, Starmie, Gengar, Musketeers, Espeon) can OHKO it. It really is incredibly frail.
Gyarados and Zapdos can deal with Stone Edge-lacking variants.
Anything with Protect, or Ghost-types can potentially cause Hi Jump Kick to backfire.

Teammates
Mienshao needs something that can take care of those faster threats mentioned before. Scarfed Garchomp or Terrakion work well. Something to deal with Jellicent is necessary. Powerful ghost, electric, grass or dark-types work well. Entry hazards make Mienshao's life easier, as it misses out on a few OHKO's by only 3-5%.

[CaptainCombusken]

Mienshao@Regenerator
Focus Sash/Life orb
-U-Turn
-Hi Jump Kick
-Stone Edge
-Fake Out
Attack and then use U-Turn. Restores Life Orb damage thanks to Regenerator.

Pretty much this. Deleted the ones I don't use, and added an extra item. If a Psychic comes out who's faster than Mienshao, which is likely, then having it sustain what would normally be a certain KO is useful. It can use U-turn that turn too, Super-effectively hitting the Psychic (unless if it's Metagross or Bronzong or something similar) and restoring some of the ermine's health.

I love Mienshao so much . After Scrafty, best Fighting this gen imo. A pretty high accolade, considering I adore Fighting types.

[bobguy117]

Thank you. Mienshao is one of my new favorite pokemon. And it has the most exploitable name. I nicknamed mine Manchow because it's such a boss.

Manchow @ Focus Sash
Trait: Regenerator
Nature: Jolly (+Spe, -SAtk) / Adamant (+Atk, -SAtk)
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
- Drain Punch
- U-turn
- Rock Slide / Stone Edge
- Swords Dance

A boss. Basically a cross between a Scouter and a Sweeper, except it never dies. Focus Sash guarantees the first-turn Swords Dance and followed up with a STAB Drain Punch will usually end in a KO. In the rare case that it does not, you probably got a good chunk of your HP back if not all of it. Here is where I prefer the Jolly nature to the Adamant to ensure that you outspeed the vast majority of other sweepers you will be up against. Rock Slide / Stone Edge will take out flying types which you are too shaky to Drain Punch, and even if you choose the Jolly Nature, even after the Initimdate cut from Gyarados and possibly even a Salamence (Salamence not tested), an unboosted Rock Slide will OHKO most, if not all of them; Stone Edge on the other hand will do that, but harder and less often. U-turn is used to escape from any Pokemon you feel will survive your hit, most notably Dusknoir, and to gain 33% of your health back. Try to keep your HP stat as low as physically possible here, and ideally a multiple of 3 to ensure that Drain Punch doesn't have to KO every Pokemon out there in order to get you your HP back, and also to make it so that it takes only 3 U-turns to successfully Regenerate all your HP and start the cycle over again.

[Pokeman Man]

Baton Pass
- Drain Punch / Aura Sphere
- Baton Pass
- Swords Dance / Bulk Up / Calm Mind / Work Up
- Hidden Power Ice / Substitute / Stone Edge / Payback
Item Attached: Leftovers / Salac Berry
Ability: Regenerator
EVs and Nature:
196 HP / 60 Atk|SpA / 252 Spe
Jolly [+Spe, -SpA] / Hasty [+Spe, -Def]

Drain Punch or Aura Sphere really just depends on what boosting move you use. Swords Dance doubles Attack, Bulk Up is +Atk +Def, Calm Mind +SpA +SpD, Work Up could BP to a mixed sweeper. Baton Pass combined with Regenerator is very awesome on Mienshao. Substitute keeps you away from Status and can help with your Baton Pass. Hidden Power Ice helps with Dragons and Gliscor. Stone Edge deals with Bugs and Flyings. Payback helps with Ghosts and Psychics, although it's pretty weak. Leftovers lets you get up more Subs, and Salac Berry can let give a Speed boost too. The EVs give you extra bulk and lets you sub down to 1/4 HP easily.


Work, Work, WORK!
- Work Up
- Drain Punch / Hi Jump Kick
- Hidden Power Ice
- Stone Edge / Payback / Me First / Grass Knot
Item Attached: Life Orb / Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs and Nature:
252 Spe / 216 Atk / 40 SpA
Hasty [+Spe, -Def]

Work Up lets you mixed sweep. Hi Jump Kick is great STAB. Drain Punch is reliable. Hidden Power Ice hits the Dragons and Gliscor. Stone Edge hits Flyings, Bugs. Payback hits Ghosts, Psychics. Me First laughs at Garchomp and Hydreigon. Grass Knot hits bulky Grounds and Waters like Swampert and Hippowdon.

[Blue_Lightning]

Hey all new to the forums but long existing fan of serebii

I have meinshao on my squad so i thought i would make a contribution to this POTW topic. hope it helps in some way

Drain BeatStick:
Meinshao
Nature: Adament
EV: 252 ATK / 252 SPD / 6 SPD
Ability: Inner Focus
Item Held: Big Root

Moves:
Drain Punch,
Brick Break/Work up,
U turn,
Bounce

My main strategy with Meinshao Is to be a Physical drainer for BS Double battles, Drain punch + Big Root to restore more of Meinshao's HP, Brick break to shatter any DEF Buffs the opponents put up, U turn to switch if at a type disadvantage, and bounce to take out any grass types if i have no more options and to make room for an earthquaker.
Work up is an option i had on an old Meinshao i trained to increase ATK stat if needed. still left there incase.

hope this helped.

thanks

[Haru Glory]

Mixedshao

Mienshao @ Wide Lens
Ability: Regenerator
Nature: Naive
EVs: 96 Atk/128 SpA/152 Spe
- U-Turn
- Grass Knot
- Hi Jump Kick
- Focus Blast

[cookies kill you]

Lead Mienshao

U-turn
Stone edge
Fake out
Drain punch/High Jump kick
Focus sash
Regenerator
252 att 252 spd 4hp
jolly

[Regiultima]

Mienshao @ Life Orb
Trait: Regenerator
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)/ Jolly (+Spd, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 HP / 252 Spe
- Drain Punch / Hi Jump Kick
- U-Turn
- Stone Edge
- Fake Out

This is my personal Mienshao set. It is based on hitting hard then recovering lost HP. Drain Punch and HJK are for STAB but I go for Drain Punch due to the recovery. U-Turn is more damage, take care of Psychic types, and activates Regenerator without wasting a turn. Stone Edge takes care of flying types and adds coverage. Fake Out does a surprisingly high amount of damage when combined with the Life Orb, plus it flinches.

[Kraleck]

Countering Mienshao
-Weather and Traps are the bane of any Pokemon that needs to switch in/out.
-Arena Trap Dugtrio and Shadow Tag Chandelure have an edge of sorts over Mienshao, but beware of Hidden Power (Ice) and Rock Moves.
-Status Effects will cripple any effort Mienshao has.
-Shedinja has some viability, but not much with certain Moves and Shedinja's Status weaknesses.
-Faster Psychic and/or Flying Types will put serious hurt on 'Shao - Starmie, 'Zam, Swellow, Crobat, Aerodactyl, and others will rip it apart unless you can catch them on a switch (just be sure to Switch, not U-Turn away from these guys if they manage to stay up).
-Ghosts are particularly effective, especially ones with Pressure.

[Tbird]

I guess most of it's been covered, but there's no harm in mentioning a good set twice

Sets

Anti Lead

Mienshao (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Fake Out
- U-turn
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge / Taunt

Pretty much a standard lead set, Fake out Breaks sashes, Hi Jump Kick destroys stuff, U turn to get out when a ghost is spotted / Predicted. The Last option is down to choice really. Stone Edge Provides nice coverage with Hi jump Kick, whilst Taunt really sets it apart from other leads, allowing it to function similarly to Ambipom. With the Regenerator ability, it can switch in repeatedly on moves like seismic toss and taunt walls to help in breaking stall. Inner focus can be used for the rare occasion you are facing another Fake out user, such as Lead Weavile or Ambipom.

All Out Attacker
Mienshao (M) @ Life Orb / Choice Band / Choice Scarf
Trait: Regenerator / Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge

This set is primarily used for punching holes in things, however with a choice scarf it can be used as a very effective Revenge killer, being able to out speed Garchomp and anything slower. Considering that the 105 Tier isn't too stacked, 20 EVs can be dumped into special attack to give a little bit more power to hidden power Ice, however, you will lose the tie to other Mienshao and not gain a whole lot in return.

Stall Breaker
Mienshao (M) @ Life Orb / Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 36 SpDef(Def) / 220 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Taunt
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Hi Jump Kick / Force Palm / Drain Punch

This set can ruin walls quite effectively. Given that one of Mienshao's prime switch ins is Jellicent, Hi jump Kick can be foregone for Force Palm or Drain Punch. The once Jellicent has switched in you proceed to taunt it, knock its leftovers off and U turn out to someone like Tyranitar or anyone apt for taking it out without having to fear Will-o-Wisp.
Another upside of Force Palm is that Gliscor is another Prime switch in, if you can paralyse it before its orb activates you have pretty much screwed Gliscor.
Generally, this set will annihilate walls; Knocking off Eviolites, leftovers, taunting the support, it all aids in getting passed the oppositions defences.
The Evs for this set are made to utilise Mienshao's Speed and retain as much Bulk as possible. The listed set beats unboosted base 100's, like Zapdos. However, a spread of 252 HP / 116 SpDef(Def) / 140 Spd can be used to beat speedy Gliscors, it all depends on who you want to out-speed.

Baton Pass
Mienshao (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Substitute / Taunt
- Swords Dance / Bulk Up / Calm Mind
- Baton Pass
- Hi Jump Kick / Taunt / Aura Sphere

With a baton Pass set it has a lot of options. The main thing you want to make sure of, is that it's not being a poor man's Mew or Ninjask; what sets it apart from those is that it can come in over and over again with the regenerator ability. It's also got a surprise factor to it which is always nice.
The idea is to switch in on something that is guaranteed to switch out, like Blissey. Taunt is highly recommended on the set so long as you can find room for it, this means you can SD on things like Skarmory and Swampert; once you have taunted and Danced or boosted however you feel necessary, you pass to your recipient of choice.

Sweeper
Mienshao (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spd
Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Baton Pass / U-Turn / Substitute /Taunt
- Swords Dance / Bulk Up
- Stone Edge
- Hi Jump Kick / Drain Punch

Ok that's kind of messy, so I'll break it down. The first slot is dependent on your team, preference and how you want to run the set. First things first, if you're running Bulk Up, make sure you run substitute, too; also Drain Punch will be the preferred attacking option with Bulk up as to make continuous subs. Hidden Power Depends on if you have a reliable way of removing Gliscor before you've switched Mienshao in or not, Baton Pass can be used to get out of there if an unexpected counter appears (Quagsire / Slowbro) and U turn can be used in the same fashion, taunt stops Skarmory ruining your sweep. Substitute can be used in conjunction with Swords dance to stop Thunderous cutting your sweep short with Priority Thunder wave.

Partners
The lead set is to be used on heavy offence teams to get you offence from the get go, it will struggle with Skarmory and Gliscor and the user should expect to see these guys switch in pretty quickly, so to continue moment LO latios and Rotom-W/H can be used to remove these walls, Mienshao can then switch in on special walls like Tyranitar and Blissey and remove of them pretty quickly. Physical Walls will be the bane of most of Mienshao's sets so anyone that can remove them is a cool Partner, Bulky Waters will also be a huge pain, so Ferrothorn gets a mention here as he can take those out relatively easily.
Mienshao will also draw attention from the Psychic and Ghost crowd; such as Reuniclus, Lati@s and Gengar. That being said, Specially Defencive Scizor can make a great partner for Mienshao.
Mienshao can also find itself being revenge Killed quite easily if it lacks a Choice Scarf, with this in mind, Wobbuffet and Specially Defencive Jirachi make cool Partners. Wobbuffet is a premier Scarf remover; most teams only pack the one scarfer, so if wobb can remove aforementioned scarfer Mienshao can really begin to shine. Similarly, Wobb draws in Hydreigon spamming Crunch and Dark Pulses, Mienshao will readily screw Hydreigon over. Specially defencive Jirachi can work in a similar vein by body slamming the scarfer into an early coma.
The Stall Breaking set starts the foundation of breaking stall down, Mienshao needs to then be paired with someone who can clean up the remains of what mienshao leaves behind. Hydreigon can demolish most things that Mienshao can't, it can also switch in on Psychics and Scalds very easily and then start punching holes with Draco Meteor Until a Steel switches in, in which case you rinse and repeat.

Counters
Generally speaking Physical walls will make mince meat out of Mienshao. However, this is completely dependant on what "coverage" move Mienshao is using. If it's running taunt Skarmory and Gliscor can take it out Quite Easily, if it's running Hidden Power Ice, Forretress and Skarmory do a great job. Predicting Hi Jump Kick is the bane of most Mienshao, Jellicent can switch in on unboosted Mienshao fairly easily and threaten to burn it, whilst Slowbro and Latios for defencive and offencive teams alike, fear very little of what mienshao has to offer, so long as mienshao doesn't U-Turn on the switch in. The baton passing set is generally hard to counter, if it lacks Taunt then any phazer will do the job, however if it's packing taunt, you'll just have to hope you can take out whatever switches in next. That being said, without a scarf, Mienshao falls to most of the speedy sweepers in the metagame currently, and things like Garchomp can switch in quite easily on Stone Edges or Taunts and threaten to OHKO with Outrage or Earthquake.

Other Options
Acrobatics, Aerial Ace Bounce can be used as a coverage move over Hidden Power / Taunt / Baton Pass, however, the coverage and utility they provide respectively are too much to pass up on for the chance at hitting Toxicroak and Heracross.
Brick Break can be used to break screens, but generally speaking Drain Punch has the same BP with a better effect.
Endure and Reversal can be used in conjunction with eachother, however there is so much sand that it's probably... It's not worth it.
Grass Knot is a solid option to remove bulky waters, however, bulky waters get that title for a reason, so don't be expecting OHKOs. Only use if you really struggle with Quagsire and Swampert.
Low Sweep can be used to catch fast pokémon coming in on the switch and open up a free switch.
Poison Jab works off of Mienshao's better attacking stat and could be used on the stall breaking set for some effect.
Work Up could be useful for making some sort of mixed set, however its coverage is lacking, and Hidden Power Ice will still only OHKO the things it is meant to OHKO, thus making work up a poor man's Swords Dance / Bulk Up.
Choice Specs can be used for some surprise value, a modest mienshao hits an impressive 475. STAB Focus Blast is going to deal some serious damage off of that. However, coverage is limited to Ice / Grass / Fighting / Normal.
Flying / Fighting / Bug / Normal / Ice Gem and acrobatics can be used if you really want to try it.
Lum Berry can be used on the stall breaking set as HP recovery will be dealth with by switching out, and it gives you a mistake margin for prediction.


Little Cup

WeasleMantis see WeasleMantis do
Mienfoo (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Hi Jump Kick
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
- Fake Out

Mienfoo works pretty much exactly the same as Mienshao in LC. When using it make sure you abuse its traits as to not make it a lesser Scraggy / Meditite. These traits are U turn and the ability to boost with Swords Dance. There's no need for eviolite on Mienfoo, as that's not its job. In saying that, with an eviolite attached it can more easily switch in and out on weaker attackers and use its regenerator ability to great effect. Life orb is definitely preferred though.

[AS358/2]

Drain Punch
Hi Jump Kick
Aura Sphere
Wide Guard
hardy nature
Ability: Regenerator

Wide lens gives hi jump kick 100% accuracy so you wouldn't have to worry about hurting yourself and would let you use wide guard twice before running the risk of failing. Aura sphere won't miss and can hit anywhere in triples. Wide guard protects your team from surf, discharge, etc from both allies and enemies. Drain punch and regenerator heal you while you attack/switch out.

[PMSandStormSBBZ]

Sweeping set.

Mixed-Up Monkey-Like Thing (Specially-Based Mixed Attacker)

-Hi-Jump Kick / Aura Sphere
-U-Turn / Grass Knot
-Hidden Power [Ghost] / [Ice]
-Grass Knot / Work Up
Item Attached: Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs and Nature: 100 Atk / 156 SAtk / 252 Spd
Hasty Nature (+Spd, -Def) / Naive Nature (+Spd, -SDef)

This thing is not the classic 'break down everything you see.' Instead, this plays like Infernape, with strategic wallbreaking instead of trying to muscle your way into teams, which the Swords Dance set is bent to do in the first place. But I degress.
Hi-Jump Kick is the classic physical weapon to completely destroy 'mons, resisted or not. However, watch out for those pesky Ghosts out to ruin your day by taking away a ton of HP from you. Aura Sphere works off of Mienshao's lesser Special Attack stat, but has no drawbacks and stuff.
U-Turn is scouting, blah blah blah, we know what it does. However, it can be dropped for Grass Knot if Pringles Ghost is a problem.
Hidden Power [Ghost] gets perfect coverage with Fighting moves, but HP [Ice] can be used to hit those pesky Dragons harder, although Hydreigon is taken care of by Hi-Jump Kick / Aura Sphere and U-Turn.
Work Up is nice, as it raises both attacking stats by one stage, and can help raise Mienshao's attacking stats by alot.

Life Orb is the general attacking item for sweepers, blah blah blah.

[WeatherEffectRain]

Mienshao... A Pokemon with what I'd definitely call a niche, U-Turn Healer. If you use Regenerator, U-Turn is going to find its way onto the set.

I'll make a set I'll probably be using in a Battle Simulator.

Mean, Mean Shao
Ability: Regenerator
Nature: Jolly
Item: Shed Shell/Life Orb
EVs: 252 Atk, 252 Spd, 4 HP
-U-Turn
-Drain Punch
-Substitute/Protect/Quick Guard/Wide Guard
-Stone Edge/Rock Slide

This is real nice. U-Turn for 70 Bp and 1/3 HP Healing. Drain Punch is a good move, and is useful with Substitute. Protect blocks attacks, and is useful in Double or Triple battles, as well as Quick Guard and Wide Guard. Stone Edge is a nice Rock move, but Rock Slide could make it on the set as it will usually hit first anyway and has a nice Flinch rate, but both are really fillers. I make note of Shed Shell, as without it, Shadow Tag Chandelure will love to switch in to Drain Punch or U-Turn, being Immune or x4 resistant. Stone Edge/Rock Slide help it a bit, but those frail defenses mean Chandy will just dominate.

Anyone agree?

[BigKlingy]

Standard Doubles/VGC Set
Mienshao - Focus Sash / Fighting Gem / Normal Gem
Inner Focus - Jolly
252 Att / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Fake Out
Quick Guard
Hi Jump Kick
Rock Slide

This set is a must on almost any VGC team. He is the fastest Quick Guard user outside the Musketeer trio (Terrakion is the only one you need to worry about) and Archeops (who is rarely used for Quick Guard). Mienshao is also unique because he has Fake Out AND Inner Focus. He is also the fastest Fake Out user in the VGC after Liepard, but with Inner Focus, you wont be flinched anyway.

So here's what you do. If the opponent leads with a Fake Out user, use Quick Guard and then either set up with your other Pokemon or KO their non-Fake Out user. If they don't have a Fake Out user, use Fake Out instead. HJK is for massive damage and Rock Slide is for hitting both and maybe getting lucky Flinch hax. The Item depends on you. Focus Sash prevents OHKOs (weather is pretty uncommon in the VGC, but I've seen some Sandstorm teams), Fighting Gem is jor stronger STAB, and Normal Gem is for a very strong Fake Out. Personally I lead with Mienshao and Tornadus so I can almost guarentee a Tailwind Setup

Partners: Mienshao works best in Doubles with pretty much anybody. Fake Out protects your teammate from potential KOs while Quick Guard protects your teammate from potential Fake Outs (and other priority moves). I find him best when he's with someone like Tornadus who would set up Tailwind or Musharna who would set up Trick Room, but honestly, anything works well with Mienshao.

Counters: Psychics. Mienshao cannot hurt Psychics unless he's running U-Turn. Metagross, Jirachi, and Bronzong are your biggest threats as they are neutral or resistant to all your attacks. In Doubles, your biggest enemy is yourself or anything that sets up with a Mental Herb (Whimsicott comes to mind). Facing another Mienshao will almost always bring about a speed tie, which could make or break your entire match. Pokemon like Whimsicott who can do pretty much anything if they have a Mental Herb are quite dangerous (Quick Guard does not block against Prankster-boosted moves), or if both opponents can set up, like a Reuniclus and a Whimsicott

Don't forget Wide Guard. Meinshao is the only VGC Pokemon to get both Quick Guard and Wide Guard, and both can be game-winning in the right circumstances. Rendering your opponent's Earthquake, Explosion, or Terrakion's Rock Slide useless while still leaving your partner free to attack or set up? Yes please!

Taunt could go somewhere as an option, it really screws up a LOT of things in Doubles and especially VGC. However, the majority of things you want to taunt have Prankster, so they'll probably get something off before you shut them down.

As for the ability, is Inner Focus really necissary? You'll be blocking Fake Outs with Quick Guard anyway. I guess it gives you more options, and Regenerator won't really help much, as this Meinshao is meant to do its job and die, and doesn't have room for U-Turn.