Mantine

Mantine's excellent typing and ability allow it to check many of NU's most prominent threats such as Ludicolo, Samurott, Steelix, Pyroar, and Hariyama. Thanks to Water Absorb, Mantine also has a niche as one of the only Pokemon immune to Water in the tier and as an excellent Scald absorber. Mantine's solid coverage with its STAB combination can also be quite difficult for teams to switch into, especially when considering the chance of Scald inflicting a burn onto the opponent. This offensive prowess combined with its great set of resistances and immunities makes Sub Toxic Mantine a very difficult set for balanced teams to deal with, and also lets Mantine play around Volt Switch users such as Lanturn somewhat. Moreover, although a weakness to Stealth Rock hinders it, Mantine's astounding defensive typing, ability to beat most Stealth Rock users, and high Special Defense stat let it act as a fairly reliable Defogger. However, Mantine's middling Special Attack stat and reliance on Scald burns to inflict damage don't let it build momentum for its team. Low Defense combined with a lack of reliable recovery hurts Mantine's longevity and makes it difficult to repeatably check strong physical attackers throughout a battle. Although Mantine's typing covers a plethora of threats throughout NU, a 4x weakness to Electric makes Mantine a liability versus Volt Switch users such as Rotom and Manectric, which gives up more momentum in a match. Pelipper also gives Mantine some competition as a defensive Water-type, as it has the same typing, superior physical bulk, and access to roost and U-turn that allows it to keep up momentum and fit on a wider range of teams. Despite these traits, Mantine separates itself from Pelipper with much higher Special Defense, an immunity to Water, and offensive capabilities.