Phione, The Sea Drifter Pokémon. It drifts in warm seas. It always returns to where it was born, no matter how far it may have drifted. A Pokémon that lives in warm seas. It inflates the flotation sac on its head to drift and search for food. When the water warms, they inflate the flotation sac on their heads and drift languidly on the sea in packs.

Overview

Phione is basically a worse version of Manaphy, and despite being Manaphy's offspring it even can't evolve into it, making it a bit more useless than before. Phione sits in the NeverUsed tier, and as such does not have the benefits of a permanent rain setter. Phione actually has a decent movepool, but its mediocre stats across the board including not having access to Tail Glow makes Phione difficult to use to any effectiveness. But despite all these faults, it still has access to the best recovery in the game, namely the combination of Rest and Hydration, but unfortunately has to set up Rain itself in order for it to help it any. In essentials, Phione is a decent Rain setter in the NU tier but has no stats or boosting moves to abuse it with.

Abilities

Hydration: Recovers any status condition in Rain the turn of its infliction, and excellent ability and combined with Rain Dance allows Phione to heal itself fully with Rest and not have any adverse side effects.

Movesets

The Phione is Ringing

-Rain Dance
-Rest
-Scald / Toxic
-U-turn
Item Attached: Damp Rock
Ability: Hydration
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk) or Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)

This set is generally the only set you will see on Phione as it is easily the most effective. Rain Dance sets up Rain for your team to abuse, as well as allows full recovery for Phione itself, via Rest, which will cause no problems due to its Sleep status being cured by the Rain. The option for the third slot depends on what status infliction you want Phione to inflict, with Scald doing decent damage with Rain up and having a chance to Burn the opponent, while Toxic inflicts the Toxic status (I hope you would notice that without me telling you). The final slot goes to U-turn, allowing Phione to switch immediately out to a Swift Swimmer or any other Rain abuser while still doing damage. Damp Rock ensures that the Rain lasts for longer, while the choice between Natures depends on whether or not you use Scald, with Bold being used if you do, while Impish being used if you don't (Impish ensuring maximum damage output from U-turn).

Other Options

Acid Armor, Aqua Ring, Blizzard, Grass Knot, Hidden Power, Ice Beam, Protect, Substitute, Surf, Waterfall
Acid Armor can be used to boost Defense, although it doesn't really have anything it can do after it has a Defense boost other than heal and set up Rain.
Aqua Ring provides Leftover-like recovery and can be useful in increasing Phione's longevity.
Blizzard is a powerful coverage move, but its shaky accuracy may make it unwise, as well as the fact that you use U-turn to hit Grass types such as Exeggutor anyhow.
Grass Knot is useful coverage that can be used to hit other Water types, though coming off of Phione's base 80 Special Attack, it won't be doing too much damage to anything less than the size of Groudon.
Hidden Power can be used to fill out any coverage you feel that Phione needs.
Ice Beam is a less powerful but more accurate form of Blizzard, and can be used for coverage on the rare Fraxure or Altaria.
Protect can help Phione to predict what its opponent is planning to do next, and possibly useful for Toxic stalling.
Substitute helps shield from status as well as damage, although Hydration does a much better job at protecting from status and combined with Rest should keep Phione alive.
Surf is an option over Scald if you want more power, albeit losing the chance of Burning the opponent.
Waterfall is physical STAB if you would prefer to run a physical Phione and not have to worry about the nature dropping any important stats at all.

Double & Triple Battle Options

Phione isn't used hardly at all if ever in Doubles and Triples as there are many far better Rain setters, as well as the possibility of Manaphy itself being used (which obviously outclasses Phione in every way), making Phione essentially obsolete.

Partners

Swift Swimmers, Rain Dish users, and anything else that abuses Rain is a great partner for Phione, the most prominent of those being Ludicolo (which can actually fill either roll).

Countering Phione

Strong Grass and Electric types make mincemeat out of Phione, but if they're not faster than it, it's basically useless as it has already set up Rain for whatever Pokemon is coming in next to rip through your team, and as such Swift Swim Ludicolo, Rotom-S, Raichu, some Choice Scarf users and more obscure Pokemon all can eliminate Phione without too much trouble. Set up Pokemon that can use Taunt on Phione or just put a Substitute up can completely wall Phione, and can either kill off Phione or whatever it switches out to. Swift Swimmers that you use on your team to counter Rain such as the aforementioned Ludicolo, as well as Mantine, Gorebyss, and Huntail all can use Phione's Rain for their own devices.

Locations in Games

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game

FireRed/LeafGreen:

Colosseum/XD:
Not in game

Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Breed Manaphy

HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Breed Manaphy

Black/White:
Transfer from Generation IV

Black 2/White 2:
Transfer from Generation IV

Animé Appearences

Phione has made a single appearance. In it, a school of them drifted into a city # -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics 581 Hold the Phione Mischief Phione! Pics 1163 Nightfall? Nightmares! Darkrai's Midsummer Night's Dream! Pics