>>13236826That's part of it, yeah.
Honestly, Mantine's not necessarily doomed. It's stats are great, and water/flying is a pretty good defensive typing, actually.
Problem is, Skarmory has both a niche, and an amazing ability in that niche that makes it better. First off, and most importantly, it's movepool is miles above Mantine's. Roost, Spikes, Stealth Rock, Brave Bird, Whirlwind, Taunt.. you know, pretty much all the stuff that you only see on Skarmory. It's there because it's good, and it's not on Mantine simply because Mantine doesn't get jack shit.
Secondly, Skarmory's abilities don't suck shit. That's a nice plus too. Also, it's been consistently easier to pair with other pokemon.. SkarmBliss for 2nd and 3rd gen, and now various partners such as Heatran, Rotom and Gliscor.. they help. A lot.
It also hurts Mantine a lot that he has to compete with practically double the amount of pokemon. There are a hell of a lot more Water types than their are Steel.
The moment Mantine gets Roost/recover, a turning move, and useful utility (taunt, heal bell, hazards, unaware, etc..) you'll see him.
