Mega Mawile is a terrifying threat in VGC. Its powerful STAB Play Rough and priority in Sucker Punch serve it well in tearing down anything in its way. It has decent bulk backed up by Intimidate, allowing it to take some hits particularly well, and its defensive typing gives it a good matchup against foes like Mega Kangaskhan, most Xerneas, and most Dragons, which are all very common in VGC. Its low Speed allows it to take advantage of the effects of Trick Room very well. These things make Mega Mawile a very reliable asset to many teams.
However, Mega Mawile can't hit threats such as Primal Groudon and Ferrothorn for much damage, and those will quickly punish Mega Mawile for it. It can't take hits from most of the restricted legendaries well, especially special attacks; Primal Kyogre gets the OHKO at all timesx and Xerneas can do more than 70% with Moonblast after a Geomancy boost. These things definitely hold Mawile back, but they are heavily outweighed by its very unique matchups and brute force.
[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Play Rough
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Iron Head
move 4: Protect
item: Mawilite
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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Play Rough is Mega Mawile's main STAB move, hitting almost everything for great amounts of damage. It also has the perk of being boosted when Xerneas is out. Sucker Punch is one of the most powerful priority moves in the game, and it is boosted when in the presence of Yveltal. Iron Head covers Xerneas better than Play Rough, but it doesn't hit much else. It also serves as Mega Mawile's only STAB move with perfect accuracy, an area that Play Rough tends to fail in often. Protect lets it avoid hits for one turn, which is very useful for stalling out certain conditions and allowing a partner to get rid of a threat.
Set Details
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The EVs allow Mawile to hit with as much force as possible while taking as many hits as possible. Mawile can run 0 IVs in Speed with a Brave nature to perform better under Trick Room if that is the type of team you are running it on. Intimidate helps stabilize Rayquaza, Groudon, and all other physical attackers for both Mawile and its teammate to work better.
Usage Tips
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Mega Mawile should most often be lead with a Trick Room or Tailwind setter, as those conditions last for a fair portion of the game and greatly increase its offensive presence. When in play, Mega Mawile generally can just attack. There are Pokemon that resist Mega Mawile's attacks, but they too take significant damage, so any free hit at all is great. The only exception to this rule is Primal Groudon, which takes Play Roughs and Iron Heads far too easily.
Team Options
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Teammates that cover Primal Groudon well are very useful for Mega Mawile, such as Kyurem-W and even your own Primal Groudon. Primal Kyogre gets a very honorable mention as a partner to Mega Mawile due to its sheer power with Origin Pulse, which stops Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh easily. Any provider of speed control is very useful for Mawile, such as Cresselia with Trick Room or Yveltal with Tailwind. Redirection from a Pokemon such as Amoonguss or Togekiss can help secure a KO without having Mawile take lots of damage from single-target attacks. Anything that despises Rayquaza or Yveltal can really benefit from having Mega Mawile as a partner. This includes a variety of Pokemon, mostly the Primal Pokemon and some other restricted legendaries. Yveltal's and Xerneas's abilities boost the power of Mega Mawile's attacks, with Yveltal being a decent Primal Groudon check as well as a supportive option and Xerneas being a much more offensive yet more Primal Groudon-weak option.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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Stone Edge or Rock Slide can hit Crobat, Ho-Oh, and occasionally Talonflame hard, though it may not get a chance to hit the latter two before they hit Mawile with a powerful Sacred Fire or Flare Blitz. Using Swords Dance over Iron Head can greatly increase the power of Sucker Punch and Play Rough, allowing Mega Mawile to KO virtually everything in one hit. Fire Fang allows Mawile to hit other Steel-types, more specifically hitting even the bulkiest Ferrothorn for an OHKO. An alternate EV spread for faster sets in 60 HP / 252 Atk / 196 Spe with an Adamant nature can be used to outspeed Mega Salamence while under Tailwind.
Checks and Counters
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**Intimidate and Burns**: Intimidate from Pokemon such as opposing Mawile and Landorus-T can dampen Mega Mawile's power, while Will-O-Wisp and other less conventional methods of causing burns can more greatly impact its damage output.
**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Most Ground- and Fire-types like Landorus-T and Ho-Oh can easily KO Mawile, but they should be aware of Mawile's Sucker Punch.
**Amoonguss**: Amoonguss can redirect all of Mawile's attacks easily, and it underspeeds Mawile under Trick Room and can use Spore on it.
**Primal Pokemon**: Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon outspeed and deal devastating damage to Mega Mawile, requiring Mawile to resort to Sucker Punch unless it is under Tailwind or Trick Room.
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