[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 6 onwards
**Price Range**: 7-8 points
**Overview**: Mismagius is one of the more versatile Pokemon among its price range thanks to its diverse movepool and high Speed. With access to many of the game’s best utility moves, Mismagius thrives at supporting its teammates while also keeping foes honest with its offensive capabilities. It also benefits from Levitate, giving it a total of three immunities, which notably assist its team with spinblocking. Despite these strengths, Mismagius is quite frail and struggles to remain healthy, commonly being revenge killed by faster offensive Pokemon. It also lacks the damage output to break through dedicated walls. Because of this, Mismagius is often overlooked, as its qualities are seen more as a luxury than a necessity on any draft.
Common Roles
========
**Fast Utility**: Mismagius specializes in disrupting foes by taking advantage of its Speed and utility options to keep opposing Pokemon in check. Status moves such as Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp and other moves like Taunt and Trick disrupt the opponent’s offensive and defensive Pokemon alike. These sets typically aim to maximize Mismagius’s bulk and Speed in order to support its fellow teammates while using Hex to still maintain offensive pressure.
**Choice Item Attacker**: Mismagius enjoys the benefits of using both Choice Scarf and Choice Specs to heighten its offensive capabilities. Choice Scarf allows it to be an effective revenge killer, whereas Choice Specs maximizes its damage output, making its STAB Shadow Ball difficult to switch into. These items are often paired with Trick to cripple defensive switch-ins or to disrupt setup sweepers in a pinch.
**Setup Sweeper**: With the use of Calm Mind or Nasty Plot, Mismagius can make for a dangerous setup sweeper. It can opt to run more bulk to give itself multiple setup opportunities, or it can simply maximize its attacking power to quickly punish bulky switch-ins.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Hex, Shadow Ball
**Setup Moves**: Calm Mind, Nasty Plot
**Utility Moves**: Destiny Bond, Memento, Pain Split, Substitute, Taunt, Thunder Wave, Trick, Will-O-Wisp
**Coverage**: Dark Pulse, Dazzling Gleam, Energy Ball, Grass Knot, Mystical Fire, Psychic, Psyshock, Psychic Noise, Tera Blast, Thunderbolt, Icy Wind
Niche Moves
========
**Draining Kiss**: On bulkier setup sets, Mismagius may want to run Draining Kiss over Dazzling Gleam in order to keep itself healthy. This is often paired with Tera Fairy, maximizing both the damage output and recovery and making Mismagius difficult to take down.
**Perish Song + Mean Look**: Mismagius can use Mean Look and Perish Song to trap and eliminate certain defensive checks, like Blissey and Clodsire, further opening up its teammates in battle.
**Trick Room**: Mismagius can set up Trick Room to support slower teammates, often pairing it with Memento to give them a free switch in.
**Stored Power**: Against unsuspecting opponents, Mismagius can run Stored Power along with Calm Mind and Weakness Policy to give itself a strong coverage attack.
**Foul Play**: Mismagius can make use of Foul Play to threaten physical setup sweepers from getting out of hand.
Common Items
========
**Choice Scarf**: Mismagius loves to run Choice Scarf, as it turns Mismagius into an effective cleaner as well as giving it the option to ensure fast disruption with Trick.
**Choice Specs**: Choice Specs gives Mismagius the attacking power it needs to break through teams, especially against drafts that struggle with Ghost-type counterplay.
Niche Items
========
**Leftovers**: Due to the lack of reliable recovery, Leftovers helps to keep Mismagius as healthy as possible. This is especially useful on Substitute or Calm Mind sets.
**Resistance Berries**: Mismagius greatly benefits from running a resistance Berry, in particular Colbur Berry, to cover up its otherwise poor defenses and give it the opportunity to counter the opposing Pokemon.
**Other Damage-Boosting Items**: Damage-boosting items such as Life Orb and Spell Tag give Mismagius alternatives to Choice Specs, still providing it an extra boost to its attacks while maintaining its freedom to switch moves. Calm Mind sets in particular appreciate the extra damage output given from these items.
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry can work well on setup sets, keeping Mismagius healthy enough to avoid being easily revenge killed.
Tera
========
Mismagius has the tools to be a good secondary Tera Captain. Terstallization helps Mismagius leverage more setup opportunities, making it a much more potent sweeper. It can pull off a Flutter Mane impression with Tera Fairy, flipping its Dark weakness to a resistance and gaining a great defensive typing while also giving it STAB on Dazzling Gleam and Draining Kiss. Other good options are Tera Fighting, which gives it access to the Fighting-type coverage it has always yearned for in Tera Blast to hit Normal-types, or Tera types that are weak to Ground, especially Tera Electric, which coupled with Levitate gives it zero weaknesses.
Draft Strategy
========
As a mid- to low-tier Pokemon, Mismagius should be drafted with the intention of supporting its teammates. It works well to weaken and disrupt bulky Pokemon to help its offensive teammates. Mismagius also brings many immunities to a team, requiring opponents to be cautious in battle. This makes it an effective spinblocker for entry hazard-stacking teams. However, Mismagius still requires support from defensive Pokemon to cover its frailty.
**Entry Hazard Setters**: Mismagius can enable hazard-stacking strategies, acting as a spinblocker for Pokemon like Ting-Lu, Glimmora, and Gliscor. It also appreciates foes getting weakened down by hazards so that it can more effectively break through them.
**Wallbreakers**: Mismagius excels at chipping and disrupting opposing defensive Pokemon through status and other utility options, opening up its wallbreaking teammates, like Raging Bolt and Roaring Moon, to switch in more easily and deal massive damage. Conversely, Mismagius has a much easier time cleaning up teams when bulkier Pokemon are left weakened by its teammates.
**Ghost- and Dark-resistant Pokemon**: Mismagius greatly appreciates bulky teammates that can take on the inevitable super effective attacks that come its way, such as Mandibuzz and Tinkaton.
**Bulky Pivots**: Mismagius struggles to keep itself healthy, as it has no reliable recovery outside of Pain Split, meaning bulky pivots like Corviknight and Rotom-W are one of the main ways for Mismagius to remain effective throughout a battle.
Checks and Counters
========
**Faster Physically Offensive Pokemon**: Due to its poor defenses, it takes very little for Mismagius to be in range of being revenge killed. Choice Scarf users and faster offensive Pokemon like Cinderace and Iron Valiant are typically enough to keep Mismagius in check from sweeping teams.
**Normal-types**: Normal-types—especially ones that have coverage to hit Mismagius, such as Ursaluna and Hisuian Zoroark—deter Mismagius from making use of its main way of damage in STAB Shadow Ball. It lacks the Fighting-type coverage to hit Normal-types, making them a reliable check against Choice item sets, although they may struggle to deal with setup or status-spreading variants.
**Dark-types**: Dark-type Pokemon generally do a good job of checking many of Mismagius's sets. Bulkier Dark-types, such as Ting-Lu and Tyranitar, can shrug off its Fairy-type coverage rather easily and threaten back with their own attacks, while more offensive options such as Meowscarada and Weavile can reliably revenge kill Mismagius or force it out.
**Super Effective Coverage**: Most Pokemon can easily carry Dark- or Ghost-type coverage moves to hit Mismagius super effectively. Without the use of resistance Berries, super effective attacks are able to take care of Mismagius rather easily, even in the case of non-STAB moves.
**Specially Defensive Walls**: While Mismagius can do a good job of disrupting and chipping defensive walls, they still keep offensive sets in check. Pokemon like Heatran and Hisuian Goodra can choose to trade damage with Mismagius, putting it in range for its other teammates, or they can force it out and stop sweeper sets in their tracks.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/aagarocks.356584/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/addison0727.514695/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
**Draft Order**: Round 6 onwards
**Price Range**: 7-8 points
**Overview**: Mismagius is one of the more versatile Pokemon among its price range thanks to its diverse movepool and high Speed. With access to many of the game’s best utility moves, Mismagius thrives at supporting its teammates while also keeping foes honest with its offensive capabilities. It also benefits from Levitate, giving it a total of three immunities, which notably assist its team with spinblocking. Despite these strengths, Mismagius is quite frail and struggles to remain healthy, commonly being revenge killed by faster offensive Pokemon. It also lacks the damage output to break through dedicated walls. Because of this, Mismagius is often overlooked, as its qualities are seen more as a luxury than a necessity on any draft.
Common Roles
========
**Fast Utility**: Mismagius specializes in disrupting foes by taking advantage of its Speed and utility options to keep opposing Pokemon in check. Status moves such as Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp and other moves like Taunt and Trick disrupt the opponent’s offensive and defensive Pokemon alike. These sets typically aim to maximize Mismagius’s bulk and Speed in order to support its fellow teammates while using Hex to still maintain offensive pressure.
**Choice Item Attacker**: Mismagius enjoys the benefits of using both Choice Scarf and Choice Specs to heighten its offensive capabilities. Choice Scarf allows it to be an effective revenge killer, whereas Choice Specs maximizes its damage output, making its STAB Shadow Ball difficult to switch into. These items are often paired with Trick to cripple defensive switch-ins or to disrupt setup sweepers in a pinch.
**Setup Sweeper**: With the use of Calm Mind or Nasty Plot, Mismagius can make for a dangerous setup sweeper. It can opt to run more bulk to give itself multiple setup opportunities, or it can simply maximize its attacking power to quickly punish bulky switch-ins.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Hex, Shadow Ball
**Setup Moves**: Calm Mind, Nasty Plot
**Utility Moves**: Destiny Bond, Memento, Pain Split, Substitute, Taunt, Thunder Wave, Trick, Will-O-Wisp
**Coverage**: Dark Pulse, Dazzling Gleam, Energy Ball, Grass Knot, Mystical Fire, Psychic, Psyshock, Psychic Noise, Tera Blast, Thunderbolt, Icy Wind
Niche Moves
========
**Draining Kiss**: On bulkier setup sets, Mismagius may want to run Draining Kiss over Dazzling Gleam in order to keep itself healthy. This is often paired with Tera Fairy, maximizing both the damage output and recovery and making Mismagius difficult to take down.
**Perish Song + Mean Look**: Mismagius can use Mean Look and Perish Song to trap and eliminate certain defensive checks, like Blissey and Clodsire, further opening up its teammates in battle.
**Trick Room**: Mismagius can set up Trick Room to support slower teammates, often pairing it with Memento to give them a free switch in.
**Stored Power**: Against unsuspecting opponents, Mismagius can run Stored Power along with Calm Mind and Weakness Policy to give itself a strong coverage attack.
**Foul Play**: Mismagius can make use of Foul Play to threaten physical setup sweepers from getting out of hand.
Common Items
========
**Choice Scarf**: Mismagius loves to run Choice Scarf, as it turns Mismagius into an effective cleaner as well as giving it the option to ensure fast disruption with Trick.
**Choice Specs**: Choice Specs gives Mismagius the attacking power it needs to break through teams, especially against drafts that struggle with Ghost-type counterplay.
Niche Items
========
**Leftovers**: Due to the lack of reliable recovery, Leftovers helps to keep Mismagius as healthy as possible. This is especially useful on Substitute or Calm Mind sets.
**Resistance Berries**: Mismagius greatly benefits from running a resistance Berry, in particular Colbur Berry, to cover up its otherwise poor defenses and give it the opportunity to counter the opposing Pokemon.
**Other Damage-Boosting Items**: Damage-boosting items such as Life Orb and Spell Tag give Mismagius alternatives to Choice Specs, still providing it an extra boost to its attacks while maintaining its freedom to switch moves. Calm Mind sets in particular appreciate the extra damage output given from these items.
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry can work well on setup sets, keeping Mismagius healthy enough to avoid being easily revenge killed.
Tera
========
Mismagius has the tools to be a good secondary Tera Captain. Terstallization helps Mismagius leverage more setup opportunities, making it a much more potent sweeper. It can pull off a Flutter Mane impression with Tera Fairy, flipping its Dark weakness to a resistance and gaining a great defensive typing while also giving it STAB on Dazzling Gleam and Draining Kiss. Other good options are Tera Fighting, which gives it access to the Fighting-type coverage it has always yearned for in Tera Blast to hit Normal-types, or Tera types that are weak to Ground, especially Tera Electric, which coupled with Levitate gives it zero weaknesses.
Draft Strategy
========
As a mid- to low-tier Pokemon, Mismagius should be drafted with the intention of supporting its teammates. It works well to weaken and disrupt bulky Pokemon to help its offensive teammates. Mismagius also brings many immunities to a team, requiring opponents to be cautious in battle. This makes it an effective spinblocker for entry hazard-stacking teams. However, Mismagius still requires support from defensive Pokemon to cover its frailty.
**Entry Hazard Setters**: Mismagius can enable hazard-stacking strategies, acting as a spinblocker for Pokemon like Ting-Lu, Glimmora, and Gliscor. It also appreciates foes getting weakened down by hazards so that it can more effectively break through them.
**Wallbreakers**: Mismagius excels at chipping and disrupting opposing defensive Pokemon through status and other utility options, opening up its wallbreaking teammates, like Raging Bolt and Roaring Moon, to switch in more easily and deal massive damage. Conversely, Mismagius has a much easier time cleaning up teams when bulkier Pokemon are left weakened by its teammates.
**Ghost- and Dark-resistant Pokemon**: Mismagius greatly appreciates bulky teammates that can take on the inevitable super effective attacks that come its way, such as Mandibuzz and Tinkaton.
**Bulky Pivots**: Mismagius struggles to keep itself healthy, as it has no reliable recovery outside of Pain Split, meaning bulky pivots like Corviknight and Rotom-W are one of the main ways for Mismagius to remain effective throughout a battle.
Checks and Counters
========
**Faster Physically Offensive Pokemon**: Due to its poor defenses, it takes very little for Mismagius to be in range of being revenge killed. Choice Scarf users and faster offensive Pokemon like Cinderace and Iron Valiant are typically enough to keep Mismagius in check from sweeping teams.
**Normal-types**: Normal-types—especially ones that have coverage to hit Mismagius, such as Ursaluna and Hisuian Zoroark—deter Mismagius from making use of its main way of damage in STAB Shadow Ball. It lacks the Fighting-type coverage to hit Normal-types, making them a reliable check against Choice item sets, although they may struggle to deal with setup or status-spreading variants.
**Dark-types**: Dark-type Pokemon generally do a good job of checking many of Mismagius's sets. Bulkier Dark-types, such as Ting-Lu and Tyranitar, can shrug off its Fairy-type coverage rather easily and threaten back with their own attacks, while more offensive options such as Meowscarada and Weavile can reliably revenge kill Mismagius or force it out.
**Super Effective Coverage**: Most Pokemon can easily carry Dark- or Ghost-type coverage moves to hit Mismagius super effectively. Without the use of resistance Berries, super effective attacks are able to take care of Mismagius rather easily, even in the case of non-STAB moves.
**Specially Defensive Walls**: While Mismagius can do a good job of disrupting and chipping defensive walls, they still keep offensive sets in check. Pokemon like Heatran and Hisuian Goodra can choose to trade damage with Mismagius, putting it in range for its other teammates, or they can force it out and stop sweeper sets in their tracks.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/aagarocks.356584/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/addison0727.514695/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/a-blue-banana.649096/
Last edited:
