The Triumph - Swords Dance
Mega Mawile Bulky Offense
Background infoMega Mawile Bulky Offense
To start things off, the day this is posted, it will be my birthday! I thought that on this day since it is almost a full year since I started playing NatDex I would make an RMT just to see if I have improved any over the last year. Now because my preferred playstyles are balance or bulky offense, I decided to use bulky offense for this team structure. The idea here is using swords dance mega mawile as a stellar setup sweeper and breaker that dismantles all of the balances that feature Glowking and Mola right now and sets up quite easily on such cores. Sucker punch is also quite the great tool on mawile, being able to clean up opposing offenses sort of like a baby Kingambit, although to be fair both are much different in how good they are lol (as gambit is banned). Anyway, let’s bust open this team just like how mmaw busts those fat balance cores!
Mega Mawile
This is the Pokémon I built around. It is quite the breaker, shredding through balance cores like the aforementioned Glowking-Mola cores, but also other fat mons like Garg, clefable, and Ferro. Although it has… poor bulk its amazing typing gives it more setup opportunities than you may think against mons like scarfed Tapu lele, Mola, Iron Crown, and Mega Tyranitar. As for this mon’s role in this team, it provides a source of breaking power for Pokemon like Zamazenta and Waterpon to clean later. With hazard support from heatran, it is able to break through Pokemon like Toxapex and Ferro and with knock off it is able to remove boots from Toxapex and Zapdos, severely limiting their ability to semi-check mmaw. This thing basically has no super sure way of defensively checking it, so it is very good at punching holes in fatter teams for its teammates. Swords dance is to help in this breaking, and takes advantage of the mons that can’t really touch it. With play rough, it is a very good neutral hit into Alomomola and grounds like Gliscor and Lando, while also hitting knock off/sucker punch resists like Zamazenta and great tusk. Knock off is just a very good tool to support mmaw in breaking, removing boots and lefties from mons that rely on them like Ferro and Corviknight. Sucker punch is quite obvious in what it does; hit faster offensive threats like Waterpon and Iron Boulder and somewhat fix its low speed.
Landorus-T
Well, on any team in National Dex, you pretty much always need a ground. With such a powerful breaker in Mmaw, why not use the much better pivoting abilities Lando provides? Sure, Gliscor is also a good ground/flying, but Lando is a much better pivot on these teams due to it having intimidate and stronger Earthquakes. It provides great defensive utility, being a ground and electric immunity and being able to switch in on iron Boulder and gouging fire quite easily due to intimidate (eat your heart out Gliscor). Besides that, there’s not really much else to explain besides what it does. It pivots in the main breakers, but also throws out threatening earthquakes even uninvested and defogs hazards off the field so Pokémon like heatran and Mmaw can come in easier. Toxic is used to pressure switch ins like Mola and opposing Landorus, making it easier to break them with Mmaw and zqma
Slowking-Galar
What else is better to pair with a breaker than future sight? Future sight support from glowking helps mmaw, zama, and waterpon break through Pokémon like Toxapex, Skarmory, and Tangrowth (yes, it does give these mons a lot of trouble). Other than that, it’s a very reliable pivot with boots and regenerator to maximize its longevity that checks Pokémon like Rotom wash and Iron Valiant. Because Mmaw has poor bulk, this thing helps shore up that weakness and can switch in on Pokémon like Zamazenta and Garganacl and gain momentum vs them. In return, Mmaw helps against dark types that give slowkjng trouble, such as mega Tyranitar and samurott hisui. Thunder wave is ok speed control but mainly gives mmaw more opportunities to come in and break, while also giving it the speed advantage in some scenarios. Chilly reception helps gain large amounts of momentum with glowking’s slow pivoting abilities and brings in the breakers (mainly mmaw) safely. Sludge bomb is stab and helps deal actual damage to Tapu lele, iron valiant, and waterpon.
Ogerpon-Wellspring
Despite being a great breaker in its own right, Mmaw isn’t going to be breaking full teams; it’s there to punch significant holes in a team but not exactly finish games. Waterpon is probably the best breaker in National Dex, being able to do absurd amounts of damage with Tera water swords dance boosted Ivy cudgels. It pairs well with Mmaw not just in helping it break, but since Mmaw struggles with fire- and ground-types like heatran, Landorus, Volcarona, and Gliscor, Waterpon is also a synergistic teammate. In return, Mmaw is able to deal with dragon- and grass-types that give waterpon issues like raging bolt, mega latias, and Rillaboom. Waterpon also gives a very nice water resist, helping against opposing waterpon and Urshifu. Ivy cudgel and swords dance both make a devastating combo, 2hkoing or even sometimes ohkoing resists after Tera. Power whip is here over horn leech simply to have better damage into stuff, mainly Toxapex. Encore is here because it’s simply an amazing tool, locking Pokemon like Toxapex or Alomomola and preventing them from using recovery/toxic.
Zamazenta
The one issue with this team is that it lacked immediate power, so here is banded Zamazenta! With stab close combat, it’s able to punch holes into Bulky offense and teams with that struggle to take close combats with future sight support. Want to switch in your Toxapex or Lando? Well you can’t because fsight is up! Glowking and zama have great synergy with each other, with Zama dealing with steels like heatran and Ferrothorn and Glowking giving future sight, thunder wave, and slow pivot support, making Zama all the more threatening. This team also lacks speed control, so Zama is a great solution to that, being great natural speed control. This is very useful for mmaw, who struggles to outspeed the things it wants and can’t exactly kill everything faster reliably with sucker punch as it’s able to be outplayed and be resisted by Pokemon like Tapu Koko and Gliscor. They also share checks, which makes it easier to break through long term. Zama also appreciates the pivot support from Lando and hazards from heatran, and is very decent into kyurem and weavile for waterpon.
Heatran
This is the defensive glue that really makes this team stick. There was really no way to handle many Pokémon like Volcarona, offensive Zapdos, Mega Scizor, and Tapu lele very consistently, so that’s what led to heatran! I also had no hazards, so heatran was almost a natural choice. With its very valuable steel type, it brings a psychic and fairy resist. I wonder what top Pokemon in the metagame has that EXACT type… Anyway, as I said before this rounds out the defensive core of the team. For mmaw, it helps threaten Pokémon like Toxapex, Msciz, and Zapdos for mmaw. Mmaw then deals with Pokemon that heatran struggles with like Mega latias and Alomomola. With Tera grass, heatran becomes a crucial water resist against waters like Waterpon that this team struggles with. Magma storm is an amazing move, being able to trap and chip pokemon so the breakers can come in and have an easier time busting through a team. It also helps shut down more bulky cores, trapping them in conjunction with Tera to pick off certain Pokémon of an opposing defensive core. Stealth Rock give hazard support, being able to force progress a bit easier. Taunt helps heatran trap things like Toxapex and Zapdos easier.
Weaknesses
This Pokemon has great matchups into usually everything, but here it’s a big weakness. You do have tools to play around it though, like Zama and sucker punch from Mmaw as well as Tera from heatran.
With ice spinner, there’s no real resistance to this on the the team. The best you got against this is Tera water Lando/Zama.
This isn’t the worst matchup in the world, but it can be very difficult as it breaks through a majority of this team with ease. To beat it, try and play with regen glowking to threaten it with Zama or Waterpon or even heatran.Replays
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldex-2057300164-elti307uph5od2j1yx3a250im11tcntpw This is against a more fat balance structure (with the hipposkarm core)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldex-2057555549-a3g68zm6idzujkavrpdww5jzy4huegqpw this is against an iron crown + zapdos balance.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldex-2060483556 this is against offense stuff; I played questionably but it does show you can beat offense with this
More replays will hopefully be added!
Outro
Well, what exactly does this team accomplish again? TL:DR: This is a Mega Mawile team that is built on making mmaw force progress against balance structures and pivoting it in safely with Slowkjng Galar and Landorus. With other breakers like Zamazenta and Waterpon, Mmaw’s job is much easier. With great hazard support from heatran and it weakening mmaw’s checks, Mmaw is able to clear teams much easier.
And that’s all. Well then, I’ll see you all later; I’m out with a Yang!
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