Mawile Movesets & Competitive Sets

Swords Dance Mega Mawile is an extremely dangerous wallbreaker and sweeper. It's Huge Power-boosted Attack stat combined with Swords Dance and good coverage allows it to annihilate common defensive Pokemon, such as Slowbro, Tapu Fini, and Clefable. Additionally, Sucker Punch puts pressure on faster offensive threats, such as Heatran, Garchomp, Victini, Magnezone and Kartana especially when boosted. Mega Mawile's decent natural bulk, great defensive typing, and Intimidate before it Mega Evolves give it set up opportunities against physical attackers like Rillaboom, Weavile, and Tyranitar. Knock Off gives Mega Mawile neutral coverage against Fairy-resistant foes such as Heatran, Ferrothorn, Toxapex, and Melmetal. Thunder Punch, on the other hand, gives up the coverage provided by Knock Off to hit Pokemon such as Toxapex, Tapu Fini, Corviknight, and Skarmory super effectively. The given Speed allows Mega Mawile to outrun Skarmory, with the rest dumped into HP to maximize bulk. Mega Mawile is a good fit on balance and bulky offense teams that appreciate its wallbreaking capabilities and sweeping potential. Mega Mawile enjoys pivoting support that can get it in safely while also potentially wearing down its checks, such as Landorus-T, Tapu Koko, Gliscor, Rotom-W, and Slowbro. Additionally, the latter three check Heatran, which Mega Mawile can struggle against. Mega Mawile appreciates entry hazard support from users like Garchomp, Ferrothorn, and Greninja to weaken its checks like Heatran and Landorus-T. These entry hazards can also wear down fast Pokemon that aren't OHKOed by +2 Sucker Punch, such as Ash-Greninja, Choice Specs Tapu Koko, and Mega Lopunny. Alternatively, defensive partners such as Landorus-T and Gastrodon can help Mega Mawile cover opposing threats such as Landorus-T, Tapu Koko, and Heatran. Many teams also enjoy Mega Mawile acting as a decent interim check to Weavile; this can give teams relying on physically defensive Pokemon that are weak to Weavile, such as Landorus-T and Zapdos, some breathing room.

All-out attacker Mega Mawile sacrifices some of its anti-offense tools for better coverage against traditional defensive cores. Ice Punch allows Mega Mawile to hit Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Garchomp, and Thunder Punch puts pressure on Toxapex, Slowbro, and Corviknight. Fire Fang destroys Steel-types like Mega Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Kartana with the notable exception of Heatran. Brick Break is an alternative to Fire Fang that also hits Heatran, Magnezone, and Melmetal, but leaves Mega Mawile unable to break through Mega Scizor. Focus Punch is a more prediction reliant but rewarding option that hits most neutral targets for extreme damage while also allowing Mega Mawile to beat Mega Scizor and Iron Defense Skarmory. Intimidate is the preferred ability to weaken attacks from the likes of Weavile, Mega Scizor, and Rillaboom. 204 Speed EVs are enough to outspeed Mega Scizor, but an alternative EV spread of 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe is preferred on sets without Fire Fang or Focus Punch. All-out attacker Mega Mawile fits best on teams that appreciate its ability to break down common balance cores for faster teammates. Late-game cleaners, such as Ash-Greninja, Tapu Koko, and Weavile, appreciate Mega Mawile pressuring common defensive core staples such as Landorus-T, Tapu Fini, and Ferrothorn; these Pokemon also shore up Mega Mawile's subpar offense matchup. Spikes support from Ferrothorn and Ash-Greninja is also helpful to wear down some of Mega Mawile's checks like Heatran, Toxapex, Ferrothorn, and Mega Scizor. Pivoting support from the likes of Landorus-T, Tapu Koko, Slowbro, and Rotom-W can give Mega Mawile safe switch ins. Notably, Landorus-T and Rotom-W can force out Heatran for Mega Mawile, and Rotom-W and Slowbro can pressure irritating Ground-types like Landorus-T and Gliscor, therefore reducing the need for Mega Mawile to predict these Pokemon switching in. Paralysis support from the likes of Ferrothorn, Serperior, and Clefable can also help out Mega Mawile against faster teams.

Moves Play Rough serves as Mawile’s main STAB move and hits Fighting-, Dragon-, and Dark-types such as Gurdurr, Drampa, and Spiritomb for super effective damage. Iron Head gives Mawile a secondary STAB move that hits some bulky foes such as Regirock and Clefairy super effectively and certain Fairy-resistant Pokemon like Victreebel neutrally. Sucker Punch somewhat makes up for Mawile’s low Speed by allowing it to hit faster foes such as Alolan Raichu and Choice Specs Jellicent. Fire Blast hits Steel-types like Alolan Sandslash and Ferroseed super effectively, in addition to nailing Tangela. Set Details Sheer Force boosts Mawile’s moves bar Sucker Punch and stacks with Life Orb while negating its recoil. This, combined with 252 EVs in Attack and a Naughty nature, allows Mawile to hit as hard as possible. A Naughty nature is preferred so that Fire Blast can still deal a decent amount of damage. 252 Speed EVs allow Mawile to outspeed as many Pokemon as possible, giving it more offensive presence. A Naive nature can be run to outspeed certain Pokemon such as Adamant Golurk and Aggron, but Mawile prefers extra power to allow it to wallbreak more easily. Usage Tips Due to its decent Attack stat, Life Orb, and Sheer Force, Mawile is best utilized to break down bulkier Pokemon like Gurdurr and Ferroseed. Mawile should very rarely be switched in to take an attack, as even resisted moves such as Stoutland’s Return and Oricorio-E’s Hurricane still do a lot of damage. Exceptions are switching into attacks that it is immune to, such as Dragon- and Poison-type attacks, but even then, users of those moves often carry coverage that can dent Mawile. Your best bet is to predict or bait a switch into something like Regirock or Clefairy before doubling into Mawile. It can also switch into a potential Toxic from foes such as Audino or while the foe is recovering, such as Clefairy using Soft-Boiled. Alternate options are to bring it in through a slow pivot, such as Lanturn's Volt Switch, or after a teammate is KOed. Lanturn can also be used to lure in specially defensive walls like Ferroseed before using Volt Switch to bring in Mawile for a KO. When facing fast Pokemon, Mawile should usually go for Sucker Punch. However, be aware that certain Pokemon could use this as an opportunity to set up, such as Oricorio-G using Substitute or Calm Mind. Team Options Mawile can break down bulkier foes such as Regirock and Mudsdale, allowing late-game sweepers such as Lycanroc and Scyther to come in and clean up. Special attackers such as Aurorus and Drampa can help deal with physical walls that give Mawile trouble, while Mawile can help break down special walls. Special attackers also lure in said special walls, which Mawile can double in on. Slow pivots such as Eelektross and Lanturn can take a hit before getting Mawile onto the field safely, supplying decent chip damage in the process. Water- and Grass-types such as Jellicent, Ludicolo and Torterra can help with the Ground-types that threaten Mawile such as Golurk and Mudsdale, and Mawile can pressure the defensive Pokemon they struggle with in return, such as Ferroseed and Tangela. Hazard setters such as Qwilfish and Regirock can help weaken foes through residual damage, making them easier for Mawile to break through. While Mawile appreciates hazards, it's also prone to being worn down by Spikes itself and is unable to threaten Qwilfish, making Pokemon that can compensate for this weakness like Cryogonal and Rotom-Frost desirable.

Moves Stealth Rock limits your opponent's ability to switch, as it deals a good amount of chip damage every time one of their Pokemon enters the field. Play Rough gives Mawile a reliable STAB move, most notably against Dark- and Fighting-types such as Spiritomb, Alolan Raticate, and Hitmonchan. Super Fang is Mawile's other form of offensive pressure, as it takes away half of the target's current health; this helps it break down bulkier foes that don't mind Play Rough such as Regirock, Mudsdale, and especially those with reliable recovery, such as Musharna. Super Fang also hits Poison- and Steel-types such as Roselia and Aggron, which resist Play Rough and are immune to Toxic. Toxic is used to whittle down bulkier foes and can be stacked with Super Fang. Knock Off is an option over Toxic that helps Mawile cripple Eviolite holders like Roselia and Ferroseed, as well as Choice item users like Camerupt and Stoutland. Set Details 252 EVs in HP and Defense, along with an Impish nature, allow Mawile to best take physical attacks from Dark-, Grass-, and Normal-type attackers such as physical Skuntank, Leafeon, and Stoutland. Intimidate lets Mawile more easily switch in to take those physical attacks by lowering Attack stats. Leftovers gives Mawile constant recovery, making it harder to break through or wear down, and is Mawile's only form of recovery. Rocky Helmet is an alternate choice that whittles down contact move users such as Skuntank and Stoutland and is especially helpful against U-turn users such as Primeape and Liepard. Unfortunately, Rocky Helmet makes Mawile easier to wear down due to the lack of residual recovery. Usage Tips Mawile is best used when switching in to take hits from Dark-types like physical Skuntank and Absol, Grass-types like physical Shiftry and Leafeon, and Normal-types like Stoutland and Alolan Raticate. Most of these Pokemon do very little to Mawile, so will often switch out on the next turn. Mawile can use this turn to set up Stealth Rock, use Toxic on the incoming foe, or make a double switch into a better matchup. However, be wary of coverage on physical attackers, such as mixed Skuntank's Fire Blast and Silvally-Fairy's Flamethrower, which will threaten to 2HKO Mawile. Mawile can also take advantage of Intimidate by activating it and pivoting into a teammate that appreciates it. However, be wary of Defiant users like Primeape, which just gains an Attack boost when hit by Intimidate. When the foe is at high health, Super Fang will often do more than Play Rough, especially against bulkier foes, so it is usually the better choice of attack. However, when the foe reaches lower health, Super Fang will be weaker, making Play Rough the better option. Mawile isn't the best switch-in to Fighting-types, especially wallbreakers such as Primeape and Gurdurr, due to its Steel typing. Mawile furthermore doesn't have a very good matchup against Psychic-types due to its terrible Special Defense stat allowing Pokemon such as Musharna to 2HKO it with Future Sight. Team Options Mawile can form a nice defensive core with specially defensive Pokemon such as Audino and Clefairy, as they can help with many special attackers that give Mawile trouble such as Jellicent and Lanturn, while Mawile can help with the physical attackers that break through them without trouble such as Stoutland and Alolan Raticate. Certain Water-types such as Jellicent and Lanturn can handle Fire-types such as Combusken and Simisear, while Mawile helps against Grass-types such as physical Shiftry and Leafeon. Water-types can also help with Steel-types such as Aggron and Probopass, as can Fighting- and Fire-types such as Gurdurr and Simisear. Similarly, checks to Ground-types such as Torterra and Eelektross can help against the likes of Mudsdale and Alolan Dugtrio. Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Oricorio-G, Alolan Raichu, and Haunter appreciate Mawile's ability to deal with Dark-types, which can allow them to more easily set up late-game. Due to Mawile’s lack of reliable recovery, it appreciates teammates that can provide healing, such as the previously mentioned Audino with Wish and Musharna with Healing Wish, especially if Mawile's item of choice is Rocky Helmet.

Moves Play Rough is Mawile's strongest move, which allows it to OHKO Hakamo-o after chip damage. It also deals significant damage to defensive Pokemon that are weak to it such as Machoke, Silvally-Dark, and Altaria and to frail Pokemon such as Kadabra and Chatot. However, Seismic Toss can be used for consistent damage, which lets Mawile hit Pokemon such as Curse + RestTalk Muk and Bronzor, but this leaves it helpless against Ghost-types such as Gourgeist-XL and Misdreavus. Thanks to this move, Mawile can break Vigoroth's Substitute, therefore making it a good check to it. Pain Split is Mawile's best recovery move, and it pairs well with Mawile's low base HP stat. It lets Mawile better weaken defensive Pokemon such as Lickilicky and Gourgeist-XL than its other offensive moves. Toxic is Mawile's best way to weaken opposing walls and punish threats to it such as Combusken, Golem, and Gourgeist-XL. Taunt improves Mawile's matchup against bulkier Pokemon such as Bronzor, Pyukumuku and Shiinotic, preventing them from recovering the lost damage and shutting them down. Knock Off is an option that lets Mawile remove items from Pokemon that switch into it such as Bronzor's or Mareanie's Eviolite and Lickilicky's Leftovers. Super Fang is another option that lets Mawile better beat defensive Pokemon, but it prevents it from hitting Ghost-types such as Gourgeist-XL and Dusclops. Running this move over another offensive one also means that Mawile will rely on Toxic to knock opposing Pokemon out. Super Fang paired with Taunt can turn Mawile into a great stallbreaker, halving opposing Pokemon's health while preventing them from healing. Set Details Intimidate allows Mawile to better check physical attacker such as Silvally-Fighting, and Toucannon. Mawile appreciates Leftovers due to its lack of a reliable recovery move. If Mawile runs Pain Split, it can afford to hold Rocky Helmet in order to deal chip damage to physical attackers such as Sawsbuck and Leafeon and punish Pokemon such as Silvally-Fighting and Komala that use U-turn. Usage Tips Mawile should absolutely avoid any special move because they do a lot of damage to it. This also includes special moves from mixed attackers. Mawile can check some Pokemon only if their Attack has been lowered; therefore, if Mawile is already on the field, it may be unable to deal with Pokemon it's supposed to check such as Pinsir and Bouffalant. However, it should be sent out against the physical attackers it beats such as Toucannon, Leafeon, and Raticate and use them as an opportunity to set Stealth Rock. Mawile can also be sent out against an anticipated Toxic from Pokemon such as Lickilicky and Silvally-Fighting. This allows Mawile to set Stealth Rock, threaten them with Seismic Toss, Super Fang, or Toxic, or use them to get health back through Pain Split. It shouldn't be sent out on Pokemon with Defiant such as Pawniard, which gets a boost in Attack and can beat Mawile. It should also avoid setting up Stealth Rock if the opponent has an entry hazard remover that can easily come into Mawile such as Swanna, Sandslash, and Silvally-Ground. Instead, Mawile should punish these entry hazard removers with Toxic, Seismic Toss, or Super Fang. Team Options Since Mawile is quite vulnerable to special attacks, it appreciates being paired with a specially defensive Pokemon such as Komala, Kecleon, or Lickilicky. Lickilicky and Komala are especially potent partners, since they can support Mawile with their Wish and appreciates Mawile's ability to take on physical attackers. A check to Fire-types such as Altaria, Mareanie, or Hakamo-o is mandatory, since they can use Mawile as setup fodder and threaten it with their super effective STAB moves. For the same reason, checks to Ground-types such as Gourgeist-XL and Bronzor are appreciated. VoltTurn users such as different Silvally formes, Electivire, and Komala and strong wallbreakers or sweepers such as Combusken, Bibarel, and Fraxure appreciate Mawile's entry hazard support. Specially offensive Water-types such as Floatzel, Swanna, and Simipour can take on Ground- and Fire-types that threaten Mawile, while Mawile can take on specially defensive Pokemon such as Kecleon and Komala and Grass-types such as Shiinotic and Jumpluff for them.

Moves Play Rough and Iron Head are Mawile's best STAB moves. The former allows it to hit Fighting- and Dark-types such as Poliwrath, Hakamo-o, and Silvally-Dark for super effective damage and is also Mawile's most powerful move, dealing strong damage even to neutral foes such as Beheeyem and Komala. The latter is a bit less strong but not less useful, hitting Rock- and Fairy-types such as Golem, Crustle, Shiinotic, and Granbull for super effective damage while also dealing better damage to Poison-types that resist Play Rough such as Muk and Silvally-Poison. Knock Off is a strong move that allows Mawile to break through Bronzor as well as remove items from Mawile's checks such as Mareanie and Sandslash. Sucker Punch is Mawile's best priority move and should only be used if it is carrying Swords Dance, as the Attack boost is required to remove most Pokemon faster than Mawile such as Electivire and Swanna. It also allows Mawile to have a better time cleaning offensive teams. Thunder Punch allows Mawile to deal super effective damage to Mareanie, which resists both its STAB moves and is able to wall Mawile, as well as always 2HKO Pyukumuku after Stealth Rock. Fire Blast lets Mawile deal with Grass- and Steel-types such as Gourgeist-XL and opposing Mawile, as well as OHKOing Avalugg after Stealth Rock. However, Mawile's low Special Attack makes it a subpar coverage option otherwise. Set Details Life Orb coupled with Sheer Force and an Adamant nature increases Mawile's wallbreaking capacities, which allows it to OHKO foes like Rotom-Fan after Stealth Rock with Play Rough. A Jolly nature can be used to enable Mawile to outspeed Pokemon that would otherwise force it out such as Marowak, Komala, and Bouffalant. Usage Tips Mawile is very frail without investment in bulk and Intimidate, so it should absolutely avoid taking any unresisted hit or special move. Instead, Mawile should be brought in via VoltTurn support from Pokemon such as Silvally and Electivire, on a hit that it is immune to such as Hakamo-o's Dragon Tail or Muk's Poison Jab, it can also come onto the field through aggressive double switches, predicting a Pokemon that can't deal with Mawile such as Zweilous. Since Mawile can't afford to take hits, it should use Swords Dance either on opposing Pokemon that can't deal significant damage to it, such as Muk, or it threatens out, such as Vullaby and Machoke. Don't try to wallbreak with Mawile if its checks such as Torterra, Sandslash, and Rapidash haven't been significantly weakened. Mawile should be switched out if it's facing a faster Pokemon that hits hard such as Swanna, Rapidash, or Silvally-Ground, unless they have been weakened enough to be finished off by Sucker Punch. Team Options Because of its inability to come in on most hits, Pokemon that run U-turn or Volt Switch such as different Silvally formes, Electivire, and Jumpluff are great partners for Mawile. Offensive Mawile best fits on most offensive builds, so other attackers such as offensive Stealth Rock Golem, Raichu, and Pawniard that can weaken Mawile's checks and counters such as Rapidash, Mareanie, and Sandslash are appreciated. Since Mawile is slow as a wallbreaker, it appreciates being played on offensive Sticky Web teams, so a Sticky Web setter such as Masquerain, Smeargle, or Shuckle makes a good partner for Mawile. Likewise, fast attackers such as Floatzel, Purugly, and Zebstrika as well as Choice Scarf users such as Electivire, Rapidash, and Silvally are potent partners, since they improve the matchup against most offensive teams. These Pokemon also appreciate Mawile's ability to weaken opposing walls, which lets them have a better time cleaning the opposing team. Stealth Rock and Spikes support is appreciated by Mawile, since it chips away its checks.

Moves Play Rough is Mega Mawile's go-to STAB move, resisted only by Fire-, Steel-, and Poison-types. It allows Mega Mawile to 2HKO Pokemon such as Gyarados and Dragonite and OHKO most frail offensive Pokemon like Porygon-Z. Sucker Punch makes up for Mawile's terrible Speed and allows it to finish off foes after any of Mega Mawile's other moves, such as against Meloetta. It can also sometimes outright OHKO targets such as Blacephalon. Iron Head is Mega Mawile's secondary STAB move that lets it hit Rock- and Fairy-type Pokemon, such as Crustle and Tapu Bulu, for super effective damage, as well as hitting Pokemon like Magearna and Mega Venusaur for neutral damage. Alternatively, Taunt is a very potent status move that allows Mega Mawile to check stall Pokemon, such as Porygon2 and Pyukumuku, and prevents foes like Magearna and Mega Altaria from using status moves to set up or heal themselves, while Fire Fang allows Mega Mawile to hit Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Kartana for super effective damage. Swords Dance allows Mega Mawile to boost its Attack to even further heights to defeat bulkier Pokemon. This can allow it to break past defensive walls like Chansey without fear of Counter. Metal Burst is always a good option to have for Choice item users like Garchomp as well as foes that do not have recovery like Tapu Fini. Set Details Maximum HP investment along with 104 Defense EVs specifically allow Mega Mawile to survive an Earthquake from Adamant Gyarados followed by another Earthquake after it Mega Evolves into Mega Gyarados. The rest of the EVs are put into Attack to maximize damage output. Intimidate is the preferred ability that lets Mawile lower the opposing Pokemon's Attack stat, which allows it to survive many hits it normally wouldn't be able to take, such as Choice Band Garchomp's Earthquake and two Earthquakes from Adamant Dragonite. Usage Tips Send Mega Mawile in on stall Pokemon that rely on only status moves and do not carry Taunt themselves, such as Wide Lens Jumpluff. Deoxys-S will be a 50/50, deciding whether or not you attack on a Taunt or Taunt on their Iron Defense. Against foes that may carry Counter, it is better to use a weaker move like Sucker Punch or Metal Burst to scout for Counter before committing to a stronger move. The matchup with Mega Metagross is a tossup. If you have Metal Burst, use that first, and if not, use Sucker Punch first. Be wary that Mega Metagross can render Sucker Punch useless with Bullet Punch, so play accordingly. Team Options Pokemon that can deal with both Mega Charizard X and Mega Charizard Y, such as Water-type Pokemon like Primarina and Mega Gyarados and Dragon-types like Garchomp and Zygarde, are good partners for Mega Mawile. Mega Mawile can cover Pokemon that threaten them such as Porygon-Z and Meloetta. Mega Mawile needs checks to Sturdy Pokemon like Donphan and Golem, so physically bulky Pokemon like Mega Slowbro, and Mega Sableye are much appreciated. Mega Mawile also helps to check the Dark-types that threaten these Pokemon, like Hoopa-U and Mega Gyarados. Ground-type Pokemon like Donphan and Landorus-T pair well with Mega Mawile, as their STAB attacks are super effective against all foes that resist Fairy, namely Steel-, Poison-, and Fire-types like Mega Aggron, Naganadel, and Mega Charizard X. Meanwhile, Mega Mawile takes care of Water- and Grass-types like Mega Gyarados and Tapu Bulu as well as some of the bulkier Dragon-types like Dragonite, Mega Altaria, and Kommo-o.

Moves Play Rough is Mega Mawile's most powerful STAB move that allows it to OHKO or 2HKO most of the metagame, including Mega Gyarados, Dragonite, Porygon-Z, and Tapu Lele. Metal Burst allows Mega Mawile to retaliate after surviving opposing Pokemon's moves. This is a great move to lure Pokemon that are unable to OHKO Mega Mawile, such as Genesect and Choice Specs Greninja. Sucker Punch is a great priority finisher that allows Mega Mawile to finish off weakened Pokemon, such as Crustle after a Play Rough. Taunt forces opposing Pokemon to attack, preventing them from recovering HP and also letting Mega Mawile get off a guaranteed Metal Burst, shutting down setup Pokemon like Fairium Z Magearna. Swords Dance is an option to boost Mega Mawile's already insane Attack stat. When used in conjunction with Taunt, this can allow Mega Mawile to break through certain stall Pokemon like Chansey and Necrozma. Set Details Maximum HP and Special Defense investment allows Mega Mawile to survive as many attacks as possible, Modest Primarina's Oceanic Operetta in particular. It allows Mega Mawile to survive many special attacks in general, such as Aegislash's Never-Ending Nightmare and Choice Specs Greninja's Hydro Cannon. The rest of the EVs are put into Attack. Intimidate lowers the opponent's Attack and also improves Mega Mawile's survivability. 0 Speed IVs with a Sassy nature help Mega Mawile be slower so Metal Burst does not fail. Usage Tips Use Mega Mawile against special attackers that usually have the upper hand against offensive sets. This set does well against Choice item users that cannot OHKO Mega Mawile, as Mega Mawile can simply return any damage it takes through Metal Burst or outright OHKO them with Play Rough. These include Choice Scarf Garchomp, Choice Scarf Landorus-T, Choice Specs Greninja, Choice Specs Genesect, and Choice Specs Necrozma. As this is a lure set, it is best used to surprise the opponent. If they are aware of your strategy, Pokemon such as Primarina and Electrium Z Magnezone can take advantage of Metal Burst and use status moves like Substitute and Metal Sound to prevent taking heavy damage. Team Options Rock- and Ground-type Pokemon such as Mega Tyranitar and Golem work well with Mega Mawile, as they deal with the omnipresent Mega Charizard X and Mega Charizard Y, while Mega Mawile can deal with the Water-type Pokemon that threaten them, like Mega Gyarados and Tapu Fini. Mega Mawile also pairs well with special attackers like Normalium Z Porygon-Z, Mega Charizard Y, and Choice Specs Greninja that can handle physical walls like Mega Slowbro. Mega Mawile then threatens specially defensive Pokemon like Meloetta and Dragonite.

Mega Mawile's Huge Power grants it the highest Attack stat in the game, only not being used immediately when Intimidate will be useful later. Steel / Fairy typing is a boon defensively, as its two weaknesses can be mitigated by partners such as Drizzle Politoed or Pelipper and Tapu Bulu. Consequently, Mega Mawile is often found on semi-Trick Room teams with the aforementioned Pokemon alongside Swift Swim Kingdra or Ludicolo and Trick Room Cresselia or Gothitelle, which, respectively, take advantage of rain and compensate for Mawile's low Speed. Utilize Rock Slide over Play Rough if Fire-types like Charizard and Volcarona are problematic.

Play Rough is a powerful STAB move that lets Mega Mawile deal with Mega Salamence and provides great neutral coverage. Sucker Punch allows Mega Mawile to bypass its low Speed and hits Aegislash and Mega Metagross. Swords Dance boosts Mega Mawile's Attack to let it break through bulkier foes such as Porygon2 and allows Sucker Punch to become a reliable sweeping tool. Fire Fang grants coverage against Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Celesteela and Scizor, which Mega Mawile has trouble breaking through otherwise. Knock Off provides greater neutral coverage than Fire Fang and offers extra utility in removing the foe's item, though the presence of Z-Moves hurts its reliability a bit. Iron Head doesn't provide much additional coverage that Play Rough doesn't already hit, but it provides a more accurate STAB move that also hits Mega Venusaur harder than any of Mega Mawile's other moves. Running a second coverage move over Swords Dance is viable, though this worsens Mega Mawile's matchup against defensive foes such as Porygon2 and Celesteela. Mawilite is necessary for Mawile to Mega Evolve, and it has an added bonus of allowing Mawile to safely switch into Knock Off due to its typing. Maximum Attack investment is incredibly important for Mawile since Huge Power doubles its Attack stat, giving it twice as much benefit for every point in Attack. Maximum HP investment also gives it as much overall bulk as possible to take full advantage of its great defensive typing. An Adamant nature is used to give Mawile as much Attack as possible, though if using it as a Trick Room attacker then a Brave nature with a 0 Speed IV can be used to underspeed threats such as Aegislash and Slowbro. Mega Mawile needs teammates that can handle Fire-types and Ground-types such as Heatran and Landorus-T. While there are few Pokemon that can safely switch into its attacks it has no way of beating them without support. Trick Room users such as Porygon2, Cresselia, and Chandelure are common with Mega Mawile since it turns the low Speed into an advantage, letting Mega Mawile break through faster foes that may otherwise threaten it.

Moves Play Rough is a hard-hitting STAB attack that hits Dragon- and Dark-types such as Altaria and Cacturne for super effective damage as well as the odd Fighting-type. Iron Head is the secondary STAB attack to hit Fairy-types such as Clefairy and Rock-types such as Golem for super effective damage. Despite not getting a Sheer Force-boost, Sucker Punch is a strong priority move that can pick off weakened faster Pokemon. Swords Dance allows Mawile to OHKO most Pokemon after a boost and also opens up the possibility of a sweep with Sucker Punch. Set Details The given EV spread with an Adamant nature maximizes Mawile's wallbreaking potential by focusing on Attack and Speed to outrun and 2HKO most defensive Pokemon. Life Orb works great with Sheer Force, as the ability also prevents Life Orb recoil for moves with secondary effects, and the extra damage output helps a lot. Usage Tips Don't be afraid to just attack even if the opponent has a switch-in for Mawile; even Mawile's best switch-ins often can't consistently defeat it and do not like getting worn down. Watch out with Sucker Punch, as it can be exploited by moves such as Will-O-Wisp from Rapidash and Substitute from Ninetales. Mawile is best used early- or mid-game to break down walls so other Pokemon or sometimes itself can sweep. However, Swords Dance makes Mawile a threatening sweeper in the late-game as well. Avoid switching Mawile into strong attacks because it does not take hits very well. Instead, try to switch it in safely by use of moves such as Volt Switch and U-turn, or through double switches. Set up Swords Dance on Pokemon that Mawile scares away, such as Stoutland and Cacturne, or passive Pokemon such as Audino and Clefairy that cannot truly threaten Mawile. Team Options Cleaners such as Choice Scarf Mr. Mime and Zebstrika appreciate Mawile wearing down Pokemon such as Metang and Stunfisk for them. Fire-types such as Rapidash and Ninetales are the most common Mawile checks, so Pokemon that can take them on, such as Prinplup and Grumpig, are great teammates. Prinplup, Gabite, and various other Steel-type checks are also good teammates because this Mawile set has no reliable way to hit them for effective damage. Because of Mawile's frailty, users of U-turn or Volt Switch such as Ninjask or Rotom-F are great teammates to get Mawile in safely. Pokemon that appreciate Mawile pressuring Pokemon such as Roselia and Altaria, examples being Floatzel and Monferno, are good teammates as well. Memento users such as Misdreavus and Jumpluff can provide Mawile the setup opportunity it needs to sweep.

Moves Play Rough is the main STAB attack, hitting Pokemon such as Cacturne for super effective damage. Iron Head is the secondary STAB attack to hit Pokemon such as Roselia and Golem. Sucker Punch is helpful against faster Pokemon and can clean up late-game. Fire Blast hits Steel- and Grass-types such as Metang and Gourgeist-XL for super effective damage. Knock Off is an option if you want to hit Fire-types such as Ninetales and Rapidash very hard while still hitting Gourgeist-XL and Metang for decent damage. Stealth Rock can also be used because Mawile actually does a good job at scaring out some entry hazard removers such as Vullaby and Cryogonal. Set Details The given EV spread with a Naughty nature maximizes Mawile's wallbreaking potential by focusing on Attack and Speed to outrun and 2HKO most defensive Pokemon. Life Orb works great with Sheer Force, as the ability also prevents Life Orb recoil for moves with secondary effects, and the extra damage output helps a lot. Use an Adamant nature if not using Fire Blast. Usage Tips This set is meant to use its great power and coverage moves to break down common defensive cores. Don't be afraid to just attack even if the opponent has a switch-in for Mawile, since even Mawile's best switch-ins often can't consistently defeat it and do not like getting worn down. Watch out with Sucker Punch, as it can be exploited by moves such as Will-O-Wisp from Rapidash and Substitute from Ninetales. Mawile is best used early- or mid-game to break down walls so other Pokemon or sometimes itself can sweep. However, in some situations it can also function as a late-game cleaner with Sucker Punch. Try to avoid directly switching Mawile into even resisted attacks because its mediocre bulk means it will often get 2HKOed on the switch in. Instead, moves such as U-turn and Volt Switch, as well as double switches, are great ways to get Mawile safely onto the battlefield. Team Options Cleaners such as Choice Scarf Mr. Mime and Sawsbuck appreciate Mawile breaking down Pokemon such as Metang and Gourgeist-XL for them. Fire-types such as Rapidash and Monferno are the most common Mawile checks, so Pokemon that can take them on, such as Prinplup and Grumpig, are great teammates. Prinplup and other Steel-type checks such as Stunfisk are also good teammates because despite Fire Blast 2HKOing most Steel-types on the switch in, they can still threaten Mawile out if given a free switch in. Because of Mawile's frailty, Volt Switch and U-Turn users such as Zebstrika and Ninjask are great teammates to get Mawile in safely. Pokemon that appreciate Mawile pressuring Pokemon such as Roselia, examples being Floatzel and Zebstrika, are good teammates as well.

Moves Play Rough is the STAB move of choice because it hits more Pokemon for neutral damage than Iron Head. Mawile is a good setter of Stealth Rock because it scares some entry hazard removers such as Cryogonal and Vullaby away. Knock Off and Toxic are both moves for Mawile to cripple Pokemon that resist Play Rough such as Rapidash and Metang. Iron Head could be considered if your team desperately needs more counterplay against bulky Fairy-types such as Clefairy. Set Details The given EV spread with an Impish nature and Intimidate maximizes Mawile's physically defensive capabilities, allowing it to take on Pokemon such as Stoutland and Dodrio. Leftovers is used because Mawile lacks reliable recovery moves and it needs the longevity to consistently defeat what it needs to. Usage Tips This Mawile set is meant to be used as a defensive wall and slow pivot that can defeat Normal-types such as Stoutland and Dodrio as well as Cacturne. Although this set's physical bulk is more than decent, its special bulk is still mediocre, so don't let Mawile's typing fool you; special attackers such as Grumpig and Mr. Mime will still 2HKO Mawile a lot of the time. Team Options This Mawile set really appreciates Wish support from Audino due to its lack of reliable recovery. Fire-type checks such as Lumineon, Grumpig, and Swanna are good teammates because Mawile has no way to threaten them. Steel-type checks such as Rapidash and Lumineon also pair well with Mawile for the same reason. Pokemon that appreciate getting Swords Dance boosts passed to them, such as Rapidash and Kingler, are also good teammates. This Mawile set can be used on balance and stall teams looking for a Stealth Rock user and a counter for Normal-types such as Stoutland and Dodrio.

Moves Iron Head is Mawile's STAB attack that, with hardly any Attack investment whatsoever, gives it the ability to OHKO Fairy-types, including standard Geomancy Xerneas after Stealth Rock and Diancie. Play Rough OHKOes Yveltal, Darkrai, Latios, and Latias and deals a lot of damage to all of the common Dragon-types in Ubers. Additionally, it provides a nearly guaranteed OHKO on standard Arceus-Dark after Stealth Rock. Sucker Punch is Mawile's way of circumventing its terrible Speed stat and OHKOes offensive Mewtwo, as well as the rarer Mega Mewtwo Y. Sucker Punch is the only priority move that Mawile gets, and it can also aid Mawile in cleaning up weakened teams, considering that almost every Pokemon will outspeed it. Baton Pass is what gives Mawile a niche over Klefki; it can generate good momentum on forced switches or, if you mispredicted your opponent, be a slow momentum grabber, allowing something to come in for free without risk of taking damage or mispredicting. Set Details The HP and Special Defense EVs enable Mawile to always survive any attack from +2 Geomancy Xerneas after Stealth Rock damage and any attack from neutral Salamence, allowing it to revenge kill Salamence with Play Rough. The EVs also allow Mawile to switch comfortably into all Yveltal variants, barring the rare Heat Wave Yveltal, thanks to its typing. 16 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature guarantee an OHKO on standard Geomancy Xerneas after Stealth Rock damage or OHKO after Iron Head and Sucker Punch if Stealth Rock is not set up. Intimidate is the only useful ability Mawile gets before Mega Evolving. Usage Tips Mawile can check most special attackers, barring some Arceus formes and Kyogre, due to its natural bulk; however, its lack of recovery means that it should be played quite conservatively if it is needed later on in the game to stop a Geomancy Xerneas sweep, as it doesn't take much prior damage for Mawile to fail to check Xerneas. Once physical walls are weakened and Mawile isn't needed to check something to avoid a sweep, it can be used to put a dent in many Pokemon that do not resist its STAB moves. Team Options Primal Kyogre is a fantastic teammate for Mawile thanks to its ability to weaken Groudon and the synergy it has with Mawile, with the only two Pokemon that wall both of them being Primal Groudon and Ferrothorn. Latias can deal with most of the special attackers that Mawile struggles with, such as Kyogre and some Calm Mind Arceus formes. Having a solid Ho-Oh switch-in is important, as without Stealth Rock set up Ho-Oh can switch in on Mawile with ease; as such, Arceus-Rock, Arceus-Water, Giratina-O, and physically defensive Primal Groudon can be good partners. It is also good to have a Pokemon that resists or is immune to Ground on the team, making Giratina-O and Latias good partners, especially because they can provide Defog support, which Mawile needs because Spikes ruin its ability to take on Geomancy Xerneas.

Moves Play Rough is Mega Mawile's most powerful STAB attack and should be relied on primarily to lay down the hurt. Sucker Punch allows Mega Mawile to bypass its bad Speed for a modest hit if it can guess its opponent's moves correctly. Iron Head provides a secondary and 100% accurate STAB attack, making it very useful despite having rather poor coverage with Play Rough. Protect is too fantastic a move to give up, letting Mawile dodge double targets and allowing Mawile's partner to dispose of Pokemon that threaten it. Set Details Intimidate is among the best abilities in the game and makes Mawile a good team player before it Mega Evolves, cushioning physical attacks for both it and its teammates. The EV spread is simple; Attack is maximized with the rest dumped into HP to give Mawile the best possible bulk. Mega Mawile hits a breathtaking 344 Attack with maximum investment, but even with little investment, it can still OHKO frail threats and Pokemon hit for super effective damage. If you find the extra damage unnecessary, feel free to take EVs out of Attack, though be warned that you essentially lose two Attack points for every one you gain in another stat. Below are a few useful investment benchmarks. Use whatever sounds useful based off your other team members: Of course, Mega Mawile is very slow, so if you wish to use it alongside a Trick Room inducer, giving it a Speed IV of 0 and a Brave nature can work. Just beware that neutral-natured Amoonguss with no investment will be able to outrun and Spore Mawile outside of Trick Room if you do this. Usage Tips Don't feel pressured to Mega Evolve as soon as Mawile hits the field. In fact, it's recommend you Mega Evolve only when you need to attack. Intimidate is a very, very useful ability, and preserving it throughout the game is very useful. On the subject of preserving your Mega Evolution, it's recommended you preserve Mawile until your opponent's most serious threats to it are seriously incapacitated or KOed. With its two major weaknesses gone, Mawile's power is something scary late-game. Mawile on its own, despite being so powerful, is still a slow Pokemon firing off single target attacks and it enjoys team support to operate at maximum efficiency. Trick Room is a welcomed form of speed control, as it allows Mawile to deal damage first without relying on the iffy Sucker Punch. Other forms of disruptive support like Rage Powder and Fake Out are also very welcome, narrowing the situation down for Mawile, if only for one turn with Fake Out. Team Options Salamence is an amazing partner for Mawile. The two of them generate frequent switch-in opportunities for each other and cover each other's weaknesses perfectly. Between the two of them, they only share four neutralities. Choice Scarf Salamence in particular can snipe a lot of the Pokemon that give Mawile trouble with its immediate Speed and power. Moreover, as both Pokemon have Intimidate, the combination can punish most physical attackers brutally. Rotom-H is a great answer to Mega Charizard Y and Talonflame, which Mawile enjoys not having to deal with. Tyranitar also helps a lot against Mega Charizard Y and Talonflame with Sand Stream and Rock Slide, though neither Tyranitar nor Mawile are very comfortable around Garchomp. Aromatisse can set up Trick Room and make Mawile really dangerous. It also provides some valuable chip damage with Dazzling Gleam that pushes a lot of 2HKOs on things like Rotom-W into OHKOs. Despite sharing a typing, Mawile and Aromatisse actually have fair defensive synergy together. Finally, Amoonguss can redirect anything Rotom-W wants to do, allowing Mawile to operate in relative peace.

Moves 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 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 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 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.

Moves Play Rough hits anything that doesn't resist it tremendously hard. Sucker Punch provides useful coverage and priority, allowing Mega Mawile to work around its bad Speed at the expense of only being able to attack when the foe does. Iron Head is a more reliable STAB move with inferior coverage, while Rock Slide gives Mega Mawile coverage against Mega Charizard-Y, Talonflame, and other Fire-types that are otherwise major trouble. Protect shields Mega Mawile for a turn while its partner deals with an opposing threat and lets it avoid being double targeted. Set Details Intimidate is still arguably the best ability in the game, lowering the target's Attack by one stage. An Adamant nature and 252 Attack EVs simply get Mega Mawile its maximum damage output. If you find maximum Attack unnecessary, you can take some EVs out of Attack and put them into Mega Mawile's defenses to help it survive certain hits. A list with certain benchmarks is provided below. Choose your investment based on what your team values enduring: 44 Def allows Mega Mawile to survive Adamant Choice Band Talonflame's -1 Flare Blitz. 36 SpD allows Mega Mawile to never be 2HKOed by uninvested neutral-natured Rotom-W's Hydro Pump and survive Timid maximum Special Attack Chandelure's Heat Wave. 52 SpD allows Mega Mawile to never be OHKOed by Modest maximum Special Attack Heatran's Heat Wave. 124 SpD allows Mega Mawile to never be OHKOed by Modest maximum Special Attack Chandelure's Heat Wave. 148 SpD allows Mega Mawile to never be OHKOed by Modest max Special Attack Life Orb Tyranitar's Fire Blast or be 2HKOed by max Special Attack Rotom-W's Thunderbolt. 196 SpD allows Mega Mawile to always survive Naughty 4 Special Attack Life Orb Talonflame's Overheat. 204 SpD allows Mega Mawile to always survive Modest Mega Charizard Y's Heat Wave when the sun is down. Switching to a negative Speed nature with a Speed IV of zero is recommended if you are using Mega Mawile in a dedicated Trick Room team. If using Gothitelle, a Speed IV of 18 or 19 and an Adamant nature is recommended. This allows Gothitelle to use Tickle before Mawile moves under Trick Room. Usage Tips Don't feel pressured to Mega Evolve Mawile immediately, as you'll want to keep Intimidate around for as long as possible. Mawile can actually switch in quite often thanks to Intimidate and its useful pool of resistances. Additionally, be sure to run some kind of speed control (particularly Trick Room) or redirection support with Mawile, as it greatly increases its effectiveness. Try to preserve Mega Mawile until Landorus and powerful Fire-types are down so it can attack uninhibited. Team Options Cresselia is an excellent support Pokemon for Mega Mawile. It has Trick Room, Icy Wind, and Thunder Wave for speed control and can lend Mega Mawile a Helping Hand boost. Gothitelle's Shadow Tag, Trick Room, and Tickle are all very helpful for Mega Mawile. Again, if using Gothitelle, don't set Mega Mawile's Speed to 0 IVs with a Brave nature; set it to 18 or 19 IVs with an Adamant nature. This allows Gothitelle to outspeed Mega Mawile by one point in Trick Room and lets Gothitelle get off a Tickle. Thundurus can paralyze the opponent's team and line Mega Mawile up to clean late-game. Hydreigon, Latios, and Salamence all have great defensive synergy with Mega Mawile; Mega Mawile can switch into attacks aimed at these Pokemon and vice versa. Milotic can deal with Fire- and Ground-type attackers and deter the opponent from switching in an Intimidate user on Mega Mawile. Amoonguss and Togekiss are the ideal redirection support for Mega Mawile. Amoonguss can redirect whatever Rotom-W wants to do while Togekiss and Mega Mawile have some nice defensive synergy.

Moves Play Rough is Mega Mawile's devastating STAB move, smashing through anything that doesn't resist it. Sucker Punch is Mega Mawile's powerful priority move, allowing it to pick off weakened foes and clean offensive teams later in the game. It also avoids Aegislash's King's Shield, a great utility for a physical attacker. Swords Dance boosts Mega Mawile's Attack to absolutely apocalyptic levels. It might seem like overkill to boost what's already the highest Attack stat in the game, but Mega Mawile greatly benefits from Swords Dance for two reasons. Mega Mawile might be strong, but it requires a boost to break down walls such as Cresselia and Porygon2 effectively. The other reason is that an Attack boost makes sweeping through weakened offensive teams with Sucker Punch a much more realistic possibility. Knock Off is usually the easiest move to fit in the last slot. While its coverage might be redundant with Sucker Punch, it avoids the mind games Sucker Punch can be locked into, and its item-removing power can be extremely useful against certain switch-ins. Knock Off also allows Mega Mawile to wallbreak more easily, as it removes Porygon2's Eviolite and OHKOes Cresselia after a boost. Fire Fang is the more specialized option, having a shot at OHKOing Ferrothorn and 2HKOing opposing Mega Mawile even after Intimidate. Fire Fang also has a shot at OHKOing Skarmory after Stealth Rock and a Swords Dance boost. If you wish, there are even more specialized tools for Mega Mawile if you feel Knock Off and Fire Fang are not helping your team much. Facade can be used to laugh in the face of Will-O-Wisp, giving Mega Mawile an attack even more powerful than its STAB move when statused! Rock Slide and Stone Edge are acceptable attacks for crushing Talonflame and Charizard on the switch, and Rock Slide in particular can cause paralyzed foes to flinch. If you simply want a reliable, accurate STAB move, Iron Head can be used, with the bonus of being able to cause paralyzed targets to flinch, though using it comes at the cost of coverage. Finally, if Sucker Punch's mind games are simply too much for you to handle, you can use Substitute in the last slot at the cost of coverage. Set Details Mawilite is the entire point of Mawile, so holding it is essential! Maximum HP investment along with Intimidate gives Mega Mawile the survivability it needs to launch off attacks, while maximum Attack investment and an Adamant nature ensure that Mega Mawile's KOing power is through the roof! If you are using Mega Mawile in Trick Room, consider a Brave nature and 0 Speed IVs to underspeed Quiet Aegislash and opposing Mega Mawile. If you want a bit of extra bulk, consider an EV spread of 252 HP / 212 Atk / 44 Def. This EV spread allows a full-health Mega Mawile to survive Choice Band Talonflame's Flare Blitz after an Intimidate, which can ruin your opponent's win condition in a pinch! Usage Tips It's tempting use Swords Dance right away, but resist the urge earlier in the game. Mega Mawile might be powerful, but Sucker Punch doesn't OHKO everything with a boost, and Mega Mawile is also extremely vulnerable to Substitute and Will-O-Wisp. When your chances of sweeping aren't clear, Mega Mawile is better off using Play Rough or Knock Off, because even without a boost, these moves deal a tremendous amount of damage. Swords Dance is best used when you need Mega Mawile to break a defensive Pokemon or know that Mega Mawile will be able to sweep the rest of the opposing team. Mega Mawile might have decent bulk and a great ability and typing, but switching it into neutral attacks can ruin chances to launch attacks or set up. Try to goad your opponent into bringing in Pokemon that struggle against Mega Mawile. For example, double switching your physical threats from a predicted switch to Porygon2 or Cresselia can give Mega Mawile a serious advantage on the battlefield. In more desperate situations, you can attempt to force your opponent to KO one of your other Pokemon with Outrage, giving Mega Mawile a guaranteed turn to wreak havoc! Finally, scouting your opponent's team for Choice items can also work wonders, because Mega Mawile's wide array of resistances allows it to prey on many of these Pokemon. Mega Evolving Mawile on the first turn it's out is usually a fine option, but it's not always the best one. Intimidate is a fantastic ability on its own, so if you plan on switching out right away, don't Mega Evolve. This can allow Mawile to stop sweeps in desperate situations with a double dose of Intimidate and generally put more pressure on your opponent. Finally, one of the trickier aspects of Mega Mawile is Sucker Punch. Sucker Punch can be the root of terrifying, game-deciding mind games, due to its low PP. There isn't much that can be done about these mind games (besides running Substitute), so scouting your opponent's selection can at least ease some of this pain. For example, if an opposing Pokemon has Substitute, then using Sucker Punch can be riskier than usual. Team Options Thunder Wave support is an easy way to make your opponent's Pokemon vulnerable to Mega Mawile. Because paralysis spreading tends to fail against offensive Ground-types, this makes Cresselia, Rotom-W, and Porygon2 excellent choices to consider. As a special note, Cresselia and Latias can use Lunar Dance and Healing Wish, respectively, to give Mega Mawile a second shot at sweeping. If you desire a more offensive option, you can opt for Thundurus, which has priority Thunder Waves to ruin offensive Pokemon's chances against Mega Mawile. Another form of speed control that can make Mega Mawile a terror is Trick Room. While the five turns can be limiting, they allow Mawile to blast through offensive Ground-types much more easily. Porygon2 and Cresselia are the best Pokemon for this job, thanks to their bulk allowing many setup opportunities. Mega Mawile's amazing typing leaves it vulnerable to only Fire- and Ground-type attacks, so make sure your team can cover those. Flying-type Pokemon and Levitate users are perfect for switching into Ground-type attacks, while Water-, Fire-, and Dragon-type Pokemon can aid against Fire-type attacks. These qualities make Rotom-W a fantastic partner for Mega Mawile. Not only do they cover each other's weaknesses, but Rotom-W can also deal with Talonflame and most Ground-types effectively, while Mega Mawile can switch into Grass-type attacks (though it should watch out for Breloom's Spore). On the more offensive side, Dragonite, Latios, Latias, and Hydreigon offer equally good typing synergy and can also lure in faster Outrages for Mega Mawile to take advantage of. Mega Mawile is extremely vulnerable to Will-O-Wisp if it lacks Facade. While special attackers can be used to absorb them, Fire-types such as Heatran and Blaziken can also switch into them (though both have problems switching into Rotom-W), while Heracross is notable for using Guts to take advantage of Will-O-Wisp. Finally, Mega Mawile's wallbreaking power can make it a useful teammate for several offensive Pokemon that are walled by Cresselia and Porygon2. Offensive Ground-types such as Garchomp, Mamoswine, and Landorus-T greatly appreciate Mega Mawile's wallbreaking powers.

With Intimidate and its Steel typing, Mawile can make for a decent physically defensive tank, walling threats like Purugly and Dodrio. Thanks to Intimidate, Mawile causes a lot of switches, making Stealth Rock both easy to set up and potent in use. Iron Head is a reliable STAB option, and Toxic is used for reliable chip damage. Knock Off is recommended for the last moveslot to get rid of common items like Leftovers and Eviolite, crippling Pokemon such as Stunfisk and Klang, but Pain Split can be used to patch up Mawile's lack of consistent recovery thanks to its low base HP. However, Mawile usually gets more opportunities to use Knock Off than it would with Pain Split. Many dedicated defensive cores prefer sturdier Steel-types like Bronzor due to their better longevity, so defensive Mawile tends to find a home on more offensive teams that are looking for a reliable tank and appreciate the disruption of Intimidate and Knock Off that Mawile provides. Mawile is weak to Fire- and Fighting-type moves and worn down notably by entry hazards, so Tentacool is a particularly good option for a partner, while Tentacool also appreciates Mawile tanking physical hits as well. Mawile also is weak to common Ground-type attacks, so Pokemon like Maractus can also make for good partners. Maractus and Tentacool both can also set up Spikes and Toxic Spikes respectively, synergizing with Mawile's ability to force switches very well. Other defensive Pokemon such as Frillish, Vileplume, and even Jumpluff can also make for good teammates by covering Mawile's weaknesses and healing any status conditions and damage it has taken.

Swords Dance pushes Mawile's Attack to a considerable level, and in combination with Life Orb and Sheer Force, this makes Mawile able to 2HKO a considerable amount of the tier such as Torterra, Vileplume, and Duosion. Sucker Punch gives Mawile a priority option to make up for its lackluster Speed and potentially KO faster threats like Zebstrika. The last moveslot is dedicated to any of these coverage moves: Ice Punch hits Ground-types like Stunfisk and Torterra, Fire Fang hits Steel-types such as Bronzor and Klang, and Thunder Punch hits Water-types such as Tentacool and Frillish. It is also possible to drop Sucker Punch for a second coverage move, but the overall utility of Sucker Punch makes it recommended to keep. The given EVs spread lets Mawile outspeed uninvested Pokemon with base 55 Speed such as Ursaring as well as uninvested Torterra while minimizing Life Orb damage, but a faster or bulkier spread can also be utilized depending on the team. While Mawile is excellent at wallbreaking, it can still be walled depending on its chosen coverage move. If Ice Punch is not chosen, Stunfisk easily walls Mawile, so a partner like Torterra can be great to round out that weakness. If Fire Fang is not chosen, Bronzor and Klang can wall Mawile, so Monferno and Scraggy can make for good partners. If Thunder Punch is not chosen, then Frillish can wall Mawile, making a teammate like Vileplume a strong choice. Pokemon that can sweep after Mawile is done wallbreaking make for a good offensive combo, so sweepers like Huntail and Fraxure make for excellent partners. Revenge killers such as Zebstrika and Choice Scarf Golduck can also be effective for taking on faster threats that Mawile might struggle with otherwise.