Mismagius Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Nasty Plot enables Mismagius to break specially defensive walls like Steelix, Vaporeon, and Druddigon with its Z-Move. Shadow Ball lets Mismagius threaten Psychic- and Ghost-types like Slowking and Dhelmise with super effective damage. Power Gem provides Mismagius with at worst neutral coverage for most Ghost-resistant and -immune Pokemon such as Incineroar, Guzzlord, and Braviary. Protect lets Mismagius scout Choice item users like Heliolisk, Passimian, and Braviary and narrow down the former three's options thanks to Mismagius's typing and respectable special bulk. When used alongside a Colbur Berry, it also lets Mismagius avoid being Pursuit trapped by Choice Band Sneasel and Choice Scarf Houndoom. Taunt allows Mismagius to set up more reliably against Pokemon like Vaporeon and Miltank that commonly carry Toxic and prevents Mega Audino from recovering health. Taunt also completely shuts down Pyukumuku; however, it leaves Mismagius more vulnerable to Passimian as well as Pursuit trappers. Dazzling Gleam can be used to hit Scrafty for super effective damage and let Mismagius avoid using its Z-Move on Guzzlord, but the utility provided by Taunt and Protect is usually preferred. Set Details Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment with a Timid nature improves Mismagius's offensive presence and lets it outspeed other prominent offensive Pokemon like Magmortar, Rotom, and Delphox. Rockium Z turns Power Gem into Continental Crush and gives Mismagius a reliable way of dealing with Ghost-resistant and -immune Pokemon like Incineroar, Guzzlord, and Braviary. Ghostium Z is an alternative Z-Crystal that lets Mismagius more effectively deal with Pokemon like Rhydon and Silvally-Steel once boosted and nets more damage on neutral targets like Vaporeon, but Rockium Z is preferred due to the coverage Continental Crush provides. If a teammate is already holding a Z-Crystal, a Colbur Berry is a fine item choice to avoid being Pursuit trapped by Choice Band Sneasel. However, this is best used alongside Protect so that Mismagius can see whether Sneasel will use Knock Off or Pursuit. Levitate is Mismagius's only ability and allows Mismagius to switch into Choice-locked Pokemon like Passimian and Aerodactyl and set up. Usage Tips Mismagius's poor physical bulk and only average special bulk leave few opportunities for setting up; however, Choice-locked Pokemon like Heliolisk, Passimian, and Accelgor are easy to set up against, while Mismagius can also exploit weaker special attackers like Seismitoad and Weezing. Early-game, it is best to just use Shadow Ball and Power Gem to weaken switch-ins to Mismagius, as Mismagius will struggle to sweep through a team that still possesses significant defensive counterplay to it. Mismagius should make sure to Taunt Pokemon like Vaporeon, defensive Slowking, and Mega Audino before setting up, as a Toxic from them makes a sweep much less likely. Taunt also prevents Vaporeon and Mega Audino from recovering health with Wish, and it prevents Defoggers like Silvally-Steel and Golbat from removing entry hazards. This, combined with Mismagius's ability to spinblock and threaten other common forms of hazard control in Xatu, Rotom, and Decidueye, makes Mismagius effective at keeping hazards on the field. If using Protect, scout Choice item users like Passimian and Heliolisk to see what move they will lock themselves into. You can also scout Choice-locked Pursuit trappers like Sneasel, Aerodactyl, and Houndoom to find out whether or not they will use Pursuit. It is important to not use Mismagius's Z-Move unless necessary, as it is Mismagius's best way of dealing with special walls like Mega Audino and Incineroar that don't mind Shadow Ball. However, when faced with offensive teams that lack a solid switch-in to Mismagius, its Z-Move can be used to help wallbreak. Team Options Mismagius fits best on offensive builds that can assist it by softening its checks and providing utility options to make setting up less difficult. Dual screens support from Pokemon such as Xatu provides Mismagius with safer opportunities to set up with Nasty Plot. Additionally, Xatu can prevent the foe from laying entry hazards of their own and provide U-turn support. Wallbreakers like Sneasel, Choice Specs Heliolisk, Choice Band Passimian, and Decidueye assist Mismagius by taking on special walls such as Slowking, Torterra, and Vaporeon for it. Slow pivoting from the likes of Incineroar and Vikavolt is helpful in ensuring Mismagius gets into battle safely. Incineroar can also handle opposing Dark-types well, while Vikavolt helps weaken specially defensive Pokemon like Silvally-Steel and Cryogonal. Steelix and Torterra are both solid Stealth Rock setters to pair alongside Mismagius because they lure Xatu in for Mismagius. Rhydon also works well with Mismagius, as it can manage Incineroar for unboosted Mismagius. Spikes from Garbodor and Ferroseed pair well with Mismagius; two switches into one layer of Spikes guarantees the OHKO on Guzzlord with +2 Continental Crush. Furthermore, Toxic Spikes support from Garbodor works well if Mismagius is carrying Protect, since it helps Mismagius chip foes. Pokemon such as Calm Mind Comfey work well alongside Mismagius, since they can take advantage of Passimian that are Choice-locked into Knock Off by setting up. Additionally, they can manage Dark-types well for Mismagius.

Moves Will-O-Wisp can spread burns to the opponent's team and stop slower physical attackers such as Hitmonchan and Primeape from being a threat to Mismagius, letting it follow it up with a powerful Hex. Taunt forces its foes to attack Mismagius instead of setting up or removing entry hazards, using stat-boosting moves, restoring their HP, or removing status with Heal Bell or Rest, which makes Mismagius very difficult to deal with without attacking, given its Speed tier. Hex is a powerful STAB move when the foe is affected by status and is preferred to Shadow Ball due to Mismagius's uninvested Special Attack stat. However, it deals little damage to non-statused foes, although it is still usually enough to KO opposing Ghost-types without burning them first. Pain Split is inconsistent but provides Mismagius with somewhat reliable recovery and lets it cripple healthy Pokemon when at low HP, allowing it to stallbreak more consistently. Thunder Wave cripples offensive Pokemon that don't mind Will-O-Wisp as much such as Choice Specs Swellow, setup sweepers like Lilligant, and Fire-types such as Charizard and Pyroar. It also lets Mismagius fire off a status-boosted Hex on most of these targets afterwards, excluding Pyroar. Memento sacrifices Mismagius to provide setup opportunities for sweepers such as Barbaracle and Lilligant. Set Details Colbur Berry lets Mismagius survive a single Dark-type attack, allowing it to switch into attackers potentially carrying Knock Off as coverage such as Hariyama and Choice Scarf Scyther and letting it tank a Pursuit from Skuntank if it stays in, beating it one-on-one. Leftovers is an alternative to give Mismagius more recovery, which is more useful for variants that lack Pain Split when its team already has a solid switch-in to Knock Off and Pursuit users, such as Mega Audino. Maximum Speed EVs let Mismagius Speed tie with Scyther, with the remainder being put into HP and Defense for maximum bulk, letting it tank more physical attacks after burning Pokemon. Levitate provides Mismagius with a handy immunity to Ground-type attacks, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes, giving it more opportunities to switch in and stopping it from being worn down so easily or being poisoned by Toxic Spikes. Usage Tips Mismagius's role depends a lot on what move it runs in its last slot; Pain Split lets Mismagius act as a dedicated stallbreaker, while Thunder Wave and Memento are more useful for and against offensive teams, respectively. Early-game, Mismagius should aim to spread status to the opponent's team, and it should be led with if your team needs Mismagius's Taunt to keep entry hazards from setters such as Garbodor off the field. Taunt should also be used on Defog users such as Mantine and Pelipper if Mismagius can switch in before they use the move, as well as to stop Pokemon such as Mega Audino and Musharna from restoring HP or setting up. Memento should be used against offensive Pokemon that are either forced out by or helpless to stop a setup sweeper on your team, giving it a guaranteed free turn if the opponent lacks other means of stopping it, such as status or phazing. Mismagius should be switched into users of Rapid Spin if hazards need to be kept on your opponent's side. Even if they predict this, Mismagius can usually survive an Ice Punch from Hitmonchan or a Shadow Ball from Claydol and block the spin attempt even if it faints in the process. Even when heavily weakened, Mismagius still serves as a deterrent to Fighting- and Ground-type attackers such as Primeape and Rhydon using their main STAB attacks. Team Options Mismagius is the perfect partner for most entry hazard setters. Garbodor and Omastar can provide Spikes and either Toxic Spikes or Stealth Rock, respectively, while appreciating Mismagius's Ground-type immunity and matchup against Defog users. Toxic Spikes support in particular can be useful for letting Mismagius fire off boosted Hexes without using a status move first; Weezing is another good user of the move and provides its team with a sturdier Fighting-type check in general. Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Jynx make for good partners, as they appreciate Mismagius wearing down bulky Pokemon for a late-game sweep as well as having the ability to revenge kill offensive threats that severely dent Mismagius such as Archeops and Tauros. Setup sweepers such as Barbaracle, Omastar, and Rhydon appreciate Memento support as well as Mismagius wearing the opposing team down with burns. Checking Fire-types such as Pyroar and Charizard that can beat Mismagius easily is also important. Samurott and Kabutops resist their STAB attacks and force them out with strong Aqua Jets, while Hariyama can use Thick Fat to check them well, especially if it runs Stone Edge. Fighting-types such as the aforementioned Hariyama and Hitmonchan can deal with the Dark-types that threaten Mismagius, such as Shiftry and Liepard.

Mismagius is often seen being used offensively due to its high Speed and Special Attack and access to neat setup options in Nasty Plot and Calm Mind; however, Mismagius is equipped with the necessary qualities to make it a viable defensive Ghost-type. Unlike Cofagrigus and Sableye, Mismagius packs significantly more Speed, better special bulk, and Levitate to minimize the entry hazard damage both Cofagrigus and Sableye are vulnerable to. Furthermore, Mismagius boasts a wide variety of support moves that Cofagrigus, and to an extent Sableye, lack. Because of this, Mismagius deals with a variety of offensive threats, such as Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Mienshao, Rhyperior, and Heracross, very well. Will-O-Wisp is the primary status move of choice, as it cripples a whole slew of physical threats that can prove troublesome to Mismagius and its teammates, and further improves Mismagius's walling capabilities. On the other hand, Thunder Wave differentiates Mismagius from its fellow Ghost-types and can be used to neuter troublesome opponents, particularly faster threats such as Crobat, Cobalion, and Raikou. Heal Bell is another move exclusive to Mismagius as a Ghost-type and helps rid itself and its teammates of harmful status effects. However, if cleric support is not necessary, Mismagius makes a great user of Taunt due to its high Speed. This makes it a great stallbreaker, but keep in mind that Mismagius faces stiff competition with Sableye as a stallbreaker because of Sableye's Prankster ability and access to a more reliable recovery move. As a final alternative, Mismagius is the only notable Ghost-type to claim Perish Song, which is a decent option over the previous two moves, as it is able to dispose of sweepers that cannot be handled easily, such as Curse Snorlax and Calm Mind Suicune. Lastly, Pain Split is Mismagius's only form of reliable recovery, and Shadow Ball provides it with a decent STAB attack to avoid being Taunt bait. The Speed EVs allow Mismagius to outpace neutral-natured max Speed Kingdra, Heracross, and Nidoking to burn or Taunt them before they make a move, and the rest of the EVs are dumped into HP and Defense to take on physical hits better outside of a Will-O-Wisp burn; the Defense EVs specifically provide a Defense jump point. It's also possible to use an EV spread of 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe with a Timid nature to outpace max Speed base 100s such as Victini, which seeks enjoyment switching into Will-O-Wisp. Also, Protect can be used over Pain Split if you prefer to capitalize on burn damage and stall Perish Song turns. As Mismagius fits nicely on bulky offense teams, it's recommended to utilize Pokemon that allow Mismagius to take advantage of its strengths, namely its Fighting immunity and status and cleric support. Curse Snorlax works really well because it lures in Fighting-types such as Mienshao and Heracross that Mismagius can switch into and potentially burn; Snorlax also appreciates the Heal Bell support should he be running Rest as well. Since Mismagius often lures in Dark- and Steel-types such as Umbreon and Cobalion, Hitmontop works great to dispose of them relatively easily with Close Combat; it benefits from Heal Bell as well should it have been crippled with burn or poison status. Finally, given that Mismagius performs well as a spinblocker, entry hazard support is recommended. Rhyperior and Aggron can use Stealth Rock, and their Ground- and Fighting-type weaknesses are handily taken care of by Mismagius. Aggron also has access to Thunder Wave, making it and Mismagius a decent paralysis-spreading core should Mismagius use Thunder Wave itself, which in turn allows Pokemon such as Bulk Up Scrafty, Swords Dance Heracross, and Nasty Plot Porygon-Z to take advantage of the crippled opposition. In terms of Spikes support, Omastar is a great option that also appreciates Mismagius covering its Ground- and Fighting-type weaknesses.

This set embodies Mismagius's niche. This set is meant to get into battle after a KO or take advantage of one of Mismagius's three immunities, set up a Nasty Plot quickly, then finish off weakened teams with blazing Speed and boosted attacks. Mismagius's strongest move is its STAB Shadow Ball, which becomes very formidable after a boost. It is the main move used in sweeping teams, as after some residual damage, it is very hard to survive. Hidden Power Fighting provides perfect coverage with Shadow Ball, hitting Normal-, Dark-, and Steel-types for super effective damage. While its Base Power isn't very high, after a boost it still manages to finish off most Pokemon that resist Ghost-type attacks. It can also achieve the impressive feat of 2HKOing Porygon2, Umbreon, and Snorlax with some hazards. However, the latter two can threaten with physical Dark-type moves that can ruin Mismagius. Thunderbolt allows Mismagius to break through Togekiss, whose special bulk and neutrality to Fighting-type attacks make it hard to scratch. It deals more damage to Empoleon than Hidden Power Fighting, and allows Mismagius to OHKO it with just one layer of Spikes or a little residual damage. Taunt is a viable move in the last slot, as it allows Mismagius to prevent support Pokemon from crippling her with status, or healing off damage. It also allows it to set up on RestTalk Snorlax, but it must still beware Crunch. The EVs are very simple; Mismagius just needs to hit as hard and as fast as possible. Substitute can be used in the fourth slot to ease prediction in case a faster check tries to switch into battle. When it hides behind a Substitute, Mismagius has a clear shot at them with Shadow Ball or Hidden Power Fighting, or it can switch safely out of Pursuit. Substitutes will wear Mismagius down quickly combined with Life Orb recoil, so Leftovers can be used instead of Life Orb for more Substitutes at the cost of needed offensive power. Will-O-Wisp can also be used in the fourth slot to cripple any physical attacker, but the support move is a little out of place on a set dedicated to sweeping. Like any sweeper, Mismagius loves entry hazards. Mismagius cleans up the opposing team, so hazards and residual damage are absolutely necessary so it can do its job. Scolipede makes a great teammate for these purposes; thanks to its high Speed, it is easily able to set up multiple layers of Spikes which will chip away at the opponent's Pokemon throughout the battle. That gives Mismagius a much easier sweep late-game. Offensively, Swords Dance Cobalion makes a great partner for Mismagius. Cobalion attracts bulky waters and Gligar to the field to stop its sweep, and Mismagius has no qualms switching into weak Scalds or Earthquake thanks to its special bulk and Ground-type immunity. Inversely, Cobalion loves switching into Snorlax and Umbreon, and gets a Justified boost from their Dark-type attacks.

The Nasty Plot set is a late-game sweeper, designed to finish off the opponent's crippled team. This set is a mid-game sweeper, which will come in and out of battle many times to start setting up and breaking down the opponent's team. The Spikes immunity really helps here, as Mismagius can switch in and out of battle without taking too much damage. This set can come in on slow special attackers, set up a Substitute to dodge status and ease prediction, then start setting up Calm Minds. Again, Shadow Ball is the main sweeping move, but it won't get all the OHKOs that the Nasty Plot set does. Instead, it can get a lot of 2HKOs while having the Substitute to fall back on. Hidden Power Fighting is even weaker with less boosts and no Life Orb, but it is still Mismagius's best weapon against frail Dark-types. It is even more effective behind a Substitute, as the Pursuit and Sucker Punch mind games are averted. The EVs on this set are subject to more variation. The suggested spread maximizes power and Speed again, but bulkier spreads are viable. 112 HP EVs ensure that U-turn from the likes of Jolly Choice Scarf Darmanitan and Flygon will never break its Substitute. 224 HP EVs guarantee against Adamant Darmanitan, and gives its Substitute a fighting chance against Blastoise's Scald without a Calm Mind boost. Not even maximum investment can guarantee the Substitute will survive a Scald from UU's plethora of bulky Water-types. Overall, Mismagius's physical bulk is impossible to save, and her special bulk is already getting a boost. This set appreciates type synergy more as it comes in and out of battle. Cobalion becomes even more solid a partner, as it resists both of Mismagius's weaknesses, and in turn Mismagius is immune to two of Cobalion's three weaknesses. The pair can trade places throughout the match, setting up and weakening each other's counters. While it doesn't have the same type synergy as Cobalion, Swords Dance Heracross is a great offensive partner for Mismagius. It can still come into Mismagius's full stops like Snorlax and Umbreon, and during the switch it can prepare to devastate the opposing team with Swords Dance. This set cannot deal a lot of damage quickly, but that is exactly what Swords Dance Heracross does well. Its massive power will protect Mismagius's team against tough stall teams.

This Mismagius set aims to defeat many common leads in UU, including Uxie, Mesprit, Omastar, and Cloyster. Taunt and Will-O-Wisp allow Mismagius to function as a stallbreaker later in the match as well. Will-O-Wisp is also a valuable asset against offensive teams. Taunt, when combined with Mismagius's base 105 Speed, will often prevent the opposing lead from setting up Stealth Rock. This means that Pokemon who have a weakness to Stealth Rock can often rely on Mismagius to get them in safely. Choice Band Scyther in particular is a great partner because Mismagius not only prevents Stealth Rock, but can also cripple Pokemon that Scyther cannot beat, such as Registeel. Shadow Ball is a solid STAB move, and its power can allow Mismagius to run through many offensive teams. Thunderbolt does the most damage possible to bulky Water- and Flying-types like Milotic and Moltres. The EVs are simple: anything less than max Speed and you lose to a multitude of threats, such as Scyther, Manectric, and opposing Mismagius. Maximum Special Attack gives Mismagius bite, but if you need Mismagius to stay alive into the mid-game you can shift the Special Attack EVs to HP with Leftovers. Destiny Bond can be used over Will-O-Wisp to get a surprise KO after Mismagius is weakened. Sacrificing Mismagius for a KO can also help when an offensive or defensive Pokemon is threatening your team. Leftovers can be used over Life Orb if you want Mismagius to last longer, as it will still 2HKO most leads. However, the power is preferred in most cases. Another possible option is to run Hidden Power Ground to do more damage to Steelix, Registeel, and Aggron, but Will-O-Wisp can usually handle those threats. Mismagius has a lot of mid- and late-game utility. Often Mismagius can cripple its counters with Will-O-Wisp and proceed to sweep late-game once they are sufficiently weakened. Mid-game, Mismagius can also be used to punch holes in the opponent's defenses. Mismagius shares counters with Pokemon like Alakazam, so if you manage to cripple the opponent's Milotic or Spiritomb with Mismagius, they can be in trouble.

A quick glance through Mismagius's counters reveals that, with the exception of Choice Band Spiritomb, all of them hate Trick. As Mismagius's most common set is Nasty Plot, and as Nasty Plot Mismagius is deadly enough that its counters are forced to switch in early, Mismagius can surprise the opponent with a Choice set. The fact that Mismagius has plenty of independent merit is much welcome as well: high Speed and Special Attack, in addition to three immunities, lets Mismagius hit hard, revenge kill and pull off mini-sweeps. Choice Specs Mismagius packs a lot of power with STAB Shadow Ball off over 500 Special Attack, while Choice Scarf Mismagius is actually fast enough to outspeed the slower Swift Swim users in the rain, making it a potent revenge killer. Ideally, Choice Mismagius will identify the other team's counters early in the game before catching them with Trick later, opening up the other team so Mismagius or another Pokemon can sweep. Mismagius is also fast enough that Trick can often be used as a last-ditch check to many set-up sweepers. Be warned, though: astute opponents can deduce Mismagius's set from the damage it deals, so Trick might not hit its intended target. Trick is a natural move on a Choice set, and is even more necessary because it will incapacitate many of Mismagius's normal counters. With three moves available, all three standard attacks are used, with the choice of Hidden Power once again to cover Drapion or Clefable and Chansey. Thanks to the multitude of Pokemon in the base 95 Speed category and below, maximum Speed is necessary on the Choice Specs set, but the Choice Scarf set can go with a Modest nature for extra power. Choice Mismagius can handle its normal counters to some extent, but Pokemon with Pursuit are a massive pain. There is nothing Mismagius can do about it other than to be unpredictable. For example, while Absol can survive Mismagius's Shadow Ball, it is 2HKOed by Thunderbolt. The resulting 50-50 choice between Sucker Punch or Pursuit (on Absol's part) and attacking or switching out (on Mismagius's part) at least gives Mismagius a chance of surviving. In the same vein, it might sometimes be preferable to predict the opponent switching to a Pursuit-using Pokemon and double switch. Choice Mismagius is also considerably more vulnerable to status. As such, a status absorber or a cleric can be helpful.

Why use Calm Mind when you can use Nasty Plot? The answer is the ability to set up on special attackers. For example, uninvested Uxie's Psychic will always break Mismagius's Substitute, so against Nasty Plot Mismagius, a player can sacrifice Uxie to keep Mismagius's Substitute down, and then bring in a faster Pokemon to revenge kill it. When faced with Calm Mind however, Uxie is forced to flee, and Mismagius can face whoever comes in next with a Substitute up. Any Milotic without Haze is beaten as well, and with a bit of luck even offensive powerhouses like Moltres can be set up on it if they are paralyzed. Although less immediately dangerous than the Nasty Plot set, Calm Mind Mismagius distinguishes itself by allowing Mismagius to safely set up on more UU Pokemon. The choice of coverage move is similar to the Nasty Plot set. Thunderbolt provides fine neutral coverage and also hits Milotic, although if Milotic does not have Haze Mismagius can happily stack Calm Minds and finish it off with Shadow Ball. Hidden Power Fighting hits Registeel, Clefable, and Steelix, but forces an imperfect Speed IV. Hidden Power Ground is primarily for Drapion, but maintains coverage on Steel-types while leaving a perfect Speed stat. However, Calm Mind's slow boosting rate means they will all easily survive and hit back. Because the allure of Calm Mind lies with keeping a Substitute intact, Taunt is not a good choice on this set, and the same applies to Life Orb. While Calm Mind Mismagius gains the ability to set up on a larger part of the metagame, the loss in power does make it more vulnerable to its counters. As such, a counter-to-the-counter is even more important. Once again, Donphan, Rhyperior, and Steelix are good choices. Although one can make an argument for screen support with all set-up sweepers, this Mismagius can boost its own Special Defense, so Reflect support gets a special mention to help boost Mismagius's Defense stat.

This straightforward sweeping set is Mismagius's most common, and one of its most effective. High Speed and multiple immunities lets Mismagius switch in on numerous common Pokemon in UU and put up a Substitute as the opponent switches out. From there, Mismagius can either Nasty Plot and go for a sweep, or attack and switch out. Despite being a set that relies on pure brute force, Mismagius has a fair number of options. Nasty Plot is obvious for boosting while Shadow Ball is for equally obvious STAB, but the third move takes some consideration. Thunderbolt hits Milotic hard, but is relatively ineffective on Registeel, Clefable, and Steelix, three of Mismagius's biggest counters. Hidden Power Fighting hits the aforementioned Pokemon super effectively, and it also gives Mismagius unresisted coverage. However, all three still survive the hit, and as Hidden Power Fighting Mismagius is forced to have a 30 Speed IV, it risks losing the Speed tie to Scyther and other Mismagius. Finally, Hidden Power Ground leaves a perfect Speed IV and retains coverage on Steel-types and Drapion, but leaves Mismagius completely walled by Swellow. It's also worth noting that Mismagius needs Hidden Power Fighting to 2HKO Chansey at +6. Where Thunderbolt Mismagius can rely on the paralysis chance to break through Chansey, Hidden Power Ground Mismagius is forced to rely on critical hits. Life Orb can be used over Leftovers for more bite; with Stealth Rock support, a +2 Life Orb Hidden Power Fighting can potentially 2HKO Registeel. However, the Life Orb recoil will quickly wear Mismagius down, especially if Mismagius has Substitute. Taunt is an excellent alternative over Substitute, stopping status and recovery moves. Nonetheless, it does leave Mismagius highly vulnerable to Pursuit and priority. Finally, a Nasty Plot + 3 attacks set with a Life Orb offers the best coverage and considerable power, but with neither Substitute nor Taunt, it can't afford mispredictions, cannot defend itself against status, and is highly vulnerable to revenge kills. The only thing not negotiable on all variants of this set is maximum Speed: there are many nasty Pokemon in the base 95 Speed tier that Mismagius simply cannot afford to lose to. Mismagius's worst foes include Spiritomb, Clefable, Registeel, and Steelix. As long as they avoid Spiritomb's Will-O-Wisp, Rhyperior, Donphan, and a Steelix of your own make fine switch-ins to all these Pokemon. All three of them can set up Stealth Rock to aid Mismagius's sweep, and they complement Mismagius's low Defense stat with their mammoth physical bulk. As a bonus, Rhyperior and Steelix tend to lure in Ground and Fighting attacks that Mismagius can switch into.

While Mismagius is most commonly seen as a potent sweeper, this set attempts to make use of its high Speed, precise support movepool, and excellent collection of immunities to turn it into a versatile utility Pokemon. Mismagius can wreak havoc against defensive Pokemon while still packing enough bulk to check offensive threats. It is the only spinblocker in UU who has both access to Taunt and the Speed to use it against common spinners, preventing them from using Foresight. Mismagius can also cause significant grief to stall teams, due to Will-O-Wisp inflicting constant damage to nearly everything while covering Mismagius's lackluster Defense, and Taunt blocking any attempt to heal or phaze. Finally, Mismagius makes a great initial switch-in to Fighting-types, although mispredicted switches into physical attacks such as Stone Edge will still pummel Mismagius. This Mismagius plays very differently from more offensive variants. It can actually beat several common switch-ins that expect a more offensive set, such as Registeel and defensive Spiritomb. On the other hand, it needs to tread carefully against several threats that an offensive variant could steamroll, such as Arcanine and Blaziken. Ideally, Mismagius should be brought in on a move that it is immune to, or on a weak special attack. It can then Taunt to prevent the opponent from using any status or set-up moves, after which it is free to burn the opponent and use Pain Split to heal itself after taking a few hits. If your opponent lacks powerful physical attackers that are faster than Mismagius or Pokemon that are immune to burn, you can repeat this cycle until their entire team is thoroughly weakened. Note, however, that Pain Split will very often prove unreliable; an intelligent opponent might sacrifice a low HP Pokemon just to ensure that Mismagius cannot heal. In this case, you should simply switch out to preserve Mismagius's health. A few changes can be made to this set while still preserving its purpose, but note that the set presented above is the most optimal for general use. Changes are not recommended unless you are certain that your team needs Mismagius to cover the specific niches mentioned below. The EV spread and moves can be tweaked so that this set functions more offensively. Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fighting can be used over Pain Split with an alternate EV spread of 80 HP / 252 SpA / 176 Spe. This spread is best used on offensive teams which focus on stacking multiple layers of Spikes, as Mismagius will still serve as an excellent spinblocker against less offensively-inclined spinners while not being setup fodder for dangerous threats like Swellow and Houndoom. However, this spread is substantially frailer than the recommended spread, and the lack of Pain Split means that this version's survivability is very low compared to the primary version, particularly against stall. The set could also be taken in the other direction with a bulkier spread of 252 HP / 160 SpD / 96 Spe. This variant loses some power and a substantial amount of Speed for increased special bulk, allowing Mismagius to switch into more powerful special threats. Life Orb Venusaur's Leaf Storm, for instance, drops to a 3HKO (factoring in the Special Attack reduction and Leftovers), allowing Mismagius to avoid Sleep Powder via Taunt and heal with Pain Split. The Speed EVs allow Mismagius to outrun all Venusaur and anything else in the base 80 Speed group or lower. However, due to the lower Speed, faster Fighting-types such as Toxicroak and Hitmonlee can now strike first before Mismagius can burn them. Therefore, this variant should only be used with the understanding that Fighting-types are no longer dealt with as efficiently.

The given spread allows Mismagius to always survive Aerial Ace from Choice Band Scyther, while outspeeding positive nature base 95s. This is a sample set before we work on new analyses. Stay tuned!