Overview, AoA, OO, and CC by dk
SD by Trinitrotoluene
QC: Colonel M, Gary, Subject 18
GP: The Dutch Plumberjack
[OVERVIEW]
* Mega Mawile's ability, Huge Power, doubles its Attack stat—the resulting colossal number renders Mawile one of the OU metagame's top wallbreakers.
* Useful typing in Fairy- and Steel- in tandem with solid abilities grant it ample opportunities to either outright attack or set up using Swords Dance.
* However, incredibly lackluster speed and a low HP stat inhibit Mawile's potential greatly; this, alongside the ubiquity of strong Pokemon either resistant or immune to Sucker Punch, such as Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele, equate to Mega Mawile struggling to compete with other Mega Pokemon for that specific slot on a team—namely with Mega Metagross.
[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: Play Rough
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Thunder Punch
move 4: Fire Fang / Focus Punch
item: Mawilite
ability: Hyper Cutter / Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Play Rough is Mega Mawile's STAB move of choice; even Pokemon resistant to Fairy-type attacks will often take sizable amounts of damage.
* Sucker Punch gives Mega Mawile access to powerful priority capable of preventing it from being revenge killed as well as revenge killing certain weakened threats. Examples of key targets are weakened Mega Metagross and weakened Choice Scarf users.
* Thunder Punch allows Mawile to break past Toxapex, which would otherwise wall Mawile completely and dampen its ability to break defensive cores. Thunder Punch also targets Skarmory and Celesteela.
* To complement Play Rough and Thunder Punch, Fire Fang hits Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor, and Amoonguss for super effective damage. Without Fire Fang, Mawile will struggle to deal with cores involving these Pokemon.
* Focus Punch allows Mawile to punish predicted switches to Heatran and is generally a strong, unforgiving attack to switch into if Mawile is given proper space.
* If Fire Fang or Focus Punch is deemed unnecessary, Knock Off is a spammable option that can cripple whatever has the misfortune of switching into Mawile. Knock Off also allows Mawile to hit Alolan Marowak, which could otherwise prove irritating to this set via potential usage of Will-O-Wisp.
Set Details
========
* 252 Attack EVs and an Adamant nature maximize Mawile's wallbreaking and revenge killing capabilities.
* Hyper Cutter nullifies Intimidate on the turn Mawile Mega Evolves, namely from defensive Landorus-T, which can let it deal more damage initially. On the other hand, Intimidate allows Mawile to lower the Attack stat of a Pokemon it comes in on prior to Mega Evolution, which can grant it a useful wallbreaking opportunity.
* The given Speed EVs allow it to outpace minimum Speed, neutral-natured Skarmory and other base 70s; the remaining EVs are placed into HP for a small bulk buffer.
Usage Tips
========
* Mega Mawile excels at breaking defensive cores for a sweeper or cleaner to mop up. As such, it is best used in the early- to late-game phases of a match to punch holes in the opposition from openings it may receive from VoltTurn support or from its natural bulk or typing.
* If one faces a more defensive team that is noticeably weak to Mega Mawile, it may be wise to play it more carefully so as to actually effectively exploit the evident susceptibility to it.
* Should this set be used versus an offensive build that is more than capable of overwhelming it, it may be worth playing Mawile in a more reckless fashion to quickly open up the opposing team. To illustrate this point, in a case where physically defensive Landorus-T pivots into Mawile and takes damage from a Play Rough, it could prove valuable to Sucker Punch on the subsequent turn it uses Earthquake to further weaken Landorus-T if something along the lines of Dragon Dance Zygarde is on your team.
Team Options
========
* Given Mawile's low HP stat and general susceptibility to being overwhelmed quickly, VoltTurn support is ideal to help pivot Mawile into more passive Pokemon it can easily take advantage of. Rotom-W and Tapu Koko are noteworthy users, as the pivots that commonly switch into the aforementioned VoltTurn users are can provide Mawile an opening to wallbreak.
* Rotom-W in particular is a fantastic partner to aid Mawile defensively; Mawile struggles with Ground- and Fire-type attacks, both of which can be pivoted into by Rotom-W. On the flip side, Mega Mawile can beat the defensive Grass-types save for Mega Venusaur that pivot into Rotom-W's Volt Switch if Mega Mawile opts for Fire Fang. Latios, another common switch-in to Rotom-W, can also easily lose to Mawile in a one-on-one scenario.
* In a similar fashion to Rotom-W, common Pokemon that switch into Tapu Koko can be beaten easily by Fire Fang Mawile. Tapu Koko can also compensate for the weakness to offensive teams this particular set has by using its high Speed and power to punish those builds. If running Thunder Punch, Mawile also benefits from the effects of Electric Terrain, as Thunder Punch's power becomes boosted.
* Tapu Lele can render Mawile very susceptible to revenge killing by essentially invalidating Sucker Punch for several turns, so a Steel-type that is capable of pivoting into Tapu Lele or a reliable revenge killer is necessary when using Mega Mawile. Examples of pivots capable of dealing with Tapu Lele would be Celesteela, specially defensive Jirachi, Bronzong, and Assault Vest Magnezone.
* Pokemon capable of luring or crippling Heatran and Mega Venusaur can aid this set immensely: Surf Latios, Hidden Power Ground Expert Belt Jirachi, and Knock Off Clefable can annoy Heatran, while Brave Bird Tapu Koko and Extrasensory Protean Greninja can effectively lure Mega Venusaur.
* Should one not opt for Fire Fang, Mega Scizor's presence can become a nuisance to Mawile and dampen its wallbreaking potential. As such, Magnezone can be of help to aid Mawile in dismantling defensive cores.
* Ash-Greninja in combination with Mawile can form a potent wallbreaking duo capable of overloading checks. Additionally, Ash-Greninja can help patch up Mega Mawile's weakness to more offensive teams with its high Speed and power.
* Spikes users, such as Greninja and Ferrothorn, heavily pressure Mega Venusaur and other Mawile checks through passive damage.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Play Rough
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Knock Off / Thunder Punch
item: Mawilite
ability: Intimidate
nature: Adamant
evs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Swords Dance boosts Mega Mawile's Attack stat and makes switching into it an extremely difficult task.
* Even without a Swords Dance boost, Play Rough will still deal sizable damage; after a boost, even threats that resist Play Rough will have difficulties switching into Mega Mawile.
* Sucker Punch gives Mega Mawile the ability to threaten potential revenge killers such as Mega Metagross and force mind games against faster threats.
* Knock Off is the primary option that can cripple potential switch-ins by removing their item and hit most of the tier for sizable damage if Mega Mawile gets a Swords Dance boost.
* Thunder Punch gives Mawile the ability to break past Toxapex more effectively without needing a boost. As a bonus, it also targets Skarmory and Celesteela.
* Fire Fang rips through a plethora of threats that resist or can tank Play Rough, such as Ferrothorn, Scizor, Skarmory, and Amoonguss. However, the lack of coverage this move leads to is typically unfavorable.
Set Details
========
* The given EV spread gives Mega Mawile enough Speed to outpace uninvested Skarmory and anything slower while maximizing its damage output. The remaining EVs are placed in HP to give Mega Mawile a slight increase in bulk.
* Intimidate gives Mawile the ability to force switches, an opportunity to more safely set up a Swords Dance, and a temporary, virtual increase to its overall bulk after Mega Evolving.
* Alternatively, Hyper Cutter can be used to give Mawile a slightly better matchup versus Landorus-T on the turn in it Mega Evolves.
Usage Tips
========
* It is advised to try to get a boost when the opportunity to do so arises. Prime boosting opportunities include forced switches through Intimidate, its bulk, and its typing, or through VoltTurn pivots.
* This Mawile set can be played a few ways. Versus defensive teams, it can be used to weaken cores for another teammate to exploit without needing a boost. However, if Mega Mawile can sweep after a boost, it is more advisable to play more conservatively with Mega Mawile to save its HP for when it gets an opportunity to sweep.
* Against balanced and more offensive teams, it may be more beneficial to attack right away and soften things up for a teammate to sweep. Alternatively, Mega Mawile can be saved as a late-game sweeper while another teammate breaks walls. This choice depends on the opponent's team composition and what threats, if any, they have that can hamper a Mega Mawile sweep.
Team Options
========
* Common VoltTurn threats, such as Tapu Koko, Rotom-W, and Landorus-T, give Mega Mawile even more opportunities to switch in. Many walls that commonly switch into the aforementioned list give Mega Mawile opportunities to set up a Swords Dance and wreck face.
* Offensive teammates that appreciate Mega Mawile's wallbreaking prowess, such as Pheromosa, both Greninja formes, and Tapu Koko, help maintain any momentum that Mega Mawile accrues and can easily run through other offensive teams.
* Since Tapu Lele's Psychic Terrain negates Sucker Punch on grounded targets, having answers to Tapu Lele and/or potential revenge killers under Psychic Terrain is highly recommended. Reliable answers to Tapu Lele include Celesteela, Jirachi, and Bronzong.
* Since this set only has three coverage options, having teammates that cover threats that Mega Mawile cannot cover on its own is necessary. If Fire Fang is being used, having lures to and threats that can break past Toxapex, such as Extrasensory Protean Greninja and Tapu Koko, will help. If Thunder Punch is being used, teammates that can lure in and wear down Ferrothorn, Scizor, and other bulky Grass-types, such as Hidden Power Fire Greninja, Flyinium Z Landorus-T, and Flyinium Z Gyarados, will be of much use.
* Greninja and Ferrothorn can use Spikes to weaken the opposition and place opposing Pokemon in range of Mawile's attacks, namely threats that can tank Mawile's +2 attacks, like Mega Venusaur.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Substitute in tandem with Focus Punch allows Mega Mawile to deal with Heatran more safely as well as Ferrothorn to an extent, but the massive commitment those two move slots combined require is generally unfavorable, as it results in a significant loss of coverage.
* Ice Punch can be used to punish Landorus-T switch-ins on the all-out attacker set, but this typically cuts into Mawile's coverage potential too greatly to be of use.
* Iron Head can be run to help Mawile avoid awkward interactions with Mega Venusaur, but, again, this will make Mawile's overall coverage suffer.
* While not necessarily a move option for Mawile itself, it can find a niche on Trick Room teams given its low Speed, passable bulk, and immense breaking power.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Strong Revenge Killers Resistant or Immune to Sucker Punch**: Choice Specs Keldeo, Choice Band Terrakion, and Tapu Koko are all endowed with a resistance to Dark-type attacks and thus Sucker Punch via their typing, meaning they can tank even a boosted Sucker Punch and potentially OHKO Mega Mawile in return. Choice Specs Tapu Lele has a high chance to OHKO Mawile with Hidden Power Fire and can easily avoid Sucker Punch through Psychic Terrain.
**Faster Will-O-Wisp Users**: Because of Mawile's atrocious Speed and reliance on Sucker Punch to compensate, it is left susceptible to users of Will-O-Wisp that outpace it. Will-O-Wisp Heatran, Rotom-W, Mega Charizard X, and Mew are all capable of easily outrunning and then burning Mawile to bypass Sucker Punch, which leaves Mawile close to useless in most cases.
**Physically Defensive Ground-types**: Given their physical bulk and decent Speed stat, physically defensive Landorus-T and Garchomp are able to avoid the OHKO from +2 Sucker Punch with a fair margin of freedom and retaliate with a powerful Earthquake.
**Mega Venusaur**: For sets lacking Iron Head or Swords Dance, Mega Venusaur can effectively wall Mawile when sufficiently healthy.
Last edited:
