Mega Mawile [GP 1/1] (2024)

[overview]
**Draft Order**: Late round 1 onwards

**Price Range**: 18-19 points

**Overview**: Mega Mawile is an incredibly powerful wallbreaker with the ability to boost that its breaking power with Swords Dance. With vast coverage options, (AC) it is a tough Pokemon for foes to switch in to into. Its raw strength means that it will rarely need needs to invest much in Attack, allowing it to invest more in bulk, (AC) and thanks to Intimidate and its defensive typing as well as further increased bulk after Mega Evolving, (AC) it will be is hard to bring down. Keeping this in mind, however, it is incredibly slow and has weaknesses to common types in Ground and Fire, making it vulnerable to being revenge killed. It does have priority in Sucker Punch to bypass its low Speed to pick off weaker foes, but it is still unreliable not always reliable.

[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
**Wallbreaker**: Using Swords Dance to elevate its Attack stat to an extraordinary level, even physical walls that resist Mega Mawile's STABs will STAB moves have a tough time keeping it in check.

**All-out Attacker**: Against more offensive teams that Mega Mawile does not need to set up against, it can easily run 4 four attacks or 3 three attacks + Substitute to have more options to hit your opponent's Pokemon foes super effectively.

Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Iron Head, Play Rough

**Setup Moves**: Swords Dance, Power-Up Punch

**Utility Moves**: Stealth Rock, Taunt, Brick Break, Toxic

**Coverage**: Fire Fang, Ice Punch, Knock Off, Rock Slide, Stone Edge, Sucker Punch, Thunder Punch

Niche Moves
========
**Focus Punch**: Typically used with Substitute (RC) Mega Mawile can either safely get behind a Substitute and deliver a powerful Focus Punch to the Steel-types that want to try beating it (RC) or catch said Steel-types on the switch-in.

Draft Strategy
========
If Mega Mawile gets the proper support, it can be a one Pokemon army, however but it does need a lot of it. Its Speed stat is its downfall, (AC) so it needs both Pokemon that can switch into faster offensive threats and Pokemon that are able to outspeed and KO the Pokemon that threaten it. Since Fairy- and Steel-types are pretty necessary defensive typing typings and Mega Mawile does not really constitute as a defensive Pokemon, it may need other Pokemon to help fit those roles for it as well.

**Fast Offensive Threats**: Mega Mawile needs Pokemon such as Greninja, Tornadus-T, and Tapu Koko to deal with the offensive threats that can outspeed and KO it.

**Defensive Pivots**: Slower (RC) bulky pivots like Rotom-W, Lando-T Landorus-T, and Uxie that can switch into the Ground-type moves Mega Mawile does not want to take are necessary.

**Wish Passers / Healing Wish**: Although not a necessity, Mega Mawile has no way to heal itself reliably, (AC) so to have a having Pokemon such as Clefable and Jirachi that can give it a Wish (RC) or Latias and Mesprit that can give it a Healing Wish are very helpful.

**Entry-HazardEntry Hazard Setters**: Mega Mawile does have the ability to set Stealth Rock up, but it would much prefer prefers to run a more offensive set and have Pokemon such as Lando-T Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Ferrothorn worry about entry hazards. Weakening foes with entry hazards also lets Mega Mawile it more effectively pick them off with Sucker Punch.

**Trick Room Setters**: Taking advantage of Mega Mawile's low Speed stat, Trick Room setters such as Mesprit, Necrozma, and Uxie can enable Mega Mawile's its sweeping potential.

Checks and Counters
========
**Faster Offensive Threats**: Pokemon such as Lando-T Landorus-T, Tapu Koko, and Greninja can threaten Mega Mawile without having to worry about being KOed by Sucker Punch.

**Contact-punishing Effects**: Most of Mega Mawile's moves rely on it making contact with its foe, meaning that Pokemon like Zapdos, Heatran, and other defensive Pokemon that can hold a Rocky Helmet can all punish its usage of contact moves.

**Physically Defensive Walls**: Although many walls struggle with containing Mega Mawile, faster physical walls, especially Steel- and Fire-types that resist its STAB moves such as Skarmory, Volcanion, and Rotom-Heat Rotom-H, (AC) can switch in and force it out, although they do have to worry about Thunder Punch and Rock-type coverage moves (RC) respectively.

**Intimidate Users**: Pokemon with Intimidate such as Lando-T Landorus-T, Arcanine, and Qwilfish can severely dampen Mega Mawile's damage output.

**Burn**: Pokemon that can burn Mega Mawile with Will-O-Wisp such as Rotom-W, Mew, and Weezing will all completely shut Mega Mawile it down. It also has to fear bulky Water-types such as Blastoise, Jellicent, and Toxapex using Scald due to the high burn chance it has.

**Substitute**: On faster Faster threats that Mega Mawile could potentially KO with Sucker Punch (RC) Substitute can be used use Substitute to avoid being hit while also keeping them safe until next turn.

[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/drizzle.313217/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/king-l5.440126/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/