Magneton is able to carve out a small niche in OU thanks to having a higher base Speed stat than Magnezone. Its higher Speed stat lets it, with a Choice Scarf, outspeed +1 Adamant Dragonite, +1 Gyarados, Choice Scarf Tyranitar, Alakazam, and Starmie. This makes Magneton seem appealing to bulkier teams that struggle against them, as Choice Scarf Magnezone gets outsped by the aforementioned Pokemon. Like Magnezone, Magneton is still able to trap Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Excadrill, though the latter two require it to run Hidden Power Fire.

However, Magneton is outclassed by Magnezone the vast majority of the time by virtue of the latter's ability to better sponge strong attacks like Latios's Draco Meteor, Tyranitar's Superpower, and Dragonite's Outrage. Its ability to trap Ferrothorn and Jirachi is also strictly inferior to its evolution due to Magneton's weaker power. Magnezone also has the benefit of being less one-dimensional than Magneton, as it is able to run an Air Balloon set that better traps Excadrill thanks to its better bulk and power. Outside of this, Magneton is easily punished by common setup sweepers like Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Volcarona after it has revenge killed something. Magneton also lets dangerous Pokemon like Latios, Tyranitar, and Excadrill switch in because of its weaker power.