Quagsire is a reliable wall thanks to its typing and access to Unaware, as it can deal with many physical threats and setup sweepers including Mimikyu, Flygon, and Cloyster. Since it has Unaware, it can afford to be passive and purely focus on not getting KOed, which is different from the playstyles of other bulky Water-types like Gastrodon and Milotic. Toxic hits Flying-types and other walls such as Togekiss or Porygon2, ensuring they do not take advantage of Quagisre's lack of offensive presence. Scald is used to threaten Pokemon such as Steelix and Bronzong and attempt to burn physical attackers such as Mimikyu, Flygon, and Cloyster. Despite being immune to stat changes itself, Quagsire can run Haze in order to beat Stored Power Reuniclus, which can otherwise set up and beat Quagsire one-on-one. Ice Beam can also be run in order to give Grass-types such as Celebi and Roserade a harder time switching in. Curse can be used to turn Quagsire into a late-game sweeper; however, it often struggles due to how vulnerable it is to special attacks. Heavy-Duty Boots are used to ensure entry hazards do not cripple it, which is often crucial since Quagsire's natural bulk isn't good enough to take multiple hits at lower percents. Running Haze over Toxic can also be effective, as Toxic isn't often necessary against what Quagsire checks.

Quagsire is primarily used on stall teams because it allows them to not be overwhelmed by setup sweepers. Umbreon is a great partner for Quagsire, as it can tank the special hits that it can't, such as Toxtricity's Boomburst or Chandelure's Shadow Ball. Umbreon also often runs Heal Bell, which helps Quagsire clear any status it might receive from the likes of Metagross, Bronzong, or Raikou. Due to Quagsire's middling bulk, it often cannot deal with stronger wallbreakers of the tier such as Bewear and Guts Heracross; Galarian Weezing is a great choice of teammate, as it can wall these threats. Lucario and Pangoro can both 2HKO Quagsire with Close Combat, so having a Flying-type such as Crobat, Talonflame, or Xatu on the team to eliminate this weakness is helpful. Flying-types also help Quagsire by dealing with Grass-types such as Roserade and Celebi. Registeel also makes for a great partner as it too can wall the aforementioned Grass-types.