Teambuilding

• Since Magmar’s primary role is redirection, it pairs best with teammates that can either apply immediate offensive pressure or set up for a potential sweep. Although there are other popular teammates like Gholdengo and Dragonite that work well with it, Magmar has been used mainly on a specific balance composition, consisting of Kingambit, Rillaboom, Sneasler, Primarina, and Dragapult to round out the Fire / Water / Grass core.
• Kingambit is a great partner for Magmar because it can set up safely with Swords Dance and exert significant offensive pressure. Plus, with priority Sucker Punch, Magmar realistically only needs to buy Kingambit one turn. Similarly, Gholdengo is another great partner for it, safely stacking Nasty Plot boosts and sweeping with Make It Rain. Additionally, Magmar can redirect potential Sucker Punch from an opposing Kingambit and burn it with Will-O-Wisp so Gholdengo doesn't outright lose to Kingambit.
• Rillaboom synergizes with Magmar by providing coverage for common Water-types like Primarina and Basculegion-M and Ground-types like Ursaluna-B that threaten Magmar. In return, Magmar redirects attacks that threaten Rillaboom, most importantly Dire Claw from Sneasler.
• Primarina works well with Magmar, as it will safely chip away at foes with Hyper Voice without worrying about Dire Claw, Wood Hammer, or Spore from Sneasler, Rillaboom, and Amoonguss. Magmar also pressures Steel-types like Gholdengo and Assault Vest Kingambit that Primarina has a hard time against.
• Sneasler puts pressure on many relevant Pokemon, including those that Magmar struggles against, like Archaludon and Primarina. Magmar supports Sneasler by helping it maintain its Focus Sash for longer and focus on its role as a glass cannon. Also acting as a glass cannon, Dragapult appreciates redirection, which allows it to safely spam Dragon Darts and deal large amounts of chip damage to both foes.

Strategy Comments

• Magmar's playstyle is straightforward; it enables its teammates to secure KOs while it tanks the hits. For balance compositions, it's the defensive backbone of the team.
• Typically, Magmar is better as a lead to safely establish early-game offensive dominance with glass cannons like Sneasler and Dragapult or setup sweepers like Swords Dance Kingambit. Once Magmar has fainted and momentum has been established, you can bring in another offensive threat and clean up.
• One of the biggest flaws of Magmar is spread damage. While this largely can't be avoided, some of the common spread moves can be mitigated with the proper positioning. For example, Expanding Force in Psychic Terrain can be made single target by a well-timed Rillaboom swap, and Eruption from Hisuian Typhlosion can be tanked well by Primarina, which can dish back solid damage. Magmar also struggles against standard Archaludon rain teams. To deal with this, Sneasler, Rillaboom, and Kingambit are solid choices. Sneasler threatens Archaludon with its STAB attacks even if Archaludon Terastallizes, while Rillaboom can handle Basculegion-M effectively. Kingambit pressures everything with boosted Sucker Punch, especially Archaludon before it accumulates too many Stamina boosts.