Overview
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Contrary to what its meager stats might tell you, Mawile is one of the biggest threats in NU. Sheer Force and Life Orb give it amazing power, boosting the power of both Play Rough and Iron Head, which have perfect coverage outside of Steel- and Fire-types. Swords Dance boosts its power even more and lets it at worst 2HKO almost every Pokemon in the metagame. Access to strong priority in Sucker Punch somewhat mitigates Mawile's low Speed. In addition, Mawile's fantastic defensive typing lets it check Dark-, Flying-, Normal-, Psychic-, Fairy-, Ice-, Bug-, and Poison-types, notably giving offense a counter to both Sneasel and Choice Scarf Scyther. Mawile's wide movepool contains plenty of offensive, defensive, and supportive options such as Knock Off, Super Fang, Foul Play, Seismic Toss, Taunt, and Stealth Rock, and it can even act as a solid lure thanks to its access to special moves such as Grass Knot. Unfortunately, its bad defenses keep it from fully utilizing its typing, though Intimidate somewhat remedies this. This is compounded by the fact that offensive Mawile can't run much investment in bulk, as it needs significant Speed investment to outspeed certain walls.
Wallbreaker
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name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Play Rough
move 2: Iron Head / Fire Fang
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Swords Dance / Stealth Rock
ability: Sheer Force
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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Play Rough is Mawile's main STAB move, having incredible power thanks to Sheer Force and Life Orb in addition to good type coverage. Iron Head is also boosted by Sheer Force, hits the Poison-types that resist Play Rough, and has perfect accuracy. Fire Fang, on the other hand, lets Mawile 2HKO Steel-types such as Klinklang and Ferroseed, which otherwise would wall it. Sucker Punch is a strong priority move that allows Mawile to perform as a revenge killer and fare better against offense. Swords Dance boosts Attack and lets Mawile become a potent setup sweeper. Stealth Rock is also a good option on the last slot if you can't find room for another setter, and it's rather unexpected, meaning people are unlikely to switch into Xatu or their entry hazard remover, against which Mawile has generally good matchups anyways. Knock Off is Mawile's strongest option against Fire-type switch-ins and has the utility of removing items, but Mawile generally can't afford to sacrifice its other moveslots. Grass Knot helps against bulky Water / Ground types such as Seismitoad and Quagsire, but this is generally not that useful outside of specific teams that need it.
Set Details
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The EVs and an Adamant nature maximize Attack and Speed, though a Naughty nature can be used if Mawile runs Grass Knot. A spread of 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe gives Mawile more bulk and lets it still outspeed Weezing, though Mawile's low defenses mean it doesn't take hits all that much better. Sheer Force boosts the power of Mawile's STAB moves and Fire Fang and gives Mawile its wallbreaking prowess. Life Orb further increases Mawile's power, and it doesn't even give Mawile recoil on its Sheer Force-boosted moves.
Usage Tips
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Switch in on resisted, preferably physical, attacks such as Mesprit's Psyshock and Sneasel's standard moveset, and avoid strong special moves such as Life Orb Jynx's Ice Beam and Life Orb Cacturne's Dark Pulse, which can 2HKO Mawile despite its resistances. Be careful around Fire-type coverage moves from the likes of Vileplume and Uxie, too. Typically, Mawile will want to spam Play Rough, as it's Mawile's strongest move and has good type coverage, but you can use Iron Head if you're afraid of missing. Use Fire Fang if Mawile is in a favorable matchup and there's a Steel-type in the opposing team, as they will likely switch in and Mawile can 2HKO most of them. The same goes for Grass Knot and Water / Ground types such as Quagsire and Seismitoad. Try to save Swords Dance variants for late-game to sweep when the opposing team is weakened. If you need the likes of Garbodor and Weezing gone for another sweeper, however, use Swords Dance as the foe goes out to them to beat them 1v1 with Iron Head. On the other hand, Stealth Rock variants should be used early-game to set up the entry hazard and wallbreak.
Team Options
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A Pokemon that resists Fire is a necessary partner for Mawile; Flash Fire Pokemon, Hariyama, Water-types, and bulky Archeops work well in this regard. Pokemon that can switch into the Steel- and Ground-types, such as Seismitoad, Ferroseed, and Sandslash, that Mawile can't 2HKO, are important partners as well; Seismitoad, Fire-types, and Vileplume work well in this regard. Sneasel, Scyther, Tauros, and Calm Mind Uxie are sweepers that devastate teams once Steel-types, which Mawile can lure in and beat with Fire Fang, are gone. Similarly, if you run Iron Head, Mawile can significantly damage, if not outright beat, Poison-types, which Samurott, Ludicolo, Mega Audino, and Fighting-types in general highly appreciate. Psychic-types take on Poison-types for Mawile lacking Iron Head while it handles the Dark-types that give them trouble. Xatu in particular also stops entry hazard setters such as Seismitoad, Ferroseed, Garbodor, and Toxic Spikes Weezing from taking advantage of Mawile, and it helps weaken Steel-types with Rocky Helmet and Heat Wave. Cacturne can lure in Poison-types and other physical walls and smack them with Dark Pulse or Giga Drain, while also setting up Spikes to wear down the opposing team for Mawile. Mawile is one of the best options for Trick Room teams thanks to its insane power, low Speed stat, and fantastic typing.
Defensive
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name: Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Play Rough / Iron Head
move 3: Super Fang / Toxic
move 4: Baton Pass / Taunt / Pain Split
ability: Intimidate
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 188 Def / 64 SpD / 4 Spe
nature: Impish
Moves
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Mawile's access to Stealth Rock makes it a valuable defensive Pokemon and separates it from other Fairy-types. Play Rough is Mawile's strongest STAB move and hits the Dark- and Fighting-types it checks super effectively. On the other hand, Iron Head is an accurate Steel STAB move which has a nifty chance to flinch and OHKOes Jynx and Archeops, in addition to hitting Mega Audino and Muk significantly harder than Play Rough. Super Fang is usually Mawile's best way of dealing damage, halving the foe's HP and thus making it easier to take out. Toxic whittles down Pokemon quickly and cripples switch-ins, but be aware that Poison- and Steel-types are immune to it. Knock Off gives Mawile coverage for the Psychic-types it checks, especially punishing Xatu switching in to bounce back Stealth Rock, and removes items, but it's generally weak unless it hits something super effectively. In the last slot, Baton Pass lets Mawile function as a bulky pivot that steals momentum; Taunt shuts down slower, bulky setup sweepers and walls such as Musharna, Mega Audino, Vileplume, and Ferroseed; and Pain Split provides recovery and takes advantage of Mawile's low HP, though it can be somewhat unreliable.
Set Details
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The HP and Special Defense EVs let Mawile always avoid the 2HKO from Life Orb Jynx's Ice Beam after Stealth Rock, but the Special Defense EVs can be moved to Defense if Jynx isn't a concern. 4 Speed EVs are important to Taunt Mega Audino before it can set up or use Rest. The rest of the EVs and an Impish nature further increase Mawile's Defense, which along with Intimidate give Mawile the bulk to check many physical attackers. Leftovers is Mawile's only form of recovery outside of Pain Split.
Usage Tips
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Mawile prefers to come in on resisted physical attacks, but the bulk investment and Intimidate allow it to take even strong neutral physical attacks such as Hariyama's Close Combat, non-STAB super effective physical hits, and powerful resisted special attacks. Set up Stealth Rock early-game on a foe that can't threaten Mawile, such as Sneasel or Kangaskhan. Most of the time, you will want to use Super Fang on switch-ins, as it will deal the most damage out of Mawile's moves, and is especially useful in wearing down Pokemon such as Seismitoad and Weezing for teammates. Toxic is similarly spammable if there are no Steel- or Poison-types on the opposing team. When up against a foe Mawile walls, use Baton Pass as they switch out to go to a teammate in order to gain momentum. Come in on setup sweepers such as Mega Audino, Musharna, Gurdurr, and Substitute + Calm Mind Uxie, Taunt them so that they can't set up more or heal themselves, and whittle them down. If Mawile is low on health, use Pain Split as the opponent goes into their Mawile switch-in, but make sure the switch-in is relatively healthy, or else Mawile might actually lose health.
Team Options
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Teammates that resist Fire are a must, as Mawile gives most Fire-types free switch-ins; bulky Water-types, Hariyama, and bulky Archeops work well in this regard. Likewise, switch-ins to Ground- and Steel-types are important, as those foes can threaten Mawile while it can't do much back. Again, bulky Water-types and Hariyama fit the bill nicely, but Xatu, Vileplume, and Fighting- and Fire-types in general pair well with Mawile, too. Answers to setup sweepers that can take advantage of Mawile, such as Samurott and Malamar, are appreciated; Quagsire, especially Curse Quagsire, is a good blanket check or counter to them. Xatu stands out as a great partner, as it can bounce back entry hazards from the likes of Garbodor, Seismitoad, and Ferroseed, all of which can take advantage of Mawile, and is a solid secondary check to Fighting-types. In return, Mawile easily takes on the Dark- and Ice-types that threaten it. Mawile's ability to wear down Steel- and Poison-types with Super Fang make Pokemon that appreciate them gone, such as Sneasel, Scyther, Tauros, and Uxie, good partners. Mawile's slow Baton Pass lets it bring a teammate that wouldn't be able to safely come in otherwise, making wallbreakers excellent partners; Aurorus, Exeguttor, and Samurott are examples of wallbreakers that may have difficulty switching in but can easily take advantage of Mawile's usual answers.
Other Options
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A Baton Pass set can take advantage of Mawile's great typing and Intimidate to set up and pass Swords Dance boosts to physical attackers that take advantage of Mawile's Ground-, Steel-, and Fire-type switch-ins, such as Archeops, Sawk, Hariyama, Rhydon, Poliwrath, and Samurott. A special lure set with Fire Blast / Grass Knot / Flash Cannon / Baton Pass can be used to beat Mawile's usual switch-ins, such as Steel-types, bulky Water-types, and other physical walls, for another sweeper, but it has few uses otherwise. Foul Play works decently on the defensive set, most importantly punishing setup sweepers such as Scyther and Zangoose, but it lacks the consistent, high damage of Super Fang and the utility of Knock Off, in addition to clashing with Intimidate.
Checks & Counters
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**Steel- and Fire-types**: Steel- and Fire-types resist both of Mawile's STAB types and can threaten it with their own STAB moves. However, offensive Fire-types generally take a good chunk from Play Rough from the wallbreaker set and can be revenge killed by Sucker Punch when they're weakened, while Steel-types are hit super effectively by Fire Fang. None of them particularly like to take a Super Fang, either. Pyroar and Ninetales get a mention due to their ability to burn Mawile with Will-O-Wisp as it goes for Sucker Punch.
**Physical Walls**: Certain physical walls, such as Seismitoad, Quagsire, and Weezing, can switch into Mawile and threaten it with attacks or a burn, but they are dented significantly by Play Rough or Iron Head. Pokemon with good physical bulk, such as Sandslash, also fall into this category.
**Entry Hazard Control**: Xatu is a threat to the defensive set; although it is crippled by Super Fang or Knock Off, it prevents Mawile from setting up Stealth Rock and 2HKOes it with Heat Wave. Defoggers and spinners such as Pelipper, Claydol, and Sandslash are also reliable switch-ins that get rid of Stealth Rock, but none of them appreciate getting hit by Super Fang or having their item removed.
**Faster Pokemon**: Though Sucker Punch somewhat remedies Mawile's low Speed, it is not very strong without a boost, meaning Pokemon such as Pyroar, Sawk, bulky Archeops with Earthquake, and offensive Seismitoad can easily revenge kill Mawile.
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