Pokemon GO: Best moveset for Mawile

Mawile has appeared in Pokemon GO once again in the form of a 3-Star Raid Boss. Given Mawile's typically uncommon spawn rate, players are jumping on the chance to add this rare Pokemon to their collection and potentially their battle team.

Debuting in the third generation of the franchise, Mawile was originally exclusive to players who have Pokemon Ruby, while players who had Pokemon Sapphire received Sableye in its place.

Mawile also received a Mega Evolution in the sixth generation along side Sableye. These forms are yet to appear in Pokemon GO.

When players prepare to add a new Pokemon to their battle team, various details must be considered. From the Pokemon's typing, stats, and potential movesets, each aspect of a Pokemon must be known by the player in order to fully capitalize on that Pokemon's strengths while midigating its weaknesses.

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Mawile in Pokemon GO: An Analysis

Mawile as it appears in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Mawile is a Steel and Fairy-type Pokemon. This combination gives Mawile an astounding eleven resistances with only two weaknesses; Ground and Fire-type attacks. In terms of resistances, Mawile resists more than half of the types in the franchise.

Mawile's stats leave a lot to be desired. For a Pokemon who does not evolve, Mawile has surprisingly low stats. Mawile's highest stat is its attack at only 155. Mawile's other stats are 141 defense and 137 stamina which is not up to the par especially for Great League, where Mawile's only chance for viability lies given its maximum combat power of 1,634.

Looking towards a good moveset to use on Mawile in Pokemon GO, there are a wide variety of options thanks to the incredibly vast movepool it has. Mawile has an incredible four different fast attacks with each of them being a different type.

Mawile can use Bite, Fire Fang, Ice Fang, and Astonish as a fast attack. Fire Fang has the highest amount of damage while Ice Fang generates the most energy.

When looking for the right charged attack to use on Mawile, it can be a hard choice to make for players due to the large amount to choose from. Not counting Return and Frustration, Mawile has four different charged attacks, which are as follows:

• Vice Grip
• Power-Up Punch
• Play Rough
• Iron Head

Each of these attacks have their own strengths and weaknesses.

While Mawile is far from an elite performer in Pokemon GO's Battle League, players should feel free to use whatever Pokemon they like. For players looking to maximize their damage output with Mawile, a moveset employing the combination of Fire Fang and Play Rough should be used. Iron Head can also be used, although it requires slightly more energy to activate.