Weaknesses, Counters & Shiny Availability

Mega Mawile is finally making its Pokémon GO debut in October 2024, where it will appear for just three hours as part of a special Raid Day event. The Fairy/Steel-type Pokémon is expected to be one of the top attackers in the game, so it’s important to know its main weaknesses and the best counters you can use to take it down in Mega Raid Battles.

There are plenty of Mega Pokémon to choose from in Pokémon GO, but the addition of a new one is always exciting, especially when considering how it could slot into the current rankings of Raid attackers. It’s highly likely that Mega Mawile will excel as both a Fairy-type and Steel-type attacker, so it’s a good idea to add one to your collection while you can. The Mega Mawile Raid Day takes place on October 12, 2024, from 2 PM to 5 PM local time.

Mega Mawile Weaknesses & Resistances

There’s Not Much That Can Subdue This Powerful Mega Pokémon

Mega Mawile is a unique Fairy/Steel-type Pokémon, which leaves it with just two weaknesses: Fire and Ground-type attacks. Neither of these is more effective than the other, so you can use a mix of the two types on your team.

On the other hand, Mawile’s excellent typing gives it a whopping 11 resistances: Bug, Dark, Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ice, Normal, Poison, Psychic, and Rock-type attacks. Avoid using any Pokémon or attacks that match these types where possible, as they won’t do much damage to Mega Mawile at all. That’s a problem when you’re up against the clock.

Best Counters For Mega Mawile

Bring Out Your Best Fire And Ground-Type Pokémon

As with any Mega Raid Boss in Pokémon GO, defeating Mega Mawile is going to be very difficult, which means you’ll need to make sure you’re using the best counters you have. You can see a list of some of the top recommended Mega Mawile counters below, alongside their best movesets:

If you don’t have any of the counters recommended above, don’t worry. Simply look through your collection and pick out the strongest Fire-type and Ground-type Pokémon you have. Put them together in a team of six and give it your best shot.

Whichever Pokémon you end up selecting for your team, make sure they’re powered up as high as possible and that they have a moveset that can target Mega Mawile’s weaknesses. If these moves match the Pokémon’s typing, that’s even better, as they’ll get a Same-Type Attack Bonus (STAB) to deal some extra damage with each attack.

Mega Pokémon will generally be the best counters in a Mega Raid, but you can only have one on your team at a time. Try and choose one that has a typing that Mega Mawile is vulnerable to (Fire or Ground), as this will boost the attack power of other Pokémon that match this typing too.

I’d also recommend teaming up with at least six high-level Trainers who have optimal counters. The more Trainers that take part in a Mega Raid Battle, the quicker you’ll be able to take them down. Not only does this mean less time tapping the screen and less chance of timing out of the battle, but you’ll also get more Mega Mawile Energy for winning in less time.

How To Mega-Evolve Mawile

You’ll Need To Save Up Plenty Of Mega Energy

When you defeat a Mega Mawile in a Mega Raid Battle, it will shrink and revert to its non-Mega state. At this point, you’ll go to the catch screen, where you’ll have a limited number of Premier Balls to try and catch them. This is just like any other Raid Boss, except you’ll also get a set amount of Mega Mawile Energy for winning this Mega Raid Battle.

Mega Mawile Energy is what you need to Mega-Evolve a Mawile. You can Mega-Evolve any Mawile in your collection, not just one that was caught after being defeated in a Mega Raid. For this reason, it’s a good idea to look through all of your Mawile, check their IVs using the Appraisal feature, and ‘favorite’ the one you want to spend your Mega Energy on.

Generally, Pokémon caught from Raid Battles have good-to-excellent stats, so it’s likely you’ll want to Mega-Evolve one that was obtained this way.

After you’ve saved up enough Mega Mawile Energy and decided which Mawile you want to Mega-Evolve, go to that Pokémon’s information page and look for the ‘Mega Evolve’ button. This should be where the regular ‘Evolve’ button usually appears. Tap this and confirm that you want to Mega-Evolve your Pokémon, before watching a short animation of the process taking place.

The most important thing to remember about Mega Evolution is that it only lasts for eight hours. As soon as the timer is up, your Pokémon will revert to its regular non-Mega state. After this, there will be a cooldown period before you can Mega Evolve them again for free (although you can shorten this by spending more Mega Mawile Energy, if you have any spare). Because of this, it’s best to save Mega Evolution for the moment you need it.

Can Mega Mawile Be Shiny?

It’s Good News For Shiny Hunters

Mega Mawile can be Shiny in Pokémon GO. If you manage to defeat Mega Mawile in a Mega Raid Battle, you’ll be rewarded with a chance to catch a non-Mega Mawile, at which point you’ll find out if it’s Shiny or not. Shiny Mawile’s giant bear-trap-like mouth has a purple hue instead of its typical black color. You can see what it looks like in the image above.

If you manage to catch a Shiny Mawile, and then save up enough Mega Mawile Energy to Mega-Evolve it, the Mega version will also appear Shiny. Unlike its non-Mega variant, the Shiny version of Mega Mawile’s giant mouth has more of a pink color to it, while its body gets a dark purple color scheme. Again, you can see what these look like in the image above.

Whether you get a Shiny Mega Mawile or a regular Mega Mawile, it’s going to be a great addition to your collection in Pokémon GO, so make sure to try it out in your next big Raid Battle.