Magnezone Movesets & Competitive Sets

Set Details Magnezone's main role on any team is to trap and subsequently KO Steel-types, most notably Ferrothorn. The combination of Iron Defense and Body Press does this, allowing Magnezone to quickly set up on and dispatch of Ferrothorn and Melmetal lacking Earthquake. Thunderbolt is used to severely damage Corviknight while pressuring bulky Water-types like Slowbro, Toxapex, and Arghonaut. Toxic is used to punish Landorus-T, Astrolotl, and Garchomp switching in, while Flash Cannon is preferable on more offensive teams to pressure Fairy-types like Clefable and Tapu Lele while still doing decent chip damage to Landorus-T and Garchomp. Leftovers is the preferred item to give Magnezone better longevity and defensive utility throughout the match; however, Rocky Helmet is an option to punish Venomicon-E, Knock Off from Weavile, Double Iron Bash from Melmetal, and U-turn from Corviknight. The given EVs allow Magnezone to outspeed Arghonaut while doing as much damage as possible with Body Press. Weavile is the most notable teammate for Magnezone, as it very much appreciates Ferrothorn being removed from battle. Weavile also enjoys Magnezone forcing damage onto Corviknight and pressuring Tapu Fini with Thunderbolt. Other Pokemon that struggle with Ferrothorn like Tapu Lele, Pajantom, Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko, and Nihilego appreciate Magnezone as a teammate. Due to Tapu Lele's strength, it is particularly good at baiting in Steel-type foes for Magnezone to trap. Magnezone often invites in Landorus-T, so Pokemon like Galarian Zapdos and Urshifu-R that take advantage of this are excellent choices. Landorus-T can bait in Ferrothorn and Corviknight and pivot into Magnezone with U-turn on them; Landorus-T additionally enjoys Magnezone checking Weavile and Venomicon-E. Because Magnezone is often asked to switch into Weavile and Venomicon-E multiple times throughout a match, entry hazard removal from Pokemon like Tornadus-T and Colossoil is appreciated.

Iron Defense boosts Body Press's damage so that Magnezone is able to break through Necrozma-DM and Ferrothorn. Magnet Rise and Air Balloon allow it to pivot in on Earthquake from Necrozma-DM. Discharge can punish faster Pokemon switching in such as Eternatus with paralysis. Maximum Speed and Defense investment lets Magnezone outspeed most Necrozma-DM variants and maximizes Body Press damage. With Magnezone removing Necrozma-DM and Ferrothorn, many offensive teammates are able to slice through the balance teams relying on them. Xerneas is able to clean up late-game and deal with Zygarde. Galarian Darmanitan's Icicle Crash becomes incredibly difficult to switch into for many teams without Necrozma-DM, and its U-turn gives Magnezone free entry into Steel-types. Eternatus appreciates being able to spread Toxic poison without having to worry about immune Steel-types, and it is often also the defensive backbone for the team. Zygarde also benefits from Ferrothorn being removed to get multiple Dragon Dance boosts and sweep late-game.

Magnezone's game plan is fairly straightforward: trap a Steel-type and either KO or heavily damage it with Thunderbolt. Volt Switch is useful for keeping momentum while KOing targets if Skarmory's Sturdy is broken or if Scizor has been chipped into its range as well as for pivoting on specially bulky Pokemon like Latias and Blissey. Flash Cannon hits incoming Ground-types like Gliscor and Garchomp that attempt to block Magnezone's Volt Switch. Tri Attack is a generally good middle-ground move to hit Ground-types and Water-types without the need to predict, as well as for hitting Electric-types like Rotom-C and Raikou neutrally. Explosion is instead useful for generating momentum on offensive teams once Magnezone is no longer needed, heavily damaging a foe and getting in a teammate for free. Discharge is an option to fish for a paralysis on specially defensive Heatran and Latias. A Timid nature is preferred so that Magnezone outspeeds offensive Adamant Scizor and defensive Rotom-W; however, a Modest nature can be used to KO Scizor with less chip damage. Many Pokemon appreciate Magnezone eliminating Steel-type foes like Skarmory and Scizor. Latias is perhaps its best partner, as many teams rely on Scizor to check Latias. Physical wallbreakers like Dragonite, Garchomp, Azumarill, and Weavile, which need Skarmory out of the picture to effectively function, make for excellent choices as well. Azumarill and Weavile can also take advantage of the Ground-types like Donphan and Gliscor Magnezone invites in, while Dragonite and Garchomp appreciate Magnezone threatening Clefable, Togekiss, and Rotom-W. Knock Off users like Donphan, Gliscor, and Tangrowth can bait in Scizor and Skarmory and remove a potential Shed Shell from them, ensuring that Magnezone can successfully trap them; they also are good defensive answers to Ground-types like Garchomp and Gliscor, which force Magnezone out once it has trapped something. Stealth Rock from Gliscor and Clefable ensures that Sturdy won't let Skarmory set an entry hazard on Magnezone before falling. Magnezone works well with U-turn users that bait in Skarmory and Scizor like Gliscor and Scizor.

Iron Defense can be used to set up on Pokemon that can't deal much damage to Magnezone, such as Choice-locked Excadrill, Dragon Dance Dragapult, Gastrodon, and Ferrothorn, making it much more difficult to revenge kill for physical attackers. Body Press synergizes incredibly well with Iron Defense, as it takes advantage of the boosts from it to hit hard. It also hits Steel- and Normal-types such as Excadrill, Ferrothorn, Blissey, and Porygon2 super effectively. Flash Cannon hits foes that are resistant to Body Press like Dragapult, Tapu Bulu, Alolan Ninetales, and Hatterene. Substitute lets Magnezone set up in front of the previously mentioned foes, making it hard for special attackers like Nidoking, Tapu Lele, and Hydreigon to revenge kill it. It also lets Magnezone avoid status from foes like Gastrodon and Leech Seed from Ferrothorn. Discharge can be used instead for a way to nail Water- and Flying-types such as Toxapex, Pelipper, Mantine, and Celesteela. Air Balloon is needed to let Magnezone act as an emergency check to Ground-types like Excadrill and Mamoswine. The given EV spread allows Magnezone to outspeed Adamant Crawdaunt. It also survives Excadrill's Earthquake after an Iron Defense boost if Air Balloon has been popped. Make sure to preserve Air Balloon if the opponent has Excadrill so Magnezone can successfully trap and remove it. Powerful wallbreakers such as Tapu Koko, Choice Specs Zapdos, and Regieleki appreciate Magnezone trapping Steel-types such as Excadrill and Ferrothorn, making their STAB moves much more spammable against Steel teams. Tapu Koko deals with Fighting-, Dark-, and Dragon-types that Magnezone struggles against such as Galarian Zapdos, Hydreigon, and Garchomp thanks to its Fairy-type STAB attack. Additionally, it defeats Ground-types like Hippowdon, Swampert, and Seismitoad with Grass Knot. Zeraora deals with specially defensive walls that Magnezone fails to take on with Body Press, such as Galarian Slowking and SubToxic Aegislash. Alolan Raichu can outspeed almost the entire metagame under Tapu Koko's Electric Terrain, handling fast threats such as Choice Scarf Blacephalon, Choice Scarf Terrakion, Spectrier, and Volcarona for Magnezone. Additionally, it removes troublesome Poison- and Fighting-types such as Amoonguss, Keldeo, and Buzzwole with Psychic and takes on Ground-types such as Swampert and Gastrodon with Grass Knot. Zapdos and Rotom-W both appreciate Magnezone acting as an emergency check to Ground-types like Excadrill and Mamoswine with Air Balloon. Choice Specs Zapdos defeats Grass-types that can pressure Magnezone such as Rillaboom, Celebi, and Tapu Bulu while also nailing Dragon- and Ground-types such as Swampert, Kommo-o, and Hippowdon with its powerful Hurricane. Rotom-W provides useful resistances against Fire- and Water-type attacks, preventing Pokemon such as Blacephalon, Cinderace, and Barraskewda from breaking through Magnezone and the rest of the team.

Thanks to Magnet Pull and STAB Electric-type attacks, Magnezone is able to trap and eliminate Steel-types such as Skarmory, Celesteela, and Corviknight for physical attackers like Excadrill, Melmetal, and Bisharp. Thunderbolt helps Magnezone deal with the problematic aforementioned Flying-types while also dealing with Water-type Pokemon such as Toxapex and defensive Pelipper. Flash Cannon gives Magnezone a strong STAB move against Pokemon like Hydreigon, Amoongus, Landorus-T, and Nidoking that resist Thunderbolt. Volt Switch helps to keep momentum and bring in a teammate while also letting Magnezone pivot out of incoming special sponges like Galarian Slowking, Chansey, and Dragalge. Toxic catches Thundurus-T, Swampert, and Gastrodon switching in and puts them on a timer. A Modest nature can be used for extra power,but it misses out on outspeeding Pokemon like Adamant Bisharp and Arctozolt. Magnezone provides slow Volt Switch support to bring teammates in safely and helps to improve the matchup against opposing Steel-type teams. In return, physical attackers such as Excadrill, Bisharp, and Melmetal deal with special walls like Galarian Slowking and Chansey. Bisharp also compensates for Magnezone's slow Speed with priority Sucker Punch. Aside from taking care of Steel- and Flying-type Pokemon, Magnezone also guarantees damage on defensive Heatran, which makes it possible for teammates like Excadrill and Heatran to clean Steel-type teams. Heatran and Ferrothorn are good teammates, as the former can cover it against Fire-type Pokemon like Victini, Volcarona, and Blacephalon, while the latter can check Water-type Pokemon like Swampert, and Seismitoad, with STAB Power Whip. Ground-immune Pokemon like Skarmory and Celesteela can take on Ground-types like Excadrill, Garchomp, and Landorus-T that threaten Magnezone. Additionally, Skarmory also provides entry hazard support in the form of Stealth Rock and Spikes and can phaze away setup sweepers like Dragonite, Aegislash, and Garchomp. Celesteela can weaken opposing teams with Leech Seed and Protect, making it easier for Magnezone to beat opposing teams. Aegislash can not only switch into Fighting-type moves from Galarian Zapdos and Urshifu-R for the team, but also gradually weaken Pokemon like Tornadus-T and Ferrothorn with its SubToxic set. Corviknight can provide U-turn support to bring Magnezone in against Steel-types to trap and eliminate them; this helps Corviknight run boosting sets more efficiently, as its checks such as Celesteela and Toxapex are taken care of by Magnezone.

IronPress Magnezone excels at utilizing Magnet Pull to eliminate Steel-types, including Necrozma-DM and Ferrothorn. Its presence also limits Choice item Steel-types, notably Kartana, as a wrong move will leave them trapped immediately. Body Press is Magnezone's best option against Ferrothorn and Excadrill, which don't fear Thunderbolt. When combined with Iron Defense, Magnezone can muscle through Necrozma-DM and easily shrug off most physical attacks from the Steel-types it traps. Thunderbolt is Magnezone's best attack when unboosted and heavily damages Skarmory and Corviknight, although the latter can take two hits with a high enough Special Defense donation. Magnet Rise alongside Air Balloon lets Magnezone trap even Excadrill and Necrozma-DM variants with Earthquake; however, Substitute can be used to avoid Leech Seed from Ferrothorn and potentially get an extra KO. Toxic is another option for Magnezone to avoid becoming deadweight against teams without a Steel-type, crippling common switch-ins such as Landorus-T and Tangrowth. If Magnezone chooses to forgo Air Balloon, Leftovers helps it use Substitute more often, while Expert Belt makes Corviknight more likely to be 2HKOed. A Timid nature helps outrun slower Necrozma-DM sets and if Magnezone gets a Speed donation, also Excadrill. Balance and offense teams appreciate Magnezone's ability to get rid of Steel-types that they struggle against. Magnezone can do its job even without a donation; however, a HP donation lets it trap Bisharp, while a Speed donation makes it less reliant on Air Balloon to deal with Excadrill and Necrozma-DM. Teammates like Rillaboom, Buzzwole, and Necrozma-DM appreciate Magnezone getting rid of Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and opposing Necrozma-DM for them. Urshifu-R, Landorus-T, and Galarian Zapdos also have access to U-turn to bring Magnezone in safely, while Weavile, Kartana, and Bisharp can use Knock Off to remove the rare Shed Shell from Steel-type foes. A teammate with entry hazard removal such as Rotom-W is recommended, as Magnezone usually lets foes set entry hazards while trapping them.

Choice Specs Magnezone drops its ability to eliminate Ferrothorn and Necrozma-DM to improve its matchup against Corviknight and teams without a Steel-type. Thunderbolt lets it trap Skarmory and Corviknight, however it needs Choice Specs to ensure a 2HKO on the latter. Volt Switch keeps the momentum against common switch-ins like Tangrowth and Galarian Slowking, as well as chips Steel-types that it can't beat one-on-one, in particular Heatran and Necrozma-DM. Against Pokemon immune to Electric, Flash Cannon dents Landorus-T, Groudon, and Zygarde-10% while Toxic annoys Gastrodon, Zeraora, and Seismitoad. Choice Specs's power boost deters Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Groudon from switching in repeatedly. Timid is usually preferred to outspeed and Speed tie as many foes as possible with a Speed donation, particularly Pokemon with base Speed of 90 and 95 like Ho-Oh, Rayquaza, and their Speed receivers, but Modest is an option for more damage output. Choice Specs Magnezone fits on offense teams to dispatch Steel-types and also form a VoltTurn core. Urshifu-R, Landorus-T, and Rillaboom are notable partners with U-turn, as they bait in Steel-types for Magnezone, with the latter also providing Grassy Terrain to help Magnezone take an Earthquake in a pinch. Magnezone appreciates any Speed boost, so most relevant gods pair well with it except Calyrex-I. Special walls like Gastrodon and Tangrowth are impossible for Magnezone to take on by itself, which can be taken care of by Rayquaza and Weavile.

Magnezone's Magnet Pull allows it to trap opposing Steel-type Pokemon, such as Ferrothorn, Mega Mawile, and Mega Scizor. Substitute allows Magnezone to take advantage of most trapped foes, such as Ferrothorn and Skarmory. Most importantly, it allows Magnezone to trap and remove Mega Mawile without having to worry about Sucker Punch mindgames. Substitute also takes advantage of passive Pokemon, such as non-Calm Mind Clefable, Toxapex, and Alomomola. Hidden Power Fire allows Magnezone to trap Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor. Electrium Z is the preferred item, as it can help alleviate pressure from Heatran while still safely trapping Mega Mawile. Steelium Z alongside Steel Beam is another option, most notably dealing heavy damage to Landorus-T, Gliscor, Tyranitar, and Mega Tyranitar. Steel Beam should only be used alongside Steelium Z, though, as Magnezone will otherwise lack a spammable Steel-type STAB move to chip Ground-type Pokemon and threaten Clefable. Teammates that are vulnerable to Mega Mawile, such as Mega Latias, Tapu Lele, Kommo-o, and Gastrodon, greatly appreciate Magnezone's ability to reliably trap and remove it. Teammates such as Rillaboom, Serperior, and Gliscor are also great partners due to Magnezone's prowess in trapping Corviknight, Ferrothorn, and Mega Scizor. Additionally, Pokemon that can break through Blissey and Chansey are excellent, such as Mega Mawile, Rillaboom, and Kartana. Rillaboom and Kartana are particularly good partners, as they also handle Ground-types that are immune to Magnezone's Electric-type attacks, and they appreciate the removal of Corviknight, Mega Scizor, and especially Mega Mawile. Finally, Pokemon such as Excadrill and Tyranitar greatly appreciate Steelium Z Magnezone being able to reliably remove Mega Mawile, dent Ground-type Pokemon, and trap Steel-type Pokemon effectively.

Choice Scarf lets Magnezone trade in its wallbreaking capabilities for being able to trap Kartana and offensive Mega Scizor comfortably while still trapping threats like Corviknight, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn. With a Choice Scarf, Magnezone can also revenge kill threats such as Mega Diancie and Tapu Lele, which would otherwise be able to outspeed and KO it. However, due to its low Speed even with Choice Scarf, Magnezone mandates secondary revenge killing which can make teambuilding with it harder. Magnezone also often needs a Steel-type teammate, adding more overlap and stacking weaknesses, as it's too frail to have the defensive properties most Steel-types have. Volt Switch lets it maintain momentum while escaping unfortunate situations, as well as chipping down Steel-types like Heatran and Melmetal, which Magnezone can’t consistently trap and remove. Hidden Power Fire lets it OHKO Kartana and beat Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor. Steel Beam dents common checks such as Garchomp, Gliscor, Mega Latias, and Hydreigon, and it can KO Magnezone to safely bring in a check for more offensive pressure. Alternatively, Flash Cannon is a relatively spammable Steel-type STAB move, which allows it to pressure the likes of Mega Tyranitar and Tapu Lele better, although it means Magnezone is walled by Gliscor and Pokemon like Mega Latias that can easily recover off the damage dealt. The given EV spread allows Magnezone to survive a unboosted Sacred Sword from Kartana. Choice Scarf Magnezone can fit on a variety of teams from balance to offense teams due to its unique trapping capability. The likes of Tapu Lele, Mega Lopunny, and Kyurem appreciate it removing Steel-types such as Corviknight, Skarmory, and Mega Scizor for them, with the former two also functioning as proper revenge killers, which Magnezone is too slow to do. Pokemon such as Garchomp and Tapu Fini appreciate it removing Kartana. Landorus-T is an amazing partner for Magnezone, luring in and pivoting out of Corviknight and Skarmory to consistently trap them with Magnezone, and the pair form a potent VoltTurn core. Landorus-T can also pivot into and out of Kartana for Magnezone to safely trap it. Other Steel-types such as Corviknight and Mega Scizor also are solid partners, as they provide the defensive Steel-type utility that Magnezone is unable to, such as checking the likes of Rillaboom, Tapu Lele, and Weavile. Ground-immune and resistant Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Tangrowth, and Gliscor are needed alongside Magnezone due to its 4x Ground weakness. Lastly, Knock Off users such as Landorus-T, Weavile, and Clefable can assist Magnezone in trapping Corviknight and Skarmory, luring them in and removing Shed Shell if they run it.

Thanks to Magnet Pull, Magnezone can decisively eliminate slower Steel-type Pokemon like Ferrothorn, Corviknight, and Skarmory. This enables dangerous wallbreakers such as Rillaboom, Tapu Lele, and Mega Diancie. Hidden Power Fire is useful for trapping Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn. Volt Switch maintains momentum versus Pokemon Magnezone matches up poorly against, such as Blissey, Mega Venusaur, and Amoonguss. It also allows Magnezone to keep momentum as it finishes off some targets, such as Corviknight. Volt Switch should also be used to exploit Toxapex and Clefable for momentum, as they are heavily threatened by Magnezone's STAB moves and often switch out. A Modest nature is preferred over Timid in order to wallbreak as effectively as possible. Pokemon that appreciate the removal of bulky Steel-type Pokemon, such as Mega Latias, Tapu Lele, Rillaboom, and Kyurem, make for great partners. These Pokemon also take advantage of Heatran, which Magnezone cannot beat. Gliscor is a particularly excellent partner, as it baits in Corviknight for Magnezone to trap. Also, it has a good matchup against defensive Ground-types, such as Landorus-T and Garchomp. Bulky Water-type Pokemon such as Slowbro and Toxapex not only address Magnezone's high vulnerability to fast, strong offensive Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny and Mega Medicham, but also benefit from it trapping Ferrothorn. Magnezone is also vulnerable to Ground-type Pokemon when locked into Thunderbolt or Volt Switch, so sturdy Ground-resistant or immune teammates such as Tangrowth, Gliscor, and Landorus-T are good to have. Finally, Magnezone's passivity against and ability to pivot out on Blissey means strong physical breakers pair well with it, such as Mega Lopunny, Garchomp, and Weavile.

With Iron Defense and Body Press, Magnezone can be an effective tool against stall teams. Substitute and Leftovers protects Magnezone from status, and can effectively scout potentially problematic switch-ins. Magnet Pull seriously punishes defensive Steel-types on stall teams by trapping them, but Sturdy is a more reliable option otherwises, in case Magnezone faces a threat that might OHKO it.

With a unique typing and set of abilities, Magnezone has a niche for being a bulky offensive Electric-type. Sturdy gives Magnezone a Focus Sash like effect and makes it immune to deadly OHKO moves. Alternately, Analytic works well since Magnezone usually moves second, giving it a good boost in power. Steel Beam is Magnezone's strongest attack by far, but the cost of losing half its health means it should be used sparringly. Mirror Coat takes advantage of Sturdy, allowing Magnezone to potentially get a surprise KO on common Special Attacking Dynamaxers. Body Press is Magnezone's best option against Ferrothorn, Raikou, and opposing Magnezone. Endure should be used with Custap Berry, giving Magnezone another chance to activate it if Sturdy has been used up, or if Magnezone is using Analytic. Items Assault Vest gives Magnezone a good amount of special bulk, especially if it's forced to Dynamax. Choice Specs gives Magnezone a ton of firepower as a hit-and-run attacker, and works especially well with taking advantage of Volt Switch. Custap Berry gives Magnezone once chance to have an attack with increased prirotity when it's low on health, which pairs especially well with Sturdy. EV Spreads 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe with Modest: This spread maximizes Magnezone's bulk and power. 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA with Modest: This spread is to be used with Body Press, to maximize that move's power. 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe with Modest: Magnezone may not be fast, but investing in Speed can allow it to get the jump on bulky foes that don't always bother to, such as Celesteela.

Moves Zap Cannon is used to get the highest-Base Power Gigavolt Havoc possible from Magnezone to blast away Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y, Porygon-Z, and Mega Slowbro. Metal Sound is paramount in blasting through several viable bulky offense and stall Pokemon, such as Magearna, Tapu Lele, and even slow Mega Venusaur. Electroweb reduces an opposing Pokemon's Speed by one stage while also simultaneously dealing chip damage. This may seem irrelevant, but it is very important in some bulky offense matchups, such as against Tapu Lele and Magearna. After they have been hit by Electroweb, they will be slower than Magnezone, thus avoiding any potential mind games. Protect allows Magnezone to evade Fake Out damage coming from Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny, Mega Blastoise, and Mega Medicham, allowing it to preserve its Sturdy and blast these Pokemon with Gigavolt Havoc while living their attacks. Flash Cannon gives Magnezone consistent and relatively effective damage when compared to Electroweb and provides relevant Steel-type coverage to hit and reliably beat certain Fairy-type Pokemon such as Mega Diancie, slow Tapu Bulu, and Whimsicott. Mirror Coat allows Magnezone to counterattack Choice item Pokemon it could not beat otherwise, such as Naganadel, Necrozma, and Nihilego, as well as dissuading other special attackers from using their strongest attacks immediately, which can apply pressure against Pokemon such as special Dragonite, Hidden Power Ground Greninja, and Aegislash. Set Details 80 HP EVs make sure Seismic Toss from Pokemon like Chansey and Blissey cannot 3HKO Magnezone, allowing it to decrease their Special Defense with three Metal Sounds and OHKO them with Gigavolt Havoc. 224 Speed EVs allow Magnezone to outspeed speedy Tapu Lele after one Electroweb and avoid potential mind games against it, as well as slightly slower Pokemon such as fast Magearna and Normalium Z Porygon-Z. The rest is put into Special Attack in order to make sure Magnezone can hit as hard as possible. Sturdy is run in order to prevent taking fatal damage from Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y, Greninja, Genesect, Choice item Victini, and Archeops. Usage Tips If it can, Magnezone has two courses of action: if Magnezone is faster, it should start using Metal Sound immediately in order to get the foe in range of Gigavolt Havoc. This will ensure victory against Pokemon such as any slow variant of Magearna, Chansey, Blissey, and stall Mega Venusaur, as they will neither be able to do enough damage nor raise their Special Defense fast enough before Magnezone OHKOes them. If Magnezone is slower, generally the play is to use Electroweb before using Metal Sound to get the opposing Pokemon in range of a Gigavolt Havoc. Magnezone wants to be faster than its foe, as this allows it to properly react to recovery moves, Special Defense setup, or attacks and avoid several mind games. This will also get the foe in range of a Gigavolt Havoc while outspeeding the next turn, thus avoiding a 2HKO from Normalium Z Porygon-Z, bulky Magearna, Choice Specs Tapu Lele, and Choice Band Sawk. There are a few fringe cases where Magnezone's utility options come into play. In situations where Magnezone is in a losing matchup that can still be affected by Electric-type attacks, such as Mega Charizard X, Firium Z Victini, and Rock Tomb Sawk, the only possible way to win at this point is to use Zap Cannon and hope for it to hit and cause paralysis. If this happens, immediately use Gigavolt Havoc on turn two and continue attacking with the most accurate moves at your disposal afterwards. This is by no means a repeatable or reliable strategy, but it should be known how to handle these matchups, should you ever face them. Team Options Pair Magnezone with Pokemon that can defend it against the multitude of Ground- and Dragon-types that most often threaten it. Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados, Tapu Fini, Modest Greninja, bulky Tapu Lele, and defensive Mega Swampert all prove excellent in taking on a large range of threats, such as Dragonite, Mega Charizard X, Landorus-T, Donphan, Kommo-o, Golem, and Garchomp. In return, Magnezone can provide protection against overwhelming offensive threats such as Mega Charizard Y, Tapu Lele, Magearna, and Porygon-Z, which can give all of those Pokemon trouble. Magnezone can also work well in a Dragon / Steel / Fairy core, as it will appreciate the work put in from Dragon-type Pokemon such as Kommo-o and Dragonite, which can handle several threats to Magnezone such as Donphan, Golem, and offensive Mega Venusaur and in return appreciate the defense Magnezone provides against Fairy-type Pokemon such as Tapu Lele, Tapu Fini, and Mega Mawile. Fairy-type Pokemon such as Alolan Ninetales and Mega Gardevoir can beat Dragon-, Ground-, and Grass-type threats like Kyurem, Garchomp, and Tapu Bulu while appreciating Magnezone's favorable matchup against Pokemon that resist Fairy-type attacks, such as Genesect, Celesteela, and Durant. Also pair Magnezone with faster Pokemon such as Flame Charge Mega Charizard X, Greninja, and Mega Lopunny, as Magnezone is naturally slow and cannot outspeed Pokemon such as Jumpluff and even Smeargle, which take advantage of any slow Pokemon.

Moves Volt Switch allows Magnezone to pivot out of disadvantageous matchups and generate momentum. Thunderbolt functions as a powerful STAB move that will KO threats such as non-Choice Scarf Keldeo. Flash Cannon is the secondary STAB attack that is used to neutrally hit Pokemon that are immune or resistant to Electric. Hidden Power Ice is used to take out massive threats that Magnezone lures in like Landorus and Gliscor. Alternatively, Hidden Power Fire permits it to eliminate trapped Steel-type foes like Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor. Set Details Maximum Special Attack investment allows Magnezone to have offensive presence. Maximum Speed investment paired with a Timid nature and Choice Scarf helps maximize Magnezone's lackluster Speed stat, allowing it to outspeed Pokemon like Landorus and Keldeo. Magnet Pull is the preferred ability because it will allow Magnezone to trap and eliminate troublesome opposing Steel-type Pokemon like Celesteela. Usage Tips Volt Switch should be utilized often to gain momentum against the opponent while causing important chip damage. However, avoid spamming it when the opponent has a Ground-type Pokemon like Swampert, as it can switch in and completely kill the momentum. In this situation, try hard switching to a Pokemon with a better matchup, such as Celesteela. Nonetheless, Magnezone makes a great lead because it can scout the opponent's lead and safely Volt Switch out. As Volt Switch encourages the opponent to make switches, stacking up entry hazards on the opponent's side for more residual damage is essential. However, Spikes and Sticky Web should be prevented on Magnezone's side because they will severely limit its ability to pivot or outspeed threats. As with most Choice Scarf users, Magnezone can be used as a great late-game sweeper once the opposing team has been worn down significantly. Magnezone should be switched into predicted Steel-type switch-ins like Celesteela and Ferrothorn. If you're running Hidden Power Ice, this move should not be revealed immediately so that Magnezone can lure in Pokemon like Landorus and Gliscor and beat them. It is important to be careful around teams with threatening setup sweepers, such as Mega Charizard X, Kommo-o, and Porygon-Z, which can safely set up against Magnezone and sweep the rest of the team. Thus, Magnezone should always pivot against teams with said sweepers so that they cannot come in and set up against it. Team Options Celesteela and Skarmory are essential teammates because they cover Magnezone's horrible 4x weakness to Ground-type moves. In addition to being immune to said attacks, they are both able to individually pressure Ground-type Pokemon like Excadrill and Landorus-T. Celesteela is able to wear them down with moves like Leech Seed and Toxic, while Skarmory can set up Spikes. Furthermore, Celesteela is able to run Flamethrower, which gives more liberty for Magnezone to run Hidden Power Ice, and its Leech Seed can provide passive recovery to Magnezone. Heatran is a necessary teammate to any Steel-type Pokemon because of its immunity to Fire-type attacks. It gives essential support in the Steel matchup, which permits Magnezone to run Hidden Power Ice. Moreover, it is a great trapper that can isolate and eliminate specially defensive threats to Magnezone such as Chansey as well as set up Stealth Rock. Ferrothorn is able to lay Spikes on the opponent's side and assists Magnezone in the Water matchup by taking out part Ground-types like Swampert, which allows Magnezone to rather easily sweep the rest of the team. Mega Scizor can create a VoltTurn core with Magnezone while also breaking special walls for it. Additionally, it profits from Magnezone taking out many of its threats like Celesteela and bulky Water-types like Toxapex. In addition, it can remove Magnezone's checks like Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Lopunny with Bullet Punch. Excadrill is able to remove entry hazards for Magnezone while also being able to clean the opponent's team once Magnezone has eliminated all its threats such as Celesteela. Moreover, it can defeat Fire-types that Magnezone may struggle against such as Alolan Marowak. Bisharp can safely set up once Magnezone pivots it into the battle. Also, it can take advantage of all the residual damage caused by Volt Switch momentum and hazards to sweep late-game.

Moves Thunderbolt provides a strong STAB move with excellent coverage. Flash Cannon is a secondary STAB move that allows Magnezone to hit Ground-types that tend to switch in like Hippowdon for solid damage while also nailing Fairy-, Ice-, and Rock-types for super effective damage. Volt Switch allows Magnezone to pivot out of unfavorable matchups and let Pokemon that are more suitable for dealing with the foe come in. Hidden Power Fire lets it hit the Steel-types it traps such as Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor, and Excadrill. Set Details Choice Specs along with a Modest nature grants Magnezone the wallbreaking power it needs, letting it damage the opposing team enough for sweepers like Alolan Raichu to clean up. Magnet Pull lets it trap and remove Steel-types. 176 Speed EVs allow Magnezone to outspeed Azumarill. The rest of the EVs maximize its wallbreaking potential and overall bulk. Usage Tips Magnezone's 4x weakness to Ground can be very troublesome at times. Even Pokemon like Latios can carry Ground-type coverage, so try to scout for such moves before letting Magnezone come in. Similarly, try not to switch it directly in against foes carrying Choice items like Excadrill and Tapu Bulu, as they can lock themselves into super effective moves. Scout for what move they choose to lock themselves into first. Sacrificing a Pokemon to a Steel-type to see what the Pokemon locks itself into is fine as well. For example, sacrificing Zapdos to an Excadrill that locks itself into Rock Slide before bringing Magnezone in is an optimal play. However, switching it in immediately against defensive threats like Ferrothorn to remove them is fine. Due to its decent bulk, switching it in to tank a hit or two from Pokemon that can't hit it for super effective damage is fine if its trapping utility is unneeded. Use pivoting moves like U-turn and Volt Switch to bring Magnezone in, as it hates being worn down. If Magnezone's ability to trap Steel-types is unneeded, it can be used early-game to wallbreak and make it easier for sweepers like Tapu Koko and Alolan Raichu to clean up. Be careful about what you choose to lock Magnezone into. Locking it into a move that is resisted by multiple Pokemon on the opposing team generally results in a huge loss of momentum. Team Options Magnezone provides excellent synergy because of the pivoting cores that it forms with Pokemon like Tapu Koko. Tapu Koko also benefits from the removal of Ferrothorn and Excadrill, which lets it freely spam its Electric-type STAB moves. It also provides Electric Terrain to further increase the power of Magnezone's Electric-type moves while getting rid of Fighting-types that beat Magnezone. Alolan Raichu appreciates Magnezone's wallbreaking power making it much easier for it to clean up, and it excels at removing threatening Fighting-types. Zapdos provides Magnezone with a great wall to fall back on against threatening Ground- and Fighting-types. Rotom-Wash appreciates the removal of Mold Breaker Excadrill and Ferrothorn, as both are great checks to it. Its resistance to Fire-type moves and immunity to Ground-type moves makes it a good partner for Magnezone. Alolan Golem provides Stealth Rock support, breaking a potential Sturdy or Focus Sash. It resists Fire-type moves, making it a great check to Pokemon like Victini, but stacks the weakness to Fighting-type moves and the 4x weakness to Ground-type moves. Xurkitree, similarly to most other Electric-types, loves the removal of its two excellent checks, Ferrothorn and Excadrill, making it much easier to spam Thunderbolt against Steel teams. However, it can be extremely hard to fit both Xurkitree and Magnezone in the same team given how important the support other Electric-types provide.

Magnezone is one of the few viable Pokemon to have access to Magnet Pull, making it an extremely effective way to trap and remove troublesome defensive Steel-types for sweepers, such as Celesteela, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory, and even revenge kill some weakened offensive Steel-types such as Aegislash and Mega Mawile. Hidden Power Fire is important on this variant of Magnezone, since it allows it to effectively trap Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor. Note that Thunderbolt will be more powerful against other Steel-types that don't resist it. Substitute works especially well on this set for taking advantage of defensive Steel-types and scouting for Earthquakes from Celesteela, but Volt Switch is a reasonable option when scouting is preferred or when using Assault Vest. The given EV spread allows Magnezone to outspeed everything up to Tapu Bulu and Mega Scizor, including other important threats such as Aegislash, Celesteela, and Primarina. More Speed can be run for said threats that may also speed creep, or less can be run if more bulk is important. Electrium Z is a great fit for giving Magnezone one powerful attack, but Assault Vest makes Magnezone a much more reliable Tapu Koko check and buffers it against Tapu Lele. Leftovers is good for giving Magnezone some health back after a Substitute, while Air Balloon can let Magnezone trap and revenge kill weakened Excadrill.

Magnezone is one of the best Tapu Koko checks in the metagame, especially with Assault Vest, which makes it a decent Tapu Lele check as well if it avoids Focus Blast. Analytic makes Magnezone very powerful, since Magnezone usually moves last against most offensive threats. However, Sturdy gives Magnezone a pseudo-Focus Sash, letting it revenge kill sweepers as long as Stealth Rock is off the field and it's at full health. While difficult to slot in, Mirror Coat is very viable with Sturdy as well, allowing Magnezone to turn the tables on powerful special attackers while at full health. Also, note that running maximum Speed is an option on Magnezone to outspeed certain bulkier threats such as Primarina and Celesteela. Magnezone has plenty of viable item choices as well. Assault Vest lets it deal with special attackers fairly well, while Choice Specs makes Magnezone very powerful. Electrium Z works well for getting surprise KOs on certain threats, while Steelium Z can make up for its poor coverage by hitting Thunderbolt switch-ins such as Hippowdon, Serperior, and Mega Venusaur very hard. More niche items include Air Balloon, which makes checking Magnezone with Ground-types difficult early in the game, and Weakness Policy, which works well with Sturdy for giving Magnezone a huge amount of power when hit by a super effective attack.

Moves Volt Switch is an Electric-type STAB move that helps create momentum in conjunction with Choice Scarf to prevent the opponent from taking advantage of Magnezone's locked move. This is useful so it doesn't provide a free turn for any Electric-resistant Pokemon coming in the next turn. Hidden Power Fire is used so Magnezone can super effectively hit Steel-types that either are not hit very hard by Thunderbolt or have a 4x weakness to Fire, most importantly Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Cawmodore before it sets up Belly Drum. Flash Cannon is a nice secondary STAB move that allows Magnezone to deal with Fairy-types like Mega Gardevoir, Clefable, Mega Diancie, and Mega Altaria better as well as Rock-types such as Crucibelle. Thunderbolt is Magnezone's most reliable way of spreading damage, as it doesn't force Magnezone to switch out, but should only be used if Volt Switch or Hidden Power Fire doesn't KO. Set Details Full investment into Special Attack and Speed with a Choice Scarf and a Timid nature allows Magnezone to do its job of revenge killing and KOing trapped Pokemon a lot easier and also outspeed other Pokemon that are weak to Magnezone's attacks like Mega Diancie, Crucibelle, Manaphy, and non Choice Scarf Keldeo. Unfortunately, the limitations of Magnezone's Speed don't allow it to outspeed Pokemon like Cawmadore and Stratagem even with the Choice Scarf, which can use super effective moves like Drain Punch and Earth Power against it, respectively. Magnet Pull gives Magnezone the niche it needs to be viable, allowing it to trap Steel-types. Usage Tips Magnezone's main purpose is to remove Steel-types and specifically faster ones with this set. It can come in after a teammate has fallen or on a Steel-type that doesn't threaten it like Skarmory. Magnezone can also be used to threaten Fairy-types that haven't boosted their Speed; in this case, it should try to come in on an expected Fairy-type move. Volt Switch should be used most of the time rather than Thunderbolt, as being locked into one move can deprive your team of momentum. Note that Magnezone can't keep Pokemon with U-turn and Volt Switch trapped. Magnezone should also be aware of Shed Shell users like Skarmory, even though the item isn't too common. In order to get Magnezone in on Steel-types, you should attempt to pull double switches when you think your opponent might switch into a Steel-type. For example, you can switch Magnezone in when you have Clefable out to lure in Steel-types. Team Options Magnezone works well on teams that need a way to remove Steel-types for sweepers. As Magnezone's main goal is to KO Steel-types, Fairies like Choice Specs Sylveon, Calm Mind Clefable, Mega Diancie, and Dragon Dance Mega Altaria are able to roam free more easily with its support. Magnezone dislikes Ground-types and Ground-type coverage in general, so Water-types like Manaphy, Azumarill, and Arghonaut can help to deal with this; they can absorb Fire-type attacks as well. Ground-immune Pokemon like Tomohawk and Tornadus-T also fit well with Magnezone, giving it a partner that can come in when Magnezone is being threatened by an Earthquake or Earth Power. Crucibelle likes having Steel-types removed and also helps to form a VoltTurn core alongside Magnezone. Magnezone also helps deal with Water-types, so teammates that appreciate that like Colossoil and Landorus-T work well. Dragonite likes having Steel-types removed, as it makes it possible to ditch coverage for Steel-types like Earthquake in exchange for Roost or Iron Head. Weavile can also drop Low Kick with Steel-types covered; Pursuit trap Latios and Latias, which come in on Magnezone safely; and remove Ground-types, making it easier for Magnezone to use Thunderbolt. Magnezone also fits fairly well on VoltTurn teams, as the constant momentum can help Magnezone get in on Steel-types easier. This also means entry hazard setters such as Fidgit and Klefki can help to get even more chip damage off as Magnezone and the other VoltTurners on the team constantly apply pressure to the opponent's team.

Moves Volt Switch is Magnezone's primary STAB move, being able to catch momentum for your team while dealing large amounts of damage. Hidden Power Fire is Magnezone's best bet for KOing Steel-types that have a dual weakness to Fire or resist Electric like Ferrothorn, Excadrill, and Mega Scizor. Flash Cannon is Magnezone's next go-to option for damage, as it is boosted by STAB and can help deal with Fairy- and Ice-types such as Clefable and Kyurem-B more easily; it can even achieve a 2HKO on Gliscor and Landorus-T after Stealth Rock damage. Thunderbolt is a more powerful STAB attack than Volt Switch and doesn't force Magnezone to switch out while also securely 2HKOing Klefki and OHKOing +1 Mega Slowbro after Stealth Rock damage. Set Details Maximum investment into Special Sttack and Speed with Choice Specs makes Magnezone have an easier time eliminating bulkier Steel-types; for example, it is able to 2HKO Klefki and OHKO bulky Mega Scizor with Hidden Power Fire. Magnet Pull is the best option for being able to trap Steel-types for your team members. Usage Tips Magnezone's main purpose is to remove Steel-types, and it can switch in to do so after a teammate has fallen or by switching in on a Steel-type that doesn't threaten it like Skarmory. Magnezone can also be used to threaten Fairy-types that haven't boosted their Speed like Clefable and specially offensive Mega Altaria; it should try to come in on an expected Fairy-type move. Thunderbolt should be used to threaten Water-types like Arghonaut and Starmie early-game while you wait for a chance to trap and KO Steel-types. Thunderbolt or Volt Switch can be used to pick off Scizor if it is weakened enough to the point where you don't have to forfeit power or momentum with Hidden Power Fire. U-turn, Volt Switch, and Shed Shell are all ways Pokemon can escape Magnet Pull, and Magnezone should be alert for these forms of escape. Some examples of Pokemon that run those options are Skarmory, Jirachi, and Scizor. Magnezone is used to switch into Pokemon it can threaten out and gain momentum with Volt Switch throughout the game, which will also help set up a sweeper for a late-game sweep by softening up the other team. You need to keep Magnezone healthy enough to trap and remove its intended target, so don't switch it in too many times. Team Options Magnezone works well on teams and cores that like having Steel-types removed in order to make sweeping or freeing up coverage easier. Some examples are Pokemon like Mega Altaria, Manaphy, and Weavile. As Magnezone's main goal is to KO Steel-types, Fairies are able to roam free more easily with its support; Choice Specs Sylveon, Mega Diancie, Calm Mind Clefable, and Dragon Dance Mega Altaria are good options. Magnezone dislikes Ground-types and Ground-type coverage in general, so Water-types like Manaphy, Azumarill, and Arghonaut can help to deal with this. Furthermore, these Water-types can absorb Fire-type attacks, and Arghonaut also counters Colossoil, which gives Magnezone trouble. Flying-types as well as Ground-immune Pokemon, like Tomohawk and Rotom-W, also help give Magnezone a nice partner to switch into to escape Ground-type attacks. Magnezone also helps deal with Water-types, so teammates that appreciate that like Colossoil and Landorus-T work well. Magnezone fits fairly well on VoltTurn teams with partners like Landorus-T and Syclant (which especially dreads Steel-types), as the constant momentum can help Magnezone get in on Steel-types more easily. This also means entry hazard setters such as Fidgit and Klefki can help to get even more chip damage off as Magnezone and the other VoltTurn Pokemon on the team constantly apply pressure to the opponent's team. Dragon-types also appreciate Magnezone's presence due to them not having to run Ground-type coverage for Steel-types, with Dragonite and Mega Altaria being the most notable examples. Crucibelle likes having Steel-types gone, and it also helps Magnezone by pivoting with U-turn and KOing Fire-types, and getting Magnezone in when it needs to.

Flash Cannon deals significant damage to Fairy-, Ice-, and Rock-types such as Clefable, Weavile, and Tyranitar. Hidden Power Fire synergizes extremely well with Magnet Pull, allowing Magnezone to reliably take care of Steel-types it traps like Ferrothorn and Excadrill. Substitute takes advantage of passive Steel-types that fail to do anything significant to Magnezone, such as Klefki, Ferrothorn, and Choice-locked Excadrill. Air Balloon provides a temporary immunity to Ground-type attacks and allows Magnezone to reliably switch in and trap Choice item Excadrill. It's important to play safely with Magnezone, as preserving Air Balloon in the Ground- and Steel-type matchups and dealing with Excadrill is its most important use. The given Speed EVs allow Magnezone to outspeed uninvested Mega Scizor. Electric teams appreciate Magnezone's ability to reliably deal with troublesome Steel-types like Ferrothorn and Excadrill. Zapdos provides a much needed, reliable Ground immunity for Magnezone, in case Air Balloon has been popped. In return, Zapdos appreciates Magnezone's ability to switch into Rock- and Ice-type attacks from the likes of Weavile and Tyranitar. Rotom-W provides a Fire-resistant and secondary Ground-immune partner for Magnezone while also being able to KO Ground-types like Mamoswine with Hydro Pump. Thundurus greatly helps in matchups such as Flying, Water, and Ground thanks to Thunderbolt + Grass Knot + Hidden Power Ice and is able to significantly cripple faster threats to Magnezone with Thunder Wave. Mega Manectric further improves the Steel-type matchup thanks to Flamethrower and also takes care of Ground-types like Gliscor and Garchomp with Hidden Power Ice. Raikou aids greatly in the Psychic matchup thanks to Calm Mind and Shadow Ball.

Moves Volt Switch allows Magnezone to pivot and gain momentum for its teammates while escaping foes that it can't defeat such as Mega Venusaur and Chansey. It can help wear down checks such as Heatran and increase Magnezone's chances to potentially clean opposing teams late-game. Flash Cannon is another STAB attack used to hit Fairy-, Ice-, and Rock-types such as Mega Diancie, Kyurem-B, and Mamoswine. Thunderbolt is a secondary Electric STAB move that provides greater power to OHKO Mega Charizard Y. Hidden Power Ice targets Dragon- and Ground-types such as Garchomp and Landorus. Set Details Maximum Speed investment with a Timid nature lets Magnezone hit 240 Speed, and with a Choice Scarf equipped, it can function as a revenge killer and outpace key Pokemon such as Gengar, Mega Diancie, and Thundurus. 252 Special Attack EVs boost Magnezone's damage output. Magnet Pull is mandatory on Magnezone in order to trap other Steel-types that try to switch out such as Cobalion and Mega Scizor, especially trapping opposing Skarmory, which is important to eliminate because most Steel-types have trouble against it due to its physical bulk. Usage Tips This particular set is best used for Magnezone to gain momentum and act as a pivot with Volt Switch to escape any match up that's unfavorable to it. However, Magnezone should be careful when using Volt Switch against a team that has an Electric-immune Pokemon such as Swampert on Water-type teams or Landorus-T on Flying-type teams, as Magnezone and its team will lose a lot of momentum if Volt Switch is blocked. Magnezone can be used as a lead, as it can pivot out with Volt Switch into a better teammate that can eliminate any opposing Pokemon that Magnezone has trouble defeating. With Choice Scarf, Magnezone can function as a revenge killer against Pokemon such as Landorus and Mega Diancie. It's best to have entry hazards on the opponent's side of the field to let Magnezone pressure its foes with Volt Switch, constantly wearing them down for it and its teammates to KO. Make sure to utilize Magnet Pull to your advantage by trapping other utility Steel-types that set up entry hazards or support such as Skarmory, Cobalion, and Klefki. Although Magnezone takes little damage from Stealth Rock, Spikes can wear it down much quicker, as it pivots in and out continuously, so it's best to keep entry hazards off your side of the field. Team Options Choice Scarf Excadrill can check Fire-types, threatening Mega Charizard Y and Volcarona with Rock Slide while its STAB Earthquake can break through Rotom-H and Entei, and take on Electric-types that wall Magnezone such as Zapdos and Rotom-W. Excadrill also has access to Rapid Spin, which gives Magnezone more freedom to pivot with Volt Switch. Magnezone appreciates entry hazard support from the likes of Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Heatran, all of which can set up Stealth Rock while the former two both can set up Spikes as well, allowing Magnezone to KO its foes more easily and pressure teams with Volt Switch. Skarmory can utilize its physical bulk to switch into physical attackers such as Heracross, and thanks to its Flying typing, it can switch into Ground-type attacks for Magnezone. Thanks to its Grass typing, Ferrothorn can take on Water-types to alleviate pressure placed on Magnezone, switch into Ground-types that threaten it, and take on Swampert, Gastrodon, and Seismitoad. Heatran makes for an efficient partner because of its Flash Fire ability, as it can utilize Magnezone's Fire-type weakness to its advantage in getting a free switch, tank special attacks, and make use of a stallbreaker set featuring Taunt to take on Chansey and Mew, both of which Magnezone has no chance of defeating. Bisharp can take on Ghost- and Psychic-types that can defeat Magnezone such as Gengar, Chandelure, and Mew. Mega Scizor can dent special walls such as Chansey and KO Pokemon such as Kyurem-B, Terrakion, and Breloom with its powerful Bullet Punch. Bisharp and Mega Scizor both have access to Knock Off to remove Leftovers and Eviolite from item-reliant Pokemon such as Jirachi, Chansey, and Porygon2. With Eviolite removed, Porygon2 is put into range of a possible 2HKO from Thunderbolt after Stealth Rock damage. Bisharp and Mega Scizor both appreciate Magnezone's ability to trap and remove Skarmory, which would otherwise wall these three.

Moves Thunderbolt is Magnezone's strongest reliable STAB move, providing great coverage and consistent power. Flash Cannon functions as a secondary STAB move to deal with Fairy-types and hits Ground-types that otherwise can freely switch into Magnezone. Volt Switch allows Magnezone to pivot and maintain momentum for its team, and due to its low Speed, it will often move after the foe, which can help it bring in a teammate safely. Hidden Power Fire hits Ferrothorn and Scizor, which is useful on teams that struggle with them, though Hidden Power Ice is an alternative option that hits Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Mega Salamence harder. Set Details Assault Vest allows Magnezone to function as a bulky pivot, checking special attackers such as Mega Gardevoir and Rotom-W more effectively. The given EVs guarantee that Life Orb Thundurus will never KO with a combination of Thunderbolt and Focus Blast, allowing Magnezone to more safely deal with offensive Thundurus variants. The remaining EVs are placed in Special Attack, and a Modest nature is used to boost Magnezone's damage output further. Analytic allows Magnezone to take advantage of its low Speed and punish switches, letting it pivot in and out with Volt Switch while still dealing a lot of damage. While Assault Vest already helps Magnezone's special bulk, Sturdy is still useful for letting Magnezone survive physical attacks such as Earthquake and retaliate with an attack of its own. Usage Tips Assault Vest Magnezone is a bulky pivot, so it should be used to switch into special attackers such as Thundurus and Sylveon thanks to its increased Special Defense. Magnezone needs to stay healthy to check Focus Blast Thundurus, so if this is something that Magnezone's team is weak to, try to avoid letting Magnezone take any damage. Magnezone can also only survive one Focus Blast, so be careful if you think Thundurus might use Focus Blast as Magnezone switches in. Magnezone often forces switches due to its high power, so using Volt Switch is often very safe if the opponent lacks any Ground-types or Thundurus-T. However, Assault Vest Magnezone doesn't lose as much momentum as Choice Specs variants if it doesn't use Volt Switch, so using another move is often not too risky. Bluffing Choice Specs is also an effective approach that can allow Magnezone to surprise foes that think it's locked into a move; for example, using Hidden Power Fire on Ferrothorn. Team Options Dragon-types such as Mega Salamence, Garchomp, and Dragonite appreciate Magnezone's ability to safely switch into Fairy-types and common Ice Beam users, and they all greatly benefit from having a teammate capable of checking Thundurus with ease. Magnezone also offers the utility of a slow Volt Switch and appreciates Mega Salamence's ability to cover Magnezone's weaknesses to threats such as Mega Blaziken, Mega Heracross, and Volcarona. Levitate Pokemon such as Gengar and Latios cover Magnezone's Ground-type weakness, while Magnezone can reliably switch into most of the types that trouble them, notably Psychic- and Fairy-type moves, respectively. Both Gengar and Latios can also check Fighting-types for Magnezone, while Mega Gengar in particular can also trap and eliminate special walls that completely stop Magnezone, such as Chansey, at the cost of Levitate. Fire-types such as Blaziken appreciate Magnezone's ability to switch into bulky Water-types such as Suicune and Rotom-W, though this compounds a Ground-type weakness and Magnezone can't reliably beat common Flying-types such as Talonflame and Mega Salamence without Sturdy. Bulky Water-types such as Suicune and Slowbro are effective partners that can check Ground-types such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Hippowdon that Magnezone usually doesn't want to deal with, while Magnezone can handle Electric-types like Thundurus and Grass-types such as Serperior. Landorus-T can form a VoltTurn core with Magnezone thanks to its ability to switch into Ground-types that Magnezone has trouble with while also providing Intimidate support to help Magnezone take physical hits better. Meanwhile, Magnezone deals with Suicune and Rotom-W for Landorus-T and shrugs off Ice Beam from the likes of Cresselia.

Moves Thunderbolt is Magnezone's strongest STAB move, offering great neutral coverage and consistent power. Flash Cannon gives Magnezone a secondary STAB attack that allows it to threaten Ground-types that could otherwise safely switch into Magnezone while also hitting Fairy-types harder. Volt Switch provides momentum and gives Magnezone the ability to function as a pivot, and due to its low Speed, it can be used to bring in a teammate safely. Hidden Power Ice gives Magnezone a better way to hit Garchomp, Mega Salamence, and Landorus-T on the switch, though it relies greatly on prediction or Sturdy, since they can all threaten to OHKO Magnezone with Earthquake. Hidden Power Fire is an alternative on teams that want a reliable answer to Ferrothorn and Scizor, and it is Magnezone's only way of hitting the former, while Hidden Power Ice isn't necessary to hit anything that its STAB moves can't. Set Details Choice Specs allows Magnezone to function as a wallbreaker, dealing huge damage to anything that doesn't resist its STAB combination. Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment with a Modest nature allows Magnezone to hit as hard as possible and outspeed Bold Suicune and fast Azumarill, while the leftover EVs are placed in HP. Magnezone can move all Speed investment into HP, since it often won't outspeed offensive threats anyway, though doing so puts Magnezone at risk of being outsped by a fast Azumarill. If you're running Hidden Power Fire, this can also allow Scizor to outspeed and KO Magnezone with Superpower. An alternative EV spread of 4 HP / 4 Def / 248 SpA / 4 SpD / 248 Spe should also be used with Hidden Power Fire to avoid wasting EVs. Analytic is the preferred ability to boost Magnezone's power, since it will often move after the foe, and also allows it to effectively punish switches. However, Sturdy can let Magnezone function as an emergency check to a wider variety of threats such as Talonflame and Low Kick Greninja, which otherwise beat it. Sturdy is also the preferred ability with Hidden Power Ice in order to effectively lure Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Mega Salamence and eliminate them. Usage Tips Magnezone is best used early-game to break through bulkier Pokemon such as Cresselia, Suicune, and Rotom-W with its powerful STAB moves. Magnezone is particularly effective as a lead against teams that lack Ground-types or Thundurus-T, since this makes it easier for Magnezone to Volt Switch out and capitalize further on switches with Analytic. Common Ground-types such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, Hippowdon, Mamoswine, and Swampert are popular leads, though, so be careful leading Magnezone if you see one of them at Team Preview. If running Sturdy and Hidden Power Ice, Magnezone can surprise the former two, though otherwise consider leading something other than Magnezone or even benching it. Magnezone is difficult to switch into for many teams, though after it locks into a move, the opponent can more easily take advantage of it. Recognizing when it's safer to simply use Volt Switch or switch out directly is important, since both of its STAB moves lure in many dangerous threats once it locks into a move. Team Options Magnezone is commonly paired with Dragon-types such as Mega Salamence and Garchomp, since it can safely switch into Fairy-types and Ice-type moves. Mega Salamence in particular appreciates a teammate that can handle Thundurus, while Magnezone appreciates Mega Salamence's ability to switch into Fire-, Fighting-, and Ground-type moves. Cresselia also pairs well with Magnezone thanks to its ability to switch into Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Garchomp that beat Magnezone and threaten them with Ice Beam. Sturdy variants also benefit from Lunar Dance to bring Magnezone's HP back up if Sturdy is broken at any point. Azumarill also threatens Ground-, Fire-, and Fighting-types that trouble Magnezone, while Magnezone can reliably switch into Electric-, Poison-, and Grass-type moves for Azumarill. Gengar can switch into Ground- and Fighting-type moves aimed at Magnezone, while Magnezone handles Psychic-type moves aimed at Gengar. Mega Gengar can also trap and remove special walls that Magnezone can't beat, such as Chansey, though Mega Evolving also removes Gengar's ability to switch into Ground-type moves. Physical attackers such as Blaziken and Mega Kangaskhan benefit from Magnezone's ability to safely deal with physical walls such as Cresselia and Suicune, and they also appreciate having a slow Volt Switch user to bring them in safely. Magnezone also pairs well with common U-turn users, notably Landorus-T for its ability to switch into Ground-type moves and threaten Fire-types. Magnezone's ability to threaten bulky Water-types and switch into Ice-type moves helps Landorus-T as well.

Set Description Magnezone's most consistent STAB move is Thunderbolt, which it should use against Keldeo, Tornadus, and Porygon-Z. Flash Cannon should be used against Rock-types like Choice Band Rhyperior and Choice Band Terrakion. Hidden Power Rock nails Volcarona; however, some Volcarona with Flame Charge can still win. Charge Beam can beat Choice Scarf Cresselia, while Thunder is better against bulky Zapdos variants and Choice Band Arcanine. EVs Magnezone runs 252 Special Attack EVs to have better odds to 2HKO Psychic Gem and Steel Gem Metagross that do not have Earthquake. Magnezone runs 252 Speed EVs and a Timid nature to outspeed Latios, Latias, and +1 Volcarona that has no Speed investment. Usage Tips Magnezone can either reliably OHKO or 2HKO many Pokemon, but this can be interrupted by priority moves, Custap Berry, faster Choice Scarf users, and moves that either boost or lower Speed. When deciding between clicking Thunder and Thunderbolt, it is important to factor in Thunder's lower accuracy and not automatically commit to it due to the theoretically higher damage output.

Set Description Thunderbolt is Magnezone's most reliable STAB move and should be used against Keldeo, Manaphy, and Tornadus. Flash Cannon is used to beat Landorus-T, Rhyperior, and Terrakion. Hidden Power Rock is Magnezone's best way to beat Volcarona, while Metal Sound gives it a better matchup against stall Snorlax and Cresselia. Sturdy or Endure + Custap Berry allows Magnezone to delay KOs from faster Pokemon and use another move if they lack priority moves, which allows it to beat Landorus-T, Manaphy, and Chandelure. EVs 252 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature maximize Magnezone's damage output for better odds against bulky Genesect sets. 140 Speed EVs let it outspeed Adamant Crustle. 80 HP EVs allow Magnezone to take Seismic Toss from Snorlax three times. The remaining EVs are invested in Special Defense for more favorable odds against Choice Specs Latios. Usage Tips Custap Berry Magnezone does not have any difficult matchups to play around; it is almost always recommended to use the move that leads to the most damage. If the foe is faster and would KO Magnezone on a turn, Magnezone can use Endure to survive and force its Custap Berry to activate on the following turn, which may allow it to get an extra move off.

This set aims to take full advantage of Magnezone's Steel-trapping abilities. The combination of Substitute and Charge Beam is Magnezone's most effective way to remove Ferrothorn, probably the biggest roadblock to any Dragon-type's sweep. As long as Magnezone avoids switching into Thunder Wave or Leech Seed, and the opposing Ferrothorn lacks the extremely rare Bulldoze, Magnezone can easily set up a Substitute to stop Ferrothorn from Leech Seeding it, and then proceed to set up with Charge Beam. The best Ferrothorn can do is 2HKO Magnezone's Substitute with Power Whip, giving Magnezone plenty of time to set up. Once Magnezone gains enough boosts or begins to run low on HP, start smacking Ferrothorn around with boosted Thunders, while maintaining an intact Substitute. After Ferrothorn goes down, proceed to smack whatever comes in ridiculously hard. Hidden Power Ice is used in the final slot for maximum coverage alongside Thunder. Magnezone can use the same strategy against other Steel-types not named Dialga, Heatran, or Arceus-Steel. However, some Steel-types might try to prevent Magnezone from setting up on them. Skarmory can use Whirlwind against greedy Magnezone, while Forretress, non-Choice Band Scizor, and Jirachi can use Volt Switch or U-turn to escape. In these situations, it is best to just heavily damage them with Thunder instead of trying to set up. 44 Speed EVs allow Magnezone to outspeed minimum Speed Scizor and severely damage it with Thunder before it gets to U-turn out. Special Attack is maximized for optimal power, while the rest go into HP to boost Magnezone's decent bulk. Flash Cannon can be used instead of Hidden Power Ice for STAB, as well as to hit Tyranitar super effectively, but as Hidden Power Ice is super effective against most of Magnezone's enemies, namely Groudon, Garchomp, and Zekrom, it is better in almost all situations. The most obvious teammates to Magnezone include Dragon-types, who appreciate the removal of Steel-types. Arceus-Dragon is extremely difficult to stop with the removal of Steel-types, as are Rayquaza, Salamence, Dialga, Reshiram, and Zekrom. Extreme Killer Arceus and other Swords Dance Arceus formes also appreciate Skarmory gone. The removal of Ferrothorn can be an issue for an opposing team, as most rain attackers, such as Choice Scarf Kyogre, Palkia, Kingdra, Omastar, Manaphy, Arceus-Electric, and Arceus-Water, suddenly become much stronger threats that utterly destroy teams with Ferrothorn gone. Kyogre in particular is a good teammate to Magnezone as Drizzle dampens Magnezone's Fire-type weakness while making Thunder perfectly accurate. Rapid Spin users are also extremely nice to have, because when Ferrothorn realizes it cannot defeat Magnezone, it might set up Spikes in Magnezone's face to spite you, and having a full set of Spikes on your side of the field is never, ever fun. Excadrill is an excellent Rapid Spin user, as it can defeat Giratina-O in the rain and easily take down Blissey and Chansey. Tentacruel is another great Rapid Spin user to run in the rain, because of its excellent Special Defense and access to a form of recovery in Rain Dish. Technically, once Magnezone has trapped the opposing Steel-type, it cannot be countered because countering involves switching. However, there are a number of Steel-types who do not care about Magnezone's presence at all. Dialga resists Thunder and takes virtually nothing from Hidden Power Ice, can use Fire Blast or Aura Sphere to destroy Magnezone, or just Roar it away if it so desires. Heatran can roast Magnezone with its Fire-type STAB or OHKO with Earth Power. Excadrill outspeeds Magnezone, is immune to Thunder, does not take much from a neutral Hidden Power Ice, and OHKOes in return with Earthquake. Groudon is also troublesome, as it OHKOes with Earthquake and cuts the accuracy of Thunder to 50% with Drought. Garchomp and Arceus-Ground also scare Magnezone away with the threat of Earthquake. Chansey and Blissey can take hits from Magnezone all day long. With that in mind, Lugia is a good teammate to Magnezone, as it walls Groudon, Garchomp, Arceus-Ground, Excadrill, and Dialga easily. Terrakion is also another great partner, as it does not care about Heatran and can send Chansey and Blissey to the next dimension with its powerful Fighting-type STAB.

Magnezone's excellent resistances and good defenses allow it to set up dual screens easily. Magnet Pull allows Magnezone to trap and set up on most Steel-types , giving it an edge over Bronzong, which has Levitate and better overall defenses. Reflect and Light Screen help sweepers to set up, which can be potentially game-ending. Thunder does excellent damage, OHKOing Skarmory and 2HKOing Forretress and Scizor after Stealth Rock damage, and allowing Magnezone to remain a potent Steel-type trapper as well as a dual screen user. While the sheer power of Thunder is hard to ignore, Volt Switch is an interesting option as it allows Magnezone's frail teammates to get a relatively safe switch-in. Hidden Power Fire lets Magnezone take out Steel-types in the sun, which lowers Thunder's accuracy to 50%, but Explosion allows Magnezone to get a sweeper in for free. 48 Speed EVs enable Magnezone to always outrun 0 Speed Scizor, allowing it to KO before Scizor U-turns to safety or KOes Magnezone with Superpower, while 252 HP EVs give Magnezone good overall bulk to take hits more easily while setting up screens. The rest go into Special Attack, and a Modest nature is used so Magnezone can still use Magnet Pull to hit Steel-types hard. Air Balloon is an alternate option over Light Clay, granting Magnezone a temporary immunity to Ground-type attacks, which helps it to set up dual screens. However, Light Clay's increase in the duration of Reflect and Light Screen generally makes it the better choice. As this Magnezone is focused on support more than attacking, the best teammates are sweepers that can take advantage of the dual screens and the removal of the foe's Steel-type Pokemon. The best choices are usually offensive Dragon-types, as they can come into most of Magnezone's checks and spam their STAB moves. Rayquaza, Salamence, Arceus-Dragon, and Giratina-O are good choices, as they cover all of Magnezone's weaknesses and have enough power and bulk to set up under the protection of Reflect and Light Screen. Extreme Killer Arceus under screens is a death sentence to offensive teams. It becomes virtually impossible to revenge kill, as the screens let it tank a hit from revenge killers and continue its sweep. Extreme Killer Arceus also appreciates Magnezone removing Skarmory for it.

Choice Specs brings Magnezone's already excellent Special Attack up to 591, making it useful not only as a Steel-type trapper, but also as an offensive powerhouse. To illustrate this fact, standard Palkia, Lugia, Mewtwo, and specially defensive Forretress are always OHKOed by Thunder after Stealth Rock damage. Hidden Power Fire allows Magnezone to heavily damage Ferrothorn to the point where it cannot tank hits any more; it is also Magnezone's best option against Steel-types in the sun. However, if you desire coverage, then Hidden Power Ice works best, as it OHKOes Rayquaza and Garchomp while 2HKOing maximum HP Groudon. Volt Switch is used to scout, dealing good damage with Magnezone's excellent Special Attack, but Magnezone must be wary of Groudon and Garchomp, which are immune to it. Thunderbolt is more reliable if it isn't raining, but it is noticeably weaker than Thunder, so Volt Switch is generally the better choice for the third moveslot, allowing Magnezone to scout the opponent's team and build momentum. Flash Cannon is used to hurt Tyranitar and as a workable secondary STAB, but doesn't really have much other use. Maximum Special Attack is necessary to do as much damage as possible. Factoring in the imperfect Speed IV from Hidden Power Fire, 48 Speed EVs allow Magnezone to outrun and KO minimum Speed Scizor before it can U-turn out or KO with Superpower. The rest of the EVs go into HP for added bulk, which works well with Magnezone's excellent typing. Magnezone makes an excellent companion to Extreme Killer Arceus, as the removal of Steel-types allows Arceus to forgo Earthquake or Overheat for Recover or another coverage move. Dialga also makes a good teammate, because although it shares some weaknesses with Magnezone, it is a reliable user of Stealth Rock and appreciates having Steel-type Pokemon removed, clearing the way for it to do major damage with its STAB Dragon-type moves. Forretress and the Deoxys formes are reliable users of Spikes, and can also deploy Stealth Rock effectively.

Since offensive coverage isn't Magnezone's strong suit, a slightly supportive set comes naturally to it. Magnezone is a reliable paralysis spreader with Thunder Wave, and is just fast enough to make good use of it itself. If you're not using Thunder Wave, Signal Beam is a suitable replacement, as it hits Psychic- and Grass-types harder than Magnezone's other moves. Thunderbolt is Magnezone's go-to Electric-type move, though with proper teammates, Discharge and Thunder are viable as well. Hidden Power Ice has good coverage with Magnezone's Electric-type STAB, and Hidden Power Ground hits Fire-types and opposing Electric-types. Protect is a given for the last slot, especially when using an Earthquake user alongside Magnezone. Item-wise, Electric Gem provides the necessary power for Thunderbolt to OHKO specially defensive Togekiss, whereas Sitrus Berry heals Magnezone enough to let it take a few more neutral hits. Magnezone has a few more notable options for items and moves. Light Screen and Reflect are great support moves to use in the third slot, though they aren't as effective together because of the loss of Protect or Hidden Power that is caused in order to make room for dual screens. Magnezone is a reliable user of Gravity due to Sturdy, and can make use of its own Gravity by using Thunder. Air Balloon is an option if you're not using Gravity, though it announces itself and gives your opponent more incentive to break Magnezone's Sturdy. Magnezone can also function admirably under Trick Room, provided it has a Quiet nature and isn't using Thunder Wave. Reuniclus enjoys an accurate Focus Blast to take on Tyranitar and other Dark-types, provided Magnezone is using Gravity, and can set up Trick Room for Magnezone. Magnezone also appreciates Slowbro as a Trick Room using partner, since it is able to use Ice Beam or its choice of Water-type STAB moves to beat Fire- and Ground-types. Grass-types are also good partners for Magnezone because of Magnezone's inability to severely damage Gastrodon, Swampert or Rhyperior. Amoonguss is a fine example, as it is able to abuse the lack of Sleep Clause and can draw away Fighting-type moves, though it shares a Fire-type weakness with Magnezone. Ludicolo has no trouble beating down Magnezone checks with its superb Grass- and Water-type STAB combination, and if you're using Magnezone in rain, you have the option of using a Thunder that never misses. Ironically, while being Magnezone's greatest enemies, Garchomp and Mamoswine can make good partners for it too. They both enjoy paralysis and Gravity support, and in Mamoswine's case, can smack Ground-types with a STAB Icicle Crash. Be wary about using Earthquake around Magnezone however; a Protect and Earthquake combination can be easy to predict. Latios is also a good partner, as it can destroy the likes of Hitmontop, and is generally faster than Garchomp.

This is a sample set. We aren't working on BW Monotype analyses at the moment, but check out BW Monotype resources for more information about the metagame.

Magnezone can swamp into Choice Specs Latias Draco Meteor twice. This is a sample set. We aren't working on BW Monotype analyses at the moment, but check out BW Monotype resources for more information about the metagame.

Magnezone can easily use a Choice Scarf to remedy its middling Speed. Although it may seem inferior to Choice Scarf Magneton since Magneton, with its higher Speed, can revenge kill Darkrai and Shaymin-S, Magnezone is much bulkier. For example, many things that would only 3HKO Magnezone, 2HKO Magneton, such as Choice Scarf Palkia's Spacial Rend. If your team does not care about Darkrai or Shaymin-S, then Magnezone is definitely worth considering as a Choice Scarf user. Thunder is the main attacking move on this set, severely punishing anything that is not a Ground-type or Blissey. Hidden Power Ice complements Thunder quite nicely, forming a pseudo BoltBeam combination, which is unresisted in Ubers except by opposing Magnezone and Shedinja. It also allows Magnezone to check non-Choice Scarf Garchomp and Swords Dance Rayquaza, as Magnezone can outspeed and OHKO both with Hidden Power Ice (Magnezone also resists Extreme Speed in Rayquaza's case). Hidden Power Ice also allows Magnezone to inflict heavy damage to Groudon. Hidden Power Fire is an acceptable alternative if one does not want their ability to hurt Steel-types compromised by Thunder's accuracy being slashed by sunlight from Groudon. Thunderbolt is best in the third moveslot so Magnezone can still use a reliable STAB attack in case the weather is not suited for using Thunder. Flash Cannon is another viable option since it provides decent neutral coverage, its main use being to hit Tyranitar for super effective damage, who otherwise takes little from Magnezone's moves. Explosion rounds out the set quite nicely, taking out many special walls that Magnezone has trouble with at the cost of its own life. For example, Explosion deals 81.75% - 96.32% to 4 HP / 252 Defense Calm Blissey, meaning that with a little prior damage she will be OHKOed, which is great for opening up a sweep for one of your other Pokemon. Explosion also always OHKOes Latias after Stealth Rock damage, which is a great way to take out these otherwise problematic Pokemon. The EVs are pretty standard for a sweeper set. Max Speed with a Speed boosting nature is necessary for Magnezone, as it can outpace all base 110 Speed Pokemon. Max Special Attack is obvious so that Magnezone can hit as hard as possible. A Hasty nature is chosen over Timid to provide more power for Explosion. Although this Magnezone still likes the teammates mentioned in the Choice Specs set, more entry hazard support in the form of Stealth Rock and Spikes will be appreciated to help make up for this set's reduced power. Dialga shares weaknesses with Magnezone, but it is a reliable user of Stealth Rock that appreciates having Steel-type Pokemon removed, clearing the way for it to do major damage with its STAB Dragon-type moves. Froslass and Deoxys-S are both reliable users of Spikes, and the latter can also use Stealth Rock effectively.

Magnezone may seem like an odd choice for a slot on an Ubers team, but in reality that is not so. Magnezone has very good and numerous resistances to Dragon-, Dark-, Ghost-, Ice-, Electric-, and Normal-type attacks, making it very easy to switch in. Furthermore, Magnezone's base 130 Special Attack stat means that it can hit as hard as, if not harder than, the monstrous attackers in Ubers play. It also has a unique role in the ability to trap Steel-types, making it a very good check to Scizor, Forretress, Bronzong, and Metagross. Choice Specs tops it all off, bringing Magnezone's Special Attack stat all the way up to 591, making it a great hole-puncher and Steel trapper. Magnezone's Thunder is extremely powerful and will likely OHKO or 2HKO any Pokemon who does not resist it. For example, Palkia, Mewtwo, Lugia, and specially defensive Forretress are all always OHKOed after SR damage. Because of Thunder's low accuracy, however, it is strongly recommended to have Kyogre on your team to boost Thunder's accuracy to 100%, making attacking much easier. Hidden Power Ice always OHKOes Garchomp and Rayquaza as well as dishing out well over 50% damage to Max HP Groudon. Thunderbolt is an alternate attack just in case weather conditions are not favorable for usage of Thunder, such as in sunlight. Explosion allows Magnezone to pick off Blissey and Latias, but an OHKO is not guaranteed without a little prior damage. Flash Cannon is an alternative move to use over Explosion, but its only real use is to deal heavy damage to Tyranitar. Max Special Attack is needed to do as much damage as possible with this set. 48 Speed EVs allows Magnezone to outrun most Scizor; that way it can fry the Steel Bug with Thunder before it can escape with U-turn or KO Magnezone with Superpower. The rest of the EVs go into HP for some nice bulk. Mild is the recommended nature if you're using Explosion, but if not, Modest is the preferred nature so as to not needlessly lower Magnezone's defenses. Groudon and Garchomp are both immune to Thunder, Magnezone's main attack, and can either OHKO it with Earthquake or set up for a sweep (both of them need to watch out for Hidden Power Ice, however). A defensive Kyogre is capable of handling Garchomp and Groudon with ease, as Kyogre can take most of their attacks and can OHKO back with Surf. Rest + Sleep Talk Kyogre with Calm Mind can also use Blissey (who walls this Magnezone) as mere setup fodder, as well as countering Darkrai and most Mewtwo quite effectively. Kyogre also provides valuable rain support, which aids Magnezone greatly by making its Thunder 100% accurate. Latias can also switch in on Ground-type attacks from Garchomp and Groudon with ease, and is capable of OHKOing both with Dragon Pulse and Grass Knot respectively. Latias also counters most Palkia sets quite decently, and benefits from Magnezone removing enemy Steel-types. Choice Scarf Garchomp also benefits from the absence of Steel-types, and is capable of checking Palkia, Darkrai, Mewtwo, Latias, and opposing Garchomp thanks to its powerful STAB Dragon-type moves. Wobbuffet can't really be countered; however, using mixed attackers or status moves, such as Toxic, are helpful and weakening it to the point where it can no longer handle Magnezone.

Magnezone's good defenses and impressive slew of resistances allow it to become quite a good user of Reflect and Light Screen. Although this set may seem to be outclassed by Bronzong, who has Levitate and better overall defenses, Magnezone has resistances to Ghost-, Dark-, and Electric-type attacks, giving it additional opportunities to come in and set up. Magnezone also packs an all-important ability to trap Steel-types, allowing Magnezone to do much more team supporting for your sweepers than just setting up dual screens. Reflect and Light Screen are on the set for obvious reasons; the 8-turn boost to defenses can really aid your sweepers in doing their jobs. Thunder is a very strong STAB move that does significant damage to anything that does not resist it, notably OHKOing Skarmory and 2HKOing Forretress and Scizor after Stealth Rock damage. Hidden Power Fire is the preferred option in the fourth moveslot to allow Magnezone to KO Steel-types in the sunlight (Since it lowers Thunder's accuracy to 50%), but Explosion is another option to instantly remove a problem Pokemon and get in one of your sweepers in for free. If you don't have a need for Explosion, Thunderbolt can provide a reliable way of finishing off weakened Steel-type Pokemon. It can also be used over Thunder if your team does not have rain support, but the power drop is noticeable. The EVs are very straightforward. 48 Speed EVs allow Magnezone always to outrun 8 Speed Scizor, allowing it to deliver a fatal Thunder or Hidden Power Fire before the metal bug U-turns out to safety or uses Superpower in an attempt to KO Magnezone. Maximum HP is required so that Magnezone can take hits more easily while setting up. The remaining EVs go into Special Attack, backed with a Modest nature to give Magnezone enough power to kill enemy Steel-types. Magnezone focuses on assisting the team more than sweeping, so the best teammates for this set are sweepers than can abuse the dual screens and the removal of the foe's Steel-type Pokemon. The best choices by far for this role are offensive Dragon-types, as they can usually come in on most, if not all, of Magnezone's weaknesses, and can just spam their STAB moves with no repercussions thanks to the lack of Steel-type Pokemon on the enemy's side of the field. Rayquaza, Salamence, Latios, Latias, and Giratina-O are the best choices, since they resist all of Magnezone's weaknesses and have enough power and bulk to easily set up under the protection of the Reflect and Light Screen, which will often spell death for your opponent.

This very similar to the Choice Specs set, but instead Magnezone attempts to beat a few of its counters with Magnet Rise. By using Magnet Rise, Magnezone gains an immunity to Ground-type attacks for five turns. When Groudon or Garchomp, two of Magnezone's biggest counters, switch in on Magnet Rise, they will often be unable to touch Magnezone, allowing it to OHKO and 2HKO Garchomp and Groudon respectively with Hidden Power Ice. Thunder is once again present as a powerful attack to hurt anything that does not resist it. Explosion is still an option to cripple Blissey, Latias, and Wobbuffet switch-ins. Substitute can be used over Explosion to ease prediction, guard against status, and to possibly get a free hit on an incoming switch-in to Magnezone. Toxic is also useful as it hinders Latias and Giratina-O as they attempt to set up as well as crippling Lugia and defensive Groudon. There are three possible items for this set. Life Orb grants Magnezone the most power for its attacks, but the recoil detracts from its ability to switch in, especially if Substitute is being used. Magnet still gives a nice boost to Thunder, and helps keep Magnezone's health intact while possibly letting Magnezone bluff a Choice item. Expert Belt is usable since it increases damage output on targets weak to Magnezone's attacks without the recoil backlash, but Pokemon neutral to Magnezone's attacks will not suffer quite as much damage. Any of the teammates for the Choice Specs set work just as well with this one since they run into trouble against similar threats. However, a notable offensive teammate that works really well in tandem with this set is Swords Dance Garchomp. Garchomp really appreciates Magnezone's ability to trap and KO Steel-type Pokemon as well as weakening opposing Garchomp and Groudon, making it much easier for Garchomp to sweep. Magnezone is also a pretty hard counter to most Lugia sets, and it can give its life to KO Latias with Explosion. Both of these Pokemon can revenge kill Garchomp easily, so having them removed is very beneficial to the land shark. Garchomp can also come in on Fire-type attacks thrown at Magnezone, and it easily uses Blissey as set-up bait.