Malamar
DarkPsychic
Best attacking moveset: Psycho Cut and Foul Play, worth 10.3 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Malamar can learn 12 combinations. Psycho Cut with Foul Play does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peck | 10 | 1.0s | +10 | |
| Psycho Cut | Psychic | 4 | 0.5s | +7 |
| Psywave | Psychic | 4 | 0.5s | +7 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foul Play | Dark | 70 | 2.0s | -50 |
| Hyper Beam | Normal | 150 | 4.0s | -100 |
| Psybeam | Psychic | 65 | 3.0s | -50 |
| Super Power | Fighting | 85 | 3.0s | -50 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Malamar has been released. Players have found it from: wild, research, evolution, photobomb.
Other forms
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 2,667 at level 50, 2,359 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 1,347 CP at level 20, or 1,685 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 1,279 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 177 attack · 165 defense · 200 stamina |
What it costs
| Second charged move | 50,000 Stardust and 50 Candy |
|---|---|
| Buddy distance | 3 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 3,000 Stardust and 3 Candy |
| Size | 1.5 m and 47 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Malamar does not have one best moveset, it has 5. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Ghost, Psychic, Fighting.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Ghost | Psycho Cut + Foul Play | 14.1 |
| Psychic | Psycho Cut + Foul Play | 12.8 |
| Fighting | Psycho Cut + Psybeam | 12.4 |
| Poison | Psycho Cut + Psybeam | 12.4 |
| Normal | Psycho Cut + Super Power | 12.1 |
| Rock | Psycho Cut + Super Power | 12.1 |
| Ice | Psycho Cut + Super Power | 12.1 |
| Steel | Psycho Cut + Super Power | 11.0 |
| Dark | Peck + Super Power | 10.4 |
| Psycho Cut + Foul Play | 10.3 | |
| Ground | Psycho Cut + Foul Play | 10.3 |
| Bug | Psycho Cut + Foul Play | 10.3 |
| Fire | Psycho Cut + Foul Play | 10.3 |
| Water | Psycho Cut + Foul Play | 10.3 |
| Grass | Psycho Cut + Foul Play | 10.3 |
| Electric | Psycho Cut + Foul Play | 10.3 |
| Dragon | Psycho Cut + Foul Play | 10.3 |
| Fairy | Psycho Cut + Hyper Beam | 9.6 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Malamar is actually for.
Counters: what beats Malamar
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Pheromosa | BugFighting | Bug Bite + Bug Buzz | 50.4 |
 Volcarona | BugFire | Bug Bite + Bug Buzz | 42.4 |
 Kartana | GrassSteel | Fury Cutter + X Scissor | 41.5 |
 Heracross | BugFighting | Fury Cutter + Megahorn | 39.9 |
 Kleavor | BugRock | Fury Cutter + X Scissor | 39.5 |
 Genesect | BugSteel | Fury Cutter + X Scissor | 39.3 |
 Vikavolt | BugElectric | Bug Bite + X Scissor | 39.2 |
 Yanmega | Bug | Bug Bite + Bug Buzz | 37.4 |
 Pinsir | Bug | Fury Cutter + X Scissor | 37.3 |
 Frosmoth | IceBug | Bug Bite + Bug Buzz | 37.3 |
Ranked by damage per second against Malamar's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.