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Magnet Pull
- Prevents Steel-type Pokemon from switching. Increases the chance of encountering a Steel-type Pokemon in the wild.
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Sturdy
- If the wielder is at full HP, it will survive any attack. OHKO moves will fail.
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Analytic
- Raises the power of all moves by 30% if the wielder moves last.
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Level 5 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
50
|
- |
21 |
24 |
- |
| Atk |
60
|
10 |
12 |
15 |
16 |
| Def |
95
|
14 |
16 |
19 |
20 |
| SpA |
120
|
16 |
18 |
21 |
23 |
| SpD |
70
|
11 |
13 |
16 |
17 |
| Spe |
70
|
11 |
13 |
16 |
17 |
Overview
In the land of Pokemon, Steel-types are truly an ever-present nuisance. OU has Magnezone to help keep the Steel population under control, but where can we turn for Steel-extermination in RU? Fear not, for RU has a steel killer of its own. Just three balls are all it takes; three worthless Magnemite stuck together create the power that makes all Steel-types tremble in its wake. These three Little Cup Pokemon combine to form the monster known only by one name: Magneton. A plethora of resistances, the ability to use Eviolite, and the highest Special Attack out of any Electric-type in RU make Magneton a force to be reckoned with.
Magneton's ability, Magnet Pull, allows it to successfully trap and KO an opposing Steel-types, possibly gaining a free Substitute in the process. Ferroseed and Klinklang cannot harm Magneton with any of their moves, allowing it to set up a Substitute without fear. Magneton is quite scary with a Substitute up, as its base 120 Special Attack allows it to do a ton of damage to the Pokemon that switches in after Magneton KOes a Steel-type. Thunderbolt is Magneton's primary STAB attack, hitting anything that does not resist it for major damage. Hidden Power Fire is the main choice for the third slot in order to annihilate Escavalier, as well as hitting most of the other Steel-types in RU for super effective damage. Hidden Power Fighting on the other hand OHKOes Aggron, while also hitting Ferroseed, Steelix, Probopass, and opposing Magneton for super effective damage. Volt Switch is great for scouting switch-ins if you are not specifically using Magneton to trap Steel-types, but Charge Beam gives Magneton the ability to set up on trapped defensive Steel-types that are unable to break its Substitutes.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The Special Attack EVs make Magneton hit as hard as possible. The Speed EVs allow Magneton to outrun max Speed base 50 Speed Pokemon, specifically Adamant Aggron, after factoring in the reduced Speed IV required by Hidden Power Fighting. 156 HP EVs maximize Magneton's defenses in tandem with Eviolite, giving it the possibility of surviving two of Choice Band Aggron's Head Smashes. Alternatively, you can use an EV spread of 36 HP / 252 SpA / 220 Spe to outpace max Speed base 55 Speed Pokemon, mainly Timid Omastar, as well as minimum Speed base 95 Speed Pokemon, such as Uxie and specially defensive Drapion. Again, the extra 4 Speed EVs are to make up for Hidden Power Fighting.
Hidden Power Ice can be used instead of Hidden Power Fighting if you want to hit Dragon- and Grass-types, and Hidden Power Grass can be used to hit Lanturn and Quagsire. Hidden Power Fire hits Ferroseed twice as hard as Hidden Power Fighting, but Ferroseed is the ideal setup fodder for Magneton, so there is no reason to sacrifice coverage against Aggron and Probopass in a rush to KO it faster. Flash Cannon is another option; it hits Rock-types, particularly Rhydon, and Cryogonal harder than Hidden Power Fighting. Magnet Rise might seem like an attractive option to remove Magneton's 4x weakness to Ground, but there aren't many situations where it actually helps Magneton do its job. Magneton outspeeds and OHKOes Aggron with Hidden Power Fighting, so there's no need for Magnet Rise in that match-up, and Steelix usually carries Roar, which makes it impossible to trap and set up on anyway.
Pokemon that have trouble dealing with Steel-types make great partners for Magneton. A Pokemon with U-turn, such as Scyther, can lure in Steel-types and form the VoltTurn combination with Magneton. Other good partners include Rotom, Spiritomb, Klinklang, Druddigon, and Lilligant, as they have trouble getting past Steel-types. Rotom is also immune to two of Magneton's three weaknesses, while Magneton resists the Dark- and Ghost-type moves that Rotom fears.
Choice Scarf Magneton makes for a great revenge killer that can also trap Steel-types. With Volt Switch, it has the ability to scout switch-ins and pivot. Thunderbolt is the primary STAB option that hits hard due to Magneton's high base 120 Special Attack. Flash Cannon provides a secondary STAB option and also hits Rock-types such as Rhydon and Crustle super effectively. Hidden Power Fire holds the main slot for the fourth move due to its ability to eliminate Escavalier handily, as well as getting a super effective hit on most of the other Steel-types in RU. Hidden Power Fighting, Hidden Power Ice, or Hidden Power Grass can be used in the last moveslot as well depending on what you want it to hit. Hidden Power Fighting OHKOes Aggron and 2HKOes Steelix and Probopass, allowing Magneton to keep its title of "Steel Killer." However, Magneton can use Hidden Power Ice instead to revenge kill Dragon- and Grass-types, or Hidden Power Grass to hit Lanturn, Quagsire, and Ground-type Pokemon such as Sandslash.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The listed EVs maximize Magneton's Special Attack and allow it to outspeed neutral-natured Choice Scarf Pokemon with base 80 Speed and under. Even though Magneton loses some bulk due to the lack of Eviolite, a Choice Scarf turns Magneton into a solid offensive threat.
Choice Scarf Magneton works well on offensive teams and can help by eliminating Steel-types and gaining momentum with Volt Switch. Klinklang and Lilligant appreciate this the most, as they hate opposing Steel-types and can benefit from the momentum by setting up a Shift Gear or Quiver Dance, respectively. Pokemon with U-turn, such as Scyther, Moltres, and Primeape, can form an effective VoltTurn combination with Magneton. Be careful when using this strategy, however, as Ground-type Pokemon, Lanturn, and Manectric are common and can prevent Magneton from using Volt Switch. To counter this, a Pokemon that can eliminate the aforementioned threats, such as Sceptile or Lilligant, makes a great partner.
With a solid base 120 Special Attack, Magneton is a prime candidate for a Choice Specs set. This set hits very hard right off the bat while also reliably trapping Steel-types, most notably Escavalier. Unlike other sets, this one also has more use outside of simply trapping Steel-types; thanks to its Electric / Steel typing granting it a vast number of resistances and a decent base 70 Speed, Magneton can also check common threats such as Absol, Kabutops, and Feraligatr. Magneton also hits harder than every other Electric-type in RU, giving it the edge over its competition. Thunderbolt is a great STAB move that can also pummel Aggron, Klinklang, and Water-types with ease. Flash Cannon provides a much-needed secondary STAB to hit Rhydon and Sandslash while providing solid overall coverage with Thunderbolt. Hidden Power Fire nails Steelix and Ferroseed, two common Steel-types in the tier that don't mind Flash Cannon or Thunderbolt. Finally, Volt Switch is chosen as the last move to allow Magneton to get out of play if needed while dealing reasonable damage and gaining momentum.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
A Timid nature is chosen to get the Speed edge over neutral-natured Absol and Kabutops. However, a Modest nature is a viable alternative to allow Magneton to OHKO Slowking without entry hazard support if your team already has a way to deal with these threats. Magnet Pull is the chosen ability, as Magneton still aims to trap Steel-types while being a hard hitter. However, Analytic is a useful ability as well if trapping Steel-types is not required for Magneton, and it might appreciate the extra damage output against Pokemon it can't outspeed. It is also noteworthy that Analytic activates even if the opponent switches out, meaning Magneton can be significantly harder to switch into in some cases. A bulkier EV spread of 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA is usable with Analytic to minimize Speed and maximize Magneton's damage output. Hidden Power Ground is a usable option over Hidden Power Fire if Lanturn is a problem for your team, but the move is fairly useless otherwise and Magneton will then lose the ability to eliminate Ferroseed and Escavalier.
With Magneton's primary job being to remove Steel-types, it pairs up well with any Pokemon that benefit from the removal of such Pokemon, most notably Druddigon, Cinccino, Swellow, and Mesprit; the latter three can use U-turn to allow Magneton to come in safely while forming a VoltTurn core with it. Magneton appreciates entry hazard support, with Smeargle, Scolipede, and Crustle all being great options for this. Pursuit trappers, such as Absol, Drapion, and Spiritomb, are useful to trap Pokemon that resist Volt Switch such as Roselia. Rotom is also an option for a teammate because it sports decent defensive synergy with Magneton.
Due to the fact that Magneton has more resistances than any other Pokemon in the game, as well as being able to utilize Eviolite, it has the ability to run a very sturdy tank set. Essentially sporting defenses of 304 / 339 / 393, it makes an excellent check to hail teams, being able to comfortably wall Pokemon such as Rotom-F due to its resistance to BoltBeam, and it's one of the very few Pokemon that isn't 2HKOed by a Choice Specs Glaceon's Blizzard. Magneton's specially defensive capabilities are so impressive that it's not OHKOed by a Life Orb Moltres's Flamethrower even after Stealth Rock, and Magneton easily OHKOes with Thunderbolt in return.
Thunderbolt is Magneton's most powerful and reliable attack and is a staple on this set, as it excels at taking down bulky Water-types. Flash Cannon is a secondary STAB move that has good coverage in conjunction with Thunderbolt, only missing out on Steelix, Ferroseed, and opposing Electric-types. It's also crucial as it gives Magneton a way to OHKO Glaceon and Jynx and 2HKO Rotom-F. RestTalk, while normally an unreliable strategy, is Magneton's only method of recovery, but due to great bulk and its massive slew of resistances, Magneton pulls it off remarkably well. Analytic is the ability of choice on this set, as without Special Attack investment, Magneton doesn't hit particularly hard. However, with Analytic, Magneton has the equivalent of 360 Special Attack, higher than even Timid Moltres, if it moves second that is.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The EVs are rather straightforward, maximizing Magneton's specially defensive capabilities. This set absolutely thrives on proper team support. Alomomola is an excellent partner, being able to easily take on powerful physical attackers, such as Entei and Emboar, while also being able to pass Magneton massive Wishes, especially since Magneton sports resistances to the Grass- and Electric-type moves often aimed at it. This also means that Magneton doesn't need to be as reliant on Rest and Sleep Talk. Uxie is another phenomenal partner, easily tanking the Ground- and Fighting-type moves aimed at Magneton. Furthermore, it can provide Magneton with Heal Bell support should Magneton have already used Rest. Misdreavus is in the same boat as Uxie, and can also provide Will-O-Wisp support so that Magneton will face weaker physical attacks.
Magnet Pull is still a useful ability on Magneton, but generally speaking, this set needs the additional damage output provided by Analytic in order to defeat the threats it's supposed to be dealing with. That said, should your team have massive issues with Escavalier, Ferroseed, or Klinklang, Magneton can feasibly run Magnet Pull together with Hidden Power Fire over Flash Cannon in order to safely eliminate them. Hidden Power Fire also maintains super effective coverage on the Ice-types found on hail teams. Volt Switch is an appealing move on a defensive pivot such as Magneton, but you don't want to accidentally reset your sleep timer, and it's only really an option if you pack a solid cleric. Finally, Magneton can run a Sassy nature with 0 Speed IVs should you want to be able to hit a wider range of Pokemon harder with Analytic boosted attacks, but Magneton has above average Speed for a tank and it would be a shame to waste it, and the reduced Speed means that Magneton would miss out on Poliwrath, Tangrowth, and some Rhydon variants.
Other Options
Magneton has a few other options that it can use, which all depend on your team. It can run a dual screen or Rain Dance set to support the rest of the team; however, doing so will require Magneton to use either Light Clay or Damp Rock, making it much less bulky due to the loss of Eviolite. Toxic can be used to cripple opposing walls such as Cryogonal, and Thunder Wave can be used to dismantle opposing offensive Pokemon such as Sceptile. Finally, if you don't need Magneton to trap Steel-types, it can use Analytic instead of Magnet Pull with a Quiet nature to become one of the most powerful special attackers in the tier.
Checks and Counters
Despite having a plethora of resistances, Magneton is still weak to many common Pokemon. Lanturn and Quagsire are the most reliable counters, as they resist all of Magneton's moves bar Hidden Power Grass. Opposing Magneton can trap it and deal lots of damage with Hidden Power Fighting. Other Pokemon that resist Magneton's moves include bulky Ground-types, such as Sandslash, and Dragon-types, mainly Druddigon.
Pokemon with a good Special Defense stat are also good counters to Magneton. Cryogonal and Munchlax can defeat Magneton with Ice Beam and Body Slam, respectively, due to Magneton's lack of recovery. They can also wipe out Magneton's Special Attack boosts from Charge Beam with Haze and Whirlwind. Clefable is another good counter, knocking out Magneton's Substitutes with Seismic Toss and healing off damage with Wish.
Finally, Magneton has weaknesses to many common types, mainly to Fire-, Ground-, and Fighting-type attacks. Thus, Entei, Moltres, Gallade, Choice Scarf Primeape, and Golurk are all effective checks. Another solid check is Manectric; it can come into an Electric-type attack and get a Lightningrod boost, then KO with either Flamethrower or Overheat.
