|
-
Hyper Cutter
- The wielder's Attack cannot be lowered.
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Mold Breaker
- Abilities that hinder attacks are nullified.
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Moxie
- Boosts Attack by one stage if the wielder knocks out another Pokemon.
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Level 50 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
65
|
- |
140 |
172 |
- |
| Atk |
125
|
130 |
145 |
177 |
194 |
| Def |
100
|
108 |
120 |
152 |
167 |
| SpA |
55
|
67 |
75 |
107 |
117 |
| SpD |
70
|
81 |
90 |
122 |
134 |
| Spe |
85
|
94 |
105 |
137 |
150 |
Overview
In the constant quest for dominance in the bug world, Pinsir can never seem to flip over its rivals. While its two pincers pose a formidable threat, they just can't stand up to Heracross's powerful (mega) horn and increased martial prowess. However, as long as Heracross is locked away in higher tiers, Pinsir can use its 125 base Attack and quality coverage unopposed. With its two spiked horns, Pinsir can unleash a powerful X-Scissor, eviscerating any foe that does not resist it. Pinsir also has excellent, high powered coverage moves, such as Close Combat, Stone Edge, and Earthquake. With these four moves, Pinsir has perfect neutral coverage on the whole tier. Pinsir can enhance its damage output even further with its ability Moxie; after a couple of KOs, Pinsir is incredibly hard to wall and the threat of Pinsir obtaining boosts can force your opponent into tricky situations. Pinsir's hard exoskeleton also provides an excellent defense against physical hits, meaning that a healthy Pinsir can sweep even with the presence of powerful priority users, such as Carracosta and Skuntank. Unfortunately, Pinsir is incredibly vulnerable to special attacks and like a hapless insect, it can easily be plucked away by swooping birds and squashed by rocks. The latter weakness is especially debilitating as Pinsir loses a quarter of its health every time it switches in on Stealth Rock. Although not slow, Pinsir isn't that fast either, meaning it can be outsped by a whole host of NU threats. However, Pinsir's versatility and sheer power is more than enough to make it viable on almost any team.
A pure attacking set takes advantage of Pinsir's coverage options perfectly. With its incredible Attack stat and powerful moves, your opponent will be hard pressed to find a decent switch-in to Pinsir. Although Pinsir doesn't get the deadlier Megahorn, it can still use the more accurate X-Scissor as its main STAB move. In a tier filled with Grass-, Psychic-, and Dark-types, Pinsir will have no trouble seeking out foes to destroy. Stone Edge provides excellent coverage alongside X-Scissor, hitting the Flying-, Fire-, and Ghost-types that X-Scissor misses out on. Close Combat is a unique coverage move that thanks to its high Base Power, hits just as hard as X-Scissor. With a powerful Fighting-type attack, Pinsir can slice its way through Steel- and Rock-types and generally hit hard. Substitute protects Pinsir from status and revenge killers hoping to take out Pinsir; it also eases prediction, as instead of trying to guess what Pokemon your opponent will switch in, Pinsir can set up a Substitute and react accordingly. Opponents hoping to juggle between resistances to stop Pinsir from grabbing a Moxie boost will be at a disadvantage once Pinsir sets up a Substitute. However, Earthquake can be used instead, if you believe residual damage and the health created from making Substitutes is too much. Earthquake obtains coverage on bulky Poison-types such as Garbodor and Arbok who can otherwise set up on Pinsir. Golurk, who otherwise resists all of Pinsir’s attacks, can be 2HKOd by Earthquake after Stealth Rock damage. Unlike the majority of sweepers, Pinsir doesn't need to setup thanks to Moxie; after KOing one of the opposition, Pinsir will get its Attack stat boosted. From there on, Pinsir should have no trouble sweeping late-game if there are no longer any faster Pokemon on the opponent's team.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The simple EV spread makes the most of Pinsir's sheer killing power. With full investment in Attack and Speed, Pinsir can outspeed and lay waste to as much of NU as possible. The remaining EVs are placed in Defense as with an odd amount of HP, Pinsir takes less damage from Stealth Rock. A Jolly nature is chosen to let Pinsir catch up to its natural Speed tier; with a Jolly nature, Pinsir can outspeed anything slower than max Speed Skuntank. An Adamant nature can be used to bolster Pinsir's Attack stat, however, after a few Moxie boosts, the boost from an Adamant nature becomes irrelevant as Pinsir will be able to OHKO almost everything in its path. With an Adamant nature, Pinsir is outsped by Timid Gardevoir and Jolly Braviary who are both popular threats that can OHKO Pinsir. If you choose to run Substitute in the last slot, Leftovers is the best item for Pinsir to hold. Without the constant recovery, Pinsir will be too quickly worn down by residual damage and the health lost making Substitutes. If you instead opt to run Earthquake, then use a Life Orb for the added damage output.
Although Pinsir has perfect coverage with its four attacks, there are still alternative moves that Pinsir can use. Quick Attack is Pinsir's only priority attack, although it is quite weak even after a Moxie boost, it can still be used to finish off weakened revenge killers such as Rotom-S and Braviary. As Quick Attack is illegal with Close Combat, it is best used in conjunction with Earthquake so Pinsir still has coverage against Rock- and Steel-types. Swords Dance is Pinsir's best boosting move and can be used instead of Substitute to skyrocket Pinsir's attack stat after just one turn. After a boost, Pinsir can devastate slower teams, such as stall teams; however, Pinsir can achieve a similar result with Moxie which makes Swords Dance less useful unless your team is very weak to stall or you just want to harness the unbridled levels of power that Pinsir can achieve.
In order for Pinsir to successfully sweep, some obstacles must be weakened or removed. Ghost-types such as Misdreavus and Golurk are the greatest threats to Pinsir as they resist or are immune to Pinsir's two strongest attacks. Skuntank is excellent at removing Ghost-types from play, so it is a great partner to Pinsir; a powerful Pursuit ensures that these Ghosts will not be returning to haunt Pinsir. Poison-types, especially those that aren't hit hard by Earthquake, are also troublesome. A Psychic-type such as Gardevoir or Musharna can comfortably eliminate Weezing and Vileplume, while they can also provide Pinsir with Heal Bell or Wish support. Pinsir is also vulnerable to Choice Scarf users so it is best if they are removed before Pinsir attempts to begin a sweep.
The combination of Choice Scarf and Moxie is well known and well used. It is used extensively by Salamence, Heracross, and Honchkrow in the upper tiers, leaving Pinsir as the only viable Moxie abuser in NU. With Moxie boosting Pinsir's attack stat, and Choice Scarf patching up its Speed, Pinsir can act as both a revenge killer and a deadly sweeper. After an easily obtainable revenge kill, Pinsir has the equivalent of a Choice Scarf and Choice Band boost. X-Scissor is Pinsir's STAB attack and will be the move chosen most of the time, with dangerous threats such as Gardevoir, Musharna, Zangoose, and Swoobat running amok. Close Combat is just as powerful as X-Scissor and has excellent super effective coverage; however, its negative Defense and Special Defense drops leave Pinsir extremely vulnerable to priority attacks, so it should be used with caution. Stone Edge provides Pinsir with vital coverage, as it allows Pinsir to successfully revenge kill dangerous threats such as Braviary and Charizard. However, Stone Edge should rarely be used when attempting a late-game sweep as it has infuriating accuracy and a lower base power than X-Scissor and Close Combat. Lastly, Earthquake provides Pinsir with some extra coverage against foes such as Garbodor, Ampharos, and Golurk who can otherwise switch in comfortably.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The choice of nature depends on whether you want Pinsir to be foremost a sweeper or revenge killer. An Adamant nature secures Pinsir important KOs, such as that of Offensive Torterra and Leafeon with X-Scissor, Rotom-S and Braviary with Stone Edge after Stealth Rock, and standard Sawk with a +1 Close Combat after Stealth Rock damage. Jolly on the other hand, allows Pinsir to outspeed other Choice Scarf users such as Gardevoir and Braviary. The EV spread is standard, with the remaining EVs placed in Defense to lower Stealth Rock damage and possibly allow Pinsir to switch in on Stealth Rock four times without fainting. Moxie is what makes Pinsir unique; unlike other revenge killers, Pinsir is rarely setup bait after a KO as even if the opponent resists Pinsir's attack, the power from Moxie will force it to deal with Pinsir quickly. Once the opponent's team has been weakened, Pinsir can go on a Moxie fueled sweep to swiftly end the game.
As Pinsir is walled by common physical walls such as Misdreavus, Weezing, and Alomomola, a powerful wallbreaker or lure is a great partner for Pinsir. Golurk can beat common physical walls with some prediction and pave the way for a Pinsir sweep. As Choice Scarf Pinsir struggles to defeat bulkier Pokemon even with a Moxie boost, entry hazards such as Stealth Rock and Spikes help immensely when sweeping. For example, Cradily, Serperior, and offensive Golem are all OHKOd by the appropriate move after Stealth Rock and two layers of Spikes. Although Pinsir has its Speed boosted by Choice Scarf, it is still vulnerable to faster Choice Scarf users especially with an Adamant nature; Wynaut is one of the best Pokemon to remove Choice Scarf users, however, if you do not wish to use Wynaut then ensure that opposing revenge killers are removed before sending Pinsir in to sweep.
Other Options
Pinsir's unique moveset and extreme versatility means that there is almost always a Pinsir set to suit your needs. If a powerful wallbreaker is required to batter through stall teams, then Choice Band or Swords Dance Pinsir can be used. Both can hit extremely hard and are not dependent on Moxie to sweep through slower teams. Pinsir can also utilize a Salac Berry to boost its middling Speed. After a Swords Dance and Salac boost, Pinsir can easily sweep late-game. An even more risky option is the combination of Endure plus Salac Berry and Flail to execute a strategy that is deadly if the opponent doesn't have a priority move or any faster Choice Scarf users. Pinsir can also set up Stealth Rock for your team, and with Mold Breaker as well as Close Combat, Pinsir can work as a great "lead", scaring off common leads such as Probopass and Torterra while setting up Stealth Rock for your team. Bulk Up is an alternative setup move that Pinsir can use, though the only reason to use it is to boost Pinsir's decent Defense stat. However, it does nothing to shore up Pinsir's lackluster Special Defense stat which can easily be taken advantage of. Pinsir can also use weaker coverage moves such as Brick Break and Rock Slide as they have fewer side effects such as defense drops and lower accuracy. However, the power difference is noticeable when compared to Close Combat and Stone Edge.
Checks and Counters
Restraining a Pokemon as strong as Pinsir is no mean feat, with physical walls such as Tangela and Musharna easily falling to Pinsir's STAB attacks. However, there are a few Pokemon that can safely switch in on Pinsir. Misdreavus is Pinsir's greatest foe, as it is immune to two of Pinsir's coverage moves thanks to Levitate and its Ghost typing, while also resisting Pinsir's powerful STAB X-Scissor. With Defense investment and an Eviolite, Misdreavus can take even a Swords Dance boosted Stone Edge and cripple Pinsir with Will-O-Wisp. Golurk is another ghost that troubles Pinsir, as its part Ground typing gives it a handy resistance to Stone Edge, meaning that only Earthquake will be doing a large amount to Golurk. Exceptionally bulky physical walls not weak to any of Pinsir's attacks are also decent switch-ins, although they will also fall once Pinsir obtains numerous Moxie boosts. Alomomola and Vileplume can take two of Pinsir's unboosted attacks and retaliate with status moves, such as Toxic, Spore, or Stun Spore. However, they can both be beaten if Pinsir runs Swords Dance and Substitute to avoid status from Alomomola. Specially based Pokemon faster than Pinsir, especially those with a Choice Scarf, can safely revenge kill Pinsir. Haunter and Electabuzz are both reliable options; however, the strongest revenge killing response to Pinsir is no doubt Rotom-S. Rotom-S fears only the unreliable Stone Edge and can otherwise switch in comfortably and revenge kill Pinsir with either a super effective STAB Air Slash or gain momentum with Volt Switch. Priority is also a way to revenge kill Pinsir; however, as most priority attacks are physical, they are unlikely to be able to kill Pinsir unless it is severely weakened. Sucker Punch users also have to be wary of sets with Substitute who can set up on Sucker Punch. Entry hazards are also a great way of making Pinsir a lesser threat; Stealth Rock chips off 25% of Pinsir's health every time it switches in. If you can quickly get hazards on the field while preventing Pinsir from accumulating more than one Moxie boost, then Pinsir should not be too dangerous.
