This set is designed to eliminate sturdy Steel-types like Bronzong, Forretress, and Skarmory. Magnet Rise stops any attempts to hit Magnezone with Earthquake, while Substitute provides protection from status-inducing moves like Hypnosis as well as Explosion. Since Magnezone resists most of the attacks Steel-types carry (other than Earthquake), it can often keep its Substitute intact after a kill, which makes revenge-killing it much harder. Hidden Power Ice is useful for Gliscor and Flygon, while Hidden Power Grass gives Magnezone an effective way to hit Swampert. Even with Magnet Rise, Magnezone should beware of switching into non-Choiced Metagross; it has ten more base Speed than Magnezone, so it can use Earthquake before Magnezone is able to Magnet Rise. Due to the nature of this set, sweepers that enjoy having opposing Steel-types eliminated are good partners for Magnezone. Salamence and other Dragon-types appreciate the freedom to freely use their STAB attacks. Salamence also resists or is immune to every type Magnezone is weak to and vice-versa. Gengar also makes a great partner due to its ability to threaten Blissey, Rotom-A, and Latias and its immunity to Ground- and Fighting-type attacks. Gengar benefits from Magnezone's ability to eliminate Choice Band Scizor, one of its most common checks. Since this set is designed to Magnet Rise on slower and bulkier Pokemon, its EVs favor bulk over Speed. 84 Speed EVs are enough to outpace most Scizor as well as Skarmory. Special Attack is maximized with a Modest nature, and the remaining EVs are placed into HP.
Giving Magnezone a Choice Scarf alleviates many of its Speed worries; this set hits 360 Speed (358 with Hidden Power Fire), which outruns every non-Choice Scarfed Steel-type. This lets Magnezone effectively revenge kill Swords Dance Lucario, Scizor, weakened Metagross, and even Scarfed Heatran locked into Dragon Pulse or Hidden Power Ice, while still retaining the Steel Killer's ability to eliminate Skarmory and Forretress. Thunderbolt is Magnezone's main attack, while Hidden Power Fire scores an OHKO on all but the bulkiest Scizor and Forretress. Hidden Power Ice is an option that lets Magnezone revenge kill Outraging Salamence, Dragonite, and Flygon. Flash Cannon is a decent secondary STAB that hits Tyranitar and Mamoswine for super effective damage. In the final slot, Toxic can wear down counters such as Cresselia, Latias, and Swampert, while Explosion can be used to take out problem Pokemon and do heavy damage to Blissey (with a Naive nature, it OHKOes 0 HP / 252 Def Blissey 59% of the time with Stealth Rock). This set's main problem is being locked into a move after it has eliminated a Pokémon, so it is necessary to focus on defensive synergy. Celebi is a good partner due to its resistance to Ground- and Fighting-type attacks as well as its ability to beat bulky Grounds like Swampert and Hippowdon. Bulky Water-types can switch into Fire attacks, and have the defenses to take boosted hits from sweepers like Salamence and Gyarados. Gyarados can switch into Ground- and Fighting-type attacks aimed at Magnezone easily due to Intimidate, and can also take on Choice Scarf Heatran and full health Swords Dance Lucario (since Magnezone's Thunderbolt doesn't OHKO).
Unlike other Magnezone sets, this one focuses on using Charge Beam to boost its Special Attack against trapped Steel-types and go for a sweep afterward. Magnezone has distinct advantages over its fellow SubSalac and Charge Beam sweepers: Magnet Pull gives it a niche in setting up on Choiced Jirachi and Scizor, and its unique Electric / Steel typing grants it an immunity to sand damage and resistances to Bullet Punch, ExtremeSpeed, and Ice Shard. Charge Beam is the crux of the set, and lets Magnezone get multiple boosts against a trapped Steel-type. Substitute protects Magnezone from status effects (especially paralysis), makes it harder for a faster Pokemon to revenge kill it, and helps activate Magnezone's Salac Berry. Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ice offer Magnezone the best coverage in OU. Hidden Power Grass is an option to hit Swampert and Mamoswine, but Celebi and Latias will wall you; Flash Cannon is an alternate STAB that is useful against Tyranitar and Mamoswine, but leaves you hopelessly walled by Swampert. The given Speed EVs produce a 234 Speed stat, which allows Magnezone to outspeed +nature base 110 Speed Pokemon after its Salac Berry activates. Special Attack is maximized, and the remaining EVs are placed into HP (its HP stat is divisible by four, which means the Salac Berry will activate after three Substitutes). An alternate EV spread of 228 HP / 100 Def / 84 SpA / 96 SpD with Leftovers lets Magnezone set up with greater ease against stall teams; this spread lets it survive four Seismic Tosses from Blissey. Useful offensive partners for this Magnezone include Trick Rotom-A, Latias, and Gengar, since they tend to lure in Steel-types and can trick them Choice items. They each resist or are immune to Fighting- and Ground-type attacks, while Latias also resists Fire-type attacks, which means an opposing Pokemon will almost never select an attack that is effective against Magnezone. Magnezone has trouble breaking through bulky Pokemon like Swampert, Blissey, and Rotom-A, while it can be revenge killed by faster Pokemon like Starmie and Azelf. Toxic Spikes can greatly hamper the longevity of Swampert and Blissey, while a strong Pursuit user such as Tyranitar can eliminate Rotom-A and Latias.
This set takes full advantage of the fact that Magnezone has the highest Special Attack out of all the Electric Pokemon. Thunderbolt destroys anything that doesn't resist it or isn't a dedicated special wall. For example, a Timid Choice Specs Thunderbolt deals 83.43% - 98.49% to a min HP / min SpD Salamence. This alone makes Hidden Power Grass the best option on this set to OHKO Swampert and Rhyperior. Flash Cannon is, as always, a useful secondary STAB that hits Tyranitar and Mamoswine super effectively. Finally, Explosion lets Magnezone go out with a bang at low health, and can maim Blissey or Snorlax. Modest is the preferred nature to deal as much damage as possible. However, an alternate spread of 252 SpA / 252 Spe with a Timid nature allows Magnezone to reach 240 Speed, which beats Adamant Scizor (who is OHKOed after Stealth Rock) and Adamant Metagross (by one point). It is also possible to use a Mild or Naive nature to boost Explosion's power. Magnezone's subpar Speed is its main handicap, so it greatly appreciates paralysis support. Celebi is a great choice for spreading paralysis, since it resists Magnezone's Ground and Fighting weaknesses and can take on bulky Grounds easily. This set's greater focus on sweeping makes Tyranitar a good teammate; it can easily switch into Blissey, Heatran, and Latias, which are the biggest immediate threats to Magnezone, and finish them off with Stone Edge, Crunch, or Pursuit.
This set takes full advantage of Magnezone's high Special Attack but retains the ability to switch attacks by using a Life Orb. As always, Thunderbolt is Magnezone's main STAB; factoring in Life Orb, it is actually more powerful than Specs Jolteon's Thunderbolt. Hidden Power Grass is preferred because it can OHKO Swampert; Hidden Power Ice is not recommended because most of its targets (such as Flygon, Gliscor, and Salamence) are faster than Magnezone and carry attacks that will OHKO. Flash Cannon is a secondary STAB that can effectively hit Tyranitar, and is also Magnezone's best option against Latias apart from Explosion. Finally, Explosion will OHKO a Calm Blissey 100% of the time. Magnet Rise is useful if a Ground-type switches in, since most cannot hit Magnezone effectively outside of Earthquake. Metal Sound is an interesting option that lets Thunderbolt get an easy 3HKO against Calm Blissey after just a single Special Defense drop. This is Magnezone's most diverse set, and, depending on which attacks it carries, allows it to beat some of its counters. However, both Gliscor and Flygon can switch in with relative ease and immediately threaten Magnezone with Earthquake. Latias makes a great partner to Magnezone, since it can switch in on Ground and Fighting attacks while Magnezone traps the Steel-types that resist its STAB. However, Latias must be wary of Flygon's U-turn when switching into a predicted Earthquake. Latias can also switch into Salamence's Fire Blasts or Earthquakes and threaten an OHKO with Dragon Pulse. Gliscor is another good partner because it has decent defensive synergy with Magnezone and can also Baton Pass Agilities.
The purpose of this set is to use Magnezone's unique typing and rare ability to set up dual screens for a setup sweeper or Baton Passer. Along with Forretress, it is one of only two Pokemon with access to both screens and a resistance to Dark- and Ghost-type attacks. The moveset is extremely straightforward. Use both Reflect and Light Screen, then Explode to let a sweeper switch in for free. Thunderbolt and Discharge let Magnezone attack if necessary. If you feel comfortable with having Explosion as Magnezone's only attack, there are several support options for the last slot. Thunder Wave helps circumvent Magnezone's low Speed, while Magnet Rise gives Magnezone the luxury of being able to set up on Pokemon like Swampert and Hippowdon. Magnezone also has access to both Rain Dance and Sunny Day. If you opt for one of the weather moves, Damp Rock or Heat Rock can be used over Light Clay. With the given HP and Defense EVs, Magnezone will never be 2HKOed by an Adamant Jirachi's Fire Punch and will never be OHKOed by a standard Bronzong's Earthquake (without Reflect). The Special Defense EVs allow Magnezone to never be OHKOed by a Timid Heatran's Fire Blast or Timid Gengar's Focus Blast (without Light Screen). Team OptionsTo make the most of Magnezone's unique ability, it should be paired both with Pokemon that lure Steel-types and Pokemon that can take advantage of the absence of Steels. Latias and Gengar tend to attract Scizor, while Dragon-types in general lure bulkier steels like Metagross and Bronzong. By eliminating the opponent's Steel Pokemon, Magnezone can make it much easier for Dragon Dance Salamence or Calm Mind Latias to sweep. Magnezone has trouble with specially defensive Pokemon like Blissey, Snorlax, and Latias, while Rotom-A may also cause problems due to its typing. A strong Pursuit user like Tyranitar can easily weaken or eliminate these Pokemon due to their subpar Defense. Magnezone's weaknesses can be easily covered with a Gyarados, who can also set up on Heatran and Lucario (who are the most common switch-ins after Magnezone has fainted a Pokemon). Salamence and Latias also have good defensive synergy with Magnezone, although Latias is probably the better choice for switching into Fire Blasts due to its higher Special Defense. In return, Magnezone resists Rock-type attacks aimed at Gyarados or Salamence and Ice- and Dark-type attacks aimed at Latias. Celebi resists Ground- and Fighting-type attacks and can spread paralysis with Thunder Wave, while Tyranitar can help eliminate Blissey, Rotom-A, and Blissey while also resisting Fire-type attacks. Generally, the specially defensive Pokemon that wall Magnezone are paired with physically bulky Pokemon, so mixed attackers can break open the opponent's team. Mixed Salamence is able to hit both physical and special-based walls for high amounts of damage with Draco Meteor and Outrage. Most of the common teammates of Pokemon that threaten Magnezone are actually beaten by Magnezone itself, which means you can focus on using teammates to beat Magnezone's counters. Other OptionsThunder Wave makes up for Magnezone's poor Speed, and works well with Substitute. You can set up Substitutes against a paralyzed Pokémon and attack safely when it is fully paralyzed. Having a Substitute still intact after a KO will stop Heatran or Infernape from revenge killing Magnezone at no cost. Similarly, Discharge can be used over Thunderbolt on most sets for the higher paralysis rate at the cost of losing a little power. A Rest + Sleep Talk set can take advantage of Magnezone's unique defensive typing. Magnezone has access to Rain Dance, which allows Magnezone to use a powerful STAB Thunder while eliminating its Fire weakness at the same time. Mirror Coat can be a nasty surprise to special attackers. Toxic can help wear down many of Magnezone's counters, especially Ground-types. Protect can be used with Toxic to scout attacks and wear the opponent's HP down. Signal Beam can hit Celebi, but is largely useless outside of that. Hidden PowerThere are many Hidden Power types that Magnezone can use well. Most sets give the option of choosing between Hidden Power Ice and Hidden Power Grass. Hidden Power Ice gives coverage against Gliscor and Flygon, while Hidden Power Grass is useful mostly for Swampert and Rhyperior. With Hidden Power Grass, Flash Cannon can still hit Flygon and Gliscor for decent damage, while using Hidden Power Ice will leave you more or less helpless against Swampert. Hidden Power Fire can OHKO Scizor and Forretress. It works best on the Choice Scarf set and is a decent option on the Steel Killer. Hidden Power Ground can hit Electivire and Jolteon for super effective damage as well as severely damage Heatran and opposing Magnezone. EVsThe minimum Speed Magnezone should ever run is 177, which is enough to outspeed minimum Speed Skarmory. This requires 84 EVs when using a neutral nature. The next significant benchmark would be to run 181 Speed, which requires 100 Speed EVs with a neutral Speed nature, to outrun faster versions of Scizor. 190 Speed allows you to best Heatran that don't invest in Speed. Using a Timid nature with 184 Speed EVs edges out Adamant Tyranitar, but it is often better to use a Timid nature with 216 EVs in order to also beat Adamant Scizor and defensive Gliscor. Max Speed with a Timid nature beats Adamant Metagross and Adamant Breloom by 1 point. In general, Magnezone's sets use enough Speed EVs to achieve a desired benchmark, then maximize Special Attack and place the remainder into HP. Any set with Explosion can use additional Attack EVs to kill Blissey; with a Life Orb, you only need a 199 Attack stat to guarantee an OHKO, while a 224 Attack stat guarantees a KO without a Life Orb if Blissey has switched into Thunderbolt. A Mild or Hasty nature can deal more damage with Explosion, but Magnezone is usually better off taking advantage of its decent defenses and unique typing. OpinionMagnezone has the highest Special Attack out of all the Electric-types, a unique Electric / Steel typing that grants it a resistance to thirteen types, and decent 70 / 115 / 90 defenses. More importantly, Magnet Pull allows it to trap every Steel in the game; Magnezone is single-handedly responsible for the usage of Shed Shell on Forretress and Skarmory. Magnezone is a great improvement over Magneton, and makes a great choice for many balanced and offensive teams. CountersWith its high Special Defense, Latias can switch into any special attack Magnezone carries and set up with Calm Mind, though it must watch out for Explosion. Rotom-A can switch into Magnezone relatively easily, but lacks a way to hurt Magnezone effectively outside of Overheat. Blissey and Snorlax can also easily sponge Magnezone's hits, but must beware of Explosion. Gliscor, Flygon, or Swampert can counter Magnezone depending on which Hidden Power it uses, but if Magnezone Magnet Rises on the switch, they will lack a way to hit it effectively. Zapdos despises switching into Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ice often, but Heat Wave can 2HKO almost all Magnezone. Heatran is the one Steel that Magnezone fears: most Heatran carry Choice Scarves and will easily OHKO with Fire Blast or Earth Power. Dugtrio can trap and OHKO Magnezone unless it carries Shuca Berry and quite a bit of Defense, or if Magnezone used Magnet Rise before Dugtrio can switch in. Opposing Magnezone can trap Magnezone and 2HKO with Hidden Power Fire or OHKO with Hidden Power Ground. Electivire can switch into Magnezone's Electric attacks to activate Motor Drive and proceed to OHKO with Earthquake or 2HKO comfortably with Cross Chop. Jolteon and Lanturn can absorb Electric attacks with Volt Absorb; Lanturn also resists all of Magnezone's commonly used attacks other than Hidden Power Grass. Gardevoir can trap Magnezone with a Traced Magnet Pull and strike back with Focus Blast. |
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