Pokémon Pinsir

[Sucker Lunch]

Swords Dance on the predicted Roost? Or Earthquake on the Predicted roost, if you're slower than Skarmory.

The typical EVs for Skarmory are 252 HP/252 DEF or 224 HP/ 252 DEF/ 32 SPD so more than likely you're going to outspeed Skarm.

Anyway, I use mandibuzz as a good check to pinsir in case skarm bites the bullet. She can deal major damage with foul play, and that obese bird doesn't mind switching in on the turn that Zard X is Dragon Dancing, and she laughs at Talonflame. In short, Mandibuzz is a pretty amazing pokemon. That darned Stealth Rock weakness is a bit of a setback though.

 

[Furon]

I love having Moxie Pinsir, as I can just Quick Attack weakened pokes for a free +1 boost, then ME on the following turn. Although, Hyper Cutter works well too so pokes like Lando-T can't Intimidate you. Pick your poison I guess.

 

[KairosKairen]

IS there like any poke that offensivly threatens this thing? All iv been seeing are defensive pokes and talon but i wana see somthing other than talon as well.

 

[Hidious]

IS there like any poke that offensivly threatens this thing? All iv been seeing are defensive pokes and talon but i wana see somthing other than talon as well.

Thundurus-I can take 1 +2 quick attack I think and OHKO with thunderbolt.

 

[Spearmint Gum]

IS there like any poke that offensivly threatens this thing? All iv been seeing are defensive pokes and talon but i wana see somthing other than talon as well.

Zapdos shits on Mega Pinsir

Unboosted
252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Return vs. 248 HP / 240 Def Zapdos: 110-129 (28.7 - 33.6%) -- 98.7% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery <<<LOOOOOOOL
252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Quick Attack vs. 248 HP / 240 Def Zapdos: 43-51 (11.2 - 13.3%) -- Never will KO
252 Atk Mega Pinsir Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 240 Def Zapdos: 66-78 (17.2 - 20.3%) -- possible 7HKO after Leftovers recovery

Swords Dance
+2 252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Return vs. 248 HP / 240 Def Zapdos: 219-258 (57.1 - 67.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Quick Attack vs. 248 HP / 240 Def Zapdos: 86-102 (22.4 - 26.6%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252 Atk Mega Pinsir Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 240 Def Zapdos: 132-155 (34.4 - 40.4%) -- 54.5% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

Defending:

0 SpA Zapdos Thunderbolt vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Mega Pinsir: 258-306 (94.8 - 112.5%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
0 SpA Zapdos Discharge vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Mega Pinsir: 228-270 (83.8 - 99.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 SpA Zapdos Heat Wave vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Mega Pinsir: 180-214 (66.1 - 78.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

and that's without hazards.

 

[Vengeance417]

+2 252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Return vs. 248 HP / 240 Def Zapdos: 219-258 (57.1 - 67.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

That calc still proves that Mega Pinsir is extremely hard to wall after a Sword's Dance. As long as you don't let it set up, you should be alright.

 

[Vivian23]

How about using trash on mega pinsir?

 

[Vengeance417]

How about using trash on mega pinsir?

Thrash*?

It's like Outrage, where you can't control yourself after the first attack, and all you'd have to do is bring in a defensive wall, or someone like Aegislash w/ King Shield, to block the second and third attacks. However, the power behind it would be enormous.

 

[Sergeant Spooky]

IS there like any poke that offensivly threatens this thing? All iv been seeing are defensive pokes and talon but i wana see somthing other than talon as well.

Mega Manectric, Raikou, Jolteon (lol): pretty every every fast electric type (why are they all dogs.) Additionally able to Volt-switch for mumentums.

Stuff that outspeeds, can take a +2 Quick Attack and has Stone Edge/Rock Slide, or anything that can OHKO of course, is also good. Terrakion, Scarfchomp, Scarfcadrill, pretty much any scarfer really.

 

[Spearmint Gum]

Also I feel like you should run Hyper Cutter on Pinsir over Moxie.
The immunity from Intimidate switch-ins like Landorus-T/Meganectric/Krookodile outweighs the potential +1 you very rarely get.


Also, with Hyper Cutter, you ensure a 2HKO on even 252HP/252Def Landorus-T with Aerilate Return. Something to think about.

 

[Vivian23]

Ill try running a trash set as a late game sweeper. Also, is quick atack/feint too usefull to be missing? I have a pinsir with very good IVs, but it doesnt have quick or feint, and theyre egg moves. So, itll be something like sword dance/trash/earthquake/ x-scissor. What do you think?

 

[JMach]

Shouldn't the OP mention that Aerilate also essentially gives converted normal-type attacking moves a free life orb boost? That's what makes Mega Pinsir so threatening - the fact that already powerful moves like return are boosted even further AND given STAB.

Just thought I'd mention, as any new players coming to this post won't be in the loop!

 

[Sucker Lunch]

I've been mulling over the idea of a Return/Swords Dance/Stone Edge/Earthquake set. Pinsir has a great speed tier and he's pretty bulky at full health.
By carrying Stone Edge, Zapdos can't wall you at +2 because

+2 252 Atk Mega Pinsir Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Zapdos: 396-468 (103.1 - 121.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO

That's not even including Stealth Rock.

On a switch in -

252 Atk Mega Pinsir Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Zapdos: 200-236 (52 - 61.4%) -- 96.1% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery.

252 Atk Mega Pinsir Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 184+ Def Zapdos: 214-252 (55.7 - 65.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery (68 SpecAtt EV's is a guaranteed OHKO from Zapdos' Thunderbolt)

The lack of priority would be severely missed. But defensive teams can't handle pinsir without two checks because he's that powerful. Also, Pinsir is foremost a wallbreaker and secondly a sweeper. With Stone Edge he could demolish a trouble some wall that also acts as the sole defog user of many teams. Zapdos is a pretty threatening pokemon because Fire/Electric (Heat Wave/Thunderbolt) coverage is really good. But then again, by running Stone Edge, you miss out on dealing heavy priority damage. But on the other hand, Pinsir has teammates.

Food for thought. I was experimenting to see if there was perhaps a useful alternative to QA/Return/Earthquake/SD

 

[Baharoth]

Imo its not worth it losing the priority, not for Zapdos. If Pinsir had a move to take out Skarm it might be worth thinking about it though. Dealing with Zapdos is fairly easy, lay down rocks, bring in Pinsir and double switch to a Zapdos counter immediately. Result Zapdos is forced out @ 80% life and therefor neutralized as a counter (given that the rocks stay on the field which they probably will since Zapdos is likely to be the Defoger on the opponents team) as he is now in ohko range for +2 return after another switch into stealth rocks.

 

[Sucker Lunch]

Imo its not worth it losing the priority, not for Zapdos. If Pinsir had a move to take out Skarm it might be worth thinking about it though. Dealing with Zapdos is fairly easy, lay down rocks, bring in Pinsir and double switch to a Zapdos counter immediately. Result Zapdos is forced out @ 80% life and therefor neutralized as a counter (given that the rocks stay on the field which they probably will since Zapdos is likely to be the Defoger on the opponents team) as he is now in ohko range for +2 return after another switch into stealth rocks.

I'm somewhat fond of Stone Edge as an alternative set to the vanilla. But you are right, Baharoth, Pinsir's Quick Attack in general is almost too good to give up. But the momentum kept by not having to switch out against Zapdos is pretty extraordinary. The standard set is standard for a reason, but having an element of surprise is a nice thing to have on the ladder.

 

[SnoopysWorld]

Is it better to have Moxie on a M-Pinsir without Quick Attack, or Hyper Cutter? Been wanting to run this set:

Pinsir @ Pinsirite
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 HP/ 252 Spe
Ability: Hyper Cutter / Moxie
Nature: Jolly
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Close Combat
- Earthquake

Everyone already expects the Quick Attack if you send out your pinsir on a weakened poke to get the Moxie boost, so I thought it'd be better to predict the switch and set up a swords dance, kill any incoming poke to get the moxie boost, and then mega evolve.

 

[Sucker Lunch]

Is it better to have Moxie on a M-Pinsir without Quick Attack, or Hyper Cutter? Been wanting to run this set:

Pinsir @ Pinsirite
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 HP/ 252 Spe
Ability: Hyper Cutter / Moxie
Nature: Jolly
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Close Combat
- Earthquake

Everyone already expects the Quick Attack if you send out your pinsir on a weakened poke to get the Moxie boost, so I thought it'd be better to predict the switch and set up a swords dance, kill any incoming poke to get the moxie boost, and then mega evolve.

Moxie really isn't that good of an ability for Pinsir because he has to stay in base form for another turn. Hyper Cutter gives you full immunity to intimidate and if you Dance on a predicted switch then you're at +2 and can OHKO any intimidate user. (Sans Mega Manectric)

 

[Sucker Lunch]

As I foolishly toil to find an alternate moveset for Pinsir, I'm going to see if I can spark some life into this old thread.

Back in January when OU was still a hot mess, Mega Pinsir was able to dominate because people were just so unprepared for it. Now teams are being made with checks and counters to Mega Pinsir without even meaning to and the meta has adapted well to him. Mega Mawile on the other hand is ridiculous to try and counter as it blows up everything in existence. You need a ton of physical bulk, some speed, and the ability to win 50 / 50's if the carry sucker punch. A nice check is scarfed Excadrill, which is meant for Mawile, but also checks Mega Pinsir. The same goes for scarfed Garchomp or Greninja. Thundurus would be on a team more for Keldeo than for Mega Pinsir, but happens to hard check Mega Pinsir a well. The fact that people can effortlessly play around or team build accordingly to Pinsir makes him less playable and underwhelming. Tl;dr With the amount of physical walls / Choice Scarf users in the meta game today, Mega Pinsir is just not as big a threat as it once was.

So I mentioned something about Pinsir's drastic fall in usage during April in Victory Road General Discussion, and I got a response from a great player named Nog. Do you guys believe Pinsir has become underwhelming in the current meta due to all his checks and counters becoming very common? Once again, this is not a re-ranking debate.

 

[Chali]

I think the fact that priority is a HUGE factor this metagame kinda ruined his usage in the end. Even though he himself adds another threat with priority, most teams now a days tend to prepare for that thus usually having Mega Pinsir covered.

Not only does MPinsir have to worry about his check/counters but also apposing priority like GW Brave Bird and Prankster TWave/WoW/Destiny Bond.

Finally hazards on field kind of starts a war like last Gens weather did. So the hazard setters usually get saved instead of setting up then dying. Same goes for Spinners/Defoggers.

 

[dice]

giving up quick attack on pinsir is just not worth it. opportunity cost.......

thing about pinsir is that skarm / rotom-w are just two pretty common pokemon that just stop it in its tracks. i've been using pinsir with:

Bisharp (M) @ whateveritemyouwant
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 80 SDef / 176 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch

reason is that bisharp can trap aegislash with pursuit, allowing pinsir to run a set of sd / close combat / quick attack / return. this can actually do damage to weakened skarmory / rotom-w and a few other checks (like mega ttar when you're not boosted) so bisharp/pinsir are pretty effective partners. besides that, bisharp can also knock off items on common switch ins like skarmory and hippowdon too, which makes it great for facilitating a pinsir sweep.

 

[Ninja Charizard]

Is it worth using Stone Edge on Pinsir? It seems it can lure in and destroy Thundurus, Zapdos and Mandibuzz, as well as deal a good damage to Skarmory. I've just lost a match where my opponent had a Mega Pinsir with Stone Edge and caught me on surprise. But I wonder which of the four moves you'd have to remove to get SE. From the match I just played, it was either Quick Attack or Swords Dance.

Edit: ninja'd a few posts ago.

 

[preserve]

The problem is that pinsir will have some other teammates that kind of force in skarm's presence earlier on, or they'll threaten their OWN sweep, which chips it down beforehand. And skarm's not strong enough to ohko so pinsir might actually get in two +2 returns if someone has defogged. If skarm uses whirlwind it's probably guaranteed to bring in a rotom-w or kyurem-b or something, making that option pretty rough as well because it's just another free hit for the opponent. It's definitely not sufficient to just put skarm in slot 1 and consider pinsir "taken care of"; it's probably the best first step, but then slot 2 should be something that checks pinsir and also pseudo-checks charizard, like CB talonflame or scarf-tar. This is kind of a backwards way to team build though, why react so hard to pinsir when you could just use it instead right? Well I personally don't like babysitting SR-weak pokemon so this is the approach I take.

Brave Bird Still hurts and if you run rocky helmet, then that will but more pressure on mega pinsir.

Terrakion is a decent check as it can live a plus 2 quick attack and kill it with a stone edge.

 

[gamecubejunkie]

I use this set on my pinsir in Showdown. Since pinsir has a great defenses after mega evolving, it can run a bulky set that works very well since speed is no issue thanks to Quick Attack.

Bulky Mega Swords Dance
Moveset:
Swords Dance
Return
Close Combat/ Earthquake
Quick Attack
Ability: Moxie
Item: Pinsirite
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 S.Def

With so many popular users of priority in the OU like Scizor, Dragonite, Lucario, and the newcomers of OU, Azumarill and Bisharp, you definitely need to be wary. So with that said, I much prefer the bulky Mega Pinsir set for these kinds of situations. It allows Pinsir to take priority moves much better than before. It also helps that after it mega evolves, it has 65/120/90 defenses.

Quick Attack is a must on this set, however, meaning that this set is less versatile than the regular SD set since Quick Attack has to be used to take out pokes that would outspeed Mega Pinsir, mainly Greninja. Plus, it is outsped by original SD set pinsirs which can survive an unboosted Quick Attack (68.3-80.1%) and OHKO with Return.

Even though this set has it's flaws, I still love it and I recommend you should try it.

 

[Terrakion.]

A combination that I found with success with Mega Pinsir is adding a Magnezone. This thing helps Mega Pinsir a lot, hitting both of its main counters in Zapdos and Skarmory. It makes Pinsir's job a hell of a lot easier now that it has the support of taking out it's counters or severely weakening them.

252+ SpA Choice Specs Magnezone Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Zapdos: 264-312 (68.9 - 81.4%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Choice Specs Magnezone Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Skarmory: 648-764 (194 - 228.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO Lol.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Magnezone Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Rotom-W: 229-270 (75.5 - 89.1%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

 

[Sucker Lunch]

Predictable:

Unpredictable:

******************************************************

This is my current Pinsir team and it's gotten 1827 (#66) on the ladder so far. I built it off the theory that Pinsir not only needs partners to cover his many weaknesses. But he also needs partners who can run multiple sets because Pinsir is entirely predictable. In short, Pinsir needs other Pokemon to play mind games for him.