Pinsir
[Overview]
<p>On a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the coolest, Pinsir scores at least a 12. Besides its fantastic design, Pinsir also boasts a fearsome base 125 Attack and powerful moves such as Close Combat, Earthquake, Stone Edge, and STAB X-Scissor to use it with. Throw in Swords Dance, a respectable base 85 Speed, and two underrated abilities, and you have a dangerous offensive Pokemon.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, while everything about Pinsir screams "I'm awesome," the world screams "You're outclassed!" right back. Heracross completely overshadows Pinsir in UU; it has the same Attack and Speed stats and a very similar movepool, but it also has STAB Close Combat and Megahorn, allowing it to hit 50% harder than Pinsir with its two main attacks. Heracross's presence in UU eliminates any chance for Pinsir to stand out as a top threat, but it also gives Pinsir a new niche as a great backup. Heracross can't do everything at once; Choice Scarf sets lack the power to break through many walls, and other sets are easy to outspeed and force out. Using Pinsir alongside Heracross eliminates this problem by essentially allowing you to use two different Heracross sets at once. Mold Breaker and Hyper Cutter also allow Pinsir to beat some of the Pokemon that trouble Heracross the most, so if you need a Pokemon that can facilitate a Heracross sweep, you've found arguably the best one. If, however, you want a primary physical sweeper, then this is not the beetle you're looking for; Heracross is simply better in every meaningful way.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: X-Scissor
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Knock Off / Close Combat
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Scarf Pinsir is Heracross's best friend. Heracross has the ability to run some ridiculously powerful sets with virtually no safe switch-ins, but its average Speed often forces it into using a weaker Choice Scarf set that is (comparatively) easy to wall. With Choice Scarf Pinsir by its side, however, Heracross is free to run one of its other, more powerful sets. Pinsir can come in early on and weaken the opponent's Heracross checks with Earthquake or Knock Off, and then come in again after Heracross has done its damage and clean up the leftovers with X-Scissor. Stone Edge hits Flying-types such as Zapdos, Crobat, and Moltres, while Earthquake shatters Nidoqueen, one of Heracross's best counters. Knock Off severely weakens Heracross's two other main counters, Dusclops and Gligar, but it is also useful against offensive Pokemon, especially Choice Scarf users that rely on their item to outspeed and revenge kill Heracross. If Knock Off isn't your cup of tea, Close Combat 2HKOes Chansey and Rhyperior and has a good chance to OHKO Mamoswine. These three Pokemon aren't particularly threatening to Heracross, but they are three of UU's top threats in general, so the ability to take them down quickly is helpful to any team.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>There are a couple more options in the last slot. Toxic is a nice catch-all move that will weaken many walls at least as effectively as Knock Off does, but Knock Off is more useful against Dusclops, Gligar, and Nidoqueen, Heracross's three worst enemies. Stealth Rock is a nice filler move if nothing else on your team can spare a moveslot to set it up, and Pinsir's Choice Scarf ensures it will always be fast enough to use it. The choice of ability is a tricky one; Hyper Cutter prevents Arcanine and Hitmontop's Intimidate from forcing Pinsir out, but Mold Breaker cancels abilities such as Levitate, Solid Rock, and Sturdy, giving Pinsir a better shot against Rotom-H, Rhyperior, Weezing, and Rotom.</p>
<p>Heracross with one of its powerful Guts-abusing sets is a required teammate; otherwise, there is no reason to use Pinsir, since Heracross can run this exact same Choice Scarf set more effectively. Pinsir can only chip away at walls with this set, not break through them, so Heracross needs to be the one doing the major damage. Rapid Spin support is also very important, as Pinsir will usually need to switch in and out a few times to get its job done. Blastoise is probably the best spinner to pair with Pinsir and Heracross; it easily defeats most Fire-types, and it can scare off the most common users of Flying- and Rock-type moves with Scald.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: X-Scissor
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With Swords Dance, Pinsir becomes an excellent wallbreaker that can clear the way for a faster attacker, such as Choice Scarf Heracross, to sweep unhindered. This set's strength is its ability to force the opponent into sending out their main Heracross counter, then severely weakening or even OHKOing it. After a boost, Pinsir can 2HKO every Pokemon in UU except Dusclops and Gligar. X-Scissor OHKOes Mew and its Psychic-type brethren and 2HKOes some of the sturdiest walls in the tier, including Suicune, Donphan, and Chansey. Earthquake allows Pinsir to beat some of the Pokemon that Heracross hates the most, including Nidoqueen, Nidoking, and Weezing (with Mold Breaker). Stone Edge nails Flying-types such as Zapdos, Crobat, and Moltres, which would otherwise wall this set or threaten to revenge kill both Pinsir and Heracross.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Life Orb is strongly recommended for this set, as Pinsir needs the power boost to OHKO Pokemon such as Rhyperior, Mamoswine, Nidoqueen, and Weezing and 2HKO Cofagrigus, Suicune, and Donphan. However, Lum Berry does allow Pinsir to get an extra attack off against foes that try to cripple it with burn or paralysis. Using Close Combat over Earthquake gives Pinsir slightly more power against Rock- and Steel-types and allows it to OHKO Chansey, but Earthquake is still the better choice; the entire purpose of this set is to defeat the Pokemon that would impede a Heracross sweep, and Earthquake is much more effective at accomplishing that. On a similar note, Mold Breaker is the decidedly superior ability on this set, as it allows Pinsir to overcome Weezing, Rotom, Rhyperior, and Quagsire. Even after Intimidate, Pinsir will still OHKO and 2HKO Arcanine and Hitmontop, respectively, making Hyper Cutter unnecessary.</p>
<p>As with most sets Pinsir can run, this set is almost completely outclassed by Heracross, so the only reason to use it is if you are already using Heracross on your team in a different role. This particular set works best with Choice Scarf Heracross, which can tear through teams remarkably quickly once Pinsir has broken down the few walls that can stop it. If the opponent has Gligar or Dusclops on their team, it's a good idea to bring out Heracross first and try to Knock Off their Eviolite. Even without Eviolite, they will still be too bulky for Heracross to take down on its own, but neither one will be able avoid a 2HKO from Pinsir.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: X-Scissor
move 2: Stone Edge
move 3: Earthquake / Close Combat
move 4: Knock Off / Stealth Rock / Close Combat
item: Life Orb / Choice Band
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Forgoing the use of Swords Dance or a Choice item gives Pinsir more flexibility and allows it to fully embrace its role as an offensive supporter. Pinsir still has more than enough power to batter switch-ins, but it can also use a supporting move without locking itself in and potentially giving the opponent an opportunity to set up. This set is most effective early in the match, as its purpose is to soften up the opposing team for your primary sweepers.</p>
<p>X-Scissor, Stone Edge, and Earthquake combine for perfect neutral coverage and are all standard moves on Pinsir. In the final slot, there are several support options Pinsir can use. Knock Off is generally the most effective choice, as it robs walls of Eviolite and revenge killers of Choice Scarf, making it much easier for Pinsir's teammates to sweep. Stealth Rock is also an excellent support move for any team, and setting it up is one of the few things that Pinsir can do and Heracross can't. Pinsir can also use a Choice Band instead of a Life Orb, giving up the ability to switch moves in exchange for slightly more power. In this case, Close Combat is another viable option in the last slot if you don't feel the need to use a support move. Close Combat also works in the third slot over Earthquake; it has slightly more power and allows Pinsir to always 2HKO Chansey and Rhyperior, but without Earthquake Pinsir loses coverage on Poison-types such as Nidoqueen.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Toxic is another alternative for the final slot, as it allows Pinsir to cripple Pokemon such as Hitmontop, Donphan, and bulky Water-types more effectively, but its effect is less useful against offensive Pokemon and Eviolite users, and many defensive Pokemon can cure status with Rest or Heal Bell. Pinsir also has Quick Attack, which it can use to pick off frail Pokemon that are low on HP, but it is surprisingly weak even with a Choice Band (it does 34% at most to Azelf) and is illegal with Close Combat. Either of Pinsir's abilities can work on this set, so the choice depends on what Pokemon cause the most trouble for your team. With Hyper Cutter, Pinsir will always OHKO Arcanine and can occasionally 2HKO defensive Hitmontop with Choice Band Close Combat; on the other hand, Mold Breaker allows Pinsir to always 2HKO Rhyperior, Weezing, and defensive Rotom.</p>
<p>This Pinsir has no intention of sweeping, so technically it doesn't need much in the way of support. With that said, there are some Pokemon that work particularly well with this variant. Defensively, Blastoise can handle many of the Pokemon that force Pinsir out, and it also has Rapid Spin to remove Stealth Rock from the field, giving Pinsir more freedom to switch in and out of play. Every offensive Pokemon appreciates Pinsir's ability to put some early damage on the opponent's walls, especially those that attract the same checks as Pinsir. Heracross is the most obvious choice; if the opponent's Gligar or Dusclops loses its Eviolite, or if their revenge killer loses its Choice Scarf, Heracross will become even more difficult to stop. Other Fighting- and Bug-types such as Gallade and Durant will also be grateful for Pinsir's efforts, but you should be careful not to load up on Pokemon with similar weaknesses. Agility Empoleon provides a ton of useful resistances, including to Flying- and Rock-type attacks, while Pinsir resists Empoleon's Fighting- and Ground-type weaknesses and can weaken Zapdos for it with Stone Edge, Stealth Rock, or Toxic.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Pinsir has access to Bulk Up, but with poor HP and Special Defense and no Guts to discourage opponents from using Will-O-Wisp or Toxic, Pinsir is incapable of using it effectively. Furthermore, Pinsir's role is to weaken Heracross's counters, and Swords Dance is absolutely superior to Bulk Up at accomplishing that. Faint Attack is Pinsir's strongest attack against Ghost-types and allows Pinsir to 2HKO Dusclops and Cofagrigus with a Swords Dance boost, but the depressingly low Base Power makes it inferior to Pinsir's other moves in most situations. Flail and Me First are Pinsir's only other noteworthy moves, but both are extremely situational, and even when they work, the payoff is often not worth the effort.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Despite being confined to a supporting role, Pinsir actually has very few true counters. Dusclops walls all of Pinsir's attacks and can permanently cripple it with Will-O-Wisp. Gligar doesn't mind any of Pinsir's attacks, and it can simply heal off the damage with Roost while wearing Pinsir down with Toxic. However, neither of these walls will appreciate Pinsir Knocking Off their Eviolite, especially if they will also need to take on Heracross later in the match. Pinsir is very vulnerable to status in general, especially burns from bulky Ghost- and Water-types such as Cofagrigus and Milotic. Pinsir's HP and Special Defense are both mediocre, so faster special attackers such as Azelf, Rotom-H, and Moltres can easily take it down with powerful super effective attacks, although they must be careful when switching in, as Pinsir can OHKO each of them with the right move.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Predictably, Pinsir receives the same Dream World ability as Heracross: Moxie. While this is technically a nice ability for Pinsir, especially when it's holding a Choice Scarf, using it will only push Pinsir even further into Heracross's shadow. Unlike Mold Breaker and Hyper Cutter, Moxie doesn't really help Pinsir to lure and defeat any of Heracross's checks, and as long as Heracross and Pinsir are in the same tier, that's really all Pinsir should be trying to do.</p>
