- Added UU Steel Trapper set.
- Added Special Sweeper set.
- Updated all comments.
- Added Team Options.
- Updated Choice Scarf set.
- Choice Specs is not included because frankly, I tested it and it sucks.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/magneton
[SET]
name: UU Steel Trapper
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Substitute
move 4: Magnet Rise
item: Leftovers / Lum Berry
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest
evs: 108 HP / 252 SpA / 148 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Like its OU brethren, Magnezone, Magneton's utility lies in its ability to trap and knock out Steel-types. Substitute blocks all forms of status while scouting the opponent's actions. Magneton's Substitutes are not broken by Registeel's Iron Head or Ice Punch or Steelix's Gyro Ball, Stone Edge, or Crunch; however, an Earthquake from either Registeel or Steelix will break the Substitute, due to Magneton's 4x weakness to Ground. With Magnet Rise, Magneton is able to hover safely above the range of normally fatal Ground-type attacks. Magnet Rise should be Magneton's first priority against Steelix in order to prevent Earthquake. At worst, Magneton will be Roared away. For this reason, it is a good idea to save Magneton until Steelix is in range to be KOed by Hidden Power Fire. It should also be mentioned that Substitute is Magneton's first priority when up against Registeel.</p>
<p>Hidden Power Fire is used over Hidden Power Ice or Hidden Power Grass for its ability to successfully hit Steelix, one of the main targets of this set. Hidden Power Fighting or Hidden Power Ground could be used in place of Hidden Power Fire due to their ability to deal greater damage to Probopass and Bastiodon, while still hitting Steelix for super effective damage; but due to the type coverage that Hidden Power Fire offers when paired with Thunderbolt (compared to that offered by Hidden Power Fighting or Ground), it is considered the superior choice. Thunderbolt efficiently KOs Probopass and Bastiodon, so the power loss when using Hidden Power Fire is not a big issue. Hidden Power Ice is not listed as an option on this set due to the fact that there are no commonly used Dragon-types in UU that do not take neutral damage from Thunderbolt. Altaria is 2HKOed by Thunderbolt after Stealth Rock damage and UU Grass-types are hit equally hard by Hidden Power Fire as they would be by Hidden Power Ice (with the sole exception of Torterra).</p>
<p>Leftovers is the optimal item choice due to its ability to restore HP, allowing Magneton to recover some of the damage sacrificed to create a Substitute. One issue that Magneton faces when switching in against Registeel is the possibility of Thunder Wave, a scenario that frequently presents itself when Magneton is switched in after Yanmega or Crobat. Lum Berry allows Magneton to shed its paralysis status, giving it the opportunity to set up a Substitute before any further status attempts can be launched. Lum Berry also gives Magneton the same opportunity against slower status-inducing foes such as defensive Venusaur with Sleep Powder.</p>
<p>144 Speed EVs give Magneton a Speed stat of 212, allowing it to out speed max Speed Adamant Torterra (a spread normally used by the popular Rock Polish Torterra variant). Magneton can then Magnet Rise before Torterra has the opportunity to Earthquake, leaving Torterra's only offensive options Stone Edge and Wood Hammer, both of which Magneton resists. After maximizing Magneton's Special Attack stat, the remaining EVs are dumped into HP in order to buff Magneton's durability.</p>
<p>Magneton's main role is removing Steel-types so that other Pokemon, such as Flying or Normal-types, have the opportunity to sweep. Yanmega and Crobat both pair excellently with Magneton due to their 4x Fighting resistance and immunity to Ground-type attacks. In turn, Magneton resists the Rock, Electric, and Ice weaknesses of the two (as well as Crobat's Psychic weakness and Yanmega's Flying weakness). Hard-hitting Normal-type Pokemon, such as Ambipom and Tauros, also enjoy having Steelix and Registeel removed from play. Dragon Dance Altaria is a lesser seen Pokemon that benefits greatly after Magneton has done its job, allowing it to Outrage without the fear of retribution from Steelix or Registeel. In general, offensive Flying-type Pokemon (such as the aforementioned Yanmega and Crobat) pair nicely with Magneton due to the coverage of weaknesses and the increased possibility of an offensive sweep that Steel-type removal offers. Mismagius also benefits greatly from the removal of Registeel, one of its most sure-fire counters. Once Registeel is out of commission, Mismagius has a relatively easy time of setting up and sweeping the opposing team.</p>
<p>Defensive Water-type Pokemon with decent HP and defenses, namely Milotic and Slowbro, do an excellent job of absorbing the various Fire-type attacks thrown at Magneton. Because both Pokemon have access to instant recovery, they can also take a few Ground or Fighting-type attacks (Slowbro is especially well-equipped for the second) while recovering from the damage. Because Magneton lacks recovery, Gardevoir can be used to provide Wish support and take weaker Fighting-type attacks. But due to its low HP and Defense, the latter is not recommended. Other Wish options include Clefable and Umbreon, but they both share a dangerous Fighting weakness with Magneton, diminishing the chances of successfully switching Magneton in to receive the Wish.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Sweeper
move 1: Charge Beam / Metal Sound
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Substitute / Explosion
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Timid / Naive
evs: 60 HP / 252 SpA / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Unlike the Steel Trapper set, this set focuses Magneton's often overlooked base 120 Special Attack (the highest of any UU Electric-type). Offensive sets such as this should normally be left to faster, more immediately threatening special sweepers, such as Rotom and Manectric, but Magneton, due to its good defenses and numerous resistances, is able to set up much sturdier Substitutes than the two aforementioned Pokemon. Sturdier Substitutes mean that Magneton can set up against a wider variety of foes such as Crobat (that lack Heat Wave), Registeel (that lack Earthquake), Spiritomb, Umbreon, and Choice Scarf Roserade locked into Energy Ball or Sludge Bomb. None of these Pokemon are able to break Magneton's Substitutes with attacks they commonly carry, allowing it to safely boost its stats without fear of immediate offensive assault.</p>
<p>With Charge Beam, Magneton keeps its boosts until switching out or being phazed, so it retains more of an offensive presence. Charge Beam also has the benefit of doing damage to the opponent and benefiting from STAB. Metal Sound on the other hand has the ability to force switches, thus dealing Spikes and Stealth Rock damage to the opponent. Due to the somewhat defensive nature of Metal Sound, it is recommend that Magneton be used alongside residual damage support. Flash Cannon can be used in the last slot in order to hit Rock-types much harder, however it does not add much coverage-wise.</p>
<p>As is the case with most Electric-type Pokemon, the choice of Hidden Power is a difficult one. Hidden Power Grass is the best choice due to its ability to hit Ground-types, especially Quagsire and Gastrodon, for super effective damage. Hidden Power Ice also performs similarly, but the main target of Hidden Power Ice is Altaria, which is easily taken care of with a boosted Thunderbolt. Another benefit of Hidden Power Ice is the ability to hit Grass-types, which resists both Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Grass, for super effective damage. The combination of Electric and Ice is only resisted by Laturn, Shedinja, and other Magneton in the UU environment. Hidden Power Fire helps against Steelix and other Magneton while still hitting Grass-types for super effective damage.</p>
<p>196 Speed EVs gives Magneton enough Speed to outrun defensive Roserade, allowing Magneton to set up a Substitute before being hit by Sleep Powder. Max Special Attack is a given on such an offensive set. The remaining EVs are placed into HP. Life Orb can be used in place of Leftovers if power is preferred over durability, but Life Orb and Substitute recoil will catch up to Magneton before it is able to do sufficient damage to the opponent's team. If Magneton is using Life Orb, it would be a good idea to forgo the use of Substitute for Explosion and use a Naive nature. The HP EVs would also need to be placed into Attack. With Explosion, Magneton is able to take out some of its counters at the expense of KOing itself. However, this could open the way for a sweep by another Pokemon such as Yanmega or Mismagius.</p>
<p>If one of Magneton's teammates is able to Trick a choice item onto the opposing Steel-type, it will make it much easier for Magneton to switch in and set up for the kill. Locking Steelix or Registeel into Stealth Rock will completely incapacitate them once Magneton is brought into play.</p>
<p>Like most special-based Pokemon in UU, Magneton has trouble taking on Chansey. For that reason, Magneton should normally be paired with something that can take out Chansey, such as Hariyama, Torterra, or strong Pursuiters. Rest + Sleep Talk Hariyama is the best choice for the job due to the fact that it does not particularly care about status. It can simply Rest away any attempts by Chansey to Toxic or Thunder Wave it. Hariyama also resists both Flamethrower and Ice Beam due to its ability, Thick Fat. With gargantuan HP, Hariyama also doesn't mind Seismic Toss. Hariyama can then retaliate with STAB Fighting-type attacks to scare away Chansey. Torterra is able to switch in against Seismic Toss and Thunder Wave and threaten Chansey with STAB Earthquake. Yache Berry Torterra stands the best chance against Chansey (no pun intended), due to the possibility of Ice Beam. Strong Pursuiters, such as Drapion, Absol, and Honchkrow can also weaken Chansey to the point that Magneton would be able to finish it off later.</p>
<p>Magneton also has issues against Claydol and Camerupt, however rare the latter may be in UU. Like with Chansey, Magneton can be paired with strong Pursuit users in order to remove Claydol from play. However, the better option may be to pair Magneton with a bulky Water-type, such as Slowbro, Milotic, or Azumarill. All three of these Pokemon can withstand any of the attacks that Claydol and Camerupt can launch (except possibly Explosion), and launch super effective Water attacks of their own. Azumarill is particularly a good choice due to its access to Encore, which would allow Magneton to more easily set up against the opponent.</p>
<p>Crobat and Mismagius both pair well offensively with Magneton due to their ability to dispose of the threats listed above, namely Chansey and Claydol, and the fact that they cover Magneton's weaknesses. Crobat can Taunt Chansey and KO it with Brave Bird (although it may suffer major recoil damage in the process). Similarly, Crobat can Taunt and wear down Claydol due to its lack of recovery. Mismagius can set up against Chansey and Claydol due to her immunity to Fighting-type attacks (Seismic Toss) and Ground-type attacks (Earthquake or Earth Power). After Mismagius has weakened the opponent's special walls, Magneton can more easily sweep.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Flash Cannon
move 4: Explosion
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Naive
evs: 56 Atk / 224 SpA / 228 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although the Electric-type Choice set is better left to faster options such as Manectric and Electabuzz, Magneton performs decently in this department due to its access to Explosion. With Explosion, Magneton can suddenly OHKO its main counter, Chansey; something that Manectric has no hope of doing. With 56 Atk EVs, Magneton always OHKOes 252 Def Calm Chansey with Explosion as long as it has taken Stealth Rock damage.</p>
<p>Magneton has much less utility in the UU environment than does Magnezone in the OU environment. However, it can still perform adequately by KOing hard-hitting Flying-types. With Choice Scarf, Magneton out speeds standard Dragon Dance Altaria after a single Dragon Dance and can switch in against Outrage or Dragon Claw with impunity. Magneton can then OHKO Altaria with Hidden Power Ice, assuming it has taken prior damage from Stealth Rock. Magneton also does a fantastic job of countering Swellow. If Magneton switches in against Facade or Protect, Swellow will normally stay in hoping to U-turn out, but Magneton will out speed and OHKO with Thunderbolt before Swellow has the chance. Choice Specs Yanmega also suffers a similar fate, however due to Tinted Lens and Magneton's low Special Defense, it will be OHKOed if it switches into Stealth Rock and Bug Buzz, so revenge killing is Magneton's best option for taking it down.</p>
<p>As previously mentioned, Magneton can use Hidden Power Ice to KO Altaria, making it the best bet for a Hidden Power. Hidden Power Grass can be used to severely dent Gastrodon and KO Quagsire. Hidden Power Fire can finish off weakened Steelix; however, outside of that, it has little utility. Flash Cannon has decent neutral-type coverage and should be used when Magneton predicts a Grass-type or Ground-type (not Gastrodon or Quagsire!) will switch in to absorb Thunderbolt.</p>
<p>56 Atk EVs allow Magneton to OHKO Calm 252 Def Chansey with Explosion, assuming it has taken prior damage from Stealth Rock. 228 Spd EVs, a positive nature, and Choice Scarf give Magneton a Speed stat of 384, allowing it to out speed +1 Altaria as well as Swellow. Of course, Special Attack is maximized.</p>
<p>Due to the fact that Magneton will be locked into an attack after KOing the foe, it is a good idea to pair Magneton with a somewhat defensive Pokemon that can absorb attacks from the Grass, Ground, and Electric-type Pokemon that will switch in against it. Shaymin is the best candidate with its 100 / 100 / 100 defenses and resistances to the aforementioned types. Shaymin can also recover away any damage with Leech Seed or Synthesis. Shaymin easily tackles opponents such as Quagsire and Gastrodon that give Magneton trouble. Like the other sets, Water-types, such as Milotic, Slowbro, and Azumarill, pair well with Magneton due to their ability to take hits and remove opposing Ground-types.</p>
<p>Swellow and Dragon Dance Altaria create great synergy with Magneton by covering each others' weaknesses. Swellow and Altaria also do a fantastic job of knocking out the special walls that stand in Magneton's way, such as Chansey and Hypno.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Because of Magneton's lack of physical attacking potential, the opponent is normally safe relying on Special Walls such as Chansey, Hypno, or Claydol to take Magneton's attacks. Because of this, it is a great idea to pair Magneton with something that can dispose of these Pokemon. Hariyama and Yache Berry Torterra do an excellent job of handling Chansey. Hariyama can absorbs status by utilizing Rest + Sleep Talk, takes little damage from Ice Beam or Flamethrower due to Thick Fat, and can take numerous Seismic Tosses due to its enormous HP stat. It can then retaliate with STAB Fighting-type attacks to KO Chansey. Torterra can switch in against Thunder Wave or Seismic Toss and immediately threaten Chansey with STAB Earthquake. Yache Berry protects Torterra from an untimely Ice Beam, allowing it to launch the much needed offensive assault. Hypno can be taken care of by Torterra in much the same way. Hypno, Claydol, and Chansey are vulnerable to strong Pursuiters such as Honchkrow, Absol, and Drapion who are all immune to Psychic-type attacks carried by Hypno. Honchkrow has the added immunity to Ground-type attacks commonly carried by Claydol.</p>
<p>Camerupt and Claydol can also be taken care of by bulky Water-type Pokemon, such as Milotic, Azumarill, and Slowbro who resist Fire-type attacks and can take a few Earthquakes or Earth Powers. Milotic and Slowbro both have access to recovery, allowing them to use their great defensive stats to their maximum potential. Slowbro can take the various Fighting-type attacks targetting Magneton. Azumarill can run a slightly more defensive set than normal by using Encore, possibly gaining Magneton a few turns of free set-up. Of course, it can also go the standard offensive route and threaten Camerupt, Claydol, Hypno, and Chansey with STAB Waterfall or Aqua Jet. In the same vein, bulky Grass-type Pokemon can absorb Ground attacks aimed at Magneton and can dispose of the Ground-types hoping to switch into Thunderbolt.</p>
<p>Gardevoir, Umbreon, and Clefable can provide Magneton with sorely needed Wish support due to its lack of recovery, however Gardevoir is the best option due to its resistance to Fighting-type attacks.</p>
<p>Offensively, strong Flying-type Pokemon such as Crobat, Altaria, and Yanmega pair best with Magneton. These Pokemon benefit greatly from the removal of Steelix and Registeel and therefore can achieve their greatest offensive potential. Crobat and Yanmega both sport 4x resistances to Fighting and are immune to Ground, thus creating excellent type synergy with Magneton. In turn, Magneton resists their Ice, Rock, Psychic, Flying, and Electric weaknesses. Altaria is possibly the best partner for Magneton because they cover all of each other's weaknesses. Dragon Dance Altaria can also take out Chansey, Hypno, and Camerupt, three of the biggest deterrents to any Magneton set.</p>
<p>Mismagius is immune to Magneton's Fighting and Ground weaknesses and has the ability to take out all of the Special Walls that give Magneton problems. Chansey, Hypno, and Camerupt are all set up on with Substitute and Calm Mind. One of Mismagius's biggest counters is Registeel, which Magneton is more than capable of taking out. After Magneton has removed Registeel, there is little stopping Mismagius from sweeping the opponent's team.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Discharge is another option for an Electric attack that has the added bonus of paralyzing the opponent 30% of the time, as opposed to Thunderbolts 10% at the cost of 15 base power. Reflect and Light Screen bolster Magneton's decent defenses, allowing it to take many more attacks, while also supporting the entire team. Signal Beam can be used to hit Grass-types and Psychic-types for slightly more damage than Thunderbolt, but it does not have enough utility to take up an entire moveslot. Toxic could pair well with Substitute to cripple some of the special walls, such as Hypno, that do not have Natural Cure or a status recovery move.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Max Special Attack, or close to it, is a given on any of these sets due to Magneton's superb base 120 Special Attack. There are various Speed points that Magneton should try to achieve. With a neutral nature and 144 Speed EVs, Magneton out speeds max Speed Adamant Torterra, giving Magneton the chance to Magnet Rise before Torterra can attack. 196 Speed EVs and a positive nature give Magneton enough Speed to outrun defensive Calm Roserade that do not invest heavily in Speed, allowing Magneton to Substitute before Roserade Sleep Powders. Finally, 228 Speed EVs and a positive nature, in conjunction with a Choice Scarf, give Magneton enough Speed to out speed Swellow and Altaria after a Dragon Dance. Any remaining EVs should be placed in HP (or Attack on the Choice Scarf set).</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Because UU does not have the plethora of Steel-types that are found in OU, Magneton has a tough time proving its worth. But due to the prevalence of Registeel and Steelix in the UU environment, Magneton can fill a niche on teams that utilize hard-hitting Normal, Dragon, or Flying-type Pokemon by removing those Steel-type Pokemon from play with its ability, Magnet Pull. With a superb Special Attack stat, Magneton can also take the offensive by either boosting its Special Attack with Charge Beam or lowering the opponent's stats and forcing switches with Metal Sound. Magneton also has decent defenses as well as resistances to Dragon, Steel, Bug, Normal, Flying, Rock, Electric, and Ice, allowing it to form sturdy Substitutes and switch in against a wide variety of attacks.</p>
[Counters]
</p>Chansey is the best counter to any Magneton set that does not have Explosion due to its sky-high Special Defense and HP and access to Softboiled or Wish. Claydol does a good job against sets lacking Magnet Rise and takes little damage from Magneton's super effective Hidden Powers. Camerupt is immune to Thunderbolt, resists Flash Cannon and Hidden Power Fire, and takes neutral damage from Hidden Power Ice and Hidden Power Grass. It can also get around Magnet Rise by hitting Magneton with STAB Fire-type attacks. However, due to Camerupt's low defenses and HP, it must focus heavily on HP and Special Defense.</p>
<p>Bulky Grass types with access to recovery such as Shaymin, Venusaur, and Meganium do a great job against Magneton due to their resistance to Thunderbolt. None of these Pokemon take excessive damage from super effective Hidden Powers due to their good Special Defense stats. Shaymin and Venusaur can KO Magneton with Earth Power and Earthquake respectively. Although Earthquake is rare on Meganium sets, it has that option and can also set up Light Screen to lessen the impact of Magneton's attacks even further.</p>
<p>Gastrodon and Quagsire perform exceptionally well against Magneton due to their immunity to Thunderbolt, resistance to Flash Cannon and Hidden Power Fire, and neutrality to Hidden Power Ice. However, they must be wary of any Magneton carrying Hidden Power Grass. Both can hit Magneton with STAB Groud-type attacks or break its Substitutes with Water-type attacks if it has used Magnet Rise. Gastrodon can use Recover to heal itself of damage, while Quagsire is forced to use the less reliable Rest + Sleep Talk.</p>
<p>Gardevoir can Trace Magneton's Magnet Pull and weather a few of Magneton's attacks due to its high Special Defense and access to Wish. Gardevoir can then dispose of Magneton with Focus Blast. Hard-hitting Fighting-types with good Special Defense, such as Hitmontop and Hitmonlee can absorb one or two Thunderbolts and threaten Magneton with Close Combat or Mach Punch.</p>
