This is an offensive team utilizing a double trapping combination to eliminate Mega Pinsir's checks and counters (both offensive and defensive), so that Mega Pinsir can heavily pressure the opponent team or downright sweep.
I've managed to get it to a max of 1750 Elo (~80 GXE) before starting to bounce up and down on the ranking, but with such a standard ass standard team, I feel like it should be able to go higher. I made a lot of errors in play, but I think the team can also use some improvements.
Build Process
The team started with Mega Pinsir, as mentioned.
Tyranitar is used to Pursuit trap Mega Pinsir's offensive checks, while Magnezone is added to trap Mega Pinsir's defensive checks.
Serperior is added because it benefits from the double trap as well, while providing paralysis support and complementing offensive coverage.
Landorus-T and Starmie are added to round out the team, serving as pivots and handling the hazard game.
Team Details
Pinsir @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Frustration
- Quick Attack
- Close Combat
Mega Pinsir is one of the hardest hitting physical wallbreakers in the game, able to break through every defensive mon in the tier that does not resist Flying. The set is about as standard as it gets: no tricks like Feint or Substitute -- a choice of consistency as a wincon over situational advantage. Despite Magnezone support, Close Combat is still needed to defeat the oh so popular Tyranitar and Rotom-W.
Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
Bulky Steel types are some of the biggest obstacles in Mega Pinsir's sweep, which is why Magnezone is a fit here. The most important targets are Skarmory and Ferrothorn, but trapping Scizor is important as well for Serperior. Other important targets include Jirachi and Mega Metagross -- Jirachi can be downright removed depending on the set, whereas landing guaranteed damage on Mega Metagross is always a plus. This is the main reason of picking Scarf over Specs -- the ability to outspeed Scizor, Jirachi and Mega Metagross. Furthermore, the ability to outspeed opposing Mega Pinsir and Thundurus, both major threats to this team, is also critical. I feel that these advantages do outweigh the significant loss of power.
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
Other things that can stop a Mega Pinsir sweep right in its tracks are faster attackers that do not fear Quick Attack: Mega Manectric, Raikou, Mega Aerodactyl, Talonflame, and to lesser extents, Latios, Mega Latias and Tornadus-T -- essentially a list of things that Tyranitar checks. What is unique about Tyranitar is that it can eliminate the things it checks via Pursuit, instead of just forcing them out. Choice Band is picked here for two reasons. One is to dent Rotom-W, which often likes to stay in and burn Tyranitar. Even after a burn, Rotom-W will still take too much damage from CB Stone Edge, so that it won't be healthy enough to switch in to Mega Pinsir. The other reason is the much more powerful Pursuit, which allows it to heavily damage Chansey for Serperior, as well as usually OHKO offensive Talonflame, Tornadus-T, Mega Manectric, Raikou etc. as they switch out, especially when you factor in chip damage like Sand and recoil. The given EVs outspeed Adamant Azumarill.
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Substitute
- Glare
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Ground]
Serperior becomes much more menacing with dual support from Tyranitar and Magnezone, and it supports the team by spreading paralysis, providing offensive coverage against bulky Waters and bulky Grounds, and serving as another win condition. Most Serpeior checks really hate paralysis, and those that don't really mind paralysis are usually trapped by Magnezone. This makes Glare a very powerful choice. Landing a paralysis on Latios, Jirachi, Mega Metagross, Tornadus-T, Mega Charizard-X and Y, Talonflame etc. is often game changing, rendering them easy targets for Mega Pinsir or Tyranitar. Since anything that Serperior wants to hit with HP Fire can be eliminated by Magnezone, HP Ground makes sense to hit Heatran -- which, as a bonus, allows it outspeed opposing HP Fire Serperior and paralyze. It also doesn't need Dragon Pulse, since Glare already cripples DP targets, and there's also Pursuit support. This leaves room for Substitute, which eases prediction and allows it to bypass Sucker Punch users like Bisharp.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- U-turn
You'd be hard pressed to find a pivot more tried and tested than Landorus-Therian. This set just fits in the team. It has excellent type synergy with Magnezone, providing a much more reliable Ground immunity. It also sets Stealth Rock, wears down physical attackers, and pivots into our own attackers with a slow U-turn. Knock Off over Rock coverage here, since Flying types are handled pretty well between Magnezone and Tyranitar, and removing Leftovers from Rotom-W, Tangrowth etc. is important.
Starmie @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Recover
The team still needs hazard control, a status sponge, and another switch-in to Water, Ice and Fire type attacks -- essentially screaming for Starmie. A bulky variant with Natural Cure is chosen here, because Mega Pinsir's 4x weakness to SR requires a sturdier hazard remover, while Natural Cure is chosen because the team so far lacks a counter play to Scald and Will-O-Wisp. Scald is a key move. Landing a burn on Rotom-W (again) is a key to wearing it down. Ice Beam really is the only move of note. It gives Starmie the ability to comfortably beat TankChomp and defensive Landorus-T, two of the more common SR setters. Losing out on the ability to hit Keldeo super effectively is a boon, but choice version will lose to Starmie regardless, and when worst comes to worst we also have two ways of revenge killing it.
Threats
Zapdos:
Most annoying shit that checks Mega Pinsir. Tyranitar cannot reliably Pursuit trap it because it has very good natural bulk, and it is forced into Stone Edge a lot of times + with access to Roost Zapdos is very hard to wear down, wayy harder than Rotom-W (which doesn't resist Close Combat and has no reliable recovery). This is the only mon that despairs me right from team preview.
Weavile
This fearsome mon is called an offense breaker for good reasons. It outspeeds and OHKOs every single member on this team. That being said, it doesn't get any safe switch-ins, and it gets worn down easily. With Sand, LO recoil, Rocky Helmet and SR, it is not undoable to bring it into Mega Pinsir's Quick Attack range (not ideal cuz it takes around 50% from Ice Shard).
Bisharp
Anything on this team that resists Dark doesn't resist Steel, and the only Steel resist fears Dark. Magnezone loses the one on one, Pinsir takes quite a lot from LO Sucker Punch, and there are some mind games involved when it faces Serperior as well. Usually I would try to land a Glare on it asap, in which case Tyranitar would be able to revenge kill / force it out reliably.
CM Clefable:
This team doesn't have a super effective physical attack against it, which means once it sets up a free CM boost (which it can do against Starmie, Tyranitar locked into anything other than Stone Edge, and Magnezone locked on anything but Flash Cannon) it becomes difficult to take it down. Tyranitar can win the one on one, but one Stone Edge miss or full paralysis is all it takes for +1 Clefable to win.
Some Replays
Reached peak Elo
This is the highest rank opponent I played
lucky win against team with both Zapdos and Weavile
Importable
I've managed to get it to a max of 1750 Elo (~80 GXE) before starting to bounce up and down on the ranking, but with such a standard ass standard team, I feel like it should be able to go higher. I made a lot of errors in play, but I think the team can also use some improvements.
Build Process
The team started with Mega Pinsir, as mentioned.
Tyranitar is used to Pursuit trap Mega Pinsir's offensive checks, while Magnezone is added to trap Mega Pinsir's defensive checks.
Serperior is added because it benefits from the double trap as well, while providing paralysis support and complementing offensive coverage.
Landorus-T and Starmie are added to round out the team, serving as pivots and handling the hazard game.
Team Details
Pinsir @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Frustration
- Quick Attack
- Close Combat
Mega Pinsir is one of the hardest hitting physical wallbreakers in the game, able to break through every defensive mon in the tier that does not resist Flying. The set is about as standard as it gets: no tricks like Feint or Substitute -- a choice of consistency as a wincon over situational advantage. Despite Magnezone support, Close Combat is still needed to defeat the oh so popular Tyranitar and Rotom-W.
Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
Bulky Steel types are some of the biggest obstacles in Mega Pinsir's sweep, which is why Magnezone is a fit here. The most important targets are Skarmory and Ferrothorn, but trapping Scizor is important as well for Serperior. Other important targets include Jirachi and Mega Metagross -- Jirachi can be downright removed depending on the set, whereas landing guaranteed damage on Mega Metagross is always a plus. This is the main reason of picking Scarf over Specs -- the ability to outspeed Scizor, Jirachi and Mega Metagross. Furthermore, the ability to outspeed opposing Mega Pinsir and Thundurus, both major threats to this team, is also critical. I feel that these advantages do outweigh the significant loss of power.
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
Other things that can stop a Mega Pinsir sweep right in its tracks are faster attackers that do not fear Quick Attack: Mega Manectric, Raikou, Mega Aerodactyl, Talonflame, and to lesser extents, Latios, Mega Latias and Tornadus-T -- essentially a list of things that Tyranitar checks. What is unique about Tyranitar is that it can eliminate the things it checks via Pursuit, instead of just forcing them out. Choice Band is picked here for two reasons. One is to dent Rotom-W, which often likes to stay in and burn Tyranitar. Even after a burn, Rotom-W will still take too much damage from CB Stone Edge, so that it won't be healthy enough to switch in to Mega Pinsir. The other reason is the much more powerful Pursuit, which allows it to heavily damage Chansey for Serperior, as well as usually OHKO offensive Talonflame, Tornadus-T, Mega Manectric, Raikou etc. as they switch out, especially when you factor in chip damage like Sand and recoil. The given EVs outspeed Adamant Azumarill.
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Substitute
- Glare
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Ground]
Serperior becomes much more menacing with dual support from Tyranitar and Magnezone, and it supports the team by spreading paralysis, providing offensive coverage against bulky Waters and bulky Grounds, and serving as another win condition. Most Serpeior checks really hate paralysis, and those that don't really mind paralysis are usually trapped by Magnezone. This makes Glare a very powerful choice. Landing a paralysis on Latios, Jirachi, Mega Metagross, Tornadus-T, Mega Charizard-X and Y, Talonflame etc. is often game changing, rendering them easy targets for Mega Pinsir or Tyranitar. Since anything that Serperior wants to hit with HP Fire can be eliminated by Magnezone, HP Ground makes sense to hit Heatran -- which, as a bonus, allows it outspeed opposing HP Fire Serperior and paralyze. It also doesn't need Dragon Pulse, since Glare already cripples DP targets, and there's also Pursuit support. This leaves room for Substitute, which eases prediction and allows it to bypass Sucker Punch users like Bisharp.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- U-turn
You'd be hard pressed to find a pivot more tried and tested than Landorus-Therian. This set just fits in the team. It has excellent type synergy with Magnezone, providing a much more reliable Ground immunity. It also sets Stealth Rock, wears down physical attackers, and pivots into our own attackers with a slow U-turn. Knock Off over Rock coverage here, since Flying types are handled pretty well between Magnezone and Tyranitar, and removing Leftovers from Rotom-W, Tangrowth etc. is important.
Starmie @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Recover
The team still needs hazard control, a status sponge, and another switch-in to Water, Ice and Fire type attacks -- essentially screaming for Starmie. A bulky variant with Natural Cure is chosen here, because Mega Pinsir's 4x weakness to SR requires a sturdier hazard remover, while Natural Cure is chosen because the team so far lacks a counter play to Scald and Will-O-Wisp. Scald is a key move. Landing a burn on Rotom-W (again) is a key to wearing it down. Ice Beam really is the only move of note. It gives Starmie the ability to comfortably beat TankChomp and defensive Landorus-T, two of the more common SR setters. Losing out on the ability to hit Keldeo super effectively is a boon, but choice version will lose to Starmie regardless, and when worst comes to worst we also have two ways of revenge killing it.
Threats
Zapdos:
Most annoying shit that checks Mega Pinsir. Tyranitar cannot reliably Pursuit trap it because it has very good natural bulk, and it is forced into Stone Edge a lot of times + with access to Roost Zapdos is very hard to wear down, wayy harder than Rotom-W (which doesn't resist Close Combat and has no reliable recovery). This is the only mon that despairs me right from team preview.
Weavile
This fearsome mon is called an offense breaker for good reasons. It outspeeds and OHKOs every single member on this team. That being said, it doesn't get any safe switch-ins, and it gets worn down easily. With Sand, LO recoil, Rocky Helmet and SR, it is not undoable to bring it into Mega Pinsir's Quick Attack range (not ideal cuz it takes around 50% from Ice Shard).
Bisharp
Anything on this team that resists Dark doesn't resist Steel, and the only Steel resist fears Dark. Magnezone loses the one on one, Pinsir takes quite a lot from LO Sucker Punch, and there are some mind games involved when it faces Serperior as well. Usually I would try to land a Glare on it asap, in which case Tyranitar would be able to revenge kill / force it out reliably.
CM Clefable:
This team doesn't have a super effective physical attack against it, which means once it sets up a free CM boost (which it can do against Starmie, Tyranitar locked into anything other than Stone Edge, and Magnezone locked on anything but Flash Cannon) it becomes difficult to take it down. Tyranitar can win the one on one, but one Stone Edge miss or full paralysis is all it takes for +1 Clefable to win.
Some Replays
Reached peak Elo
This is the highest rank opponent I played
lucky win against team with both Zapdos and Weavile
Importable
Pinsir @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Frustration
- Quick Attack
- Close Combat
Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
Starmie @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Recover
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Substitute
- Glare
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Ground]
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Frustration
- Quick Attack
- Close Combat
Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Flash Cannon
Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Superpower
Starmie @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Recover
Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 8 SpD / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Substitute
- Glare
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Ground]
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