Analysis:
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/magnezone
[EDIT] 15/1/08: Did Spellcheck
[SET]
name: Steel Killer
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Magnet Rise
move 4: Substitute
item: Leftovers
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 172 HP / 252
[color=#FF0FF]SpA[/color] / 84 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>In Advance, Magneton was graced with the Magnet Pull ability, which keeps all the Steel-types trapped for their demise. With SkarmBliss running around, Magneton was used to eliminate Skarmory with little worries, but right after it seemed like
[color=#FF0FF]dead weight[/color]. In D/P however, there were many changes, including a nifty evolution. Magnezone likes his base Defense of 115 and his whopping
base 130 Special Attack, but misses his Speed. This
creates a problem: Metagross outspeeds you.. Using Timid and changing the Speed EVs will
fix this. A Metagross stops at 202 or 223 Speed usually, so decide on how many EVs you need to
outspeed what types. The major disadvantage, however, is
losing both power and
Magnezone's capacity to take hits to an extent.</p>
<p>Using Magnet Rise won't change your ability. Instead, it just makes you immune to Ground
attacks, just like the description of the attack says. Using this could be quite an advantage against the likes of Steel Pokemon that use Earthquake, or even to block any other incoming Earthquakes. He's
<em>just</em> fast enough to use it too most of the time as well. Blocking even Electivire from switching in to use Earthquake on you could
let you live another day, but still leaves you at mercy for a Cross Chop in the eye.</p>
<p>The moveset that is above is the best set for Steel
killing
<omitted>. Being
4x weak to Earthquake and being
susceptible to status is something Magnezone cannot afford. Substitute can block many things
: not only a Hypnosis from Bronzong, but even an Explosion for
opponents making a last-ditch effort. Magnet Rise is
<omitted> important in this set, as this will prevent Metagross and such from
killing you.</p>
<p>Of course, Shed Shell is a growing problem, and the only solution is Trick, Swit
cheroo, Thief, Covet, or Knock Off. A neat idea to use is Tangrowth and Knock Off. Tangrowth can attract a Skarmory at times, and one Knock Off can lead you to switching in Magnezone and
hitting the doomed metal bird with a Thunderbolt. Other than Skarmory, Forretress and Metagross
are probably the only other Steel
-types that uses it nowadays.</p>
<h2>Why not to use Explosion on this set</h2>
<p>It seems like
Explosion would be a viable option, but I didn't list it for two reasons. The first is usually it requires you to consider a -Defense nature. This shouldn't be the case, because truth to be told you
<em>want</em> that
Defense, just in case. The second is the Hidden Powers will usually make it weaker (not by much) but can make a difference somewhat with the -Attack nature, nevertheless. There's also the fact
Blissey most likely will just be able to recover with Softboiled right after you go boom. In simpler terms:
don't use Explosion on this set at all!</p>
[SET]
name: Offense (All-Out Attacker)
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Magnet Rise
move 4: Explosion / Metal Sound
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Mild / Rash
evs: 88 HP / 88 Atk / 248 SAtk / 84 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Of course, one must not forget how much of a force a Magnezone can be. Coming off his base 130 Special Attack, Magnezone has the highest Special Attack of all the Electrics, and this set proves how deadly it is. You may prefer Thunderbolt a bit more just for the power, as with Life Orb and a Metal Sound used, you are 2HKOing a Blissey, so Life Orb is listed here. You can use Leftovers, but you lose a ton of power with Explosion, and
it also requires you to use more Attack EVs to boost your Explosion.</p>
<p>This set can work pretty well if you have someone Baton Passing Speed
to it. Zapdos comes to mind, as they both cooperate with their weaknesses (other than Fire). Another interesting part is the ability
to force switches with Metal Sound, so even a couple of field obstacles can prove
useful with this set too.</p>
[SET]
name: Rain Dance Supporter
move 1: Thunder
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Rain Dance
move 4: Reflect / Light Screen
item: Leftovers / Damp Rock
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest
evs: 172 HP / 252 SAtk / 84 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With Sandstorm increasing
in usage this set is pretty interesting to try on Rain Dance themed teams. The biggest plus is using a 100% accuracy Thunder, with an addition
al 20% paralysis rate, which basically sums it up as a combination of Discharge and Thunderbolt. Reflect and Light Screen are thrown in here to not only make you
sturdier, but to help support
the rest of your team.</p>
<p>Leftovers can be used, but Damp Rock can increase the number of turns for Rain Dance. Hidden Power Water can be used as well thanks to the rain boost, but you
lose a bit of coverage.
Theoretically, you could also use Magnet Rise, but Ground
-types won't switch in much thanks to the rain.</p>
[SET]
name: Rest Talker
move 1: Discharge
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest
evs: 172 HP / 252 SAtk / 84 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>70/115/90 defenses are pretty good, which is why this set is viable. Discharge could be practiced a bit more since you can take hits now. You can try Life Orb for a bit boost of power even. Basically your average Sleep Talker with the ability to paralyze sometimes.</p>
<p>Using Hidden Power Ice is especially useful here, as this gives you a chance to counter your Dragons that are locked onto that one move that you dread most: Outrage, Draco Meteor, or Dragon Claw.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Attacker
move 1: Explosion
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice /
Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Flash Cannon
item: Choice Specs / Scarf
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Mild / Rash
evs: 172 Atk / 252 SAtk / 84 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Above
are the EVs for Choice Specs. For Choice Scarf, take EVs from Attack to make 228 Speed EVs.</p>
<p>Of course Specs or a Scarf is useful on Magnezone. His Speed is just useful enough to make use of a Scarf, but don't expect to hit Blissey
without blowing yourself up. Specs are quite powerful, as you can at least hit something hard with Flash Cannon, especially Cradily in that freaking Sandstorm. Thunderbolt is definitely mandatory here
<omitted>.</p>
<p>Your Hidden Power really depends on what item that you are using. Using Choice Scarf and Hidden Power Ice is a decent choice, especially
for revenge-killing a Dragon that lacks Dragon Dance or
its own Choice Scarf. Usually though it's a good idea to use Flash Cannon and Hidden Power Grass since you can hit the ones that resist Hidden Power Grass with Flash Cannon instead
and vie versa, since Swampert resists Steel.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Offense
-wise, there isn't much. Flash Cannon is a secondary STAB that's okay to use, but then again steel has horrible coverage. It's usable to at least hit a Cradily if you choose Hidden Power Grass. Tri-Attack may sound stupid at first, but remember that you gain a 20% chance to paralyze, freeze, or burn. You can use Tri-Attack on the Choice user over Flash Cannon or Explosion.</p>
<p>I want to make a note about Explosion, however, because as great as a move as it is, it's nigh useless without some Attack EVs and a Life Orb attached. It is, however, an option on the majority of the sets, but I would advise to keep it away from the Steel Trapper especially. Remember, you also will have to use a -Defense nature, which limits your ability to switch into attacks more frequently.</p>
<p>Support wise, there are a lot of possibilities. Reflect and Light Screen can be used on the first two sets, but you may realize that there are better move
anyway in place of them. Mirror Coat can bounce back a special attack that's aimed at Magnezone
: say, a Fire Blast from
Salamence. Toxic is
not recommended, but is there to deal some damage to Ground
-ttypes. The problem is is that it's stealing a moveslot and Magnezone needs all the good moves that he can get. You can try Toxic on the Rest Talker set over Hidden Power. Screech can boost your Explosion and can force switches. Thunder Wave, obviously, slows the majority of Pokemon down, but usually
is a less useful option, seeing as Discharge has a high paralysis rate while still dealing damage, and that you don't want to waste time paralysing when you could be doing something else. in the sets since Discharge has a good chance of paralyzing on its own or the fact that you don't want to waste any more time than you have to doing something else. Charge Beam is the only way you can raise your Special Attack outside of being Baton Passed Calm Minds or Nasty Plots.</p>
<p>There are still a couple of Hidden Powers that could be used. Hidden Power Water was touched
upon in the Rain Dance supporter set, and is decent enough to use under the rain. Ground could prove useful as well, hitting enemy
Magnezone The only reason to mention Fighting is to 2HKO Tyranitar, even on max HP 'Tar
; however, you will need to invest more EVs into Speed to play catch-up. Hidden Power Grass was mentioned in the Specs set, but really it works better when paired with Flash Cannon. Magnezone can at least use Hidden Power Ice to his advantage, even if he is slower than the Dragons, to at least kill them if they're locked on their Dragon-type move. Just beware of Fire Blast and especially Earthquake, as that might put you close to your death.</p>
<p>Discharge has been discussed
; it can work on almost any set. The debate on Thunderbolt versus Discharge comes down between if you want to hit harder or
prefer the higher chance to paralyze your foes (10% for Thunderbolt versus 30% for Discharge). Magnezone is a bulky enough Pokemon to try Discharge, but sometimes you want that extra power to guarantee your thrashing, so most people choose Thunderbolt, especially on the Attacker set.</p>
<p>Item
-wise, Shed Shell is a decent idea if you lack Magnet Rise to escape Dugtrio and perhaps other
Magnezone. It's probably more useful in the SleepTalker set, but could be
used on the Rain Dance set if you want.</p>
<p>If you don't care about being bulky, you can try putting a Petaya Berry or a Salac Berry on a Magnezone with Substitute. Usually you won't
outspeed Naive Azelf, so you may just prefer to use 228 Speed EVs to outpace Gengar, but you can
invest more to outspeed Starmie (236 Speed EVs needed).</P>
[EVs]
<p>172 HP / 252 SAtk / 84 Spe are the normal EVs to use for the majority of the sets. 84 Speed EVs generate a grand total of 177 Speed, which will usually
outspeed Skarmory. You can play the out
speed other Skarmory game by just snatching EVs from HP (in example, 88 will eliminate a Skarmory with
<omitted> +1 Speed point). You can, if you want, put more Speed into Magnezone if you don't care about being extremely sturdy or just want to
outspeed things. If you use Timid with Speed EVs, it can be used to
outspeed Metagross. Usually, as said before, he runs around 202 or 223 Speed, so those are the numbers to look over. 204 Speed EVs with Timid will do it as far as Agiligross goes.</p>
<p>The Rest Talker set can play more defensively. 252 HP / 252 Def with a Bold nature can take physical hits pretty well, or you could invest into your Special Defense (252 HP / 252 SpDef Calm).</p>
<p>The Special Attacker has 88 Attack EVs
; however, you could pump it up to 96 to
guarantee the KO on max / max Blissey. As far as standard Blissey (148 HP / 252 Def Bold), you can use 68
Attack to
guarantee the KO on her as well, though take note that even with 0 Attack EVs,
Blissey will be OHKOed if she takes Stealth Rock damage.</p>
<p>Any set with Explosion could have any
Attack up to max, for a better chance to OHKO Blissey.</p>
<p>224 Attack is a guaranteed KO on Blissey if it has taken a max Special Attack Thunderbolt.</p>
<p>232 Attack guarantees the KO after a max Special Attack Discharge.</p>
<p>In a Sand Stream, only 208 Attack with Thunderbolt and 216 with Discharge are needed.</p>
<p>If you have Life Orb you only need 198 to
guarantee the KO at max health.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Magnezone is so close to being a star Pokemon that it's almost not funny. The only thing that he seriously lacks is
<omitted> Speed, and even though it's decent enough to do most of his jobs, he wishes
he still had Magneton's Speed. Having a unique typing allows him to switch in pretty easily, especially being only one of the only Pokemon (excluding Lanturn and Shedinja) to resist Thunderbolt and Ice Beam. Having the highest Special Attack of all the Electric-types and having a
'decent' movepool to deal with, Magnezone is an interesting Pokemon indeed.</p>
<p>The main problem nowadays is Shed Shell, as it allows Skarmory and friends to escape the deadly Magnet Pull. Let us also not forget U-
turn
<omitted>. The Shed Shell problem could be fixed with someone like Tangrowth knocking off the Shed Shell and quickly switching in Magnezone. Also, usually Skarmory and the rare occasion of Metagross and Forretress use Shed Shell.</p>
<p>Still, Magnezone has more than
meets the eye, and can sweep decently and still block some hits all at the same time. Magnezone might still be a bit niche just to trap Steels, yet his ability to use Metal Sound can cause major irritation to one's team.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Since Magnet Rise will be (or should be, at the very least) seen, it can stop some of the switch-ins that would carry Earthquake. As far as switching into Magnezone and surviving: if the Pokemon switching in has less than 177 Speed and does not carry a move that would otherwise be threatening to Magnezone, it could be assumed that it is not a counter for the duration of the Magnet Rise. This means Pokemon like Hippowdon, Rhyperior, Steelix, Donphan, etc., will be at Magnezone's mercy, even if you want to factor
in the fact that some of his Hidden Powers will only 3HKO some of the ones listed. Steelix suffers even worse because he gets trapped by Magnet Pull, oh what a disaster that would be! As for the rest of the group that is faster, if Magnezone has not had the time to rise or is not hiding behind a Substitute and is preparing to rise, they can be considered a counter.</p>
<p>Otherwise, there are Pokemon that can switch into Magnezone. Electivire can steal a Motor Drive boost and can either OHKO with Earthquake or 2HKO with Cross Chop. Dugtrio, though cannot switch into a Hidden Power, can trap and KO with Earthquake, and could be used as a revenge killer, but watch out if Magnezone is under a Substitute or is activating Magnet Rise, as that ruins your chances of taking Magnezone on one on one. Blissey is obviously the best Magnezone counter, as Blissey can just use Seismic Toss on Magnezone's Substitutes and can take minimal damage from most of his attacks. However, Magnezone can attempt to scare off Blissey herself with Metal Sound or Explosion, but ONLY IF Magnezone has a Life Orb attached.</p>
<p>Hidden Power is the next one to consider. Without Grass, Swampert and Lanturn can step in and attempt to put Magnezone at his mercy. Without Ice, Garchomp, Flygon, and Gliscor can step in. Another note is that a Grass-type that at least has a Fighting move or Fire move. Surprisingly enough Camerupt is the best one: it has STAB Fire to fight him off and is neutral to both of the standard Hidden Powers.</p>
<p>Sandstorm boost on Rock types make other problems too, which is why Tyranitar could be considered as a decent counter, especially if it's a mixed set without the -Special Defense nature. This makes Regirock and Cradily (but watch out for Hidden Power Ice and Flash Cannon!) able to ruin Magnezone's fun. The Rain Dance set can ruin some of the other Rock type's ability to switch in since the Sandstorm will leave and then the basic Water-type brigade will walk in, but Tyranitar has the benefit of canceling that out too by switching out and then back in again.</p>
<p>Gravity is a big enemy to Magnet Rise, and as such Probopass will be the best counter in that situation, especially because Probopass is neutral to his usual Hidden Powers, resistant to Flash Cannon, and can take a Thunderbolt to a decent extent with some Special Defense EVs pumped into him. Not only that, but Probopass gets Magnet Pull even, so it would be a scary face off indeed.</p>
