<p>This little cutie makes quite a splash in the Little Cup metagame. Its solid natural bulk becomes exceptional when boosted by Eviolite; this, along with its amazing defensive typing, makes Magnemite one of the best defensive pivots in the tier. Its monstrous 20 Special Attack and access to STAB Volt Switch lets it take a huge chunk out of any switch-in. Furthermore, its Magnet Pull ability enables it to trap and dismantle opposing Steel-type Pokemon, such as Bronzor and Ferroseed, who are two of the peskiest walls around. Whether you're looking for strong offense or solid defense, you know this cute little magnetic cyclops won't let you down.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Attacker
move 1: Magnet Rise
move 2: Volt Switch
move 3: Flash Cannon
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Thunderbolt
item: Eviolite
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest
evs: 156 HP / 36 Def / 240 SpA / 76 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Magnemite's strong defensive capabilities and incredible offensive prowess allow it to play the role of a bulky pivot to perfection. When using Magnemite, be sure to note that, even though it never touches the ground, it possesses a crippling 4x weakness to Ground-type attacks. Fortunately, Magnemite has access to the move Magnet Rise, which lets it float even higher and makes it immune to Ground-type attacks for five turns. With this immunity, Magnemite can check Hippopotas, Bronzor, and Drilbur without fearing Earthquake. Volt Switch is a powerful STAB move that allows Magnemite to switch out upon use and perform its role as a pivot admirably, while Flash Cannon is Magnemite's strongest option against Ground- and Dragon-type Pokemon. Finally, the last moveslot is a tossup between Hidden Power Fire and Thunderbolt. Thanks to its Magnet Pull ability, Magnemite can prevent Steel-type Pokemon from switching out. This, in tandem with Hidden Power Fire, allows Magnemite to reliably prevent Ferroseed from setting up a variety of hazards. Hidden Power Fire is also Magnemite's best option against Grass-type Pokemon such as Shroomish. However, Thunderbolt is a valuable move too, as it is Magnemite's best reliable STAB option; it hits Pokemon such as Mienfoo and Scraggy harder than any other move on this set does.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EV spread maximizes Special Attack, and then focuses on Magnemite's rather good bulk. The combination of 240 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature gives Magnemite 20 Special Attack, which, especially unboosted, is incredible. The defensive investment gives Magnemite 21 / 21 / 19 defenses, after factoring the boost from Eviolite, which is plenty after its good defensive typing is taken into account. This spread forgoes Speed investment as, even with maximum Speed investment, Magnemite only reaches 14 Speed, which is too low to make it worth the lack of bulk. With the listed spread, Magnemite can counter Substitute + Roost Murkrow, survive Murkrow's Life Orb Heat Wave and Mienfoo's Drain Punch, as well as check Misdreavus, all amazing feats that would be lost by investing in Speed.</p>
<p>Magnemite does not have many other options it can use on this set. It can run Hidden Power Grass in the last slot to stop Chinchou and Wooper from walling it to oblivion, or Signal Beam for a harder hit on Grass-types. Discharge is a powerful STAB move that has an excellent chance of paralysis, which is perfect for the relatively slow Magnemite. As Magnemite hates Ground-, Fire-, and Fighting-types, such as Drilbur, Houndour, and Scraggy, it appreciates teammates that can switch into these Pokemon. Grass-type Pokemon, such as Shroomish and Snover, make for excellent checks to Ground-types, Chinchou, and Wooper, and are therefore excellent teammates for Magnemite. Croagunk is also a good teammate as it can handle Scraggy and Staryu that lack Psychic, as well as helping to counter Misdreavus. The likes of Scraggy, Frillish, Misdreavus, and Staryu make good partners as well, as they can threaten Pokemon that give Magnemite problems. It is important to note, however, that many of Magnemite's counters do not generally pose a problem to it; they frequently switch in, hoping to do serious damage, only to take a Volt Switch to the face.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Flash Cannon
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Fire
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest
evs: 240 SpA / 240 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While Magnemite performs beautifully as a bulky pivot, it can also run a Choice Scarf set effectively. Its greatest boon as a Choice Scarf user is its speedy Volt Switch, which allows it to both revenge kill an opposing threat and switch out at the same turn. If Volt Switch is not strong enough to get the job done, Magnemite has Flash Cannon and Thunderbolt to draw from as well; they are its most reliable STAB options. Finally, Hidden Power Fire is Magnemite's strongest option against Grass-type Pokemon, and works in perfect tandem with its Magnet Pull ability in removing Steel-type Pokemon, such as Ferroseed and Bronzor.</p>
<p>It's important to note that this Magnemite set cannot afford to use Volt Switch without thinking, as it gives Ground-types such as Drilbur and Diglett a free switch-in. The latter in particular can trap Magnemite due to its Arena Trap ability and either KO it outright or set up with Substitute and Hone Claws.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The given EV spread maximizes Magnemite's Special Attack and Speed, which allows it to hit incredibly hard while outspeeding the entire unboosted metagame. The moves on this set are all relatively unalterable. Hidden Power Grass reliably deals with Chinchou and Wooper, whom Magnemite is currently unable to touch, while Signal Beam deals more damage to Grass-types.</p>
<p>As Ground-types are this Magnemite's greatest fear, Grass- and Water-types, such as Shroomish, Snover, Staryu, and Frillish, all make excellent partners to it. Shroomish can handle standard Drilbur and Hippopotas with ease, while Choice Scarf Snover does the same, changing the weather to Hail and outspeeding the duo. Furthermore, Pokemon such as Frillish and Misdreavus check Mienfoo, while Water-type Pokemon such as Frillish and Staryu check Fire-type Pokemon such as Darumaka and Larvesta. </p>
[Other Options]
<p>Magnemite has a variety of other viable options. If scarves aren't your thing, Magnemite can wear a beautiful pair of Choice Specs to reach a Special Attack stat of 30. You can take its offense even further by using its Dream World ability, Analytic, which essentially gives it a Life Orb boost if it hits second or if its opponent switches out. To put that in context, the boost enables it to OHKO Scraggy with Thunderbolt. Magnemite can float even higher than usual with an Air Balloon, which makes it the best Bronzor counter in the tier, as it doesn't even fear switching into an Earthquake. Alternatively, Magnemite can imitate its older sibling Magnezone with a Substitute + Charge Beam set; with this set it can set up against trapped Ferroseed and Bronzor with ease.
<p>In terms of team support, Magnemite can also use Light Screen, Sunny Day, Rain Dance, or Gravity; the latter two further allow Magnemite to use its most powerful STAB move, Thunder, without fear of missing. While Metal Sound lets it force switches, Thunder Wave and Toxic are viable options if you desire status support. Hilariously, Magnemite can even provide paralysis support while doing damage with the combination of Mind Reader + Zap Cannon.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>While Magnemite does have several checks, some can be bypassed through the use of Volt Switch. At the top of Magnemite's threat list are Ground-types, primarily Diglett, Drilbur, and Hippopotas, who render Volt Switch useless and can hit back with a 4x super effective STAB move. Grass-type Pokemon such as Shroomish and Snover can switch into Magnemite's Electric STAB moves with impunity, but they must be wary of Hidden Power Fire. Bulky Pokemon can generally switch into any of Magnemite's moves; Misdreavus threatens it with Hidden Power Fighting. Houndour, Larvesta, Ponyta, and Darumaka threaten to OHKO Magnemite with their powerful Fire-type moves, while Mienfoo, Scraggy, Timburr, and Croagunk have strong Fighting-type moves to eliminate Magnemite. Finally, Chinchou and Wooper can switch into any of Magnemite's moves aside from the rare Hidden Power Grass.</p>
