[OVERVIEW]
While Mega Pinsir possesses powerful Flying coverage, it faces many pitfalls that prevent it from competing on the level of other Doubles threats. Although it sports a decent Speed tier—outspeeding base 100s—it's held back due to underspeeding critical threats such as Keldeo, Latios, Thundurus, and Mega Diancie. It also loses to and faces heavy competition from Talonflame, which possesses priority and a much better Aegislash matchup while also not taking up a Mega slot, though it lacks Mega Pinsir's power and relative bulk. In addition, Mega Pinsir struggles to do meaningful damage outside of its Flying-type STAB moves; Close Combat is a roll to KO Mega Kangaskhan even with an Adamant nature. Being frail and with no relevant resistances, Mega Pinsir is OHKOed by many neutral STAB attacks, in addition to being brought down by its multiple critical weaknesses such as to Flying- and Rock-type coverage. This combination of poor defenses, typing weaknesses, and mediocre Speed for a frail offensive attacker leaves it outclassed by Talonflame in most situations. However, access to Feint and a very powerful Flying-type STAB move can let Mega Pinsir take advantage of its offensive pressure while also supporting hard-hitting teammates.
[SET]
name: Offensive Attacker
move 1: Return
move 2: Feint
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Protect
item: Pinsirite
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Aerilate gives Return more power and makes it Flying-type, letting it KO Grass-types such as Amoonguss; Flying is also a powerful offensive typing in Doubles that is hard to switch into. Feint is a +2 priority attack that also breaks Protect, letting Mega Pinsir support a partner. Close Combat hits Heatran and Mega Kangaskhan super effectively and provides decent neutral coverage for foes that resist Flying, such as Jirachi and Rotom-W. Protect lets Pinsir Mega Evolve safely and can keep it safe while a partner removes an opposing threat on the field.
Set Details
========
252 Attack and Speed EVs maximize damage output and Speed, helping Mega Pinsir function as a hard-hitting physical attacker. While a Jolly nature is used to outspeed maximum Speed base 100s and other notable threats such as Landorus, the damage boost from an Adamant nature can be critical in securing several KOs as well as a roll to KO Mega Kangaskhan. Return will also have a roll to KO Landorus-T if Intimidate is prevented, either through coming in while Landorus-T is on the field or by taking advantage of Hyper Cutter, which lets Pinsir play around Intimidate in a similar vein to Clear Body. This lets Pinsir either lead into both without losing Attack or attack on the turn it Mega Evolves without fear of an Intimidate switch-in hampering its damage effectiveness.
Usage Tips
========
Apply offensive pressure with Feint: when Mega Pinsir's team has offensive initiative, it can heavily punish opposing Protects. This, combined with its ability to prevent opponents from stalling out field conditions, such as Tailwind and rain, makes it a potent threat when its team has the upper hand. In addition, Feint can expose Pokemon with faster Mega Evolutions such as Diancie and Metagross as they Mega Evolve, as well as breaking Quick Guard and Wide Guard. Feint should also be used to pick off low-health foes, even priority attackers such as Talonflame, as Mega Pinsir's Feint has higher priority than Talonflame's Brave Bird. Use Mega Pinsir's partner and proper positioning to get Mega Pinsir into situations where it can use Return without fear of Electric-type switch-ins or getting KOed before it can move by threats such as Keldeo and Talonflame. Be sure to consider switching Mega Pinsir out when it's not doing anything effective, such as in bad matchups or when it's weakened by Intimidate.
Team Options
========
Mega Pinsir requires heavy support to alleviate its poor matchups. This includes checks to Talonflame such as Thundurus and Landorus-T; checks to Landorus-T such as Azumarill and Deoxys-A; checks to Electric-types, such as Rhyperior and Amoonguss; and Pokemon to take out Aegislash, such as strong Fire-type attackers like Heatran and Blaziken or powerful Dark-types such as Hydreigon and Hoopa-U. Mega Pinsir also benefits heavily from Tailwind support from Zapdos or Suicune, as its Feint stops foes from stalling Tailwind turns with Protect.
On the other hand, Mega Pinsir can supplement a team by removing opposing Fighting-types, clearing the way for Pokemon weak to Fighting-types such as Hydreigon and Heatran. Rain teams in general can appreciate Mega Pinnsir's ability to beat Amoonguss, Kyurem-B, and Ferrothorn in one slot, as these are all common rain checks. Offensive single-target hitters that can take advantage of Feint's ability to break Protect such as Deoxys-A and Belly Drum Azumarill can avoid Protect counterplay with Mega Pinsir discouraging an opponent from protecting their Pokemon. Spread attackers such as Landorus-T and Heatran appreciate Feint breaking Wide Guard. Pokemon with Fake Out like Weavile, Infernape, and Scrafty can complement Feint for good combined pressure while also giving Mega Pinsir room to take out a foe.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Earthquake does very little damage coming from Mega Pinsir, as it is both non-STAB and weakened by spread reduction, but it can KO opposing Heatran. Knock Off helps Mega Pinsir's matchups against Jirachi and Aegislash but sacrifices valuable, powerful Fighting-type coverage.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-type Pokemon**: Many Fire-types threaten Mega Pinsir easily, including Heatran, Volcanion, and Talonflame.
**Electric-type Pokemon**: Electric-types resist Mega Pinsir's Flying-type STAB moves and either resist or take very little damage from Close Combat, such as in the case of Thundurus and Rotom-W.
**Rock-type Coverage**: Rock-type attacks from foes such as Mega Diancie and Landorus-T heavily threaten to OHKO Mega Pinsir. Mega Diancie also resists Flying while taking Close Combat neutrally.
**Steel-type Pokemon**: Steel-types that aren't weak to Fighting such as Jirachi, Aegislash, and Mega Metagross easily wall Mega Pinsir's attacks.
**Faster Pokemon**: Mega Pinsir is extremely frail and lacks a high enough Speed to make up for it, making it susceptible to faster threats. Threats like Keldeo and Latios, while not possessing a typing advantage, can easily outspeed and KO Mega Pinsir.
**Intimidate and Burns**: Landorus-T and Rotom-W heavily cripple Mega Pinsir's damage output. While it can play around opposing Intimidate to a degree thanks to its base forme's ability Hyper Cutter, it cannot after Mega Evolving.
**Paralysis, Tailwind, and Trick Room**: Similarly to faster Pokemon, speed control in the form of paralysis, Tailwind, or Trick Room significantly hampers Mega Pinsir's offensive potential. In particular, Thundurus and Tailwind users such as Suicune and Zapdos take Mega Pinsir's coverage very easily, while most Trick Room setters have the bulk to survive a Return.
While Mega Pinsir possesses powerful Flying coverage, it faces many pitfalls that prevent it from competing on the level of other Doubles threats. Although it sports a decent Speed tier—outspeeding base 100s—it's held back due to underspeeding critical threats such as Keldeo, Latios, Thundurus, and Mega Diancie. It also loses to and faces heavy competition from Talonflame, which possesses priority and a much better Aegislash matchup while also not taking up a Mega slot, though it lacks Mega Pinsir's power and relative bulk. In addition, Mega Pinsir struggles to do meaningful damage outside of its Flying-type STAB moves; Close Combat is a roll to KO Mega Kangaskhan even with an Adamant nature. Being frail and with no relevant resistances, Mega Pinsir is OHKOed by many neutral STAB attacks, in addition to being brought down by its multiple critical weaknesses such as to Flying- and Rock-type coverage. This combination of poor defenses, typing weaknesses, and mediocre Speed for a frail offensive attacker leaves it outclassed by Talonflame in most situations. However, access to Feint and a very powerful Flying-type STAB move can let Mega Pinsir take advantage of its offensive pressure while also supporting hard-hitting teammates.
[SET]
name: Offensive Attacker
move 1: Return
move 2: Feint
move 3: Close Combat
move 4: Protect
item: Pinsirite
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Aerilate gives Return more power and makes it Flying-type, letting it KO Grass-types such as Amoonguss; Flying is also a powerful offensive typing in Doubles that is hard to switch into. Feint is a +2 priority attack that also breaks Protect, letting Mega Pinsir support a partner. Close Combat hits Heatran and Mega Kangaskhan super effectively and provides decent neutral coverage for foes that resist Flying, such as Jirachi and Rotom-W. Protect lets Pinsir Mega Evolve safely and can keep it safe while a partner removes an opposing threat on the field.
Set Details
========
252 Attack and Speed EVs maximize damage output and Speed, helping Mega Pinsir function as a hard-hitting physical attacker. While a Jolly nature is used to outspeed maximum Speed base 100s and other notable threats such as Landorus, the damage boost from an Adamant nature can be critical in securing several KOs as well as a roll to KO Mega Kangaskhan. Return will also have a roll to KO Landorus-T if Intimidate is prevented, either through coming in while Landorus-T is on the field or by taking advantage of Hyper Cutter, which lets Pinsir play around Intimidate in a similar vein to Clear Body. This lets Pinsir either lead into both without losing Attack or attack on the turn it Mega Evolves without fear of an Intimidate switch-in hampering its damage effectiveness.
Usage Tips
========
Apply offensive pressure with Feint: when Mega Pinsir's team has offensive initiative, it can heavily punish opposing Protects. This, combined with its ability to prevent opponents from stalling out field conditions, such as Tailwind and rain, makes it a potent threat when its team has the upper hand. In addition, Feint can expose Pokemon with faster Mega Evolutions such as Diancie and Metagross as they Mega Evolve, as well as breaking Quick Guard and Wide Guard. Feint should also be used to pick off low-health foes, even priority attackers such as Talonflame, as Mega Pinsir's Feint has higher priority than Talonflame's Brave Bird. Use Mega Pinsir's partner and proper positioning to get Mega Pinsir into situations where it can use Return without fear of Electric-type switch-ins or getting KOed before it can move by threats such as Keldeo and Talonflame. Be sure to consider switching Mega Pinsir out when it's not doing anything effective, such as in bad matchups or when it's weakened by Intimidate.
Team Options
========
Mega Pinsir requires heavy support to alleviate its poor matchups. This includes checks to Talonflame such as Thundurus and Landorus-T; checks to Landorus-T such as Azumarill and Deoxys-A; checks to Electric-types, such as Rhyperior and Amoonguss; and Pokemon to take out Aegislash, such as strong Fire-type attackers like Heatran and Blaziken or powerful Dark-types such as Hydreigon and Hoopa-U. Mega Pinsir also benefits heavily from Tailwind support from Zapdos or Suicune, as its Feint stops foes from stalling Tailwind turns with Protect.
On the other hand, Mega Pinsir can supplement a team by removing opposing Fighting-types, clearing the way for Pokemon weak to Fighting-types such as Hydreigon and Heatran. Rain teams in general can appreciate Mega Pinnsir's ability to beat Amoonguss, Kyurem-B, and Ferrothorn in one slot, as these are all common rain checks. Offensive single-target hitters that can take advantage of Feint's ability to break Protect such as Deoxys-A and Belly Drum Azumarill can avoid Protect counterplay with Mega Pinsir discouraging an opponent from protecting their Pokemon. Spread attackers such as Landorus-T and Heatran appreciate Feint breaking Wide Guard. Pokemon with Fake Out like Weavile, Infernape, and Scrafty can complement Feint for good combined pressure while also giving Mega Pinsir room to take out a foe.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Earthquake does very little damage coming from Mega Pinsir, as it is both non-STAB and weakened by spread reduction, but it can KO opposing Heatran. Knock Off helps Mega Pinsir's matchups against Jirachi and Aegislash but sacrifices valuable, powerful Fighting-type coverage.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fire-type Pokemon**: Many Fire-types threaten Mega Pinsir easily, including Heatran, Volcanion, and Talonflame.
**Electric-type Pokemon**: Electric-types resist Mega Pinsir's Flying-type STAB moves and either resist or take very little damage from Close Combat, such as in the case of Thundurus and Rotom-W.
**Rock-type Coverage**: Rock-type attacks from foes such as Mega Diancie and Landorus-T heavily threaten to OHKO Mega Pinsir. Mega Diancie also resists Flying while taking Close Combat neutrally.
**Steel-type Pokemon**: Steel-types that aren't weak to Fighting such as Jirachi, Aegislash, and Mega Metagross easily wall Mega Pinsir's attacks.
**Faster Pokemon**: Mega Pinsir is extremely frail and lacks a high enough Speed to make up for it, making it susceptible to faster threats. Threats like Keldeo and Latios, while not possessing a typing advantage, can easily outspeed and KO Mega Pinsir.
**Intimidate and Burns**: Landorus-T and Rotom-W heavily cripple Mega Pinsir's damage output. While it can play around opposing Intimidate to a degree thanks to its base forme's ability Hyper Cutter, it cannot after Mega Evolving.
**Paralysis, Tailwind, and Trick Room**: Similarly to faster Pokemon, speed control in the form of paralysis, Tailwind, or Trick Room significantly hampers Mega Pinsir's offensive potential. In particular, Thundurus and Tailwind users such as Suicune and Zapdos take Mega Pinsir's coverage very easily, while most Trick Room setters have the bulk to survive a Return.
Last edited:
