taken over from sparktrain
[OVERVIEW]
Mega Pinsir has an impressive base 155 Attack stat, which it can boost even further with Swords Dance, allowing it to shred past many walls after a boost and act as a fearsome late-game cleaner. Thanks to the switches Mega Pinsir can force and its surprisingly decent bulk, it can find opportunities to set up rather easily. Aerilate gives its Normal-type moves a power boost and makes them Flying-type, giving Mega Pinsir a ridiculously powerful, drawback-free move in Return to take advantage of. It also makes Quick Attack a viable option for picking off faster foes. Flying is a great offensive type in CAP, as it allows Mega Pinsir to break down many cores, including the Tomohawk + Chansey core and the Tomohawk + Cyclohm + Colossoil core. Mega Pinsir can take advantage of Pokemon that cannot do much back to it or passive Pokemon like Colossoil, Chansey, Mega Venusaur, Pyroak, specially defensive Gliscor, and Fidgit to set up a Swords Dance. Its decent coverage options in Earthquake and Close Combat complement its Flying-type STAB moves well, giving it the ability to sweep through plenty of common defensive cores in CAP.
However, Mega Pinsir has a rather crippling Stealth Rock weakness, which limits the number of times it can switch in. It is heavily threatened by paralysis, burn, faster Pokemon that can pick it off, and faster priority users, making an outright sweep rather difficult for Mega Pinsir.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Return
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Earthquake / Close Combat
item: Pinsirite
ability: Hyper Cutter / Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance boosts Mega Pinsir's damage output even further, allowing it to break past walls or attempt a sweep late-game. With Mega Pinsir's high Attack stat and an Aerilate and STAB boost, Return hits incredibly hard with no drawbacks. Even some Pokemon that resist Flying will have trouble switching in. Quick Attack is used to revenge kill faster foes and hits decently hard with the STAB and Aerilate boost. It can also be used to clean up weakened offensive teams in tandem with Swords Dance. Earthquake provides great coverage alongside Return, hitting Electric- and Steel-types that are not immune to Ground-type moves such as Cyclohm, Krilowatt, Magnezone, Kitsunoh, and Heatran super effectively. If running Mold Breaker, Pinsir can lure bulky Rotom-W and 2HKO it after Stealth Rock damage with Earthquake. Close Combat provides stronger coverage against Tyranitar and Colossoil while retaining decent coverage against most Electric- and Steel-types. Close Combat notably allows Mega Pinsir to break past weakened Rotom-W. However, running Close Combat over Earthquake makes Mega Pinsir much more susceptible to Cyclohm, which can tank a +2 Close Combat much more easily than a +2 Earthquake and then OHKO -1 Special Defense Mega Pinsir with Discharge. Additionally, Kitsunoh can switch in and burn Mega Pinsir.
Set Details
========
252 Attack and Speed EVs allow Mega Pinsir to hit as hard and as fast as possible. A Jolly nature allows Mega Pinsir to make the best use of its base 105 Speed, outspeeding the crowded base 100 Speed tier and Speed tying with opposing Krilowatt. All three of Pinsir's abilities are situational, but each can prove to be beneficial under the right circumstances. Hyper Cutter prevents Intimidate users, such as Landorus-T, Mega Manectric, and Cawmodore, from switching in and lowering Pinsir's Attack on the turn it Mega Evolves. Mold Breaker allows Pinsir to lure and 2HKO bulky Rotom-W with Earthquake after Stealth Rock. Moxie could be used, as it allows Pinsir to get an Attack boost before Mega Evolving by KOing a foe. However, this means that Pinsir will be forced to stay in its slower base forme for an extra turn, leaving it susceptible to foes it could've otherwise outsped if it had Mega Evolved.
Usage Tips
========
Mega Pinsir can be used to wallbreak early- to mid-game, but it's generally most effective as a late-game cleaner once its checks and counters have been sufficiently weakened. For example, some prior damage on physically defensive Cyclohm ensures that Mega Pinsir can KO it with +2 Earthquake. If Mega Pinsir is brought in while its checks and counters are still healthy, it's quite likely that your opponent will switch to them. You can use this opportunity to double switch to a teammate that will have an advantage over their Zapdos, Skarmory, or Rotom-W. Alternatively, Mega Pinsir can set up Swords Dance as a check or counter switches in and heavily weaken it with a +2 Return or coverage move, allowing a teammate like Talonflame to come in and finish them off. Try not to switch Mega Pinsir directly in too much, especially if Stealth Rock is up, as its longevity isn't that great. Ideally, it should be kept healthy so that it can set up Swords Dance more easily late-game.
Team Options
========
Other offensive Flying-types, such as Talonflame, Life Orb Tomohawk, and Cawmodore, make for good teammates, as they can wear down each other's similar checks and counters so that one may eventually sweep. Tomohawk and Latias can provide Healing Wish support, giving Mega Pinsir a second shot at setting up and sweeping if it has been heavily weakened. Rapid Spin or Defog support is crucial due to Mega Pinsir's Stealth Rock weakness, as it will have trouble coming in and setting up consistently otherwise. Colossoil is especially notable as a Rapid Spin user, as it can tank attacks from the faster Electric-types that Mega Pinsir fears, such as Mega Manectric and Thundurus. However, Latias, Latios, and Kitsunoh also make for good offensive Defog users. Bulky Ground-types such as tank Garchomp, Hippowdon, and bulky Landorus-T can tank Electric-type moves for Mega Pinsir, check Talonflame, and provide useful Stealth Rock support to help weaken the opposing team. Magnezone or Magneton can be used to trap and remove Skarmory, which Mega Pinsir struggles to get past on its own.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Since Mega Pinsir lures in Zapdos, a common counter, Mega Pinsir can run Stone Edge and 2HKO it at +2; however, Mega Pinsir has trouble finding a moveslot for Stone Edge. Feint could be used in place of Quick Attack to pick off heavily weakened Talonflame. The power drop makes it less than ideal, though.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Electric-types**: Electric-types such as Thundurus, Krilowatt, Zapdos, Rotom-W, and Cyclohm can serve as answers to Mega Pinsir thanks to their resistance to Flying-type moves and their ability to threaten it with their STAB moves. Thundurus resists or is immune to all of Mega Pinsir's common moves and can outspeed and OHKO it with Thunderbolt. Krilowatt can also OHKO Mega Pinsir with Thunderbolt, but it only Speed ties with Mega Pinsir and risks taking a hefty chunk from Earthquake. Physically defensive Zapdos hard walls Mega Pinsir by courtesy of its typing, heals off the damage with Roost, and threatens it back with an Electric-type STAB move. Rotom-W and Cyclohm can check Mega Pinsir if they're healthy enough, but they take a hefty chunk of damage from +2 Close Combat and +2 Earthquake, respectively.
**Physical Walls**: Physical walls such as Skarmory and Hippowdon can phaze Mega Pinsir or, in Hippowdon's case, KO it with Stone Edge. Skarmory's typing lets it wall Mega Pinsir quite easily, but Hippowdon takes considerable damage from +2 Return, so it must be healthy in order to switch in safely.
**Rock-types**: Rock-types such as Mega Diancie and Stratagem outspeed Mega Pinsir and OHKO it with their Rock-type STAB moves. Mega Diancie can't switch into Earthquake, however, and Stratagem should generally stick to revenge killing Mega Pinsir, as its frailty makes it an unreliable switch-in (even a resisted Return does over 50%). Levitate Stratagem, which boasts an immunity to Earthquake, is a bit more reliable than Technician Stratagem in this sense, but it still fears Close Combat.
**Talonflame**: Talonflame can't switch in very reliably, but it can safely revenge kill Mega Pinsir thanks to Gale Wings and its higher Speed, allowing it to strike with Brave Bird or Acrobatics before Mega Pinsir can use Quick Attack.
**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock cuts Pinsir's health by 25% and Mega Pinsir's health by 50%, putting a serious damper on its longevity and limiting its setup opportunities.
**Status**: Paralysis hampers Mega Pinsir's Speed, which cripples it for the rest of the match. Burns halve Mega Pinsir's Attack, which will likely prevent a sweep. Additionally, Mega Pinsir doesn't appreciate the residual damage from burn or poison.
[OVERVIEW]
Mega Pinsir has an impressive base 155 Attack stat, which it can boost even further with Swords Dance, allowing it to shred past many walls after a boost and act as a fearsome late-game cleaner. Thanks to the switches Mega Pinsir can force and its surprisingly decent bulk, it can find opportunities to set up rather easily. Aerilate gives its Normal-type moves a power boost and makes them Flying-type, giving Mega Pinsir a ridiculously powerful, drawback-free move in Return to take advantage of. It also makes Quick Attack a viable option for picking off faster foes. Flying is a great offensive type in CAP, as it allows Mega Pinsir to break down many cores, including the Tomohawk + Chansey core and the Tomohawk + Cyclohm + Colossoil core. Mega Pinsir can take advantage of Pokemon that cannot do much back to it or passive Pokemon like Colossoil, Chansey, Mega Venusaur, Pyroak, specially defensive Gliscor, and Fidgit to set up a Swords Dance. Its decent coverage options in Earthquake and Close Combat complement its Flying-type STAB moves well, giving it the ability to sweep through plenty of common defensive cores in CAP.
However, Mega Pinsir has a rather crippling Stealth Rock weakness, which limits the number of times it can switch in. It is heavily threatened by paralysis, burn, faster Pokemon that can pick it off, and faster priority users, making an outright sweep rather difficult for Mega Pinsir.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Return
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Earthquake / Close Combat
item: Pinsirite
ability: Hyper Cutter / Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Swords Dance boosts Mega Pinsir's damage output even further, allowing it to break past walls or attempt a sweep late-game. With Mega Pinsir's high Attack stat and an Aerilate and STAB boost, Return hits incredibly hard with no drawbacks. Even some Pokemon that resist Flying will have trouble switching in. Quick Attack is used to revenge kill faster foes and hits decently hard with the STAB and Aerilate boost. It can also be used to clean up weakened offensive teams in tandem with Swords Dance. Earthquake provides great coverage alongside Return, hitting Electric- and Steel-types that are not immune to Ground-type moves such as Cyclohm, Krilowatt, Magnezone, Kitsunoh, and Heatran super effectively. If running Mold Breaker, Pinsir can lure bulky Rotom-W and 2HKO it after Stealth Rock damage with Earthquake. Close Combat provides stronger coverage against Tyranitar and Colossoil while retaining decent coverage against most Electric- and Steel-types. Close Combat notably allows Mega Pinsir to break past weakened Rotom-W. However, running Close Combat over Earthquake makes Mega Pinsir much more susceptible to Cyclohm, which can tank a +2 Close Combat much more easily than a +2 Earthquake and then OHKO -1 Special Defense Mega Pinsir with Discharge. Additionally, Kitsunoh can switch in and burn Mega Pinsir.
Set Details
========
252 Attack and Speed EVs allow Mega Pinsir to hit as hard and as fast as possible. A Jolly nature allows Mega Pinsir to make the best use of its base 105 Speed, outspeeding the crowded base 100 Speed tier and Speed tying with opposing Krilowatt. All three of Pinsir's abilities are situational, but each can prove to be beneficial under the right circumstances. Hyper Cutter prevents Intimidate users, such as Landorus-T, Mega Manectric, and Cawmodore, from switching in and lowering Pinsir's Attack on the turn it Mega Evolves. Mold Breaker allows Pinsir to lure and 2HKO bulky Rotom-W with Earthquake after Stealth Rock. Moxie could be used, as it allows Pinsir to get an Attack boost before Mega Evolving by KOing a foe. However, this means that Pinsir will be forced to stay in its slower base forme for an extra turn, leaving it susceptible to foes it could've otherwise outsped if it had Mega Evolved.
Usage Tips
========
Mega Pinsir can be used to wallbreak early- to mid-game, but it's generally most effective as a late-game cleaner once its checks and counters have been sufficiently weakened. For example, some prior damage on physically defensive Cyclohm ensures that Mega Pinsir can KO it with +2 Earthquake. If Mega Pinsir is brought in while its checks and counters are still healthy, it's quite likely that your opponent will switch to them. You can use this opportunity to double switch to a teammate that will have an advantage over their Zapdos, Skarmory, or Rotom-W. Alternatively, Mega Pinsir can set up Swords Dance as a check or counter switches in and heavily weaken it with a +2 Return or coverage move, allowing a teammate like Talonflame to come in and finish them off. Try not to switch Mega Pinsir directly in too much, especially if Stealth Rock is up, as its longevity isn't that great. Ideally, it should be kept healthy so that it can set up Swords Dance more easily late-game.
Team Options
========
Other offensive Flying-types, such as Talonflame, Life Orb Tomohawk, and Cawmodore, make for good teammates, as they can wear down each other's similar checks and counters so that one may eventually sweep. Tomohawk and Latias can provide Healing Wish support, giving Mega Pinsir a second shot at setting up and sweeping if it has been heavily weakened. Rapid Spin or Defog support is crucial due to Mega Pinsir's Stealth Rock weakness, as it will have trouble coming in and setting up consistently otherwise. Colossoil is especially notable as a Rapid Spin user, as it can tank attacks from the faster Electric-types that Mega Pinsir fears, such as Mega Manectric and Thundurus. However, Latias, Latios, and Kitsunoh also make for good offensive Defog users. Bulky Ground-types such as tank Garchomp, Hippowdon, and bulky Landorus-T can tank Electric-type moves for Mega Pinsir, check Talonflame, and provide useful Stealth Rock support to help weaken the opposing team. Magnezone or Magneton can be used to trap and remove Skarmory, which Mega Pinsir struggles to get past on its own.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Since Mega Pinsir lures in Zapdos, a common counter, Mega Pinsir can run Stone Edge and 2HKO it at +2; however, Mega Pinsir has trouble finding a moveslot for Stone Edge. Feint could be used in place of Quick Attack to pick off heavily weakened Talonflame. The power drop makes it less than ideal, though.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Electric-types**: Electric-types such as Thundurus, Krilowatt, Zapdos, Rotom-W, and Cyclohm can serve as answers to Mega Pinsir thanks to their resistance to Flying-type moves and their ability to threaten it with their STAB moves. Thundurus resists or is immune to all of Mega Pinsir's common moves and can outspeed and OHKO it with Thunderbolt. Krilowatt can also OHKO Mega Pinsir with Thunderbolt, but it only Speed ties with Mega Pinsir and risks taking a hefty chunk from Earthquake. Physically defensive Zapdos hard walls Mega Pinsir by courtesy of its typing, heals off the damage with Roost, and threatens it back with an Electric-type STAB move. Rotom-W and Cyclohm can check Mega Pinsir if they're healthy enough, but they take a hefty chunk of damage from +2 Close Combat and +2 Earthquake, respectively.
**Physical Walls**: Physical walls such as Skarmory and Hippowdon can phaze Mega Pinsir or, in Hippowdon's case, KO it with Stone Edge. Skarmory's typing lets it wall Mega Pinsir quite easily, but Hippowdon takes considerable damage from +2 Return, so it must be healthy in order to switch in safely.
**Rock-types**: Rock-types such as Mega Diancie and Stratagem outspeed Mega Pinsir and OHKO it with their Rock-type STAB moves. Mega Diancie can't switch into Earthquake, however, and Stratagem should generally stick to revenge killing Mega Pinsir, as its frailty makes it an unreliable switch-in (even a resisted Return does over 50%). Levitate Stratagem, which boasts an immunity to Earthquake, is a bit more reliable than Technician Stratagem in this sense, but it still fears Close Combat.
**Talonflame**: Talonflame can't switch in very reliably, but it can safely revenge kill Mega Pinsir thanks to Gale Wings and its higher Speed, allowing it to strike with Brave Bird or Acrobatics before Mega Pinsir can use Quick Attack.
**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock cuts Pinsir's health by 25% and Mega Pinsir's health by 50%, putting a serious damper on its longevity and limiting its setup opportunities.
**Status**: Paralysis hampers Mega Pinsir's Speed, which cripples it for the rest of the match. Burns halve Mega Pinsir's Attack, which will likely prevent a sweep. Additionally, Mega Pinsir doesn't appreciate the residual damage from burn or poison.
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