Other XY OU Viability Ranking Thread (V2) (Last update on post #5189)

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Heatran....


Also, I don't think Mega Pinsir is a A+ Pokemon, it is easily an S Tier. The reason why its checks and counters have become so popular is because you NEED them. Mega Pinsir is one of the scariest pokemon in OU without a doubt. Though I feel Mega Charizard X is overall better thanks to a immunity to burn and roost healing. Charizard doesn't have the raw power of +2 Aerilate Return. One of the most powerful moves in all of OU.

+2 252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Return vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-W: 169-200 (55.5 - 65.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Even bulky Pokemon such as Rotom-W thats resist its STAB cannot switch into it. And with excellent coverage in Earthquake, a 78 power priority in Quick Attack. He also forms one of the deadliest offensive cores in OU alongside Talonflame or Staraptor. For these reasons, I believe Mega Pinsir is a S rank pokemon and the second best mega evolution in the tier.

Although Mega Charizard X is a S rank pokemon, there is no doubt about it. I think Charizard Y should be moved down to A+. Although Charizard Y is easily one the hardest hitters in the tier with Sun-Boosted Fire Blasts coming off 458(!) Special attack. He just is too easily revenge killed or just out right stopped by the following pokemon

-Blissey
-Chansey
-Garchomp
-Excadrill
-Terrakion
-Snorlax
-Mega Charizard X
-Talonflame
-Tyranitar
-Latias
-Latios
-Goodra
-Thundurus
-Dragonite
-Landorus-I
-Landorus-T
-Heatran
-Hippowdon

Also, the definition of a S-tier Pokemon is

S Rank: Reserved for Pokemon who can sweep or wall significant portions of the metagame with little support, and Pokemon who can support other Pokemon with very little opportunity cost ("free turns"). Also the home of Pokemon who can easily perform multiple roles effectively, increasing their versatility and unpredictability. If the Pokemon in this rank have any flaws, those flaws are thoroughly mitigated by their substantial strengths.

Unfortunately, Charizard Y cannot sweep or wall significant portions of the metagame with little support. Unless a near mandatory Pursuit trapper and Defogger is little team support. Charizard Y also cannot perform multiple roles. Its too slow to be a sweeper, so he usually only is used as a wallbreaker. An actual S rank Pokemon, such as Charizard X, doesn't need much more than a Defogger, and can be used as a Sweeper, Wallbreaker, Bulky Sweeper if one is running Bulky DD, or Tank if it is is running the tank set.
None of the Pokemon you mentioned can safely switch in on Charizard Y except for the blobs and even they can get wrecked by a sun boosted flare blitz. The few things that often get in safely are often outsped and KOed. Only Lati@s can actually come in and KO in almost every situation and they are both manageable. I would say that this utility alone puts Charizard Y at the very top of the A+ ranking as a wallbreaking support threat, however, it is even more difficult and unpredictable because it could also be Charizard X.

One underrated mon that you should at least consider for D/C- rank is Porygon2's oft forgotten brother, PorygonZ. While there isn't as much of a shortage this gen when it comes to good non-Uber Nasty Plot users, PorygonZ's access to Adaptability, absurd base SpA (the only other Plot/Glow abusers with that kind of power being Manaphy counting the free +1 from Tail Glow and Thundy-T) as well as nice coverage overall with Tri Attack/Dark Pulse/HPFighting give him a solid niche. His retarded amount of power even before a boost means that he forces quite a few switches with which he can boost up. He can also run Specs, Scarf, Agility, or even Double Dance if you're feeling ballsy, all rather smoothly but they don't seem to work quite as well in OU from my experience. He's definitely not amazing, but with the right team behind him he can deadly. Granted, my main account is still in the 1500s, so maybe I've just been fighting scrubs who can't stop a booster.
I would support Porygon Z for D rank as well. It isn't overwhelming, but adaptability boosted Tri-attack is absurdly powerful coming off a base 135 attack. Porygon Z's problems often come in the form of weak coverage moves in comparison and the lack of switch in opportunities due to its mediocre bulk and its slightly disappointing speed tier. It can certainly be devastating on the right teams though. Just as an example.
252 SpA Choice Specs Adaptability Porygon-Z Tri Attack vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Blissey: 208-246 (29.1 - 34.4%) -- 99.8% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Pixilate Mega Gardevoir Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Blissey: 177-208 (24.7 - 29.1%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery

It is more powerful than Mega Gardevoir's Hyper Voice. That's pretty impressive. Unfortunately normal type attacks aren't too difficult to work around and like I said earlier, it's coverage moves are not nearly as impressive. So Porygon Z for D.
 
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Heatran....


Also, I don't think Mega Pinsir is a A+ Pokemon, it is easily an S Tier. The reason why its checks and counters have become so popular is because you NEED them. Mega Pinsir is one of the scariest pokemon in OU without a doubt. Though I feel Mega Charizard X is overall better thanks to a immunity to burn and roost healing. Charizard doesn't have the raw power of +2 Aerilate Return. One of the most powerful moves in all of OU.

+2 252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Return vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-W: 169-200 (55.5 - 65.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Even bulky Pokemon such as Rotom-W thats resist its STAB cannot switch into it. And with excellent coverage in Earthquake, a 78 power priority in Quick Attack. He also forms one of the deadliest offensive cores in OU alongside Talonflame or Staraptor. For these reasons, I believe Mega Pinsir is a S rank pokemon and the second best mega evolution in the tier.

Although Mega Charizard X is a S rank pokemon, there is no doubt about it. I think Charizard Y should be moved down to A+. Although Charizard Y is easily one the hardest hitters in the tier with Sun-Boosted Fire Blasts coming off 458(!) Special attack. He just is too easily revenge killed or just out right stopped by the following pokemon

-Blissey
-Chansey
-Garchomp
-Excadrill
-Terrakion
-Snorlax
-Mega Charizard X
-Talonflame
-Tyranitar
-Latias
-Latios
-Goodra
-Thundurus
-Dragonite
-Landorus-I
-Landorus-T
-Heatran
-Hippowdon

Also, the definition of a S-tier Pokemon is

S Rank: Reserved for Pokemon who can sweep or wall significant portions of the metagame with little support, and Pokemon who can support other Pokemon with very little opportunity cost ("free turns"). Also the home of Pokemon who can easily perform multiple roles effectively, increasing their versatility and unpredictability. If the Pokemon in this rank have any flaws, those flaws are thoroughly mitigated by their substantial strengths.

Unfortunately, Charizard Y cannot sweep or wall significant portions of the metagame with little support. Unless a near mandatory Pursuit trapper and Defogger is little team support. Charizard Y also cannot perform multiple roles. Its too slow to be a sweeper, so he usually only is used as a wallbreaker. An actual S rank Pokemon, such as Charizard X, doesn't need much more than a Defogger, and can be used as a Sweeper, Wallbreaker, Bulky Sweeper if one is running Bulky DD, or Tank if it is is running the tank set.

WALL OF TEXT TIEM
Not to rain on your parade or anything, but a good chunk of the defensive Pokemon you mentioned cannot fully stop YZard without specific conditions kept in mind. Hippo and Ttar need to switch into YZard in order to successfully beat it so sand stays up, and even then:

252 SpA Mega Charizard Y Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 292-348 (72.2 - 86.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Mega Charizard Y Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Hippowdon: 186-219 (44.2 - 52.1%) -- 15.2% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

Only 1 of the 2 can reliably switch into it, and neither can deal with it if Sun is still active. Also, there is kind of a coverage move that Charizard Y uses to damage most of its checks/counters: Dragon Pulse. Here are some calcs vs. the Pokemon you mentioned that resist YZard's other moves:

252 SpA Mega Charizard Y Dragon Pulse vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Latias: 172-204 (56.9 - 67.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Mega Charizard Y Dragon Pulse vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Latios: 200-236 (66.2 - 78.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Mega Charizard Y Dragon Pulse vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Goodra: 102-120 (26.5 - 31.2%) -- guaranteed 4HKO

252 SpA Mega Charizard Y Dragon Pulse vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Dragonite: 216-256 (66.6 - 79%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Choice Band Dragonite Extreme Speed vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Charizard Y: 181-213 (60.7 - 71.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Mega Charizard Y Dragon Pulse vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Mega Charizard X: 248-292 (83.2 - 97.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

252 SpA Mega Charizard Y Dragon Pulse vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp: 248-292 (69.2 - 81.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

The other offensive Pokemon cannot switch into YZard's coverage moves at all, so they are not in a sense the best revenge killers (Stone Miss for Chomp is kinda shaky). Frankly, I think the Pokemon that can always revenge kill it or wall it should be lowered to this:

Counters (Defensive)
-Goodra
-Chansey
-Blissey
-Heatran (EQ if real)

Soft Counters
-Hippowdon
-Latias
-Latios

Revenge Killers
-Garchomp
-Talonflame
-Terakkion (cannot switch in at all)

Checks
-Tyranitar
-Thundurus
-Lando-I (Needs Rock Slide)
-Lando-T

Idk about Snorlax, never seen it. But, this list is still a very solid one, and most of the Pokemon I mentioned are usually common if not staples on offensive or defensive teams, and combined with the support YZard needs makes it kinda annoying to pull off, but I'm still somewhat skeptical on it being A+ instead of S, but I'm leaning on either side.

Also, I think the main reason for Mega Pinsir being A+ in a lot of people's eyes is the fact that it is usually a one-time sweeper. It's just the fact that it's pretty frail, and even with its sheer power, the fact that it can only attempt to sweep once kinda offsets people. However, most people absolutely have to run a check for it so they don't get destroyed bc Mega Pinsir eats da babies. I'm also not sure on where to rank Mega Pinsir, but since its really over-centralizing, A+ is the absolute lowest it should go.

Also, please forgive me if I do not have correct info, I usually don't talk about higher ranked mons.
 
-Blissey- Can switch in safely and force out
-Chansey- Can switch in safely and force out
-Garchomp- Can't switch in without taking 50% of damage, but it can KO with stone edge/ Outrage
-Excadrill- Can't switch in safely
-Terrakion- can switch in on Fire blast, but prediction can be done by using solar beam and it will be KO'd. It's Shaky
-Snorlax- Can switch in, can't OHKO back
-Mega Charizard X- Can switch in on Fire Blast, Solar beam. If it switches on Dragon pulse it's 2hko'd (using the bulky Wisp set) DDance has a 43.8% chance of dying at switch in (using modest Zard Y)
-Talonflame- Can't switch in safely, can OHKO most of the time with Brave Bird
-Tyranitar- Can't switch in on the turn it mega evolves, can't switch in on Focus blast if it's non assault vest (going by usage here) Can OHKO with stone edge
-Latias- Can switch in and KO.
-Latios- Can switch in, doesn't do much back
-Goodra- Can switch in and 2hko Zard
-Thundurus- Can't switch in safely
-Dragonite- Can switch in safely if there's no rocks, takes a good chunk of damage and Zard can 2hko, usually forces Zard out
-Landorus-I_ Can't switch in safely
-Landorus-T- Can't switch in safely
-Heatran- Can switch in on Fire blast and solar beam, not on Focus blast without taking ~60-70% damage or even Earthquake (very viable)
-Hippowdon- Can switch in and live, but it's 2hkod by Zard.

Out of the 18 pokemon you mentioned, Zard Y is only afraid of 8 of them and only if they switch in on the wrong move. But most of these are Manageable with Scarf Chomp as Scarf chomp can 2hko/OHKO most of these. Of course, depending on the set some of these pokemon can switch in more safely but I the moveset I used was Fire Blast, Solarbeam, Dragon pulse and Focus blast and I made one mention of earthquake being viable on Zard Y. Zard Y only needs two pokemon to support him, a defogger and a Fast pokemon like Garchomp. I don't mind Mega Pinsir dropping to A+ but Pinsir is rarely countered after a swords dance except for Skarm which doesn't care at all about Mega Pinsir and laughs at he whirlwinds him and sets up rocks. I think Both should stay in S rank but I could see Pinsir dropping. A tip to add on the list is that most of the pokemon that are bolded can't switch in on Charizard before they mega evolve as Mega Zard X does exist.
 
I didn't say they could switch into Zard Y, I said that they were able to revenge kill them, prehaps I should have made a edit to my post.
 
I didn't say they could switch into Zard Y, I said that they were able to revenge kill them, prehaps I should have made a edit to my post.
It's job isn't to sweep though. Zard Y is a wall breaker. It is S because of the support it provides and the unpredictability of Charizard in general. It also has a way to get past every single one of its counters.
 
It's job isn't to sweep though. Zard Y is a wall breaker. It is S because of the support it provides and the unpredictability of Charizard in general. It also has a way to get past every single one of its counters.
Which is why its an excellent pokemon.

I still think it requires much team support and is too easily revenge killed to be a solid S tier pokemon. But looking at other arguments, its very hard to say.
 
I would like to nominate tornadus incarnate for the B- tier for its use on rain teams. Though tornadus may seemed eclipsed by its therian form as a hurricane abuser in the rain i believe that tornadus I has its own merits in its higher mixed attacking sets and the ability to run a deadly defiant set to boost its physical coverage moves such as knock off and superpower that complement it's very strong hurricane. I used a mixed LO 4 attacks set on a rain team and it has not failed me yet.

edit: I put Tornadus-I in B- becaus tornadus T has the benefit of greater speed alongside regenerator and the ability to abuse bulkier sets with assault vest giving it more utility outside of rain then tornadus-I hence why it is b->b
 
Which is why its an excellent pokemon.

I still think it requires much team support and is too easily revenge killed to be a solid S tier pokemon. But looking at other arguments, its very hard to say.
I really don't mind Charizard Y moving down too much. There are other wall breakers that can be used, but I still do support it for S.
 
Ok, I'm gonna advocate Char-Y for S rank now, and why it should stay.
First off, let's get this out of the way:
Char-y is a wallbreaker. Not a sweeper
Because of this, what can SWITCH IN on it is more important than what REVENGES it. If you're revenging it, it has done its job of wallbreaking. To counter char-y, and thus, to prevent it from doing its job, you must have a consistent switch into it. This is more important than revenging it.
So, with that out of the way, let's see what makes char-y so effective in the first place: it's raw power.
This makes it a wallbreaker. Wallbreakers use insane power to break walls. Pretty self-explanatory.
With that smoothed out, let's think about why char-y is paired with a pursuit trapper. Basically, the support char-y needs is some basic hazards and a pursuit trapper. But why does it need a pursuit trapper? It's mostly to nail down lati@s, which are common pokemon who can take on char-y.
So, with an offensive core of char-y + pursuit trapper, what is safe?
I'm not looking for revenge killers, or hard checks. I'm looking for a consistent counter that does not mind pursuit.
It boils down to char-x, dragonite, and chansey/blissey. The latter two aren't even totally safe because they risk getting smacked by a flare blitz. Physicla char-y is real friends, it is a legitimate threat. So basically, have another dragon/fairy type to handle those two. Or just hippo, hippo can sorta take on dnite.
So, with a core of char-y/pursuit trapper/hippo, what is surviving?
Chansey.
So can you blame char-y for being walled by chansey? That's a pretty terrible argument.
This is what makes char-y offense teams so effective in the first place. Nothing but char-x and dnite can even take on char-y+pursuit, it's an amazing offensive core that breaks down walls super fast.
This isn't even mentioning that he has a physical set to possibly blow past pink blobs too! He has a good amount of versatility, decent special bulk, an ok speed tier, fairly good defensive typing, and amazing power.
But NOOO, this isn't enough! When you mega evolve, you lure out counters for your other form too! On top of all of this, you have to deal with guessing correctly so as to not lose a pokemon.
I think the main reason char-y should stay is because of his effectiveness when simply paired with a pursuit user.
Alone, he seems to have many checks (defensively), but the primary ones (lati@s) are incredibly easy to just get rid of.
The reason I disregard revenge killers is because they don't interfere with char-y's job. Char-y's job is to break walls, and if it is danger of being revenge killed, it has done its job. It has the ability to do this repeatedly thanks to good defensive typing, decent special bulk, and reliable recovery, which can all compensate for quad rocks weakness.
Char-y to stay in S
 
I mentioned in my Victory Road post why I think Pinsir should drop from S rank to A+. BurningFury1 and Srn9130 have made excellent posts explaining the main reasons. So i'll briefly add on to their thoughts here. I think opponents of the drop are forgetting that (in addition to everything else said) to successfully sweep or even use Mega Pinsir...

- First, Stealth Rock has to be off the field
- Second, you have to find a safe opening to switch in the slow and frail Pinsir-A.
- Third, you have to Swords Dance while avoiding a burn/paralysis/sleep among all else
- Fourth, if you switch out, you'll lose 50% health if the opponent lays SR on the field. You could possibly never return for the rest of the game (pun intended)


The meta has shifted. Strong teams are carrying 1-2 pokemon that can either Revenge Kill Pinsir with a Super Effective Move or phaze him into Stealth Rock (or phaze him after setting Rocks up). In general, it's harder for Pinsir to stay and sweep like he wants to. His problems on a typical team aren't just contained in a single threat such as Skarmory and Rotom-W anymore (like it was a few months ago). It's also trouble that he shares a weakness with both Zards. So a check for Zard X/Y can often be used for Mega Pinsir.

The bug is so strange. He's S-rank in theory because you have to run a check/counter for him or be demolished. But if you run a check/counter for him then he's manageable without much difficulty. Oddly enough, Pinsir's checks and counters make really good checks and counters for a large portion of dangerous threats in the OU. So adding mons that give Pinsir trouble make your team quite strong. I think he's A+ in practice because the meta has matured enough where people are prepared for the top threats.

***
(I removed repeated information on previous page)

Also folks, is A+ really that bad? It's like being almost perfect. That bug is still really damn good. But you don't have to go for obscure pokemon/tactics to consistently beat him.
 
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This is not proof of any sort of drop in Mega Pinsir's viability. If anything, it proves how incredibly overcentralizing Mega Pinsir's power is upon team building. The current meta game right now is, "bring a Mega Pinsir or Talonflame counter or lose."
I never said Pinsir got worse, its exactly what you said, "bring a Mega Pinsir or Talonflame counter or lose". Following that logic, you can guarantee that your opponent will have multiple checks and counter to Birdspam, which makes it hard for Pinsir to do any real damage.

All you need is defog and teammates to eliminate those select few counters/checks and you can sweep through the entire rest of the metagame.

That is the same with all Pokemon, I could use Malamar to "sweep the rest of the metagame" as long as I eliminate its checks and counter, dont forget you're playing someone who should be thinking about threats to their team and will want to preserve their checks. Pinsir also has so many checks and counters that literally fit onto any playstyle, Rotom-W wrecks both Pinsir and Talon and works on balance and HO, Thundy-I is a guaranteed 1v1 win against Pinsir and 70% guaranteed to beat most of its partners. Skarm works on Balance and Stall and flat out wall Pinsir, sets up rocks and phases and Zapdos will always beat Pinsir.

Talonflame and Thundurus can check/revengekill basically everything in the meta I still dont think thats a valid point. Zapdos and Rotom-w are extremely shaky as checks/counters. Zapdos can be neutralized with a simple doubleswitch into a counter while rocks are up and Rotom cant even switch into Pinsir for fear of Moldbreaker. Terrakion and most scarfers rely on Stone Miss to take on Pinsir so using them can still get you killed. And even if it works, beeing revengekilled by something is bad reasoning to begin with imo.

Overall I havent read a good reason for demoting Pinsir so far. SR weak? Applys to 4 out of 5 S Rank mons and serveral A Rank mons. 1 good and 2 shaky counters? The other S Rank mons have far more than that. Ok he is predictable, cant argue about that but still, he doesnt need anything else to do his job and he does his job extremely well imo.

No no no no no. Every thing you said about its "limited" checks are completely wrong.

Talon/Thundy-I: Its a bad point that they check/revenge kill everything in the meta? But that means that are very effective, common and you have no way of stopping them doing their job.

Rotom-W: You can see if a mon has MB when it comes in, Unless your opponent is playing blindfolded, I don't think they'll switch it in anytime soon.

Zapdos: I can neutralise any pokemon with a simple double switch, doesnt make said pokemon a bad check, the fact you had to double switch makes it a pretty darn good check. What happens when you switch Pinsir out of their rocks and back in? 50% health gone, easy. Pinsir can only do ~35% to Zapdos anyway.

Now we're just fabricating numbers out of thin air,
Counters: Skarmory (Takes piss from all attacks, phases, wears down or limits switch opportunuties), Rotom-W (Resists STAB and Coverage, KO with SE move), Zapdos (Resists STAB and coverave+Bulk, KO with SE move), Lando-T (Intimidate(assuming no Hyper Cutter)
Checks: Thundorus-I (Outspeeds, SE Move, Cripple), Talonflame (SE Priority, Outspeeds), Terrakion (Outspeeds, SE Move), Scarf Mole, Sash Loom (Spore/Rock Tomb), Lati@s (Outspeeds, SE Move), Mamo (SE Priority), Any fast electic type (Mega-Manetric, Raikou etc)

The rest of the S mons who are SR weak do not need to switch out as much because they either have ways of getting around checks and counters (surprise factor) or have forms of recovery. Take a look at Charizard, who has two distinct forms, X and Y, with very different roles and counters, meaning unless you can guess really well, you face the very real possibility of losing a mon. Both CharX and Y have many different sets which aim to eliminate would be checks, such as Phys ZardY or Sp.Def CharX. Both Charizards are able to recover lost damage thanks to Roost and will 90% of the time do the job they were sent in to do. Pinsir on the other hand has one set, with very little variation, meaning an opponent can bring in a check without much worry. Pinsir has no form of recovery to speak of, meaning damage stays on for the entire match. Because of the lack of variation in Pinsirs moveset, when checks are brought in, Pinsir goes out. I never said Pinsir cant do its job or is bad, I am simply saying it lacks the ability to consistantly do its job.

A+ is fine
 
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The whole idea about being forced to carry a check to mega pinsir? That argument supporting it, making it S rank? I think it's pretty invalid.
Why?
It's because of the sheer number of offensive checks that pinsir has. You have to run ONE of them, but you're free to just pick one that can fit into your team well. I mean, can you really argue that "Hurr mega pinsir is so strong, you HAVE to carry one of Lati@s/Thundurus/Talonflame/Terrakion/Mega Manectric/Raikou/Mamoswine to not be swept by it! So OP!"
Because of the sheer variety of offensive checks it has it's really not that tough to prepare for. Those above pokemon, atleast one of them, can fit into ANY offensive/balanced team (skarm for stall/defensive).
You literally don't even have to try, most teams are carrying atleast two mega pinsir checks without even attempting to check it.
 
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Talon/Thundy-I: Its a bad point that they check/revenge kill everything in the meta? But that means that are very effective, common and you have no way of stopping them doing their job.

Its a pretty good point, since they stop everything it cant be used as an argument against Pinsir because well, this argument could be used against any sweeper. We could unban half the ubers going by that argument.

Rotom-W: You can see if a mon has MB when it comes in, Unless your opponent is playing blindfolded, I don't think they'll switch it in anytime soon.

Ofc they see it coming, question is, whats the point of a counter that cant switch in? Depending on whats up against him he can just stay in normal form and go for +4 after that he has a 75% chance to ohko physical defensiv rotom with Return after rocks.

Zapdos: I can neutralise any pokemon with a simple double switch, doesnt make said pokemon a bad check, the fact you had to double switch makes it a pretty darn good check. What happens when you switch Pinsir out of their rocks and back in? 50% health gone, easy. Pinsir can only do ~35% to Zapdos anyway.

You dont seem to understand. A doubleswitch into rocks neutralizes Zapdos as a check for the rest of the match as he takes ~70% from +2 Return, meaning if he cant heal up after a switch into rocks (because of a double switch for example) he cant check Pinsir anymore. Imo that makes him a rather bad check if such simple means can completly stop him from doing his job. What makes it worse is that Zapdos will most likely be the Defogger of his team so nobody else can clean the rocks for him, he has to do it himself.


Counters: Skarmory (Takes piss from all attacks, phases, wears down or limits switch opportunuties), Rotom-W (Resists STAB and Coverage, KO with SE move), Zapdos (Resists STAB and coverave+Bulk, KO with SE move), Lando-T (Intimidate(assuming no Hyper Cutter)

Skarm is fine, Rotom and Zapdos see above, Lando takes ~95% from +2 Return so he is screwed with rocks on the field or any kind of prior dmg, not even close to beeing a counter, hes hardly a check.

Checks: Thundorus-I (Outspeeds, SE Move, Cripple), Talonflame (SE Priority, Outspeeds), Terrakion (Outspeeds, SE Move), Scarf Mole, Sash Loom (Spore/Rock Tomb), Lati@s (Outspeeds, SE Move), Mamo (SE Priority), Any fast electic type (Mega-Manetric, Raikou etc)

Sash loom is neutralized by hazards, Latios has a 25% chance to die from Quick Attack after SR, Mamos LO Ice Shard does less than 70% to Pinsir while he gets ohkoed by Return.

That leaves us with 1 save counter and 7 good checks adding scarf Chomp of which 3 arent that common (Terra, Mega Man and Raikou). Considering that you need to have 2 checks/counters to be save id say that limits you teambuilding options quite alot.
 
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So what if Zapdos becomes a check after two switches? Pinsir-mega under the same circumstance is at 25% HP max. Not hard to take out with priority from there... Most Pinsir-mega run Hyper cutter, making rotom fine to switch in.

Also, if you want to go with other true counters, I could point out Mega Aggron, Bronzong both work. Calling the checks uncommon isn't even relevant: They exist to be used if needed.
 
Please read my posts... Zapdos is NO LONGER A CHECK after 2 switches. He just dies to Return after that. If Zapdos Life falls to ~60% he is utterly useless against Pinsir and cant do shit to stop him. And if your planning to double switch anyway you wont evolve so Pinsir is still at 50% minimum, more if you managed to keep your side of the field clear from rocks which you should as hazard cleaning is the key factor when using Pinsir.
 
Please read my posts... Zapdos is NO LONGER A CHECK after 2 switches. He just dies to Return after that. If Zapdos Life falls to ~60% he is utterly useless against Pinsir and cant do shit to stop him. And if your planning to double switch anyway you wont evolve so Pinsir is still at 50% minimum, more if you managed to keep your side of the field clear from rocks which you should as hazard cleaning is the key factor when using Pinsir.

Zapdos can roost up and than it can defeat mega Pinsir.
 
Thats the whole point of that double switch -.-

Ok once more. SR is on the field. You bring in Pinsir he takes 25%. Then you double switch to something that can put pressure on Zapdos, Kyurem B for example. Zapdos comes in, goes down to 75% and heals to ~80% with leftovers. He has to switch out because Kyu will just kill him if he stays in so he is still at 80% at this point. Now Pinsir comes in again later takes another 25% is therefor at 50%. If Zapdos tries to get in once more he will fall to ~60% where he is in ohko range for Pinsir.
 
Which is why its an excellent pokemon.

I still think it requires much team support and is too easily revenge killed to be a solid S tier pokemon. But looking at other arguments, its very hard to say.
Team support? LOL Zard needs hazard removal which should damn well be on your team if you don't plan to be beat by every playstyle to every exist so yes, it needs support, EVERYBODY runs already.

And revenge killing is a crap argument for anything, especially for a wall breaker, it seems you don't know what wall breakers do, they lure in walls or get in their face and repeatedly smash their face in until something else can sweep, end of story.
 
Thats the whole point of that double switch -.-

Ok once more. SR is on the field. You bring in Pinsir he takes 25%. Then you double switch to something that can put pressure on Zapdos, Kyurem B for example. Zapdos comes in, goes down to 75% and heals to ~80% with leftovers. He has to switch out because Kyu will just kill him if he stays in so he is still at 80% at this point. Now Pinsir comes in again later takes another 25% is therefor at 50%. If Zapdos tries to get in once more he will fall to ~60% where he is in ohko range for Pinsir.

For that plan you need to have something to scare out mega Pinsir's checks and counters which already takes up a second team slot.

Also why are we making such a big point about this. It is not like mega Pinsir is falling to NU or something. A+ is still pretty danr good ranking.
 
Why are you and the others here making such a big point about demoting him? The answer is probably the same.

I think he deserves S Rank, imo more than some of the other mons. And the arguments for his demotion are rather bad from my point of view.

The metagame is overprepared for him? Yeah 1 save and 2 shaky counters along with 7 checks/revengekillers, go and find a sweeper with less answers that isnt banned.

He is SR weak? Like so many other things in S and A Rank, not much of an issue nowadays with Defog everywhere.

He is predictable? Yes he is, but he doesnt need anything else to do his job.

Considering the raw amount of power, his natural speed and strong priority these are minor flaws. Also he fits the definition of S Rank almost perfectly. He can sweep almost the whole meta and his flaws are more than compensated by his strengths. And if you want flexibility all that badly, he does have some other move options to go for that can be useful.
 
The XY OU metagame is 7 months old now. Pinsir was put in S-rank back in December during month 3. To think that our earliest rankings of Pokemon would define them until 7th gen is rather silly. Even now, these current rankings will probably change a few more times over the next year. As of now, Pinsir in practice, is an A+ Rank pokemon more than an S-rank.

So instead of being "the best of the best" he's part of the "best". I don't see much wrong with that.
 
You know if there would be like 10 new Mons or something in high usage that havent been around in December that were good stops to Pinsir i would agree with you. But thats not the case. Skarm, Talonflame, Thundurus, Garchomp, Rotom-w have always been high in usage especially in higher ranks. By now Zapdos has somewhat taken over Rotoms place for the most part. Terrakion, Raikou and Mega Man are somewhat new as checks but thats pretty much it. I just dont see that massive meta game shift that made Pinsir less viable.
 
You know if there would be like 10 new Mons or something in high usage that havent been around in December that were good stops to Pinsir i would agree with you. But thats not the case. Skarm, Talonflame, Thundurus, Garchomp, Rotom-w have always been high in usage especially in higher ranks. By now Zapdos has somewhat taken over Rotoms place for the most part. Terrakion, Raikou and Mega Man are somewhat new as checks but thats pretty much it. I just dont see that massive meta game shift that made Pinsir less viable.
People can now run Pinsir checks more easily with Mega Luke gone.
 
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