
QC 1/3
Checked by Can-Eh-Dian/ /
[OVERVIEW]
+ Very high attack lets it break walls with ease
+ 2 very good abilities in Mold Breaker and Moxie
+ Great boosting option in Swords Dance to crumble anything that did try to wall it
+ Solid coverage moves like EQ, Knock Off, and Stone Edge
+ Priority that outpaces and dents Fletch in Quick Attacks
+ Odd but useful Stealth Rock + Mold Breaker combo to set up rocks on Magic Bounce users, making it stopped only by fast Taunt
- Mediocre Speed, allowing it to be revenged killed very easily
- Highly resisted STAB moves which hinder its ability to break walls
- Lead set is made a tad of a liability by Archeops being one of the tier's better SR leads, as it can OHKO easily
- Reliance on un-STAB quick attack to hit faster threats
- Poor defensive typing, sporting few resistances and a weakness to Stealth Rock
- Poor special bulk, allowing Special attacking threats to revenge kill it with relative ease
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: X-Scissor
move 3: Earthquake / Stone Edge
move 4: Quick Attack
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Moxie / Mold Breaker
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Swords Dance is for boosting Pinsir's already sky-high attack
- X-Scissor is for STAB damage, making Pinsir hit insanely hard
- Earthquake hits several important Rock Type, Poison Type, Fire Type, and Steel Type threats to this set, like Garbodor and Mawile
- Stone Edge hits Flying-Types which would otherwise wall this set, for SE damage, along with Fire and Bug types
- Quick Attack allows Pinsir to outprioritize Fletchinder, killing after rocks at +2
Set Details
========
- Life Orb, in tandem with Adamant nature, allows Pinsir to OHKO Fletchinder with Quick Attack after rocks
- Lum Berry lets Pinsir set up on Will-O-Wisp or other status users
- Moxie allows Pinsir to boosts its attack as it gets kills
- Mold Breaker is a great ability to beat Weezing despite Levitate, and break Quag through Unaware
- Adamant allows Pinsir's Quick Attack to kill Fletchinder after rocks while out-prioritizing it
- Jolly allows Pinsir to outspeed +Spe Mesprit, Samurott, and Kabutops
- Standard 252/252 Atk and Spe spread
- Don't put 4 in HP as Pinsir is weak to rocks
Usage Tips
========
- Come in on something that can't really touch Pinsir, such as Tangela or Torterra lacking Stone Edge, and set up freely
- Don't set up Pinsir if Fletchinder is healthy
- Try to avoid burns if you're using LO / have already used up your Lum Berry
Team Options
========
- Slow VoltTurners to get Pinsir in safely, like Uxie and Xatu, are nice to avoid taking unnecessary damage
- Hazard support to nab KOes is always nice, SR especially so Pinsir can OHKO Fletch with Quick attack at +2
- Special sweepers / wallbreakers are nice to use in conjunction with Pinsir as they can topple physically bulky mons like Regirock and Rhydon
- RP Torterra makes a very potent partner, as it beats Rock Types, Fire Types, most Poison Types bar Weezing, and Quagsire, all of which can cause this set trpuble
name: Choice Band
move 1: X-Scissor
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- X-Scissor will be your hardest hitting move vs. unresisting targets, as it gets STAB to hit extra hard off of
- Earthquake nails a lot of mons that take X-Scissors easily, like Rock, Poison, Fire and Steel types
- Quick Attack is some nice priority to hit frail, quick threats before they can you
- Stone Edge hits Flying-Types that would otherwise wall this set pretty hard, along with hitting Fire and Flying Types
- Close Combat hits similar targets to Earthquake, but pokemon such as Archeops can't dodge being hit by it
- Knock Off is a nice move as well, primarily ghosts who could potentially wall this set, like Gourgeist
- Stealth Rock could be used on this set as well, since Pinsir pressures out quite a bit of the metagame
Set Details
========
- Choice Band is the main point of this set, letting Pinsir be a very strong wallbreaker right off the bat
- Mold Breaker lets Pinsir's EQ hit Levitate pokemon like Weezing SE, and provides more utility over Moxie since you won't usually be attacking more than once at a time
- Jolly nature outspeeds the aforementioned +spe Mesprit, Samurott, and Kabutops
- Adamant increases Pinsir's power
- Standard offensive EV spread
- Don't put 4 extra EVs into HP since its weak to rocks
Usage Tips
========
- Come in on stuff that threatens your win condition's sweep
- Your opponent will probably assume you're going to spam your STAB move, so predicting switch-ins to them accordingly is advised
- With CB, Pinsir can take out max defense Uxie (2HKOes and Uxie can't do much back), Mesprit, Musharna, Exeggutor, Malamar, and can lure threats like Weezing to KO with its coverage
- Be careful locking yourself into Quick Attack, as it is quite weak
Team Options
========
- Slow VoltTurn users like Uxie and Xatu would be beneficial as to get Pinsir in safely to break whatever wall needs to be broken
- Flying Type/Rock Type checks/counters like Rhydon for Flying and Lilligant for Rock are of course appreciated, as Pinsir can't reliably beat them all
- A special sweeper like Lilligant would be especially potent with this set since Pinsir can blow through any special walls, while they take down any physical walls
name: Stealth Rock Setter
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: X-Scissor
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge / Rock Tomb
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Stealth Rock is unblocked by Magic Bounce thanks to Pinsir's Mold Breaker ability, making it very reliable at setting them
- X-Scissor is a hard-hitting STAB attack, hitting common leads Uxie and Mesprit, and a common spinner in Claydol
- Earthquake, with mold breaker, nails most X-Scissor resists, along with an important spinner in Kabutops
- Stone Edge provides good coverage with the other two moves, nailing Flying and Bug types that otherwise wall you
- Rock Tomb is a nice option with Focus Sash to slow down anything trying to set up on you
- Knock Off is a good utility move to rid an opponent not threatened by above moves of an item
Set Details
========
- Life Orb lets Pinsir hit quite a bit harder, allowing it to more easily take down other leads
- Focus Sash is a good way to ensure Pinsir does something in the match-up, as it can't just be outright OHKOed
- Mold Breaker is very important as it allows Pinsir's rocks to be unblockable by Xatu
- Jolly nature allows Pinsir to outspeed important +speed threats right below it, like Mesprit, Samurott, etc.
- Standard offensive EVs
- Put extra 4 EVs anywhere but HP since its weak to rocks
Usage Tips
========
- This set is best played as a lead to get rocks up ASAP
- Avoid staying in if the opposing lead OHKOes you. Examples include Archeops and counter-lead Fletchs
- After rocks, if your opponent has no defogger/spinner, this set is essentially hard hitting death fodder
- If your opponent has a defogger/spinner like Pelipper or Kabutops, keep Pinsir around if possible so you can re-set rocks
========
- Anything that appreciates reliable Stealth Rocks, like Lilligant, is a nice teammate for this set, as Pinsir can get them up just about guaranteed
- As with any Pinsir set, a counter to flying/rock types, such as Rhydon, would be appreciated
- Special Sweepers like Lilligant and Uxie work quite well with this set as well as they can take down Physically bulky mons that Pinsir can't handle
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
- Scarf
- Facade
- SubSD
- SubBU
- SD Rocks
Checks and Counters
===================
**Granbull**: Granbull can hard wall and Pinsir set, resisting its stab and dropping its attack with Intimidate
**Flying Types**: Flying types in general are a hindrance to Pinsir's usefulness, as most relevant ones, such as Fletchinder, Swellow, Archeops, Vivillon, etc. outspeed and OHKO. Defensive flying types like Pelipper and Rotom-S are also hard for Pinsir to handle, as it can't hit them terribly hard and they can heavily damage back
**Faster Choice Scarfers**: Pinsir isn't very bulky, so a lot of popular Choice Scarfers, like Mesprit and Rotom, can often times severely dent, if not OHKO it
**Bulky Rock Types**: Bulky Rock Types such as Regirock and Rhydon can easily switch into Pinsir's STABs, and can wall unless Pinsir is boosted.
**Faster Threats**: Faster Pokemon, especially special attackers, that can hit Pinsir SE, like Pyroar, Archeops, and Scyther can handily OHKO Pinsir and stop its sweep
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