LGPE OU Mega Pinsir [QC 2/2] [GP 1/1]

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mfw no flying stab

[OVERVIEW]

Mega Pinsir is a niche yet powerful setup wallbreaker in LGPE OU. It's tied with Mega Gyarados for having the highest Attack stat in the metagame and boasts Swords Dance to further boost its damage output, enabling it to 2HKO every Pokemon in the metagame with the great coverage provided by X-Scissor, Earthquake, and Rock Slide. Mega Pinsir also sits at an above-average Speed tier that lets it outspeed Mew, Zapdos, and everything slower, giving this Pokemon a much easier time taking on the majority of the metagame. Unfortunately, Mega Pinsir lacks defensive utility thanks to a horrendous defensive typing that gives it a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock upon Mega Evolving, making it incredibly difficult to bring it in more than once. Without a boost from Swords Dance, Mega Pinsir's not strong enough to knock out some of the metagame's premier threats such as Melmetal and Zapdos from full, which can retaliate with a devastating Double Iron Bash or Thunderbolt. While Mega Pinsir's Speed stat is solid, it's still liable to being revenge killed by faster Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Alakazam, Gengar, and Alolan Dugtrio.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: X-Scissor
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Rock Slide
item: Pinsirite
nature: Jolly
ivs: 29 HP

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
========

Swords Dance boosts Mega Pinsir's Attack stat to frighteningly high levels, enabling it to smash through the likes of Zapdos and Melmetal without prediction. X-Scissor is Mega Pinsir's STAB attack of choice, dishing out serious pain to Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados, Mew, and Mega Alakazam, especially after a boost. Earthquake provides valuable coverage against the Pokemon that resist X-Scissor, hitting Melmetal, Mega Charizard X, Rhydon, and Nidoqueen super effectively while also being Mega Pinsir's strongest attack against Poliwrath. Rock Slide hurts the many Flying-types that threaten Mega Pinsir, including Zapdos, Dragonite, Mega Aerodactyl on the switch, and Mega Charizard Y. A Jolly nature is used to outrun Mew, Zapdos, and Mega Charizard X and Y. 29 HP IVs allow Mega Pinsir to take Stealth Rock damage twice without fainting.

Usage Tips
========

Bringing Mega Pinsir in before Stealth Rock is up is generally a viable strategy whenever possible. As most Pokemon that can revenge kill Mega Pinsir are OHKOed by its attacks, the opponent will often hesitate with switching them directly in; this can provide a good opportunity to set up and then OHKO the opposing Pokemon. While it is uncommon for Mega Pinsir's revenge killers to be removed early in a battle, if this does happen, or the opponent simply lacks them entirely, Mega Pinsir can sweep with relative ease; otherwise, it is usually limited to one or two KOs. Set up with Swords Dance against Pokemon Mega Pinsir can force out, including Alolan Muk, Mew, and Mega Gyarados, but be wary of potential status moves from these Pokemon. Take advantage of the superior defensive typing of Pinsir's base forme before Mega Evolving. If a Pokemon is within range of being knocked out from an attack by base form Pinsir, don't Mega Evolve on the same turn when going for the attack. If Pinsir is forced out after knocking out an opposing Pokemon, Pinsir won't take more damage from Stealth Rock the next time it comes in.

Team Options
========

Mew is an excellent partner for Mega Pinsir. It can utilize Taunt to stop Stealth Rock from going up, use U-turn to bring Mega Pinsir in safely, check common answers to Mega Pinsir such as Melmetal and Poliwrath, and threaten common Stealth Rock setters such as Nidoqueen, Rhydon, and Alolan Dugtrio with Psychic and Scald. Starmie also threatens many of the metagame's Stealth Rock setters, and it can utilize Thunder Wave to cripple faster Pokemon. Starmie can also act as a soft check to Mega Aerodactyl, especially when running a Bold nature, and can viably use dual screens to give Mega Pinsir an easier time setting up. Nidoqueen can handle any potential Rock or Electric attacks aimed at Mega Pinsir and can consistently set up Stealth Rock, helping Mega Pinsir to secure various OHKOs.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Superpower can be used over Earthquake to OHKO non-Impish Melmetal after Stealth Rock and a Swords Dance boost, but the Attack drop and loss in coverage against Poison-type Pokémon like Nidoqueen and Gengar can make wallbreaking more difficult. Pinsir can effectively utilize Bulk Up in base form as Pokemon such as Melmetal and Rhydon and come in, allowing Pinsir to take attacks from both Pokemon more comfortably and 2HKO in return. The caveat is that Bulk Up only boosts Attack one stage, which significantly hinders Mega Pinsir's immediate wallbreaking power after a single boost compared to the +2 Attack boost offered by Swords Dance.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Stealth Rock**: Pinsir loses a quarter of its health to Stealth Rock and Mega Evolving only worsens this, giving it a 4x Stealth Rock weakness. This often limits Mega Pinsir to a single wallbreaking attempt per battle.

**Physical Tanks**: Melmetal and Rhydon are physically bulky enough to stomach unboosted attacks from Mega Pinsir and return fire with Double Iron Bash and Rock Slide, respectively. Melmetal can notably survive a +2 Earthquake as well. However, both of these Pokemon lack reliable recovery and should keep an eye on their health lest they end up in range of being knocked out by Mega Pinsir's Earthquake or Superpower.

**Poliwrath**: Mega Pinsir's unboosted Earthquake is only a 3HKO against Poliwrath, which can use Scald to potentially burn Mega Pinsir or Ice Punch to dish out super effective damage in return.

**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl, Starmie, Alolan Dugtrio, and Gengar are all capable of outspeeding and revenge killing Mega Pinsir. Mega Aerodactyl is able to come in on a predicted X-Scissor or Earthquake and OHKO back with Rock Slide, while Starmie, Alolan Dugtrio, and Gengar can pick a weakened Mega Pinsir off with supereffective coverage. Gengar can also use Will-O-Wisp to burn Mega Pinsir, and Starmie can use Thunder Wave to neuter Mega Pinsir's Speed. However, the latter three Pokemon don't switch into Mega Pinsir very well, and Mega Aerodactyl should fear a potential Rock Slide.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Vengeance417,198446]]
- Quality checked by: [[Eve, 375272], [Collette, 520031]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Lumari, 232216]
 
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~ assuming "after stealth rock" means at 75% hp (since thats the most likely scenario of a m-pinsir that has solely taken sr damage (once), yes it is possible that it came out before rocks were up and was forced to m evolve eg for the better speed tier and then it is taking 50% when it comes into rocks later, but that is a much less likely context), starmie cannot revenge kill it at all and m-zam has abt a one in five chance to do so (w psychic), and both are ohkoed by x scissor with the exception of if starmie gets a scald burn or a twave full para. also bold starmie is slower than m-pinsir so unless that nature is not seen as viable post mgar ban (?) i def think thats important to specify (if its going to be listed as a revenge killer). similarly melmetal's dib also doesnt ko "after stealth rock" assuming that means at 75%, but ofc rock slide does if melm is running it.
dugtrio-a's rock slide is 60% to revenge "after sr", but dugtrio-a does not always (even often? unless sucker punch is devalued by mgar ban) run rock slide.
i dont think zapdos belongs in c&c, the described scenario is unlikely to happen bc it requires both that pinsir had to m-evolve for a prior attack and that it didnt have a chance to set up (but usually pinsir wants to set up sd as soon as it mega evolves, unless everything is weakened enough that a boost isnt needed). even in the described scenario zapdos has to avoid a rs flinch. being able to 1v1 in one relatively rare situation does not make zapdos a check or counter.
no doubt in many revenge scenarios m-pinsir has taken more than sr damage, eg on the turn of setting up swords dance, but it shouldnt say "after stealth rock". i think that phrase is too confusing anyway so maybe its better to use the hp%.
overall i think this makes m-pinsir seem much frailer than it is by listing all these inaccurate revenge kills.
one pokemon that i think should actually be added to c&c is poliwrath. it is only 3hkoed unboosted and while what poliwrath can do back varies depending on its set, scald, bulk up, and ice punch are all potentially threatening (ice punch is 50/50 to 2hko "after stealth rock"). also gengar can outspeed and burn it, or do 67-80% with thunderbolt. if m-pinsir has used swords dance electrode can do 64% minimum with foul play (or paralyze it).

~ i think matchups w other megas should be centered more in the analysis. m-pinsir has pretty good matchups with the rest of the meta, particularly being the best mew revenge killer in the tier which means the team can afford to be a bit weaker to np mew (this should prob be mentioned, and with the note that it only revenges mew after m-evolving so it cannot threaten to do so more than once presuming rocks are up) and having at least decent matchups with all the defensive pokemon in the tier, with rhydon being the worst mu; and it also outspeeds most of the tier minus megas. so dealing with the opposing mega is typically primary to m-pinsir's success, and maybe individual mega matchups should be addressed.
there are multiple mentions in this analysis of m-gyara, but gyara is often paired with aero and when it is after seeing pinsir in team preview gyara is very unlikely to mega evolve (rly the only exception is if it is the team's sole special tank; maybe mention np mew as a teammate to either try to force gyara to mega evolve or to offensively pressure if gyara stays in base form). m-aero is a huge problem since it can switch directly into both x-scissor and eq and m-aero is not a pokemon u want to give extra chances to switch in.
i dont know that i agree with electrode as a teammate, its chance to paralyze m-aero is too unreliable and its paralysis is too easy to block, screens are always helpful ofc but pinsir generally has plenty of bulk to set up the main issue is being revenge killed afterward, and idk what sr setter electrode is taunting. starmie should be emphasized as an effective paralysis spreader, a possible anti-lead / way to pressure rocks setters (except mew, but mew doesnt want to take para), and a semi-check to m-aero particularly if it runs bold nature. (rn it is mentioned as a 'special attacker'.) poliwrath can pressure rocks setters and checks m-aero lacking flying stab so maybe it can also be mentioned but starmie usually fits better and also being able to outspeed and damage zapdos can help m pinsir sweep later. gengar seems very redundant with m-pinsir since its primary niche is from its ability to revenge mew but idk maybe people have found that effective. zapdos seems to me like it would compound issues with rhydon, which zapdos gives free switchins to and putting more pressure on the team's rock resist(s) (and also another sr-weak pokemon), im not sure the reason zapdos is being suggested but again idk if ppl have found that effective (but it needs to be explained more than 'special attackers'). in terms of melmetal checks both waters and sandslash-k/rhydon seem like better team options.

~ rly m-pinsir doesnt have any other options, but if there is going to be an oo section maybe bulk up is worth mentioning as most of pinsir's defensive 'checks' are slower physical attackers. i think maybe the biggest plus of bulk up is that it can often be used effectively prior to mega evolving, melmetal and even rhydon can be in an awkward position if they switch in on bulk up rather than an attack (that also applies to poliwrath if it isnt running scald) bc suddenly there is the prospect of a +2/+2 pinsir. (compared to switching in on swords dance where they would at least be able to damage it enough to likely eliminate its chances of sweeping later.) the loss of sweeping potential is obv significant but i think certainly compared to superpower (which is counterproductive to sweeping and is worse coverage) or substitute (lol) if anything should be in oo i think it should be bulk up.
 
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Eve

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I almost entirely agree with juoean's post, with a few exceptions:
-I don't like calling Mega Pinsir the best Mew revenge killer due to it often only getting to hit the field once while Mew has good longevity, but it's definitely a powerful revenge killer of Mew, especially Nasty Plot sets lacking recovery, which can be useful
-Not sure about that Electrode not being worth mentioning- probably shouldn't be so heavily praised as a teammate though, as it usually won't stick around and combined with the short-lived pinsir can lead to some pretty fragile teams which is bad unless you're committing to Hyper Offense
-gyara isn't overly commonly paired with aero from my experience, but it does happen- wouldn't consider that a fault with the gyara matchup though and isn't really worth mentioning, we've already said that mega aero sucks for it
-i like the bulk up mention, but don't like removing Superpower. fix the Superpower mention though! Snorlax isn't the interesting target, Melmetal is:
+2 Mega Pinsir Superpower vs. Melmetal: 194-230 (92.3 - 109.5%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock (87.5% chance to OHKO after accuracy)

Implement juoean's ideas with those changes (let me know if you have any disagreements or questions) and that's 1/3!
 
remove add comments

mfw no flying stab

[OVERVIEW]

Mega Pinsir is a niche, yet powerful set up wallbreaker in LGPE OU. It's tied with Mega Gyarados for having the highest Attack stat in the metagame, and what helps set this Pokemon apart from other Mega Evolutions is its ability to use Swords Dance effectively. Mega Pinsir is capable of 2HKOing every Pokemon in the metagame, at the very least, after onea boost thanks to its access to the tried-and-true combination of Rock Slide and Earthquake along with STAB X-Scissor to slam tier-staples such as Mew, Zapdos, Mega Gyarados, and Alolan MukMelmetalprevious sentence is massive, needs to be broken up into 2 or 3. Mega Pinsir also sits at an above-average Speed tier that lets it outspeed the crowded base 100 thresholdMew, Zapdos and everything slower, giving this Pokemon a much easier time taking on the majority of the metagame. Unfortunately, Using Mega Pinsir comes with severe downsides. It lacks defensive utility thanks to a horrendous defensive typing that gives it a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock upon Mega Evolving, making it incredibly difficult to bring this Pokemon in healthy enough to attempt to use Swords Dance. Without a boost from Swords Dance, Mega Pinsir's not strong enough to knock out some of the metagame's premier threats such as Melmetal(RC)and Zapdos, and Rhydonfrom full, which can all tank unboosted attacks fairly easily and retaliate back with Double Iron Bash and(RC) Thunderbolt, and Rock Slide,respectively. While Mega Pinsir's Speed stat is nothing to scoff at, it's still liable to being revenge killed by faster Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl, StarmieMega Alakazam, Gengar, and Dugtrio AlolaElectrode(RC)

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: X-Scissor
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Rock Slide
item: Pinsirite
nature: Jolly
ivs: 29 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
========

Swords Dance boosts Mega Pinsir's Attack stat to frighteningly-high levels(AC) and is necessary to break Pokémon like Zapdos and Melmetal without prediction. X-Scissor is Mega Pinsir's STAB attack of choice, dishing out serious pain to Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados, Mew, and Mega Alakazam, especially after a boost. Earthquake provides valuable coverage against the Pokemon that resist X-Scissor, hitting Melmetal, Mega Charizard X, Rhydon, and Nidoqueen super effectively while also being Mega Pinsir's strongest attack against Poliwrath. Rock Slide hurts the many Flying-types that threaten Mega Pinsir, including Zapdos, Dragonite, Mega Aerodactyl on the switch, and Mega Charizard Y. A Jolly nature is used to outrun the many base 100 Speed Pokemon in LGPE OU such as Mew, Zapdos, and both Mega Charizards.

Usage Tips
========

Bringing Mega Pinsir in before Stealth Rock is up is generally a viable strategy whenever possible. Simply going for unboosted attacks in the early-mid game can help soften Mega Pinsir's checks to potentially put them in range of Swords Dance-boosted attacks. I don't believe this is at all an effective way to use Mega Pinsir, trying to weaken something with the intent to switch out and break later will almost never be the best course of action due to its Stealth Rock Weakness. There are no Pokémon that are faster than Mega Pinsir that can safely switch in, meaning it is almost always better to Swords Dance, and then attack, than to attack something twice. As you will move first it is simply better because there is no prediction needed. For example it is both better to SD on a switch to Zapdos (or in front of Zapdos if in regular form) and OHKO with slide and to SD on a switch to Melmetal and damage it with EQ than it is to attempt to hard predict and Rock Slide or EQ twice for what amounts to be the same damage. You won't be able to damage them and switch out due to your stealth rock weakness. It's best to attempt to use Swords Dance after Mega Pinsir's faster checks, such as Mega Aerodactyl and Electrode, have been dealt with. It's rarely feasible to use Mega Pinsir as a sweeper the way this sentence implies, fast Pokémon that revenge kill you like Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Alakazam, and Mega Beedrill with any chip all thrive in the endgame and are often the last Pokémon to fall. Delaying its switch-in until after these Pokémon are gone is not realistic, and undermines your earlier point of when it should be used best, beginning of the game, pressuring your opponent and punishing them with Swords Dance if they try to get up rocks. Set up with Swords Dance against Pokemon Mega Pinsir can force out, including Alolan Muk, ChanseyMew, and Mega Gyarados, but be wary of potential status moves from these Pokemon. Take advantage of Pinsir's base form before Mega Evolving. If a Pokemon is within range of being knocked out from an attack by base form Pinsir, don't Mega Evolve on the same turn when going for the attack. If Pinsir is forced out after knocking out an opposing Pokemon, Pinsir won't take more damage from Stealth Rock the next time it comes in.

Team Options
========

Mew is an excellent partner for Mega Pinsir. It can utilize Taunt to stop Stealth Rock from going up, use U-turn to bring Mega Pinsir in safely, check common answers to Mega Pinsir such as Melmetal and Poliwrath, and threaten common Stealth Rock setters such as Nidoqueen, Rhydon, and Alolan Dugtrio with Psychic and Scald, respectively. Starmie also threatens many of the metagame's Stealth Rock setters, and it can utilize Thunder Wave to cripple the Speed of faster Pokemon. Starmie can also act as a soft check to Mega Aerodactyl, especially when running a Bold nature, and it can outspeed Zapdos to chip it down with Ice Beam to give Mega Pinsir an easier sweep late-game.I don't understand why this Zapdos interaction is mentioned here, Starmie can never switch into Zapdos, Zapdos will never switch into Starmie because after rocks it is KOd by any move into Ice Beam, and Starmie will never want to stay in on a healthy Zapdos and Ice beam anyway because you're trading your life into a tbolt in exchange for 50% on a Pokemon with roost. Zapdos is not even a high priority for Mega Pinsir to weaken, as even +1 Mega Pinsir easily OHKOs zapdos after rocks, and if it has not mega'd yet it can always 1v1 it. Electrode is another notable Thunder Wave user that outspeeds almost the entire unboosted metagame other than Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Alakazam, and it can also set up Reflect and/or Light Screen to soften incoming attacks to give Mega Pinsir safer set-up opportunities. Electrode is not viable enough nor does it syngerize well enough with Mega Pinsir to be worth a mention here, however it is true that Pinsir appreciates screens more than most. To aknowledge this and to patch up newly missing length on the Starmie mention, you can reference Starmie's ability to viably run screens Other Melmetal checks such as Rhydon and Sandslash are teammates that Mega Pinsir appreciates, and they stand out by providing an Electric-immunity and a resistance to Rock-type attacks. Nidoqueen provides defensive typing for any potential Rock or Electric attacks aimed at Mega Pinsir, and is a consistent Stealth Rock setter, something that is very important for Mega Pinsir to secure KOs. In return, Mega Pinsir threatens Mew and Mega Gyarados, two Pokemon that give the aforementioned teammates serious issues.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Superpower and Bulk Up sections swapped to present in order of relevancy
Superpower can be used over Earthquake to OHKO non-Impish Melmetal after Stealth Rock and a Swords Dance boost but the loss in coverage against Poison-type Pokémon like Nidoqueen and Gengar can make breaking more difficult. . However, the Attack and Defense drops that come with Superpower are counter intuitive for Mega Pinsir as a set-up sweeper, and the Fire- and Poison-type matchup becomes significantly worse without Earthquake. Bulk Up is a decent alternative to Swords Dance. Pinsir can effectively utilize Bulk Up in base form as Pokemon such as Rhydon and Melmetal come in, allowing Pinsir to takeRock Slides attacks from both Pokemon more comfortably after a boost or two. Mega Pinsir can even survive Melmetal's Rock Slide after Stealth Rocks and Melmetal does not run Rock Slide, it did not deserve to be mentioned as a move on Melmetal 3 times in this analysis a single Bulk Up, and +1 Earthquake has the capability to 2HKO Melmetal in return. The caveat is that Bulk Up only boosts Attack one stage, which significantly hinders Mega Pinsir's immediate breaking power after a single boost compared to the +2 Attack boost offered by Swords Dance.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Stealth Rock**: Pinsir loses a quarter of its health to Stealth Rock and Mega Evolving worsens the issue,. It only gets worse upon Mega Evolving, upgradingleaving it at a 4x Stealth Rock weakness, often limiting it to a single opportunity to wallbreak in a match.severely limiting its staying power.

**Physical Tanks**: Melmetal and Rhydon are bulky enough on the physical side to stomach unboosted attacks from Mega Pinsir and return fire with STAB Double Iron Bash and Super Effective Rock Slide respectively. Melmetal can notably survive a +2 Earthquake(RC) as well. However, both of these Pokemon lack reliable recovery and should keep an eye on their health lest they want to end up in range of being knocked out by Mega Pinsir's Earthquake or the rare Superpower.

**Poliwrath**: Mega Pinsir's unboosted Earthquake is only a 3HKO against Poliwrath, while the latter can use Scald to potentially burn Mega Pinsir or Ice Punch to dish out super effective damage in return, especially if it's running Bulk Up. alongside it.

**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl, Starmie, ElectrodeDugtrio Alola and Gengar are all capable of outspeeding and revenge killing Mega Pinsir. Mega Aerodactyl is able to come in on a predicted X-Scissor or Earthquake and OHKO back with Rock Slide. Meanwhile, Starmie, Electrode, and Gengar can pick a weakened Mega Pinsir off with Ice Beam and Thunderbolt, respectively. Gengar can also use Will-o-Wisp to burn Mega Pinsir, and both Electrode and Starmie can use Thunder Wave to cripple Mega Pinsir's Speed. However, the latter three Pokemon don't switch into Mega Pinsir very well, and Mega Aerodactyl should fear a potential Rock Slide. This segment is fine just replace/rework mentions of Electrode, it's an extremely niche pokemon and even in the event that it is brought it still has issues with Mega Pinsir, being unable to even 2HKO it pre mega evolution. Meanwhile Dugtrio alola is an extremely meta relevant pokemon that despite also struggling to deal with normal Pinsir, it makes its mention worthwhile with sheer usage.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Vengeance417,198446]]
- Quality checked by: [[Eve, 375272], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
will do a quick check-over once this is implemented then qc 2/2
 

Lumari

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is a Site Content Manageris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris an Administrator Alumnus
TFP Leader
remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 1/1
this is fine tbh and it's been forever
[OVERVIEW]

Mega Pinsir is a niche (RC) yet powerful set up setup wallbreaker in LGPE OU. It's tied with Mega Gyarados for having the highest Attack stat in the metagame (RC) and boasts Swords Dance to further boost its damage output, (comma) Mega Pinsir is capable of 2HKOing enabling it to 2HKO every Pokemon in the metagame after a boost with the great coverage provided by X-Scissor, Earthquake, and Rock Slide. Mega Pinsir also sits at an above-average Speed tier that lets it outspeed Mew, Zapdos, and everything slower, giving this Pokemon a much easier time taking on the majority of the metagame. Unfortunately, using Mega Pinsir comes with severe downsides. It lacks defensive utility thanks to a horrendous defensive typing that gives it a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock upon Mega Evolving, making it incredibly difficult to bring it in more than once. Without a boost from Swords Dance, Mega Pinsir's not strong enough to knock out some of the metagame's premier threats such as Melmetal and Zapdos from full, both of which can retaliate with a devastating Double Iron Bash or Thunderbolt respectively. While Mega Pinsir's Speed stat is solid, it's still liable to being revenge killed by faster Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Alakazam, Gengar, and Alolan Dugtrio.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: X-Scissor
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Rock Slide
item: Pinsirite
nature: Jolly
ivs: 29 HP

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
========

Swords Dance boosts Mega Pinsir's Attack stat to frighteningly high levels, enabling it to smash through the likes of Zapdos and Melmetal without prediction. X-Scissor is Mega Pinsir's STAB attack of choice, dishing out serious pain to Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados, Mew, and Mega Alakazam, especially after a boost. Earthquake provides valuable coverage against the Pokemon that resist X-Scissor, hitting Melmetal, Mega Charizard X, Rhydon, and Nidoqueen super effectively while also being Mega Pinsir's strongest attack against Poliwrath. Rock Slide hurts the many Flying-types that threaten Mega Pinsir, including Zapdos, Dragonite, Mega Aerodactyl on the switch, and Mega Charizard Y. A Jolly nature is used to outrun Mew, Zapdos, and both Mega Charizards X and Y. 29 HP IVs allow Mega Pinsir to take Stealth Rock damage twice without fainting.

Usage Tips
========

Bringing Mega Pinsir in before Stealth Rock is up is generally a viable strategy whenever possible. As most Pokemon that can revenge kill Mega Pinsir are OHKOed by its attacks, the opponent will often hesitate with switching them directly in— this can provide a good opportunity to set up and then OHKO the opposing Pokemon. While it is uncommon for Mega Pinsir's revenge killers to be removed early in a battle, if this does happen, or the opponent simply lacks them entirely, then Mega Pinsir can sweep with relative ease; otherwise, it is usually limited to one or two KOs. Set up with Swords Dance against Pokemon Mega Pinsir can force out, including Alolan Muk, Mew, and Mega Gyarados, but be wary of potential status moves from these Pokemon. Take advantage of the superior defensive typing of Pinsir's base form forme before Mega Evolving. If a Pokemon is within range of being knocked out from an attack by base form Pinsir, don't Mega Evolve on the same turn when going for the attack. If Pinsir is forced out after knocking out an opposing Pokemon, Pinsir won't take more damage from Stealth Rock the next time it comes in.

Team Options
========

Mew is an excellent partner for Mega Pinsir. It can utilize Taunt to stop Stealth Rock from going up, use U-turn to bring Mega Pinsir in safely, check common answers to Mega Pinsir such as Melmetal and Poliwrath, and threaten common Stealth Rock setters such as Nidoqueen, Rhydon, and Alolan Dugtrio with Psychic and Scald, respectively. Starmie also threatens many of the metagame's Stealth Rock setters, and it can utilize Thunder Wave to cripple the Speed of faster Pokemon. Starmie can also act as a soft check to Mega Aerodactyl, especially when running a Bold nature, and can viably use dual screens to give Mega Pinsir an easier time setting up. Nidoqueen can handle any potential Rock or Electric attacks aimed at Mega Pinsir and can consistently set up Stealth Rock, helping Mega Pinsir to secure various OHKOs.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Superpower can be used over Earthquake to OHKO non-Impish Melmetal after Stealth Rock and a Swords Dance boost, but the Attack drop and loss in coverage against Poison-type Pokémon like Nidoqueen and Gengar can make wallbreaking more difficult. Pinsir can effectively utilize Bulk Up in base form as Pokemon such as Melmetal and Rhydon and come in, allowing Pinsir to take attacks from both Pokemon more comfortably and 2HKO in return. The caveat is that Bulk Up only boosts Attack one stage, which significantly hinders Mega Pinsir's immediate wallbreaking power after a single boost compared to the +2 Attack boost offered by Swords Dance.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Stealth Rock**: Pinsir loses a quarter of its health to Stealth Rock and Mega Evolving only worsens this, giving it a 4x Stealth Rock weakness. This often limits Mega Pinsir to a single wallbreaking attempt per battle.

**Physical Tanks**: Melmetal and Rhydon are physically bulky enough on the physical side to stomach unboosted attacks from Mega Pinsir and return fire with Double Iron Bash and Rock Slide, (AC) respectively. Melmetal can notably survive a +2 Earthquake as well. However, both of these Pokemon lack reliable recovery and should keep an eye on their health lest they want to end up in range of being knocked out by Mega Pinsir's Earthquake or Superpower.

**Poliwrath**: Mega Pinsir's unboosted Earthquake is only a 3HKO against Poliwrath, while the latter which can use Scald to potentially burn Mega Pinsir or Ice Punch to dish out super effective damage in return.

**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl, Starmie, Alolan Dugtrio, and Gengar are all capable of outspeeding and revenge killing Mega Pinsir. Mega Aerodactyl is able to come in on a predicted X-Scissor or Earthquake and OHKO back with Rock Slide, while Starmie, Alolan Dugtrio, and Gengar can pick a weakened Mega Pinsir off with supereffective coverage. Gengar can also use Will-O-Wisp to burn Mega Pinsir, and Starmie can use Thunder Wave to cripple neuter Mega Pinsir's Speed. However, the latter three Pokemon don't switch into Mega Pinsir very well, and Mega Aerodactyl should fear a potential Rock Slide.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Vengeance417,198446]]
- Quality checked by: [[Eve, 375272], [Collette, 520031]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
 
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