OU Mega Pinsir (revamp) [QC 3/3] [GP 2/2]

Status
Not open for further replies.

Egor

нет, товарищ генерал, это вы даёте
is a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
RoAPL Champion

[OVERVIEW]

Thanks to its naturally high Attack, access to Swords Dance, and great ability in Aerilate, Mega Pinsir can act as a dangerous wallbreaker in the metagame. Aerilate-boosted priority in Quick Attack lets Mega Pinsir function as a pretty effective revenge killer that is able to pick off threats like Volcarona and weakened Serperior. Also, Mega Pinsir's Speed tier gives it an edge over other, slower wallbreakers like Mega Medicham, Mega Mawile, and Mega Heracross. Unfortunately, Mega Pinsir's defensive typing is terrible, giving it a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock. The omnipresence of Zapdos, Rotom-W, Tapu Koko, and Celesteela makes Mega Pinsir further struggle in the metagame not only because they take advantage of Mega Pinsir's typing but also because Mega Pinsir can't run all the coverage moves necessary to hit them super effectively. Additionally, while Mega Pinsir's Speed tier isn't bad, it leaves Mega Pinsir outpaced by common threats like Tornadus-T and Greninja. Because of these factors, Mega Pinsir requires a lot of support to function properly and is heavily outclassed by other wallbreakers like Mega Mawile, Garchomp, and Mega Medicham.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Return
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Close Combat
item: Pinsirite
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Swords Dance enables Mega Pinsir to pose a threat to opposing defensive backbones and clean up weakened slower teams. Quick Attack lets Mega Pinsir be a revenge killer and eases its matchup against faster teams, dealing with threats like Mega Alakazam and Mega Lopunny at +2. Close Combat means that Steel- and Rock-types like Celesteela, Heatran, Magearna, and Tyranitar as well as Rotom-W aren't untouchable for Mega Pinsir.

Set Details
========

Hyper Cutter is the pre-Mega ability of choice because it allows Mega Pinsir to bypass Intimidate on the turn it Mega Evolves. A Jolly nature is preferred to Adamant because outpacing the likes of Garchomp and Tapu Lele is more valuable than additional firepower.

Usage Tips
========

Mega Pinsir's primary task is to soften up opposing defensive backbones early- to mid-game. Early-game, just attacking with Mega Pinsir without setting up may be useful to chip down its defensive answers like Rotom-W and Celesteela
into range of Mega Pinsir's boosted attacks. If Pokemon that are faster than Mega Pinsir are weakened enough to be in range of boosted Quick Attack, be mindful of scenarios where Mega Pinsir can pick up a Swords Dance boost and clean up the opposing team. Don't set up with Mega Pinsir if there are Pokemon on the opposing team that pose an immediate threat to it, such as Zapdos and Tapu Koko. You should play aggressively against opposing Stealth Rock setters in order to keep said entry hazard off your side of the field for Mega Pinsir. Note that Mega Pinsir is very vulnerable to getting chipped down because of its horrible defensive typing, so try to bring it in through aggressive double switches, via Volt Switch and U-turn, or on Pokemon that are easy to take advantage of, such as Tangrowth and Kartana locked on Leaf Blade.

Team Options
========

Due to its nature, Mega Pinsir fits best on fast offensive teams that enjoy its wallbreaking capabilities and can give it
proper support. Entry hazard removal from Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Tapu Fini, and Landorus-T is mandatory alongside Mega Pinsir due to its weakness to Stealth Rock. Moreover, two Defog users are frequently seen on Mega Pinsir builds. Mega Pinsir appreciates teammates such as Rockium Z Garchomp and Rockium Z Landorus-T that can break its answers like Zapdos and Celesteela down. Landorus-T can also run Defog to further help Mega Pinsir. Magnezone is a great partner to Mega Pinsir because it traps and eliminates Celesteela and Ferrothorn, getting off some pressure from Mega Pinsir. Additionally, Magnezone can draw in bulky Grass-types, which Mega Pinsir easily takes advantage of. Other Pokemon that tend to invite in bulky Grass-types, such as the aforementioned Rotom-W and Tapu Fini as well as Ash-Greninja, make for good partners to Mega Pinsir too. Mega Pinsir can also fit on hyper offensive teams, especially Sticky Web-based ones. As such, suicide leads like Excadrill, Greninja, Ribombee, and Araquanid are good teammates for Mega Pinsir on this archetype, as they set up hazards that help Mega Pinsir do its job more effectively. Excadrill is an especially notable suicide lead to pair with Mega Pinsir because it provides hazard control in the form of Rapid Spin.

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

Earthquake can be used over Close Combat to hit Steel-types like Magearna and Jirachi harder as well as KO Tapu Koko on the switch. However, being unable to hit Rotom-W and Celesteela is undesirable. Feint has merit over Quick Attack in outprioritizing Ash-Greninja's Water Shuriken, but Feint's damage output is worse, making Mega Pinsir a less effective revenge killer.

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

**Electric-types**: Pokemon like Tapu Koko and Rotom-W are capable of eating Mega Pinsir's STAB moves and scare it off with their super effective STAB moves. However, the former can be chipped down by repeated Close Combats, while the latter must be wary of Earthquake on the switch. Zapdos is an especially notable counter to Mega Pinsir because it threatens Mega Pinsir with a possible paralysis from Static and fears only the rare Stone Edge.

**Steel-types**: The likes of Celesteela, Magearna, and Jirachi resist Mega Pinsir's STAB moves but don't enjoy taking a Close Combat or, if not named Celesteela, Earthquake.

**Faster Threats**: Pokemon like Tornadus-T and Greninja outpace Mega Pinsir and can deal heavy damage to it, though they can't switch into Mega Pinsir directly. Also, Mega Pinsir inflicts much damage on them with a boosted Quick Attack.

**Psychic Terrain**: Offensive teams featuring Tapu Lele are very troublesome for Mega Pinsir, as Psychic Terrain prevents it from using Quick Attack against grounded targets.


[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Egor, 439341]]
- Earlier versions by: [[Niadev, 282732]]
- Quality checked by: [[Leo, 328915], [GMars, 273636], [Jordy, 395754]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Fireflame479, 231476], [Rabia, 336073]]
 
Last edited:

Leo

after hours
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
MPL Champion
Additionally, it is vulnerable to common presences in the tier like Rotom-W, Tapu Koko, and Zapdos.
I think this point is rather unclear and should be expanded upon. Its defensive typing does leave it at a disadvantage against these but what really matters here is its inability to do too much damage to them with its coverage. Seeing as the presence of Rotom Zap Steela etc is in part what hinders its viability I think this deserves a bullet on its own to help explain why its not used often
Close Combat means that the likes of Celesteela and Rotom-W aren't untouchable for Mega Pinsir.
Most importantly it allows it to hit most Steel and Rock-types like Heatran, Tyranitar, Magearna etc
Stone Edge is an alternative which hits Zapdos for super effective damage while still inflicting neutral damage to the aforementioned Pokemon, but the inability to hit other Steel-types like Magearna and Jirachi makes Stone Edge less useful in most cases than Close Combat.
I think Edge variants should run 4 attacks instead of SD, giving up on your fighting coverage really sucks and you end up being walled by stuff like Heatran. Im not sure if Edge is even worth a Moves mention but we'll discuss it in qc.

Mention in Usage Tips that you should be very proactive in the early game when handling opposing rockers to ensure theyre off the field at all times
* Mega Pinsir fits best on fast offensive teams.
Expand on this
:blobthinking:

1/3
 

GMars

It's ya boy GEEEEEEEEMARS
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top CAP Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
* Aerilate-boosted priority in Quick Attack lets Mega Pinsir function as a pretty effective revenge killer which is able to pick off threats like Volcarona and weakened Greninja.
I think there's a better mention here than Greninja. Protean Gren can bop Pinsir in a myriad of ways so it isn't easy to force out and it can take a while to get it down to QA range since it does about 50%, and Ash-Gren's Water Shuriken outspeeds your QA and can kill after non-mega rocks chip, so Pinsir can struggle to revenge kill either form. Look for another option here that pinsir's flying priority really helps with

* The omnipresence of Zapdos, Rotom-W, and Tapu Koko makes Mega Pinsir further struggle in the metagame because they not only take advantage of Mega Pinsir's typing but also don't really fear most of its attacks.
Add Celesteela in the mix here. Another highly viable and common mon that can annoy Pinsir.

* Swords Dance enables Mega Pinsir to pose a threat to opposing defensive backbones and clean up weakened slower teams.

* Quick Attack lets Mega Pinsir be a revenge killer and eases its matchup against faster teams.
Add in a mon or two that Pinsir can clean with a +2 Quick Attack. Mega Zam for example

Set Details
========

* Hyper Cutter is the pre-Mega ability of choice because it allows Mega Pinsir to bypass Intimidate on the turn it Mega Evolves.
Mention the mons that Jolly outspeeds compared to Adamant

Usage Tips
========

* Mega Pinsir's primary task is to soften up opposing defensive backbones early- to mid-game.

* Early-game, just attacking with Mega Pinsir without setting up may be useful to chip down its defensive answers like Rotom-W and Celesteela to the range of Mega Pinsir's boosted attacks.

* You should play aggressively against opposing Stealth Rock setters in order to keep said hazard off from your field field for Mega Pinsir.

* Note that Mega Pinsir is very vulnerable to chipping down because of its horrible defensive typing, so try to bring Mega Pinsir in through aggressive double switches, via Volt Switch and U-turn, or on Pokemon that are easy to take advantage of, such as Tangrowth and Kartana locked on Leaf Blade.

* Don't set up Mega Pinsir if there are Pokemon in the opposing team that pose an immediate threat to it, like Zapdos and Tapu Koko.
With Quick Attack, there are times when a +2 Mega Pinsir could win the game if certain offensive mons get chipped. Add in something like "Try to identify early on whether the opponent's faster Pokemon are vulnerable to a boosted Quick Attack after some chip damage. If they are, be mindful of scenarios where Pinsir could grab a Swords Dance and sweep late-game after having softened its checks earlier on."

Other Options
=============

* Earthquake can be used over Close Combat to hit Steel-types like Magearna and Jirachi harder as well as KO Tapu Koko on the switch. However, being unable to hit Rotom-W and Celesteela is undesirable.

* Feint has a merit over Quick Attack in outprioritizing Ash-Greninja's Water Shuriken, but Feint's damage output is a lot worse, making Mega Pinsir less effective revenge killer.
Mention 4 attacks Stone Edge in OO

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

**Electric-types**: Pokemon like Rotom-W, Tapu Koko, and Rotom-W are capable of eating Mega Pinsir's STAB moves and scare it off with their super effective STAB moves. Zapdos is an especially notable counter to Mega Pinsir because it threatens Mega Pinsir with a possible paralyze from Static and fears only rare Stone Edge.
Rotom-W is mentioned twice here

**Psychic Terrain**: Offensive teams featuring Tapu Lele are very troublesome for Mega Pinsir, as Psychic Terrain prevents it from using Quick Attack.
Just add in "against grounded targets" after Quick Attack

Good work, thanks for waiting. qc 2/3
 
comments in purple things to remove in red

[OVERVIEW]

Thanks to its naturally high Attack, access to Swords Dance, and a great ability in Aerilate, Mega Pinsir can act as a dangerous wallbreaker in the metagame. Aerilate-boosted priority in Quick Attack lets Mega Pinsir function as a pretty effective revenge killer which is able to pick off threats like Volcarona and weakened Serperior. Also Mega Pinsir's Speed tier gives it an edge over other, slower wallbreakers like Mega Medicham, Mega Mawile, and Mega Heracross. Unfortunately, Mega Pinsir's defensive typing is terrible, giving it a double weakness to Stealth Rock. The omnipresence of Zapdos, Rotom-W, Tapu Koko, and Celesteela makes Mega Pinsir further struggle in the metagame because they not only take advantage of Mega Pinsir's typing but also don't really fear most of its attacks. Rather than that they don't fear most of its attacks, you should say something about how it can't fit all the moves to hit these Pokemon. Additionally, while Mega Pinsir's Speed tier isn't bad, it leaves Mega Pinsir outpaced by common threats like Tornadus-T and Greninja. Because of these factors, Mega Pinsir requires a lot of support to function properly and is heavily outclassed by other wallbreakers like Mega Mawile, Garchomp, and Mega Medicham.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Return
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Close Combat
item: Pinsirite
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Swords Dance enables Mega Pinsir to pose a threat to opposing defensive backbones and clean up weakened slower teams. Quick Attack lets Mega Pinsir be a revenge killer and eases its matchup against faster teams, dealing with threats like Mega Alakazam and Mega Lopunny at +2. Close Combat means that Steel- and Rock-types like Celesteela, Heatran, Magearna, and Tyranitar as well as Rotom-W aren't untouchable for Mega Pinsir.

Set Details
========

Hyper Cutter is the pre-Mega ability of choice because it allows Mega Pinsir to bypass Intimidate on the turn it Mega Evolves. A Jolly nature is preferred to Adamant because outpacing the likes of Garchomp and Tapu Lele is more valuable than additional firepower.

Usage Tips
========

Mega Pinsir's primary task is to soften up opposing defensive backbones early- to mid-game. Early-game, just attacking with Mega Pinsir without setting up may be useful to chip down its defensive answers like Rotom-W and Celesteela to the range of Mega Pinsir's boosted attacks. If Pokemon that are faster than Mega Pinsir are weakened enough in the range of boosted Quick Attack, be mindful of scenarios where Mega Pinsir can pick up a Swords Dance boost and clean up the opposing team. You should play aggressively against opposing Stealth Rock setters in order to keep said hazard off from your field field for Mega Pinsir. Note that Mega Pinsir is very vulnerable to chipping down because of its horrible defensive typing, so try to bring Mega Pinsir in through aggressive double switches, via Volt Switch and U-turn, or on Pokemon that are easy to take advantage of, such as Tangrowth and Kartana locked on Leaf Blade. Don't set up Mega Pinsir if there are Pokemon in the opposing team that pose an immediate threat to it, like Zapdos and Tapu Koko. This should be put after you talk about setting up once Pokemon are in range of a boosted Quick attack.

Team Options
========

Due to its nature, Mega Pinsir fits best on fast offensive teams that enjoy its wallbreaking capabilities and can give it right support. Hazard removal is mandatory alongside Mega Pinsir due to its weakness to Stealth Rock. Moreover, two Defog users are frequently seen on Mega Pinsir builds. Some Pokemon that fill this role well are Rotom-W, Tapu Fini, and Landorus-T. Mega Pinsir appreciates teammates that can break its answers like Zapdos and Celesteela down. Examples include Rockium Z Garchomp and Rockium Z Landorus-T; the latter also can run Defog to further help Mega Pinsir. Magnezone is a great partner to Mega Pinsir because it traps and eliminates Celesteela and Ferrothorn, getting off some pressure from Mega Pinsir. Additionally, Magnezone can draw in bulky Grass-types, which Mega Pinsir easily takes advantage of. Other Pokemon that tend to invite bulky Grass-types, like the aforementioned Rotom-W and Tapu Fini as well as Ash-Greninja, make for good partners to Mega Pinsir too. Mega Pinsir also can fit on hyper offensive teams, especially Sticky Web-based ones. As such, suicide leads like Excadrill, Greninja, Ribombee, and Araquanid are good teammates for Mega Pinsir on this archetype, as they set up hazards that help Mega Pinsir do its job more effectively. Excadrill is an especially notable suicide lead to pair with Mega Pinsir because it provides a hazard control in form of Rapid Spin.

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

Earthquake can be used over Close Combat to hit Steel-types like Magearna and Jirachi harder as well as KO Tapu Koko on the switch. However, being unable to hit Rotom-W and Celesteela is undesirable. Feint has a merit over Quick Attack in outprioritizing Ash-Greninja's Water Shuriken, but Feint's damage output is a lot worse, making Mega Pinsir less effective revenge killer. A 4 attacks set with Return, Quick Attack, Close Combat, and Stone Edge boasts a wider coverage that Swords Dance set, but the latter's ability to boost is a lot more preferred. I think that this set should just be removed; it's a terrible breaker because of its 4x Stealth Rock weakness and awkward Speed tier. On top of that, it can't properly clean against teams either because it's unable to boost.

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

**Electric-types**: Pokemon like Tapu Koko, and Rotom-W are capable of eating Mega Pinsir's STAB moves and scare it off with their super effective STAB moves. Zapdos is an especially notable counter to Mega Pinsir because it threatens Mega Pinsir with a possible paralyze from Static and fears only rare Stone Edge. Something about Earthquake beating Tapu Koko.

**Steel-types**: The likes of Celesteela, Magearna, and Jirachi resist Mega Pinsir's STAB moves but don't enjoy taking a Close Combat or Earthquake.

**Faster Threats**: Pokemon like Tornadus-T and Greninja, while can't switch in on Mega Pinsir directly, outpace it and can deal heavy damage to it. +2 Quick Attack also does a lot to them.

**Psychic Terrain**: Offensive teams featuring Tapu Lele are very troublesome for Mega Pinsir, as Psychic Terrain prevents it from using Quick Attack against grounded targets.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Egor, 439341]]
- Earlier versions by: [[Niadev, 282732]]
- Quality checked by: [[Leo, 328915], [GMars, 273636], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
3/3. There are a lot of grammatical errors in the analysis right now so I'm sure that the GP team would appreciate it if you went over the analysis once more to fish out any errors that you spot.
 

Egor

нет, товарищ генерал, это вы даёте
is a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
RoAPL Champion
implemented, thx. gonna read through the analysis more before sending it to the gp.
 

Fireflame

Silksong when
is a Top Contributoris a Smogon Media Contributoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnus
Remove Add Comments (AC)= add comma (RC)= remove comma (AH)= add hyphen (RH)= remove hyphen
[OVERVIEW]

Thanks to its naturally high Attack, access to Swords Dance, and a great ability in Aerilate, Mega Pinsir can act as a dangerous wallbreaker in the metagame. Aerilate-boosted priority in Quick Attack lets Mega Pinsir function as a pretty effective revenge killer which that is able to pick off threats like Volcarona and weakened Serperior. Also, Mega Pinsir's Speed tier gives it an edge over other, slower wallbreakers like Mega Medicham, Mega Mawile, and Mega Heracross. Unfortunately, Mega Pinsir's defensive typing is terrible, giving it a double weakness to Stealth Rock. The omnipresence of Zapdos, Rotom-W, Tapu Koko, and Celesteela makes Mega Pinsir further struggle in the metagame not only because they not only take advantage of Mega Pinsir's typing but also because Mega Pinsir can't run all the coverage moves to hit them. Additionally, while Mega Pinsir's Speed tier isn't bad, it leaves Mega Pinsir outpaced by common threats like Tornadus-T and Greninja. Because of these factors, Mega Pinsir requires a lot of support to function properly and is heavily outclassed by other wallbreakers like Mega Mawile, Garchomp, and Mega Medicham.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Return
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Close Combat
item: Pinsirite
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Swords Dance enables Mega Pinsir to pose a threat to opposing defensive backbones and clean up weakened slower teams. Quick Attack lets Mega Pinsir be a revenge killer and eases its matchup against faster teams, dealing with threats like Mega Alakazam and Mega Lopunny at +2. Close Combat means that Steel- and Rock-types like Celesteela, Heatran, Magearna, and Tyranitar as well as Rotom-W aren't untouchable for Mega Pinsir.

Set Details
========

Hyper Cutter is the pre-Mega ability of choice because it allows Mega Pinsir to bypass Intimidate on the turn it Mega Evolves. A Jolly nature is preferred to Adamant because outpacing the likes of Garchomp and Tapu Lele is more valuable than additional firepower.

Usage Tips
========

Mega Pinsir's primary task is to soften up opposing defensive backbones early- to mid-game. Early-game, just attacking with Mega Pinsir without setting up may be useful to chip down its defensive answers like Rotom-W and Celesteela to the range of Mega Pinsir's boosted attacks. If Pokemon that are faster than Mega Pinsir are weakened enough in the range of boosted Quick Attack, be mindful of scenarios where Mega Pinsir can pick up a Swords Dance boost and clean up the opposing team. Don't set up Mega Pinsir if there are Pokemon in on the opposing team that pose an immediate threat to it, like Zapdos and Tapu Koko. You should play aggressively against opposing Stealth Rock setters in order to keep said entry hazard off from your field for Mega Pinsir. Note that Mega Pinsir is very vulnerable to chipping getting chipped down because of its horrible defensive typing, so try to bring Mega Pinsir in through aggressive double switches, via Volt Switch and U-turn, or on Pokemon that are easy to take advantage of, such as Tangrowth and Kartana locked on Leaf Blade.

Team Options
========

Due to its nature, Mega Pinsir fits best on fast offensive teams that enjoy its wallbreaking capabilities and can give it right support. Entry hazard removal is mandatory alongside Mega Pinsir due to its weakness to Stealth Rock. Moreover, two Defog users are frequently seen on Mega Pinsir builds. Some Pokemon that fill this role well are Rotom-W, Tapu Fini, and Landorus-T. Mega Pinsir appreciates teammates that can break its answers like Zapdos and Celesteela down. Examples include Rockium Z Garchomp and Rockium Z Landorus-T; the latter also can run Defog to further help Mega Pinsir. Magnezone is a great partner to Mega Pinsir because it traps and eliminates Celesteela and Ferrothorn, getting off some pressure from Mega Pinsir. Additionally, Magnezone can draw in bulky Grass-types, which Mega Pinsir easily takes advantage of. Other Pokemon that tend to invite bulky Grass-types, like the aforementioned Rotom-W and Tapu Fini as well as Ash-Greninja, make for good partners to Mega Pinsir too. Mega Pinsir also can also fit on hyper offensive teams, especially Sticky Web-based ones. As such, suicide leads like Excadrill, Greninja, Ribombee, and Araquanid are good teammates for Mega Pinsir on this archetype, as they set up hazards that help Mega Pinsir do its job more effectively. Excadrill is an especially notable suicide lead to pair with Mega Pinsir because it provides a hazard control in form of Rapid Spin.

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

Earthquake can be used over Close Combat to hit Steel-types like Magearna and Jirachi harder as well as KO Tapu Koko on the switch. However, being unable to hit Rotom-W and Celesteela is undesirable. Feint has a merit over Quick Attack in outprioritizing Ash-Greninja's Water Shuriken, but Feint's damage output is worse, making Mega Pinsir a less effective revenge killer.

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

**Electric-types**: Pokemon like Tapu Koko, and Rotom-W are capable of eating Mega Pinsir's STAB moves and can scare it off with their super effective STAB moves. However, the former can be chipped down by repeated Close Combats, while the latter must be wary of Earthquake on the switch. Zapdos is an especially notable counter to Mega Pinsir because it threatens Mega Pinsir with a possible paralyze paralysis from Static and fears only rare Stone Edge.

**Steel-types**: The likes of Celesteela, Magearna, and Jirachi resist Mega Pinsir's STAB moves but don't enjoy taking a Close Combat or, if not named Celesteela, Earthquake.

**Faster Threats**: Pokemon like Tornadus-T and Greninja,(RC) while can't switch in on Mega Pinsir directly,(RC) outpace it and can deal heavy damage to it,(AC) though they can't switch on Mega Pinsir directly. Also,(AC) Mega Pinsir inflicts much damage on them with a boosted Quick Attack,(RC) though.

**Psychic Terrain**: Offensive teams featuring Tapu Lele are very troublesome for Mega Pinsir, as Psychic Terrain prevents it from using Quick Attack against grounded targets.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Egor, 439341]]
- Earlier versions by: [[Niadev, 282732]]
- Quality checked by: [[Leo, 328915], [GMars, 273636], [Jordy, 395754]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
GP 1/2
 

Rabia

is a Site Content Manageris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a CAP Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Battle Simulator Moderator
GP & NU Leader
add
remove
comments

[OVERVIEW]

Thanks to its naturally high Attack, access to Swords Dance, and great ability in Aerilate, Mega Pinsir can act as a dangerous wallbreaker in the metagame. Aerilate-boosted priority in Quick Attack lets Mega Pinsir function as a pretty effective revenge killer that is able to pick off threats like Volcarona and weakened Serperior. Also, Mega Pinsir's Speed tier gives it an edge over other, slower wallbreakers like Mega Medicham, Mega Mawile, and Mega Heracross. Unfortunately, Mega Pinsir's defensive typing is terrible, giving it a double 4x weakness to Stealth Rock. The omnipresence of Zapdos, Rotom-W, Tapu Koko, and Celesteela makes Mega Pinsir further struggle in the metagame not only because they take advantage of Mega Pinsir's typing but also because Mega Pinsir can't run all the coverage moves necessary to hit them super effectively. Additionally, while Mega Pinsir's Speed tier isn't bad, it leaves Mega Pinsir outpaced by common threats like Tornadus-T and Greninja. Because of these factors, Mega Pinsir requires a lot of support to function properly and is heavily outclassed by other wallbreakers like Mega Mawile, Garchomp, and Mega Medicham.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Return
move 3: Quick Attack
move 4: Close Combat
item: Pinsirite
ability: Hyper Cutter
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Swords Dance enables Mega Pinsir to pose a threat to opposing defensive backbones and clean up weakened slower teams. Quick Attack lets Mega Pinsir be a revenge killer and eases its matchup against faster teams, dealing with threats like Mega Alakazam and Mega Lopunny at +2. Close Combat means that Steel- and Rock-types like Celesteela, Heatran, Magearna, and Tyranitar as well as Rotom-W aren't untouchable for Mega Pinsir.

Set Details
========

Hyper Cutter is the pre-Mega ability of choice because it allows Mega Pinsir to bypass Intimidate on the turn it Mega Evolves. A Jolly nature is preferred to Adamant because outpacing the likes of Garchomp and Tapu Lele is more valuable than additional firepower.

Usage Tips
========

Mega Pinsir's primary task is to soften up opposing defensive backbones early- to mid-game. Early-game, just attacking with Mega Pinsir without setting up may be useful to chip down its defensive answers like Rotom-W and Celesteela
to the into range of Mega Pinsir's boosted attacks. If Pokemon that are faster than Mega Pinsir are weakened enough in the to be in range of boosted Quick Attack, be mindful of scenarios where Mega Pinsir can pick up a Swords Dance boost and clean up the opposing team. Don't set up with Mega Pinsir if there are Pokemon on the opposing team that pose an immediate threat to it, like such as Zapdos and Tapu Koko. You should play aggressively against opposing Stealth Rock setters in order to keep said entry hazard off from your side of the field for Mega Pinsir. Note that Mega Pinsir is very vulnerable to getting chipped down because of its horrible defensive typing, so try to bring Mega Pinsir it in through aggressive double switches, via Volt Switch and U-turn, or on Pokemon that are easy to take advantage of, such as Tangrowth and Kartana locked on Leaf Blade.

Team Options
========

Due to its nature, Mega Pinsir fits best on fast offensive teams that enjoy its wallbreaking capabilities and can give it
right proper support. Entry hazard removal from Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Tapu Fini, and Landorus-T is mandatory alongside Mega Pinsir due to its weakness to Stealth Rock. Moreover, two Defog users are frequently seen on Mega Pinsir builds. Some Pokemon that fill this role well are Rotom-W, Tapu Fini, and Landorus-T. Mega Pinsir appreciates teammates such as Rockium Z Garchomp and Rockium Z Landorus-T that can break its answers like Zapdos and Celesteela down.(RP) Examples include Rockium Z Garchomp and Rockium Z Landorus-T; the latter also Landorus-T can also run Defog to further help Mega Pinsir. Magnezone is a great partner to Mega Pinsir because it traps and eliminates Celesteela and Ferrothorn, getting off some pressure from Mega Pinsir. Additionally, Magnezone can draw in bulky Grass-types, which Mega Pinsir easily takes advantage of. Other Pokemon that tend to invite in bulky Grass-types, like such as the aforementioned Rotom-W and Tapu Fini as well as Ash-Greninja, make for good partners to Mega Pinsir too. Mega Pinsir can also fit on hyper offensive teams, especially Sticky Web-based ones. As such, suicide leads like Excadrill, Greninja, Ribombee, and Araquanid are good teammates for Mega Pinsir on this archetype, as they set up hazards that help Mega Pinsir do its job more effectively. Excadrill is an especially notable suicide lead to pair with Mega Pinsir because it provides hazard control in the form of Rapid Spin.

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

Earthquake can be used over Close Combat to hit Steel-types like Magearna and Jirachi harder as well as KO Tapu Koko on the switch. However, being unable to hit Rotom-W and Celesteela is undesirable. Feint has merit over Quick Attack in outprioritizing Ash-Greninja's Water Shuriken, but Feint's damage output is worse, making Mega Pinsir a less effective revenge killer.

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

**Electric-types**: Pokemon like Tapu Koko
,(RC) and Rotom-W are capable of eating Mega Pinsir's STAB moves and scare it off with their super effective STAB moves. However, the former can be chipped down by repeated Close Combats, while the latter must be wary of Earthquake on the switch. Zapdos is an especially notable counter to Mega Pinsir because it threatens Mega Pinsir with a possible paralyze paralysis from Static and fears only the rare Stone Edge.

**Steel-types**: The likes of Celesteela, Magearna, and Jirachi resist Mega Pinsir's STAB moves but don't enjoy taking a Close Combat or, if not named Celesteela, Earthquake.

**Faster Threats**: Pokemon like Tornadus-T and Greninja outpace
it Mega Pinsir and can deal heavy damage to it, though they can't switch on into Mega Pinsir directly. Also,(AC) (remove AC comment) Mega Pinsir inflicts much damage on them with a boosted Quick Attack.

**Psychic Terrain**: Offensive teams featuring Tapu Lele are very troublesome for Mega Pinsir, as Psychic Terrain prevents it from using Quick Attack against grounded targets.


[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Egor, 439341]]
- Earlier versions by: [[Niadev, 282732]]
- Quality checked by: [[Leo, 328915], [GMars, 273636], [Jordy, 395754]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Fireflame479, 231476], [Rabia, 336073]]

gp 2/2 once done
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top