[SET]
name: Attacking Lead
move 1: X-Scissor
move 2: Close Combat / Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge / Quick Attack
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Focus Sash / Lum Berry
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Pinsir can work as an effective anti-lead against the more common leads in UU, balancing considerable attack power with decent physical bulk and Speed,. and Pinsir also has the added benefit of being able to gain momentum through support moves, in particular one of the only moves not shared by Pinsir and his little brother Heracross: Stealth Rock. Although Stealth Rock is an important tool for almost all teams, with in this set it takes a back seat in favor of primarily dealing with other leads to attempting to KO the opposing lead.</p>
<p>X-Scissor is another move that Pinsir has that Heracross does not, and although it sacrifices a massive amount of power compared to Heracross's Megahorn, it boasts perfect accuracy, which is especially important at the start of the game. X-Scissor is very useful for Pinsir, allowing him to 2HKO Uxie, Mesprit, and Claydol, and while also scoring powerful hits on Alakazam, Ambipom, and Electrode. All of the latter three can then be disposed of with Quick Attack, which is the third competitive move that Heracross does not have. Be aware, however, that Ambipom can still beat you with Life Orb Fake Out + Return. While Quick Attack's power is not great, priority is an important asset, enabling Pinsir to 2HKO all three faster Pokemon while taking only one attack at the most. Mesprit can also be beaten by a combination of X-Scissor and Quick Attack. Close Combat is another good tool for Pinsir to use, since it can easily OHKO Ambipom as well as 2HKO Omastar. It is also useful for other lesser-seen leads such as Cloyster and Rhyperior, both of whom are 2HKOed thanks to Pinsir's Mold Breaker ability, and it can also be useful outside the lead spot to combat Registeel and Steelix. However, it is illegal with Quick Attack, so you should think carefully before using it.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>If you are using Close Combat, Stone Edge is effective against several leads that wall you otherwise, most importantly Moltres. It is also a powerful weapon against Arcanine, usually OHKOing after Flare Blitz recoil, and can 2HKO lead Cloyster. The only real problem with it is its low accuracy. If you are using Quick Attack, Earthquake is a good option as a less powerful Close Combat, allowing you to take on and beat some lesser-seen leads, such as Arcanine, Qwilfish, Nidoking, and Nidoqueen, and also damaging Omastar and Kabutops. It is also helpful outside of the lead slot, as it is Pinsir's best weapon against Rotom, Weezing,
and Mismagius,
as well as and Rock- and Steel-types. However, it cannot 2HKO bulky Omastar with Leftovers. It is not advisable to use a combination of Close Combat + Earthquake due to
similar overlapping coverage, but any other legal combination of these four moves is usable depending on the threats you wish to prioritize on beating -
any combination lacking Quick Attack is beaten by faster offensive leads such as Alakazam, any combination lacking Close Combat loses to dedicated Spiker leads such as bulky Omastar and Cloyster, any combination lacking Stone Edge loses to Moltres and other Flying-types, and any combination lacking Earthquake loses to Poison-types such as Qwilfish, Nidoking and Nidoqueen. Lastly, although Close Combat is illegal with Quick Attack, Superpower is not, and can allow you to beat Kabutops with greater ease. However, it will leave you as set-up fodder for just about everything else.</p>
<p>Focus Sash is usually the best item, preventing Pinsir from being OHKOed by the likes of Moltres and Kabutops. Lum Berry can also be useful to avoid Uxie's Thunder Wave and Yawn. For the ability, Mold Breaker is the most useful option, though Hyper Cutter can also be helpful to negate Arcanine's Intimidate. The EVs and nature generate maximum Attack, allowing Pinsir to deal as much damage as possible. The Speed stat is also maximized, allowing him to outrun most lead Arcanine and Kabutops. The 4 leftover EVs go in Defense rather than in HP in order to give Pinsir five switches into Stealth Rock. A Jolly nature can also be an option, as the extra Speed allows you to outpace Modest Moltres, Adamant Qwilfish, and Jolly non-Scarf Mesprit. However, with a Jolly nature you cannot gain some of the important OHKOs listed above.</p>
<p>In general, an Adamant nature with the primary move combination listed in the set is your best bet at beating the most common leads. However, with a Jolly nature
Pinsir tends to be more
useful able to participate in the rest of the battle
, and
is more reliable at getting Stealth Rock up. As such, with a Jolly nature you should concentrate more on using Pinsir's power in general; thus, it is recommended that you use the combination of X-Scissor / Stone Edge / Earthquake, since this combination tends to be more useful against the rest of your opponent's team
, and
because Jolly Pinsir will not be
as reliable at taking down your opponent's lead
regardless. If you want more coverage on this set, you can remove Stealth Rock in favor of Stone Edge or Earthquake, but this is not recommended.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock benefits all kinds of teams, but this Pinsir will usually work best on pure or bulky offense teams. You should also note that if Pinsir lacks Close Combat, dedicated Spiker Omastar or Cloyster can set up two layers of Spikes against you, so you should also carry a Rapid Spinner. Rapid Spinners are also helpful to remove Stealth Rock from the field, which will badly hurt Pinsir if you keep him for later. Good partners on offensive teams include Pokemon who benefit from early-game Stealth Rock, such as Blaziken and Venusaur. Neither of these enjoy
the Rock-type attacks aimed at Pinsir though, so tread carefully. In an offensive role, Pinsir's
greatest joy is in beating down slower Psychic- and Dark-types such as Slowbro and Uxie
,; and thus
, he makes a good partner to Fighting-types such as Hitmontop, who
in return can
also Rapid Spin away Stealth Rock
for Pinsir that will give Pinsir problems. Fast Psychic-types such as Alakazam also make good partners
, since they are able to strike down Fighting- and Poison-types. Lastly, bulky Water-types such as Milotic can be helpful to deal with Fire- and Rock-type Pokemon, as well as helping to some extent against Swellow and other fast Flying-types
that give Pinsir problems.</p>
