[OVERVIEW]
Magneton secures itself a place in the ZU metagame by virtue of its excellent power, a typing that is useful both offensively and defensively, and its ability to reliably pivot against many teams. Magneton's Steel typing is very rare in ZU, and it can hold Eviolite to shore up its mediocre bulk. This gives it a unique niche as a bulky pivot that provides a rare form of defensive utility while still hitting quite hard. Alternatively, Choice item sets are effective offensive threats thanks to Magneton's excellent STAB combination and great ability in Analytic, which can situationally boost its already good power even further. Magneton's Steel-type STAB moves are very threatening to most of the tier's Ground-types, which allows all sets to pivot reliably against many teams. However, Magneton's bulk is very poor, which prevents Choice item sets from providing much defensive utility, and Eviolite sets are simply not as threatening as their Choice item counterparts. Magneton's Steel typing also saddles it with unsavory weaknesses to Fire-, Fighting-, and Ground-type attacks; the first two are especially problematic, as Magneton is slower than most of the tier's Fire- and Fighting-types.
[SET]
Choice Scarf (Magneton) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Analytic
Tera Type: Steel / Grass
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Volt Switch
- Steel Beam / Tera Blast
[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Scarf turns Magneton into an effective revenge killer and general anti-offense Pokemon, as it outruns the entire unboosted metagame bar Jolteon. It also has a limited, but still notable, defensive profile, and its ability to pivot brings a lot of utility to the table. Volt Switch allows Magneton to keep up momentum for its team and effectively pivot. Steel Beam allows Magneton to wallbreak should the need arise and hits extremely hard with an Analytic boost; it notably gives Magneton a chance of 2HKOing specially defensive Dudunsparce if it switches in directly and OHKOes offensive Mesprit after Stealth Rock. However, the massive recoil makes it a situational attack. Tera Steel allows Magneton to power up Flash Cannon and Steel Beam significantly. On the other hand, Tera Blast Grass allows Magneton to pressure Lanturn and Ground-types such as Sandaconda, Sandslash, and Palossand with more confidence, allowing it to pivot more reliably against teams with these threats or to lure them in and KO them outright. It also gives Magneton a Ground resistance, further improving its matchup versus the aforementioned Ground-types. A Timid nature is required so Magneton can outrun Whimsicott and Floatzel. Analytic allows Magneton to pick up several KOs, such as 2HKOing Palossand and Sandaconda with Flash Cannon on the switch and doing the same to Orthworm with Thunderbolt and Lanturn with Tera Blast Grass.
Choice Scarf Magneton is a good choice for many bulky offense and outright offensive teams. Magneton is the slowest viable Choice Scarf user, and it is unsuitable for revenge killing Speed-boosting sweepers, such as Quiver Dance Oricorio formes and Agility Braviary, and other Choice Scarf users, such as Passimian, Floatzel, and Typhlosion. Other ways of taking care of these threats are therefore necessary. Prankster Encore users like Whimsicott, Grafaiai, and Sableye can greatly irritate and deter setup from the aforementioned setup threats, while the first two can form a pivoting core with Magneton. Meanwhile, defensive checks to the other Choice Scarf users, such as Sandaconda, Weezing, and Palossand for the former, and Lanturn and Cramorant for the last two, serve to greatly assist Magneton. Magneton can help these teammates out by bringing them into battle safely with Volt Switch and revenge killing unboosted offensive foes for them. Magneton also benefits from teammates that can effectively take down Lanturn and problematic Ground-types. Strong Grass-types, such as Virizion, Hisuian Decidueye, Brute Bonnet, and Alolan Exeggutor, can switch into and pressure these foes. Magneton's tendency to force these threats to switch in also opens the door for them to enter battle via advantageous double switches. Other powerful wallbreakers, such as Glastrier, Sneasel, Hitmonlee, and Clawitzer, can also threaten these foes, while Magneton can bring them in to battle safely with Volt Switch; the first three pressure special walls, such as Dudunsparce, Porygon2, and Snorlax, that can sponge Magneton's attacks. Articuno is another notable teammate, as it forms a pivoting core with Magneton, threatens many of its checks with Freeze-Dry, and can annoy setup sweepers that Magneton cannot deal with via Haze.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A bulkier spread on the Eviolite set can work if you want to focus on Magneton's ability to take hits; if choosing to invest into bulk, dipping below 136 Speed EVs with a Modest nature is not advised, as Magneton will become slower than Brute Bonnet and Modest Dudunsparce. The Choice Specs set could choose Tera Fighting with Tera Blast to 2HKO Porygon2 and Snorlax after Stealth Rock without having to take itself out due to recoil, but pivoting out of them with Volt Switch is generally more effective, and they are greatly pressured by Steel Beam anyway. More defensively oriented Tera types, such as Tera Fairy and Tera Ghost, can be considered, as they give Magneton a Fighting resistance while turning its other weaknesses into neutralities. Thunder Wave over Tera Blast on Eviolite sets is a decent option to spread paralysis, but most Magneton switch-ins don't mind being paralyzed that much or are outright immune to the move. Metal Sound is an additional option on the Eviolite set that lets Magneton break through Dipplin, Porygon2, and Dudunsparce, but it is overall niche compared to the other options.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Lanturn**: Volt Absorb Lanturn is one of the only Pokemon that doesn't care about Magneton's STAB attacks at all; even an Analytic-boosted Steel Beam doesn't hit it all that hard. It also blocks Volt Switch thanks to Volt Absorb and can use Magneton as an opportunity to pivot safely to a teammate or spread burns with Scald. It does have to watch out for Tera Blast Grass, however.
**Special Walls**: Special walls such as Snorlax, Porygon2, Dudunsparce, and Muk are decent checks to Magneton due to their ability to sponge its main STAB attacks. Porygon2 and Dudunsparce also have reliable recovery that lets them perform this role safely and consistently throughout a game. Steel Beam's immense power pressures even them, however, and none of them prevent Magneton from pivoting out of the bad matchup with Volt Switch.
**Ground-types**: Bulky Ground-types, such as Sandaconda, Palossand, and Sandslash block Volt Switch from Magneton and threaten to OHKO it with their STAB moves. They are not true switch-ins, however, as Magneton's Analytic boosted Steel-type STAB moves are still greatly threatening to them.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Charizard, Typhlosion, Magmortar, and Pyroar can OHKO Magneton with their STAB moves, and they are all faster than variants lacking a Choice Scarf. They also resist Magneton's Steel-type STAB moves, but none of them are true switch-ins due to their inability to block Volt Switch or reliably switch into Thunderbolt.
**Fighting-types and Fighting-type coverage**: Fighting-types such as Passimian, Hisuian Sneasel, and Hitmonlee all threaten to revenge kill Magneton; Choice Scarf Passimian is even faster than Choice Scarf Magneton. Additionally, common Fighting-type coverage from the likes of Orthworm, Regirock, and Naclstack prevents Magneton from comfortably dealing with them one-on-one depending on what coverage move it is locked into. None of them can directly switch in, however.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sputnik.475916/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/5dots.543866/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
Magneton secures itself a place in the ZU metagame by virtue of its excellent power, a typing that is useful both offensively and defensively, and its ability to reliably pivot against many teams. Magneton's Steel typing is very rare in ZU, and it can hold Eviolite to shore up its mediocre bulk. This gives it a unique niche as a bulky pivot that provides a rare form of defensive utility while still hitting quite hard. Alternatively, Choice item sets are effective offensive threats thanks to Magneton's excellent STAB combination and great ability in Analytic, which can situationally boost its already good power even further. Magneton's Steel-type STAB moves are very threatening to most of the tier's Ground-types, which allows all sets to pivot reliably against many teams. However, Magneton's bulk is very poor, which prevents Choice item sets from providing much defensive utility, and Eviolite sets are simply not as threatening as their Choice item counterparts. Magneton's Steel typing also saddles it with unsavory weaknesses to Fire-, Fighting-, and Ground-type attacks; the first two are especially problematic, as Magneton is slower than most of the tier's Fire- and Fighting-types.
[SET]
Choice Scarf (Magneton) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Analytic
Tera Type: Steel / Grass
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Volt Switch
- Steel Beam / Tera Blast
[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Scarf turns Magneton into an effective revenge killer and general anti-offense Pokemon, as it outruns the entire unboosted metagame bar Jolteon. It also has a limited, but still notable, defensive profile, and its ability to pivot brings a lot of utility to the table. Volt Switch allows Magneton to keep up momentum for its team and effectively pivot. Steel Beam allows Magneton to wallbreak should the need arise and hits extremely hard with an Analytic boost; it notably gives Magneton a chance of 2HKOing specially defensive Dudunsparce if it switches in directly and OHKOes offensive Mesprit after Stealth Rock. However, the massive recoil makes it a situational attack. Tera Steel allows Magneton to power up Flash Cannon and Steel Beam significantly. On the other hand, Tera Blast Grass allows Magneton to pressure Lanturn and Ground-types such as Sandaconda, Sandslash, and Palossand with more confidence, allowing it to pivot more reliably against teams with these threats or to lure them in and KO them outright. It also gives Magneton a Ground resistance, further improving its matchup versus the aforementioned Ground-types. A Timid nature is required so Magneton can outrun Whimsicott and Floatzel. Analytic allows Magneton to pick up several KOs, such as 2HKOing Palossand and Sandaconda with Flash Cannon on the switch and doing the same to Orthworm with Thunderbolt and Lanturn with Tera Blast Grass.
Choice Scarf Magneton is a good choice for many bulky offense and outright offensive teams. Magneton is the slowest viable Choice Scarf user, and it is unsuitable for revenge killing Speed-boosting sweepers, such as Quiver Dance Oricorio formes and Agility Braviary, and other Choice Scarf users, such as Passimian, Floatzel, and Typhlosion. Other ways of taking care of these threats are therefore necessary. Prankster Encore users like Whimsicott, Grafaiai, and Sableye can greatly irritate and deter setup from the aforementioned setup threats, while the first two can form a pivoting core with Magneton. Meanwhile, defensive checks to the other Choice Scarf users, such as Sandaconda, Weezing, and Palossand for the former, and Lanturn and Cramorant for the last two, serve to greatly assist Magneton. Magneton can help these teammates out by bringing them into battle safely with Volt Switch and revenge killing unboosted offensive foes for them. Magneton also benefits from teammates that can effectively take down Lanturn and problematic Ground-types. Strong Grass-types, such as Virizion, Hisuian Decidueye, Brute Bonnet, and Alolan Exeggutor, can switch into and pressure these foes. Magneton's tendency to force these threats to switch in also opens the door for them to enter battle via advantageous double switches. Other powerful wallbreakers, such as Glastrier, Sneasel, Hitmonlee, and Clawitzer, can also threaten these foes, while Magneton can bring them in to battle safely with Volt Switch; the first three pressure special walls, such as Dudunsparce, Porygon2, and Snorlax, that can sponge Magneton's attacks. Articuno is another notable teammate, as it forms a pivoting core with Magneton, threatens many of its checks with Freeze-Dry, and can annoy setup sweepers that Magneton cannot deal with via Haze.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A bulkier spread on the Eviolite set can work if you want to focus on Magneton's ability to take hits; if choosing to invest into bulk, dipping below 136 Speed EVs with a Modest nature is not advised, as Magneton will become slower than Brute Bonnet and Modest Dudunsparce. The Choice Specs set could choose Tera Fighting with Tera Blast to 2HKO Porygon2 and Snorlax after Stealth Rock without having to take itself out due to recoil, but pivoting out of them with Volt Switch is generally more effective, and they are greatly pressured by Steel Beam anyway. More defensively oriented Tera types, such as Tera Fairy and Tera Ghost, can be considered, as they give Magneton a Fighting resistance while turning its other weaknesses into neutralities. Thunder Wave over Tera Blast on Eviolite sets is a decent option to spread paralysis, but most Magneton switch-ins don't mind being paralyzed that much or are outright immune to the move. Metal Sound is an additional option on the Eviolite set that lets Magneton break through Dipplin, Porygon2, and Dudunsparce, but it is overall niche compared to the other options.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Lanturn**: Volt Absorb Lanturn is one of the only Pokemon that doesn't care about Magneton's STAB attacks at all; even an Analytic-boosted Steel Beam doesn't hit it all that hard. It also blocks Volt Switch thanks to Volt Absorb and can use Magneton as an opportunity to pivot safely to a teammate or spread burns with Scald. It does have to watch out for Tera Blast Grass, however.
**Special Walls**: Special walls such as Snorlax, Porygon2, Dudunsparce, and Muk are decent checks to Magneton due to their ability to sponge its main STAB attacks. Porygon2 and Dudunsparce also have reliable recovery that lets them perform this role safely and consistently throughout a game. Steel Beam's immense power pressures even them, however, and none of them prevent Magneton from pivoting out of the bad matchup with Volt Switch.
**Ground-types**: Bulky Ground-types, such as Sandaconda, Palossand, and Sandslash block Volt Switch from Magneton and threaten to OHKO it with their STAB moves. They are not true switch-ins, however, as Magneton's Analytic boosted Steel-type STAB moves are still greatly threatening to them.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types such as Charizard, Typhlosion, Magmortar, and Pyroar can OHKO Magneton with their STAB moves, and they are all faster than variants lacking a Choice Scarf. They also resist Magneton's Steel-type STAB moves, but none of them are true switch-ins due to their inability to block Volt Switch or reliably switch into Thunderbolt.
**Fighting-types and Fighting-type coverage**: Fighting-types such as Passimian, Hisuian Sneasel, and Hitmonlee all threaten to revenge kill Magneton; Choice Scarf Passimian is even faster than Choice Scarf Magneton. Additionally, common Fighting-type coverage from the likes of Orthworm, Regirock, and Naclstack prevents Magneton from comfortably dealing with them one-on-one depending on what coverage move it is locked into. None of them can directly switch in, however.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sputnik.475916/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sleid.601970/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/5dots.543866/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
Last edited:
