SM OU Mega Pinsir Team

[Naruhodou]

Hi all! I've always been a fan of Mega Pinsir so I want to share my team around him. The peak ELO is about 1400 so I think there are something I can improve.

Pinsir-Mega @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Quick Attack
- Close Combat
- Return
- Swords Dance
The sweeper. Return is the STAB that KOs most PMs when super effective. Quick Attack is for ending those fast attackers. When facing foes with limited offensive pressure, Swords Dance will make Pinsir more threatening. I choose Close Combat over EarthQuake because I've got enough Ground-Type attackers in my team. I choose maximum speed with Jolly to make sure it will outspeed the opposite Mega Pinsir.

I'm not sure what ability should I choose before Mega Evolve. I think Hyper Cutter can prevent being Intimidated when the opposite try to do that on the turn that I Mega. Mold Breaker and Moxie seems good for Pinsir but I do not find them useful because in most situations I will Mega immediately.

Landorus-Therian @ Rockium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance/Knock Off
The lead. If the opposite are not threatening I will set up the rock. Earthquake is the main STAB, thanks to the 145 Base Attack and 252 EV in Atk, it will do a large amount of damage if not resisted. Stone Edge and Rockium Z will punish those Flying Types(Or maybe Bug Types?) who switch in to take Earthquake. For the last move, I'm currently using Swords Dance to make it more threatening when the opposite switches. However, as Landorus is so widely-used in OU, every team seems to have some guys resisting Earthquake and having Ice Beam or HP ice. As I'm not running a Scarf Landorus, the opposite often outspeeds my Landorus. I do not want to lose my Landorus so I will have to switch. So I'm considering using Knock Off over Swords Dance, as it's always a good thing to knock off the opposite's items. Also, it provides Dark-Coverage for this team.

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Toxic
- Protect
- Earth Power
The trapper, teammate for Gastrodon. Both Rotom-W and Gastrodon have only one weakness: Grass. Many Grass Type lacks coverage for Heatran so they will switch in other foes. Magama Storm will trap the PM switch-in. Then I will use protect to see the opposite's moves and determine the next step. If the opposite lacks answer to Heatran I will use Toxic and the damage from Magma Storm to get it down. If the opposite has Water Type move I will use Gastrodon to activate the Storm Drain. If the opposite are using Fighting or Ground Type move I will use Landorous or Pinsir, depending on what the opposite is. EarthPower is the answer to opposite Heatran.

Rotom-Wash @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Defog
- Will-O-Wisp
The check for the opposite Landorus and the back up for my Landorus. Take Ice Type move easily. If the opposite is threatened(like Landorus is threatened by Hydro Pump) and try to switch, I will use Defog to make use of the switch or punish the switch-in with Will-O-Wisp. Volt Switch provides momentum and hit pretty well when super effective.

Excadrill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide
As Pinsir fears Stealth Rock grealy, I put in Excadrill to remove the hazard. High attack makes it able to threaten opposite who is weak to Ground and Iron Type. When then switch in, I will remove the rock. Rock slide provides coverage.

But I found Excadrill lacks the ability to show up. Landorus has similar coverage to him and much less weakness. Often I have to switch out after Rapid Spin. It has similar weakness to Heatran, I think this is not great for Defense.

Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Def / 4 SpA / 112 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Recover
- Earth Power
- Sludge Bomb
Gastrodon has only one weakness: Grass. Heatran and Pinsir resist Grass Type move pretty well and can deal with most Grass Types. Gastrodon will switch in when the opposite uses Water Type move on Landorus or Heatran. Then using the boosted SpAtk and Recover to annoy the opposite. Both Scald and Sludge Bomb have a 30% percentage of Posion or Burn, so it's quite annoying. Sludge Bomb will punish those switch in Grass Types before I switch in Heatran(especially Tapu Bulu). Scald and Earth Power are two basic STABs.

Problems:
1. This team lacks type coverage. I struggle with Physic, Ghost, Dragon types. I have no super effective moves over them. On the defensive side, I do not have resistance to these three types and Dark Type. Mega Alakazam and +2 Mega Mawile are quite annoying for me.

2. Tapu Lele is quite threatening. Pinsir can not use Quick Attack any more so it will be damaged easily. I'm thinking about adding Tapu Fini to my team, but as I rely on Status Move heavily(Rotom's Will-O-Wisp, Gastrodon's Scald and Sludge Bomb, Heatran's Toxic), I'm not so sure whether I should do that.

Looking forward to your advice!

 

[Altervisi]

Hi cool team you have here, though there are a couple of suboptimal choices I think can be improved!

Excadrill ->

Ash-Greninja

Toxic Heatran ->

Stealth Rock Heatran

Steath Rock Landorus ->

Defog Landorus

Assualt Vest Excadrill immediately sticks out as an odd choice, Gastrodon serves as a really good special wall already and Excadrill doesn't really have the stats to justify this. I'd take this out and fit your hazard removal elsewhere. If you swap Heatrans Toxic to Stealth Rocks, and Stealth Rocks on Landorus to Defog then you have a much more reliable Defogger and you've removed the deadweight from your team. Landorus forces a lot of switches, which could be used to Swords Dance, however it often invites in revenge killers, in which case it is more efficient to Defog. Though without Toxic your Chansey matchup is slightly worse it is not a huge loss, as you have couple of strong physical breakers.

Now you've correctly identified that you struggle with Psychics and Ghosts, we have a free slot so I would add Ash-Greninja, Specs Dark Pulse is awesome for this, it adds speed control with its great speed tier and although you're lacking Choice Scarf you now have two STAB priority moves to patch this up a little. Also Pinsir sort of functions more as a wallbreaker first and a sweeper second, where as Greninja can be looked at as a cleaner first and a wallbreaker second, so they pair pretty nicely together. Pinsir also struggles with Steel-types, which Landorus can deal with, however for Earthquake immune Steel-types Greninja can hit these really hard. Also I'd go with U-Turn over Spikes; Spikes is really good, but I think the voltturn core you can from with Rotom Wash is more beneficial, espeically as your team is pretty offensive and you have two Defog users, which is pretty important if you want to constantly switch Pinsir in.

 

[Diophantine]

Hey Naruhodou that's a cool team you've made. There are some things that I would change, however.

At the moment you're quite weak to Ash-Greninja spamming Dark Pulse, so I'm going to change your Gastrodon set to this:

Hide

Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Scald
- Recover
- Earthquake
- Toxic

The HP EVs put Gastrodon's HP stat at 417 which leaves a remainder of 1 when divided by 16. Why is this important? Because this allows for the maximum recovery that Leftovers can give (given the game's mechanics). I made it max Special Defense in order to be able to wall Tapu Koko, Greninja and Magearna. Speaking of Magearna, I gave it Earthquake over Earth Power in order to hit Calm Mind Magearna, which could otherwise be a problem for this team. I threw the rest of the EVs into Defense to maximise bulk. I gave it Toxic over Sludge Bomb because Toxic is useful in far more situations (ie being able to Toxic Greninja and maybe you could get a Toxic off against a Zapdos switch in predicting your Ground type attack). Minimum speed is for Trick Room teams.

I am going to change the Defogger next. I would rather go with Zapdos as it gets reliable recovery while still being able to Defog on the likes of non-Stone Edge Landorus and Ferrothron while also improving your matchup against opposing Pinsir, Scizor, Kartana and Hawlucha. Here isthe set that I would use on this team:

Hide

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
- Defog
- Roost

The Speed investment is to outspeed non-Jolly Mega Tyranitar so you can roost to lose the Flying type and stall them out of Stone Edges (be careful if it is the rare Dragon Dance set). It is also useful for things such as Bisharp as you outspeed and can hit hard with Heat Wave. I opted for Heat Wave over HP Ice so that we can have a secondary counter to Scizor and something that can beat Kartana. It is also nice for Mawile.

This is an optional change, but something to think about is Will-O-Wisp over Toxic on Heatran. This is for Zygarde/Tyranitar switch ins, which your team is very weak to. Toxic is useful in other scenarios, such as against the Mega Latis, but your team is quite weak to these two very common Pokemon. We also have Toxic on Gastrodon. It also allows you to burn Poison types like Toxapex, Venusaur and Amoonguss - all of which are immune to Toxic. I also think that Taunt should be on every Heatran so you don't lose to Calm Mind Clefable and so you can trap and kill Toxapex and Chansey.

As you mentioned, this Excadrill is not the greatest option for this team. You already have a Tapu Koko switch in with Gastrodon and it feels redundant with Landorus doing pretty much the same thing but better. Looking at this team, it is quite slow - the fastest Pokemon is Mega Pinsir. I think it is a good idea to replace Excadrill with something that is Choice Scarfed so that we have some form of speed control. As you have mentioned, Tapu Lele is a real nuisance for this team. I think that Kartana is a good choice here. It is another Pokemon that benefits from Landorus punching a hole in Celesteela and from Pinsir wearing down Landorus.

Hide

Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike/Defog

I have slashed Defog and Smart Strike in case you want another Defog user as you are running Mega Pinsir. If you feel like Zapdos is reliable enough at removing hazards, then you can go for an offensive move.

I hope you enjoy the team! Here it is with my changes:

Hide

Pinsir-Mega @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Quick Attack
- Close Combat
- Return
- Swords Dance

Landorus-Therian @ Rockium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Earth Power

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
- Defog
- Roost

Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Scald
- Recover
- Earthquake
- Toxic

Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike

If you have any questions, or if there is anything you would like to discuss further, do not hesitate to ask :)

 

[Simia]

Hey, this is a cool team. However, it has some weaknesses that can be resolved. First, Psychic Spam can be threatening, you're right, as your team is pretty slow, and your two Steels are hit by Focus Blast. I also feel Zygarde is a theat, as nothing takes on well its Thousands Arrows, especially if CB, and DD sets have plenty of situations to setup. Water-Types such as Greninja and Keldeo can be threatening as well as Gastrodon can be pressured with ease and Rotom-W is pretty much 2HKOed. Lastly, I think Kartana is a big threat to your team, it takes advantage of your team being slow and can either revenge kill your entire team if scarf, or sweep if SD.

Major Changes

>

While Excadrill isn't very good and only has a niche as a Sand abuser in OU, Tangrowth provides you a way to deal with most things I brought up. With HP Ice, it is a great check to almost all sets of Zygarde, and thanks to Regenerator, Tangrowth can check it throughout the game. It is a great check to Water-Types as well, as it takes on well Greninja's Dark Pulses and Keldeo's Secret Swords. Finally, it is a cool check to Kartana, only fearing SD Z Fight sets. I'd run the standard AV set, with HP Ice, EQ to catch Magearna/Heatran on the switch, and Koff because it's always good.

>

I feel like replacing Rotom-W for Tapu Koko could be better. It would give you a better offensive presence, as it gets a fast Volt Switch, letting you gain momentum with ease. It also forces out some of the best M-Pinsir's checks like Zapdos and with roost, you can consistently come in throughout the game, something Rotom-W has trouble doing. I'd run the great Shuca Berry set, allowing you to weaken Pokemon like Lando-T and Zygarde, without risking anything in particular.

Minor Changes

I think you should run a Bulky Scarf Lando-T here, to provide you some great speed control as well as forming a great Volturn core with Tapu Koko. This would also mean that you should run Defog on it, as you lost your defog support with the lose of Rotom-W. As your last move, I'd suggest running HP Fire instead of HP Ice, something useful against the likes of Kartana and M-Scizor.

With the above change, you need to use SR on another Pokemon. That's why I think you should run SR over Protect. Moreover, I'd run Taunt over Toxic as I feel like it's very important to prevent things like Clefable and Toxapex from recovering. I'd also run a bulkier spread like 252 HP / 100+ SpD / 156 Spe to take on betters special hits.

I don't think you have trouble dealing with Tapu Bulu, so I'd just run Toxic over Sludge Bomb. Toxic is actually really nice in order to annoy fat things.

Note: Gastrodon can be removed for another Water-Type, like Toxapex to help out better vs TSpikes for example, just saying.

~~

Team

Pinsir-Mega @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Quick Attack
- Close Combat
- Return
- Swords Dance

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 240 HP / 72 Def / 196 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 30 SpA
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Defog

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 100 SpD / 156 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Taunt
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock

Tapu Koko @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 104 HP / 12 Def / 176 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Roost

Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 228 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Earthquake

Gastrodon-East (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Def / 4 SpA / 112 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Recover

Good luck!

 

[Naruhodou]

Hi cool team you have here, though there are a couple of suboptimal choices I think can be improved!

Excadrill ->

Ash-Greninja

Toxic Heatran ->

Stealth Rock Heatran

Steath Rock Landorus ->

Defog Landorus

Assualt Vest Excadrill immediately sticks out as an odd choice, Gastrodon serves as a really good special wall already and Excadrill doesn't really have the stats to justify this. I'd take this out and fit your hazard removal elsewhere. If you swap Heatrans Toxic to Stealth Rocks, and Stealth Rocks on Landorus to Defog then you have a much more reliable Defogger and you've removed the deadweight from your team. Landorus forces a lot of switches, which could be used to Swords Dance, however it often invites in revenge killers, in which case it is more efficient to Defog. Though without Toxic your Chansey matchup is slightly worse it is not a huge loss, as you have couple of strong physical breakers.

Now you've correctly identified that you struggle with Psychics and Ghosts, we have a free slot so I would add Ash-Greninja, Specs Dark Pulse is awesome for this, it adds speed control with its great speed tier and although you're lacking Choice Scarf you now have two STAB priority moves to patch this up a little. Also Pinsir sort of functions more as a wallbreaker first and a sweeper second, where as Greninja can be looked at as a cleaner first and a wallbreaker second, so they pair pretty nicely together. Pinsir also struggles with Steel-types, which Landorus can deal with, however for Earthquake immune Steel-types Greninja can hit these really hard. Also I'd go with U-Turn over Spikes; Spikes is really good, but I think the voltturn core you can from with Rotom Wash is more beneficial, espeically as your team is pretty offensive and you have two Defog users, which is pretty important if you want to constantly switch Pinsir in.

Hey thanks for the advice! So the Landorus has Defog+Earthquake+Stone Edge+Sword Dance now? What do you think about using Knock off/Sword Dance for the last slot? Also, any suggestion on the lead? Currently I lead with Landorus.

 

[Altervisi]

Hey thanks for the advice! So the Landorus has Defog+Earthquake+Stone Edge+Sword Dance now? What do you think about using Knock off/Sword Dance for the last slot? Also, any suggestion out the lead? Currently I lead with Landorus.

Either way! I would say keep Swords Dance and try interchanging Knock Off and Defog, depends on if you find yourself struggling with hazards often, thats something that is easier to decide in practice rather than on paper.

In terms of a lead Landorus is solid with Intimidate and strong moves, but in general with these bulky offensive teams, the lead depends on what you think your opponent will go for. Setting up stealth rocks ASAP is important, but obviously Heatran is threatened by a lot of leads. Rotom-Wash is good to get some momentum with Volt Switch, Greninja can fire off a fast, powerful, hard to switch into attack turn one as well as get momentum. In my opinion anything but Pinsir and Gastrodon could be your lead, if you're really unsure, go with one of the VoltTurn users.

Also sorry yeah go Taunt over Protect on SR Heatran, imo I like the 252/252 EV's tho.

 

[Naruhodou]

Either way! I would say keep Swords Dance and try interchanging Knock Off and Defog, depends on if you find yourself struggling with hazards often, thats something that is easier to decide in practice rather than on paper.

In terms of a lead Landorus is solid with Intimidate and strong moves, but in general with these bulky offensive teams, the lead depends on what you think your opponent will go for. Setting up stealth rocks ASAP is important, but obviously Heatran is threatened by a lot of leads. Rotom-Wash is good to get some momentum with Volt Switch, Greninja can fire off a fast, powerful, hard to switch into attack turn one as well as get momentum. In my opinion anything but Pinsir and Gastrodon could be your lead, if you're really unsure, go with one of the VoltTurn users.

Hmm...Seems that these questions will be answered in practice.
Anyway I love Greninja-Ash (though it owes Ash a Champion) I will give him a try!

 

[Naruhodou]

Hey Naruhodou that's a cool team you've made. There are some things that I would change, however.

At the moment you're quite weak to Ash-Greninja spamming Dark Pulse, so I'm going to change your Gastrodon set to this:

Hide

Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Scald
- Recover
- Earthquake
- Toxic

The HP EVs put Gastrodon's HP stat at 417 which leaves a remainder of 1 when divided by 16. Why is this important? Because this allows for the maximum recovery that Leftovers can give (given the game's mechanics). I made it max Special Defense in order to be able to wall Tapu Koko, Greninja and Magearna. Speaking of Magearna, I gave it Earthquake over Earth Power in order to hit Calm Mind Magearna, which could otherwise be a problem for this team. I threw the rest of the EVs into Defense to maximise bulk. I gave it Toxic over Sludge Bomb because Toxic is useful in far more situations (ie being able to Toxic Greninja and maybe you could get a Toxic off against a Zapdos switch in predicting your Ground type attack). Minimum speed is for Trick Room teams.

I am going to change the Defogger next. I would rather go with Zapdos as it gets reliable recovery while still being able to Defog on the likes of non-Stone Edge Landorus and Ferrothron while also improving your matchup against opposing Pinsir, Scizor, Kartana and Hawlucha. Here isthe set that I would use on this team:

Hide

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
- Defog
- Roost

The Speed investment is to outspeed non-Jolly Mega Tyranitar so you can roost to lose the Flying type and stall them out of Stone Edges (be careful if it is the rare Dragon Dance set). It is also useful for things such as Bisharp as you outspeed and can hit hard with Heat Wave. I opted for Heat Wave over HP Ice so that we can have a secondary counter to Scizor and something that can beat Kartana. It is also nice for Mawile.

This is an optional change, but something to think about is Will-O-Wisp over Toxic on Heatran. This is for Zygarde/Tyranitar switch ins, which your team is very weak to. Toxic is useful in other scenarios, such as against the Mega Latis, but your team is quite weak to these two very common Pokemon. We also have Toxic on Gastrodon. It also allows you to burn Poison types like Toxapex, Venusaur and Amoonguss - all of which are immune to Toxic. I also think that Taunt should be on every Heatran so you don't lose to Calm Mind Clefable and so you can trap and kill Toxapex and Chansey.

As you mentioned, this Excadrill is not the greatest option for this team. You already have a Tapu Koko switch in with Gastrodon and it feels redundant with Landorus doing pretty much the same thing but better. Looking at this team, it is quite slow - the fastest Pokemon is Mega Pinsir. I think it is a good idea to replace Excadrill with something that is Choice Scarfed so that we have some form of speed control. As you have mentioned, Tapu Lele is a real nuisance for this team. I think that Kartana is a good choice here. It is another Pokemon that benefits from Landorus punching a hole in Celesteela and from Pinsir wearing down Landorus.

Hide

Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike/Defog

I have slashed Defog and Smart Strike in case you want another Defog user as you are running Mega Pinsir. If you feel like Zapdos is reliable enough at removing hazards, then you can go for an offensive move.

I hope you enjoy the team! Here it is with my changes:

Hide

Pinsir-Mega @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Quick Attack
- Close Combat
- Return
- Swords Dance

Landorus-Therian @ Rockium Z
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Earth Power

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
- Defog
- Roost

Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Scald
- Recover
- Earthquake
- Toxic

Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike

If you have any questions, or if there is anything you would like to discuss further, do not hesitate to ask :)

Hey thanks for the detailed explanation! I do have something to talk about.

First I totally agree on the part of EVs on Gastrodon. As for Earthquake over Earth Power, I've heard about this before. I will give it a try.

As for Heatran, I realize that Taunt is needed when facing defensive foes. But I think Heatran can deal with those Poison Type with Earth Power and Magma Storm, does it make sense? Also I think Tyranitar can be handled by Pinsir's Close Combat as long as it's not a Dragon Dance Type. Zygarde is a threat indeed.

A bulky Zapdos! Hmm it's a nightmare to my Pinsir. I agree Zapdos is a more reliable Defogger. The only thing I worry about is maybe too much Ice-Type weakness in the team, especially I think there are more Special Ice attackers. Gastrodon and Kartana do not resist Ice, Landorus, Pinsir and Zapdos have no investment in SpD and weak to Ice Type, so what should I do when I predict Ice Beam or HP ice to my Landorus(often)? Maybe switch in Heatran is my only choice.

Finally Kartana! Actually I am fond of Kartana and it seems fit for the team so I will definitely have a try!

 

[Diophantine]

Hey thanks for the detailed explanation! I do have something to talk about.

First I totally agree on the part of EVs on Gastrodon. As for Earthquake over Earth Power, I've read this before. I will give it a try.

As for Heatran, I realize that Taunt is needed when facing defensive foes. But I think Heatran can deal with those Poison Type with Earth Power and Magma Storm, does it make sense? Also I think Tyranitar can be handled by Pinsir's Close Combat as long as it's not a Dragon Dance Type. Zygarde is a threat indeed.

A bulky Zapdos! Hmm it's a nightmare to my Pinsir. I agree Zapdos is a more reliable Defogger. The only thing I worry about is maybe too much Ice-Type weakness in the team, especially I think there are more Special Ice attackers. Gastrodon and Kartana do not resist Ice, Landorus, Pinsir and Zapdos have no investment in SpD and weak to Ice Type, so what should I do when I predict Ice Beam or HP ice to my Landorus(often)? Maybe switch in Heatran is my only choice.

Finally Kartana! Actually I am fond of Kartana and it seems fit for the team so I will definitely have a try!

Glad you like my suggestions :)

You need Taunt so that when you trap Toxapex or Chansey they can't Recover/Softboiled on you so you can beat them with Earth Power + residual damage.
Tyranitar can be killed by Pinsir, but you have a lot of difficulty switching into Tyranitar. Choice Banded Tyranitar is not something that you want to play around with. It can be brought in on a double switch predicting you to go into Gastrodon and immediately threaten it with Crunch.252+ Atk Choice Band Tyranitar Crunch vs. 216 HP / 40 Def Gastrodon: 286-337 (68.5 - 80.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
If it gets burned, it is far less of a problem.

As for Ice weakness, although Gastrodon doesn't resist it, it does a good job at switching in on special Ice attacks (the more common type).
252 SpA Magearna Ice Beam vs. 216 HP / 252+ SpD Gastrodon: 80-95 (19.1 - 22.7%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Protean Greninja Ice Beam vs. 216 HP / 252+ SpD Gastrodon: 133-157 (31.8 - 37.6%) -- 0.2% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Ice Beam vs. 216 HP / 252+ SpD Gastrodon: 148-175 (35.4 - 41.9%) -- 85.2% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

Yes, I agree that we are weak to Mamoswine and Weavile, though neither are too popular at the moment (Mamoswine more popular than Weavile) although Mamo is rising. No team is weakness free, and we do have counterplay to these mons doubling in Kartana, or using it to revenge kill, or keeping Stealth Rocks up and not letting the threats switch in. Yes, this does put you at a disadvantage - but all teams have threats.

 

[Naruhodou]

Glad you like my suggestions :)

You need Taunt so that when you trap Toxapex or Chansey they can't Recover/Softboiled on you so you can beat them with Earth Power + residual damage.
Tyranitar can be killed by Pinsir, but you have a lot of difficulty switching into Tyranitar. Choice Banded Tyranitar is not something that you want to play around with. It can be brought in on a double switch predicting you to go into Gastrodon and immediately threaten it with Crunch.252+ Atk Choice Band Tyranitar Crunch vs. 216 HP / 40 Def Gastrodon: 286-337 (68.5 - 80.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
If it gets burned, it is far less of a problem.

As for Ice weakness, although Gastrodon doesn't resist it, it does a good job at switching in on special Ice attacks (the more common type).
252 SpA Magearna Ice Beam vs. 216 HP / 252+ SpD Gastrodon: 80-95 (19.1 - 22.7%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Protean Greninja Ice Beam vs. 216 HP / 252+ SpD Gastrodon: 133-157 (31.8 - 37.6%) -- 0.2% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Teravolt Kyurem-Black Ice Beam vs. 216 HP / 252+ SpD Gastrodon: 148-175 (35.4 - 41.9%) -- 85.2% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

Yes, I agree that we are weak to Mamoswine and Weavile, though neither are too popular at the moment (Mamoswine more popular than Weavile) although Mamo is rising. No team is weakness free, and we do have counterplay to these mons doubling in Kartana, or using it to revenge kill, or keeping Stealth Rocks up and not letting the threats switch in. Yes, this does put you at a disadvantage - but all teams have threats.

Oh, that's it. Currently I'm investing EVs equally in Def and SpD in Gastrodon for a better overall bulk. After changing it into a SpD-oriented one, I can expect it to take Ice attacks easily.

I figure out that Earthquake hits Tyranitar harder than Earth Power even at +1. Tyranitar looks bulky in Physical, but its SpD in sand is astonishing. Can not imagine what if he has a type combination with less weakness.... I think Gastrodon is quite important on the Defensive end for this team, therefore we need to protect it indeed. I will try the formation!

 

[Naruhodou]

Hey, this is a cool team. However, it has some weaknesses that can be resolved. First, Psychic Spam can be threatening, you're right, as your team is pretty slow, and your two Steels are hit by Focus Blast. I also feel Zygarde is a theat, as nothing takes on well its Thousands Arrows, especially if CB, and DD sets have plenty of situations to setup. Water-Types such as Greninja and Keldeo can be threatening as well as Gastrodon can be pressured with ease and Rotom-W is pretty much 2HKOed. Lastly, I think Kartana is a big threat to your team, it takes advantage of your team being slow and can either revenge kill your entire team if scarf, or sweep if SD.

Major Changes

>

While Excadrill isn't very good and only has a niche as a Sand abuser in OU, Tangrowth provides you a way to deal with most things I brought up. With HP Ice, it is a great check to almost all sets of Zygarde, and thanks to Regenerator, Tangrowth can check it throughout the game. It is a great check to Water-Types as well, as it takes on well Greninja's Dark Pulses and Keldeo's Secret Swords. Finally, it is a cool check to Kartana, only fearing SD Z Fight sets. I'd run the standard AV set, with HP Ice, EQ to catch Magearna/Heatran on the switch, and Koff because it's always good.

>

I feel like replacing Rotom-W for Tapu Koko could be better. It would give you a better offensive presence, as it gets a fast Volt Switch, letting you gain momentum with ease. It also forces out some of the best M-Pinsir's checks like Zapdos and with roost, you can consistently come in throughout the game, something Rotom-W has trouble doing. I'd run the great Shuca Berry set, allowing you to weaken Pokemon like Lando-T and Zygarde, without risking anything in particular.

Minor Changes

I think you should run a Bulky Scarf Lando-T here, to provide you some great speed control as well as forming a great Volturn core with Tapu Koko. This would also mean that you should run Defog on it, as you lost your defog support with the lose of Rotom-W. As your last move, I'd suggest running HP Fire instead of HP Ice, something useful against the likes of Kartana and M-Scizor.

With the above change, you need to use SR on another Pokemon. That's why I think you should run SR over Protect. Moreover, I'd run Taunt over Toxic as I feel like it's very important to prevent things like Clefable and Toxapex from recovering. I'd also run a bulkier spread like 252 HP / 100+ SpD / 156 Spe to take on betters special hits.

I don't think you have trouble dealing with Tapu Bulu, so I'd just run Toxic over Sludge Bomb. Toxic is actually really nice in order to annoy fat things.

Note: Gastrodon can be removed for another Water-Type, like Toxapex to help out better vs TSpikes for example, just saying.

~~

Team

Pinsir-Mega @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Quick Attack
- Close Combat
- Return
- Swords Dance

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 240 HP / 72 Def / 196 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 30 SpA
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Defog

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 100 SpD / 156 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Taunt
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock

Tapu Koko @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 104 HP / 12 Def / 176 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Roost

Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 228 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Earthquake

Gastrodon-East (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Def / 4 SpA / 112 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Recover

Good luck!

Hey! Sorry for the late response. Those major changes are really Major that it takes me some time to understand. I'm familiar with KoKo but more as an attacker. I'm quite unfamiliar with Tangrowth...Because it does not look very cool that I always suppose there is a Gastly inside.

The formation is quite different from mine, so I am curious to see how it will work. Before I try it, I have two main questions about how to use it:

The Scarf-Landorus runs Defog, so everytime I use it, I will switch the next turn(is that right?), I suppose this will give the opposite some advantage because they can predict what I'm gonna switch(usually something threaten the foe on the ground) and make a double switch. So what should I do?

Any suggestion on the lead? I think Tangrowth and KoKo are good pivots.

I really appreciate your help. I will test this formation for some time and give you feedbacks. Thanks!

Update: Tangrowth works pretty well! On the defensive end, I rely heavily on switches, so Tangrowth can benefit from this. It's quite bulky even on the Special side thanks to AV. Hmm...I love taking a Ice Beam from the opposite Water Type and Giga Drain to revenge kill. Then I will find a chance switch him out to regenerate, this is almost a free kill.

Another thing I found annoying is: Pelipper in the rain team. Spec Boosted Hurricane is pretty powerful. It has chance to 0HKO Pinsir, Tangrowth and Landorus. Gastrodon and Heatran can take 3 hits but they lacks the ability to revenge kill. Kapu can take 3 hits, but the opposite is going to switch of course. It's hard to make Heatran set up SR in rain(I think the only chance is that it's in front of Ferrothorn). Once the opposite Ferrothorn manages to set up the SR, things will be even worse... I need to keep working to find out the best strategy and improve my skills.

 

[Simia]

Hey! Sorry for the late response. Those major changes are really Major that it takes me some time to understand. I'm familiar with KoKo but more as an attacker. I'm quite unfamiliar with Tangrowth...Because it does not look very cool that I always suppose there is a Gastly inside.

The formation is quite different from mine, so I am curious to see how it will work. Before I try it, I have two main questions about how to use it:

The Scarf-Landorus runs Defog, so everytime I use it, I will switch the next turn(is that right?), I suppose this will give the opposite some advantage because they can predict what I'm gonna switch(usually something threaten the foe on the ground) and make a double switch. So what should I do?

Any suggestion on the lead? I think Tangrowth and KoKo are good pivots.

I really appreciate your help. I will test this formation for some time and give you feedbacks. Thanks!

Update: Tangrowth works pretty well! On the defensive end, I rely heavily on switches, so Tangrowth can benefit from this. It's quite bulky even on the Special side thanks to AV. Hmm...I love taking a Ice Beam from the opposite Water Type and Giga Drain to revenge kill. Then I will find a chance switch him out to regenerate, this is almost a free kill.

Another thing I found annoying is: Pelipper in the rain team. Spec Boosted Hurricane is pretty powerful. It has chance to 0HKO Pinsir, Tangrowth and Landorus. Gastrodon and Heatran can take 3 hits but they lacks the ability to revenge kill. Kapu can take 3 hits, but the opposite is going to switch of course. It's hard to make Heatran set up SR in rain(I think the only chance is that it's in front of Ferrothorn). Once the opposite Ferrothorn manages to set up the SR, things will be even worse... I need to keep working to find out the best strategy and improve my skills.

You mainly use Lando-T as a "momentum gainer" with U-Turn, so don't use Defog everytime SR are up but more when you're gonna try to setup your M-Pinsir or when SR are too annoying (like SR+Spikes or SR+TSpikes). Also, when you use Defog, it's fine to double switch then, as your oppo might predict you if he knows you're locked. There is not really a Pokemon that you'll always lead with since it mostly depends on the opposite team. However, I like having some volturn option when I lead with a Pokemon, so I'd say Lando-T and Koko are good leads in most cases. I personally don't find Pelipper that annoying. Specs set is checked well by Gastrodon, as it isn't 2HKOed and can Toxic it in return. Bulky Toxic sets are more annoying though since they can Toxic both Tangrowth and Gastrodon. In this case, Koko might be a better option as it's able to force out Pelipper with ease and Toxic is less annoying thanks to Roost.

 

[patlop2307]

Hey Naruhodou! A very interesting team you got there. I love Mega-Pinsir because, although its ability got nerfed, it is still a reliable revenger and late-game cleaner. The team does have some minor and major weaknesses to them, mainly needing glues to keep the team more or less together. In this rate, I am going to explain what the problems are, what kind of Pokémon your team is weak to and how you could (possibly) improve the team.

Overview:​

​

The team's concept does not really shine thorugh to me. The Landorus-Theiran wants to be a lead but cannot be because it is not sash, nor is it Substitute to be one versus stall, nor is it defensive. The team as a whole is defined to be between Bulky Offense/Balance but going more into the balanced direction (Landorus-Therian could potentially be a great fit, just not as a lead). Your team lacks speed control which is needed, even on balance, leaving you weak to any Kartana set ever, once it gets the opportunity to set up. The team also lacks a

resist making the team annoyed immensely by the likes of Zygarde. The team also lacks a certain amount of sustainability and breaking power althogether. Pokémon like Tapu Lele can really wreck ship, if enough switch-ins are given to it (and it will), while you also cannot break stall because your measures for the core of Chansey + Zapdos do not exist. ​

​

*I think I have pointed out all of the major weaknesses your team had. Of course there some less common Pokémon that you are weak to, but those do not really matter, if the "Overview" was that big chunk of a text.​

How can you improve your team?​

​

Major Changes:​

​

>

: Tapu Bulu outclasses Excadrill when it comes to the Assault Vest set. The fact that Grassy Terrain halves the Earthquake damage ties in pefectly with the Heatran and one of the the next suggestions I am going to make. It also resists Zygardes attacks for the most part, walling out most of its sets. Excadrill on the other hand gives you a spinner, but not a very good one, since you get threatened out by nearly everything that attacks you on the physical end. Its typing is also not very good and its recovery options are also not existent.​

​

>

: The reason for this change is simple: Kartana. Tornadus-Therian works excellently as a check to Kartana, while being a capable remover at the same time. Rotom-Wash is also a great remover, no doubt, but I feel like, since you already have another

, Rotom-Wash is not that necessary to have.​

​

>

: Now, me might have a check to Kartana, but we have not fully covered it yet. In case something goes wrong, we still have Magnezone as a way to revenge opposing Kartanas. It also traps Mega-Scizor and Ferrothorn which could both be nuisances to your team. It is also a nice momentum gainer and pairs well with the aforementioned Tapu Bulu as well as with the Mega-Pinsir.​

​

Minor Changes:​

​

Stealth Rock|Taunt|Magma Storm|Earth Power (

) : The set contains the changes of Taunt > Toxic and Stealth Rock > Protect which are both supposed to be a roll compression of sorts. Heatran can, somewhat, get up the rocks versus Mega-Sableye on stall, although it is not intended to be the lead. Taunt is meant to disable opposing Pokémon from recovering or statusing you in any way.​

​

Ice Beam|Recover|Earth Power|Toxic (

) : The set contains the changes of Ice Beam > Scald and Toxic > Sludge Bomb which are supposed to cover Zygarde as well as possible. Toxic is also there to have a win condition against Hawlucha, so you do not get 6-0d by it from preview. While Ice Beam also somewhat covers it, it is mainly intended for covering other Zygarde sets. The spread is going to be max defense because of the aforementioned Pokémon.​

​

Swords Dance|Quick Attack|Return|Stone Edge (

) : The set contains the change of Stone Edge > Close Combat. Zapdos is the intended target here, as it is supposed to catch Zapdos' by surprise. It also ties in nicely with the Magnezone and Gastrodon.​

​

Conclusion:​

​

The team before lacked quite a few things, so it therefor hard for me to make a well built team out of it. It is weak to Mega-Medicham or Charizard-Y, for instance. If you have any questions or ideas concerning my changes, just feel free to let me know! With that being said have fun with your future team, whatever team you might have! ^^​

​

​

​

References and Calculations:​

​

Heatran-Sableye calc

4 SpA Heatran Magma Storm vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Sableye-Mega: 90-106 (29.7 - 34.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after trapping damage

​

​

​

 

[Naruhodou]

You mainly use Lando-T as a "momentum gainer" with U-Turn, so don't use Defog everytime SR are up but more when you're gonna try to setup your M-Pinsir or when SR are too annoying (like SR+Spikes or SR+TSpikes). Also, when you use Defog, it's fine to double switch then, as your oppo might predict you if he knows you're locked. There is not really a Pokemon that you'll always lead with since it mostly depends on the opposite team. However, I like having some volturn option when I lead with a Pokemon, so I'd say Lando-T and Koko are good leads in most cases. I personally don't find Pelipper that annoying. Specs set is checked well by Gastrodon, as it isn't 2HKOed and can Toxic it in return. Bulky Toxic sets are more annoying though since they can Toxic both Tangrowth and Gastrodon. In this case, Koko might be a better option as it's able to force out Pelipper with ease and Toxic is less annoying thanks to Roost.

Hmm..I mean if I switch Gastrodon in to take a Hurricane, it will hit about 40%. Then the next turn if I use toxic and take another Hurricane, I will be unable to recover because of the slow speed. If I keep recovering, then I worry about the Confused, taking 2 hits would be a 60% confused.

 

[Naruhodou]

Hey Naruhodou! A very interesting team you got there. I love Mega-Pinsir because, although its ability got nerfed, it is still a reliable revenger and late-game cleaner. The team does have some minor and major weaknesses to them, mainly needing glues to keep the team more or less together. In this rate, I am going to explain what the problems are, what kind of Pokémon your team are weak to and how you could (possibly) improve the team.

Overview:​

​

The team's concept does not really shine thorugh to me. The Landorus-Theiran wants to be a lead but cannot be because it is not sash, nor is it Substitute to be one versus stall, nor is it defensive. The team as a whole is between Bulky Offense/Balance but going more into the balanced direction (Landorus-Therian could potentially be a great fit, just not as a lead). Your team lacks speed control which is needed, even on balance, leaving you weak to any Kartana set ever, once it gets the opportunity to set up. The team also lacks a

resist making the team annoyed immensely by the likes of Zygarde. The team also lacks a certain amount of sustainability and breaking power althogether. Pokémon like Tapu Lele can really wreck ship, if enough switch-ins are given to it (and it will), while you also cannot break stall because your measures for the core of Chansey + Zapdos do not exist. ​

​

*I think I have pointed out all of the major weaknesses your team had. Of course there some less common Pokémon that you are weak to, but those do not really matter, if the "Overview" was that big chunk of a text.​

How can you improve your team?​

​

Major Changes:​

​

>

: Tapu Bulu outclasses Excadrill when it comes to the Assault Vest set. The fact that Grassy Terrain halves the Earthquake damage ties in pefectly with the Heatran and one of the the next suggestions I am going to make. It also resists Zygardes attacks for the most part, walling out most of its sets. Excadrill on the other hand gives you a spinner, but not a very good one, since you get threatened out by nearly everything that attacks you on the physical end. Its typing is also not very good and its recovery options are also not existent.​

​

>

: The reason for this change is simple: Kartana. Tornadus-Therian works excellently as a check to Kartana, while being a capable remover at the same time. Rotom-Wash is also a great remover, no doubt, but I feel like, since you already have another

, Rotom-Wash is not that necessary to have.​

​

>

: Now, me might have a check to Kartana, but we have not fully covered it yet. In case something goes wrong, we still have Magnezone as a way to revenge opposing Kartanas. It also traps Mega-Scizor and Ferrothorn which could both be nuisances to your team. It is also a nice momentum gainer and pairs well with the aforementioned Tapu Bulu as well as with the Mega-Pinsir.​

​

Minor Changes:​

​

Stealth Rock|Taunt|Magma Storm|Earth Power (

) : The set contains the changes of Taunt > Toxic and Stealth Rock > Protect which are both supposed to be a roll compression of sorts. Heatran can, somewhat, get up the rocks versus Mega-Sableye on stall, although it is not intended to be the lead. Taunt is meant to disable opposing Pokémon from recovering or statusing you in any way.​

​

Ice Beam|Recover|Earth Power|Toxic (

) : The set contains the changes of Ice Beam > Scald and Toxic > Sludge Bomb which are supposed to cover Zygarde as well as possible. Toxic is also there to have a win condition against Hawlucha, so you do not get 6-0d by it from preview. While Ice Beam also somewhat covers it, it is mainly intended for covering other Zygarde sets. The spread is going to be max defense because of the aforementioned Pokémon.​

​

Swords Dance|Quick Attack|Return|Stone Edge (

) : The set contains the change of Stone Edge > Close Combat. Zapdos is the intended target here, as it is supposed to catch Zapdos' by surprise. It also ties in nicely with the Magnezone and Gastrodon.​

​

Conclusion:​

​

The team before lacked quite a few things, so it therefor hard for me to make a well built team out of it. It is weak to Mega-Medicham or Charizard-Y, for instance. If you have any questions or ideas concerning my changes, just feel free to let me know! With that being said have fun with your future team, whatever team you might have! ^^​

​

​

​

​

References and Calculations:​

​

Heatran-Sableye calc

4 SpA Heatran Magma Storm vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Sableye-Mega: 90-106 (29.7 - 34.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after trapping damage

​

​

​

Hi! I really appreciate your advice. I agree that Tapu Bulu is a great choice against Zygardes. I also tried AV Tangrowth according to Diophantine, it's a excellent check to Zygarde. I met Zygarde two times today and Tangrowth functions prettry well. I am familiar with Bulu as I include him in my VGC team. The Grassy Terrain is a great aid to Heatran and Magnezone you add. I'm not so familiar with Tonardus actually, I've only used Landorus and Thundurus before. Choice Scarf Mangnezone used to be a member in my Gen 6 Mega Pinsir team, aiming at Skarmory and Ferrothorn so I understand how it works. Moves on Heatran are perfect! You all suggest sets like that and it performs perfectly. I've taken down trick room users like Cresselia and Polygron2 many times easily.

I tried this team today, and below are something I found out.

Magnezone deals with Ferrothorn pretty well, but when facing Kartana, it will be KOed by one normal Leaf Blade and one CT Leaf Blade(it happens today). Do you have suggestions on EV spread?

Ice Beam on Gastrodon performs well, deals great damage on Landorus, Zygarde and Garchomp. Toxic is suggested by everyone, and it helps me take down non-Toxic Zapdos(and many birds---they lack Grass coverage) easily.

The Stone Edge on Pinsir is not easy to use. Pinsir is never bulky---often faces the threat to be KO if it miss the Stone Edge. I find my Gastrodon a good check on most Zapdos, and I can not risk losing my Pinsir when facing a Zapdos. Also, this Pinsir become unable to deal with Iron Types.

The last thing really annoys me. I find it difficult to use Tornadus. What nature should I choose? I'm currently using Knock Off + Defog + Hurricane + U-turn. Tornadus itself is weak to SR so every time it enters the field to serve as a Defogger, it really hurts. As a pure Flying type relying on Z heaviliy, I found it has limited offensive pressure to many foes. It's not bulky, taking a hit from the opposite really hurts even with the regenerator...

 

[Naruhodou]

Hey, this is a cool team. However, it has some weaknesses that can be resolved. First, Psychic Spam can be threatening, you're right, as your team is pretty slow, and your two Steels are hit by Focus Blast. I also feel Zygarde is a theat, as nothing takes on well its Thousands Arrows, especially if CB, and DD sets have plenty of situations to setup. Water-Types such as Greninja and Keldeo can be threatening as well as Gastrodon can be pressured with ease and Rotom-W is pretty much 2HKOed. Lastly, I think Kartana is a big threat to your team, it takes advantage of your team being slow and can either revenge kill your entire team if scarf, or sweep if SD.

Major Changes

>

While Excadrill isn't very good and only has a niche as a Sand abuser in OU, Tangrowth provides you a way to deal with most things I brought up. With HP Ice, it is a great check to almost all sets of Zygarde, and thanks to Regenerator, Tangrowth can check it throughout the game. It is a great check to Water-Types as well, as it takes on well Greninja's Dark Pulses and Keldeo's Secret Swords. Finally, it is a cool check to Kartana, only fearing SD Z Fight sets. I'd run the standard AV set, with HP Ice, EQ to catch Magearna/Heatran on the switch, and Koff because it's always good.

>

I feel like replacing Rotom-W for Tapu Koko could be better. It would give you a better offensive presence, as it gets a fast Volt Switch, letting you gain momentum with ease. It also forces out some of the best M-Pinsir's checks like Zapdos and with roost, you can consistently come in throughout the game, something Rotom-W has trouble doing. I'd run the great Shuca Berry set, allowing you to weaken Pokemon like Lando-T and Zygarde, without risking anything in particular.

Minor Changes

I think you should run a Bulky Scarf Lando-T here, to provide you some great speed control as well as forming a great Volturn core with Tapu Koko. This would also mean that you should run Defog on it, as you lost your defog support with the lose of Rotom-W. As your last move, I'd suggest running HP Fire instead of HP Ice, something useful against the likes of Kartana and M-Scizor.

With the above change, you need to use SR on another Pokemon. That's why I think you should run SR over Protect. Moreover, I'd run Taunt over Toxic as I feel like it's very important to prevent things like Clefable and Toxapex from recovering. I'd also run a bulkier spread like 252 HP / 100+ SpD / 156 Spe to take on betters special hits.

I don't think you have trouble dealing with Tapu Bulu, so I'd just run Toxic over Sludge Bomb. Toxic is actually really nice in order to annoy fat things.

Note: Gastrodon can be removed for another Water-Type, like Toxapex to help out better vs TSpikes for example, just saying.

~~

Team

Pinsir-Mega @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Quick Attack
- Close Combat
- Return
- Swords Dance

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 240 HP / 72 Def / 196 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 30 SpA
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Defog

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 100 SpD / 156 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Taunt
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock

Tapu Koko @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 104 HP / 12 Def / 176 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Roost

Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 228 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Earthquake

Gastrodon-East (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 140 Def / 4 SpA / 112 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Recover

Good luck!

Hey! Below is a game versus a Rain Team. I feel struggling with Ferrothorn. Would you please have a look at it when you are free and give me some usage tips? Or we can discuss it in Personal Conversation.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-732918918

 

[patlop2307]

Hi! I really appreciate your advice. I agree that Tapu Bulu is a great choice against Zygardes. I also tried AV Tangrowth according to Diophantine, it's a excellent check to Zygarde. I met Zygarde two times today and Tangrowth functions prettry well. I am familiar with Bulu as I include him in my VGC team. The Grassy Terrain is a great aid to Heatran and Magnezone you add. I'm not so familiar with Tonardus actually, I've only used Landorus and Thundurus before. Choice Scarf Mangnezone used to be a member in my Gen 6 Mega Pinsir team, aiming at Skarmory and Ferrothorn so I understand how it works. Moves on Heatran are perfect! You all suggest sets like that and it performs perfectly. I've taken down trick room users like Cresselia and Polygron2 many times easily.

I tried this team today, and below are something I found out.

Magnezone deals with Ferrothorn pretty well, but when facing Kartana, it will be KOed by one normal Leaf Blade and one CT Leaf Blade(it happens today). Do you have suggestions on EV spread?

Ice Beam on Gastrodon performs well, deals great damage on Landorus, Zygarde and Garchomp. Toxic is suggested by everyone, and it helps me take down non-Toxic Zapdos(and many birds---they lack Grass coverage) easily.

The Stone Edge on Pinsir is not easy to use. Pinsir is never bulky---often faces the threat to be KO if it miss the Stone Edge. I find my Gastrodon a good check on most Zapdos, and I can not risk losing my Pinsir when facing a Zapdos. Also, this Pinsir become unable to deal with Iron Types.

The last thing really annoys me. I find it difficult to use Tornadus. What nature should I choose? I'm currently using Knock Off + Defog + Hurricane + U-turn. Tornadus itself is weak to SR so every time it enters the field to serve as a Defogger, it really hurts. As a pure Flying type relying on Z heaviliy, I found it has limited offensive pressure to many foes. It's not bulky, taking a hit from the opposite really hurts even with the regenerator...

Weird, a scarfed Kartana OHKO'd the Magnezone with a Leaf Blade?! It shouldn't according to the calc:

Kartana in Grassy Terrain

+1 252 Atk Kartana Leaf Blade vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Magnezone in Grassy Terrain: 189-222 (67 - 78.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery

Also I would like to add that the point of the core is to trap the steels with Magnezone. Of course Pinsir cannot deal that well with steel types.

 

[Naruhodou]

Weird, a scarfed Kartana OHKO'd the Magnezone with a Leaf Blade?! It shouldn't according to the calc:

Kartana in Grassy Terrain

+1 252 Atk Kartana Leaf Blade vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Magnezone in Grassy Terrain: 189-222 (67 - 78.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery

Also I would like to add that the point of the core is to trap the steels with Magnezone. Of course Pinsir cannot deal that well with steel types.

Oh my bad. I mean the Magnezone take a Leaf Blade when I switch in. Then the next round the Kartana moves first and hit a CT Leaf Blade and KO. So it's 2HKO. According to the calculator, I should give up the PM on the ground to make Magnezone switch in without damage, is that right?

So the EV should be 252SpAtk and 252+Spe, right?

 

[patlop2307]

Oh my bad. I mean I take a Leaf Blade when I switch in. Then the next round the Kartana moves first and hit a CT Leaf Blade and KO. So it's 2HKO. Maybe I should give up the PM on the ground to make Magnezone switch in without damage?

Thats not how Magnezone is supposed to work, btw. It is either a revenger, or something u hard switch into, expecting the double into it. That is risky, however, and not needed to be done, especially because the Kartana can be scarfed. So in conclusion: Switch into Tornadus on the Kartana at +0.

 

[Naruhodou]

Thats not how Magnezone is supposed to work, btw. It is either a revenger, or something u hard switch into, expecting the double into it. That is risky, however, and not needed to be done, especially because the Kartana can be scarfed. So in conclusion: Switch into Tornadus on the Kartana at +0.

Get it!

 

[Naruhodou]

Thats not how Magnezone is supposed to work, btw. It is either a revenger, or something u hard switch into, expecting the double into it. That is risky, however, and not needed to be done, especially because the Kartana can be scarfed. So in conclusion: Switch into Tornadus on the Kartana at +0.

Hmm...The team works prettry well. Any suggestion on the nature of Tornadus? Also, I found Magnezone deals with Skarmory quite easily. But sometimes he struggle with Ferrothorn(Seed + Protect + Knock Off) and Celesteela(Seed + Protect + Flamethrower). Should I switch out when predicting a protect to save Magnezone for the next time. Or I sacrifice Magnezone to make the opponent inside teammate's KO range?

 

[patlop2307]

Hmm...The team works prettry well. Any suggestion on the nature of Tornadus? Also, I found Magnezone deals with Skarmory quite easily. But sometimes he struggle with Ferrothorn(Seed + Protect + Knock Off) and Celesteela(Seed + Protect + Flamethrower). Should I switch out when predicting a protect to save Magnezone for the next time. Or I sacrifice Magnezone to make the opponent inside teammate's KO range?

Ferrothorn can be dealt with both Magnezone and Pinsir, I think. The Protect Ferrothorn is annoying but you should be able to kill it before it kills you. Sp Def Celesteela can actually be quite an issue, but it is not that common anyway. I would just Volt Switch out of there and most likely go Tornadus

 

[Naruhodou]

Ferrothorn can be dealt with both Magnezone and Pinsir, I think. The Protect Ferrothorn is annoying but you should be able to kill it before it kills you. Sp Def Celesteela can actually be quite an issue, but it is not that common anyway. I would just Volt Switch out of there and most likely go Tornadus

Great. I'll have a try! Thx again.

 

[Naruhodou]

Ferrothorn can be dealt with both Magnezone and Pinsir, I think. The Protect Ferrothorn is annoying but you should be able to kill it before it kills you. Sp Def Celesteela can actually be quite an issue, but it is not that common anyway. I would just Volt Switch out of there and most likely go Tornadus

Hi! I find Charizard X a problem for the team. It can 0HKO Magnezone, Tapu, Pinsir and Tornadus with Fire Blitz. Earthquake can 0HKO Heatran. Seems the only chance is to Toxic him with Gastrodon and finish him with Pinsir. However, I find +1 Dragon Dance unstoppable, especially with Roost. Do you have some suggestions?

Also I struggle with Mega Lopunny and Hawlucha. They outspeed my Tornadus. For Lopunny, I will sacrifice my PM on the ground and try to revenge with Tapu or make it unhealthy and use Pinsir to finish it. But I really find Hawlucha difficult to deal with, maybe I should take care to him all the time, without giving him the opportunity to show up?

Any suggestion on the lead of the team?

 

[patlop2307]

Hi! I find Charizard X a problem for the team. It can 0HKO Magnezone, Tapu, Pinsir and Tornadus with Fire Blitz. Earthquake can 0HKO Heatran. Seems the only chance is to Toxic him with Gastrodon and finish him with Pinsir. However, I find +1 Dragon Dance unstoppable, especially with Roost. Do you have some suggestions?

Also I struggle with Mega Lopunny and Hawlucha. They outspeed my Tornadus. For Lopunny, I will sacrifice my PM on the ground and try to revenge with Tapu or make it unhealthy and use Pinsir to finish it. But I really find Hawlucha difficult to deal with, maybe I should take care to him all the time, without giving him the opportunity to show up?

Charizard-X should not 6-0 you, nor should Hawlucha. Toxicing them, as you said, is the play. Besides, I haven't seen that many Dragon Dance Charizard-X's up until now. Lopunny is an issue I have not considered, however. You have to outplay it of sorts. Get Tapu Bulu in, then Gastrodon is free.

**Tough to pull off