OU Magnezone

Martin

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[OVERVIEW]

Magnezone's near-exclusive access to Magnet Pull gives it a very unique and valuable niche in the OU metagame as a trapper and eliminator of Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Scizor, Skarmory, and Celesteela. It also functions as a solid pivot with Assault Vest, being able to check a number of dangerous Pokemon like Tapu Koko, Choice-locked Tapu Lele, and Latios with its good bulk and defensive typing while firing off a slow, STAB-boosted Volt Switch. However, its lackluster Speed stat means that it typically struggles to retain its utility after it has trapped what it aims to trap; it is often forced to take a hit before it can attack and doesn't have recovery to offset this damage, which also means it can't be used to trap faster defensive Steel-types like Jirachi. It is mostly outclassed by other Electric- and Steel-type pivots, such as Tapu Koko, Mega Manectric, and Magearna, on teams that don't require its ability to trap and eliminate Steel-types. Its good set of resistances is somewhat undermined by its weakness to three common types in Ground, Fighting, and Fire, which makes it easy for dangerous Pokemon like Mega Medicham, Landorus-T, and Mega Charizard Y to KO and leaves it unable to safely trap Heatran and Excadrill.

[SET]
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Flash Cannon
item: Assault Vest
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest
evs: 140 HP / 192 SpA / 176 Spe

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

Volt Switch is important for maximizing Magnezone's effectiveness as a pivot, using Magnezone's low Speed stat to consistently grab momentum. Hidden Power Fire is important for trapping Ferrothorn and Scizor consistently, and Thunderbolt is Magnezone's strongest option versus most other Steel-types, being important for its ability to 2HKO specially defensive Celesteela. Flash Cannon is Magnezone's best option for hitting Ground-types that attempt to switch in on Magnezone and hits Fairy-types that Magnezone checks for super effective damage.

Set Details
========

The listed Speed investment lets Magnezone outrun Adamant Mega Mawile, forcing Mega Mawile to use Sucker Punch if it is weakened, and the Special Attack EVs mean that Magnezone often 2HKOes specially defensive Ferrothorn with Hidden Power Fire and always OHKOes Tapu Lele after Stealth Rock. Assault Vest lets Magnezone take on special attackers more easily, which is important for maximizing its utility as a pivot, and Magnet Pull gives Magnezone a niche over Assault Vest Magearna, letting it support its teammates by trapping Steel-types.

Usage Tips
========

When using Magnezone to trap Steel-types, try to bring it in on the same turn as the target because most cautious opponents won't let Magnezone trap a Steel-type that is already on the field. Do not try to trap Heatran or Excadrill due to their ability to severely damage or eliminate Magnezone with their attacks, and similarly don't try to trap Steel-types that Magnezone poses no threat to such as Jirachi, Kartana, and Assault Vest Magearna. Do not use Hidden Power Fire against a Steel-type that takes more from Thunderbolt, and if a Steel-type is in KO range of Volt Switch, it is ideal to eliminate them by using that move due to Magnezone's susceptibility to being taken advantage of after trapping something. Use Magnezone to pivot on Pokemon that it checks, such as Tapu Koko, Choice-locked Tapu Lele, and Latios, and use Volt Switch regularly to prevent Magnezone being a momentum drain. If you expect the foe to switch into a bulky Ground-type or Lightning Rod Alolan Marowak, manually switch instead of using Volt Switch due to them being capable of easily taking advantage of Magnezone.

Team Options
========

Flying-type attackers like Gyarados, Mega Pinsir, and Salamence appreciate the removal of Steel-types making their main STAB move easier to spam. The same goes for Fairy-types like Tapu Lele, Dragon-types like Garchomp and Dragonite, and anything else that struggles to break Steel-types, such as Nihilego and Flyinium Z Landorus-T that lack Smack Down. Pokemon that appreciate Fairy- and Electric-types being checked, such as Keldeo, Greninja, Tapu Fini, Tyranitar, and Zygarde, make for excellent partners, as do VoltTurn users that lure in Steel-types or form VoltTurn cores with Magnezone such as Tornadus-T, physically defensive Landorus-T, and Rotom-W. Knock Off variants of Mamoswine and Landorus-T are useful for their ability to lure Skarmory and remove its Shed Shell, and Pokemon that resist or are immune to Ground-type attacks, such as Landorus-T, Tangrowth, Rotom-W, and Tapu Bulu, help ease pressure exerted by Ground-types while also punishing Dugtrio attempting to trap Magnezone. Pokemon that can ease pressure from Volcarona and Mega Charizard X are also important for their ability to discourage attempts to set up on Magnezone.

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Flash Cannon
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Choice Specs
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

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

Volt Switch allows Magnezone to deal heavy damage and pivot out on the same turn, which is important when trapping Pokemon like Skarmory due to Magnezone's vulnerability after trapping something. Hidden Power Fire allows Magnezone to consistently trap and eliminate Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor, which take significantly more damage from it than from Thunderbolt, whereas Thunderbolt targets all other Steel-types, most notably OHKOing specially defensive Celesteela after very little prior damage. Flash Cannon prevents Magnezone from being taken advantage of by Ground-types that attempt to switch in on its Electric-type moves, having a high chance of OHKOing uninvested Landorus-T after Stealth Rock damage.

Set Details
========

Timid Magnezone outruns neutral-natured base 70 Speed Pokemon, allowing it to hit Bisharp with Thunderbolt before it can use Knock Off or Black Hole Eclipse and making it very difficult for Scizor to Speed creep without significantly impacting bulk. A Modest nature is also an option that lets Magnezone outrun everything up to Jolly Mega Mawile and Azumarill while hitting a little harder. If more bulk is preferable, 176 Speed EVs can be run with a Modest nature to outrun Adamant Mega Mawile and Azumarill, whereas 128 can be run to outrun uninvested Mega Scizor. Magnezone should not ever run less Speed than that. Magnet Pull is the ability of choice, allowing Magnezone to trap and eliminate Steel-types for its teammates, and Choice Specs maximizes the efficiency with which it can do this by significantly bolstering its firepower.

Usage Tips
========

Use Magnezone to trap and eliminate Steel-types for its teammates. If it is possible to KO something with Volt Switch, it is ideal to do so because Choice-locked Magnezone is easy to take advantage of. If possible, try to bring Magnezone in on a free switch through VoltTurn, a predicted opponent's switch, or a fainted teammate to ensure that the target Steel-type can't switch out on the turn that Magnezone is switched in. Do not fall into the trap of thinking Hidden Power Fire is the best option just because it hits super effectively; it is an overall worse move to be locked into than Thunderbolt, and it is only more powerful if Thunderbolt is resisted or the target is hit 4x super effectively. If it is possible to KO one of Hidden Power Fire's targets in a single hit without using Hidden Power Fire, do so.

Team Options
========

Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Landorus-T, Tapu Koko, Rotom-W, Mega Scizor, and Jirachi make for good partners due to their ability to help Magnezone get onto the field safely, and lures with Knock Off like Landorus-T, Mamoswine, and Tangrowth are useful for removing a potential Shed Shell from a Steel-type that Magnezone aims to trap. Setup sweepers such as Gyarados, Mega Pinsir, and Double Dance Landorus-T appreciate bulky Steel-types being removed, as do Dragon- and Fairy-types like Garchomp, Latios, Tapu Lele, and Clefable. Pokemon that are resistant or immune to Ground- or Fire-type attacks, such as Landorus-T, Heatran, Tangrowth, Tapu Fini, and Toxapex, are useful for their ability to ease pressure from Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Heatran. Choice Scarf users that are capable of eliminating Volcarona and Mega Charizard X, such as Stone Edge Keldeo, Garchomp, Terrakion, and Greninja, make for excellent partners due to their ability to minimize the impact of them setting up on Magnezone. Defensive answers to these Pokemon such as Mantine, Landorus-T, Toxapex, Chansey, Tapu Fini, and Heatran make for good partners for the same reason.

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

Substitute can be used alongside either Electrium Z or Steelium Z to trap Mawile more consistently by circumventing Sucker Punch and takes advantage of Ferrothorn and non-Whirlwind Skarmory to deal an extra hit after it traps Steel-types. Chople Berry can be used to check Psychic-type Focus Blast users like Alakazam and Tapu Lele as well as trap the extremely rare fast Superpower Mega Scizor, allowing Magnezone to either eliminate them with one of its attacks or cripple them with Thunder Wave. Mirror Coat is an option on Assault Vest and Chople Berry sets to deal heavy damage to special attackers that could otherwise survive one of its attacks. Thunder is an option for the added power, but its lower consistency isn't usually worth the trade-off if Magnezone lacks rain support. Alternatively, Discharge can be used for its paralysis rate, but the power drop generally isn't worth the trade-off.

Checks and Counters
========

**Dugtrio**: Dugtrio traps Magnezone and easily OHKOes it with Earthquake.

**Volcarona and Mega Charizard X**: Volcarona and Mega Charizard X easily use Magnezone for setup after it traps something. Mega Charizard X resists every move that Magnezone packs, allowing it to set up with ease, whereas Volcarona resists everything other than Magnezone's Electric-type coverage and is extremely dangerous to give setup opportunities due to its very limited counterplay.

**Ground-types**: Ground-types are immune to Thunderbolt and Volt Switch. Landorus-T, Garchomp, Mamoswine, and Excadrill are significantly faster than Magnezone and OHKO with Earthquake, with Excadrill also resisting Flash Cannon. Zygarde is also faster and can nail Magnezone with Thousand Arrows. While less common and slower than Magnezone, Gastrodon takes pitiful damage from anything that Magnezone can throw at it.

**Fire-types**: Heatran doesn't appreciate switching into Thunderbolt, but it OHKOes all variants of Magnezone with Magma Storm. Alolan Marowak can potentially carry Lightning Rod, allowing it to take very little damage from any of Magnezone's attacks barring Corkscrew Crash, and can dent Magnezone or one of its teammates with its choice of Shadow Bone, Fire Punch, or, if Rock Head variants can successfully bluff Lightning Rod, Flare Blitz.

**Fighting-types**: Mega Medicham and Keldeo are significantly faster than Mangezone and OHKO with High Jump Kick or Secret Sword. Mega Heracross also acheives an OHKO with Close Combat.

**Chansey**: Chansey takes pathetic damage from anything that Magnezone can throw at it and can use the switch that the Magnezone player is forced to make to utilize any of its support options.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Colonel M

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Don't slash Modest on Specs and Substitute. Keep those in the SET DETAILS because Timid just prevents Mega Scizor from ever trying to outspeed you without major compromise to its bulk.
 

Martin

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i'm gonna hammer it out by either the end of tonight or tomorrow evening if i can; it'll be QC ready Sat evening at the latest, although prolly sooner.
 

Martin

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Pushing the DL I set for myself a bit, but this is QC ready. TO looks rlly similar from set to set so if you have any set-specific ones you think I should mention please say.
 

Gary

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Move the Sub set to OO plz. The only set really even worth using in the current meta is AV but Specs is still okay I guess and the Sub set is super niche anyway. Once you do that I'll check this.
 

Martin

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is a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Move the Sub set to OO plz. The only set really even worth using in the current meta is AV but Specs is still okay I guess and the Sub set is super niche anyway. Once you do that I'll check this.
Ok done
 

Gary

Can be abrasive at times (no joke)
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Remove the Thundurus mention from the Overview. Thundurus definitely doesn't give it competition.

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

* Substitute can be used alongside a Z-crystal to trap Mawile more consistently (circumvents Sucker and OHKOes w/ Z crystal) and to take advantage of Ferro to net an extra attack after KOing it.
* Chople
* Balloon+MR
* TWave
* Mirror Coat
* Occa Berry
* HP Ice OHKOs Chomp and defensive Lando after a little chip on AV/Sub whilst not needing any chip on Specs; best move vs. Zygarde too, hitting SpD variants for over 50% without even needing Specs; can't trap Zor or Ferro as consistently, however.

* Scarf is complete garb
* Thunder / Discharge
* Shed Shell escapes Duggy and opposing Mag, but beyond that it does fuck all.
* Analytic provides a significant power buff, but losing out on the ability to trap Steel-types takes away from Magnezone's niche
Remove all that fucksauce.

Remove Buzzwole from C&C.

Good job sorry this took so long QC 1/3
 
Last edited:

Martin

A monoid in the category of endofunctors
is a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Remove the Thundurus mention from the Overview. Thundurus definitely doesn't give it competition.



Remove all that fucksauce.

Remove Buzzwole from C&C.

Good job sorry this took so long QC 1/3
implemented
 
Looks great. Be sure to not imply that Magnezone is able to reliably trap Magearna as a lot of carry Volt Switch and fat AV Magearna takes pitiful damage from it (17-21%). There's a line that sort of implies this, just make sure it doesn't come off that way when you write it up.

QC 2/3
 

Martin

A monoid in the category of endofunctors
is a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Looks great. Be sure to not imply that Magnezone is able to reliably trap Magearna as a lot of carry Volt Switch and fat AV Magearna takes pitiful damage from it (17-21%). There's a line that sort of implies this, just make sure it doesn't come off that way when you write it up.

QC 2/3
ok cool stuff; I'll try to write this up tomorrow afternoon
 

p2

Banned deucer.
current set has this:
evs: 144 HP / 188 SpA / 176 Spe

you say:
The listed Speed investment lets Magnezone outrun adamant Mega Mawile, forcing it to use Sucker Punch if it is weakened, and the Special Attack EVs mean that Magnezone 2HKOs specially defensive Ferrothorn with Hidden Power Fire most of the time. The rest is put into HP to maximise Magnezone’s bulk. Alternatively, 188 Special Attack EVs can be run to OHKO Tapu Lele after Stealth Rock.

is the spread supposed to be different?

3/3 otherwise
 

Martin

A monoid in the category of endofunctors
is a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
current set has this:
evs: 144 HP / 188 SpA / 176 Spe

you say:
The listed Speed investment lets Magnezone outrun adamant Mega Mawile, forcing it to use Sucker Punch if it is weakened, and the Special Attack EVs mean that Magnezone 2HKOs specially defensive Ferrothorn with Hidden Power Fire most of the time. The rest is put into HP to maximise Magnezone’s bulk. Alternatively, 188 Special Attack EVs can be run to OHKO Tapu Lele after Stealth Rock.

is the spread supposed to be different?

3/3 otherwise
I just ran it through the calc and that was slightly wrong anyway. I've updated the spread and changed the wording of that 'cause having it as a separate entity was a mistake on my part anyway.
 

GP 1/2
remove add comments

[OVERVIEW]

Magnezone’s near-exclusive access to Magnet Pull gives it a very unique and valuable niche in the OU metagame, (comma) allowing it to trap and either eliminate as a trapper and eliminator of Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Scizor, Skarmory, and Celesteela. It also functions as a solid pivot with Assault Vest, being ableto check being able to check a number of dangerous Pokemon like Tapu Koko, choiced Choice-locked Tapu Lele, and Latios with its good bulk and defensive typing while being capable of firing off a slow, STAB-boosted Volt Switches. However, its lacklustre lackluster (we use American spelling) Speed stat means that it often typically struggles to retain its utility after it has trapped what it aims to trap,; (semicolon) it is often being forced to take a hit before it can move without having attack and doesn't have recovery to offset this damage, while also meaning which also means it can’t be used to trap faster defensive Steel-types like Jirachi. It is mostly outclassed by other Electric- and Steel-type pivots, such as Tapu Koko, Mega Manectric, and Magearna, on teams which that don’t require its ability to trap and eliminate Steel-types,. (period) and Its good set of resistances are is somewhat undermined by its weaknesses to three common types in Ground, Fighting, and Fire, (comma) —making which makes it easy to abuse for dangerous Pokemon like Mega Medicham, Landorus-T, and Mega Charizard Y while leaving to KO and leaves it unable to safely trap Heatran and Excadrill.

[SET]
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Flash Cannon
item: Assault Vest
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest
evs: 140 HP / 192 SpA / 176 Spe

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

Volt Switch is important for maximizing Magnizone’s Magnezone's effectiveness as a pivot, using its Magnezone's low Speed stat to let it consistently grab momentum. Hidden Power Fire is important for trapping Ferrothorn and Scizor consistently, whereas and Thunderbolt is Magnezone’s strongest option versus most other Steel-types, (comma) —being important(space)for its ability to 2HKO specially defensive Celesteela. Flash Cannon is Magnezone’s best option to hit for hitting Ground-types which that attempt to switch in on Magnezone while also hitting and hits Fairy-types that Magnezone checks for super effective damage.

Set Details
========

The listed Speed investment lets Magnezone outrun Adamant Mega Mawile, forcing it Mega Mawile to use Sucker Punch if it is weakened, and the Special Attack EVs mean that Magnezone often 2HKOes specially defensive Ferrothorn with Hidden Power Fire most of the time while and always OHKOing OHKOes Tapu Lele after Stealth Rock. Assault Vest helps lets Magnezone take on special attackers more easily, which is important for maximising its utility as a pivot, and Magnet Pull gives Magnezone a niche over Assault Vest Magearna, letting it support its teammates by trapping Steel-types.

Usage Tips
========

When using Magnezone to trap Steel-types, try to bring Magnezone it in on the same turn as the target because most canny cautious opponents won’t let Magnezone trap a Steel-type which that is already on the field; do not try to trap Heatran or Excadrill due to their ability to severely damage or eliminate Magnezone with their STABs attacks, and similarly don’t try to trap Steel-types which that Magnezone poses no threat to, (comma) such as Jirachi, Kartana, and Assault Vest Magearna. Do not use Hidden Power Fire against a Steel-type which that takes more from Thunderbolt, and if a Steel-type is in KO range of Volt Switch, (comma) it is ideal to eliminate them using that move due to Magnezone’s susceptibility to being taken advantage of after trapping something. Use Magnezone to pivot through on Pokemon that it checks, such as Tapu Koko, choice-locked Tapu Lele, and Latios, and use Volt Switch regularly to prevent Magnezone being a momentum drain. If you expect the foe to switch into a bulky Ground-type or Lightning Rod Alolan Marowak, double manually switch instead of using Volt Switch due to them being capable of easily taking advantage of Magnezone.

Team Options
========

Flying-type attackers like Gyarados, Mega Pinsir, and Salamence appreciate various the removal of Steel-types being removed due to it making their main STAB move easier to spam. The same goes for Fairy-types like Tapu Lele, Dragon-types like Garchomp and Dragonite, and anything else which that struggles to break Steel-types, such as Nihilego and Flyinium Z Landorus-T which that lack Smack Down. Pokemon which that appreciate Fairy- and Electric-types being checked, such as Keldeo, Greninja, Tapu Fini, Tyranitar, and Zygarde, make for excellent partners, as do VoltTurners which users that lure in Steel-types or form VoltTurn cores with Magnezone, (comma) such as Tornadus-T, physically defensive Landorus-T, and Rotom-W. Knock Off variants of Mamoswine and Landorus-T are useful for their ability to lure Skarmory and remove its Shed Shell, and Pokemon which that resist or are immune to Ground-type attacks, such as Landorus-T, Tangrowth, Rotom-W, and Tapu Bulu, help ease off pressure from exerted by Ground-types while also punishing Dugtrio which attempting to trap Magnezone. Pokemon which that can ease off pressure from Volcarona and Mega Charizard X are also important for their ability to ease off discourage attempts to set up on Magnezone.

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Flash Cannon
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Choice Specs
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

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

Volt Switch allows Magnezone to deal heavy damage and pivot out on the same turn, which is important when trapping Pokemon like Skarmory due to Magnezone’s susceptibility to being taken advantage of vulnerability after trapping something. Hidden Power Fire allows Magnezone to consistently trap and eliminate Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor, which both take significantly more damage from it than from Thunderbolt, whereas Thunderbolt targets any all other Steel-types, (comma) which don’t take more from Hidden Power Fire— most notably OHKOing specially defensive Celesteela with after very little prior chip damage. Flash Cannon prevents it Magnezone from being taken advantage of by Ground-types which that attempt to switch in on its Electric-type moves, having a high chance of OHKOing uninvested Landorus-T after Stealth Rock damage.

Set Details
========

Timid Magnezone outruns neutral-natured base 70s Speed Pokemon, allowing it to hit Bisharp with Thunderbolt before it can use Knock Off of Black Hole Eclipse, (comma) while also and making it very difficult for Scizor to Speed creep it without significantly impacting its bulk. A Modest nature is also an option which that outruns everything up to Jolly Mega Mawile and Azumarill while hitting a little harder. If more bulk is preferable, 176 Speed EVs can be run with a Modest nature to outrun Adamant Mega Mawile and Azumarill, whereas 128 can be run to outrun uninvested Mega Scizor. Magnezone should not ever run less Speed than this that. Magnet Pull is the ability of choice, allowing Magnezone to trap and eliminate Steel-types for its teammates, and Choice Specs maximises the potency efficiency with which it can do this by significantly bolstering its firepower.

Usage Tips
========

Use Magnezone to trap and eliminate Steel-types for its teammates. If it is possible to kill KO something with Volt Switch, that is ideal it is ideal to do so because Choice-locked Magnezone is easy to take advantage of. If possible, try to bring Magnezone in on a U-turn, Volt Switch, a predicted double switch, or immediately after one of Magnezone’s teammates faints free switch through VoltTurn, a predicted opponent's switch, or a fainted teammate to ensure that the target Steel-type can’t switch out on the turn that Magnezone is switched in. Do not fall into the trap of thinking Hidden Power Fire is the best option just because it hits super effectively; it is an overall worse move to be locked into than Thunderbolt, and it is only more powerful if Thunderbolt is resisted or the target is hit 4x super effectively. If it is possible to kill KO one of Hidden Power Fire’s targets in a single hit without using Hidden Power Fire, then that is ideal do so.

Team Options
========

Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Landorus-T, Tapu Koko, Rotom-W, Mega Scizor, and Jirachi make for good partners due to their ability to help Magnezone get onto the field safely, and Knock Off lures with Knock Off like Landorus-T, Mamoswine, and Tangrowth are useful for removing a potential Shed Shell from a Steel-type that Magnezone aims to trap. Setup sweepers such as Gyarados, Mega Pinsir, and Double Dance Landorus-T appreciate bulky Steel-types being removed, as do Dragon- and Fairy-types like Garchomp, Latios, Tapu Lele, and Clefable. Pokemon which that are resistant or are immune to Ground- or Fire-type attacks, such as Landorus-T, Heatran, Tangrowth, Tapu Fini, and Toxapex, (comma) are useful for their ability to ease off pressure from Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Heatran. Choice Scarf users which that are capable of eliminating Volcarona and Mega Charizard X, such as Stone Edge Keldeo, Garchomp, Terrakion, and Greninja, (comma) make for excellent partners due to their ability to minimise minimize the impact of them setting up on Magnezone. Similarly, Defensive answers to these Pokemon such as Mantine, Landorus-T, Toxapex, Chansey, Tapu Fini, and Heatran make for good partners for the same reason.

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

Substitute can be used alongside either Electrium Z or Steelium Z to trap Mawile more conisistently by circumventing Sucker Punch and takes advantage of Ferrothorn and non-Whirlwind Skarmory to deal an extra hit after it traps Steel-types. Chople Berry can be used to check Psychic-type Focus Blast users like Alakazam and Tapu Lele as well as being able to trap the extremely rare fast Superpower Mega Scizor, allowing Magnezone to either eliminate them with one of its attacks or to cripple them with Thunder Wave. Mirror Coat is an option on Assault Vest or and Chople Berry sets to deal heavy damage to special attackers which could otherwise live one of its attacks. Thunder is an option for the added power, but its reduced lower consistency isn’t usually worth the trade-off if Magnezone lacks rain support. Alternatively, Discharge can be used for its paralysis rate, but the power drop generally isn’t worth the trade-off.

Checks and Counters
========

**Dugtrio**: This Dugtrio traps Magnezone and easily one-shots OHKOes it with Earthquake.

**Volcarona and Mega Charizard X**: These both Volcarona and Mega Charizard X easily use Magnezone for setup bait after it traps something. Mega Charizard X resists every move that Magnezone packs, allowing it to set up with ease, whereas Volcarona resists everything other than its Magnezone's Electric-type coverage, (comma) and the latter in particular is extremely dangerous to give setup opportunities due to its very limited counterplay.

**Ground-types**: Collectively, these Ground-types are immune to Thunderbolt and Volt Switch. Landorus-T, Garchomp, Mamoswine, and Excadrill are all significantly faster than Magnezone and OHKO with Earthquake, with the latter Excadrill also resisting Flash Cannon. Zygarde is also faster and can nail it Magnezone with Thousand Arrows. While less common and slower than Magnezone, Gastrodon takes pitiful damage from anything that Magnezone can throw at it.

**Fire-types**: Heatran doesn't appreciate switching into Thunderbolt, but it OHKOes all variants of Magnezone with Magma Storm. Alolan Marowak can potentially carry Lightning Rod, allowing it to take very little damage from any of Magnezone's attacks barring Corkscrew Crash, and can dent Magnezone or one of its teammates with its choice of Shadow Bone, Fire Punch, or, if Rock Head variants can successfully bluff Lightning Rod, Flare Blitz.

**Fighting-types**: Mega Medicham and Keldeo are both significantly faster than Mangezone and OHKO with High Jump Kick or Secret Sword, respectively. Mega Heracross also acheives the same goal an OHKO with Close Combat.

**Chansey**: This Chansey takes pathetic damage from anything that Magnezone can throw at it and can use the switch that the Magnezone player is forced to make to utilize any of its utility support options.
 
Last edited:

P Squared

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GP 2/2

[OVERVIEW]

Magnezone’s Magnezone's near-exclusive access to Magnet Pull gives it a very unique and valuable niche in the OU metagame as a trapper and eliminator of Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Scizor, Skarmory, and Celesteela. It also functions as a solid pivot with Assault Vest, being able to check a number of dangerous Pokemon like Tapu Koko, Choice-locked Tapu Lele, and Latios with its good bulk and defensive typing while firing off a slow, STAB-boosted Volt Switch. However, its lackluster Speed stat means that it typically struggles to retain its utility after it has trapped what it aims to trap; it is often forced to take a hit before it can attack and doesn't have recovery to offset this damage, which also means it can’t can't be used to trap faster defensive Steel-types like Jirachi. It is mostly outclassed by other Electric- and Steel-type pivots, such as Tapu Koko, Mega Manectric, and Magearna, on teams that don’t don't require its ability to trap and eliminate Steel-types. Its good set of resistances is somewhat undermined by its weakness to three common types in Ground, Fighting, and Fire, which makes it easy for dangerous Pokemon like Mega Medicham, Landorus-T, and Mega Charizard Y to KO and leaves it unable to safely trap Heatran and Excadrill.

[SET]
name: Assault Vest
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Flash Cannon
item: Assault Vest
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Modest
evs: 140 HP / 192 SpA / 176 Spe

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

Volt Switch is important for maximizing Magnezone's effectiveness as a pivot, using Magnezone's low Speed stat to consistently grab momentum. Hidden Power Fire is important for trapping Ferrothorn and Scizor consistently, and Thunderbolt is Magnezone’s Magnezone's strongest option versus most other Steel-types, being important for its ability to 2HKO specially defensive Celesteela. Flash Cannon is Magnezone’s Magnezone's best option for hitting Ground-types that attempt to switch in on Magnezone and hits Fairy-types that Magnezone checks for super effective damage.

Set Details
========

The listed Speed investment lets Magnezone outrun Adamant Mega Mawile, forcing Mega Mawile to use Sucker Punch if it is weakened, and the Special Attack EVs mean that Magnezone often 2HKOes specially defensive Ferrothorn with Hidden Power Fire and always OHKOes Tapu Lele after Stealth Rock. Assault Vest lets Magnezone take on special attackers more easily, which is important for maximizing maximising its utility as a pivot, and Magnet Pull gives Magnezone a niche over Assault Vest Magearna, letting it support its teammates by trapping Steel-types.

Usage Tips
========

When using Magnezone to trap Steel-types, try to bring it in on the same turn as the target because most cautious opponents won’t won't let Magnezone trap a Steel-type that is already on the field. Do (i split these up since they don't really seem like connected thoughts. also long sentence) not try to trap Heatran or Excadrill due to their ability to severely damage or eliminate Magnezone with their attacks, and similarly don't don’t try to trap Steel-types that Magnezone poses no threat to such as Jirachi, Kartana, and Assault Vest Magearna. Do not use Hidden Power Fire against a Steel-type that takes more from Thunderbolt, and if a Steel-type is in KO range of Volt Switch, it is ideal to eliminate them by using that move due to Magnezone's Magnezone’s susceptibility to being taken advantage of after trapping something. Use Magnezone to pivot on Pokemon that it checks, such as Tapu Koko, Choice-locked Tapu Lele, and Latios, and use Volt Switch regularly to prevent Magnezone being a momentum drain. If you expect the foe to switch into a bulky Ground-type or Lightning Rod Alolan Marowak, manually switch instead of using Volt Switch due to them being capable of easily taking advantage of Magnezone.

Team Options
========

Flying-type attackers like Gyarados, Mega Pinsir, and Salamence appreciate the removal of Steel-types making their main STAB move easier to spam. The same goes for Fairy-types like Tapu Lele, Dragon-types like Garchomp and Dragonite, and anything else that struggles to break Steel-types, such as Nihilego and Flyinium Z Landorus-T that lack Smack Down. Pokemon that appreciate Fairy- and Electric-types being checked, such as Keldeo, Greninja, Tapu Fini, Tyranitar, and Zygarde, make for excellent partners, as do VoltTurn users that lure in Steel-types or form VoltTurn cores with Magnezone such as Tornadus-T, physically defensive Landorus-T, and Rotom-W. Knock Off variants of Mamoswine and Landorus-T are useful for their ability to lure Skarmory and remove its Shed Shell, and Pokemon that resist or are immune to Ground-type attacks, such as Landorus-T, Tangrowth, Rotom-W, and Tapu Bulu, help ease pressure exerted by Ground-types while also punishing Dugtrio attempting to trap Magnezone. Pokemon that can ease pressure from Volcarona and Mega Charizard X are also important for their ability to discourage attempts to set up on Magnezone.

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Flash Cannon
move 4: Thunderbolt
item: Choice Specs
ability: Magnet Pull
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

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

Volt Switch allows Magnezone to deal heavy damage and pivot out on the same turn, which is important when trapping Pokemon like Skarmory due to Magnezone's Magnezone’s vulnerability after trapping something. Hidden Power Fire allows Magnezone to consistently trap and eliminate Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor, which take significantly more damage from it than from Thunderbolt, whereas Thunderbolt targets all other Steel-types, most notably OHKOing specially defensive Celesteela after very little prior damage. Flash Cannon prevents Magnezone from being taken advantage of by Ground-types that attempt to switch in on its Electric-type moves, having a high chance of OHKOing uninvested Landorus-T after Stealth Rock damage.

Set Details
========

Timid Magnezone outruns neutral-natured base 70 Speed Pokemon, allowing it to hit Bisharp with Thunderbolt before it can use Knock Off or of Black Hole Eclipse and making it very difficult for Scizor to Speed creep without significantly impacting bulk. A Modest nature is also an option that lets Magnezone outrun outruns everything up to Jolly Mega Mawile and Azumarill while hitting a little harder. If more bulk is preferable, 176 Speed EVs can be run with a Modest nature to outrun Adamant Mega Mawile and Azumarill, whereas 128 can be run to outrun uninvested Mega Scizor. Magnezone should not ever run less Speed than that. Magnet Pull is the ability of choice, allowing Magnezone to trap and eliminate Steel-types for its teammates, and Choice Specs maximizes maximises the efficiency with which it can do this by significantly bolstering its firepower.

Usage Tips
========

Use Magnezone to trap and eliminate Steel-types for its teammates. If it is possible to KO something with Volt Switch, it is ideal to do so because Choice-locked Magnezone is easy to take advantage of. If possible, try to bring Magnezone in on a free switch through VoltTurn, a predicted opponent's switch, or a fainted teammate to ensure that the target Steel-type can't can’t switch out on the turn that Magnezone is switched in. Do not fall into the trap of thinking Hidden Power Fire is the best option just because it hits super effectively; it is an overall worse move to be locked into than Thunderbolt, and it is only more powerful if Thunderbolt is resisted or the target is hit 4x super effectively. If it is possible to KO one of Hidden Power Fire's Fire’s targets in a single hit without using Hidden Power Fire, do so.

Team Options
========

Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Landorus-T, Tapu Koko, Rotom-W, Mega Scizor, and Jirachi make for good partners due to their ability to help Magnezone get onto the field safely, and lures with Knock Off like Landorus-T, Mamoswine, and Tangrowth are useful for removing a potential Shed Shell from a Steel-type that Magnezone aims to trap. Setup sweepers such as Gyarados, Mega Pinsir, and Double Dance Landorus-T appreciate bulky Steel-types being removed, as do Dragon- and Fairy-types like Garchomp, Latios, Tapu Lele, and Clefable. Pokemon that are resistant or of immune to Ground- or Fire-type attacks, such as Landorus-T, Heatran, Tangrowth, Tapu Fini, and Toxapex, are useful for their ability to ease pressure from Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Heatran. Choice Scarf users that are capable of eliminating Volcarona and Mega Charizard X, such as Stone Edge Keldeo, Garchomp, Terrakion, and Greninja, make for excellent partners due to their ability to minimize the impact of them setting up on Magnezone. Defensive answers to these Pokemon such as Mantine, Landorus-T, Toxapex, Chansey, Tapu Fini, and Heatran make for good partners for the same reason.

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

Substitute can be used alongside either Electrium Z or Steelium Z to trap Mawile more consistently conisistently by circumventing Sucker Punch and takes advantage of Ferrothorn and non-Whirlwind Skarmory to deal an extra hit after it traps Steel-types. Chople Berry can be used to check Psychic-type Focus Blast users like Alakazam and Tapu Lele as well as trap the extremely rare fast Superpower Mega Scizor, allowing Magnezone to either eliminate them with one of its attacks or cripple them with Thunder Wave. Mirror Coat is an option on Assault Vest and Chople Berry sets to deal heavy damage to special attackers that which could otherwise survive live one of its attacks. Thunder is an option for the added power, but its lower consistency isn't isn’t usually worth the trade-off if Magnezone lacks rain support. Alternatively, Discharge can be used for its paralysis rate, but the power drop generally isn't isn’t worth the trade-off.

Checks and Counters
========

**Dugtrio**: Dugtrio traps Magnezone and easily OHKOes it with Earthquake.

**Volcarona and Mega Charizard X**: Volcarona and Mega Charizard X easily use Magnezone for setup after it traps something. Mega Charizard X resists every move that Magnezone packs, allowing it to set up with ease, whereas Volcarona resists everything other than Magnezone's Electric-type coverage and is extremely dangerous to give setup opportunities due to its very limited counterplay.

**Ground-types**: Ground-types are immune to Thunderbolt and Volt Switch. Landorus-T, Garchomp, Mamoswine, and Excadrill are significantly faster than Magnezone and OHKO with Earthquake, with Excadrill also resisting Flash Cannon. Zygarde is also faster and can nail Magnezone with Thousand Arrows. While less common and slower than Magnezone, Gastrodon takes pitiful damage from anything that Magnezone can throw at it.

**Fire-types**: Heatran doesn't appreciate switching into Thunderbolt, but it OHKOes all variants of Magnezone with Magma Storm. Alolan Marowak can potentially carry Lightning Rod, allowing it to take very little damage from any of Magnezone's attacks barring Corkscrew Crash, and can dent Magnezone or one of its teammates with its choice of Shadow Bone, Fire Punch, or, if Rock Head variants can successfully bluff Lightning Rod, Flare Blitz.

**Fighting-types**: Mega Medicham and Keldeo are significantly faster than Mangezone and OHKO with High Jump Kick or Secret Sword. Mega Heracross also acheives an OHKO with Close Combat.

**Chansey**: Chansey takes pathetic damage from anything that Magnezone can throw at it and can use the switch that the Magnezone player is forced to make to utilize any of its support options.
 
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