Pinsir [4N] - Stealth Rock Lead

[Lord Liam]

First off, before I begin, I realise that there is already a Pinsir Stealth Rock Lead set on Smogon right now. I've tested the current set and my own set of Pinsir in OU and in Ubers, and this Pinsir functions much better. It is much more competitvely viable as well. Now, onto the set itself.

http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/pinsir
Name: Stealth Rock Lead
Move 1: Stealth Rock
Move 2: Earthquake
Move 3: X-Scissor / Stone Edge
Move 4: Quick Attack
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Mold Breaker
Item: Focus Sash
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD

<p>Pinsir has always found a rival with Heracross, who has the advantage over Pinsir when it comes to offense. However, Pinsir has one very useful move that Heracross does not have; Stealth Rock. Stealth Rock, coupled with the fact that it can defeat most common leads, including Azelf, Metagross, Swampert, and Tyranitar makes Pinsir a very effective lead that can do some damage in the OU and Ubers metagame.<p>

<p>The main goal of this set is to kill the opponent's lead and set-up Stealth Rock (in that order respectively). Pinsir should always attack first on lead Azelf and Metagross before using Stealth Rock, as they all have the power to do insane damage to Pinsir before he can kill their lead with a combination of your 2nd/3rd slot move and Quick Attack. While this set works to defeat many common leads, it will always lose to Aerodactyl, so it's a good idea to switch Pinsir out against Aerodactyl leads.<p>

<p>If you plan on using this set in the Ubers environment, a moveset consisting of Earthquake, Stealth Rock, Quick Attack, and X-Scissor will suffice. Lum Berry or Focus Sash should be the item of choice, as they provide defense against some Uber leads. This set can rip through most of the common leads; X-Scissor will always OHKO min/min Deoxys-E and Darkrai, and Earthquake deals with Dialga. Max Speed and Attack should always be used in Ubers, with an Adamant or Jolly nature. Jolly is generally used to outspeed Modest Dialga, while Adamant gives you more sheer power.<p>

<p>252 HP EVs are necessary so that you can survive Metagross's Meteor Mash, followed by a Bullet Punch. It also gives you bulk to take hits like Azelf's Psychic more easily. 252 Attack with an Adamant nature makes Pinsir an offensive powerhouse, and enables you to 2HKO both? Metagross with Earthquake. It is not recommended that you play 252 Speed, but it could work. Losing your bulk, and the ability to take Metagross's Meteor Mash followed by Bullet Punch is not a good thing. If you do however, decide to run 252 Speed, use a Jolly Nature so that you can outspeed Naive Heatran.<p>

<p>While it may seem odd to have a Focus Sash on something as bulky as Pinsir, it shields him from powerful Fire-type attacks and critical hits. Without a Focus Sash, Heatran, Infernape, and Fire Blast Azelf can walk all over you. Lum Berry and Liechi Berry are also options, but are inferior choices. Liechi Berry gives you the ability to kill Swampert, if you opt to place Natural Gift somewhere on the set. Finally, Occa Berry may be used to help defeat Infernape and Heatran leads, two leads that Pinsir struggles against.<p>

<p>This set should be played mainly by hyper offensive teams, as they benefit the most from having their opponent's lead gone, and being supplied with Stealth Rock. On such a team, Choice Scarf Heatran makes an excellent partner for this Pinsir, being able to take Fire- and Flying-type attacks with impunity. Another excellent partner is Bulky Dragonite, who can set up on Fire- and Flying-type attacks. It should be noted that Pinsir and Lucario share quite a few counters, so a Pokemon that can defeat Flying-types and fast Ghost-types is a good partner for this set if you decide to play Lucario with it.<p>



(This is not part of the analysis)
Well, there we go, that took me a while.
I know my grammar isn't perfect, so any little nitpicks or grammar checks would be great. Thanks for reading.

 

[Darkmalice]

Bold = changes and removals. Red = my comments.

http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/pinsir
[SET]
Name: Stealth Rock Lead
Move 1: Stealth Rock
Move 2: Earthquake
Move 3: X-Scissor / Stone Edge
Move 4: Quick Attack
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Mold Breaker
Item: Focus Sash
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD

<p>Pinsir has always found a rival in Heracross, who has the advantage over Pinsir when it comes to offense. However, Pinsir has one very useful move that Heracross does not have; Stealth Rock. With Stealth Rock, (inserted comma) and the ability to defeat most common leads, it can be a very effective anti-lead in both the OU and Ubers metagame.<p>

<p>The main goal of this set is to kill the opponent's lead and set up Stealth Rock(removed "s"), in that order respectively. Pinsir should always attack leading Aerodactyl, Azelf and Metagross before using Stealth Rock, as they all have the power to do insane damage to Pinsir before he can finish their lead with a combination of your 2nd/3rd slot move and Quick Attack. Depending on which move is chosen for the 3rd slot, you will have trouble with one leading Pokemon at (inserted space) least. Without X-Scissor, Azelf is a bit of a problem (but is still 2HKOed by Earthquake), without Stone Edge however, Aerodactyl is a problem (removed "as Mold Breaker Earthquake does not hit it." People reading this should be intelligent enough to deduce that Mold Breaker won't effect Aerodactyl's Ground immunity.).<p>

<p>If you plan on using this set in the Ubers environment, (removed "then") a moveset consisting of Earthquake, Stealth Rocks, Quick Attack and X-Scissor will suffice. Lum Berry should be the item of choice, as it provides protection from Scarf Darkrai's Dark Void. This set can rip (sounds better, and Pinsir has no problem against these leads) through most of the common leads, X-Scissor will always OHKO min/min Deoxys-E and Darkrai, and Earthquake deals with Dialga(removed "for you." Try to limit the use of "you," as an analysis is not meant to be personal).

<p>252 HP EVs are there so that you can survive Metagross's Meteor Mash, followed by a Bullet Punch. It also gives you bulk to take (theoretically, most bulk is symbolised by 252 HP / 252 SpD) hits like Azelf's Psychic better. 252 Attack with an Adamant nature makes Pinsir an offensive powerhouse and enables you to 2HKO both Metagross and Azelf with Earthquake. (I removed the and most offensive power comment, as I thought it was unnecessary).

<p>While it may seem weird to have a Focus Sash on something as bulky as Pinsir, it shields him from powerful fire attacks and critical hits. Without a Focus Sash, Heatran, Infernape and Azelf with Fire Blast can ("could" is a too indefinite word) walk all over you. Lum Berry and Liechi Berry are also options, but are inferior choices ("considered lesser" doesnt make grammatical sense). Liechi Berry does however, give you the ability to kill Swampert should you decide to shove Natural Gift somewhere on the set.

<p>This (removed "specific Pinsir") set should be played mainly Hyper Offensive teams, as they benefit the most from having their opponent's lead gone, and being supplied with Stealth Rocks. On such a team, Life Orb Heatran makes (don't say "would be;" it is an excellent partner, and like "could," would is too indefinite) an excellent partner for this Pinsir, being able to take Fire- and Flying-type attacks with impunity. Another excellent partner is Bulky Dragonite, who can set (inserted space) up on Fire- and Flying-type attacks.<p>

Don't be put off by the large amounts of bold writing. Lots of it is my own comments, and your analysis writing skills will improve over time. Plus this is a good set.

If you're using Focus Sash solely to survive Fire Blast from Heatran, Infernape and Azelf, you should use an Occa Berry. I don't think there are any other attacks of worth that can OHKO Pinsir; Aerodactyl doesn't OHKO with Rock Slide, and a Focus Sash is useless against Tyranitar.

Also, Flying-type attacks are uncommon in OU and Ubers. I would be more concerned about Rock-type attacks from the likes of Mamoswine, Rhyperior, Lucario etc, than Gyarados' Bounce and Gliscor's Aerial Ace. No teammates arementioned that can take Rock-type attacks. Why not mention Lucario as a good teammate; he's also very good on hyper offensive teams?


[EDIT] The ends of your paragraphs are missing </p> (some have <p> without the dash).

 

[Staraptor Call]

Stone Edge should not be slashed in and should just be an Other Options move for this set. The only thing it is good for is hitting Aerodactyl, and even then it only has a low 80% accuracy. X-scissor, on the other hand, works well as a main STAB move against most Pokemon that are not hit for Super Effective by Earthquake and take neutral damage from Bug moves. X-scissor is also the strongest move for Pinsir to use against Tyranitar.

 

[Lord Liam]

Thanks for the edit malice. I'll add those fixes in now.

Staraptor Call, Stone Edge is just listed as a way to deal with Aero. This set is walled by him without Stone Edge. This set isn't meant to cut into half a team, it's made for setting up SRs and killing their lead.

 

[Snorlaxe]

First off, before I begin, I realise that there is already a Pinsir Stealth Rock Lead set on Smogon right now. I've tested the current set and my own set of Pinsir in OU and in Ubers, and this Pinsir functions much better. It is much more competitvely viable as well. Now, onto the set itself.

http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/pinsir
[SET]
[SET]
Name: Stealth Rock Lead
Move 1: Stealth Rock
Move 2: Earthquake
Move 3: X-Scissor / Stone Edge
Move 4: Quick Attack
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Mold Breaker
Item: Focus Sash
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD

<p>Pinsir has always found a rival in Heracross, who has the advantage over Pinsir when it comes to offense. However, Pinsir has one very useful move that Heracross does not have; Stealth Rock. Stealth Rock, coupled with the fact that it can defeat most common leads, makes it a very effective anti-lead in both the OU and Ubers metagame.<p>

<p>The main goal of this set is to kill the opponent's lead and setup Stealth Rock (in that order respectively). Pinsir should always attack lead Aerodactyl, Azelf, and Metagross before using Stealth Rock, as they all have the power to do insane damage to Pinsir before he can kill (sounds better) their lead with a combination of your 2nd/3rd slot move and Quick Attack. Depending on which move is chosen for the 3rd slot, you will have trouble with at least one leading Pokemon. Without X-Scissor, Azelf is a bit of a problem (but is still 2HKOed by Earthquake); without Stone Edge, however, Aerodactyl is a problem.<p>

<p>If you plan on using this set in the Ubers environment, a moveset consisting of Earthquake, Stealth Rock, Quick Attack, and X-Scissor will suffice. Lum Berry should be the item of choice, as it provides protection from Scarf Darkrai's Dark Void. This set can rip through most of the common leads; X-Scissor will always OHKO min/min Deoxys-E and Darkrai, and Earthquake deals with Dialga.<p>

<p>252 HP EVs are necessary so that you can survive Metagross's Meteor Mash, followed by a Bullet Punch. It also gives you bulk to take hits like Azelf's Psychic more easily. 252 Attack with an Adamant nature makes Pinsir an offensive powerhouse, and enables you to 2HKO both Metagross and Azelf with Earthquake.<p>

<p>While it may seem odd to have a Focus Sash on something as bulky as Pinsir, it shields him from powerful fire attacks and critical hits. Without a Focus Sash, Heatran, Infernape and Fire Blast Azelf can walk all over you. Lum Berry and Liechi Berry are also options, but are inferior choices. Liechi Berry does, however, give you the ability to kill Swampert, should you decide to shove Natural Gift somewhere on the set.<p>

<p>This set should be played mainly Hyper Offensive teams, as they benefit the most from having their opponent's lead gone, and being supplied with Stealth Rocks. On such a team, Life Orb Heatran makes an excellent partner for this Pinsir, being able to take fire and flying type attacks with impunity. Another excellent partner is Bulky Dragonite, who can set up on fire and flying type attacks.<p>

(This is not part of the analysis)
Well, there we go, that took me a while.
I know my grammar isn't perfect, so any little nitpicks or grammar checks would be great. Thanks for reading.

Edits in BOLD. ^_^

Pretty good write up LL, just a few grammatical mistakes here and there. I tested this out, and it really does work very well...or, rather, it always lets you kill the enemy lead; it doesn't always guarentee you Rocks. Still, nice job! =)

 

[Orcelot005]

This looks like a decent lead, but I think that it's slightly outclassed by Infernape in OU, so it should only be used if you want to use Infernape outside on the lead slot. I don't know about Ubers, though because I don't play Ubers.

 

[Lord Liam]

Thanks for the edit Snorlax! (Also, nice avatar, love the bear!)

Atheist, this Pinsir plays very similarily to lead Infernape. They do pretty much the exact same thing, and they do it equally as well. Although, Pinsir does better against some leads that Infernape fails against. Occa Metagross will beat Infernape with the combination of Earthquake + Bullet Punch. Pinsir can 2HKO this Metagross with Earthquake, and is able to take both a Meteor Mash and a Bullet Punch from 405 attack. Infernape also fails against Pert, who Pinsir does in fact beat (Pert can't do anything, Pinsir can chip away 30% each time with X-Scissor).

Both are really good leads though.

 

[Orcelot005]

Thanks for the edit Snorlax! (Also, nice avatar, love the bear!)

Atheist, this Pinsir plays very similarily to lead Infernape. They do pretty much the exact same thing, and they do it equally as well. Although, Pinsir does better against some leads that Infernape fails against. Occa Metagross will beat Infernape with the combination of Earthquake + Bullet Punch. Pinsir can 2HKO this Metagross with Earthquake, and is able to take both a Meteor Mash and a Bullet Punch from 405 attack. Infernape also fails against Pert, who Pinsir does in fact beat (Pert can't do anything, Pinsir can chip away 30% each time with X-Scissor).

Both are really good leads though.

Fake Out gives Infernape the advantage, in my opinion. Pinsir will lose against lead Roserade and Smeargle, (unless it runs Lum Berry, which will make it less effective against other leads) while Infernape can prevent them from doing anything with combination of Fake Out and Fire Blast/Close Combat. Infernape also has the option of running Grass Knot if it really wants to beat Swampert.

 

[Darkmalice]

I already suggested this in my previous post, though it looks like it's been overlooked. Probably because everyone thought my post was just a grammatical check, and they didn't read the text afterwards.

Anyways, if you're using Focus Sash solely to survive Fire Blast from Heatran, Infernape and Azelf, you should use an Occa Berry. I don't think there are any other attacks of worth that can OHKO Pinsir; Aerodactyl doesn't OHKO with Rock Slide, and a Focus Sash is useless against Tyranitar.

Also, Flying-type attacks are uncommon in OU and Ubers. I would be more concerned about Rock-type attacks from the likes of Mamoswine, Rhyperior, Lucario etc, than Gyarados' Bounce and Gliscor's Aerial Ace. No teammates arementioned that can take Rock-type attacks. Why not mention Lucario as a good teammate; he's also very good on hyper offensive teams?

 

[the pugilist]

Lucario also has similar counters/ checks to Pinsir (I'm thinking of flying types such as Zapdos, Gyarados, Salamence etc), so it might be worth mentioning how they could work in combination to wear down their counters leading to a Lucario/Pinsir sweep.

 

[Phantom_IV]

Personally, I wouldn't recommend attacking opposing lead Aero, even if you have Stone Edge. Most lead Aero run rock slide for a 30% chance to flinch you, plus you have a 20% chance to miss. In light of this, I'd say Stone Edge doesn't warrant a slash, especially since you sacrifice Pinsir's STAB and his best option against Azelf/Ttar.

 

[Lord Liam]

Puggy, that's actually a pretty good idea. I'll add that.

I see where you're coming from Phantom, there's a large chance Pinsir won't get to do anything against lead Aero, so I'll delete the SE Part.

Thanks for the help guys, I think it's almost ready to be uploaded.

 

[Stellar]

Is there a reason this set is geared towards OU / Ubers instead of UU?

Also, what I said in your Skarmory edit applies to this as well (except the part about the grammar check).

 

[Misa]

This is a pretty good analysis of a Lead Pinsir moveset. However, there's one small mistake that I found in your analysis:

and enables you to 2HKO both Metagross and Azelf with Earthquake

Note that Azelf is immune to Earthquake. Maybe you could word this sentence without the Azelf part.

 

[Ancien Régime]

should you decide to shove Natural Gift somewhere on the set.

I prefer to say "Should you opt for Natural Gift on this set".

Also, "This set should primarily be played by Hyper Offensive teams"

Also, maybe mention that you can opt for 252 Def/SDef to shift your bulk to either side of the spectrum.

 

[sora13]

This is a pretty good analysis of a Lead Pinsir moveset. However, there's one small mistake that I found in your analysis:

Note that Azelf is immune to Earthquake. Maybe you could word this sentence without the Azelf part.

Pinsir has Mold Breaker, but what you said is right anyways because no one in their right mind would use Earthquake over STAB super effective X-scissor.

 

[Lord Liam]

@Sora13, since I've removed Stone Edge as an option, I should remove that too. Nobody would use Earthquake over X-Scissor if they had it.

@Ancien Regime, thanks for the few nitpicks.

@Stellar, Read what I've posted on my other thread. I'll begin doing that now. Also, because I believe this set performs better in the OU/Ubers tier than it does in the UU tier.

Edit: I believe I've got everything you've said done in this analysis Stellar.

 

[franky]

Name: Stealth Rock Lead
Move 1: Stealth Rock
Move 2: Earthquake
Move 3: X-Scissor / Stone Edge
Move 4: Quick Attack
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Mold Breaker
Item: Focus Sash
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD

<p>Pinsir has always found a rival with Heracross, who has the advantage over Pinsir when it comes to offense. However, Pinsir has one very useful move that Heracross does not have; Stealth Rock. Stealth Rock, coupled with the fact that it can defeat most common leads, including Azelf, Metagross, Swampert, and Tyranitar makes Pinsir a very effective lead that can do some damage in the OU and Ubers metagame.<p>

<p>The main goal of this set is to kill the opponent's lead and set-up Stealth Rock (in that order respectively). Pinsir should always attack first on lead Azelf and Metagross before using Stealth Rock, as they all have the power to do insane damage to Pinsir before he can kill their lead with a combination of your 2nd/3rd slot move and Quick Attack. While this set works to defeat many common leads, it will always lose to Aerodactyl, so it's a good idea to switch Pinsir out against Aerodactyl leads.<p>

<p>If you plan on using this set in the Ubers environment, a moveset consisting of Earthquake, Stealth Rock, Quick Attack, and X-Scissor will suffice. Lum Berry or Focus Sash should be the item of choice, as they provide defense against some Uber leads. This set can rip through most of the common leads; X-Scissor will always OHKO min/min Deoxys-E and Darkrai, and Earthquake deals with Dialga. Max Speed and Attack should always be used in Ubers, with an Adamant or Jolly nature. Jolly is generally used to outspeed Modest Dialga, while Adamant gives you more sheer power.<p>

<p>252 HP EVs are necessary so that you can survive Metagross's Meteor Mash, followed by a Bullet Punch. It also gives you bulk to take hits like Azelf's Psychic more easily. 252 Attack with an Adamant nature makes Pinsir an offensive powerhouse, and enables you to 2HKO both? Metagross with Earthquake. It is not recommended that you play 252 Speed, but it could work. Losing your bulk, and the ability to take Metagross's Meteor Mash followed by Bullet Punch is not a good thing. If you do however, decide to run 252 Speed, use a Jolly Nature so that you can outspeed Naive Heatran.<p>

<p>While it may seem odd to have a Focus Sash on something as bulky as Pinsir, it shields him from powerful Fire-type attacks and critical hits. Without a Focus Sash, Heatran, Infernape, and Fire Blast Azelf can walk all over you. Lum Berry and Liechi Berry are also options, but are inferior choices. Liechi Berry gives you the ability to kill Swampert, if you opt to place Natural Gift somewhere on the set. Finally, Occa Berry may be used to help defeat Infernape and Heatran leads, two leads that Pinsir struggles against.<p>

<p>This set should be played mainly by hyper offensive teams, as they benefit the most from having their opponent's lead gone, and being supplied with Stealth Rock. On such a team, Choice Scarf Heatran makes an excellent partner for this Pinsir, being able to take Fire- and Flying-type attacks with impunity. Another excellent partner is Bulky Dragonite, who can set up on Fire- and Flying-type attacks. It should be noted that Pinsir and Lucario share quite a few counters, so a Pokemon that can defeat Flying-types and fast Ghost-types is a good partner for this set if you decide to play Lucario with it.<p>

Bold in changes. The problem I see on the team options is having the mindset of "who takes what type of attack" - which is generally bad. You should look for individual threats as suppose to who covers what typing. I patched up the Life Orb Heatran to Scarf as Infernape has Fire-type attack, but it doesn't stop it from using Close Combat. Just patch up the team options a bit, otherwise the set looks decent