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Mega Pinsir is truly an under performer in VGC 2015, Why is that?

Mega Pinsir has great stats {Doesn't waste stats like some do(I'm looking at you Salamence)}, several very usable abilities, a nice movepool.

If one were to use Mega-Pinsir in VGC 2015: What ability should used? Who would be some good partners? What moves should be used? What is an optimal EV spread?

All of his abilities are good. Hyper Cutter is great for stopping Intimidate, however is still stopped by speed control such as "Icy Wind". Mold Breaker could be useful, especially if Earthquake is included on the set. Moxie could also prove useful to nab a quick boost before going Mega. Which one is the best? Would the answer be different if this Mega-Pinsir was on a dual mega team?

Which moves should he use? Protect in my mind is the only given. Other options include but are not limited to: Return/Frustration/Facade, Feint/Quick Attack, Close Combat/Superpower/Storm Throw, Bug Bite/X-Scissor, Earthquake/Rock Slide/Stone Edge/Knock Off, Swords Dance?. There are so many sets he could run. Bug Bite could be used against Rotom, Thundurus, Togekiss to gain the healing effect. Remove shuca (Heatran) and other various berries. Remove burns/paralysis with common Lum berry holders. However X-Scissor offers more STAB power. Furthermore Close Combat helps deal with some of the most common Pokemon. Feint in my opinion is one of the main reasons you run mega Pinsir, however some of the few Pinsir's I've seen have opted for Quick Attack. With all these options where do you fit in frustration, for a powerful use 90% of the time attack? Would Facade be the better option, as he is a prime target for status? Finally would if be beneficial to run a unexpected move such as Earthquake/Rock Slide?

It seems like most Pinsir would run a 252/252 set. However I feel like Pinsir has more potential than that, what would be a excellent EV spread.

In conclusion could some supportive yet offensive partners/team mates be suggested.

I attempt to say this with respectfulness and modesty (as that is hard to convey over a computer) but I am extremely experienced in VGC. If you answer this question please have an extensive background in the topic. As long as you are well versed in the topic, all unappreciated answers will be avoided. Again I say this with complete respect. :)

Thanks again

 -Unstoppable
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edited by
You misspelt Mega Salamence.
I should elaborate, as the joke was completely ruined by the fact that you actually said Mega Salamence XD

The point is that Salamence does the whole Aerilate attacking thing better. Dragon Dance for boosting (better than Swords Dance), better stats (faster, good Attack and Sp. Attack, good bulk), plus it gets Intimidate for support. It also gets Hyper Voice and Double-Edge for STABs while Pinsir is limited to Return/Frustration.  The best niche Pinsir has is Feint, as it is the only Pokémon that can break King's Shield. Pinsir isn't awful, it's just bad — someone did manage to top the BS ladder with one on a Japan Sand team. Interestingly enough, it was used as a substitute for Salamence.
That is what I thought, however there are so many Salamence counters. Pinsir could have a nice niche in Feint, and then moves like Close Combat/Bug Bite. While he doesn't have Intimidate, he is not nearly as weak to Intimidate as physical mence is. Lets take a look at their base stats compared, he doesn't have a big of a jump as you might think.

Mega Pinsir vs Mega Salamence (Physical)
Pinsir:             65/155/120/X/90/105
Salamence: 95/145/130/X/90/120

Pinsir's main weakness are Fire, Ice, and Rock (x4) with a (x4) resistance to Fighting and a Ground Immunity.
Salamence's main weakness are Rock, Dragon, Fairy, and Ice (x4) with a resistance to Fighting, Fire, and a Ground Immunity.

Those are the highlights of both Pokemon. There is a reason so many Pokemon are packing HP Ice. Those mostly will fail to KO Pinsir. Furthermore when examining the stats, Salamence has more HP, little bit more Defense, and some more speed. Pinsir has more attack. Some could argue that while nice, getting over the base 100 speed group is what helps Salamence (Which Pinsir does too)
Also if the pentagon rule is removed he could gain Double-Edge/ Body Slam which would be nice.
Although Talonflame has rapidly decreased usage its Priority BB, Pinsir's 4x weakness to Rock Slide, Heat Wave, Ice moves keep M-Pinsir off from being useful in VGC.
Yeah not with his power though, and his partners
It's not passing the Base 100s that puts Salamance ahead, it's passing everything else. 120 Speed is much better than 105.

1 Answer

1 vote

Looks like times have changed. It's the 2016 format now. RIP question.

Mega Pinsir fits even less into this format as it did in 2015. It gets destroyed by Rayquaza, Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, Dialga, Xerneas, Kyurem-W, Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Salamance, and the rest of the gang. It's speed isn't great, it rarely gets to set up, it doesn't hit hard when compared to the newcomers' bulk, and most importantly it takes up a Mega slot that could belong to something less niche like Kangaskhan, Rayquaza, Salamance, Mawile or Gengar.

And the pentagon rule was not removed so he's still stuck with Return/Frustration/Giga Impact.

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I still wanted to know for the 15 format. Me thinks that we will return to the 14/15 format in 17
By that time we'll have completely new Megas and possibly new Pokémon. This information would be obsolete, which doesn't really matter because Pinsir is so underwhelming.
Alright thanks again