Moves
Swords Dance turns Mega Pinsir into a deadly wallbreaker, letting it pose a threat to defensive teams and clean up weakened targets. Frustration threatens to OHKO Pokemon like Tapu Bulu, Kommo-o, and Mega Medicham. Quick Attack allows Mega Pinsir to function as a solid revenge killer and pick off faster targets like Mega Lopunny, Serperior, Hawlucha, and Mega Alakazam at +2. Close Combat tears through Steel- and Rock-types like Heatran, Ferrothorn, Excadrill, and Mega Tyranitar as well as dealing major damage to Magearna and Rotom-Wash. Finally, Earthquake punishes Tapu Koko on the switch as well as hitting Magearna much harder.
Set Details
Hyper Cutter is Pinsir's preferred ability before Mega Evolution because it lets Pinsir ignore Intimidate in a pinch. A Jolly nature is preferred to outpace Pokemon like Mega Medicham, Mega Charizard X, and Kyurem-B.
Usage Tips
Mega Pinsir fills the job of breaking holes through defensive teams in the early-game and cleaning up in the late-game. Early-game, it can forgo setting up with Swords Dance and focus on attacking to chip answers like Rotom-Wash to put them in range of its boosted attacks later in the game. However, once Mega Evolved, it can become much harder to bring Mega Pinsir in due to its 4x weakness to Stealth Rock. Mega Pinsir should be mindful of scenarios on when to use Quick Attack, as faster targets that are not within KO range will threaten it in return with heavy damage. Mega Pinsir should also be wary of Psychic Terrain, as its Quick Attack will be nullified against grounded targets such as Mega Alakazam. Mega Pinsir should not try to aim for a sweep if Pokemon that pose an immediate threat such as Zapdos and Tapu Koko are still active. Managing Mega Pinsir's HP is essential, as it needs to be at full HP to beat specific targets such as Mega Latias one-on-one. Mega Pinsir should take advantage of the free turns provided such as Gliscor setting up Stealth Rock by making aggressive switches and forcing an immediate reaction from the opponent. Another good way to safely bring in Mega Pinsir is with support from Volt Switch and U-turn or to sacrifice a weakened Pokemon, which is only valid on offense and hyper offense structures.
Team Options
Mega Pinsir fits best on offense, bulky offense, and hyper offense teams that appreciate its wallbreaking capabilities and can give it proper support. However, it is not strictly limited to these structures. Ground-types such as Gastrodon, Seismitoad, Landorus-T, and Excadrill are good partners for Mega Pinsir, as they can take on Electric-types that threaten Mega Pinsir such as Zapdos and Tapu Koko, threaten the latter with their STAB moves, cripple them with Toxic, and provide Stealth Rock support. Excadrill also has the benefit of offering Rapid Spin support to remove entry hazards for Mega Pinsir and is a good offensive partner that can pressure checks such as Rotom-Wash and Mega Latias. Rockium Z Landorus-T can tear through Zapdos, removing Mega Pinsir's biggest counter. Entry hazard removal is a top priority, so pairing it with a Defog user such as Serperior, Tapu Fini, Kartana, Gliscor, or Skarmory is a good idea. Serperior has the benefit of providing paralysis support with Glare, crippling faster threats such as Tornadus-T and Mega Latias, and it can lure in Steel-types and wear them down with Knock Off or threaten them with Hidden Power Fire. Tapu Fini provides Misty Terrain support, allowing Pinsir before Mega Evolution to set up safely without fear of status while checking Grass-types that threaten Tapu Fini. Kartana checks Ground-type Stealth Rock setters that threaten Mega Pinsir such as defensive Landorus-T, and Choice Band and Swords Dance variants put heavy pressure on Flying- and Steel-types such as Zapdos, Tornadus-T, and Magearna. Gliscor can bring Mega Pinsir in safely with U-turn and provide Knock Off support to remove Leftovers from Ferrothorn and Clefable and Black Sludge from Toxapex, allowing Mega Pinsir to break through them more easily. Finally, Skarmory provides Spikes support, putting pressure on physical walls such as Slowbro. Magnezone is a good partner for Mega Pinsir, as it can trap and remove Skarmory and Celesteela, relieving a lot of pressure for Mega Pinsir and allowing it to run Earthquake over Close Combat more easily. Magnezone can also bring it in more safely with Volt Switch. Other Electric-types like Tapu Koko, Rotom-Wash, and Zapdos check Flying-types such as Tornadus-T, provide Defog support, and safely bring Mega Pinsir in with Volt Switch. Ash-Greninja is another good partner for Mega Pinsir since it provides Spikes support and together, they can pressure certain walls more easily such as Toxapex. Dragonite is another fantastic teammate for Mega Pinsir as they form a powerful Flying-type core that can overwhelm shared checks for the other to clean up. Tornadus-T can soften Mega Pinsir's checks thanks to U-turn, Knock Off, Taunt, or different Z-moves. Kyurem-B is another relevant partner that pressures Flying- and Steel-types so that Mega Pinsir can clean up. Although more niche, Mega Pinsir can be used on more balance teams, which can provide it with cleric support from the likes of Chansey and Clefable, curing any status afflicted with Heal Bell and improving its longevity with Wish. Steel-type pivots such as Magearna and Jirachi are also appreciated, as they can cover Flying-types like Tornadus-T and bring Mega Pinsir in safely with Volt Switch and U-turn. Jirachi also grants Healing Wish support to restore Mega Pinsir back to full health if it has been worn down throughout the game. On hyper offense teams, Mega Pinsir enjoys being paired with dedicated leads such as Taunt Mew and Imprison Landorus-T that prevent opposing hazards on the opening turn and then get up their own entry hazards. Excadrill is also a good lead for Mega Pinsir, as it bypasses Magic Bounce with Mold Breaker and can remove entry hazards with Rapid Spin.