Martin
A monoid in the category of endofunctors
[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
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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
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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
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**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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