Pokémon Go Mega Pinsir counters, weaknesses and moveset explained
How to defeat the mega evolved Bug-type Pokémon.
Mega Pinsir is the mega evolved form of Pinsir, one of the original Kanto 150, and makes its Pokémon Go debut in May 2023 with the start of the A Valorous Hero event.
This is a fan-favourite thanks to its version exclusivity — while its nemesis Scyther may have got an evolution in Gen 2 with Scizor, and a second evolution in Gen 8 with Kleavor, Pinsir gets to lord it thanks to its rare ability to Mega Evolve.
Like all Mega Evolutions, Mega Pinsir can’t be directly caught in Pokémon Go. Instead, you need to keep defeating it in Mega Raids until you’ve collected enough Mega Pinsir Energy for its temporary evolution. Thanks to the summer 2022 Mega Raid rebalance, this can now be done in one Mega Raid if you defeat it quickly enough!
Below you’ll find Mega Pinsir’s counters and weaknesses to help you succeed in Pokémon Go – just remember you need to have an Pinsir in your Pokémon storage to perform its Mega Evolution.
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Mega Pinsir counters and weaknesses in Pokémon Go
The fastest way to collect Mega Pinsir energy is to defeat one in a Mega Raid. Below you’ll find the counters and weaknesses for Mega Pinsir to help you achieve this:
- Mega Pinsir types – Bug and Flying
- Mega Pinsir is weak against – Fire, Flying, Electric, Electric, Ice and Rock (double weak)
- Mega Pinsir is resistant to – Fighting, Bug and Grass
- Mega Pinsir Mega counters – Mega Aerodactyl with double Rock-type attacks is going to be the strongest choice here, given Mega Pinsir’s double-weakness to Rock. But, failing that, Mega Charizard Y or Mega Blaziken running Fire-type attacks, or Mega Aggron with double Rock-type attacks is the way to go.
- Mega Pinsir non-Mega counters – Rock is by far the most important thing here because the damage boost when you see the words 'double weak' is real. Case in point, a Rampardos with Smack Down and Rock Slide deals more damage over time than a Mega Charizard Y with Fire Spin and Blast Burn. If you don't have a Mega Aerodactyl and five Rampardos, you can round out your team with Rhyperior, Terrakion, Tyranitar, Tyrantrum, Gigalith, Aggron, Aurorus, Archeops, Landorus or a regular Aerodactyl.
- Number of players to beat Mega Pinsir – Mega Pinsir can theoretically be beaten by just one player if you have a team of top-tier maxed out Rock-type attackers. However, this is a lofty goal for most players. As with most Mega Pokémon, three players at level 40 is totally reasonable, and five players at level 30 should be fine, as long as you bring the right Pokémon to the battle!
- Tactics – In the immortal words of Queen, we will Rock you. Mega Pokémon are always a powerful enemy, but Pinsir is on the lower end of the power spectrum and is utterly destroyed by Rock-type attacks thanks to its double weakness to this typing. If you’re battling in a group, be aware that most players will be bringing Rock-type Pokémon; if everyone leads with Mega Aerodactyl, each will boost the others while they're out (and yes, this effect stacks), meaning that you can deal a lot of damage with a large party very quickly!
Mega Pinsir CP in Pokémon Go
Below you’ll find the CP levels for battling for Mega Pinsir and, if defeated, catching an Pinsir after the fight in Pokémon Go:
- Mega Pinsir Raid CP – 47,614 CP
- CP range for catching Pinsir – 2295 – 2389 CP
- Weather (Rainy/Windy) when being caught – 2869 – 2987 CP
The World of Wonders season has come to Pokémon Go, which has brought the World of Wonders quest. Don't forget to try out Routes, Gift Exchange and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.
Best Mega Pinsir moveset in Pokémon Go
Mega Pinsir can use a variety of Fast and Charged moves in Pokémon Go. The best Mega Pinsir moves would be the combination of Bug Bite (Fast) and X-Scissor (Charged).
Here are the Fast and Charged moves Mega Pinsir can use in Pokémon Go:
Fast Moves:
- Fury Cutter (Bug)
- Bug Bite (Bug)
- Rock Smash (Fighting)
Charged Moves:
- Close Combat (Fighting)
- Superpower (Fighting)
- X-Scissor (Bug)
- Vise Grip (Normal)
Legacy Charged Moves:
- Submission (Fighting)
Everything we know about Pinsir
The Stag Beetle Pokémon Pinsir is one of the original Bug-type Pokémon, hailing back to Gen 1 and the forests of Kanto. Other than its Mega Evolution, Pinsir has no known evolutions.
Pinsir was a version-exclusive Pokémon, and is the opposite of Scyther; a Pokémon that cannot Mega Evolve, but has a branching evolution into either Scizor or Kleavor.
The top-down design of this Pokémon and its Mega Evolution really hit the spot – we love it when Pokémon are closely based on real-world creatures, and Pinsir knocks it out of the park in this regard, with a focus on its gigantic horns.
- Pinsir: 'These Pokémon judge one another based on pincers. Thicker, more impressive pincers make for more popularity with the opposite gender.'
- Mega Pinsir: 'With its vaunted horns, it can lift an opponent 10 times heavier than itself and fly about with ease.'
Two things to note there. Pinsir weighs 130.1lbs (59kg), which means it can lift pretty much anything up to the weight of a car (a VW Mini weighs a minimum of 580kg) — that's a pretty strong bug! Also, it’s also nice to see a Mega Pokémon that isn’t in terrible pain thanks to the Mega Evolution, unlike poor Glalie or Salamence. More of this, please, Pokémon Company.
Good luck defeating Mega Pinsir in Pokémon Go!