For Crystal, we rate Pinsir C-Tier: a niche pick in Crystal's meta. At 500 BST, it fits the wallbreaker role. Swords Dance with Leftovers is the standard set.

Does Pinsir mega evolve?

Mega Evolution isn't available in Crystal, but Pinsir does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Pinsir hits 600 BST.

What is Pinsir weak to?

In Crystal, watch for Arcanine (Fire), Dodrio (Flying), and Aerodactyl (Rock) when using Pinsir. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB.

What role does Pinsir play in battle?

Base 85 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Pinsir is a physical attacker with base 125 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a wallbreaker.

What counters Pinsir?

For Crystal, Pinsir has answers, but so do you. Status moves (Toxic, Will-O-Wisp) wear it down. Setup sweepers can use it as a boost opportunity. Special attackers bypass its physical bulk.

Pinsir - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Physical

Wallbreaker

CTier

85Speed · Above Avg

Stats & Training

Attack and Defense carry most of Pinsir's stat budget. Sp. Atk's the obvious dump stat. Tough to catch and yields 2 Attack stat exp. Follows a slow 1.25M XP grind.

Base Stats

High

HP65

Attack125

Defense100

Sp. Atk55

Sp. Def70

Speed85

Total500

Details

Catch Rate

Challenging45 / 255

Growth Rate

Slow1.25M XP

Height1.5 m

Weight55.0 kg

Base XP175

Abilities

Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.

Hyper Cutter

Prevents Attack from being lowered by other Pokémon.

Mold Breaker

Bypasses targets' abilities if they could hinder or prevent a move.

MoxieHA

Raises Attack one stage upon KOing a Pokémon.

EV Yield

HPAtk+2DefSpASpDSpe

Attack training target

Pokedex Entries

When the temperature drops at night, it sleeps on treetops or among roots where it is well hidden.

Crystal

Pinsir Weakness

Pinsir's Bug typing leaves it vulnerable to Fire, Flying, and Rock. Pinsir's physical bulk (base 100 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Pinsir Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Fire, Flying, Rock
0.5x (Resist)	Grass, Fighting, Ground

Type ChartAvg

3Weak

3Resist

0Immune

Score-3

Gen II Type Chart

Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Fire Flying Rock

½xResist

Grass Fighting Ground

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

None

STAB (3)

Grass Psychic Dark

How to Beat Pinsir in Crystal (Best Counters)

Noctowl NormalFlying	C
Available Move Moves PeckLv. 11 Damage vs Pinsir Peck 2x 23-28% View Noctowl builds →
Magby Fire	D
Obtain MethodRoute 34 Gift Available Moves Moves Fire BlastTM38 Fire PunchTM48 EmberLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Fire Blast 2x 95-112%KO Fire Punch 2x 68-80% Ember 2x 37-44% View Magby builds →
Growlithe Fire	D
Available Moves Moves Fire BlastTM38 EmberLv. 9 Damage vs Pinsir Fire Blast 2x 95-112%KO Ember 2x 37-44% View Growlithe builds →
Pidgeotto NormalFlying	D
Available Move Moves GustLv. 9 Damage vs Pinsir Gust 2x 27-32% View Pidgeotto builds →
Natu PsychicFlying	D
Available Move Moves PeckLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Peck 2x 23-28% View Natu builds →

Crystal Evolution

Pinsir is what you get. No evolutions, but it breeds through one egg group with a decent partner pool. Hatching is average hatch time. It's got 2 egg moves worth looking into. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

No Evolution

#127PinsirDoes not evolve

Breeding

Easy

Breed Pinsir easily with 23 breeding partners from the Bug egg group. Pass egg moves like Flail, Fury Attack to offspring.

Egg Groups

Bug

Gender

♂50.0%♀50.0%

Hatch Time

25 cycles·6,425 steps

Moderate~6 min with Flame Body

Egg Moves

2moves

Breed With (best first)

Crystal Pinsir Best Moveset

Best Build

Experimental

Utility

Ability

Not in Gen 2

Item

LeftoversSUSTAIN

Nature

Not in Gen 2

Utility Moveset

Swords Dance
Body Slam
Hidden Power Ground
SubmissionCoverage

Recommended Teammates

ScizorGood

ForretressGood

HeracrossGood

Moves

Level-up moves are just the starting point for Pinsir. TMs unlock Normal and Fighting coverage and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Fury Cutter into something with actual range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Vise Grip

—5510030Normal

Lv 7

Focus Energy

———30Normal

Lv 13

Bind

D157520Normal

Lv 19

Seismic Toss

D—10020Fighting

Lv 25

Harden

———30Normal

Lv 31

Guillotine

——305Normal

Lv 37

Submission

A808025Fighting

Lv 43

Swords Dance

S——30Normal

TM Moves

TM45

Attract

D—10015Normal

TM03

Curse

C——10Ghost

HM01

Cut

—509530Normal

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM20

Endure+4

D——10Normal

TM21

Frustration

B—10020Normal

TM49

Fury Cutter

—109520Bug

TM02

Headbutt

C7010015Normal

TM10

Hidden Power

—6010015Normal

TM15

Hyper Beam

C150905Normal

TM17

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM27

Return

D—10020Normal

TM08

Rock Smash

—2010015Fighting

TM35

Sleep Talk

C——10Normal

TM13

Snore

—4010015Normal

HM04

Strength

C8010015Normal

TM11

Sunny Day

C——5Fire

TM34

Swagger

C—8515Normal

TM46

Thief

C6010025Dark

TM06

Toxic

C—8510Poison

Egg Moves

Egg

Flail

D—10015Normal

Egg

Fury Attack

—158520Normal

Tutor Moves

Pinsir can't learn any Tutor moves

Crystal Pinsir Locations

Pinsir tops out at moderate rates across 1 locations in early-game routes. The encounters below are sorted by rate so you can see exactly what you're working with.

Best Locations to Catch Pinsir in Crystal

National Park - Bug Catching Contest

Grass Lv.13-14 Facility

5%Early

Pinsir Guide

For Crystal, we rate Pinsir C-Tier: a niche pick in Crystal's meta. At 500 BST, it fits the wallbreaker role. Swords Dance with Leftovers is the standard set.
Mega Evolution isn't available in Crystal, but Pinsir does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Pinsir hits 600 BST.
In Crystal, watch for Arcanine (Fire), Dodrio (Flying), and Aerodactyl (Rock) when using Pinsir. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB.
Base 85 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Pinsir is a physical attacker with base 125 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a wallbreaker.
For Crystal, Pinsir has answers, but so do you. Status moves (Toxic, Will-O-Wisp) wear it down. Setup sweepers can use it as a boost opportunity. Special attackers bypass its physical bulk.

Game Availability

Since debuting in Red & Blue, Pinsir has appeared in 20 titles over 10 generations. Along the way, it received a Mega form in Generation 7, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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Cyndaquil Fire	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Upcoming Move Moves EmberLv. 12 Learns Ember at Level 12 View Cyndaquil builds →
Hoothoot NormalFlying	D
Upcoming Move Moves PeckLv. 11 Learns Peck at Level 11 View Hoothoot builds →
Pidgey NormalFlying	D
Upcoming Move Moves GustLv. 9 Learns Gust at Level 9 View Pidgey builds →
Zubat PoisonFlying	D
Upcoming Move Moves Wing AttackLv. 27 Learns Wing Attack at Level 27 View Zubat builds →
Ledyba BugFlying	D
Upcoming Move Moves View Ledyba builds →

Magby Fire	D
Obtain MethodRoute 34 Gift Available Move Moves EmberLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Ember 2x 39-47% View Magby builds →
Natu PsychicFlying	D
Available Move Moves PeckLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Peck 2x 24-29% View Natu builds →
Cyndaquil Fire	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Move Moves EmberLv. 12 Damage vs Pinsir Ember 2x 33-41% View Cyndaquil builds →
Spearow NormalFlying	D
Available Move Moves PeckLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Peck 2x 24-29% View Spearow builds →
Hoothoot NormalFlying	D
Available Move Moves PeckLv. 11 Damage vs Pinsir Peck 2x 20-24% View Hoothoot builds →

Magby Fire	D
Obtain MethodRoute 34 Gift Available Moves Moves Fire BlastTM38 Fire PunchTM48 EmberLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Fire Blast 2x 98-116%KO Fire Punch 2x 69-82% Ember 2x 40-48% View Magby builds →
Natu PsychicFlying	D
Available Move Moves PeckLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Peck 2x 24-29% View Natu builds →
Cyndaquil Fire	D
Obtain MethodNew Bark Town Gift Available Moves Moves Fire BlastTM38 EmberLv. 12 Damage vs Pinsir Fire Blast 2x 85-102%KO Ember 2x 35-44% View Cyndaquil builds →
Spearow NormalFlying	D
Available Move Moves PeckLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Peck 2x 24-29% View Spearow builds →
Hoothoot NormalFlying	D
Available Move Moves PeckLv. 11 Damage vs Pinsir Peck 2x 19-24% View Hoothoot builds →

Scyther BugFlying	C
Available Move Moves Wing AttackLv. 30 Damage vs Pinsir Wing Attack 2x 57-67% View Scyther builds →
Noctowl NormalFlying	C
Available Moves Moves FlyHM02 PeckLv. 11 Damage vs Pinsir Fly 2x 44-53% Peck 2x 19-23% View Noctowl builds →
Fearow NormalFlying	C
Available Moves Moves FlyHM02 PeckLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Fly 2x 70-83% Peck 2x 31-37% View Fearow builds →
Butterfree BugFlying	C
Available Move Moves GustLv. 28 Damage vs Pinsir Gust 2x 22-27% View Butterfree builds →
Golbat PoisonFlying	D
Available Move Moves Wing AttackLv. 30 Damage vs Pinsir Wing Attack 2x 44-53% View Golbat builds →

Scyther BugFlying	C
Available Move Moves Wing AttackLv. 30 Damage vs Pinsir Wing Attack 2x 55-65% View Scyther builds →
Noctowl NormalFlying	C
Available Moves Moves FlyHM02 PeckLv. 11 Damage vs Pinsir Fly 2x 43-52% Peck 2x 18-23% View Noctowl builds →
Fearow NormalFlying	C
Available Moves Moves FlyHM02 PeckLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Fly 2x 68-81% Peck 2x 30-35% View Fearow builds →
Butterfree BugFlying	C
Available Move Moves GustLv. 28 Damage vs Pinsir Gust 2x 22-26% View Butterfree builds →
Golbat PoisonFlying	D
Available Move Moves Wing AttackLv. 30 Damage vs Pinsir Wing Attack 2x 43-52% View Golbat builds →

Skarmory SteelFlying	A
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves Drill Peck RestRecovery CurseSetup WhirlwindUtility Damage vs Pinsir Drill Peck 2x 54-63% View Skarmory builds →
Golem RockGround	A
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves EarthquakeSTAB Explosion Rapid Spin RoarUtility Damage vs Pinsir Earthquake 23-28% Explosion 77-91% Rapid Spin 16-19% View Golem builds →
Houndoom DarkFire	B
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves Fire Blast CrunchSTAB PursuitSTAB Sunny Day Damage vs Pinsir Fire Blast 2x 128-151%KO Crunch 46-55% Pursuit 23-28% View Houndoom builds →