Noland & Mega Pinsir

     Pinsir is currently one of the game’s premier Physical Strikers with its massive Attack stat, powerful moveset,and incredible Mega Evolution. Noland & Pinsir make a great Sync Pair to invest in for anyone lucky enough to obtain them, as their effectiveness will likely increase in the future when more powerful Physical supports are added to the game. Even now, Pinsir is a great choice for any team lacking a powerful Striker to build around.

Bring it on!

     Pinsir’s unique move, "Bring It On!", brings its speed from merely above average to a contender for best in the game. On top of this, it works in tandem with his decent bulk to give him a surprising amount of survivability for a striker.

Mega Evolution

     After Mega Evolving, Mega Pinsir has the highest base Attack stat of any pair in the game. In combination with Fury Cutter, this allows him to deal consistently devastating blows for only one bar of the Move Gauge apiece with no drawbacks (outside of having to charge up Fury Cutter, which only takes 2-3 bars and still deals good damage in the interim).

Physical Attacker:

     Currently, all Physical Strikers are considered weaker than their Special counterparts because of one key flaw: they can't capitalize on Special Attack buffs from possibly the most powerful and centralizing pair in the game, Rosa and Serperior. Pinsir can somewhat make up for this by using its X Atk to buff itself, but that takes up valuable time it could be using to boost its Speed or charge up Fury Cutter. The release of Oshawott has significantly shored up this weakness, however, and further Physical support releases will also help nullify it. 

Lack of Burst/AoE:  

     While Fury Cutter, "Bring It On!", X Atk, and Pinsir’s great base stats can give him some of the highest DPS in the game once he gets going, he takes several seconds and bars of the Move Gauge to get to that point. Other Strikers like Houndoom and Alolan Raichu can end games in seconds with their powerful AoE and ability to benefit from Sp.Atk buffs from Serperior.

     Pinsir works best with tanky Supports it can hide behind while it sets up and tears apart the opposing team, especially ones like Dusclops who can raise its Attack. Generally, any pair that can raise Pinsir’s Speed or Attack will be a great teammate for it, making Oshawott one of its strongest possible partners, fitting more or less all of Pinsir's needs.