Hey guys, TRC. with Magnemite here bringing everyone the next Pokemon of the Week!
The XY OU Pokemon of the Week is an (obviously) weekly project in the Overused forum. The idea originated from when we were reading many of the discussion threads, often the discussion is a bit lacking in the content department. Our goal here to is to highlight a threat in the metagame that isn't as well known, or isn't used as much as it should be, and provide a concise amount of information about that Pokemon; this will encourage creativity during teambuilding, and it will also provide an instant wealth of knowledge about that particular threat. This will hopefully be more helpful to the massive influx of new players in the OU subforum and promote better discussion within the individual threads. In this thread though, the main point of discussion should be about experiences with that particular Pokemon and the sets featured, and how it has helped in some way during your battling. Niche sets and gimmicks can be mentioned as well, but bear in mind that this thread is mainly an informative source of knowledge through what is written in the OP; discussion is not its main focus, though it is most certainly allowed. we need to make this point clear. Think of this like an article introducing you to a new threat that you can use; and try it out! Oh yeah, you can also VM one of us what you think the next POTW should be, bearing in mind that they will be on lesser-used threats, such as Chesnaught, Krookodile, or Cofagrigus.
Starting this week, we have decided that in order to be Pokemon of the Week, a Pokemon must be in a tier below OU (Including BL).
WARNING: ANY ONE THAT SAYS "DIGGERSBY THO" WILL BE HUNTED DOWN.
Also if a mod could infract that would be good too :]
While Diggersby seems like yet another competitively unviable early-game rodent, it is actually a very potent threat in the metagame. It is one of few Pokemon gifted with the ability Huge Power, which means what looks to be an underwhelming Attack stat is actually one of the highest ones in the entire game. Its STAB moves have great neutral coverage together, while its typing gives it some handy immunities to things like Thunder Wave and Shadow Sneak. It has access to quite a good movepool too, with Swords Dance, Quick Attack, U-turn, Wild Charge, and Spikes.
Unfortunately for Diggersby, it is quite slow, with mediocre defensive stats as well, which means that sets without Quick Attack are easily prone to being revenge killed. It also has weaknesses to common types such as the Fighting-, Ice-, and Water-types. Its moves have common immunities, which means that Diggersby can be somewhat played around, especially in the Choice Band and Choice Scarf sets. It also has a bit of four-moveslot syndrome, which means it cannot hope to cover all of the threats that it would like to.
Diggersby @ Life Orb
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Quick Attack
- Earthquake
- Return
The aim of this set is to set up with Swords Dance, which doubles Diggersby's Attack stat, making it an excellent wallbreaker, which is powerful enough to break through even most dedicated physical walls. Because of its immunities, it can often set up on Choice-locked attackers or Pokemon that it forces a switch from. It doesn't only have utlity in breaking through defensive Pokemon though; Quick Attack, while having a low base power, has useful priority, and will often deal heavy damage to faster offensive Pokemon such as Greninja. Return and Earthquake are its STAB moves, and they have good neutral coverage together. The EVs are standard throughout all of Diggersby's sets, with maximum investment in both Attack and Speed. Since the ban of Genesect, the 4 extra EVs do not matter at all, so they can be placed in any stat. A Life Orb is the primary choice for the item slot, as it boosts the power of all of Diggersby's moves, but if longevity is preferred, a Silk Scarf can be used to boost the power of both Return and Quick Attack. In most cases, and Adamant nature is the best choice, as it allows Diggersby to OHKO both Hippowdon and Ferrothorn after a Swords Dance, while also benefiting Quick Attack, which could otherwise be underwhelming due to its low base power. However, Jolly can be used if Speed is more to your preference.
Diggersby @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Return
- Earthquake
- Wild Charge
- Quick Attack
Unlike the Swords Dance set, this Diggersby set has immediate power, and it forces great offensive pressure on the opponent. It also poses the advantage of not suffering from the recoil inflicted by Life Orb. Return is incredibly powerful when Diggersby is equipped with a Choice Band, as is its other STAB move, Earthquake. Quick Attack functions in a similar manner to Azumarill's Aqua Jet; it is an excellent move to revenge kill foes which boasts great power for a priority move. Wild Charge rounds out the set to provide neutral coverage against foes such as Skarmory and Gengar, which resist or are immune to Diggersby's other moves. Once again, the standard EVs are used, and also once again, the nature choice is really just on whether Attack or Speed is preferred.
Diggersby @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Return
- Earthquake
- Wild Charge
- U-turn
This set's goal is to revenge kill offensive threats to a team without relying on Quick Attack. a Choice Scarf boosts Diggersby's Speed to a high enough level to outspeed fast threats such as Greninja, Starmie, Latios, and Keldeo. The recurring Return and Earthquake take place on this set, as does the aforementioned Wild Charge, which is arguably more useful on this set as it is naturally faster than Gengar, one of its main targets. Because of its Speed, it can also feasibly run U-turn in order to keep up momentum as well as hit Latios and Latias hard. The EVs are standard, but the choice of nature is more important in this scenario: Adamant allows Diggersby to outspeed anything below (and including) Greninja, while the option of a Jolly nature lets Diggersby to outspeed Dragonite and Gyarados which have obtained a Dragon Dance boost.
Diggersby has a few viable other options. An Agility set is usable, but without the power of Swords Dance, Diggersby can have difficulty sweeping. Diggersby also has access to Spikes, but Diggersby is too slow and frail to lay Spikes effectively. In addition, there are many better Spikers available, such as Deoxys-D, and Diggersby has better things to be doing than using Spikes.
For the most viable set, the Swords Dance set, partners that can reliably deal with Ghost-types are great, as Ghost-types are often some of the best checks to Diggersby, especially faster ones that can revenge kill it due to their immunity to Quick Attack. Gengar, Trevenant, and Gourgiest-XL can check Diggersby this way, and Talonflame can get rid of these Pokemon, making it an excellent choice for a partner. Heatran also reliably deals with Trevenant and Gourgiest-XL, as well as Skarmory and Talonflame, the former whick can phaze Diggersby out and the latter who can revenge kill out with its powerful (potentially Choice Band boosted) priority Brave Bird. Rotom-W can deal with Talonflame, and can also use Volt Switch to get Diggersby in safely. The Choice Scarf set uses U-turn as a primary move; partners that can form a VoltTurn core are very effective. The aforementioned Rotom-W can do this, as can Landorus-T, Scizor, and Thundurus.
There we go, that's the fifth Pokemon of the Week! Let us know whether this has helped you at all, and your results of testing these Diggersby sets on the ladder. Also, don't forget to let us know via VM what Pokemon you want to see next. All opinions are welcome, as well as opinions about the Pokemon of the Week format and any ideas you want to see implemented, as well as questions for us about either Diggersby or POTW itself. Go out there and try Diggersby now, and we'll see you next time!
The XY OU Pokemon of the Week is an (obviously) weekly project in the Overused forum. The idea originated from when we were reading many of the discussion threads, often the discussion is a bit lacking in the content department. Our goal here to is to highlight a threat in the metagame that isn't as well known, or isn't used as much as it should be, and provide a concise amount of information about that Pokemon; this will encourage creativity during teambuilding, and it will also provide an instant wealth of knowledge about that particular threat. This will hopefully be more helpful to the massive influx of new players in the OU subforum and promote better discussion within the individual threads. In this thread though, the main point of discussion should be about experiences with that particular Pokemon and the sets featured, and how it has helped in some way during your battling. Niche sets and gimmicks can be mentioned as well, but bear in mind that this thread is mainly an informative source of knowledge through what is written in the OP; discussion is not its main focus, though it is most certainly allowed. we need to make this point clear. Think of this like an article introducing you to a new threat that you can use; and try it out! Oh yeah, you can also VM one of us what you think the next POTW should be, bearing in mind that they will be on lesser-used threats, such as Chesnaught, Krookodile, or Cofagrigus.
Starting this week, we have decided that in order to be Pokemon of the Week, a Pokemon must be in a tier below OU (Including BL).
This week's Pokemon of the Week is Diggersby.
Type: Normal / Ground
Base Stats: 85 HP / 56 Atk / 77 Def / 50 SpA / 77 SpD / 78 Spe
Ability: Pickup / Cheek Pouch / Huge Power
Type: Normal / Ground
Base Stats: 85 HP / 56 Atk / 77 Def / 50 SpA / 77 SpD / 78 Spe
Ability: Pickup / Cheek Pouch / Huge Power
WARNING: ANY ONE THAT SAYS "DIGGERSBY THO" WILL BE HUNTED DOWN.
Also if a mod could infract that would be good too :]
Subject 18 If you could do the whole warning post thing when you want :)
While Diggersby seems like yet another competitively unviable early-game rodent, it is actually a very potent threat in the metagame. It is one of few Pokemon gifted with the ability Huge Power, which means what looks to be an underwhelming Attack stat is actually one of the highest ones in the entire game. Its STAB moves have great neutral coverage together, while its typing gives it some handy immunities to things like Thunder Wave and Shadow Sneak. It has access to quite a good movepool too, with Swords Dance, Quick Attack, U-turn, Wild Charge, and Spikes.
Unfortunately for Diggersby, it is quite slow, with mediocre defensive stats as well, which means that sets without Quick Attack are easily prone to being revenge killed. It also has weaknesses to common types such as the Fighting-, Ice-, and Water-types. Its moves have common immunities, which means that Diggersby can be somewhat played around, especially in the Choice Band and Choice Scarf sets. It also has a bit of four-moveslot syndrome, which means it cannot hope to cover all of the threats that it would like to.
Diggersby @ Life Orb
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Quick Attack
- Earthquake
- Return
The aim of this set is to set up with Swords Dance, which doubles Diggersby's Attack stat, making it an excellent wallbreaker, which is powerful enough to break through even most dedicated physical walls. Because of its immunities, it can often set up on Choice-locked attackers or Pokemon that it forces a switch from. It doesn't only have utlity in breaking through defensive Pokemon though; Quick Attack, while having a low base power, has useful priority, and will often deal heavy damage to faster offensive Pokemon such as Greninja. Return and Earthquake are its STAB moves, and they have good neutral coverage together. The EVs are standard throughout all of Diggersby's sets, with maximum investment in both Attack and Speed. Since the ban of Genesect, the 4 extra EVs do not matter at all, so they can be placed in any stat. A Life Orb is the primary choice for the item slot, as it boosts the power of all of Diggersby's moves, but if longevity is preferred, a Silk Scarf can be used to boost the power of both Return and Quick Attack. In most cases, and Adamant nature is the best choice, as it allows Diggersby to OHKO both Hippowdon and Ferrothorn after a Swords Dance, while also benefiting Quick Attack, which could otherwise be underwhelming due to its low base power. However, Jolly can be used if Speed is more to your preference.
Diggersby @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Return
- Earthquake
- Wild Charge
- Quick Attack
Unlike the Swords Dance set, this Diggersby set has immediate power, and it forces great offensive pressure on the opponent. It also poses the advantage of not suffering from the recoil inflicted by Life Orb. Return is incredibly powerful when Diggersby is equipped with a Choice Band, as is its other STAB move, Earthquake. Quick Attack functions in a similar manner to Azumarill's Aqua Jet; it is an excellent move to revenge kill foes which boasts great power for a priority move. Wild Charge rounds out the set to provide neutral coverage against foes such as Skarmory and Gengar, which resist or are immune to Diggersby's other moves. Once again, the standard EVs are used, and also once again, the nature choice is really just on whether Attack or Speed is preferred.
Diggersby @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Return
- Earthquake
- Wild Charge
- U-turn
This set's goal is to revenge kill offensive threats to a team without relying on Quick Attack. a Choice Scarf boosts Diggersby's Speed to a high enough level to outspeed fast threats such as Greninja, Starmie, Latios, and Keldeo. The recurring Return and Earthquake take place on this set, as does the aforementioned Wild Charge, which is arguably more useful on this set as it is naturally faster than Gengar, one of its main targets. Because of its Speed, it can also feasibly run U-turn in order to keep up momentum as well as hit Latios and Latias hard. The EVs are standard, but the choice of nature is more important in this scenario: Adamant allows Diggersby to outspeed anything below (and including) Greninja, while the option of a Jolly nature lets Diggersby to outspeed Dragonite and Gyarados which have obtained a Dragon Dance boost.
Diggersby has a few viable other options. An Agility set is usable, but without the power of Swords Dance, Diggersby can have difficulty sweeping. Diggersby also has access to Spikes, but Diggersby is too slow and frail to lay Spikes effectively. In addition, there are many better Spikers available, such as Deoxys-D, and Diggersby has better things to be doing than using Spikes.
For the most viable set, the Swords Dance set, partners that can reliably deal with Ghost-types are great, as Ghost-types are often some of the best checks to Diggersby, especially faster ones that can revenge kill it due to their immunity to Quick Attack. Gengar, Trevenant, and Gourgiest-XL can check Diggersby this way, and Talonflame can get rid of these Pokemon, making it an excellent choice for a partner. Heatran also reliably deals with Trevenant and Gourgiest-XL, as well as Skarmory and Talonflame, the former whick can phaze Diggersby out and the latter who can revenge kill out with its powerful (potentially Choice Band boosted) priority Brave Bird. Rotom-W can deal with Talonflame, and can also use Volt Switch to get Diggersby in safely. The Choice Scarf set uses U-turn as a primary move; partners that can form a VoltTurn core are very effective. The aforementioned Rotom-W can do this, as can Landorus-T, Scizor, and Thundurus.
- Trevenant and Gourgiest-XL are immune to Diggersby's main STAB move, and can wall almost all of its other moves. Trevenant can SitrusHarvest stall Diggersby, while it can also use Horn Leech on it for decent super-effective damage with the side effect of healing itself, it can even burn it with Will-o-wisp. Gourgiest-XL can also burn it, and while it can't SitrusHarvest, it takes much less damage from all of Diggersby's attacks.
- Gengar can revenge kill Diggersby as well as switch in on any move bar Wild Charge, and OHKO it with Focus Blast. While the Choice Scarf set can outspeed it, Gengar will only come in after Diggersby is locked into a move it is immune to, therefore it can force it out and set up a Substitute.
- Talonflame, Conkeldurr, and Breloom can also revenge kill most variants of Diggersby, with Brave Bird in Talonflame's case and Mach Punch in the latter two's case.
There we go, that's the fifth Pokemon of the Week! Let us know whether this has helped you at all, and your results of testing these Diggersby sets on the ladder. Also, don't forget to let us know via VM what Pokemon you want to see next. All opinions are welcome, as well as opinions about the Pokemon of the Week format and any ideas you want to see implemented, as well as questions for us about either Diggersby or POTW itself. Go out there and try Diggersby now, and we'll see you next time!
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