QC: AM / Ben Gay / TnT
GP: Dutch Plumberjack / Calm Pokemaster
[OVERVIEW]GP: Dutch Plumberjack / Calm Pokemaster
Mega Diancie is a top threat in the OU metagame, sporting incredible offensive stats in a massive base 150 Attack and Special Attack and crucial base 110 Speed. Furthermore, it has access to boosting moves such as Rock Polish and Calm Mind that can skyrocket its already high offensive stats. Upon Mega Evolving, Diancie receives Magic Bounce as its ability, granting it an immunity to status moves such as Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp as well as the ability to reflect opposing entry hazards. Lastly, its unique typing allows it to easily come in on Dragon-, Fire-, and Flying-type attacks, all of which are moderately common. While its positives are breathtaking, Diancie has some flaws to keep in mind. Most important is perhaps its mediocre base 50 Speed in its pre-Mega forme. Because of this, Diancie has a hard time Mega Evolving safely, and it often has to rely on Protect to do so, which severely lowers its offensive coverage. While its typing grants it a key set of resistances, it leaves Diancie vulnerable to Water-, Ground-, and Steel-type attacks, making it troublesome to switch into the battlefield.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Moonblast
move 2: Diamond Storm
move 3: Earth Power / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Protect / Hidden Power Fire
item: Diancite
ability: Clear Body
nature: Naive
evs: 32 Atk / 224 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Moonblast is Mega Diancie's primary STAB move, and coming off its enormous Special Attack it hits like a truck, denting anything that doesn't resist it. It hits Dark- and Fighting-types such as Mandibuzz, Keldeo, Terrakion, and Breloom for super effective damage, dealing a lot of damage if not OHKOing them. Diamond Storm hits Fire-, Ice-, and Flying-types super effectively and hits physically frail Pokemon such as Chansey and specially defensive Clefable for a lot of damage. Earth Power gives Mega Diancie the ability to hit Steel-, Fire-, and Electric-types, such as Heatran, Mega Charizard X, Raikou, and Mega Manectric, for super effective damage, OHKOing all of them after Stealth Rock. Earth Power also hits Jirachi and Mega Metagross hard, both of which are common switch-ins to Diancie. Protect allows Diancie to Mega Evolve safely, which can otherwise be kind of hard due to Diancie's lackluster Speed before Mega Evolving. It is also great for scouting against Choice-locked Pokemon or entry hazard setters, which eases prediction, and playing mind games against Pokemon with High Jump Kick, such as Mega Lopunny. Hidden Power Fire can be used over either Earth Power or Protect to deal a lot of damage to Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Skarmory, all of which would otherwise counter Diancie. However, Hidden Power Fire doesn't do nearly as much damage to Jirachi and Metagross, which can be crucial at times. It also it forces a drop in Speed, which means Mega Diancie loses the Speed tie with opposing base 110s. Psychic is an option over Protect or Hidden Power Fire if hitting Venusaur and Amoonguss hard is appreciated over the perks the other moves offer.
Set Details
========
To make full use of Mega Diancie's great Speed tier, full investment in Speed in necessary. 32 Attack EVs allows Mega Diancie to OHKO physically defensive Zapdos after Stealth Rock, while the rest is put in Special Attack for Mega Diancie to hit as hard as possible. Running an EV spread of 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe with a Naive nature enables Mega Diancie to 2HKO Chansey and specially defensive Clefable with Diamond Storm after a bit of prior damage. However, doing so significantly lowers its special moves' damage output.
Usage Tips
========
If it is not running Protect, getting Diancie in on slower Pokemon such as Mandibuzz and defensive Heatran to Mega Evolve is recommended. Bringing it in on Pokemon it fears little from, such as Talonflame and Mega Sableye, is also beneficial. Taking advantage of Mega Diancie's great wallbreaking capabilities early-game is advised, so that Diancie's teammates can have an easier time breaking down the opposing team. Mega Diancie is best fit on offensively oriented teams, where its teammates are capable of wearing down its checks or cleaning after it has blown holes in the opposing team.
Team Options
========
Pokemon capable of taking Steel- and Water-type priority attacks, such as Ferrothorn, Rotom-W, and Heatran, make for good teammates. If Diancie forgoes Hidden Power Fire, Magnezone is a great partner, as it can trap and kill Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Mega Scizor, all of which completely wall Diancie without Hidden Power Fire. Pokemon capable of luring in and wearing down checks to Diancie make for good teammates. For instance, Nasty Plot Thundurus lures in Clefable, Knock Off Landorus baits in and beats Chansey, and Solarbeam + Power Herb Heatran beats Rotom-W and Suicune. Manaphy is one the best offensive teammate to Mega Diancie, as it is capable of beating all of these Pokemon with its coverage moves. Swords Dance Bisharp, Swords Dance Garchomp, and Calm Mind Keldeo also do a good job at wallbreaking in order for Mega Diancie to sweep. Fire-types such as Volcarona and Talonflame greatly appreciate Mega Diancie's ability to reflect entry hazards and are capable of dealing with Steel-types that annoy Mega Diancie. In return, Mega Diancie handles a lot of Pokemon that check them, such as Heatran, Dragonite, and opposing Talonflame.
[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Diamond Storm
move 4: Earth Power / Hidden Power Fire
item: Diancite
ability: Clear Body
nature: Rash
evs: 44 HP / 32 Atk / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rock Polish doubles Mega Diancie's Speed, allowing it to outspeed every unboosted Pokemon in the tier and pose a giant threat to offensive teams; coupled with its great Attack and Special Attack, it can be very hard to deal with once it has set up. Moonblast is Diancie's main STAB attack, dealing super effective damage to Dragon-, Dark-, and Fighting-types, such as Mega Altaria, Latios, Latias, Keldeo, Terrakion, Mandibuzz, and Breloom. Diamond Storm lets Diancie hit Fire- and Flying-types such as Talonflame and Zapdos for super effective damage and deal a good amount of damage to Chansey and specially defensive Clefable. The last moveslot is for Diancie's coverage move of choice. Earth Power hits Fire-, Ground-, and Rock-types for super effective damage and lets Diancie take on Heatran and Jirachi, both of which otherwise counter it. Hidden Power Fire deals huge amounts of damage to common Steel-type switch-ins to Diancie, such as Scizor and Ferrothorn. Running Calm Mind over Diamond Storm allows Rock Polish Diancie to pose even more of a threat to defensively oriented teams.
Set Details
========
The given EVs in Speed lets Diancie outspeed neutral-natured base 115s with maximum investment in Speed after at +2 Speed in its pre-Mega forme. 32 Attack EVs allow Mega Diancie to OHKO physically defensive Zapdos after Stealth Rock. Maximum investment in Special Attack with a Rash nature makes Mega Diancie as powerful as possible, while the remaining EVs are put in HP to add a little amount of bulk. A Naive nature can be used as well, enabling Diancie to outspeed threats such as Keldeo, Landorus, and Garchomp after Mega Evolving if this is preferred over the sheer power a Rash nature offers.
Usage Tips
========
Mega Evolving as early as possible is always favorable, as it boosts Diancie's Speed stat a lot and lets it freely come in on threats such as Mega Sableye and Mew thanks to Magic Bounce. This is harder with the Rock Polish set, due to the lack of Protect, but some of the Pokemon Diancie is capable of freely Mega Evolving on include Mandibuzz, Mega Sableye, Talonflame, Heatran, and Pokemon Choice-locked into a move Diancie resists. If the opponent has a way of revenge killing Mega Diancie at +2 Speed, such as strong priority attacks or soft checks, such as Rotom-W and Azumarill, it is advised not to set up before these Pokemon are removed. Depending on Mega Diancie's coverage move, Heatran, Amoonguss, Scizor, or Ferrothorn needs to be weakened in order for Mega Diancie to successfully sweep.
Team Options
========
Pokemon capable of taking Water- and Steel-type priority attacks, such as Rotom-W, Ferrothorn, Keldeo, and Heatran, make for great teammates. If Diancie is not running Hidden Power Fire, running a Pokemon capable of taking on Scizor and Ferrothorn is advised. Magnezone excels at this role, thanks to Magnet Pull and access to Hidden Power Fire. Hidden Power Fire Latios also makes for a good teammate, as it can draw in and heavily damage Scizor and Ferrothorn. If Diancie forgoes Earth Power, Ground- and Water-types such as Landorus-T, Excadrill, Manaphy, and Keldeo make for good teammates, as they are capable of dealing with Heatran and Jirachi. Wallbreakers such as Serperior and Kyurem-B make for good partners, as they are capable of pressuring some of the Pokemon that check Mega Diancie, such as Rotom-W and Hippowdon. Nasty Plot + Baton Pass Celebi makes for a good teammate, due to the ability to get Diancie to +2 Special Attack, making it close to impossible to take on. Celebi also has good defensive synergy with Diancie and can Baton Pass to it on a predicted Dark- or Bug-type attack. Gengar, Latios, and Latias draw in Choice Scarf Tyranitar and can bait it into going for Pursuit. This enables Diancie to Mega Evolve and set up safely.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Hidden Power Fire / Psyshock
item: Diancite
ability: Clear Body
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Calm Mind boosts Mega Diancie's already sky-high Special Attack to astounding levels, making it close to impossible to switch into. Moonblast is Diancie's main STAB move and hits most Pokemon neutrally. It also hits Dragon-, Fighting-, and Dark-types for super effective damage. Earth Power lets Mega Diancie hit Fire- and Steel-types that try to come in on Moonblast, such as Heatran, Jirachi, and Excadrill, super effectively. Hidden Power Fire lets Mega Diancie OHKO most Mega Scizor and deal heavy amounts of damage to Ferrothorn. However, running Hidden Power Fire forces Mega Diancie to run 30 IVs in Speed, making it unable to Speed tie with opposing base 110 Speed Pokemon. Psyshock is an option over Hidden Power Fire, as it hits Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss for super effective damage while also doing significant amounts of damage to Chansey. Running Rock Polish over a coverage move allows Mega Diancie to pose a threat to offensive teams, as this lets it outspeed a lot of the fast Pokemon seen on offensive teams.
Set Details
========
Maximum investment in Special Attack and Speed with a Timid nature is used to make Mega Diancie as fast and powerful as possible.
Usage Tips
========
Calm Mind Diancie is very useful for both wallbreaking early-game and sweeping late-game. Analyzing whether Mega Diancie will be able to sweep or is better used to break down the opposing cores early on is advised. Wait until soft checks to Mega Diancie, such as Rotom-W and Suicune, are weakened before setting up, and be wary of priority attacks, such as Azumarill's Aqua Jet and Scizor's Bullet Punch, which can cut a sweep short. Depending on Mega Diancie's coverage move, Mega Venusaur, Chansey, Amoonguss, or Ferrothorn needs to be weakened in order for Mega Diancie to successfully sweep. Mega Evolving as early as possible is advised, as gaining Magic Bounce and the boost in Speed is vital. Bringing Diancie in and setting up on Pokemon that cannot severely damage it, such as Mega Sableye and Mandibuzz, is advised.
Team Options
========
Rotom-W, Ferrothorn, and Heatran make for great teammates because of their ability to easily take Steel-type attacks. Rotom-W and Ferrothorn are also capable of coming in on Water-types that threaten Diancie, such as Azumarill. If Diancie forgoes Hidden Power Fire, Magnezone is a great partner, as it can trap and kill Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor, both of which completely wall Diancie without Hidden Power Fire. If Diancie is not running Psyshock, having a way to lure in Chansey, Mega Venusaur, and Amoonguss is advised. Knock Off Landorus and Expert Belt Keldeo are great for luring in and taking out Chansey, while Thundurus with Psychic and Keldeo with Hidden Power Flying are great for Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss. Gengar, Latios, and Latias draw in Choice Scarf Tyranitar can bait it into going for Pursuit. This enables Diancie to Mega Evolve and set up safely.
[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Diamond Storm / Moonblast
item: Mental Herb
ability: Clear Body
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Regular Diancie makes for a good Trick Room setter thanks to its great bulk and access to multiple support options. Trick Room is mandatory for dedicated Trick Room teams to function. After setting up Trick Room, Diancie can proceed to set up Stealth Rock to pressure the opposing team. Explosion allows Diancie to deal decent damage and give a teammate a free switch into the battle. It also does decent damage to Pokemon that don't resist it and can prevent offensively inclined Pokemon from setting up. The last slot is dedicated to Diancie's STAB move of choice; Diamond Storm lets it heavily damage Fire- and Flying-types such as Talonflame, Charizard, and Zapdos. Moonblast is an option to deal decent damage to Fighting- and Dark-types such as Keldeo and Terrakion.
Set Details
========
Mental Herb allows Diancie to set up Trick Room even if the opponent has a Taunt user. The given EVs let Diance avoid the OHKO from +6 Talonflame's Brave Bird after Stealth Rock, while the rest is put in Special Defense to improve its bulk as much as possible.
Usage Tips
========
Diancie makes for a good lead, which is an ability that should be used to its fullest. Although it goes down when it uses Explosion, Diancie should not be hesitant to use it, as it gains huge momentum for the rest of its team if Trick Room is up.
Team Options
========
Trick Room sweepers that capitalize on Diancie's Trick Room support are the best teammates for Diancie. Good examples include Victini, Crawdaunt, and Diggersby. A way of taking advantage of Defog users trying to remove Diancie's entry hazards applies a lot of pressure on the opponent, making Bisharp a good teammate, thanks to Defiant. Pokemon capable of switching into strong Water-, Ground-, and Grass-type attacks Diancie is threatened by make good partners. Celebi and Mega Venusaur are perhaps the best choices, as both work wonderfully with the Trick Room support Diancie offers.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Diancie has a few viable options up its sleeve, but in most cases it prefers the offensive coverage the standard moves offer. Heal Bell can be used on both regular Diancie and Mega Diancie if Diancie's teammates are heavily in need of a way to get rip of potential status conditions. Stealth Rock can also be used on Mega Diancie if the team terribly needs a setter. Sharpen is an option on Mega Diancie to boost its Attack, and deal heavy amounts of damage with Diamons Storm. Magnet Rise can be used to beat Pokemon that rely on Ground-type attacks to beat Diancie, such as Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Hippowdon. Substitute is also an option, as it can allow Diancie to get a free turn, but seeing as Magic Bounce already reflects status-inducing moves and Diancie's Fairy typing makes it resistant to Sucker Punch, it is not the most effective option.
Checks & Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Mega Scizor, Ferrothorn, and specially defensive Skarmory fear little from Diancie and can easily OHKO in return with their respective Steel-type STAB moves. However, the former two have to be wary of Hidden Power Fire. Mega Metagross and specially defensive Excadrill easily come in on Diancie's STAB moves, are never OHKOed by Earth Power or Hidden Power Fire, and can easily OHKO in return with Bullet Punch, Meteor Mash, or Iron Head. Excadrill and Heatran holding an Air Balloon fear nothing from Diancie before their balloon is popped, and can OHKO in return with their respective Steel-type STAB moves.
**Special Walls**: Chansey, Clefable, and specially defensive versions of Mew, Alomomola, and Hippowdon are capable of walling most versions of Diancie due to their great mixed bulk. In return, they can all wear Diancie down with their respective attacking moves. It should be noted that Magic Guard Clefable, Mew, and Alomomola need to be wary of Calm Mind Diancie.
**Bulky Water-types**: Suicune and defensive Manaphy avoid the 2HKO from any of Diancie's attacks and can proceed to set up Calm Minds or retaliate with their Water-type STAB moves. Assault Vest Azumarill can come in on any of Diancie's attacks and deal heavy damage in return with Aqua Jet or Waterfall.
**Bulky Grass-types**: Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss, specially defensive Celebi, and Assault Vest Tangrowth can easily come in on any of Diancie's attacking moves and can deal huge amounts of damage with their respective Grass-type STAB attacks.
**Revengekillers**: Serperior, Choice Scarf Garchomp, Choice Scarf Landorus-T, Choice Scarf Keldeo, and Choice Scarf Heatran are capable of outspeeding Diancie and OHKO it with their respective STAB moves.
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