BreloomMyHomie
Golden State Warriors Bandwagon Fan
Diancie
QC: 3/3 [sparktrain, cbrevan, sparktrain]
GP: 3/3 [The Dutch Plumberjack, Snobalt]
[OVERVIEW]
Diancie has one of the best offensive typings in the CAP metagame and is commonly seen taking advantage of its high offensive stats, gaining a boost of 60 to both its base Attack and Special Attack when it Mega Evolves. This makes Mega Diancie capable of running a mixed set rather than a fully physical or special one. In addition to its amazing typing and offensive stats, it has an outstanding movepool, with amazing STAB moves such as Diamond Storm and Moonblast and Earth Power to hit Steel-types. Furthermore, Mega Diancie also has some excellent setup moves, most notably Rock Polish, which allows it to outspeed common weather sweepers after a single use.
One of Mega Diancie's main drawbacks is its terrible HP stat. While Diancie does have incredible Defense and Special Defense, its HP, in a way, negates those stats. In addition, it has an awful base 50 Speed before Mega Evolving. Furthermore, its typing is pretty mediocre defensively, with a quadruple weakness to Steel as well as weaknesses to Water, Ground, and Grass, limiting the number of Pokemon that Diancie can actually switch into and making it more susceptible to common priority moves such as Aqua Jet and Bullet Punch.
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Moonblast
move 2: Earth Power / Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Diamond Storm
move 4: Protect / Hidden Power Fire
item: Diancite
ability: Clear Body
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Moonblast is arguably Mega Diancie's best STAB move because Fairy is such a fantastic type in the CAP metagame. Earth Power and Moonblast form an extraordinary pair of moves, as they cover so much of the tier. Moonblast is used to take down Dragon-, Fighting-, and Dark-type Pokemon such as Cyclohm, Hoopa-U, and Tomohawk, and Earth Power hits all the types that resist Fairy for super effective damage. Some Steel- and Poison-type Pokemon that Earth Power KOes are Heatran, Mollux, and Plasmanta. Diamond Storm picks up KOs against Flying-type Pokemon such as Mega Pinsir, Mega Pidgeot, and Talonflame. It also hurts Fire-types such as Mollux, Pyroak, and Volkraken. Finally, Protect is run to safely Mega Evolve and obtain the resulting Speed boost. It's also used to scout what move opposing Choice item users ultimately lock themselves into. On the other hand, because of how predictable Protect is, Hidden Power Fire can be run instead, making this set a more deadly all-out attacker. Hidden Power Fire can also be used over Earth Power, though, Mega Diancie needs both of its STAB moves to fill its niche. Mega Diancie lures bulky Steel-types in such as Ferrothorn and Scizor, which it can 2HKO with Hidden Power Fire on the switch. Because its STAB moves are necessary, Hidden Power Fire could be used over Earth Power or Protect. However, losing that one Speed IV will cause Mega Diancie to lose out in with other base 110 Speed Pokemon.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack EVs increase Mega Diancie's damage output. Mega Diancie should run maximum Speed EVs and a Speed-boosting nature to outspeed base 108 Speed Pokemon such as Keldeo and Terrakion. A Naive nature is preferred over Hasty to prevent Mega Diancie from taking more damage from physical attacks, especially priority moves such as Talonflame's Brave Bird, Breloom's Mach Punch, and Colossoil's Sucker Punch.
Usage Tips
========
If running Protect over Hidden Power Fire, it's usually recommended to lead with Diancie to obtain Magic Bounce and the Speed boost. Protect should be used to let Diancie Mega Evolve safely, allowing it to attack next turn with its higher Speed stat. However, it might also let the foe to setup for free, so try to judge if the opponent's Pokemon has any setup moves. If Mega Diancie has Hidden Power Fire over Protect, Mega Evolve against a foe that it has a good matchup against, such as Cyclohm, Talonflame, or Mega Sableye. Furthermore, try to predict the Steel-types that normally check Mega Diancie and kill them with Hidden Power Fire. In addition, because Mega Diancie is very frail, don't switch it into any Pokemon that might be able to hit it with a super effective move. Only switch Mega Diancie in on a favorable matchup. Some Pokemon that Mega Diancie can switch into safely are Talonflame, Mew, and Sableye.
Team Options:
========
Garchomp is a great teammate for Mega Diancie, taking on its checks such as Scizor and Ferrothorn comfortably. Mega Diancie can't hit Steel-types like Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn for an ample amount of damage without Hidden Power Fire, so Magnezone is the perfect partner, as it can use its Magnet Pull ability to trap several Steel-types and harm them with Hidden Power Fire. However, while Magnezone can trap Steel-type Pokemon for Mega Diancie, Shed Shell is often used on Steel-Types such as Skarmory and Ferrothorn to prevent them from being trapped by Magnet Pull. Colossoil, being able to lure those Pokemon in, can remove their Shed Shells with Knock Off and also baits in bulky Steel-types to bring in Magnezone with U-turn. Colossoil also U-turns on the predicted Tomohawk switch so Mega Diancie will get a good matchup and be able to heavily damage a foe.
Another potential core is Mega Diancie + Talonflame. The threats that Mega Diancie has trouble with are primarily Steel-types, which are taken care of by Swords Dance Talonflame. Furthermore, Mega Diancie can take care of Talonflame's checks, such as Cyclohm and defensive Garchomp. Gothitelle also pairs well with Mega Diancie, seeing how it has trouble with the threats Gothitelle usually traps, such as Chansey, Mega Venusaur, and Amoonguss. Gothitelle can cripple Chansey by Tricking its Choice item and 2HKOes any variants of Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss with Psychic. Steel-type checks such as Cyclohm, Mollux, Heatran, and Volkraken are also great Mega Diancie partners.
[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Diamond Storm
item: Diancite
ability: Clear Body
nature: Rash
evs: 64 HP / 252 SpA / 192 Spe
Moves
========
Rock Polish doubles Mega Diancie's Speed stat, allowing it to outspeed the majority of the metagame, including weather sweepers such as Mega Swampert, Kingdra, Tornadus-T, and Excadrill. Moonblast is Mega Diancie's most optimal STAB move, allowing it to KO Dragon-, Dark-, and Fighting-types such as Mega Altaria, Cyclohm, Sableye, Keldeo, and Tomohawk. Earth Power is used to hit Steel- and Poison-type Pokemon that resist Moonblast, such as Heatran, Mollux, and Plasmanta.
Diamond Storm OHKOes common threats such as Talonflame, Mollux, Mega Pinsir, Syclant, and both Mega Charizard Evolutions. It also 2HKOes Pyroak as well as Aurumoth. Hidden Power Fire can also be run on Mega Diancie to get past Ferrothorn and lure in Scizor. However, running this over Earth Power will give up some power on against Metagross.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack investment with a Rash Nature maximizes Mega Diancie's special damage output. 192 Speed EVs are specifically to outspeed Jolly Sand Rush Excadrill, the fastest weather sweeper in the game, and Mega Diancie almost always will OHKO it with an Earth Power. There are 64 Speed EVs left, which should be put into HP because Mega Diancie doesn't necessarily need Attack investment to OHKO Fire- and Flying-types with Diamond Storm. Finally, it is not recommended to run a Speed-boosting nature due to Rock Polish boosting Mega Diancie's Speed to the necessary levels.
Usage Tips
========
It is not recommended set up Rock Polish right away due to the prevalence of Bullet Punch users and common Pokemon that wall Mega Diancie indefinitely. Early-game, Mega Diancie can soften up walls such as Ferrothorn, Pyroak, and Tomohawk, but it's certainly not an early-game sweeper. Wait until all of Mega Diancie's checks and counters are gone or weakened, and then use Rock Polish to clean up late-game. When playing offensive teams that have no priority and rely on speed to beat Mega Diancie, Rock Polish can be used to end them. Pick the right Pokemon to set up on with Mega Diancie, such as Revanankh, Mew, or Sableye. Try to find a way to Mega Evolve and boost on the same turn, usually against a slower Pokemon Mega Diancie can easily knock out. Finally, due to Mega Diancie's frailty, playing it safe is the best way to use it, especially when it's the wincon in a game.
Team Options
=========
Mega Diancie + Talonflame is a well known hyper offense core because Mega Diancie primarily has trouble with Steel-types, which are taken care of by Swords Dance Talonflame. Furthermore, Mega Diancie can take care of Talonflame's checks, such as Cyclohm and defensive Garchomp. Celebi Baton Passing Nasty Plot boosts to a Rock Polish Diancie can make it very threatening, because an Earth Power OHKOes Mega Metagross at +2; just be careful of Bullet Punch. Furthermore, Celebi resists Ground- and Water-type attacks, two of Mega Diancie's weaknesses. In addition, Steel-type checks are necessary so that Mega Diancie can be preserved until all of its checks are gone and can sweep late-game. Good options are Mollux, Heatran, Volkraken, and Cyclohm. Lastly, with its Magnet Pull ability, Magnezone can trap many Steel-types and harm them with Hidden Power Fire, enabling Mega Diancie to have an easier time cleaning up the opponent's team. However, while Magnezone can trap Steel-type Pokemon for Mega Diancie, Shed Shell is an item Steel-types tend to run, preventing Magnezone from trapping them reliably. Notable Shed Shell users are Skarmory and Ferrothorn.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
A Calm Mind set can shut down balanced teams if used correctly, but with threats like Syclant, Choice Scarf Volkraken, Scizor, and Ferrothorn lying around, sweeping is a lot harder. Psychic can be used over Protect on the all-out attacker set to hit Mega Venusaur for super effective damage. However, Hidden Power Fire is a more viable coverage move to run most of the time. Heal Bell can be used for team support, however Pokemon such as Cyclohm and Chansey fit the role better because Mega Diancie's other moves, such as its STABs, are more useful. Mega Diancie forces switches pretty well, so it can use Stealth Rock to get entry hazards up easily. Sharpen 2HKOes Chansey, one of its usual counters, with +1 Diamond Storm. Magnet Rise can be used to handle Pokemon that rely on their Ground-type coverage to beat Mega Diancie such as Hippowdon, Gliscor, Colossoil, and Garchomp. A regular Diancie set with Stealth Rock and Trick Room is usable, but Fidgit outclasses that set in both aspects.
Checks and Counters
==============
**Steel-types**: Pokemon such as Ferrothorn, Scizor, and specially defensive Skarmory can check Mega Diancie with a Steel-type STAB move and fully wall non-Hidden Power Fire variants. In addition, Mega Metagross and Cawmodore both threaten Mega Diancie with their Steel STAB moves, and Cawmodore uses non-Hidden Power Fire sets as setup bait. Specially defensive Jirachi walls the all-out-attacker set completely, and offensive sets can take one Earth Power and OHKO Mega Diancie regardless of its Attack investment. Additionally, some non-Steel-types are known to run Steel-type coverage moves, such as Mega Medicham with Bullet Punch.
**Water-types**: Because Mega Diancie is so frail, all viable Water-type Pokemon such as Krilowatt, Choice Scarf Volkraken, Choice Scarf Keldeo, Azumarill, Rotom-W, and Slowbro can easily OHKO Mega Diancie with their STAB moves. However, do know that all Pokemon mentioned except Azumarill get OHKOed or 2HKOed by one of Mega Diancie's STAB moves.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types such as Sand Rush and bulky Excadrill, Hippowdon, Gliscor, and Landorus-T all check and are able to heavily damage if not OHKO Mega Diancie with their STAB moves. However, Rash variants of Mega Diancie either OHKO or 2HKO all of these Pokemon.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Mega Venusaur, Necturna, Celebi, and Serperior all check Mega Diancie, being able to OHKO it with their STAB moves. However, most variants of Necturna do get 2HKOed by Moonblast. In addition, Mega Venusaur does have to be cautious of Psychic variants.
**Chansey**: Eviolite Chansey can take every notable move Mega Diancie carries and can counter it by recovering off damage with Soft-Boiled and hitting it with Seismic Toss However, Diamond Storm 2HKOes Chansey if its Eviolite has been removed. Mega Diancie also can get past Chansey with Sharpen.
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