[OVERVIEW]
Diancie has distinct qualities that set it apart from other Mega Evolutions in Ubers. One of these perks is Magic Bounce, an extremely useful ability for many offense and balance archetypes, providing solid backup for entry hazard removers such as Arceus and Giratina-O as well as disrupting stall teams and suicide leads such as Deoxys-S and Smeargle. By virtue of its Rock / Fairy typing and Magic Bounce, Mega Diancie offers the ability to check both offensive and defensive threats such as Ho-Oh, Yveltal, Lugia, Arceus-Dark and Tyranitar. This makes Diancie a solid pick for many offense, balance, and stall teams. In addition, Diamond Storm's potential +2 boost to Defense makes Diancie harder to revenge kill and lets it survive more powerful attacks, such as avoiding the OHKO from a +1 Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike from Marshadow. However, Diancie struggles to provide raw defensive utility. A 4x weakness to Steel and an aversion to Ground-types leave Diancie vulnerable to key offensive and defensive threats such as Primal Groudon, Celesteela, Zygarde-C, and Mega Lucario. This particularly stings due to poor bulk after Mega Evolving, as well as no reliable recovery. Mega Diancie's Speed tier is rather solid, but the current metagame has encouraged support Arceus formes to run enough Speed to outspeed Mega Lucario, making Diancie's Speed tier less valuable compared to other offensive threats.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Moonblast
move 2: Diamond Storm
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Calm Mind / Heal Bell
item: Diancite
ability: Clear Body
nature: Hasty / Naive
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Moonblast is Diancie's main STAB option, hitting Dark- and Dragon-types hard. Diamond Storm is used to heavily damage Flying-types such as Ho-Oh and Lugia, as well as Pokemon with higher Special Defense that Moonblast can't threaten such as Blissey and Gothitelle. Earth Power is Diancie's only option to hit Primal Groudon, Toxapex, and most Steel-types. Calm Mind is vital for Diancie against stall teams, as Magic Bounce and Diancie's typing nullify Toxic, Taunt, and phazing moves, though Arceus-Ground must be eliminated or heavily weakened in order for Diancie to stallbreak effectively. Diancie is one of the few Pokemon in the tier with access to Heal Bell, which allows it to be a cleric for offensive teams while offering pseudo-entry hazard removal.
Diancie has several other options for the last slot. Toxic cripples support Arceus formes, which usually can handle Diancie with little effort, and Primal Groudon, letting Diancie take initiative and status foes without relying on Magic Bounce. However, opposing Magic Bounce users can exploit this by reflecting it to Mega Diancie, so try to use Toxic as a lure move when facing Mega Sableye or Mega Diancie defensive cores. Hidden Power Fire can surprise Steel-types such as Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn and is Diancie's only method of effectively damaging Celesteela. Protect can be used for scouting moves that would otherwise be harmful to either Diancie or its teammates, guaranteeing a safer Mega Evolution, and making sure Magic Bounce's effects stay active safely for at least one turn. Diancie can run Stealth Rock if other teammates cannot do so optimally, as it can deter many hazard leads and get Stealth Rock up rather easily, but Mega Diancie's poor bulk forces this option to play akin to a suicide lead rather than a support Pokemon.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment with a Hasty or Naive nature allows Diancie to outspeed Adamant Mega Salamence and bulkier support Arceus formes at the cost of durability. If Diancie needs to fare better against special attackers and Yveltal, Hasty should be used. Otherwise, a Naive nature allows Diancie to take more physical hits and handle Ho-Oh better. An alternative spread of 80 HP / 252 SpA / 176 Spe allows Diancie to outspeed Timid Palkia along with Xerneas and Yveltal while maximizing the power of Diamond Storm, the power of Diancie's special movepool, and its bulk. If the extra bulk isn't necessary, the 80 EVs can be moved from HP to Attack to boost Diamond Storm's power, which can help rack up damage on support Arceus formes on the switch and gives it a decent chance to 3HKO Celesteela after Stealth Rock damage. A Mild or Rash nature is a solid option to consider when using Calm Mind, as Diancie can use the extra power to KO bulkier targets such as Primal Groudon and Giratina-O with a Calm Mind boost, as well as overcoming bulkier variants of support Arceus-Ground and Arceus-Water, but Diancie loses the ability to outspeed Adamant Mega Salamence.
Usage Tips
========
Due to the importance of Magic Bounce and Mega Diancie's increased Speed, Mega Evolving as soon as possible is extremely advantageous when facing teams that emphasize use of status and entry hazards. However, there are situations in which Diancie does not have to Mega Evolve immediately, as regular Diancie's bulk can allow it to take hits more comfortably when facing checks that it can dispatch rather easily, such as Ho-Oh. Regular Diancie's ability, Clear Body, while mostly situational, can be used to prevent Sticky Web's Speed drop if Diancie could not Mega Evolve safely against said teams. Magic Bounce can be a key factor in many matches, but Mega Diancie is not able to effectively anti-lead some entry hazard setters; those with either great power or the ability to exploit Diancie's typing, such as Deoxys-A, Dialga, Primal Groudon, Landorus-T, and Ferrothorn, prevent Diancie from keeping entry hazards off the field. Diamond Storm's potential Defense boosts and damage are extremely useful, but it only has 8 PP, so beware using it repeatedly against support Arceus formes or Steel-types that can either stall it out or KO Diancie in retaliation. Using Calm Mind is generally preferred against stall or balance teams that have lost or severely damaged their support Arceus forme or their core Ground- or Steel-type, as Magic Bounce can exploit many defensive Pokemon due to their reliance on residual damage and Diamond Storm's defense boosts. Against offensive teams, however, Calm Mind must be used more carefully, as Mega Diancie's Speed tier can fall short of many revenge killers or offensive threats such as Mega Lucario, Marshadow, and Deoxys-A, preventing Diancie from pulling off a sweep.
Team Options
========
Magic Bounce, while extremely effective in deterring entry hazards, is not able to support an entire team on its own. To that end, using another entry hazard remover in tandem with Diancie is heavily advised. Giratina-O can soft check many Ground-types in the tier for Diancie and take advantage of reflected status moves with Hex, while it greatly appreciates Diancie's ability to check Yveltal and other Dark-types. Support Arceus formes such as Arceus-Water can also cover Diancie's weaknesses and can generally help form a solid defensive backbone due to their flexibility. Ho-Oh is an absolutely solid partner with Diancie, as Ho-Oh naturally deters many Steel-types that will hard wall and threaten Diancie as well as Calm Mind Arceus formes that Diancie can't touch such as Arceus-Fairy, while the tight defense of a Magic Bounce and Defog user can protect Ho-Oh from its horrid Stealth Rock weakness. If Diancie needs a more defensive partner that better addresses Ground-types, Lugia greatly appreciates extra support given by Magic Bounce against Stealth Rock and stray Toxics and in return checks Calm Mind Arceus formes and Mega Lucario. It also appreciates Diancie's ability to soft check Dark-types and give potential cleric support, but keep in mind that this pair is particularly vulnerable to Ghost-types such as Marshadow and Mega Gengar and cannot do much to Steel-types without an additional teammate. Primal Groudon is an excellent answer to pretty much every defensive Steel-type in the tier and greatly benefits from Magic Bounce deterring the use of Toxic, but both Diancie and Primal Groudon together can compound a weakness to Arceus-Ground and opposing Primal Groudon. If Diancie is running Heal Bell, Zygarde can be a great answer to most Ground-types and benefits from not being forced asleep by Rest or crippled by Toxic thanks to Mega Diancie and Magic Bounce.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Despite Diancie's invaluable utility, it doesn't have too many alternative options to take advantage of. A defensive set with Heal Bell highlights Magic Bounce's defensive capabilities and makes Diancie a better check to Ho-Oh and Dark-types while not being trapped by Gothitelle, but its only form of recovery would be Rest, it loses a large amount of its offensive presence, and it faces competition from Xerneas in that specific role. Endeavor can take advantage of Diancie's low base HP and can dent walls and Steel-types that it can't break through, but Endeavor's damage potential heavily relies on Diancie taking prior damage, which prevents it from switching in repeatedly and taking advantage of Magic Bounce. Magnet Rise can help Diancie fare better against Ground-types and can let it lure in Primal Groudon and 2HKO it with Earth Power, though the move is greatly reliant on prediction to be used safely and is ignored by Zygarde's Thousand Arrows. Rock Polish can prevent Mega Diancie from being revenge killed by the likes of Marshadow, Deoxys-A, and Mega Gengar if it is not worn down, but this does not help much in combating Diancie's typical checks and leaves it extremely vulnerable to Mega Lucario. Power Gem can be used over Diamond Storm to 3HKO Celesteela, prevent the need for a non-Timid nature, and be better utilized by Diancie's more invested Special Attack. Despite these positives, Diamond Storm is better suited to hitting special tanks and walls such as Primal Kyogre and Blissey, and Power Gem is overall less powerful and leaves Diancie extremely vulnerable to Gothitelle if it doesn't have Calm Mind. If the team already has a Mega Evolution, regular Diancie can also be an effective Trick Room setter with access to Stealth Rock and the ability to prevent Defog with Explosion, but it is extremely tailored to one playstyle and can't be used as a standalone Trick Room user.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Celesteela**: Celesteela almost hard walls Diancie bar Hidden Power Fire and effortlessly KOes it with Heavy Slam, even after a Diamond Storm boost. However, Celesteela cannot take full advantage of Diancie, as Magic Bounce reflects Leech Seed.
**Steel-types**: Though some Steel-types can be severely damaged or KOed with Earth Power, most are able to switch in and force Diancie out or overwhelm it with a 4x super effective STAB move. Ferrothorn can KO Mega Diancie with either Gyro Ball or Power Whip and proceed to exploit many support Arceus formes that are potentially a Defog partner with Diancie; Mega Scizor and Mega Lucario can revenge kill Diancie with Bullet Punch, and Bronzong is immune to Earth Power and can also KO Diancie with Gyro Ball.
**Arceus-Ground**: All sets of Arceus-Ground can threaten Diancie with Judgment or;Earth Power, while the Swords Dance variant can set up on Diancie even if it has a Diamond Storm boost. Defensive variants must be wary of getting a Toxic bounced back to themselves, however.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types such as Primal Groudon, Zygarde-C, Landorus-T, and Dugtrio are effective checks to Diancie, since they can force Diancie out or KO it and generally aren't hit hard enough by its coverage options unless they are not bulky. However, the defensive capabilities of Ground-types are severely hindered if they get hit by a Magic Bounced Toxic, and Primal Groudon and Zygarde-C are hit super effectively with Earth Power and Moonblast, respectively.
**Primal Kyogre**: Primal Kyogre can comfortably take all of Diancie's coverage options and retaliate with either Scald or Origin Pulse, but it cannot switch into Mega Diancie repeatedly if Kyogre isn't the defensive set.
**Revenge Killers**: Diancie's low bulk and Speed tier can be exploited by both faster Pokemon and priority moves such as Bullet Punch. Mega Gengar, Deoxys-A, Mega Lucario, Marshadow, Extreme Killer Arceus, Mega Mewtwo Y, and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele can outspeed Mega Diancie and either pick it off or KO it outright.
[OVERVIEW]
* Mega Diancie's main draw is Magic Bounce, an extremely useful ability for many offense and balance archetypes, providing solid backup for entry hazard removers such as Arceus and Giratina-O as well as disrupting stall teams and suicide leads such as Deoxys-S and Smeargle.
* By virtue of its Rock/Fairy typing and Magic Bounce, Diancie offers the ability to check both offensive and defensive threats such as Ho-Oh, Yveltal, Lugia, Arceus-Dark and Tyranitar.
* Diancie's immediate access to its base 110 Speed tier lessens the need for Protect, freeing up the moveslot for other utility options and increases Diancie's flexibility.
* Diamond Storm now gives a potential +2 boost to Defense instead of +1, making Diancie harder to revenge kill and lets it survive more powerful attacks, such as a chance to tank a boosted Mega Salamence and avoiding the OHKO from a +1 Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike from Marshadow.
* A 4x weakness to Steel-types and an aversion to Ground-types leaves Diancie vulnerable to key offensive and defensive threats such as Primal Groudon, Celesteela, Zygarde-C and Mega Lucario.
* Diancie has poor bulk after Mega Evolving, as well as no reliable recovery, preventing it from taking hits repeatedly, if at all.
* The current metagame has encouraged support Arceus formes to run enough Speed to outspeed Mega Lucario, making Diancie's Speed tier less valuable compared to other offensive threats.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Moonblast
move 2: Diamond Storm
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Calm Mind / Heal Bell
item: Diancite
ability: Clear Body
nature: Hasty / Naive
evs: 80 HP / 252 SpA / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Moonblast is Diancie's main STAB option, hitting Dark- and Dragon-types hard.
* Diamond Storm is used to heavily damage Flying-types such as Ho-Oh and Lugia, as well as Pokemon with higher Special Defense such as Blissey and Gothitelle.
* Earth Power is Diancie's only option to hit Primal Groudon, Toxapex and most Steel-types
* Calm Mind is a stellar option for Diancie when facing stall teams, as Magic Bounce and Diancie's typing nullify Toxic, Taunt and phazing moves, though Arceus-Ground must be eliminated or heavily weakened in order for Diancie to stallbreak effectively.
* Diancie is one of the few Pokemon in the tier with access to Heal Bell, which allows Diancie to be a cleric for teams while offering psuedo-entry hazard removal.
* Toxic cripples support Arceus formes, which usually can handle Diancie with little effort, and Primal Groudon while not depending on the foe to use Toxic so Mega Diancie can Magic Bounce it back at them. However, opposing Magic Bounce users can exploit this by reflecting it back onto Mega Diancie, so try to use Toxic as a lure move when facing Mega Sableye or Mega Diancie defensive cores.
* Hidden Power Fire can surprise Steel-types such as Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn, and is Diancie's only method of effectively damaging Celesteela.
* Protect can potentially be used for scouting moves that would otherwise be harmful to either Diancie or its teammates and guarantees a safer Mega Evolution as well as making sure Magic Bounce's effects stay active safely for at least one turn.
* Diancie can run Stealth Rock if other teammates cannot do so optimally, as it can deter many hazard leads and get Stealth Rock up rather easily, but Mega Diancie's poor bulk forces this option to play akin to a suicide lead rather than a support Pokemon.
Set Details
========
* A spread of 80 HP / 252 SpA / 176 Speed with a Hasty or Naive nature allows Diancie to outspeed Timid Palkia along with Xerneas and Yveltal, while maximizing the power of Diamond Storm, Diancie's special movepool and bulk. If Diancie needs to fare better against special attackers and Yveltal, Hasty should be used, as Diancie can avoid the 2HKO from neutral Life Orb-boosted Dark Pulse from Yveltal if Stealth Rock isn't up. Otherwise, a Naive nature allows Diancie to take more physical hits and handles Ho-Oh better.
* If extra bulk isn't necessary, the 80 EVs can be moved from HP to Attack to boost Diamond Storm's power, which can help rack up damage on support Arceus formes on the switch as well as having a decent chance of 3HKOing Celesteela after Stealth Rock damage.
* A Mild or Rash nature is a solid option to consider when using Calm Mind, as Diancie can use the extra power to KO bulkier targets such as Primal Groudon and Giratina-O with a Calm Mind boost, as well as overcoming bulkier variants of support Arceus-Ground and Arceus-Water, but Diancie loses the ability to outspeed all non-Choice Scarf variants of Xerneas and Yveltal.
Usage Tips
========
* Due to the importance of Magic Bounce and Mega Diancie's increased Speed, Mega Evolving as soon as possible is extremely advantageous when facing teams that emphasize use of status and entry hazards.
* However, there are situations in which Diancie does not have to Mega Evolve immediately, as regular Diancie's bulk can allow it to take hits more comfortably when facing checks that it can dispatch rather easily, such as Ho-Oh.
* Regular Diancie's ability, Clear Body, while mostly situational, can be used to prevent Sticky Web's Speed drop if Diancie could not Mega Evolve safely against said teams.
* Magic Bounce can be a key factor in many matches, but Mega Diancie is not able to effectively anti-lead some entry hazard setters; those with either great power or the ability to exploit Diancie's typing, such as Deoxys-A, Dialga, Primal Groudon, Landorus-T and Ferrothorn prevent Diancie from keeping entry hazards off the field.
* While Diamond Storm's potential Defense boost and damage are extremely useful, it only has 8 PP, so beware using it repeatedly against support Arceus formes or Steel-types that can either stall it out or KO Diancie in retaliation.
* Using Calm Mind is generally preferred against stall or balance teams that have lost or severely damaged their support Arceus forme or their core Ground- or Steel-type, as Magic Bounce can exploit many defensive Pokemon due to their reliance on residual damage and Diamond Storm's defense boosts. Against offensive teams, however, Calm Mind must be used more carefully, as Mega Diancie's Speed tier can fall short of many revenge killers or offensive threats such as Mega Lucario, Marshadow, and Deoxys-A, preventing Diancie from pulling off a sweep.
Team Options
========
* Magic Bounce, while extremely effective in deterring entry hazards, is not able to support an entire team on its own. To that end, using another entry hazard remover in tandem with Diancie is heavily advised. Giratina-O can soft check many Ground-types in the tier for Diancie and take advantage of reflected status moves with Hex, while it greatly appreciates Diancie's ability to check Yveltal and other Dark-types. Support Arceus formes such as Arceus-Water can also supplement Diancie's weaknesses and can generally help form a solid defensive backbone due to their flexibility.
* Ho-Oh is an absolutely solid partner with Diancie, as Ho-Oh naturally deters many Steel-types that will hard-wall and threaten Diancie as well as Calm Mind Arceus formes that Diancie can't touch such as Arceus-Fairy, while the tight defense of a Magic Bounce and Defog user can protect Ho-Oh from its horrid Stealth Rock weakness.
* If looking for a more defensive partner, Lugia greatly appreciates extra support given by Magic Bounce against Stealth Rock and stray Toxics, checks Calm Mind Arceus formes and Mega Lucario, and it handles Ground-types better than Steel-types. It also appreciates Diancie's ability to soft check Dark-types and give potential cleric support, but keep in mind that this pair is particularly vulnerable to Ghost-types such as Marshadow and Mega Gengar, and cannot do much to Steel-types without an additional teammate.
* Primal Groudon is an excellent answer to pretty much every defensive Steel-type in the tier and greatly benefits from Magic Bounce deterring the use of Toxic, but both Diancie and Primal Groudon together can compound a weakness to Arceus-Ground and opposing Primal Groudon.
* If running Heal Bell, Zygarde can be a great answer to most Ground-types and benefits from not being forced asleep by Rest or crippled by Toxic thanks to Mega Diancie and Magic Bounce.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* A defensive set with Heal Bell highlights Magic Bounce's defensive capabilities and makes Diancie a better check to Ho-Oh and Dark-types while not being trapped by Gothitelle, but its only form of recovery would be Rest, it loses a large amount of its offensive presence, and faces competition from Xerneas in that specific role.
* Regular Diancie can also be an effective Trick Room setter with access to Stealth Rock and the ability to prevent Defog with Explosion, but it is extremely tailored to one playstyle and can't be used as a standalone Trick Room user.
* Endeavor can take advantage of Diancie's low base HP and can dent walls and Steel-types that it can't break through, but Endeavor's damage potential heavily relies on Diancie taking prior damage, which prevents it from switching in repeatedly and taking advantage of Magic Bounce.
* Magnet Rise can help Diancie fare better against Ground-types, and can lure in Primal Groudon and 2HKO it with Earth Power, though Magnet Rise greatly reliant on prediction to be used safely and is ignored by Zygarde's Thousand Arrows.
* Rock Polish can prevent Mega Diancie from being revenge killed by the likes of Marshadow, Deoxys-A and Mega Gengar if it is not worn down, but this does not help much in combating Diancie's typical checks and is extremely vulnerable to Mega Lucario.
* Power Gem can be used over Diamond Storm to 3HKO Celesteela, prevent the need for a non-Timid nature and be better utilized by Diancie's more invested Special Attack. Despite these positives, Diamond Storm is better suited to hitting special tanks and walls such as Primal Kyogre and Blissey, and Power Gem is overall less powerful and leaves Diancie extremely vulnerable to Gothitelle if it doesn't have Calm Mind.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Celesteela**: Celesteela almost hard-walls Diancie bar Hidden Power Fire and effortlessly KOs it with Heavy Slam, even after a Diamond Storm boost. However, Celesteela cannot take full advantage of Diancie, as Magic Bounce reflects Leech Seed.
**Steel-types**: Though some Steel-types can be severely damaged or KOed with Earth Power, most are able to switch in and force Diancie out or overwhelm it with 4x super-effective STAB. Ferrothorn can KO Mega Diancie with either Gyro Ball or Power Whip and can then proceed to exploit many support Arceus formes that are potentially a Defog partner with Diancie, while Mega Scizor and Mega Lucario can revenge-kill Diancie with Bullet Punch. Bronzong is immune to Earth Power and can also KO Diancie with Gyro Ball.
**Arceus-Ground**: All sets of Arceus-Ground can threaten Diancie with Judgment or Earth Power, while the Swords Dance variant can set up on Diancie even if it has a Diamond Storm boost. Defensive variants must be wary of getting a Toxic bounced back to themselves, however.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types such as Primal Groudon, Zygarde-C, Landorus-T and Dugtrio are effective checks to Diancie since they can force Diancie out or KO it, and generally aren't hit hard enough by its coverage options unless they are not bulky. However, the defensive capabilities of Ground-types are severely hindered if they get hit by a Magic Bounced Toxic, and Primal Groudon and Zygarde-C are hit super-effectively with Earth Power and Moonblast, respectively.
**Primal Kyogre**: Primal Kyogre can comfortably take all of Diancie's coverage options and retaliate with either Scald or Origin Pulse, but it cannot switch into Mega Diancie repeatedly if Kyogre isn't the defensive set.
**Revenge Killers**: Diancie's low bulk and Speed tier can be exploited by both faster Pokemon and priority moves such as Bullet Punch. Mega Gengar, Deoxys-A, Mega Lucario, Marshadow, Extreme Killer Arceus, Mega Mewtwo Y and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele can outspeed Mega Diancie and either pick it off or KO it outright.
* Mega Diancie's main draw is Magic Bounce, an extremely useful ability for many offense and balance archetypes, providing solid backup for entry hazard removers such as Arceus and Giratina-O as well as disrupting stall teams and suicide leads such as Deoxys-S and Smeargle.
* By virtue of its Rock/Fairy typing and Magic Bounce, Diancie offers the ability to check both offensive and defensive threats such as Ho-Oh, Yveltal, Lugia, Arceus-Dark and Tyranitar.
* Diancie's immediate access to its base 110 Speed tier lessens the need for Protect, freeing up the moveslot for other utility options and increases Diancie's flexibility.
* Diamond Storm now gives a potential +2 boost to Defense instead of +1, making Diancie harder to revenge kill and lets it survive more powerful attacks, such as a chance to tank a boosted Mega Salamence and avoiding the OHKO from a +1 Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike from Marshadow.
* A 4x weakness to Steel-types and an aversion to Ground-types leaves Diancie vulnerable to key offensive and defensive threats such as Primal Groudon, Celesteela, Zygarde-C and Mega Lucario.
* Diancie has poor bulk after Mega Evolving, as well as no reliable recovery, preventing it from taking hits repeatedly, if at all.
* The current metagame has encouraged support Arceus formes to run enough Speed to outspeed Mega Lucario, making Diancie's Speed tier less valuable compared to other offensive threats.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Moonblast
move 2: Diamond Storm
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Calm Mind / Heal Bell
item: Diancite
ability: Clear Body
nature: Hasty / Naive
evs: 80 HP / 252 SpA / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Moonblast is Diancie's main STAB option, hitting Dark- and Dragon-types hard.
* Diamond Storm is used to heavily damage Flying-types such as Ho-Oh and Lugia, as well as Pokemon with higher Special Defense such as Blissey and Gothitelle.
* Earth Power is Diancie's only option to hit Primal Groudon, Toxapex and most Steel-types
* Calm Mind is a stellar option for Diancie when facing stall teams, as Magic Bounce and Diancie's typing nullify Toxic, Taunt and phazing moves, though Arceus-Ground must be eliminated or heavily weakened in order for Diancie to stallbreak effectively.
* Diancie is one of the few Pokemon in the tier with access to Heal Bell, which allows Diancie to be a cleric for teams while offering psuedo-entry hazard removal.
* Toxic cripples support Arceus formes, which usually can handle Diancie with little effort, and Primal Groudon while not depending on the foe to use Toxic so Mega Diancie can Magic Bounce it back at them. However, opposing Magic Bounce users can exploit this by reflecting it back onto Mega Diancie, so try to use Toxic as a lure move when facing Mega Sableye or Mega Diancie defensive cores.
* Hidden Power Fire can surprise Steel-types such as Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn, and is Diancie's only method of effectively damaging Celesteela.
* Protect can potentially be used for scouting moves that would otherwise be harmful to either Diancie or its teammates and guarantees a safer Mega Evolution as well as making sure Magic Bounce's effects stay active safely for at least one turn.
* Diancie can run Stealth Rock if other teammates cannot do so optimally, as it can deter many hazard leads and get Stealth Rock up rather easily, but Mega Diancie's poor bulk forces this option to play akin to a suicide lead rather than a support Pokemon.
Set Details
========
* A spread of 80 HP / 252 SpA / 176 Speed with a Hasty or Naive nature allows Diancie to outspeed Timid Palkia along with Xerneas and Yveltal, while maximizing the power of Diamond Storm, Diancie's special movepool and bulk. If Diancie needs to fare better against special attackers and Yveltal, Hasty should be used, as Diancie can avoid the 2HKO from neutral Life Orb-boosted Dark Pulse from Yveltal if Stealth Rock isn't up. Otherwise, a Naive nature allows Diancie to take more physical hits and handles Ho-Oh better.
* If extra bulk isn't necessary, the 80 EVs can be moved from HP to Attack to boost Diamond Storm's power, which can help rack up damage on support Arceus formes on the switch as well as having a decent chance of 3HKOing Celesteela after Stealth Rock damage.
* A Mild or Rash nature is a solid option to consider when using Calm Mind, as Diancie can use the extra power to KO bulkier targets such as Primal Groudon and Giratina-O with a Calm Mind boost, as well as overcoming bulkier variants of support Arceus-Ground and Arceus-Water, but Diancie loses the ability to outspeed all non-Choice Scarf variants of Xerneas and Yveltal.
Usage Tips
========
* Due to the importance of Magic Bounce and Mega Diancie's increased Speed, Mega Evolving as soon as possible is extremely advantageous when facing teams that emphasize use of status and entry hazards.
* However, there are situations in which Diancie does not have to Mega Evolve immediately, as regular Diancie's bulk can allow it to take hits more comfortably when facing checks that it can dispatch rather easily, such as Ho-Oh.
* Regular Diancie's ability, Clear Body, while mostly situational, can be used to prevent Sticky Web's Speed drop if Diancie could not Mega Evolve safely against said teams.
* Magic Bounce can be a key factor in many matches, but Mega Diancie is not able to effectively anti-lead some entry hazard setters; those with either great power or the ability to exploit Diancie's typing, such as Deoxys-A, Dialga, Primal Groudon, Landorus-T and Ferrothorn prevent Diancie from keeping entry hazards off the field.
* While Diamond Storm's potential Defense boost and damage are extremely useful, it only has 8 PP, so beware using it repeatedly against support Arceus formes or Steel-types that can either stall it out or KO Diancie in retaliation.
* Using Calm Mind is generally preferred against stall or balance teams that have lost or severely damaged their support Arceus forme or their core Ground- or Steel-type, as Magic Bounce can exploit many defensive Pokemon due to their reliance on residual damage and Diamond Storm's defense boosts. Against offensive teams, however, Calm Mind must be used more carefully, as Mega Diancie's Speed tier can fall short of many revenge killers or offensive threats such as Mega Lucario, Marshadow, and Deoxys-A, preventing Diancie from pulling off a sweep.
Team Options
========
* Magic Bounce, while extremely effective in deterring entry hazards, is not able to support an entire team on its own. To that end, using another entry hazard remover in tandem with Diancie is heavily advised. Giratina-O can soft check many Ground-types in the tier for Diancie and take advantage of reflected status moves with Hex, while it greatly appreciates Diancie's ability to check Yveltal and other Dark-types. Support Arceus formes such as Arceus-Water can also supplement Diancie's weaknesses and can generally help form a solid defensive backbone due to their flexibility.
* Ho-Oh is an absolutely solid partner with Diancie, as Ho-Oh naturally deters many Steel-types that will hard-wall and threaten Diancie as well as Calm Mind Arceus formes that Diancie can't touch such as Arceus-Fairy, while the tight defense of a Magic Bounce and Defog user can protect Ho-Oh from its horrid Stealth Rock weakness.
* If looking for a more defensive partner, Lugia greatly appreciates extra support given by Magic Bounce against Stealth Rock and stray Toxics, checks Calm Mind Arceus formes and Mega Lucario, and it handles Ground-types better than Steel-types. It also appreciates Diancie's ability to soft check Dark-types and give potential cleric support, but keep in mind that this pair is particularly vulnerable to Ghost-types such as Marshadow and Mega Gengar, and cannot do much to Steel-types without an additional teammate.
* Primal Groudon is an excellent answer to pretty much every defensive Steel-type in the tier and greatly benefits from Magic Bounce deterring the use of Toxic, but both Diancie and Primal Groudon together can compound a weakness to Arceus-Ground and opposing Primal Groudon.
* If running Heal Bell, Zygarde can be a great answer to most Ground-types and benefits from not being forced asleep by Rest or crippled by Toxic thanks to Mega Diancie and Magic Bounce.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* A defensive set with Heal Bell highlights Magic Bounce's defensive capabilities and makes Diancie a better check to Ho-Oh and Dark-types while not being trapped by Gothitelle, but its only form of recovery would be Rest, it loses a large amount of its offensive presence, and faces competition from Xerneas in that specific role.
* Regular Diancie can also be an effective Trick Room setter with access to Stealth Rock and the ability to prevent Defog with Explosion, but it is extremely tailored to one playstyle and can't be used as a standalone Trick Room user.
* Endeavor can take advantage of Diancie's low base HP and can dent walls and Steel-types that it can't break through, but Endeavor's damage potential heavily relies on Diancie taking prior damage, which prevents it from switching in repeatedly and taking advantage of Magic Bounce.
* Magnet Rise can help Diancie fare better against Ground-types, and can lure in Primal Groudon and 2HKO it with Earth Power, though Magnet Rise greatly reliant on prediction to be used safely and is ignored by Zygarde's Thousand Arrows.
* Rock Polish can prevent Mega Diancie from being revenge killed by the likes of Marshadow, Deoxys-A and Mega Gengar if it is not worn down, but this does not help much in combating Diancie's typical checks and is extremely vulnerable to Mega Lucario.
* Power Gem can be used over Diamond Storm to 3HKO Celesteela, prevent the need for a non-Timid nature and be better utilized by Diancie's more invested Special Attack. Despite these positives, Diamond Storm is better suited to hitting special tanks and walls such as Primal Kyogre and Blissey, and Power Gem is overall less powerful and leaves Diancie extremely vulnerable to Gothitelle if it doesn't have Calm Mind.
Checks and Counters
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**Celesteela**: Celesteela almost hard-walls Diancie bar Hidden Power Fire and effortlessly KOs it with Heavy Slam, even after a Diamond Storm boost. However, Celesteela cannot take full advantage of Diancie, as Magic Bounce reflects Leech Seed.
**Steel-types**: Though some Steel-types can be severely damaged or KOed with Earth Power, most are able to switch in and force Diancie out or overwhelm it with 4x super-effective STAB. Ferrothorn can KO Mega Diancie with either Gyro Ball or Power Whip and can then proceed to exploit many support Arceus formes that are potentially a Defog partner with Diancie, while Mega Scizor and Mega Lucario can revenge-kill Diancie with Bullet Punch. Bronzong is immune to Earth Power and can also KO Diancie with Gyro Ball.
**Arceus-Ground**: All sets of Arceus-Ground can threaten Diancie with Judgment or Earth Power, while the Swords Dance variant can set up on Diancie even if it has a Diamond Storm boost. Defensive variants must be wary of getting a Toxic bounced back to themselves, however.
**Ground-types**: Ground-types such as Primal Groudon, Zygarde-C, Landorus-T and Dugtrio are effective checks to Diancie since they can force Diancie out or KO it, and generally aren't hit hard enough by its coverage options unless they are not bulky. However, the defensive capabilities of Ground-types are severely hindered if they get hit by a Magic Bounced Toxic, and Primal Groudon and Zygarde-C are hit super-effectively with Earth Power and Moonblast, respectively.
**Primal Kyogre**: Primal Kyogre can comfortably take all of Diancie's coverage options and retaliate with either Scald or Origin Pulse, but it cannot switch into Mega Diancie repeatedly if Kyogre isn't the defensive set.
**Revenge Killers**: Diancie's low bulk and Speed tier can be exploited by both faster Pokemon and priority moves such as Bullet Punch. Mega Gengar, Deoxys-A, Mega Lucario, Marshadow, Extreme Killer Arceus, Mega Mewtwo Y and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele can outspeed Mega Diancie and either pick it off or KO it outright.
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