DPP Diglett (LC Analysis)'

Status
Not open for further replies.
Status: Complete, but need Proofreading!

Updates:
  • 21 Aug: Added "Choice Revenge Killer" set
  • Added all appropriate Sub-Sections
  • "Team Options" in green
  • 23 Aug: Added "Lead" set
  • 29 Aug: Added "Non-Choice Revenge Killer" set

http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/diglett

Little Cup is really very interesting. So far, I've only come up with the "Revenge Killer" set, so anything else is appreciated.
------------------------------------------------------

[SET]
name: Lead
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Sucker Punch / Shadow Claw
move 4: Protect
item: Focus Sash
ability: Arena Trap
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>While typically used as a revenge killer, Diglett can function as a reasonably effective lead as well. The qualities that make it a successful lead include its Arena Trap ability (which transforms it into a kind of anti-lead), high Attack and Speed stats, and access to Stealth Rock.</p>

<p>Lead Diglett's moveset has undergone some dramatic changes when compared to its other traditional all-out attacking sets. Earthquake is Diglett's most powerful move and cannot be ignored on any set. Having Stealth Rock up early in the battle is never a bad idea; it is something many teams tend to rely on. Furthermore, since Diglett is commonly found on offensive teams, it makes a fine lead on hyper offensive ones. The choice between Shadow Claw or Sucker Punch depends on your personal preference - both have their positive and negative points. Shadow Claw allows Diglett to deal with Substitute + Calm Mind Ghost-types one hundred percent of the time; Sucker Punch does not. Note that Shadow Claw is unable to hit Normal-types. (Diglett does not learn Night Slash). Sucker Punch, however, is a priority move, something that many leads have in order to eliminate Focus Sash users. Finally, Protect is a must in Diglett's fourth move slot. Lacking Protect will allow Fake Out Leads like Meowth to get rid of Diglett's Focus Sash, and Diglett's poor defenses almost always means that it will be OHKOed after a Fake Out.</p>

<p>One thing that Lead Diglett can boast about is that it is almost always able to set up Stealth Rock. With such high Speed, a Focus Sash, and Protect, setting up Stealth Rock immediately is basically guaranteed unless Diglett is Taunted by a faster Pokemon or a Pokemon that ties in Speed with it. An example of such a Pokemon would be Voltorb, but Diglett can easily KO it with Earthquake. Another way to prevent Diglett from setting up Stealth Rock would be to put it to sleep; however, not many Pokemon are faster than Diglett! Bar several Choice Scarf leads, nothing much can outrun Diglett, and even if Choice Scarf leads decide to put Diglett to sleep, they will be forced to lock into their sleep move until it is out of PP. Diglett can then comfortably wake up, set up Stealth Rock, and wait until its Choice Scarf Sleep-inducing opponent kills itself with Struggle. Protect comes in handy against leads like Meowth - Diglett should Protect on the fake out, and proceed to set up Stealth Rock or OHKO Meowth right away.</p>

<p>Although rarely will it find itself being stopped from setting up Stealth Rock, Diglett has problems with several other leads that are bulky enough to take a hit. Phanpy and Hippopotas can not only take an Earthquake, but also respond to it. Additionally, Phanpy has a priority Ice Shard that can come in useful when dealing with Diglett. Both Hippopotas and Phanpy can set up their own Stealth Rocks, too. If you decide to use Sucker Punch, you will certainly have problems with Lead Drifloon, who can put you to sleep with Hypnosis and KO you with Shadow Ball or set up a Substitute and Baton Pass it away to something that can easily deal with Diglett. You will experience similar problems against Misdreavus and Gastly; for this reason, Shadow Claw can be the superior choice that hits them even if they decide to set up Substitutes. While it seems that you can trap and defeat Lead Meowth with ease, it can U-turn away into an appopriate Diglett counter. As always, opposing Bronzor, whether or not they are leads, will give Diglett problems. With Levitate and a decently powered Gyro Ball, Diglett will find that it is unable to touch Bronzor at all. The rare Snover lead can easily demolish Dugtrio in one turn with an Ice-type move and hail's residual damage as well. Finally, you may choose to employ Hidden Power Ice on this set to have an easier time with Gligar.</p>

<p>Having a Houndour partner up with Diglett can help your team spectacularly. Houndour can use its specially-based moves to pick on Phanpy's, Gligar's, and Hippopotas' weaker Special Defense and KO them sooner or later. Houndour also resists Shadow Ball, meaning that it can switch into either Misdreavus', Drifloon's, or Gastly's Shadow Balls and retaliate with either Pursuit or Dark Pulse. Houndour is also capable of damaging Bronzor, while sporting a resistance to Gyro Ball at the same time. It also resists Snover's Dual-STAB and can use Flamethrower to barbecue the tiny christmas tree for 4x super effective damage. While this set is played differently to the offensive ones, don't forget that Diglett can still make short work of the likes of Magby, Elekid, and Chinchou. To assist its sweeping process, it is advised that a Water-type that can pack a punch, like Chinchou or Staryu, be partnered with Diglett to secure both an offensive and defensive combination (Water-types can cushion Water- and Ice-type attacks directed at Diglett, while Diglett is immune to Electric-type attacks that easily electrocute its Water-type partner).</p>

[SET]
name: Non-Choice Revenge Killer
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Substitute / Rock Slide / Shadow Claw
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
ability: Arena Trap
nature: Hasty
evs: 240 Atk / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set provides a different approach to using Diglett. Obviously, Diglett experiences a decrease in Attack or Speed without the use of a Choice Band or Choice Scarf. However, when equipped with a Life Orb or Focus Sash, it is able to use all four of its moves, as opposed to its Choice sets, in which it is forced to lock into one move. With deadly attacking moves and Substitute, this set can really go the distance in Little Cup.</p>

<p>The main point that makes this set different from others is the presence of Substitute. In the process of revenge killing, Diglett may sometimes manage to switch into a Choiced Electric-type move, which it is immune to. When this happens, Diglett can not only win the matchup, but also set up a Substitute in the process! As is known, Diglett's attacks can 2HKO most Pokemon in Little Cup. If Diglett does manage to set up a Substitute, it will not only 2HKO its opponent, but also remain healthy at the same time (unless an opponent uses priority moves). From behind its Substitute, Diglett has a number of attacking options available to it. Earthquake is ever-present and can hit especially hard thanks to the attacking bonus gained from Life Orb. Sucker Punch provides Diglett some much-needed priority, especially against Choice Scarfed foes that can easily OHKO it. Note that if you do have a Substitute up, and your opponent is faster than you and breaks your Substitute, you can almost be sure that it is Scarfed. From there, you can switch to an appropriate counter. Next, Hidden Power Ice is necessary to combat Gligar; without it, Gligar will wall this set all day long, while able to launch Earthquakes that will OHKO Diglett sooner or later. Hidden Power is also Diglett's best way (besides Aerial Ace) to hit Grass-types that resist Earthquake for super effective damage. If Substitute is not preferable, you may choose to use a Focus Sash as well. In this case, it is recommended that you use either Rock Slide or Shadow Claw for a broader range of attacking options.</p>

<p>Not too many Pokemon enjoy facing this Diglett set, since it both sports power, Speed, and excellent and powerful moves that can injure opponents. Unfortunately, there are also a number of Pokemon that make Diglett's setting up of its Substitute useless. Bronzor is the perfect counter, being immune to Earthquake, while taking ridiculously low amounts of damage from anything else Diglett uses against it. It will have no trouble breaking Diglett's Substitutes either, as Gyro Ball is powered up to great levels due to Diglett's high Speed stat. Phanpy and Hippopotas are also fantastic at the job, able to take an Earthquake and break Diglett's Substitute, at the very least. Phanpy even boasts a priority Ice Shard that can trouble Diglett before it can knock Phanpy out. Next, priority users or Pokemon faster than Diglett in general are also problematic. If Diglett cannot OHKO them from behind its Substitute, it risks the threat of dying to a priority move! Its low defenses doesn't help either, and moves like Aqua Jet and Ice Shard tend to mark the end of Diglett's journey. These moves are usually wielded by the likes of Buizel, Carvanha, and the aforementioned Phanpy.</p>

<p>This Diglett complements perfectly with Water-types. Water-types often attract Electric-type attacks, so Diglett can come in on moves like Thunderbolt and ThunderPunch, and possibly set up a Substitute along the way! Water-types can also clear Diglett's path to sweep by eliminating bulky Ground-types, most notably Gligar, Hippopotas, and Phanpy. By repeatedly damaging Bronzor and knocking it out of play if possible, Diglett will have a much easier time in its quest to sweep. This set also faces difficulties against Substitute + Calm Mind Ghost-types, as they can take advantage of Diglett's weak or non-effective attacks to set up along the way. To remedy this problem, having a Specially Defensive Munchlax on your side can help; neither Misdreavus nor Gastly will be able OHKO it without enough boosts, while it can harm them with Fire Punch or Pursuit in return.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Revenge Killer
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Shadow Claw / Rock Slide
item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf
ability: Arena Trap
nature: Lonely / Hasty
evs: 240 Atk / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Diglett is a prevalent and terrorizing force in Little Cup as it can easily trap and dispatch its opponents. Its Arena Trap grants it the ability to prevent a wide range of opponents, with the exception of Flying-types and Levitating Pokemon, from switching out. Add a series of particularly powerful moves to the mix, and Diglett becomes one of the best revenge killers in Little Cup, able to OHKO a variety of walls and sweepers without a second thought.</p>

<p>Earthquake is Diglett's most powerful attack. Even if it seems to lack the Attack stat to do much damage, a STAB Earthquake can actually strip off large amounts of health from anything that is not resistant or immune to it. Earthquake is also Diglett's greatest weapon against the likes of Chinchou and Munchlax, while severely harming offensively-based Pokemon like Elekid, Magby, and Houndour. Hidden Power Ice may seem odd on Diglett as first glance, but in fact it is Diglett's only way to deal massive damage to Gligar, while also hitting other Grass-types that resist Earthquake for super effective damage. Sucker Punch is Diglett's best bet against Ghost-types, particularly Choiced ones like Gastly. Even if Diglett is already quite fast, Sucker Punch's priority can help it out against the opponents that can be faster than its non-Choice variant, such as Choice Scarf Abra or Choice Scarf Staryu.</p>

<p>The last moveslot has three interesting options. Shadow Claw is mainly used to hit Misdreavus and Gastly for super effective damage. A primary reason to use Shadow Claw over Sucker Punch is because Sucker Punch can certainly be unreliable at times, especially if you are doing battle with a Pokemon such as Substitute + Calm Mind Misdreavus. Finally, Rock Slide can also be used; it provides excellent coverage alongside Earthquake, hitting most nasty Flying-types that resist Earthquake for super effective damage. Examples of these include Mantyke and Taillow, although the latter can be dealt with Sucker Punch if it is weakened by its Flame Orb or Toxic Orb recoil damage.</p>

<p>Diglett can make use of a number of useful items; the item it is equipped with determines how it is to be used. Its EVs, however, are universal, as they maximize its offensive prowess. With a Choice Band equipped, Diglett can have up to 24 Attack, which is the hardest Attack stat from which it can hit. It will also have a Speed stat of 19 (assuming an Lonely nature), which, by Little Cup standards, is not too bad. With a Choice Scarf equipped, Diglett can have up to 30 Speed with a Hasty nature, which is generally recognized as the apex of Little Cup's speed tiers. Unfortunately, it will have significantly less Attack than its Choice Band counterpart; therefore, when using Choice Scarf Diglett, know what Diglett can and cannot kill before sending it out to play. Life Orb is also an alternative as it gives access to all of Diglett's moves while allowing it to fire off attacks with reasonable power. Diglett can also equip a Focus Sash, although it really becomes wasted if Diglett switches into DPP's new and ever-present entry hazard: Stealth Rock. For this reason, it is recommended that you stick with items that assist Diglett offensively.</p>

<p>Even though it can trap many opponents, it struggles to OHKO many. Diglett has horrible defenses, and opponents should make use of this fact if they manage to get a hit against Diglett. Diglett also encounters problems against extremely bulky walls like Bronzor and Hippopotas, who can survive a number of hits and OHKO Diglett in return. Bronzor is arguably one of Diglett's greatest counters as it takes little to no damage from anything hurled at it. With its Levitate ability, Bronzor is immune to Earthquake, Diglett's most powerful move, while having the ability to freely switch in and out of Arena Trap. Bronzor can then threaten Diglett with a powerful Gyro Ball or even Earthquake. Similarly, Phanpy and Hippopotas can use their bulky defenses to counter Diglett; the first can even use a priority Ice Shard against it. If Diglett predicts incorrectly, Levitating and Flying-type Pokemon are just ready to switch in without a moment's hesitation. Even though Diglett has ways to deal with Calm Mind Misdreavus, it will not like getting locked into Sucker Punch while Misdreavus sets up a Substitute! If Diglett is not Choice Scarfed, there is a large number of Pokemon that are faster than it. Therefore, don't get overconfident against foes like Abra and Cranidos. Even if you believe you have the upper hand, the lack of scouting may often lead to Diglett's uneventful and careless death.</p>

<p>To maximize Diglett's revenge killing potential, do it a favor by eliminating some of its common counters first. Bronzor can be defeated by Magnet Rise Magnemite, although you must beware if Bronzor has a Shed Shell. Bulky Ground-types like Hippowdon and Phanpy can be OHKOed by powerful moves that do super effective damage to them. With moves like Surf and Ice Beam, Staryu can potentially OHKO them easily. Staryu can also help Diglett resist its weaknesses to common attacking types that Ground-types are weak to: Ice-, Grass-, and Water-type moves. Both of them work well together because of their presence on the same type of team: hyper offensive teams. Psyduck works similarly to Staryu as well. To deal with Ghost-types that make predicting for Diglett hard, consider using Pursuit users like Houndour and Cranidos. Houndour can easily switch into a Shadow Ball and do whatever it sees fit (either use Dark Pulse or Pursuit) from there. When running Focus Sash Diglett, remember to keep a Rapid Spinner in your team, as Focus Sash heavily relies on a field clear of entry hazards to function well. In terms of helping Diglett defensively, Water-types work well with it; Chinchou deserves a special mention for being bulky enough to take many Water-, Ice-, or even special Grass-type attacks. Otherwise, Munchlax can help it take hits from the special spectrum, while Bronzor can help it take hits from the physical spectrum.</p>

<p>Finally, a few entry hazards of your own (Stealth Rock is of utmost importance) ensures that Diglett does its job in the best way it possibly can - chip off opponents' health with Stealth Rock or even Spikes and Toxic Spikes, and let Diglett clean up whatever managed to survive the layers of residual damage.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Diglett doesn't have too many other useful options in its movepool. Pursuit can be used to trap Levitating Ghost- or Psychic-types from fleeing, Toxic can be used to cripple Gligar, and Aerial Ace can be used to hit Shroomish, but unfortunately, those are about it. Hidden Power Ice can be used on the Lead set to KO Gligar, and Stealth Rock can be used on the Non-Choice Revenge Killer; feel free to use these moves to suit your needs.</p>

[EVs]

<p>Diglett's EVs are incredibly simple to understand. Its listed spread of 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe is used to maximize its overall physical offensive potential by investing EVs into the stats that are worth it. No matter what Choice item or nature you assume, 236 Atk / 236 Spe EVs maximizes Diglett's Attack and Speed to the highest stat values that they can get to. 36 HP is a leftover investment that increases Diglett's HP stat by a value of one. However, on sets that sport Hidden Power Ice, Diglett's Attack IV is reduced by 1. For this reason, the optimal offensive spread is 240 Atk / 236 Spe with a Hasty nature.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Since Diglett is generally an offensively-based Pokemon, expect to find it in a team with multiple sweepers and revenge killers. As has been mentioned before, it has problems with Pokemon that can take at least one hit and OHKO it in return: examples of these are Bronzor, Phanpy, and Hippopotas. Magnemite is an impressive revenge killing partner alongside Diglett, as Magnet Rise variants can easily take care of Bronzor without Shed Shell. With powerful elemental moves, Staryu and Psyduck make short work of Phanpy and Hippopotas; they can even chip off Bronzor's health continuously. Another problem that Diglett encounters is the presence of Ghost-types. Many Ghost-types, like Duskull, Gastly, and Misdreavus have the ability Levitate, and all of them have ways of getting around Diglett. Duskull is bulky enough to take a Sucker Punch or Shadow Claw, is immune to Earthquake, and doesn't take much damage from Rock Slide. Gastly and Misdreavus can both set up Substitutes if Diglett is locked into the wrong move. Diglett's defenses are by no means impressive, so all of these opponents can fire off moves like Shadow Ball and Shadow Sneak to dispose of Diglett.</p>

<p>If you seek more defensive support, Water-types can cushion Ice-, Grass-, and Water-type attacks directed at Diglett, while Diglett loves coming on Electric-type attacks that can finish off its Water-type partner. Diglett can usually OHKO Pokemon that launch the previously mentioned Electric-type moves, like Elekid and Chinchou, so this will make its Water-type partner's life much easier. Another thing about Diglett that makes it excellent is its purpose in the late-game. If its team members have access to moves that set up entry hazards, Diglett can simply be sent in to clean up the match.</p>

<p>When running Diglett sets with Focus Sash, having a Rapid Spinner on your side is always a fine idea. Staryu is perfect for the job for reasons outlined in the previous paragraph.</p>

<p>Residual damage will, sooner or later, take their toll upon anything switching into them and deem Diglett's opponents victims. If opponents' heath have been sufficiently removed, then Diglett can simply use its well-powered moves to pick opponents off one by one.</p>

[Opinion]

<p>If there is one thing to say about Diglett, it's probably that it follows in its evolution Dugtrio's footsteps. They both have pathetic defenses and an average Attack stat, but what turns them on is Arena Trap. In Little Cup, Diglett is a threat that must certainly be watched out for; it's just that good. While it seems that Diglett lacks enough Attack to function as a revenge killer, don't let this fool you, as many Pokemon in Little Cup are not too defensively oriented. With powerful enough moves available to it, and with absolutely amazing Speed, Diglett is definitely one of the best Little Cup Pokemon out there.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Have a bulky Pokemon that can take a hit coming from Diglett and you will do fine. Pokemon like Hippopotas, Gligar, and Phanpy are physically defensive enough to do this and can respond with powerful Earthquakes. Bronzor is one of Diglett's greatest counters, since it has Levitate and takes little damage from any of its other moves. Substitute + Calm Mind also makes a solid counter if Diglett does not have Shadow Claw. Next, Grass-types like Paras and Shroomish can take Diglett's Earthquake and OHKO it back with their Grass-type moves. Hidden Power Ice can hurt them, but they are not wounded too badly. Pokemon that are faster than Diglett spell trouble, because even relatively well-powered attacks can finish it off. Examples of these are Choice Scarf Abra, Choice Scarf Staryu (who can take one Earthquake and OHKO Diglett back with Surf) and Choice Scarf Mankey (if Diglett itself is not a Choice Scarf variant). Even an opposing Diglett (or Porygon with Trace) can finsh it off! The lesson to be learned is that you should always do a little scouting before sending Diglett in; at least be sure of your opponent's item! Since most of the Little Cup metagame takes a large amount of damage from Diglett's Earthquake, its counters are rather limited, so make sure that your team is heavily prepared for its assaults.</p>
 

Malfunction

nice desu ne
<p>Earthquake is Diglett's most powerful attack. Even if it seems to lack the Attack stat to do much damage, a STAB Earthquake can actually strip off large amounts of health from anything that does not resist or is immune to it. Earthquake is also Diglett's greatest weapon against the likes of Chinchou and Munchlax, while severely harming offensively-based Pokemon like Elekid, Magby, and Houndour. Rock Slide provides excellent coverage alongside Earthquake, hitting most nasty Flying-types that resist Earthquake for super effective damage. Examples of these include Mantyke and Tailow, although the latter can be dealt with Sucker Punch if it is weakened by its Flame or Toxic Orb recoil damage. Sucker Punch is Diglett's best bet against Ghost-types, particularly Choiced ones like Gastly. Even if Diglett is already quite fast, Sucker Punch's priority can help it out against the opponents that can be faster than its non-Choice variant, such as Choice Scarf Abra or Choice Scarf Staryu. The last moveslot has three interesting options. Although Pursuit can seem odd because of Diglett's Arena Trap ability, it can OHKO Levitating Ghost-types like Gastly and Misdreavus that can otherwise flee from Diglett's wrath. Shadow Claw is an alternative to hit the aforementioned Ghost-types harder. A primary reason to use Shadow Claw over Sucker Punch is because Sucker Punch (You have made it seem that the unreliable move is Shadow Claw, not Sucker Punch) can certainly be unreliable at times, especially if you are doing a battle with a Pokemon such as Substitute + Calm Mind Mismagius. Although weak, Aerial Ace is Diglett's best attack against Bellsprout and other Grass-types that take little damage from Earthquake and Rock Slide (note that such Grass-types are not too common, so Pursuit or Shadow Claw are often the better options).</p>
I read some of it, and I found a few nitpicks in bold.
I would like to point out that it would be better to switch places of the second and third paragraphs. Generally, you explain the moveset first, then the EVs/Items.

I'm still getting into little cup, so I can't really give you any suggestions for any other sets. Keep up the good work, though!
 
Thanks Malfunction, but:

"A primary reason to use Shadow Claw over Sucker Punch is because Sucker Punch can certainly be unreliable at times"

I don't understand your statement in parentheses? How would you make it better?

Also I flipped the paragraphs...the EVs and nature paragraph now comes first. I edited in the other careless mistakes there; thanks for spotting them! (Btw "do battle" is okay)

I'm working on a Sub + LO Diglett but I'll wait until the ladder gets a little more active.
 

Malfunction

nice desu ne
A primary reason to use Shadow Claw is because can certainly be unreliable at times, especially if you are doing battle with a Pokemon such as Substitute + Calm Mind Mismagius.
How would you use Shadow Claw if it can be unreliable at times? I think you meant to say "a primary reason to use Shadow Claw is because Sucker Punch can be certainly....."
 
little scouting before sending Dugtrio in;
wrong metagame lol

I wrote a Diglett analysis, but this seems to be more indepth, although lacking a couple of things here and there.

Code:
[SET]
name: Revenge Killer of Choice
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Aerial Ace
move 4: Rock Slide / Pursuit
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Band
ability: Arena Trap
nature: Lonely / Hasty
evs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe
ivs:

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Diglett's high base 95 Speed, coupled with Arena Trap, is what makes it one of the premier revenge-killers in Little Cup. Earthquake provides a powerful STAB move which will dent anything that doesn't resist it, regardless of the Choice Band boost. Sucker Punch allows you to pick off weakened foes, and is useful against slower pokemon that try to use priority-moves. Aerial Ace can be included (in which case use an Adamant or Jolly nature) for its ability to hit both Grass and Bug types who resist Ground but Gligar in general is more common and thus Hidden Power Ice is usually better as Gligar is both a potent threat and a "counter" to Diglett. Hidden Power Ice will OHKO Gligar with Stealth Rock damage. In the last slot, Rock Slide will hit Flying-types whereas Pursuit will kill Misdreavus and Gastly that attempt to flee from the threat of Sucker Punch.</p>

<p>The choice of item (no pun intended) is purely up to preference. Diglett is already one of the fastest pokemon in Little Cup and the Choice Band boost allows it to OHKO many more pokemon with Earthquake. Choice Scarf, however, is a better option should you be wary of threats such as Dragon Dance Dratini and Rock Polish Rhyhorn as you can outspeed the aforementioned pokemon even with an Adamant nature with a Choice Scarf equipped.</p>

[SET]
name: Late Game Sweeper
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Aerial Ace
move 4: Rock Slide / Pursuit
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
ability: Arena Trap
nature: Hasty / Jolly
evs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe
ivs:

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Look familiar? The main advantage of using a Life Orb set, is the ability to change attacks and so make Diglett less prone to Flying-types and levitators after using Earthquake. With the coverage provided by these four moves and taking into consideration its high speed, Diglett can actually mount a late-game clean up of an opponent's weakened team, with a Life Orbed Earthquake doing fatal or near fatal damage to anything that doesn't resist it.</p>

<p>Focus Sash can be used to get an extra kill in a scenario where an opponent switches in a pokemon that is immune to Earthquake, thinking that it has a Choice item, and then is KOed by another of Diglett's moves.</p>

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stealth Rock
move 3: Protect
move 4: Sucker Punch
item: Focus Sash
ability: Arena Trap
nature: Jolly
evs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe
ivs:

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Diglett's high speed not only tailors it for revenge killing but for also being an effective lead. With its high Speed, the only ways of stopping Diglett setting up Stealth Rock is by an opposing Voltorb winning the speed tie to Taunt it or a Scarfed Pokemon using a Sleep-inducing attack. This makes Diglett a very reliable choice to combat Focus Sash teams. Moreover, most opposing Focus Sash leads will lose out to Diglett with a combination of Earthquake and Sucker Punch; for example, Meowth is trapped by Arena Trap, Protect annuls Fake Out (and is useful in general for scouting) and Diglett outspeeds and then can KO. Diglett can still revenge kill the likes of Chinchou and Magby with ease.</p>

<p>Hidden Power Ice and Rock Slide are an options over Protect if you don't want to use this Diglett as a lead.</p>

[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p>Diglett's movepool is shallow but of note, Shadow Claw provides a reliable move to hit levitating Ghosts that do not choose to switch out. Diglett's Special Attack is often overlooked but its max Special Attack is only two points lower than that of its Attack. It also does get a STAB special move in Earth Power but Earthquake has higher base power and runs off the higher of his attacking stats. A Choice Specs set could be a viable option with Diglett learning Sludge Bomb and AncientPower to go with Earth Power. Hidden Power could also be used on such a set. </p>

[EVS]
<p>With its frail defences, just max out Diglett's Attack and Speed, which both need 236 EVs to achieve this effect. The remaining 36 EVs can raise Diglett's HP by one stat point.</p>

[OPINION]
<p>Diglett is not a direct threat to teams as such, but one must be wary to construct a team that is not overly vulnerable to Diglett. Even so, common pokemon such as Rhyhorn, Chinchou, Magmemite, Magby, Houndour and Elekid to name a few, are prone to being easily trapped and killed by Diglett and this list expands when Pokemon are weakened. With its high Speed, STAB Earthquake and access to Sucker Punch, Diglett makes a fine revenge-killer.</p>

[COUNTERS]
<p>It is hard to define a Diglett counter, as if a Pokemon is trapped by Arena Trap, you cannot switch in another Pokemon. With that said, Bronzor shakes off anything that Diglett has to throw at it, as does Gligar with both Pokemon being immune to Earthquake. A faster Diglett can come in and OHKO you if you are without Choice Scarf or use an Adamant nature and Trapinch can do a similar thing with Quick Attack if Diglett is weakened. Finally, Diglett is vulnerable to Pursuiters should it have a Choice Item.</p>
Last usage stat I found from a quick look was March but it shows this:

| Diglett | Move | HP-Ice | 73.0 |

| Diglett | Item | Focus Sash | 63.8 |
| Diglett | Item | Choice Scarf | 22.1 |

Hidden Power Ice has pretty much become staple on Diglett due to otherwise Gligar walling it with ease and that you don't want to give it a free turn to set up. Also, Diglett is faster and can check it with said attack. Rock Slide sees little use except for Mantyke so it shouldn't be unslashed on the first set. HP Grass should not be mentioned as it is made redundant by HP Ice.

My analysis is somewhat outdated in that Pursuit isn't that good anymore now that mostly Misdreavus and many Gastly don't actually switch out anymore, choosing to hide behind the ever common sub to avoid sucker Punch. Shadow Claw is better for a reliable revenge killing attack (though most Misdreavus carry Shadow Sneak to bust you though.

The Focus Sash set is pretty common, with some preferring this to the Scarfer as a revenge killer (I have said many times that that is dumb) or as SR lead as it beats a whole lot of stuff with fast EQ, sash and Sucker Punch and can't be stopped setting up SR unless you get a Voltorb speed tie (lol EQ anyway) or run something stupid like a Scarf Taunter. Choice Band is rare and doesn't really turn crucial 2HKOs into an OHKO.

I'm not really sure that Hippopotas and Phanpy deserve the hype they do as "counters" as both take ~50% average from an EQ and are both slower so it's quite risky to switch in if you have hail damage going as Oran Berry wouldn't activate and you'd get 2HKO'd. Though in fairness, nothing can really switch in on a trapped pokemon. You may want to mention Mantyke for the fact it only fears the rare Rock Slide and can switch out freely against it. Gligar walls any Diglett without HP Ice all day 'n' nite. And Pursuiters can screw the Choice set. In a pinch, Snover can take an EQ and threaten with Ice Shard.

Regarding sub-LO, it seems like a decent set though, I could only see Sub/EQ/HP Ice/Sucker Punch being the most viable, with the focus on late game sub-sucker punch combo. Problem is that there isn't much you can set up on with shite defences and Arena Trap being a double-edged sword, meaning you can't force switches to get sub up.

Finally, good job on this!
 

Xia

On porpoise
is a Contributor Alumnus
Revenge Killer:
<p>Diglett is a prevalent and terrorizing force in Little Cup as it can easily trap and dispatch its opponents. Its Arena Trap grants it the ability to prevent a wide range of opponents, with the exception of Flying-types and Levitating Pokemon, from switching out. Add a series of particularly powerful moves to the mix, and Diglett becomes one of the best revenge killers in Little Cup, able to OHKO a variety of walls and sweepers without a second thought.</p>

<p>Earthquake is Diglett's most powerful attack. Even if it seems to lack the Attack stat to do much damage, a STAB Earthquake can actually strip off large amounts of health from anything that is not resistant or immune to it. Earthquake is also Diglett's greatest weapon against the likes of Chinchou and Munchlax, while severely harming offensively-based Pokemon like Elekid, Magby, and Houndour. Rock Slide provides excellent coverage alongside Earthquake, hitting most nasty Flying-types that resist Earthquake for super effective damage. Examples of these include Mantyke and Tailow, although the latter can be dealt with Sucker Punch if it is weakened by its Flame Orb or Toxic Orb recoil damage. Sucker Punch is Diglett's best bet against Ghost-types, particularly Choiced ones like Gastly. Even if Diglett is already quite fast, Sucker Punch's priority can help it out against the opponents that can be faster than its non-Choice variant, such as Choice Scarf Abra or Choice Scarf Staryu. The last moveslot has three interesting options. Although Pursuit can seem odd because of Diglett's Arena Trap ability, it can OHKO Levitating Ghost-types like Gastly and Misdreavus that can otherwise flee from Diglett's wrath. Shadow Claw is an alternative to hit the aforementioned Ghost-types harder. A primary reason to use Shadow Claw is because [you need to insert whatever you were talking about here] can certainly be unreliable at times, especially if you are doing battle with a Pokemon such as Substitute + Calm Mind Mismagius. Although weak, Aerial Ace is Diglett's best attack against Bellsprout and other Grass-types that take little damage from Earthquake and Rock Slide (note that such Grass-types are not too common, so Pursuit or Shadow Claw are often the better options).</p>

<p>Diglett can make use of a number of useful items; the item it is equipped with determines how it is to be used. Its EVs, however, are universal, as they maximize its offensive prowess. With a Choice Band equipped, Diglett can have up to 24 Attack, which is the hardest Attack stat from which it can hit. It will also have a Speed stat of 19, which, by Little Cup standards, is not too bad. With a Choice Scarf equipped, Diglett can have up to 30 Speed with a Jolly nature, which is generally recognized as the apex of Little Cup's speed tiers. Unfortunately, it will have significantly less Attack than its Choice Band counterpart; therefore, when using Choice Scarf Diglett, know what Diglett can and cannot kill before sending it out to play. Life Orb is also an alternative as it gives access to all of Diglett's moves while allowing it to fire off attacks with reasonable power. Diglett can also equip a Focus Sash, although it really becomes wasted if Diglett switches into DPP's new and ever-present entry hazard: Stealth Rock. For this reason, it is recommended that you stick with items that assist Diglett offensively.</p>

<p>Even though it can trap many opponents, it can't OHKO many of them. Diglett has horrible defenses, and opponents should make use of this fact if they manage to get a hit against Diglett. Diglett also encounters problems against extremely bulky walls like Bronzor and Hippopotas, who can survive a number of hits and OHKO Diglett in return. Bronzor is arguably one of Diglett's greatest counters as it takes little to no damage from anything hurled at it. With its Levitate ability, Bronzor is immune to Earthquake, Diglett's most powerful move, while having the ability to freely switch in and out of Arena Trap. Bronzor can then threaten Diglett with a powerful Gyro Ball or even Earthquake. Similarly, Phanpy and Hippopotas can use their bulky defenses to counter Diglett; the first can even use a priority Ice Shard against it. If Diglett predicts incorrectly, Levitating and Flying-type Pokemon are just ready to switch in without a moment's hesitation. Even though Diglett has ways to deal with Calm Mind Misdreavus, it will not like getting locked into Sucker Punch while Misdreavus sets up a Substitute! If Diglett is not Choice Scarfed, there is a large number of Pokemon that are faster than it. Therefore, don't get overconfident against foes like Abra and Cranidos. Even if you believe you have the upper hand, the lack of scouting may often lead to Diglett's uneventful and careless death.</p>

Other Options:
Looked Good

EVs:
<p>Diglett's EVs are incredibly simple to understand. Its listed spread of 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe is used to maximize its overall physical offensive potential by investing EVs into the stats that are worth it. No matter what Choice item or nature you assume, 236 Atk / 236 Spe EVs maximizes Diglett's Attack and Speed to the highest stat values that they can get to. 36 HP is a leftover investment that increases Diglett's HP stat by a value of one.</p>
Team Options:
<p>Since Diglett is generally an offensively-based Pokemon, expect to find it in a team with multiple sweepers and revenge killers. As has been mentioned before, it has problems with Pokemon that can take at least one hit and OHKO it in return: examples of these are Bronzor, Phanpy, and Hippopotas. Magnemite is an impressive revenge killing partner alongside Diglett, as Magnet Rise variants can easily take care of Bronzor without Shed Shell. With powerful elemental moves, Staryu and Psyduck make short work of Phanpy and Hippopotas; they can even chip off Bronzor's health continuously. Another problem that Diglett encounters is the presence of Ghost-types. Many Ghost-types, like Duskull, Gastly, and Misdreavus have the ability Levitate, and all of them have ways of getting around Diglett. Duskull is bulky enough to take a Sucker Punch or Shadow Claw, is immune to Earthquake, and doesn't take much damage from Rock Slide. Gastly and Misdreavus can both set up Substitutes if Diglett is locked into the wrong move. Diglett's defenses are by no means impressive, so all of these opponents can fire off moves like Shadow Ball and Shadow Sneak to dispose of Diglett.</p>
<p>If you seek more defensive support, Water-types can cushion Ice-, Grass-, and Water-type attacks directed at Diglett, while Diglett loves coming on Electric-type attacks that can finish off its Water-type partner. Diglett can usually OHKO Pokemon that launch the previously mentioned Electric-type moves, like Elekid and Chinchou, so this will make its Water-type partner's life much easier. Another thing about Diglett that makes it excellent is its purpose in the late-game. If its team members have access to moves that set up entry hazards, Diglett can simply be sent in to clean up the match.</p>

<p>Residual damage will, sooner or later, take their toll upon anything switching into them and deem Diglett's opponents victims. If opponents' heath have been sufficiently removed, then Diglett can simply use its well-powered moves to pick opponents off one by one.</p>[broke up the wall of text to individual paragraphs for easier reading]

Opinion:
Looked Good

Counters:
Looked Good
 

Seven Deadly Sins

~hallelujah~
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Extremely important to have a Lead set, usually involving the following moveset:

EQ / SR / Sucker Punch or Night Slash / Protect @ Focus Sash.
 
This looks very nice but the first set is very misleading to what actually occurs. First off, I think Revenge Killer should be seperated into two sets, one with Life Orb or Sash, one with Choice, foor they play differently. Its been said that you need to mention HP Ice, but SR also needs mentioning as a move because it can be used to scout for Suckler Punch.
 
Thank you for the comments people! Okay, let's go through them...

Malfunction - Holy crap, I just realized how retarded I am. Lol, thank you very much!

sbc / SDS / TehPiplupMan - Hmm...I think I will postpone the creation of a Sub/LO set. As you guys have stated, I'll be working on a Focus Sash version, with mentions of it both as a lead and as a revenge killer when suitable. Also, I will add HP Ice / HP Grass as other options immediately.

Xia - Hehe, thanks again :>
 

Seven Deadly Sins

~hallelujah~
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
The lead really has to be a DEFINITE part of the analysis, simply because it's one of the most common ones. Optimally it should be its own set as well.

Split it into three sets: Choice, Non-Choice, and Lead.
 
Will something like this be fine then:

Non-Choice @ Focus Sash / Life Orb -
  • Earthquake
  • Sucker Punch
  • Hidden Power Ice / Aerial Ace
  • Rock Slide / Shadow Claw / Pursuit
Lead @ Focus Sash -
  • Earthquake
  • Stealth Rock
  • Sucker Punch
  • Protect / Night Slash / Rock Slide
 

Seven Deadly Sins

~hallelujah~
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Will something like this be fine then:

Non-Choice @ Focus Sash / Life Orb -
  • Earthquake
  • Sucker Punch
  • Hidden Power Ice
  • Rock Slide / Night Slash / Pursuit
Lead @ Focus Sash -
  • Earthquake
  • Stealth Rock
  • Night Slash / Sucker Punch
  • Protect
Fixed the sets. Aerial Ace really sucks, as it only hits Paras (and other rare grass-types) and nothing else, and Rock Slide also hits Paras. Also, Protect is OBLIGATORY on any lead set, because otherwise Fake Out ruins your life. Night Slash is always better than Shadow Claw, and generally on the lead Night Slash is better than Sucker Punch because otherwise, you are completely unable to hit Hypnosis Gastly and the extremely dangerous Substitute Misdreavus.
 

Great Sage

Banned deucer.
Diglett indeed doesn't get Night Slash; it's one of those special level 1 moves that only Dugtrio gets. In the third paragraph of the first set, note that the maximum Speed of 19 assumes Adamant nature.
 

imperfectluck

Banned deucer.
Diglett Analysis said:
Although weak, Aerial Ace is Diglett's best attack against Bellsprout and other Grass-types that take little damage from Earthquake and Rock Slide (note that such Grass-types are not too common, so Pursuit or Shadow Claw are often the better options)
Bellsprout is a Grass/Poison and neutral to Earthquake, so perhaps that isn't the best example to be using.
 

Seven Deadly Sins

~hallelujah~
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Shroomish is literally the only reason to use Aerial Ace, as Paras can be hit by Rock Slide and all other Grass-types are either part Poison or terrible.
 
Um, no SDS, Sucker is very common on lead set, and I only see/use that, you need it to bring some lead Pokemon with priority into KO range.
Non choice Diglett occasionally runs Stealth Rock, and I think it should be listed.
 

Seven Deadly Sins

~hallelujah~
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
SR on anything other than the lead should be OO at best.

Also, given Diglett's speed and the tendency of Misdreavus to destroy teams, not being able to hit it on the lead set is VERY bad. Sucker Punch may be very common, but it is definitely a liability and should be second slash.
 
That lets leads with priority walk all over you, and makes you much more vulnerable to them when Diglett dies.
 

Seven Deadly Sins

~hallelujah~
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Which leads with Priority? Houndour is literally the only priority lead that gets beaten by Sucker Punch. Protect beats Meowth and other Fake Out leads, Snover is beating you regardless due to Hail, and maybe Kabuto which can beat you through prediction either way.
 
I don't think this argument is going anywhere, just say both are good options, Sucker Punch for a stronger, riskier priority move, and Shadow Claw for a safe option
 
HP Ice litteraly *needs* to be on the revenge killer set as the last space is filler and Gligar walking all over you is a very bad thing nowadays
 
~~ grammar edits will be posted in here ~~

so nobody else wastes their time ;P

[SET]
name: Revenge Killer
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Pursuit / Shadow Claw / Aerial Ace
item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf / Life Orb
ability: Arena Trap
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Diglett is a prevalent and terrorizing force in Little Cup. Its Arena Trap grants it the ability to prevent a wide range of opponents, with the exception of Flying-types and Levitating Pokémon, from switching out. Add a series of particularly powerful moves to the mix, and Diglett becomes one of the best revenge killers in Little Cup, able to OHKO a variety of walls and sweepers without a second thought.</p>

<p>Earthquake is Diglett's most powerful attack. Even if it seems to lack the Attack stat to do much damage, a STAB Earthquake can actually strip off large amounts of health from anything that is not resistant or immune to it. Earthquake is also Diglett's greatest weapon against the likes of Chinchou and Munchlax, while severely harming offensively-based Pokémon like Elekid, Magby, and Houndour. Hidden Power Ice may seem odd on Diglett as first glance, but in fact it is Diglett's only way to deal massive damage to Gligar, while also hitting other Grass-types that resist Earthquake for super effective damage. Sucker Punch is Diglett's best bet against Ghost-types, particularly Choiced ones like Gastly. Even if Diglett is already quite fast, Sucker Punch's priority can help it out against the opponents that can be faster than its non-Choice variant, such as Choice Scarf Abra or Choice Scarf Staryu.</p>

<p>
The last moveslot has three interesting options. Although Pursuit can seem odd because of Diglett's Arena Trap ability, it can OHKO Levitating Ghost-types that can otherwise flee from Diglett's wrath, such as Gastly and Misdreavus. Shadow Claw is an alternative to hit the aforementioned Ghost-types harder. A primary reason to use Shadow Claw over Sucker Punch is because Sucker Punch can certainly be unreliable at times, especially if you are doing battle with a Pokémon such as Substitute + Calm Mind Mismagius. Although weak, Aerial Ace is Diglett's best attack against Bellsprout and other Grass-types that take little damage from Earthquake and Rock Slide (note that such Grass-types are not too common, so Pursuit or Shadow Claw are often the better options). Finally, Rock Slide can also be used; it provides excellent coverage alongside Earthquake, hitting most nasty Flying-types that resist Earthquake for super effective damage. Examples of these include Mantyke and Taillow, although the latter can be dealt with Sucker Punch if it is weakened by its Flame Orb or Toxic Orb recoil damage.</p>

<p>Diglett can make use of a number of useful items; the item it is equipped with determines how it is to be used. Its EVs, however, are universal, as they maximize its offensive prowess. With a Choice Band equipped, Diglett can have up to 24 Attack, which is the hardest Attack stat from which it can hit. It will also have a Speed stat of 19, which, by Little Cup standards, is not too bad. With a Choice Scarf equipped, Diglett can have up to 30 Speed with a Jolly nature, which is generally recognized as the apex of Little Cup's speed tiers. Unfortunately, it will have significantly less Attack than its Choice Band counterpart; therefore, when using Choice Scarf Diglett, know what Diglett can and cannot kill before sending it out to play. Life Orb is also an alternative as it gives access to all of Diglett's moves while allowing it to fire off attacks with reasonable power. Diglett can also equip a Focus Sash, although it really becomes wasted if Diglett switches into DPP's new and ever-present entry hazard: Stealth Rock. For this reason, it is recommended that you stick with items that assist Diglett offensively.</p>

<p>Even though it can trap many opponents, it struggles to OHKO many. Diglett has horrible defenses, and opponents should make use of this fact if they manage to get a hit against Diglett. Diglett also encounters problems against extremely bulky walls like Bronzor and Hippopotas, who can survive a number of hits and OHKO Diglett in return. Bronzor is arguably one of Diglett's greatest counters as it takes little to no damage from anything hurled at it. With its Levitate ability, Bronzor is immune to Earthquake, Diglett's most powerful move, while having the ability to freely switch in and out of Arena Trap. Bronzor can then threaten Diglett with a powerful Gyro Ball or even Earthquake. Similarly, Phanpy and Hippopotas can use their bulky defenses to counter Diglett; the first can even use a priority Ice Shard against it. If Diglett predicts incorrectly, Levitating and Flying-type Pokémon are just ready to switch in without a moment's hesitation. Even though Diglett has ways to deal with Calm Mind Misdreavus, it will not like getting locked into Sucker Punch while Misdreavus sets up a Substitute! If Diglett is not Choice Scarfed, there is a large number of Pokémon that are faster than it. Therefore, don't get overconfident against foes like Abra and Cranidos. Even if you believe you have the upper hand, the lack of scouting may often lead to Diglett's uneventful and careless death.</p>

<p>To maximize Diglett's revenge killing potential, do it a favor by eliminating some of its common counters first. Bronzor can be defeated by Magnet Rise Magnemite, although you must beware if Bronzor has a Shed Shell. Bulky Ground-types like Hippowdon and Phanpy can be OHKOed by powerful moves that do super effective damage to them. With moves like Surf and Ice Beam, Staryu can potentially OHKO them easily. Staryu can also help Diglett resist its weaknesses to common attacking types that Ground-types are weak to: Ice-, Grass-, and Water-type moves. Both of them work well together because of their presence on the same type of team: hyper offensive teams. Psyduck works similarly to Staryu as well. To deal with Ghost-types that make predicting for Diglett hard, consider using Pursuit users like Houndour and Cranidos. Houndour can easily switch into a Shadow Ball and do whatever it sees fit (either use Dark Pulse or Pursuit) from there. When running Focus Sash Diglett, remember to keep a Rapid Spinner in your team, as Focus Sash heavily relies on a field clear of entry hazards to function well. In terms of helping Diglett defensively, Water-types work well with it; Chinchou deserves a special mention for being bulky enough to take many Water-, Ice-, or even special Grass-type attacks. Otherwise, Munchlax can help it take hits from the special spectrum, while Bronzor can help it take hits from the physical spectrum.</p>

<p>
Finally, a few entry hazards of your own (Stealth Rock is of utmost importance) ensures that Diglett does its job in the best way it possibly can - chip off opponents' health with Stealth Rock or even Spikes and Toxic Spikes, and let Diglett clean up whatever managed to survive the layers of residual damage.</p>


[Other Options]

<p>Hidden Power Ice or Hidden Power Grass can be used to have an easier time with the likes of Hippopotas and Phanpy. A Substitute + Life Orb Diglett set is also viable; if you do come in on Choiced Electric-type attacks like a Magnemite's Thunderbolt, you are free to KO your opponent and set up a Substitute. Diglett is often lethal, and Substitute allows it to take out many Pokémon it cannot beat in one hit. For a more supportive option, Diglett can also set up Stealth Rock.</p>

[EVs]

<p>Diglett's EVs are incredibly simple to understand. Its listed spread of 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe is used to maximize its overall physical offensive potential by investing EVs into the stats that are worth it. No matter what Choice item or nature you assume, 236 Atk / 236 Spe EVs maximizes Diglett's Attack and Speed to the highest stat values that they can get to. 36 HP is a leftover investment that increases Diglett's HP stat by a value of one.</p>

[Team Options]

<p>Since Diglett is generally an offensively-based Pokémon, expect to find it in a team with multiple sweepers and revenge killers. As has been mentioned before, it has problems with Pokémon that can take at least one hit and OHKO it in return: examples of these are Bronzor, Phanpy, and Hippopotas. Magnemite is an impressive revenge killing partner alongside Diglett, as Magnet Rise variants can easily take care of Bronzor without Shed Shell. With powerful elemental moves, Staryu and Psyduck make short work of Phanpy and Hippopotas; they can even chip off Bronzor's health continuously. Another problem that Diglett encounters is the presence of Ghost-types. Many Ghost-types, like Duskull, Gastly, and Misdreavus have the ability Levitate, and all of them have ways of getting around Diglett. Duskull is bulky enough to take a Sucker Punch or Shadow Claw, is immune to Earthquake, and doesn't take much damage from Rock Slide. Gastly and Misdreavus can both set up Substitutes if Diglett is locked into the wrong move. Diglett's defenses are by no means impressive, so all of these opponents can fire off moves like Shadow Ball and Shadow Sneak to dispose of Diglett.</p>

<p>If you seek more defensive support, Water-types can cushion Ice-, Grass-, and Water-type attacks directed at Diglett, while Diglett loves coming on Electric-type attacks that can finish off its Water-type partner. Diglett can usually OHKO Pokémon that launch the previously mentioned Electric-type moves, like Elekid and Chinchou, so this will make its Water-type partner's life much easier. Another thing about Diglett that makes it excellent is its purpose in the late-game. If its team members have access to moves that set up entry hazards, Diglett can simply be sent in to clean up the match.</p>

<p>Residual damage will, sooner or later, take their toll upon anything switching into them and deem Diglett's opponents victims. If opponents' heath have been sufficiently removed, then Diglett can simply use its well-powered moves to pick opponents off one by one.</p>

[Opinion]

<p>If there is one thing to say about Diglett, it's probably that it follows in its evolution Dugtrio's footsteps. They both have pathetic defenses and an average Attack stat, but what turns them on is Arena Trap. In Little Cup, Diglett is a threat that must certainly be watched out for; it's just that good. With powerful enough moves available to it, and with absolutely amazing Speed, Diglett is definitely one of the best Little Cup Pokémon out there.</p>

[Counters]

<p>Have a bulky Pokémon that can take a hit coming from Diglett and you will do fine. Pokémon like Hippopotas and Phanpy are physically defensive enough to do this and can respond with powerful Earthquakes. Bronzor is one of Diglett's greatest counters, since it has Levitate and takes little damage from any of its other moves. Pokémon that are faster than Diglett spell trouble, because even relatively well-powered attacks can finish it off. Examples of these are Choice Scarf Abra and Choice Scarf Mankey (if Diglett itself is not a Choice Scarf variant). Even an opposing Diglett can finsh it off! The lesson to be learned is that you should always do a little scouting before sending Dugtrio in; at least be sure of your opponent's item! Since most of the Little Cup metagame takes a large amount of damage from Diglett's Earthquake, its counters are rather limited, so make sure that your team is heavily prepared for its assaults.</p>
great work :D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top