And did the twin flame bruise paint you blue?
[SET]
name: Pixilate Revenge Killer
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Extreme Speed
move 3: Boomburst / Sacred Fire
move 4: Stealth Rock / Gastro Acid
item: Lum Berry / Pixie Plate
ability: Pixilate
nature: Brave / Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
High offensive stats and excellent offensive typing make Pixilate Mega Diancie a powerful revenge killer. Boosted by Pixilate, Fake Out and Extreme Speed allow Mega Diancie to revenge kill most No Guard users and Mold Breaker sweepers lacking King's Shield, Primal Groudon being the one notable exception. Boomburst is an incredibly powerful STAB move thanks to Pixilate that notably OHKOes Giratina. Alternatively, Sacred Fire can be used to hit Steel-type Magic Bounce users hard and to OHKO Bug / Steel type Wonder Guard users like Mega Scizor and Escavalier. Stealth Rock takes advantage of Pixilate Mega Diancie's ability to force out most No Guard, Mold Breaker, and Magic Bounce users. Alternatively, Gastro Acid takes advantage of Mega Diancie's ability to force Wonder Guard users in. Lum Berry is an exceptionally item useful for Mega Diancie, allowing it to switch into Spore, Glare, and Will-O-Wisp from Mold Breaker foes and Prankster Giratina. Pixie Plate is an alternative that augments Mega Diancie's overall damage output; notably, it allows Mega Diancie to KO unboosted Mega Gengar with Fake Out and Extreme Speed after Stealth Rock. As Mega Diancie relies on Fake Out and Extreme Speed against the majority of foes, Speed investment is unnecessary. A Brave nature and 4 Special Attack EVs allow Mega Diancie to OHKO standard Giratina with Boomburst. On sets without Boomburst, an Adamant nature and an EV spread of 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Def should be used.
Due to its inability to consistently revenge kill Primal Groudon, Pixilate Mega Diancie fits best on offensive teams that have room for multiple revenge killers. In particular, Choice Scarf Imposter Chansey, Choice Scarf Shadow Tag users, and Choice Scarf No Guard users make excellent teammates thanks to their ability to revenge kill nearly all variants of Primal Groudon and most King's Shield Mold Breaker sweepers. Prankster Giratina also makes an excellent teammate due to its ability to switch into and check Primal Groudon. Additionally, Mega Diancie appreciates Prankster Giratina's ability to force out most defensive Wonder Guard users—Mega Diancie's most common switch-ins—with Encore and Curse. Offensive Shadow Tag users like Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y also make excellent teammates for their ability to trap and KO Wonder Guard users that frequently forgo Shed Shell, such as the ever popular Substitute + Baton Pass Xerneas, another common switch-in to Pixilate Mega Diancie. Powerful Mold Breaker teammates like Choice Band Primal Groudon, although invaluable on nearly every team structure, are especially valuable teammates to Pixilate Mega Diancie for their ability break through the Wonder Guard users that switch into Mega Diancie. Finally, Mega Diancie appreciates the Defog, Aromatherapy, Wish, and Imposter-proofing support that support Wonder Guard teammates like Cresselia and Primal Kyogre can provide.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Pixilate Mega Diancie can make use of 96 Speed EVs alongside a Naughty nature and either Surf or Steam Eruption to outpace and OHKO maximum speed Adamant Primal Groudon in a 1v1 scenario. Alternatively, Mega Diancie can use an EV Spread of 64 HP / 252 Atk / 96 SpA / 96 Spe with a Naughty nature to do the same with Scald. Further, 204 Speed EVs can be to outpace Jolly Primal Groudon. Water Shuriken is an option that allows Mega Diancie to revenge kill heavily chipped Primal Groudon in a pinch. However, it’s inconsistent if Primal Groudon is healthy, as Mega Diancie needs all five hits of Water Shuriken to connect in order to KO, even after Fake Out. Mega Diancie can make use of Pursuit to catch frail sweepers like Mega Gengar and Mega Mewtwo Y switching out. Parting Shot is an option to maintain momentum, as Diancie forces switches against many non-Wonder Guard foes. V-Create is an alternative to Sacred Fire that OHKOes standard Registeel after Stealth Rock and 2HKOes standard Mega Steelix. However, the utility and flexibility of Sacred Fire is usually superior, as such foes are both rare and are hit hard by Sacred Fire anyway. Coverage moves to hit specific Wonder Guard users, such as Gunk Shot, Bolt Strike, Thousand Arrows, and Close Combat are options over Boomburst or Sacred Fire, though they’re quite situational and matchup dependent. Of those options, Close Combat, Precipice Blades, and Thousand Arrows are the most worth considering for their ability to heavily damage Magic Bounce Steel-types. Sticky Web, Toxic Spikes, and Spikes are all usable alternatives to Stealth Rock should a teammate already have it or if the specific utility of any of the aforementioned entry hazards is desired. Spore is an option in the last moveslot, as Mega Diancie forces out most common Magic Bounce users and Safety Goggles Wonder Guard users are relatively rare. Life Orb is an alternate item that improves Mega Diancie's matchup against bulky Pokemon neutral to Fairy-type attacks, such as Perish Song Lugia, though it does cut into Mega Diancie’s longevity and ability to enter the battlefield repeatedly in longer games. Finally, Diancite, Shed Shell, and Safety Goggles are alternate items that can improve Mega Diancie's matchup against Trick, Shadow Tag, and Spore users, respectively. However, their applications are all far more narrow than Lum Berry or Pixie Plate.
On Mold Breaker Diancie, Searing Shot is an option over Spore or Dark Void to break past would-be checks, such as Registeel and the rare Mega Venusaur and Ferrothorn—alternatively, Blue Flare can OHKO Registeel after a Shell Smash, but Searing Shot is usually better due to its accuracy and most of Mega Diancie's checks getting worn down often by entry hazards. Further, lacking a sleep move leaves Mega Diancie vulnerable against offensive teams. Either Fire-type move can also be run over Steam Eruption, but this leaves Mega Diancie vulnerable against healthy Primal Groudon running Lum Berry. Diamond Storm KOes Ho-Oh and threatens Wonder Guard Blissey, but like Fire-type coverage, it is hard to fit. Earth Power and Precipice Blades are usable over Steam Eruption, with the former threatening Registeel and Mega Steelix and the latter better threatening Registeel and Blissey; however, usually neither is worth it, as they leave Mega Diancie walled by Ho-Oh and forced out by unscouted Mega Scizor. King's Shield is another option for the first moveslot, as it provides protection against many Pokemon: -ate Speed users such as Kyurem-B, Pixilate Mega Diancie, and Mega Abomasnow, Huge Power Slaking and Regigigas not running Water Shuriken, and to an extent Shadow Tag Slaking and Regigigas. However, lacking a sleep move leaves Mega Diancie forced out by healthy Primal Kyogre and Wonder Guard Blissey with Knock Off, and King's Shield does not help if Mega Diancie is already weakened. Moonblast can work over Judgment, as it is still a fairly powerful STAB move and allows Mega Diancie to run useful items like Lum Berry, Focus Sash, and Leftovers, but the loss in power and vulnerability to opposing Imposter users is usually too much to justify running it. Finally, a Timid nature can be run to outspeed Adamant or Modest Mega Rayquaza, Modest Mega Latios, opposing Mold Breaker Mega Diancie, and Modest Arceus, but the loss in power—and the inherent risks in staying in on most of these threats—means Timid is often not worth it.
Besides Pixilate and Shell Smash Mold Breaker sets, Mega Diancie can opt for two niche options in Choice Specs + Mold Breaker and Huge Power. The former takes advantage of Mega Diancie's ability to pose an immediate threat, forcing switches, and often sacks, with Choice Specs-boosted Moonblast, Steam Eruption, Fire-type coverage (or Trick), and Volt Switch. Huge Power Mega Diancie largely relies on the surprise disguising itself as Pixilate Mega Diancie until it hopefully KOes an opposing Wonder Guard user. While these are usable options, Choice Specs Mega Diancie is often too slow to make progress against more offensive teams and can be a pain to Imposter-proof, and Huge Power Mega Diancie is virtually completely inferior to Mega Mewtwowhen the surprise is revealed.
On Mega Diancie spam teams—that is, teams with three or more Mega Diancie—fringe sets such as Choice Scarf + Huge Power, Prankster, Shell Smash + Wonder Guard, Parental Bond, No Guard, and Magic Bounce have significantly increased viability.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Primal Groudon**: Primal Groudon almost directly counters the majority of Pixilate Mega Diancie sets. However, variants with Water-type coverage can defeat unboosted and non-Choice Scarf Primal Groudon sets in a 1v1 scenario.
**Wonder Guard Users**: Pixilate Mega Diancie is forced out by vast majority of Wonder Guard users. However, Gastro Acid variants of Mega Diancie can overcome this to some extent.
**King's Shield Sweepers**: Pixilate Mega Diancie ordinarily forces out most Mold Breaker sweepers; however, those carrying King's Shield can force Mega Diancie to play mind games, forcing it out if it guesses wrong.
**Offensive Shadow Tag Users**: Some offensive Shadow Tag users, namely Primal Groudon, are bulky enough to survive Pixilate Mega Diancie's Fake Out and Extreme Speed and can OHKO back with a super-effective Ground-, Steel-, or Water-type move. Additionally, Shadow Tag revenge killers like Regigigas and Slaking can trap and KO both Pixilate and Mold Breaker Mega Diancie with Fake Out and Bullet Punch if they’re healthy enough to survive an Extreme Speed. For Mold Breaker Diancie, this necessitates Mega Diancie teammates with Substitute + Baton Pass to make progress, especially when the Shadow Tag Slaking or Regigigas user runs pivoting support. However, offensive Shadow Tag users without priority usually can't threaten a boosted Mold Breaker Mega Diancie.
**Defensive Steel-types**: Magic Bounce Steel-types such as Registeel and Mega Steelix can prevent Pixilate Mega Diancie lacking Fire coverage from making much, if any, progress. Additionally, defensive Steel-types like Registeel, Mega Scizor, and Escavalier can switch into most Mold Breaker Mega Diancie sets and, if they have one, force it out with a Steel-type STAB option. However, such checks are vulnerable, either to getting worn down over the course of a game or to Mega Diancie's teammates.
**Revenge Killers**: Due to Mold Breaker Mega Diancie being relatively frail, priority revenge killers almost always force it out. In particular, Huge Power Mega Gyarados outright OHKOes it with Water Shuriken, and Mega Diancie switching out can let Pursuit KO if it is heavily damaged. -Ate Speed users such as Mega Abomasnow, Pixilate Mega Diancie, Kyurem-B, and Mega Rayquaza can also threaten Mega Diancie, being able to set entry hazards or otherwise support their team when Mega Diancie is forced to switch. However, most revenge killers require pivoting support to not risk Mega Diancie OHKOing them.
**Item Removal**: Although Mold Breaker Mega Diancie boasts a resistance to Knock Off, losing Pixie Plate means it fails to seriously threaten most teams. However, Trick or Knock Off users that Mega Diancie does not threaten when boosted are relatively rare.
**Wonder Guard Blissey and Chansey**: Extremely specially defensive Wonder Guard users in Blissey and Chansey are reliable switch-ins to most Mold Breaker Mega Diancie sets, as Judgment does not 2HKO them after Shell Smash. However, they are prone to getting worn down by entry hazards, and taking Spore or Dark Void can let Mega Diancie set up enough to power through them.
**Specially Defensive Toxic Orb Users**: Specially defensive Pokemon running Toxic Orb, in particular Poison Heal Primal Kyogre, are major obstacles to most Mold Breaker Mega Diancie sets when healthy and poisoned, as Spore and Dark Void don't affect them. Poison Heal Primal Kyogre can threaten Mega Diancie with Scald and can switch into it with relative ease when healthy. Another Toxic Orb user, Ho-Oh, can threaten Mega Diancie with niche options in Wood Hammer and Thousand Arrows; the former OHKOes with after Shell Smash, while the latter OHKOes boosted Mega Diancie after Stealth Rock. However, it can't do much back to Mega Diancie if lacking either niche move. While fairly reliable against Mega Diancie one-on-one, most Toxic Orb switch-ins are vulnerable to being removed by a Shadow Tag user, meaning if Mega Diancie has Shadow Tag support, they are not reliable switch-ins.
**Plate + Imposter Users**: While relatively rare, opposing Imposter users using a Plate item, in particular Pixie Plate, Iron Plate, or Spooky Plate, can annoy most Mold Breaker Mega Diancie, especially as Plate items are generally unexpected items on Imposter users. However, these Imposter users must win a Speed tie against Mega Diancie, as well as other Mold Breaker sweepers they hope to check, so they are generally suboptimal picks overall.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Daylight, 562267]]
- Quality checked by: [[Mbouchon, 515077], [berry, 226455]]
- Grammar checked by: [[UT, 523866]]
Last edited:
