[Overview]
<p>At first glance, Diglett may seem to be useless, given its generally low stats; however, somewhere deep within this mole lies true potential. First off, it is one of only three Pokemon in LC that can reach 20 Speed without a Choice Scarf, which is a major factor in being effective in the metagame. It also has enough of a movepool to vary its tactics and opportunities to be a critical member to its team. With Earthquake as a STAB attack along with Rock Slide and Sucker Punch for coverage, many Pokemon will not last very long in battle against it. Diglett was also given an decent Attack stat, which, with its movepool, can handle many Pokemon thrown at it. Thanks to Arena Trap, Diglett can trap a vast proportion of the metagame, and force them to stay in unless they U-turn or Baton Pass out. However, every Pokemon has its flaws, and Diglett is no exception. With horrible defensive stats of 10 / 25 / 45, Diglett is certainly not staying in the battlefield for more than a turn or two. Moreover, being weak to Grass- and Ice-type attacks is bad enough, but having a vulnerability to Water-type attacks while not resisting Fighting-types is just adding insult to injury. However, don't let this discourage you from using Diglett; it is pretty much the perfect revenge killer.</p>
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Sucker Punch
move 4: Memento / Substitute
item: Life Orb
ability: Arena Trap
nature: Jolly
evs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Diglett's main set, and it has everything it needs to put harm in everyone else's way. Earthquake is Diglett's best STAB attack, and, with 100 Base Power, it can destroy many Pokemon that don't resist it; one such Pokemon is Croagunk, who is becoming more and more popular. Rock Slide is great, as it can hit everything that Earthquake doesn't, bar Bronzor, for at least neutral damage, such as Flying-types and any Pokemon with Levitate that isn't Bronzor. The most noteworthy is Larvesta, who takes 4x damage from Rock Slide, making the attack a valuable asset to the mole. Sucker Punch hits Bronzor neutrally, which is decent enough, but the move also can dish out some damage against Misdreavus and Abra. In addition, it can be used against Choice Scarf users, allowing Diglett to attack before its opponent. Memento is a unique move, which could be useful to Diglett in some situations, such as a scenario in which it is low on HP and would not be able to do much else anyway. Substitute can be used instead of Memento, as it can be very useful to protect Diglett from status and revenge killers, and is also decent for checking Murkrow. However, using Substitute along with a Life Orb is risky, as the loss of HP from the two adds up quickly. On the other hand, Life Orb does allow Diglett to inflict more damage than it normally would, which is a fantastic addition to its already decent Attack stat.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set's main goal is to hit everything as hard as possible as fast as possible, so Attack and Speed are maximized with the rest put into HP. Bulldoze is an option that Diglett could use for the Speed-reducing effect, but it is too weak in comparison to Earthquake, and Diglett is already fast enough to outspeed the vast majority of Pokemon in LC. Stealth Rock seems like a great choice, but it is unfortunately incompatible with Memento, and when deciding between the two, there are more Pokemon fit for setting up entry hazards than Diglett.</p>
<p>Bulky Fighting-types such as Mienfoo and Scraggy wall this set and can strike back hard enough to OHKO it, so Croagunk makes for an excellent partner thanks to its typing and movepool. However, Croagunk must be careful of Scraggy, as taking a hit from Zen Headbutt spells game over for it. Thanks to Levitate and its good defensive typing, Bronzor causes another problem for Diglett, as it resists Rock Slide, is immune to Earthquake, and takes almost nothing from Sucker Punch. This makes Larvesta a decent partner, as its powerful STAB Flare Blitz can dish out some major damage against Bronzor. With its high Speed and access to Sucker Punch, Diglett makes for a great revenge killer, and many Pokemon, including Timburr, Chinchou, and Snover, appreciate having it on their side. Certain threats—Shell Smashers in particular—pose a threat to sweepers, so having Diglett on their side will prove useful, thanks to both its naturally high Speed and Memento.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Shadow Claw
move 4: Hidden Power Fire
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Arena Trap
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Diglett hits 20 Speed without any items or boosts, but with a Choice Scarf and a Jolly nature it hits 30 Speed, which which outspeeds every single Pokemon in LC that hasn't boosted its Speed. Thanks to Arena Trap, opponents lacking U-turn will not be able to switch, which makes it even easier for Diglett to revenge kill effectively. Earthquake is Diglett's most powerful STAB attack, while Rock Slide allows Diglett to hit Flying- and Bug-types for super effective damage, the most noteworthy one being Larvesta. Shadow Claw is a nice addition, as it allows Diglett to deal a decent amount of damage to Misdreavus and other Ghost-types. Shadow Claw also hits Psychic-types for super effective damage, particularly the popular Natu. Lastly, Hidden Power Fire hits not only Snover but also Bronzor, and deals more damage than Shadow Claw would.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs on this set are very simple:maximizing both Attack and Speed, while adding the rest to HP. Although a Jolly nature is crucial to hit 30 Speed, an Adamant one can be used instead to boost its Attack more, as the drop in Speed is not very substantial. Once again, Croagunk makes for a great partner, as it can counter Mienfoo and non-Zen Headbutt Scraggy with ease. Fighting-types themselves make for good partners for Diglett, as they can use their STAB attacks to counter Lickitung, who, with good defenses and Wish, can stall Diglett out without much effort. Larvesta is also a good partner, as it can make quick work of Bronzor, who can still manage to stall Diglett for a while even if Diglett has Hidden Power Fire. Revenge killers also work well with Diglett, finishing off anyone that Diglett isn't able to.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Aside from the options provided, Diglett still has a couple of moves that it can use efficiently. For example, Bulldoze may have only 60 Base Power, but its secondary effect can prove critical to Diglett's teammates. Return and Facade seem like obvious choices to a physical attacker such as this mole, but Normal-type attacks do not give it any extra coverage and it is highly unlikely that Pokemon would try to inflict status on a Pokemon as frail as Diglett, as opposed to simply attacking it. Rest may seem like a decent option, but Diglett is often too frail to survive two attacks. Pursuit hits Levitating Ghost- and Psychic-types who try and run from Diglett for good damage; however, because of Arena Trap, Diglett will not be able to use the move to its full potential.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Diglett has no bulk whatsoever, so it doesn't take much effort to KO it. Fighting-types, including both Mienfoo and Scraggy, can get a quick OHKO with Drain Punch, which can then heal the HP they might have lost from Diglett's attacks. Hippopotas resists Rock Slide and has a huge Defense stat, which enables it to wall any of Diglett's attacks. Bronzor also completely walls Diglett, as the strongest attacks Diglett can use against it are Shadow Claw and Hidden Power Fire, neither of which are do enough damage to threaten it. Diglett has no strong Fighting-type attacks, so Lickitung can stall it out with its strong Defense stat and access to Wish; in fact, most Pokemon with some bulk can wall its attacks, unless they happen to be weak to Earthquake. Any Pokemon with decent attacking stats and attacks can KO Diglett with ease. Ferroseed can use Leech Seed against Diglett and then start setting up entry hazards and eventually KO it with Bullet Seed, but Hidden Power Fire makes short work of it.</p>
