[SET]
name: Shell Smash Sweeper
move 1: Spore / Dark Void
move 2: Shell Smash
move 3: Judgment
move 4: Steam Eruption
item: Pixie Plate
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
in-battle alt: Mega
[SET COMMENTS]
Mold Breaker Mega Diancie is an amazing sweeper. It has a great STAB move that helps Imposter-proof it in Pixie Plate Judgment, impressive offensive stats, and fairly good Speed. Spore and Dark Void are excellent options to gain free setup turns against would-be checks, such as specially defensive Wonder Guard Primal Kyogre and Blissey. Spore is usually preferred because it means one teammate, Safety Goggles + Prankster Giratina, is enough to almost perfectly Imposter-proof Mega Diancie. However, Dark Void is also a great option due to bypassing opposing Safety Goggles users. Shell Smash immensely bolsters Mega Diancie's offensive prowess in a single turn. Fairy-type Judgment is an exceptionally valuable STAB move to have; not only is it noticeably stronger than Moonblast, but it also greatly diminishes the pressure that Imposter Chansey imposes on Mega Diancie, letting Giratina and specially defensive Primal Kyogre Imposter-proof it extremely well. This reduced pressure allows it to safely set up with Shell Smash in nearly any matchup. Additionally, Judgment threatens a wide enough portion of the metagame that Mega Diancie can often force progress without relying on Shell Smash boosts. Steam Eruption is an amazing coverage option that OHKOes Primal Groudon, 2HKOes Ho-Oh after a Shell Smash, and hits defensive Steel-types, like Wonder Guard Mega Scizor, Mega Steelix, and to an extent Registeel. Although some Steel-types, like Registeel running Knock Off, can stand up to a boosted Steam Eruption and threaten Mega Diancie's wallbreaking, Mega Diancie can annoy them by burning them over the course of the game. Mold Breaker allows Mega Diancie to ignore Wonder Guard, letting it make maximum use of its great offensive typing. A Modest nature further increases Mega Diancie's power, with it notably OHKOing uninvested Mega Latios after Stealth Rock and offensive Arceus after a Shell Smash. 252 Speed EVs, even without Timid, are enough to outspeed a sizable portion of the metagame.
Mega Diancie fits best on bulky offense and balance teams that can take advantage of its offensive typing and resistance to Imposter Chansey to get and retain momentum. They must also tolerate Mega Diancie's mediocre Speed for a frail Shell Smash sweeper. Mega Diancie fits well into the metagame's most dominant core of Mold Breaker Primal Groudon, Giratina, and Substitute + Baton Pass Wonder Guard Xerneas; it threatens Primal Groudon's most prominent switch-in in Giratina, broadly does well in most matchups Primal Groudon and Giratina struggle in, and is an excellent recipient of Substitutes from Xerneas. In return, Primal Groudon can switch into its defensive checks like Wonder Guard Blissey and provide Stealth Rock support, Giratina can come in on Choice Band Mega Rayquaza and Choice Scarf Primal Groudon, and Xerneas can switch in on -ate Speed users that would otherwise take full advantage of Mega Diancie's need to switch out. As Mega Diancie is quite frail, Substitute support from Baton Pass users like Wonder Guard Xerneas, Mega Swampert, and Magic Bounce Giratina is appreciated, even when Mega Diancie is not used in the aforementioned core. Shadow Tag users, in particular Mega Mewtwo X and Primal Groudon, can remove most checks to Mega Diancie with Fire-type coverage or STAB moves. Mega Mewtwo X also revenge kills Huge Power Mega Gyarados, which can force Mega Diancie out with Water Shuriken—or force a coinflip scenario with Water Shuriken and Pursuit when Mega Diancie is weakened. Pursuit users, in particular Mega Gyarados and Mega Tyranitar, work well with Mega Diancie, as they can heavily damage Pokemon that can remove it before Shell Smash, in particular Shadow Tag Slaking and Regigigas. Finally, slow defensive Wonder Guard users, such as Primal Kyogre, Slaking, Mega Audino, Blissey, and Escavalier, can provide Defog and Aromatherapy support while also acting as slow pivots, helping to get Mega Diancie on the field.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
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 Mewtwo X when the surprise is revealed.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Shadow Tag Users**: Offensive Shadow Tag users, such as Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Mewtwo Y, and Choice Scarf Primal Groudon, can outspeed and OHKO Mega Diancie. Likewise, Shadow Tag revenge killers, in particular Slaking and Regigigas, can OHKO it with the common Bullet Punch. This necessitates Mega Diancie having teammates with Substitute + Baton Pass to make any 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 Mega Diancie.
**Revenge Killers**: Due to it being relatively frail, priority revenge killers almost always force boosted Mega Diancie 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 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.
**Defensive Steel-types**: Defensive Steel-types, like Registeel and to an extent Mega Scizor and Escavalier, can switch into most Mold Breaker Mega Diancie move configurations 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 taking advantage of them.
**Wonder Guard Blissey and Chansey**: Extremely specially defensive Wonder Guard users in Blissey and Chansey are reliable switch-ins to most 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 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: [[Mbouchon, 515077]]
- Quality checked by: [[BahamutLagoon, 506113], [Ransei, 235009]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
name: Shell Smash Sweeper
move 1: Spore / Dark Void
move 2: Shell Smash
move 3: Judgment
move 4: Steam Eruption
item: Pixie Plate
ability: Mold Breaker
nature: Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
in-battle alt: Mega
[SET COMMENTS]
Mold Breaker Mega Diancie is an amazing sweeper. It has a great STAB move that helps Imposter-proof it in Pixie Plate Judgment, impressive offensive stats, and fairly good Speed. Spore and Dark Void are excellent options to gain free setup turns against would-be checks, such as specially defensive Wonder Guard Primal Kyogre and Blissey. Spore is usually preferred because it means one teammate, Safety Goggles + Prankster Giratina, is enough to almost perfectly Imposter-proof Mega Diancie. However, Dark Void is also a great option due to bypassing opposing Safety Goggles users. Shell Smash immensely bolsters Mega Diancie's offensive prowess in a single turn. Fairy-type Judgment is an exceptionally valuable STAB move to have; not only is it noticeably stronger than Moonblast, but it also greatly diminishes the pressure that Imposter Chansey imposes on Mega Diancie, letting Giratina and specially defensive Primal Kyogre Imposter-proof it extremely well. This reduced pressure allows it to safely set up with Shell Smash in nearly any matchup. Additionally, Judgment threatens a wide enough portion of the metagame that Mega Diancie can often force progress without relying on Shell Smash boosts. Steam Eruption is an amazing coverage option that OHKOes Primal Groudon, 2HKOes Ho-Oh after a Shell Smash, and hits defensive Steel-types, like Wonder Guard Mega Scizor, Mega Steelix, and to an extent Registeel. Although some Steel-types, like Registeel running Knock Off, can stand up to a boosted Steam Eruption and threaten Mega Diancie's wallbreaking, Mega Diancie can annoy them by burning them over the course of the game. Mold Breaker allows Mega Diancie to ignore Wonder Guard, letting it make maximum use of its great offensive typing. A Modest nature further increases Mega Diancie's power, with it notably OHKOing uninvested Mega Latios after Stealth Rock and offensive Arceus after a Shell Smash. 252 Speed EVs, even without Timid, are enough to outspeed a sizable portion of the metagame.
Mega Diancie fits best on bulky offense and balance teams that can take advantage of its offensive typing and resistance to Imposter Chansey to get and retain momentum. They must also tolerate Mega Diancie's mediocre Speed for a frail Shell Smash sweeper. Mega Diancie fits well into the metagame's most dominant core of Mold Breaker Primal Groudon, Giratina, and Substitute + Baton Pass Wonder Guard Xerneas; it threatens Primal Groudon's most prominent switch-in in Giratina, broadly does well in most matchups Primal Groudon and Giratina struggle in, and is an excellent recipient of Substitutes from Xerneas. In return, Primal Groudon can switch into its defensive checks like Wonder Guard Blissey and provide Stealth Rock support, Giratina can come in on Choice Band Mega Rayquaza and Choice Scarf Primal Groudon, and Xerneas can switch in on -ate Speed users that would otherwise take full advantage of Mega Diancie's need to switch out. As Mega Diancie is quite frail, Substitute support from Baton Pass users like Wonder Guard Xerneas, Mega Swampert, and Magic Bounce Giratina is appreciated, even when Mega Diancie is not used in the aforementioned core. Shadow Tag users, in particular Mega Mewtwo X and Primal Groudon, can remove most checks to Mega Diancie with Fire-type coverage or STAB moves. Mega Mewtwo X also revenge kills Huge Power Mega Gyarados, which can force Mega Diancie out with Water Shuriken—or force a coinflip scenario with Water Shuriken and Pursuit when Mega Diancie is weakened. Pursuit users, in particular Mega Gyarados and Mega Tyranitar, work well with Mega Diancie, as they can heavily damage Pokemon that can remove it before Shell Smash, in particular Shadow Tag Slaking and Regigigas. Finally, slow defensive Wonder Guard users, such as Primal Kyogre, Slaking, Mega Audino, Blissey, and Escavalier, can provide Defog and Aromatherapy support while also acting as slow pivots, helping to get Mega Diancie on the field.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
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 Mewtwo X when the surprise is revealed.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Shadow Tag Users**: Offensive Shadow Tag users, such as Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Mewtwo Y, and Choice Scarf Primal Groudon, can outspeed and OHKO Mega Diancie. Likewise, Shadow Tag revenge killers, in particular Slaking and Regigigas, can OHKO it with the common Bullet Punch. This necessitates Mega Diancie having teammates with Substitute + Baton Pass to make any 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 Mega Diancie.
**Revenge Killers**: Due to it being relatively frail, priority revenge killers almost always force boosted Mega Diancie 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 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.
**Defensive Steel-types**: Defensive Steel-types, like Registeel and to an extent Mega Scizor and Escavalier, can switch into most Mold Breaker Mega Diancie move configurations 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 taking advantage of them.
**Wonder Guard Blissey and Chansey**: Extremely specially defensive Wonder Guard users in Blissey and Chansey are reliable switch-ins to most 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 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: [[Mbouchon, 515077]]
- Quality checked by: [[BahamutLagoon, 506113], [Ransei, 235009]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
Last edited:
