SM OU Need some advice on my "Diggersby Tho?" team

[Beyond Raw]

The Team

Team Description​

So... I wanted to build a team around Diggersby, because Diggersby takes lives without showing any mercy. This is only the second team I've posted on here and I don't have a lot of experience with building teams for the current meta. If you would, please take a look at this team, and feel free to give me some advice on how to make the team better. Diggersby needs your help!

Manectric-Mega
Ability before mega-evolution: Lightning Rod
Item: Manectite
Nature: Timid
EV spread: 252 SpA, 252 Spe, 4 SpD
Moves: Thunderbolt, Volt Switch, Hidden Power Ice, Flamethrower
​

Mega-Manectric is the mega Pokemon of choice for this team, as I believe that Mega-Manectric is really underestimated in the OU tier. With 405 speed, Mega-Manectric out speeds choice specs Ash-Greninja, and can take care of other annoying Pokemon like: non-scarfed Kartana, Tornadus-T, Mega-Charizard-Y, etc. Flamethrower was chosen over overheat, because I'm not a huge fan of moves that lower your Pokemon's stats after each use. Hidden power ice is nice for ground-type Pokemon that try to switch into a predicted thunderbolt. Volt switch is nice to get some initiative in the game, and allows you to sometimes switch into the monster, Diggersby.

Diggersby
Ability: Huge Power
Item: Choice Band
Nature: Adamant
EV spread: 252 Atk, 252 Spe, 4 SpD
Moves: Earthquake, Frustration, Quick Attack, Fire Punch
​

Here is the Pokemon that the team is meant to be built around: Diggersby, the taker of lives, the taker of souls, the taker of hearts, the taker of points, etc. Diggersby will beat the ever-living crap out of Pokemon with just its ears. Who does that? Diggersby isn't the fastest Pokemon, so I opted for the adamant nature, for even more power. Frustration is used over return, so Ditto users can't use you Diggersby against you to full-extent. Slower, bulky Pokemon usually don't appreciate taking a hit from either of Diggersby's stab attacks: earthquake and frustration. Again, since Diggersby isn't the fastest Pokemon, quick attack is useful for taking out frail, injured Pokemon that are too fast for Diggersby to handle otherwise. Fire punch is useful for Tangrowth and steel-type Pokemon that aren't named Heatran. For some reason, in just the little testing I did with this team, people love to leave their Ferrothorns in on Diggersby, and they get destroyed by a flaming fist to the face.

Landorus-T
Ability: Intimidate
Item: Choice Scarf
Nature: Jolly
EV spread: 244 Atk, 68 Def, 196 Spe
Moves: Earthquake, U-turn, Stone Edge, Explosion
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Landorus-T is the designated choice scarf-user for the team and uses the standard Smogon spread. Choice scarf Lando is useful for taking out Ash-Greninja, Mega-Alakazam, and occasional Hoopa-Unbounds on the ladder with U-turn. U-turn is also nice to bring in yours truly, Diggersby. Stone Edge is useful for taking out both Mega-Charizards and Volcarona. Explosion replaced defog, as I think its useful to have the option to go "Boom" when needed. Not much else to say about this standard, common, and annoying Pokemon.

Ferrothorn
Ability: Iron Barbs
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Impish
EV spread: 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 Atk
Moves: Stealth Rock, Leech Seed, Power Whip, Protect
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Ferrothorn is one this team so it doesn't get completely destroyed by rain. Ferrothorn is also the team's designated stealth rock-user and annoying leech seed spammer. I chose a physically-defensive set because busted fighting-types, like Mega-Medicham and Mega-Lopunny would be a huge problem for this team otherwise. Protect is useful against these busted fighting-Pokemon for when they click high-jump kick. If you can land a leech seed on these fighting-type Pokemon upon switch-in, you can wear them down with protect shenanigans.

Gastrodon
Ability: Storm Drain
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Sassy
EV spread: 248 HP, 252 SpD, 8 Def
Moves: Scald, Recover, Earthquake, Toxic
​

Gastrodon is another Pokemon that I believe is slept on in the OU tier, and is actually the MVP of the team, besides Diggersby, at least with my testing. Gastrodon is a great check to Ash-Greninja, Heatran, Kyurem-Black, Blacephalon, etc. Scald is a great move to spam on physical-attackers that can't break through Gastrodon's defenses. Earthquake hits most Pokemon harder than earth power, because people who don't know what Gastrodon does expect it to be primarily a special-attacker. Toxic and recover are good moves to wear down bulky Pokemon that also can't break through Gastrodon's defenses.

Tapu Fini
Ability: Misty Surge
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Timid
EV spread: 248 HP, 196 Spe, 64 Def
Moves: Taunt, Defog, Scald, Moonblast
​

Tapu Fini is a Pokemon that I kinda just threw on the team randomly, but it has been working out pretty well. I stole this set from CTC and it does a nice job towards confusing people who don't expect a Tapu Fini to be a "Jack of all Trades." Taunt is great from preventing hazards on your side of field and preventing Pokemon from setting up. Tapu Fini's decent speed, paired with defog is nice for getting hazards off the field, if need be. Having two stabs moves in scald and moonblast is nice because most people don't expect it. Scald is good for crippling physical-attackers that can't handle Tapu Fini and moonblast is good for dealing with dragon and fighting-type Pokemon.

Threat List... So far

Mega-Charizard Y
Choice scarf Kartana
Mega-Lopunny
Mega-Medicham
Mega-Latios
Mega-Latias
Clefable

Pastebin

https://pastebin.com/68TgNt9Y

Team Shortcomings and Conclusion
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I know this team doesn't have a z-move user because I forgot to put one on it. This team and RMT were built and written kinda fast, so I also know that they aren't the greatest. I was mainly hoping this RMT would give me some hopefully quick feedback on this "Diggersby Tho?" team I whipped up. Feel free to use the team and improve upon it as you see fit. Also feel free to leave comments below with your suggestions on how to fix the team. This team is really fun to use and includes some Pokemon that aren't commonly seen on the OU ladder. If you think this team is the worst, also feel free to let me know in the comments below. All comments and feedback are welcome!

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[bigtalk]

I think you should remove Gastro, it doesn't do anything for your team that Fini/Ferro don't already do. Make Ferro max spdef so it can take specs lele psychic/koko's tbolts better. Add a helmet torn with Hurri / Knock / U-turn / Taunt to deal with Kart which clicks LB/SS thru your team atm. Here is the new version https://pokepast.es/a651874d4a38b8e0

 

[IanGible]

lightning rod man seems to be counter intuitive when you have gastro, land-t and diggersby. Maybe run a salamance and see how that goes

 

[Sickist]

Hi! Cool team, Diggersby is something I've never particularly used. That being said, I put like 3 hours into this team, so I hope you enjoy it! Anyways, let's get into the rate!

Major Changes

-->

Manectric is kinda subpar, and doesn't really offer much. Magnezone offers so much more here, as it can still annoy waters and volt switch around, but it can trap Celesteela and Skarmory, which basically hard wall Diggersby. Magnezone can also trap a choice-locked Kartana, which is always helpful for Diggersby, considering it's abysmal speed tier.

-->

At this point, Landorus' set had already changed, so a revenge killer was required. Kartana seemed nice, as it appreciated Magnezone removing Steels, allowing it to spam leaf blade more often. It also could muscle past grounds that Magnezone doesn't appreciate, such as Hippowdon, Landorus-T, Quagsire, etc.

-->

Gastrodon didn't really offer much, especially with Landorus and Tapu Fini doing what Gastro would do anyways. The team was also annoyed by Alakazam and Tapu Lele, as well as Kartana. Celesteela helps fixes the Psyspam matchup (thought Knock Off Zam is still annoying), as well as tremendously helping with Kartana (though SD Fightinium is kinda difficult to switch into.) Celesteela+Tapu Fini is also a solid defensive backbone for the team.

Minor Changes

:

-->

With Magnezone trapping problematic Celesteela and Skarmory, Landorus is free to run the devastating Z Fly, allowing it to break fat grasses like Tapu Bulu or Tangrowth that would try to capitalize on Diggersby going for Earthquake. Z Fly also runs through opposing Landorus, Most levitate users (bar Rotom Wash, which gets clobbered by banded frustration anyways), and said grass types. This also freed up Ferrothorn's slot for the eventual Scarf Kartana.

: EV Spread change

The new spread (found in the importable) allows Tapu Fini to handle special attackers such as Heatran and Ash Greninja better, while still retaining physical bulk, and also being able to 2HKO offensive Heatran with Scald.

Importable



Hope you enjoy the changes, and good luck on ladder!

 

[bigtalk]

Hi! Cool team, Diggersby is something I've never particularly used. That being said, I put like 3 hours into this team, so I hope you enjoy it! Anyways, let's get into the rate!

Major Changes

-->

Manectric is kinda subpar, and doesn't really offer much. Magnezone offers so much more here, as it can still annoy waters and volt switch around, but it can trap Celesteela and Skarmory, which basically hard wall Diggersby. Magnezone can also trap a choice-locked Kartana, which is always helpful for Diggersby, considering it's abysmal speed tier.

-->

At this point, Landorus' set had already changed, so a revenge killer was required. Kartana seemed nice, as it appreciated Magnezone removing Steels, allowing it to spam leaf blade more often. It also could muscle past grounds that Magnezone doesn't appreciate, such as Hippowdon, Landorus-T, Quagsire, etc.

-->

Gastrodon didn't really offer much, especially with Landorus and Tapu Fini doing what Gastro would do anyways. The team was also annoyed by Alakazam and Tapu Lele, as well as Kartana. Celesteela helps fixes the Psyspam matchup (thought Knock Off Zam is still annoying), as well as tremendously helping with Kartana (though SD Fightinium is kinda difficult to switch into.) Celesteela+Tapu Fini is also a solid defensive backbone for the team.

Minor Changes

:

-->

With Magnezone trapping problematic Celesteela and Skarmory, Landorus is free to run the devastating Z Fly, allowing it to break fat grasses like Tapu Bulu or Tangrowth that would try to capitalize on Diggersby going for Earthquake. Z Fly also runs through opposing Landorus, Most levitate users (bar Rotom Wash, which gets clobbered by banded frustration anyways), and said grass types. This also freed up Ferrothorn's slot for the eventual Scarf Kartana.

: EV Spread change

The new spread (found in the importable) allows Tapu Fini to handle special attackers such as Heatran and Ash Greninja better, while still retaining physical bulk, and also being able to 2HKO offensive Heatran with Scald.

Importable



Hope you enjoy the changes, and good luck on ladder!

I like the improvements you made to his team, it looks like a much more solid and focused BO. I have a couple of comments about your version though:

• With Mega Manectric gone and Landorus no longer packing Stone Edge, Zapdos looks to be problematic. It beats every member of the team bar Diggersby, which it can hax with Static. So I would recommend keeping Stone Edge on Landorus and running Rockium Z instead, it will still deal decent damage to Grass-types (not named Helmet Tang) after an SD boost, while also hitting Rotom-W and Zapdos, which are other mons that may try to pivot into Diggersby.
• Since it is being run with Magnezone support, Diggersby is free to run Spikes over FP to take advantage of forced switches.
• I don't think the team has a solid enough defensive backbone to run Specs Magnezone because it is too slow. For example, suppose Mega Medicham comes in on you after you kill off their Skarmory, who do you switch to. Lando will die to HJK into Ice Punch, you may need to preserve Fini's health for some other threat like Ash-Greninja/etc, so you will likely have to dance around it or pick a sack to get Kartana in safely. Similarly, as you mentioned, SD+Fight Z Kart is extremely threatening and slaughters everything with some prior chip on Lando/Celesteela; the only way of revenge killing it in that scenario would be with our own Kart, but SS will not kill it from full. Running Scarf instead of Specs on Magnezone will let you reliably trap non-Scarf Kart, and it will also let you outspeed threats like Medicham so you don't need to worry as much about switching into them.
• (OPTIONAL) Since the team w/ our edits lacks a mega, you can maybe consider a Pinsir over Diggersby. It also has great coverage w/ Ground+Flying, and murks grass types harder w/ its Frustration enabling you to break past stuff like Venusaur/Helmet Tang way easier. Totally up to you though, keep using the banded bunny if you prefer

Here is the version of the team with the changes I suggested: https://pokepast.es/61b851824eb4585c with Pinsir: https://pokepast.es/8dff28c6238a9f4c

 

[Beyond Raw]

Hi! Cool team, Diggersby is something I've never particularly used. That being said, I put like 3 hours into this team, so I hope you enjoy it! Anyways, let's get into the rate!

Major Changes

-->

Manectric is kinda subpar, and doesn't really offer much. Magnezone offers so much more here, as it can still annoy waters and volt switch around, but it can trap Celesteela and Skarmory, which basically hard wall Diggersby. Magnezone can also trap a choice-locked Kartana, which is always helpful for Diggersby, considering it's abysmal speed tier.

-->

At this point, Landorus' set had already changed, so a revenge killer was required. Kartana seemed nice, as it appreciated Magnezone removing Steels, allowing it to spam leaf blade more often. It also could muscle past grounds that Magnezone doesn't appreciate, such as Hippowdon, Landorus-T, Quagsire, etc.

-->

Gastrodon didn't really offer much, especially with Landorus and Tapu Fini doing what Gastro would do anyways. The team was also annoyed by Alakazam and Tapu Lele, as well as Kartana. Celesteela helps fixes the Psyspam matchup (thought Knock Off Zam is still annoying), as well as tremendously helping with Kartana (though SD Fightinium is kinda difficult to switch into.) Celesteela+Tapu Fini is also a solid defensive backbone for the team.

Minor Changes

:

-->

With Magnezone trapping problematic Celesteela and Skarmory, Landorus is free to run the devastating Z Fly, allowing it to break fat grasses like Tapu Bulu or Tangrowth that would try to capitalize on Diggersby going for Earthquake. Z Fly also runs through opposing Landorus, Most levitate users (bar Rotom Wash, which gets clobbered by banded frustration anyways), and said grass types. This also freed up Ferrothorn's slot for the eventual Scarf Kartana.

: EV Spread change

The new spread (found in the importable) allows Tapu Fini to handle special attackers such as Heatran and Ash Greninja better, while still retaining physical bulk, and also being able to 2HKO offensive Heatran with Scald.

Importable



Hope you enjoy the changes, and good luck on ladder!

Thanks for the putting in the hours with the team! I'll give your changes a try when I get a chance!