I built this team primarily around the synergy between Diancie and Talonflame. Diancie is a fast and strong attacker with a unique defensive profile that allows it to check Pokemon such as Heatran, Weavile, and variants of Xard; while Talonflame is capable of checking Serperior, Volcorona, and Yard. If possible, I would like to preserve this initial core of Pokemon as I feel that it is the most central theme of the team. I am agnostic about the rest of the team however and welcome changes if they're warranted.
Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Earth Power
- Protect
I already mostly discussed with Diancie does in the preface. It's an excellent wallbreaker who in conjunction with Talonflame is able to defensively check many of the more annoying offensive presences in the tier. Furthermore, Diancie is also capable of threatening most of the Pokemon that wall Talonflame. Anything specific to say about Diancie other than "it's fast and strong" is I think a little bit pointless without the context of how it partners with Talonflame, so I'll elaborate more on Diancie in the following set.
Talonflame @ Leftovers
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Brave Bird
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
- Swords Dance
Talonflame rounds out Diancie's profile by covering Grass-types as well as the few fires that Diancie struggles to take on. It's also a great Pokemon in general for its ability to spread status and act as a threatening late-game cleaner with Swords Dance. Talonflame's greatest weakness however may be Heatran, who comes in freely and sets Stealth Rock which just about takes Talonflame out of the game as long as they're on the field. This is where Diancie comes in, as it is able to both switch in on Heatran's Fire-type attacks, as well as bounce back Stealth Rocks. Pokemon that Talonflame also struggles against include Zapdos, Thundurus, Rotom, and Tyranitar, but these at the very least become debilitated by taking Burn in addition to being threatened by Dancie as well.
Excadrill @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 32 HP / 56 Def / 168 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
Mandatory Excadrill tax, what else is new. Jokes aside, Excadrill doesn't do anything particularly unique here, but it's just so good anyways. It's the hazard setter, the removal, the Clefable switchin, and the rock resist (loose ttar check). I did however choose to run max speed as a way of bullying opposing SpD Excadrill who check Diancie.
Volcanion @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Earth Power
- Sludge Bomb
Scarf Volcanion is the primary speed control, as well a wallbreaker in its own right in some matchups. Volcanion was chosen to act as a "real" fire type capable of applying direct offensive pressure to the steels such as Metagross, Scizor, and Ferrothorn, which all cause troubles for the previous three team members.
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Glare
- Synthesis
Serperior is the primary Excadrill switchin, and helps with switching into Keldeo as well. It struggles to repeatedly take on specs Secret Sword, but the combination of Mew and Talonflame help cover Keldeo's Fighting STAB. Hidden Power Ground was chosen as a way of further pressuring Heatran, to take some of the burden off of Diancie.
Mew @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 248 HP / 188 Def / 72 Spe
Bold Nature
- Knock Off
- Will-O-Wisp
- Soft-Boiled
- U-turn
In the last slot, I needed a sturdy switchin for Metagross, so I chose physdef Mew. Asides from being able to consistently check Metagross, Mew also has a bevy of useful support tools that provide much value to the team. Knock Wisp makes progress into just about any team lacking a Gliscor or Diancie of their own, while U-turn helps maintain offensive momentum even when faced with a less-than-ideal matchup. Crucially, Knock Wisp provides a way of applying pressure to stall teams who would otherwise be able to more easily hard wall the team's offensive pieces.
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I've enjoyed piloting the team so far, but the weakness to offense is a bit dire. If anyone has feedback on how to improve the team, I would greatly appreciate it!
Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Earth Power
- Protect
I already mostly discussed with Diancie does in the preface. It's an excellent wallbreaker who in conjunction with Talonflame is able to defensively check many of the more annoying offensive presences in the tier. Furthermore, Diancie is also capable of threatening most of the Pokemon that wall Talonflame. Anything specific to say about Diancie other than "it's fast and strong" is I think a little bit pointless without the context of how it partners with Talonflame, so I'll elaborate more on Diancie in the following set.
Talonflame @ Leftovers
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Brave Bird
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
- Swords Dance
Talonflame rounds out Diancie's profile by covering Grass-types as well as the few fires that Diancie struggles to take on. It's also a great Pokemon in general for its ability to spread status and act as a threatening late-game cleaner with Swords Dance. Talonflame's greatest weakness however may be Heatran, who comes in freely and sets Stealth Rock which just about takes Talonflame out of the game as long as they're on the field. This is where Diancie comes in, as it is able to both switch in on Heatran's Fire-type attacks, as well as bounce back Stealth Rocks. Pokemon that Talonflame also struggles against include Zapdos, Thundurus, Rotom, and Tyranitar, but these at the very least become debilitated by taking Burn in addition to being threatened by Dancie as well.
Excadrill @ Leftovers
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 32 HP / 56 Def / 168 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
Mandatory Excadrill tax, what else is new. Jokes aside, Excadrill doesn't do anything particularly unique here, but it's just so good anyways. It's the hazard setter, the removal, the Clefable switchin, and the rock resist (loose ttar check). I did however choose to run max speed as a way of bullying opposing SpD Excadrill who check Diancie.
Volcanion @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Earth Power
- Sludge Bomb
Scarf Volcanion is the primary speed control, as well a wallbreaker in its own right in some matchups. Volcanion was chosen to act as a "real" fire type capable of applying direct offensive pressure to the steels such as Metagross, Scizor, and Ferrothorn, which all cause troubles for the previous three team members.
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 SpD
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Glare
- Synthesis
Serperior is the primary Excadrill switchin, and helps with switching into Keldeo as well. It struggles to repeatedly take on specs Secret Sword, but the combination of Mew and Talonflame help cover Keldeo's Fighting STAB. Hidden Power Ground was chosen as a way of further pressuring Heatran, to take some of the burden off of Diancie.
Mew @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 248 HP / 188 Def / 72 Spe
Bold Nature
- Knock Off
- Will-O-Wisp
- Soft-Boiled
- U-turn
In the last slot, I needed a sturdy switchin for Metagross, so I chose physdef Mew. Asides from being able to consistently check Metagross, Mew also has a bevy of useful support tools that provide much value to the team. Knock Wisp makes progress into just about any team lacking a Gliscor or Diancie of their own, while U-turn helps maintain offensive momentum even when faced with a less-than-ideal matchup. Crucially, Knock Wisp provides a way of applying pressure to stall teams who would otherwise be able to more easily hard wall the team's offensive pieces.
Special Attackers - 
The switchins for these Pokemon range from inconsistent to essentially nonexistent. The best out is to try to whittle their HP down and play the offense game better, as Diancie has a winning matchup versus almost all of these Pokemon.
Dragon Dancers -
(honorary ddancer)
Once boosted, these Pokemon become difficult to revenge, as their hefty bulk allows them to easily tank a Brave Bird. When facing HO, it's best to try and constantly bring in Diancie, as HO is usually limited to bringing in Serperior in order force out Diancie. By continuously denying momentum with the presence of Diancie, it's possible to squeeze through the endgame despite facing difficult wallbreakers.
The switchins for these Pokemon range from inconsistent to essentially nonexistent. The best out is to try to whittle their HP down and play the offense game better, as Diancie has a winning matchup versus almost all of these Pokemon.
Dragon Dancers -
(honorary ddancer)Once boosted, these Pokemon become difficult to revenge, as their hefty bulk allows them to easily tank a Brave Bird. When facing HO, it's best to try and constantly bring in Diancie, as HO is usually limited to bringing in Serperior in order force out Diancie. By continuously denying momentum with the presence of Diancie, it's possible to squeeze through the endgame despite facing difficult wallbreakers.
I've enjoyed piloting the team so far, but the weakness to offense is a bit dire. If anyone has feedback on how to improve the team, I would greatly appreciate it!
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is in your games, but some Excadrill run Toxic in one of the non-Earthquake slots to check it as it’s a generally good tool to have to force progress onto spinblockers not named Gengar and has good synergy with STAB Earthquake. On this set if you do decide to try Toxic Excadrill, I’d say Iron Head is probably the most replaceable move but you can definitely just stick with what you’ve got if Iron Head’s coverage is too important. Other than this, I don’t know if I would make any changes. Synthesis on Serperior isn’t something I’ve seen much of before in my more limited experience with this tier, but I like this in non-Sand matchups too.