Opening
I have an interesting history with Fairy-types – when they were first introduced, I was initially annoyed with the prospect of having to deal with this “annoying” type (don’t ask me where I got that idea). 2 years later, here I am, having been impressed by most Fairies, I decided to construct a Monotype team using them.
It’s basically impossible, as Fairies are a young type and Game Freak has yet to work out its kinks. But I’m doing it anyway cuz I’m dum.
And now, I’m extremely frustrated with the results.
Team Details
Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 8 Atk / 248 Spd / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
-Hidden Power Fire Earth Power
- Protect
Here’s your standard-issue Diancie, with limited coverage and meh Special Defense because it’s Naive (coincidentally, in the movie, Diancie also happens to have a naive personality).
Originally, Diancie had Hidden Power Fire as its only means of even scratching Mega Scizor. However, this left me bereft of coverage to hit Poison-types and stuff like Jirachi harder, thus I switched back to Earth Power.
Diancie somewhat blurs the line between a sweeper and a wallbreaker, residing in a middle ground between power and speed. That said, Diancie is sufficiently good at wallbreaking and sweeping, but it is a master of neither; thus, don’t expect Diancie to break any specially bulky Pokemon unless it’s sufficiently weakened or weak to Diancie’s coverage. In a similar vein, let Diancie take on the stuff it outruns, but save its health for when there’s stuff faster than it
You should really try to use the 110 Speed as much as possible. What I mean is that whenever you can, if it’s safe, try to paralyze something with Whimsicott or Klefki. That way, Diancie outspeeds it and can more effectively combat enemies like Mega Beedrill, Weavile, and Crobat.
Diancie’s longevity is vital to the success of the team. Thus, don’t deploy it recklessly, as you’ll need to save as much health as possible. There isn’t much to say about it. Just a typical Diancie.
Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
As much as I hate Azumarill, I find myself forced to use it for any success with this team. It’s a neat wincon vs. faster and frailer builds, assuming it works.
Nothing unusual about this Azumarill, just the same cancerous bunny.
One thing that is important about Azumarill: you should try and identify during Team Preview if Azumarill is your wincon or not. If it is your wincon (like versus a mono-Fire or Rock team), try to conserve its health, so that you survive enemy priority like Talonflame’s Brave Bird. If it is not your wincon, then you can be more liberal in switching in, but do remember that Azumarill is a physical attacker; without Azumarill, the team will have trouble breaking things like Chansey.
Klefki @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Spikes
- Light Screen / Thunder Wave
- Reflect / Thunder Wave
- Foul Play
This Klefki is my best bet vs. Mega Scizor and anyone that tries to set up on me. I chose it because it’s the closest I can get to a dedicated physical wall.
Spikes are needed in order to wear down stuff like bulky Water-types and stuff like that. This in conjunction with Stealth Rock makes it much easier for Azumarill and Diancie to wallbreak.
Light Screen and Reflect are also needed to simulate bulk on this team. While Screens are up, Diancie and Azumarill can be deployed much more frequently (be wary of stuff like Scald burns), as they take much less damage. This also lets Klefki tank attacks from Scizor much more easily and retaliate with Foul Play.
Because this Klefki has no Leftovers and my team doesn’t utilize Wish, Klefki WILL be worn down. As such, you need to be much more careful and think long term before you send Klefki in versus an enemy.
Also be wary when sending in Klefki versus Weavile; while it does wall Weavile, losing Light Clay means your Light Screen and Reflect will last for much less time; thus you must limit how many times Weavile enters battle, and paralyze it ASAP. (Much easier said than done.) Only send in Klefki versus a Knock Off if you’re sure you can get by with shorter Screens.
Given that Fairy-types generally have high Special Defense, and given that a lot of the team members have a lot of Defense investment, you can choose to scrap either Light Screen or Reflect and run Thunder Wave in its place. (I kinda recommend it.) Klefki has the better typing to use Thunder Wave than Whimsicott, and it’s also more accurate. However, be mindful of the reduced tankiness of your combatants if you choose to scrap either Light Screen or Reflect. If you do choose to scrap one of them, it is recommended that you scrap Light Screen, as even with defense investment, a lot of the team members are still not bulky physically.
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- U-turn
- Encore
- Stun Spore
- Giga Drain
This is my form of Speed control, unless the foe is an Electric or Grass type. Faster opponents will be slowed down enough for Diancie to comfortably handle (Azumarill too if they’re not too fast), which, in conjunction with Light Screen and Reflect, makes it much easier for Diancie and Azumarill to combat enemies.
However, given the plethora of weaknesses Whimsicott has, you must conserve its health (especially given the lack of reliable recovery) so that it can switch into threats. Because Whimsicott’s survivability is limited, you should choose certain targets, and try to paralyze them first if you can – unless there’s an easy and safe paralysis standing right in front of you.
It is also a good stop to a Mega Cancer Gyarados that thinks it’s cool to start setting up.
(P.S. This is the only Keldeo switch-in besides maybe Togekiss. Conserve its health with care when fighting a Keldeo.)
Clefable @ Babiri Berry
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Fire Blast
- Soft-Boiled
A blanket check to quite a few mons, and it is also responsible for setting up Stealth Rock. Its fatness is the reason I chose Clefable.
You may notice the Babiri Berry Clefable is using, and this is because this way, it can tank a Steel-type attack much easier from, say, a Bisharp, Metagross, or Mega Scizor, and respond with Fire Blast.
However, and this is important: Bisharp will not be killed by Fire Blast if it’s at full health. Neither will Metagross, especially if either has an Assault Vest. Mega Scizor avoids the one hit kill if it’s the bulky variant. If you are fighting a Bisharp, you must conserve Diancie’s health as best as you can to avoid the kill from Sucker Punch, and if you are fighting Metagross or Scizor, you must conserve Klefki’s health so that you can use Foul Play. It is also highly recommended that Reflect be active before Metagross can start attacking Klefki, so that Klefki doesn’t have to waste time setting a Reflect in front of Metagross.
Because this Clefable doesn’t have Leftovers, you must be mindful of how often you are sending in Clefable, and try to avoid sending it in too much – Clefable can get overwhelmed and killed. Using Soft-Boiled on threats that can’t kill Clefable while it’s trying to heal is optimal.
If you really want to, you can attach a Kebia Berry in place of a Babiri Berry to reduce damage from a Poison-type attack. However, given that Klefki is immune to Poison-type attacks, you should use Klefki instead when you are fighting something like a Mega Cancer Beedrill or a Crobat.
Togekiss @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Air Slash
- Defog / Thunder Wave / Nasty Plot / Fire Blast / Aura Sphere / Psychic / Wish
- Roost
- Heal Bell / Thunder Wave / Nasty Plot / Fire Blast / Aura Sphere / Psychic / Wish
Togekiss, like Diancie, appreciates paralysis on the enemy, but the reason here is so that Air Slash and paralysis work in conjunction to disable the enemy entirely.
The EVs are pumped into physical defense, as Togekiss’s special defense is high enough already.
This Togekiss is meant for team support, and has Defog. I KNOW DEFOG IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO SETTING SCREENS AND SPIKES, but I have no choice. Game Freak decided not to create a Fairy-type Rapid Spinner. Thanks a lot. (Just kidding. I don’t thank you at all for this.)
If for whatever reason you choose not to run Defog or Heal Bell, then you can choose to run some other options. Thunder Wave lets Togekiss act independently of Whimsicott (or Klefki), and Nasty Plot lets it stallbreak. Fire Blast and Aura Sphere are for Steel-types, while Psychic is for Poison-types. Wish gives back health to wounded allies. Whichever you choose, be mindful of the costs.
This really comes down to personal preference. I personally recommend Defog and Thunder Wave, though I would not blame you at all if you wanted Fire Blast or Aura Sphere. I don’t recommend Psychic, as Diamond Storm usually enough from Diancie to deal with Poison types if both screens are up (BOTH, I said), and Air Slash takes care of Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur, but you could use it if you’re super paranoid.
This Togekiss is also the sole answer to Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss. Conserve its health with care – and paralyze Mega Venusaur if you can, as it outspeeds Togekiss.
Below you can find the importable. This is the team I use most of the time. Modify it as you see fit and however you like.
Ending
Fairy teams have little issue with mono-Fighting, Dark, and Dragon teams, but struggle versus pretty much every other mono-team that wasn’t constructed by a 4-year-old.
Well, maybe I made some mistakes in teambuilding. Please point them out to me and how I can fix them.
I have an interesting history with Fairy-types – when they were first introduced, I was initially annoyed with the prospect of having to deal with this “annoying” type (don’t ask me where I got that idea). 2 years later, here I am, having been impressed by most Fairies, I decided to construct a Monotype team using them.
It’s basically impossible, as Fairies are a young type and Game Freak has yet to work out its kinks. But I’m doing it anyway cuz I’m dum.
And now, I’m extremely frustrated with the results.
Monotype Teams’ lives depend on subtypes, and Fairies don’t have a lot of useful subtypes. They only have Steel, Water, Grass, Rock, Psychic, Electric, Normal, Flying, and Dragon, all of which have one thing in common: they do little to stop Mega Scizor. (Will talk about him later – Dedenne does crap versus Mega Scizor. I tried Dedenne myself.)
Fairy-types have difficulty enduring physical hits – their Special Defense is much better. The only viable physical walls I could find were Klefki, Togekiss, Carbink, Mega Diancie, Mega Mawile, and Mega Audino (the latter two are unfortunately banned). I resorted to using Reflect to patch up the low Defense.
Fairy-types also have difficulty attacking physically as well – most Fairy-types have higher Special Attack. To emphasize this, there are only TWO physical Fairy STABs out there – Play Rough and Pixilated attacks. The only viable physical attackers I could find were Azumarill, Mega Diancie, Mega Mawile, and Mega Altaria (the latter two are unfortunately banned). I resorted to throwing Azumarill onto the team and hoping for the best.
And finally, as implied by the limited subtypes, Fairy-types have nearly NO way to deal with Steel-types. There is no Fire-Fairy type out there, no Ground-Fairy type, and no Fighting-Fairy type. Because of this, Steel-types will have little issue walling this team. What’s worse is that they hit Fairy super effectively, which means that Mono-Steel teams have a hayday versus mono-Fairy teams. They present without question the biggest threat to this team. I have yet to think of a full solution to this.
As also implied by the limited subtypes, Fairy-types are also limited versus mono-Poison teams. They have only TWO ways to deal with Poison-types: Gardevoir and Mr. Mime. However, they will falter versus faster Poison-type attackers, and there are a lot of them. Outside of these two, Poison types have little issue walling Fairies, and similarly to Steel teams, they hit super effectively. I find it extremely difficult to fix both my weakness to Steel teams and Poison teams. And this leaves me open to other dominant teams, such as mono-Ground teams, mono-Psychic teams, and mono-Water teams.
Speaking of these teams (except for mono-Ground, whom Azumarill can 6-0 if Seismitoad and Gastrodon are killed off), I have little way of hitting them with super effective attacks. Fairy types have limited coverage. Granted, I don’t NEED to hit them super effectively, thus leveling the playing field versus mono-Psychic . However, this means that mono-Water teams will have little issue walling this team, given the lack of super effective coverage and the high defenses and versatility Water teams have. To make matters worse, the only Electric-Fairy type, Dedenne, is weak offensively and defensively, and the only Grass-Fairy type, Whimsicott, is weak offensively and defensively. Thus, I resorted to simply pounding the enemy as hard as I can and hoping for the best – at least Fairy-types attacks have somewhat good neutral coverage.
I had to decide on a Mega Evolution for this team, for which there are only two: Diancie and Gardevoir.
Diancie has the following advantages:
And finally, I had to worry about two tidbits in general about Fairy types. There is no Fairy type that can use Rapid Spin, meaning I must run Defog on Togekiss if I want to clear entry hazards. Fairy-types struggle in general versus Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur – a big problem indeed. And my ways of dealing them are only with Togekiss.
Tl;dr: Using Reflect because of low defense; Using Azumarill because I need physical attacker; no way to deal with Poison or Steel teams; Using brute force because of limited coverage versus Psychic and Water teams; Using Diancie as Mega because of its meh bulk; Using Defog on Togekiss for hazard removal; Using Togekiss to deal with Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur.
Fairy-types have difficulty enduring physical hits – their Special Defense is much better. The only viable physical walls I could find were Klefki, Togekiss, Carbink, Mega Diancie, Mega Mawile, and Mega Audino (the latter two are unfortunately banned). I resorted to using Reflect to patch up the low Defense.
Fairy-types also have difficulty attacking physically as well – most Fairy-types have higher Special Attack. To emphasize this, there are only TWO physical Fairy STABs out there – Play Rough and Pixilated attacks. The only viable physical attackers I could find were Azumarill, Mega Diancie, Mega Mawile, and Mega Altaria (the latter two are unfortunately banned). I resorted to throwing Azumarill onto the team and hoping for the best.
And finally, as implied by the limited subtypes, Fairy-types have nearly NO way to deal with Steel-types. There is no Fire-Fairy type out there, no Ground-Fairy type, and no Fighting-Fairy type. Because of this, Steel-types will have little issue walling this team. What’s worse is that they hit Fairy super effectively, which means that Mono-Steel teams have a hayday versus mono-Fairy teams. They present without question the biggest threat to this team. I have yet to think of a full solution to this.
As also implied by the limited subtypes, Fairy-types are also limited versus mono-Poison teams. They have only TWO ways to deal with Poison-types: Gardevoir and Mr. Mime. However, they will falter versus faster Poison-type attackers, and there are a lot of them. Outside of these two, Poison types have little issue walling Fairies, and similarly to Steel teams, they hit super effectively. I find it extremely difficult to fix both my weakness to Steel teams and Poison teams. And this leaves me open to other dominant teams, such as mono-Ground teams, mono-Psychic teams, and mono-Water teams.
Speaking of these teams (except for mono-Ground, whom Azumarill can 6-0 if Seismitoad and Gastrodon are killed off), I have little way of hitting them with super effective attacks. Fairy types have limited coverage. Granted, I don’t NEED to hit them super effectively, thus leveling the playing field versus mono-Psychic . However, this means that mono-Water teams will have little issue walling this team, given the lack of super effective coverage and the high defenses and versatility Water teams have. To make matters worse, the only Electric-Fairy type, Dedenne, is weak offensively and defensively, and the only Grass-Fairy type, Whimsicott, is weak offensively and defensively. Thus, I resorted to simply pounding the enemy as hard as I can and hoping for the best – at least Fairy-types attacks have somewhat good neutral coverage.
I had to decide on a Mega Evolution for this team, for which there are only two: Diancie and Gardevoir.
Diancie has the following advantages:
- Makes it easier versus mono-Flying teams, mono-Bug teams, mono-Fire teams (Fairies otherwise have a bad matchup), and mono-Ice teams.
- Has a key neutrality to Poison, which means it can swallow a Sludge Wave or something and then hit back with Earth Power, if times are dire.
- Does little to rectify the issue versus Steel-teams or Poison-teams – Earth Power helps, but not versus Bronzong, specially defensive Jirachi, or Amoonguss.
- 50/110/110 bulk sucks.
- Its typing is bad – Fighting neutrality is extremely unhelpful, plus the Ground, Water, Grass, and Steel weaknesses all make my already-bad matchup versus these teams much worse.
- Has a better (but still not great) matchup versus mono-Poison teams, while having the special bulk to handle Thundurus, Landorus, and Tornadus (who are b####es otherwise) 1v1. Diancie loses 1v1 (with a little prior damage) because of its sucky typing and the fact that it’s slower versus these guys
- Has sheer nuking power in Pixilated Hyper Voice, which really helps versus mono-Water and mono-Ground teams (whom I have a bad matchup versus) – even Mono-Steel, as a resisted hit still hurts.
- Physical bulk is worse than Mega Diancie’s (and that’s saying something). Nuff said.
- Base 100 Speed isn’t as good as Mega Diancie’s 110 Speed. Nuff said.
- Still doesn’t fix the issue versus Steel teams.
And finally, I had to worry about two tidbits in general about Fairy types. There is no Fairy type that can use Rapid Spin, meaning I must run Defog on Togekiss if I want to clear entry hazards. Fairy-types struggle in general versus Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur – a big problem indeed. And my ways of dealing them are only with Togekiss.
Tl;dr: Using Reflect because of low defense; Using Azumarill because I need physical attacker; no way to deal with Poison or Steel teams; Using brute force because of limited coverage versus Psychic and Water teams; Using Diancie as Mega because of its meh bulk; Using Defog on Togekiss for hazard removal; Using Togekiss to deal with Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur.
Blablabla.
Started with Diancie and Azumarill as the offensive core. Their type coverage is kinda bad, but they were the best attackers I could find. Other attackers were banned. Diancie is important because it was one of the only ways I could stand up to enemy Flyers, which Fairies were limited against. Azumarill deals with the Ground types that Diancie has a hard time against. This leaves Grass types a huge problem, but I can’t really do anything versus Grass anyway. (Spoiler: I realize a solution versus Grass.)
Now, I knew immediately who could stand in the way of my offensive core: Mega Scizor. Besides HP Fire on Diancie, I could do little versus him. I decided to employ Klefki, who could Foul Play Mega Scizor while it tried to set up. With the aid of Reflect, in theory it could 1v1 Scizor under ideal circumstances. In addition to screens, it provides speed control, which is nice considering how slow the team is so far.
Now at this point, I needed someone to sponge up stray, non-resisted hits. Diancie, Azumarill, and Klefki all had miserable bulk – I say this because Azumarill and Klefki can only switch into resisted hits (even invested, Klefki isn’t overly bulky), which limited switch-in opportunities. Additionally, their defensive synergy was passable in theory, but it’s not like mons don’t have coverage – for example, that Venusaur that Klefki switches into could be carrying HP Fire to smack Klefki with. I then chose Clefable, a passable mixed wall. It’s fat enough to narrowly avoid 2HKOs from enemies if it’s not too much damage, and gave me a source of Stealth Rock, which is nifty. (Still doesn’t help versus Venusaur.) Originally Clefable had Thunder Wave for speed control, but I opted for Fire Blast because I needed as much coverage and power as I could get versus Steel-types.
Looking at my team so far, I decided it was passable enough so far – it’s not like I have any other options. I then said to myself, “Something to deal with Amoonguss and Venusaur would be nice.” Originally Choice Scarf Gardevoir, then Choice Specs Sylveon, I opted for Togekiss over those two because I needed more type coverage, not Fairy spam. I’m already weak enough to Steel and Poison, and more Fairy spam is not what I need. Plus Togekiss plus Choice Scarf equals trolololol.
At this point, I needed a last mon to patch as many holes as it could. I could realistically see Whimsicott being on the team, as a switch-in to Ground types which was always nifty, but this slot may be better given to Choice Specs Sylveon or Choice Scarf Gardevoir. Given that I had Klefki for speed control, I didn’t see a huge need for a Choice Scarf user, and given the Fairy spam I had already, I didn’t want to use Sylveon. I opted for Whimsicott for f###ery business – its Grass typing was appreciated because it was a workable Scald and Earthquake switch-in, and Encore stopped setup sweepers that boosted their Speed, such as Dragon Dancers (possibly the most annoying enemies in the game). Klefki rendered this somewhat redundant, however.
I was getting tired of my limited ways to deal with Poison types, my lack of hazard removal, and general inability to get past bulky Water types, such as Slowking and Cancercune (Crocune to be exact). Thus I switched around the roles a bit. Whimsicott was swapped out in favor of Choice Specs Sylveon, as I didn’t need the speed control Whimsicott offered nor its Encore support. I changed up the moveset of Klefki and Togekiss; Togekiss is now responsible for setting screens, while Klefki is responsible for setting Spikes.
However, Whimsicott’s Grass typing proved to be more useful than Sylveon’s pure Fairy typing at times, and thus sometimes I valued Whimsicott’s defensive capabilities more – as well as pivoting with U-turn. I have been trying both versions of the team and receiving mixed success with both, so I was unsure which is better.
Afterwards, I made another change. Klefki no longer has Thunder Wave – it merely sets screens and Spikes. Whimsicott has Stun Spore and the typical support movepool.
The team isn’t perfect – Ferrothorn could only be handled with Clefable, whom it could Gyro Ball away. Additionally, it could start stacking Spikes, and I can’t safely switch in Diancie for deflection because then it might get Gyro Balled in the face.
Started with Diancie and Azumarill as the offensive core. Their type coverage is kinda bad, but they were the best attackers I could find. Other attackers were banned. Diancie is important because it was one of the only ways I could stand up to enemy Flyers, which Fairies were limited against. Azumarill deals with the Ground types that Diancie has a hard time against. This leaves Grass types a huge problem, but I can’t really do anything versus Grass anyway. (Spoiler: I realize a solution versus Grass.)
Now, I knew immediately who could stand in the way of my offensive core: Mega Scizor. Besides HP Fire on Diancie, I could do little versus him. I decided to employ Klefki, who could Foul Play Mega Scizor while it tried to set up. With the aid of Reflect, in theory it could 1v1 Scizor under ideal circumstances. In addition to screens, it provides speed control, which is nice considering how slow the team is so far.
Now at this point, I needed someone to sponge up stray, non-resisted hits. Diancie, Azumarill, and Klefki all had miserable bulk – I say this because Azumarill and Klefki can only switch into resisted hits (even invested, Klefki isn’t overly bulky), which limited switch-in opportunities. Additionally, their defensive synergy was passable in theory, but it’s not like mons don’t have coverage – for example, that Venusaur that Klefki switches into could be carrying HP Fire to smack Klefki with. I then chose Clefable, a passable mixed wall. It’s fat enough to narrowly avoid 2HKOs from enemies if it’s not too much damage, and gave me a source of Stealth Rock, which is nifty. (Still doesn’t help versus Venusaur.) Originally Clefable had Thunder Wave for speed control, but I opted for Fire Blast because I needed as much coverage and power as I could get versus Steel-types.
Looking at my team so far, I decided it was passable enough so far – it’s not like I have any other options. I then said to myself, “Something to deal with Amoonguss and Venusaur would be nice.” Originally Choice Scarf Gardevoir, then Choice Specs Sylveon, I opted for Togekiss over those two because I needed more type coverage, not Fairy spam. I’m already weak enough to Steel and Poison, and more Fairy spam is not what I need. Plus Togekiss plus Choice Scarf equals trolololol.
At this point, I needed a last mon to patch as many holes as it could. I could realistically see Whimsicott being on the team, as a switch-in to Ground types which was always nifty, but this slot may be better given to Choice Specs Sylveon or Choice Scarf Gardevoir. Given that I had Klefki for speed control, I didn’t see a huge need for a Choice Scarf user, and given the Fairy spam I had already, I didn’t want to use Sylveon. I opted for Whimsicott for f###ery business – its Grass typing was appreciated because it was a workable Scald and Earthquake switch-in, and Encore stopped setup sweepers that boosted their Speed, such as Dragon Dancers (possibly the most annoying enemies in the game). Klefki rendered this somewhat redundant, however.
I was getting tired of my limited ways to deal with Poison types, my lack of hazard removal, and general inability to get past bulky Water types, such as Slowking and Cancercune (Crocune to be exact). Thus I switched around the roles a bit. Whimsicott was swapped out in favor of Choice Specs Sylveon, as I didn’t need the speed control Whimsicott offered nor its Encore support. I changed up the moveset of Klefki and Togekiss; Togekiss is now responsible for setting screens, while Klefki is responsible for setting Spikes.
However, Whimsicott’s Grass typing proved to be more useful than Sylveon’s pure Fairy typing at times, and thus sometimes I valued Whimsicott’s defensive capabilities more – as well as pivoting with U-turn. I have been trying both versions of the team and receiving mixed success with both, so I was unsure which is better.
Afterwards, I made another change. Klefki no longer has Thunder Wave – it merely sets screens and Spikes. Whimsicott has Stun Spore and the typical support movepool.
The team isn’t perfect – Ferrothorn could only be handled with Clefable, whom it could Gyro Ball away. Additionally, it could start stacking Spikes, and I can’t safely switch in Diancie for deflection because then it might get Gyro Balled in the face.
Team Details
Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 8 Atk / 248 Spd / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
-
- Protect
Here’s your standard-issue Diancie, with limited coverage and meh Special Defense because it’s Naive (coincidentally, in the movie, Diancie also happens to have a naive personality).
Originally, Diancie had Hidden Power Fire as its only means of even scratching Mega Scizor. However, this left me bereft of coverage to hit Poison-types and stuff like Jirachi harder, thus I switched back to Earth Power.
Diancie somewhat blurs the line between a sweeper and a wallbreaker, residing in a middle ground between power and speed. That said, Diancie is sufficiently good at wallbreaking and sweeping, but it is a master of neither; thus, don’t expect Diancie to break any specially bulky Pokemon unless it’s sufficiently weakened or weak to Diancie’s coverage. In a similar vein, let Diancie take on the stuff it outruns, but save its health for when there’s stuff faster than it
You should really try to use the 110 Speed as much as possible. What I mean is that whenever you can, if it’s safe, try to paralyze something with Whimsicott or Klefki. That way, Diancie outspeeds it and can more effectively combat enemies like Mega Beedrill, Weavile, and Crobat.
Diancie’s longevity is vital to the success of the team. Thus, don’t deploy it recklessly, as you’ll need to save as much health as possible. There isn’t much to say about it. Just a typical Diancie.
Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
As much as I hate Azumarill, I find myself forced to use it for any success with this team. It’s a neat wincon vs. faster and frailer builds, assuming it works.
Nothing unusual about this Azumarill, just the same cancerous bunny.
One thing that is important about Azumarill: you should try and identify during Team Preview if Azumarill is your wincon or not. If it is your wincon (like versus a mono-Fire or Rock team), try to conserve its health, so that you survive enemy priority like Talonflame’s Brave Bird. If it is not your wincon, then you can be more liberal in switching in, but do remember that Azumarill is a physical attacker; without Azumarill, the team will have trouble breaking things like Chansey.
Klefki @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Spikes
- Light Screen / Thunder Wave
- Reflect / Thunder Wave
- Foul Play
This Klefki is my best bet vs. Mega Scizor and anyone that tries to set up on me. I chose it because it’s the closest I can get to a dedicated physical wall.
Spikes are needed in order to wear down stuff like bulky Water-types and stuff like that. This in conjunction with Stealth Rock makes it much easier for Azumarill and Diancie to wallbreak.
Light Screen and Reflect are also needed to simulate bulk on this team. While Screens are up, Diancie and Azumarill can be deployed much more frequently (be wary of stuff like Scald burns), as they take much less damage. This also lets Klefki tank attacks from Scizor much more easily and retaliate with Foul Play.
Because this Klefki has no Leftovers and my team doesn’t utilize Wish, Klefki WILL be worn down. As such, you need to be much more careful and think long term before you send Klefki in versus an enemy.
Also be wary when sending in Klefki versus Weavile; while it does wall Weavile, losing Light Clay means your Light Screen and Reflect will last for much less time; thus you must limit how many times Weavile enters battle, and paralyze it ASAP. (Much easier said than done.) Only send in Klefki versus a Knock Off if you’re sure you can get by with shorter Screens.
Given that Fairy-types generally have high Special Defense, and given that a lot of the team members have a lot of Defense investment, you can choose to scrap either Light Screen or Reflect and run Thunder Wave in its place. (I kinda recommend it.) Klefki has the better typing to use Thunder Wave than Whimsicott, and it’s also more accurate. However, be mindful of the reduced tankiness of your combatants if you choose to scrap either Light Screen or Reflect. If you do choose to scrap one of them, it is recommended that you scrap Light Screen, as even with defense investment, a lot of the team members are still not bulky physically.
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- U-turn
- Encore
- Stun Spore
- Giga Drain
This is my form of Speed control, unless the foe is an Electric or Grass type. Faster opponents will be slowed down enough for Diancie to comfortably handle (Azumarill too if they’re not too fast), which, in conjunction with Light Screen and Reflect, makes it much easier for Diancie and Azumarill to combat enemies.
However, given the plethora of weaknesses Whimsicott has, you must conserve its health (especially given the lack of reliable recovery) so that it can switch into threats. Because Whimsicott’s survivability is limited, you should choose certain targets, and try to paralyze them first if you can – unless there’s an easy and safe paralysis standing right in front of you.
It is also a good stop to a Mega Cancer Gyarados that thinks it’s cool to start setting up.
(P.S. This is the only Keldeo switch-in besides maybe Togekiss. Conserve its health with care when fighting a Keldeo.)
Clefable @ Babiri Berry
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Fire Blast
- Soft-Boiled
A blanket check to quite a few mons, and it is also responsible for setting up Stealth Rock. Its fatness is the reason I chose Clefable.
You may notice the Babiri Berry Clefable is using, and this is because this way, it can tank a Steel-type attack much easier from, say, a Bisharp, Metagross, or Mega Scizor, and respond with Fire Blast.
However, and this is important: Bisharp will not be killed by Fire Blast if it’s at full health. Neither will Metagross, especially if either has an Assault Vest. Mega Scizor avoids the one hit kill if it’s the bulky variant. If you are fighting a Bisharp, you must conserve Diancie’s health as best as you can to avoid the kill from Sucker Punch, and if you are fighting Metagross or Scizor, you must conserve Klefki’s health so that you can use Foul Play. It is also highly recommended that Reflect be active before Metagross can start attacking Klefki, so that Klefki doesn’t have to waste time setting a Reflect in front of Metagross.
Because this Clefable doesn’t have Leftovers, you must be mindful of how often you are sending in Clefable, and try to avoid sending it in too much – Clefable can get overwhelmed and killed. Using Soft-Boiled on threats that can’t kill Clefable while it’s trying to heal is optimal.
If you really want to, you can attach a Kebia Berry in place of a Babiri Berry to reduce damage from a Poison-type attack. However, given that Klefki is immune to Poison-type attacks, you should use Klefki instead when you are fighting something like a Mega Cancer Beedrill or a Crobat.
Togekiss @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Air Slash
- Defog / Thunder Wave / Nasty Plot / Fire Blast / Aura Sphere / Psychic / Wish
- Roost
- Heal Bell / Thunder Wave / Nasty Plot / Fire Blast / Aura Sphere / Psychic / Wish
Togekiss, like Diancie, appreciates paralysis on the enemy, but the reason here is so that Air Slash and paralysis work in conjunction to disable the enemy entirely.
The EVs are pumped into physical defense, as Togekiss’s special defense is high enough already.
This Togekiss is meant for team support, and has Defog. I KNOW DEFOG IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO SETTING SCREENS AND SPIKES, but I have no choice. Game Freak decided not to create a Fairy-type Rapid Spinner. Thanks a lot. (Just kidding. I don’t thank you at all for this.)
If for whatever reason you choose not to run Defog or Heal Bell, then you can choose to run some other options. Thunder Wave lets Togekiss act independently of Whimsicott (or Klefki), and Nasty Plot lets it stallbreak. Fire Blast and Aura Sphere are for Steel-types, while Psychic is for Poison-types. Wish gives back health to wounded allies. Whichever you choose, be mindful of the costs.
This really comes down to personal preference. I personally recommend Defog and Thunder Wave, though I would not blame you at all if you wanted Fire Blast or Aura Sphere. I don’t recommend Psychic, as Diamond Storm usually enough from Diancie to deal with Poison types if both screens are up (BOTH, I said), and Air Slash takes care of Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur, but you could use it if you’re super paranoid.
This Togekiss is also the sole answer to Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss. Conserve its health with care – and paralyze Mega Venusaur if you can, as it outspeeds Togekiss.
- Paralyze as many enemies as possible. This team is SLOW, so you really need the Speed control.
- This team isn't very bulky as well – Fairy-types are generally harassers or attackers, not walls. Thus Klefki needs to stay alive in order to set up screens.
- You really need free switches so that Diancie and Azumarill can start hurting enemies. To this end, you need to be generous with U-turn on Whimsicott and double switch like a madman.
- Weavile is a b#### to switch into. Kill it ASAP and get up those rocks and Spikes.
- Use the Babiri Berry with care. Don't carelessly switch Clefable into a Bullet Punch just because you can. It's meant to be an insurance policy, but this insurance policy can only work once.
- Click X if you see any decent Steel-, Poison-, or Water- team and save yourself some time.
Oh, believe me, there are plenty. I’m only going to list a few, because if I listed all of them, this could go on for a while.
Enemy Mono-Steel teams: GOOD GOD, PLEASE SEND SOME KIND OF FAIRY THAT CAN FIGHT THESE GUYS AND LIVE TO TELL THE TALE. Any competent mono-Steel team will have no issue walling this team, and can hit back for tons of damage. Any Steel-type is a threat, but some are more noteworthy than others.
Enemy Mono-Poison teams: Fighting these teams is very hard. In between Tentacruel being a cancerous Scalder, dealing with Toxic Spikes, and Mega Cancer Beedrill using Drill Run on Diancie, it will never go cleanly. To fight these enemies, paralyze the faster foes whenever you can, and minimize the amount of time the faster foes get in safely. Klefki is your best wall versus these cancerous, fast attackers. Thunder Wave on Klefki helps immensely here. It is extremely hard to get Whimsicott in safely, so you will have to double switch or sack someone if the opponent has a Poison-type move stored away. Spikes help immensely. Avoid letting Toxic Spikes get on your side of the field as much as you can, unless Togekiss has Defog and preferably Heal Bell. Mono Poison can’t 6-0, but it can 6-3, because you’re at a type disadvantage from the get-go and Poison-types have higher defenses on average.
Enemy Mono-Water teams: Because you have to deal with fat enemies like Cancercune, Slowking, and friends, you’re gonna struggle to 2 hit kill a lot of stuff if you can’t set up Spikes. Likewise, Water-types can Scald Diancie to death and remove your primary means of damage output. They can also wall Azumarill relatively well, and if Azumarill is burned for any reason, you’re in a lot of trouble. Stallbreaker Togekiss can help vs. these fatties, but it won’t help versus stuff like Empoleon, Rotom-W, and Lanturn. Rain offense also crushes this team, as Whimsicott can barely stand up to rain-boosted hits.
And this ins't covering other threats such as enemy mono-Fairy teams or mono-Psychic teams. You also need to worry about enemies such as cancer Thundurus, Landorus, and Tornadus-T with Iron Tail. Heatran is also annoying, as it switches into the Thunder Wave-less Clefable and makes it harder for Azumarill and Diancie to switch in (Lava Plume burns).
Enemy Mono-Steel teams: GOOD GOD, PLEASE SEND SOME KIND OF FAIRY THAT CAN FIGHT THESE GUYS AND LIVE TO TELL THE TALE. Any competent mono-Steel team will have no issue walling this team, and can hit back for tons of damage. Any Steel-type is a threat, but some are more noteworthy than others.
- Mega Scizor: This bug presents the biggest threat to this team. I am completely unable to burn it (unless I run Scald on Azumarill), thus its damage remains a threat throughout the match. It can 2HKO at worst – most of the time it will be OHKOing anyone not named Klefki. Klefki and Clefable are both your best bets versus Scizor, but only if they’re healthy – if they’re too wounded to fight comfortably, then you’re guaranteed to lose. Under no circumstances should you let Mega Scizor get too many Swords Dance boosts; Klefki really doesn’t like taking boosted Bullet Punches. Also, it should be reminded that bulky Mega Scizor isn’t killed in one hit by Clefable’s Fire Blast. IT CAN 6-0 THIS TEAM IF YOU GIVE IT THE CHANCE.
- Metagross: Meteor Mash hurts. A LOT. So much that you pretty much have to have Reflect up most of the time, and minimize the free switches Metagross gets in. Diancie outspeeds it, but this is irrelevant if Metagross has Bullet Punch. You don’t know at first, so you need to see if it has Bullet Punch. Protect on Diancie can work, but the enemy can play around this, either by boosting with Agility or by using another move on the predicted Protect, then surprising you. If it boosts with Agility, then you’ll need to do whatever it takes to paralyze it. Klefki is usually the safest option in fighting it, as Klefki has Foul Play.
- Magnezone: Bye Klefki. If Magnezone gets ahold of Klefki, then it kills off your primary physical wall (even though Klefki was pretty frail to begin with, that’s saying something). Now who’s gonna be the one to eat all those Bullet Punches or Meteor Mashes? Or set up those screens and Spikes? Or stop those Speed boosters? While Magnezone is uncommon, do not let your guard down for a second if you see it on the enemy’s side.
- Bisharp: No one switches in safely. Too many Swords Dances and you’re in very deep trouble.
- Ferrothorn: Walls everyone to hell and back. I have basically 0 Fire-type coverage versus it (it isn't killed quickly enough by Fire Blast), while it is free to start stacking Spikes. Diancie can't come in safely because it might get Gyro Balled in the face. DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO WEAR THIS THING DOWN.
Enemy Mono-Poison teams: Fighting these teams is very hard. In between Tentacruel being a cancerous Scalder, dealing with Toxic Spikes, and Mega Cancer Beedrill using Drill Run on Diancie, it will never go cleanly. To fight these enemies, paralyze the faster foes whenever you can, and minimize the amount of time the faster foes get in safely. Klefki is your best wall versus these cancerous, fast attackers. Thunder Wave on Klefki helps immensely here. It is extremely hard to get Whimsicott in safely, so you will have to double switch or sack someone if the opponent has a Poison-type move stored away. Spikes help immensely. Avoid letting Toxic Spikes get on your side of the field as much as you can, unless Togekiss has Defog and preferably Heal Bell. Mono Poison can’t 6-0, but it can 6-3, because you’re at a type disadvantage from the get-go and Poison-types have higher defenses on average.
- Mega Beedrill: Cancer in OU, cancer in UU, cancer in Monotype, cancer in general. Outruns everyone on the team, will always run Drill Run (who wouldn’t run Drill Run?), and smacks everyone really hard. Why Game Freak invented it, I do not know. What I do know is that you must paralyze it ASAP, but again, do not be careless in trying to do so. Hazards also help you wear this stupid thing down.
- Tentacruel: Stacks Toxic Spikes, and Scald will kill Diancie in 2 soakings if the burn doesn’t kill it first. You can Defog, but that gets rid of your own Screens. Tentacruel is just a pain in the a## to deal with generally – try to limit how many times it enters battle.
- Nidoking: Earth Power for Diancie, Flamethrower for Klefki, Sludge Wave for everyone else. Nuff said. Every time it gets in, you’re gonna have to sack someone if you mispredict. Your best bet is to – you guessed it – limit switch-in opportunities. Having Light screen up also helps immensely.
Enemy Mono-Water teams: Because you have to deal with fat enemies like Cancercune, Slowking, and friends, you’re gonna struggle to 2 hit kill a lot of stuff if you can’t set up Spikes. Likewise, Water-types can Scald Diancie to death and remove your primary means of damage output. They can also wall Azumarill relatively well, and if Azumarill is burned for any reason, you’re in a lot of trouble. Stallbreaker Togekiss can help vs. these fatties, but it won’t help versus stuff like Empoleon, Rotom-W, and Lanturn. Rain offense also crushes this team, as Whimsicott can barely stand up to rain-boosted hits.
- Crocune: This cancerous doge can set up on nearly anyone, as Diancie cannot kill it in 2 attacks.. Azumarill is honestly your best bet, but you have to worry about Scald burns. If Cancercune sets up too much, you’re almost guaranteed to lose.
- Slowking: It can 1v1 Diancie without fear, and Azumarill can’t switch in safely for fear of Scald burns. Overall a pain to deal with. Diamond Storm does hurt, but not nearly as much as Scald. Whimsicott can switch in if Slowking doesn’t Fire Blast, but this doesn’t stop Slowking from healing with Regenerator, negating whatever damage Diancie miraculously inflicted.
- Empoleon: Shuca Berry variants give a lot of grief, as it can tank an Earth Power and hit back with Scald, or worse, Flash Cannon. Even without a Shuca Berry, Empoleon can stand up to one Earth Power and take the opportunity to fight back. Only Diancie can really fight Empoleon, so you must do whatever it takes to wear it down beforehand. If Empoleon beats down Diancie, you're at a disadvantage.
Rain offense: Click X. No one on the team has the bulk to take rain-boosted attacks. Politoed is cancer BTW.
And this ins't covering other threats such as enemy mono-Fairy teams or mono-Psychic teams. You also need to worry about enemies such as cancer Thundurus, Landorus, and Tornadus-T with Iron Tail. Heatran is also annoying, as it switches into the Thunder Wave-less Clefable and makes it harder for Azumarill and Diancie to switch in (Lava Plume burns).
No replays worth watching. They're either me getting my head crushed or me crushing the heads of really weak teams not worth your time.
Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 8 Atk / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Protect
Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
Klefki @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Spikes
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- Foul Play
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- U-turn
- Encore
- Stun Spore
- Giga Drain
Clefable @ Babiri Berry
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Fire Blast
- Soft-Boiled
Togekiss @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Air Slash
- Defog
- Roost
- Thunder Wave
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 8 Atk / 248 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Protect
Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
Klefki @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Spikes
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- Foul Play
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- U-turn
- Encore
- Stun Spore
- Giga Drain
Clefable @ Babiri Berry
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Fire Blast
- Soft-Boiled
Togekiss @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Air Slash
- Defog
- Roost
- Thunder Wave
Fairy teams have little issue with mono-Fighting, Dark, and Dragon teams, but struggle versus pretty much every other mono-team that wasn’t constructed by a 4-year-old.
Well, maybe I made some mistakes in teambuilding. Please point them out to me and how I can fix them.
Last edited:
