[OVERVIEW]
Diancie's prowess in DOU is very heavily predicated on the immense strength of Diamond Storm. The option to dish out big chunks of damage while also boosting Defense makes Diancie very hard to break once the ball starts rolling. In its base forme, Diancie is one of the tier's best offensive Trick Room setters thanks to its impressive bulk and consistent damage output. Additionally, its phenomenal ability Clear Body means that teams that rely on Intimidate users to check Rock-types will greatly struggle to contain Diancie's damage output. The biggest weakness Diancie faces is its vulnerability outside of Trick Room; Diancie typically has enough bulk to stomach one big hit but rarely two, so pinning it down when it does not hold the Speed advantage can spell doom for it. Mega Diancie struggles to find a niche due to its frailty, but it can still punch holes in unsuspecting teams in favorable positions. While Diancie can be reduced to a Diamond Storm bot at times, the flexibility it can provide to a large swath of team archetypes solely because it can both set and take advantage of Trick Room should not be underestimated.
[SET]
name: Offensive Trick Room
move 1: Diamond Storm
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Trick Room
move 4: Protect
item: Weakness Policy
ability: Clear Body
nature: Brave
evs: 252 HP / 108 Atk / 52 Def / 96 SpA
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Diancie is one of the best Trick Room setters in the tier thanks to the many tools it has under its belt, so it will naturally carry Trick Room due to its bulk being artificially magnified when attacking first. Diamond Storm is its primary attack, as it provides Diancie with a means of significantly damaging both foes and raising its Defense, thereby bolstering its already above-average bulk. Moonblast is Diancie's secondary STAB attack, granting it both a move that cannot miss when a 5% risk cannot be taken and a way to smack some Pokemon that resist Rock-type attacks, like Zygarde and Kommo-o. Protect rounds out Diancie's set as a staple in DOU, allowing Diancie a turn of safety.
Set Details
========
The Special Attack investment on this set ensures that Diancie will always OHKO Kommo-o with Moonblast, even after the Special Defense boost from Clangorous Soulblaze. When combined with maximum HP investment, 52 EVs in Defense allows Diancie to always survive a Leaf Blade from Jolly Kartana and activate its Weakness Policy. Diancie is one of few Pokemon that can make good use of Weakness Policy because its unique typing means that the best ways to damage it are through super effective moves. There are few neutral attacks in the tier that can dent Diancie, and its massive bulk means that it can usually afford to take one super effective attack without much trouble, especially considering that some super effective attacks in the tier, such as Tapu Fini's Muddy Water, are pretty weak. The remaining EVs are placed in Attack, which, in conjunction with an Attack-boosting nature, allows Diancie to reliably 2HKO Incineroar without risk of activating its pinch Berry as long as there is no interference from Stealth Rock. Clear Body's biggest application is preventing Attack drops from Intimidate, making Diancie one of the best Incineroar checks in the tier, but it also prevents other annoying stat drops from attacks like the aforementioned Tapu Fini's Muddy Water. To make best use of Trick Room, Diancie uses 0 Speed IVs and a Brave nature. If using a slow Pokemon that carries Knock Off like Scrafty or Incineroar alongside Diancie, it can be valuable to make Diancie one point faster than its partner so that the partner can remove a potential pinch Berry before Diancie activates it in Trick Room; this can be done by setting Diancie's Speed IV to an appropriate value. Rockium Z is a viable option over Weakness Policy for increased damage output that does not rely on being hit first, but Diancie's partners usually make better use of Z-Moves and Weakness Policy makes Diancie an offensive threat for more than one turn.
Usage Tips
========
Diancie's Weakness Policy can be thought of as insurance, since it essentially prevents the foe from hitting Diancie with a weaker super effective attack as it sets up Trick Room. If possible, try to avoid letting Weakness Policy activate until Diancie is in a position to start sweeping. The optimal situation would be to activate it on the same turn that Trick Room is set up, but if Diancie can manage at least a couple turns of boosted attacks under Trick Room, you will likely be in a good position. Be wary of foes chipping Diancie into KO range with weaker neutral attacks—this is generally the best way to handle Diancie. In most scenarios when Diancie is attacking, Diamond Storm should be the attack of choice. Defense boosts and spread damage are Diancie's bread and butter, so Moonblast should only be used when you need to hit a specific target that resists Diamond Storm or be absolutely sure Diancie does not miss. Diancie's low Speed allows it to take advantage of its own Trick Room, but you must be wary of Pokemon that can underspeed and threaten Diancie with huge damage. Mega Camerupt, Gastrodon, Araquanid, and Lurantis all fit this description, so play conservatively with your Diancie until these Pokemon are neutralized.
Team Options
========
Given Diancie's penchant for both setting up and taking advantage of Trick Room, any Pokemon than can facilitate Trick Room setup makes for a good Diancie partner. Given that Fake Out and Intimidate are both excellent means to a Trick Room end, Incineroar and Scrafty find themselves next to Diancie on a number of teams. Incineroar specifically can weaken the foe with Intimidate and then pivot into a partner that will also take advantage of Trick Room or threaten problematic Steel-types with a powerful Flare Blitz. Multiple checks to Steel-types are mandatory with Diancie, as its coverage and typing leave it quite vulnerable to Steel-types both offensively and defensively. Such checks can range from Fire-types, like Mega Charizard Y and the aforementioned Incineroar, to Ground-types, like Landorus-T and Zygarde. Mega Camerupt combines both of these types and its incredibly low Speed to make for a fantastic Diancie partner, capable of dealing huge damage to the Steel- and Grass-types that threaten Diancie while being possibly the best Trick Room sweeper in the tier. Teams that carry both Diancie and Mega Camerupt tend to be full Trick Room teams. Bulky Water-types are a nuisance for Diancie, as they are capable of sponging any of Diancie's attacks while Trick Room is up and weakening Diancie to the point of preventing a second use of Trick Room. Tapu Bulu is often the Island Guardian of choice on these teams given its relatively low Speed and ability to smack said problematic bulky Water-types, as well as Ground-types, that threaten Diancie while providing Diancie with passive recovery. Nature Power Mega Camerupt also often finds itself on teams that carry Diancie and Tapu Bulu as a means of eliminating unsuspecting Water-types. Additional Trick Room setters that can be used to support Diancie include Porygon2 and Bronzong, both of which can reliably set Trick Room in the face of most of the metagame. However, using Diancie on a team does not necessitate a hard emphasis on Trick Room. Diancie is arguably the best Trick Room setter on "semiroom" teams, which usually have an additional means of speed control like Tailwind to ensure an advantage in any scenario. Mega Charizard Y, Kartana, and Zapdos can all effectively fill this role and have symbiotic relationships with Diancie thanks to there being very few overlapping checks between any of these Pokemon and Diancie itself.
[SET]
name: Mega Mixed Attacker
move 1: Diamond Storm
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Substitute / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Protect
item: Diancite
ability: Clear Body
nature: Hasty
evs: 160 Atk / 96 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Diamond Storm is the premier attack for Mega Diancie, boasting high power for a spread move and a high chance of a Defense boost to patch Mega Diancie's poor bulk. Moonblast's damage output is surprisingly high, and it can be used in situations where a particular foe would be hit significantly harder by a Fairy-type attack. Given Mega Diancie's propensity for forcing switches and other defensive plays, Substitute can be used to buy Mega Diancie free turns in such instances. Hidden Power Fire is a viable option on Mega Diancie, as many teams rely on Kartana as their only Diancie check; sniping a Kartana with Hidden Power Fire can pave the way for Mega Diancie to make an even greater impact. Protect is especially important on a Pokemon as frail as Mega Diancie, giving it temporary safety while its partner can improve its position.
Set Details
========
Mega Diancie's Speed tier necessitates maximum investment given the other Pokemon in the tier that lie next to and just below it, so 252 EVs and a boosting nature are employed. Hasty is chosen over Naive because Diamond Storm will likely be boosting Mega Diancie's Defense, making up for the slight initial Defense drop. The given Special Attack investment means that Mega Diancie will 2HKO standard bulky pivot Landorus-T with Moonblast. If Mega Diancie manages to set up Substitute on a turn when Landorus-T pivots onto the field, Mega Diancie can KO it before Landorus-T can damage Mega Diancie at all. The remaining EVs are placed in Attack to power up Diamond Storm and give Mega Diancie a 94% chance to 2HKO standard Incineroar with Diamond Storm at -1 Attack.
Usage Tips
========
Since Diancie's base forme has such a fantastic ability in Clear Body, you should be deliberate about when you choose to Mega Evolve Diancie. If your opponent has Pokemon that employ Intimidate or stat-dropping moves like Icy Wind, it can be advantageous to keep Diancie in its base forme until those Pokemon are out of the way. Similarly, if facing a Pokemon faster than Mega Diancie that threatens to deal a lot of damage, consider keeping it in its base forme to take the hit if increased damage isn't necessary. Once Diancie has Mega Evolved, Diamond Storm should be the move of choice in most cases. Moonblast hits pretty hard neutrally and will do more damage to one target than a spread Diamond Storm, so this move is the better choice if you need more damage against one specific opposing Pokemon. Try to always be attacking first with Mega Diancie; relying on taking a hit and firing back can be very risky because of Mega Diancie's frailty.
Team Options
========
Speed control is very important with Mega Diancie. Tailwind Kartana is a good partner thanks to its ability to threaten opposing Water- and Ground-types, and Tailwind Zapdos, Tailwind Suicune, and Icy Wind Kyurem-B also combine speed control and offensive synergy. Mega Diancie also appreciates Pokemon that can eliminate Steel-types. Fire-types like Incineroar and Volcanion fit this role, and Volcanion in particular also appreciates the speed control that often accompanies Mega Diancie. Mega Diancie also needs a partner to cover Ground-types, but answers to Landorus-T are more important than answers to Zygarde, since Mega Diancie can smack Zygarde with Moonblast. Kyurem-B, Tapu Fini, and your own Landorus-T are all solid choices to improve the opposing Landorus-T matchup. Grass-type Pokemon make for good partners given Mega Diancie's ability to beat most relevant Flying- and Fire-types handily. Tapu Bulu gives Mega Diancie passive recovery and can eliminate Water-types, while Amoonguss can give Mega Diancie some breathing room with Rage Powder and Spore.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
The Trick Room set can make use of a pinch Berry to boost Diancie's already impressive longevity. Hard Stone is an option over Rockium Z if greater damage output is desired but the team's Z-Move is already taken. Helping Hand and Stealth Rock can replace Trick Room on teams that don't need it set up, but keep in mind that this restricts Diancie's ability to offensively threaten opposing teams itself. Mega Diancie can use Earth Power in its third moveslot to give it a positive matchup against non-Z-Move Tapu Koko and a last-ditch option against Mega Metagross. If Earth Power is used, an alternate EV spread of 52 HP / 168 Atk / 36 SpA / 252 Spe should be used to survive a Life Orb-boosted Thunderbolt from Tapu Koko in Electric Terrain and KO in return.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Most common Steel-type Pokemon resist both of Diancie's attacks and threaten to OHKO it in return. Mega Metagross and Genesect both OHKO Diancie with Iron Head, Kartana will OHKO it with Bloom Doom, and Aegislash can OHKO it with Flash Cannon. None of these Pokemon have a chance at being OHKOed by anything but Hidden Power Fire Mega Diancie.
**Ground-types**: Landorus-T and Zygarde both OHKO base Diancie with Tectonic Rage and Mega Diancie with their respective Ground-type attacks. Bulky Landorus-T will 2HKO regular Diancie with Earth Power, but it must be wary of activating Weakness Policy in the process. Choice Scarf Landorus-T will outspeed and OHKO Mega Diancie, while Dragon Dance Zygarde can outspeed and OHKO Mega Diancie at +1 but must dance around Moonblast. Keep in mind that threats from both Zygarde and physical Landorus-T can be somewhat mitigated by Diamond Storm boosts and Intimidate, especially if they are a team's main answers to Diancie.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types like Tapu Fini and Gastrodon can reliably take hits from either Diancie forme and threaten to chip away at its health. Tapu Fini can use Moonblast or Nature's Madness to put Diancie in KO range of a Water-type attack, but Gastrodon that don't carry either Tectonic Rage or Toxic must play around a possible Weakness Policy, lest they risk being smacked by a +2 Moonblast. Water-types with Swift Swim, including Mega Swampert, Kingdra, and Ludicolo, will all outspeed and OHKO either Diancie forme in the rain.
**Grass-types**: Diancie has a hard time significantly damaging any Grass-types, giving them room to fire back with their super effective STAB attacks. Kartana is the most immediately threatening Grass-type but is also the only one that is particularly wary of taking a Moonblast. Amoonguss can take advantage of regular Diancie's Trick Room, while Mega Venusaur and Ferrothorn are both nearly hard stops to either Diancie forme.
**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon that are faster than Mega Diancie are generally able to do a lot of damage, if not outright OHKO, given Mega Diancie's poor bulk. Such Pokemon include Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Choice Scarf Genesect, Choice Scarf Landorus-T, and Deoxys-A.
**Speed Control**: If Mega Diancie loses the speed control battle, it will have a very hard time remaining healthy. Tailwind Suicune and Icy Wind Tapu Fini will both take minimal damage from any of Mega Diancie's attacks and can reliably use their speed control options and threaten it with a Water-type attack.
**Preventative Measures for Trick Room**: Standard means of blocking Trick Room like Taunt and Roar limit regular Diancie's ability to control the game. Inner Focus Roar Suicune is a particularly problematic presence for Diancie, while Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele can both Taunt Diancie and threaten it with a strong neutral attack.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[MajorBowman, 188164]]
- Earlier versions by: [[n10sit, 267148], [Heliodor, 355886]]
- Quality checked by: [[talkingtree, 232101], [Stratos, 59770]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Empress, 175616], [P Squared, 168392]]
Diancie's prowess in DOU is very heavily predicated on the immense strength of Diamond Storm. The option to dish out big chunks of damage while also boosting Defense makes Diancie very hard to break once the ball starts rolling. In its base forme, Diancie is one of the tier's best offensive Trick Room setters thanks to its impressive bulk and consistent damage output. Additionally, its phenomenal ability Clear Body means that teams that rely on Intimidate users to check Rock-types will greatly struggle to contain Diancie's damage output. The biggest weakness Diancie faces is its vulnerability outside of Trick Room; Diancie typically has enough bulk to stomach one big hit but rarely two, so pinning it down when it does not hold the Speed advantage can spell doom for it. Mega Diancie struggles to find a niche due to its frailty, but it can still punch holes in unsuspecting teams in favorable positions. While Diancie can be reduced to a Diamond Storm bot at times, the flexibility it can provide to a large swath of team archetypes solely because it can both set and take advantage of Trick Room should not be underestimated.
[SET]
name: Offensive Trick Room
move 1: Diamond Storm
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Trick Room
move 4: Protect
item: Weakness Policy
ability: Clear Body
nature: Brave
evs: 252 HP / 108 Atk / 52 Def / 96 SpA
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Diancie is one of the best Trick Room setters in the tier thanks to the many tools it has under its belt, so it will naturally carry Trick Room due to its bulk being artificially magnified when attacking first. Diamond Storm is its primary attack, as it provides Diancie with a means of significantly damaging both foes and raising its Defense, thereby bolstering its already above-average bulk. Moonblast is Diancie's secondary STAB attack, granting it both a move that cannot miss when a 5% risk cannot be taken and a way to smack some Pokemon that resist Rock-type attacks, like Zygarde and Kommo-o. Protect rounds out Diancie's set as a staple in DOU, allowing Diancie a turn of safety.
Set Details
========
The Special Attack investment on this set ensures that Diancie will always OHKO Kommo-o with Moonblast, even after the Special Defense boost from Clangorous Soulblaze. When combined with maximum HP investment, 52 EVs in Defense allows Diancie to always survive a Leaf Blade from Jolly Kartana and activate its Weakness Policy. Diancie is one of few Pokemon that can make good use of Weakness Policy because its unique typing means that the best ways to damage it are through super effective moves. There are few neutral attacks in the tier that can dent Diancie, and its massive bulk means that it can usually afford to take one super effective attack without much trouble, especially considering that some super effective attacks in the tier, such as Tapu Fini's Muddy Water, are pretty weak. The remaining EVs are placed in Attack, which, in conjunction with an Attack-boosting nature, allows Diancie to reliably 2HKO Incineroar without risk of activating its pinch Berry as long as there is no interference from Stealth Rock. Clear Body's biggest application is preventing Attack drops from Intimidate, making Diancie one of the best Incineroar checks in the tier, but it also prevents other annoying stat drops from attacks like the aforementioned Tapu Fini's Muddy Water. To make best use of Trick Room, Diancie uses 0 Speed IVs and a Brave nature. If using a slow Pokemon that carries Knock Off like Scrafty or Incineroar alongside Diancie, it can be valuable to make Diancie one point faster than its partner so that the partner can remove a potential pinch Berry before Diancie activates it in Trick Room; this can be done by setting Diancie's Speed IV to an appropriate value. Rockium Z is a viable option over Weakness Policy for increased damage output that does not rely on being hit first, but Diancie's partners usually make better use of Z-Moves and Weakness Policy makes Diancie an offensive threat for more than one turn.
Usage Tips
========
Diancie's Weakness Policy can be thought of as insurance, since it essentially prevents the foe from hitting Diancie with a weaker super effective attack as it sets up Trick Room. If possible, try to avoid letting Weakness Policy activate until Diancie is in a position to start sweeping. The optimal situation would be to activate it on the same turn that Trick Room is set up, but if Diancie can manage at least a couple turns of boosted attacks under Trick Room, you will likely be in a good position. Be wary of foes chipping Diancie into KO range with weaker neutral attacks—this is generally the best way to handle Diancie. In most scenarios when Diancie is attacking, Diamond Storm should be the attack of choice. Defense boosts and spread damage are Diancie's bread and butter, so Moonblast should only be used when you need to hit a specific target that resists Diamond Storm or be absolutely sure Diancie does not miss. Diancie's low Speed allows it to take advantage of its own Trick Room, but you must be wary of Pokemon that can underspeed and threaten Diancie with huge damage. Mega Camerupt, Gastrodon, Araquanid, and Lurantis all fit this description, so play conservatively with your Diancie until these Pokemon are neutralized.
Team Options
========
Given Diancie's penchant for both setting up and taking advantage of Trick Room, any Pokemon than can facilitate Trick Room setup makes for a good Diancie partner. Given that Fake Out and Intimidate are both excellent means to a Trick Room end, Incineroar and Scrafty find themselves next to Diancie on a number of teams. Incineroar specifically can weaken the foe with Intimidate and then pivot into a partner that will also take advantage of Trick Room or threaten problematic Steel-types with a powerful Flare Blitz. Multiple checks to Steel-types are mandatory with Diancie, as its coverage and typing leave it quite vulnerable to Steel-types both offensively and defensively. Such checks can range from Fire-types, like Mega Charizard Y and the aforementioned Incineroar, to Ground-types, like Landorus-T and Zygarde. Mega Camerupt combines both of these types and its incredibly low Speed to make for a fantastic Diancie partner, capable of dealing huge damage to the Steel- and Grass-types that threaten Diancie while being possibly the best Trick Room sweeper in the tier. Teams that carry both Diancie and Mega Camerupt tend to be full Trick Room teams. Bulky Water-types are a nuisance for Diancie, as they are capable of sponging any of Diancie's attacks while Trick Room is up and weakening Diancie to the point of preventing a second use of Trick Room. Tapu Bulu is often the Island Guardian of choice on these teams given its relatively low Speed and ability to smack said problematic bulky Water-types, as well as Ground-types, that threaten Diancie while providing Diancie with passive recovery. Nature Power Mega Camerupt also often finds itself on teams that carry Diancie and Tapu Bulu as a means of eliminating unsuspecting Water-types. Additional Trick Room setters that can be used to support Diancie include Porygon2 and Bronzong, both of which can reliably set Trick Room in the face of most of the metagame. However, using Diancie on a team does not necessitate a hard emphasis on Trick Room. Diancie is arguably the best Trick Room setter on "semiroom" teams, which usually have an additional means of speed control like Tailwind to ensure an advantage in any scenario. Mega Charizard Y, Kartana, and Zapdos can all effectively fill this role and have symbiotic relationships with Diancie thanks to there being very few overlapping checks between any of these Pokemon and Diancie itself.
[SET]
name: Mega Mixed Attacker
move 1: Diamond Storm
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Substitute / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Protect
item: Diancite
ability: Clear Body
nature: Hasty
evs: 160 Atk / 96 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Diamond Storm is the premier attack for Mega Diancie, boasting high power for a spread move and a high chance of a Defense boost to patch Mega Diancie's poor bulk. Moonblast's damage output is surprisingly high, and it can be used in situations where a particular foe would be hit significantly harder by a Fairy-type attack. Given Mega Diancie's propensity for forcing switches and other defensive plays, Substitute can be used to buy Mega Diancie free turns in such instances. Hidden Power Fire is a viable option on Mega Diancie, as many teams rely on Kartana as their only Diancie check; sniping a Kartana with Hidden Power Fire can pave the way for Mega Diancie to make an even greater impact. Protect is especially important on a Pokemon as frail as Mega Diancie, giving it temporary safety while its partner can improve its position.
Set Details
========
Mega Diancie's Speed tier necessitates maximum investment given the other Pokemon in the tier that lie next to and just below it, so 252 EVs and a boosting nature are employed. Hasty is chosen over Naive because Diamond Storm will likely be boosting Mega Diancie's Defense, making up for the slight initial Defense drop. The given Special Attack investment means that Mega Diancie will 2HKO standard bulky pivot Landorus-T with Moonblast. If Mega Diancie manages to set up Substitute on a turn when Landorus-T pivots onto the field, Mega Diancie can KO it before Landorus-T can damage Mega Diancie at all. The remaining EVs are placed in Attack to power up Diamond Storm and give Mega Diancie a 94% chance to 2HKO standard Incineroar with Diamond Storm at -1 Attack.
Usage Tips
========
Since Diancie's base forme has such a fantastic ability in Clear Body, you should be deliberate about when you choose to Mega Evolve Diancie. If your opponent has Pokemon that employ Intimidate or stat-dropping moves like Icy Wind, it can be advantageous to keep Diancie in its base forme until those Pokemon are out of the way. Similarly, if facing a Pokemon faster than Mega Diancie that threatens to deal a lot of damage, consider keeping it in its base forme to take the hit if increased damage isn't necessary. Once Diancie has Mega Evolved, Diamond Storm should be the move of choice in most cases. Moonblast hits pretty hard neutrally and will do more damage to one target than a spread Diamond Storm, so this move is the better choice if you need more damage against one specific opposing Pokemon. Try to always be attacking first with Mega Diancie; relying on taking a hit and firing back can be very risky because of Mega Diancie's frailty.
Team Options
========
Speed control is very important with Mega Diancie. Tailwind Kartana is a good partner thanks to its ability to threaten opposing Water- and Ground-types, and Tailwind Zapdos, Tailwind Suicune, and Icy Wind Kyurem-B also combine speed control and offensive synergy. Mega Diancie also appreciates Pokemon that can eliminate Steel-types. Fire-types like Incineroar and Volcanion fit this role, and Volcanion in particular also appreciates the speed control that often accompanies Mega Diancie. Mega Diancie also needs a partner to cover Ground-types, but answers to Landorus-T are more important than answers to Zygarde, since Mega Diancie can smack Zygarde with Moonblast. Kyurem-B, Tapu Fini, and your own Landorus-T are all solid choices to improve the opposing Landorus-T matchup. Grass-type Pokemon make for good partners given Mega Diancie's ability to beat most relevant Flying- and Fire-types handily. Tapu Bulu gives Mega Diancie passive recovery and can eliminate Water-types, while Amoonguss can give Mega Diancie some breathing room with Rage Powder and Spore.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
The Trick Room set can make use of a pinch Berry to boost Diancie's already impressive longevity. Hard Stone is an option over Rockium Z if greater damage output is desired but the team's Z-Move is already taken. Helping Hand and Stealth Rock can replace Trick Room on teams that don't need it set up, but keep in mind that this restricts Diancie's ability to offensively threaten opposing teams itself. Mega Diancie can use Earth Power in its third moveslot to give it a positive matchup against non-Z-Move Tapu Koko and a last-ditch option against Mega Metagross. If Earth Power is used, an alternate EV spread of 52 HP / 168 Atk / 36 SpA / 252 Spe should be used to survive a Life Orb-boosted Thunderbolt from Tapu Koko in Electric Terrain and KO in return.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Most common Steel-type Pokemon resist both of Diancie's attacks and threaten to OHKO it in return. Mega Metagross and Genesect both OHKO Diancie with Iron Head, Kartana will OHKO it with Bloom Doom, and Aegislash can OHKO it with Flash Cannon. None of these Pokemon have a chance at being OHKOed by anything but Hidden Power Fire Mega Diancie.
**Ground-types**: Landorus-T and Zygarde both OHKO base Diancie with Tectonic Rage and Mega Diancie with their respective Ground-type attacks. Bulky Landorus-T will 2HKO regular Diancie with Earth Power, but it must be wary of activating Weakness Policy in the process. Choice Scarf Landorus-T will outspeed and OHKO Mega Diancie, while Dragon Dance Zygarde can outspeed and OHKO Mega Diancie at +1 but must dance around Moonblast. Keep in mind that threats from both Zygarde and physical Landorus-T can be somewhat mitigated by Diamond Storm boosts and Intimidate, especially if they are a team's main answers to Diancie.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types like Tapu Fini and Gastrodon can reliably take hits from either Diancie forme and threaten to chip away at its health. Tapu Fini can use Moonblast or Nature's Madness to put Diancie in KO range of a Water-type attack, but Gastrodon that don't carry either Tectonic Rage or Toxic must play around a possible Weakness Policy, lest they risk being smacked by a +2 Moonblast. Water-types with Swift Swim, including Mega Swampert, Kingdra, and Ludicolo, will all outspeed and OHKO either Diancie forme in the rain.
**Grass-types**: Diancie has a hard time significantly damaging any Grass-types, giving them room to fire back with their super effective STAB attacks. Kartana is the most immediately threatening Grass-type but is also the only one that is particularly wary of taking a Moonblast. Amoonguss can take advantage of regular Diancie's Trick Room, while Mega Venusaur and Ferrothorn are both nearly hard stops to either Diancie forme.
**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon that are faster than Mega Diancie are generally able to do a lot of damage, if not outright OHKO, given Mega Diancie's poor bulk. Such Pokemon include Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Choice Scarf Genesect, Choice Scarf Landorus-T, and Deoxys-A.
**Speed Control**: If Mega Diancie loses the speed control battle, it will have a very hard time remaining healthy. Tailwind Suicune and Icy Wind Tapu Fini will both take minimal damage from any of Mega Diancie's attacks and can reliably use their speed control options and threaten it with a Water-type attack.
**Preventative Measures for Trick Room**: Standard means of blocking Trick Room like Taunt and Roar limit regular Diancie's ability to control the game. Inner Focus Roar Suicune is a particularly problematic presence for Diancie, while Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele can both Taunt Diancie and threaten it with a strong neutral attack.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[MajorBowman, 188164]]
- Earlier versions by: [[n10sit, 267148], [Heliodor, 355886]]
- Quality checked by: [[talkingtree, 232101], [Stratos, 59770]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Empress, 175616], [P Squared, 168392]]
Last edited:
