Doubles Mega-Diancie [2/2]

n10siT

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talkingtree note: The Checks and Counters section is to be added to the Diancie analysis, not meant as standalone replacements. The Overview replaces what's currently there. Aside from those, the rest of the analysis is a standard single-set addition.

[OVERVIEW]
Diancie shines in USM as a different sort of Trick Room setter. It has high natural bulk paired with a strong STAB move in Diamond Storm while also possessing a rare Rock / Fairy typing for a Trick Room setter, as most of which are Psychic-types. This typing is important because it leaves common anti-Trick Room Pokemon, such as Hoopa-U and Tyranitar, less effective versus Diancie. Diancie also has the ability to exert offensive pressure after it sets up Trick Room, hitting both opposing Pokemon with Diamond Storm or threatening anti-Trick Room Pokemon like Scrafty and Hoopa-U with Moonblast. While regular Diancie is a solid choice, it can also opt to hold Diancite and Mega Evolve to perform a different role entirely. Mega Diancie boasts high attacking and Speed stats in exchange for lesser defensive stats, becoming a formidable late-game cleaner thanks to its decent speed and nearly perfect coverage.

While Diancie's Rock / Fairy typing is nearly unique, it is not the most solid typing defensively, as it is weak to Water, Ground, and Steel-type attacks, all of which are common in the DOU metagame. Diancie also is often outclassed as a Trick Room setter by the more powerful Hoopa-U, by Gothitelle with its good bulk and utility, and by another differently typed and powerful Trick Room setter in Stakataka. Mega Diancie also sees lots of competition from the Island Guardians as Fairy-types and is hindered by the prominence of Mega Metagross in the DOU metagame.

[SET]
name: Mega Mixed Attacker
move 1: Diamond Storm
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Earth Power / Substitute
move 4: Protect
item: Diancite
ability: Clear Body
nature: Hasty
evs: 28 HP / 140 Atk / 68 SpA / 20 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Diamond Storm is a great STAB move for Mega Diancie, as it hits both targets and has a good chance to raise Diancie's Defense by 2 stages for each hit. Moonblast is Diancie's other STAB option, as it covers Fighting-types like Scrafty and Terrakion and Dark-types like Tyranitar, while ensuring Diancie still has a strong STAB attack if it is affected by Intimidate. Earth Power allows Diancie to hit Steel-types like Aegislash and Stakataka, which resist both of its STAB moves. Substitute can be used in place of Earth Power to take advantage of free turns given when Diancie forces opposing Pokemon to switch out or use Protect. Diancie will be immune to Intimidate and other stat drops while behind a Substitute, which makes Landorus-T a much less viable switch-in. Nature Power is an option that gives Diancie some more flexibility, giving it a way to damage certain threats like Celesteela and Tapu Fini in Electric Terrain or Gastrodon and Swampert in Grassy Terrain. However, this is usually less reliable than Earth Power. Protect is a great move in Doubles, and Diancie is no exception to this rule, being able to stall out opposing speed control and field conditions while also allowing its partner to handle certain threats.

Set Details
========

28 HP and 20 Special Defense EVs are used in order to survive a Thunderbolt from Life Orb Tapu Koko in Electric Terrain. 68 Special Attack EVs allow Mega Diancie to OHKO maximum HP Heatran and uninvested Tapu Koko with Earth Power after one round of Life Orb recoil. Maximum Speed investment with a boosting nature is necessary to ensure Mega Diancie can outspeed everything slower than base 110 Speed and tie with Mega Metagross. The remaining EVs are placed into Attack to ensure that maximum damage is done with Diamond Storm. A Hasty nature is used in order to avoid lowering either offensive stat, and the drop in Defense is mitigated by Diamond Storm's ability to boost it.

Usage Tips
========

It can be advantageous to postpone Mega Evolution if regular Diancie's bulk is more valuable than the boost in its Attacking and Speed stats. It can also avoid Attack drops from Intimidate in its base forme thanks to Clear Body, so it is important to pay close attention to the current game state in order to keep Diancie as threatening as possible. Mega Diancie shines its brightest when it is using its great offensive stats and coverage to place large amounts of pressure on the opposing Pokemon. If Diancie does not threaten the foes with large amounts of damage, it's not worth leaving on the field. Mega Diancie's average defensive stats and poor defensive typing can make it difficult to actively switch in on opposing attacks. Therefore, it is best when switched in after a pivot move, like Genesect's U-turn, or after one of your other Pokemon is knocked out.

Team Options
========

Checks to Landorus-T, such as Tapu Fini, Kyurem-B, and Milotic are incredibly important on teams with Mega Diancie. Landorus-T can lower Mega Diancie's Attack with Intimidate, and outspeed it with a Choice Scarf all the while comfortably taking a -1 Diamond Storm and knocking out Diancie with Earthquake or Earth Power. Bulky Water-types, namely Tapu Fini, can comfortably take Diancie's attacks and do large damage in return, so a strong Electric-type like Tapu Koko or a strong Grass-type like Shaymin-S or Tapu Bulu is a good choice to pair with Mega Diancie. Mega Diancie by itself is incredibly weak to rain teams, as it is outsped and OHKOed by both Mega Swampert and Kingdra, the premier rain sweepers in Doubles OU. Good partners to assist in this matchup include Tapu Fini, Kyurem-B, and Tapu Bulu. Also, having a Pokemon with Tailwind such as Zapdos or a way to control the weather with a Pokemon like Alolan Ninetales can help mitigate the threat of rain teams. In a combination of the last three points, Tapu Bulu is a great partner for Mega Diancie. It is a soft check to Landorus-T because Grassy Terrain weakens Earthquake, and it beats Water-types, which helps versus rain and Tapu Fini. Even though Mega Diancie can carry Earth Power, checks for Steel-types like Aegislash, Celesteela, and Mega Metagross are very important. Mega Diancie will not pick up OHKOs versus any of these Pokemon, and it risks the Speed tie with Metagross. Strong Fire-types like Heatran or Ground-types like Landorus-T can perform this role. Steel-type Pokemon, such as Aegislash, Ferrothorn, and Celesteela, work well as partners for Mega Diancie, as they all resist Grass, Ferrothorn is neutral to Ground and resists Water, and Celesteela is immune to Ground, meaning they all can provide a good defensive switch-in for threats to Mega Diancie, while Diancie beats threatening Fire-types like Mega Charizard Y. Grass-type Pokemon like Tapu Bulu are major threats to Mega Diancie, so a Pokemon that beats Grass-types like Kyurem-B, Heatran, or Ferrothorn works well. Mega Diancie shines its brightest on more offensive teams, like Tapu Lele + Psychic-type + rain archetypes, that can efficiently and reliably deal with the threats that beat it. Mega Diancie pairs well with the potent defensive core of Zapdos and Tapu Fini, as it will benefit greatly from speed and Terrain control.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Checks and Counters
===================

**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon like Deoxys-A, Tapu-Koko, and rain sweepers like Kingdra and Mega Swampert threaten to outspeed and do large damage to Mega Diancie, as Diancie's defensive stats are decreased upon Mega Evolving and it has no priority to handle faster Pokemon.

**Opposing Speed Control**: Opposing teams with rain, Trick Room, or Tailwind can thwart Mega Diancie's cleaning capabilities, as it does not have the bulk needed to take multiple hits if it is being outsped by both foes.
 
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Hi amcheck

Usgae tips
Maybe mention that sometimes mega evolving straight away is not always the best move. E.g. vs marshadow and lando the extra bulk can let you take a cc/eq that mega would drop to.
I guess you mention not mega'ing for clear body but add a bit about the bulk non mega has too

Team options
For sure make a big note of tapu bulu. Cancels kokos terrain to make tbolt weaker, like fires gone, checks rain (esp m pert) well and water types in general, weakens eq from landot. One of the best m diancie partners.

Have a bullet point about the need to deal with fast mons like koko skymin marsh. Scarf lando weakens marsh and beats koko/flinches skymin, but cant eq next to diancie. Koko of your own beats skymin/marsh but is neutral vs other koko. Even your own rain too does well and likes diancies zard y killing abilities.

And u turn/volt switch mons to pivot diancie in safely. Genesect can dunk the tapus and lando helps vs other lando, koko etc.

Checks and counters
Would a bit about rain go under the faster pokemon tag or its own? Either way i feel it deserves a mention since diancie drops 3 times over to any swift swimmer. Kingdra cant switch in on moonblast tho.

Also note that while marshadow can steal those diamond storm boosts, its not getting much use out of them since its ohkoed by moonblast back. None of the faster mons than fini can switch in on it either.



Something for oo too that m diancie likes is sub. Diamond storm chunks koko/tran anyway and sub can capitalise on diancie being vs two slower mons to sub up. But idk if this is the place to suggest this.
 
not QC so this is an amcheck, only implement it if someone else gives a stamp

  • [OVERVIEW]: Fairly certain that mentions of mechanics changes from previous generations is a no-no. As such, the second bullet should be removed.
  • [OVERVIEW]: This section should be expanded. Talk about Diancie's positive match ups, elaborate on its negative match ups, etc.
  • [MOVES]: There's a lot of fluff in that first bullet, I'd just redo it and say something like "Diamond Storm is Diancie's primary STAB move which hits both opponents for good damage and gives it a chance to boost its Defense on each hit."
  • [TEAM OPTIONS]: You should probably expand the list of things that check Rain. Kyurem-B is a good mention, Tapu Fini and Tapu Bulu too.
  • [TEAM OPTIONS]: Put more emphasis on bulky Steel-types as teammates, as they're almost essential. They provide the team with the defensive backbone which Diancie needs to be truly successful. Ferrothorn and Celesteela particularly appreciate its ability to scare out Fire-types, while in return have great defensive synergy with it.
  • [TEAM OPTIONS]: Checks to Grass-types are appreciated. Kyurem-B is especially good since it also checks Rain and provides soft speed control with Icy Wind. Alternatives include Heatran and Shaymin-S.
Good stuff my dude :toast:
 

talkingtree

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Do the above and add slashes for Substitute and Nature Power after Earth Power and I'll give this a full check, but nadando's is a great start. Nice to have you back helping friend
 

talkingtree

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  • [Overview] Those last two sentences in the second bullet point don't really belong in the Overview as additional sentences. Lando-T as a Pokemon doesn't solely effect Diancie's place in the meta, and Rain teams, while a difficult matchup for Diancie, aren't exactly a hard-stop to it since Mega Diancie can hit two of its most common members - Pelipper and Kingdra - really hard
  • [Overview] When writing this up, take a look at the Overview already on-site and keep that in mind when working through the flow of the section as a whole. Because Mega Diancie's set will go above regular Diancie's, it should be the first forme discussed.
  • [Moves] No need to mention Terrakion by name when discussing Fighting-types
  • [Moves] Sub also prevents Intimidate from lowering Diancie's attack, making Landorus-T a much worse switchin
  • [Moves] (I know I just said this so I'm sorry for backing up) Go ahead and change Nature Power to just a Moves mention, not a slash. It hasn't seen the usage or success I originally expected.
  • [Set Details] Any non-Defense-lowering nature would also invalidate the benchmarks, which is the primary reason for running Hasty
  • [Usage Tips] When you're talking about postponing Mega Evolution, make sure you clarify that it's not recommended to attack in base forme at all. You can leave it non-Mega to Protect or Sub, but otherwise if you need a hit off, Mega Diancie has far more impressive damage output
  • [Team Options] Don't mention Lando-I in Steel killers, it's UR and policy is to leave out those mentions wherever possible
  • [Team Options] Right now this section just reads as "bring checks to the things that Mega Diancie struggles with". While that's great and important, it's similarly important to emphasize the "Mega Diancie provides these roles to teams and thus helps out these kinds of teammates". The difference is the former helps out people wanting to build around Mega Diancie, the latter is more useful to those wondering whether Mega Diancie would be a good fit to their team and why. Add a couple points about this b/c I trust you to get the gist and shoot me a message on Discord so that I can make a few small edits before writeup
QC 1/2
 

Idyll

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I'm not going to touch the Overview for now, will have to get back to you on that later

Moves
  • Moonblast also lets it get around Intimidate somewhat
  • Free turns also happen on forced Protects
  • Give notable targets for Nature Power; Fini and Celes with Elec Terrain, for example.
Set Details
  • Specify with what move on the SpA bit
  • "It is also important to note that using any other Nature would invalidate the benchmarks provided by the given EV spread." - isn't this pretty self-explanatory already? IMO remove this
UT
  • "However, it is not advised to postpone Mega Evolving when attacking, as the extra attacking power is almost always worth more than the extra bit of defense." - this isn't always 100% true since, like, there are times you can get away with this and getting rid of chance of momentum loss can be worth it. Something to consider with this line.
TO
  • Mention MPert over Ludi
  • "Steel-type Pokemon, such as Aegislash, Ferrothorn, and Celesteela work well as partners for Diancie-Mega because they provide a good defensive switch-in for Diancie-Mega" - add a reason why
This is a good piece of work, well done.
 

Idyll

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SORRY IM LATE

I don't like how the overview puts the primary focus on mega diancie considering it barely holds much more prominence in the metagame compared to diancie if we look at the VR. in addition, you kinda eschew some key points about tr diancie that was in the first analysis; its part here looks pretty barebones.

i suggest, for the overview, you first talk about how diancie is p versatile as it can do two things and go from there, making sure to talk about the strengths for each. the usual weaknesses for both tend to overlap so you can put them all in another paragraph or something
 

GenOne

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n10sit this has been held up since Nov 26, 2017...

ttree edit: technically only your fault for the time since Dec 19, 2017
 
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n10siT

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updated with a better overview and removed the marshadow mentions, sorry this took me 10 years
 

Level 51

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A few things from me before Memoric gets to a stamp check

[Overview] Explain why having a different typing is important for a TR setter—leaves it less threatened by common TR answers (Hoopa-U, Tyranitar). Aegislash can still bop it though
[Overview] Pretty sure back-referencing a Pokemon's performance in previous generations is generally not approved of, so maybe just skip straight to it facing stiff competition from the Tapus as an offensive Fairy-type and is hindered by common threats like Metagross-Mega and Landorus-Therian
[Usage Tips] "It is possible to make the correct play by staying as the base forme and attacking, it just requires the ability to make an accurate read of the board position." - while I agree with Memoric about the "never attack in base forme" statement being an exaggeration, I don't think it justifies having a whole extra statement which adds no real value. Will leave this up to him though
[Team Options] "Even though Diancie-Mega can carry Earth Power, checks for Steel-types like Aegislash, Celesteela, and Metagross-Mega are very important." add a reason to justify this statement (because even with Earth Power Diancie can't OHKO any of these, and even risks the speed tie with Metagross-Mega)
[Checks and Counters] I'd honestly add "opposing speed control" to Checks and Counters since Mega Diancie is flimsy af

nicely written overall :o
 

Idyll

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Do the above, they're all correct.

You emphasized the to mega or not to mega part too much in UT. Just stick to the most essential point i.e Mega Evolve if you wanna be a threat UNLESS the bulk is preferred or getting around Intim is needed. The statement "it is possible to make the correct play by staying as the base forme and attacking, it just requires the ability to make an accurate read of the board position" doesn't really tell readers anything, for example. In addition, you should emphasize playing with Mega Diancie as a threat more: stuff about pressuring stuff, being a threat, yada yada yada.

Add Stakataka somewhere in the Overview, on the part where you say that there's other TR setters around. Add him too as a target for Earth Power.

When you mention Mega Evolving in UT, mention not only the power boost but the Speed boost as well.

2/2 once implemented :psysly:
 

Lumari

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remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 1/2
[OVERVIEW]
Diancie shines in USUM USM as a different sort of Trick Room setter. It has high natural bulk paired with a strong STAB move in Diamond Storm while also possessing a unique rare (carbink, would let it slide even then but ppl will whine about this) Rock / Fairy (RH) typing for a Trick Room setter, most of which are Psychic-types. This unique typing is important because it leaves common anti-Trick Room Pokemon, such as Hoopa-Unbound and Tyranitar, are less effective versus Diancie. Diancie also has the ability to exert offensive pressure after it sets Trick Room, covering both opponents opposing Pokemon with Diamond Storm or threatening anti-Trick Room Pokemon like Scrafty or and Hoopa-Unbound with Moonblast. While regular Diancie is a solid choice in its base form, it can also opt to hold Diancite and Mega Evolve to perform a different role entirely. Mega Diancie-Mega boasts high attacking and Speed stats in exchange for lesser defensive stats, (comma) In its Mega forme, Diancie becomes becoming a formidable late-game (AH) cleaner thanks to its decent speed and nearly perfect coverage.

While Diancie's Rock / Fairy (RH) typing is nearly unique, it is not the most solid typing defensively, as it is weak to Water, Ground, and Steel-type attacks, all of which are common in the DOU metagame. Diancie also is often outshined as a Trick Room setter by the more powerful Hoopa-Unbound, by Gothitelle's with its good bulk and utility, and by another uniquely typed and powerful Trick Room setter in Stakataka. Mega Diancie-Mega also sees lots of competition from the Tapu's Island Guardians as Fairy-types and is hindered by the fact that prominence of Mega Metagross-Mega is so powerful in the DOU metagame.

[SET]
name: Mega Mixed Attacker
move 1: Diamond Storm
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Earth Power / Substitute
move 4: Protect
item: Diancite
ability: Clear Body
nature: Hasty
evs: 28 HP / 140 Atk / 68 SpA / 20 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Diamond Storm is a great STAB move for Mega Diancie, as it hits both targets and has a good chance to raise Diancie's Defense by 2 stages for each hit. Moonblast is Diancie's other STAB option, as it covers Fighting-types like Scrafty and Terrakion, as well as Dark-types like Tyranitar, while ensuring Diancie still has a strong STAB attack if it is Intimidated affected by Intimidate. Earth Power allows Diancie to hit Steel-types like Aegislash and Stakataka, which resist both of its STAB moves. Substitute can be used in place of Earth Power to take advantage of free turns given when Diancie forces opposing Pokemon to switch out or use Protect. Diancie will be immune to Intimidate and other stat drops while behind a Substitute, which makes Landorus-Therian a much less viable switch-in. Nature Power is an option that allows gives Diancie some more flexibility, giving it a way to damage certain threats like Celesteela or and Tapu Fini in Electric Terrain or Gastrodon and Swampert in Grassy Terrain. However, this is usually less reliable than Earth Power. Protect is a great move in Doubles, and Diancie is no exception to this rule, (comma) Protect allows Diancie being able to stall out opposing speed control and field conditions while also allowing Diancie's its partner to handle certain threats.

Set Details
========

28 HP and 20 Special Defense EVS EVs are used on Diancie-Mega in order to survive a Thunderbolt from Life Orb Tapu Koko in Electric Terrain. 68 Special Attack EVS EVs allow Mega Diancie to OHKO 252 HP / 4 Special Defense maximum HP (optional but way cleaner) Heatran and 0 HP / 4 Special Defense (here too if you can, "offensive" / "uninvested" / whatever works/is clear) Tapu Koko with Earth Power after it has taken one round of Life Orb recoil. Maximum Speed investment with a boosting nature is necessary on Diancie-Mega, which ensures it to ensure Mega Diancie can outspeed everything slower than 110 base 110 Speed and tie Mega Metagross-Mega. The remaining EVs are placed into Attack to ensure that maximum damage is done with Diamond Storm. A Hasty nature is used on Diancie-Mega in order to avoid lowering either attack stat, and the drop in Defense is mitigated by Diamond Storm's ability to boost Defense.

Usage Tips
========

It can be advantageous to postpone Mega Evolution with Diancie if regular Diancie's the bulk it has in the base forme is more valuable than the boost in its Attacking and Speed stats. It can also avoid Attack drops from Intimidate in its base forme thanks to Clear Body, so it is important to pay close attention to the current game state in order to keep Diancie as threatening as possible. Mega Diancie-Mega shines its brightest when it is using its great offensive stats and coverage to place large amounts of pressure on the opposing Pokemon. If Diancie does not threaten the opponents with large amounts of damage, its it's not worth leaving on the field. Mega Diancie-Mega's average defensive stats and poor defensive typing can make it difficult to actively switch in on opposing attacks. Therefore, it is best when switched in after a pivot move, like Genesect's U-turn, or after one of your other Pokemon is knocked out.

Team Options
========

Checks to Landorus-Therian, such as Tapu Fini, Kyurem-Black, or Miltoic and Milotic are incredibly important on teams with Mega Diancie. (RH) Landorus Therian Landorus-T can lower Mega Diancie's Attack with Intimidate Diancie-Mega, and outspeed it with a Choice Scarf, and all the while comfortably take taking a -1 Diamond Storm and knocking out Diancie with Earthquake or Earth Power. Many bulky Water-types, namely (either change to such as if there's more or remove "many" if it's just Fini) Tapu Fini, can comfortably take Diancie's attacks and do large damage in return, so a strong Electric-type like Tapu Koko or a strong Grass-type like Shaymin-sky Shaymin-S or Tapu Bulu are is a good choices to pair with Mega Diancie-Mega. Mega Diancie-Mega by itself is incredibly weak to rain teams, as it is outsped and OHKOed by both Mega Swampert and Kingdra, the premier Rain rain sweepers in Doubles OU. Good partners to assist in this matchup include Tapu Fini, Kyurem-Black, and Tapu Bulu. Also, having a Pokemon with Tailwind such as Zapdos or having a way to control the weather with a Pokemon like Alolan Ninetales (RH) can help mitigate the threat of rain teams. In a combination of the last three points, Tapu Bulu is a great partner for Mega Diancie-Mega. It is a soft check to Landorus-Therian because Grassy Terrain weakens Earthquake, and it beats Water-types, (AC) which helps vs. versus rain and Tapu Fini. Even though Mega Diancie-Mega can carry Earth Power, checks for Steel-types like Aegislash, Celesteela, and Mega Metagross-Mega are very important, (comma) as Mega Diancie-Mega will not pick up OHKO's OHKOs versus any of these Pokemon, and it risks the Speed tie with Metagross. Strong Fire-types like Heatran or Ground-types like Landorus-Therian can perform this role. Steel-type Pokemon, such as Aegislash, Ferrothorn, and Celesteela, (AC) work well as partners for Mega Diancie-Mega because, as they all resist Grass, Ferrothorn is neutral to Ground and resists Water, and Celesteela is immune to Ground, meaning they all can provide a good defensive switch-in for threats to Mega Diancie-Mega, while Diancie beats threatening Fire-types like Mega Charizard Y. (RH) Grass-type Pokemon like Tapu Bulu are major threats to Mega Diancie-Mega, so a Pokemon that beats Grass-types like Kyurem-Black, Heatran, or Ferrothorn work works well with Diancie-Mega. Mega Diancie-Mega shines its brightest on more offensive teams, like Tapu Lele + Psychic-type + rain archetypes, that can efficiently and reliably deal with the things threats that beat Diancie-Mega it. Pairing Mega Diancie-Mega pairs well with the potent defensive combo core of Zapdos and Tapu Fini, as Diancie-Mega it will benefit greatly from speed and Terrain control.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Checks and Counters
===================

**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon like Deoxys-Attack, Tapu Koko, (RH) and rain sweepers like Kingdra and Mega Swampert-Mega threaten Mega-Diancie by being able to outspeed and do large damage to it Mega Diancie, as Diancie's defensive stats are decreased upon Mega Evolving and it has no priority to handle faster Pokemon.

**Opposing Speed control**: Opposing teams with rain, Trick Room, or Tailwind can thwart Mega Diancie-Mega's cleaning capability capabilities, as it does not have the bulk needed to take multiple hits if it is being outsped by both foes.
 
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autumn

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use this for implementing

GP 1/2
add remove comments (AC/RC = add/remove comma; AH/RH = add/remove hyphen)

[OVERVIEW]
Diancie shines in USM as a different sort of Trick Room setter. It has high natural bulk paired with a strong STAB move in Diamond Storm while also possessing a rare Rock / Fairy typing for a Trick Room setter, as most of which are Psychic-types. This typing is important because it leaves common anti-Trick Room Pokemon, such as Hoopa-U and Tyranitar, less effective versus Diancie. Diancie also has the ability to exert offensive pressure after it sets up Trick Room, covering hitting both opposing Pokemon with Diamond Storm or threatening anti-Trick Room Pokemon like Scrafty and Hoopa-U with Moonblast. While regular Diancie is a solid choice, it can also opt to hold Diancite and Mega Evolve to perform a different role entirely. Mega Diancie boasts high attacking and Speed stats in exchange for lesser defensive stats, (remove double space) becoming a formidable late-(AH)game cleaner thanks to its decent Speed and nearly perfect coverage.

While Diancie's Rock / Fairy typing is nearly unique, it is not the most solid typing defensively, as it is weak to Water-(AH), Ground-(AH), and Steel-type attacks (grass too but idk if that was intentionally removed; just teh way you lost makes it sound like those are diancie's only weaknesses), all of which are common in the DOU metagame. Diancie also is often outshined outclassed as a Trick Room setter by the more powerful Hoopa-U, by Gothitelle with its good bulk and utility, and by another uniquely typed (aggron/probopass/bastiodon) and powerful Trick Room setter in Stakataka. Mega Diancie also sees lots of competition from the Island Guardians as Fairy-types and is hindered by the prominence of Mega Metagross in the DOU metagame.

[SET]
name: Mega Mixed Attacker
move 1: Diamond Storm
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Earth Power / Substitute
move 4: Protect
item: Diancite
ability: Clear Body
nature: Hasty
evs: 28 HP / 140 Atk / 68 SpA / 20 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Diamond Storm is a great STAB move for Mega Diancie, as it hits both targets and has a good chance to raise Diancie's Defense by 2 stages for each hit. Moonblast is Diancie's other STAB option, as it covers Fighting-types like Scrafty and Terrakion, (RC) as well as and Dark-types like Tyranitar, while ensuring Diancie still has a strong STAB attack if it is affected by Intimidate. Earth Power allows Diancie to hit Steel-types like Aegislash and Stakataka, which resist both of its STAB moves. Substitute can be used in place of Earth Power to take advantage of free turns given when Diancie forces opposing Pokemon to switch out or use Protect. Diancie will be immune to Intimidate and other stat drops while behind a Substitute, which makes Landorus-T a much less viable switch-in. Nature Power is an option that gives Diancie some more flexibility, giving it a way to damage certain threats like Celesteela and Tapu Fini in Electric Terrain or Gastrodon and Swampert in Grassy Terrain. However, this is usually less reliable than Earth Power. Protect is a great move in Doubles, and Diancie is no exception to this rule, being able to stall out opposing speed control and field conditions while also allowing its partner to handle certain threats.

Set Details
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28 HP and 20 Special Defense EVs are used in order to survive a Thunderbolt from Life Orb Tapu Koko in Electric Terrain. 68 Special Attack EVs allow Mega Diancie to OHKO (not sure but context says this; change to whatever works but a word is missing) maximum HP Heatran and uninvested Tapu Koko with Earth Power after one round of Life Orb recoil. Maximum Speed investment with a boosting nature is necessary to ensure Mega Diancie can outspeed everything slower than base 110 Speed and tie with Mega Metagross. The remaining EVs are placed into Attack to ensure that maximum damage is done with Diamond Storm. A Hasty nature is used in order to avoid lowering either attack offensive stat, and the drop in Defense is mitigated by Diamond Storm's ability to boost Defense it.

Usage Tips
========

It can be advantageous to postpone Mega Evolution if regular Diancie's bulk is more valuable than the boost in its attacking and Speed stats. It can also avoid Attack drops from Intimidate in its base forme thanks to Clear Body, so it is important to pay close attention to the current game state in order to keep Diancie as threatening as possible. Mega Diancie shines its brightest when it is using its great offensive stats and coverage to place large amounts of pressure on the opposing Pokemon. If Diancie does not threaten the opponents foes with large amounts of damage, it's not worth leaving on the field. Mega Diancie's average defensive stats and poor defensive typing can make it difficult to actively switch in on opposing attacks. Therefore, it is best when switched in after a pivot move, like Genesect's U-turn, or after one of your other Pokemon is knocked out.

Team Options
========

Checks to Landorus-T, such as Tapu Fini, Kyurem-B, and Miltoic Milotic are incredibly important on teams with Mega Diancie. Landorus-T can lower Mega Diancie's Attack with Intimidate, and outspeed it with a Choice Scarf, (RC) all the while comfortably taking a -1 Diamond Storm and knocking out Diancie with Earthquake or Earth Power. Bulky Water-types, namely Tapu Fini, can comfortably take Diancie's attacks and do large damage in return, so a strong Electric-type like Tapu Koko or a strong Grass-type like Shaymin-S or Tapu Bulu is a good choice to pair with Mega Diancie. Mega Diancie by itself is incredibly weak to rain teams, as it is outsped and OHKOed by both Mega Swampert and Kingdra, the premier rain sweepers in Doubles OU. Good partners to assist in this matchup include Tapu Fini, Kyurem-B, and Tapu Bulu. Also, having a Pokemon with Tailwind such as Zapdos or a way to control the weather with a Pokemon like Alolan Ninetales can help mitigate the threat of rain teams. In a combination of the last three points, Tapu Bulu is a great partner for Mega Diancie. It is a soft check to Landorus-T because Grassy Terrain weakens Earthquake, and it beats Water-types, which helps versus rain and Tapu Fini. Even though Mega Diancie can carry Earth Power, checks for Steel-types like Aegislash, Celesteela, and Mega Metagross are very important. Mega Diancie-Mega will not pick up OHKOs versus any of these Pokemon, and it risks the Speed tie with Metagross. Strong Fire-types like Heatran or Ground-types like Landorus-T can perform this role. Steel-type Pokemon, such as Aegislash, Ferrothorn, and Celesteela, work well as partners for Mega Diancie because, as they all resist Grass, Ferrothorn is neutral to Ground and resists Water, and Celesteela is immune to Ground, meaning they all can provide a good defensive switch-in for threats to Mega Diancie, while Diancie beats threatening Fire-types like Mega Charizard Y. Grass-type Pokemon like Tapu Bulu are major threats to Mega Diancie, so a Pokemon that beats Grass-types like Kyurem-B, Heatran, or Ferrothorn works well. Mega Diancie shines its brightest on more offensive teams, like Tapu Lele + Psychic-type + rain archetypes, that can efficiently and reliably deal with the threats that beat it. Mega Diancie pairs well with the potent defensive core of Zapdos and Tapu Fini, as it will benefit greatly from speed and Terrain control.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Checks and Counters
===================

**Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon like Deoxys-A, Tapu-Koko, and rain sweepers like Kingdra and Mega Swampert threaten to outspeed and do large damage to Mega Diancie, as Diancie's defensive stats are decreased upon Mega Evolving and it has no priority to handle faster Pokemon.

**Opposing Speed Control**: Opposing teams with rain, Trick Room, or Tailwind can thwart Mega Diancie's cleaning capabilities, as it does not have the bulk needed to take multiple hits if it is being outsped by both foes.

 

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