Doubles Spotlight: Mega Diancie

By xzern. Official Art by Ken Sugimori.

Introduction

Diancie, one of the most recently introduced Pokémon, finds itself in the spotlight of the Smogon Doubles metagame thanks to its powerful new Mega Evolution. Diancie was first discovered via hacking in XY, but nobody really thought much of it. It had mediocre stats at best, being nothing more than a Carbink with a dress. Maybe it could be a cool Trick Room lead? Maybe it could run Choice Band to increase the power of Diamond Storm? Doubles players didn't really know what to make of this new specimen. However, not too long after that, it was also revealed that Diancie had a totally radical new Mega Evolution, with totally radical new stats. Still, most people were not very impressed when they heard this. Why should we care about this feminine slab of rock when there were cooler Mega Evolutions to anticipate in ORAS, like the multiple-appendage-bearing Mega Metagross or the croissant-themed, ridiculously overpowered Mega Salamence? This was the general consensus of the Doubles community at the time, but once Mega Diancie's stats were revealed to the public, the hype train was completely derailed and set in a different direction.

Mega Diancie's Qualities

One of Diancie's most appealing attributes is probably its signature move, Diamond Storm, a powerful Rock-type spread move that has a 50% chance to raise Diancie's Defense by one stage every time a foe is struck. This secondary effect also stacks, applying once for each foe on the field (remember, we're talking Doubles here), meaning that Diancie can potentially double its own Defense in one turn. Additionally, thanks to Mega Diancie's 160 / 160 offenses, it can successfully run a mixed set with some special coverage moves; you're usually going to be seeing Mega Diancie packing Moonblast and Earth Power. Furthermore, Mega Diancie's Speed tier of 110 redefined the definition of "fast" in Doubles. But wait, there's more! For just fifteen shipments at the low price of $19.99, you can also get Magic Bounce, the ability that enables Mega Diancie to avoid getting put to sleep by deflecting an incoming Spore or preventing paralysis by rendering an incoming Thunder Wave useless. Order now and we'll throw in Clear Body, the ability that Diancie has before Mega Evolving. Clear Body is also a great ability in Doubles; it prevents Diancie's Attack from being lowered by Intimidate, an incredibly common ability in doubles formats.

Using Mega Diancie

Diancie @ Diancite
EVs: 208 Atk / 48 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Protect

This set is currently the best and most standard set for a Mega Diancie. If you see someone using a Mega Diancie set other than this, they're probably doing something wrong. "What's with that wacky EV spread, though?" you may be asking. Rest assured, handsome reader, those numbers are there for more than aesthetic reasons. 48 SpA EVs enable Mega Diancie to OHKO Bisharp, a Pokémon that would otherwise be a hard check to it, with Earth Power. Its Speed EVs are maxed out because Mega Diancie has a good base 110 Speed that is worth using to your advantage. The remaining EVs are thrown into Attack in order to utilize the very spammable Diamond Storm to its fullest extent. When using Diancie, it's usually a good idea to use Protect on the turn Diancie Mega Evolves. Also, it's important to note that before Mega Evolving, Diancie is restrained by its pitiful base 50 Speed; it doesn't get that boost to 110 until after Mega Evolving. And anyone who knows their XY mechanics knows that move order is determined before Mega Evolution, so you should probably use Protect while Mega Evolving to help get Diancie up to speed. From that point, there's not much to stop you from decimating the enemy team with Diamond Storm spam. Additionally, make sure to watch out for Shuca Berry on Heatran, as it can survive an Earth Power and proceed to KO Diancie with Flash Cannon. Furthermore, if you use Diancie for the purpose of late-game janitor work, it's usually a good idea to accompany it with faster offensive Pokémon to punch holes into opposing Pokémon and then have Diancie finish them off with Diamond Storm. On the other side of the coin, you can use Mega Diancie along with a redirecting ally Pokémon to wear down the opponent's team near the beginning of the battle and have other Pokémon do the main offensive work.

Playing Against Mega Diancie

Mega Diancie does not come without its flaws. If it did, I probably wouldn't be able to talk to you about it, because it would be banned. After Mega Evolving, Diancie can be checked by Choice Scarf Landorus-T. Mega Diancie doesn't really appreciate Attack drops, seeing as its most used move is a physical spread move. That being said, Landorus-T has the opportunity to OHKO Diancie with a hit from its STAB Earthquake, even after the spread damage reduction, unless Diancie gets Defense boosts from Diamond Storm. Diancie also has a crippling 4x weakness to Steel-type attacks—Bullet Punch, usually from Scizor or Mega Metagross, is one of the best no-risk-involved methods of dealing with Mega Diancie. Diancie also has trouble against bulky Water-types, especially Politoed and Ludicolo. Politoed is a good answer to getting rid of Mega Diancie with its rain-boosted STAB Water-type attacks. On that note, Ludicolo, when boosted in Speed by rain, is also able to easily get rid of Mega Diancie. When its Speed is boosted by sun, Venusaur is also a good answer for dealing with Mega Diancie. Furthermore, Suicune and Wide Guard Aegislash are solid answers to Mega Diancie. In fact, they both rose in popularity due to the introduction of Mega Diancie.

Fitting Mega Diancie on Your Team

When teambuilding with Mega Diancie in mind, it's always a good idea to prepare for the Steel-types that make Diancie tremble in its own boxer shorts. Some good Steel-type switch-ins or checks in general include Heatran, Rotom-H, and Ferrothorn. However, Diancie is weak to more than just a pesky Bullet Punch from Scizor. Diancie is also concerned with Intimidate users switching in, as Diamond Storm is its main attacking move. As such, the notorious Defiant Bisharp is always a good option to accompany Diancie for the purpose of discouraging Intimidate users from switching in and lowering Diancie's Attack. As for the bulky Water-types that Diancie fears, it's always a good idea to pack a Pokémon that can tank one of Politoed's powerful Hydro Pumps. A good Pokémon to fulfill this purpose is Amoonguss; not only can Amoonguss tank whatever Politoed has to throw at it, but Amoonguss can also redirect any attacks directed towards Diancie to itself. Amoonguss also helps Diancie by putting Politoed or Aegislash to sleep with Spore. However, neither Diancie nor Amoonguss has means of effectively coping with Grass-types. For that purpose, Volcarona can also be used as an option for redirection, but that still leaves both of your Pokémon open to Water-type attacks. As for offensive means of eliminating Water-types, Shaymin-S can KO most Water-types with its STAB Seed Flare. Most offensive Pokémon in general, including the ones aforementioned, help Mega Diancie to sweep late-game. They can punch holes in the opposition, allowing Mega Diancie to finish them off.

Get Out There!

Mega Diancie is a prominent threat in Smogon Doubles and singles OU alike. It has come very far since it was first introduced into the metagame. Mega Diancie has solidified its place in Doubles as one of the most threatening Mega Evolutions introduced in ORAS, thanks to its 160 / 160 offenses, good Speed tier of 110, and signature move, Diamond Storm. Diancie was nothing more than a feminine Carbink before the coming of ORAS, but now, it's a really powerful feminine Carbink.

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