zinnias
Formerly down, but now I’m up
[SET]
name: Substitute + Endeavor
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Endeavor
move 4: Diamond Storm / Moonblast
item: Diancite
ability: Magic Bounce
nature: Jolly / Timid
evs: 240 HP / 16 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
This set is designed to make use of Mega Diancie's status as an offensive Magic Bounce user to create one of the most consistent leads for hyper offense teams. Other leads like Taunt Mew and Imprison Landorus-T need to actively spend a turn to prevent opposing entry hazards, whereas Mega Diancie can focus on setting Stealth Rock thanks to Magic Bounce. The combination of Substitute and Endeavor, coupled with its great Speed, allows Mega Diancie to go above and beyond just hazard control and become a significant threat in its own right. Substitute lets Diancie damage itself at a consistent pace, putting its health as low as possible to maximize the effectiveness of Endeavor. This allows Diancie to threaten even its own checks, like Gastrodon and Ferrothorn, with prompt removal, aiding teammates that may struggle with them. Diamond Storm is a strong STAB option that threatens fast Calm Mind users like Tapu Koko and Mega Alakazam, which would otherwise bulldoze past a lot of hyper offense teams, as well as hitting Rock-weak threats like Volcarona and both Mega Charizard formes super effectively and Fairy-resistant foes like Celesteela and Toxapex neutrally. Moonblast can threaten out Fairy-weak Pokemon like Garchomp and Mega Sableye, the latter of which would otherwise prevent Diancie's Stealth Rock via its own Magic Bounce, additionally hitting physically defensive Pokemon like Landorus-T harder and having significantly more PP.
Set Details
========
240 HP EVs allow non-Mega Diancie to survive an Earthquake from offensive Landorus-T, with the HP number optimized to let it survive three Seismic Tosses while being able to use Substitute four times from full health and end up at 1 HP afterwards. Maximum Speed investment allows Mega Diancie to outspeed Kartana and Speed tie with Mega Latias and opposing Mega Diancie. The rest of the EVs are put into Defense to give non-Mega Diancie the best chance to survive strong physical attacks like Kartana's Leaf Blade. The nature used depends on Diancie’s choice of coverage; run Jolly for Diamond Storm and Timid for Moonblast.
Usage Tips
========
The most important thing to consider when leading off with Diancie is if and when you should Mega Evolve it. The choice between the bulk of non-Mega Diancie and the high Speed of Mega Diancie is yours to make based on the opposing lead, creating an incredibly long list of Pokemon that Diancie can effectively lead off against. The threat of Mega Evolution is usually enough to dissuade opposing leads from attempting to set Stealth Rock, opening up more possibilities for Diancie as a lead. It is often safer to hold off on Mega Evolving when facing Landorus-T, as non-Mega Diancie always survives a Jolly Earthquake from it, and Mega Diancie is outsped and OHKOed by Choice Scarf variants. The same logic applies on a wider scale in terms of taking as little damage as possible by utilizing the better defensive stats of non-Mega Diancie in cases where the superior Speed of Mega Diancie isn't needed; a good example of this is using Substitute against Rotom-W or Magearna before Mega Evolving, as Diancie doesn't need to Mega Evolve to outspeed them and can use the extra special bulk to prevent Volt Switch from breaking its Substitute. After Diancie sets Stealth Rock, it can Mega Evolve to become faster than the opposing Pokemon and repeatedly set up Substitute safely or use Endeavor straight away if it has been severely damaged by the likes of Landorus-T.
Team Options
========
This set is perfect for hyper offense teams, especially ones that make use of setup sweepers that are crippled by Stealth Rock, such as Volcarona, Mega Charizard X, and Dragonite. Despite how good Mega Diancie is at preventing opposing entry hazards, it still appreciates a backup hazard removal option like Serperior or Choice Scarf Landorus-T in case it gets KOed or Mold Breaker Excadrill bypasses Magic Bounce. As Ash-Greninja can threaten out Diancie in the lead matchup, it's necessary to bring a check to it that fits on the hyper offense playstyle, like Kommo-o, Tapu Fini, or Breloom. Calm Mind Magearna shares checks like Gastrodon and Jirachi with offensive Mega Diancie, so it appreciates how Diancie can lure them in and take them out of commission with Endeavor.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zinnias.569291/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/skypenguin.462413/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
name: Substitute + Endeavor
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Endeavor
move 4: Diamond Storm / Moonblast
item: Diancite
ability: Magic Bounce
nature: Jolly / Timid
evs: 240 HP / 16 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
This set is designed to make use of Mega Diancie's status as an offensive Magic Bounce user to create one of the most consistent leads for hyper offense teams. Other leads like Taunt Mew and Imprison Landorus-T need to actively spend a turn to prevent opposing entry hazards, whereas Mega Diancie can focus on setting Stealth Rock thanks to Magic Bounce. The combination of Substitute and Endeavor, coupled with its great Speed, allows Mega Diancie to go above and beyond just hazard control and become a significant threat in its own right. Substitute lets Diancie damage itself at a consistent pace, putting its health as low as possible to maximize the effectiveness of Endeavor. This allows Diancie to threaten even its own checks, like Gastrodon and Ferrothorn, with prompt removal, aiding teammates that may struggle with them. Diamond Storm is a strong STAB option that threatens fast Calm Mind users like Tapu Koko and Mega Alakazam, which would otherwise bulldoze past a lot of hyper offense teams, as well as hitting Rock-weak threats like Volcarona and both Mega Charizard formes super effectively and Fairy-resistant foes like Celesteela and Toxapex neutrally. Moonblast can threaten out Fairy-weak Pokemon like Garchomp and Mega Sableye, the latter of which would otherwise prevent Diancie's Stealth Rock via its own Magic Bounce, additionally hitting physically defensive Pokemon like Landorus-T harder and having significantly more PP.
Set Details
========
240 HP EVs allow non-Mega Diancie to survive an Earthquake from offensive Landorus-T, with the HP number optimized to let it survive three Seismic Tosses while being able to use Substitute four times from full health and end up at 1 HP afterwards. Maximum Speed investment allows Mega Diancie to outspeed Kartana and Speed tie with Mega Latias and opposing Mega Diancie. The rest of the EVs are put into Defense to give non-Mega Diancie the best chance to survive strong physical attacks like Kartana's Leaf Blade. The nature used depends on Diancie’s choice of coverage; run Jolly for Diamond Storm and Timid for Moonblast.
Usage Tips
========
The most important thing to consider when leading off with Diancie is if and when you should Mega Evolve it. The choice between the bulk of non-Mega Diancie and the high Speed of Mega Diancie is yours to make based on the opposing lead, creating an incredibly long list of Pokemon that Diancie can effectively lead off against. The threat of Mega Evolution is usually enough to dissuade opposing leads from attempting to set Stealth Rock, opening up more possibilities for Diancie as a lead. It is often safer to hold off on Mega Evolving when facing Landorus-T, as non-Mega Diancie always survives a Jolly Earthquake from it, and Mega Diancie is outsped and OHKOed by Choice Scarf variants. The same logic applies on a wider scale in terms of taking as little damage as possible by utilizing the better defensive stats of non-Mega Diancie in cases where the superior Speed of Mega Diancie isn't needed; a good example of this is using Substitute against Rotom-W or Magearna before Mega Evolving, as Diancie doesn't need to Mega Evolve to outspeed them and can use the extra special bulk to prevent Volt Switch from breaking its Substitute. After Diancie sets Stealth Rock, it can Mega Evolve to become faster than the opposing Pokemon and repeatedly set up Substitute safely or use Endeavor straight away if it has been severely damaged by the likes of Landorus-T.
Team Options
========
This set is perfect for hyper offense teams, especially ones that make use of setup sweepers that are crippled by Stealth Rock, such as Volcarona, Mega Charizard X, and Dragonite. Despite how good Mega Diancie is at preventing opposing entry hazards, it still appreciates a backup hazard removal option like Serperior or Choice Scarf Landorus-T in case it gets KOed or Mold Breaker Excadrill bypasses Magic Bounce. As Ash-Greninja can threaten out Diancie in the lead matchup, it's necessary to bring a check to it that fits on the hyper offense playstyle, like Kommo-o, Tapu Fini, or Breloom. Calm Mind Magearna shares checks like Gastrodon and Jirachi with offensive Mega Diancie, so it appreciates how Diancie can lure them in and take them out of commission with Endeavor.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zinnias.569291/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/skypenguin.462413/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/solarbeam.470115/
Last edited: