Should You Pull? SS Diantha & Diancie

Back in X and Y, it always bothered me that Diantha didn’t have a Diancie on her team. I mean, come on; this is a champion that’s noted for utilizing Fairy Types, and just look at the name: Diantha, Diancie… they were designed for one-another! Well, DeNA has rectified this travesty, as Diantha not only gets her very own Diancie, she gets a shiny Diancie! And oh boy, this pairing was definitely worth the wait. 

Note: this article assumes that the reader already has a basic knowledge of Sygna Suit Diantha & Diancie’s kit. Please familiarize yourself with in order to get the most out of our overview!

On the surface, Diantha & Diancie mainly act as a Rock Type Zone setter; they’re here to boost Rock Type Sync Pairs with their exciting new field effect and deal damage with some Tech skills along the way, right? Well, yes, they do fill that primary role, but just leaving it at that is missing the bigger picture. In reality, Diantha & Diancie have more in common with Sygna Suit Thunderbolt Red & Pikachu than with other Zone Setters, due in part to their ability to gain access to B Diamond Storm while RockZone is active. This move is surprisingly low-cost and can stop away the opposition’s Defense while boosting their team’s Defense at the same time while dealing surprisingly high damage, making it a genuinely dangerous move that pairs well with any Rock Type attacker in the game today. They also protect the team’s Defenses with Team Hit Unbending and boost their own Attack and Critical Rate with every move used, so they don’t even need to worry about buffing and can get right to work at the start of the match. And speaking of buffing, they can also match their Defense buffs with Special Defense buffs to make them very bulky, gain Gradual Healing, reduce the Sync Move countdown, and even more when Mega Evolved, giving them a potentially complete buffing profile outside of Accuracy and Evasion. These effects combine to allow Diantha & Diancie to come out strong and bulldoze the competition early on while allowing any Rock Type attackers that they may be paired with to outright shine.

However, their main issue is their outright reliance on Rock Zone. While it’s inactive, they’re forced to rely on the very sub-par Rock Tomb for damage output. And unlike Red & Pikachu, they don’t have the ability to extend the duration of their signature Zone outside of a full 5/5 Sync Move level via their grid. For this reason, this is a Sync Pair that has a bit of a Cinderella syndrome; they have to get home by midnight or else they go from a princes

Sync Grid Considerations & Lucky Skills

Sync Grid & Sync Levels

When it comes right down to it, Diantha & Diancie really want to hit 5/5 for Rock Zone Extension, but don’t be fooled by just how shiny and useful this beautiful tile is, as it’s not strictly necessary. If put in the right team, Diantha & Diancie should be able to drop basically any stage before their second Rock Zone comes to an end, and their base kit works perfectly well even at ⅕, so don’t feel obligated to tearfully offer your next 4 Tech Candies to the star of Kalos and her shining Mythical Pokemon if you manage to pull her.

In general, this is a Sync Pair that’s optimal at ⅗, as this is where their powerful Sync Move buffs like Tough Cookie, Cake Walk, and Scholar’s Sync 5 come into play. Though ⅘ is also worth considering as Team Sharp Entry 1 in particular can be pretty useful for some teams. And, of course, 5/5 with its Rock Zone Extension 3 is still very useful, especially in the Legendary Arena where it can allow Diantha & Diancie’s Rock Zone to out-last the boss pretty easily.

EX Viability

Diancie & Diantha want to Sync in order to Mega Evolve and have some very nice Sync Nuke effects available on their grid, so spending the resources to EX them will definitely pay off.

Lucky Skills

You’re probably going to want to roll for Critical Strike 2 for a Lucky Skill, though Adrenaline 1 and Head Stat 1 are also great if you want Diantha & Diancie for a more supportive role, especially when considering Diantha’s Trainer Move.

Games Modes

Diantha & Diancie shine brightest in the Champion’s Stadium, where they can crush pretty much any Rock-weak stage with ease thanks to the sheer power of B-Diamond Storm and the boosts that Rock Zone grants. And even in stages that aren’t weak to Rock, the recent rise of stages that utilize their own Zones means that Diantha & Diancie can work well off-type, supporting any team that they may fit on and eliminating the opposing team’s Zone effects along the way. The same can be said for many Extreme Battle formats, especially Full Force battles where B-Diamond Storm will likely strip away both sides without much of an issue. From here, they get a bit dicey in terms of actual performance.

For the Legendary Arena/Gauntlet they have all of the ingredients to excel, especially when paired with another strong Rock Type attacker so that they can save their Rock Zone for the 2nd/3rd HP bar, but they don’t do super well outside of that scenario unless they have access to Rock Zone Extension 3 via their grid to allow them to power through. They can do so before then, especially given the right Sync Nuke build, but it’ll be a bit more of a headache by comparison.

Finally, Diantha & Diancie can passively buff their Attack and Critical Rate while attacking, so they’re perfect for the Battle Villa, right? Well, no. The problem is that they need Rock Zone to use B-Diamond Storm, and their only way to get more uses to it is via the MP Refresh 2 tile on their grid. And even then, that’s not going to last for an extremely long time, so it’s probably best to leave Diancie & Diantha at home so that they don’t sit there, slowly whittling the opposing team down with Rock Tomb.

Team Compositions

First and foremost, Diantha & Diancie want to pair up beside Rock Type attackers. Blue & Aerodactyl, Emmet & Archeops, Hilda & Diancie, Olivia & Lycanroc; if their forte is hurling rocks and crushing the other team, Diantha & Diancie are 100% on-board for it.

That aside, they can also work in a slightly more supportive function in the team’s 3rd slot thanks to their ability to buff the team, debuff the opposing team’s Speed, deal high damage at low Move Gauge cost, and combat opposing Zones with their own. In this role, they work with just about any attacker, but obviously should avoid working alongside other Zone setters like Sygna Suit Aura Cynthia & Lucario or Emma & Crobat. They also pair well with Cakewalk user that could appreciate going for an AoE Sync Nuke early like Raihan & Duraludon.

Showcase Video

Definitely. This is a strong and versatile Sync Pair that breathes new life into the Rock Type meta. They can put your damage-output over the edge and allow for stupid-fast clears on many stages. However, their timing is a bit rough, as we’re right on the doorstep of the 3.5 year Anniversary, and the trio on offer is actually really good. Do your homework, but rest assured that this is a good investment if you choose to give your gems to the gem-encrusted Mythcial Pokemon and its Champion trainer.