CAP 31 - Part 1 - Concept Assessment

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shnowshner

You've Gotta Try
is a Pre-Contributor
Some thoughts before I clock out for tonight:

What sorts of roles does Diamond Storm lend itself to at first glance? Does anything stick out especially as to how we should make use of this move?
There's a lot of ways to go honestly, it's a good damaging move so offensively-inclined roles will like it, but the +2 Defense chance could mean a lot for slower builds as well. Anything in the realms of offensive-utility appreciates a move that deals good damage and aids in protecting the user from harm. idk dude just read quz's post when he finishes it

What, if anything, is particularly unique about Diamond Storm? What is so defining about the move- is it the power, the typing, the secondary effect? How unique can this move be?
If you've ever heard me talk about the Rock typing you know I think it's really underwhelming, moreso on the physical side: the most common physical moves, Rock Slide and Stone Edge, are very hit-or-miss in terms of damage output and reliability. Diamond Storm is unique in its good power and respectable (but not perfect) accuracy, and having a more noticeable secondary effect than Stone Edge's increased crit chance. I feel it manages to strike all three categories you listed. Physical Rock-type moves aren't really present in the metagame outside of a few potential moveslots on mons that already have a ton of strong options (Lando, Chomp), it's one of the more powerful moves and doesn't have any harsh downsides, and the secondary effect has a lot of potential depth we can explore in terms of how it impacts our match-ups or what we can do with the chance for added bulk.

How does Diancie use this move in this or past metas? What was can we expand or differentiate from this usage?
Back in Gens 6-7 Mega Diancie really liked having Diamond Storm, it was a strong move coming off its huge Attack stat that could suddenly turn a negative matchup on its head: the classic being getting a +2 Defense boost and no longer being as threatened by Landorus-T. It having high Attacking stats also meant that Diamond Storm was comparable to Power Gem in terms of damage output (on equally-invested targets), meaning it was one of the rare mixed attackers in the metagame.

Nowadays Diancie can use it on tankier builds to fish for Defense procs and make itself harder to KO, useful for gaining an edge against certain mons it might be tasked with taking on, and as a means of powering up Body Press which it has the option of running.

I'd say the most obvious route we could take is what Diamond Storm + some form of recovery/resistance to passive damage would look like. Diancie sorta covers this with its Rock-typing blocking damage from Sandstorm, but there's way more forms of passive damage out there that could be worth looking into. Having beefed-up defenses isn't as impressive if utility mons can just shut you down with status/hazards/other chip.
 

Zetalz

Expect nothing, deliver less
is a Pre-Contributor
What sorts of roles does Diamond Storm lend itself to at first glance? Does anything stick out especially as to how we should make use of this move?

What, if anything, is particularly unique about Diamond Storm? What is so defining about the move- is it the power, the typing, the secondary effect? How unique can this move be?
Diamond Storm's solid BP and Accuracy can have it function both as a potent STAB option as well as solid coverage, allowing it a fair amount of offensive applications. The lackluster PP would be a challenge for more defensive oriented roles but not insurmountable. The standard fair breaker, tank or pivot lines are clearly solid directions to take it, though personally I rather like the idea of using the defense boosts in a uniquely aggressive manner in the form of a Revenger/Cleaner that itself could be resilient to being revenged/forced out with Dstorm boosts.

How does Diancie use this move in this or past metas? What was can we expand or differentiate from this usage?
Diancie has certainly had some varied success with the move over the gens, both offensively in it's Mega days and somewhat defensively currently. What strikes me about its use is that, even when it gained access to a special rock stab later down the line, Diancie continued to use dstorm for the sheer power of it's effect and the ability to have a solid mixed attacking option, a direction we could certainly expand on further. Another clear path is the route of strong coverage as Diancie used it as STAB, giving us even more freedom going into typing which I do like the sound of.
 
I don't have too much to say on this right now. But I do want to look at a few things with the second question there.

What, if anything, is particularly unique about Diamond Storm? What is so defining about the move- is it the power, the typing, the secondary effect? How unique can this move be?
The main things that define the move for me are its power and its effect. Powerwise, it is the only rock attack that is both reliable and high bp across both physical and special. Special has its 80 power 100% accuracy Power Gem, while Physical either runs the inconsistent Stone Edge or less often the weaker-and-still-inconsistent Rock Slide. Diamond Storm boasts 95% accuracy with 100 power, making it a reliable move to click and reasonably expect it to hit. That last 5% accuracy does throw a bit of a wrench into the works, but the only rock attacks in general that have 100% accuracy are either special, Smack Down, or Accelerock.

The secondary effect is also something unique about Diamond Storm. This move provides a free Iron Defense on a coin flip when it hits an opponent, giving us an opprotunity to develop a lot of physical bulk very quickly. With that 95% accuracy, that's realistically slower to a 47% chance to get a free +2 defense, but those are still better odds than most stat boosting attacks. Leaning into this also presents options for both offensive and defensive routes, as well as multiple ways that we can approach those (with Venomicon-Prologue being a recent example of an offensive defense booster)

With this, we have a lot of routes that we can explore. Do we lean into Diamond Storm's secondary effect to pressure the opponent into dealing with our growing bulk? Or do we lean into the move's naturally good power to make a reliable Rock type that can hold an item (i.e. not Nihilego.) There are quite a few (unviable) Rock types that do use STAB Stone Edge Choice Band such as Tyranitar, Terrakion and Lycanroc-Dusk, but they're not generally viable. There are also routes we can take to make a Pokemon that actually wants to use Rock coverage, and can lean on it as a reliable option as well. Taking Stone Edge to hit flying types is something that some Pokemon have the choice to do, but then they are relying on an 80% accuracy move to fix one of their checks, leaving them at the mercy of some pretty poor odds. Diamond Storm alleviates that greatly, providing powerful non-stab options.

Overall, it is an incredibly interesting move that I am excited to explore. A Diamond Storm centric Pokemon can fit all kinds of roles. Walls, revenge killers, wall breakers, sweepers, utility. There are a lot of routes we can take this, and the flexibility of this move should also provide for some unique stages as well. This move opens up so many doors that Power Gem or Stone Edge can't really open as well.
 

Astra

talk to me nice
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PINK DIAMOND IN THE DARK

What sorts of roles does Diamond Storm lend itself to at first glance? Does anything stick out especially as to how we should make use of this move?
As quziel already touched on, Diamond Storm can fit extremely well on a lot of roles. In a metagame filled with Flying-types, a reliable, strong Rock-type move is very useful coupled with the chance of a +2 Defense boost. The flexibility we have is insane.

What, if anything, is particularly unique about Diamond Storm? What is so defining about the move- is it the power, the typing, the secondary effect? How unique can this move be?
As I've already mentioned, Diamond Storm is unique in the fact that it's a Rock-type with above average power minus some stress from the chance of it missing. That alone is already great, considering that a decent number of popular Pokemon at the moment are hit super effectively, such as Tornadus-T, Astrolotl, both Venomicon formes, and more. The chance for a +2 Defense after each use is the icing on the cake, though; the boost alone is already amazing in general, but when taking into account what Diamond Storm can already do for CAP 31, we can somewhat come up with concrete paths we can take. I won't go too much into specifics to avoid polljumping, but I just wanted to point that out. Only having 8 PP could be quite the bane depending on the path we take, but we could use that to our advantage when we eventually have to decide its strengths and its weaknesses to counteract it.

How does Diancie use this move in this or past metas? What can we expand or differentiate from this usage?
Diancie appears to use Diamond Storm in most of its sets likely due to it being a reliable STAB move for it and, of course, the chance of a +2 Defense boost. It's always run with another move, though, likely due to its low PP. In this current generation specifically, it can run Moonblast simply as a secondary STAB move, Body Press to really take advantage of the Defense boosts, and Mystical Fire to cover for both of its defensive stats. If we go down a road similar to Diancie's roles in this generation, I'd imagine that we should discuss potential moves that CAP 31 could run alongside Diamond Storm, whether it be for covering for its low PP, taking advantage of the Defense boosts, having an option for its Special Defense, or any combinations of the ones mentioned.

Diamond Storm gets pretty spicy with Mega Diancie. Not only is it a reliable and powerful STAB move for Mega Diancie, but it's amazing for the fact that it can boost the Defense of an offensive tank whose Defense is already pretty great (so much so that its main SM set runs a Hasty nature). I don't really have anything else to comment about it, but this mostly serves as an example for how many directions we can go, having Diancie and Mega Diancie as amazing references for the project.
 

LucarioOfLegends

Master Procraster
is a CAP Contributor
Gonna lead with the second question before starting on the first and third.

What, if anything, is particularly unique about Diamond Storm? What is so defining about the move- is it the power, the typing, the secondary effect? How unique can this move be?
While I will touch on the secondary effect, I'd like to touch on its accuracy. Stone Edge is technically equal in power (and theorectically greater due to its crit rate), but an improved accuracy makes Diamond Storm a far more consistent option that CAP31 will reasonably be using. Its accuracy isn't perfect, but it is a very solid move and about the most consistent Rock-type move one could ask for.

The defense boost is what makes it really interesting. A +2 boost to Defense as a secondary effect is borderline criminal and 50% chance is awesome for it. Being able to artificially boost its bulk in the heat of battle is very cool and can be applied in many different ways regardless of its role, as everything would love these boosts. Its an extremely flexible option that opens up very cool opportunities with moves and abilities.

The tricky part though is its 8 PP, making it not just something that can be spammed for its effect. If you are looking for the defense boost and the defense boost only, Diamond Storm I doubt will have very little mileage on the mon. It isn't even a guaranteed effect, as you could feasibly use the move three times and not proc the boost even once. Now its not completely dumpster since every time its clicked it is still putting out very admirable pressure with its base power, but its very much a move that has to be chosen carefully when to actually use.
What sorts of roles does Diamond Storm lend itself to at first glance? Does anything stick out especially as to how we should make use of this move?
Like many of the possible forbidden fruit, Diamond Storm implies an offensive direction, mostly on the traits of its high base power and its low PP. One has to selective on when to actually click the move and can't be spammed often, so turtling in front of the foes while holding recovery is not the best idea if it can only afford a single slot for an attack with Diamond Storm as the option. Not to say it can't work as a more defensive, its secondary trait can definitely help defensively check physical attackers if it procs and the sheer offensive pressure the move by itself provides would mean less is needed in offenses, but acting like this move could work for a more tradition wall or even something with decently high number of turns in would be barking up the wrong tree.

Offensively, I think either a faster direction or a bulkier one could work, depending on the how much the secondary aspects of Diamond Storm want to be relied on, and anything that fits into those molds could work well. Something faster, like a revenge killer, would rather rely on the consistency of the move itself with the defense boost coming more as a nice boon when it procs, and could even save the Pokemon from a fatal hit. Fatter mons, like wallbreakers or tanks, would probably be looking for the actual effect more often with their higher turns in per switch (with the caveat that they aren't just spamming it cause low PP) but also like the high power and accuracy of the move itself.

Personally, I'm most partial to a bulky wallbreaker of sorts or something in general that relies on the secondary effect to scare out physical attackers, but a lot of different roles could feasibly work for the mon.

How does Diancie use this move in this or past metas? What can we expand or differentiate from this usage?
This is admittedly not my area of expertise but a little digging into how Diancie utilized the move showed that it mostly focused on it as an offensive move as opposed to utilizing the secondary effect consistently. This made sense for Mega Diancie in Gen 6 and 7 considering it goes from defensive to offensive, so it has little use hoping to proc the defense explicitly when it can already throw out uber strong Moonblasts, although it doesn't hate the boost when it does proc. Base Diancie seems to follow the same type of formula in lower tiers, mostly focused on using it since its the best general Rock-type STAB it can use (unless its running a special set).

Gen 8 gets interesting, since the move has some very fun synergy with one Body Press, which allows it to not only boost its defense but at the same time boosting its offensive capabilities against Steel-types and the like. The one caveat for all of this is that Diancie is deceptively not great defensively, have no real recovery options aside from Leftovers and its low HP somewhat undermining its great bulk. It really can't afford to stay in turn after turn to stack defense boosts because it just can't win a prolonged battle.

CAP31 could feasibly build off of this if we look to go in the direction of using the boosts, as it would mostly go into addressing the weaknesses and looking to maximize the turns in to maximize the likelyhood of the boosts. If we choose the more "this move is cool cause its a super consistent Rock-type STAB direction" it leaves a bunch of routes open as a good offensive move, even if its less interesting.
 
What sorts of roles does Diamond Storm lend itself to at first glance? Does anything stick out especially as to how we should make use of this move?
Rock is still a great offensive typing, with few actual resists in the meta and the ability to target high tier flying and fire types. Diamond Storms Power and reliability make it a uniquely powerful option for this attacking type, which obviously lends itself for an offensively inclined Mon, perfectly embodied by Mega Diancie.
That said both Mega and Base Diancie show us that defensive applications are possible. Be it just by using the defense boost to be an offensive threat, that becomes harder to revenge kill or a defensive booster, with the ability to force out opponents with its bulk.
Others have pointed out, that defensive applications are a bit limited by Diamond Storms low PP and I agree with that notion. Nevertheless I believe that we are not limited to any particular role atm.

In general Diamond Storms most notable characteristic is its power and spammability and a type that targets two of the most important types in the meta.

What, if anything, is particularly unique about Diamond Storm? What is so defining about the move- is it the power, the typing, the secondary effect? How unique can this move be?
Its Power and reliability make it already unique among physical rock attacks. There literally is no move like it. Additionally no offensive move has the ability to boost defenses let alone by two stages. Attacking and making yourself harder to kill in the process is incredibly strong. Mega Diancie has shown the ability to stay in on Physical attackers like Landorus just by virtue of the defensive boosts.
Being able to force switches with a strong attack, while making yourself harder to be forced out is just really strong.
 
What sorts of roles does Diamond Storm lend itself to at first glance? Does anything stick out especially as to how we should make use of this move?

Diamond Storm lends itself to an offensive role at first glace given its typing, Base Power and PP. Diancie actually used it more on offensive sets than defensive ones in prior generations, since Moonblast + Earth Power was still potent and could be used more times. However, what sticks out in how we should use this move has more to do with the meta: CAP has a ton of strong Fire and Flying-types and balance is in a rough spot, but something that can augment a mon's bulk like this could be just what they need. Particularly, DS can reset Astrolotl debuffs and help wall EBook.
 
What sorts of roles does Diamond Storm lend itself to at first glance? Does anything stick out especially as to how we should make use of this move?

First glance is super obvious to me....have an offensive presence while boosting your secondary stab move, body press. A pokemon with just kind of ok ATK and DEF but good SPDEF and SP can fire off diamond storm pretty care free. With a mediocre DEF, the threat if body press is generally low without first getting a boost. Having some self heal would be cool, but probably too much. So something like drain punch in the kit would probably be much appreciated

What, if anything, is particularly unique about Diamond Storm? What is so defining about the move- is it the power, the typing, the secondary effect? How unique can this move be?


The fact that it's a physical rock move with perfect accuracy is already unique. The boost chance seems like the most useful part to build around

How does Diancie use this move in this or past metas? What can we expand or differentiate from this usage?

Mega especially used it completely offensively. The def boost really just gave her some longevity to continue chipping away teams, relieving the duty from other team members
 

Brambane

protect the wetlands
is a Contributor Alumnus
At its absolute worst, Diamond Storm is a more accurate Stone Edge. While the secondary effect of +2 Defense means you can can coinflip for a free Iron Defense, I think we would benefit more from leaning into the "accurate Stone Edge" as oppose to the "coinflip unTauntable Iron Defense." Yes, its technically not a coinflip because 95% accuracy, but let's not split hairs. CAP31 should be able to use +2 Defense opportunistically, but not be solely dependent on the effect to function. The move has only 8 PP and relatively low damage for its PP value (this is true for Stone Edge as well, but there is literally no better physical Rock-type option in singles so...) Attackers that utilize the low PP moves tend to either use it as a coverage move for small selection of targets, set-up so you don't need to click it a bunch since everything just dies, or have a complementary strong attacking option that can preserve the move's PP. Whatever role we choose, need to embrace one of those routes. I find a purely defensive build suspect; any defensive lean this Pokemon will likely need complementary offensive presence from status, other strong attacking options, or repositioning (aka the Lando-T suite).

Since this is a move focal concept, a baseline of the following seems like good direction:
1. Generate high value from Diamond Storm (through meaningful damage output and/or opportunistically exploiting +2 Defense)
2. The supermajority of movesets should utilize Diamond Storm as a key move (>66.6% of viable sets would be my personal benchmark)
3. Identify how Stone Edge can be utilized effectively in the current metagame and historically (anything true for Stone Edge will be true for Diamond Storm (unless you are rolling for Stone Edge crits, but that is soooo situational come on))

We already did number 3 during CA when Diamond Storm was proposed, but it is something to keep in mind as we move forward.
 
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Hah cool relevant song choice. I usually find pop music to be too boring but after looking into her a little bit, I think I could find some appreciation in her darker and experimental tracks and her album True Romance seems worthwhile to listen to. Thanks for introducing me.

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I'm just more or less re-hashing what has already been said:

What sorts of roles does Diamond Storm lend itself to at first glance? Does anything stick out especially as to how we should make use of this move?
A tank role that has just enough firepower to pressure many offensive mons but focuses more on having the chance to become a hard to break wall. Or more offensive role that becomes harder to straight-up revenge kill. Because of DS's poor PP, either 1. the move should only be used a few times on average in a battle to accomplish a primary job, or 2. instead of in the driver's seat the move should be riding shotgun (not the backseat tho) for this CAP's battle strategy.

What, if anything, is particularly unique about Diamond Storm? What is so defining about the move- is it the power, the typing, the secondary effect? How unique can this move be?
At first glance it's like an interesting sibling to Earthquake (albeit not comparable PP): a physical move with good power and accuracy that ignores contact. But the heart of it is that it's a Rock move. I think it's good to note that no type is immune to Rock, no abilities or weather/terrain provide resistance to Rock, and there's no "Air Balloon" for it. And of course the 50% +2 defense is a benefit that surely outweighs the drop in 5 acc.

How does Diancie use this move in this or past metas? What can we expand or differentiate from this usage?
Diancie uses DS as more of a great STAB and as part of a mixed attacking offense. The defense boost is just more of the occasional cherry on top instead of part of the entree. Like others have said, I'd argue that Diancie and Mega-Diancie don't have the typing and/or tools to make use of a defense boost from a longevity perspective. We could use DS in a role that's pretty much the opposite of all this.

I'd also like to share my opinion that we should be open to DS not having to be STAB to be a key move on the CAP.
 
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Sticking Q1 and Q2 together, since my answer to them ties together.
What sorts of roles does Diamond Storm lend itself to at first glance? Does anything stick out especially as to how we should make use of this move?

What, if anything, is particularly unique about Diamond Storm? What is so defining about the move- is it the power, the typing, the secondary effect? How unique can this move be?


As I looked upon the metagame rankings, I was struck that Rock type should be amazing right now. With Tornadus-T, Weavile, Astrolotl, and the Books everywhere there's plenty of targets for meaty rock attacks. In addition to being SE against some of the meta's top threats, only 6 of the top 28 'mons in A- or better resist rocks (while there are 3 more rock-weak 'mons in that same area for a total of 8) making Rock strong neutral coverage. And yet, there are only four Rock-type pokemon in the meta at all, and we have to hop down to B rank to find our first one in Nihilego. Rock moves are also uncommon on the 'mons that could carry it for "EdgeQuake" coverage like Garchomp and Lando-T. What gives?

Well, as we've all found already, while Rock is a great offensive type in theory it's a terrible type in practice because of how sucky all its moves are especially for physical attackers. Stone Miss, with its 80% Accuracy, is really shaky. If you want better accuracy, you're generally looking at Rock Slide and Rock Blast which are much lower power and also only 90% Accuracy. Diamond Storm shines because it is a 100 BP move (one of only a handful for the type) that is 95% accurate, and has no drawbacks to pay for that boost (unlike Head Smash's terrible recoil for physical and Meteor Beam's setup or Power Herb requirement for special). The power, typing, and accuracy of Diamond Storm is what makes it so defining and unique, and why it won in a rock slide I imagine.

That's not to say its secondary effect is nothing - a 50/50 shot at a free Iron Defense is very strong. It can be particularly punishing as a way to stop revenge killers and priority-reliant attackers cold as almost every priority move in the game is physical, although that gets shaky on typing as Rock is weak to several priority moves (Aqua Jet. Mach Punch. Bullet Punch. Grassy Slide in terrain). I'm most intrigued at the potential of being able to boost physical defense on a 'mon that can also boost Special Defense in Sand if we want this as STAB, or that can find a typing that helps it take maximum advantage of that defense boost and its ability to stop revenge killers.

There's also some play there with Body Press and Stored Power but I'd say that's more "cute" than "good" and isn't really something we should consciously build around.

In terms of specific roles, I could see Diamond Storm lending itself well to a Wallbreaker, an Attacking Lead, or a Tank. We could also lean into the "must kill Fly Spam" mindset, and make it a Utility Counter specifically aimed at murdering flying types. A Physical Sweeper is also possible, but seems unlikely to be the way we want to go given the state of the meta.

Because Diamond Storm will reward being able to stay in and enjoy those defense boosts, it'd be awkward to see CAP31 as a Pivot. At the same time, the 50-50 nature of Diamond Storm and its low PP means we can't really expect CAP31 to be a Wall on the merits of Diamond Storm alone. I also think our ability to "check" fliers and fires means it'd be a waste of the move's potential to focus purely on a Glass Cannon or Suicide Lead role for CAP31 - we are totally ignoring the value of that defense boost at that point.


How does Diancie use this move in this or past metas? What can we expand or differentiate from this usage?
Diancie has almost always carried this move despite the fact that she is specially inclined, never invests in attack, has to run awkward natures to include it, and in SS is a defensive/cleric instead of an attacker. The movie is that good at what it does, and we should be excited to put it on a 'mon better able to utilize its power as more than a random coverage move alongside Moonblast + Earth Power. I think the biggest area we can expand is that M-Diancie was, of course, locked into her Diancite as an item while modern NU Diancie, as a defensive cleric, tends to have to run Lefties and just runs this to punish random fire and/or flying 'mons. It'll be interesting to see what this move does on a 'mon that can run Life Orb, Choice Band, Choice Scarf, or Assault Vest to leverage its strength more. That leans into territory Crucibelle and Tyranitar have explored, but not exhaustively due to their unreliable rock moves and awkward secondary typings - going that way isn't a requirement as a result, but is a thing we should keep in mind as we look at Typing, C&C, and Threats.
 
What sorts of roles does Diamond Storm lend itself to at first glance? Does anything stick out especially as to how we should make use of this move?

As quziel mentioned, Diamond Storm fits really any role. It’s a strong offensive move and has great defensive utility. It can be used on tanks, cleaners, breakers, setup sweepers, can be workable as both STAB and coverage. Its only real issue is that its low PP limits the spammability of the move, and getting a boost can introduce some opportunity cost with switching out. I don’t really see anything specific that Diamond Storm lends itself to.

What, if anything, is particularly unique about Diamond Storm? What is so defining about the move- is it the power, the typing, the secondary effect? How unique can this move be?

Everything about the move is in some sense unique. There are no offensive moves that directly boost a user’s defensive stats (outside of Max Moves). It’s the only powerful physical Rock move that has consistent accuracy (though still imperfect).

How does Diancie use this move in this or past metas? What can we expand or differentiate from this usage?

I’m just gonna post a bunch of Diancie/Mega Diancie sets to give some examples, then discuss them.

SS NU Stealth Rock
Diancie @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 56 SpD / 200 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Diamond Storm
- Body Press
- Heal Bell

Uses its good defensive typing and defensive capabilities of Diamond Storm to set Stealth Rock and clear status. Diamond Storm also boosts Body Press.

SM UU Support
Diancie @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock / Diamond Storm
- Heal Bell / Diamond Storm
- Toxic
- Moonblast

Diamond Storm is only really used if there is already a cleric or rocks setter. It's mostly used to hit the Flying-types in the tier, but it still appreciates the defensive utility.

XY RU Special Wall
Diancie @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 36 SpA / 220 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Heal Bell / Toxic

Diamond Storm is used mostly for its good damage into Fire and Flying-types. Once again, the defensive utility is useful, but that's not really the main point of it.

XY RU Offensive Stealth Rock
Diancie @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Earth Power / Psychic
Diamond Storm, once again, is used for its strong STAB, and especially for its good matchup into many Defoggers and Flying-types.

XY OU Offensive
Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Protect
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm / Stealth Rock
- Earth Power / HP Fire / Stealth Rock

Diamond Storm is used to hit Diancie's special switch-ins, Flying and Fire types, and its defense boost helps to prevent revenge killing. Notably, Diamond Storm is preferred over rocks, as without it, Diancie lacks her physically offensive presence.

XY Uber Offensive
Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 80 Atk / 252 SpA / 176 Spe
Timid Nature
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Earth Power
- Protect / Heal Bell / Calm Mind

(totally forgot how good this thing was) Diamond Storm is extremely useful offensively, as it hits Ho-oh, Lugia, and Blissey harder than all of its other moves. The analysis doesn't mention its defensive utility.

SM OU Offensive
Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Stealth Rock / Protect
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm / Protect
- Earth Power

Diamond Storm is good for Defoggers. This set's main goal (and I think Diancie in general) is to set Rocks and maintain them through good offensive pressure.


The point I came up with is that Diancie mostly uses Diamond Storm for a strong, consistent, offensive Rock move. The Defense boost is only really utilized by SS Diancie to boost up Body Press. The best way to do something unique would really be to try and utilize the Defense boost more, without using Body Press. Still, even if we don't greatly utilize the effect, we can have a mon with a consistent offensive Rock-type attack, and I think that that's pretty sick.
 
What, if anything, is particularly unique about Diamond Storm? What is so defining about the move- is it the power, the typing, the secondary effect? How unique can this move be?

As mentioned by many others, Diamond Storm finds intrinsic value in being a strong, accurate Rock move. However, I don't find the route of exploring a consistent Rock move to be particularly engaging. For one, Nihilego and Stratagem have already proven the effectiveness of the Rock type offensively(Also Banded TTar feels quite good now too imo). More generally, Strong, accurate moves of good offensive typings are far from lacking in the metagame, and I don't find that leaning into a strong Rock STAB really treads any new ground.

What I do find most interesting is the Defense boosting aspect of Diamond Storm. There's a lot of value to come from simultaneously attacking and boosting, and in this case, it allows CAP31 to exert offensive presence while enabling defensive functionality- this is a truly unique characteristic of the move, and as such should be the main focus of our process. Granted, the 50% boost chance complicates things since it creates inconsistency; however, I find this to be less of an issue because the counterplay to the move will likely stay consistent. Similar to how players will often switch out physical attackers to avoid Scald Burns, we can use the possibility of Defense boosting to leverage switches even if we don't actually get them.

Another thing I want to add is about the 8 PP issue. I think the concern over the move's spammability is a bit overblown. Heatran's Magma Storm and Pyroak's Overheat are both extremely spammable despite having only 8 PP. They can just be clicked because they're just so good, and I feel like Diamond Storm is very much the same.

What sorts of roles does Diamond Storm lend itself to at first glance? Does anything stick out especially as to how we should make use of this move?

The general consensus is that almost every role appreciates both a strong, consistent attack as well as Defense boosting. As I described earlier, Diamond Storm's uniqueness comes from its ability to exert offensive and defensive presence at the same time. Hence I find that the best roles for this mon are those that do the same. Under the umbrella of mons with both offensive and defensive utility, Landorus-T, Tapu Fini, Heatran, Melmetal, Slowking-G, and Tornadus-T come to mind. I'd imagine that CAP31 ought to embody a similar role to these mons, so broadly a Tank or Defensive Pivot makes the most sense in my eyes.
 

Wulfanator

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Diamond Storm has little influence over the roles available to CAP 31. Both offensive and defensive roles appreciate a high base power option with a 50% change to reinforce its defense by +2. The only immediate direction the move suggests is away from purely special offensive routes, but this is obvious. As some users have already mentioned, the low PP of the move will pose some problem. We will want to avoid being overly reliant on Diamond Storm for raw offenses or for its secondary effect in an effort to preserve PP usage. I think Brambane addressed it best, low PP moves are often used to hit a specific list of targets and/or are complemented by some strong, spammable move that can preserve the PP of the other. We will want to minimally embrace one of the three paths listed in his post.

It may be beneficial to spend some time establishing a small list of potential targets and a list of potential move pairings that play to the strengths of Diamond Storm. Specifically with the move pairings, this will allow Diamond Storm to be a defining element of 31 without it having to carry the strength and success of the mon. This stands to better inform our decisions during the typing stage without it being a poll jump.
 
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Brambane

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Another thing I want to add is about the 8 PP issue. I think the concern over the move's spammability is a bit overblown. Heatran's Magma Storm and Pyroak's Overheat are both extremely spammable despite having only 8 PP. They can just be clicked because they're just so good, and I feel like Diamond Storm is very much the same.
I think these are good examples of how to compensate for low PP. It should be noted that these moves are immensely stronger than Diamond Storm, but all three can be high value moves (other examples being Double Iron Bash, if you are faster, and Sacred Fire, if the target can be burned.) Pyroak's Overheat has 130 BP and accelerating damage thanks to Contrary, crucially boosting Pyroak's coverage damage too. Heatran's 130 base SpA Magma Storm is immensely powerful; while it is only 100 BP, it has extra chipped damage tacked on makes it roughly the same effective BP as Overheat. And it traps, ofc. Both of these Pokemon share a common trait: immense returns from hitting these powerful moves aside from outright damage. Diamond Storm lacks the same strength, but has similar albeit inconsistent potential. I think if we can replicate the "two-for-one" deal with similar power behind Diamond Storm, we will have a strong product.
 
What, if anything, is particularly unique about Diamond Storm? What is so defining about the move- is it the power, the typing, the secondary effect? How unique can this move be?
I think the two main perks of Diamond Storm are its secondary effect and just the fact that its competition is poor. It is more powerful than Rock Slide but more accurate than Stone Edge. Rock is theoretically a great offensive typing in the metagame, with Tornadus-Therian, Venomicon, Zapdos, and Astrolotl all being really good. Issue is that Rock coverage on physical Pokemon is pretty inconsistent that it's not considered not worth it a lot of the time.

The secondary effect also really helps it stand out. What Pokemon wouldn't want to suddenly get bulkier while it's attacking? The fact that it can potentially do both in one moveslot is really helpful too, and might make it less likely to have 4MSS.

What sorts of roles does Diamond Storm lend itself to at first glance? Does anything stick out especially as to how we should make use of this move?
There's a lot we could do here, but my favorite has got to be Tank, because I think it does a good job of combining the damage dealing aspect of the move and the defense raising aspect. An offensive sweeper isn't bad either, and could potentially use Diamond Storm boosts to prevent it from being revenge killed as easily.

I don't think purely defensive is out of the question either, but I do think it's worse than tank. I don't think we should make a mon that strictly uses Diamond Storm for its secondary effect due to the fact that it's only a 50% chance.
 
How does Diancie use this move in this or past metas? What can we expand or differentiate from this usage?
After considering both pyuking muku's list above and games I've played against both diancie and mega-diancie in the past, I'd argue that the primary utility Diamond Storm represents is taking advantage of boots users and/or defoggers to create momentum. Diancie uses the opportunities a strong accurate rock move creates to set rocks and either remove status or maintain the offensive pressure necessary to keep the rocks up. I think that the most interesting avenue to differentiate CAP31 from Diancie is to pick something else we want to do with our time while the torn-t or volcarona or whatever turns tail. There are lots of cool options besides rocks and offense; a pivot using u-turn or teleport, a cleric using wish, a wall setting up leech seed or maybe amnesia. It's easy to imagine any of these benefiting from incidental +2 defense, but like Diancie I don't think we should rely on building a pokemon that necesarilly needs it; Because DS has only 8 pp, oftentimes the threat of a diamond storm is more useful than the diamond storm itself.
 
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SHSP

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Thank you all for the amazing discussion on short turnaround time: we've had an amazing one over the last 24, and it's given us a ton of great stuff to work with going into typing. In short, Diamond Storm is really flexible: it doesn't immediately lend itself to demanding any role or even a typing. Using it strictly for the +2 defense chance, however, is unlikely to be our best option because of the low PP of the move. That 8 PP may be our biggest challenge to keep in mind going forward in fact, with several posts over the last day highlighting the need to complement Diamond Storm well for our success. With that in mind, I'm excited to hand it over to dex, and open up typing!
 
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