Lets Talk Diggersby (Post-Phantom Gate)

[Pipotchi]

Spoiler: Diggersby

Come Phantom Gate, Diggersby XY has a lot of rly nice combos for grabs with Pickup. Target Whistle + VS Seeker can mean an endless stream of Lysandres for repeated pickoffs, while VS Seeker + Xerosic is just as annoying as Enhanced Hammer but perhaps even worse. Battle Compactor means that Diggersby can put any 2 items in the discard to get out next turn. These along with the usual culprits (Hypnolasers, Life Dew, other annoying shz) gives Diggersby a much bigger role more than a consistency Pokemon or an annoyer. Grabbing VS Seeker alone is going to absolutely huge to recover, because it gives an effect almost as good as tropical beach (end your turn, get huge draw power for next turn), or can let you be a nuisance with Xerosic, or threaten a KO the next turn with Lysandre..

So Im wondering if Diggersby is going to get some more love once this expansion hits. It obviously doesnt like fighting types, but no-one ever played Sableye expecting it to survive more than 1 turn either because you are mainly just trying to get back on your feet and recover some items- plus with the overuse of DCE at the moment Diggersby can fit into many popular decks. Also fighting type decks I think have gotten over the initial hype and are not quite as omnipresent now ppl are realizing counters are splashable in most decks.

What do you guys think about Diggersbys position come Phantom Gate? It almost never gets used at the moment but I think it will be in a good position. Junk Hunt in any form is always going to be really strong, and just gets stronger over time as new item cards come out.

 

[pokedan24]

RE: Lets Talk Diggersby (post-Phantom Gate speculations)

You know, I haven't even thought of VS Seeker w Diggersby. I think VS Seeker is easily the best card of the November set and I think Diggersby always had potential (as long as lasers and hammers were in the format), but putting the two together adds some new dimensions to either strategy. The only thing is finding a partner. My first thought was Seismatoad/Garbodor, but I'm so sick of those cards so maybe Virizion/Mewtwo/Tropius? They're all good against Seismatoad, which is this decks greatest threat and should have some nice synergy as backup attackers. There's also Yveltal EX/Yveltal Baby.

 

[Auride]

The difference between Sableye is two-fold: firstly, Sableye is a basic, which is a monumental difference when it comes to a pokemon you shove up to the active position only expecting it to survive 1-2 turns. Secondly, Sableye's Junk Hunt only costs 1 Basic Energy, which is a good bit nicer than a DCE.

That, and Sableye could be used on the first turn (prior to the first-turn rule, which is the primary contributor to Sableye's decrease in usage). Diggersby is simply too inconsistent by comparison. It requires too much dedication to do what you want.

 

[blackbeltdude]

Now that you mention it, I could see this working well with Bronzong. That passive energy acceleration is really what Diggersby needed. Plus, that deck would probably already be running 4 Evosodas anyhow.

If you ran Agislash EX with Diggersby, you probably wouldn't want to use Enhanced Hammer with it... Laser, VS Seeker, Battle Compressor, and maybe some ACE Specs would be pretty good though.

 

[My Little Keldeo]

I could see Diggersby as a possible 1-1 or 2-1 line in Flareon, a deck that's gained a lot of potential with cards from Phantom Forces. It's a decent way to recycle Battle Compressors, Muscle Bands, etc., and if you don't need it you can just chuck it away to fuel Vengeance.

Edit: Wow... I suck.