Diancie #719: the pink princess that makes diamonds bare-handed

It creates diamonds by squeezing its hands together. Diancie comes at the very end of the Kalos Pokédex: a small Rock- and Fairy-type Jewel Pokémon, Mythical rather than Legendary, which the Pokédex describes as a sudden mutation of Carbink. Its admirers have nicknamed it "the pink princess of elegance."

Contents

• Who is Diancie?
• Carbink and Diancie: a mutation, not an evolution
• Type, Ability and Diamond Storm
• Mega Diancie: a Generation VI Mega Evolution
• Diamonds by hand, and a big-screen princess
• Diancie fact sheet
• Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Diancie?

Listed as #719 in the National Pokédex, Diancie is the "Jewel Pokémon" of Kalos, the sixth generation. It stands just 0.7 meters tall and weighs 8.8 kilos, and it's a Mythical Pokémon, not a Legendary.

It looks like a small gray-skinned fairy. A huge pink diamond adorns its forehead, its "hairdo" is made of crystals of the same color, and a gold nugget shines between its big red eyes. Around its neck sits a large gold ring set with a pink jewel.

The upper part of its body, its "dress," is said to absorb and refract sunlight. The lower part is a big diamond-studded rock, very close to that of Carbink. Its beauty earned it this nickname: "the pink princess of elegance".

Carbink and Diancie: a mutation, not an evolution

This is the point most often gotten wrong: Diancie is not Carbink's evolution. The Pokémon X Pokédex calls it "a sudden mutation of Carbink," a phenomenon so rare that it has never been observed or studied; Z-A speaks of an "unexpected mutation".

In the games, the consequence is clear: Diancie has no evolution, and no Carbink will ever turn into Diancie. They do, however, share the "Jewel Pokémon" category, the Rock and Fairy pairing, and a base Defense of 150 that ties them for the top spot in the Fairy type.

The kinship even shows in their movesets: in Generation VI, both learn the same moves at the same levels, with two exceptions — at level 46, Carbink gets Power Gem and Diancie Trick Room, and Diancie adds its signature move at 50. Carbink also has a Hidden Ability, Sturdy, which Diancie lacks.

Type, Ability and Diamond Storm

Rock and Fairy is a rare combination, and the type chart holds a nasty surprise : Steel hits both of its types at once and deals four times as hard. Grass, Ground and Water deal double.

The rest is comfortable: it takes half damage from Normal, Flying, Bug and Dark, a quarter from Fire — which each of its two types halves — and Dragon doesn't affect it at all. A quirk of the pairing: Fighting and Poison, each dangerous against one of its types, drop back to neutral damage.

Its only ability is Clear Body, with no Hidden Ability: its stats can't be lowered by an opponent's Ability or move. Its 600 base stat points come in pairs: 50 in HP and Speed, 100 in Attack and Special Attack, 150 in Defense and Special Defense.

Finally, Diancie is the only Pokémon that knows Diamond Storm, its signature move: a 100-power physical Rock-type move that hits all adjacent opponents and has a 50 percent chance of raising its Defense by two stages.

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Mega Diancie: a Generation VI Mega Evolution

Don't get this backwards, because the wave of Mega Evolutions from Pokémon Legends: Z-A muddies the waters. Mega Diancie has existed since Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, right in the middle of the sixth generation: all it takes is having it hold a Diancite.

The transformation keeps both of its types but shakes up everything else. Diancie grows to 1.1 meters and 27.8 kilos, gains 60 points in Attack, Special Attack and Speed, loses 40 points in Defense and Special Defense, and trades Clear Body for Magic Bounce.

Its 700 base stat points are the highest total of the Rock type, tied with Mega Tyranitar, and its Special Attack is the best of the type. The Z-A Pokédex adds a jeweler's figure: the diamond on its forehead weighs 2,000 carats.

Before Z-A, it was even the only Mega Pokémon from the sixth generation, and Diancie was the only Mythical Pokémon able to Mega Evolve; Mega Magearna has since joined it. Enough to fill a display case with Pokémon figures.

Diamonds by hand, and a big-screen princess

Here's the power that made it famous, as described by the Pokémon Y Pokédex: "It can instantly create many diamonds by compressing the carbon in the air between its hands." New Pokémon Snap speaks of a "miraculous power".

Carbink gather around it, but Diancie pays them little attention. The seventeenth movie, Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction, makes it the princess of the Carbink, ruler of a Diamond Domain: a look that suits a Pokémon plush.

Diancie can't be found in the wild. It has been handed out through event distributions, including a level 50 Diancie given out by code in the PAL region from October 23, 2014 to February 25, 2015. Since Z-A, a single specimen can be obtained in the game after being unlocked via Mystery Gift.

Its name is thought to blend diamond, fancy and the Japanese ishi, "stone." The character owes a lot to the carbuncle, a mythical creature with a jewel on its forehead, and its diamond has a brilliant cut.

Diancie fact sheet

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is Diancie Legendary or Mythical?
  Mythical, not Legendary. It's the only Rock-type Mythical Pokémon, apart from Arceus when it holds a Stone Plate. Like all Mythical Pokémon, it can't be found in the wild in the core games of its generation: it was obtained through event distributions, then by transfer via Pokémon Bank and Pokémon HOME.
• Is Diancie Carbink's evolution?
  No, and that's the most widespread mistake about it. The Pokédex presents it as a sudden mutation of Carbink, which Pokémon Legends: Z-A calls an unexpected mutation. This phenomenon has never been observed or studied and doesn't exist in any game: Diancie has no evolution, neither before nor after it, and there's no way to turn a Carbink into Diancie. They do share the Jewel Pokémon category, the Rock and Fairy types, and a base Defense of 150.
• Does Diancie have a Mega Evolution, and since when?
  Yes, Mega Diancie, and it's an old one: it dates back to Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, in Generation VI, not to the Mega Evolutions added by Pokémon Legends: Z-A. Diancie needs to hold a Diancite. Mega Diancie stays Rock and Fairy type, stands 1.1 meters tall and weighs 27.8 kilos, gains the Magic Bounce Ability and has a base stat total of 700. Before Z-A, it was the only Mega Pokémon from Generation VI and the only one belonging to a Mythical Pokémon.
• What are Diancie's weaknesses?
  Only one weakness is truly dangerous: Steel, which hits both its Rock type and its Fairy type and deals four times the normal damage. Next come Grass, Ground and Water, at double damage. It halves Normal, Flying, Bug and Dark, cuts Fire down to a quarter, and is completely immune to Dragon. Note that Fighting and Poison, super effective against only one of its two types, end up dealing neutral damage.
• What is Diancie's Ability?
  Clear Body, and it's its only Ability: it has no Hidden Ability, unlike Carbink, which has Sturdy. Clear Body prevents its stats from being lowered by an opponent's Ability or move. When it Mega Evolves, this Ability is replaced by Magic Bounce, which blocks status moves aimed at Diancie and sends them back to their user.
• What is Diancie's signature move?
  Diamond Storm, and Diancie is the only Pokémon that can learn it. This Rock-type move is physical, with 100 power, 95 accuracy and 5 Power Points. It hits all adjacent opponents and has a 50 percent chance of raising the user's Defense by two stages. Used as a Dynamax move, it becomes Max Rockfall and reaches 130 power.

In short

Mythical rather than Legendary, a mutation of Carbink rather than an evolution, a jeweler able to compress air into gems: Diancie collects one-of-a-kind titles. And its Mega Evolution didn't wait for Z-A to show off its 2,000 carats.