Dialga (Update)

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Dialga's Original Analysis

[Overview]

<p>Dialga’s unique typing and well-distributed stats make it both an excellent offensive and defensive Pokemon. Offensively, Dialga has a stunning base 120 Attack and base 150 Special Attack that's backed by the ever-dominant Dragon-type STAB. Dialga's vast offensive movepool allows it to pick off a variety of Pokemon. Defensively, Dialga’s typing offers it a whopping total of nine resistances and an immunity, as well as neutrality to Ice- and Dragon-type attacks, something other Dragon-type Pokemon would kill for. With its stellar base defenses combined with the aforementioned resistances, Dialga is a difficult Pokemon to take down unless you target its weaknesses. Dialga is also revered as an excellent utility Pokemon thanks to its equally-vast support movepool. With its plethora of options, Dialga is, in a word, unpredictable.</p>

[SET]
name: Mixed
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Outrage / Brick Break
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Thunder / Bulk Up
item: Expert Belt / Life Orb
nature: Mild / Hasty
EVs: 144 Atk / 252 SpA / 112 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>STAB Draco Meteor bolstered by 438 Special Attack, or 399 if Dialga opts to use a Hasty nature, is frightening for any opponent. Only Steel-type Pokemon and Blissey can take Draco Meteor without the risk of being 2HKOed in the process, though some frailer Steel-types such as Lucario take major damage anyway (66.2% - 77.9% if Dialga is Mild). Brick Break, with the given Attack EVs, will 2HKO most Uber Blissey with Stealth Rock in play. Fire Blast is the best attack for taking down the vast majority of Steel-types in the Uber metagame, but it comes with the downside of being weakened by the near-omnipresent rain. This can be resolved by partnering Dialga with Groudon or Tyranitar. The final slot should generally be Thunder due to its perfect accuracy in the rain; with its 30% chance of paralysis, most opponents will think twice before they switch in, since many Dialga checks or counters rely on their Speed. Outrage is an excellent attack to use with or without Bulk Up. Without Bulk Up, Dialga can use Outrage with a Life Orb to 2HKO most Kyogre and Blissey. Bulk Up is a great lure move since it draws in Groudon, which is in turn shut down by STAB Draco Meteor. With Bulk Up, Dialga should be able to even surge through Wish Blissey.</p>

<p>To maximize Dialga’s potential, there are many options in regards to natures and EVs. The suggested EV spread and nature allows Dialga’s Draco Meteor to hit with maximum power and outspeed Adamant Scizor. 144 Atk EVs grant Dialga the ability to 2HKO most Blissey, barring max HP / max Def variants. If you opt for Mild, you should use Expert Belt, since it provides enough power to obtain the same KOs as Life Orb while conserving Dialga’s HP. Hasty, with 64 Atk / 252 SpA / 192 Spe EVs, allows Dialga to outspeed Adamant Rayquaza and Adamant Lucario. Hasty with 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe also works. Outspeeding Adamant Rayquaza means that Dialga’s team is less susceptible to a Swords Dance Rayquaza sweep, though keep in mind that most Dragon Dance and Mixed Rayquaza sets use a positive Speed nature. With a Hasty nature, Dialga will need a Life Orb in order to stay competitive offensively. Because Dialga can survive Choice Scarf Garchomp's Earthquake and even Life Orb Aura Sphere from Mewtwo, Dialga can effectively utilize a spread of 120 HP / 136 Atk / 252 SpA with a Quiet nature in order to survive one of those assaults. Expert Belt is preferable for Quiet Dialga since the main goal is to make sure that Dialga is as healthy as possible in case it needs to take these extreme hits. Life Orb can be used, however, since Dialga can even OHKO Support Groudon with Draco Meteor 100% of the time with a Quiet nature, which is slightly reduced to 87% with Hasty; Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes assures the KO. Life Orb Outrage also 2HKOes max HP / min Def Kyogre, which means Dialga can be effective at taking out Mono-Attacker Kyogre. Brick Break, with Stealth Rock in play, can also be used to easily 2HKO Heatran, since max HP / min Def variants takes 43-50.8%.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A couple of move options were left out of the set because they only offer niche results, but are nevertheless effective choices if Dialga needs them. Earth Power means Dialga will never fall to a Heatran switch-in. Stealth Rock is also an option since Dialga forces many switches. Finally, Stone Edge can be used if Dialga’s team has issues with Ho-Oh. While Draco Meteor and Outrage do sufficient damage by themselves, Draco Meteor has the nasty drawback of -2 SpA while Pressure takes away 2 PP in the process. Outrage is risky since Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire has a 50% chance of a burn behind it, and usually has boosted power thanks to most Ho-Oh being used in conjunction with sunlight. These moves can replace either Thunder or Fire Blast. For items, Leftovers and Adamant Orb are viable. Leftovers offers Dialga recovery and works well with the Quiet spread, while Adamant Orb helps bluff Choice Specs.</p>

<p>While Dialga is an intimidating Pokemon, it does require support from its teammates. As shown with just a few damage calculations, Dialga appreciates entry hazards to help it net its KOs. Leads such as Deoxys-S or Deoxys-A are great choices for teammates since they have a high chance of getting Stealth Rock and at least one layer of Spikes up. Forretress is also a great partner as it has the added benefit of removing entry hazards on your side of the field thanks to Rapid Spin. Giratina-O can also be a staple provided that you’re using entry hazards. It has the added benefit of being able to handle Groudon well thanks to its Earthquake immunity and moderate base defensive stats. Since Thunder is reliant on rain, Kyogre is an excellent partner, as not only does its ability boost Thunder’s accuracy to 100%, but it also nullifies Heatran as a threat while making Ho-Oh less effective, thanks to Dialga resisting Brave Bird. Sadly, Groudon doesn’t bring as many benefits to the table as Kyogre does, though Support Groudon is an excellent teammate as it can slow Dialga’s counters down with Thunder Wave while being able to set up Stealth Rock. Since Dialga is great at breaking through defensive teams in general, offensive Pokemon such as Dragon Dance Rayquaza and Swords Dance Garchomp appreciate having Dialga as their partner.</p>

<p>Dialga’s other issues involve its lack of Speed, which leaves it susceptible to being revenge killed by Pokemon such as Mewtwo and Latios. Scarf Garchomp is a great partner since it outspeeds Dragon Dance Rayquaza and Scarf Palkia. Another great Scarf user is Shaymin-S, which can target both Kyogre and Groudon with STAB Seed Flare while outspeeding Rock Polish Groudon. Scarf Tyranitar is rather slow; however, its natural bulk and SpD boost from the sandstorm allows it to be effective at revenge killing non-Dragon Dance Rayquaza, Latias, Latios, Swords Dance Lucario, Heatran, and Ho-Oh. While Wobbuffet is slower than Choice Scarfers, it has the advantage of being able to cushion at least one hit from a Scarf Pokemon before biting the dust. Finally, Heatran does very well at stopping a Mixed Dialga sweep cold, so teammates are needed to handle this situation. Calm Mind Latias is great at switching into Heatran’s attacks due to its great special bulk and resistance to Fire. It only fears Taunt and Explosion, the latter being rare on bulkier Heatran to begin with. Rayquaza’s Air Lock nullifies the sunlight’s boost, and it can switch into Earth Power freely, though it has to be careful with Dragon Pulse variants.</p>

[SET]
name: Defensive Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Outrage / Dragon Claw
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set takes advantage of Dialga’s numerous resistances, well-distributed defensive stats, access to a STAB attack that only has one resistance, and Bulk Up. Bulk Up boosts Dialga’s Attack and Defense stats, which helps power up its Dragon-type attack of choice, as well as increase its chances of survival against physical attacking Pokemon. For example, after a Bulk Up, Dialga can survive Choice Band Garchomp's Earthquake. Once Dialga finds an ideal time to do so, simply Rest off the damage, all the while using Sleep Talk to keep Dialga threatening to the opponent. This set is excellent for absorbing Dark Void from Darkrai since Dialga isn’t deterred by falling asleep. Outrage versus Dragon Claw is a matter of preference between power and reliability. Since Dialga will be boosting its Defense via Bulk Up, max Special Defense is necessary to help Dialga cushion special attacks.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Skarmory, Lugia, Groudon, Heatran, and Lucario to some extent will cause issues for this set. The best way to address these threats is to have offensively-oriented teammates for Dialga. While it will need Aura Sphere to deal with Heatran, Giratina-O stops most Groudon sets cold thanks to STAB Draco Meteor and its immunity to Earthquake. Mixed Rayquaza is also an excellent teammate, since it lures in and takes out many of Dialga’s checks, and doesn’t require any setup time to do so. Rayquaza needs to be aware of its surroundings, however, since switching into any of Dialga's counters will leave your Rayquaza crippled or likely fainted. While Mixed Dialga could check many of its slower enemies with the help of some Speed EV investment or even a Hasty nature, this set has many problems with Pokemon that are faster than it. Some of the recommended Scarf Pokemon mentioned in the Mixed set (Shaymin-S and Garchomp for example) are great assets since Groudon likely outspeeds Dialga.</p>

<p>Sadly, some of the problematic Pokemon that Dialga faces cannot be exactly "countered" per se, but they should definitely be brought to attention while you plan out Dialga's setup. Wobbuffet can cause some issues with this set in particular. It can easily Encore a move and not take damage three-fourths of the time, or two-thirds of the time if Dialga is asleep and locked onto Sleep Talk. Assuming Stealth Rock, Dialga would need three Bulk Ups to nearly KO Wobbuffet with Outrage (80.7% - 95.1%). With Dragon Claw, Dialga needs three Bulk Ups in order to 2HKO Wobbuffet. Since there is no real way of countering Wobbuffet, the best that can be said is “Watch out”. Haban Berry Garchomp cannot always win against this set, but it can either severely damage Dialga or scare it off. Even after a Bulk Up, a Swords Dance-boosted Earthquake from Garchomp will OHKO Dialga 87% of the time. Taunt is uncommon, but it is a relevant threat since it allows Pokemon such as Mewtwo to set up freely when Dialga is asleep. Finally, watch out for Trick; since many Pokemon in the Uber metagame are part Psychic-type, it is a common move to have on Choice sets.</p>

[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Toxic / Thunder Wave
move 3: Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse
move 4: Flamethrower / Thunder
items: Leftovers
nature: Modest
EVs: 252 HP / 140 SpA / 116 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Dialga is unique amongst its Dragon-type cousins because it can play a supporting role effectively. Stealth Rock requires no real explanation, though keep in mind that Dialga should lay down Stealth Rock as soon as possible to prevent Ho-Oh from switching into Dialga freely. The next move is dependent on the type of team that Dialga is supporting. An offensive team appreciates Thunder Wave more than Toxic since the paralysis of threats such as Mewtwo, Darkrai, and Choice Scarf Pokemon is a significant advantage. On the other hand, defensive teams require Toxic to make sure that the opponent’s team won’t out-stall Dialga’s team, since Lugia, Giratina-O, Latias, and the rare Cresselia are all unaffected by Toxic Spikes. Draco Meteor can be used to limit the number of times Groudon can switch freely into this set, while Dragon Pulse offers consistency that keeps Dialga on the field without being a detriment offensively. Flamethrower helps keep Forretress and other Steel-types, barring Dialga and Heatran, from switching into Toxic freely. Thunder works best alongside Kyogre as its Drizzle ability remedies Thunder’s poor accuracy. Thanks to the 30% chance of paralysis, Dialga can operate as a pseudo-double status spreader, since it is free to use Toxic instead of Thunder Wave. Though not mentioned on the set, Roar can be used over the second or fourth moveslot. The reason that Roar can replace a status move is that, assuming Dialga is on a stall team, Toxic Spikes will be already taken care of by one of Dialga's teammates. Since Lugia and Cresselia are the only general threats against Dialga that are immune from Toxic Spikes, Roar can be used to prevent these Pokemon from taking advantage of Dialga. Furthermore, there are likely better teammates that can handle Lugia and Cresselia such as Tyranitar.</p>

<p>The given EVs ensure that an unboosted Timid Kyogre's Water Spout will not 2HKO Dialga. This allows Dialga to Thunder Wave, Stealth Rock, and then switch to the appropriate counter. The Special Attack EVs and Modest nature allow Dialga to always OHKO Darkrai with Draco Meteor, and to always OHKO Palkia with Dragon Pulse after it switches into Stealth Rock once.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set can also be used as a lead. The only change needed is Lum Berry as the item and Thunder Wave as the status move. Lum Berry is used to prevent Dialga from being put to sleep by Darkrai leads, allowing Dialga to severely cripple them with Thunder Wave. Dialga is, however, unable to prevent Deoxys-S and Deoxys-A from setting up Stealth Rock and possibly a layer of Spikes.</p>

<p>Dialga, on a stall team, appreciates the residual damage from Spikes and/or Toxic Spikes. Forretress is the best Pokemon for laying down Toxic Spikes in the Uber metagame. This lessens the need for Toxic since the only Pokemon that Toxic Spikes will miss are Levitating and Flying-type Pokemon, and some of them can be removed by Dialga’s Draco Meteor or Dragon Pulse. Forretress can also lay down Spikes, but relying on it to lay down all three layers of Spikes and two layers of Toxic Spikes puts Forretress under a lot of stress. As a lead, Deoxys-S can set up Spikes, since it can forgo Stealth Rock if Dialga opts to use it. Skarmory is an excellent Pokemon in this situation, since it completely walls Groudon barring the rare Overheat, can set up Spikes, has access to a recovery move, and can use Whirlwind to force switches. With entry hazards taken into account, Dialga needs a teammate that can block Rapid Spin. Giratina-O is the best Pokemon for the job.</p>

<p>Offensive teams appreciate Stealth Rock and Thunder Wave or Toxic support. Rayquaza, for example, has an easier time crushing teams if most of the opponent’s Pokemon is slower than it. With Toxic crippling defensive Pokemon, Swords Dance Lucario has an easier time sweeping the opponent. Offensive Groudon loves Support Dialga since many of its checks can be battered by Dialga. Swords Dance Groudon climbs in effectiveness with Thunder Wave support, while Rock Polish Groudon is solid with Toxic support.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Thunder
move 3: Fire Blast / Aura Sphere
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Outrage
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Timid / Hasty
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Dialga’s lackluster Speed can be fixed with the item Choice Scarf at the cost of locking Dialga onto one attack. Dialga reaches 459 Speed with Choice Scarf, which is enough to outspeed Deoxys-A. Draco Meteor is the primary attack; with Stealth Rock in play Draco Meteor easily OHKOes Darkrai, and has a 33% chance of OHKOing Mewtwo. Thunder is used to 2HKO Lugia after Stealth Rock, and for inflicting severe damage onto Kyogre. Fire Blast can be used to prevent Steel-types from switching in freely, but it relies more on the team having dual weather to support both it and Thunder. Aura Sphere can help reduce the chances of a Lucario and Dialga sweep, while nailing Heatran and Tyranitar for super effective damage. For the fourth moveslot, Dragon Pulse gives Dialga a move that is consistent damage-wise. On the other hand, Outrage, with a Hasty nature, can be used to take down Calm Mind Kyogre; it may also get the 2HKO on Blissey.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Dialga can use a Modest or Mild nature if you want more power behind Dialga’s attacks. The advantage of outspeeding Dragon Dance Rayquaza may be lost with this change, since many of them opt to run a Jolly nature. With Modest, Dialga OHKOes Mewtwo after Stealth Rock 87% of the time.</p>

<p>Scarf Dialga can handle some walls with careful prediction, but above all else Dialga wants some weather to help it take advantage of Thunder and possibly Fire Blast. Offensive Kyogre and Groudon both appreciate faster Pokemon being picked off by Dialga. Scarf Dialga may be quick, but it does lose to Scarf Palkia, Scarf Garchomp, and Scarf Darkrai in Speed. Groudon can handle Scarf Garchomp and Scarf Palkia most of the time, though beware that continuously taking damage will eventually wear out Groudon due to its lack of recovery. Scarf Darkrai’s only threatening attacks are Dark Void and Focus Blast, the latter having only 70% accuracy. Scizor can switch into Scarf Darkrai safely and OHKO it with U-turn. It can at least take out a weakened Darkrai with Bullet Punch if necessary (54.4% - 64.4%). Finally, be very cautious of Wobbuffet as it can revenge kill Dialga easily thanks to the Choice lock.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Dragon Pulse
move 3: Thunder
move 4: Fire Blast / Aura Sphere
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest
EVs: 224 HP / 252 SpA / 32 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>If you thought Dialga's meteor showers were already painful enough, then just wait until you see what happens when they are boosted by Choice Specs! Not only does Draco Meteor OHKO Groudon, barring those that heavily invest in Special Defense, but it has enough power to OHKO Lucario. Even max HP Metagross has an 87% chance of being 2HKOed by Draco Meteor. Thunder helps Dialga a lot since the paralysis caters to Dialga’s low Speed. After Stealth Rock, Thunder also OHKOes max HP Kyogre. Fire Blast is used to prevent wasting Draco Meteor's PP on Steel-type Pokemon, while decreasing the chances of Groudon safely switching into Dialga. Since Heatran can cause trouble with its resistance to Dialga’s Dragon-type attacks, Aura Sphere can be used instead. Aura Sphere is also an option over Thunder since Draco Meteor hits hard enough to OHKO min HP Kyogre anyway.</p>

<p>The given EVs allow Dialga to outspeed max Speed Adamant Tyranitar. They also keep Dialga very bulky so it can keep threatening the opponent. If you want Dialga to be faster, you can use 112 Speed EVs to outspeed Adamant Scizor, or max Speed to outspeed the vast majority of bulky 90 base Speed Pokemon, while tying with those that attempt to be agile. Timid is also a good nature since it allows Dialga to outspeed Adamant Rayquaza, while tying with max Speed Jolly Lucario. Dialga can use 192 Speed EVs with a Timid nature to outspeed said Adamant Rayquaza and place the rest of the EVs toward HP.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Dialga’s biggest issues with this set can all be in fact resolved, but with varying degrees of difficulty. Blissey becomes the biggest counter to this set, since Dialga lacks any way of KOing Blissey reliably unless Blissey is under a third of its health. Because Dialga is great for knocking down the physical walls of Ubers, it appreciates physical attackers as its teammates. Swords Dance Garchomp enjoys Groudon and Lugia being cleared out of the way, and doesn’t falter to Thunder Wave from Blissey. Granted, Garchomp still has to fear Ice Beam, but Blissey oftentimes opts to use Seismic Toss to better handle Dialga, Kyogre, and Palkia. Swords Dance Garchomp with a Haban Berry is sufficient for the job, though Choice Band climbs in effectiveness thanks to many of the Levitating Pokemon being shut down by Draco Meteor or Thunder. Once again, weather is fairly important for this set to work effectively. Much like the Choice Scarf set, beware of Wobbuffet; it poses less of a threat since it is 2HKOed by Dragon Pulse, but it still only takes 40% max from -2 SpA Draco Meteor, which is unimpressive.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Outrage
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Dragon Claw
move 4: Overheat / Stone Edge
items: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
EVs: 224 HP / 252 Atk / 32 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Finally, a set other than Bulk Up that doesn’t call for the spamming of Draco Meteor! With this set, Dialga forgoes special attacks in order to catch many of its switch-ins off-guard. Don’t assume that Groudon has the upper hand against this set; unless Groudon invests heavily in its Defense stat, it is 2HKOed by Outrage. Earthquake complements Outrage by giving Dialga a wide amount of coverage against the Uber metagame; it prevents most Steel-types, especially Heatran, from switching in safely. Dragon Claw should be your third move as Outrage lock puts Dialga in grave danger if you’re not aware of the rest of the opponent's Pokemon. The fourth move depends on whether you prefer shutting down the majority of Steel-types, notably Skarmory, or annihilating Ho-Oh and keeping Lugia away from Dialga.</p>

<p>The EV structure is very similar to the Choice Specs set, with the only difference being not recommending a positive Speed nature. Outspeeding Adamant Tyranitar is the minimum amount of Speed Dialga should use. You can opt to use 116 Speed EVs to outspeed Adamant Scizor, or max Speed to tie with Adamant Lucario or Modest Kyogre at worst. Jolly nature with max Speed and max Attack allows Dialga to get the upper hand on Adamant Rayquaza at the cost of sheer attacking power.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Band Dialga has the exact opposite problems that Choice Specs has. Outrage is a powerful attack, but it prevents Dialga from switching out from a troublesome position. Dialga trades being able to handle Heatran and Ho-Oh (unless it has Stone Edge) for having issues with Lugia, Impish Groudon, and Skarmory (unless it has Overheat). While Lucario can’t take much of a beating, it can switch into Stone Edge and freely set up Swords Dance followed by quickly KOing Dialga with Close Combat. Powerful special attackers and mixed attackers are recommended for this reason. Mixed Rayquaza can outspeed and annihilate most of these Pokemon when they switch in.. Mewtwo is pretty effective here since Taunt completely shuts down Lugia and Skarmory, allowing Mewtwo to set up Calm Mind freely. Its only fear is Blissey that carry Seismic Toss, which Dialga can at least handle to an extent. As a partner, Wobbuffet can set up Encore + Tickle, then follow up with a Pokemon that knows Pursuit to kill off the opposing physical wall. Beware that Impish Groudon sometimes carry Toxic, which will harm Wobbuffet's effectiveness.</p>

[Team Options]
<p>Like most Pokemon, offensive Dialga enjoys Stealth Rock support, since it turns certain 2HKOs into OHKOs, as explained in several of the sets. Despite having an excellent typing, wonderful defenses, and an immunity to Toxic Spikes, Dialga unfortunately lacks a reliable way to restore its health beyond using Rest. Thus, Wish support can greatly extend its life span. The main Wish users are Blissey, Jirachi, and Latias. Latias is a particularly good user of Wish for Dialga because it resists Fighting and is immune to Ground moves, while Dialga resists Latias's Ghost and Dark weaknesses. Offensive Dialga also enjoy paralysis support (except for the Choice Scarf set, where it's redundant), because Dialga is slow by Uber standards. Blissey, Jirachi, and Latias can also use Thunder Wave (or in Jirachi's case, Body Slam with Serene Grace) to further support Dialga. Groudon is another excellent user of Thunder Wave because not only can it scare off Steel-types, but it can also lure in and paralyze Lugia, meaning Lugia will have a harder time using Roost to stall offensive Dialga.</p>

<p>There are no Pokemon that are guaranteed an easy switch-in on Dialga, due to both its high offensive stats and versatility. Most Pokemon that can stop Dialga require powerful super effective attacks, high Speed, or good defenses. Even then, most of these problematic Pokemon cannot switch in safely; they need to go for the revenge kill. Groudon in particular can use a specially-defensive EV spread to survive most of Dialga's assaults, bar Choice Band Outrages and Choice Specs Draco Meteors, and use its STAB Earthquakes to take Dialga down. It may also be able to set up Rock Polish to threaten a sweep if it switches into the right attack (such as Stone Edge or Thunder). Shaymin-S carrying a Choice Scarf can solve this problem, thanks to its immunity to Earthquake, and its ability to outspeed and OHKO Rock Polish Groudon with Seed Flare. Life Orb Lucario and Life Orb Garchomp can OHKO Dialga with Close Combat and Earthquake, respectively. Gengar can use Focus Blast to OHKO Lucario, and Hidden Power Ice to OHKO Garchomp. Although these Pokemon cannot always OHKO the bulkier Dialga variants, Gengar and Darkrai can threaten to do a huge amount of damage to Dialga with Focus Blast, while Mewtwo can use the more accurate Aura Sphere. Using your own Mewtwo can help since it can switch into Gengar's Focus Blast and threaten to OHKO it with Shadow Ball. Choice Scarf Heracross can switch into both Darkrai's Focus Blast and Mewtwo's Aura Sphere, and threaten to OHKO them with Megahorn. Heracross can also use Sleep Talk to strike back if Darkrai uses Dark Void.</p>

<p>Dialga is an extremely sturdy Pokemon that is only hindered by its weaknesses to Fighting and Ground attacks, thus Pokemon that cover those two weaknesses complement Dialga very well defensively. Giratina-O and Gengar are fantastic examples of this, as they are immune to both of Dialga's weaknesses, while they will both attract Ghost and Dark attacks that Dialga can easily switch into. Lugia is a particularly good defensive partner, as it not only sports an immunity to Ground attacks, but also a 4x resistance to Fighting attacks. Additionally, Latias, Latios, Rayquaza, and Shaymin-S complement Dialga well, thanks to their immunities to Ground moves and resistances to Fighting moves. Although Skarmory is only covering Dialga's Ground weakness, it has the bonus of being able to set up Spikes on Pokemon such as Groudon and Garchomp. Finally, the many Psychic-types of Ubers, such as Wobbuffet and Mewtwo, are able to competently cover Dialga's weakness to Fighting attacks.</p>

[Optional Changes]
<p>Dialga has loads of other options that can work as potential support moves. Psych Up can be useful on Dialga, allowing it to copy the stat boosts that Calm Mind Kyogre may have netted. Dialga is a great user of Trick Room in Ubers too, having brilliant all-around stats bar Speed. Flash Cannon is an auxiliary STAB attack, but Steel is a poor offensive type. Ice Beam with Choice Specs allows Dialga to OHKO Groudon without resorting to Draco Meteor or Overheat, but is otherwise generally a poor choice. Iron Tail should be avoided, because as already noted, Steel is a poor offensive type, and its 75% accuracy leaves much to be desired.</p>

<p>Magnet Rise can be a good option on some Dialga sets, as it can foil Dialga's arch enemy, Groudon. If you opt for Bulk Up with Magnet Rise, then use the EV spread of 116 HP / 252 Atk / 140 Spe. This allows Dialga to Bulk Up as Groudon switches in, use Magnet Rise before most Groudon can move, and then either hit the next switch-in hard with Outrage or Earthquake, or use Bulk Up again.</p>

<p>Roar of Time sounds and looks cool, but is in fact a terrible move to use, as is the rest of the Hyper Beam suite; Draco Meteor and even Dragon Pulse out-damages it over the course of two turns, and the unavoidable second turn recharge is a perfect opportunity for something threatening to set up. As for items, Choice Scarf can be used with physical moves if so desired, but without the extra power of Choice Band, the attacks will be too weak to be useful.</p>

<p>252 HP / 116 SpD with a neutral nature allow Dialga to never be 2HKOed by Kyogre's Choice Scarf Water Spout, provided Dialga holds Leftovers. 252 HP / 44 Def, again with a neutral nature, will allow Dialga to never be 2HKOed by Mewtwo's Life Orb Brick Break, or OHKOed by its Focus Punch.</p>

[Counters]
<p>Simply put, Dialga is hard to counter. How it can be countered depends a lot on the weather conditions and the moveset it is using. In general, Ho-Oh and Heatran can counter Dialga while under sunny conditions. The biggest thing to note is that Thunder’s accuracy is cut to 50% under the sun, which means a 15% chance that Ho-Oh and Heatran will be hit by Thunder followed by paralysis. Meanwhile, Ho-Oh’s Sacred Fire has a 50% chance to inflict a burn on Dialga, which hampers the Mixed and Choice Band sets. With Ho-Oh’s access to recovery, Pressure, and a high Special Defense stat, Dialga is in trouble when it only has Stone Edge to kill Ho-Oh. Heatran can shut down the Bulk Up set with a simple use of Taunt, while fearing only Earthquake or Aura Sphere at worst from Dialga. If rain is present, then a more cautious approach to countering Dialga is necessary, as a 30% chance of paralysis from Thunder is nothing to scoff at. Scizor comes relatively close as a counter since Fire Blast is weakened in the rain, while Scizor can fire off Superpower at Dialga for super effective damage. Metagross can step into the scene and fire off Earthquake at Dialga, or use Trick on sets such as Bulk Up or Support to cripple Dialga. It also does well at countering the Choice Band set, though beware of stepping into either Earthquake or Overheat in the sun.</p>

<p>Groudon is a good counter since it threatens Dialga with STAB Earthquake, and has access to Roar to nullify the Bulk Up set. Offensive Groudon has an easier time KOing Dialga since many opponents opt to use a -Def nature on Dialga's mixed set. Blissey can take on both the Specs set and the Scarf set, though beware that the Scarf set can carry Outrage to try to 2HKO Blissey. Skarmory does well at countering the physical Dialga sets, especially the Bulk Up set which has no answer against Skarmory, except if Skarmory and Dialga are the last Pokemon standing. Lugia has to avoid switching into Stone Edge and Thunder at all costs, but it is otherwise a great counter to Dialga while the sun is out. It can set up Reflect to deter the Choice Band set, while Whirlwind deals with the Bulk Up set. Tyranitar, especially those that invest in Special Defense, can be a great Dialga check when Tyranitar is at full health. Wobbuffet can be an annoying Pokemon for Dialga to deal with, since Dialga lacks Taunt or a powerful enough move to OHKO Wobbuffet on the spot. It has to beware of the Mixed set when Draco Meteor is at full power though.</p>

<p>Since Dialga is a slow Pokemon, you can use faster Pokemon to revenge kill it. This strategy fails when Dialga carries a Choice Scarf, but it is still the safest way of dealing with most Dialga sets. Latios using Dragon Pulse does 48.5% - 57.4% on Support Dialga, which means Latios 2HKOes non-Bulk Up Dialga without relying on Draco Meteor 93% of the time. Latias can switch in safely after Dialga has expended a Draco Meteor and start setting up Calm Minds. Life Orb Mewtwo's Aura Sphere can OHKO min HP / min SpD Dialga 43% of the time while Specs Aura Sphere will always OHKO. Deoxys-A has access to Superpower to obliterate Dialga on the spot, as it does around the same damage as Mewtwo's Choice Specs Aura Sphere. Garchomp has access to STAB Earthquake to make sure Dialga doesn't stay in comfortably. Darkrai can use Dark Void to nullify every set barring the Bulk Up set, while OHKOing Dialga with a Nasty Plot-boosted Focus Blast.</p>

Here are some of my thoughts, I may add more if I can think of any, and I'll put an edit message if I do.

Mixed Set
-Bulk Up should get mention in AC for being able to lure out Groudon and smash it with DM, which can help a lot of rain teams

Bulk Up
-Dragon Claw should get a mention as an alternative to Outrage for more reliabity

Choice Sets
-Both Choice Band and Choice Specs have Speed creep, and should be reverted to 4 (maybe with max Speed in AC). The current Speed (32 EVs) does nothing besides outspeed some Kyogre and Adamant max Speed Tyranitar, which is almost never used. Even then, 32 Speed EVs still places you a few Speed above Adamant Tyranitar.

Bulk Up shouldn't be removed from mixed Dialga. It catches a lot of people off guard and stomps stuff like Blissey and Wobbuffet. Stealth Rock should be removed though, it has no reason being on that set. Not only that, but I feel that every mention of Dialga being in the lead position should be removed for good. There's no reason that Dialga should ever lead, it doesn't stop entry hazards and it loses to almost every lead except for Kyogre (which shouldn't be leading either).

Bulk Up should stay as a slash unless Theorymon decides it should get its own set. It is actually very good for killing Blissey and it also makes Dialga into a really great Groudon lure.

Stealth Rock should be mentioned in AC in the mixed set if your team has no one else to set it up. Dialga forces a TON of switches so its very easy to set up, and it can possibly bluff the support set and make your opponent think their Blissey can come in without a problem. It already covers most things with Outrage/FB/DM, although if you run SR>Thunder then Lugia walls you, so make a note of that.

Not sure whether to remove lead mentions, I will discuss it with Theorymon.

Alright, since there has been some expression for keeping Bulk Up, I shall do so. Looks like at worst we can mention Stealth Rock in AC, which is also fine.

-Dragon Claw should get a mention as an alternative to Outrage for more reliabity

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Can't completely disagree with this, since Outrage has the nasty drawback of Confusion (though thankfully the +Def counterbalances some of the issue). I'll slash that in and mention the drop of power is noticeable when you're low on your # of Bulk Ups.

-Both Choice Band and Choice Specs have Speed creep, and should be reverted to 4 (maybe with max Speed in AC). The current Speed (32 EVs) does nothing besides outspeed some Kyogre and Adamant max Speed Tyranitar, which is almost never used. Even then, 32 Speed EVs still places you a few Speed above Adamant Tyranitar.

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I think max Spe is still better for Dialga, even in this situation. I'm open to suggestion on it since, as you said, 32 Spe EVs is nothing more but Speed creep (what's weird is that the old Mixed Dialga analysis had Speed Creep in it).

Not only that, but I feel that every mention of Dialga being in the lead position should be removed for good. There's no reason that Dialga should ever lead, it doesn't stop entry hazards and it loses to almost every lead except for Kyogre (which shouldn't be leading either).

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I'm shaky on it. The Mixed set is probably bad to lead with since it lacks priority like Giratina-O has. The Support Dialga has... some merit to it since DX-S and DX-A are forced to Taunt or it eats a Thunder Wave.

EDIT: firecape asked me to clear this up just in case people were going to ask on the Choice sets, barring Scarf of course.

[20:30:30] <firecape> C_M
[20:31:08] <firecape> Idc what spread you put for CB/Specs DIalga, but I want a mention that a bulky spread isn't inferior by a large margin (if at all) :P
[20:31:21] <firecape> (if it isn't the main spread)
[20:31:22] <@Colonel_M> It isn't inferior
[20:31:26] <@Colonel_M> But it should either be
[20:31:29] <@Colonel_M> - Go all the way
[20:31:41] <@Colonel_M> - Go as slow as possible while outspeeding things safely

I'm thinking the quick spread is the recommended, but in AC definitely note the bulkier spread.

Talked to Jibaku.

- Stealth Rock probably should be kept on Mixed. Dunno about... it being a main option.
- Stone Edge is AC.
- EVs and Nature decision.

- Magnet Rise needs a test
- Heatran, Haban Chomp, and Wobbuffet might need a mention.

Colonel M said:

- Stone Edge should get an option. While Ho-oh takes 50% from Stealth Rock damage and Draco Meteor, assuming Hasty, does 42.8% - 50.6% with Expert Belt, there are two Pokemon that are assumed with Ho-oh. The first is Groudon, which will nullify Thunder. The second is Forretress, which not only uses Rapid Spin to clear out Stealth Rock, it also is used to set up its own Spikes.

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Outrage does 45.5% - 53.5% to ho-oh with the quiet EV spread though. Stone edge is just not good enough if all it does is beat ho-oh. Stuff like t-tar and groudon can do that better.

Mixed Bulk Up really needs its own set - mix dialga has massive slashitis at the moment and it's cramming about three different sets into one. Imo, it should probably be cleaned up and a lot of the surplus options moved to AC. The item slashes are excessive and Brick Break is a bit redundant compared to the brute force Outrage provides. Mix Bulk Up needs its own set with comments focused on how to play it to lure Groudon / Garchomp / Steels as well as teammates that benefit from that. I think Rocks are fine because Dialga scares out a lot of stuff and it's a good auxiliary user - especially as many Uber leads can't set up SR. Stone Edge is definitely AC material, it really only is necessary for hitting Ho-Oh 80% of the time instead of 50% with Thunder in sun, and it's only necessary at all when Rocks aren't up.

calze6 said:

Outrage does 45.5% - 53.5% to ho-oh with the quiet EV spread though. Stone edge is just not good enough if all it does is beat ho-oh. Stuff like t-tar and groudon can do that better.

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It's going to do half if Ho-oh ends up burning you with Sacred Fire though (Which is likely enough). I do agree it isn't really that worth it to use SE just for Ho-oh, though. AC it should be.

Jibaku and I discussed it last night and Stone Edge should be an AC mention.

Mixed Dialga isn't too bad on slashitis. Atm the only things slashed are Earth Power, Bulk Up, and probably Stealth Rock if people really want to add it in the set (though it could be added in AC if we're that desperate on slash-itis issues).

I'm willing to test Magnet Rise Dialga, since I considered making it a slash or even AC mention on the Bulk Up set. If anyone has used this though, feel free to add your input.

Colonel M said:

Jibaku and I discussed it last night and Stone Edge should be an AC mention.

Mixed Dialga isn't too bad on slashitis. Atm the only things slashed are Earth Power, Bulk Up, and probably Stealth Rock if people really want to add it in the set (though it could be added in AC if we're that desperate on slash-itis issues).

I'm willing to test Magnet Rise Dialga, since I considered making it a slash or even AC mention on the Bulk Up set. If anyone has used this though, feel free to add your input.

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Earth power is only really for Heatran, who isn't that common. Other Dialga don't like draco at all. Fire blast roasts every other steel.

tripe said:

Earth power is only really for Heatran, who isn't that common. Other Dialga don't like draco at all. Fire blast roasts every other steel.

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Sounds like AC material at best then, since Brick Break can still target Heatran.

Hasty should AT LEAST run enough to beat Adamant Ray. (Requires 192 EVs with a positive nature iirc)

Also while the Arceus forms are counters they shouldn't be added until SB2 is finalized and released, so they should be removed for now.

Also I agree that Earth Power is only AC material.

Also Ho-Oh can counter the support/mixed without SE/Scarf sets and check the BU set since LO Sun Sacred Fires will do a truckload to Dialga and it can just Whirlwind it out too.

Just wondering, having had a little test on it, would metal burst dialga me an option? It makes an effective surprise and ends the road of weaker set up sweepers.

EDIT: Throwing a no on Metal Burst too.

As for Magnet Rise: "no". I find losing the capability of absorbing Sleep and being able to function while asleep to be too much of a loss for a trade on handling some of the counters better. If anyone else has had better success with it, go ahead and speak up.

OP updated.

Updates shouldn't need stamps T_T

QC Approved 3/3

I was iffy on adding Dugtrio (and Magnezone) to Dialga's counter list, but otherwise...

...*Closes eyes*...

...How bad does this look guys?

<p>Dialga’s unique typing and well-distributed stats make it an excellent offensive- and defensive-type Pokemon. With its plethora of options, Dialga has the capability to be unpredictable. Offensively, Dialga has a stunning base 120 Attack and base 150 Special Attack while being backed by the ever-dominant Dra-yadda yadda, only grammar thingy I've got.

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Why isn't Timid actually on the set, instead of just in AC?

HI.

Can we finish this? Uber people: PLEASE GLANCE OVER TO MAKE SURE STUFF IS OKAY!

i know that dialga is a pretty important pokemon, but this analysis is uneccessarily wordy in some places imo. in the team options paragraph, for example, i think there is some superflous information that you can afford to drop. i encourage you to go back over the analysis and try to look at concising it a little -- dont get me wrong, the analysis isn't terribly long in its current state. i just feel that it could be a bit more concise while still having excellent content.

Snorlaxe said:

i know that dialga is a pretty important pokemon, but this analysis is uneccessarily wordy in some places imo. in the team options paragraph, for example, i think there is some superflous information that you can afford to drop. i encourage you to go back over the analysis and try to look at concising it a little -- dont get me wrong, the analysis isn't terribly long in its current state. i just feel that it could be a bit more concise while still having excellent content.

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Could you show some examples outside of Team Options? I know Team Options is the most difficult one at the moment, but it'd help to get a little pinpointing on it.

this is a really quick example, but for instance in the first sentence of the mixed attacker:

The only attack that needs to be seen from Dialga to scare the living daylights out of the opponent is STAB Draco Meteor coming off of 438 Special Attack, or 399 if Dialga opts to use a Hasty nature.

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imo this could be changed (and therefore concised) to

Dialga's titanic Special Attack coupled with STAB Draco Meteor allows it to hit almost every Pokemon in Ubers for heavy damage.

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any superflous information in general could be taken out of the analysis. while i understand some additional information is neccessary to give the analysis a bit of "flavor", in some instances i think it ends up cluttering the analysis. using the above example, i dont think you need to mention dialga's special attack numbers, as anyone can tell that they're astronomical by looking at its base stats. i think that the areas that need the most attention are mixed attacker, team options, optional changes, and counters. the other sections look pretty good.

again, i'm not talking about making any huge changes to the analysis -- just go back and try to take out any information that may be seen as uneccessary (i would do it, but i rarely play ubers, so you would probably be a much better judge of said superflous information than i would be).

edit: thats awesome, firecape; after the changes are in i'll gp check this

Here it is, as promised. Most of these edits are simply condensing things written in 3 words to 1 or the like. I did make a few grammar/prose edits though, and I'm not on the team so you still need two after this. Keep in mind a lot of these are subjective, so feel free to not take some.



Ok it turns out I'm not so good at concising... I had trouble finding stuff to cut out because a lot of it was necessary to a degree.

Done. Sorry for taking so long; Gen 5 stuff got in my way as I expected. @_@;

Proofread the Overview. Mostly prose edits to concise it as much as possible as I found it incredibly long...

Additions
Removals
Comments