http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/dialga
[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Thunder
move 4: Brick Break
item: Expert Belt / Life Orb
nature: Quiet / Mild
evs: 120 HP / 136 Atk / 252 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Mixed attacking Dialga is an extremely threatening set that is capable of hitting any Uber Pokémon very hard. Draco Meteor is a general STABed option that inflicts a significant amount of damage on anything that doesn't resist it, and is used on this set to strike at Dragon types such as Latias and Giratina in particular. Fire Blast and Thunder are for type and Pokémon coverage. Fire Blast will 2HKO special defensive Metagross even with rain in effect due to the Expert Belt boost, while Thunder slams Kyogre, Ho-oh, and Lugia with super-effective hits.</p>
<p>When Blissey decides to completely wall the special attacks that comprise the first three moves, Brick Break comes into play. With an Expert Belt boost and the EVs given, Brick Break will always 2HKO even the most defensive Blissey in Ubers; this complements Dialga's Steel type, which makes it immune to Toxic, and its overall type combination, which let it take anything Blissey throws at it easily, allowing mixed Dialga to switch in on any Blissey with impunity. Additionally, Brick Break revokes Heatran's switch-in privileges.</p>
<p>Expert Belt is the favored item on this set, as it supplements the fact that this Dialga receives excellent type coverage through its combination of moves. However, Life Orb allows for more damage on Pokémon that are neutral to its attacks and in general; the 10% recoil is highly unwelcome, though, because this set strives to combine bilateral offensive prowess with decent durability. However, one could easily choose to run a Mild nature and some Speed EVs to boost this set's sweeping potential, which makes Life Orb a more acceptable item.</p>
<p>Mixed Dialga is commonly hailed as an Uber stallbreaker, for its diverse moveset and immunity to Toxic make it impervious to many of the assaults launched by stall teams. Additionally, its Steel type prevents many desperate tactics such as Explosion and affords it many resistances.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Dragon Claw
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk / Earthquake
item: Leftovers / Adamant Orb
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Dialga may sometimes eschew its fantastic 150 base Special Attack in favor of its inferior (but still decent) 120 base Attack, forgo immediate power, and run a rather defensive set. The basis for this set is Bulk Up, which raises its Attack while also boosting its Defense, and will eventually allow for an incredibly powerful Dragon Claw. Rest and Sleep Talk is the preferred combination of moves for its latter attacks, but Earthquake may be used over either one for Metagross, Magnezone, other Dialga, and most importantly, Heatran. Alternatively, the last slot could be occupied by one of Dialga's many supporting options.</p>
<p>With its focus on Special Defense and lack of weaknesses to common Uber attacks, Bulk Up Dialga can serve as an excellent counter to Pokémon like Kyogre; its resistance to Electric and Water lets it squander Water Spout and Thunder's PP irreverently, and provided there are few mishaps, its neutrality to Ice Beam lets it perpetually cycle between Rest and Sleep Talk, possibly damaging Kyogre's health with Dragon Claw in the process. In an emergency, Dialga can even try to PP waste Palkia's Spacial Rend or Draco Meteor. Be careful with that, though, because Palkia's Dragon type attacks are significantly more powerful than Kyogre's Ice Beams and Water Spouts, not including the occasional Choice Specs version. As for the item, Leftovers is more reliable and consistent, but Adamant Orb can give Dragon Claw a needed kick in power.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Overheat
move 3: Aura Sphere
move 4: Thunder / Dragon Pulse
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest
evs: 224 HP / 252 SpA / 32 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>A Draco Meteor from Choice Specs Dialga is among the most powerful Special attacks in the game, as is Overheat when the sun is shining; both will take an enormous chunk off anything that doesn't resist the impending attack or isn't named Blissey. Aura Sphere only 3HKOes Blissey at best, which is commonly translated as being completely futile against Blissey. However, it is capable of inflicting consistent damage against Normal types, other Dialga, Heatran, Darkrai, and Pokémon that are neutral to Fighting. Note that Brick Break is a poor choice here because it does similar damage to Aura Sphere on even Blissey. The last move is a slight bit of a toss-up. Thunder provides the best type coverage and rampages through Kyogre and many other of its teammates in rainy weather while grabbing a Paralysis or two, but since Dialga is often used with Groudon to pump up Overheat, Thunder isn't that great against others like Ho-oh and Lugia. Dragon Pulse is the more practical choice for late-game sweeping, and also handles the Pokémon Dialga doesn't want to waste Draco Meteor on, such as Rayquaza.</p>
<p>As for EVs, the 32 Speed lets Dialga outrun maximum Speed Adamant Tyranitar and all Pokémon attempting to exceed that by 1 or 2 points, which encompasses essentially all the 90 base Speed Pokémon in Ubers. If one wishes, feel free to play the "36>32, 40>36, 44>40, etc." game, because aside from the Special Attack EVs, the rest is largely filler. The remainder has been invested in HP instead of the usual Speed because there is almost nothing besides some Groudon that exists within the range of 224-279 Speed, and Dialga and Groudon should never be trying each other unless there is an exceptional circumstance. Meanwhile, the HP EVs help Dialga switch in on Kyogre and Blissey.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Dragon Claw
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Overheat
move 4: Shadow Claw / Stone Edge
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 224 HP / 252 Atk / 32 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Band Dialga lacks the sheer power possessed by Choice Specs Dialga, but can still cause significant damage on the generally more special defensive Ubers. Dragon Claw is an automatic on this set because of STAB and neutrality or super-effectiveness against many Uber foes, as is Earthquake to complement Dragon Claw by hitting ground-based Steel types like Heatran and other Dialga. Overheat destroys floating Steel types mercilessly; Dialga retains 303 Special Attack even with a negative nature and no EVs, which is a very respectable score. The last slot has two options that should be chosen according to one's requirements. Shadow Claw hits many Ubers super-effectively, but doesn't do too much more than Dragon Claw on common Psychics (Mewtwo and Lugia come to mind). Stone Edge slams Lugia and Ho-oh harder than anything else, and is handy when trying to predict against Rayquaza. </p>
<p>The EVs are structured in the fashion of the Choice Specs set, and an explanation is provided there.</p>
[SET]
name: Toxic Stall
move 1: Toxic
move 2: Rest
move 3: Sleep Talk
move 4: Earth Power / Dragon Pulse
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 56 Def / 200 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>As previously mentioned, Dialga is an excellent defensive Pokemon, so this set endeavors to maximize on that ability. Toxic disseminates bad Poison among the opponents while Dialga waits out the damage with Rest and Sleep Talk. Earth Power is the more general choice to strike at Steel types like Metagross that are immune to Poison, but Dragon Pulse receives STAB to bring down Rayquaza.</p>
<p>The EVs provided let Dialga survive a Choice Banded Metagross's Explosion guaranteed, while simultaneously maintaining durability against special attacks.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Dialga has a load of very cool and possibly useful support moves. Stealth Rock is perennially useful to inflict some lasting damage that in essence is permanent, for Rapid Spinning is extremely difficult in Ubers thanks to the ubiquity of Giratina. Roar can work along with Dialga's sturdiness, but keep in mind that using both Stealth Rock and Roar on the same set, however tempting it might be, will drastically lower Dialga's versatility. Thunder Wave is, like Stealth Rock, a vague utility, and works wonders in aiding Dialga itself due to its low Speed. Psych Up can copy the stat boosts of something like Kyogre. Dialga is also one of the best Uber users of Trick Room, as it has the perfect combination of decent stats all-around except for Speed. Flash Cannon is an auxiliary STAB attack, but Steel is a poor offensive type. Ice Beam's single purpose is to OHKO Groudon without resorting to Draco Meteor or Overheat on the Choice Specs set, but is generally worse than the other options. Compared to Dragon Claw, Iron Tail is Dialga's more powerful STAB attack, but is merely another option to consider because, as already noted, Steel is a terrible offensive typing, and Iron Tail's 75% accuracy leaves much to be desired.</p>
<p>Roar of Time sounds and looks cool, but it is in fact a terrible move to use, as is the rest of the Hyper Beam suite; Draco Meteor or even Dragon Pulse outdamages it over the course of two turns, and the passive second turn is a perfect opportunity for something threatening to set up.</p>
<p>As for items, Choice Scarf is always a possibility to patch up Dialga's somewhat lackluster Speed. Remember to use at least 204 Speed EVs with Choice Scarf to attain 267, which lets Dialga outpace Deoxys-A without a Speed boosting nature.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Dialga should use the spread provided in the mixed attacker section if it is given that set; an explanation is provided in the mixed attacker's description. The bulkier sets should focus on HP and Special Defense, with some points dropped into Defense if necessary. 32 Speed EVs are advised for the Choice sets to outrun Pokemon that tend to hang around the 222 Speed range. The remainder should be used to maximize the appropriate offensive stat and then dumped into HP.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Dialga's typing, a conglomeration of two of the best defensive types in the game, gives it many resistances to useful things, including Dark, Ghost, Bug, Electric, Water, and Grass. Normal and Flying resistances help out too, and a Toxic immunity is extremely nice. Dialga also boasts neutrality against Dragon and Ice. Unfortunately, its weakness to Fighting and Ground lowers its defensive potential somewhat.</p>
<p>While Dialga is often played defensively because Palkia tends to be more effective at sweeping due to the latter's greater Speed, it would do one well to not forget that Dialga is also incredibly powerful. A Draco Meteor boosted by STAB, Choice Specs, and 150 base Special Attack pains opponents significantly, and a Dragon Claw backed by multiple Bulk Ups does also.</p>
<p>Dialga is overall a respectable combination of offense and defense. It serves well if one is seeking a Pokemon that not only is disinclined to faint but also packs a wallop.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Heatran, Fighting type Arceus, and Deoxys-D are the best counters for Dialga. Heatran can switch into literally every attack from Dialga except Earthquake, Aura Sphere, or Earth Power and OHKO even the most special defensive ones with a Choice Specs and Sun boosted Overheat. Fighting Arceus isn't particularly weak to any single attack and OHKOes with a super effective Judgment; a Draco Meteor still is painful, though. Deoxys-D despises being on the receiving end of a Toxic or Choice Specs boosted Draco Meteor, but is quite safe against everything else, and outruns Dialga with a modest Speed investment. Its main claim to fame, however, is being utterly impenetrable by the mixed attacker.</p>
<p>Blissey counters the Choice Specs version of Dialga very reliably unless its health sinks and it is lucked out by Aura Sphere. Skarmory and Forretress can use their high Defense against the physical sets that don't include Overheat. Skarmory sets up Spikes against the Choice Band and Bulk Up sets and Whirlwinds them out after it's done if it wants to. Forretress can't do anything to Dialga in terms of appreciable damage, but sets up Toxic Spikes and then switches to a more suitable counter.</p>
<p>Latias with Calm Mind and modest HP investment can try to counter the mixed attacker, but must be at nearly full health; while it can't switch directly into a Draco Meteor, Dialga tends to use that sparingly. If Latias can get in on any other attack and avoid being statused by the special attacks' side effects, it can use Calm Mind to boost its Special Defense to survive the impending Draco Meteor and take advantage of the Special Attack drop to use Recover. Latias and Latios also counter the Toxic staller if they have Safeguard or Refresh, or even Substitute if that Dialga is using Earth Power.</p>
<p>Metagross with Earthquake might be able to switch into an attack it resists, like a Choice Banded Dragon Claw, but nevertheless will be hard-pressed against a Choice Specsed Draco Meteor. Assuming that it remains at reasonable health, Metagross can hurt Dialga badly with a Choice Banded Earthquake. However, Metagross is not at all a good counter to Bulk Up Dialga, even if said Dialga doesn't have Earthquake. The reasoning is that Dialga should be able to gain one Bulk Up on the switch, and another one just before Metagross attacks because Dialga is faster. That automatically reduces to damage of a Choice Banded Metagross Earthquake to the 45% range, which easily allows Dialga one or two more Bulk Ups before being forced to Rest. By that time, Metagross would be unable to keep up with the Resting cycle unless it scores a critical hit, which is unlikely to happen (approximately a 40% chance), as Dialga's Pressure slices Earthquake's PP to effectively 8.</p>
<p>Lugia is capable of taking on everything except very powerful Choice Specs boosted attacks, Thunder, and Toxic. It is faster than Dialga, so it can easily set up a Reflect or Light Screen to temporarily block damage, and is capable of Whirlwinding the Bulk Up set off.</p>
<p>Ground types can be used to directly damage Dialga. Groudon handles physical versions well and OHKOes Dialga with a Choice Banded Earthquake. Dugtrio is incapable of switching directly into any of Dialga's offensive moves except a weak Earth Power, but is an excellent choice to revenge-kill a slightly damaged one.</p>
<p>Magnezone can also trap Dialga, lower its Special Defense with Metal Sound, and wear away at it with Thunderbolt or Thunder. The best targets for this are the Choice Band and Choice Specs versions, though it can also work against the Toxic set if it doesn't have Earth Power.</p>
[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Thunder
move 4: Brick Break
item: Expert Belt / Life Orb
nature: Quiet / Mild
evs: 120 HP / 136 Atk / 252 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Mixed attacking Dialga is an extremely threatening set that is capable of hitting any Uber Pokémon very hard. Draco Meteor is a general STABed option that inflicts a significant amount of damage on anything that doesn't resist it, and is used on this set to strike at Dragon types such as Latias and Giratina in particular. Fire Blast and Thunder are for type and Pokémon coverage. Fire Blast will 2HKO special defensive Metagross even with rain in effect due to the Expert Belt boost, while Thunder slams Kyogre, Ho-oh, and Lugia with super-effective hits.</p>
<p>When Blissey decides to completely wall the special attacks that comprise the first three moves, Brick Break comes into play. With an Expert Belt boost and the EVs given, Brick Break will always 2HKO even the most defensive Blissey in Ubers; this complements Dialga's Steel type, which makes it immune to Toxic, and its overall type combination, which let it take anything Blissey throws at it easily, allowing mixed Dialga to switch in on any Blissey with impunity. Additionally, Brick Break revokes Heatran's switch-in privileges.</p>
<p>Expert Belt is the favored item on this set, as it supplements the fact that this Dialga receives excellent type coverage through its combination of moves. However, Life Orb allows for more damage on Pokémon that are neutral to its attacks and in general; the 10% recoil is highly unwelcome, though, because this set strives to combine bilateral offensive prowess with decent durability. However, one could easily choose to run a Mild nature and some Speed EVs to boost this set's sweeping potential, which makes Life Orb a more acceptable item.</p>
<p>Mixed Dialga is commonly hailed as an Uber stallbreaker, for its diverse moveset and immunity to Toxic make it impervious to many of the assaults launched by stall teams. Additionally, its Steel type prevents many desperate tactics such as Explosion and affords it many resistances.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulk Up
move 1: Bulk Up
move 2: Dragon Claw
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk / Earthquake
item: Leftovers / Adamant Orb
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Dialga may sometimes eschew its fantastic 150 base Special Attack in favor of its inferior (but still decent) 120 base Attack, forgo immediate power, and run a rather defensive set. The basis for this set is Bulk Up, which raises its Attack while also boosting its Defense, and will eventually allow for an incredibly powerful Dragon Claw. Rest and Sleep Talk is the preferred combination of moves for its latter attacks, but Earthquake may be used over either one for Metagross, Magnezone, other Dialga, and most importantly, Heatran. Alternatively, the last slot could be occupied by one of Dialga's many supporting options.</p>
<p>With its focus on Special Defense and lack of weaknesses to common Uber attacks, Bulk Up Dialga can serve as an excellent counter to Pokémon like Kyogre; its resistance to Electric and Water lets it squander Water Spout and Thunder's PP irreverently, and provided there are few mishaps, its neutrality to Ice Beam lets it perpetually cycle between Rest and Sleep Talk, possibly damaging Kyogre's health with Dragon Claw in the process. In an emergency, Dialga can even try to PP waste Palkia's Spacial Rend or Draco Meteor. Be careful with that, though, because Palkia's Dragon type attacks are significantly more powerful than Kyogre's Ice Beams and Water Spouts, not including the occasional Choice Specs version. As for the item, Leftovers is more reliable and consistent, but Adamant Orb can give Dragon Claw a needed kick in power.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Overheat
move 3: Aura Sphere
move 4: Thunder / Dragon Pulse
item: Choice Specs
nature: Modest
evs: 224 HP / 252 SpA / 32 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>A Draco Meteor from Choice Specs Dialga is among the most powerful Special attacks in the game, as is Overheat when the sun is shining; both will take an enormous chunk off anything that doesn't resist the impending attack or isn't named Blissey. Aura Sphere only 3HKOes Blissey at best, which is commonly translated as being completely futile against Blissey. However, it is capable of inflicting consistent damage against Normal types, other Dialga, Heatran, Darkrai, and Pokémon that are neutral to Fighting. Note that Brick Break is a poor choice here because it does similar damage to Aura Sphere on even Blissey. The last move is a slight bit of a toss-up. Thunder provides the best type coverage and rampages through Kyogre and many other of its teammates in rainy weather while grabbing a Paralysis or two, but since Dialga is often used with Groudon to pump up Overheat, Thunder isn't that great against others like Ho-oh and Lugia. Dragon Pulse is the more practical choice for late-game sweeping, and also handles the Pokémon Dialga doesn't want to waste Draco Meteor on, such as Rayquaza.</p>
<p>As for EVs, the 32 Speed lets Dialga outrun maximum Speed Adamant Tyranitar and all Pokémon attempting to exceed that by 1 or 2 points, which encompasses essentially all the 90 base Speed Pokémon in Ubers. If one wishes, feel free to play the "36>32, 40>36, 44>40, etc." game, because aside from the Special Attack EVs, the rest is largely filler. The remainder has been invested in HP instead of the usual Speed because there is almost nothing besides some Groudon that exists within the range of 224-279 Speed, and Dialga and Groudon should never be trying each other unless there is an exceptional circumstance. Meanwhile, the HP EVs help Dialga switch in on Kyogre and Blissey.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Dragon Claw
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Overheat
move 4: Shadow Claw / Stone Edge
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 224 HP / 252 Atk / 32 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Choice Band Dialga lacks the sheer power possessed by Choice Specs Dialga, but can still cause significant damage on the generally more special defensive Ubers. Dragon Claw is an automatic on this set because of STAB and neutrality or super-effectiveness against many Uber foes, as is Earthquake to complement Dragon Claw by hitting ground-based Steel types like Heatran and other Dialga. Overheat destroys floating Steel types mercilessly; Dialga retains 303 Special Attack even with a negative nature and no EVs, which is a very respectable score. The last slot has two options that should be chosen according to one's requirements. Shadow Claw hits many Ubers super-effectively, but doesn't do too much more than Dragon Claw on common Psychics (Mewtwo and Lugia come to mind). Stone Edge slams Lugia and Ho-oh harder than anything else, and is handy when trying to predict against Rayquaza. </p>
<p>The EVs are structured in the fashion of the Choice Specs set, and an explanation is provided there.</p>
[SET]
name: Toxic Stall
move 1: Toxic
move 2: Rest
move 3: Sleep Talk
move 4: Earth Power / Dragon Pulse
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 56 Def / 200 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>As previously mentioned, Dialga is an excellent defensive Pokemon, so this set endeavors to maximize on that ability. Toxic disseminates bad Poison among the opponents while Dialga waits out the damage with Rest and Sleep Talk. Earth Power is the more general choice to strike at Steel types like Metagross that are immune to Poison, but Dragon Pulse receives STAB to bring down Rayquaza.</p>
<p>The EVs provided let Dialga survive a Choice Banded Metagross's Explosion guaranteed, while simultaneously maintaining durability against special attacks.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Dialga has a load of very cool and possibly useful support moves. Stealth Rock is perennially useful to inflict some lasting damage that in essence is permanent, for Rapid Spinning is extremely difficult in Ubers thanks to the ubiquity of Giratina. Roar can work along with Dialga's sturdiness, but keep in mind that using both Stealth Rock and Roar on the same set, however tempting it might be, will drastically lower Dialga's versatility. Thunder Wave is, like Stealth Rock, a vague utility, and works wonders in aiding Dialga itself due to its low Speed. Psych Up can copy the stat boosts of something like Kyogre. Dialga is also one of the best Uber users of Trick Room, as it has the perfect combination of decent stats all-around except for Speed. Flash Cannon is an auxiliary STAB attack, but Steel is a poor offensive type. Ice Beam's single purpose is to OHKO Groudon without resorting to Draco Meteor or Overheat on the Choice Specs set, but is generally worse than the other options. Compared to Dragon Claw, Iron Tail is Dialga's more powerful STAB attack, but is merely another option to consider because, as already noted, Steel is a terrible offensive typing, and Iron Tail's 75% accuracy leaves much to be desired.</p>
<p>Roar of Time sounds and looks cool, but it is in fact a terrible move to use, as is the rest of the Hyper Beam suite; Draco Meteor or even Dragon Pulse outdamages it over the course of two turns, and the passive second turn is a perfect opportunity for something threatening to set up.</p>
<p>As for items, Choice Scarf is always a possibility to patch up Dialga's somewhat lackluster Speed. Remember to use at least 204 Speed EVs with Choice Scarf to attain 267, which lets Dialga outpace Deoxys-A without a Speed boosting nature.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Dialga should use the spread provided in the mixed attacker section if it is given that set; an explanation is provided in the mixed attacker's description. The bulkier sets should focus on HP and Special Defense, with some points dropped into Defense if necessary. 32 Speed EVs are advised for the Choice sets to outrun Pokemon that tend to hang around the 222 Speed range. The remainder should be used to maximize the appropriate offensive stat and then dumped into HP.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Dialga's typing, a conglomeration of two of the best defensive types in the game, gives it many resistances to useful things, including Dark, Ghost, Bug, Electric, Water, and Grass. Normal and Flying resistances help out too, and a Toxic immunity is extremely nice. Dialga also boasts neutrality against Dragon and Ice. Unfortunately, its weakness to Fighting and Ground lowers its defensive potential somewhat.</p>
<p>While Dialga is often played defensively because Palkia tends to be more effective at sweeping due to the latter's greater Speed, it would do one well to not forget that Dialga is also incredibly powerful. A Draco Meteor boosted by STAB, Choice Specs, and 150 base Special Attack pains opponents significantly, and a Dragon Claw backed by multiple Bulk Ups does also.</p>
<p>Dialga is overall a respectable combination of offense and defense. It serves well if one is seeking a Pokemon that not only is disinclined to faint but also packs a wallop.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Heatran, Fighting type Arceus, and Deoxys-D are the best counters for Dialga. Heatran can switch into literally every attack from Dialga except Earthquake, Aura Sphere, or Earth Power and OHKO even the most special defensive ones with a Choice Specs and Sun boosted Overheat. Fighting Arceus isn't particularly weak to any single attack and OHKOes with a super effective Judgment; a Draco Meteor still is painful, though. Deoxys-D despises being on the receiving end of a Toxic or Choice Specs boosted Draco Meteor, but is quite safe against everything else, and outruns Dialga with a modest Speed investment. Its main claim to fame, however, is being utterly impenetrable by the mixed attacker.</p>
<p>Blissey counters the Choice Specs version of Dialga very reliably unless its health sinks and it is lucked out by Aura Sphere. Skarmory and Forretress can use their high Defense against the physical sets that don't include Overheat. Skarmory sets up Spikes against the Choice Band and Bulk Up sets and Whirlwinds them out after it's done if it wants to. Forretress can't do anything to Dialga in terms of appreciable damage, but sets up Toxic Spikes and then switches to a more suitable counter.</p>
<p>Latias with Calm Mind and modest HP investment can try to counter the mixed attacker, but must be at nearly full health; while it can't switch directly into a Draco Meteor, Dialga tends to use that sparingly. If Latias can get in on any other attack and avoid being statused by the special attacks' side effects, it can use Calm Mind to boost its Special Defense to survive the impending Draco Meteor and take advantage of the Special Attack drop to use Recover. Latias and Latios also counter the Toxic staller if they have Safeguard or Refresh, or even Substitute if that Dialga is using Earth Power.</p>
<p>Metagross with Earthquake might be able to switch into an attack it resists, like a Choice Banded Dragon Claw, but nevertheless will be hard-pressed against a Choice Specsed Draco Meteor. Assuming that it remains at reasonable health, Metagross can hurt Dialga badly with a Choice Banded Earthquake. However, Metagross is not at all a good counter to Bulk Up Dialga, even if said Dialga doesn't have Earthquake. The reasoning is that Dialga should be able to gain one Bulk Up on the switch, and another one just before Metagross attacks because Dialga is faster. That automatically reduces to damage of a Choice Banded Metagross Earthquake to the 45% range, which easily allows Dialga one or two more Bulk Ups before being forced to Rest. By that time, Metagross would be unable to keep up with the Resting cycle unless it scores a critical hit, which is unlikely to happen (approximately a 40% chance), as Dialga's Pressure slices Earthquake's PP to effectively 8.</p>
<p>Lugia is capable of taking on everything except very powerful Choice Specs boosted attacks, Thunder, and Toxic. It is faster than Dialga, so it can easily set up a Reflect or Light Screen to temporarily block damage, and is capable of Whirlwinding the Bulk Up set off.</p>
<p>Ground types can be used to directly damage Dialga. Groudon handles physical versions well and OHKOes Dialga with a Choice Banded Earthquake. Dugtrio is incapable of switching directly into any of Dialga's offensive moves except a weak Earth Power, but is an excellent choice to revenge-kill a slightly damaged one.</p>
<p>Magnezone can also trap Dialga, lower its Special Defense with Metal Sound, and wear away at it with Thunderbolt or Thunder. The best targets for this are the Choice Band and Choice Specs versions, though it can also work against the Toxic set if it doesn't have Earth Power.</p>
