Dialga (Update + Rewrite, GP 2/2)

shrang

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Trickroom please go and take some essay-writing classes.

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http://www.smogon.com/bw/pokemon/dialga

Updates:
4)Dialga - mixed dialga, support diagla revamp, concise (important)
- Mainly what's listed above. Expect trickroom's analysis to undergo some liposuction.
- Trollfreak brought up this set, which we said we would integrate into the rest of the analysis since it's not unique enough to warrant its own set. I'll do just that.
- Choice Specs to a more generic "Special Attacker" set -> see the set itself for more details.
- Note: The things in the Hide tags are trickroom's analysis, not my changes.


[Overview]

<p>Dialga's unique typing and well-distributed stats allow it to fit into most teams. On the offensive side, Dialga has stunning base 120 Attack and base 150 Special Attack stats that are backed by the ever-dominant Dragon-type STAB. Defensively, Dialga's typing offers it nine resistances and an immunity, as well as a lack of weaknesses to Ice- and Dragon-type moves. With its stellar base defenses combined with its resistances and excellent support movepool, it is no wonder that Dialga is widely regarded as one of the most versatile Pokemon in Ubers.</p>

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Roar / Dragon Tail / Thunder
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest / Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 56 SpA / 200 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dialga is one of the very few Dragon-types that can take a support route; it is especially useful as a bulky all-around pivot. As very few Pokemon can outright OHKO Dialga, it can easily switch into an opposing Pokemon and set up Stealth Rock or just start dishing out damage. Draco Meteor packs a strong immediate punch, but if you prefer PP and consistency, Dragon Pulse is an excellent alternative STAB move. Notably, Draco Meteor allows Dialga to severely damage Groudon, as well as OHKO Reshiram and Palkia without Stealth Rock. Fire Blast rounds out the coverage; in particular, it 2HKOes most Groudon in the sun and Ferrothorn in the rain. Roar lets Dialga force switches, but if you want Dialga to phaze through Taunt instead of Substitute, Dragon Tail is a fine alternative. Thunder works best alongside Kyogre, as its Drizzle ability remedies Thunder's poor accuracy.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs ensure that Dialga is not 2HKOed by Palkia's Lustrous Orb-boosted Spacial Rend or by non-Choice Specs Kyogre's full-power Water Spout. The Special Attack EVs and Modest nature allow Dialga to OHKO Darkrai with Draco Meteor and to 2HKO most Kyogre and some Ho-Oh with Thunder. Lum Berry prevents Dialga from being put to sleep by Darkrai leads; Dialga can then severely cripple them with Thunder Wave or OHKO them with Draco Meteor. Dialga can use Toxic in the last slot to cripple walls such as Lugia, while Thunder Wave helps Dialga's offensive teammates take advantage of slower opponents.</p>

<p>Dialga appreciates the residual damage from Spikes and Toxic Spikes that defensive teams can provide, as it can easily shuffle opposing Pokemon around with Roar or Dragon Tail. Tentacruel can set up Toxic Spikes, while Forretress can set up both Spikes and Toxic Spikes. However, relying on Forretress to lay down that many hazards puts it under a lot of stress. Lead Deoxys-S is a good choice to set up Spikes right off the bat, and it can even forgo Stealth Rock if Dialga opts to use it. Skarmory is an excellent partner, as it can lay Spikes, completely walls Groudon barring the rare Overheat or Fire Punch, has access to a recovery move, and can use Whirlwind to force switches. Ferrothorn can switch into most Kyogre variants and set up Spikes easily. With entry hazards taken into account, Dialga needs a teammate that can block Rapid Spin. Giratina, Giratina-O, and Ghost Arceus are the best Pokemon for the job. Giratina and Giratina-O share great type synergy with Dialga thanks to their immunity to both Ground- and Fighting-type attacks; both check Groudon as well. Dialga also resists the Dark- and Ghost-type attacks they are weak to.</p>

<p>In addition to hazards support, offensive teams tend to appreciate Toxic or Thunder Wave support from Dialga. Swords Dance variants of Groudon, Terrakion, and Garchomp, as well as Rayquaza, Mewtwo, and Darkrai, all appreciate opposing Choice Scarf users being paralyzed, while a Toxic-poisoned Lugia will find it difficult to wall Rock Polish Groudon and Extreme Killer Arceus. Finally, offensive Groudon appreciates Dialga's ability to batter many of its checks, such as Skarmory and Giratina.</p>

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Thunder
move 3: Fire Blast / Aura Sphere
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Stealth Rock
item: Choice Specs / Life Orb
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dialga's typing and enormous base 150 Special Attack just scream for the user to slap Choice Specs on it and click Draco Meteor whenever possible. Indeed, with its excellent bulk and typing, Dialga is the cream of the crop when it comes to the many Draco Meteor-spamming Dragon-types in the game. Draco Meteor is easily Dialga's best STAB move, and it completely decimates anything that doesn't resist it. To illustrate, it deals at least 85% to defensive Dialga. Thunder easily OHKOes Kyogre that do not invest in Special Defense, while both Fire Blast and Aura Sphere help Dialga swat aside Steel-types. Fire Blast has a chance to OHKO Ferrothorn after Stealth Rock damage even in rain, while Aura Sphere allows Dialga to 2HKO Heatran and OHKO Tyranitar after Stealth Rock. Dragon Pulse rounds out the set as a reliable STAB move.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs allow Dialga to take advantage of its excellent bulk to repeatedly switch in and dish out the pain, but an alternative spread of 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe is perfectly usable. Earth Power can OHKO Heatran, but Aura Sphere easily 2HKOes it anyway. Thunderbolt can be used in sunny weather to strike down Ho-Oh, as can Power Gem, but it is comfortably 2HKOed by Draco Meteor anyway. Choice Specs provides the power that makes this set so threatening, but if its locking effect is not appealing, Dialga can use a Life Orb as an alternative item to power up its attacks. If using Life Orb, Stealth Rock is an option in the last slot so that Dialga can act as an offensive lead. Be aware that if you're looking for a bulky attacker, Choice Specs is definitely the better option. On the other hand, a Timid nature with maximum Speed is usable if you want Dialga to Speed tie with all base 90 Pokemon.</p>

<p>Blissey and Chansey are the only surefire counters to Choice Specs Dialga, as Dialga lacks any reliable way of KOing the pink blobs. Rock Arceus in sand can take a Draco Meteor—although it still won't enjoy it—and use Recover to heal off the damage. Otherwise, one will have to rely on prediction to prevent a switch-in from becoming horribly mutilated by one of Dialga's attacks. Dialga's low Speed also makes it rather susceptible to faster revenge killers packing super effective moves. Finally, the Special Attack drop Draco Meteor causes allows bulky threats such as Arceus to set up easily. Therefore, Terrakion is a good partner, as it easily scares away Blissey and Chansey, while Rock Arceus will not enjoy taking it on either. Excadrill is also a good teammate, as it easily outspeeds Rock Arceus in a sandstorm and buries it with its powerful Earthquake. While not sweeping in sandstorm, Excadrill is a good spinner for rain teams, which Dialga also thrives in as rain makes Thunder 100% accurate. As Dialga is weak to Fighting- and Ground-type moves, Giratina-O is an excellent partner due to its immunity to both types; as a bonus, it can also block Rapid Spin. Lugia is another defensive Pokemon that can easily switch into attacks targeted at Dialga, while Dialga has no problem switching into Thunders directed at Lugia.</p>

<p>Dialga's powerful wallbreaking abilities attract two other kinds of teammates, namely entry hazard setters and cleaners. With entry hazards, Dialga finds it a lot easier to break down walls. Deoxys-S is possibly the best entry hazard layer for offensive teams, while Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Forretress can use their bulk to set up Spikes and Stealth Rock for more balanced ones. As Dialga's main attack is its Dragon STAB, it tends to lure in Steel-types and damage them heavily. This makes sweepers such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Rayquaza, Dragon Arceus, Choice Scarf Salamence, and Garchomp much more dangerous.</p>

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

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dialga's monstrous Special Attack often eclipses its deceptively dangerous base 120 Attack. With significant EV investment in both Attack and Special Attack, as well as ridiculously powerful coverage moves, it is no wonder that Dialga is one of the most difficult Pokemon to wall in the entire game. With a Life Orb equipped, Draco Meteor from 438 Special Attack will quickly crush all but pink blobs and specially defensive Steel-types. The former Pokemon can easily be defeated by Dialga's physical move of choice; both Outrage and Brick Break can 2HKO most Blissey and Chansey after Stealth Rock damage. Outrage is preferred due to its superior power and coverage, but Brick Break can be used if you do not like locking Dialga in; it also boasts the ability to hit Heatran for super effective damage. Fire Blast absolutely annihilates most Steel-types, but it does come at the price of being nerfed in rain.</p>

<p>Thunder can be used in the final slot to hit Steel-types and is extremely useful in the rain to smash down Kyogre. However, Bulk Up opens up many opportunities for Dialga; not only does it allow Dialga to become progressively more dangerous, but it can also be used to lure in certain threats, such as Groudon, which is the best counter to defensive Bulk Up Dialga. Groudon will readily switch into Dialga after it uses Bulk Up, only to be met with a Life Orb-boosted Draco Meteor, which will OHKO any Groudon that don't significantly invest in Special Defense and severely cripple even those that do. Bulk Up also allows Dialga to comfortably tank an unboosted Garchomp's Earthquake and OHKO in return with its Dragon-type STAB attack.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>There are many ways to EV mixed Dialga, and your pick should depend on your team. The spread listed above allows Dialga to hit extremely hard both physically and specially. With maximum Attack investment, Dialga can 2HKO most Blissey and Chansey with Outrage or Brick Break, as well as OHKOing 252/0 Kyogre and Ho-Oh with Outrage. Dialga can also invest in Speed; a Hasty nature and 192 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed neutral base 95s, most notably Adamant Swords Dance Rayquaza. Keep in mind, however, that most Rayquaza run a Speed-boosting nature. Dialga can even run a spread of 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe with a Hasty nature to Speed tie with all base 90 Pokemon. On the other hand, Dialga can drop its Speed to the absolute minimum with a spread of 120 HP / 136 Atk / 252 SpA and a Quiet nature; such a spread allows it to survive attacks such as Choice Scarf Garchomp's Earthquake and Life Orb Mewtwo's Aura Sphere and OHKO in return with Draco Meteor. Quiet Dialga is also usable on a Trick Room team and can even forgo its last move to set up the field effect itself. Another thing to consider when running Trick Room Dialga is to lower its level to 99; this allows Dialga to outspeed uninvested Scizor in Trick Room.</p>

<p>It is also worthy to note that Dialga is probably the best Shell Smash recipient in the game. It resists all forms of priority aside from the rare Vacuum Wave and Mach Punch and is also immune to Toxic Spikes. Should Dialga be a designated SmashPass recipient, it should fully maximize its Speed to outrun virtually everything. Gorebyss, Smeargle, and the rarer Huntail are the only Pokemon that can pass Shell Smash, but all three can do it admirably. Should Dialga receive a Shell Smash safely, your opponent should start praying to a deity for divine intervention, because not even Arceus will be able to stop it.</p>

<p>Life Orb is the preferred item as it allows Dialga to hit as hard as possible while keeping the ability to switch moves. Quiet Dialga can also consider Expert Belt, as it helps preserve Dialga's bulk while still allowing it to break the walls it is supposed to. An Adamant Orb can be used to bluff a Choice item, while Leftovers can help Dialga survive for even longer. Other moves, however, are generally outclassed by the options listed. Dragon Tail allows Dialga to shuffle switch-ins and is rather effective with multiple layers of entry hazards. Earthquake is a decent fourth move, as it allows Dialga to 2HKO Jirachi and OHKO Heatran; the latter can be OHKOed by Earth Power too. If your team really hates Ho-Oh, Stone Edge and Power Gem are options to clip the phoenix's wings. Again, Stealth Rock is always an option should nothing else on your team be able to set it up, but it is a big waste of Dialga's talents.</p>

<p>As with all wallbreakers, Dialga appreciates entry hazard support. Deoxys-S is the premier offensive Spikes setter, while Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Forretress work very well on more balanced teams. Giratina-O easily blocks Rapid Spin and switches into attacks super effective on Dialga, while ChestoRest Giratina can spinblock while remaining a dangerous threat. As for sweepers, those that can take advantage of the holes that Dialga punches make good teammates. Extreme Killer Arceus, Rayquaza, Dragon Arceus, Choice Scarf Salamence, and Garchomp can all take advantage of the ravaging of Steel-types. Sweepers that synergize well with Dialga are fine choices too; Mewtwo resists Fighting-type attacks, while Flying-types such as the aforementioned Rayquaza can easily capitalize on incoming Ground-type attacks.</p>

[SET]
name: Bulk Up + RestTalk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Bulk Up
move 4: Outrage / Dragon Claw
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set takes advantage of Dialga's numerous resistances, well-distributed defensive stats, great neutral STAB coverage, and access to Bulk Up. By boosting its Attack and Defense, Dialga can power up its attacks while increasing its physical bulk. After Dialga manages to set up Bulk Up, it can be almost impenetrable on the physical side. For example, it can easily survive a Choice Band Close Combat from Terrakion and OHKO with +1 Outrage. Rest lets a weakened Dialga heal itself, while Sleep Talk enables it to remain threatening. The RestTalk combination also allows Dialga to absorb Dark Void from Darkrai. Outrage gives Dialga more power but locks Dialga in when it is used, except when selected by Sleep Talk; alternatively, Dragon Claw can be used if you want reliability instead of more PP and power.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As Dialga will be boosting its Defense via Bulk Up, maximum Special Defense helps it cushion most special attacks. Dragon Tail can be used with entry hazard support, but it is generally an inferior option as it is quite weak. Furthermore, some phazers outspeed Dialga anyway, which makes it useless. Dialga can, however, run 164 Spe EVs to outspeed uninvested Lugia. In particular, a set of Bulk Up, Dragon Tail, Earthquake, and Substitute, along with entry hazard support, puts lots of pressure on stall teams that use phazing as their main way of dealing with Bulk Up Dialga.</p>

<p>As sturdy as Bulk Up Dialga might be, there are still Pokemon that can break through its defenses. Groudon can easily set up alongside Dialga with Bulk Up or Swords Dance and smash it with Earthquake; Ground Arceus can do a similar job with Calm Mind. Excadrill and Lucario both resist Outrage, can set up Swords Dance, and OHKO +1 Dialga with Earthquake and Close Combat, respectively. Sacred Sword Terrakion can 2HKO Dialga irrespective of its Defense boosts, while Outrage cannot OHKO Terrakion without Defense drops. On the special side, Reshiram OHKOes with sun- and Choice Specs-boosted Blue Flare. Fighting Arceus can boost up with Calm Mind, take relatively little from Outrage, and 2HKO with Judgment. Heatran can use Taunt to stop Dialga from setting up or recovering and 3HKO with Flamethrower. Skarmory and Lugia can both phaze Dialga, although they cannot stop it if Dialga is the last Pokemon. Therefore, Giratina, Giratina-O, and Kyogre are excellent teammates to run alongside Dialga due to their ability to defeat these Pokemon. Water Arceus is also a good teammate to Dialga, as it can easily take on Heatran and Reshiram and is bulky enough to deal with Lucario, Excadrill, and Terrakion.</p>

<p>Phazers are also significant threats to Bulk Up Dialga. As Dialga has no Attack investment, it is quite weak initially. Skarmory and Lugia have absolutely no problems forcing Dialga out with Whirlwind or Dragon Tail, unless Dialga itself is running Dragon Tail, in which case Skarmory will be forced out first. Groudon and Hippowdon take little from Outrage and can Roar Dialga out as well. Various Arceus formes, such as Steel Arceus, have no problems taking on and phazing out Dialga. It should be noted, however, that should Dialga be the last Pokemon, it cannot be forced out, and any team lacking a win condition will be in trouble. Perish Song is probably the best win condition, as it ensures that Dialga is KOed in three turns; its most common user is defensive Normal Arceus. Tricking Dialga a Choice Scarf also effectively neuters it; Darkrai and Mewtwo are effective users of this strategy.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Thunder
move 3: Fire Blast / Aura Sphere
move 4: Dragon Pulse
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 52 HP / 252 SpA / 204 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dialga's lackluster Speed can be fixed with a Choice Scarf, which allows it to reach 400 Speed. While faster Dragon-types such as Palkia and Salamence exist, Dialga's main attraction is its typing. Its resistance to ExtremeSpeed allows it to check Swords Dance Rayquaza and weakened Extreme Killer Arceus, though keep in mind that Draco Meteor cannot KO a healthy Arceus, and if Arceus has Recover, Dialga loses. It is also one of the revenge killers to Tail Glow Manaphy; offensive sets are OHKOed by Thunder, while bulkier ones fail to OHKO Dialga in return. Draco Meteor is the primary attack, as with Stealth Rock in play, it easily OHKOes Darkrai, Reshiram, Zekrom, Rayquaza, Dragon Arceus, Garchomp, and unboosted Mewtwo. Thunder 2HKOes Lugia and Ho-Oh after Stealth Rock and inflicts severe damage on Kyogre. Fire Blast prevents Steel-types from switching in freely, while Aura Sphere nails Heatran and Tyranitar for super effective damage. Lastly, Dragon Pulse gives Dialga a way of dealing consistent damage. </p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>A Modest nature is preferred so that Dialga is strong enough to revenge kill the threats it should defeat. The Speed EVs allow Dialga to outspeed neutral-natured Deoxys-A. The advantage of outspeeding Adamant Dragon Dance Rayquaza and Naive Deoxys-A might be lost, but Rayquaza generally runs a Speed-boosting nature anyway, while Deoxys-A tends to run a Rash nature. Nonetheless, Dialga can use a Timid nature and maximum Speed if outspeeding all Deoxys-A is critical; in addition, maximum Speed Dialga Speed ties with all Choice Scarf base 90s. In terms of other options, Outrage can be run in the last slot to 2HKO non-defensive variants of Calm Mind Kyogre, as well as to 2HKO Blissey after some prior damage.</p>

<p>Choice Scarf Dialga might be faster than most Pokemon, but it does lose to other Choice Scarf users, such as Palkia, Garchomp, Terrakion, and Darkrai, as well as Dragon Dance Rayquaza. Groudon can handle Garchomp, Terrakion, and Rayquaza most of the time, but it can be worn down due to its lack of recovery. Scizor can switch into Darkrai safely and OHKO it with U-turn or deal major damage with Bullet Punch; if Sleep Clause is activated, various Arceus formes can easily set up on it. Finally, be very cautious of Wobbuffet, as it can easily revenge kill Choice-locked Dialga.</p>

<p>Blissey and Chansey don't fear anything from this set. Lugia and Ho-Oh are both problematic if rain is not up, as is opposing defensive Dialga. Ferrothorn can take any attack not named Fire Blast and set up Spikes or use Leech Seed. Defensive Arceus and Groudon can take any attack; the latter can subsequently OHKO Dialga with Earthquake. Kyogre can check defensive Arceus, Ho-Oh, Lugia, and Groudon with its powerful Water-type strikes, Giratina-O can handle Groudon and set up on opponents locked into Fighting- or Ground-type moves, while Lugia covers Dialga's weaknesses and checks Choice Scarf Palkia, Choice Scarf Garchomp, and Dragon Dance Rayquaza. </p>

[Other Options]

<p>Dialga has a wide movepool and hence a variety of other options. Psych Up allows Dialga to copy stat boosts from Calm Mind Kyogre and Arceus. Flash Cannon is a decent auxiliary STAB attack, but Steel is a poor offensive type. Choice Specs Ice Beam allows Dialga to OHKO Groudon without resorting to Draco Meteor or Overheat, but it is otherwise a generally poor choice. Iron Head can surprise Tyranitar and Calm Mind Rock Arceus but is rather useless otherwise. A Choice Band set could work, but it is outclassed by Zekrom, which has STAB Electric-type attacks at its disposal to break through Lugia. Dialga's typing gives it a niche as a Choice Band user, though.</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 to run Bulk Up alongside Magnet Rise, then use an EV spread of 116 HP / 252 Atk / 140 Spe; this allows Dialga to use 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. However, this is not recommended, as Groudon can use Dragon Tail to force Dialga out. Air Balloon keeps Dialga safe from Ground-type moves for a turn and lets it avoid Spikes; it might be viable on the mixed set. The power loss is significant, though.</p>

<p>Fully defensive EV spreads are usable, but other Pokemon outclass Dialga as walls. Groudon, Skarmory, Wallceus, and Lugia outclass it as physical walls, while Blissey and Chansey are better special walls. Dialga's main strength lies its ability to take a hit or two and strike back hard, not to sponge attacks.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Dialga is ridiculously hard to counter in the strictest sense due to its versatility, wide coverage, and enormous offensive stats. Calm Mind Rock Arceus in the sand is probably the best counter to offensive Dialga; it can sponge special attacks relatively easily while racking up Calm Mind boosts and can use Will-O-Wisp to cripple mixed variants. However, it is rather useless against defensive variants. The Bulk Up + RestTalk set can easily boost up, Rest off damage, and take out Rock Arceus with Outrage, while support Dialga that carry Toxic can simply cripple Rock Arceus unless it has Refresh. Calm Mind Steel Arceus also counters Dialga in rain fairly well, but it needs to watch out for Choice Specs-boosted Aura Sphere, which is an easy 2HKO. Blissey and Chansey can take on all purely special attacking variants. Tyranitar can take on most special attacking Dialga, provided they don't carry Aura Sphere. In the sun, Ho-Oh can take most attacks from Dialga and roast it with Sacred Fire. It does need to watch out for Outrage, though. While Lugia cannot do much to Dialga, Dialga cannot hurt Lugia much in return if it lacks Thunder.</p>

<p>In general, specially bulky Steel-types are good checks to Dialga. If rain is up, Jirachi can take most attacks that Dialga dishes out, with the exception of Choice Specs Fire Blast or the rare Earth Power or Earthquake on the mixed set. In the sun, Heatran defeats all variants of Dialga that lack Aura Sphere, Brick Break, Earth Power, or Earthquake, as it can either 3HKO with Flamethrower or use Taunt to shut down Bulk Up variants.</p>

<p>Outside of the listed Pokemon, prediction and preying on its low Speed are the main ways to defeat Dialga. As bulky as Dialga is, it cannot stand up to powerful super effective STAB attacks, including Earthquake from Groudon, Garchomp, Ground Arceus, and Excadrill, Close Combat from Terrakion and Lucario, and Judgment from Ground and Fighting Arceus. Be aware, however, that all of these attackers—with the exception of Groudon—require a boosting item to OHKO Dialga that invest in bulk. Apart from Garchomp, all of them have the ability to take on Bulk Up RestTalk Dialga as well. Offensive Groudon and Ground Arceus can either use Swords Dance and Earthquake to decimate Dialga or simply wear it down with repeated Earthquakes. Excadrill and Lucario boast a resistance to Outrage and can use Swords Dance and then their respective STAB attacks to defeat Dialga. Terrakion requires Sacred Sword to be able to take down Bulk Up Dialga. In the sun, Choice Specs Reshiram will always be able to OHKO Dialga with Blue Flare, although it cannot switch into Dialga easily.</p>

[Unreleased]

<p>Dialga gained nothing in Dream World other than Telepathy, which is useless in singles competitive play.</p>
 
Defensive

I think let Defensive Dialga stay as it is since it is fine and it still works. It needs that HP and SpD investment to tank certain hits and hit back hard with Draco Meteor. I say give Draco Meteor second slash since Dialga will not like that SpD drop. If you're running Draco Meteor, just run an offensive set imo. Also explicitly mention that Defensive Dialga makes a great pivot for most balanced teams.


Mixed

Mixed Dialga looks excellent but just mention that Dialga is an excellent Shell Smash recipient due to its array of resistances. Just modify the EV spread to run some more spread, say enough to outspeed Terrakion, i.e 176 Spe.

Specs

Agree with you about converting it to an all out offensive set and integrating Trollfreaks set into it. Also, do we really need a 3rd Earth Power slash ? Heatran takes 71.5% - 84.5% from Aura Sphere which is really the only notable Pokemon Earth Power can KO.

Rest looks fine. QC Approved 1/3
 
shrang said:
Trickroom please go and take some essay-writing classes.

I wanted to take essay-writing classes for ages. Too bad essay-writing is not included as an important subject in my current pre-university examinations :(

Earth Power slash isn't needed. Fire Blast already owns Metagross and Jirachi. Jirachi isn't enjoying Thunder in the rain due to the paralysis chance as well.

For the Defensive set maybe mention rain teams are usually where Dialga shines. Groudon is rarely used with Defensive Dialga since both are widely used to set up Stealth Rock and phaze.

Draco Meteor is usually used to OHKO Giratina after Stealth Rock, otherwise Dragon Pulse is better. Draco Meteor makes Groudon unwilling to switch in but Fire Blast can 2HKO Groudon anyway.

QC Approved 2/3
 
AC mention of sub bulk up with earthquake and dragon tail, also sub bulk up with a fast spread to phaze stuff like lugia before it can phaze you. good with spikes blah blah.

QC Approved 3/3
 
Well, this wasn't as much of a concision as it was a rewrite, I wasn't really able to cut down the analysis that much in terms of length. However, it did fix most of trickroom's structural issues, the original was kind of all of the shot and was lacking in flow.

That said, I have removed a number of things and changed a few things as I was writing it, so before I put this through GP, can QC just quickly check it again to make sure that I haven't missed anything important?
 
Okay, since there hasn't been anything that QC have said I missed, I'm going to presume I've got everything.

This is ready for GP checks.
 
[Overview]

<p>Dialga's unique typing and well-distributed stats allow it to fit into most teams. On the offensive side, Dialga has a stunning base 120 Attack and base 150 Special Attack that's backed by the ever-dominant Dragon-type STAB. Defensively, Dialga’s typing offers it nine resistances and an immunity, as well as a lack of weaknesses to Ice- and Dragon-type moves. With its stellar base defenses combined with the aforementioned resistances, as well as its excellent support movepool, it is no wonder that Dialga is widely regarded as one of the most versatile Pokemon in Ubers.</p>

[SET]
name: Defensive Dialga
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Roar / Dragon Tail / Thunder
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest / Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 56 SpA / 200 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dialga is one of the very few Dragon-types who can take a support route; it is especially useful as a bulky all-around pivot. As very few Pokemon can outright OHKO Dialga, it can easily switch into an opposing Pokemon and set up Stealth Rock or just start dishing out damage. Draco Meteor packs a strong immediate punch, but if you prefer PP and consistency, Dragon Pulse is an excellent alternative STAB move to use. Notably, Draco Meteor allows Dialga to severely damage Groudon, as well as OHKO Reshiram and Palkia without Stealth Rock. Fire Blast rounds out the coverage; in particular, it 2HKOes most Groudon in the sun and Ferrothorn in the rain. Roar lets Dialga force switches, but if you want Diagla to phaze through Taunt instead of Substitute, Dragon Tail is a fine alternative. Thunder works best alongside Kyogre as its Drizzle ability remedies Thunder's poor accuracy.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs ensure that Dialga is not 2HKOed by Palkia's Lustrous Orb-boosted Spacial Rend, as well as non-Choice Specs Kyogre's full-power Water Spout. The Special Attack EVs and Modest nature allow Dialga to OHKO Darkrai with Draco Meteor, and also 2HKO most Kyogre and some Ho-Oh with Thunder. Lum Berry prevents Dialga from being put to sleep by Darkrai leads; Dialga can then severely cripple them with Thunder Wave or OHKO them with Draco Meteor. Toxic can be used in the last slot to cripple walls such as Lugia, while Thunder Wave helps Dialga's offensive teammates take advantage of slower opponents.</p>

<p>Dialga appreciates the residual damage from Spikes and Toxic Spikes that defensive teams can provide it, as it can easily shuffle opposing Pokemon around with Roar or Dragon Tail. Tentacruel can set up Toxic Spikes, while Forretress can set up both Spikes and Toxic Spikes. However, relying on Forretress to lay down that many hazards puts it under a lot of stress. As a lead, Deoxys-S can set up Spikes ("Lead Deoxys-S is a good choice to set up Spikes right off the bat"?), and it can even forgo Stealth Rock if Dialga opts to use it. Skarmory is an excellent partner as it can not only lay Spikes, but also completely walls Groudon barring the rare Overheat or Fire Punch, has access to a recovery move, and can use Whirlwind to force switches. Ferrothorn can switch into most Kyogre variants and set up Spikes easily. With entry hazards taken into account, Dialga needs a teammate that can block Rapid Spin. Giratina, Giratina-O, and Ghost Arceus are the best Pokemon for the job. Giratina and Giratina-O share great type synergy with Dialga thanks to their immunity to both Ground- and Fighting-type attacks; both check Groudon as well. Dialga also resists the Dark- and Ghost-type attacks they are weak to.

<p>In addition to hazards support, offensive teams tend to appreciate Toxic or Thunder Wave support from Dialga. Swords Dance variants of Groudon, Terrakion, and Garchomp, as well as Rayquaza, Mewtwo, and Darkrai, all appreciate opposing Choice Scarf users being paralyzed, while a Toxic-poisoned Lugia will find it difficult to wall Rock Polish Groudon and Extreme Killer Arceus. Finally, offensive Groudon appreciates support Dialga's ability to batter many of its checks, such as Skarmory and Giratina. </p>

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Thunder
move 3: Fire Blast / Aura Sphere
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Stealth Rock
item: Choice Specs / Life Orb
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dialga's typing and enormous base 150 Special Attack just screams for the user to slap Choice Specs on it and click Draco Meteor whenever possible. Indeed, with its excellent bulk and typing, Dialga is the cream of the crop when it comes to the many Draco Meteor-spamming Dragon-types in the game. Draco Meteor is easily Dialga's best STAB, and completely decimates anything that doesn't resist it. To illustrate, it deals at least 85% to defensive Dialga. Thunder easily OHKOes Kyogre that do not invest in Special Defense, while both Fire Blast and Aura Sphere help Dialga swat aside Steel-types. (pick the former if... and the latter if...?) Dragon Pulse rounds out the set as reliable STAB.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs allow Dialga to take advantage of its excellent bulk to repeatedly switch in and dish out the pain, but an alternative spread of 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe is perfectly usable. Earth Power can OHKO Heatran, but Aura Sphere easily 2HKOes it anyway. Thunderbolt can be used in sunny weather to strike down Ho-Oh, as can Power Gem, but it is comfortably 2HKOed by Draco Meteor anyway. (Choice Specs provides the power that makes this set so threatening, but) if its locking effect is not appealing, Dialga can use Life Orb as an alternative item to power up its attacks. If using Life Orb, Stealth Rock is an option in the last slot so Dialga can act as an offensive lead.</p>

<p>Blissey and Chansey are the only surefire counters to Choice Specs Dialga, as Dialga lacks any reliable way of KOing the pink blobs. Rock Arceus in the sand can take a Draco Meteor—although it still won't enjoy it—and use Recover to heal off the damage. Otherwise, one will have to rely on prediction to prevent a switch-in from becoming horribly mutilated by one of Dialga's attacks. Dialga's low Speed also makes it rather susceptible to being revenge killed by faster Pokemon packing super effective moves. Finally, the Special Attack drop Draco Meteor causes allows bulky threats such as Arceus to set up easily. Terrakion is a good partner due to this reason, as it easily scares away Blissey and Chansey, while Rock Arceus will not enjoy taking it on either. Excadrill is also a good teammate, as it easily outspeeds Rock Arceus in a sandstorm and buries it with its powerful Earthquake. While not sweeping in sandstorm, Excadrill is a good spinner for rain teams, which Dialga also thrives in as rain makes Thunder 100% accurate. As Dialga is weak to Fighting- and Ground-type moves, Giratina-O is an excellent partner due to its immunity to both types; as a bonus, it can also block Rapid Spin. Lugia is another defensive Pokemon that can easily switch into attacks targeted at Dialga, while Dialga has no problem switching into Thunder directed at Lugia.</p>

<p>Dialga's powerful wallbreaking abilities attract two other kinds of teammates, namely entry hazard setters and cleaners. With entry hazards, Dialga finds it a lot easier to break down walls. Deoxys-S is possibly the best entry hazard layer for offensive teams, while Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Forretress can use their bulk to set up Spikes and Stealth Rock for more balanced ones. As Dialga's main attack is its Dragon STAB, it tends to lure in Steel-types and damage them heavily. This makes sweepers such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Rayquaza, Dragon Arceus, Choice Scarf Salamence, and Garchomp much more dangerous.</p>

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

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dialga's monstrous Special Attack often eclipses its deceptively dangerous base 120 Attack. With significant EV investment in both Attack and Special Attack, as well as ridiculously powerful coverage moves, it is no wonder that Dialga is possibly one of the most difficult Pokemon to wall in the entire game. With a Life Orb equipped, Draco Meteor from 438 Special Attack will quickly crush all but pink blobs and specially defensive Steel-types. The former Pokemon can easily be defeated by Dialga's physical move of choice; both Outrage and Brick Break can 2HKO most Blissey and Chansey after Stealth Rock damage. Outrage is preferred due to its superior power and coverage, but Brick Break can be used if you do not like locking Dialga in; it also boasts the ability to hit Heatran for super effective damage. Fire Blast absolutely annihilates most Steel-types, but it does come at the price of being nerfed in the rain.</p>

<p>Thunder can be used in the final slot to hit Steel-types, and is extremely useful in the rain to smash down Kyogre. However, Bulk Up opens up many opportunities for Dialga; not only does it allow Dialga to become progressively more dangerous, but it can be used to lure in certain threats, such as Groudon, who is the best counter to defensive Bulk Up Dialga. Groudon will hence readily switch into Dialga after it uses Bulk Up, only to be met with a Life Orb-boosted Draco Meteor, which will OHKO any Groudon that don't significantly invest in Special Defense, and severely cripple even those that do. Bulk Up also allows Dialga to comfortably tank an unboosted Garchomp's Earthquake and OHKO in return with its Dragon-type STAB attack.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>There are many ways to EV mixed Dialga, and your pick should depend on your team. The spread listed above allows Dialga to hit extremely hard both physically and specially. With maximum Attack investment, Dialga can 2HKO most Blissey and Chansey with Outrage or Brick Break, as well as OHKO 252/0 Kyogre and Ho-Oh with Outrage. Dialga can also invest in Speed; a Hasty nature and 192 Speed EVs allow Dialga to outspeed neutral base 95s, most notably Adamant Swords Dance Rayquaza. Keep in mind however, that most Rayquaza run a Speed-boosting nature. Dialga can even run a spread of 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe Hasty to Speed tie with all base 90 Pokemon. On the other hand, Dialga can drop its Speed to the absolute minimum with a spread of 120 HP / 136 Atk / 252 SpA Quiet; such a spread allows it to survive attacks such as Choice Scarf Garchomp's Earthquake and Life Orb Mewtwo's Aura Sphere and OHKO in return with Draco Meteor. Quiet Dialga can also be used on a Trick Room team, and even forgo its last move to set up the field effect itself. Another thing to consider when running Trick Room Dialga is to lower its level to 99; this allows Dialga to outspeed uninvested Scizor under Trick Room.</p>

<p>It is also worthy to note that Dialga is probably the best Shell Smash recipient in the game. It resists all forms of priority aside from the rare Vacuum Wave or Mach Punch, and is also immune to Toxic Spikes. Should Dialga be a designated SmashPass recipient, it should fully maximize its Speed to outrun virtually everything. Gorebyss, Smeargle, and the rarer Huntail are the only Pokemon that can pass Shell Smash, but all three can do it admirably. Should Dialga receive a Shell Smash safely, your opponent should start praying to a deity for divine intervention, because not even Arceus will be able to stop it.</p>

<p>Life Orb is the preferred item as it allows Dialga to hit as hard as possible while keeping the ability to switch moves. Quiet Dialga can also consider Expert Belt, as it helps preserve Dialga's bulk while still allowing it to break the walls it is supposed to. An Adamant Orb can be used to bluff a Choice item, while Leftovers can help Dialga survive for even longer. Other moves, however, are generally outclassed by the options listed. Dragon Tail allows Dialga to shuffle switch-ins, and can be rather effective with multiple layers of entry hazards. Earthquake is a decent fourth move, and in particular allows Dialga to 2HKO Jirachi and OHKO Heatran; the latter can be OHKOed by Earth Power too. if your team really hates Ho-Oh, Stone Edge and Power Gem are options to clip the phoenix's wings. Again, Stealth Rock is always an option should nothing on your team be able to set it up, but it is a big waste of Dialga's talents.</p>

<p>As with all wallbreakers, Dialga appreciates entry hazard support. Deoxys-S is the premier offensive Spikes setter, while Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Forretress work very well on more balanced teams. Giratina-O easily blocks Rapid Spin and switches into attacks super effective on Dialga, while ChestoRest Giratina can spinblock while remaining a dangerous threat. As for sweepers, those that can take advantage of the holes that Dialga punches make good teammates. Extreme Killer Arceus, Rayquaza, Dragon Arceus, Choice Scarf Salamence, and Garchomp can all take advantage of the ravaging of Steel-types. Sweepers that synergize well with Dialga are fine choices too; Mewtwo resists Fighting-type attacks, while Flying-types such as the aforementioned Rayquaza can easily capitalize on incoming Ground-type attacks.</p>

[SET]
name: Bulk Up + RestTalk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Bulk Up
move 4: Outrage / Dragon Claw
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set takes advantage of Dialga's numerous resistances, well-distributed defensive stats, great neutral STAB coverage, and access to Bulk Up. By boosting its Attack and Defense, Dialga can power up its attacks while increases its physical bulk. After Dialga manages to set up Bulk Up, it can be almost impenetrable on the physical side. For example, it can easily survive a Choice Band Close Combat from Terrakion and OHKO with +1 Outrage. Rest lets weakened Dialga heal itself, while Sleep Talk enables it to remain threatening. The RestTalk combination also allows Dialga to absorb Dark Void from Darkrai. Outrage gives Dialga more power but locks Dialga in when it is used, except when selected by Sleep Talk, but Dragon Claw can be used if you want reliability instead of more PP and power.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>As Dialga will be boosting its Defense via Bulk Up, maximum Special Defense helps it cushion most special attacks. Dragon Tail can be used with entry hazard support, but it is generally an inferior option as it is quite weak. Furthermore, some phazers outspeed Dialga anyway, which makes it useless. Dialga can, however, run 164 Spe EVs to outspeed uninvested Lugia. In particular, a set of Bulk Up, Dragon Tail, Earthquake, and Substitute, along with entry hazard support, puts lots of pressure on stall teams that use phazing as their main way of dealing with Bulk Up Dialga.</p>

<p>As sturdy as Bulk Up Dialga might be, there are still Pokemon that can break through its defenses. Groudon can easily set up alongside Dialga with Bulk Up or Swords Dance and smash it with Earthquake; Ground Arceus can do a similar job, with Calm Mind letting it ignore Groudon's Defense boosts. Excadrill and Lucario both resist Outrage, can set up Swords Dance, and OHKO +1 Dialga with Earthquake and Close Combat, respectively. Sacred Sword Terrakion can 2HKO Dialga irrespective of its Defense boosts, while Outrage cannot OHKO Terrakion without Defense drops. On the special side, Reshiram OHKOes with sun- and Choice Specs-boosted Blue Flare. Fighting Arceus can boost up with Calm Mind, take relatively little from Outrage, and 2HKO with Judgment. Heatran can use Taunt to stop Dialga from setting up or recovering and 3HKO with Flamethrower. Skarmory and Lugia can both phaze Dialga, although they cannot stop it if Dialga is the last Pokemon. Therefore, Giratina, Giratina-O, and Kyogre are excellent teammates to run alongside Dialga due to their ability to defeat these Pokemon. Water Arceus is also a good teammate to Dialga, as it can easily take on Heatran and Reshiram, and is bulky enough to deal with Lucario, Excadrill, and Terrakion.</p>

<p>Pseudo-hazers are also significant threats to Bulk Up Dialga. As Dialga has no Attack investment, it is quite weak initially. Skarmory and Lugia have absolutely no problems forcing Dialga out with Whirlwind or Dragon Tail, unless Dialga itself is running Dragon Tail, in which case Skarmory will be forced out first. Groudon and Hippowdon take little from Outrage and can Roar Dialga out as well. Various Arceus formes, such as Steel Arceus, have no problems taking on and phazing out Dialga. It should be noted, however, that should Dialga be the last Pokemon, it cannot be forced out, and any team lacking a win condition will be in trouble. Perish Song is probably the best win condition, as it ensures that Dialga is KOed in three turns; its most common user is defensive Normal Arceus. Tricking Dialga a Choice Scarf also effectively neuters it; Darkrai and Mewtwo are effective users of this strategy. These win conditions should be hunted down and eliminated if Dialga is to sweep. (explain how? or remove this last sentence)</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Thunder
move 3: Fire Blast / Aura Sphere
move 4: Dragon Pulse
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 52 HP / 252 SpA / 204 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dialga's lackluster Speed can be fixed with a Choice Scarf, which allows it to reach 400 Speed. While faster Dragon-types such as Palkia and Salamence exist, Dialga's main attraction is its typing. Its resistance to ExtremeSpeed allows it to check Swords Dance Rayquaza and weakened Extreme Killer Arceus, though keep in mind that Draco Meteor cannot KO a healthy Arceus, and if Arceus has Recover, Dialga loses. It is also one of the revenge killers to Tail Glow Manaphy; offensive sets are OHKOed by Thunder, while bulkier ones fail to OHKO Dialga in return. Draco Meteor is the primary attack as, with Stealth Rock in play, it easily OHKOes Darkrai, Reshiram, Zekrom, Rayquaza, Dragon Arceus, Garchomp, and unboosted Mewtwo. Thunder 2HKOes Lugia and Ho-Oh after Stealth Rock, and inflicts severe damage on Kyogre. Fire Blast prevents Steel-types from switching in freely, while Aura Sphere nails Heatran and Tyranitar for super effective damage. Lastly, Dragon Pulse gives Dialga a way of dealing consistent damage. </p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>A Modest nature is preferred so that Dialga is strong enough to revenge kill the threats that it should defeat. The Speed EVs allow Dialga to outspeed neutral-natured Deoxys-A. The advantage of outspeeding Adamant Dragon Dance Rayquaza and Naive Deoxys-A might be lost, but Rayquaza generally runs a Speed-boosting nature anyway, while Deoxys-A tends to run a Rash nature. Nonetheless, a Timid nature and maximum Speed can be used if outspeeding all Deoxys-A is critical; it also allows Dialga to Speed tie with all Choice Scarf base 90s. In terms of other options, Outrage can be run in the last slot to 2HKO non-defensive variants of Calm Mind Kyogre, as well as to 2HKO Blissey after some prior damage.</p>

<p>Choice Scarf Dialga might be faster than most Pokemon, but it does lose to other Choice Scarf users, such as Palkia, Garchomp, Terrakion, and Darkrai, as well as Dragon Dance Rayquaza. Groudon can handle Garchomp, Terrakion and Rayquaza most of the time, but it can be worn down due to its lack of recovery. Scizor can switch into Darkrai safely and OHKO it with U-turn or deal major damage with Bullet Punch; if Sleep Clause is activated, various Arceus formes can easily set up on it. Finally, be very cautious of Wobbuffet, as it can easily revenge kill Choice-locked Dialga.</p>

<p>Blissey and Chansey don't fear anything from this set. Lugia and Ho-Oh are both problematic if the rain is not up, as is opposing defensive Dialga. Ferrothorn can take any attack not named Fire Blast and set up Spikes or use Leech Seed. Defensive Arceus and Groudon can take any attack; the latter can subsequently OHKO Dialga with Earthquake. Kyogre can check defensive Arceus, Ho-Oh, Lugia and Groudon with its powerful Water-type strikes, Giratina-O can handle Groudon and set up on opponents locked into Fighting- or Ground-type moves, while Lugia covers Dialga's weaknesses and checks Choice Scarf Palkia, Choice Scarf Garchomp, and Dragon Dance Rayquaza. </p>

[Other Options]

<p>Dialga has a wide movepool and hence a variety of other options. Psych Up allows Dialga to copy stat boosts from Calm Mind Kyogre and Arceus. Flash Cannon is a decent auxiliary STAB attack, but Steel is a poor offensive type. Choice Specs Ice Beam allows Dialga to OHKO Groudon without resorting to Draco Meteor or Overheat, but it is otherwise generally a poor choice. Iron Head can surprise Tyranitar and Calm Mind Rock Arceus, but is rather useless otherwise. A Choice Band set could work, but it is outclassed by Zekrom, who has STAB Electric-type attacks at its disposal to break through Lugia. Dialga's typing gives it a niche as a Choice Band user, though.</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 to run Bulk Up alongside Magnet Rise, then use an EV spread of 116 HP / 252 Atk / 140 Spe; this allows Dialga to use 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. However, this is not recommended as Groudon can use Dragon Tail to force Dialga out. Air Balloon keeps Dialga safe from Ground-type moves for a turn and lets it avoid Spikes; it might be viable on the mixed set. The power loss is significant, though.</p>

<p>Fully defensive EV spreads are usable, but other Pokemon outclass Dialga as walls. Groudon, Skarmory, Wallceus, and Lugia outclass it as physical walls, while Blissey and Chansey are better special walls. Dialga's main strength lies its ability to take a hit or two and strike back hard, not to sponge attacks.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Dialga is ridiculously hard to counter in the strictest sense due to its versatility, wide coverage, and enormous offensive stats. Calm Mind Rock Arceus in the sand is probably the best counter to offensive Dialga; it can sponge special attacks relatively easily while racking up Calm Mind boosts, and use Will-O-Wisp to cripple mixed variants. However, it is rather useless against defensive variants. The Bulk Up + RestTalk set can easily boost up, Rest off damage, and take out Rock Arceus with Outrage, while support Dialga that carry Toxic can simply cripple Rock Arceus unless it has Refresh. Calm Mind Steel Arceus also counters Dialga in rain fairly well, but it needs to watch out for Choice Specs-boosted Aura Sphere, which is an easy 2HKO. Blissey and Chansey can take on all purely special attacking variants. Tyranitar can take on most special attacking Dialga, provided that they don't carry Aura Sphere. In the sun, Ho-Oh can take most attacks from Dialga and roast it with Sacred Fire. It does need to watch out for Outrage, though. While Lugia cannot do much in return to Dialga, Dialga cannot hurt Lugia much in return either if it lacks Thunder.</p>

<p>In general, specially bulky Steel-types are good checks to Dialga. If rain is up, Jirachi can take most attacks that Dialga dishes out, with the exception of Choice Specs Fire Blast, or the rare Earth Power or Earthquake on the mixed set. In the sun, Heatran defeats all variants of Dialga that lack Aura Sphere, Brick Break, Earth Power, or Earthquake, as it can either 3HKO with Flamethrower or use Taunt to shut down Bulk Up variants.</p>

<p>Outside of these listed Pokemon, prediction and preying on its low Speed are the main ways to defeat Dialga. As bulky as Dialga is, it cannot stand up to powerful super effective STAB attacks, including Earthquake from Groudon, Garchomp, Ground Arceus, and Excadrill, Close Combat from Terrakion and Lucario, and Judgment from Ground and Fighting Arceus. Be aware, however, that all of the aforementioned attackers—with the exception of Groudon—require a boosting item to OHKO Dialga that invest in bulk. Apart from Garchomp, all of the have the ability to take on Bulk Up RestTalk Dialga as well. Offensive Groudon and Ground Arceus can either use Swords Dance and Earthquake to decimate Dialga or simply wear it down with repeated Earthquakes. Excadrill and Lucario boast a resistance to Outrage, and can use Swords Dance and then their respective STAB attacks to defeat Dialga. Terrakion requires Sacred Sword to be able to take down Bulk Up Dialga. In the sun, Choice Specs Reshiram will always be able to OHKO Dialga with Blue Flare, although it cannot switch into Dialga easily.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Dialga gained nothing in Dream World other than Telepathy, which is useless in singles competitive play.</p>

gpstamp
 
Hmmm gonna request a few changes here after skimming this over.

-Make Choice Specs its own set, and merge the specless special attacker with mixed attacker, since they function pretty simiarly, while because of the Choice stuff, Specs Dialga plays a lot differently. Also, Choice Specs Dialga pulls off the bulky attacker role a lot better than Life Orb, so make sure to focus that, while of course still mentioning Timid for us speed freaks!

-Two sets should probably be added later: Choice Band (its way better than other options imo because Dialga's amazing typing makes it one of the hardest CB Dragons to take down) and Trick Room. However this can be added in a later update (especially since I have partially written up stuff for TR Dialga somewhere which I can give you at a later date)

I'll check the rest of this later, these are just the few glaring flaws I noticed!
 
I do think the special attacker set works much more in line with Specs than it does the mixed attacking set, not to mention that the mixed set has way too much stuff in it already o_0. The mixed attacker, after all, IS mixed, not just a special attacker. Specs, on the other hand, is a pure special attacker. On the other hand, I didn't think it was a good idea to mix special attacking with defensive either, since they are both filling different roles. Unless of course, you want a set for special attacking altogether.

I will mention that Specs is better for bulky attacking as well as Timid to for Speed.
 
Hmm... okay, then probably just give the pure non choiced special attacker its own set, and make it have a heavy speed investment with the option for going bulky (and of course a Stealth Rock slash in), while the Specs set would have max HP for the main one. Finally, mention Stealth Rock somewhere for mixed Dialga, its still really handy on it I find!
 
k so this discussion happened while I was GPing the analysis, so for now I'll just post my check of the OP:

[Overview]

<p>Dialga's unique typing and well-distributed stats allow it to fit into most teams. On the offensive side, Dialga has a stunning base 120 Attack and base 150 Special Attack thstat's that are backed by the ever-dominant Dragon-type STAB. Defensively, Dialga's typing offers it nine resistances and an immunity, as well as a lack of weaknesses to Ice- and Dragon-type moves. With its stellar base defenses combined with the aforementionedits resistances, as well as itsnd excellent support movepool, it is no wonder that Dialga is widely regarded as one of the most versatile Pokemon in Ubers.</p>

[SET]
name: Defensive Dialga
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Roar / Dragon Tail / Thunder
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest / Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 56 SpA / 200 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dialga is one of the very few Dragon-types whothat can take a support route; it is especially useful as a bulky all-around pivot. As very few Pokemon can outright OHKO Dialga, it can easily switch into an opposing Pokemon and set up Stealth Rock or just start dishing out damage. Draco Meteor packs a strong immediate punch, but if you prefer PP and consistency, Dragon Pulse is an excellent alternative STAB move to use. Notably, Draco Meteor allows Dialga to severely damage Groudon, as well as OHKO Reshiram and Palkia without Stealth Rock. Fire Blast rounds out the coverage; in particular, it 2HKOes most Groudon in the sun and Ferrothorn in the rain. Roar lets Dialga force switches, but if you want Diagllga to phaze through Taunt instead of Substitute, Dragon Tail is a fine alternative. Thunder works best alongside Kyogre, as its Drizzle ability remedies Thunder's poor accuracy.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs ensure that Dialga is not 2HKOed by Palkia's Lustrous Orb-boosted Spacial Rend, as well as or by non-Choice Specs Kyogre's full-power Water Spout. The Special Attack EVs and Modest nature allow Dialga to OHKO Darkrai with Draco Meteor, and alsto 2HKO most Kyogre and some Ho-Oh with Thunder. Lum Berry prevents Dialga from being put to sleep by Darkrai leads; Dialga can then severely cripple them with Thunder Wave or OHKO them with Draco Meteor. Toxic can be usedDialga can use Toxic in the last slot to cripple walls such as Lugia, while Thunder Wave helps Dialga's offensive teammates take advantage of slower opponents.</p>

<p>Dialga appreciates the residual damage from Spikes and Toxic Spikes that defensive teams can provide it, as it can easily shuffle opposing Pokemon around with Roar or Dragon Tail. Tentacruel can set up Toxic Spikes, while Forretress can set up both Spikes and Toxic Spikes. However, relying on Forretress to lay down that many hazards puts it under a lot of stress. Lead Deoxys-S is a good choice to set up Spikes right off the bat, and it can even forgo Stealth Rock if Dialga opts to use it. Skarmory is an excellent partner, as it can not only lay Spikes, but also completely walls Groudon barring the rare Overheat or Fire Punch, has access to a recovery move, and can use Whirlwind to force switches. Ferrothorn can switch into most Kyogre variants and set up Spikes easily. With entry hazards taken into account, Dialga needs a teammate that can block Rapid Spin. Giratina, Giratina-O, and Ghost Arceus are the best Pokemon for the job. Giratina and Giratina-O share great type synergy with Dialga thanks to their immunity to both Ground- and Fighting-type attacks; both check Groudon as well. Dialga also resists the Dark- and Ghost-type attacks they are weak to.</p>

<p>In addition to hazards support, offensive teams tend to appreciate Toxic or Thunder Wave support from Dialga. Swords Dance variants of Groudon, Terrakion, and Garchomp, as well as Rayquaza, Mewtwo, and Darkrai, all appreciate opposing Choice Scarf users being paralyzed, while a Toxic-poisoned Lugia will find it difficult to wall Rock Polish Groudon and Extreme Killer Arceus. Finally, offensive Groudon appreciates support Dialga's ability to batter many of its checks, such as Skarmory and Giratina.</p>

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Thunder
move 3: Fire Blast / Aura Sphere
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Stealth Rock
item: Choice Specs / Life Orb
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dialga's typing and enormous base 150 Special Attack just screams for the user to slap Choice Specs on it and click Draco Meteor whenever possible. Indeed, with its excellent bulk and typing, Dialga is the cream of the crop when it comes to the many Draco Meteor-spamming Dragon-types in the game. Draco Meteor is easily Dialga's best STAB move, and it completely decimates anything that doesn't resist it. To illustrate, it deals at least 85% to defensive Dialga. Thunder easily OHKOes Kyogre that do not invest in Special Defense, while both Fire Blast and Aura Sphere help Dialga swat aside Steel-types. Fire Blast will has a chance to OHKO on Ferrothorn after Stealth Rock damage even in the rain, while Aura Sphere allows Dialga to 2HKO Heatran and OHKO Tyranitar after Stealth Rock. Dragon Pulse rounds out the set as a reliable STAB move.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs allow Dialga to take advantage of its excellent bulk to repeatedly switch in and dish out the pain, but an alternative spread of 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe is perfectly usable. Earth Power can OHKO Heatran, but Aura Sphere easily 2HKOes it anyway. Thunderbolt can be used in sunny weather to strike down Ho-Oh, as can Power Gem, but it is comfortably 2HKOed by Draco Meteor anyway. Choice Specs provides the power that makes this set so threatening, but if its locking effect is not appealing, Dialga can use a Life Orb as an alternative item to power up its attacks. If using Life Orb, Stealth Rock is an option in the last slot so that Dialga can act as an offensive lead. Be aware that if you're aftelooking for a bulky attacker, Choice Specs is definitely the better option. On the other hand, a Timid nature with maximum Speed is usable if you want Dialga to sSpeed-tie with all base 90 Pokemon.</p>

<p>Blissey and Chansey are the only surefire counters to Choice Specs Dialga, as Dialga lacks any reliable way of KOing the pink blobs. Rock Arceus in the sand can take a Draco Meteor—although it still won't enjoy it—and use Recover to heal off the damage. Otherwise, one will have to rely on prediction to prevent a switch-in from becoming horribly mutilated by one of Dialga's attacks. Dialga's low Speed also makes it rather susceptible to beingfaster revenge killed by faster Pokemonrs packing super effective moves. Finally, the Special Attack drop Draco Meteor causes allows bulky threats such as Arceus to set up easily. Therefore, Terrakion is a good partner due to this reason, as it easily scares away Blissey and Chansey, while Rock Arceus will not enjoy taking it on either. Excadrill is also a good teammate, as it easily outspeeds Rock Arceus in a sandstorm and buries it with its powerful Earthquake. While not sweeping in sandstorm, Excadrill is a good spinner for rain teams, which Dialga also thrives in as rain makes Thunder 100% accurate. As Dialga is weak to Fighting- and Ground-type moves, Giratina-O is an excellent partner due to its immunity to both types; as a bonus, it can also block Rapid Spin. Lugia is another defensive Pokemon that can easily switch into attacks targeted at Dialga, while Dialga has no problem switching into Thunders directed at Lugia.</p>

<p>Dialga's powerful wallbreaking abilities attract two other kinds of teammates, namely entry hazard setters and cleaners. With entry hazards, Dialga finds it a lot easier to break down walls. Deoxys-S is possibly the best entry hazard layer for offensive teams, while Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Forretress can use their bulk to set up Spikes and Stealth Rock for more balanced ones. As Dialga's main attack is its Dragon STAB, it tends to lure in Steel-types and damage them heavily. This makes sweepers such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Rayquaza, Dragon Arceus, Choice Scarf Salamence, and Garchomp much more dangerous.</p>

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

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dialga's monstrous Special Attack often eclipses its deceptively dangerous base 120 Attack. With significant EV investment in both Attack and Special Attack, as well as ridiculously powerful coverage moves, it is no wonder that Dialga is possibly one of the most difficult Pokemon to wall in the entire game. With a Life Orb equipped, Draco Meteor from 438 Special Attack will quickly crush all but pink blobs and specially defensive Steel-types. The former Pokemon can easily be defeated by Dialga's physical move of choice; both Outrage and Brick Break can 2HKO most Blissey and Chansey after Stealth Rock damage. Outrage is preferred due to its superior power and coverage, but Brick Break can be used if you do not like locking Dialga in; it also boasts the ability to hit Heatran for super effective damage. Fire Blast absolutely annihilates most Steel-types, but it does come at the price of being nerfed in the rain.</p>

<p>Thunder can be used in the final slot to hit Steel-types, and is extremely useful in the rain to smash down Kyogre. However, Bulk Up opens up many opportunities for Dialga; not only does it allow Dialga to become progressively more dangerous, but it can also be used to lure in certain threats, such as Groudon, whoich is the best counter to defensive Bulk Up Dialga. Groudon will hence readily switch into Dialga after it uses Bulk Up, only to be met with a Life Orb-boosted Draco Meteor, which will OHKO any Groudon that don't significantly invest in Special Defense, and severely cripple even those that do. Bulk Up also allows Dialga to comfortably tank an unboosted Garchomp's Earthquake and OHKO in return with its Dragon-type STAB attack.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>There are many ways to EV mixed Dialga, and your pick should depend on your team. The spread listed above allows Dialga to hit extremely hard both physically and specially. With maximum Attack investment, Dialga can 2HKO most Blissey and Chansey with Outrage or Brick Break, as well as OHKOing 252/0 Kyogre and Ho-Oh with Outrage. Dialga can also invest in Speed; a Hasty nature and 192 Speed EVs allow Dialgait to outspeed neutral base 95s, most notably Adamant Swords Dance Rayquaza. Keep in mind, however, that most Rayquaza run a Speed-boosting nature. Dialga can even run a spread of 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe Hastywith a Hasty nature to Speed tie with all base 90 Pokemon. On the other hand, Dialga can drop its Speed to the absolute minimum with a spread of 120 HP / 136 Atk / 252 SpA Quietand a Quiet nature; such a spread allows it to survive attacks such as Choice Scarf Garchomp's Earthquake and Life Orb Mewtwo's Aura Sphere and OHKO in return with Draco Meteor. Quiet Dialga can also be usedis also usable on a Trick Room team, and can even forgo its last move to set up the field effect itself. Another thing to consider when running Trick Room Dialga is to lower its level to 99; this allows Dialga to outspeed uninvested Scizor underin Trick Room.</p>

<p>It is also worthy to note that Dialga is probably the best Shell Smash recipient in the game. It resists all forms of priority aside from the rare Vacuum Wave orand Mach Punch, and is also immune to Toxic Spikes. Should Dialga be a designated SmashPass recipient, it should fully maximize its Speed to outrun virtually everything. Gorebyss, Smeargle, and the rarer Huntail are the only Pokemon that can pass Shell Smash, but all three can do it admirably. Should Dialga receive a Shell Smash safely, your opponent should start praying to a deity for divine intervention, because not even Arceus will be able to stop it.</p>

<p>Life Orb is the preferred item as it allows Dialga to hit as hard as possible while keeping the ability to switch moves. Quiet Dialga can also consider Expert Belt, as it helps preserve Dialga's bulk while still allowing it to break the walls it is supposed to. An Adamant Orb can be used to bluff a Choice item, while Leftovers can help Dialga survive for even longer. Other moves, however, are generally outclassed by the options listed. Dragon Tail allows Dialga to shuffle switch-ins, and can beis rather effective with multiple layers of entry hazards. Earthquake is a decent fourth move, and in particulars it allows Dialga to 2HKO Jirachi and OHKO Heatran; the latter can be OHKOed by Earth Power too. iIf your team really hates Ho-Oh, Stone Edge and Power Gem are options to clip the phoenix's wings. Again, Stealth Rock is always an option should nothing else on your team be able to set it up, but it is a big waste of Dialga's talents.</p>

<p>As with all wallbreakers, Dialga appreciates entry hazard support. Deoxys-S is the premier offensive Spikes setter, while Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Forretress work very well on more balanced teams. Giratina-O easily blocks Rapid Spin and switches into attacks super effective on Dialga, while ChestoRest Giratina can spinblock while remaining a dangerous threat. As for sweepers, those that can take advantage of the holes that Dialga punches make good teammates. Extreme Killer Arceus, Rayquaza, Dragon Arceus, Choice Scarf Salamence, and Garchomp can all take advantage of the ravaging of Steel-types. Sweepers that synergize well with Dialga are fine choices too; Mewtwo resists Fighting-type attacks, while Flying-types such as the aforementioned Rayquaza can easily capitalize on incoming Ground-type attacks.</p>

[SET]
name: Bulk Up + RestTalk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Bulk Up
move 4: Outrage / Dragon Claw
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set takes advantage of Dialga's numerous resistances, well-distributed defensive stats, great neutral STAB coverage, and access to Bulk Up. By boosting its Attack and Defense, Dialga can power up its attacks while increasesing its physical bulk. After Dialga manages to set up Bulk Up, it can be almost impenetrable on the physical side. For example, it can easily survive a Choice Band Close Combat from Terrakion and OHKO with +1 Outrage. Rest lets a weakened Dialga heal itself, while Sleep Talk enables it to remain threatening. The RestTalk combination also allows Dialga to absorb Dark Void from Darkrai. Outrage gives Dialga more power but locks Dialga in when it is used, except when selected by Sleep Talk, but; alternatively, Dragon Claw can be used if you want reliability instead of more PP and power.</p>

[Additional CommentsDDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As Dialga will be boosting its Defense via Bulk Up, maximum Special Defense helps it cushion most special attacks. Dragon Tail can be used with entry hazard support, but it is generally an inferior option as it is quite weak. Furthermore, some phazers outspeed Dialga anyway, which makes it useless. Dialga can, however, run 164 Spe EVs to outspeed uninvested Lugia. In particular, a set of Bulk Up, Dragon Tail, Earthquake, and Substitute, along with entry hazard support, puts lots of pressure on stall teams that use phazing as their main way of dealing with Bulk Up Dialga.</p>

<p>As sturdy as Bulk Up Dialga might be, there are still Pokemon that can break through its defenses. Groudon can easily set up alongside Dialga with Bulk Up or Swords Dance and smash it with Earthquake; Ground Arceus can do a similar job, with Calm Mind letting it ignore Groudon's Defense boosts. Excadrill and Lucario both resist Outrage, can set up Swords Dance, and OHKO +1 Dialga with Earthquake and Close Combat, respectively. Sacred Sword Terrakion can 2HKO Dialga irrespective of its Defense boosts, while Outrage cannot OHKO Terrakion without Defense drops. On the special side, Reshiram OHKOes with sun- and Choice Specs-boosted Blue Flare. Fighting Arceus can boost up with Calm Mind, take relatively little from Outrage, and 2HKO with Judgment. Heatran can use Taunt to stop Dialga from setting up or recovering and 3HKO with Flamethrower. Skarmory and Lugia can both phaze Dialga, although they cannot stop it if Dialga is the last Pokemon. Therefore, Giratina, Giratina-O, and Kyogre are excellent teammates to run alongside Dialga due to their ability to defeat these Pokemon. Water Arceus is also a good teammate to Dialga, as it can easily take on Heatran and Reshiram, and is bulky enough to deal with Lucario, Excadrill, and Terrakion.</p>

<p>Pseudo-hazers are also significant threats to Bulk Up Dialga. As Dialga has no Attack investment, it is quite weak initially. Skarmory and Lugia have absolutely no problems forcing Dialga out with Whirlwind or Dragon Tail, unless Dialga itself is running Dragon Tail, in which case Skarmory will be forced out first. Groudon and Hippowdon take little from Outrage and can Roar Dialga out as well. Various Arceus formes, such as Steel Arceus, have no problems taking on and phazing out Dialga. It should be noted, however, that should Dialga be the last Pokemon, it cannot be forced out, and any team lacking a win condition will be in trouble. Perish Song is probably the best win condition, as it ensures that Dialga is KOed in three turns; its most common user is defensive Normal Arceus. Tricking Dialga a Choice Scarf also effectively neuters it; Darkrai and Mewtwo are effective users of this strategy.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Thunder
move 3: Fire Blast / Aura Sphere
move 4: Dragon Pulse
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 52 HP / 252 SpA / 204 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dialga's lackluster Speed can be fixed with a Choice Scarf, which allows it to reach 400 Speed. While faster Dragon-types such as Palkia and Salamence exist, Dialga's main attraction is its typing. Its resistance to ExtremeSpeed allows it to check Swords Dance Rayquaza and weakened Extreme Killer Arceus, though keep in mind that Draco Meteor cannot KO a healthy Arceus, and if Arceus has Recover, Dialga loses. It is also one of the revenge killers to Tail Glow Manaphy; offensive sets are OHKOed by Thunder, while bulkier ones fail to OHKO Dialga in return. Draco Meteor is the primary attack, as, with Stealth Rock in play, it easily OHKOes Darkrai, Reshiram, Zekrom, Rayquaza, Dragon Arceus, Garchomp, and unboosted Mewtwo. Thunder 2HKOes Lugia and Ho-Oh after Stealth Rock, and inflicts severe damage on Kyogre. Fire Blast prevents Steel-types from switching in freely, while Aura Sphere nails Heatran and Tyranitar for super effective damage. Lastly, Dragon Pulse gives Dialga a way of dealing consistent damage. </p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>A Modest nature is preferred so that Dialga is strong enough to revenge kill the threats that it should defeat. The Speed EVs allow Dialga to outspeed neutral-natured Deoxys-A. The advantage of outspeeding Adamant Dragon Dance Rayquaza and Naive Deoxys-A might be lost, but Rayquaza generally runs a Speed-boosting nature anyway, while Deoxys-A tends to run a Rash nature. Nonetheless, Dialga can use a Timid nature and maximum Speed can be used if outspeeding all Deoxys-A is critical; it also allowsn addition, maximum Speed Dialga to Speed ties with all Choice Scarf base 90s. In terms of other options, Outrage can be run in the last slot to 2HKO non-defensive variants of Calm Mind Kyogre, as well as to 2HKO Blissey after some prior damage.</p>

<p>Choice Scarf Dialga might be faster than most Pokemon, but it does lose to other Choice Scarf users, such as Palkia, Garchomp, Terrakion, and Darkrai, as well as Dragon Dance Rayquaza. Groudon can handle Garchomp, Terrakion, and Rayquaza most of the time, but it can be worn down due to its lack of recovery. Scizor can switch into Darkrai safely and OHKO it with U-turn or deal major damage with Bullet Punch; if Sleep Clause is activated, various Arceus formes can easily set up on it. Finally, be very cautious of Wobbuffet, as it can easily revenge kill Choice-locked Dialga.</p>

<p>Blissey and Chansey don't fear anything from this set. Lugia and Ho-Oh are both problematic if the rain is not up, as is opposing defensive Dialga. Ferrothorn can take any attack not named Fire Blast and set up Spikes or use Leech Seed. Defensive Arceus and Groudon can take any attack; the latter can subsequently OHKO Dialga with Earthquake. Kyogre can check defensive Arceus, Ho-Oh, Lugia, and Groudon with its powerful Water-type strikes, Giratina-O can handle Groudon and set up on opponents locked into Fighting- or Ground-type moves, while Lugia covers Dialga's weaknesses and checks Choice Scarf Palkia, Choice Scarf Garchomp, and Dragon Dance Rayquaza. </p>

[Other Options]

<p>Dialga has a wide movepool and hence a variety of other options. Psych Up allows Dialga to copy stat boosts from Calm Mind Kyogre and Arceus. Flash Cannon is a decent auxiliary STAB attack, but Steel is a poor offensive type. Choice Specs Ice Beam allows Dialga to OHKO Groudon without resorting to Draco Meteor or Overheat, but it is otherwise a generally a poor choice. Iron Head can surprise Tyranitar and Calm Mind Rock Arceus, but is rather useless otherwise. A Choice Band set could work, but it is outclassed by Zekrom, whoich has STAB Electric-type attacks at its disposal to break through Lugia. Dialga's typing gives it a niche as a Choice Band user, though.</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 to run Bulk Up alongside Magnet Rise, then use an EV spread of 116 HP / 252 Atk / 140 Spe; this allows Dialga to use 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. However, this is not recommended, as Groudon can use Dragon Tail to force Dialga out. Air Balloon keeps Dialga safe from Ground-type moves for a turn and lets it avoid Spikes; it might be viable on the mixed set. The power loss is significant, though.</p>

<p>Fully defensive EV spreads are usable, but other Pokemon outclass Dialga as walls. Groudon, Skarmory, Wallceus, and Lugia outclass it as physical walls, while Blissey and Chansey are better special walls. Dialga's main strength lies its ability to take a hit or two and strike back hard, not to sponge attacks.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Dialga is ridiculously hard to counter in the strictest sense due to its versatility, wide coverage, and enormous offensive stats. Calm Mind Rock Arceus in the sand is probably the best counter to offensive Dialga; it can sponge special attacks relatively easily while racking up Calm Mind boosts, and can use Will-O-Wisp to cripple mixed variants. However, it is rather useless against defensive variants. The Bulk Up + RestTalk set can easily boost up, Rest off damage, and take out Rock Arceus with Outrage, while support Dialga that carry Toxic can simply cripple Rock Arceus unless it has Refresh. Calm Mind Steel Arceus also counters Dialga in rain fairly well, but it needs to watch out for Choice Specs-boosted Aura Sphere, which is an easy 2HKO. Blissey and Chansey can take on all purely special attacking variants. Tyranitar can take on most special attacking Dialga, provided that they don't carry Aura Sphere. In the sun, Ho-Oh can take most attacks from Dialga and roast it with Sacred Fire. It does need to watch out for Outrage, though. While Lugia cannot do much in return to Dialga, Dialga cannot hurt Lugia much in return either if it lacks Thunder.</p>

<p>In general, specially bulky Steel-types are good checks to Dialga. If rain is up, Jirachi can take most attacks that Dialga dishes out, with the exception of Choice Specs Fire Blast, or the rare Earth Power or Earthquake on the mixed set. In the sun, Heatran defeats all variants of Dialga that lack Aura Sphere, Brick Break, Earth Power, or Earthquake, as it can either 3HKO with Flamethrower or use Taunt to shut down Bulk Up variants.</p>

<p>Outside of these listed Pokemon, prediction and preying on its low Speed are the main ways to defeat Dialga. As bulky as Dialga is, it cannot stand up to powerful super effective STAB attacks, including Earthquake from Groudon, Garchomp, Ground Arceus, and Excadrill, Close Combat from Terrakion and Lucario, and Judgment from Ground and Fighting Arceus. Be aware, however, that all of the aforementionedse attackers—with the exception of Groudon—require a boosting item to OHKO Dialga that invest in bulk. Apart from Garchomp, all of them have the ability to take on Bulk Up RestTalk Dialga as well. Offensive Groudon and Ground Arceus can either use Swords Dance and Earthquake to decimate Dialga or simply wear it down with repeated Earthquakes. Excadrill and Lucario boast a resistance to Outrage, and can use Swords Dance and then their respective STAB attacks to defeat Dialga. Terrakion requires Sacred Sword to be able to take down Bulk Up Dialga. In the sun, Choice Specs Reshiram will always be able to OHKO Dialga with Blue Flare, although it cannot switch into Dialga easily.</p>

[Unreleased]

<p>Dialga gained nothing in Dream World other than Telepathy, which is useless in singles competitive play.</p>

[Overview]

<p>Dialga's unique typing and well-distributed stats allow it to fit into most teams. On the offensive side, Dialga has stunning base 120 Attack and base 150 Special Attack stats that are backed by the ever-dominant Dragon-type STAB. Defensively, Dialga's typing offers it nine resistances and an immunity, as well as a lack of weaknesses to Ice- and Dragon-type moves. With its stellar base defenses combined with its resistances and excellent support movepool, it is no wonder that Dialga is widely regarded as one of the most versatile Pokemon in Ubers.</p>

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Roar / Dragon Tail / Thunder
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest / Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 56 SpA / 200 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dialga is one of the very few Dragon-types that can take a support route; it is especially useful as a bulky all-around pivot. As very few Pokemon can outright OHKO Dialga, it can easily switch into an opposing Pokemon and set up Stealth Rock or just start dishing out damage. Draco Meteor packs a strong immediate punch, but if you prefer PP and consistency, Dragon Pulse is an excellent alternative STAB move. Notably, Draco Meteor allows Dialga to severely damage Groudon, as well as OHKO Reshiram and Palkia without Stealth Rock. Fire Blast rounds out the coverage; in particular, it 2HKOes most Groudon in the sun and Ferrothorn in the rain. Roar lets Dialga force switches, but if you want Dialga to phaze through Taunt instead of Substitute, Dragon Tail is a fine alternative. Thunder works best alongside Kyogre, as its Drizzle ability remedies Thunder's poor accuracy.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs ensure that Dialga is not 2HKOed by Palkia's Lustrous Orb-boosted Spacial Rend or by non-Choice Specs Kyogre's full-power Water Spout. The Special Attack EVs and Modest nature allow Dialga to OHKO Darkrai with Draco Meteor and to 2HKO most Kyogre and some Ho-Oh with Thunder. Lum Berry prevents Dialga from being put to sleep by Darkrai leads; Dialga can then severely cripple them with Thunder Wave or OHKO them with Draco Meteor. Dialga can use Toxic in the last slot to cripple walls such as Lugia, while Thunder Wave helps Dialga's offensive teammates take advantage of slower opponents.</p>

<p>Dialga appreciates the residual damage from Spikes and Toxic Spikes that defensive teams can provide, as it can easily shuffle opposing Pokemon around with Roar or Dragon Tail. Tentacruel can set up Toxic Spikes, while Forretress can set up both Spikes and Toxic Spikes. However, relying on Forretress to lay down that many hazards puts it under a lot of stress. Lead Deoxys-S is a good choice to set up Spikes right off the bat, and it can even forgo Stealth Rock if Dialga opts to use it. Skarmory is an excellent partner, as it can lay Spikes, completely walls Groudon barring the rare Overheat or Fire Punch, has access to a recovery move, and can use Whirlwind to force switches. Ferrothorn can switch into most Kyogre variants and set up Spikes easily. With entry hazards taken into account, Dialga needs a teammate that can block Rapid Spin. Giratina, Giratina-O, and Ghost Arceus are the best Pokemon for the job. Giratina and Giratina-O share great type synergy with Dialga thanks to their immunity to both Ground- and Fighting-type attacks; both check Groudon as well. Dialga also resists the Dark- and Ghost-type attacks they are weak to.</p>

<p>In addition to hazards support, offensive teams tend to appreciate Toxic or Thunder Wave support from Dialga. Swords Dance variants of Groudon, Terrakion, and Garchomp, as well as Rayquaza, Mewtwo, and Darkrai, all appreciate opposing Choice Scarf users being paralyzed, while a Toxic-poisoned Lugia will find it difficult to wall Rock Polish Groudon and Extreme Killer Arceus. Finally, offensive Groudon appreciates Dialga's ability to batter many of its checks, such as Skarmory and Giratina.</p>

[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Thunder
move 3: Fire Blast / Aura Sphere
move 4: Dragon Pulse / Stealth Rock
item: Choice Specs / Life Orb
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dialga's typing and enormous base 150 Special Attack just scream for the user to slap Choice Specs on it and click Draco Meteor whenever possible. Indeed, with its excellent bulk and typing, Dialga is the cream of the crop when it comes to the many Draco Meteor-spamming Dragon-types in the game. Draco Meteor is easily Dialga's best STAB move, and it completely decimates anything that doesn't resist it. To illustrate, it deals at least 85% to defensive Dialga. Thunder easily OHKOes Kyogre that do not invest in Special Defense, while both Fire Blast and Aura Sphere help Dialga swat aside Steel-types. Fire Blast has a chance to OHKO Ferrothorn after Stealth Rock damage even in rain, while Aura Sphere allows Dialga to 2HKO Heatran and OHKO Tyranitar after Stealth Rock. Dragon Pulse rounds out the set as a reliable STAB move.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The given EVs allow Dialga to take advantage of its excellent bulk to repeatedly switch in and dish out the pain, but an alternative spread of 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe is perfectly usable. Earth Power can OHKO Heatran, but Aura Sphere easily 2HKOes it anyway. Thunderbolt can be used in sunny weather to strike down Ho-Oh, as can Power Gem, but it is comfortably 2HKOed by Draco Meteor anyway. Choice Specs provides the power that makes this set so threatening, but if its locking effect is not appealing, Dialga can use a Life Orb as an alternative item to power up its attacks. If using Life Orb, Stealth Rock is an option in the last slot so that Dialga can act as an offensive lead. Be aware that if you're looking for a bulky attacker, Choice Specs is definitely the better option. On the other hand, a Timid nature with maximum Speed is usable if you want Dialga to Speed tie with all base 90 Pokemon.</p>

<p>Blissey and Chansey are the only surefire counters to Choice Specs Dialga, as Dialga lacks any reliable way of KOing the pink blobs. Rock Arceus in sand can take a Draco Meteor—although it still won't enjoy it—and use Recover to heal off the damage. Otherwise, one will have to rely on prediction to prevent a switch-in from becoming horribly mutilated by one of Dialga's attacks. Dialga's low Speed also makes it rather susceptible to faster revenge killers packing super effective moves. Finally, the Special Attack drop Draco Meteor causes allows bulky threats such as Arceus to set up easily. Therefore, Terrakion is a good partner, as it easily scares away Blissey and Chansey, while Rock Arceus will not enjoy taking it on either. Excadrill is also a good teammate, as it easily outspeeds Rock Arceus in a sandstorm and buries it with its powerful Earthquake. While not sweeping in sandstorm, Excadrill is a good spinner for rain teams, which Dialga also thrives in as rain makes Thunder 100% accurate. As Dialga is weak to Fighting- and Ground-type moves, Giratina-O is an excellent partner due to its immunity to both types; as a bonus, it can also block Rapid Spin. Lugia is another defensive Pokemon that can easily switch into attacks targeted at Dialga, while Dialga has no problem switching into Thunders directed at Lugia.</p>

<p>Dialga's powerful wallbreaking abilities attract two other kinds of teammates, namely entry hazard setters and cleaners. With entry hazards, Dialga finds it a lot easier to break down walls. Deoxys-S is possibly the best entry hazard layer for offensive teams, while Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Forretress can use their bulk to set up Spikes and Stealth Rock for more balanced ones. As Dialga's main attack is its Dragon STAB, it tends to lure in Steel-types and damage them heavily. This makes sweepers such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Rayquaza, Dragon Arceus, Choice Scarf Salamence, and Garchomp much more dangerous.</p>

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

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dialga's monstrous Special Attack often eclipses its deceptively dangerous base 120 Attack. With significant EV investment in both Attack and Special Attack, as well as ridiculously powerful coverage moves, it is no wonder that Dialga is one of the most difficult Pokemon to wall in the entire game. With a Life Orb equipped, Draco Meteor from 438 Special Attack will quickly crush all but pink blobs and specially defensive Steel-types. The former Pokemon can easily be defeated by Dialga's physical move of choice; both Outrage and Brick Break can 2HKO most Blissey and Chansey after Stealth Rock damage. Outrage is preferred due to its superior power and coverage, but Brick Break can be used if you do not like locking Dialga in; it also boasts the ability to hit Heatran for super effective damage. Fire Blast absolutely annihilates most Steel-types, but it does come at the price of being nerfed in rain.</p>

<p>Thunder can be used in the final slot to hit Steel-types and is extremely useful in the rain to smash down Kyogre. However, Bulk Up opens up many opportunities for Dialga; not only does it allow Dialga to become progressively more dangerous, but it can also be used to lure in certain threats, such as Groudon, which is the best counter to defensive Bulk Up Dialga. Groudon will readily switch into Dialga after it uses Bulk Up, only to be met with a Life Orb-boosted Draco Meteor, which will OHKO any Groudon that don't significantly invest in Special Defense and severely cripple even those that do. Bulk Up also allows Dialga to comfortably tank an unboosted Garchomp's Earthquake and OHKO in return with its Dragon-type STAB attack.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>There are many ways to EV mixed Dialga, and your pick should depend on your team. The spread listed above allows Dialga to hit extremely hard both physically and specially. With maximum Attack investment, Dialga can 2HKO most Blissey and Chansey with Outrage or Brick Break, as well as OHKOing 252/0 Kyogre and Ho-Oh with Outrage. Dialga can also invest in Speed; a Hasty nature and 192 Speed EVs allow it to outspeed neutral base 95s, most notably Adamant Swords Dance Rayquaza. Keep in mind, however, that most Rayquaza run a Speed-boosting nature. Dialga can even run a spread of 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe with a Hasty nature to Speed tie with all base 90 Pokemon. On the other hand, Dialga can drop its Speed to the absolute minimum with a spread of 120 HP / 136 Atk / 252 SpA and a Quiet nature; such a spread allows it to survive attacks such as Choice Scarf Garchomp's Earthquake and Life Orb Mewtwo's Aura Sphere and OHKO in return with Draco Meteor. Quiet Dialga is also usable on a Trick Room team and can even forgo its last move to set up the field effect itself. Another thing to consider when running Trick Room Dialga is to lower its level to 99; this allows Dialga to outspeed uninvested Scizor in Trick Room.</p>

<p>It is also worthy to note that Dialga is probably the best Shell Smash recipient in the game. It resists all forms of priority aside from the rare Vacuum Wave and Mach Punch and is also immune to Toxic Spikes. Should Dialga be a designated SmashPass recipient, it should fully maximize its Speed to outrun virtually everything. Gorebyss, Smeargle, and the rarer Huntail are the only Pokemon that can pass Shell Smash, but all three can do it admirably. Should Dialga receive a Shell Smash safely, your opponent should start praying to a deity for divine intervention, because not even Arceus will be able to stop it.</p>

<p>Life Orb is the preferred item as it allows Dialga to hit as hard as possible while keeping the ability to switch moves. Quiet Dialga can also consider Expert Belt, as it helps preserve Dialga's bulk while still allowing it to break the walls it is supposed to. An Adamant Orb can be used to bluff a Choice item, while Leftovers can help Dialga survive for even longer. Other moves, however, are generally outclassed by the options listed. Dragon Tail allows Dialga to shuffle switch-ins and is rather effective with multiple layers of entry hazards. Earthquake is a decent fourth move, as it allows Dialga to 2HKO Jirachi and OHKO Heatran; the latter can be OHKOed by Earth Power too. If your team really hates Ho-Oh, Stone Edge and Power Gem are options to clip the phoenix's wings. Again, Stealth Rock is always an option should nothing else on your team be able to set it up, but it is a big waste of Dialga's talents.</p>

<p>As with all wallbreakers, Dialga appreciates entry hazard support. Deoxys-S is the premier offensive Spikes setter, while Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Forretress work very well on more balanced teams. Giratina-O easily blocks Rapid Spin and switches into attacks super effective on Dialga, while ChestoRest Giratina can spinblock while remaining a dangerous threat. As for sweepers, those that can take advantage of the holes that Dialga punches make good teammates. Extreme Killer Arceus, Rayquaza, Dragon Arceus, Choice Scarf Salamence, and Garchomp can all take advantage of the ravaging of Steel-types. Sweepers that synergize well with Dialga are fine choices too; Mewtwo resists Fighting-type attacks, while Flying-types such as the aforementioned Rayquaza can easily capitalize on incoming Ground-type attacks.</p>

[SET]
name: Bulk Up + RestTalk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Bulk Up
move 4: Outrage / Dragon Claw
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set takes advantage of Dialga's numerous resistances, well-distributed defensive stats, great neutral STAB coverage, and access to Bulk Up. By boosting its Attack and Defense, Dialga can power up its attacks while increasing its physical bulk. After Dialga manages to set up Bulk Up, it can be almost impenetrable on the physical side. For example, it can easily survive a Choice Band Close Combat from Terrakion and OHKO with +1 Outrage. Rest lets a weakened Dialga heal itself, while Sleep Talk enables it to remain threatening. The RestTalk combination also allows Dialga to absorb Dark Void from Darkrai. Outrage gives Dialga more power but locks Dialga in when it is used, except when selected by Sleep Talk; alternatively, Dragon Claw can be used if you want reliability instead of more PP and power.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>As Dialga will be boosting its Defense via Bulk Up, maximum Special Defense helps it cushion most special attacks. Dragon Tail can be used with entry hazard support, but it is generally an inferior option as it is quite weak. Furthermore, some phazers outspeed Dialga anyway, which makes it useless. Dialga can, however, run 164 Spe EVs to outspeed uninvested Lugia. In particular, a set of Bulk Up, Dragon Tail, Earthquake, and Substitute, along with entry hazard support, puts lots of pressure on stall teams that use phazing as their main way of dealing with Bulk Up Dialga.</p>

<p>As sturdy as Bulk Up Dialga might be, there are still Pokemon that can break through its defenses. Groudon can easily set up alongside Dialga with Bulk Up or Swords Dance and smash it with Earthquake; Ground Arceus can do a similar job with Calm Mind. Excadrill and Lucario both resist Outrage, can set up Swords Dance, and OHKO +1 Dialga with Earthquake and Close Combat, respectively. Sacred Sword Terrakion can 2HKO Dialga irrespective of its Defense boosts, while Outrage cannot OHKO Terrakion without Defense drops. On the special side, Reshiram OHKOes with sun- and Choice Specs-boosted Blue Flare. Fighting Arceus can boost up with Calm Mind, take relatively little from Outrage, and 2HKO with Judgment. Heatran can use Taunt to stop Dialga from setting up or recovering and 3HKO with Flamethrower. Skarmory and Lugia can both phaze Dialga, although they cannot stop it if Dialga is the last Pokemon. Therefore, Giratina, Giratina-O, and Kyogre are excellent teammates to run alongside Dialga due to their ability to defeat these Pokemon. Water Arceus is also a good teammate to Dialga, as it can easily take on Heatran and Reshiram and is bulky enough to deal with Lucario, Excadrill, and Terrakion.</p>

<p>Phazers are also significant threats to Bulk Up Dialga. As Dialga has no Attack investment, it is quite weak initially. Skarmory and Lugia have absolutely no problems forcing Dialga out with Whirlwind or Dragon Tail, unless Dialga itself is running Dragon Tail, in which case Skarmory will be forced out first. Groudon and Hippowdon take little from Outrage and can Roar Dialga out as well. Various Arceus formes, such as Steel Arceus, have no problems taking on and phazing out Dialga. It should be noted, however, that should Dialga be the last Pokemon, it cannot be forced out, and any team lacking a win condition will be in trouble. Perish Song is probably the best win condition, as it ensures that Dialga is KOed in three turns; its most common user is defensive Normal Arceus. Tricking Dialga a Choice Scarf also effectively neuters it; Darkrai and Mewtwo are effective users of this strategy.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Thunder
move 3: Fire Blast / Aura Sphere
move 4: Dragon Pulse
item: Choice Scarf
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 52 HP / 252 SpA / 204 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Dialga's lackluster Speed can be fixed with a Choice Scarf, which allows it to reach 400 Speed. While faster Dragon-types such as Palkia and Salamence exist, Dialga's main attraction is its typing. Its resistance to ExtremeSpeed allows it to check Swords Dance Rayquaza and weakened Extreme Killer Arceus, though keep in mind that Draco Meteor cannot KO a healthy Arceus, and if Arceus has Recover, Dialga loses. It is also one of the revenge killers to Tail Glow Manaphy; offensive sets are OHKOed by Thunder, while bulkier ones fail to OHKO Dialga in return. Draco Meteor is the primary attack, as with Stealth Rock in play, it easily OHKOes Darkrai, Reshiram, Zekrom, Rayquaza, Dragon Arceus, Garchomp, and unboosted Mewtwo. Thunder 2HKOes Lugia and Ho-Oh after Stealth Rock and inflicts severe damage on Kyogre. Fire Blast prevents Steel-types from switching in freely, while Aura Sphere nails Heatran and Tyranitar for super effective damage. Lastly, Dragon Pulse gives Dialga a way of dealing consistent damage. </p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>A Modest nature is preferred so that Dialga is strong enough to revenge kill the threats it should defeat. The Speed EVs allow Dialga to outspeed neutral-natured Deoxys-A. The advantage of outspeeding Adamant Dragon Dance Rayquaza and Naive Deoxys-A might be lost, but Rayquaza generally runs a Speed-boosting nature anyway, while Deoxys-A tends to run a Rash nature. Nonetheless, Dialga can use a Timid nature and maximum Speed if outspeeding all Deoxys-A is critical; in addition, maximum Speed Dialga Speed ties with all Choice Scarf base 90s. In terms of other options, Outrage can be run in the last slot to 2HKO non-defensive variants of Calm Mind Kyogre, as well as to 2HKO Blissey after some prior damage.</p>

<p>Choice Scarf Dialga might be faster than most Pokemon, but it does lose to other Choice Scarf users, such as Palkia, Garchomp, Terrakion, and Darkrai, as well as Dragon Dance Rayquaza. Groudon can handle Garchomp, Terrakion, and Rayquaza most of the time, but it can be worn down due to its lack of recovery. Scizor can switch into Darkrai safely and OHKO it with U-turn or deal major damage with Bullet Punch; if Sleep Clause is activated, various Arceus formes can easily set up on it. Finally, be very cautious of Wobbuffet, as it can easily revenge kill Choice-locked Dialga.</p>

<p>Blissey and Chansey don't fear anything from this set. Lugia and Ho-Oh are both problematic if rain is not up, as is opposing defensive Dialga. Ferrothorn can take any attack not named Fire Blast and set up Spikes or use Leech Seed. Defensive Arceus and Groudon can take any attack; the latter can subsequently OHKO Dialga with Earthquake. Kyogre can check defensive Arceus, Ho-Oh, Lugia, and Groudon with its powerful Water-type strikes, Giratina-O can handle Groudon and set up on opponents locked into Fighting- or Ground-type moves, while Lugia covers Dialga's weaknesses and checks Choice Scarf Palkia, Choice Scarf Garchomp, and Dragon Dance Rayquaza. </p>

[Other Options]

<p>Dialga has a wide movepool and hence a variety of other options. Psych Up allows Dialga to copy stat boosts from Calm Mind Kyogre and Arceus. Flash Cannon is a decent auxiliary STAB attack, but Steel is a poor offensive type. Choice Specs Ice Beam allows Dialga to OHKO Groudon without resorting to Draco Meteor or Overheat, but it is otherwise a generally poor choice. Iron Head can surprise Tyranitar and Calm Mind Rock Arceus but is rather useless otherwise. A Choice Band set could work, but it is outclassed by Zekrom, which has STAB Electric-type attacks at its disposal to break through Lugia. Dialga's typing gives it a niche as a Choice Band user, though.</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 to run Bulk Up alongside Magnet Rise, then use an EV spread of 116 HP / 252 Atk / 140 Spe; this allows Dialga to use 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. However, this is not recommended, as Groudon can use Dragon Tail to force Dialga out. Air Balloon keeps Dialga safe from Ground-type moves for a turn and lets it avoid Spikes; it might be viable on the mixed set. The power loss is significant, though.</p>

<p>Fully defensive EV spreads are usable, but other Pokemon outclass Dialga as walls. Groudon, Skarmory, Wallceus, and Lugia outclass it as physical walls, while Blissey and Chansey are better special walls. Dialga's main strength lies its ability to take a hit or two and strike back hard, not to sponge attacks.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Dialga is ridiculously hard to counter in the strictest sense due to its versatility, wide coverage, and enormous offensive stats. Calm Mind Rock Arceus in the sand is probably the best counter to offensive Dialga; it can sponge special attacks relatively easily while racking up Calm Mind boosts and can use Will-O-Wisp to cripple mixed variants. However, it is rather useless against defensive variants. The Bulk Up + RestTalk set can easily boost up, Rest off damage, and take out Rock Arceus with Outrage, while support Dialga that carry Toxic can simply cripple Rock Arceus unless it has Refresh. Calm Mind Steel Arceus also counters Dialga in rain fairly well, but it needs to watch out for Choice Specs-boosted Aura Sphere, which is an easy 2HKO. Blissey and Chansey can take on all purely special attacking variants. Tyranitar can take on most special attacking Dialga, provided they don't carry Aura Sphere. In the sun, Ho-Oh can take most attacks from Dialga and roast it with Sacred Fire. It does need to watch out for Outrage, though. While Lugia cannot do much to Dialga, Dialga cannot hurt Lugia much in return if it lacks Thunder.</p>

<p>In general, specially bulky Steel-types are good checks to Dialga. If rain is up, Jirachi can take most attacks that Dialga dishes out, with the exception of Choice Specs Fire Blast or the rare Earth Power or Earthquake on the mixed set. In the sun, Heatran defeats all variants of Dialga that lack Aura Sphere, Brick Break, Earth Power, or Earthquake, as it can either 3HKO with Flamethrower or use Taunt to shut down Bulk Up variants.</p>

<p>Outside of the listed Pokemon, prediction and preying on its low Speed are the main ways to defeat Dialga. As bulky as Dialga is, it cannot stand up to powerful super effective STAB attacks, including Earthquake from Groudon, Garchomp, Ground Arceus, and Excadrill, Close Combat from Terrakion and Lucario, and Judgment from Ground and Fighting Arceus. Be aware, however, that all of these attackers—with the exception of Groudon—require a boosting item to OHKO Dialga that invest in bulk. Apart from Garchomp, all of them have the ability to take on Bulk Up RestTalk Dialga as well. Offensive Groudon and Ground Arceus can either use Swords Dance and Earthquake to decimate Dialga or simply wear it down with repeated Earthquakes. Excadrill and Lucario boast a resistance to Outrage and can use Swords Dance and then their respective STAB attacks to defeat Dialga. Terrakion requires Sacred Sword to be able to take down Bulk Up Dialga. In the sun, Choice Specs Reshiram will always be able to OHKO Dialga with Blue Flare, although it cannot switch into Dialga easily.</p>

[Unreleased]

<p>Dialga gained nothing in Dream World other than Telepathy, which is useless in singles competitive play.</p>

gpstamp

GP APPROVED 2/2

If you write up more sets, just shoot me a VM or PM and I'll happily GP them.
 
Just a nitpick:
Last paragraph of OO said:
Fully defensive EV spreads are usable, but other Pokemon outclass Dialga as walls. Groudon, Skarmory, Wallceus defensive Arceus, and Lugia outclass it as physical walls, while Blissey and Chansey are better special walls. Dialga's main strength lies its ability to take a hit or two and strike back hard, not to sponge attacks.
 
Just a nitpick:
Last paragraph of OO said:
Fully defensive EV spreads are usable, but other Pokemon outclass Dialga as walls. Groudon, Skarmory, defensive Arceus, and Lugia outclass it as physical walls, while Blissey and Chansey are better special walls. Dialga's main strength lies in its ability to take a hit or two and strike back hard, not to sponge attacks.
Nitpick of a nitpick.
 
Thanks for those nitpicks. Stalfos, I'm not going to implement that check just yet, since Theorymon wants to see some sets changed.

However, I am going to talk to the rest of QC about Theorymon's proposed changes first before I do anything.
 
I have to say I dont get the point about splitting Specs Dialga and Pure special attacking Dialga. They both function extremely similarly with a large emphasis on heavy offensive wall breaking.

Also, the speed investment for the LO Dialga set is a weird one. All of the LO Dialga's I've seen till date are basically Speed creeping with 168 to 200 Spe EVs with the occasional 252 Spe Timid. So, the question is do we make LO Dialga gravitate towards bulk or speed ? Most players try to go for a combination of both with a floating Speed EVs and rest in bulk. Not really sure how to handle the EV spread issue.
 
I do think the special attacker set works much more in line with Specs than it does the mixed attacking set, not to mention that the mixed set has way too much stuff in it already o_0. The mixed attacker, after all, IS mixed, not just a special attacker. Specs, on the other hand, is a pure special attacker.

They both function extremely similarly with a large emphasis on heavy offensive wall breaking.

I will agree with this. Mixed set attacks from both sides. Special attacker is getting its butt kicked by Blissey. Also, since shrang is doing a concision I think we should just keep the Specs and Special Attacker in one set. Both Specs or Life Orb Special attacking Dialga have similar roles in their team.

I will say remove all the Speed investment for every Dialga set but Scarf. This Speed Creep issue is horrible and unlike Reshiram, Dialga has a much better typing to make use of its bulk. Keep only 4 Speed EVs for all the Offensive sets minus Scarf. Just mention max Speed Timid in AC, and it is generally the inferior spread for Dialga.

With max Speed, Dialga does not get to outspeed anything important anyway. You outspeed Jolly Excadrill outside of sand but most of them run less Speed in rain teams. If you use Timid, Dialga will now fail to OHKO Support Groudon with LO Draco Meteor which sucks. 4 Speed EVs is all Offensive Dialga needs in this analysis as Support Groudon runs 0 Speed EVs in the analysis.

Trick Room Dialga uses the exact same moves and EV spread as the Mixed Attacker. This could be a problem and pure Trick Room teams never work well in Ubers. I don't like Choice Band Dialga because it is not exactly that strong and slow. Max HP Arceus still beat you anyway because it can spam Recover till you confuse yourself. Those with Will-O-Wisp can just burn you. Zekrom has much higher Attack and Bolt Strike.

Choice Band Dialga isn't revenged killed as easily but you get walled by Lugia, Hippowdon, Arceus, Skarmory ( Overheat is a BS weak move to use on CB Dialga, turning you into set up bait next turn ) and Groudon owns you with Earthquake. CB Zekrom can break through all the afromentioned walls with the correct prediction. Surprise factor can be fun but CB Dialga can easily get walled by things it shouldn't such as Forretress.

Maybe Dialga's bulk does make it a great Choice Bander but things like Excadrill and Terrakion are getting more common these days. If you are stuck on Outrage, Dialga is dead.
 
I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post here but I just wanted to say I'm dissapointed in the lack of a TR Dialga. I scrolled through and believe I saw Theorymon mention it, but considering it's one of the few mons in Ubers that can learn and work in TR I believe it deserves an analysis.
 
I did mention TR Dialga in the mixed attacker set, but I'm not sure if a Trick Room set itself deserves its own set, the previous thread (by trickroom) gave me the impression that a mention in the mixed set is enough.
 
Dialga can set up Trick Room and utilize all the 4 turns fully but like what I mentioned previously pure TR teams are shaky in Ubers.

That is why I just mentioned it in AC for the Mixed Dialga set because they used the exact same moves and EV spread. Almost everyone agreed on that anyway because TR Dialga is a fine set but TR strategy isn't. It is previously slashed in the last slot but since it is almost never used ( Dialga has so many slashes already ), Trick Room is moved to AC.

After 10 battles with CB Dialga, it isn't awesome at all. Barry4ever, Hugendugen, jrrrrrr and even shrang saw that. CB Dialga is usable but why wouldn't you just use Choice Specs or BU Dialga if you wish to attack from the physical side.

Bulk Up Dialga beats everything Choice Band beats and you get to beat a lot more thing such as Defensive Arceus, Lugia in the end and Skarmory. That immediate power isn't all that amazing anyway and besides Outrage, all of Dialga's physical coverage moves is horrible. Seriously Dialga's Special movepool is way greater and has a much higher Special Attack stat.
 
Nitpick: The bulk up set.
<p>As sturdy as Bulk Up Dialga might be, there are still Pokemon that can break through its defenses. Groudon can easily set up alongside Dialga with Bulk Up or Swords Dance and smash it with Earthquake; Ground Arceus can do a similar job, with Calm Mind letting it ignore Groudon's Defense boosts.
I think the bolded part should be Dialga, not Groudon.
Check and counters.
Apart from Garchomp, all of the have the ability to take on Bulk Up RestTalk Dialga as well. Offensive Groudon and Ground Arceus can either use Swords Dance and Earthquake to decimate Dialga or simply wear it down with repeated Earthquakes.
them not the.
By the way, I would also like to say that in Giratina's other options Magic Coat is mentioned. However, Giratina can only use Magic Coat in its origin forme. The mention of Magic Coat should be removed.
 
actually user Trickroom, I've had a lot of success lately with mostly pure Trick Room teams in Ubers, so I'm not sure what your problem with it is! The two reasons I think Trick Room Dialga should be a separate set from mixed Dialga are A: This Dialga has a different playstyle than mixed Dialga. Mixed Dialga is more about wall breaking, while TR Dialga can actually sweep. B: It has different teammates, usually paired with slow powerful sweepers like Kyogre, Groudon, Zekrom, ect. Also about the whole "same evs" thing, the mixed Dialga evs in general need to be changed. I know you objected to the whole speed creep thing, but mixed Dialga needs more speed, because losing to a support Groudon speed tie is really not acceptable! Personally I would just go with Mild max Speed max SpA 4 Atk, and mention bulkier spreads as an alternative. Specs can get away with this, because its more of a hit and run attacker, while support Dialga shouldn't really bother with Groudon in general.

As for Choice Band Dialga, yes Dialga's physical movepool isn't nearly as good as the special movepool, but again, that typing + a strong Outrage is more than enough for it to crawl out of other options in my experence. Also note that it has Overheat for Skarmory! Sure, stuff like Excadrill and Terrakion are getting more common, but thanks to team preview, you'll know exactly when you can and can't spam Outrage!
 
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