[OVERVIEW]
Palkia takes full advantage of many of the metagame's core elements: widespread rain due to the ubiquity of Kyogre, Dragon-type moves only being resisted by Steel-types, and many of the tier's top threats sitting at base 90 Speed. With one of the highest Special Attack stats in the game, Palkia's STAB Water-type moves are vicious for any team to deal with in rain. Its Dragon-type STAB moves complement this and make for a nearly perfect offensive type combination, but Palkia's deep pool of coverage options elevates its offensive potential even further. Thunder, Fire Blast, and Focus Punch all help to ensure that no Pokémon is truly safe to switch in. Palkia also has a respectable base 120 Attack stat, allowing Focus Punch to be a viable option for hitting special walls like Blissey or support Dialga, as well as giving Outrage and Aqua Tail a niche on mixed attacking sets. Palkia's wide reach extends to its defensive utility, as it possesses a coveted 4x Water resistance, making it one of the most reliable counters to Kyogre, and can withstand a variety of neutral attacks given its solid bulk, making revenge killing Palkia even more difficult. The cherry on top for this Pokémon is its base 100 Speed stat, allowing it to outrun the many base 90 Speed Pokémon that define the tier as well as the considerably fast Rayquaza. One of Palkia's few flaws is its Dragon weakness, which can be difficult to manage in a tier where Latios, Latias, and Garchomp are common threats and Pokémon like Dialga commonly run Choice Scarf. Additionally, Palkia is ruined by status conditions, as paralysis undermines its markedly great Speed, fitting Sleep Talk to absorb Dark Void is very difficult, and either Poison or Burn wear away at it quickly with the aid of entry hazards.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Surf / Hydro Pump
move 2: Spacial Rend
move 3: Thunder
move 4: Fire Blast / Draco Meteor / Outrage
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid / Hasty
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Palkia's Water-type STAB moves make it incredibly threatening mid- and late-game with Kyogre easily setting rain and being a common Pokémon in its own right. Using Surf is generally a safe option even when the opponent has Dragon-types, since Palkia's immense power ensures targets like Giratina-O and offensive Dialga don't enjoy the prospect of switching in as they lack good recovery options. Similarly, specially defensive Groudon sets find switching into Palkia difficult even when using sun to weaken Water-type moves. Hydro Pump, while less accurate, comes with the upside of scoring important OHKOs on Darkrai after Stealth Rock, Mewtwo after Stealth Rock in rain, and Skarmory in rain. This can ease prediction and turn Hydro Pump into a catch-all move capable of ripping through offensive teams even without a boost. However, Hydro Pump falls short against the many Pressure Pokémon in the tier, as several top tier threats can find ways to quickly drain Hydro Pump's 8 PP, especially after factoring in its shaky accuracy. Protect Dialga sets, Calm Mind Mewtwo, and Giratina can all potentially stall out Hydro Pump and force Palkia to switch, giving them free turns to either set up or attack the incoming Pokémon. Spacial Rend is a fantastic Dragon-type move with more power than Dragon Pulse while lacking the stat-lowering effect of Draco Meteor and should never be dropped from Palkia's sets. Although it's not boosted from weather in the same way as Surf or Hydro Pump, Spacial Rend provides valuable neutral coverage against most of the tier and hits most Water resists for great amounts of damage. Since it doesn't have the Special Attack-lowering effect of Draco Meteor, it's a very safe move to use in most situations and allows Palkia to fill the role of a late-game cleaner on a team; most of the Pokémon that might check Palkia don't do so well against its STAB moves toward the end of a battle.
Thunder is an excellent tool for hitting the Pokémon that otherwise counters this set in Kyogre. Whereas Spacial Rend can barely muster a 3HKO against offensive Kyogre sets, Thunder easily 2HKOs Kyogre and gives Palkia super effective coverage against Manaphy and Lugia while benefitting from rain making it perfectly accurate. The last moveslot for this set is quite flexible, and most teams allow Palkia to fit any of the following moves onto its set. Fire Blast is particularly useful for situations where sun is active and Palkia needs a move to hit Steel-type Pokémon or for the few Grass-type Pokémon like Shaymin-S. Draco Meteor is a great option that can score a couple of extra KOs on key targets, such as Giratina and Latias after Stealth Rock damage, and Latios, which always lives Spacial Rend after Stealth Rock damage. Outrage is another option that can do similar damage to the Lati twins but also comes with the advantage of 2HKOing Blissey after Stealth Rock damage, allowing Palkia to use its serviceable Attack stat to catch Blissey trying to switch into Hydro Pump or Spacial Rend. However, the clear downside is that Outrage locks the user into it for 2-3 turns, making it a risky move to use outside of late-game scenarios.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment allows Palkia to make the most out of its titanic offensive stats. Its Speed in particular is great as it outspeeds the many base 90 Speed Pokémon of the tier in Dialga, Kyogre, both Giratina forms, Ho-Oh, and Groudon, leveraging this advantage to force opposing Pokémon to switch out to something else or stay in and take hefty damage for their efforts. Palkia also notably outspeeds Rayquaza, which is considered fast for its ability to outrun the aforementioned Pokémon. The choice of nature is also important here since Outrage can be run on Choice Scarf sets; Hasty is used to neither lower Palkia's Attack nor Special Defense, allowing its Outrages to do substantial damage without sacrificing the ability to take on common special attackers like Kyogre and Darkrai. Choice Scarf is great for a Pokémon like Palkia that rarely runs a non-attacking move; being able to outspeed the tier's fastest threats in Darkrai, Mewtwo, and Deoxys-A is incredibly valuable for a Pokémon not often wanting for more power.
Usage Tips
========
Choice Scarf Palkia is at its best when taking advantage of teams that have their Steel-type or special wall weakened. Naturally, this set performs well as a late-game cleaner since it can't always output the damage to 2HKO everything the opponent throws at it, especially when being locked into a move from Choice Scarf makes Palkia far more exploitable for bulky revenge killers. As a result, Palkia pairs incredibly well with entry hazards since its shallow pool of checks are all affected adversely by Stealth Rock and Spikes. Kyogre only fears Palkia's Thunder or Outrage, but wearing it down with hazards over a longer period of time makes switching into something like Spacial Rend far more difficult, which is very realistic given that Palkia is often used alongside Spikes setters. Similarly, Bronzong can normally check Palkia by living a rain-boosted Surf then threatening it with Explosion, but with the high-powered nature of the metagame, that becomes less feasible over time as Bronzong gets overwhelmed by the many Pokémon it's tasked with switching into. Even the stalwart Blissey doesn't appreciate taking rain-boosted Hydro Pumps after some hazard damage, becoming more of a check than a counter after just a little bit of chip damage. Furthermore, Palkia can be used to stop attempts from the opponent to set up and sweep late-game with the likes of Dragon Dance Rayquaza or Calm Mind Mewtwo by threatening to outspeed and KO them, preventing them from leveraging their speed to deal with offensive teams. Palkia can also position itself to beat Garchomp if the Palkia user has a Steel-type Pokémon still alive, as Garchomp requires a hefty amount of prior damage to KO Palkia with Earthquake and often runs a Choice Scarf of its own, making it pick between hitting one Pokémon or the other.
Team Options
========
Palkia's extensive offensive reach lends it useful for most offensive teams; its talents as both a Choice Scarf user and powerful Dragon-type attacker are essential to teams looking to continuously apply offensive pressure on the opponent's team. Kyogre is Palkia's most common partner as it provides rain to both enhance the power of Palkia's Surf and Hydro Pump while making Thunder perfectly accurate. They also share a similar list of checks in Dialga, Latios and Latias, and Blissey, so they can either overload them or become incredibly dangerous together with teammates that can remove those checks. Bronzong is also a great teammate as it benefits from Kyogre's rain effectively removing its sole Fire weakness, can set Stealth Rock to wear down Palkia's checks, and can switch into the many powerful Dragon-type moves aimed at Palkia. Kabutops and Kingdra take advantage of rain similarly to Palkia, and can pair with it to form dangerous offensive rain structures, working with Palkia to outspeed most of the metagame and be arduous to switch into.
Deoxys-S is a great teammate since it serves as a reliable lead for many offensive teams and can set Spikes to chip away at Pokémon like Dialga, Kyogre, and Groudon. Giratina-O is useful for using Shadow Sneak to wear down Pokémon that Palkia comes just short of KOing in Latios and Mewtwo, and spinblocks to maintain the hazards Palkia appreciates so much. Mewtwo is useful for either crippling physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp or using Self-Destruct to remove Blissey, the only true counter to this set. Interestingly, Palkia can pair quite well with Groudons since teams using it are often left wanting for measures to deal with Kyogre, often resorting to the Ice-weak Latias. Palkia provides these teams with valuable counterplay to Kyogre and can use Fire Blast in its last moveslot to take advantage of Groudon's sun.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf / Fire Blast
move 2: Spacial Rend
move 3: Thunder
move 4: Substitute / Focus Punch / Draco Meteor
item: Lustrous Orb / Lum Berry / Haban Berry
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid / Hasty
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Palkia's massive Special Attack paired with the common rain set by Kyogre turns its STAB Hydro Pump into a fierce offensive tool with the potential to 2HKO several top Pokémon that would otherwise switch into it. Surf, while far weaker, still hits plenty hard in rain and comes without the unreliable accuracy of Hydro Pump. Additionally, Surf's greater PP allows it to be used far more in the faces of the tier's many Pressure Pokémon and doesn't need to be heavily considered in faster-paced games. Curiously, Fire Blast is a useful move on Palkia as it can find itself on teams with Groudon, with sun powering up Fire Blast's damage against Steel-type Pokémon that most of Palkia's other moves can't to compare to. The only issue with this is that Palkia's other moves are far too important to drop from its moveset, so it's Water-type moves end up competing for a slot with Fire Blast. Spacial Rend is a fantastic move as it lacks the Special Attack-lowering effect of Draco Meteor and is slightly more accurate. Due to the overwhelming offensive presence of Dragon-types, the lower base power doesn't make Spacial Rend obsolete and the move finds itself useful on any specially attacking set. Thunder is crucial for its ability to hit Water- and Flying-types, and its synergy with Dragon-type moves makes it incredibly useful for an offensive threat of Palkia's caliber. Thunder can't be dropped in favor of Fire Blast as the ability to threaten Kyogre is far too important for sun teams.
The last slot is quite variable as not being confined to a Choice item provides Palkia with the flexibility to run a wide array of moves depending on the needs of its team. Substitute is a surprisingly effective tool against teams aiming to mitigate Palkia's offensive presence through status as well as absorbing Draco Meteors and lowering the Special Attack of any Pokémon using them. It can also be used to take advantage of the many switches Palkia pressures the opponent into, allowing Palkia to freely weather away at the opposing team quite safely. Focus Punch can be used as a way to hit Blissey, an otherwise perfect counter to Palkia. Blissey often aims to beat Palkia via status, so using Focus Punch against either a status move or Soft-Boiled can turn that matchup on its head, opening many possibilities for Palkia against bulkier teams. Draco Meteor can serve as an additional Dragon-type STAB move that picks up a few KOs that Spacial Rend misses out on, notably against support Dialga and support Groudon. Notably, two consecutive Draco Meteors do more damage than two Spacial Rends, making the Special Attack drop less impactful overall. Substitute and Focus Punch can fit on the same set to more reliably handle special walls like Blissey and support Dialga, however SubPunch sets must forgo Thunder as its STAB moves are far too important for teams that appreciate SubPunch Palkia. Finally, Outrage always 2HKOs Blissey with the boost from Lustrous Orb irrespective of entry hazard damage.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment fully realize Palkia's destructive capabilities, and a Timid nature is crucial for allowing it to outspeed tier staples such as Dialga, Kyogre, Giratina-O, Groudon, and the considerably fast Rayquaza. If Focus Punch or Outrage is being used, a Hasty nature ensures Palkia's Attack isn't compromised while still allowing it to take Kyogre's hits comfortably. Lustrous Orb is the most common item as it provides Palkia with the distinct, immediate breaking power to tear through teams lacking a consistent special wall. Because it boosts all of Palkia's STAB moves, Outrage also receives a boost, which allows Outrage Palkia to 2HKO Blissey at full health. Lum Berry works well on sets using one or both of Substitute and Focus Punch, as Palkia is no longer quickly worn down by status compounded with its own Substitute damage, and the downside of potentially being poisoned or paralyzed by Focus Punch's targets is no longer pertinent. Haban Berry can utilize Palkia's great natural bulk to withstand hits from the likes of Latias, Garchomp, and Dialga, removing the pressure to switch out in the face of faster Dragon-types. This effect can be paired with Substitute to draw out Draco Meteors to break Substitute, then half the damage of the already weakened second Draco Meteor.
Choice Specs is another notable option to turn Palkia into a paragon of Water-type offensive prowess, with its Hydro Pump being favored to 2HKO Blissey in rain, as well as allowing for Spacial Rend to OHKO Latias and Thunder to OHKO offensive Kyogre. Additionally, when using a SubPunch set, an EV spread of 100 Atk / 156 SpA / 252 Spe is recommended, as it allows for an Expert Belt boosted Focus Punch to OHKO Blissey without the need for entry hazard support.
Usage Tips
========
As the set name suggests, this set is most effective when used as a mid-game breaker for offensive rain teams. Once your entry hazards are set, Kyogre should enter the field first to summon rain, a critical piece of Palkia's game plan. Since Palkia is hampered by hazards and status, it's best to exercise caution when switching Palkia into battle, and it should try to find entry points against weaker attacks like Bronzong's Payback or Earthquake and anything that an unboosted Kyogre wants to use. Once Palkia is on the field, the primary goal should be to maximize its damage output as quickly as possible. Although Palkia has decent bulk, it usually only gets one or two chances to switch in and start attacking, so be sure to capitalize on Palkia mid-game as much as possible. Hydro Pump and Spacial Rend are generally safe options to use, as very few Pokémon that can switch into one of those moves are able to switch into the other. Similarly, Groudon switching into Palkia to replace rain with sun isn't always a safe sequence as Spacial Rend requires minimal chip damage to 2HKO support sets. When Palkia's breaking potential is fully realized, it facilitates a late-game sweep from teammates like Kabutops or Garchomp. If a Substitute or SubPunch set is used, take advantage of the switches that Palkia forces by using Substitute on your opponent's switch. This removes many of the few options available to capitalize on Palkia's lack of longevity and often forces the opponent to take significant damage on one or more of their Pokémon.
Team Options
========
Given Palkia's Water typing, it's a natural fit for teams that have a Kyogre. Whether the team is specifically built around rain isn't important, but Palkia benefits from Kyogre due to its rain making Water-type moves even more powerful and Thunder perfectly accurate. Additionally, Kyogre can easily deal with most Groudon sets, allowing the Kyogre user to win the weather war and permanently keep rain up for Palkia. Bronzong also makes for a great partner as it can easily switch into the Dragon-type moves Palkia couldn't dream of handling comfortably. With the ability to set Stealth Rock and use Explosion to remove any special walls, Bronzong facilitates Palkia as a ferocious mid-game threat. Deoxys-S is a great lead for teams that use Palkia as it's the most reliable entry hazard setter in the tier, and the few checks Palkia has become far less resilient when affected by hazards. Giratina-O can further facilitate the use of hazards to Palkia's advantage by consistently spinblocking and revenge killing faster Ghost-weak threats in Latios, Latias, and Mewtwo.
Darkrai is a great option for using Dark Void to further limit a team's options for dealing with Palkia, as being able to further shorten Palkia's list of checks is valuable for any offensive team. Kabutops and Kingdra make for excellent offensive partners on dedicated rain teams, as Palkia can remove slower Dragon-types, Steel-types, and Groudon that would otherwise undermine the late-game sweeping potential of the Swift Swim Pokémon. Rayquaza and Dialga can use a Choice Scarf to deal with the few faster Pokémon since wallbreaker Palkia sets often can't find the opportunity to use a Choice Scarf of their own. Interestingly, Palkia has a solid niche on teams with Groudon as those team strucutres often struggle to deal with Kyogre, typically using the Ice-weak Latias or the recovery-lacking Dialga as checks. Being one of the most consistent Kyogre counters in the tier, Palkia can fit onto sun teams and use Fire Blast over a Water-type move so it can still threaten Kyogre directly.
[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Surf
move 2: Spacial Rend
move 3: Outrage / Thunder / Fire Blast
move 4: Trick Room
item: Lustrous Orb / Haban Berry
ability: Pressure
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
While Palkia's Speed tier is markedly great in the context of the metagame, it often fails to deal with faster offensive threats in Latios, Latias, Garchomp, and Darkrai. Trick Room circumvents this issue, allowing Palkia to focus solely on bombarding opposing teams with powerful STAB moves without switching out in fear of common revenge killers. Surf is Palkia's most consistent attack as Kyogre's rain is extremely common and Palkia's monstrous base 150 Special Attack makes great use of it. Hydro Pump can be used as an alternative Water-type move, and while its significantly higher Base Power is certainly appreciated, its shaky accuracy can undermine the issue of Trick Room's already limited turns to take advantage of. Spacial Rend makes for a nearly perfect offensive combination, as none of the Dragon-types that switch into Water-type moves want to take on Palkia's Dragon-type moves. Spacial Rend is also unique as it's a special Dragon-type move with better Base Power than Dragon Pulse without the drawback of Draco Meteor, allowing for Palkia to easily follow Spacial Rend up with Surf on the next turn.
The last move can be chosen from a few options. Outrage is great for catching Blissey off guard, as staying in for as long as possible is ideal when Trick Room gives its user so few turns to work with. A Physical STAB move with few Pokémon that resist it is great for a set fully focused on offense. Thunder can be used to deal with Kyogre more consistently, as Spacial Rend and even Outrage can struggle to 2HKO a healthy Kyogre. Fire Blast can be used to adapt to situations where Groudon replaces rain with sun, giving Palkia a move that can hit Steel-types effectively and still gets boosted by weather. Focus Punch shouldn't be run on this set, as while being able to hit Blissey even harder might sound enticing, its negative priority contradicts the idea behind running Trick Room on this set.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP and Special Attack investment are ideal for this set, as investing into Palkia's Speed is entirely unnecessary when running Trick Room. A Quiet nature with 0 Speed IVs ensures Palkia's Speed is as low as possible, hitting 184, to outrun most Pokémon with Trick Room active. Lustrous Orb is great for allowing Palkia to set itself apart from its competition offensively, boosting all of its STAB moves with no drawback. Haban Berry can also be used to shrug off many of the tier's strongest Dragon-type moves, allowing Palkia to stay on the field longer and utilize Trick Room to the fullest extent possible even if it can't quite OHKO some of its fellow Dragon-types.
Usage Tips
========
As opposed to Palkia's other sets, this requires a turn of setup and as such Palkia needs to find that opportunity against weaker targets. Pokémon like Jirachi, Skarmory, and Kyogre are all great candidates for Palkia to use Trick Room against, as none of them threaten Palkia very directly, and their status moves are far less impactful when Palkia's Speed and longevity aren't valued as much with this set. Sets using Haban Berry further expand this list of Pokémon to set Trick Room against, as Dialga, Latias, and Giratina-O all fail to KO Palkia as it sets up Trick Room. However, Dialga requires prior damage for Palkia to KO it in return after setting Trick Room, with Latias also needing to sustain chip damage if Palkia isn't running Outrage. It's typically a good idea to make sure that rain and all of your team's entry hazards are set before committing to five turns of Trick Room with Palkia, as these two factors bring the best out of Palkia's incredible offensive talents. Once Trick Room is set, outputting as much damage as possible in the quickest fashion is ideal, as it's incredibly difficult for a single Pokémon to set Trick Room twice. Try to avoid switching Palkia out once Trick Room is active, as the turns required to switch it back in and reset Trick Room leave it vulnerable to most attacks even more than the first time it comes in. While this might require some prediction from the Palkia user, the spoils for hammering away at teams with Palkia under the right conditions are tremendous.
Team Options
========
This set is best for fast-paced offensive teams with the goal of smothering the opponent's team with a lot of damage output in a short amount of time. Kyogre pairs excellently with Palkia as rain is the most beneficial form of support for Palkia, allowing its already powerful Water-type STAB moves to hit even harder and giving the otherwise inconsistent Thunder perfect accuracy. Kyogre can also deal with otherwise annoying Pokémon in Groudon and Jirachi, leaving Palkia free to capitalize on the many Pokémon that its offensive typing threatens so heavily. Entry hazard support is also crucial, as something as subtle as one round of Stealth Rock damage gives Palkia a realistic shot at killing the markedly bulky Latios with an unboosted Spacial Rend. While Palkia can use its bulk to set its own Trick Room, teammates that can set Trick Room for it are especially useful in ensuring Palkia doesn't have to withstand an unnecessary hit to do so. Bronzong is great for this role as it synergizes well with Kyogre's rain to neutralize its Fire weakness and its Dragon resistance allowing it to absorb Draco Meteor for its teammates. It can set the crucial Stealth Rock to weather away at Palkia's checks, use Hypnosis to allow it to set Trick Room safely, and use Explosion to both deal substantial damage to any Pokémon that isn't Giratina and allow Palkia to enter the field without taking direct damage. Dialga is also a fantastic teammate as it can work with Palkia to overwhelm the Steel-types that otherwise switch into Dragon-type moves, as well as being able to set Trick Room for itself and Palkia.
Choice Band Tyranitar can function very well on Trick Room teams, as it can Pursuit trap Latios, Latias, and Giratina-O, while firing off Stone Edges and Superpowers that are strong in their own rights. Pokémon with strong priority options are also appreciated, as moves like Giratina-O's Shadow Sneak and Rayquaza's Extreme Speed are important for situations where all of the team's Trick Room beneficiaries have fainted and there's still a turn or two left of Trick Room. This gets around the issue of a potentially slower Pokémon still being on the field in the face of faster teammates from the Palkia user.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Palkia can use a physically based mixed attacking set with Aqua Tail as its Water-type STAB move, and while this can be effective against Pokémon like Blissey and Calm Mind Mewtwo, Palkia's lower Attack and Aqua Tail's meager Base Power make Surf a far more consistent choice. Similarly, Trick Room sets can use a physically based mixed attacking set, but this is more for the surprise factor and having a physical Dragon-type option than anything else. Wallbreaker sets can use Life Orb to power up all of Palkia's moves instead of only those that get STAB, and while a boosted Thunder or Fire Blast has the potential to catch bulkier checks off guard, the recoil isn't usually worth the extra power, especially with how much passive damage Palkia is susceptible to. Bulk Up + 3 attacks Palkia has a few advantages compared to Bulk Up Dialga, mainly in its superior Speed and the ability to get away with a fully offensive EV spread, but it lacks the crucial Steel typing and bulk of its legendary counterpart. Choice Band is good for most of the same reasons as physically based mixed sets, but being walled by most Steel-types goes against what Palkia aims to do entirely, and being locked into a physical move is far from ideal with Palkia's decidedly average Attack stat. Earthquake can be experimented with to handle Jirachi, Dialga, and mid-game Tyranitar, but should be limited to Palkia's Bulk Up and Choice Band sets as it faces too strong of a competition on mixed sets. Sleep Talk can potentially work on Choice item sets to absorb Dark Void, but fitting it onto a set is very difficult when there are so many other attacking moves vying for a moveslot. Palkia's EVs are fairly inflexible as its great Speed is so important for what it aims to do in battle, but if you really want to take out some Speed EVs for a bit of extra bulk, Palkia's Speed should never go below 319 as Rayquaza quickly becomes a nightmare for dedicated rain teams to deal with.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Blissey**: While Palkia's versatility means it has no perfect counters, the premiere special wall naturally does quite well against it. Blissey can easily switch into most of Palkia's special attacks and threatens to either inflict paralysis or poison to undermine Palkia's game plan or force significant damage on it with Seismic Toss. However, Blissey should always be wary of Outrage, Aqua Tail, and Focus Punch.
**Latias**: Latias boasts significantly better Speed, enough bulk to live Spacial Rend after Stealth Rock damage, and the ability to OHKO Palkia with a Dragon Pulse. It takes advantage of non-Haban Berry sets by either forcing them to predict it switching in with Outrage or Draco Meteor or pressuring Palkia to switch out if it's locked into a Water- or Electric-type move from a Choice item.
**Lugia**: Although Lugia isn't the sturdiest answer in the face of Water- or Electric-type moves in rain, it can switch into Palkia's Dragon-type moves and use Roost, Calm Mind, or Toxic to outlast Palkia in a one-on-one situation.
**Dialga**: A Dragon-type neutral to Dragon-type moves naturally takes on Palkia quite well, able to either withstand multiple hits with a support set or offensively threaten Palkia with a Choice Scarf set, which itself doesn't even get 2HKOd by Surf in rain. However, Draco Meteor can be played around if the Palkia user's Steel-type is healthy, and Dragon Pulse requires full Special Attack investment to OHKO Palkia after Stealth Rock damage.
**Groudon**: Groudon shouldn't be a team's primary answer for Palkia, but its support set lives any two attacks from full health and 2HKOs Palkia in return, and Rock Polish sets are heavily favored to OHKO Palkia with Dragon Claw while not being OHKOd by anything itself in sun. Additionally, Groudon can punish Palkia attempting to switch in with Thunder Wave, severely hindering its offensive potential.
**Steel-types**: Bronzong notably takes on a wide range of Dragon-types, and can live two unboosted Hydro Pumps from Palkia, using Stealth Rock or Explosion in response. Jirachi is also a decent check when paired with Groudon's sun, as it can use Thunder Wave to make Palkia far more exploitable for Jirachi's teammates while taking on Palkia's moves quite comfortably.
**Garchomp**: For as great as Palkia's base 100 Speed is, Garchomp just barely gets the jump on it, sporting a Choice Scarf to act as a late-game cleaner itself. Its Dragon Claw OHKOs Palkia after Stealth Rock damage, and even its Earthquake can pick off Palkia after previous chip damage.
**Entry Hazards**: Having no form of reliable recovery, Palkia finds itself quickly worn down by the ever-present Stealth Rock and Spikes, and even the less common Toxic Spikes give it a lot of trouble. This is accented by the popularity of Giratina-O making removing hazards incredibly difficult, so one should be mindful of how much hazard damage is being accumulated on Palkia.
**Status**: Status conditions are similarly irritating for Palkia, with paralysis invalidating its coveted base 100 Speed stat, poison and burn quickly wearing away at Palkia's health with the aid of hazards, and sleep ruining Palkia overall since the teams it's on often can't find the opportunities to burn sleep turns. It's important to pair Palkia with Pokémon that can absorb statuses so Palkia can be as effective of a threat as possible.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/donbonejones.666776/
Quality checked by:
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Grammar checked by:
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Palkia takes full advantage of many of the metagame's core elements: widespread rain due to the ubiquity of Kyogre, Dragon-type moves only being resisted by Steel-types, and many of the tier's top threats sitting at base 90 Speed. With one of the highest Special Attack stats in the game, Palkia's STAB Water-type moves are vicious for any team to deal with in rain. Its Dragon-type STAB moves complement this and make for a nearly perfect offensive type combination, but Palkia's deep pool of coverage options elevates its offensive potential even further. Thunder, Fire Blast, and Focus Punch all help to ensure that no Pokémon is truly safe to switch in. Palkia also has a respectable base 120 Attack stat, allowing Focus Punch to be a viable option for hitting special walls like Blissey or support Dialga, as well as giving Outrage and Aqua Tail a niche on mixed attacking sets. Palkia's wide reach extends to its defensive utility, as it possesses a coveted 4x Water resistance, making it one of the most reliable counters to Kyogre, and can withstand a variety of neutral attacks given its solid bulk, making revenge killing Palkia even more difficult. The cherry on top for this Pokémon is its base 100 Speed stat, allowing it to outrun the many base 90 Speed Pokémon that define the tier as well as the considerably fast Rayquaza. One of Palkia's few flaws is its Dragon weakness, which can be difficult to manage in a tier where Latios, Latias, and Garchomp are common threats and Pokémon like Dialga commonly run Choice Scarf. Additionally, Palkia is ruined by status conditions, as paralysis undermines its markedly great Speed, fitting Sleep Talk to absorb Dark Void is very difficult, and either Poison or Burn wear away at it quickly with the aid of entry hazards.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Surf / Hydro Pump
move 2: Spacial Rend
move 3: Thunder
move 4: Fire Blast / Draco Meteor / Outrage
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid / Hasty
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Palkia's Water-type STAB moves make it incredibly threatening mid- and late-game with Kyogre easily setting rain and being a common Pokémon in its own right. Using Surf is generally a safe option even when the opponent has Dragon-types, since Palkia's immense power ensures targets like Giratina-O and offensive Dialga don't enjoy the prospect of switching in as they lack good recovery options. Similarly, specially defensive Groudon sets find switching into Palkia difficult even when using sun to weaken Water-type moves. Hydro Pump, while less accurate, comes with the upside of scoring important OHKOs on Darkrai after Stealth Rock, Mewtwo after Stealth Rock in rain, and Skarmory in rain. This can ease prediction and turn Hydro Pump into a catch-all move capable of ripping through offensive teams even without a boost. However, Hydro Pump falls short against the many Pressure Pokémon in the tier, as several top tier threats can find ways to quickly drain Hydro Pump's 8 PP, especially after factoring in its shaky accuracy. Protect Dialga sets, Calm Mind Mewtwo, and Giratina can all potentially stall out Hydro Pump and force Palkia to switch, giving them free turns to either set up or attack the incoming Pokémon. Spacial Rend is a fantastic Dragon-type move with more power than Dragon Pulse while lacking the stat-lowering effect of Draco Meteor and should never be dropped from Palkia's sets. Although it's not boosted from weather in the same way as Surf or Hydro Pump, Spacial Rend provides valuable neutral coverage against most of the tier and hits most Water resists for great amounts of damage. Since it doesn't have the Special Attack-lowering effect of Draco Meteor, it's a very safe move to use in most situations and allows Palkia to fill the role of a late-game cleaner on a team; most of the Pokémon that might check Palkia don't do so well against its STAB moves toward the end of a battle.
Thunder is an excellent tool for hitting the Pokémon that otherwise counters this set in Kyogre. Whereas Spacial Rend can barely muster a 3HKO against offensive Kyogre sets, Thunder easily 2HKOs Kyogre and gives Palkia super effective coverage against Manaphy and Lugia while benefitting from rain making it perfectly accurate. The last moveslot for this set is quite flexible, and most teams allow Palkia to fit any of the following moves onto its set. Fire Blast is particularly useful for situations where sun is active and Palkia needs a move to hit Steel-type Pokémon or for the few Grass-type Pokémon like Shaymin-S. Draco Meteor is a great option that can score a couple of extra KOs on key targets, such as Giratina and Latias after Stealth Rock damage, and Latios, which always lives Spacial Rend after Stealth Rock damage. Outrage is another option that can do similar damage to the Lati twins but also comes with the advantage of 2HKOing Blissey after Stealth Rock damage, allowing Palkia to use its serviceable Attack stat to catch Blissey trying to switch into Hydro Pump or Spacial Rend. However, the clear downside is that Outrage locks the user into it for 2-3 turns, making it a risky move to use outside of late-game scenarios.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment allows Palkia to make the most out of its titanic offensive stats. Its Speed in particular is great as it outspeeds the many base 90 Speed Pokémon of the tier in Dialga, Kyogre, both Giratina forms, Ho-Oh, and Groudon, leveraging this advantage to force opposing Pokémon to switch out to something else or stay in and take hefty damage for their efforts. Palkia also notably outspeeds Rayquaza, which is considered fast for its ability to outrun the aforementioned Pokémon. The choice of nature is also important here since Outrage can be run on Choice Scarf sets; Hasty is used to neither lower Palkia's Attack nor Special Defense, allowing its Outrages to do substantial damage without sacrificing the ability to take on common special attackers like Kyogre and Darkrai. Choice Scarf is great for a Pokémon like Palkia that rarely runs a non-attacking move; being able to outspeed the tier's fastest threats in Darkrai, Mewtwo, and Deoxys-A is incredibly valuable for a Pokémon not often wanting for more power.
Usage Tips
========
Choice Scarf Palkia is at its best when taking advantage of teams that have their Steel-type or special wall weakened. Naturally, this set performs well as a late-game cleaner since it can't always output the damage to 2HKO everything the opponent throws at it, especially when being locked into a move from Choice Scarf makes Palkia far more exploitable for bulky revenge killers. As a result, Palkia pairs incredibly well with entry hazards since its shallow pool of checks are all affected adversely by Stealth Rock and Spikes. Kyogre only fears Palkia's Thunder or Outrage, but wearing it down with hazards over a longer period of time makes switching into something like Spacial Rend far more difficult, which is very realistic given that Palkia is often used alongside Spikes setters. Similarly, Bronzong can normally check Palkia by living a rain-boosted Surf then threatening it with Explosion, but with the high-powered nature of the metagame, that becomes less feasible over time as Bronzong gets overwhelmed by the many Pokémon it's tasked with switching into. Even the stalwart Blissey doesn't appreciate taking rain-boosted Hydro Pumps after some hazard damage, becoming more of a check than a counter after just a little bit of chip damage. Furthermore, Palkia can be used to stop attempts from the opponent to set up and sweep late-game with the likes of Dragon Dance Rayquaza or Calm Mind Mewtwo by threatening to outspeed and KO them, preventing them from leveraging their speed to deal with offensive teams. Palkia can also position itself to beat Garchomp if the Palkia user has a Steel-type Pokémon still alive, as Garchomp requires a hefty amount of prior damage to KO Palkia with Earthquake and often runs a Choice Scarf of its own, making it pick between hitting one Pokémon or the other.
Team Options
========
Palkia's extensive offensive reach lends it useful for most offensive teams; its talents as both a Choice Scarf user and powerful Dragon-type attacker are essential to teams looking to continuously apply offensive pressure on the opponent's team. Kyogre is Palkia's most common partner as it provides rain to both enhance the power of Palkia's Surf and Hydro Pump while making Thunder perfectly accurate. They also share a similar list of checks in Dialga, Latios and Latias, and Blissey, so they can either overload them or become incredibly dangerous together with teammates that can remove those checks. Bronzong is also a great teammate as it benefits from Kyogre's rain effectively removing its sole Fire weakness, can set Stealth Rock to wear down Palkia's checks, and can switch into the many powerful Dragon-type moves aimed at Palkia. Kabutops and Kingdra take advantage of rain similarly to Palkia, and can pair with it to form dangerous offensive rain structures, working with Palkia to outspeed most of the metagame and be arduous to switch into.
Deoxys-S is a great teammate since it serves as a reliable lead for many offensive teams and can set Spikes to chip away at Pokémon like Dialga, Kyogre, and Groudon. Giratina-O is useful for using Shadow Sneak to wear down Pokémon that Palkia comes just short of KOing in Latios and Mewtwo, and spinblocks to maintain the hazards Palkia appreciates so much. Mewtwo is useful for either crippling physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp or using Self-Destruct to remove Blissey, the only true counter to this set. Interestingly, Palkia can pair quite well with Groudons since teams using it are often left wanting for measures to deal with Kyogre, often resorting to the Ice-weak Latias. Palkia provides these teams with valuable counterplay to Kyogre and can use Fire Blast in its last moveslot to take advantage of Groudon's sun.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Hydro Pump / Surf / Fire Blast
move 2: Spacial Rend
move 3: Thunder
move 4: Substitute / Focus Punch / Draco Meteor
item: Lustrous Orb / Lum Berry / Haban Berry
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid / Hasty
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Palkia's massive Special Attack paired with the common rain set by Kyogre turns its STAB Hydro Pump into a fierce offensive tool with the potential to 2HKO several top Pokémon that would otherwise switch into it. Surf, while far weaker, still hits plenty hard in rain and comes without the unreliable accuracy of Hydro Pump. Additionally, Surf's greater PP allows it to be used far more in the faces of the tier's many Pressure Pokémon and doesn't need to be heavily considered in faster-paced games. Curiously, Fire Blast is a useful move on Palkia as it can find itself on teams with Groudon, with sun powering up Fire Blast's damage against Steel-type Pokémon that most of Palkia's other moves can't to compare to. The only issue with this is that Palkia's other moves are far too important to drop from its moveset, so it's Water-type moves end up competing for a slot with Fire Blast. Spacial Rend is a fantastic move as it lacks the Special Attack-lowering effect of Draco Meteor and is slightly more accurate. Due to the overwhelming offensive presence of Dragon-types, the lower base power doesn't make Spacial Rend obsolete and the move finds itself useful on any specially attacking set. Thunder is crucial for its ability to hit Water- and Flying-types, and its synergy with Dragon-type moves makes it incredibly useful for an offensive threat of Palkia's caliber. Thunder can't be dropped in favor of Fire Blast as the ability to threaten Kyogre is far too important for sun teams.
The last slot is quite variable as not being confined to a Choice item provides Palkia with the flexibility to run a wide array of moves depending on the needs of its team. Substitute is a surprisingly effective tool against teams aiming to mitigate Palkia's offensive presence through status as well as absorbing Draco Meteors and lowering the Special Attack of any Pokémon using them. It can also be used to take advantage of the many switches Palkia pressures the opponent into, allowing Palkia to freely weather away at the opposing team quite safely. Focus Punch can be used as a way to hit Blissey, an otherwise perfect counter to Palkia. Blissey often aims to beat Palkia via status, so using Focus Punch against either a status move or Soft-Boiled can turn that matchup on its head, opening many possibilities for Palkia against bulkier teams. Draco Meteor can serve as an additional Dragon-type STAB move that picks up a few KOs that Spacial Rend misses out on, notably against support Dialga and support Groudon. Notably, two consecutive Draco Meteors do more damage than two Spacial Rends, making the Special Attack drop less impactful overall. Substitute and Focus Punch can fit on the same set to more reliably handle special walls like Blissey and support Dialga, however SubPunch sets must forgo Thunder as its STAB moves are far too important for teams that appreciate SubPunch Palkia. Finally, Outrage always 2HKOs Blissey with the boost from Lustrous Orb irrespective of entry hazard damage.
Set Details
========
Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment fully realize Palkia's destructive capabilities, and a Timid nature is crucial for allowing it to outspeed tier staples such as Dialga, Kyogre, Giratina-O, Groudon, and the considerably fast Rayquaza. If Focus Punch or Outrage is being used, a Hasty nature ensures Palkia's Attack isn't compromised while still allowing it to take Kyogre's hits comfortably. Lustrous Orb is the most common item as it provides Palkia with the distinct, immediate breaking power to tear through teams lacking a consistent special wall. Because it boosts all of Palkia's STAB moves, Outrage also receives a boost, which allows Outrage Palkia to 2HKO Blissey at full health. Lum Berry works well on sets using one or both of Substitute and Focus Punch, as Palkia is no longer quickly worn down by status compounded with its own Substitute damage, and the downside of potentially being poisoned or paralyzed by Focus Punch's targets is no longer pertinent. Haban Berry can utilize Palkia's great natural bulk to withstand hits from the likes of Latias, Garchomp, and Dialga, removing the pressure to switch out in the face of faster Dragon-types. This effect can be paired with Substitute to draw out Draco Meteors to break Substitute, then half the damage of the already weakened second Draco Meteor.
Choice Specs is another notable option to turn Palkia into a paragon of Water-type offensive prowess, with its Hydro Pump being favored to 2HKO Blissey in rain, as well as allowing for Spacial Rend to OHKO Latias and Thunder to OHKO offensive Kyogre. Additionally, when using a SubPunch set, an EV spread of 100 Atk / 156 SpA / 252 Spe is recommended, as it allows for an Expert Belt boosted Focus Punch to OHKO Blissey without the need for entry hazard support.
Usage Tips
========
As the set name suggests, this set is most effective when used as a mid-game breaker for offensive rain teams. Once your entry hazards are set, Kyogre should enter the field first to summon rain, a critical piece of Palkia's game plan. Since Palkia is hampered by hazards and status, it's best to exercise caution when switching Palkia into battle, and it should try to find entry points against weaker attacks like Bronzong's Payback or Earthquake and anything that an unboosted Kyogre wants to use. Once Palkia is on the field, the primary goal should be to maximize its damage output as quickly as possible. Although Palkia has decent bulk, it usually only gets one or two chances to switch in and start attacking, so be sure to capitalize on Palkia mid-game as much as possible. Hydro Pump and Spacial Rend are generally safe options to use, as very few Pokémon that can switch into one of those moves are able to switch into the other. Similarly, Groudon switching into Palkia to replace rain with sun isn't always a safe sequence as Spacial Rend requires minimal chip damage to 2HKO support sets. When Palkia's breaking potential is fully realized, it facilitates a late-game sweep from teammates like Kabutops or Garchomp. If a Substitute or SubPunch set is used, take advantage of the switches that Palkia forces by using Substitute on your opponent's switch. This removes many of the few options available to capitalize on Palkia's lack of longevity and often forces the opponent to take significant damage on one or more of their Pokémon.
Team Options
========
Given Palkia's Water typing, it's a natural fit for teams that have a Kyogre. Whether the team is specifically built around rain isn't important, but Palkia benefits from Kyogre due to its rain making Water-type moves even more powerful and Thunder perfectly accurate. Additionally, Kyogre can easily deal with most Groudon sets, allowing the Kyogre user to win the weather war and permanently keep rain up for Palkia. Bronzong also makes for a great partner as it can easily switch into the Dragon-type moves Palkia couldn't dream of handling comfortably. With the ability to set Stealth Rock and use Explosion to remove any special walls, Bronzong facilitates Palkia as a ferocious mid-game threat. Deoxys-S is a great lead for teams that use Palkia as it's the most reliable entry hazard setter in the tier, and the few checks Palkia has become far less resilient when affected by hazards. Giratina-O can further facilitate the use of hazards to Palkia's advantage by consistently spinblocking and revenge killing faster Ghost-weak threats in Latios, Latias, and Mewtwo.
Darkrai is a great option for using Dark Void to further limit a team's options for dealing with Palkia, as being able to further shorten Palkia's list of checks is valuable for any offensive team. Kabutops and Kingdra make for excellent offensive partners on dedicated rain teams, as Palkia can remove slower Dragon-types, Steel-types, and Groudon that would otherwise undermine the late-game sweeping potential of the Swift Swim Pokémon. Rayquaza and Dialga can use a Choice Scarf to deal with the few faster Pokémon since wallbreaker Palkia sets often can't find the opportunity to use a Choice Scarf of their own. Interestingly, Palkia has a solid niche on teams with Groudon as those team strucutres often struggle to deal with Kyogre, typically using the Ice-weak Latias or the recovery-lacking Dialga as checks. Being one of the most consistent Kyogre counters in the tier, Palkia can fit onto sun teams and use Fire Blast over a Water-type move so it can still threaten Kyogre directly.
[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Surf
move 2: Spacial Rend
move 3: Outrage / Thunder / Fire Blast
move 4: Trick Room
item: Lustrous Orb / Haban Berry
ability: Pressure
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
While Palkia's Speed tier is markedly great in the context of the metagame, it often fails to deal with faster offensive threats in Latios, Latias, Garchomp, and Darkrai. Trick Room circumvents this issue, allowing Palkia to focus solely on bombarding opposing teams with powerful STAB moves without switching out in fear of common revenge killers. Surf is Palkia's most consistent attack as Kyogre's rain is extremely common and Palkia's monstrous base 150 Special Attack makes great use of it. Hydro Pump can be used as an alternative Water-type move, and while its significantly higher Base Power is certainly appreciated, its shaky accuracy can undermine the issue of Trick Room's already limited turns to take advantage of. Spacial Rend makes for a nearly perfect offensive combination, as none of the Dragon-types that switch into Water-type moves want to take on Palkia's Dragon-type moves. Spacial Rend is also unique as it's a special Dragon-type move with better Base Power than Dragon Pulse without the drawback of Draco Meteor, allowing for Palkia to easily follow Spacial Rend up with Surf on the next turn.
The last move can be chosen from a few options. Outrage is great for catching Blissey off guard, as staying in for as long as possible is ideal when Trick Room gives its user so few turns to work with. A Physical STAB move with few Pokémon that resist it is great for a set fully focused on offense. Thunder can be used to deal with Kyogre more consistently, as Spacial Rend and even Outrage can struggle to 2HKO a healthy Kyogre. Fire Blast can be used to adapt to situations where Groudon replaces rain with sun, giving Palkia a move that can hit Steel-types effectively and still gets boosted by weather. Focus Punch shouldn't be run on this set, as while being able to hit Blissey even harder might sound enticing, its negative priority contradicts the idea behind running Trick Room on this set.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP and Special Attack investment are ideal for this set, as investing into Palkia's Speed is entirely unnecessary when running Trick Room. A Quiet nature with 0 Speed IVs ensures Palkia's Speed is as low as possible, hitting 184, to outrun most Pokémon with Trick Room active. Lustrous Orb is great for allowing Palkia to set itself apart from its competition offensively, boosting all of its STAB moves with no drawback. Haban Berry can also be used to shrug off many of the tier's strongest Dragon-type moves, allowing Palkia to stay on the field longer and utilize Trick Room to the fullest extent possible even if it can't quite OHKO some of its fellow Dragon-types.
Usage Tips
========
As opposed to Palkia's other sets, this requires a turn of setup and as such Palkia needs to find that opportunity against weaker targets. Pokémon like Jirachi, Skarmory, and Kyogre are all great candidates for Palkia to use Trick Room against, as none of them threaten Palkia very directly, and their status moves are far less impactful when Palkia's Speed and longevity aren't valued as much with this set. Sets using Haban Berry further expand this list of Pokémon to set Trick Room against, as Dialga, Latias, and Giratina-O all fail to KO Palkia as it sets up Trick Room. However, Dialga requires prior damage for Palkia to KO it in return after setting Trick Room, with Latias also needing to sustain chip damage if Palkia isn't running Outrage. It's typically a good idea to make sure that rain and all of your team's entry hazards are set before committing to five turns of Trick Room with Palkia, as these two factors bring the best out of Palkia's incredible offensive talents. Once Trick Room is set, outputting as much damage as possible in the quickest fashion is ideal, as it's incredibly difficult for a single Pokémon to set Trick Room twice. Try to avoid switching Palkia out once Trick Room is active, as the turns required to switch it back in and reset Trick Room leave it vulnerable to most attacks even more than the first time it comes in. While this might require some prediction from the Palkia user, the spoils for hammering away at teams with Palkia under the right conditions are tremendous.
Team Options
========
This set is best for fast-paced offensive teams with the goal of smothering the opponent's team with a lot of damage output in a short amount of time. Kyogre pairs excellently with Palkia as rain is the most beneficial form of support for Palkia, allowing its already powerful Water-type STAB moves to hit even harder and giving the otherwise inconsistent Thunder perfect accuracy. Kyogre can also deal with otherwise annoying Pokémon in Groudon and Jirachi, leaving Palkia free to capitalize on the many Pokémon that its offensive typing threatens so heavily. Entry hazard support is also crucial, as something as subtle as one round of Stealth Rock damage gives Palkia a realistic shot at killing the markedly bulky Latios with an unboosted Spacial Rend. While Palkia can use its bulk to set its own Trick Room, teammates that can set Trick Room for it are especially useful in ensuring Palkia doesn't have to withstand an unnecessary hit to do so. Bronzong is great for this role as it synergizes well with Kyogre's rain to neutralize its Fire weakness and its Dragon resistance allowing it to absorb Draco Meteor for its teammates. It can set the crucial Stealth Rock to weather away at Palkia's checks, use Hypnosis to allow it to set Trick Room safely, and use Explosion to both deal substantial damage to any Pokémon that isn't Giratina and allow Palkia to enter the field without taking direct damage. Dialga is also a fantastic teammate as it can work with Palkia to overwhelm the Steel-types that otherwise switch into Dragon-type moves, as well as being able to set Trick Room for itself and Palkia.
Choice Band Tyranitar can function very well on Trick Room teams, as it can Pursuit trap Latios, Latias, and Giratina-O, while firing off Stone Edges and Superpowers that are strong in their own rights. Pokémon with strong priority options are also appreciated, as moves like Giratina-O's Shadow Sneak and Rayquaza's Extreme Speed are important for situations where all of the team's Trick Room beneficiaries have fainted and there's still a turn or two left of Trick Room. This gets around the issue of a potentially slower Pokémon still being on the field in the face of faster teammates from the Palkia user.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Palkia can use a physically based mixed attacking set with Aqua Tail as its Water-type STAB move, and while this can be effective against Pokémon like Blissey and Calm Mind Mewtwo, Palkia's lower Attack and Aqua Tail's meager Base Power make Surf a far more consistent choice. Similarly, Trick Room sets can use a physically based mixed attacking set, but this is more for the surprise factor and having a physical Dragon-type option than anything else. Wallbreaker sets can use Life Orb to power up all of Palkia's moves instead of only those that get STAB, and while a boosted Thunder or Fire Blast has the potential to catch bulkier checks off guard, the recoil isn't usually worth the extra power, especially with how much passive damage Palkia is susceptible to. Bulk Up + 3 attacks Palkia has a few advantages compared to Bulk Up Dialga, mainly in its superior Speed and the ability to get away with a fully offensive EV spread, but it lacks the crucial Steel typing and bulk of its legendary counterpart. Choice Band is good for most of the same reasons as physically based mixed sets, but being walled by most Steel-types goes against what Palkia aims to do entirely, and being locked into a physical move is far from ideal with Palkia's decidedly average Attack stat. Earthquake can be experimented with to handle Jirachi, Dialga, and mid-game Tyranitar, but should be limited to Palkia's Bulk Up and Choice Band sets as it faces too strong of a competition on mixed sets. Sleep Talk can potentially work on Choice item sets to absorb Dark Void, but fitting it onto a set is very difficult when there are so many other attacking moves vying for a moveslot. Palkia's EVs are fairly inflexible as its great Speed is so important for what it aims to do in battle, but if you really want to take out some Speed EVs for a bit of extra bulk, Palkia's Speed should never go below 319 as Rayquaza quickly becomes a nightmare for dedicated rain teams to deal with.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Blissey**: While Palkia's versatility means it has no perfect counters, the premiere special wall naturally does quite well against it. Blissey can easily switch into most of Palkia's special attacks and threatens to either inflict paralysis or poison to undermine Palkia's game plan or force significant damage on it with Seismic Toss. However, Blissey should always be wary of Outrage, Aqua Tail, and Focus Punch.
**Latias**: Latias boasts significantly better Speed, enough bulk to live Spacial Rend after Stealth Rock damage, and the ability to OHKO Palkia with a Dragon Pulse. It takes advantage of non-Haban Berry sets by either forcing them to predict it switching in with Outrage or Draco Meteor or pressuring Palkia to switch out if it's locked into a Water- or Electric-type move from a Choice item.
**Lugia**: Although Lugia isn't the sturdiest answer in the face of Water- or Electric-type moves in rain, it can switch into Palkia's Dragon-type moves and use Roost, Calm Mind, or Toxic to outlast Palkia in a one-on-one situation.
**Dialga**: A Dragon-type neutral to Dragon-type moves naturally takes on Palkia quite well, able to either withstand multiple hits with a support set or offensively threaten Palkia with a Choice Scarf set, which itself doesn't even get 2HKOd by Surf in rain. However, Draco Meteor can be played around if the Palkia user's Steel-type is healthy, and Dragon Pulse requires full Special Attack investment to OHKO Palkia after Stealth Rock damage.
**Groudon**: Groudon shouldn't be a team's primary answer for Palkia, but its support set lives any two attacks from full health and 2HKOs Palkia in return, and Rock Polish sets are heavily favored to OHKO Palkia with Dragon Claw while not being OHKOd by anything itself in sun. Additionally, Groudon can punish Palkia attempting to switch in with Thunder Wave, severely hindering its offensive potential.
**Steel-types**: Bronzong notably takes on a wide range of Dragon-types, and can live two unboosted Hydro Pumps from Palkia, using Stealth Rock or Explosion in response. Jirachi is also a decent check when paired with Groudon's sun, as it can use Thunder Wave to make Palkia far more exploitable for Jirachi's teammates while taking on Palkia's moves quite comfortably.
**Garchomp**: For as great as Palkia's base 100 Speed is, Garchomp just barely gets the jump on it, sporting a Choice Scarf to act as a late-game cleaner itself. Its Dragon Claw OHKOs Palkia after Stealth Rock damage, and even its Earthquake can pick off Palkia after previous chip damage.
**Entry Hazards**: Having no form of reliable recovery, Palkia finds itself quickly worn down by the ever-present Stealth Rock and Spikes, and even the less common Toxic Spikes give it a lot of trouble. This is accented by the popularity of Giratina-O making removing hazards incredibly difficult, so one should be mindful of how much hazard damage is being accumulated on Palkia.
**Status**: Status conditions are similarly irritating for Palkia, with paralysis invalidating its coveted base 100 Speed stat, poison and burn quickly wearing away at Palkia's health with the aid of hazards, and sleep ruining Palkia overall since the teams it's on often can't find the opportunities to burn sleep turns. It's important to pair Palkia with Pokémon that can absorb statuses so Palkia can be as effective of a threat as possible.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/donbonejones.666776/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.102/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user6.105/
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