Palkia [QC 2/2] [GP 0/1]

[a loser]

[SET]
name: Mixed Adaptability
move 1: Dragon Energy
move 2: Fishious Rend
move 3: Strength Sap
move 4: Glare / Nuzzle
item: Lustrous Orb
ability: Adaptability
nature: Naive
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Palkia is a fearsome mixed wallbreaker as it gains STAB on two high Base Power moves that threaten a large portion of the metagame. Dragon Energy boasts 150 BP when at full health and OHKOes most Giratina and Zygarde-C. Fishious Rend targets Fairy- and Steel-type switch-ins like Xerneas and Magearna, 2HKOing them and allows Palkia to break past specially defensive checks like Ice Scales and RegenVest Pokemon. Strength Sap keeps Palkia healthy and ensures Dragon Energy's BP stays high, as it fails to OHKO Giratina and Zygarde-C after some chip damage. Glare and Nuzzle not only punishes faster foes like Zamazenta-C and Dragapult, but can also hit Imposter users to guarantee that Palkia outspeeds its Imposter and 2HKO it with Dragon Energy. Glare and Nuzzle are also useful to help Palkia break through slower walls like Fur Coat Solgaleo and Ferrothorn since they are potentially unable to move due to paralysis. Palkia's signature item, Lustrous Orb, boosts its STAB moves allowing it to hit even harder. A Naive nature lets Palkia serve as a mixed attacker and outspeed threats such as Yveltal, Xerneas, Kyurem-W, and Reshiram, ensuring that its STAB moves are at full power.

Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini naturally resist Palkia's STAB and check it fairly easily, so Palkia appreciates teammates that can pressure these checks. Zacian-C can pressure Tapu Fini with Sunsteel Strike and use Fighting-type coverage like Close Combat to threaten Ferrothorn. Zacian-C is a solid entry hazard setter and can stack Spikes on Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini that aren't running Magic Bounce, which can put them in range of being 2HKOed by Palkia when switching in. Although Palkia is faster, Pixilate Xerneas can threaten it with Extreme Speed which does massive damage and halves the power of Fishious Rend; Zacian-C is useful here too as it can check Xerneas. Fur Coat Zamazenta-C is also a good teammate that can pressure Ferrothorn with Fighting-type STAB moves and soft check Pixilate Xerneas. Other strong breakers like Poison Heal Regigigas and Choice Band Groudon can pressure Palkia's checks with strong neutral damage from Facade and Precipice Blades. In return, Palkia threatens the bulky Dragon-types that aim to check Regigigas and Groudon. Entry Hazards and status like burns and paralysis hamper Palkia's ability to perform, so teammates that control entry hazards like Magic Bounce Ferrothorn and Poison Heal Tapu Fini with Court Change are great and can also serve to Imposter-proof Palkia by checking Imposter users. Ferrothorn can trap Imposters with Anchor Shot and deny recovery from Strength Sap with Magic Bounce. Tapu Fini can opt for Magic Bounce as well to force out Imposters of Palkia or use Poison Heal and punish Imposters with status and Knock Off while pivoting out with moves like Teleport to gain momentum.

[SET]
name: Rain Sweeper
move 1: Dragon Energy
move 2: Fishious Rend
move 3: Water Spout
move 4: Strength Sap
item: Lustrous Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Rash
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Swift Swim Palkia is a potent mixed sweeper on rain teams thanks to gaining STAB on two powerful rain-boosted moves in Fishious Rend and Water Spout. Fishious Rend and Dragon Energy's impressive power allow Palkia to break through common Fur Coat and Ice Scales defensive cores. Rain-boosted Water Spout combined with Fishious Rend allow Palkia to blow past potential checks like Zamazenta-C, Ferrothorn, and even Tapu Fini on a favorable roll or after prior damage. Each of these opponents can be 2HKOed upon switching into Palkia's attack while rain is active. Dragon Energy targets Water-resistant Pokemon like Giratina, Eternatus, and Kyogre, with the Dragon-types being OHKOed and Kyogre being 2HKOed depending on its ability. Strength Sap helps Palkia stay healthy, and ensures that Dragon Energy and Water Spout retain their high Base Power. Lustrous Orb powers up Palkia's STAB moves and works well in conjunction with its moveset, as other options like Life Orb would effect its damage output due to recoil. Swift Swim ensures Palkia outspeeds the entire unboosted metagame while rain is active and a Rash nature gives it better chances to break past would-be checks like Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini.

Swift Swim Palkia is a must-have on offensive rain teams and can sometimes be the sole rain abuser, but rain-abusing teammates like Choice Band Barraskewda appreciate Palkia's ability to KO the Dragon-types that normally force it out. Palkia needs rain in order to best perform, so a Drizzle teammate like Eternatus, Solgaleo, or Zygarde-C are good as their bulk is sufficient to reliably set rain more than once. Although Palkia is very fast in rain, Pixilate Xerneas can pressure it with Extreme Speed and tank Palkia's rain-boosted Fishious Rend since its Base Power drops after moving second. Teammates like Zamazenta-C and Zacian-C can check Xerneas and support the team with entry hazard control via Court Change or stacking Spikes to increase Palkia's chances to land KOs. Palkia is vulnerable to Imposter users, which are 2HKOed by Dragon Energy at full health but can OHKO Palkia in return or heal with Strength Sap to set up a Speed tie. Therefore, a dedicated Imposter-proof teammate like Water Absorb Fairy-types or Poison Heal Tapu Fini with a protect variant like Spiky Shield help keep Imposter users at bay.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Adaptability Palkia can use Quiver Dance in place of Glare to power past checks like Magic Bounce Ferrothorn and Fur Coat Solgaleo, 2HKOing them with +1 Dragon Energy, but this makes it vulnerable to Spectral Thief from said checks. Adaptability sets can also run Steam Eruption to threaten Fur Coat Steel-types, notably 2HKOing Solgaleo, but has a slim chance to 2HKO Zamazenta-C and is also outsped by it meaning Zamazenta-C can heal off damage and stall out the move's low PP or remove Palkia's Lustrous Orb. Using Steam Eruption also means missing out on the utility of Glare or Nuzzle. Palkia can affectively run a Poison Heal set using the same moves from its Adaptability set, giving it passive recovery to keep Dragon Energy's Base Power high and allows Palkia to avoid burns and paralysis. However, the Poison Heal set lacks in power when compared to the Adaptability Lustrous Orb set and is severely crippled by ability suppressing moves like Core Enforcer and Entrainment. Palkia's typing lets it play a defensive role with Fur Coat, checking physical attackers like Zacian-C and Groudon while threatening them with Scald. A moveset of Scald, Core Enforcer, Recover, and utility like Court Change, Spectral Thief, or set up like Quiver Dance is best for Fur Coat sets. Palkia can forgo Glare or Nuzzle for entry hazards like Spikes or Stealth Rock, since common entry hazard removers like Zygarde-C and Ho-Oh are forced out. However, Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini are commonly seen with Magic Bounce or utility moves like Court Change on top of resisting Palkia's STAB moves.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini**: Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini resist Palkia's STAB moves and are both commonly seen with Magic Bounce, which checks Palkia's status moves and prevents it from healing with Strength Sap. Tapu Fini also runs Poison Heal and Ice Scales sets that can check Palkia while forcing it out with Moonblast, Scald burns, or crippling its power with Knock Off. Ferrothorn can trap Palkia with Anchor Shot and stall its PP, either eliminating Palkia or making it useless for the rest of the battle.

**Residual Damage**: Chip damage from entry hazards, Rocky Helmet, and pivot moves weaken Dragon Energy's power and force Palkia to recover.

**Priority Attacks**: Extreme Speed users like Xerneas and Kyurem-Black and Triage users like Rayquaza and Thundurus-T move before Palkia, which halves the power of Fishious Rend and lowers the power of Dragon Energy.

**Imposter**: Although Palkia has the ability to 2HKO Eviolite Imposter Chansey with Dragon Energy, Imposter users like Chansey and Blissey threaten to OHKO Palkia with Dragon Energy and can outspeed with a Choice Scarf or risk a Speed tie knowing they will survive a hit.

**Fur Coat Steel-types**: Fur Coat Steel-types like Zamazenta-C and Solgaleo resist Dragon Energy and can stomach Fishious Rend fairly well, making them solid checks to Palkia and can trap it with Anchor Shot. These foes can remove Palkia's Lustrous Orb to reduce its power and cripple it with status moves. However, each of these are prone to paralysis from Glare or Nuzzle and can be 3HKOed if they are unlucky with full paralysis. Swift Swim Palkia is also able to defeat Fur Coat Steel-types but only while rain is active.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[a loser, 410702]]
- Quality checked by: [[XxSevagxX, 441607], [cityscapes, 233142]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1]]

 

[XxLazzerpenguinxX]

QC 1 / 2

add remove comment

[SET]
name: Mixed Adaptability
move 1: Dragon Energy
move 2: Fishious Rend
move 3: Strength Sap
move 4: Glare / Nuzzle
item: Lustrous Orb
ability: Adaptability
nature: Naive
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Palkia is a fearsome wallbreaker as it gains STAB on two high Base Power moves that threaten a large portion of the metagame. Dragon Energy boasts 150 BP when at full health and OHKOes most Giratinas and Zygarde-Cs. Although its power is dependent on Palkia's health, it can still OHKO Giratina with Dragon Energy on a favorable roll after switching in on Spikes or Stealth Rock twice. (you mention Dragon energy ohkoing Giratina and then say it ohkoes it on a favorable role so this is a bit redundent) Fishious Rend targets Fairy- and Steel-type switch-ins like Xerneas and Magearna, 2HKOing them and allows Palkia to break through specially defensive checks like Ice Scales and RegenVest pokemon.You discuss Palkia hitting various types with its really good coverage, but I feel like the main selling point to use Palkia is the fact that it's mixed and can break through common furscales core which I feel like should be emphasized over it hitting specific types. Strength Sap keeps Palkia healthy and ensures Dragon Energy's BP stays high. This also allows Palkia to play around potential checks like Zamazenta-C, which it can paralyze via Glare or Nuzzle. Glare or Nuzzle not only punishes faster foes like Zamazenta-C and Dragapult, but can also hit Imposter users to guarantee that Palkia outspeeds its Imposter and 2HKO it with Dragon Energy. Palkia's signature item, Lustrous Orb, boosts its STAB moves allowing it to hit even harder. A Naive nature lets Palkia serve as a mixed attacker and outspeed threats such as Yveltal, Xerneas, Kyurem-W, and Reshiram.

Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini naturally resist Palkia's STAB and check it fairly easily, so Palkia appreciates teammates that can pressure these checks. Zacian-C can pressure Tapu Fini with Sunsteel Strike and use Fighting-type coverage like Close Combat to threaten Ferrothorn. Zacian-C is a solid entry hazard setter and can stack Spikes on Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini that aren't running Magic Bounce, which can put them in range of being 2HKOed by Palkia when switching in. Although Palkia is faster, Pixilate Xerneas can threaten it with Extreme Speed which does massive damage and halves that of Fishious Rend's; Zacian-C is useful here too as it can to check Xerneas. Other strong breakers like Poison Heal Regigigas and Choice Band Groudon can pressure Palkia's checks with strong neutral damage from Facade and Precipice Blades. In return, Palkia threatens the bulky Dragon-types that aim to check Regigigas and Groudon. Entry Hazards and status like burns and paralysis hamper Palkia's ability to perform, so teammates that control entry hazards like Magic Bounce Ferrothorn and Poison Heal Tapu Fini with Court Change are great and can also serve to Imposter-proof Palkia by checking Imposter users. Ferrothorn can trap Imposters with Anchor Shot and deny recovery from Strength Sap with Magic Bounce. Tapu Fini can opt for Magic Bounce as well to force out Imposters of Palkia or use Poison Heal and punish Imposters with status and Knock Off while pivoting out with moves like Teleport to gain momentum. Gulp Missile Cramorant is also a good teammate as it can take hits from Imposter users and faster threats like Eternatus and Zacian-C, paralyzing them in return to allow Palkia to take them out later.

[SET]
name: Rain Abuser
move 1: Dragon Energy
move 2: Fishious Rend
move 3: Water Spout
move 4: Strength Sap
item: Lustrous Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Rash
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Swift Swim Palkia is a potent sweeper on rain teams thanks to gaining STAB on two powerful rain-boosted moves in Fishious Rend and Water Spout. Rain-boosted Water Spout combined with Fishious Rend allow Palkia to blow past potential checks like Zamazenta-C, Ferrothorn, and even Tapu Fini on a favorable roll or after prior damage. I think same comment as above, you probably want to emphasize it being mixed a bit more. Each of these opponents can be 2HKOed upon switching into Palkia's attack while rain is active. Dragon Energy targets Water-resistant Pokemon like Giratina, Eternatus, and Kyogre, with the Dragon-types being OHKOed and Kyogre being 2HKOed depending on its ability. Strength Sap keeps Palkia healthy and ensures that Dragon Energy and Water Spout's Base Power stay high to make Palkia an offensive threat. Strength Sap helps Palkia stay healthy, and ensures that Dragon Energy and Water Spout retain their high Base Power. Lustrous Orb powers up Palkia's STAB moves and works well in conjunction with its moveset, as other options like Life Orb would effect its damage output due to recoil. Swift Swim ensures Palkia outspeeds the entire unboosted metagame while rain is active and a Rash nature gives it better chances to break past would-be checks like Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini.

Swift Swim Palkia is a must-have on offensive rain teams and can sometimes be the sole rain abuser, but rain-abusing teammates like Poison Heal Kyogre appreciate Palkia's ability to KO the Dragon-types that normally force out Kyogre. Palkia needs rain in order to best perform, so a Drizzle teammate like Eternatus, Giratina, or Zygarde-C are good as their bulk is sufficient to reliably set rain more than once. Although Palkia is very fast in rain, Pixilate Xerneas can pressure it with Extreme Speed and tank Palkia's rain-boosted Fishious Rend since its Base Power drops after moving second. Teammates like Zamazenta-C and Zacian-C can check Xerneas and support the team with entry hazard control via Court Change or stacking Spikes to increase Palkia's chances to land KOs. Palkia is vulnerable to Imposter users, which are 2HKOed by Dragon Energy at full health but can OHKO Palkia in return or heal with Strength Sap to set up a Speed tie. Therefore, a dedicated Imposter-proof teammate like Water Absorb Fairy-types or Poison Heal Tapu Fini with a protect variant like Spiky Shield help keep Imposter users at bay.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Adaptability Palkia can use Quiver Dance in place of Glare to power past checks like Magic Bounce Ferrothorn and Fur Coat Solgaleo, but this makes it vulnerable to Spectral Thief from said checks and can make the matchup even worse if Palkia is already trapped by Anchor Shot. Adaptability sets can also run Steam Eruption to threaten Fur Coat Steel-types like Zamazenta-C and Solgaleo, but can only 3HKO them with this and it means Palkia misses out on the utility of Glare or Nuzzle. Probably mention poison heal palkia here as well. Adaptabilty Palkia can 2hko both of these on an average role w/ fishious rend.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini**: Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini resist Palkia's STAB moves and are both commonly seen with Magic Bounce, which checks Palkia's status moves. Tapu Fini also runs Poison Heal and Ice Scales sets that can check Palkia while forcing it out with Moonblast, Scald burns, or crippling its power with Knock Off. Ferrothorn can trap Palkia with Anchor Shot and stall its PP, either eliminating Palkia or making it useless for the rest of the battle.

**Imposter**: Although Palkia has the ability to 2HKO Eviolite Imposter Chansey with Dragon Energy, Imposter users like Chansey and Blissey threaten to OHKO Palkia with Dragon Energy and can outspeed with a Choice Scarf or risk a Speed tie knowing they will survive a hit.

**Fur Coat Steel-types**: Fur Coat Steel-types like Zamazenta-C and Solgaleo resist Dragon Energy and can stomach Fishious Rend fairly well, making them solid checks to Palkia and can trap it with Anchor Shot. However, each of these are prone to paralysis from Glare or Nuzzle and can be 3HKOed if they are unlucky with full paralysis. Swift Swim Palkia breaks through FC.

 

[cityscapes]

I RISE FROM THE ASHES TODAY

adapt set comments

This also allows Palkia to play around potential checks like Zamazenta-C, which it can paralyze via Glare or Nuzzle.

dont think this line is necessary. new guys will understand how to sap zamac, plus the purpose of glare/nuzzle is explained in the next sentence.

Glare and Nuzzle not only punishes faster foes like Zamazenta-C and Dragapult, but can also hit Imposter users to guarantee that Palkia outspeeds its Imposter and 2HKO it with Dragon Energy.

also worth noting that you can glare at slower guys to make them not move sometimes and thus have a better shot at breaking through them. for example you're winning vs fc steels (depending on set) if you para them.

A Naive nature lets Palkia serve as a mixed attacker and outspeed threats such as Yveltal, Xerneas, Kyurem-W, and Reshiram.

might use a few words explaining why it's important for palkia to be fast? (it has 2 very speed reliant moves, denergy and rend, on the set)

adapt team options
- maybe add fc zamac here? i like having it w palkia cause you're able to have this mon that covers most of the same stuff as gira while not stacking weaknesses. you dont directly beat xern but he doesnt come in on you which is very nice.
- theres some ideas of adding that 1 pixilate xern set with like vcreate/bolt strike/boomburst/sap with lo. basic idea is you own xern + hooh, you own ferro + hooh, and you benefit from palkia paras.

swim team options

Swift Swim Palkia is a must-have on offensive rain teams and can sometimes be the sole rain abuser, but rain-abusing teammates like Poison Heal Kyogre appreciate Palkia's ability to KO the Dragon-types that normally force out Kyogre.

what's ph ogre + palkia rain? I know i used this on semirain last gen but am questioning what the purpose of ogre here is, feels like u kinda lose to the same types of things. maybe list like barraskewda appreciating help vs fc dragons

Palkia needs rain in order to best perform, so a Drizzle teammate like Eternatus, Giratina, or Zygarde-C are good as their bulk is sufficient to reliably set rain more than once.

maybe list a mon that does decent vs xern here? 3 dragons is not exactly the most diverse of lineups especially on drizzle which has a pretty good range of options.

Palkia is vulnerable to Imposter users, which are 2HKOed by Dragon Energy at full health but can OHKO Palkia in return or heal with Strength Sap to set up a Speed tie.

in what universe does imposter ever click sap here? it needs to get 2 speed ties instead of 1 for it to work. if youre weakened enough that you need to sap, you are probably dying to dragon energy anyway

Adaptability Palkia can use Quiver Dance in place of Glare to power past checks like Magic Bounce Ferrothorn and Fur Coat Solgaleo, but this makes it vulnerable to Spectral Thief from said checks and can make the matchup even worse if Palkia is already trapped by Anchor Shot. Adaptability sets can also run Steam Eruption to threaten Fur Coat Steel-types, notably 2HKOing Solgaleo, but has a slim chance to 2HKO Zamazenta-C and is also outsped by it meaning Zamazenta-C can heal off damage and stall out the move's low PP or remove Palkia's Lustrous Orb. Using Steam Eruption also means missing out on the utility of Glare or Nuzzle.

i assume the set here is qd/steam/denergy/sap? that should definitely be compressed a bit more, looks like you're saying run qd/rend or double water move. also how does palkia get "already trapped" by anchor? these mons are ideally switching into it rather than the other way around, and if you're facing like fc solgaleo just steam eruption him and the switchin will have to heal anyway.

other sets to note here are fc and regen. both of these can be run passively (scald/core/court change fc, av regen) or more offensively (fc qd/sap similar to that 1 lele set, lustrous orb regen with moves similar to the adapt set). also hazards palkia in general is noteworthy because unless they have cc fini/bounce ferro, none of their hazard removers want to go anywhere near this pokemon.

**Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini**: Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini resist Palkia's STAB moves and are both commonly seen with Magic Bounce, which checks Palkia's status moves.

specify that this means blocking sap and cutting off his recovery, which is big

**Imposter**: Although Palkia has the ability to 2HKO Eviolite Imposter Chansey with Dragon Energy, Imposter users like Chansey and Blissey threaten to OHKO Palkia with Dragon Energy and can outspeed with a Choice Scarf or risk a Speed tie knowing they will survive a hit.

he can't switch in, gets walled by the improof on the team, and relies on a speed tie to actually do anything!! my favorite check

**Fur Coat Steel-types**: Fur Coat Steel-types like Zamazenta-C and Solgaleo resist Dragon Energy and can stomach Fishious Rend fairly well, making them solid checks to Palkia and can trap it with Anchor Shot. However, each of these are prone to paralysis from Glare or Nuzzle and can be 3HKOed if they are unlucky with full paralysis. Swift Swim Palkia is also able to defeat Fur Coat Steel-types but only while rain is active.

they dont get 3hkod if they are "unlucky" with full paralysis, they get 3hkod WHEN they get fully paralyzed, which is inevitable when they cant do anything back. fc steels do not really beat palkia in any meaningful capacity, if you're using them to check him you have probably already lost. the 1 possible exception is if they can in fact do something back besides trapping it with anchor shot, which you should probably mention if so.

stuff to consider adding:
- chip damage from hazards, helmet, smaller attacks, etc weakens palkia's dragon energy and forces him to recover. this can cause trouble if they have something like bounce gira which can take advantage of weaker energy to block sap. in general palkia hates hazards cause he has no boots and rain palkia really does not want to waste time healing instead of killing people.
- pixilate espeed xern as stated before, and also other priority users including triage (ray/thund-t/yveltal/steela as potential examples tho 4 might be too many) cause they make all your moves weaker which makes me very sad when it happens to me. rain palk can likely muscle through everything except for +2 triage and xern.
- desolate land hooh is a bit annoying cause you cant do the "one-two punch" thing that palkia likes to do (hit them with the resisted move on the switch, then ko with the stronger move) and also he dabs on rain. hooh also often runs weird status that palkia hates such as poison fang. you can 2hko with energy on the switch however.

good analysis but it doesn't do this so you get the on dum stamp

QC 2/2

 

[Marnie]

Been a long time since the thread has any activity so apologies for necroposting

AMGP, not an official GP check, so implement whatever you want!

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[SET]
name: Mixed Adaptability
move 1: Dragon Energy
move 2: Fishious Rend
move 3: Strength Sap
move 4: Glare / Nuzzle
item: Lustrous Orb
ability: Adaptability
nature: Naive
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Palkia is a fearsome mixed wallbreaker as it gains STAB on thanks to two high Base Power STAB moves that threaten a large portion of the metagame. Dragon Energy boasts 150 BP Base Power when at full health and OHKOes most Giratina and Zygarde-C. Fishious Rend targets Fairy- and Steel-type switch-ins, 2HKOing the likes of Xerneas and Magearna, 2HKOing them and allows Palkia to break past specially defensive checks like Ice Scales and RegenVest Pokemon. Strength Sap keeps Palkia healthy and ensures Dragon Energy's BP Base Power stays stay high, as it fails to OHKO Giratina and Zygarde-C after some chip damage. when not at full HP. Glare and Nuzzle not only punishes punish faster foes like Zamazenta-C and Dragapult, but can also hit Imposter users to guarantee that Palkia outspeeds its Imposter and 2HKO it them with Dragon Energy. Glare and Nuzzle are also useful to help Palkia potentially break through slower walls like Fur Coat Solgaleo and Ferrothorn. since they are potentially unable to move due to paralysis. Palkia's signature item, Lustrous Orb, boosts its STAB moves, allowing it to hit even harder. A Naive nature lets Palkia serve as a mixed attacker and outspeed threats such as Yveltal, Xerneas, Kyurem-W, and Reshiram, while ensuring maximum damage output. that its STAB moves are at full power.

Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini naturally resist Palkia's STAB moves and check it fairly easily, easily; hence, it so Palkia appreciates teammates that can pressure these checks. like Zacian-C that can pressure Tapu Fini with Sunsteel Strike and use a Fighting-type coverage like Close Combat to threaten Ferrothorn. Zacian-C is a solid entry hazard setter and that can stack Spikes on non-Magic Bounce Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini, that aren't running Magic Bounce, which can put putting them in range of being 2HKOed by Palkia. when switching in. Zacian-C can also check Pixilate Xerneas since it threatens Palkia Although Palkia is faster, Pixilate Xerneas can threaten it with Extreme Speed which does massive damage and halves the power of Fishious Rend; Rend. Zacian-C is useful here too as it can check Xerneas. Fur Coat Zamazenta-C is also a good teammate that can pressure Ferrothorn with its Fighting-type STAB moves move (unless u run multiple fighting stab on the same set?) and soft check Pixilate Xerneas. Other strong wallbreakers like Poison Heal Regigigas and Choice Band Groudon can pressure Palkia's checks with strong neutral damage from Facade and Precipice Blades. In return, Palkia threatens the bulky Dragon-types. that aim to check Regigigas and Groudon. Entry Hazards hazards and status like burns burn and paralysis hamper Palkia's ability to perform, performance, so teammates that control entry hazards like Magic Bounce Ferrothorn and Poison Heal Tapu Fini with Court Change are great. They and can also serve to Imposter-proof Palkia: by checking Imposter users. Ferrothorn can trap Palkia's Imposter Imposters with Anchor Shot and deny its recovery from Strength Sap with Magic Bounce. Bounce, while Tapu Fini can opt for Magic Bounce as well to force it out, Imposters of Palkia or use run a Poison Heal set and punish Imposters it with status and Knock Off, while and pivoting out gain momentum with moves like Teleport. to gain momentum.

[SET]
name: Rain Sweeper
move 1: Dragon Energy
move 2: Fishious Rend
move 3: Water Spout
move 4: Strength Sap
item: Lustrous Orb
ability: Swift Swim
nature: Rash
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Swift Swim Palkia is a potent mixed sweeper on rain teams thanks to gaining STAB on two powerful rain-boosted STAB moves in Fishious Rend and Water Spout. Fishious Rend and Dragon Energy's impressive power allow Palkia to break through common Fur Coat and Ice Scales defensive cores. Rain-boosted Water Spout combined with alongside Fishious Rend allow Palkia to 2HKO and blow past potential checks like Zamazenta-C, Ferrothorn, and even possibly Tapu Fini. on a favorable roll or after prior damage. Each of these opponents can be 2HKOed upon switching into Palkia's attack while rain is active. Dragon Energy targets Water-resistant Pokemon, OHKOing the likes of like Giratina, Giratina and Eternatus, and potentially 2HKOing Kyogre, with the Dragon-types being OHKOed and Kyogre being 2HKOed depending on its ability. Strength Sap helps keeps Palkia stay healthy, and ensures that retains Dragon Energy's and Water Spout's retain their high Base Power. Lustrous Orb powers up Palkia's STAB moves and works well in conjunction with its moveset, as other options like without the recoil from Life Orb that would effect affect its damage output. due to recoil. Swift Swim ensures lets Palkia outspeeds outspeed the entire unboosted metagame while rain is active, and a Rash nature gives it better chances to break past would-be checks like Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini.

Swift Swim Palkia is a must-have on offensive rain teams and can sometimes be the sole rain abuser, but rain-abusing teammates like Choice Band Barraskewda appreciate Palkia's ability to KO the Dragon-types that normally force it out. Palkia needs rain in order to best perform, so a Drizzle user teammate like Eternatus, Solgaleo, or Zygarde-C are good teammates, as their bulk is sufficient to reliably set rain more than once. Although Palkia is very fast in rain, Pixilate Xerneas can pressure it with Extreme Speed and tank Palkia's a weakened rain-boosted Fishious Rend even under rain. since its Base Power drops after moving second. Teammates like Zamazenta-C and Zacian-C can check Xerneas and support the team with provide entry hazard control via Court Change or stacking Spikes to increase improve Palkia's chances to land KOs. Palkia is vulnerable to Imposter users, users since they're only which are 2HKOed by Dragon Energy at full health but can either OHKO Palkia in return or heal with Strength Sap to set up a Speed tie. Therefore, a dedicated Imposter-proof Imposter-proofing teammate like Water Absorb Fairy-types or Poison Heal Tapu Fini with a protect variant like Spiky Shield help keep Imposter users at bay.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Adaptability Palkia can use Quiver Dance in place of Glare to power past checks like Magic Bounce Ferrothorn and Fur Coat Solgaleo, 2HKOing them with +1 Dragon Energy, but this makes it vulnerable to Spectral Thief from said checks. them. Adaptability sets can also run Steam Eruption to threaten Fur Coat Steel-types, notably 2HKOing Solgaleo, Solgaleo and but has a slim chance to 2HKO Zamazenta-C; however, the latter outspeeds Palkia, allowing it to either and is also outsped by it meaning Zamazenta-C can heal off the damage, and stall out the move's low PP, or remove Palkia's Lustrous Orb. Using Steam Eruption also means missing misses out on the utility of Glare or Nuzzle. Palkia can affectively effectively run a Poison Heal set using the same moves from its instead of Adaptability set, giving to give it passive recovery, to keep Dragon Energy's Base Power high, and allows Palkia to avoid burns and paralysis. However, the Poison Heal set it lacks in power when compared to the Adaptability Lustrous Orb set and is severely crippled by ability suppressing moves like Core Enforcer and Entrainment. Palkia's typing lets it play a defensive role with Fur Coat, checking physical attackers like Zacian-C and Groudon. while threatening them with Scald. It runs Scald to threaten them, as well as A moveset of Scald, Core Enforcer, Recover, and a utility move like Court Change, Spectral Thief, or a set up setup move like Quiver Dance. is best for Fur Coat sets. Palkia can forgo Glare or Nuzzle for entry hazards like Spikes or Stealth Rock, Rock since it forces out common entry hazard removers like Zygarde-C and Ho-Oh. are forced out. However, Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini are commonly seen with Magic Bounce or utility moves like Court Change, on top of resisting Palkia's STAB moves.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini**: Ferrothorn and Tapu Fini Both Pokemon resist Palkia's STAB moves and are both commonly seen with Magic Bounce, which checks ignores Palkia's status moves and prevents it from healing with Strength Sap. Tapu Fini also runs Poison Heal and Ice Scales sets that can check Palkia while forcing it out with Moonblast, Scald burns, or crippling its power with and Knock Off. Ferrothorn can trap Palkia with Anchor Shot and proceed to either eliminate it or and stall its PP, PP. either eliminating Palkia or making it useless for the rest of the battle.

**Residual Damage**: Chip damage from entry hazards, Rocky Helmet, and pivot moves weaken Dragon Energy's and Water Spout's (i assume? if it's not applicable then just ignore this) power and force Palkia to recover.

**Priority Attacks**: Extreme Speed users like Xerneas and Kyurem-Black and Triage users like Rayquaza and Thundurus-T significantly weaken Palkia's damage output from Fisheous Rend, Dragon Energy, and Water Spout. (same with above) move before Palkia, which halves the power of Fishious Rend and lowers the power of Dragon Energy.

**Imposter**: Although Palkia has the ability to 2HKO Eviolite Imposter Chansey with Dragon Energy, Imposter users like Chansey and Blissey threaten to OHKO Palkia with Dragon Energy and can either outspeed Palkia with a Choice Scarf or risk a Speed tie knowing they will simply survive a hit. hit to threaten an OHKO with Dragon Energy. However, Palkia can 2HKO Eviolite Imposter Chansey with Dragon Energy.

**Fur Coat Steel-types**: Fur Coat Steel-types like Zamazenta-C and Solgaleo resist Dragon Energy, and can stomach Fishious Rend fairly well, making them solid checks to Palkia and can trap it Palkia with Anchor Shot. These foes can They can also remove Palkia's Lustrous Orb to reduce its power and cripple it with status. moves. However, each of these they are prone to paralysis from Glare or Nuzzle and can potentially be 3HKOed. if they are unlucky with full paralysis. Swift Swim Palkia is also able to defeat Fur Coat Steel-types them under rain. but only while rain is active.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[a loser, 410702]]
- Quality checked by: [[XxSevagxX, 441607], [cityscapes, 233142]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1]]