#MakePalkiaGreatAgain
QC 3/3 (Fireburn, Minority, Level 56)
GP 1/1 (Calm Pokemaster)
[OVERVIEW]
* Stats, typing, and movepool have always been something to watch out for with Palkia, and it makes a return to SM as an uncommon but dangerous threat to keep an eye out for.
* The loss of Soul Dew has knocked Latios and Latias out of viability, giving Palkia a new breath of fresh air. Mega Diancie is also unreleased, giving it almost no competition for its decent Speed tier.
* Its ability to check Solgaleo, Primal Kyogre, and Arceus-Water gives Palkia enough defensive utility to warrant a potential slot on teams.
* Thanks to Z-Moves, Heal Block has gone from a gimmicky fourth move to a godsend for Palkia; the ability to simultaneously block the healing of walls and gain a +2 Special Attack boost gives it amazing wallbreaking potential.
* By combining Z-Heal Block with the ability to run a Modest nature, Palkia becomes the terror of defensive walls, but is still vulnerable to Toxic and being revenge killed.
* Palkia's matchup against offensive teams can be rough, as anything faster than Palkia is very likely to be able to weaken it or outright take it down.
[SET]
name: Z-Move Extraordinaire (Wallbreaker)
move 1: Hydro Pump
move 2: Spacial Rend
move 3: Heal Block
move 4: Fire Blast / Thunder
item: Psychium Z
ability: Pressure
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Hydro Pump is the strongest move and is capable of feats such as OHKOing maximum HP Arceus formes with the aid of Stealth Rock at +2.
* Spacial Rend is another great STAB move that other specially biased Dragon-types wish they had — Draco Meteor has a nasty stat drop but does have the ability to OHKO Arceus-Water at +2 without any prior damage.
* Heal Block stops the healing of support Arceus as well as Solgaleo and Lunala, but doesn't stop Ho-Oh and Toxapex's Regenerator from activating.
* When combined with Psychium Z, Heal Block gives Palkia +2 Special Attack and dramatically increases its threat level, but this is a one-time boost and should only be used at the appropriate time.
* Fire Blast hits Ferrothorn, which resists both STAB moves and is a slightly more accurate option than Hydro Pump against other Steel-types. Fire Blast also OHKOes Magearna at +2, something that Hydro Pump falls short of.
* Thunder OHKOes Primal Kyogre, Ho-Oh, and Arceus-Water at +2, but has its accuracy issues against non-Kyogre targets.
Set Details
========
* The ideal EV spread simply uses maximum Special Attack and maximum Speed for optimal Speed and power.
* Modest gives the extra power that Palkia would normally be missing from the lack of a boosting item, and the lack of competition in Palkia's Speed tier further aids the idea of giving up Timid.
* Modest achieves crucial damage benchmarks such as OHKOing maximum HP Arceus at +2 with Hydro Pump after Stealth Rock, or achieving the same with a +2 Spacial Rend with a little prior damage if they resist Water. This also applies to specially defensive Primal Groudon sets.
* Timid is a possibility, but requires the enemy team to be softened up a bit more to beat at +2 in balance matchups. Timid does come in useful when facing maximum Speed variants of Pokemon in the base 90 to 100 Speed tier range.
* Psychium Z is necessary to power up Heal Block.
Usage Tips
========
* Palkia's main switch opportunities come from exploitable Steel-types such as Solgaleo, as well as Water-types such as Kyogre and Arceus-Water.
* Against offensive teams Palkia can feel very deadweight, as almost everything will outspeed it or have a method of attacking it first, so don't be afraid to get some damage out wherever possible.
* Throwing out attacks before using Z-Heal Block is the key to breaking into the defensive cores that balance teams (support Arceus/Groudon/Xerneas for example) use, as Palkia needs the little bits of prior damage to secure the OHKOs.
* Palkia should be on the lookout for Fairy-types and their sets before using Z-Heal Block, as a Choice Scarf Xerneas or a surprise Arceus-Fairy will waste your Z-Move.
* Against Blissey, it's generally best to use Heal Block and switch to a teammate that immediately threatens Blissey. The inability to regenerate HP via Soft-Boiled from forcing Palkia out means that Blissey is pressured to find a way to use Soft-Boiled and is susceptible to losing to Palkia in the long run. Z-Heal Block can help with this when the time is right to use it.
Team Options
========
* Primal Groudon can sponge Fairy-types for Palkia and also set up Stealth Rock to get the necessary damage on walls such as a support Arceus forme so that Palkia can break them at +2.
* Geomancy Xerneas can get damage on Primal Groudon easily, allowing Palkia to overload it later. Palkia can also do the same for any Xerneas set.
* Other Fairy-type answers such as Klefki, Magearna, Solgaleo, and Aegislash can deal with Fairy-types for Palkia. Mega Lucario is also an option for taking on Arceus-Dark and dealing with Geomancy Xerneas in a pinch.
* Paralysis lures such as Thunder Wave Giratina-O and Zygarde can catch out faster Fairy-types, allowing Palkia to break past them.
* Zygarde-C can deal with physical attackers such as Mega Salamence and opposing Primal Groudon, while Palkia can break down answers such as Arceus-Water and Primal Kyogre in return.
* Paralysis support in general is appreciated, as the general rule is that Palkia can beat it if its slower, but will lose to it if its faster.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Substitute can ease prediction against cores of Primal Groudon and a Fairy-type, but Palkia then loses a valuable coverage move, widening the pool of Pokemon that can check it. Otherwise, it has no other truly viable options.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Fairy-types**: Xerneas and Arceus-Fairy are the biggest issues to Palkia as they can use an unboosted Palkia as a potentially free setup opportunity. Arceus-Fairy will be faster than Palkia in most circumstances, meaning that even at +2, Palkia can be taken down before it can OHKO Arceus-Fairy. Choice Scarf Xerneas can have issues switching into Hydro Pump, but will always revenge kill Palkia. Slower Fairy-types such as Klefki and Magearna take far too much damage taking on Palkia and should only face it in dire situations or when switching into predicted Spacial Rends, or else they become too weak to check anything else for their team.
**Revenge Killers**: Almost anything faster than Palkia in Ubers has a method of hitting it hard enough to take it down. Lunala can also take down Palkia with Shadow Shield intact, as it can survive anything Palkia throws at it and then take out Palkia if it is weakened.
**Blissey**: Blissey's special bulk makes it rather annoying for Palkia to break through, as it requires the use of Z-Heal Block to have the damage to really get past it. Using Heal Block without Z-Powering and switching out is the best option until Z-Heal Block is a good idea to use, but in a duel scenario, Palkia will take so long to beat Blissey unboosted that it will be severely weakened or outright lose the encounter.
**Primal Groudon**: A healthy Primal Groudon can take even a boosted Spacial Rend if invested in Special Defense, and take Palkia down with Precipice Blades. Primal Groudon's HP is very vital to its role in a team, so it should only take on Palkia on its own terms.
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