POTW #3 Dialga

Pokemon of the Week #3, Dialga (info from Smogon)



Dialga

Type: Steel/Dragon

Tier: Uber

Overview:

Dialga’s unique typing and well-distributed stats make it both an excellent offensive and defensive Pokemon. Offensively, Dialga has a stunning base 120 Attack and base 150 Special Attack that's backed by the ever-dominant Dragon-type STAB. Dialga's vast offensive movepool allows it to pick off a variety of Pokemon. Defensively, Dialga’s typing offers it a whopping total of nine resistances and an immunity, as well as neutrality to Ice- and Dragon-type attacks, something other Dragon-type Pokemon would kill for. With its stellar base defenses combined with the aforementioned resistances, Dialga is a difficult Pokemon to take down unless you target its weaknesses. Dialga is also revered as an excellent utility Pokemon thanks to its equally-vast support movepool. With its plethora of options, Dialga is, in a word, unpredictable.

Best Moveset:

Moveset EVs
~ Draco Meteor
~ Outrage / Brick Break
~ Fire Blast
~ Thunder / Bulk Up

STAB Draco Meteor bolstered by 438 Special Attack, or 399 if Dialga opts to use a Hasty nature, is frightening for any opponent. Only Steel-type Pokemon and Blissey can take Draco Meteor without the risk of being 2HKOed in the process, though some frailer Steel-types such as Lucario take major damage anyway (66.2% - 77.9% if Dialga is Mild). Brick Break, with the given Attack EVs, will 2HKO most Uber Blissey with Stealth Rock in play. Fire Blast is the best attack for taking down the vast majority of Steel-types in the Uber metagame, but it comes with the downside of being weakened by the near-omnipresent rain. This can be resolved by partnering Dialga with Groudon or Tyranitar. The final slot should generally be Thunder due to its perfect accuracy in the rain; with its 30% chance of paralysis, most opponents will think twice before they switch in, since many Dialga checks or counters rely on their Speed. Outrage is an excellent attack to use with or without Bulk Up. Without Bulk Up, Dialga can use Outrage with a Life Orb to 2HKO most Kyogre and Blissey. Bulk Up is a great lure move since it draws in Groudon, which is in turn shut down by STAB Draco Meteor. With Bulk Up, Dialga should be able to even surge through Wish Blissey.

To maximize Dialga’s potential, there are many options in regards to natures and EVs. The suggested EV spread and nature allows Dialga’s Draco Meteor to hit with maximum power and outspeed Adamant Scizor. 144 Atk EVs grant Dialga the ability to 2HKO most Blissey, barring max HP / max Def variants. If you opt for Mild, you should use Expert Belt, since it provides enough power to obtain the same KOs as Life Orb while conserving Dialga’s HP. Hasty, with 64 Atk / 252 SpA / 192 Spe EVs, allows Dialga to outspeed Adamant Rayquaza and Adamant Lucario. Hasty with 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe also works. Outspeeding Adamant Rayquaza means that Dialga’s team is less susceptible to a Swords Dance Rayquaza sweep, though keep in mind that most Dragon Dance and Mixed Rayquaza sets use a positive Speed nature. With a Hasty nature, Dialga will need a Life Orb in order to stay competitive offensively. Because Dialga can survive Choice Scarf Garchomp's Earthquake and even Life Orb Aura Sphere from Mewtwo, Dialga can effectively utilize a spread of 120 HP / 136 Atk / 252 SpA with a Quiet nature in order to survive one of those assaults. Expert Belt is preferable for Quiet Dialga since the main goal is to make sure that Dialga is as healthy as possible in case it needs to take these extreme hits. Life Orb can be used, however, since Dialga can even OHKO Support Groudon with Draco Meteor 100% of the time with a Quiet nature, which is slightly reduced to 87% with Hasty; Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes assures the KO. Life Orb Outrage also 2HKOes max HP / min Def Kyogre, which means Dialga can be effective at taking out Mono-Attacker Kyogre. Brick Break, with Stealth Rock in play, can also be used to easily 2HKO Heatran, since max HP / min Def variants takes 43-50.8%.