QC: Piccolo Daimao | Uselesscrab | E4 Flint
GP: Malley | The Dutch Plumberjack
[OVERVIEW]
Dialga, while not as good a wallbreaker as Mega Diancie or Mega Rayquaza, has quite a few distinct properties that make it good in the Balanced Hackmons metagame. Its unique Steel / Dragon typing provides a resistance to Flying and a neutrality to Fairy, corresponding to two of the more commonly used -ate abilities in Aerilate and Pixilate. Steel / Dragon is an interesting offensive typing as well, giving it unresisted coverage with just Tinted Lens and its STAB moves, with Dragon alone being unresisted itself outside of Fairy-types. Tinted Lens allows Dialga to lure in and deal massive damage to Steel-types such as Registeel and Aegislash, which rely on their resistances to take hits. Its bulk is decent, and its Special Attack is quite good, but it is a bit on the slow side. Pokemon with Imposter present a problem to it, requiring a Fairy-type Pokemon with Magnet Pull and Substitute to be dealt with reliably . Overall, Dialga is a massive threat when set up and can sweep unprepared teams with ease.
[SET]
name: Doom Desire
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Doom Desire
move 3: Draco Meteor / Spacial Rend
move 4: King's Shield / Leech Seed / Recover
item: Adamant Orb / Safety Goggles
ability: Tinted Lens
nature: Modest
evs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
==========
Tail Glow allows Dialga to raise its Special Attack to sky-high levels. Doom Desire allows Dialga to fire off a high-power STAB move that very few Pokemon resist due to Tinted Lens. Additionally, this move is not affected by Protect, Metal Burst, or Destiny Bond. It also creates some interesting opportunities due to its two-turn delay by forcing switches or simply KOing the opponent's Pokemon if they choose not to switch. Draco Meteor is another powerful STAB attack that works best if Dialga switches out afterwards, because then Doom Desire uses Dialga's unmodified Special Attack rather than the decreased Special Attack that results from using Draco Meteor. Spacial Rend is an alternate option over Draco Meteor with less power but a higher chance to get critical hits, which can be useful to get past Pokemon with Special Defense boosts, such as Quiver Dance sweepers. King's Shield allows Dialga to scout the foe's moveset, lower the foe's Attack, and stall out Doom Desire turns. It is mostly used to block and punish priority moves boosted by -ate abilities, such as Fake Out and Extreme Speed, and Fighting-type moves that make contact, which can do massive damage to Dialga. Leech Seed KOes Sturdy Shedinja, which is an undesirable Pokemon for Dialga to face, and provides passive healing. It can also be used to gain massive amounts of HP if an Imposter user such as Chansey switches in. Recover, or any of its clones, gives Dialga increased longevity via instant recovery, which can be more useful than the slower recovery that Leech Seed provides.
Set Details
==========
252 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature allow Dialga to do as much damage as possible. Adamant Orb is run to increase this damage, boosting Dialga's STAB moves without locking it into a move or making it take recoil. 248 HP EVs limit damage taken from Curse and Spikes. The rest of the EVs are placed in Special Defense. Tinted Lens is the ability of choice, giving Dialga's STAB moves unresisted coverage. With this ability, very common Steel-types such as Registeel and Aegislash cannot counter Dialga. Safety Goggles is an alternate option over Adamant Orb that prevents Dialga from being put to sleep by Spore, although it loses some power in the process.
Usage Tips
==========
Doom Desire is most often the best move to use when Dialga is not immediately threatened due to its ability to ignore the effects of various moves such as Protect, Metal Burst, and Destiny Bond and potentially force a switch. It is important to use Doom Desire before Tail Glow, if you wish to use Tail Glow at all, due to Tail Glow's boosts only being factored in when the move hits. Tail Glow can be used if Dialga forces a switch after using Doom Desire to deal massive damage even to switch-ins that resist Doom Desire. Another strategy is to use Doom Desire, follow up with Draco Meteor, and then switch out; because Dialga's stat changes are reset if it switches out, Doom Desire will use Dialga's unmodified Special Attack rather than the decreased stat that results from using Draco Meteor. Use King's Shield to scout a foe's moves and potentially lower its Attack. Using Dialga's moveset strategically is key, as you can essentially pick when you want Dialga to sweep, wallbreak, or scout, depending on the scenario. Remove Pokemon with the ability Imposter before trying to sweep unless you have a full counter, in which case Imposter isn't as much of a worry. In addition, it is important to remove Sturdy Shedinja as soon as possible if Dialga does not have Leech Seed, as without it, Dialga cannot harm Shedinja.
Team Options
==========
Teammates with Mold Breaker are highly recommended for various reasons. The first is that they can provide entry hazard support even against Magic Bounce users, which KOes Sturdy Shedinja when it switches in as well as inflicting chip damage. The second is that the combination of Mold Breaker and Pursuit allows them to trap and KO Sturdy Shedinja, dissuading Shedinja from switching into Doom Desire and punishing it if it does. Lastly, Mold Breaker users cannot have their phazing moves bounced back by Magic Bounce, allowing them to shuffle foes around to take heavy hits from Doom Desire. Examples of good Pokemon to run Mold Breaker include Mega Gengar, Mega Gyarados— which has the special mention distinction of being able to run any other ability and Mega Evolve to gain Mold Breaker—, and Mega Mewtwo X. A Magnet Pull Fairy-type with Substitute can be used to counter and set up on Pokemon with Imposter that copy this set by preventing it from switching out. A Pokemon with a phazing move that can take a Draco Meteor or two from Dialga can also be used to deal with Imposter users, as forcing the Imposter Pokemon out makes the Doom Desire use the Imposter Pokemon's Special Attack rather than Dialga's, resulting in paltry amounts of damage. Another Steel-type can be used in conjunction with Dialga to better deal with Pixilate and Refrigerate Pokemon, as Dialga is neutrally affected by Fairy- and Ice-type moves. A Fur Coat Pokemon such as Mega Audino or Giratina can also be run to sponge the Ground- and Fighting-type attacks that Dialga finds undesirable to go up against.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
==========
There are plenty of alternate options for Dialga's fourth move. Spiky Shield can be run to block status moves, unlike King's Shield, and deal chip damage to the foe if it makes contact, as well as KO Sturdy Shedinja if it uses Endeavor. Magma Storm can be run to deal super effective damage to Steel-types and KO Sturdy Shedinja; while Doom Desire and Draco Meteor do slightly more damage to Steel-types thanks to Tinted Lens, the residual damage is always appreciated. Keep in mind that this makes Dialga harder to protect against Imposter Pokemon than it already is. Lastly, Spore can be run, as it is almost guaranteed put a foe to sleep; if you opt for this, Safety Goggles is a good item to run to prevent Magic Bounce users from putting Dialga to sleep instead.
A Choice Specs set is an option to make Doom Desire ridiculously powerful and potentially cripple walls with Trick. The setup sweeper Tinted Lens set is almost always better, however, as Doom Desire is not the best move to be locked into. A Magnet Pull set can be used to lure, trap, and KO Imposter users that would normally capitalize on a free Tail Glow. Shell Smash and Judgment can also be run on this set, as well as on the setup sweeper Tinted Lens set, to make KOing Imposter users easier.
Checks and Counters
==========
**Magnet Pull Fairy-types**: Fairy-types are immune to Dragon-type moves, and as such the only move Dialga has to hit them with is Doom Desire. Most Magnet Pull Fairy-types capitalize on this, neutering Dialga by using Substitute to block the damage caused by Doom Desire. The most prominent example of a Pokemon that utilizes this strategy is Xerneas. These are the largest threats to Dialga because they can easily fully set up on Dialga and sweep.
**Protean Mega Mewtwo**: Both Protean Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y commonly run Ground-type coverage moves to hit Steel-types super effectively. Dialga has a hard time taking hits from either as a result of this. However, neither appreciates taking a Doom Desire on the switch, especially if it is boosted by Tail Glow.
**Sturdy Shedinja**: Sturdy Shedinja walls this set if Dialga doesn't carry Leech Seed or something else that is dedicated to defeating Shedinja, and it can threaten Dialga with Endeavor. Entry hazard support and a teammate with Mold Breaker and Pursuit alleviate this to an extent.
**Unaware Pokemon**: Unaware Pokemon that can reliably take Draco Meteor can switch into Dialga and phaze it. Keep in mind that they are harder to switch in if Dialga is using Doom Desire and that the Unaware Pokemon will constantly be hit by a full-powered Draco Meteor unless they are Fairy-types, as they ignore the stat drops.
**Imposter Pokemon**: Imposter Pokemon can copy this set and threaten to sweep with it. If Dialga is unboosted, this becomes far easier, as Imposter Chansey can take a few unboosted Draco Meteors, set up a Tail Glow, and sweep. On the other hand, if Dialga has boosted, Imposter becomes a shakier way to deal with it due to how much damage Draco Meteor and Doom Desire deal, requiring the Imposter user to be brought in via a safer method such as a slow U-turn. Due to the ease with which Magnet Pull Fairy-types can be slapped onto a team to deal with Dialga, Imposter Pokemon need to be played carefully in order to avoid being trapped themselves; however, Imposter can easily spell the end for Dialga's team when played properly.
GP: Malley | The Dutch Plumberjack
[OVERVIEW]
Dialga, while not as good a wallbreaker as Mega Diancie or Mega Rayquaza, has quite a few distinct properties that make it good in the Balanced Hackmons metagame. Its unique Steel / Dragon typing provides a resistance to Flying and a neutrality to Fairy, corresponding to two of the more commonly used -ate abilities in Aerilate and Pixilate. Steel / Dragon is an interesting offensive typing as well, giving it unresisted coverage with just Tinted Lens and its STAB moves, with Dragon alone being unresisted itself outside of Fairy-types. Tinted Lens allows Dialga to lure in and deal massive damage to Steel-types such as Registeel and Aegislash, which rely on their resistances to take hits. Its bulk is decent, and its Special Attack is quite good, but it is a bit on the slow side. Pokemon with Imposter present a problem to it, requiring a Fairy-type Pokemon with Magnet Pull and Substitute to be dealt with reliably . Overall, Dialga is a massive threat when set up and can sweep unprepared teams with ease.
[SET]
name: Doom Desire
move 1: Tail Glow
move 2: Doom Desire
move 3: Draco Meteor / Spacial Rend
move 4: King's Shield / Leech Seed / Recover
item: Adamant Orb / Safety Goggles
ability: Tinted Lens
nature: Modest
evs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
==========
Tail Glow allows Dialga to raise its Special Attack to sky-high levels. Doom Desire allows Dialga to fire off a high-power STAB move that very few Pokemon resist due to Tinted Lens. Additionally, this move is not affected by Protect, Metal Burst, or Destiny Bond. It also creates some interesting opportunities due to its two-turn delay by forcing switches or simply KOing the opponent's Pokemon if they choose not to switch. Draco Meteor is another powerful STAB attack that works best if Dialga switches out afterwards, because then Doom Desire uses Dialga's unmodified Special Attack rather than the decreased Special Attack that results from using Draco Meteor. Spacial Rend is an alternate option over Draco Meteor with less power but a higher chance to get critical hits, which can be useful to get past Pokemon with Special Defense boosts, such as Quiver Dance sweepers. King's Shield allows Dialga to scout the foe's moveset, lower the foe's Attack, and stall out Doom Desire turns. It is mostly used to block and punish priority moves boosted by -ate abilities, such as Fake Out and Extreme Speed, and Fighting-type moves that make contact, which can do massive damage to Dialga. Leech Seed KOes Sturdy Shedinja, which is an undesirable Pokemon for Dialga to face, and provides passive healing. It can also be used to gain massive amounts of HP if an Imposter user such as Chansey switches in. Recover, or any of its clones, gives Dialga increased longevity via instant recovery, which can be more useful than the slower recovery that Leech Seed provides.
Set Details
==========
252 Special Attack EVs and a Modest nature allow Dialga to do as much damage as possible. Adamant Orb is run to increase this damage, boosting Dialga's STAB moves without locking it into a move or making it take recoil. 248 HP EVs limit damage taken from Curse and Spikes. The rest of the EVs are placed in Special Defense. Tinted Lens is the ability of choice, giving Dialga's STAB moves unresisted coverage. With this ability, very common Steel-types such as Registeel and Aegislash cannot counter Dialga. Safety Goggles is an alternate option over Adamant Orb that prevents Dialga from being put to sleep by Spore, although it loses some power in the process.
Usage Tips
==========
Doom Desire is most often the best move to use when Dialga is not immediately threatened due to its ability to ignore the effects of various moves such as Protect, Metal Burst, and Destiny Bond and potentially force a switch. It is important to use Doom Desire before Tail Glow, if you wish to use Tail Glow at all, due to Tail Glow's boosts only being factored in when the move hits. Tail Glow can be used if Dialga forces a switch after using Doom Desire to deal massive damage even to switch-ins that resist Doom Desire. Another strategy is to use Doom Desire, follow up with Draco Meteor, and then switch out; because Dialga's stat changes are reset if it switches out, Doom Desire will use Dialga's unmodified Special Attack rather than the decreased stat that results from using Draco Meteor. Use King's Shield to scout a foe's moves and potentially lower its Attack. Using Dialga's moveset strategically is key, as you can essentially pick when you want Dialga to sweep, wallbreak, or scout, depending on the scenario. Remove Pokemon with the ability Imposter before trying to sweep unless you have a full counter, in which case Imposter isn't as much of a worry. In addition, it is important to remove Sturdy Shedinja as soon as possible if Dialga does not have Leech Seed, as without it, Dialga cannot harm Shedinja.
Team Options
==========
Teammates with Mold Breaker are highly recommended for various reasons. The first is that they can provide entry hazard support even against Magic Bounce users, which KOes Sturdy Shedinja when it switches in as well as inflicting chip damage. The second is that the combination of Mold Breaker and Pursuit allows them to trap and KO Sturdy Shedinja, dissuading Shedinja from switching into Doom Desire and punishing it if it does. Lastly, Mold Breaker users cannot have their phazing moves bounced back by Magic Bounce, allowing them to shuffle foes around to take heavy hits from Doom Desire. Examples of good Pokemon to run Mold Breaker include Mega Gengar, Mega Gyarados— which has the special mention distinction of being able to run any other ability and Mega Evolve to gain Mold Breaker—, and Mega Mewtwo X. A Magnet Pull Fairy-type with Substitute can be used to counter and set up on Pokemon with Imposter that copy this set by preventing it from switching out. A Pokemon with a phazing move that can take a Draco Meteor or two from Dialga can also be used to deal with Imposter users, as forcing the Imposter Pokemon out makes the Doom Desire use the Imposter Pokemon's Special Attack rather than Dialga's, resulting in paltry amounts of damage. Another Steel-type can be used in conjunction with Dialga to better deal with Pixilate and Refrigerate Pokemon, as Dialga is neutrally affected by Fairy- and Ice-type moves. A Fur Coat Pokemon such as Mega Audino or Giratina can also be run to sponge the Ground- and Fighting-type attacks that Dialga finds undesirable to go up against.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
==========
There are plenty of alternate options for Dialga's fourth move. Spiky Shield can be run to block status moves, unlike King's Shield, and deal chip damage to the foe if it makes contact, as well as KO Sturdy Shedinja if it uses Endeavor. Magma Storm can be run to deal super effective damage to Steel-types and KO Sturdy Shedinja; while Doom Desire and Draco Meteor do slightly more damage to Steel-types thanks to Tinted Lens, the residual damage is always appreciated. Keep in mind that this makes Dialga harder to protect against Imposter Pokemon than it already is. Lastly, Spore can be run, as it is almost guaranteed put a foe to sleep; if you opt for this, Safety Goggles is a good item to run to prevent Magic Bounce users from putting Dialga to sleep instead.
A Choice Specs set is an option to make Doom Desire ridiculously powerful and potentially cripple walls with Trick. The setup sweeper Tinted Lens set is almost always better, however, as Doom Desire is not the best move to be locked into. A Magnet Pull set can be used to lure, trap, and KO Imposter users that would normally capitalize on a free Tail Glow. Shell Smash and Judgment can also be run on this set, as well as on the setup sweeper Tinted Lens set, to make KOing Imposter users easier.
Checks and Counters
==========
**Magnet Pull Fairy-types**: Fairy-types are immune to Dragon-type moves, and as such the only move Dialga has to hit them with is Doom Desire. Most Magnet Pull Fairy-types capitalize on this, neutering Dialga by using Substitute to block the damage caused by Doom Desire. The most prominent example of a Pokemon that utilizes this strategy is Xerneas. These are the largest threats to Dialga because they can easily fully set up on Dialga and sweep.
**Protean Mega Mewtwo**: Both Protean Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y commonly run Ground-type coverage moves to hit Steel-types super effectively. Dialga has a hard time taking hits from either as a result of this. However, neither appreciates taking a Doom Desire on the switch, especially if it is boosted by Tail Glow.
**Sturdy Shedinja**: Sturdy Shedinja walls this set if Dialga doesn't carry Leech Seed or something else that is dedicated to defeating Shedinja, and it can threaten Dialga with Endeavor. Entry hazard support and a teammate with Mold Breaker and Pursuit alleviate this to an extent.
**Unaware Pokemon**: Unaware Pokemon that can reliably take Draco Meteor can switch into Dialga and phaze it. Keep in mind that they are harder to switch in if Dialga is using Doom Desire and that the Unaware Pokemon will constantly be hit by a full-powered Draco Meteor unless they are Fairy-types, as they ignore the stat drops.
**Imposter Pokemon**: Imposter Pokemon can copy this set and threaten to sweep with it. If Dialga is unboosted, this becomes far easier, as Imposter Chansey can take a few unboosted Draco Meteors, set up a Tail Glow, and sweep. On the other hand, if Dialga has boosted, Imposter becomes a shakier way to deal with it due to how much damage Draco Meteor and Doom Desire deal, requiring the Imposter user to be brought in via a safer method such as a slow U-turn. Due to the ease with which Magnet Pull Fairy-types can be slapped onto a team to deal with Dialga, Imposter Pokemon need to be played carefully in order to avoid being trapped themselves; however, Imposter can easily spell the end for Dialga's team when played properly.
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