· 9 years ago · Oct 23, 2016, 09:16 PM
1#Dialga
2
3***
4
5#Dialga BST Breakdown
6
7> **Type:** Steel/Dragon
8
9> **Abilities:** Pressure **Hidden Ability:** Telepathy
10
11> - HP 100
12
13> - Atk 120
14
15> - Def 120
16
17> - Sp Atk 150
18
19> - Sp Def 100
20
21> - Spe 90
22
23**Total:** 680
24
25***
26
27**General Synergy and Type Matchup:** Clocking in at a whopping 680 BST, Dialga is graced with being unique. A Dragon that is not weak to Dragon or Fairy is a testament to steel as a defensive type. Ideally you would think this is giving you an edge, and to an extent it is, but in this format everything hits like a truck. Dialga in a best case scenario is still only a 3HKO. Still rather miraculous when you consider things are being two shot with ineffective hits.
28
29***
30
31**Notable Moves:**
32
33> Flash Cannon, Dragon Pulse, Draco Meteor, Hidden Power, ~~EarthPower,~~ Flamethrower, Fireblast, Overheat, Thunderbolt, Thunder, Gravity, Trick Room
34
35***
36
37## **Overview and History:**
38
39Dialga’s respectable base stats and wide move pool make it rather versatile. History Time: [Ray actually won worlds in 2010 with a team that featured Dialga](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/User:Carbonific/List_of_Pok%C3%A9mon_Video_Game_World_Finalist_Teams)
40
41[And Wolfe won Florida’s regionals this year with a Dialga-Ogre team.](http://www.pokemon.com/us/play-pokemon/winter-regional-championships-2016/teams/florida/masters/#team-wolfe-glick-masters-division-champion)
42
43Telepathy is an event only ability that has, unfortunately, only been given away in certain parts of the world. It is, however, legal to use. [Here are the event details.](http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/List_of_Korean_region_serial_code_event_Pok%C3%A9mon_distributions_in_Generation_VI#Dialga)
44
45***
46
47## **Notable Sets:**
48
49**Orb Set**
50
51Dialga @ Adamant Orb
52Ability: Pressure
53EVs: 252 HP / 60 Def / 196 SpA
54Modest Nature
55IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
56- Dragon Pulse
57- Flash Cannon
58- Protect
59- Trick Room
60
61This set capitalizes on Dialga’s inherent strengths; a more offensive Trick Room setter. 150 base special attack is nothing to take for granted. Adamant orb let’s Dialga gain a boost in both of it’s already STAB booted moves while not having to succumb to a depletion in bulk from Life Orb. For added pep I highly recommend considering pairing this set with a helping hand user. I toyed with pairing it with Sylveon earlier in the season. Sylveon isn’t the greatest this format, but it was on Japan’s winning nats team, so it at least has that going for it.
62
63252+ SpA Adamant Orb Dialga Helping Hand Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mega Mawile: 157-186 (100 - 118.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
64
65252+ SpA Adamant Orb Dialga Helping Hand Dragon Pulse vs. 4 HP / 12 SpD Primal Groudon: 171-202 (97.1 - 114.7%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
66
67***
68
69**Dino of Thyme**
70
71Dialga @ Lum Berry/Mental Herb
72Ability: Telepathy
73Level: 50
74EVs: 252 HP / 60 Def / 76 SpA / 116 SpD / 4 Spe
75Modest Nature
76IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
77- Flash Cannon
78- Dragon Pulse
79- Trick Room
80- Protect
81
82Pesky Smeargle got you down? Sick and tired of being taunted? This is the set for you! Lum allows Dialga to set up Trick Room despite the threat of Dark Void. This can let you get an edge against that horrifying Smeargle + Xerneas lead you’ve seen all season. While Xerneas are typically run bulky now even with a Geomancy boost Dialga can chunk the heavenly deer for about 25% of it’s HP meaning that used in conjunction with the right teammates you can still two-shot the thing. And if you find yourself being shut down through Taunt too often, Mental Herb is a perfectly viable option.
83
84***
85
86**Off-brand Wolfe’s Dialga**
87
88Dialga @ Sitrus Berry
89Ability: Telepathy
90EVs: 252 HP / 60 Def / 120 SpA / 72 SpD / 4 Spe
91Modest Nature
92IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
93- Flamethrower
94- Dragon Pulse
95- Trick Room
96- Protect
97
98Wolfe ran a Dialga at Florida regionals this year. It had Flamethrower and Sitrus Berry and for the life of me I cannot find the actual EV spread so please enjoy this genuine-designer-fake Dialga in its stead. This has been EV’d so that Sitrus Let’s you live a Low Kick from any Kang variant while still keeping Groudon’s Earth Power and Precipice Blades to a 2HKO. Furthermore, Jolly P-blades is a 3HKO after intimidate.
99
100
101
102##**Overall Usage:**
103
104Since you only have two slots reserved for restricted legendaries, it’s important to keep in mind what Dialga is bringing to the table. The thing is, Dialga doesn’t have the most overwhelming offensive presence in this meta. (Which is nuts coming off 150 base Special Attack!) But it does have unique utility. You are pretty much pigeonholed into two archetypes: Dialga-Don or Dialga-Ogre.
105
106Given the awkward speed tier Dialga exists in, I highly recommend considering its use on a Tailroom team. You aren’t underspeeding Ferrothorn or Amoongus in Trick Room, and you aren’t outspeeding anything too significant otherwise. You need some form of speed control to get Dialga going.
107
108
109A Word on Coverage Moves
110
111While I don’t think that it’s necessarily wise to run Dialga in the roll of a utility killer and jam HP-Water onto its moveset (We’ll leave that to Talonflame) I highly encourage you to *consider* running *a* coverage on the mon. It’s offense is high enough that it can take advantage of a non-stab attack. I would also like to strongly caution you against the coverage move in general. I hold firm that a coverage move, in 99% of cases, should be decided upon in the final stages of team building. [Wolfe’s Florida team looks like a good example of this as it seems rather Ferrothorn weak and Flamethrower Dialga helps this matchup.](http://www.pokemon.com/us/play-pokemon/winter-regional-championships-2016/teams/florida/masters/) Tyranitar and Salamence made good “Utility Killers†in 2014 - helping to close the gap in some team matchups with their wide movepool and ability to net key OHKO’s. Landorus did this in 2015 with moves like Superpower, HP-Ice, and Earthpower. Just make sure you aren’t throwing away a move slot! Sometimes your sab boosted move can do just as much as a coverage move.
112
113Dialga has a rather varied movepool, but I strongly encourage you to keep in mind that “Utility Killer†is not the role the Dino of Time is naturally predisposed toward. Dialga is a more offensive Trick Room setter. I won’t say outright “NO†to anyone testing a coverage move ever. I’ve seen too many weird things work. But, I would like you to consider thinking critically about your choice of moves in the testing stages, even if that means in the end that you run a generic set.
114
115##Tips for running Trick Room in the sweltering heat of 2016
116
117Stay Hydrated
118
119Dialga has a plethora of neutral matchups. Including with the almighty Primal Groudon. While it may be tempting to further improve your Xern matchup by running another steel like Mega-Mawile alongside the cosmic Dino, I would encourage you to think twice or at least consider balancing your team out with Primal Kyogre and friends to check the rampaging red Godzilla wannabe. Reactionary way to team build? Yes. Good idea in 2016? Absolutely.
120
121If you can’t beat them, Join them
122
123Or go in the total opposite direction. Dialga and Groudon? Isn’t that really weak to other Groudon? While it may not be wise to bring both Dialga and Groudon to other Groudon matchups, Dialga can really help Groudon handle Ray-Ogre matchups which are all too common now. Dialga isn’t tanking Mega-Ray in one shot, not since it usually carries Focus Sash and some even sport Assault Vest now, but Ray isn’t tanking you in one shot either. Use your other team members and position yourself accordingly.
124
125Knowest thou speed
126
127Dialga is as awkward speed wise as any other legendary this format. (Or the bit of ye olde english above.) **It’s important to note that Modest Dialga with no investment in speed hits a 95 speed stat. This lets it outpace max speed Mega-Mence in Tailwind if need be, but also underspeed it to get the drop inside Trick Room.**
128
129##Use your brain - Build your own Dialga
130
131The following calcs are not necessarily here so you can run the ev’s listed. They are here for you to see what the minimum investment is for each offensive and defensive benchmark is so that you can: 1. Know what you are dealing with when running a Dialga set and 2. Use your brain to create a set of your own if you so desire. Adamant Orb, Mental Herb, Lum and Sitrus Berry are all respectable items for the dino. **If you don’t already use a damage calc when you team build please start! When I was a total scrub and I started calculating things out I saw a drastic improvement in my playing almost overnight.**
132
133**0 SpA Adamant Orb Dialga Dragon Pulse vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Mega Salamence: 180-212 (105.2 - 123.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO**
134
135**140 SpA Adamant Orb Dialga Dragon Pulse vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Mega Rayquaza: 182-216 (100.5 - 119.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO**
136
137**4+ SpA Adamant Orb Dialga Dragon Pulse vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Mega Rayquaza: 182-216 (100.5 - 119.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO**
138
139**228+ SpA Adamant Orb Dialga Flash Cannon vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Xerneas: 204-240 (100.9 - 118.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO**
140
141**140+ SpA Adamant Orb Dialga Draco Meteor vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Kangaskhan: 181-214 (100 - 118.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO**
142
143**236+ SpA Adamant Orb Dialga Draco Meteor vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Primal Groudon: 177-208 (100.5 - 118.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO**
144
145**252+ SpA Adamant Orb Dialga Draco Meteor vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Kyogre: 123-145 (69.8 - 82.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO**
146
147[For more bad puns, please be sure to visit the What’s Viable Wednesday archive and wynaut consider writing an analysis yourself?](https://www.reddit.com/r/stunfisk/wiki/wvw)