[OVERVIEW]
Dialga is a great lead because it sets Stealth Rock reliably thanks to its favorable matchup against most Magic Bounce Pokemon and common Defog users. It also has decent offensive presence, especially for a Stealth Rock setter, and a solid defensive typing, though Dialga's STAB attacks do have pretty mediocre coverage, leaving it with a dependence on coverage moves that it doesn't always have space for. Furthermore, if lacking Roar, it is setup bait for some Pokemon such as Calm Mind Fairy Arceus. Lack of recovery hurts Dialga's viability, causing it to get worn down easily throughout a game. It's also fairly slow and lacks priority, leaving it vulnerable to fast attackers.
[SET]
name: Offensive Lead
move 1: Flash Cannon
move 2: Draco Meteor
move 3: Fire Blast / Roar
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Shuca Berry
ability: Pressure
nature: Modest
evs: 248 HP / 248 SpA / 12 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Flash Cannon is the best Steel-type STAB move Dialga has, with decent Base Power and no drawbacks. Draco Meteor is a powerful STAB move, hitting everything that doesn't resist it extremely hard. Fire Blast is a very useful coverage move for Steel-type Pokemon such as Steel Arceus and Ferrothorn, which resist both of Dialga's STAB attacks. Roar is a decent option in place of Fire Blast to phaze foes, preventing them from setting up on Dialga and racking up entry hazard damage, and the Special Attack drop from Draco Meteor can make Dialga setup bait a lot of the time if it lacks Roar. Stealth Rock provides support for Dialga's teammates by racking up passive damage.
Set Details
========
Pressure can be useful in certain situations by allowing Dialga to PP stall common low-PP moves such as Extreme Speed from Extreme Killer Arceus. Ground-type coverage is extremely common in Anything Goes, so Shuca Berry allows Dialga to tank more hits and get entry hazards up much more reliably. 12 Speed EVs allow Dialga to outpace Diancie pre-Mega Evolution, which is very useful, because Diancie is a very common lead and Dialga can OHKO it easily with Flash Cannon. 248 Special Attack EVs along with a Modest nature make Dialga as powerful as possible.
Usage Tips
========
Dialga should lead most of the time in order to get entry hazards up as early as possible. Assuming you have Shuca Berry, luring in opposing Primal Groudon and using Draco Meteor to eliminate the opposing team's hazard setter can be great in the long term, as you won't have to deal with Stealth Rock on your side of the field. It also opens the door for Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Kyogre to sweep. Be careful when going for Draco Meteors, especially if you lack Roar, because it often leaves Dialga as setup bait. If your opponent has a Mega Sableye, not leading with Dialga is a good idea because it can heal the damage caused by Draco Meteor twice and leave Dialga very weak. If your team is weak to Extreme Killer Arceus, try to keep Dialga healthy with its Shuca Berry intact in order to take it on late-game and prevent a sweep. If your opponent counter-leads with Normal Arceus, opting for Draco Meteor first instead of Stealth Rock to scout out Magic Coat is handy, and Normal Arceus's Earthquake doesn't 2HKO with Shuca Berry.
Team Options
========
Dialga is very weak to Fighting-types such as Mega Mewtwo X, so it greatly benefits from being paired with checks to Mega Mewtwo X such as Ghost Arceus and Yveltal. Xerneas really appreciates Dialga luring in and KOing Primal Groudon so it can sweep much more easily later. Dialga gets put to sleep and set up on by Darkrai, so Darkrai checks such as Sleep Talk Ho-Oh and Mega Diancie are great teammates. Pokemon that appreciate Stealth Rock support to pick up some extra KOs such as Xerneas and Mega Rayquaza are decent teammates for Dialga. Ghost-type Pokemon such as Ghost Arceus can come in on Fighting-type moves and absorb the hits for Dialga, which is especially good when running Shuca Berry, as it prevents any super effective hits before Shuca Berry is used. Dialga rarely lasts past the first few turns, so it relies on its team to keep offensive pressure up on Defog users.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Metal Burst is a great option on Dialga thanks to a combination of its low Speed, decent HP, and solid bulk in general that allows it to sponge a lot of hits; however, it is hard to justify using a moveslot this way. Toxic is a decent option for Dialga to surprise Pokemon that intend to set up on it such as Calm Mind Arecus formes, but again, it is hard to justify using it. Thunder is a good option to hit some Pokemon super effectively that would otherwise beat Dialga such as Water Arceus and Primal Kyogre. Leftovers gives Dialga some passive recovery but is overall less useful than Shuca Berry. Life Orb increases Dialga's already decent offensive presence, though lacking Shuca Berry prevents it from getting Stealth Rock up as reliably. Lum Berry allows Dialga to take a Dark Void from Darkrai and either get Stealth Rock up or threaten to KO it with Draco Meteor, so it is useful if your team is weak to Darkrai. Dialga can utilize a Choice Scarf set fairly well and deal a lot of damage, though it's not as effective as the lead set. The Choice Scarf set can also run Sleep Talk to surprise Darkrai.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Deoxys Formes**: Deoxys-S and Deoxys-A outpace Dialga, Taunt it, set up Stealth Rock on it, and then cripple it with Superpower or Low Kick.
**Darkrai**: Darkrai outpaces Dialga, puts it to sleep, and then sets up on it, so it is essential that teams using Dialga can handle it.
**Calm Mind Arceus Formes**: If Dialga lacks Roar, Arceus formes carrying Calm Mind such as Fairy Arceus and Dark Arceus simply set up on it freely.
**Magic Coat Normal Arceus**: Normal Arceus carrying Magic Coat can bounce back Dialga's Stealth Rock and set up on it easily.
**Mega Mewtwo X**: Mega Mewtwo X, while uncommon, outpaces and OHKOes Dialga with its Fighting-type STAB attacks.
**Ho-Oh**: Ho-Oh takes very little damage from anything Dialga commonly runs and hits it back extremely hard with a Sacred Fire or Earthquake.
**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Specially bulky Pokemon with recovery moves such as Primal Kyogre and bulky Arceus formes can simply eat any of Dialga's attacks and heal the damage off, as Dialga can't boost its Special Attack. Chansey and Blissey in particular are terrible for Dialga, as they can also heal off Toxic if Dialga is carrying it.
Dialga is a great lead because it sets Stealth Rock reliably thanks to its favorable matchup against most Magic Bounce Pokemon and common Defog users. It also has decent offensive presence, especially for a Stealth Rock setter, and a solid defensive typing, though Dialga's STAB attacks do have pretty mediocre coverage, leaving it with a dependence on coverage moves that it doesn't always have space for. Furthermore, if lacking Roar, it is setup bait for some Pokemon such as Calm Mind Fairy Arceus. Lack of recovery hurts Dialga's viability, causing it to get worn down easily throughout a game. It's also fairly slow and lacks priority, leaving it vulnerable to fast attackers.
[SET]
name: Offensive Lead
move 1: Flash Cannon
move 2: Draco Meteor
move 3: Fire Blast / Roar
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Shuca Berry
ability: Pressure
nature: Modest
evs: 248 HP / 248 SpA / 12 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Flash Cannon is the best Steel-type STAB move Dialga has, with decent Base Power and no drawbacks. Draco Meteor is a powerful STAB move, hitting everything that doesn't resist it extremely hard. Fire Blast is a very useful coverage move for Steel-type Pokemon such as Steel Arceus and Ferrothorn, which resist both of Dialga's STAB attacks. Roar is a decent option in place of Fire Blast to phaze foes, preventing them from setting up on Dialga and racking up entry hazard damage, and the Special Attack drop from Draco Meteor can make Dialga setup bait a lot of the time if it lacks Roar. Stealth Rock provides support for Dialga's teammates by racking up passive damage.
Set Details
========
Pressure can be useful in certain situations by allowing Dialga to PP stall common low-PP moves such as Extreme Speed from Extreme Killer Arceus. Ground-type coverage is extremely common in Anything Goes, so Shuca Berry allows Dialga to tank more hits and get entry hazards up much more reliably. 12 Speed EVs allow Dialga to outpace Diancie pre-Mega Evolution, which is very useful, because Diancie is a very common lead and Dialga can OHKO it easily with Flash Cannon. 248 Special Attack EVs along with a Modest nature make Dialga as powerful as possible.
Usage Tips
========
Dialga should lead most of the time in order to get entry hazards up as early as possible. Assuming you have Shuca Berry, luring in opposing Primal Groudon and using Draco Meteor to eliminate the opposing team's hazard setter can be great in the long term, as you won't have to deal with Stealth Rock on your side of the field. It also opens the door for Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Kyogre to sweep. Be careful when going for Draco Meteors, especially if you lack Roar, because it often leaves Dialga as setup bait. If your opponent has a Mega Sableye, not leading with Dialga is a good idea because it can heal the damage caused by Draco Meteor twice and leave Dialga very weak. If your team is weak to Extreme Killer Arceus, try to keep Dialga healthy with its Shuca Berry intact in order to take it on late-game and prevent a sweep. If your opponent counter-leads with Normal Arceus, opting for Draco Meteor first instead of Stealth Rock to scout out Magic Coat is handy, and Normal Arceus's Earthquake doesn't 2HKO with Shuca Berry.
Team Options
========
Dialga is very weak to Fighting-types such as Mega Mewtwo X, so it greatly benefits from being paired with checks to Mega Mewtwo X such as Ghost Arceus and Yveltal. Xerneas really appreciates Dialga luring in and KOing Primal Groudon so it can sweep much more easily later. Dialga gets put to sleep and set up on by Darkrai, so Darkrai checks such as Sleep Talk Ho-Oh and Mega Diancie are great teammates. Pokemon that appreciate Stealth Rock support to pick up some extra KOs such as Xerneas and Mega Rayquaza are decent teammates for Dialga. Ghost-type Pokemon such as Ghost Arceus can come in on Fighting-type moves and absorb the hits for Dialga, which is especially good when running Shuca Berry, as it prevents any super effective hits before Shuca Berry is used. Dialga rarely lasts past the first few turns, so it relies on its team to keep offensive pressure up on Defog users.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Metal Burst is a great option on Dialga thanks to a combination of its low Speed, decent HP, and solid bulk in general that allows it to sponge a lot of hits; however, it is hard to justify using a moveslot this way. Toxic is a decent option for Dialga to surprise Pokemon that intend to set up on it such as Calm Mind Arecus formes, but again, it is hard to justify using it. Thunder is a good option to hit some Pokemon super effectively that would otherwise beat Dialga such as Water Arceus and Primal Kyogre. Leftovers gives Dialga some passive recovery but is overall less useful than Shuca Berry. Life Orb increases Dialga's already decent offensive presence, though lacking Shuca Berry prevents it from getting Stealth Rock up as reliably. Lum Berry allows Dialga to take a Dark Void from Darkrai and either get Stealth Rock up or threaten to KO it with Draco Meteor, so it is useful if your team is weak to Darkrai. Dialga can utilize a Choice Scarf set fairly well and deal a lot of damage, though it's not as effective as the lead set. The Choice Scarf set can also run Sleep Talk to surprise Darkrai.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Deoxys Formes**: Deoxys-S and Deoxys-A outpace Dialga, Taunt it, set up Stealth Rock on it, and then cripple it with Superpower or Low Kick.
**Darkrai**: Darkrai outpaces Dialga, puts it to sleep, and then sets up on it, so it is essential that teams using Dialga can handle it.
**Calm Mind Arceus Formes**: If Dialga lacks Roar, Arceus formes carrying Calm Mind such as Fairy Arceus and Dark Arceus simply set up on it freely.
**Magic Coat Normal Arceus**: Normal Arceus carrying Magic Coat can bounce back Dialga's Stealth Rock and set up on it easily.
**Mega Mewtwo X**: Mega Mewtwo X, while uncommon, outpaces and OHKOes Dialga with its Fighting-type STAB attacks.
**Ho-Oh**: Ho-Oh takes very little damage from anything Dialga commonly runs and hits it back extremely hard with a Sacred Fire or Earthquake.
**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Specially bulky Pokemon with recovery moves such as Primal Kyogre and bulky Arceus formes can simply eat any of Dialga's attacks and heal the damage off, as Dialga can't boost its Special Attack. Chansey and Blissey in particular are terrible for Dialga, as they can also heal off Toxic if Dialga is carrying it.
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