Hello students! My name is Professor Geekbeak, and today, I wish to draw attention to Shadow Dialga. This Shadow legendary is one of the strongest, doing well both as a Steel attacker, and a Dragon attacker. This catch is great for PvP and PvE. Grab your notebooks, class is in session. For those who wish to do their research independently, our raw data can be found here. And for those who wish for a simple visual guide, go ahead and take a look at the below visual guide by CaptGoldfish.

Course Schedule

Shadow Dialga will be running from June 2nd to June 30th. This will be following Shadow Cresselia in May.

Both Steel and Dragon are known for not having many weaknesses. Luckily though, both of the types effective against Shadow Dialga aren’t hit with any surprises.

Effectiveness	Types
Double Resist (0.4x)	Poison Grass
Resist (0.6x)	Normal Flying Rock Bug Steel Water Electric Psychic
Neutral	Ghost Fire Ice Dragon Dark Fairy
Super Effective (1.6x)	Fighting Ground
Double Super Effective (2.6x)	—

Shadow Dialga’s moveset includes the following charge moves:

• Iron Head
• Thunder
• Draco Meteor
• Frustration

The Dean’s List consists of the top 5 counters to Shadow Dialga. As always, the Valedictorian, Salutatorian, and the Third Ranked will have their best moveset alternatives in a table with their rankings and a table detailing their defensive prowess against the charge moves listed above.

Mega Lucario A

Best Moveset: Force Palm / Aura Sphere

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★★☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Force Palm	Aura Sphere	100%
Counter	Aura Sphere	91%
Bullet Punch	Aura Sphere	77%
Force Palm	Close Combat	69%
Counter	Close Combat	69%
Counter	Power-Up Punch	68%

Mega Mewtwo X A

Best Moveset: Counter / Focus Blast

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★★☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Counter	Focus Blast	100%
Psycho Cut	Focus Blast	81%
Counter	Shadow Ball	77%
Counter	Flamethrower	76%
Counter	Return	73%
Counter	Psystrike	71%

Primal Groudon A

Best Moveset: Mud Shot / Precipice Blades

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★★☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge Move	Efficacy
Mud Shot	Precipice Blades	100%
Mud Shot	Earthquake	90%
Dragon Tail	Precipice Blades	79%
Dragon Tail	Earthquake	73%
Mud Shot	Fire Blast	64%
Mud Shot	Fire Punch	62%

Defensive Grades for Top 3

Boss Move
Draco Meteor	🛡	—	—
Thunder	—	—	🛡🛡
Iron Head	🛡	—	🛡

Keldeo A

Best Moveset: Low Kick / Secret Sword

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Blaziken A

Best Moveset: Counter / Aura Sphere

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

3

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Also Noteworthy: A: Mega Mewtwo Y

We here at Pokebattler Pokémon Research Institute can’t expect you to have the best counters every time. So, here are some of our other best options, most of which will be easier to find than the members of the Dean’s List.

Lucario A

Best Moveset: Force Palm / Aura Sphere

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★☆☆☆

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Blaziken A

Best Moveset: Counter / Aura Sphere

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Groudon A

Best Moveset: Mud Shot / Precipice Blades

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Excadrill A

Best Moveset: Mud-Slap / Scorching Sands

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Terrakion A

Best Moveset: Double Kick / Sacred Sword

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Of course, besides our 10 best counters, there are plenty of Pokémon that also work against Shadow Dialga. Here are a few star choices, worthy of praise.

A	Mega HeracrossMega GarchompKartanaShadow ConkeldurrGroudonBlazikenShadow GarchompMega SwampertShadow MachampMega LatiosShadow HariyamaShadow LatiosUrshifu - Single StrikeUrshifu - Rapid StrikeShadow MamoswineShadow UrsalunaExcadrillShadow LandorusShadow Rhyperior

Sometimes, the weather can be your most powerful ally. In certain weather conditions, certain Pokémon on our list excel. The most transformative cases are noted below.

Sunny/Clear

Shadow Groudon (2.6)Shadow Excadrill (2.7)

Cloudy

Mega Mewtwo Y (2.4)Shadow Blaziken (2.5)Lucario (2.6)

Overall, Shadow Dialga will take some effort to counter. Even with the relatively simple typing, it will still take a few trainers using their best options to bring Shadow Dialga down. Of course, if you wish to do more research on your box’s best Pokémon for the job, Pokebattler.com itself can be a great help! Remember, the best counter is the one you have powered up and ready to go. I grant extra credit to those who use their best friend bonus and the weather to their advantage. Class dismissed!