You’ve seen it. That towering, chrome-plated beast looming over the battlefield in Pokémon GO or Brilliant Diamond. Dialga. It’s basically the final boss of "getting your team swept." For years, people have treated this thing like a brick wall with teeth. Honestly, it’s not hard to see why. Dialga is a Steel and Dragon-type, which is arguably one of the most disgusting defensive combinations the Pokémon Company ever cooked up.
Most Dragons get absolutely shredded by Ice, Fairy, or even other Dragons. Not this guy. Because of that Steel sub-typing, Dialga just laughs off Moonblasts and Blizzards. It basically takes the "Dragon" handbook and throws it out the window. But here’s the thing: it isn't immortal. You’ve just gotta know where the cracks in the armor are.
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What is Dialga weak to? (The Short Answer)
Basically, Dialga only has two weaknesses: Ground and Fighting.
That’s it. Out of the 18 types in the game, only two actually do super-effective damage. If you’re throwing anything else at it—Fire, Water, Electric, whatever—you’re likely doing "neutral" damage at best, or more likely, "not very effective" damage.
It’s kind of wild when you think about it. Dialga resists a staggering 10 different types.
- Normal
- Flying
- Rock
- Bug
- Steel
- Water
- Grass (4x resistance!)
- Electric
- Psychic
- Poison (Complete immunity in most contexts)
If you try to hit it with a Grass move, you might as well be throwing a wet paper towel at a tank. It does almost nothing.
Why Ground Moves are the Secret Sauce
If you’re playing Pokémon GO or trying to climb the Master League ranks, you’ve probably noticed that Groudon is Dialga’s worst nightmare. Specifically, Primal Groudon or even a standard Groudon running Precipice Blades.
Ground is a physical type for the most part, and while Dialga has great defense, it can’t handle the raw tectonic pressure of a high-tier Ground attacker. In Pokémon GO raids, you basically want to stack your team with:
- Primal Groudon (The king of this matchup)
- Mega Garchomp (Earth Power is the move here)
- Excadrill (Shadow Excadrill with Mud-Slap is a sleeper hit)
- Landorus (Therian) (Sandsear Storm is terrifyingly effective)
The logic is simple. Dialga is slow. It’s a lumbering giant. Ground types are often bulky enough to survive a Roar of Time or an Iron Head and fire back with moves that rattle Dialga’s metal bones.
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The Fighting Type Alternative
Maybe you don’t have a massive legendary dinosaur. That’s fine. Fighting types are the "blue-collar" solution to the Dialga problem.
Lucario is the most famous counter. Why? Because Lucario is also a Steel type. This means Lucario resists Dialga’s Dragon and Steel moves while punching back with a 4x effective (in some games) or just generally massive Aura Sphere or Close Combat.
In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet raids, people have been using Hatterene or Mew for support, but the heavy lifting usually comes down to things like Iron Hands or a well-timed Low Kick.
What Most People Get Wrong About Dialga
I see this all the time: someone brings a Fairy type to a Dialga fight. They think, "Hey, it’s a Dragon, let’s use Togekiss or Sylveon!"
Stop. That Steel typing isn’t just for show. Steel is the natural predator of Fairies. If you bring a Zacian or a Xerneas into a fight against Dialga, you’re walking into an Iron Head that will likely one-shot you. Dialga takes neutral damage from Fairy moves, but it deals super-effective damage back to you. It’s a trap.
Also, don't rely on Ice moves. Usually, Ice is the "Delete" button for Dragons like Garchomp or Dragonite. Against Dialga? It’s just neutral. You aren't getting that 4x multiplier you're used to. It's frustrating, I know.
The Origin Forme Twist
If you're dealing with Origin Forme Dialga (the one that looks like it swallowed a tactical drone), the weaknesses stay the same—Ground and Fighting—but the stats shift. Origin Forme has higher Defense. This means your Fighting moves like Power-Up Punch might not feel as impactful as they do against the regular version. You really need to lean into high-damage Charged Attacks like Sacred Sword (Terrakion) or Earthquake.
Pro Tips for Beating Dialga in Raids
If you're staring down a 50,000 CP Dialga in a Tier 5 raid, you can't just wing it.
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- Check the Weather: If it’s Sunny, your Ground moves get a massive boost. That’s the best time to strike. If it’s Cloudy, your Fighting types get the buff.
- Dodge the Big One: Dialga’s Draco Meteor is a nuke. If you see the text "Dialga used Draco Meteor," swipe for your life. Even a resisted hit can take out half your health.
- The "Mirror" Match: Honestly, sometimes the best counter to Dialga is another Dialga. Since it’s not weak to Dragon moves (the only Dragon that can say that!), two Dialgas just end up slapping each other with neutral damage until one falls over.
Actionable Strategy for Your Next Encounter
Next time you’re building a team to take down the Master of Time, ignore the "Recommended" button in the game menu. It usually baits you into using "survivable" Pokémon that do zero damage.
Instead, look at your storage for anything that knows Precipice Blades, Aura Sphere, or High Horsepower.
- Prioritize Ground over Fighting if the weather is clear.
- Use a Mega Evolution like Mega Blaziken or Mega Gallade to buff your teammates' Fighting attacks.
- Save your shields (in PvP) for Iron Head. It’s a fast move that can flinch you in the main games or just wear you down in GO.
Dialga is a beast, but it’s a beast with a specific set of rules. Follow the Ground and Fighting rule, and you’ll stop being the person who gets swept and start being the one doing the sweeping.
Your next move: Go through your roster and tag every Pokémon that has a Ground or Fighting-type "Fast Attack" and "Charged Attack" combo. If they don't have both, use a TM to fix it. A Groudon with Fire Blast is useless here—make sure it’s running Earthquake or Precipice Blades before you jump into the lobby.