Dialga and Palkia, the legendary Pokémon from the fourth generation, take center stage in the Pokémon GO Tour of Sinnoh. However, there are many questions surrounding them due to their unique mechanics.
Pokémon GO Tour of Sinnoh
The Pokémon GO Tour returns once again, this time focusing on Sinnoh. It also marks the debut of the Origin forms of Dialga and Palkia, two forms introduced just a few years ago in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
While they made a brief appearance at the Los Angeles in-person event, they will be available worldwide during the last weekend of February. However, they will only be accessible during half of the tour hours.
Classic Forms vs. Origin Forms
The event is divided into four habitats, each affecting the Pokémon spawns differently. This also impacts the forms of Dialga and Palkia available for raids:
- Bustling Streets: 10:00 to 11:00 and 14:00 to 15:00 – Classic forms of Dialga and Palkia.
- Ancient Grove: 11:00 to 12:00 and 15:00 to 16:00 – Dialga and Palkia Origin forms in raids.
- Toxic Mine: 12:00 to 13:00 and 16:00 to 17:00 – Classic forms of Dialga and Palkia.
- Geothermal Lagoon: 13:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 18:00 – Dialga and Palkia Origin forms return.
Special Effects and Attacks
During the event, Dialga and Palkia Origin forms will receive their signature attacks: Roar of Time and Spacial Rend. You might wonder, are they better? The short answer is yes, but it’s nuanced.
In PvE, both attacks are superior to Draco Meteor, the previous move used by their classic counterparts. Palkia Origin, theoretically, is better due to its higher attack stat, but Dialga’s Steel typing makes it a more consistent option. Regardless, both become the top Dragon-type attackers after Megas thanks to their new moves.
In PvP, the situation changes. Spacial Rend is a significant upgrade for Palkia, making its Origin form one of the top threats in the meta. It leads the PvPoke rankings but still faces significant challenges.
For Dialga, it’s not as straightforward. While its Origin form and Roar of Time make it better, this attack is a clone of Draco Meteor without the attack drop. In practice, it makes little difference compared to the existing Dialga, which is already one of the best Pokémon in the Master League.
Not all Dialga and Palkia Origin forms you encounter will have these attacks, but choosing the event medal ensures the special attack. In terms of usability, our recommendation is Palkia, as it benefits more from the upgrade.
Additionally, these attacks have an out-of-combat effect that can be activated with candies and stardust. Roar of Time pauses active timers, extending the duration of Incense (normal or daily), Lucky Eggs, and Star Pieces, but not Megas. Spacial Rend allows you to encounter wild Pokémon from a greater distance.
How to Defeat Dialga and Palkia Origin
The good news is that Dialga and Palkia Origin forms don’t pose a greater difficulty than their classic forms. While they can’t be defeated solo, they aren’t particularly challenging either. With four trainers, you can defeat them without much trouble.
Starting with Dialga, it has only two weaknesses: Ground and Fighting. Fortunately, there are excellent attackers of both types: Terrakion, Keldeo, Lucario, Conkeldurr, or Machamp for Fighting, and Garchomp, Landorus, Groudon, Excadrill, or Rhyperior for Ground. Dark types are preferable.
Although both share the Dragon type, their weaknesses are not similar at all. Palkia is weak to Dragon and Fairy types. Among your best options, aside from Dialga and Palkia Origin, are Rayquaza, Haxorus, Salamence, or Garchomp. If you have its dark variant, Gardevoir is also effective, but Fairy types lack significant attack power.
Don’t forget to power up your teams with a Mega. You can use Mega-Rayquaza, the best choice against Palkia, but if you have it powered up, we recommend using Mega-Garchomp.
If you have it with dual attacks, you can use it against both —Outrage against Palkia and Earth Power against Dialga—. Ideally, you could change its fast attack based on your opponent, but if you don’t have TMs, use Mud Shot, and you’ll still perform well.