Shadow Palkia
Attack
Defense
Stamina
Best Movesets
Analysis
Just when it seemed as though Palkia would forever be in the shadow of its Origin Forme, that Shadow has risen.
Shadow Palkia is among the best Dragons in Pokemon Go, standing head and shoulders above most of the competition. It's an incredible attacker that can outright destroy much of the competition, and its fantastic Dragon/Water typing grants it double resistances to common Fire and Water Type coverage moves, and weaknesses to only Dragon and Fairy Type moves. Palkia has at last claimed its rightful place, and its rule over space is fully secured.
But can this monster get any stronger? Definitely. Spacial Rendis currently exclusive to Palkia's Origin Forme, but its base form received it first in the main series. If it's ever given to basic Palkia, then Shadow Palkia will follow, causing its raw power to skyrocket even farther. However, then we have the threat of Shadow Origin Forme Palkia, and the arms race continues.... Still, we have no precedent for Pokemon advanced Formes such as Palkia and Dialga's Origin Formes, so that may never even materialize.
Offense
- Dragon Breath is generally inferior to Dragon Tail. However Dragon Breath does charge up Party Power more quickly, which can make it a better option in a 2-man party.
- Shadow Palkia is best suited for Draco Meteor for STAB and effectiveness against other Dragons.
- Hydro Pump hits harder than Fire Blast.
- Aqua Tail is the inferior choice.
Dragon Tail has slightly better stats on paper, but Dragon Breath is often preferred as its 1-turn duration makes it a more flexible move to use. Dragon Breath can also benefit from damage rounding, and 3 ticks of Dragon Breath can outdamage Dragon Tail in some matchups.
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Aqua Tail is Palkia's bread and butter as it costs significantly less than Palkia's other Charged Attacks and provides valuable coverage to hit Steel- and Fairy-type targets.. Draco Meteor or Fire Blast are both viable as the second charge move option; the former takes advantage of STAB to deal massive damage to almost every Pokemon in the game, while the latter threatens Steel Pokemon that would resist Dragon-type moves. Hydro Pump is largely redundant with Aqua Tail, though it can burst down unsuspecting bulkier Fairy-type Pokemon.
Shadow Palkia is unlikely to see much play in the open Great League meta due to its frailty and having competition with other Dragon-type Pokemon such as Dragonite, Guzzlord, and Goodra. It can, however, shine in some limited cups where Dragon-type answers are limited. From time to time, Kingdra becomes a meta threat in said cups. Shadow Palkia is essentially a much more fragile Kingdra with a crucial access to a low cost move in Aqua Tail, which can allow it to find a niche.
