With a 1-turn setup, a 120 base power STAB attack, and the strongest priority move available, Swords Dance Lucario is arguably the best late game sweeper in OU. Excellent typing, well-distributed stats, and an unpredictable movepool only make Lucario even more difficult to face down. After a Swords Dance, even Skarmory and Bronzong are easily exterminated with one Close Combat, assuming Stealth Rock damage and an Adamant nature. ExtremeSpeed is just as vital to Lucario's sweeping prowess as Close Combat, as most of the Pokémon faster than Lucario are frail enough to be OHKOed by ExtremeSpeed after a Swords Dance. The final move is the most difficult one to choose from. If bulky Ghost- and Psychic-types are of concern, Crunch is the best option; if Flying-types are giving Lucario the blues, Stone Edge or Ice Punch are the best options. Stone Edge hits many Flying-types, but only manages neutral damage on Gliscor, one of Lucario's better counters if it does not carry an Ice-type move. Ice Punch hits Salamence stronger than Stone Edge does and is 4x super effective on Gliscor; however, you can only manage neutral damage on Gyarados, who is popular enough that you'll want to reconsider only neutral damage on the behemoth. Unfortunately, both Stone Edge and Ice Punch miss out on beating Ghost- and Psychic-types super effectively. Bullet Punch can replace ExtremeSpeed to hit Ghost-types and Pokémon that resist Normal, yet are faster than Lucario, such as Aerodactyl and Gengar. Whether you choose an Adamant or Jolly nature depends on your team. Foregoing the Adamant nature makes Lucario miss some of the important OHKOs against Skarmory and Donphan, but a Jolly nature is far superior against offensive teams, which often run not only neutral natured base 100 Speed Pokémon but also Lucario, and being able to at least Speed tie can be game breaking. When using Ice Punch, Jolly makes a better option, as it allows Lucario to outpace neutral Speed natured Zapdos, Salamence, and Gliscor and follow up with OHKOs from a Swords Danced Ice Punch. To show how powerful this set is, here are some calculations against many defensive Pokémon after a single Swords Dance. These calculations are assuming an Adamant nature. Damage CalculationsClose Combat vs. max HP / Def Skarmory 84.4% - 99.7% Close Combat vs. max HP / Def Bronzong: 95.2% - 100% (67% chance to OHKO) Close Combat vs. max HP / Def Hippowdon: 75.7% - 89.3% Close Combat vs. max HP / Def Forretress: 79.7% - 93.8% Close Combat vs. max HP / Def Donphan: 82.0% - 96.9% Crunch vs. max HP / Def Cresselia: 63.5% - 74.8% Crunch vs. max HP Cresselia: 85.1% - 100% (2.6% chance to OHKO) Crunch vs. max HP / Def Dusknoir: 88.4% - 100% (21% chance to OHKO) Crunch vs. max HP / Def Celebi: 78.7% - 93.1% Crunch vs. max HP / Def Rotom - Appliance: 100%
Lucario with Choice Specs may not seem effective on paper due to its inability to get through Blissey; however, one must look at the bigger picture. Many of Lucario’s counters consist of Pokémon that are physically defensive. When they switch in, they will take a Choice Specs boosted hit to their weaker Special Defense. It is also important to remember that Lucario is not a mainly physical beast - its 115 base Special Attack is actually the higher of its two attacking stats, allowing it to wreck havoc on the Standard metagame, as there are no completely safe switch ins for Specs Lucario. Lucario's STAB Aura Sphere is an all-around great attack, with the added bonus of perfect accuracy. Shadow Ball and Aura Sphere together are completely unresisted, and it is Lucario’s best attack against the Ghost and Psychic-types that will undoubtedly try to switch into an expected Fighting-type attack. Rotom, a common switch in to Lucario, is OHKOed by Specs Shadow Ball. Hidden Power Rock will OHKO Gyarados and Salamence factoring in Stealth Rock and 2HKO Gliscor; Hidden Power Ice will OHKO Gliscor and Salamence but miss out on Gyarados. Lucario's final attack is its STAB Vacuum Wave, which is useful against faster, frailer Pokémon and anything attempting a sweep at low health. It is especially useful for Choice Scarf Heatran, a very common Lucario check. Close Combat can replace Vacuum Wave if Blissey is a dilemma for Lucario and its teammates, but it's hard to give up on Lucario's excellent STAB priority.
With a Choice Band, Lucario reaches 525 Attack with an Adamant nature or 478 Attack with a Jolly nature. Close Combat is Lucario’s most powerful attack and the one you will likely use the most, as 120 base power and STAB will put a large dent in anything that does not resist Fighting. It is important to remember that a neutral Close Combat does more damage than a super effective Crunch or Ice Punch, so those should only be use in the face of a resisted Close Combat, to exploit a 4x weakness, or if the opposing Pokémon is a low health and will faint anyway. ExtremeSpeed hits Pokémon that are usually faster than Lucario, such as Starmie and Azelf, for neutral damage. Stone Edge is an excellent attack to eliminate Gyarados and Zapdos, both common Lucario switch-ins, with one attack. Crunch allows Lucario to hit Cresselia and Appliance Rotom for a 2HKO, and clear the way for Close Combat sweep later in the game. Ice Punch will destroy any Gliscor or Salamence foolish enough to switch into Lucario, and deals decent damage to Grass-types and other fliers as well. Jolly can outpace Modest Zapdos; however, Adamant is the preferred nature to take advantage of the boost from Choice Band and make ExtremeSpeed an even better killing tool against Pokémon faster than Lucario. Close Combat and ExtremeSpeed are clearly the best choices for the first and second slots, but the other two move selections are a little more complicated. Any combination of Crunch, Ice Punch, or Stone Edge is acceptable, and Bullet Punch is a fine option over ExtremeSpeed if your teams needs help dealing with Gengar, Aerodactyl, or Weavile. ExtremeSpeed is still recommended overall, since it has higher base power and hits more Pokémon for neutral damage.
This set utilizes Choice Scarf in conjunction with Lucario's large movepool and impressive attacking stats in order to create an effective and unexpected sweeper. Inner Focus the superior ability over Steadfast since Choice Scarf already boosts Lucario's Speed, and additional Speed is almost useless. Additionally, Lucario will take a hefty 33.8% damage from an Ambipom's Fake Out, meaning if Lucario was flinched, Ambipom could theoretically switch in and switch out in order to defeat Lucario in 3 turns. Close Combat is chosen over Aura Sphere in order to do more damage to Blissey and OHKO Tyranitar. Hidden Power Ice is chosen over Ice Punch because the common switch-ins Gliscor and Hippowdon take significantly greater damage from the Special based attack than from Ice Punch. Dark Pulse is preferred over Shadow Ball for its ability to potentially flinch the opponent, and with Choice Scarf Lucario will usually be attacking first. Finally, Stone Edge was chosen in order to deal hefty damage to Zapdos and Gyarados while maintaining coverage on other Flying-types, such as Salamence and Yanmega. Stone Edge can 2HKO all of those, assuming both Stealth Rock and Sandstorm damage. The given EVs are designed to allow Lucario to always outspeed Choice Scarf Heatran (another common switch into Lucario due to Heatran's resistance to both Bullet Punch and ExtremeSpeed) as well as Adamant Dragonite and Gyarados after a Dragon Dance. Emphasis is placed in Special Attack over Attack because the main Pokémon hit by Close Combat, Blissey and Tyranitar, are already dealt huge damage, and the main Pokémon hit by Stone Edge - Zapdos and Gyarados - are usually 2HKOed anyway, provided Sandstorm and Stealth Rock are in play. 352 Special Attack allows Lucario to always 2HKO standard 252 HP / 4 SpD Celebi with Dark Pulse after Stealth Rock damage.
Lucario is a fearsome threat known for its versatility and for its ability to powerfully break walls. Sadly its base 90 Speed, though respectable, can limit its ability to sweep due to myriad faster threats such as Salamence and Gengar as well as the abundance of Choice Scarfed Pokémon. This can be fixed with the use of Agility which allows Lucario to outrun positive Speed base 110 Pokémon, notably Timid Gengar, even when holding a Choice Scarf. The coverage given by Close Combat and Shadow Ball is impeccable and allows Lucario to hit every Pokémon in the game for at least neutral damage. Close Combat maims any Blissey and at least 2HKOes Bronzong most of the time. Shadow Ball is here to hit everything that Close Combat can't, mainly Ghost-types and Cresselia and Celebi, and this Lucario appreciates the 20% chance of lowering the opponent's Special Defense which turns many expected 3HKOs to 2HKOs. Dark Pulse is an option over Shadow Ball for the 20% chance of flinching the opponent, though it does come with a small loss in coverage. Hidden Power Ice complements this set nicely allowing Lucario to OHKO Gliscor and Salamence and 2HKO most Zapdos. It should be noted that while this set can function well as a late game cleaner, it particularly shines when it is Baton Passed a Nasty Plot or two, enabling it to take out most of its potential counters, granted that Lucario is using Aura Sphere over Close Combat. If you opt for a pure physical version, simply use an Adamant nature and max out its Attack stat and use the remaining EVs in either Speed or HP. Close Combat and Stone Edge are both recommended for this variation of the set. Whether you choose Crunch or Ice Punch for the last slot comes down to how comfortable you are dealing with either Appliance Rotom or Gliscor. A pure special set is also acceptable with Aura Sphere replacing Close Combat. Simply move the Attack EVs into Special Attack and Speed.
Once your opponent's team is weak, this Lucario, with a Swords Dance and Salac Berry boost, sweeps the floor with its broom of doom, outspeeding even Jolteon, Aerodactyl, and Adamant Choice Scarf Heracross. Unfortunately, if Lucario has no Ice-type move, Gliscor will laugh at any attempt to set up. To get around this, you can use Ice Punch in the last slot, or simply not set up until you're sure that your opponent has no Gliscor, or, if they do, it has fainted. Lucario should also watch out for Bullet Punch and Extremespeed from Life Orb Scizor and Life Orb Lucario, respectively; they will KO a 25% HP Lucario even without Defense drops from Close Combat. The 30 HP IV is necessary so that your HP ends up divisible by 4. This will allow your Salac Berry to activate at 25% HP instead of 1%, meaning you can survive a hit from something like ExtremeSpeed or Quick Attack. If you don't have access to a Lucario with a 30 HP IV, just remove a few EVs from Defense and/or Attack to ensure that youre HP ends up divisible by 4.
Lucario is arguably the best user of the move Reversal for three reasons: STAB on Reversal, access to Swords Dance, and - what really sets it apart - sandstorm immunity. Success with this set is simple: Swords Dance and attempt to get your HP as low as possible using either Substitute or Endure in order to max out Reversal's base power. Substitute is the easiest way since it blocks status and could easily give Lucario a chance to Swords Dance. Sadly, this strategy is all but ruined if Lucario is simply scratched. Stealth Rock and three Substitutes will leave you at 63 HP, making Reversal only an 80 base power move. Endure solves the problem of entry hazards and damage ruining the chances of Reversal, though it will be difficult to get a Swords Dance unless the opponent switches. Fighting as an attacking type goes quite well with multiple other types to provide good coverage. The Dark-typed Crunch gives you offense that is nearly unresisted, while Ice Punch also blends well with Fighting. Crunch does provide objectively superior coverage, but Ice Punch may prove to be the more useful secondary move thanks to the many Ice-weak Pokémon than inhabit OU. Stone Edge is also an option that gives good coverage, but its imperfect accuracy is definitely a problem when you're most likely to be at a low HP level to boost Reversal's power. For this reason, Rock Slide is recommended instead.
Lucario's ability to - quite literally - "counter" common leads of OU with its versatility and power makes it a worthwhile lead in the OU metagame. Otherwise forgotten selling points like its immunity to sandstorm, access to a powerful priority move, and Inner Focus allow it to find loopholes in the strategies of common leads. A combination of Close Combat and ExtremeSpeed will deal with common suicide leads like Aerodactyl and Infernape, always 2HKOing both. The real icing on the cake is Inner Focus; with it, Infernape's (and any other Fake Out user) regular security against opponents with Focus Sash is turned into a weakness. Any Pokémon making the mistake of attempting to flinch you will be taken out by the aforementioned combination of Close Combat and ExtremeSpeed. Unfortunately, both of these attacks miss the 2HKO on Azelf, and as such, Crunch is the recommended third attacking option. Not only does this round off type-coverage, but with it, you are not left hopeless against switch-ins such as the Rotom-formes or Cresselia. Counter's main use is against bulky leads such as Bronzong, Metagross, Swampert, and Hippowdon that you normally wouldn't be able to touch, and also various attackers like Flygon, Mamoswine, and Machamp. What makes Lucario the ideal Counter lead is not only Inner Focus, but also its immunity to sandstorm and threat of set-up. While most Focus Sash Pokémon have trouble dealing with instant weather brought on by Tyranitar and Hippowdon, Lucario's Steel-typing makes it immune, thus granting it the ability to Counter their attacks for the KO. Another widely underrated quality important for any Counter Pokémon is its initial threat factor; after a Swords Dance, Lucario becomes a powerful wall-breaker. Your opponent will likely not wish to allow this setup and greedily attack. A Lonely nature is chosen to maximize damage from Counter, as does the 0 IV in defense. Max Speed is required to outrun +Speed Heatran and Mamoswine, allowing you to OHKO both with Close Combat before they set up. Other possibilites in the third slot include assorted Hidden Powers; should Swampert be exceedingly popular at the time, Hidden Power Grass is a suitable option (you will always 2HKO with a neutral nature), while Hidden Power Ice or Electric could be used against Salamence and Gyarados, respectively. Protect is another option to ease prediction with Counter. It should be noted however, the loss of Crunch in the third slot will lead you vulnerable to Ghost-types and Azelf. Swords Dance can also be used as a sort of inverse Counter; while normally bulky leads would have the chance to set up, you can turn the tables and prepare for an early game sweep. It is recommended that such choice be replacing Counter to retain type-coverage. Other OptionsChoice Specs has a couple of options. Flash Cannon is a secondary STAB that can at least be useful against Gliscor if Lucario lacks Hidden Power Ice. Dragon Pulse is also acceptable for excellent neutral coverage, as well as dealing Kingdra a super effective hit. Finally, Focus Blast is recommended only for a 2HKO against Blissey, though the chance for Focus Blast to hit twice in a row is a pathetic 49%. Dark Pulse and Shadow Ball comes down to the flinch rate versus the Special Defense drop. Dark Pulse is best if you are using a Choice Scarf or Agility set, since the flinch is generally more useful if Lucario can always attack first. Shadow Ball is more useful for the special sets, which will enjoy getting a Special Defense drop on the switch and could not use the flinch against faster opponents anyway. Calm Mind is another option for Lucario to boost its Special Attack and give it a bit of Special bulk. Focus Sash is a decent alternative item, as it can ensure a second Swords Dance if you clear the field of Hail, Spikes, and Stealth Rock. Lucario is fortunately immune to both Sandstorm and Toxic Spikes, so if your opponent only has those as opposed to the former three, you are safe. On the Reversal set, it can allow the usage of a third move - Ice Punch, Stone Edge, or ExtremeSpeed - in place of Endure or Substitute. EVsMaxing out Attack and Speed is recommended for the Swords Dance, Choice Band, SubSalac, and Reversal sets. The same goes for the Choice Specs set, but with Special Attack instead of Attack. Otherwise, the given EVs will do for the appropriate sets. A slightly bulkier spread for the Swords Dancer is 252 HP / 96 Def / 136 SpD / 24 Spe with Adamant nature and Leftovers, which makes better use of Lucario's numerous resistances and gives you some extra durability when setting up. OpinionTo say Lucario is versatile is a gross understatement. After seeing a single move the rest of the set is pretty predictable, but the initial turn Lucario is out involves a great deal of risk for its opponent. To make matters worse, a true universal Lucario counter is a beast which does not exist in nature, due to the Steel Jackal's vast movepool. Its weaker defensive stats make it prone to damage from neutral attacks, but those are few and far between - Lucario only takes neutral damage from four of the seventeen types. It might not be as fast as Gengar, Starmie, and Salamence; however, priority moves such as ExtremeSpeed and Vacuum Wave more than make up for this impediment. CountersThe first step to countering Lucario is knowing the set. Physical variants are the most difficult to counter since there are many possible combinations of attacks. Gliscor springs to mind as a physical Lucario’s number one counter. It can take any physical attack from Lucario (barring Ice Punch), can outpace Lucario with its 95 base Speed, and then easily OHKO with Earthquake. Any set which does not run Stone Edge or ThunderPunch must worry about Gyarados. Intimidate makes Lucario a little less frightening, and Gyarados can quickly dispatch Lucario with Earthquake or Waterfall (after Close Combat in the latter case). With only Stone Edge, Close Combat, and ExtremeSpeed present, Celebi makes a fine counter providing said Celebi has Psychic, Earth Power, or Hidden Power Fire to fight back. Even if Lucario does carry Crunch or Ice Punch, it cannot possibly OHKO defensive Celebi after one Swords Dance without Stealth Rock damage and an Adamant nature, and even then it is not a guarantee, so Celebi will usually get at least one attack in. If Stone Edge and Ice Punch are absent, Salamence can switch into Lucario thanks to Intimidate, survive a boosted ExtremeSpeed, and follow up with a brutal Earthquake or Fire Blast. Skarmory, Hippowdon, and Bronzong can all survive a non-boosted Close Combat and have their own ways of dealing with Lucario thanks to their high Defense stats. While this is not highly recommended, Jirachi can use Substitute twice while Lucario fights back with Close Combat. After two Special Defense drops, Jirachi can OHKO with Psychic with little problems. On the Special side of things, Blissey beats most Lucario. Calm Blissey isn’t 2HKOed by a Modest Specs Aura Sphere and has Thunder Wave, Seismic Toss, and Flamethrower to juggle Lucario around. Softboiled, Wish, and Protect also make it difficult to kill a healthy Blissey with Lucario, so the only fear that Blissey should have is if Close Combat is present on the Specs set. Spiritomb falls next in line thanks to being immune to Aura Sphere and taking no worse than neutral damage from every attack in the game. The Special Defense drops from Shadow Ball and flinches from Dark Pulse can prove annoying; however, the only attack Spiritomb should fear is a 2HKO from a Specs Flash Cannon, which is almost never used. Gyarados is also a decent counter to the special Lucario sets. Thanks to its naturally high Special Defense, Gyarados can switch into an Aura Sphere and scare Lucario off. The Rest + Sleep Talk strategy is Gyarados’s best way of countering the Specs set. Zapdos fears Hidden Power; however, it can switch into every other attack and send Lucario to the grim reaper with Heat Wave or STAB Thunderbolt. Unfortunately, Gyarados and Zapdos will take 25% Stealth Rock damage each time they switch in, so they should not be totally relied upon to counter Lucario. Cresselia and Dusknoir are fine switch-ins for Lucario provided they are not switching into Crunch or Shadow Ball. Cresselia can set-up Reflect and use Thunder Wave to slow Lucario down while retaliating with Psychic, Rest off the damage, or use Moonlight to recover health. Dusknoir is immune to any Fighting-type attack and ExtremeSpeed. It is also taking little damage from any attack it is not weak to. Will-O-Wisp will cripple Lucario’s Attack and quick strokes of Fire Punch, Earthquake, or Brick Break make Lucario crumble before Dusknoir. Rotom Appliances have to be careful of Dark Pulse, Crunch, and Shadow Ball; however, they have numerable ways of handling Lucario ranging from Trick and Will-O-Wisp to Discharge or, in Rotom-H’s case, Overheat. Choice Scarf Heatran cannot switch into Lucario directly but is a good check against it. It resists Bullet Punch and ExtremeSpeed and has Earth Power or its STAB Fire moves to finish Lucario off. Choice Scarf Magnezone can switch into any non-Fighting attack and deal at least 75% with Thunderbolt which Lucario cannot switch out of, so if Lucario has previously taken an attack or has racked up Life Orb damage you will have a surefire KO. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
