With a one turn setup, a 120 Base Power STAB attack, and one of the strongest priority moves available, Swords Dance Lucario is arguably the best late-game sweeper in OU. Excellent typing, well-distributed stats, and a versatile 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 generally more useful. Stone Edge hits Gyarados and Salamence hard, but doesn’t do enough to Gliscor. Ice Punch on the other hand hits Salamence harder than Stone Edge and is 4x super effective on Gliscor; although Gliscor is generally Jolly so it will outspeed even Jolly Lucario. Bullet Punch can replace ExtremeSpeed to hit Ghost-types and Pokémon that resist Normal, yet are faster than Lucario, such as Aerodactyl and Gengar, though ExtremeSpeed is usually the better option. Whether you choose an Adamant or Jolly nature depends on your team. Adamant does get important OHKOs against Bronzong and Skarmory, and makes ExtremeSpeed a more deadly weapon, although a Jolly nature allows Lucario to outspeed Impish Gliscor, Jolly Gyarados, and Timid Rotom-A for example. 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.
While this set is very powerful, it does have trouble with certain Pokemon. Gliscor is a major nuisance to this set if Lucario lacks Ice Punch; Lucario can’t hope to OHKO with any other standard move, even after a Swords Dance, while Gliscor OHKOes with Earthquake. Also, Gliscor is usually Jolly so it will outspeed even Jolly Lucario. Gyarados and Salamence are big problems if Lucario lacks Stone Edge or, in the case of Salamence, Ice Punch. Intimidate means Lucario can’t OHKO offensive versions with a +2 ExtremeSpeed even after Stealth Rock damage, and Salamence is almost always faster and can dispose of Lucario with Earthquake or Fire Blast, while Gyarados can OHKO with Earthquake. Defensive Zapdos will cause problems if Lucario lacks Stone Edge or Ice Punch, as it can OHKO with Heat Wave while taking little damage from Lucario's other moves. Rotom-A and other bulky Ghost-types give this set problems if it lacks Crunch since most have Will-O-Wisp to cripple Lucario, while Cresselia can cripple Lucario with Thunder Wave. Timid Rotom-A is faster than Adamant Lucario, while Choice Scarf Rotom-A will always outspeed Lucario and can OHKO with Thunderbolt after a Defense drop, or in Rotom-H's case, with Overheat. Celebi is also a problem as defensive versions even survive a +2 Crunch + Stealth Rock damage on average and can cripple Lucario with Thunder Wave, or hit it hard with Hidden Power Fire / Earth Power. Lucario also has many problem Pokemon who, although sometimes finding it hard to switch in, can still cause it problems. Choice Scarf Heatran can’t switch into Close Combat but can revenge Lucario with Fire Blast or Earth Power. Choice Scarf Magnezone is a problem as it outspeeds Lucario, traps it with Magnet Pull, and if Lucario is around 75% or has a Defense drop, takes it out with Thunderbolt. Gengar is faster and immune to Close Combat and ExtremeSpeed, so it has a relatively easy time switching in; Focus Blast will OHKO so unless you have Bullet Punch – which OHKOes after a Swords Dance – it will be a troublesome Pokemon. Jirachi annoys Lucario since it is faster, resists ExtremeSpeed, and can OHKO with Fire Punch after one Defense drop, or with Psychic after two. Pursuit users are very valuable partners to Lucario, especially if Lucario lacks Crunch, since they can trap and OHKO Gengar and Choice Scarf Rotom-A. Metagross, Scizor, and Tyranitar are the best options for this. However, Scizor must watch out for Hidden Power Fire from Gengar and Overheat from Rotom-H, and Metagross must do the same in the case of Rotom-H. Most Tyranitar are OHKOed by a Life Orb Focus Blast from Gengar, so unless it is running a very specially defensive set, it must tread carefully. Tyranitar can also lure in Gliscor and 2HKO it with Choice Band Aqua Tail as well as counter Zapdos. Also, sandstorm can prove to be useful, as it will nullify Leftovers recovery for Pokemon such as Gyarados. Bulky Water-types, such as Suicune, Swampert, and Vaporeon are great partners since they can deal with Gliscor, Lucario’s no.1 counter, and Heatran. They can also deal with Gyarados if they carry Hidden Power Electric. Salamence is a great offensive partner to Lucario since they have good synergy, resisting most of each other’s weaknesses, and Draco Meteor from Salamence can rip into the Pokemon that Lucario hates, such as Gliscor, Gyarados, and Rotom-A. Choice Band Gyarados can make a great partner since it lures in Rotom-A and Celebi, both common nuisances, and hits them hard with Payback, OHKOing 4 HP versions of Rotom and hitting Celebi hard as they switch in. Choice Band Waterfall will also rip Gliscor apart. The Offensive Life Orb set is also useful, while retaining more freedom as far as attacking options go, but lacks the immediate power which helps against bulkier Rotom-A. Heatran is a great partner as it does very well against Jirachi, Rotom-A, and Celebi. Starmie is a nice partner since it can do a lot of damage to many of Lucario’s counters. Life Orb Hydro Pump will OHKO Gliscor and Heatran and 2HKO Rotom-A. Ice Beam OHKOes Salamence and 2HKOs most Celebi, while Thunderbolt OHKOes Gyarados. Latias is a useful partner since it is a great switch into Heatran, Magnezone, and Zapdos, and it also can scare off Gliscor, Gyarados, and Salamence among others. The Rotom Appliances are great partners to deal with Gyarados. Having a Pokemon on your team which attracts Pursuit users is very useful as this is one of the easiest ways for Lucario to get up a Swords Dance due to its 4x resistance to Pursuit. Gengar, Latias, Choice Scarf Rotom-A, and Starmie are great options for this. Stealth Rock support from the likes of Azelf, Heatran, Infernape, Metagross, and Swampert is very helpful since it allows Lucario to OHKO Pokemon such as Bronzong and Skarmory with a +2 Close Combat.
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. Shadow Ball 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, a common switch into Lucario, is OHKOed by Specs Shadow Ball. Hidden Power Rock will OHKO Gyarados and Salamence factoring in Stealth Rock, whereas Hidden Power Ice will OHKO Gliscor and Salamence; so choose one depending on what threatens your team more. 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 Lucario's excellent STAB priority. Blissey is one of the best counters to this set, as it usually runs a Calm nature, so it isn’t 2HKOed by Choice Specs Aura Sphere and can Thunder Wave Lucario or hit it with Flamethrower. Spiritomb is uncommon but causes problems for this set since it isn’t 2HKOed by any attack while in return it 2HKOes with Hidden Power Fighting. If Lucario doesn’t use Hidden Power Rock, then Gyarados will cause this set problems and even with that, it still takes the other three moves well. Zapdos does well if it doesn’t switch into Hidden Power since it can Roost off damage and hit Lucario hard with Heat Wave or Thunderbolt. Without Hidden Power Ice, Gliscor does well since Jolly ones outspeed even Timid Lucario and OHKO with Earthquake. Choice Scarf Magnezone is a problem since if it switches in on Shadow Ball or Hidden Power, it can trap Lucario and do at least 75% with Thunderbolt. Since this set is great at luring in Pokemon such as Gliscor, Gyarados, and Rotom-A and either OHKOing or 2HKOing them, Pokemon that can take advantage of this are great partners. Gyarados will greatly appreciate Rotom-A being out the way. Scizor and Agility Metagross make solid partners since Gyarados and Rotom-A, which Lucario lures in, are two of their greatest counters. Tyranitar is also a nice partner since Gliscor is its greatest counter, and it has trouble with Will-O-Wisp Rotom-A. Having a partner to deal with Blissey is a necessity; Heracross, Infernape, Machamp, Scizor, and Tyranitar are among the best partners for this since they all have Fighting-type attacks to OHKO Blissey with, and with the exception of Infernape, aren’t too badly hurt by Thunder Wave. Tyranitar also does very well against Zapdos. Heatran is a nice partner to deal with Spiritomb and also does well against Magnezone provided it’s in good health. Bulky Water-types, such as Suicune, Swampert, and Vaporeon are great partners to deal with Gliscor should you lack Hidden Power Ice since they have high Defense and a STAB Surf or Ice Beam to take it out. They can also deal with Gyarados if they have Hidden Power Electric. Rotom-A is a solid partner to counter Gyarados should you lack Hidden Power Rock. Latias is a nice partner to deal with Magnezone and Zapdos. Stealth Rock support from the likes of Azelf, Heatran, Infernape, Metagross, and Swampert is very useful to get the OHKOs on Gyarados and Salamence with Hidden Power Rock.
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. What makes Lucario the ideal Counter lead is not only Inner Focus, but also its immunity to sandstorm and threat of set-up. Your opponent may expect Swords Dance and will likely not wish to allow this setup and greedily attack. While most Focus Sash Pokémon have trouble dealing with instant weather brought on by Tyranitar and Hippowdon, Lucario is immune and can take them out with Counter. A combination of Close Combat and ExtremeSpeed will 2HKO common suicide leads like Aerodactyl and Infernape. Fake Out won’t even save Infernape from demise due to Inner Focus. 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. A Lonely nature is chosen to maximize damage from Counter, as is 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 possibilities in the third slot include assorted Hidden Powers; Hidden Power Grass 2HKOes Swampert, while Hidden Power Ice or Electric could be used against Salamence and Gyarados, respectively. Protect is another option to ease prediction with Counter, while Magic Coat can be used to bounce Sleep Powder / Spore back at Roserade and Smeargle respectively. It should be noted, however, the loss of Crunch in the third slot will leave 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 a choice be replacing Counter to retain type-coverage. This lead can’t deal with Roserade and Smeargle leads as they can put it to sleep with Sleep Powder and Spore respectively, so a sleep absorber, such as Rest + Sleep Talk Gyarados or Rotom-A, is very useful, although they will both take a lot of damage from Leaf Storm. The odd Close Combat / Fire Blast + Vacuum Wave Infernape lead will beat this; therefore Gyarados, Latias, Starmie, and bulky Water-types are good partners to deal with this particular Infernape. Because Jolly Mamoswine can 2HKO Lucario with Earthquake + Ice Shard before being 2HKOed itself, Pokemon such as Bronzong, Gyarados, and Scizor can make nice partners to deal with it. Gyarados and Salamence can switch in and cause problems should your Focus Sash be broken. Therefore, Vaporeon and Suicune can make effective partners to deal with the former, while Swampert can deal with the latter. Magnezone is a nice partner to trap Scizor as well as Metagross trying to finish Lucario off with Bullet Punch, and Dragon Dance Tyranitar and Calm Mind Latias can take advantage of Scizor being taken out. Other Fighting-types, such as Heracross and Infernape, are good options for partners since Anti-Lead Lucario is a great way to scout your opponent's Fighting-type resistances and then concentrate on taking them out, allowing your other Fighting-type to sweep. Since this lead doesn’t set up Stealth Rock itself, having a Pokemon to set up Stealth Rock once Lucario has done its job is very useful. Heatran, Metagross, and Swampert are good Pokemon to do this.
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 at low health and will faint anyway. ExtremeSpeed hits Pokémon that are usually faster than Lucario, such as Starmie and Azelf, for neutral damage. Crunch allows Lucario to hit Cresselia and the Rotom formes for a 2HKO and clear the way for Close Combat sweep later in the game. In the last slot, Stone Edge is an excellent attack to eliminate Gyarados and Zapdos, both common Lucario switch-ins, with one attack; whereas, Ice Punch will destroy any Gliscor or Salamence foolish enough to switch into Lucario, and it deals decent damage to Grass-types and other fliers as well. Jolly can outpace Impish Gliscor, Jolly Gyarados, Timid Rotom-A, and 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 team 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 has very similar counters to the Swords Dance set; it just hits harder at first, making the initial switch in harder for some Pokemon. Gliscor, Gyarados, and Salamence all cause it problems if they avoid Stone Edge / Ice Punch, and Gliscor and Salamence can both Roost off damage. Bulky Ghost-types are good counters as they only fear Crunch. Celebi is also a problem due to its high Defense and access to Thunder Wave to cripple Lucario. Zapdos also does well if it avoids Stone Edge and Ice Punch, since its high Defense and Heat Wave let it take out Lucario. It can also Roost off damage. Choice Scarf Magnezone can beat it if it avoids Close Combat as it resists all the other moves, and traps it with Magnet Pull. Bulky Water-types, such as Suicune, Swampert, and Vaporeon, are great partners to deal with Gliscor, and also Gyarados if they have Hidden Power Electric. Latias is a great partner to deal with Magnezone. Heatran is a fine partner to scare off Celebi and Magnezone. Tyranitar is a solid partner to deal with Celebi, Cresselia, Zapdos, and Ghost-types that lack Will-O-Wisp. Salamence is a solid partner since Draco Meteor rips into many of the problem Pokemon for Lucario. Life Orb Starmie can do a lot of damage to many of Lucario’s counters. The combo of Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, and Thunderbolt gets OHKOs on Gliscor, Gyarados, and Salamence, and 2HKOs on Celebi and Rotom-A. Stealth Rock support from the likes of Azelf, Heatran, Infernape, Metagross, and Swampert is very useful in hurting common switch-ins such as Gyarados and Salamence.
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. This sets main problems will come from priority users and fast Choice Scarf users since they can easily take it out at low health before it attacks. Breloom, Dragonite, Infernape, Mamoswine, Metagross, Scizor, and opposing Lucario are all examples of Pokemon with priority moves to finish off this Lucario. Flygon, Gengar, Jirachi, Latias, Rotom-A, and Starmie are all common Choice Scarf users who you must watch out for as they will outspeed you, even at +1, and easily take you out. Like most other Lucario sets, depending on the move choice for the last slot, you are going to have problem with certain Pokemon. If you elect for Crunch, Gliscor is going to be a big problem. High Defense, resistance to Fighting-type attacks, and a STAB Earthquake will make short work of Lucario. Bulky versions of Gyarados and Salamence will be an issue due to Intimidate lowering Lucario's Attack and they can then dispatch Lucario with Earthquake, or if weakened; Waterfall. Gyarados will still be a problem, even with Ice Punch. Defensive Zapdos also does well against Lucario who elect for Crunch; it can take a full powered Reversal and then OHKO Lucario with Heat Wave. Bulky Ghost-types, such as Rotom-A, will also wreck Lucario with Will-O-Wisp if he lacks Crunch. Cresselia is also big nuisance without Crunch thanks to its high Defense and access to Thunder Wave to cripple Lucario. Finally, should you choose Stone Edge or Rock Slide in the last slot, the aforementioned Cresselia, Gliscor, and bulky Ghost-types will still stop Lucario in its tracks, but you will also have trouble getting past Celebi since you no longer have a super effective attack to hit it with, while it has access to Thunder Wave to cripple Lucario or Hidden Power Fire / Earth Power to do a lot of damage. Similar Pokemon to the Swords Dance and Choice Band sets make solid partners to deal with Pokemon such as Gliscor. Bulky Water-types, such as Suicune, Swampert, and Vaporeon can deal with many of the aforementioned Pokemon. Gliscor and Infernape fall to STAB Water-type attacks and Gyarados is 2HKOed by Hidden Power Electric. Swampert can also do well against most Flygon, Metagross, and Salamence. Latias makes an effective partner to deal with Infernape and Zapdos, while Heatran is useful for taking out Celebi and Rotom-A. Choice Band Gyarados is a reliable team mate to lure Celebi and Rotom-A and hit them hard with Payback. Life Orb versions can work just as well, but lack the immediate power. Pursuit users are very valuable to deal with many of the fast Choice Scarf users which will stop this Lucario. Metagross, Scizor, and Tyranitar are the best for this job. Scizor will do very well against Cresselia, while Tyranitar can deal with Celebi and Zapdos, as well as bulky Ghost-types if they lack Will-O-Wisp. Tyranitar can also lure in Gliscor and 2HKO it with Choice Band Aqua Tail. Magnezone is a solid partner to trap Jirachi, Metagross, Scizor, and opposing Lucario so they can't finish a weakened Lucario off with priority. BaitTar can make an effective partner to lure in Pokemon thinking your choiced, such as Breloom and Scizor, and can proceed to take them out. Team OptionsAs for support options, Stealth Rock is very useful for all sets to get important KOs on Pokemon such as Bronzong, Gyarados, Salamence, and Skarmory. Even the Anti-Lead set wants this since it cannot set it up itself. Azelf, Heatran, Infernape, Metagross, and Swampert are great options for this. Spikes isn’t necessary, but it is very useful since Lucario can cause lots of switches. One of its most important uses though is getting the definite OHKO on Hippowdon with a +2 Close Combat assuming you have three layers of entry hazards. Smeargle, Forretress, Roserade, and Skarmory are the most reliable choices for this. Toxic Spikes support from the likes of Forretress and Roserade can help in dealing with Celebi and Hippowdon, but it is the least useful of the entry hazards. Screen support is very useful in making it easier for the Swords Dancer to set up. Azelf, Bronzong, Cresselia, and Rotom-A are very good Pokemon to do this. Lucario has many great offensive support options. Salamence is among the best since Draco Meteor hurts many of Lucario’s counters, and Salamence can also take Fire-, Fighting-, and Ground-type moves aimed at Lucario. Gyarados and Starmie are great offensive partners as they deal with Gliscor, and they can both take Fire- and Fighting-type moves aimed at Lucario, while Gyarados can also take the Ground-type moves Lucario hates. Metagross, Scizor, and Tyranitar can Pursuit many of the Ghost-types Lucario hates. Tyranitar can also deal with Zapdos and take Fire-type moves aimed at Lucario. Heatran is a effective offensive partner, as not only does it gain power from Fire-type moves and Will-O-Wisps aimed at Lucario, but it can also do well against Jirachi and Magnezone, who Lucario has trouble with. Lucario also has some useful defensive partners. Bulky Water-types, such as Suicune, Swampert, and Vaporeon are the best since they can deal with the number one Lucario counter, Gliscor, as well as most Heatran and, if they have Hidden Power Electric, Gyarados. They can also take Fire-type moves aimed at Lucario. Defensive Rest + Sleep Talk Gyarados is a great defensive partner since it deals with Heatran easily, barring the very odd Hidden Power Electric, it counters Gliscor, and it can take Fire-, Fighting-, and Ground-type moves aimed at Lucario. Celebi is a solid defensive partner since it can take Fighting- and Ground-type moves aimed at Lucario; however, like Lucario, it has trouble with Scarf Heatran. Rotom-A is a great defensive partner since it is immune to Fighting- and Ground-type moves that destroy Lucario, and scares off Gyarados, but again, Heatran is a problem for it. 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. 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. Lucario can use Agility to double its Speed, but there are generally better options for this. Lucario can run a mixed set, but this will involve losing Speed to make full use of it, so this is generally better left to Infernape. Calm Mind is another option for Lucario to boost its Special Attack and give it a bit of Special bulk. It gives it an easier time against the Rotom formes for example, and after a few boosts, it will be hard to deal with via special attacks. However, the Swords Dance set is a better stall breaker, and Lucario may find it hard to get in enough Calm Minds to sweep. A SubSalac set is a minor option since only faster Choice Scarf users will outspeed Lucario; however, priority attacks and faster Choice Scarf users hurt this sets effectiveness, and Lucario has less need for Speed than many sweepers thanks to ExtremeSpeed. Focus Sash is a decent alternative item on the Sword Dance set, as it can ensure a second Swords Dance if you can keep the field clear 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. Focus Sash can also work on the Reversal set, so long as you are confident in your ability to get Lucario hit by a move which would OHKO you. It can allow the usage of a third move - Ice Punch, Stone Edge, or ExtremeSpeed - in place of Endure or Substitute. Like most Pokemon, Lucario can use Choice Scarf with either a physical, special, or mixed movepool, but there are generally better Choice Scarf users. EVsMaxing out Attack and Speed is recommended for the Swords Dance and Choice Band 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), 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 with. 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 OHKO 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. Physical Jirachi can OHKO after a Defense drop with Fire Punch. 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. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
