|
-
Pressure
- Enemy attacks lose one extra PP. Increases wild encounter rate.
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Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
106
|
- |
353 |
416 |
- |
| Atk |
90
|
194 |
216 |
279 |
306 |
| Def |
130
|
266 |
296 |
359 |
394 |
| SpA |
90
|
194 |
216 |
279 |
306 |
| SpD |
154
|
309 |
344 |
407 |
447 |
| Spe |
110
|
230 |
256 |
319 |
350 |
Overview
Lugia is undoubtedly one of the sturdiest physical walls in the game, but is actually numerically stronger special defensively even with the standard spread. This results in a very evenly rounded wall that can take almost any attack; it's extremely difficult to OHKO something with a 106/130/154 defensive layout. Lugia's good 110 base Speed is also higher than that of many Ubers, including Rayquaza, Ho-Oh, Palkia, Groudon, and Kyogre without Choice Scarf.
Lugia has been and still is one of the most reliable walls in the Uber metagame. While Giratina gives it competition, it does sport several advantages, which it should utilize as much as possible. First and most importantly, it receives an immediate recovery move in Roost and therefore isn't forced to use the less efficient Rest and Sleep Talk. It also doesn't have a weakness to Dragon-type attacks, allowing it to pseudo-haze Latias, Latios, and occasionally Rayquaza, without too many problems. Additionally, it is much faster and can use Ice Beam, which is generally a very effective move in Ubers.
Lugia is, above all else, a counter for physical Pokémon such as Groudon and Metagross; both Roost and Reflect aid its mission, with Roost as the critical recovery move and Reflect slicing physical damage in half. Whirlwind is another move geared towards stopping physical attackers. While Lugia is sturdy enough to take 72%-85% from even a Choice Band Groudon's Stone Edge, it can't keep up with a Choice Band Metagross's Meteor Mash or Life Orb Rayquaza's Outrage that is boosted multiple times. Therefore, it needs to remove the boosts by forcing the offending Pokémon to switch out. If used after one's own Forretress has set down Spikes or Stealth Rock, Whirlwind also works to inflict some residual damage upon the opponent.
As is often the case, the fourth slot involves a more complicated decision. For Lugia, viable options there include Toxic, Light Screen, and Ice Beam. Toxic is Lugia's best opportunity for any significant damage to Pokémon not weak to Ice-type moves, such as Darkrai and Mewtwo, and is usually the best of the three options; it is also excellent to ravage some of Lugia's targets, such as Rayquaza and Groudon. However, Toxic is utterly ineffective against Metagross and leaves Lugia with no offensive moves, leaving it a facile target for Taunt from Darkrai, Mewtwo, and others; also, all of Lugia's exertions may be rendered useless by a timely Blissey Aromatherapy. Considering Toxic's foibles and the fact that Toxic Spikes is quite popular on Uber teams, one may choose the next option, Light Screen. Although Lugia is predominantly a physical wall, it does have excellent base 154 Special Defense, and Light Screen capitalizes on that by essentially neutralizing its common weaknesses of Electric-, Ice-, Ghost-, and Dark-type attacks, and protecting it from Water- and Dragon-type attacks. Light Screen has the same issue as Toxic in that it leaves Lugia vulnerable to Taunt, though, and makes Lugia thoroughly incapable of inflicting any damage without field effects in place. Ice Beam is a proactive solution that will not deter Metagross, but hits super effectively on Groudon and Rayquaza. Unfortunately, the damage it inflicts is lackluster on anything else, and only has a 2.6% chance of OHKOing the standard Rayquaza even after one round of Life Orb damage.
Lugia may sometimes drop Whirlwind so that it may use both Ice Beam and Toxic. This allows it to deal quick damage to both Groudon and Rayquaza, while being able to inflict status on Mewtwo and Darkrai that think they can switch in believing that Lugia has Ice Beam and not Toxic. Toxic can act as a semi-phazing move as the opponent will not want to stay in to face the increasing poison damage, and unlike Whirlwind it can permanently cripple a Pokémon. However, without Whirlwind, Lugia does not have a quick answer to stat boosters and Baton Passers such as Ninjask.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
A Timid nature with 192 Speed EVs is recommended for most walling Lugia, which translates into 334 Speed. This outruns all Pokémon up to the base 102 Speed bracket that have a Speed boosting nature, an incredibly important feat in Ubers; this is because Groudon, Garchomp, Rayquaza, Palkia, Kyogre, and Dialga, all frighteningly powerful attackers, exist at that level. However, Timid Lugia is OHKOed by a Dragon Danced, Life Orb boosted Outrage from Rayquaza after Stealth Rock damage. One also has the option to ignore Lugia's Speed stat in favor of its Defense and switch the nature from Timid to Bold, should he or she find the boosted Speed not helpful to the team as a whole. With it, a Dragon Danced, Life Orbed Outrage from Jolly Rayquaza maxes out at 72%, allowing Lugia to survive and deal a fatal blow with Ice Beam. The boosted Defense also allows it to wall Ho-Oh much more effectively.
Although Lugia has a phenomenal base 154 Special Defense, its main purpose is to wall physical attacks, and it is EVed as such, and thus it cannot compete with the massively powerful special attacks that are thrown about in Ubers territory. Lugia's Flying-type, while giving it many opportunities to switch into Ground-type attacks, causes it to attract loads of Electric- and Ice-type attacks, both of which are extremely common in the Ubers metagame, further destroying its chance of taking special hits. Therefore, it is best for you to pair Lugia with a Pokémon who has good Special Defense with which to take the Ice- and Electric-type attacks directed at Lugia. Blissey can take any of these attacks, but can't do much back to the perpetrator, barring status or Seismic Toss. Kyogre can take Ice Beams from any target. However, it is worth warning that Kyogre's Drizzle invites various Pokémon to unleash Thunder against Lugia once it switches back in.
Along with its massive base Special Defense, Lugia's base 110 Speed stat is often overlooked. This high base Speed stat allows it to outspeed certain threats, such as Rayquaza, Groudon, and non-Choice Scarf Garchomp, and hit them with a super effective Ice Beam before they can do more damage. As a result, inflicting Lugia with paralysis severely hampers its ability to wall normally. Pokémon like Blissey, Jirachi, and even some Groudon, such as support sets and the Paradancer set, can mitigate Lugia's walling abilities. A Groudon of your own can switch into Thunder Wave, as it is immune to the Electric-type status. It can also take a boosted Stone Edge directed at Lugia that usually accompany a ParaDancing Groudon.
Another massive threat to Lugia is Tyranitar, regardless of what set it chooses to run. Choice Band sets can severely damage Lugia with STAB Pursuit, should Lugia switch out, and it also has Crunch and Stone Edge should Lugia stay in. A Tyranitar with a combination of Taunt and Dragon Dance will completely shut down Lugia. Tyranitar can come in on one of your teammates and Dragon Dance as you switch to Lugia. With Taunt, it can prevent Lugia from Roosting or throwing up a Reflect, and then can wipe you out with its STAB moves, both of which are super effective against Lugia. Also, because of the sandstorm that Tyranitar sets up, its Special Defense is boosted, making Lugia's Ice Beams very ineffective against it. Lucario can accompany Lugia, as it has 4x resistances to both of Tyranitar's STAB attacks, and hits it for massive damage with STAB Close Combat, while Tyranitar can do little in return, barring a Fire Punch. Groudon, can also prove a useful partner, as it can take any attack Tyranitar can unleash upon it. Furthermore, its Drought ability diminishes the accuracy of Thunder, which can be extremely helpful, as Thunder-users are other threats to Lugia. Forretress can threaten Lugia, not because of its damage output, but rather because of the damage it can do to your team. While Forretress cannot do much to Lugia, Lugia cannot do much back, meaning Forretress can set up Spikes, Stealth Rock, or even Toxic Spikes with ease, all of which are annoying and difficult to deal with. Groudon with Fire Punch can deal with Forretress, as it brings the sun into play, boosting its Fire-type move. Also, a Forretress of your own can Spin away entry hazards.
Wobbuffet is another annoyance to Lugia, as it can turn it into utter set-up bait. However, sadly Wobbuffet has no counter, as you cannot switch out due to its ability, Shadow Tag. Lugia can use Whirlwind to scout potential Wobbuffet switch-ins, forcing it out, letting Lugia itself leave the battlefield before Wobbuffet comes back in. Lugia can also Whirlwind while Wobbuffet is in, but due to Whirlwind's negative priority, Wobbuffet's Encore will outspeed it and force Lugia to use its most recently used move (which could be Whirlwind). Wobbuffet can also be dealt with by using Toxic. While you are still trapped and potentially Encored, it will permanently cripple Wobbuffet, or even put it in KO range.
Lugia's talents can extend to special sweeping after boosting with Calm Mind. While Latias may appear to run the bulky Calm Mind course more effectively due to a better special movepool, lack of an Electric-type weakness, and far superior Special Attack, Lugia can boast that it isn't locked in and annihilated by Metagross Pursuit and doesn't care about Normal Arceus with ExtremeSpeed. The general idea of this set is to Calm Mind against Pokémon such as Groudon that wouldn't be capable of hurting it and attack with Ice Beam. Whirlwind blows away anything that tries to match Lugia, especially Calm Mind Kyogre. However, Thunder is a viable option over Whirlwind to hit Kyogre directly; it also serves to hit Metagross more effectively. The EV spread given for this set lets Lugia Calm Mind ahead of a Palkia Thunder without fear. Also, it can outspeed any non-Choice Scarf Garchomp, allowing it to faint the beast with an Ice Beam before it can do too much damage to Lugia. Lugia also keeps a lot of its physical durability, for example, a Choice Band Groudon Stone Edge only does 85.58% at maximum, so Lugia will be able to stall out its effectively 4 PP (after Pressure slices its original 8) assuming there aren't too many critical hits or the random numbers remain medium or low. However, make sure you have spun away Stealth Rock.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Unlike Kyogre, Lugia does not have access to any move as strong as Kyogre's Water Spout, and thus, even with many Calm Mind boosts, it falls victim to being walled by Blissey. Psych Up or Calm Mind versions can match Lugia's boosts, making it nearly impossible to break Blissey, barring a critical hit or freeze from Ice Beam. By using Whirlwind, you can phaze Blissey out, but she can still come back in to wall Lugia to her heart's desire. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you have a physical or mixed attacker to accompany Lugia by taking out Blissey, and, for versions without Thunder, Kyogre as well, as it will resist Ice Beam and start setting up Calm Minds, or just deal immediate damage to Lugia with Thunder.
Sets with Whirlwind benefit greatly from entry hazards. Moves like Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes can cause lots of passive damage that Lugia can utilize by shuffling your opponent's team with Whirlwind, in order to wear down his or her team for Lugia's sweep. After many switch-ins, Pokémon without dedicated recovery moves, such as Groudon and Tyranitar, will not be able to stand up to Lugia's boosted attacks, even if they are normally sound counters, in Tyranitar's case. For entry hazard support, it is beneficial to pair Lugia with Pokémon like Deoxys-S, Forretress, Skarmory, or Groudon, can all set up one or more of the three types of passive damage.
If you decide to run Thunder on Lugia, it is very important to have weather support on your team in the form of Kyogre to set up rain. Although Ice-type attacks are very effective in Ubers with the high amount of Dragon- and Flying-types around, Thunder helps greatly by hitting the also ubiquitous Steel-types for neutral damage. Also, it is incredibly useful for hitting Kyogre, who otherwise takes very little damage for your Ice Beams.
This particular Lugia is designed to cripple, or at least hamper, many of its common switch-ins while still serving the role of a defensive counter. However, beware that "normal" Lugia sets will almost always use Leftovers, making the lack of Leftovers recovery give away that fact that you are holding Choice Specs.
Trick is the main feature of this set and allows Lugia to disable more defensive switch-ins such as Blissey and Latias. For example, if the standard Latias (Timid, 112 HP / 204 SpA / 0 SpD) is Tricked on the switch-in and loses its Soul Dew in exchange for Lugia's Choice Specs, Lugia will beat it 1 on 1 with Ice Beam (assuming that Latias does not get multiple critical hits or that you are without Roost). If Latias chooses to lock itself into Recover or Roost, Lugia can easily PP stall it out. Trick will also allow Lugia to disable Pokémon like Calm Mind Mewtwo as they switch in. By investing a small amount in Special Attack when aided with Choice Specs Lugia can cripple its more offensive switch-ins such as Kyogre. Although Aeroblast appears to be an oddball in this set, it provides general coverage, and is surprisingly powerful when powered up by Choice Specs. If you are having problems predicting between Ice Beam or Thunder while Choice Specs is still held by Lugia, you can't go wrong with Aeroblast.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The EV spread is designed to accomplish a few specific goals. A Timid nature with 192 Speed EVs gives Lugia 334 Speed, enough to outrun Jolly Garchomp. 116 Special Attack EVs guarantees a 2HKO on 240 HP / 0 SpD Kyogre with Thunder as well as on opposing Lugia if Stealth Rock is in play. They also guarantee an OHKO against 4 HP / 0 SpD Rayquaza and a 2HKO on 252 HP / 60 SpD Adamant Groudon with Ice Beam. The 200 HP EVs also serve a specific purpose. They assure that a once Dragon Danced Jolly Rayquaza's Life Orb Outrage will never OHKO and an Adamant one will not OHKO on average. Additionally, a Swords Danced Adamant Rayquaza's Life Orb ExtremeSpeed will never OHKO and if said Rayquaza is Jolly, Lugia has a slight chance to not be 2HKOed. Lugia will also still be able to effectively counter most Groudon with the given EVs or at a minimum cripple them with Trick or Ice Beam. If you opt to use Aeroblast, 64 HP / 252 SpA / 192 Spe is a better EV spread. Lugia's Aeroblast does 52.8%-62.7% to max HP / max SpD Careful Forretress and 50.6%-60% to 4 HP / no SpD Palkia. Lugia will still survive a Swords Danced ExtremeSpeed from Adamant Rayquaza holding a Life Orb after taking Stealth Rock damage.
Any Pokémon who can resist or abuse Lugia's initial strategy of Tricking is an immediate threat to this set. Pokémon who would fall into this category are Pokémon with specially oriented offensive stats and a Choice item of their own, and Giratina-O.
Any Pokémon who uses special attacks and has Choice Specs or even Choice Scarf can pose an instant threat to this Lugia. Lugia's main strategy is to Trick right away, so therefore it will catch its counter switching in, which will forced to carry Choice Specs. Since Lugia's normal counters include physical Pokémon, such as Tyranitar, and support Pokémon, such as Blissey and Wobbuffet, giving them a Choice Specs will severely hamper their ability to deal with Lugia. However, the aforementioned Choiced special Pokémon, such as Palkia, Dialga, or Kyogre can all take Lugia's Choice Specs, giving Lugia back their own Choice item. Lugia is then locked into Trick, and is forced to switch out, giving your opponent a free turn to smack your switch-in with a high-powered Draco Meteor or Water Spout. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you have a Pokémon with high Special Defense to deal with these threats. Blissey can take any attack, barring Aura Sphere, from Dialga or Palkia, while Latias can deal with a Choice Specs Water Spout from Kyogre, making them both ideal partners for this set.
Giratina-O is kept in its Origin forme with its special item, the Griseous Orb, and thus it cannot be Tricked your pair of Choice Specs. Then, taking advantage of the fact that you are locked into the ineffective Trick, it can set up for a potentially dangerous sweep. Therefore, pairing this with a Tyranitar is beneficial, since Giratina-O cannot kill it before it reciprocates with a super effective Crunch or Pursuit, unless it carries Aura Sphere. Tyranitar's Sand Stream trait will also help drain the health of not only Giratina-O, but also the Pokémon who has received Lugia's Choice Specs (so long as it is not a Ground-, Rock- or Steel-type). Wobbuffet can also work well to deal with versions without Shadow Ball, as it can Encore a set-up move or Mirror Coat back an offensive move.
Regardless of what Pokémon switches in to acquire Lugia's Choice Specs, Wobbuffet makes a fantastic partner for picking off the crippled Pokémon. With Wobbuffet in, you can trap the newly Choiced Pokémon with Shadow Tag, locking it into an attacking move, which you can then Mirror Coat or Counter back for heavy damage. Wobbuffet can also deal with Pokémon who hold Choice items prior to Lugia using Trick who are trying to lock Lugia into that move.
This set takes a radically different approach from the other Lugia sets, focusing on Lugia's offensive capabilities instead of its defensive prowess. While Lugia's low base 90 Special Attack may seem unappealing, its bulk, Speed, and powerful Aeroblast more than make up for this setback.
Aeroblast is the crux of this set, being more powerful than a Life Orb-boosted Ice Beam from Mewtwo. With Stealth Rock, +1 Aeroblast 2HKOes Wobbuffet and nearly OHKOes Mewtwo, Lugia's most common counters. It can also 2HKO common threats, such as Giratina-O, Latios, Groudon, Scizor, and Forretress, as well as OHKOing Darkrai and Rayquaza after SR. In addition, it has a chance to 2HKO max HP Kyogre after Stealth Rock, though Calm Mind variants with Rest / Sleep Talk can cause trouble.
Roost is a vital move for this set, as it allows Lugia to set up multiple Calm Minds against specially offensive foes, such as Palkia and Dialga. You should choose the last move depending on what your team can handle. Earth Power in general hits Pokemon who resist Aeroblast, such as Steel- or Electric-type Pokemon. Earth Power specifically helps deal with Dialga and Heatran, both of whom may attempt to wall Lugia. Thunder easily defeats Kyogre, opposing Lugia, and Skarmory. It also hits Ho-Oh, though be careful, as sun reduces Thunder's accuracy to 50% and allows Ho-Oh to OHKO Lugia with Sacred Fire. Hidden Power Fighting is a viable option, as it allows Lugia to 2HKO specially defensive Tyranitar after a boost, and OHKO minimum HP Tyranitar after Stealth Rock. While you will no longer 2HKO specially defensive Dialga (thus meaning that Lugia will lose to Bulk Up Dialga), Lugia will still be able to 2HKO max HP Dialga with a boosted Hidden Power Fighting. However, Hidden Power Fighting Lugia will have issues getting past Jirachi and Metagross. Finally, if Steel-types are not a problem, Ice Beam is a possibility to get a quick OHKO on Rayquaza and Garchomp while still 2HKOing opposing Lugia after you gain a boost. Ice Beam will also deal a massive amount of damage to Giratina-O.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Here are some damage calculations to show the power of this set. All of these damage calculations assume that Lugia is Timid and has set up one Calm Mind.
- Aeroblast vs 28/252+ Wobbuffet: 46.78% - 55.3%
- Aeroblast vs 4/0 Mewtwo: 76.55% - 90.11%
- Aeroblast vs 4/0 Kyogre: 54.39% - 64.04%
- Aeroblast vs 252/0 Kyogre: 46.04% - 54.21%
- Aeroblast vs 4/0 Palkia: 65.73% - 77.88%
- Aeroblast vs 252/60 Groudon: 63.12% - 74.26%
- Aeroblast vs 248/200 Scizor: 69.1% - 81.63%
- Aeroblast vs 252/252+ Forretress: 68.93% - 81.36%
- Aeroblast vs 4/0 Darkrai: 96.1% - 113.12%
- Aeroblast vs 0/4 Rayquaza: 76.35% - 90.03%
- Aeroblast vs 0/0- Giratina-O: 62.59% - 73.7%
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- Aeroblast vs 86/96 Giratina-O: 48.92% - 57.79%
- Aeroblast vs 4/0 Latios: 50.66% - 59.6%
- Earth Power vs 4/0 Dialga and Jirachi: 86.55% - 102.34%
- Earth Power vs 252/0 Metagross: 89.56% - 105.49%
- Earth Power vs 252/216+ Tyranitar: 36.63% - 43.56%
- Earth Power vs 4/0 Tyranitar: 58.48% - 69.01%
As you can seen from these damage calculations, this Lugia will greatly appreciate Stealth Rock, as it relies on that to defeat Wobbuffet and max HP Kyogre. Additional, Spikes are also fairly helpful due to them allowing Lugia to OHKO Mewtwo with a boosted Aeroblast.
An important thing to note about this Lugia is that due to its offensive nature, it has a radically different playstyle when compared to the defensive Lugia sets. Because of the lack of HP EVs, this Lugia will not be able to tank hits as well as the defensive sets. For example, an unboosted Outrage from Garchomp will 2HKO this Lugia after Stealth Rock damage. Offensive Lugia will often find time to set up after an opponent has KOed one of your Pokémon. For example, after Choice Scarf Palkia gets a kill with Spacial Rend, Lugia can set up. Lugia will also be able to set up on Choice Scarf Dialga's Dragon Pulses. Wobbuffet can be a very helpful teammate for Lugia, as it can Encore support moves and Earthquakes for Lugia to set up on.
There are several Pokémon who will be troublesome when attempting to sweep with Lugia. Blissey is by far the biggest problem, as she walls Lugia's entire moveset and can cripple it with status. Tyranitar is another serious issue. Lugia will have trouble even 2HKOing some Tyranitar with a boosted Earth Power, while Choice Band Tyranitar will usually OHKO Lugia with Crunch. Even worse, Tyranitar can actually trap Lugia with Pursuit. Without Thunder, Lugia will never 2HKO Ho-Oh without Stealth Rock, while Life Orb Ho-Oh will OHKO Lugia with Sacred Fire after Stealth Rock damage. While a +1 Aeroblast with Stealth Rock can 2HKO Latias, she can use Calm Mind and Recover to defeat Lugia in a Calm Mind war. In a similar manner, Rest + Sleep Talk Calm Mind users, such as Kyogre and Giratina, will be able to outstall Lugia. Without Thunder, Skarmory and opposing Lugia will have no problems phazing Lugia away with Whirlwind, or crippling it with Toxic. If you use Thunder over Earth Power, Dialga will wall Lugia.
Because of these issues, offensive Lugia works very well with the Tickle Wobbuffet + Pursuit strategy. Wobbuffet can use Tickle several times on Blissey, Lugia, and Calm Mind Giratina, and then let them fall prey to Pursuit users, such as Scizor, Metagross, and Tyranitar. You can also use Dugtrio with Wobbuffet to defeat Blissey after you have Encored her. Additionally, Pursuit users keep Latias at bay (provided that she doesn't have Hidden Power Fire in Scizor's case). Scizor can switch into Tyranitar's Crunch and threaten to do a massive amount of damage with Bullet Punch or U-turn. Ho-Oh unfortunately lacks any true counters; however, Kyogre can check it. Kyogre can also use Thunder Wave or Toxic to cripple Latias switch-ins, or even Waterfall to 2HKO Blissey (with Life Orb or Mystic Water). Groudon can easily force Tyranitar and Dialga out with Earthquake, and can make a great Skarmory lure with Overheat. Calm Mind Latias and Latios can defeat Kyogre, OHKO Skarmory with Thunder, and do a massive amount of damage to Tyranitar switch-ins with a boosted Grass Knot. Choice Scarf Palkia can lure in Tyranitar expecting Spacial Rend (only to 2HKO them with Surf), and can revenge kill Latias with Outrage. Mixed attackers, such as Dialga and Palkia, work well in dealing a massive amount of damage to Blissey. Dialga in particular can use Bulk Up on its mixed sets to lure in Skarmory. Bulk Up Dialga itself is also a great teammate, as it can set up on Blissey, Tyranitar, and Calm Mind Kyogre.
Other Options
Rest + Sleep Talk is a potential replacement for Roost, because Roost leaves Lugia open to Toxic; overall, though, it is far less efficient, and with Rest and Sleep Talk, Lugia loses to Groudon. Safeguard and Substitute protect Lugia from status altogether and could be nice on the special attacking set. Aeroblast is a very powerful STAB attack, but won't hurt that much from Lugia's inferior (by Uber standards) 90 base Special Attack, and has very low PP, which is wasted further by Pressure from various Ubers. A gimmicky Choice Band set could work, with the main attacks being Punishment and Avalanche, but Lugia's superior defensive stats indicate that walling threats is generally more common, and at the very least, you should stick to special attacks, which can be boosted by Calm Mind. Thunder Wave deserves mention on Lugia's sets, as it works well with Lugia's high base 110 Speed, so it can cripple many offensive threats, almost destroying any chance of a sweep. However, it is not always the best option, as some of the more common threats for Lugia to handle include Garchomp and Groudon, both of whom are immune to Thunder Wave.
Earth Power can also find a place on the Trick set to better handle Dialga, Tyranitar, and Metagross. However, you are often better off just crippling Tyranitar and Metagross by burdening them with a Choice Specs via Trick. Aeroblast can work as a filler option in the final slot of the Trick set as well. However, because of the low PP and the fact it doesn't hit any of the Uber metagame for super effective damage means you'll often be disappointed. Weather Ball allows Lugia to OHKO Forretress in sunlight, and deal a decent amount to it in rain.
Since Lugia falls prey to Wobbuffet quite easily, it is viable to use Shed Shell with it. Wobbuffet can abuse Lugia's slightly lower Special Attack by using Encore on a weaker attack, or Encoring a set up/status move to start a potentially devastating sweep. It can also use Tickle to lower Lugia's Defense, making it bait for Pursuit-users like Tyranitar and Scizor. Thus, a way to escape Wobbuffet's grasp should be considered when possible. The drawback of course is that Lugia loses its passive Leftovers recovery, which not only slows its recovery, but also tips your opponent off that Lugia is using something abnormal.
Checks and Counters
Lugia can't do anything against Pokémon with Taunt, as its attacks aren't very powerful without any boosts. Calm Mind Mewtwo rips Lugia to shreds, while Mew can set up and Baton Pass away. Darkrai can even put Lugia to sleep and smash it with Nasty Plot boosted STAB super effective Dark Pulses. Toxic is also very debilitating against Lugia without Rest, so a stalling Dialga will beat it.
Calm Mind Kyogre beats Calm Mind Lugia when Lugia is without Thunder through attrition; a six-stage boosted Ice Beam will only do 32% at maximum to a Kyogre, even without HP or Special Defense EV investment.
Tyranitar is one of the very few Pokémon who can conquer Lugia completely, by using sheer force. A Choice Band boosted maximum Attack Stone Edge has an 86% chance of OHKOing the standard Lugia, with Sandstorm in effect, while Pursuit chases down fleeing Lugia, reducing its health to the extent that any reasonable attack will kill it. However, using Stone Edge may be risky, as Roost negates the Rock-type weakness and Pressure eats away at Stone Edge's low PP. Even if it has a Reflect up, Lugia can't take repeated Crunches, because Tyranitar will eventually inflict enough Defense drops to knock Lugia out. However, if those Defense drops do not come in quickly enough, Tyranitar may succumb to repeated Toxic damage.
