Level 5 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
40
|
- |
20 |
23 |
- |
| Atk |
70
|
11 |
13 |
16 |
17 |
| Def |
40
|
9 |
10 |
13 |
14 |
| SpA |
35
|
9 |
10 |
13 |
14 |
| SpD |
40
|
9 |
10 |
13 |
14 |
| Spe |
60
|
10 |
12 |
15 |
16 |
Overview
Although Riolu may lack the ability to switch into common attacks as well as other Little Cup sweepers, he makes up for it by having excellent coverage moves, good Attack and Speed stats, and resistances to Rock-, Bug-, and Dark-type attacks. Riolu also has the advantage over other Agility sweepers, due to the fact that with only three moves he can hit nearly every common wall in Little Cup for super effective damage. With all that in mind, Riolu is a great choice for any team in need of a strong late-game cleaner.
This is one of Riolu's best sets in Little Cup, and plays in much the same fashion as his older brother Lucario in OU. After a single Agility Riolu reaches a Speed of 30, outspeeding almost every single Pokemon in Little Cup, whether they are holding a Choice Scarf or not. The only exceptions are Choice Scarf Diglett, Voltorb, and Elekid; the former two are never seen with Scarf and Elekid only very rarely. Agility allows Riolu to outrun many Pokemon who could usually KO Riolu before it has a chance to move. Crunch is used to hit the myriad of Ghost-types in LC for a swift 2HKO at the least. The only Ghosts who stand a chance of surviving a Crunch are Drifloon and Duskull, and even they need to invest heavily in Defense and HP to do so. Unfortunately, Close Combat is not available to Riolu and therefore it has to be content with Hi Jump Kick. However, Hi Jump Kick has all the power Riolu needs, doing a minimum of 52% to 220/228 Bronzor, who is often considered to be the best physical wall in Little Cup. Ice Punch hits Gligar for a clean OHKO and also helps against the likes of Phanpy, Hippopotas, Bulbasaur, Chikorita, and Dratini, among others. ThunderPunch may be used to hit Mantyke and Totodile, but it is generally an inferior option due to the lack of coverage against common Little Cup walls.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The EVs allow Riolu to outspeed all Pokemon in Little Cup after an Agility, barring Scarfed Diglett, Voltorb, and Elekid. The next step is to max out the Attack stat as Riolu really needs the extra boost in power to achieve certain KOs. 36 EVs in both defensive stats gives Riolu an extra point in each, while the HP stat is dropped to 19 to reduce Life Orb recoil.
Agility Riolu has a hard time sweeping early in the game, as most walls on the opponent's team will still be carrying Oran Berry, meaning that Riolu will only be able to 3HKO Pokemon he would usually be able to 2HKO. Riolu must also be wary of certain priority moves. While he will take relatively low damage from Sucker Punch, moves like Vacuum Wave and Quick Attack may put a premature end to Riolu's sweep if his HP has dropped low enough. Bulky Ghost-types can often switch in when Riolu uses Agility, avoid an OHKO from Crunch, and then proceed to cripple Riolu with Will-O-Wisp. Zen Headbutt may be used in the last slot to deal with Croagunk and deal more damage to Gastly than Crunch; the former is especially problematic for this set as it resists Hi Jump Kick and takes little damage from Crunch and Ice Punch. This is not a great option though, as Riolu really needs to be able to OHKO Gligar, on top of the many other Little Cup walls who are weak to Ice. Since Riolu is fragile, it will often have a hard time setting up.
Pursuit users like Houndour, Stunky, and Munchlax can trap and eliminate problematic Ghost-type Pokemon, which assists Riolu in sweeping. Houndour has the added benefit of absorbing Will-O-Wisp thanks to Flash Fire. Wynaut can ease the process of setting up for Riolu, as it can grant a free turn thanks to Shadow Tag and Encore; it can also eliminate opposing Pokemon that may wall Riolu. Priority can stop Riolu in its tracks, and hence Pokemon that are immune or resistant to common priority moves can be of assistance. Gastly is immune to Fake Out, Quick Attack, ExtremeSpeed, Mach Punch, and Vaccuum Wave, making it an ideal candidate. It can also act as Pursuit bait, giving Riolu an easy opportunity to set up.
Although this set may be very similar to the Agility set in terms of moves, they function in different ways. Whereas the latter attempts to finish off the opponent's teams late-game when most Pokemon are weakened, this set should be used as a way to muscle through most common walls in Little Cup with ease. Swords Dance is the core of the set, boosting Riolu's already decent Attack stat to monstrous levels. Hi Jump Kick has good power and decent enough accuracy, making it the primary choice for STAB on all Riolu sets. Crunch gives Riolu almost perfect coverage alongside Hi Jump Kick, OHKOing every Ghost-type in Little Cup regardless of Defense investment. The final slot is slightly more problematic however. Ice Punch nails any Gligar attempting to switch in, as well as netting KOs on many bulky Grass- and Ground-type Pokemon in Little Cup. It should be noted however that Ice Punch is useless against Gligar once it has switched in, as even without a boosting item or Attack EVs, Gligar will always outspeed and KO Riolu with Earthquake.
The Swords Dance + priority combo is not one that is widely available in Little Cup, and Riolu is one its best users. Quick Attack nearly always 2HKOes Croagunk before it can KO back with Vacuum Wave. Bullet Punch is often the superior option, however, as no Pokemon is immune to it, and it hits Rock-types for super effective damage. Focus Sash is a great item on Riolu because it allows him to fare well against offense as well as stall; however, Life Orb can be used because it enables Riolu to always OHKO Bronzor after a Swords Dance.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
With the given EVs Riolu is able to dish out as much damage as possible, KOing anything that switches into the wrong move. 196 Speed EVs let Riolu hit 15 Speed, enabling it to outrun enemies like Croagunk, Totodile, and Machop. An Adamant nature is needed to always OHKO Bronzor with Hi Jump Kick and Hippopotas with Ice Punch after a Swords Dance. Again the HP stat is set to 19, reducing the amount of recoil damage from Life Orb by 1. When using Focus Sash, it is recommended to bump Riolu's HP EV up to 31 which allows him to take weak neutral and resisted attacks more easily.
Although Swords Dance Riolu possesses enormous power and almost nothing in Little Cup can afford to switch in on the wrong move, it does have its fair share of problems with faster opponents, strong priority moves, and Focus Sashes, should the opponent switch in after a KO or on a predicted Swords Dance. ThunderPunch is a decent option in the last slot to KO Mantyke and other Water-types without having to resort to Hi Jump Kick, but it is generally worse than Ice Punch as you lose the ability to get past most bulky Grass- and Ground-types.
Houndour, Stunky, and Munchlax can trap Ghost-type Pokemon with Pursuit, which gives Riolu an easier time sweeping. Houndour can freely switch into Will-O-Wisp from the likes of Duskull, giving it an advantage over other Pursuit users. Wynaut can use Shadow Tag and Encore to guarantee Riolu a free turn to set up. It can also eliminate other generally troublesome Pokemon, making it easier for Riolu to sweep. Because it is so fragile, Riolu will often be stopped by Pokemon with priority. Ghost-type Pokemon are immune to many common priority attacks such as Fake Out, Quick Attack, ExtremeSpeed, Vacuum Wave, and Mach Punch. Gastly in particular makes a good partner, because it is fast and powerful, and serves as Pursuit bait, which can help Riolu to set up.
With Inner Focus granting it immunity to flinching, Riolu is capable of eliminating many common leads in Little Cup. A combination of Hi Jump Kick and Bullet Punch KOes Snover and Kabuto, whereas Crunch is there to hit Drifloon and Gastly. Counter is a great move on Riolu due to his low Defense stat. Most leads who Riolu cannot beat with only its attacking moves, such as Mankey and Gligar, are taken care of by Counter, as the incoming Close Combat and Earthquake will both leave Riolu on 1 HP.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Putting 196 EVs in both Speed and Attack maximizes Riolu's offensive presence, and the EVs in Special Defense give Riolu an extra point. It is not necessary to lower Riolu's Defense any further as he will usually take over 50% from any neutral hit, meaning that Counter will almost always KO the attacking Pokemon. The most difficult lead for Riolu to face is Scarf Snover, as it will KO with a combination of Blizzard and hail damage, as well as most bulky special attackers. Munchlax can help Riolu by handling strong special attackers, thanks to its great Special Defense stat. Riolu also loses to other faster leads who sport priority, such as Diglett, although Diglett will be left at 1 HP and can easily be revenged afterwards. Riolu can run Quick Attack in place of Bullet Punch to hit Water-, Fire-, and Electric-type leads such as Chimchar and Chinchou harder, but these are few and far between, so it is generally a lesser option.
Other Options
Rock Slide, Blaze Kick, and Earthquake are all decent enough options on Riolu and allow him to easily KO Pokemon such as Mantyke, Pineco, and Croagunk. However, many of these moves have redundant coverage with Riolu's STAB options, and Rock Slide has low Base Power, meaning that a super effective Rock Slide will hit as hard as a neutral Hi Jump Kick, only with less cost should it miss. Force Palm or Brick Break may be used over Hi Jump Kick as they both have perfect accuracy as well as useful side effects. However, this is not recommended on the Swords Dance set due to missing out on the OHKO on Bronzor.
Riolu may use a Jolly nature on any of the sets provided, allowing him to outspeed every single unboosted Pokemon in Little Cup after an Agility regardless of whether they are holding a Choice Scarf or not. This should be considered a lesser option to Adamant though because the lack of power will really be noticeable, and the only remotely common Pokemon that can tie with Riolu after an Agility is Scarf Elekid. Take note that Riolu will not always be able to 2HKO Bronzor with Hi Jump Kick, or Hippopotas and Phanpy with Ice Punch. Finally, Riolu can run a Choice Scarf set, but this is generally done better by Machop and Mankey.
Checks and Counters
Agility Riolu has huge problems with bulky Ghost-types with Will-O-Wisp, as well as Bronzor. Drifloon and Duskull are good examples of Pokemon who can safely counter Agility Riolu while holding Oran Berry. They can switch into any move Riolu uses, including Crunch due to Oran Berry, and then cripple Riolu with Will-O-Wisp. Bronzor can switch in and at worst 2HKO Riolu with Psychic even with no EV investment. While they may not be counters, Pokemon who can use strong priority attacks, such as Dratini with ExtremeSpeed and Totodile with Aqua Jet, are able to KO Riolu no matter how many times it has used Agility. Swords Dance Riolu is very easily revenge killed, and since it can be outrun, its frailty is even more of a problem. If for some reason Riolu is not using Ice Punch, bulky Ground-types, such as Phanpy, Hippopotas, and especially Gligar, can eliminate Riolu with powerful STAB Earthquakes. Riolu must be very careful of status, most prominently paralysis and burn, and therefore Pokemon with decent bulk who can spread paralysis, such as Chinchou, are very useful when countering Riolu.
