|
-
Levitate
- The wielder is immune to Ground-type moves.
|
Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
80
|
- |
301 |
364 |
- |
| Atk |
90
|
194 |
216 |
279 |
306 |
| Def |
80
|
176 |
196 |
259 |
284 |
| SpA |
130
|
266 |
296 |
359 |
394 |
| SpD |
110
|
230 |
256 |
319 |
350 |
| Spe |
110
|
230 |
256 |
319 |
350 |
Overview
Latios is widely regarded as one of the best Dragon-types in BW OU, sporting an amazing Special Attack and a blistering base 110 Speed stat, allowing it to outspeed every other unboosted Dragon-type. In the DW metagame, it retains its lethal status, but due to the presence of common threats such as Choice Scarf Genesect and Choice Scarf Shadow Tag Chandelure, Latios finds itself hard-pressed to compete with its Dragon-type brethren, most notably Garchomp and Dragonite. However, Latios does have some perks over its brethren. Although its secondary Psychic typing might seem like a thorn in Latios's side due to its susceptibility to Pursuit as well as its weaknesses to Bug- and Ghost-type moves, it lets Latios easily revenge kill one of the most common and dangerous threats in the DW metagame: Keldeo. In addition, Latios has the highest Special Attack of any Dragon-type in the metagame, which allows it to pose a significant threat to common walls, such as Forretress and Skarmory. Psyshock allows it to break through not only Keldeo, but also Blissey and Chansey, something that other special attackers have difficulty doing. Despite Latios's more obvious flaws in the DW metagame, it is still a potent threat that many teams can be unprepared for.
This is Latios's best set; it hits hard yet still has the ability to switch moves. Draco Meteor is insanely powerful, obliterating anything that doesn't resist it with the exception of Blissey and Chansey. Even some Steel-types can be 2HKOed. If the Special Attack-lowering side effect a turnoff, Latios can use Dragon Pulse over Draco Meteor, although the drop in power is quite noticeable. Surf is an excellent complementary move to Dragon Pulse or Draco Meteor, as it provides great coverage and hits threats such as Tyranitar for super effective damage. Latios can also take advantage of rain to pound the opponent with a boosted Surf. In the third moveslot, either Psyshock or Hidden Power Fire is a viable option. Psyshock is the preferred move, given the ubiquity of Keldeo in the DW metagame, as it allows Latios to OHKO Keldeo regardless of how many Calm Mind boosts it has obtained. Hidden Power Fire allows Latios to OHKO Genesect, Ferrothorn, and Forretress, though it doesn't really do much else and lowers Latios's Speed IV. Roost is used in the last slot in order to stave off some of the recoil damage from Life Orb, and it is a very useful move in general.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The given EV spread, along with a Timid nature, allows Latios to hit hard and outspeed as much as possible. Equipping Latios with a Life Orb grants it a much-appreciated power boost that still allows it to switch moves. Latios can easily switch into rain-boosted Water-type moves and heal off the damage, which makes Roost one of the most important moves on this set. Although the listed moves are the most efficient in terms of power and coverage, Latios can easily run Thunderbolt (or Thunder if on a rain team) in order to deal with bulky Water-types or Hidden Power Fighting to reliably 2HKO Tyranitar.
Politoed is a great teammate to bring permanent rain to the table, as it boosts the power of Surf with Drizzle and can easily tank any Ice-type attacks aimed at Latios. In return, Latios is a near-perfect check to Technician Breloom once Sleep Clause is active, as it outspeeds and resists both of its STAB moves. If you choose to utilize Hidden Power Fire, then sun support from Ninetales can prove useful. In this case, replacing Surf with Hidden Power Fire is recommended so that Latios can still deal with Keldeo by using Psyshock. Latios needs to have faster threats such as Choice Scarf Genesect removed before it can attempt to tear through the opponent's team; however, once they are eliminated, Latios has free reign to raze through the opponent like a field of grain.
Choice Latios is an extremely potent threat. It can use either Choice Specs or a Choice Scarf very effectively; with the former, it can smash most of the metagame to pieces with its STAB, Choice Specs-boosted Draco Meteor, and with the latter, it outspeeds virtually every other common Choice Scarf user, including Garchomp and Genesect. Draco Meteor is Latios's most powerful move, decimating anything that doesn't resist it and even 2HKOing some Pokemon that do. Surf is a great secondary move, as it provides useful coverage. Hidden Power Fire completes that coverage by conveniently roasting Genesect and Ferrothorn should they try to come in and wall Draco Meteor, although it does come with a lowered Speed IV. If Genesect and Ferrothorn are not a problem, then Dragon Pulse can be used in place of Hidden Power Fire for a reliable STAB move that doesn't lower Latios's Special Attack. The last move is simply dependent on what your team needs covered. If your team has trouble with Keldeo, then Psyshock is the way to go, as it OHKOes even through Calm Mind boosts. However, Trick is a great move to cripple Pokemon such as Chansey and Ferrothorn that think they can switch in for free.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Latios needs the Speed and Special Attack investment in order to outspeed as many Pokemon and deal as much damage as possible. Choice Scarf Latios makes for a very effective lure, as it can outspeed common Choice Scarf users such as Chandelure and Genesect and OHKO them with the appropriate move. The choice between equipping a Choice Scarf or Choice Specs depends on the role you want Latios to play. A Choice Scarf allows Latios to outspeed even Deoxys-S and further allows it to revenge kill with ease. Choice Specs, on the other hand, transforms Latios into an immensely powerful wallbreaker, as almost nothing can stand up to its STAB Draco Meteor.
Because Choice variants of Latios are so susceptible to Pursuit-trapping, it is recommended to remove trappers such as Tyranitar before bringing Latios into play. Keldeo is a fantastic teammate that can easily deal with Tyranitar, as its STAB Fighting- and Water-type attacks will destroy Tyranitar before it has a chance to do anything. Keldeo also resists Bug- and Ice-type attacks, giving it decent synergy with Latios; in return, Latios resists the Psychic-, Electric-, and Grass-type attacks aimed at Keldeo. Together the pair resists the VoltTurn strategy. Genesect can also threaten Tyranitar with its STAB U-turn, forcing it out and wearing it down with entry hazard support.
Latios has access to a great boosting move in Calm Mind. Although this set is rarely seen and somewhat less effective in the DW metagame, it can be devastating if allowed to set up. After one Calm Mind, Latios has 538 Special Attack, and with its excellent type coverage in just two or three moves, it can easily sweep mid- to late-game. Dragon Pulse is the STAB move of choice; it is reliable, decently powerful, and has great neutral coverage. Surf complements Dragon Pulse nicely and hits threats such as Tyranitar, Heatran, and several others for super effective damage. The last moveslot can vary depending on your team's needs. Psyshock is a foolproof way of dealing with any variant of Keldeo, Hidden Power Fire deals with pesky Genesect and Ferrothorn, while Roost allows Latios to heal off any damage taken, including Life Orb recoil, and gives it a much easier time setting up and more staying power. However, it is important to note that Hidden Power Fire lowers Latios's Speed IV, making it impossible to Speed tie with other base 110s, such as Gengar, Latias, and opposing Latios.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Because Latios is primarily an offensively oriented Pokemon, maximum Speed and Special Attack investment is standard. The listed attacks provide the best coverage, but Substitute can work over one of the coverage moves to block problematic status such as paralysis and poison, as well as provide a buffer against priority and Pursuit trappers such as Tyranitar. Latios can use Draco Meteor over Dragon Pulse for more immediate power, but the consequent Special Attack drop is rather unwanted. Grass Knot, Thunderbolt, and Hidden Power Fighting are also decent coverage moves that Latios has access to, but they don't necessarily provide "better" coverage, just specific super effective coverage on certain threats such as Gastrodon, Tyranitar, and Politoed. It is generally quite difficult to sweep with Calm Mind Latios early-game due to the sheer amount of threats that can easily take it down, such as Choice Scarf Genesect, Tyranitar, and Choice Scarf Chandelure. For this reason, it is best to use Latios mid- to late-game, when most, if not all, of Latios's major checks are removed. Teammates such as Keldeo that can rid Latios of its checks are very useful and can pave the way for a Latios sweep. A paired Chandelure can also be used to dispose of opposing Choice Scarf users such as Genesect.
Other Options
Latios has quite an extensive special movepool, consisting of additional coverage moves such as Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Grass Knot, Shadow Ball, and other Hidden Power types, including Hidden Power Fighting to hit Tyranitar. However, these moves usually don't offer better coverage than the listed moves, especially on the Choice set, on which a STAB Draco Meteor hits harder than any of them. Expert Belt is an option to feign a Choice item, although the power output is rather mediocre unless the move hits the target super effectively. Although Latios is usually better off running an offensive set of some sort, it does have access to Light Screen and Reflect, as well as a fast Memento, which makes Latios a formidable and reliable dual screener. Otherwise, there aren't any "viable" options, as Dragon Dance is somewhat pointless on a special attacker with only a base 90 Attack stat.
Checks and Counters
Latios is most susceptible to Pursuit trappers such as Tyranitar and Scizor and to Shadow Tag Chandelure. Its Defense is average at best, and pounding it repeatedly with powerful physical attacks can wear it down quickly, especially if they are super effective. Latios is one of the fastest Dragon-types in the metagame, tying only with its sister, Latias, meaning that other Dragon-types are forced to equip a Choice Scarf if they want any hope of beating Latios. Excadrill in the sand can outspeed and OHKO with a +2 Return or X-Scissor, but it cannot switch into Surf or Hidden Power Fire and cannot OHKO without a Swords Dance boost. Choice Scarf Genesect is a decent check, as it can outspeed Latios unless it carries a Choice Scarf of its own and easily OHKO with a Download-boosted U-turn. Ferrothorn can easily take any attack that Latios can throw at it bar a Hidden Power Fire and either paralyze it with Thunder Wave or wear it down with Gyro Ball and Leech Seed.
