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Lucario (Analysis)
- Thread starter supermarth64
- Start date
In the Overview, you state that Extremespeed is a boost that came the introduction of B/W. Unless I'm missing something, this isn't a new boost since he had it last generation.
Thought there was something I missed. However, I don't see how it would affect things much. There aren't that many priority users who are faster than him that he needs to watch out for. Infernape is one I guess, since Lucario's weak to Fighting. The overview should just give the spotlight to Nasty Plot as a new B/W addition, while the priority change in Extremespeed should be mentioned in the actual SD set instead.
Isn't Ice Punch a 4th Gen. Move Tutor move? You might want to edit your Dream World section a bit supermarth64.
Hey, I know you mentioned Dark Pulse in Other Options, but it really shouldn't be there. That 20% flinch saves your ass in a pinch, especially vs. something you know you're not going to KO right away, like Dragonite, Vaporeon, slower defensive Gliscor, etc. Shadow Ball doesn't help you in any of those situations. Both moves are equally viable and there really isn't any reason for such a disconnect when most players are aware that they offer about the same coverage.
Shadow Ball helps you when certain targets switch in and you haven't had the chance to boost, like Garchomp, but Dark Pulse is the unequivocal life saver in most other situations. Slash it in.
Shadow Ball helps you when certain targets switch in and you haven't had the chance to boost, like Garchomp, but Dark Pulse is the unequivocal life saver in most other situations. Slash it in.
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[Overview]
<p>The introduction of Black and White have given Lucario two useful toys that enable him to sweep. Lucario gained Nasty Plot, enabling him to sweep from the special side. He also gained a boost in ExtremeSpeed enabling him to sweep more easily on the physical side. This combined with base 110 Attack and 115 Special Attack means that he'll hit hard with either offensive stat. Additionally, with a great Fighting STAB along with immunity to Toxic Spikes and a 4x resistance to Stealth Rock, Lucario isn't easily crippled by entry hazards. However, with the faster Pokémon that exist in the fifth generation along with Pokémon like Excadrill and Conkeldurr that can stop Lucario's sweep, Lucario will have a hard time cleanly punching his way through teams. Additionally, if Lucario chooses to use one move then oftentimes he'll miss out on hitting another Pokémon Lucario has severe four move slot syndrome, and has great difficulty covering every relevant threat. Nevertheless, Lucario is still ready to demolish unprepared teams.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: ExtremeSpeed
move 4: Crunch / Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lucario's standard boosting set from fourth generation has come back with vengeance. Not much has changed since then in terms of Lucario's movepool, but not much has to. Unprepared teams fall to the sheer power of Lucario while even prepared teams can have difficulty if they falter.</p>
<p>Swords Dance boosts Lucario's Attack to sky high levels, preparing him for a sweep. Close Combat serves as Lucario's main STAB move, capable of OHKOing physically defensive Skarmory after a Swords Dance. With ExtremeSpeed's boost to +2 priority, Lucario can now outspeed all other offensive priority moves except for Fake Out. This means that he no longer has to worry about Pokémon that use Mach Punch or Vacuum Wave as long as he can KO them with ExtremeSpeed. Crunch hits Pokémon like Jellicent and Reuniclus that while Ice Punch hits Gliscor and the genie Pokémon on the switch-in.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Stone Edge can be used in the last moveslot in order to hit things like Gyarados, Salamence, and Dragonite, the first two of whom can ruin Lucario's sweep with Intimidate and can live a +1 LO ExtremeSpeed even after Stealth Rock. Bullet Punch still has some utility in hitting Gengar, Terrakion, and Choice Scarf Tyranitar, but Lucario loses a useful coverage move in the process. Lucario can also use a Jolly nature in order to outspeed Jolly Gyarados and Timid Suicune, but generally Pokémon that run a positive Speed nature in order to outspeed Lucario are KOed by ExtremeSpeed with an Adamant nature.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is very helpful useful in helping Lucario set up a sweep because it gradually wears down the opposing team. Balloon Heatran, Celebi, Nattorei, and Hippowdon are all great partners to set it up. Furthermore, in order to fully assist Lucario's sweep, Pokémon that are weak to Dark-type moves are good partners so that, luring opportunities for Lucario can to set up on a Pursuit or Crunch. Latias and Latios are both resistant or immune to all three of Lucario's weaknesses and can smash through opposing Pokémon with a STAB Draco Meteor. Meanwhile, Lucario resists all three of their weaknesses, enabling him to set up on the moves that threaten them.</p>
<p>If Bullet Punch isn't used, a Pursuiter is useful for eliminating Gengar, who is immune to two of Lucario's moves and can KO with Focus Blast. Choice Scarf Tyranitar is a great check for Gengar because he can outspeed Gengar and KO with a Pursuit. Gliscor is also a problematic Pokémon if Lucario is not carrying Ice Punch as he has the defenses to take any hit and KO back with a STAB Earthquake. Rotom-W is immune to Ground-type moves and can hit Gliscor with a Hydro Pump. Bulky Mach Punchers like Conkeldurr can survive a boosted ExtremeSpeed and KO back. Gliscor can easily take any attacks and threaten Conkeldurr with Acrobat. Furthermore, both Gliscor and Rotom-W help against Excadrill because they're immune to Earthquake while Excadrill outspeeds Lucario in sandstorm and can KO with his own Earthquake.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Aura Sphere
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Vacuum Wave / Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With access to Nasty Plot, Lucario can finally sweep from the special side efficiently. The capability of sweeping from both the physical and special side means sometimes the opponent will switch in a The strong threat of Swords Dance Lucario results in many opponents switching in a physical wall and suddenly only to be met by a +2 Special Attack Lucario. Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball gain perfect coverage. There's little fear of Normal-type Pokémon switching into Shadow Ball because of their weakness to Aura Sphere. Vacuum Wave serves as priority to take down Excadrill and Terrakion along with weakened opposing Pokémon. Hidden Power Ice can hit Landorus, Thundurus, Gliscor, Salamence, Garchomp, and other Pokémon that are weak to Ice-type attacks.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Modest is used for to allow Lucario to gain maximum power in order to sweep through the opposing team. Timid has more merit on this set than Jolly does on the Swords Dance set because Lucario doesn't have as strong of a priority move as ExtremeSpeed on that set of the very real power gap between ExtremeSpeed and Mach Punch. The extra speed will enable Lucario to outspeed Pokémon like positive natured Togekiss, Gyarados, Suicune, and Nidoking.</p>
<p>Like the Swords Dance set, Stealth Rock support is appreciated to make Lucario's job easier. Heatran and Hippowdon are both great partners for Lucario as Heatran is immune to Fire-type moves and Hippowdon has the physical bulk to take Earthquakes and Mach Punches. Pokémon weak to Pursuit are still helpful, such as Latios, Latias, and Gengar. The Lati twins can smash through the opposing team with their STAB Draco Meteors while Gengar can wear down Blissey and Chansey enough so that Aura Sphere can KO. Gliscor, if Lucario is not using Hidden Power Ice, can be checked by Rotom-W, who can threaten back with a STAB Hydro Pump. If Lucario's not using Vacuum Wave, Excadrill and Terrakion can be checked by Gliscor, who can hit them back with an Earthquake. Gliscor can also check Conkeldurr because Lucario can't KO him with a boosted Vacuum Wave.</p>
[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lucario also has access to a third boosting move: Agility. The previous sets suffer from being outsped by revenge killers like Excadrill and Terrakion. In order to combat this weakness, this set concentrates on boosting Lucario's Speed so that common revenge killers won't be able to outspeed him and quickly revenge kill him. However, this does leave the user with a weaker Lucario because he has no means of boosting his attack.</p>
<p>Agility is the main move in this set, enabling Lucario to outspeed Pokémon like Landorus, Garchomp, and Latios. Close Combat gives Lucario the power he needs in order to truly sweep and has 100% accuracy so it won't miss unlike Hi Jump Kick. Crunch hits Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon like Jellicent and Reuniculus that are immune or resistant to Close Combat. Ice Punch rounds out the set by hitting Flying-type Pokémon like Landorus and Dragonite that are resistant to Lucario's main STAB move. It also hits Gliscor although it doesn't have the power to KO it unless he's severely weakened.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Due to the Speed boost from Agility, Lucario can choose to drop some Speed EVs in order to increase his bulk. 188 Speed EVs enable Lucario to outspeed positive natured Choice Scarf base 110s while 136 Speed EVs allow Lucario to outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp. A Jolly nature may be used in order to outspeed Jolly Excadrill with Sand Throw but Lucario already lacks power with this set and using a Jolly nature would only make him weaker.</p>
<p>Without the ability to increase his power, Lucario appreciates entry hazard support to weaken the opposing team. Spikes support is more necessary than the previous sets making meaning that Pokémon like Ferrothorn and Skarmory prized teammates are good partners for Lucario. Skarmory is immune to Ground-type moves while Ferrothorn can switch into multiple Pokémon and set up entry hazards. Ghost-type Pokémon work well with Lucario in order to block Rapid Spin and to enable Lucario to set up on a Pursuit. Jellicent is the best choice because he resists or is immune to two of Lucario's weaknesses.</p>
<p>In order for Lucario to beat Gliscor with this set, he needs to be severely weakened. Powerful Pokémon like Haxorus and Dragonite can smash through the opposing defenses and have good defensive synergy with Lucario as well. Latios can launch Choice Specs Draco Meteors and Surfs at the opposing team to quickly decimate it. Despite these powerful partners, there are still Pokémon that can easily check Lucario. Conkeldurr can bypass the Agility boosts with Mach Punch while a healthy Gliscor can survive an unboosted Ice Punch and KO back with Earthquake. Your own Gliscor and Rotom-W can help check both Conkeldurr and Gliscor.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Aura Sphere
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Vacuum Wave
item: Choice Specs
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lucario is fully capable of hitting hard from the start without the need to boost his stats. While the previous three sets are concerned with taking advantage of a free turn to set up, this set attempts to hit the opposing team hard and never look back. Furthermore, it can catch physically-defensive Pokémon off guard should they switch in expecting a physical move.</p>
<p>Aura Sphere leads the set off, boasting both STAB and perfect accuracy. Shadow Ball, in conjunction with Aura Sphere, attains perfect coverage in just two moves. Additionally, if it manages to lower the opponent's Special Defense, the opposing Pokémon will be hard pressed to stay in and take a more powerful hit or switch out and take more entry hazard damage. Hidden Power Ice hits Gliscor, a major threat to Lucario, as well as Dragonite, Landorus, and other Pokémon. Vacuum Wave can KO weakened Pokémon and deals massive damage to Excadrill, making Lucario a decent check to Excadrill.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Dragon Pulse can be used over Hidden Power Ice as a general move to cover Gyarados, Conkeldurr, and Gliscor. However, the ability to nab a quick KO on Gliscor is vital for Lucario's role in luring Gliscor in and KOing him, making it an inferior option. The question between more power and more Speed is evident once again. Since this set is based around hitting hard and switching when needed, Modest is more beneficial. However, a Timid nature is still useful to outspeed Pokémon like Suicune and Nidoking.</p>
<p>With the pressure that Lucario places on the opposing team, Stealth Rock support is helpful in wearing it down once again vital to capitalize on forced switches. Hippowdon and Nattorei both have the bulk to take hits needed when Lucario is faced at a disadvantage should Lucario be forced to retreat. Lucario also fulfills a role for offensive teams in luring Pokémon like Gliscor in and KOing him with Hidden Power Ice. This makes Pokémon like Conkeldurr and Excadrill good partners because the two of them are stopped by Gliscor. Furthermore, a Pokémon that doesn't mind coming in to Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon is useful because of the times when to support Lucario will be locked into after he locks itself into Aura Sphere. Calm Mind Jirachi and Latias as well as Scizor with Roost both help against Pokémon like Reuniclus and Gengar due to their bulk and STAB attacks. Tyranitar is a more dangerous choice shakier choice due to its large Fighting weakness, but it can threaten the Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokémon with STAB Pursuits and Crunches.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: ThunderPunch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Crunch
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lucario is extremely versatile in both his movepool as well as the number of sets he can wield and potential set options. With his wide type coverage, Lucario can use a Choice Scarf to patch up his shaky Speed and revenge kill many Pokémon on the opposing teams. Additionally, immunity to sandstorm and Toxic Spikes as well as a 4x resistance to Stealth Rock means Lucario can come in many times if necessary.</p>
<p>Close Combat serves as Lucario's main STAB move, enabling Lucario to have the power he needs to KO some opposing Pokémon. Additionally, the extra Speed from Choice Scarf means that weakened teams will be destroyed by a fast Close Combat leaves weakened teams hard pressed to stand against a continuing barrage of STAB Close Combats. ThunderPunch hits Pokémon like Gyarados, Jellicent, and Starmie for large amounts of damage. Ice Punch covers Dragonite, Gliscor, Landorus, Garchomp, and other Pokémon. Lucario's decreased power leaves it even more dependent on Super Effective hits. Crunch rounds out the set giving it nearly unresisted coverage with Close Combat and hits Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon like Jellicent and Reuniclus.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Bulky Water- and Ground-type Pokémon can easily switch into Lucario because of the lack of power behind his attacks. Hippowdon can tank anything Lucario throws at him while Ferrothorn can come into three of Lucario's moves and freely set up entry hazards. To check those Pokémon, your own Ferrothorn is helpful. Not only can it launch powerful Power Whips aimed at those Pokémon, but also he can it can also set up Spikes and compensate for Lucario's decreased damage output with residual damage. Latias can come into the various Water-type Pokémon and set up Calm Minds to stop them. Meanwhile, Latios can launch off boosted Draco Meteors.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: ExtremeSpeed
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Ice Punch / Stone Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although Lucario's base 110 Attack may be lower than his Special Attack, he can still utilize a Choice Band set efficiently effectively due to the sheer power of the moves, especially Close Combat's superior base power. A STAB Choice Banded Close Combat will destroy anything that doesn't resist it, and can still potentially maim enemies unless they are completely immune to it or possess immunity to it, and even then less defensive Pokémon still take large amounts of damage from it will. ExtremeSpeed outpaces other offensive priority moves except for Fake Out, meaning that with the Choice Band boost, allowing Lucario to easily pick off opposing Pokemon with the Choice Band boost. Lucario can pick off opposing Pokémon with ease. Crunch hits Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon that resist or are immune to Close Combat like Reuniclus and Jellicent. Ice Punch hits Gliscor, Landorus, and Dragonite, while Stone Edge hits Gyarados, Tornadus, and Thundurus harder than Ice Punch.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Bullet Punch can replace either of the last two moves to cover Gengar, Tyranitar, and Terrakion if it's necessary, but the loss of type coverage will seriously be missed type coverage given up by that choice is a major one. Likewise with the Similar to the Choice Specs set, Adamant enables Lucario to hit harder with ExtremeSpeed while Jolly lets Lucario outpace opposing Adamant Lucario as well as Timid Suicune.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is helpful in deterring switching and makes it harder for the opposing team to take such a Lucario's powerful attacks. Nattorei and Hippowdon are both good choices for that providing Stealth Rock support. With Ghost-type Pokémon resisting being immune to two moves on this set, a Choice Scarf Tyranitar or a specially defensive variant can be used to Pursuit them in order to enable Lucario to freely launch off Close Combats. Choice Band Scizor is also a good choice for that role, but beware as both Tyranitar and Scizor share a weakness or two with Lucario. Gliscor can check Lucario if it doesn't come in on an Ice Punch, meaning that making Rotom-W is a good partner to tank Acrobats and Earthquakes. Excadrill and Conkeldurr both outspeed Lucario and can KO him, meaning that your own Gliscor is a good idea to check both. so having your own Gliscor to check both of them is very valuable.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Because Lucario is an offensive Pokémon, Stealth Rock support is necessary in order to both whittle down the opposing team as well as deter the opponent from switching around. Amongst potential Stealth Rock users, Balloon Heatran is immune to Ground- and Fire-type attacks and can launch off STAB Fire Blasts while Celebi resists two of Lucario's weaknesses and can Thunder Wave the opposing team to make Lucario's sweep easier. Ferrothorn and Hippowdon have the bulk to come in many times if repeatedly, replacing Stealth Rock should it ever be spun away. The are also very capable in absorbing attacks aimed at Lucario. can take attacks that Lucario might die to, such as Earthquake Spikes support is less necessary but helpful. , so Pokémon such as. Ferrothorn with itsimpressive resistances and has already been mentioned, but its impressive resistances and Spike support are certainly welcome. Skarmory's ever-valued ground immunity and access to Roost make it very useful in supporting Lucario defensively in addition to supplying Spikes. Ground-type immunity, moves as well as Roost make it easier for Lucario to sweep.</p>
<p>When depending on hazards and Lucario, With so many entry hazards around a Ghost-type Pokémon is helpful in two ways. First, it blocks Rapid Spin, meaning the opposing team will constantly be whittled down in an attempt to remove them. Second, Lucario can set up on Crunches and Pursuits aimed at those Ghost-type Pokémon. That being said, Jellicent is a great partner to Lucario as he is immune to Fighting-type attacks as well as and resists Fire-type attacks.</p>
<p>On the topic of defensive synergy, both Latios and Latias resist all of Lucario's weaknesses while Lucario resists all of theirs. Latios can launch off Choice Specs boosted Draco Meteors to break holes in the opposing team while Latias can set up Calm Minds and Roar away any harmful threats. Roar also makes the opposing team take more entry hazard damage. Choice Banded Pokémon like Haxorus and Dragonite are both helpful for Lucario because their powerful Outrages can break down opposing walls like Gliscor. Dragonite and Salamence can both launch off Draco Meteors and lure in Ice- and Rock-type attacks for Lucario to switch in on.</p>
<p>Lucario is weak against Excadrill, Terrakion, Conkeldurr, and Choice Scarf Tyranitar if he isn't carrying Agility of Vacuum Wave. Gliscor is a good partner to take care of all of these, and is capable of scaring them all away with his STAB Acrobats and Earthquakes. Opposing Gliscor can be a threat to Lucario also because they can tank any physical hits besides a boosted Ice Punch meaning a Pokémon like Rotom-W is helpful in taking down Gliscor with his STAB Hydro Pump Rotom-W is one of the best counters to Gliscor, who was the greatest Lucario counter of D/P, and is literally everywhere in B/W. Additionally, Rotom-W can check unboosted Excadrill. His Fire-type resistance helps against faster Fire-type Pokémon like Choice Scarf Heatran and can take them down with Hydro Pump Its bulk and typing also help against faster Fire-type Pokemon like Choice Scarf Heatran, and STAB Hydro Pump defeats them with ease.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Anywhere you see Shadow Ball, you can use Dark Pulse over it. Dark Pulse has no Pokémon that are immune to it There are no Pokemon immune to Dark, making it harder to switch in on. This is especially important to consider for Choice item sets. However, Lucario isn't fast enough to take advantage of the flinch rate, meaning the Special Defense drop chance from Shadow Ball is a better choice of greater value. Additionally, Normal-type Pokémon fear coming into Lucario anyway because of the threat of an Aura Sphere with the threat of STAB Aura Sphere.</p>
<p>Calm Mind can be used on Lucario to take weaker special hits. However, it doesn't boost as fast as Nasty Plot, meaning Lucario can't sweep as well which is unappealing when considering Lucario's general defensive frailty. A mixed Cheer Up set can work to utilize both of Lucario's offensive stats, but the distribution between Attack, Special Attack, and Speed means that Lucario will be lacking in at least one of the areas meaning that either Swords Dance, Nasty Plot, or Agility will be a better choice in the long run. Lucario's "only" above average 110 and 115 Attack and Special Attack become extremely lackluster without full EV investment, and its ever disappointing Speed and defensive stats compounds the problem.</p>
<p>Balloon can work on the Swords Dance set for Lucario to beat Excadrill and Hippowdon. However, without Life Orb, Lucario loses out on a lot of power in his ExtremeSpeed, meaning he can't sweep as easily severely hampering his sweeping abilities. Reversal is an option due to Lucario's immunity to sandstorm and Toxic Spikes. However, like the Swords Dance set, it faces issues with coverage. Additionally, the prevalence of priority makes it harder to actually pull off a successful Reversal sweep.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Gliscor can come in on anything except for a Hidden Power Ice or a boosted Ice Punch and KO back with Earthquake. Although Excadrill can't take a hit as easily, he can still outspeed Lucario in sandstorm and KO him with Earthquake also. Because of Conkeldurr's bulk, he survives even a +2 Life Orbed ExtremeSpeed and can deal massive damage back with Mach Punch or Drain Punch. Although it can't switch into Fighting-type moves, Choice Scarf Heatran can come in on anything else and KO with a STAB Flamethrower or Fire Blast. Gengar can come in on an Aura Sphere, Close Combat, or ExtremeSpeed and either KO with Focus Blast or deal large amounts of damage with Hidden Power Fire.</p>
<p>Intimidate can help lessen Lucario's sweep put a damper on Lucario's Swords Dance sweep and helps those Pokémon take his more easily its users check Lucario more easily. Salamence ends up living a +1 Life Orb ExtremeSpeed and can KO back with Earthquake or Fire blast while RestTalk Gyarados has the bulk necessary in order to take any hit except for Stone Edge. Choice Scarf Tyranitar can check Lucario with Superpower and Earthquake as long as Lucario doesn't have Vacuum Wave, Bullet Punch, or just plain out outspeeds Tyranitar. some form of speed boost. On that same vein, Terrakion functions similarly to Tyranitar and can KO Lucario with Close Combat or Earthquake.</p>
<p>If Lucario doesn't have ExtremeSpeed or hit it on the switch with Hidden Power Ice or Ice punch, Landorus can outspeed Lucario and KO him with Earthquake. Without Crunch, Shadow Ball, or Dark Pulse, Reuniclus can survive any hit and KO back with Focus Blast. It should be noted that the majority of the Pokemon listed above are not true counters and will take heavy damage or be outright destroyed should they switch into the wrong attack. Some of the Pokemon listed, like Excadrill and Conkledurr, cannot safely switch into Lucario at all.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Lucario's Dream World ability, Justice Heart, is a very useful one, especially on the Swords Dance set. It means that coming in on a Crunch or a Dark Pulse nets Lucario a +1 Attack boost. The additional power boost is extremely useful. For instance, Salamence can't live a +2 Life Orb ExtremeSpeed after Stealth Rock and Garchomp can't live a +3 Life Orb ExtremeSpeed after Spikes damage. The Choice Scarf and Choice Band sets would also like this extra added power to its moves.</p>
<p>However, due to breeding incompatibilities, Lucario loses out on Agility, Crunch, and Bullet Punch, meaning that Lucario has to use Ice Punch in place of Crunch on the attacking sets. For the Choice Scarf set, Stone Edge is probably the best choice to use over Crunch to hit Flying-type Pokémon in one move without having to predict between Ice Punch and ThunderPunch. Additionally, with Justice Heart, Lucario gives up Inner Focus. However, since the Pokémon that force him out don't utilize flinching moves, that's not as big of really an issue. The differences are Pokémon with Fake Out as well as paraflinch Jirachi and Togekiss. The loss of Inner Focus makes itself more apparent against Fake Out users or paraflinch users like Jirachi Togekiss.</p>
<p>As for special sets, they should stick to Inner Focus unless you want to bluff a physical set instead. However, the loss of Vacuum Wave hardly justifies whatever benefit could come from Justice Heart mind games. means this is only really viable on the Nasty Plot set if Lucario uses Hidden Power Ice.</p>
<p>The introduction of Black and White have given Lucario two useful toys that enable him to sweep. Lucario gained Nasty Plot, enabling him to sweep from the special side. He also gained a boost in ExtremeSpeed enabling him to sweep more easily on the physical side. This combined with base 110 Attack and 115 Special Attack means that he'll hit hard with either offensive stat. Additionally, with a great Fighting STAB along with immunity to Toxic Spikes and a 4x resistance to Stealth Rock, Lucario isn't easily crippled by entry hazards. However, with the faster Pokémon that exist in the fifth generation along with Pokémon like Excadrill and Conkeldurr that can stop Lucario's sweep, Lucario will have a hard time cleanly punching his way through teams. Additionally, if Lucario chooses to use one move then oftentimes he'll miss out on hitting another Pokémon Lucario has severe four move slot syndrome, and has great difficulty covering every relevant threat. Nevertheless, Lucario is still ready to demolish unprepared teams.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: ExtremeSpeed
move 4: Crunch / Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lucario's standard boosting set from fourth generation has come back with vengeance. Not much has changed since then in terms of Lucario's movepool, but not much has to. Unprepared teams fall to the sheer power of Lucario while even prepared teams can have difficulty if they falter.</p>
<p>Swords Dance boosts Lucario's Attack to sky high levels, preparing him for a sweep. Close Combat serves as Lucario's main STAB move, capable of OHKOing physically defensive Skarmory after a Swords Dance. With ExtremeSpeed's boost to +2 priority, Lucario can now outspeed all other offensive priority moves except for Fake Out. This means that he no longer has to worry about Pokémon that use Mach Punch or Vacuum Wave as long as he can KO them with ExtremeSpeed. Crunch hits Pokémon like Jellicent and Reuniclus that while Ice Punch hits Gliscor and the genie Pokémon on the switch-in.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Stone Edge can be used in the last moveslot in order to hit things like Gyarados, Salamence, and Dragonite, the first two of whom can ruin Lucario's sweep with Intimidate and can live a +1 LO ExtremeSpeed even after Stealth Rock. Bullet Punch still has some utility in hitting Gengar, Terrakion, and Choice Scarf Tyranitar, but Lucario loses a useful coverage move in the process. Lucario can also use a Jolly nature in order to outspeed Jolly Gyarados and Timid Suicune, but generally Pokémon that run a positive Speed nature in order to outspeed Lucario are KOed by ExtremeSpeed with an Adamant nature.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is very helpful useful in helping Lucario set up a sweep because it gradually wears down the opposing team. Balloon Heatran, Celebi, Nattorei, and Hippowdon are all great partners to set it up. Furthermore, in order to fully assist Lucario's sweep, Pokémon that are weak to Dark-type moves are good partners so that, luring opportunities for Lucario can to set up on a Pursuit or Crunch. Latias and Latios are both resistant or immune to all three of Lucario's weaknesses and can smash through opposing Pokémon with a STAB Draco Meteor. Meanwhile, Lucario resists all three of their weaknesses, enabling him to set up on the moves that threaten them.</p>
<p>If Bullet Punch isn't used, a Pursuiter is useful for eliminating Gengar, who is immune to two of Lucario's moves and can KO with Focus Blast. Choice Scarf Tyranitar is a great check for Gengar because he can outspeed Gengar and KO with a Pursuit. Gliscor is also a problematic Pokémon if Lucario is not carrying Ice Punch as he has the defenses to take any hit and KO back with a STAB Earthquake. Rotom-W is immune to Ground-type moves and can hit Gliscor with a Hydro Pump. Bulky Mach Punchers like Conkeldurr can survive a boosted ExtremeSpeed and KO back. Gliscor can easily take any attacks and threaten Conkeldurr with Acrobat. Furthermore, both Gliscor and Rotom-W help against Excadrill because they're immune to Earthquake while Excadrill outspeeds Lucario in sandstorm and can KO with his own Earthquake.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Aura Sphere
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Vacuum Wave / Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With access to Nasty Plot, Lucario can finally sweep from the special side efficiently. The capability of sweeping from both the physical and special side means sometimes the opponent will switch in a The strong threat of Swords Dance Lucario results in many opponents switching in a physical wall and suddenly only to be met by a +2 Special Attack Lucario. Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball gain perfect coverage. There's little fear of Normal-type Pokémon switching into Shadow Ball because of their weakness to Aura Sphere. Vacuum Wave serves as priority to take down Excadrill and Terrakion along with weakened opposing Pokémon. Hidden Power Ice can hit Landorus, Thundurus, Gliscor, Salamence, Garchomp, and other Pokémon that are weak to Ice-type attacks.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Modest is used for to allow Lucario to gain maximum power in order to sweep through the opposing team. Timid has more merit on this set than Jolly does on the Swords Dance set because Lucario doesn't have as strong of a priority move as ExtremeSpeed on that set of the very real power gap between ExtremeSpeed and Mach Punch. The extra speed will enable Lucario to outspeed Pokémon like positive natured Togekiss, Gyarados, Suicune, and Nidoking.</p>
<p>Like the Swords Dance set, Stealth Rock support is appreciated to make Lucario's job easier. Heatran and Hippowdon are both great partners for Lucario as Heatran is immune to Fire-type moves and Hippowdon has the physical bulk to take Earthquakes and Mach Punches. Pokémon weak to Pursuit are still helpful, such as Latios, Latias, and Gengar. The Lati twins can smash through the opposing team with their STAB Draco Meteors while Gengar can wear down Blissey and Chansey enough so that Aura Sphere can KO. Gliscor, if Lucario is not using Hidden Power Ice, can be checked by Rotom-W, who can threaten back with a STAB Hydro Pump. If Lucario's not using Vacuum Wave, Excadrill and Terrakion can be checked by Gliscor, who can hit them back with an Earthquake. Gliscor can also check Conkeldurr because Lucario can't KO him with a boosted Vacuum Wave.</p>
[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lucario also has access to a third boosting move: Agility. The previous sets suffer from being outsped by revenge killers like Excadrill and Terrakion. In order to combat this weakness, this set concentrates on boosting Lucario's Speed so that common revenge killers won't be able to outspeed him and quickly revenge kill him. However, this does leave the user with a weaker Lucario because he has no means of boosting his attack.</p>
<p>Agility is the main move in this set, enabling Lucario to outspeed Pokémon like Landorus, Garchomp, and Latios. Close Combat gives Lucario the power he needs in order to truly sweep and has 100% accuracy so it won't miss unlike Hi Jump Kick. Crunch hits Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon like Jellicent and Reuniculus that are immune or resistant to Close Combat. Ice Punch rounds out the set by hitting Flying-type Pokémon like Landorus and Dragonite that are resistant to Lucario's main STAB move. It also hits Gliscor although it doesn't have the power to KO it unless he's severely weakened.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Due to the Speed boost from Agility, Lucario can choose to drop some Speed EVs in order to increase his bulk. 188 Speed EVs enable Lucario to outspeed positive natured Choice Scarf base 110s while 136 Speed EVs allow Lucario to outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp. A Jolly nature may be used in order to outspeed Jolly Excadrill with Sand Throw but Lucario already lacks power with this set and using a Jolly nature would only make him weaker.</p>
<p>Without the ability to increase his power, Lucario appreciates entry hazard support to weaken the opposing team. Spikes support is more necessary than the previous sets making meaning that Pokémon like Ferrothorn and Skarmory prized teammates are good partners for Lucario. Skarmory is immune to Ground-type moves while Ferrothorn can switch into multiple Pokémon and set up entry hazards. Ghost-type Pokémon work well with Lucario in order to block Rapid Spin and to enable Lucario to set up on a Pursuit. Jellicent is the best choice because he resists or is immune to two of Lucario's weaknesses.</p>
<p>In order for Lucario to beat Gliscor with this set, he needs to be severely weakened. Powerful Pokémon like Haxorus and Dragonite can smash through the opposing defenses and have good defensive synergy with Lucario as well. Latios can launch Choice Specs Draco Meteors and Surfs at the opposing team to quickly decimate it. Despite these powerful partners, there are still Pokémon that can easily check Lucario. Conkeldurr can bypass the Agility boosts with Mach Punch while a healthy Gliscor can survive an unboosted Ice Punch and KO back with Earthquake. Your own Gliscor and Rotom-W can help check both Conkeldurr and Gliscor.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Aura Sphere
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Vacuum Wave
item: Choice Specs
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lucario is fully capable of hitting hard from the start without the need to boost his stats. While the previous three sets are concerned with taking advantage of a free turn to set up, this set attempts to hit the opposing team hard and never look back. Furthermore, it can catch physically-defensive Pokémon off guard should they switch in expecting a physical move.</p>
<p>Aura Sphere leads the set off, boasting both STAB and perfect accuracy. Shadow Ball, in conjunction with Aura Sphere, attains perfect coverage in just two moves. Additionally, if it manages to lower the opponent's Special Defense, the opposing Pokémon will be hard pressed to stay in and take a more powerful hit or switch out and take more entry hazard damage. Hidden Power Ice hits Gliscor, a major threat to Lucario, as well as Dragonite, Landorus, and other Pokémon. Vacuum Wave can KO weakened Pokémon and deals massive damage to Excadrill, making Lucario a decent check to Excadrill.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Dragon Pulse can be used over Hidden Power Ice as a general move to cover Gyarados, Conkeldurr, and Gliscor. However, the ability to nab a quick KO on Gliscor is vital for Lucario's role in luring Gliscor in and KOing him, making it an inferior option. The question between more power and more Speed is evident once again. Since this set is based around hitting hard and switching when needed, Modest is more beneficial. However, a Timid nature is still useful to outspeed Pokémon like Suicune and Nidoking.</p>
<p>With the pressure that Lucario places on the opposing team, Stealth Rock support is helpful in wearing it down once again vital to capitalize on forced switches. Hippowdon and Nattorei both have the bulk to take hits needed when Lucario is faced at a disadvantage should Lucario be forced to retreat. Lucario also fulfills a role for offensive teams in luring Pokémon like Gliscor in and KOing him with Hidden Power Ice. This makes Pokémon like Conkeldurr and Excadrill good partners because the two of them are stopped by Gliscor. Furthermore, a Pokémon that doesn't mind coming in to Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon is useful because of the times when to support Lucario will be locked into after he locks itself into Aura Sphere. Calm Mind Jirachi and Latias as well as Scizor with Roost both help against Pokémon like Reuniclus and Gengar due to their bulk and STAB attacks. Tyranitar is a more dangerous choice shakier choice due to its large Fighting weakness, but it can threaten the Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokémon with STAB Pursuits and Crunches.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: ThunderPunch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Crunch
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lucario is extremely versatile in both his movepool as well as the number of sets he can wield and potential set options. With his wide type coverage, Lucario can use a Choice Scarf to patch up his shaky Speed and revenge kill many Pokémon on the opposing teams. Additionally, immunity to sandstorm and Toxic Spikes as well as a 4x resistance to Stealth Rock means Lucario can come in many times if necessary.</p>
<p>Close Combat serves as Lucario's main STAB move, enabling Lucario to have the power he needs to KO some opposing Pokémon. Additionally, the extra Speed from Choice Scarf means that weakened teams will be destroyed by a fast Close Combat leaves weakened teams hard pressed to stand against a continuing barrage of STAB Close Combats. ThunderPunch hits Pokémon like Gyarados, Jellicent, and Starmie for large amounts of damage. Ice Punch covers Dragonite, Gliscor, Landorus, Garchomp, and other Pokémon. Lucario's decreased power leaves it even more dependent on Super Effective hits. Crunch rounds out the set giving it nearly unresisted coverage with Close Combat and hits Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon like Jellicent and Reuniclus.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Bulky Water- and Ground-type Pokémon can easily switch into Lucario because of the lack of power behind his attacks. Hippowdon can tank anything Lucario throws at him while Ferrothorn can come into three of Lucario's moves and freely set up entry hazards. To check those Pokémon, your own Ferrothorn is helpful. Not only can it launch powerful Power Whips aimed at those Pokémon, but also he can it can also set up Spikes and compensate for Lucario's decreased damage output with residual damage. Latias can come into the various Water-type Pokémon and set up Calm Minds to stop them. Meanwhile, Latios can launch off boosted Draco Meteors.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: ExtremeSpeed
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Ice Punch / Stone Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although Lucario's base 110 Attack may be lower than his Special Attack, he can still utilize a Choice Band set efficiently effectively due to the sheer power of the moves, especially Close Combat's superior base power. A STAB Choice Banded Close Combat will destroy anything that doesn't resist it, and can still potentially maim enemies unless they are completely immune to it or possess immunity to it, and even then less defensive Pokémon still take large amounts of damage from it will. ExtremeSpeed outpaces other offensive priority moves except for Fake Out, meaning that with the Choice Band boost, allowing Lucario to easily pick off opposing Pokemon with the Choice Band boost. Lucario can pick off opposing Pokémon with ease. Crunch hits Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon that resist or are immune to Close Combat like Reuniclus and Jellicent. Ice Punch hits Gliscor, Landorus, and Dragonite, while Stone Edge hits Gyarados, Tornadus, and Thundurus harder than Ice Punch.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Bullet Punch can replace either of the last two moves to cover Gengar, Tyranitar, and Terrakion if it's necessary, but the loss of type coverage will seriously be missed type coverage given up by that choice is a major one. Likewise with the Similar to the Choice Specs set, Adamant enables Lucario to hit harder with ExtremeSpeed while Jolly lets Lucario outpace opposing Adamant Lucario as well as Timid Suicune.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is helpful in deterring switching and makes it harder for the opposing team to take such a Lucario's powerful attacks. Nattorei and Hippowdon are both good choices for that providing Stealth Rock support. With Ghost-type Pokémon resisting being immune to two moves on this set, a Choice Scarf Tyranitar or a specially defensive variant can be used to Pursuit them in order to enable Lucario to freely launch off Close Combats. Choice Band Scizor is also a good choice for that role, but beware as both Tyranitar and Scizor share a weakness or two with Lucario. Gliscor can check Lucario if it doesn't come in on an Ice Punch, meaning that making Rotom-W is a good partner to tank Acrobats and Earthquakes. Excadrill and Conkeldurr both outspeed Lucario and can KO him, meaning that your own Gliscor is a good idea to check both. so having your own Gliscor to check both of them is very valuable.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Because Lucario is an offensive Pokémon, Stealth Rock support is necessary in order to both whittle down the opposing team as well as deter the opponent from switching around. Amongst potential Stealth Rock users, Balloon Heatran is immune to Ground- and Fire-type attacks and can launch off STAB Fire Blasts while Celebi resists two of Lucario's weaknesses and can Thunder Wave the opposing team to make Lucario's sweep easier. Ferrothorn and Hippowdon have the bulk to come in many times if repeatedly, replacing Stealth Rock should it ever be spun away. The are also very capable in absorbing attacks aimed at Lucario. can take attacks that Lucario might die to, such as Earthquake Spikes support is less necessary but helpful. , so Pokémon such as. Ferrothorn with itsimpressive resistances and has already been mentioned, but its impressive resistances and Spike support are certainly welcome. Skarmory's ever-valued ground immunity and access to Roost make it very useful in supporting Lucario defensively in addition to supplying Spikes. Ground-type immunity, moves as well as Roost make it easier for Lucario to sweep.</p>
<p>When depending on hazards and Lucario, With so many entry hazards around a Ghost-type Pokémon is helpful in two ways. First, it blocks Rapid Spin, meaning the opposing team will constantly be whittled down in an attempt to remove them. Second, Lucario can set up on Crunches and Pursuits aimed at those Ghost-type Pokémon. That being said, Jellicent is a great partner to Lucario as he is immune to Fighting-type attacks as well as and resists Fire-type attacks.</p>
<p>On the topic of defensive synergy, both Latios and Latias resist all of Lucario's weaknesses while Lucario resists all of theirs. Latios can launch off Choice Specs boosted Draco Meteors to break holes in the opposing team while Latias can set up Calm Minds and Roar away any harmful threats. Roar also makes the opposing team take more entry hazard damage. Choice Banded Pokémon like Haxorus and Dragonite are both helpful for Lucario because their powerful Outrages can break down opposing walls like Gliscor. Dragonite and Salamence can both launch off Draco Meteors and lure in Ice- and Rock-type attacks for Lucario to switch in on.</p>
<p>Lucario is weak against Excadrill, Terrakion, Conkeldurr, and Choice Scarf Tyranitar if he isn't carrying Agility of Vacuum Wave. Gliscor is a good partner to take care of all of these, and is capable of scaring them all away with his STAB Acrobats and Earthquakes. Opposing Gliscor can be a threat to Lucario also because they can tank any physical hits besides a boosted Ice Punch meaning a Pokémon like Rotom-W is helpful in taking down Gliscor with his STAB Hydro Pump Rotom-W is one of the best counters to Gliscor, who was the greatest Lucario counter of D/P, and is literally everywhere in B/W. Additionally, Rotom-W can check unboosted Excadrill. His Fire-type resistance helps against faster Fire-type Pokémon like Choice Scarf Heatran and can take them down with Hydro Pump Its bulk and typing also help against faster Fire-type Pokemon like Choice Scarf Heatran, and STAB Hydro Pump defeats them with ease.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Anywhere you see Shadow Ball, you can use Dark Pulse over it. Dark Pulse has no Pokémon that are immune to it There are no Pokemon immune to Dark, making it harder to switch in on. This is especially important to consider for Choice item sets. However, Lucario isn't fast enough to take advantage of the flinch rate, meaning the Special Defense drop chance from Shadow Ball is a better choice of greater value. Additionally, Normal-type Pokémon fear coming into Lucario anyway because of the threat of an Aura Sphere with the threat of STAB Aura Sphere.</p>
<p>Calm Mind can be used on Lucario to take weaker special hits. However, it doesn't boost as fast as Nasty Plot, meaning Lucario can't sweep as well which is unappealing when considering Lucario's general defensive frailty. A mixed Cheer Up set can work to utilize both of Lucario's offensive stats, but the distribution between Attack, Special Attack, and Speed means that Lucario will be lacking in at least one of the areas meaning that either Swords Dance, Nasty Plot, or Agility will be a better choice in the long run. Lucario's "only" above average 110 and 115 Attack and Special Attack become extremely lackluster without full EV investment, and its ever disappointing Speed and defensive stats compounds the problem.</p>
<p>Balloon can work on the Swords Dance set for Lucario to beat Excadrill and Hippowdon. However, without Life Orb, Lucario loses out on a lot of power in his ExtremeSpeed, meaning he can't sweep as easily severely hampering his sweeping abilities. Reversal is an option due to Lucario's immunity to sandstorm and Toxic Spikes. However, like the Swords Dance set, it faces issues with coverage. Additionally, the prevalence of priority makes it harder to actually pull off a successful Reversal sweep.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Gliscor can come in on anything except for a Hidden Power Ice or a boosted Ice Punch and KO back with Earthquake. Although Excadrill can't take a hit as easily, he can still outspeed Lucario in sandstorm and KO him with Earthquake also. Because of Conkeldurr's bulk, he survives even a +2 Life Orbed ExtremeSpeed and can deal massive damage back with Mach Punch or Drain Punch. Although it can't switch into Fighting-type moves, Choice Scarf Heatran can come in on anything else and KO with a STAB Flamethrower or Fire Blast. Gengar can come in on an Aura Sphere, Close Combat, or ExtremeSpeed and either KO with Focus Blast or deal large amounts of damage with Hidden Power Fire.</p>
<p>Intimidate can help lessen Lucario's sweep put a damper on Lucario's Swords Dance sweep and helps those Pokémon take his more easily its users check Lucario more easily. Salamence ends up living a +1 Life Orb ExtremeSpeed and can KO back with Earthquake or Fire blast while RestTalk Gyarados has the bulk necessary in order to take any hit except for Stone Edge. Choice Scarf Tyranitar can check Lucario with Superpower and Earthquake as long as Lucario doesn't have Vacuum Wave, Bullet Punch, or just plain out outspeeds Tyranitar. some form of speed boost. On that same vein, Terrakion functions similarly to Tyranitar and can KO Lucario with Close Combat or Earthquake.</p>
<p>If Lucario doesn't have ExtremeSpeed or hit it on the switch with Hidden Power Ice or Ice punch, Landorus can outspeed Lucario and KO him with Earthquake. Without Crunch, Shadow Ball, or Dark Pulse, Reuniclus can survive any hit and KO back with Focus Blast. It should be noted that the majority of the Pokemon listed above are not true counters and will take heavy damage or be outright destroyed should they switch into the wrong attack. Some of the Pokemon listed, like Excadrill and Conkledurr, cannot safely switch into Lucario at all.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Lucario's Dream World ability, Justice Heart, is a very useful one, especially on the Swords Dance set. It means that coming in on a Crunch or a Dark Pulse nets Lucario a +1 Attack boost. The additional power boost is extremely useful. For instance, Salamence can't live a +2 Life Orb ExtremeSpeed after Stealth Rock and Garchomp can't live a +3 Life Orb ExtremeSpeed after Spikes damage. The Choice Scarf and Choice Band sets would also like this extra added power to its moves.</p>
<p>However, due to breeding incompatibilities, Lucario loses out on Agility, Crunch, and Bullet Punch, meaning that Lucario has to use Ice Punch in place of Crunch on the attacking sets. For the Choice Scarf set, Stone Edge is probably the best choice to use over Crunch to hit Flying-type Pokémon in one move without having to predict between Ice Punch and ThunderPunch. Additionally, with Justice Heart, Lucario gives up Inner Focus. However, since the Pokémon that force him out don't utilize flinching moves, that's not as big of really an issue. The differences are Pokémon with Fake Out as well as paraflinch Jirachi and Togekiss. The loss of Inner Focus makes itself more apparent against Fake Out users or paraflinch users like Jirachi Togekiss.</p>
<p>As for special sets, they should stick to Inner Focus unless you want to bluff a physical set instead. However, the loss of Vacuum Wave hardly justifies whatever benefit could come from Justice Heart mind games. means this is only really viable on the Nasty Plot set if Lucario uses Hidden Power Ice.</p>
Hey you
GP 1/2
I think HP Ice deserves to be slashed with Shadow Ball rather than Vacuum wave. Vacuum wave is a given because it gives you a check to Exacdrill, Cloyster etc. and helps patch up Luke's lowish speed.
HP ice over Shadow Ball helps you much more against your counters. The genies, Garchomp, Dragonite, and Salamence can handle coming in on a Shadow ball easily. They cant with HP Ice, which also lets you beat Gliscor. Fighting+Ice is a great combo, you only lose coverage on Tentacruel and Jellicent.
HP ice over Shadow Ball helps you much more against your counters. The genies, Garchomp, Dragonite, and Salamence can handle coming in on a Shadow ball easily. They cant with HP Ice, which also lets you beat Gliscor. Fighting+Ice is a great combo, you only lose coverage on Tentacruel and Jellicent.
@SJCrew: Added in Hi Jump Kick into Other Options. Also I will test Dark Pulse some more and get back to you on that.
@Aerodactyl Legend: Clarified that little portion.
@nygerman: Well yea because Lucario didn't really change much since 4th gen.
@Wario is OSSIM: Whoops, forgot to check for 4th gen tutor moves. Removed portion about Choice Scarf in Dream World due to move illegalities.
@Chou Toshio: Thanks, though sorry for making you check the Team Options section after it was removed =/
@yee: Shadow Ball is very useful for it enables you to break through the Jellicent/Ferrothorn combo. Additionally, it gives you a strong move to smack around Reuniclus with. Additionally, Lucario KOes the genies and Salamence/maybe Dragonite after SR with a +2 LO Shadow Ball, lessening the need for HP Ice even more.
Also updated this for the new format. 1 more GP check left!
@Aerodactyl Legend: Clarified that little portion.
@nygerman: Well yea because Lucario didn't really change much since 4th gen.
@Wario is OSSIM: Whoops, forgot to check for 4th gen tutor moves. Removed portion about Choice Scarf in Dream World due to move illegalities.
@Chou Toshio: Thanks, though sorry for making you check the Team Options section after it was removed =/
@yee: Shadow Ball is very useful for it enables you to break through the Jellicent/Ferrothorn combo. Additionally, it gives you a strong move to smack around Reuniclus with. Additionally, Lucario KOes the genies and Salamence/maybe Dragonite after SR with a +2 LO Shadow Ball, lessening the need for HP Ice even more.
Also updated this for the new format. 1 more GP check left!
GP Check 2/2
Additions in Bold, Deletions in Red
First check in a while, take it easy :)
Additions in Bold, Deletions in Red
First check in a while, take it easy :)
[Overview]
<p>The introduction of Black and White have given Lucario two useful toys that enable him to sweep. Lucario gained Nasty Plot, enabling him to sweep from the special side. He also gained a boost in ExtremeSpeed +2 priority enabling him to sweep more easily on the physical side. This combined Combined with base 110 Attack and 115 Special Attack , this means that he'll hit hard with either offensive stat. Additionally, with a great Fighting STAB along with immunity to Toxic Spikes and a 4x resistance to Stealth Rock, Lucario isn't easily crippled by entry hazards. However, with the faster Pokémon that exist in the fifth generation along with Pokémon like Excadrill and Conkeldurr that can stop Lucario's sweep, Lucario will have a hard time cleanly punching his way through teams. Additionally, Lucario has severe four move slot syndrome and has great difficulty covering every relevant threat. Nevertheless, Lucario is still ready to demolish unprepared teams.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: ExtremeSpeed
move 4: Crunch / Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lucario's standard boosting set from fourth generation has come back with vengeance. Not much has changed since then in terms of Lucario's movepool, but not much has to. Unprepared teams fall to the sheer power of Lucario while even prepared teams can have difficulty if they falter.</p>
<p>Swords Dance boosts Lucario's Attack to sky-high levels, preparing him for a sweep. Close Combat serves as Lucario's main STAB move, capable of OHKOing physically defensive Skarmory after a Swords Dance. With ExtremeSpeed's boost to +2 priority, Lucario can now outspeed all other offensive priority moves except for Fake Out. This means that he no longer has to worry about Pokémon that use Mach Punch or Vacuum Wave as long as he can KO them with ExtremeSpeed. Crunch hits Pokémon like Jellicent and Reuniclus while Ice Punch hits Gliscor and the genie Pokémon on the switch-in.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Stone Edge can be used in the last moveslot in order to hit things like Gyarados, Salamence, and Dragonite, the first two of whom can ruin Lucario's sweep with Intimidate and can live a +1 LO ExtremeSpeed even after Stealth Rock. Bullet Punch still has some utility in hitting Gengar, Terrakion, and Choice Scarf Tyranitar, but Lucario loses a useful coverage move in the process. Lucario can also use a Jolly nature in order to outspeed Jolly Gyarados and Timid Suicune, but generally Pokémon that run a positive Speed nature in order to outspeed Lucario are KOed by ExtremeSpeed with an Adamant nature.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is very useful in helping Lucario set up a sweep because it gradually wears down the opposing team. Balloon Heatran, Celebi, Ferrothorn, and Hippowdon are all great partners to set it up. Furthermore, in order to fully assist Lucario's sweep, Pokémon that are weak to Dark-type moves are good partners, luring opportunities for Lucario to set up on a Pursuit or Crunch. Latias and Latios are both resistant or immune to all three of Lucario's weaknesses and can smash through opposing Pokémon with a STAB Draco Meteor. Meanwhile, Lucario resists all three of their weaknesses, enabling him to set up on the moves that threaten them.</p>
<p>If Bullet Punch isn't used, a Pursuiter is useful for eliminating Gengar, who is immune to two of Lucario's moves and can KO with Focus Blast. Choice Scarf Tyranitar is a great check for Gengar because he can outspeed Gengar and KO with a Pursuit. Gliscor is also a problematic Pokémon if Lucario is not carrying Ice Punch as he has the defenses to take any hit and KO back with a STAB Earthquake. Rotom-W is immune to Ground-type moves and can hit Gliscor with a Hydro Pump. Bulky Mach Punchers like Conkeldurr can survive a boosted ExtremeSpeed and KO back. Gliscor can easily take any attacks and threaten Conkeldurr with Acrobatics. Furthermore, both Gliscor and Rotom-W help against Excadrill because they're immune to Earthquake while Excadrill outspeeds Lucario in sandstorm and can KO with his own Earthquake.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Aura Sphere
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Vacuum Wave / Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With access to Nasty Plot, Lucario can finally sweep from the special side efficiently. The strong threat of Swords Dance Lucario results in many opponents switching in a physical wall only to be met by a +2 Special Attack Lucario. Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball gain perfect coverage. There's little fear of Normal-type Pokémon switching into Shadow Ball because of their weakness to Aura Sphere. Vacuum Wave serves as priority to take down Excadrill and Terrakion along with weakened opposing Pokémon. Hidden Power Ice can hit Landorus, Thundurus, Gliscor, Salamence, Garchomp, and other Pokémon that are weak to Ice-type attacks.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Modest is used to allow Lucario to gain maximum power in order to sweep through the opposing team. Timid has more merit on this set than Jolly does on the Swords Dance set because of the very real power gap between ExtremeSpeed and Vacuum Wave. The extra speed will enable Lucario to outspeed Pokémon like positive natured Togekiss, Gyarados, Suicune, and Nidoking.</p>
<p>Like the Swords Dance set, Stealth Rock support is appreciated to make Lucario's job easier. Heatran and Hippowdon are both great partners for Lucario as Heatran is immune to Fire-type moves and Hippowdon has the physical bulk to take Earthquakes and Mach Punches. Pokémon weak to Pursuit are still helpful, such as Latios, Latias, and Gengar. The Lati twins can smash through the opposing team with their STAB Draco Meteors while Gengar can wear down Blissey and Chansey enough so that Aura Sphere can KO. Gliscor, if Lucario is not using Hidden Power Ice, can be checked by Rotom-W, who can threaten back with a STAB Hydro Pump. If Lucario's not using Vacuum Wave, Excadrill and Terrakion can be checked by Gliscor, who can hit them back with an Earthquake. Gliscor can also check Conkeldurr because Lucario can't KO him with a boosted Vacuum Wave.</p>
[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lucario also has access to a third boosting move: Agility. The previous sets suffer from being outsped by revenge killers like Excadrill and Terrakion. In order to combat this weakness, this set concentrates on boosting Lucario's Speed so that common revenge killers won't be able to outspeed him and quickly revenge kill him. However, this does leave the user with a weaker Lucario because he has no means of boosting his attack.</p>
<p>Agility is the main move in this set, enabling Lucario to outspeed Pokémon like Landorus, Garchomp, and Latios. Close Combat gives Lucario the power he needs in order to truly sweep and has 100% accuracy so it won't miss unlike Hi Jump Kick. Crunch hits Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon like Jellicent and Reuniculus that are immune or resistant to Close Combat. Ice Punch rounds out the set by hitting Flying-type Pokémon like Landorus and Dragonite that are resistant to Lucario's main STAB move. It also hits Gliscor although it doesn't have the power to KO it unless he's severely weakened.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Due to the Speed boost from Agility, Lucario can choose to drop some Speed EVs in order to increase his bulk. 188 Speed EVs enable Lucario to outspeed positive natured Choice Scarf base 110s while 136 Speed EVs allow Lucario to outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp after an Agility. A Jolly nature may be used in order to outspeed Jolly Excadrill with Sand Throw but Lucario already lacks power with this set and using a Jolly nature would only make him weaker.</p>
<p>Without the ability to increase his power, Lucario appreciates entry hazard support to weaken the opposing team. Spikes support is more necessary than the previous sets, (comma) making Pokémon like Ferrothorn and Skarmory prized teammates. Skarmory is immune to Ground-type moves while Ferrothorn can switch into multiple Pokémon and set up entry hazards. Ghost-type Pokémon work well with Lucario in order to block Rapid Spin and to enable Lucario to set up on a Pursuit. Jellicent is the best choice because he resists or is immune to two of Lucario's weaknesses.</p>
<p>In order for Lucario to beat Gliscor with this set, he needs to be severely weakened. Powerful Pokémon like Haxorus and Dragonite can smash through the opposing defenses and have good defensive synergy with Lucario as well. Latios can launch Choice Specs Draco Meteors and Surfs at the opposing team to quickly decimate it. Despite these powerful partners, there are still Pokémon that can easily check Lucario. Conkeldurr can bypass the Agility boosts with Mach Punch while a healthy Gliscor can survive an unboosted Ice Punch and KO back with Earthquake. Your own Gliscor and Rotom-W can help check both Conkeldurr and Gliscor.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Aura Sphere
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Vacuum Wave
item: Choice Specs
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lucario is fully capable of hitting hard from the start without the need to boost his stats. While the previous three sets are concerned with taking advantage of a free turn to set up, this set attempts to hit the opposing team hard and never look back. Furthermore, it can catch physically-defensive Pokémon off guard should they switch in expecting a physical move.</p>
<p>Aura Sphere leads the set off, boasting both STAB and perfect accuracy. Shadow Ball, in conjunction with Aura Sphere, attains perfect coverage in just two moves. Additionally, if it manages to lower the opponent's Special Defense, the opposing Pokémon will be hard pressed to stay in and take a more powerful hit or switch out and take more entry hazard damage. Hidden Power Ice hits Gliscor, a major threat to Lucario, as well as Dragonite, and Landorus. , and other Pokémon. Vacuum Wave can KO weakened Pokémon and deals massive damage to Excadrill, making Lucario a decent check to Excadrill.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Dragon Pulse can be used over Hidden Power Ice as a general move to cover Gyarados, Conkeldurr, and Gliscor. However, the ability to nab a quick KO on Gliscor is vital for Lucario's role in luring Gliscor in and KOing him, making it an inferior option. The question between more power and more Speed is evident once again. Since this set is based around hitting hard and switching when needed, Modest is more beneficial. However, a Timid nature is still useful to outspeed Pokémon like Suicune and Nidoking.</p>
<p>With the pressure that Lucario places on the opposing team, Stealth Rock support is once again vital to capitalize on forced switches. Hippowdon and Ferrothorn both have the bulk to take hits should Lucario be forced to retreat. Lucario also fulfills a role for offensive teams in luring Pokémon like Gliscor in and KOing him with Hidden Power Ice. This makes Pokémon like Conkeldurr and Excadrill good partners because the two of them are stopped by Gliscor. Furthermore, a Pokémon that doesn't mind coming in to Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon is useful to support Lucario after he locks himself into Aura Sphere. Calm Mind Jirachi and Latias as well as Scizor with Roost both help against Pokémon like Reuniclus and Gengar due to their bulk and STAB attacks. Tyranitar is a shakier choice due to his large Fighting-type weakness, but he can threaten the Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokémon with his STAB Pursuit and Crunch.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: ThunderPunch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Crunch
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lucario is extremely versatile in both movepool and potential set options. With his wide type coverage, Lucario can use a Choice Scarf to patch up his shaky Speed and revenge kill many Pokémon on the opposing teams. Additionally, immunity to sandstorm and Toxic Spikes and as well as a 4x resistance to Stealth Rock means Lucario can come in many times if necessary.</p>
<p>Close Combat serves as Lucario's main STAB move, enabling Lucario to have the power he needs to KO some opposing Pokémon. Also Additionally, the extra Speed from Choice Scarf leaves weakened teams hard pressed to stand against a continuing barrage of STAB Close Combats. ThunderPunch hits Pokémon like Gyarados, Jellicent, and Starmie for large amounts of damage. Ice Punch covers Dragonite, Gliscor, Landorus, Garchomp, and other Pokémon. Lucario's decreased power leaves him even more dependent on Super Effective hits. Crunch rounds out the set giving it nearly unresisted coverage with Close Combat and hits Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon like Jellicent and Reuniclus.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Bulky Water- and Ground-type Pokémon can easily switch into Lucario because of the lack of power behind his attacks. Hippowdon can tank anything Lucario throws at him while Ferrothorn can come into three of Lucario's moves and freely set up entry hazards. To check those Pokémon, your own Ferrothorn is helpful. Not only can he it launch powerful Power Whips, but he can also set up Spikes and compensate for Lucario's decreased damage output with residual damage. Latias can come into the various Water-type Pokémon and set up Calm Minds to stop them. Meanwhile, Latios can launch off boosted Draco Meteors.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: ExtremeSpeed
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Ice Punch / Stone Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although Lucario's base 110 Attack may be lower than his Special Attack, he can still utilize a Choice Band set effectively due to the sheer power of the moves, especially Close Combat's superior base power. A STAB Choice Banded Close Combat will destroy anything that doesn't resist it, and can still potentially maim enemies unless they are completely immune to it. ExtremeSpeed outpaces all other offensive priority moves except for Fake Out, (comma) allowing Lucario to easily pick off opposing Pokemon with the Choice Band boost. Crunch hits Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon that resist or are immune to Close Combat like Reuniclus and Jellicent. Ice Punch hits Gliscor, Landorus, and Dragonite, while Stone Edge hits Gyarados, Tornadus, and Thundurus harder than Ice Punch.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Bullet Punch can replace either of the last two moves to cover Gengar, Tyranitar, and Terrakion if it's necessary, but the loss of type coverage will surely be missed. Similar to the Choice Specs set, Adamant enables Lucario to hit harder with ExtremeSpeed while Jolly lets Lucario outpace opposing Adamant Lucario as well as Timid Suicune.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is helpful in deterring switching and makes it harder for the opposing team to take Lucario's powerful attacks. Ferrothorn and Hippowdon are both good choices for providing Stealth Rock support. With Ghost-type Pokémon being immune to two moves on this set, a Choice Scarf Tyranitar or a specially defensive variant can be used to Pursuit them in order to enable Lucario to freely launch off Close Combats. Choice Band Scizor is also a good choice for that role, but beware as both Tyranitar and Scizor share a weakness or two with Lucario. Gliscor can check Lucario if he doesn't come in on an Ice Punch, making Rotom-W a good partner to tank Acrobaticss and Earthquakes. Excadrill and Conkeldurr both outspeed Lucario and can KO him, so having your own Gliscor to check both of them is very valuable.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Anywhere you see Shadow Ball, you can use Dark Pulse over it. There are no Pokemon immune to Dark, making it harder to switch in on. This is especially important to consider for Choice item sets. However, Lucario isn't fast enough to take advantage of the flinch rate, meaning the Special Defense drop chance from Shadow Ball is of greater value. Additionally, Normal-type Pokémon fear coming into Lucario anyway with the threat of STAB Aura Sphere.</p>
<p>Hi Jump Kick can be used over Close Combat on all of the sets for a slightly stronger move. However, because it only has 90% accuracy, a miss can be fatal and end Lucario's sweep. Additionally, due to Lucario's poor defenses, the defensive drops from Close Combat don't matter as much. Calm Mind can be used on Lucario to take weaker special hits. However, it doesn't boost as fast as Nasty Plot, which is unappealing when considering Lucario's general defensive frailty. A mixed Cheer Up set can work to utilize both of Lucario's offensive stats, but Lucario's "only" above average 110 and 115 Attack and Special Attack become extremely lackluster without full EV investment, and his ever disappointing Speed and defensive stats compounds the problem.</p>
<p>Balloon can work on the Swords Dance set for Lucario to beat Excadrill and Hippowdon. However, without Life Orb, Lucario loses out on a lot of power in his ExtremeSpeed, severely hampering his sweeping abilities. Reversal is an option due to Lucario's immunity to sandstorm and Toxic Spikes. However, like the Swords Dance set, it faces issues with coverage. Additionally, the prevalence of priority makes it harder to actually pull off a successful Reversal sweep.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Gliscor can come in on anything except for a Hidden Power Ice or a boosted Ice Punch and KO back with Earthquake. Although Excadrill can't take a hit as easily, he can still outspeed Lucario in sandstorm and KO him with Earthquake. Because of Conkeldurr's bulk, he survives even a +2 Life Orbed ExtremeSpeed and can deal massive damage back with Mach Punch or Drain Punch. Although he can't switch into Fighting-type moves, Choice Scarf Heatran can come in on anything else and KO with a STAB Flamethrower or Fire Blast. Gengar can come in on an Aura Sphere, Close Combat, or ExtremeSpeed and either KO with Focus Blast or deal large amounts of damage with Hidden Power Fire.</p>
<p>Intimidate can put a damper on Swords Dance Lucario's sweep and helps its users check Lucario more easily. Salamence ends up living a +1 Life Orb ExtremeSpeed and can KO back with Earthquake or Fire blast, (comma) while RestTalk Gyarados has the bulk necessary in order to take any hit except for Stone Edge. Choice Scarf Tyranitar can check Lucario with Superpower and Earthquake as long as Lucario doesn't have Vacuum Wave, Bullet Punch, or some form of Speed boost. In the On that same vein, Terrakion functions similarly to Tyranitar and can KO Lucario with Close Combat or Earthquake.</p>
<p>If Lucario doesn't have ExtremeSpeed or hit it on the switch with Hidden Power Ice or Ice punch, Landorus can outspeed Lucario and KO him with Earthquake. Without Crunch, Shadow Ball, or Dark Pulse, Reuniclus can survive any hit and KO back with Focus Blast. It should be noted that the majority of the Pokemon listed above are not true counters and will take heavy damage or be outright destroyed should they switch into the wrong attack. Some of the Pokemon listed, like Excadrill and Salamence, take large amounts of damage even on a resisted move.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Lucario's Dream World ability, Justice Heart, is a very useful one, especially on the Swords Dance set. It means that coming in on a Crunch or a Dark Pulse nets Lucario a +1 Attack boost. The additional power boost is extremely useful. For example, Salamence can't live a +2 Life Orb ExtremeSpeed after Stealth Rock and Garchomp can't live a +3 Life Orb ExtremeSpeed after Spikes damage. The Choice Band sets would also like the extra added power.</p>
<p>However, due to breeding and tutoring incompatibilities, Lucario loses out on Agility, Crunch, Ice Punch, ThunderPunch, and Bullet Punch, meaning that Lucario has to use Stone Edge as his main fourth move on the attacking sets. He is also forced to use Stone Edge on the Choice Band set. Additionally, with Justice Heart, Lucario gives up Inner Focus. However, since the Pokémon that force him out don't utilize flinching moves, that's not really an issue. The loss of Inner Focus makes itself more apparent against Fake Out users or paraflinch users like Jirachi and Togekiss.</p>
<p>As for special sets, they should stick to Inner Focus unless you want to bluff a physical set. However, the loss of Vacuum Wave hardly justifies whatever benefit could come from Justice Heart mind games.</p>
<p>The introduction of Black and White have given Lucario two useful toys that enable him to sweep. Lucario gained Nasty Plot, enabling him to sweep from the special side. He also gained a boost in ExtremeSpeed +2 priority enabling him to sweep more easily on the physical side. This combined Combined with base 110 Attack and 115 Special Attack , this means that he'll hit hard with either offensive stat. Additionally, with a great Fighting STAB along with immunity to Toxic Spikes and a 4x resistance to Stealth Rock, Lucario isn't easily crippled by entry hazards. However, with the faster Pokémon that exist in the fifth generation along with Pokémon like Excadrill and Conkeldurr that can stop Lucario's sweep, Lucario will have a hard time cleanly punching his way through teams. Additionally, Lucario has severe four move slot syndrome and has great difficulty covering every relevant threat. Nevertheless, Lucario is still ready to demolish unprepared teams.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: ExtremeSpeed
move 4: Crunch / Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lucario's standard boosting set from fourth generation has come back with vengeance. Not much has changed since then in terms of Lucario's movepool, but not much has to. Unprepared teams fall to the sheer power of Lucario while even prepared teams can have difficulty if they falter.</p>
<p>Swords Dance boosts Lucario's Attack to sky-high levels, preparing him for a sweep. Close Combat serves as Lucario's main STAB move, capable of OHKOing physically defensive Skarmory after a Swords Dance. With ExtremeSpeed's boost to +2 priority, Lucario can now outspeed all other offensive priority moves except for Fake Out. This means that he no longer has to worry about Pokémon that use Mach Punch or Vacuum Wave as long as he can KO them with ExtremeSpeed. Crunch hits Pokémon like Jellicent and Reuniclus while Ice Punch hits Gliscor and the genie Pokémon on the switch-in.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Stone Edge can be used in the last moveslot in order to hit things like Gyarados, Salamence, and Dragonite, the first two of whom can ruin Lucario's sweep with Intimidate and can live a +1 LO ExtremeSpeed even after Stealth Rock. Bullet Punch still has some utility in hitting Gengar, Terrakion, and Choice Scarf Tyranitar, but Lucario loses a useful coverage move in the process. Lucario can also use a Jolly nature in order to outspeed Jolly Gyarados and Timid Suicune, but generally Pokémon that run a positive Speed nature in order to outspeed Lucario are KOed by ExtremeSpeed with an Adamant nature.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is very useful in helping Lucario set up a sweep because it gradually wears down the opposing team. Balloon Heatran, Celebi, Ferrothorn, and Hippowdon are all great partners to set it up. Furthermore, in order to fully assist Lucario's sweep, Pokémon that are weak to Dark-type moves are good partners, luring opportunities for Lucario to set up on a Pursuit or Crunch. Latias and Latios are both resistant or immune to all three of Lucario's weaknesses and can smash through opposing Pokémon with a STAB Draco Meteor. Meanwhile, Lucario resists all three of their weaknesses, enabling him to set up on the moves that threaten them.</p>
<p>If Bullet Punch isn't used, a Pursuiter is useful for eliminating Gengar, who is immune to two of Lucario's moves and can KO with Focus Blast. Choice Scarf Tyranitar is a great check for Gengar because he can outspeed Gengar and KO with a Pursuit. Gliscor is also a problematic Pokémon if Lucario is not carrying Ice Punch as he has the defenses to take any hit and KO back with a STAB Earthquake. Rotom-W is immune to Ground-type moves and can hit Gliscor with a Hydro Pump. Bulky Mach Punchers like Conkeldurr can survive a boosted ExtremeSpeed and KO back. Gliscor can easily take any attacks and threaten Conkeldurr with Acrobatics. Furthermore, both Gliscor and Rotom-W help against Excadrill because they're immune to Earthquake while Excadrill outspeeds Lucario in sandstorm and can KO with his own Earthquake.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Aura Sphere
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Vacuum Wave / Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With access to Nasty Plot, Lucario can finally sweep from the special side efficiently. The strong threat of Swords Dance Lucario results in many opponents switching in a physical wall only to be met by a +2 Special Attack Lucario. Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball gain perfect coverage. There's little fear of Normal-type Pokémon switching into Shadow Ball because of their weakness to Aura Sphere. Vacuum Wave serves as priority to take down Excadrill and Terrakion along with weakened opposing Pokémon. Hidden Power Ice can hit Landorus, Thundurus, Gliscor, Salamence, Garchomp, and other Pokémon that are weak to Ice-type attacks.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Modest is used to allow Lucario to gain maximum power in order to sweep through the opposing team. Timid has more merit on this set than Jolly does on the Swords Dance set because of the very real power gap between ExtremeSpeed and Vacuum Wave. The extra speed will enable Lucario to outspeed Pokémon like positive natured Togekiss, Gyarados, Suicune, and Nidoking.</p>
<p>Like the Swords Dance set, Stealth Rock support is appreciated to make Lucario's job easier. Heatran and Hippowdon are both great partners for Lucario as Heatran is immune to Fire-type moves and Hippowdon has the physical bulk to take Earthquakes and Mach Punches. Pokémon weak to Pursuit are still helpful, such as Latios, Latias, and Gengar. The Lati twins can smash through the opposing team with their STAB Draco Meteors while Gengar can wear down Blissey and Chansey enough so that Aura Sphere can KO. Gliscor, if Lucario is not using Hidden Power Ice, can be checked by Rotom-W, who can threaten back with a STAB Hydro Pump. If Lucario's not using Vacuum Wave, Excadrill and Terrakion can be checked by Gliscor, who can hit them back with an Earthquake. Gliscor can also check Conkeldurr because Lucario can't KO him with a boosted Vacuum Wave.</p>
[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lucario also has access to a third boosting move: Agility. The previous sets suffer from being outsped by revenge killers like Excadrill and Terrakion. In order to combat this weakness, this set concentrates on boosting Lucario's Speed so that common revenge killers won't be able to outspeed him and quickly revenge kill him. However, this does leave the user with a weaker Lucario because he has no means of boosting his attack.</p>
<p>Agility is the main move in this set, enabling Lucario to outspeed Pokémon like Landorus, Garchomp, and Latios. Close Combat gives Lucario the power he needs in order to truly sweep and has 100% accuracy so it won't miss unlike Hi Jump Kick. Crunch hits Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon like Jellicent and Reuniculus that are immune or resistant to Close Combat. Ice Punch rounds out the set by hitting Flying-type Pokémon like Landorus and Dragonite that are resistant to Lucario's main STAB move. It also hits Gliscor although it doesn't have the power to KO it unless he's severely weakened.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Due to the Speed boost from Agility, Lucario can choose to drop some Speed EVs in order to increase his bulk. 188 Speed EVs enable Lucario to outspeed positive natured Choice Scarf base 110s while 136 Speed EVs allow Lucario to outspeed Choice Scarf Garchomp after an Agility. A Jolly nature may be used in order to outspeed Jolly Excadrill with Sand Throw but Lucario already lacks power with this set and using a Jolly nature would only make him weaker.</p>
<p>Without the ability to increase his power, Lucario appreciates entry hazard support to weaken the opposing team. Spikes support is more necessary than the previous sets, (comma) making Pokémon like Ferrothorn and Skarmory prized teammates. Skarmory is immune to Ground-type moves while Ferrothorn can switch into multiple Pokémon and set up entry hazards. Ghost-type Pokémon work well with Lucario in order to block Rapid Spin and to enable Lucario to set up on a Pursuit. Jellicent is the best choice because he resists or is immune to two of Lucario's weaknesses.</p>
<p>In order for Lucario to beat Gliscor with this set, he needs to be severely weakened. Powerful Pokémon like Haxorus and Dragonite can smash through the opposing defenses and have good defensive synergy with Lucario as well. Latios can launch Choice Specs Draco Meteors and Surfs at the opposing team to quickly decimate it. Despite these powerful partners, there are still Pokémon that can easily check Lucario. Conkeldurr can bypass the Agility boosts with Mach Punch while a healthy Gliscor can survive an unboosted Ice Punch and KO back with Earthquake. Your own Gliscor and Rotom-W can help check both Conkeldurr and Gliscor.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Aura Sphere
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Vacuum Wave
item: Choice Specs
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lucario is fully capable of hitting hard from the start without the need to boost his stats. While the previous three sets are concerned with taking advantage of a free turn to set up, this set attempts to hit the opposing team hard and never look back. Furthermore, it can catch physically-defensive Pokémon off guard should they switch in expecting a physical move.</p>
<p>Aura Sphere leads the set off, boasting both STAB and perfect accuracy. Shadow Ball, in conjunction with Aura Sphere, attains perfect coverage in just two moves. Additionally, if it manages to lower the opponent's Special Defense, the opposing Pokémon will be hard pressed to stay in and take a more powerful hit or switch out and take more entry hazard damage. Hidden Power Ice hits Gliscor, a major threat to Lucario, as well as Dragonite, and Landorus. , and other Pokémon. Vacuum Wave can KO weakened Pokémon and deals massive damage to Excadrill, making Lucario a decent check to Excadrill.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Dragon Pulse can be used over Hidden Power Ice as a general move to cover Gyarados, Conkeldurr, and Gliscor. However, the ability to nab a quick KO on Gliscor is vital for Lucario's role in luring Gliscor in and KOing him, making it an inferior option. The question between more power and more Speed is evident once again. Since this set is based around hitting hard and switching when needed, Modest is more beneficial. However, a Timid nature is still useful to outspeed Pokémon like Suicune and Nidoking.</p>
<p>With the pressure that Lucario places on the opposing team, Stealth Rock support is once again vital to capitalize on forced switches. Hippowdon and Ferrothorn both have the bulk to take hits should Lucario be forced to retreat. Lucario also fulfills a role for offensive teams in luring Pokémon like Gliscor in and KOing him with Hidden Power Ice. This makes Pokémon like Conkeldurr and Excadrill good partners because the two of them are stopped by Gliscor. Furthermore, a Pokémon that doesn't mind coming in to Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon is useful to support Lucario after he locks himself into Aura Sphere. Calm Mind Jirachi and Latias as well as Scizor with Roost both help against Pokémon like Reuniclus and Gengar due to their bulk and STAB attacks. Tyranitar is a shakier choice due to his large Fighting-type weakness, but he can threaten the Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokémon with his STAB Pursuit and Crunch.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: ThunderPunch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Crunch
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lucario is extremely versatile in both movepool and potential set options. With his wide type coverage, Lucario can use a Choice Scarf to patch up his shaky Speed and revenge kill many Pokémon on the opposing teams. Additionally, immunity to sandstorm and Toxic Spikes and as well as a 4x resistance to Stealth Rock means Lucario can come in many times if necessary.</p>
<p>Close Combat serves as Lucario's main STAB move, enabling Lucario to have the power he needs to KO some opposing Pokémon. Also Additionally, the extra Speed from Choice Scarf leaves weakened teams hard pressed to stand against a continuing barrage of STAB Close Combats. ThunderPunch hits Pokémon like Gyarados, Jellicent, and Starmie for large amounts of damage. Ice Punch covers Dragonite, Gliscor, Landorus, Garchomp, and other Pokémon. Lucario's decreased power leaves him even more dependent on Super Effective hits. Crunch rounds out the set giving it nearly unresisted coverage with Close Combat and hits Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon like Jellicent and Reuniclus.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Bulky Water- and Ground-type Pokémon can easily switch into Lucario because of the lack of power behind his attacks. Hippowdon can tank anything Lucario throws at him while Ferrothorn can come into three of Lucario's moves and freely set up entry hazards. To check those Pokémon, your own Ferrothorn is helpful. Not only can he it launch powerful Power Whips, but he can also set up Spikes and compensate for Lucario's decreased damage output with residual damage. Latias can come into the various Water-type Pokémon and set up Calm Minds to stop them. Meanwhile, Latios can launch off boosted Draco Meteors.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: ExtremeSpeed
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Ice Punch / Stone Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although Lucario's base 110 Attack may be lower than his Special Attack, he can still utilize a Choice Band set effectively due to the sheer power of the moves, especially Close Combat's superior base power. A STAB Choice Banded Close Combat will destroy anything that doesn't resist it, and can still potentially maim enemies unless they are completely immune to it. ExtremeSpeed outpaces all other offensive priority moves except for Fake Out, (comma) allowing Lucario to easily pick off opposing Pokemon with the Choice Band boost. Crunch hits Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon that resist or are immune to Close Combat like Reuniclus and Jellicent. Ice Punch hits Gliscor, Landorus, and Dragonite, while Stone Edge hits Gyarados, Tornadus, and Thundurus harder than Ice Punch.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Bullet Punch can replace either of the last two moves to cover Gengar, Tyranitar, and Terrakion if it's necessary, but the loss of type coverage will surely be missed. Similar to the Choice Specs set, Adamant enables Lucario to hit harder with ExtremeSpeed while Jolly lets Lucario outpace opposing Adamant Lucario as well as Timid Suicune.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is helpful in deterring switching and makes it harder for the opposing team to take Lucario's powerful attacks. Ferrothorn and Hippowdon are both good choices for providing Stealth Rock support. With Ghost-type Pokémon being immune to two moves on this set, a Choice Scarf Tyranitar or a specially defensive variant can be used to Pursuit them in order to enable Lucario to freely launch off Close Combats. Choice Band Scizor is also a good choice for that role, but beware as both Tyranitar and Scizor share a weakness or two with Lucario. Gliscor can check Lucario if he doesn't come in on an Ice Punch, making Rotom-W a good partner to tank Acrobaticss and Earthquakes. Excadrill and Conkeldurr both outspeed Lucario and can KO him, so having your own Gliscor to check both of them is very valuable.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Anywhere you see Shadow Ball, you can use Dark Pulse over it. There are no Pokemon immune to Dark, making it harder to switch in on. This is especially important to consider for Choice item sets. However, Lucario isn't fast enough to take advantage of the flinch rate, meaning the Special Defense drop chance from Shadow Ball is of greater value. Additionally, Normal-type Pokémon fear coming into Lucario anyway with the threat of STAB Aura Sphere.</p>
<p>Hi Jump Kick can be used over Close Combat on all of the sets for a slightly stronger move. However, because it only has 90% accuracy, a miss can be fatal and end Lucario's sweep. Additionally, due to Lucario's poor defenses, the defensive drops from Close Combat don't matter as much. Calm Mind can be used on Lucario to take weaker special hits. However, it doesn't boost as fast as Nasty Plot, which is unappealing when considering Lucario's general defensive frailty. A mixed Cheer Up set can work to utilize both of Lucario's offensive stats, but Lucario's "only" above average 110 and 115 Attack and Special Attack become extremely lackluster without full EV investment, and his ever disappointing Speed and defensive stats compounds the problem.</p>
<p>Balloon can work on the Swords Dance set for Lucario to beat Excadrill and Hippowdon. However, without Life Orb, Lucario loses out on a lot of power in his ExtremeSpeed, severely hampering his sweeping abilities. Reversal is an option due to Lucario's immunity to sandstorm and Toxic Spikes. However, like the Swords Dance set, it faces issues with coverage. Additionally, the prevalence of priority makes it harder to actually pull off a successful Reversal sweep.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Gliscor can come in on anything except for a Hidden Power Ice or a boosted Ice Punch and KO back with Earthquake. Although Excadrill can't take a hit as easily, he can still outspeed Lucario in sandstorm and KO him with Earthquake. Because of Conkeldurr's bulk, he survives even a +2 Life Orbed ExtremeSpeed and can deal massive damage back with Mach Punch or Drain Punch. Although he can't switch into Fighting-type moves, Choice Scarf Heatran can come in on anything else and KO with a STAB Flamethrower or Fire Blast. Gengar can come in on an Aura Sphere, Close Combat, or ExtremeSpeed and either KO with Focus Blast or deal large amounts of damage with Hidden Power Fire.</p>
<p>Intimidate can put a damper on Swords Dance Lucario's sweep and helps its users check Lucario more easily. Salamence ends up living a +1 Life Orb ExtremeSpeed and can KO back with Earthquake or Fire blast, (comma) while RestTalk Gyarados has the bulk necessary in order to take any hit except for Stone Edge. Choice Scarf Tyranitar can check Lucario with Superpower and Earthquake as long as Lucario doesn't have Vacuum Wave, Bullet Punch, or some form of Speed boost. In the On that same vein, Terrakion functions similarly to Tyranitar and can KO Lucario with Close Combat or Earthquake.</p>
<p>If Lucario doesn't have ExtremeSpeed or hit it on the switch with Hidden Power Ice or Ice punch, Landorus can outspeed Lucario and KO him with Earthquake. Without Crunch, Shadow Ball, or Dark Pulse, Reuniclus can survive any hit and KO back with Focus Blast. It should be noted that the majority of the Pokemon listed above are not true counters and will take heavy damage or be outright destroyed should they switch into the wrong attack. Some of the Pokemon listed, like Excadrill and Salamence, take large amounts of damage even on a resisted move.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Lucario's Dream World ability, Justice Heart, is a very useful one, especially on the Swords Dance set. It means that coming in on a Crunch or a Dark Pulse nets Lucario a +1 Attack boost. The additional power boost is extremely useful. For example, Salamence can't live a +2 Life Orb ExtremeSpeed after Stealth Rock and Garchomp can't live a +3 Life Orb ExtremeSpeed after Spikes damage. The Choice Band sets would also like the extra added power.</p>
<p>However, due to breeding and tutoring incompatibilities, Lucario loses out on Agility, Crunch, Ice Punch, ThunderPunch, and Bullet Punch, meaning that Lucario has to use Stone Edge as his main fourth move on the attacking sets. He is also forced to use Stone Edge on the Choice Band set. Additionally, with Justice Heart, Lucario gives up Inner Focus. However, since the Pokémon that force him out don't utilize flinching moves, that's not really an issue. The loss of Inner Focus makes itself more apparent against Fake Out users or paraflinch users like Jirachi and Togekiss.</p>
<p>As for special sets, they should stick to Inner Focus unless you want to bluff a physical set. However, the loss of Vacuum Wave hardly justifies whatever benefit could come from Justice Heart mind games.</p>
How about this for a mixed Set
Lucario
Mild/Rash
36 SpA/ 252 Atk/220 Spe
Agility
Aura Sphere/Dark Pulse/Vacuum Wave
Close Combat/Stone Edge/Blaze Kick
Earthquake
After one Agility, Lucario Reaches 542 Speed, enabling it to take on many threats that might use a choice scarf, allowing it to outspeed Base 115 or higher pokes (double checking for accuracy) Life Orb allows it to OHKO Tyranitar in Sand Stream via Aura Sphere while inflicting at an average of 270 HP damage to Blissey. Gives off the appearance of a physical sweeper set. Priority moves may not be necessary unless the scarf poke can reach a higher speed still. Blaze kick allows for type coverage on Scizor, Ferrothorn, while Earthquake provides general coverage and keeps Klinklank, magnezone at bay.
Definitive counters to this set is Blissey due to massive HP. Cloyster can be an issue without Aura Sphere which guarantees OHKO before Life Orb. Bulky Pokes Such as Swampert and Dragonite (less likely) can switch in, the former taking neutral damage and threatens and earthquake while the latter can switch in, threaten a T-wave and roost off the damage (Cleric)
This is a skeleton of pokes this set will have dis/advantage this set has. Please bear with.
Lucario
Mild/Rash
36 SpA/ 252 Atk/220 Spe
Agility
Aura Sphere/Dark Pulse/Vacuum Wave
Close Combat/Stone Edge/Blaze Kick
Earthquake
After one Agility, Lucario Reaches 542 Speed, enabling it to take on many threats that might use a choice scarf, allowing it to outspeed Base 115 or higher pokes (double checking for accuracy) Life Orb allows it to OHKO Tyranitar in Sand Stream via Aura Sphere while inflicting at an average of 270 HP damage to Blissey. Gives off the appearance of a physical sweeper set. Priority moves may not be necessary unless the scarf poke can reach a higher speed still. Blaze kick allows for type coverage on Scizor, Ferrothorn, while Earthquake provides general coverage and keeps Klinklank, magnezone at bay.
Definitive counters to this set is Blissey due to massive HP. Cloyster can be an issue without Aura Sphere which guarantees OHKO before Life Orb. Bulky Pokes Such as Swampert and Dragonite (less likely) can switch in, the former taking neutral damage and threatens and earthquake while the latter can switch in, threaten a T-wave and roost off the damage (Cleric)
This is a skeleton of pokes this set will have dis/advantage this set has. Please bear with.
In the Agility set, you mention Lucario being outsped by Excadrill and Terakion. Supposing Lucario's at +2, it can beat both with Vacuum Wave, which is the primary choice on the Nasty Plot set. Of course, that's situational (Excadrill and Terakion have to switch into Lucario rather than the other way around), but I think it should be mentioned.
@Dr. Reid and jc104: Thanks!
@DragonDemiGod: No mixed sets, you're much better off just investing in one side so that you're stronger instead of trying to split your EVs.
@Forte.EXE: You misread it it says that the previous sets can outspeed Lucario and Nasty Plot Lucario might not have Vacuum Wave so the sentence is still correct.
Anyway I tested Dark Pulse and it has saved my ass a few times over the SpD drop from Shadow Ball. Other than that this analysis is done.
@DragonDemiGod: No mixed sets, you're much better off just investing in one side so that you're stronger instead of trying to split your EVs.
@Forte.EXE: You misread it it says that the previous sets can outspeed Lucario and Nasty Plot Lucario might not have Vacuum Wave so the sentence is still correct.
Anyway I tested Dark Pulse and it has saved my ass a few times over the SpD drop from Shadow Ball. Other than that this analysis is done.
supermarth, can I please beg you too Control F and delete all of the accented e's on Pokemon. I've been deleting them from the 4th gen analyses, and we've changed the standard, so yours would be one of the few still using them.
I know it's a pain and kind of trivial, but pretty please?
I know it's a pain and kind of trivial, but pretty please?
Removed the accented e's and replaced Justice Heart with Justified.
What does he survive with 311 or 298 HP that he doesn't with 282?
Dude Lucario will never live to strike the Salamence or the genie with Shadow Ball, making your point somewhat invalid. Also max HP Dragonite never dies to +2 Shadow Ball after SR.
At least HP Ice gives you a move with awesome Super Effective coverage even when unboosted, as opposed to Dark Pulse or Shadow Ball. It's always great to catch Mence or Chomp on the switch. Also, I guess a 30% chance (due to Focus Blast accuracy) to 2HKO Reuniclus with HP Ice is better than guaranteed death against Gliscor if you dont run HP Ice.
Without wanting to nitpick, I think this comment is a bit misinforming.
Of course, Stone Edge lets you cause more damage hitting stuff like Gyarados while also still hurting the dragons, but this comment makes it seem like it's the superior option for taking on Mence/Nite, when (the included in main moveset) Ice Punch is going to deal with them better.
Would it not make more sense to change it to something along the lines of "...in order to hit thing like Gyarados, while still being able to cause considerable damage to Salamence and Dragonite"?
It's just outclassed by the physical agility set, since the physical sets bring out substantially more damage than special ones, and Lucario will be walled by Blissey and Chansey. Additionally, there are some threats he needs take out physically, such as Latias and Ferrothorn.
Pointing this out: While most Heracrosses I've seen are Scarfed and it's therefore a moot point, running Aura Sphere, Dark Pulse, and Vacuum Wave leaves you walled hard by Toxicroak and Heracross, even at +2. Dark Pulse fails to 2HKO in the rain and Toxicroak either OHKOs with Drain Punch or sets up a Substitute or SD. Shadow Ball has a small chance of the OHKO. Heracross is even bulkier on the special side, even with no investment.
Suggesting to add a comment about running Shadow Ball with Vacuum Wave and Dark Pulse with HP Ice.
Suggesting to add a comment about running Shadow Ball with Vacuum Wave and Dark Pulse with HP Ice.
