Lucario [QC 1/3]

[Sam]

Overview
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• two good boosting sets
• great offensive movepool
• priority on both sides
• frail
• good resistances
• not-great speed
• weaknesses are common
• kinda weak without set-up

Swords Dance
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name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: ExtremeSpeed / Bullet Punch
move 4: Ice Punch / Bullet Punch / Earthquake
ability: Justified
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
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• Close Combat is strong STAB
• ExtremeSpeed is strong priority that hurts most faster things
• Earthquake hits Chandelure, nidos, and doublade
  
• Bullet Punch is STAB priority that hits Mega Aero
• Ice Punch hits gligar and the nidos
• Iron tail can be used to hit fairys harder than bullet punch

Set Details
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• Adamant nature since it doesn't lose out on outspeeding too many things, wallbreaks better with adamant and has priority anyway
• LO to hit even harder

Usage Tips
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• Luc is a little hard to set up, most of its setup chances come from forcing things out
• Can set up on common moves like Knock Off and things like Scarf Hydreigon locked in to either of its stabs

Team Options
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• volt/turners that can get Luc in (Mega amph, forry, crobat)
  
• hazard setters (specifically SR)
• a switchin to Mega Aero (if not running bullet punch) like Swampert

Nasty Plot
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name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Aura Sphere
move 3: Flash Cannon
move 4: Vacuum Wave / Dark Pulse
ability: Steadfast
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Timid / Modest

Moves
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• Aura Sphere is consistent STAB
• Dark Pulse gets good coverage with Aura Sphere
• Vacuum wave is STAB priority
• Flash Cannon is secondary STAB that hits fairys

Set Details
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• Timid for max speed, Modest can be used for more power
• max spa and speed for better sweeping capabilities
  
• Life Orb for general power
• Steadfast punishes opponents fishing for flinches, justified can be used to bluff SD

Usage Tips
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• Performs better against defensive teams
  
• can't switch in to much, bring it in with a slow volt/turn or after a teammate goes down
• forces a lot of things out, so it can set up on that turn

Team Options
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• crobat switch-in (empoleon, mega-amph)
  
• voltturners
• hazard setters
• wallbreakers to help wear down special walls

Other Options
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• choice specs
• agility
• choice band
• iron tail for stall

Checks & Counters
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• scarf chandelure is a surefire check to both sets
• faster mons that resist normal check sd
  
• hippo, bro, gligar

 

[kokoloko]

move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: ExtremeSpeed / Bullet Punch
move 4: Crunch / Ice Punch / Bullet Punch

works better as the slashes. you don't need extremespeed with bp.

 

[KM]

move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: ExtremeSpeed / Bullet Punch
move 4: Crunch / Ice Punch / Bullet Punch

works better as the slashes. you don't need extremespeed with bp.

actually dual priority with adamant is a really good set as it kills mega-dactyl, does tons to aromatisse and florges

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Bullet Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Aerodactyl: 382-452 (104.9 - 124.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Bullet Punch vs. 252 HP / 220 Def Florges: 346-408 (96.1 - 113.3%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
+4 252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Bullet Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Aromatisse: 439-523 (108.1 - 128.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO (moonblast only does ~50%)

while still retaining the higher BP and extra coverage from extremespeed

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Extreme Speed vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Infernape: 294-346 (100.3 - 118%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Extreme Speed vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Sharpedo: 448-529 (159.4 - 188.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Extreme Speed vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Darmanitan: 357-421 (101.7 - 119.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Extreme Speed vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Victini: 221-261 (64.8 - 76.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock and 1 layer of Spikes

etc etc

Obviously you have to run it with something that can lure or weaken slowbro / chandelure but it's still a really good set (especially because everyone expects crunch, which both means they won't switch LO chandy into it and means they will switch Mega-Aero and Aroma in)

 

[kokoloko]

i said it wasn't needed not that it wasn't good .-.

 

[Sam]

Based on the way the slashes are, dual priority isn't out of the question anyway. Also, I'm expecting to have some free time this week, so I'm hoping to get this QC ready soon .-.

 

[Martin]

Iron Tail is incredibly useful for getting a powerful hit on Florges - OHKOing physically defensive variants after Stealth Rock before an SD. It is great if you use E-Speed over Bullet Punch
252 Atk Life Orb Lucario Iron Tail vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Florges: 346-408 (96.1 - 113.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

 

[Sam]

that is so incredibly niche and useless that it isn't even worth mentioning

 

[HypnoEmpire]

I think Iron Tail has enough of a use to be put in OO. Using the spread in the analysis, Florges has a chance to live a +2 Bullet Punch. Both Aromatisse and Granbull can live a +2 Bullet Punch. Because of how frail Lucario is and how reliant it is on Life Orb, it doesn't really want to take a Moonblast or Play Rough from these Pokemon. I know that it's niche, but that's why I think it does deserve a mention in OO.

 

[KM]

there really is no room on lucario's set to run a 75% accurate lure move for fairies. just acknowledge that fairies check lucario and find some other way to get past them, or run sd and bullet punch and just weaken them a little bit. if lucario is your wincon, you don't want to be throwing a .75 randomchance wrench in there when you can usually just run a much better move.

i mean i guess you could put it in OO but i see no reason to run it, it's not UU 1v1.

 

[Calloflochie]

QC 1/3

 

[Royalty]

Is crunch not worth an oo mention at all? It definitely mitigates the checking from chandelure and other psychic types like slowking.

Expand on the team options with actual mon examples.

 

[Martin]

IMO slash in Inner Focus on NP before Steadfast as it is great as it means that Lucario's setup or sweep isn't blocked by an untimely flinch.

 

[KM]

in all honesty the SD set needs to be slashed something like this now

- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed / Bullet Punch
- Earthquake / Crunch / Ice Punch / Bullet Punch / Iron Tail

and NP needs to be

- Nasty Plot
- Aura Sphere
- Flash Cannon
- Vacuum Wave / Dark Pulse

Also, update the main bodies of text and C&C to accurately reflect the meta.

 

[Hot N Cold]

Iron tail sounds terrible, is just useful only against Granbull which is niche and is worse on non-heracross meta and Jirachi being so popular rn.
And even on this case, pray for not missing because have an horrible accuracy.

sword dance, close combate, xspeed and then crunch / bullet punch / ice punch or EQ (in order) is the way to go imo

 

[kokoloko]

what does EQ even hit besides nido? is it just to catch chandelure/victini on the switch or smth? cause if so, thats kinda silly.

 

[Bouff]

talked on irc

2/3

 

[KM]

might be a little late, but EQ is useful for a lot more than just nido. it hits non-timid chandelures, jirachi, metagross, nidos, mega amph, and a bunch of important stuff in sticky web as well (lo darm, entei, random delphoxes). is it perfect coverage? no, but it's definitely a hell of a lot better than ice punch (p.s., i know that not all of these examples are cases where it'll OHKO / CC doesn't, but there are times when you don't want drops or when it has x hp and cc won't kill but eq will).

also, why is crunch not slashed whatsoever? it probably has the best argument for not using eq / bp in the ability to hit goats and slowking and random psychics like reuni.

i think the order ultimately comes down to personal preference, but I still advocate for eq or crunch being first and second or second and first, followed by ice punch and bullet punch in third and fourth or fourth and third, and iron tail last (which is actually useful for more than granbull - it's also great for aromatisse and perhaps most notably sableye, which is one of luke's strongest checks -

252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Iron Tail vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Sableye: 263-309 (86.5 - 101.6%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

- so yeah).

 

[Bouff]

sam said i could take this over, will get up the new one asap

Calloflochie pls locke.