Empress
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Lucario
QC: 1/3 (SpaceBass)
GP: 0/2
Overview
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+ A powerful wallbreaker that dismantles bulky teams
+ Steel-type STAB attacks make Lucario a great check to opposing Fairy-types
+ Lucario is a well-rounded attacker because of its access to good coverage moves and priority
+ Fits well on offensive teams that enjoy having bulky foes worn down
- Despite several coverage moves, it doesn't have room for all of them, so it finds itself easily walled with the right mons
- Vulnerable to opposing speed control, which renders Lucario's crucial base 112 Speed useless
- The prevalence of Intimidate hurts its physical attacking sets
- Mere 70 / 88 / 70 bulk leaves Lucario vulnerable to strong offensive pressure, so it cannot switch in on the threats it is supposed to defeat
- Faces competition from Mega Metagross as a Steel-type wallbreaker
Mixed Substitute
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name: Mixed Substitute
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Flash Cannon
move 4: Protect
ability: Justified
item: Lucarionite
evs: 136 Atk / 124 SpA / 248 Spe
nature: Naive
Moves
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- Lucario enjoys a Substitute to survive powerful attacks, protect itself from status moves and Intimidate, and abuse Close Combat as the move lowers Lucario's defensive stats
- Close Combat is an extremely powerful STAB attack that gets the Adaptability boost
- Flash Cannon also gets an Adaptability boost, and is a special attack, meaning Intimidate does not reduce its power
- Protect is a staple on nearly all Pokemon in Doubles, and Lucario is no exception. It often needs Protect to Mega Evolve safely and get the Speed boost
Set Details
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- 248 Speed EVs with a Naive nature are just enough to outspeed standard Thundurus
- 136 Attack EVs are necessary to always OHKO Mega Kangaskhan with Close Combat after being hit by Intimidate. The rest are dumped into Special Attack to maximize the power of Flash Cannon
- Justified boosts Lucario's Attack on a switch into a predicted Dark-type move
Usage Tips
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- This set works best as a late-game cleaner
- Mega Evolve as soon as possible because Lucario needs its high Speed to function. Always use Protect to safely get it Mega Evolved
- Set up a Substitute on a Pokemon that Lucario forces out, such as Kangaskhan or Terrakion. You can also set one up on a predicted status move from the likes of Amoonguss and Rotom-W
- As Lucario is fairly frail and its Defense is merely passable, try to bring it in on free switches whenever possible. If necessary, it can be switched into resisted physical attacks, particularly Rock Slide
Team Options
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- A Dark-type such as Hydreigon will deal with Aegislash and Cresselia, which wall this set
- Lucario enjoys redirection support in order to set up its Substitute safely. Togekiss is a prime user of Follow Me because it has great defensive synergy with Lucario
- Alternatively, Amoonguss makes a good redirection partner because it can put foes to sleep, giving Lucario even more chances to set up a Substitute
- Bisharp and Milotic take advantage of the Intimidate users that Lucario baits in
- A Choice Scarf user such as Genesect or Kyurem-B will defeat faster threats such as Shaymin-S and Deoxys-A
- Terrakion beats Flying- and Fire-types with Rock Slide and protects Lucario from priority with Quick Guard
- Rotom-H can switch into Earthquake for Lucario, while Lucario can switch into Rock Slide for Rotom-H
- Lucario has great offensive synergy with Thundurus. Lucario handles Rock- and Ice-types, while Thundurus can beat Flying-types, particularly Landorus-T, and can paralyze Pokemon that outspeed Lucario
All-Out Physical Attacker
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name: All-Out Physical Attacker
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: Bullet Punch / Extreme Speed
move 3: Iron Tail / Ice Punch / Stone Edge
move 4: Protect
ability: Justified
item: Lucarionite
evs: 8 HP / 252 Atk / 248 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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- Close Combat, backed by STAB and Adaptability, wrecks everything that doesn't resist it
- Bullet Punch gives Lucario a decently strong priority attack, allowing it to pick off weakened Pokemon
- If running Iron Tail, use Extreme Speed instead of Bullet Punch, as Lucario only needs one Steel-type STAB attack. Moreover, Extreme Speed has good neutral coverage and has +2 priority, so the move goes before opposing priority attacks
- Iron Tail is an alternative STAB attack that hits Amoonguss, Aegislash, and Cresselia for significant damage, but its low accuracy often causes problems
- Ice Punch specifically hits Landorus-T, while Stone Edge specifically hits Flying-types
- Protect is a must-use in order to safely Mega Evolve Lucario, and to scout opposing attacks
Set Details
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- Maximum investment in Attack and Speed allow Lucario to hit as hard and as quickly as possible
- A Jolly nature is necessary to outspeed Thundurus
- Justified allows Lucario to take advantage of a predicted Dark-type attack by switching in on it
Usage Tips
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- Due to Lucario's frailty, it should only switch in on resisted attacks, preferably physical Rock-type ones because of its passable Defense stat and 4x resistance to Rock
- Lucario can switch in on most Dark-type attackers- even special ones, save for Darkrai
- Don't switch Lucario into a predicted status move, either, as any form of status will severely hinder its sweep
- If the foe sets up a form of speed control, stall out the turns with Protect, as Lucario's Speed is one if its major assets
- Waste no time Mega Evolving, as Lucario needs all the Speed it can get
- Keep opposing Intimidate users off the field
Team Options
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- Fire-types such as Talonflame or Rotom-H greatly appreciates Lucario's ability to destroy Mega Diancie
- Should Lucario lack Ice Punch, it appreciates strong attackers that match up well against Landorus-T, including Keldeo and Kyurem-B
- Bisharp takes advantage of Intimidate and Speed-lowering attacks thanks to Defiant. It also forces out the Ghost- and Psychic-types that wall Lucario
- Thundurus can cripple Pokemon that are faster than Lucario, as well as check Landorus-T and most Flying-types. In return, Lucario handles the Rock- and Ice-types that give Thundurus trouble
- Togekiss provides Follow Me support in addition to great defensive synergy, making it a prime partner to take attacks aimed at Lucario. Moreover, Togekiss can use Tailwind to help Lucario outspeed its faster checks such as Deoxys-A, Darkrai, and Shaymin-S
- Terrakion beats Flying- and Fire-types with Rock Slide and protects Lucario from priority with Quick Guard
- Rotom-H can switch into Earthquake for Lucario, while Lucario can switch into Rock Slide for Rotom-H
Other Options
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- An all-out special attacking set works if your team is very weak to Intimidate, but even a -1 Close Combat on the mixed set hits harder than a fully invested Aura Sphere in most cases
- Crunch can be used to deal with Aegislash and Cresselia more easily, but Lucario prefers the ability to hit Flying-types hard
- Lucario has access to various support options such as Follow Me and even Heal Pulse, but it is too frail to be a support Pokemon. Instead, it should be the one receiving support from its teammates
- Earthquake is a way to deal spread damage, but Close Combat hits everything that Earthquake hits for higher damage
Checks & Counters
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**Intimidate and Burns**: While the mixed set can somewhat get away with these due to the presence of Flash Cannon and Substitute, Lucario's physical set gets ruined by Intimidate and the burn status. Landorus-T and regular Gyarados enjoy Intimidate to cut Lucario's attack and survive an Ice Punch and Stone Edge, respectively. Also, a fast Will-O-Wisp from Mega Gengar or Prankster Sableye stops Lucario's sweep almost immediately.
**Typing Advantage**: Lucario has very few counters because most Pokemon that resist its STAB attacks cannot safely switch into it. Nonetheless, if Lucario cannot OHKO its target, it is very vulnerable to being KOed back by its offensive checks such as Thundurus, Zapdos, Mega Charizard Y, and Chandelure. Fortunately, most of its checks are weak to Stone Edge.
**Speed**: Though base 112 Speed is undeniably fast, Lucario still falls short of outspeeding Deoxys-A, Darkrai, Shaymin-S, and Talonflame. Bullet Punch helps somewhat, but Deoxys-A's Focus Sash allow it to survive the move, while the other three can survive it easily. Choice Scarf users such as Genesect and Landorus-T, as well as weather sweepers such as Excadrill and Mega Swampert, also outspeed Lucario and threaten it offensively.
**Speed Control**: All forms of opposing speed control render Lucario's high Speed useless. Moreover, Lucario lacks the bulk to take repeated hits and retaliate.
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