[Overview]
<p>Latias's role is slightly different from that of her twin brother, Latios. Although they share a similar stat spread, Latias was given a bulkier edge, as opposed to Latios's more offensive one. Because of this, Latias is rarely seen in VGC 2012. However, for those looking for a bulkier Pokemon with a great movepool, Latias is your girl.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Dragon Pulse
move 2: Icy Wind
move 3: Helping Hand
move 4: Recover / Protect
item: Sitrus Berry / Haban Berry / Yache Berry
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Latias has a great support movepool. Helping Hand is as always a top-notch supporting move in doubles, allowing Latias to help her partner deal more damage that turn. Dragon Pulse is a great move for Latias, preventing her from becoming Taunt bait while also hitting most other Pokemon for decent neutral damage. Icy Wind is another choice to consider, supporting slower Pokemon and hitting both opposing Pokemon to lower their Speed. Recover is great for Latias because she has some staying power; however, if you feel Protect is more useful, it is a good option.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Sitrus Berry is a useful item for Latias, allowing her to regain some HP without having to spend a turn Recovering. However, some may find this unnecessary because of Latias's access to the move Recover, so a Haban Berry is another option to consider. This allows Latias to take damage from opposing Dragon-types that threaten her, such as her speedier counterpart Latios, and hit back with Dragon Pulse. Yache Berry is another good resist berry for Latias, enabling her to live common Blizzards and other Ice-type attacks.</p>
<p>Latias is best paired with Pokemon that deal heavy damage. Metagross is often a common partner because it resists Ice- and Dragon-type moves and hits with incredible power. Other Pokemon such as Mamoswine also complement Latias well because Helping Hand can boost its priority Ice Shard, and with Levitate, Latias is immune to Earthquake. Nearly all Earthquake users pair well with Latias because of Levitate and the Helping Hand boost. Heal Pulse is a new move for Latias, and is a very interesting one as well. Heal Pulse allows Latias to heal up her ally, but if that Pokemon faints before Heal Pulse lands, it will target the opposing side and benefit them. This makes Heal Pulse require some timing and prediction, because healing an opponent can be devastating. Pokemon who are decently bulky but lack recovery often benefit from Latias's Heal Pulse, although it's important to watch out for Follow Me or Rage Powder users, which can redirect Latias's attack and aid the opponent.</p>
<p>As Tyranitar is one of the best Latias counters, great teammates for Latias are Steel- and Fighting-types. As mentioned before, Metagross makes a great partner because of its STAB Steel-type attacks that hit Tyranitar hard. Fighting-type Pokemon, particularly Hitmontop and Terrakion, also pair well with Latias because their STAB Fighting-type attacks will also remove Tyranitar. Hitmontop also has access to Sucker Punch, with which it can take down Latios, who is a bane to Latias as well. All in all, because Latias functions so well as a supporter, she can pair with almost any Pokemon. Every Pokemon can benefit from a Helping Hand boost or Heal Pulse recovery, so Latias is never short of options for teammates.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Dragon Pulse / Draco Meteor
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 12 HP / 248 SpA / 248 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Throwing Latias into an offensive role may seem very odd considering her great supporting movepool, but Latias's attacking stats still enable her to pose a significant threat. Life Orb allows Latias to gain many OHKOs she would normally miss out on with a Timid nature, such as on both Latios and Garchomp with Dragon Pulse. Draco Meteor gains even more OHKOs, but comes at the price of a Special Attack drop, which might be unappealing. Psyshock gains STAB and hits common opponents such as Hitmontop for super effective damage, which can be devastating. In the third moveslot, Hidden Power Fire is recommended for extra coverage, especially against Steel-types, who resist both of Latias's STAB attacks. Protect is always a useful move in VGC 2012, providing a damage-free turn for Latias.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>There might not seem to be any reason to use offensive Latias over Latios, but the former's bulk can give her an edge against certain threats. For example, Latias can always survive a Mamoswine's Ice Gem Ice Shard, something Latios can't boast. Latias is also able to take Quiet Abomasnow's Blizzard, as well as hail damage at the end of the turn, which can be very useful. Yanmega's Bug Buzz won't OHKO Latias, but Latios might very well faint. Overall, Latias's bulk is able to get her out of quite a few sticky situations, while her attacking stats enable her to hit nearly as hard as her more offensively based counterpart.</p>
<p>The EVs provided are the most efficient distribution when using Hidden Power Fire, outspeeding max Speed Infernape, Virizion, and Terrakion. However, if you wish to run max Speed to Speed tie with Latios and Gengar, other usable options include Thunderbolt, Surf, and supporting moves such as Helping Hand and Icy Wind. Latias's diverse movepool will leave you spoilt for choice even if you find Hidden Power Fire undesirable. Hidden Power Ground can also be used to hit Heatran while still maintaining super effective coverage on Steel-types.</p>
<p>Steel- and Fighting-types are still some of Latias's greatest allies, so Pokemon such as Terrakion, Metagross, Hitmontop, and Heatran are excellent partners. Ground-types such as Mamoswine and Garchomp can also pair well as they are able to abuse strong Earthquakes without fear of hurting their partner. Latias's main issues are specially defensive walls, so Pokemon that hit on the physical side can overcome them and can prove to be a great aid. Great examples of these are Tyranitar, Breloom, and Terrakion which can take out Cresselia, Gastrodon, and Blissey, respectively.</p>
<p>Latias can also use a Choice Scarf along with a Modest nature. Latias ordinarily Speed ties with her brother Latios, so a Choice Scarf can remove the luck factor of the tie. With the boost in Speed, Latias can run a Modest nature without worry in order to gain her offensive edge back. Unfortunately, with a Choice Scarf, Latias's versatility is severely limited, and since the Speed tie is very situational, winning it might not be of much use. Nonetheless, teams that have trouble with Latios might appreciate the surprise factor Latias can provide. If using Choice Scarf, Trick can be used instead of Protect in order to cripple support Pokemon. Tailwind is also an option on this set when not using Choice Scarf, as it can eliminate threats of Speed ties by simply boosting Latias and her teammates' Speed.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Latias has access to many moves, so there are tons of other options that may be worth exploring. For starters, she receives Rain Dance and Sunny Day, with which she can support a weather abuse team if auto-weather isn't your style, or if you just want some extra security. Latias also has Roar, which can mess with Trick Room setters because it has higher priority, but it's very situational. Latias has access to both Reflect and Light Screen, but Cresselia sets up dual screens much more reliably. A ChestoRest can also be used, but with Recover there isn't much need. Latias can also make use of a Colbur Berry in order to lessen the damage of Dark-type attacks, specifically to survive Adamant Tyranitar's Crunch. Charm is a more gimmicky option to use; lowering the Attack of hard-hitting Pokemon can be useful in certain situations. However, it can end up being useless if Latias isn't up against strong physical attackers. Reflect Type is an interesting move choice as well, providing a way for Latias to change her typing to buffer hits from strong attackers, such as Metagross and Tyranitar. It may not always be the best move, however, as Latias might end up sacrificing the STAB boost on her attacks, so it should be used with caution.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Steel-types wall Latias by resisting both of her STAB attacks, so she will rarely be able to beat them. Tyranitar is also a problem for Latias, as it has massive Special Defense in the sand, in addition to STAB Dark-type attacks to decimate Latias. Most specially defensive walls, Blissey and Cresselia in particular, cause problems for offensive Latias.</p>
