Lucario (Analysis)

supermarth64

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Toxicroak is 43rd in usage and is mainly on Drizzle teams, which are too fast paced for Lucario to set up in front of (Lucario can only set up effectively in front of Ferrothorn). Even so, due to Pokemon like Thundurus, Tornadus, Jolteon, Raikou, etc, who are naturally faster than Lucario and are bulky enough to eat a +2 Vacuum Wave, Lucario isn't sweeping any time soon. The fact that Toxicroack also stops Lucario makes no difference if a bunch of other Pokemon on the same team can stop it.

No one cares about Heracross, it's 109th in usage.

Dark Pulse is better overall, Shadow Ball will stay in OO.
 
Not meaning to nitpick but Jolteon is not bulky. At all. It'll die from any sort of +2 attack that isn't Electric-type.

Also I'm sort of surprised HP Ice is a main slash option alongside Vacuum Wave. Not trying to be a total jerk about this or anything but anything you can really hit with an HP Ice is already faster than you and will KO you before you can KO them if you don't already have the +2. Pokemon like Garchomp, Landorus, Gliscor, etc, will die on the switch in sure or if you still have your balloon up but they'd easily die from a +2 Neutral Dark Pulse/Shadow Ball followed by a Vacuum Wave if they survived anyways so I feel HP Ice is sort of pointless. All in all, I think carrying the HP Ice is moot and extremely situational. I'd almost wanna say it's AC sort of thing.
 
Is Flash Cannon worth a mention on the Nasty Plot set? It actually has pretty good neutral coverage with Aura Sphere, and hits things for 120 BP. That's only a little less than a 160 BP Shadow Ball against Ghosts and Psychics, and its much better against everything else.
 
Shadow Ball can lower special defense which is mainly useful on switches so Vacuum Wave gets a boost if you can't out speed and Dark Pulse has a flinch rate which either paired with Aura Sphere allows for perfect or near perfect coverage. Flash Cannon+Aura Sphere would get walled by Starmie or Jellicent and bulky psychics like Reuniclus could probably get past is well.
 
Is Flash Cannon worth a mention on the Nasty Plot set? It actually has pretty good neutral coverage with Aura Sphere, and hits things for 120 BP. That's only a little less than a 160 BP Shadow Ball against Ghosts and Psychics, and its much better against everything else.
Steel is a lackluster attack type and its coverage is redundant alongside Fighting, while Shadow Ball hits the Ghost and Physic types for supereffective damage.
 
You're right, HP Ice hits everything you'd want to hit with Flash Cannon over Shadow Ball harder except for Toxicroak. My bad. :/

Also, why would you use the defensive Lucario set over Cobalion?
 

Trinitrotoluene

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Special Agility doesn't hit as hard as Physical Agility and would have to rely on a Hidden Power to get additional coverage.
 

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