Riolu (BW2 Revamp)



[Overview]

<p>Though unseen throughout the entirety of Little Cup, Riolu was granted Prankster from the Dream World, giving reason to actually use this adorable little thing. Prankster grants Riolu a +1 priority boost to all of its moves that don't inflict direct damage. But how does this ability differentiate Riolu from its fellow Prankster abuser Murkrow, who has reliable coverage moves, many more support options, and better stats. The key to Riolu's success comes from its jewel of a movepool, which contains both Roar and Copycat. Through Riolu's unique combination of moves and ability, it has a niche that cannot be filled by any other Pokemon: priority phazing. Thanks to the Dream World, this little cutie is now a force to be reckoned with, providing team support and strong revenge killing capabilities with its Prankster Copycat.</p>

[SET]
name: Priolu
move 1: Copycat
move 2: Roar
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Crunch
item: Eviolite
ability: Prankster
nature: Impish
evs: 196 HP / 196 Def / 116 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Copycat is the crux of the set, giving Riolu a myriad of options to harass the opponent's team. For example, after Riolu uses Roar, it can proceed to use Copycat to copy Roar with +1 priority, allowing Riolu to continuously phaze the opponent's team before its foes can attack. Copycat isn't limited to support options such as Roar, however. Riolu can use a slow Drain Punch, Riolu's main STAB move and only source of healing (unless it uses Copycat after Recover or another recovery move) and then use Copycat in order to hit twice in a row without interruption. This is very handy against Pokemon such as Scraggy, Drilbur, or Murkrow, who are all 2HKOed by Drain Punch. The same method applies for Crunch, which is Riolu's best way of handling Misdreavus, and its only way of touching Natu.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The listed EV spread is used to maximize Riolu's bulk, since it is unnecessary to invest in its offenses or Speed due to the role of this set. The EV spread maximizes Riolu's physical bulk first, allowing it to live very important attacks such as +1 Scraggy Drain Punch and Life Orb Drilbur Earthquake; the rest of the EVs are invested in its special bulk, which gives Riolu good 23 / 21 / 18 defenses after Eviolite. Thanks to its ability to tank these attacks, Riolu can use Drain Punch to attack twice in a row, all the while regaining all of the health it had lost. The moves on this set are pretty much non-negotiable. The only other possibilities are Hi Jump Kick over Drain Punch, though this is inferior since Riolu can hit twice in a row anyway, and Toxic instead of Crunch, which is a decent option but still generally less useful.</p>

<p>While Riolu is a one man army of sorts, it still requires a lot of team support to use effectively. In order to utilize its unique priority Roar, it prefers entry hazards being up on the opponent's side. Accordingly, Pokemon such as Dwebble, Ferroseed, Drilbur, Bronzor, Lileep, and Trubbish all make good partners, as they can provide the entry hazard support that Riolu desires. Because Rapid Spin ruins all of Riolu's fun, a Ghost-type Pokemon that can prevent the loss of Riolu's precious hazards is important; Misdreavus and Frillish make fantastic teammates. Riolu also appreciates U-Turn or Volt Switch support, which lets it get in for free in order to switch in and avoid taking a hit so it can begin tearing through opposing teams. Another entertaining use of Copycat is to use Copycat to copy U-Turn or Volt Switch after Riolu is brought in, allowing Riolu's team to continue to gain momentum. Pokemon such as Mienfoo or Chinchou are excellent partners for these reasons. Finally, Pokemon that can check opposing Mienfoo and Psychic- and Flying-type Pokemon are important, so Murkrow, Bronzor, Magnemite, and Scraggy are effective teammates.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>The only other sets that have any value at all for Riolu are an Agility and three attacks set or a Bulk Up set, but neither are worth using over Riolu's other options nor the other Fighting-types in LC.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Unfortunately, as cool as Riolu and its ability are, there are multiple things that can get in its way. The main way to put a stop to Riolu's Copycat shenanigans is to use a faster priority move to interrupt the chain, such as Protect, Fake Out, or a failed Sucker Punch. Mienfoo is a very large problem for Riolu since Fake Out breaks the Copycat chain and Regenerator prevents Mienfoo from taking significant hazard damage. Abra and Solosis are problematic Pokemon as well, as they have Magic Guard to avoid entry hazard damage; Abra also has Protect to interrupt Copycat. However, both are hit hard by Crunch. Opposing Murkrow and Houndour can use Sucker Punch against Riolu to force Copycat to fail, and threaten Riolu with their STAB moves, though games against these two are 50-50; if the Riolu user predicts successfully and uses Roar or an attack, Murkrow and Houndour can be forced out again or KOed. In short, the fastest and easiest ways to handle Riolu would be Protect, Fake Out, Sucker Punch, and faster priority; if the opponent lacks any of these, Riolu is virtually unstoppable—barring the fact that Riolu is unable to phaze the last Pokemon remaining.</p>
 
maybe mention that Riolu can't do anything to last Pokemon? It's legit amazing though, one of the most fun sets I've used in a long time!
 

Ray Jay

"Jump first, ask questions later, oui oui!"
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
approving on the grounds that the set name is changed to "Copycat's got your Tongue"

2/3
 

little gk

competitive oosos player
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
approving on the grounds that ray jay no longer names sets

3/3

edit: blara you best not take a month to write this
 
29 days okay GK? I'll try to write this up before I leave for vacation Saturday.

@ Ray Jay, I think I'll keep the name as is, thank you. As you can see, I have an extra QC check, so I'll just ignore yours!

edit: 28 and it's yours
 
Just saying, if I saw "HOLY F**K" as the set name if I was wanting to use Riolu, I would assume it was a joke set or something... I mean, look at 4th Gen Seaking's article. Seaking is shit in DPP, and it has a somewhat similar set name.

Of course, that may not matter and I may be the only one who thinks this.
 
Yea, I prefer RayJay's name because the profanity is a little too over the top here :(

if you can find a better one im all ears though
(ps, i like "The Copycat's Out of the Bag" or something similar)


edit: Copycat Killer works too
 

Furai

we will become who we are meant to be
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Past SPL Champion
im just saying that if roar is used that way it's -5 priority as prankster boosts moves by a single priority, so it should be noted that timing is a key
 

Ray Jay

"Jump first, ask questions later, oui oui!"
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Actually the timing isn't difficult at all. You switch in on something you force out, boom, Roar. Then you Copycat Roar until your opponent is smart enough to get Mienfoo in. +1 priority Copycat means you will always be copycatting Roar before the opponent can move, with the exception of priority, Fake Out, and the fact that failed Sucker Punch also triggers Copycat which is weird but w/e
 
It's also not difficult predicting Murkrow to use Sucker Punch and using Roar instead, or deciding to Drain Punch something and Copycat that, or anything. It's really not difficult using this Pokemon. Just absolutely satisfying.
 
But GK said I had 28 days =/.

Nah but I'm trying to write this up, I just haven't had really much time in the past week at all, and I start classes today. This'll get done soon cutie pie, probs this weekend, don't you worry.

edit: i wrote it, you happy?????????????
 

Woodchuck

actual cannibal
is a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnus
amchecking
[Overview]

<p>Though unseen throughout the entirety of Little Cup, Riolu was granted Prankster from the Dream World, giving reason to actually use this adorable little thing. Prankster grants Riolu a +1 priority boost to all of its moves that don't inflict direct damage. But how does this ability differentiate Riolu from its fellow Prankster abuser Murkrow, who has a reliable coverage move and significantly more support options, along with better offensive and defensive stats? The key to Riolu's success comes from its jewel of a movesetpool, which both contains both Roar and Copycat. Through Riolu's unique combination of moves and ability, it has what noa niche that cannot be filled by any other Pokemon has: priority phazing. NowThanks to the Dream World, this little cutie is now a force to be reckoned with, providing team support and strong revenging capabilities fromwith its Prankster Copycat.</p>

[SET]
name: Priolu
move 1: Copycat
move 2: Roar
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Crunch
item: Eviolite
ability: Prankster
nature: Impish
evs: 196 HP / 196 Def / 116 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Pretty much, Prankster Copycat is amazing to astronomical levels, and that's really all that can be said for the set. Copycat is the crux of the set, which lets it do a ton of different things all due to that one priority move. After Riolu uses Roar, for example, any instance of Copycat after that Roar will copy Roar, but have +1 priority, granting Riolu priority phazingCopycat is the crux of the set, giving Riolu myriad options to harass the opponent's team. For example, after Riolu uses Roar, it can proceed to use Copycat to copy Roar with +1 priority, allowing Riolu to continuously phaze the opponent's team before its foes can attack. Copycat isn't limited to support options such as Roar, however. Riolu can use a slow Drain Punch, Riolu's main STAB move and only source of healing (unless it uses Copycat after Recover or somethinganother recovery move) and then use Copycat, in order to hit twice in a row without interruption. This comeis very much in handy against Pokemon such as Scraggy, Drilbur, or Murkrow, who are all 2HKOed by Drain Punch. The same method applies for Crunch, which is Riolu's best way of handling Misdreavus, and its only way of touching Natu.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The listed EV spread is used to maximize Riolu's bulk, since it is unnecessary to invest in its offenses or Speed due to the playstyrole of this set. The EV spread maximizes Riolu's physical bulk first, allowing it to live very important attacks such as +1 Scraggy Drain Punch and Life Orb Drilbur Earthquake, and then invests the rest in its special bulk, which gives Riolu good 23 / 21 / 18 defenses after Eviolite. Due to it surviving these benchmarks, along with many otherThanks to its ability to tank these attacks, Riolu can use Drain Punch to attack twice in a row, and thenll the while regaining all of the health it had lost tanking those attacks. The moves on this set are pretty much non-negotiable, however. The only other possibilities are Hi Jump Kick over Drain Punch, though this is inferior due to Riolu being able to hit twice in a row anyways, and Toxic instead of Crunch, which is a decent option but still generally less useful.</p>

<p>While Riolu is a one man army of sorts, it still requires a lot of team support to use effectively. In order to utilize its specialunique priority Roar, it prefers entry hazards being up on the opponent's side. Accordingly, Pokemon such as Dwebble, Ferroseed, Drilbur, Bronzor, Lileep, and Trubbish all make good partners, as they can provide the entry hazard support that Riolu desires. Since Rapid Spin ruins all of Riolu's fun, a Ghost-type Pokemon that can prevent the loss of Riolu's precious hazards is important, so; Misdreavus orand Frillish make fantastic teammates as well. Riolu also appreciates U-Turn or Volt Switch support, which lets it get in for free in order toswitch in and avoid taking a hit so it can begin tearing through opposing teams. What'sAnother entertaining as welluse of Copycat is to use Copycat to copy U-Turn or Volt Switch, letting you after Riolu is brought in, allowing Riolu's team to continue forcto gaing momentum. Pokemon such as Mienfoo or Chinchou are fantastic asexcellent partners for these reasons. Finally, Pokemon that can check opposing Mienfoo and Psychic- and Flying-type Pokemon are important, so Murkrow, Bronzor, Magnemite, and Scraggy make fantasticare effective teammates.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>The only other thing relatively ofset that has any value that Riolu can bring to the table is an Agility three attack set, but it's just not worth itall for Riolu is an Agility and three attacks set, but it's just not worth it over Riolu's other options as well as the other Fighting-types in LC.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Unfortunately, as cool as Riolu and its ability are, there are multiple things that can get in thets way. The main way to get pastput a stop to Riolu's Copycat shenanigans is to interjectuse a faster priority move in there to interrupt the chain, such as Protect, Fake Out, or a failed Sucker Punch. Mienfoo is a very large problem for Riolu, due to Fake Out preventbreaking the Copycat chain, and Regenerator preventing Mienfoo from actually really takingtaking significant hazard damage. Abra and Solosis are problematic Pokemon as well, as they have Magic Guard to avoid entry hazard damage, and Abra; Abra also has Protect to interrupt the chainCopycat. Fortunately, both are hit hard by Crunch. Opposing Murkrow and Houndour can use Sucker Punch against Copycat to force Copycat to fail, and threaten it with itsRiolu with their STAB moves, though games against these two are 50-50. However, if your opponent fails to force his own priority move between Riolu's it's legitimately impossible to stop it. The fastest and easiest ways to handle Riolu would be Protect, Fake Out, Sucker Punch, and faster priority, though without any of these, Riolu is legitimately unstoppable. It unfortunately can't; if the Riolu user predicts successfully and uses Roar or an Attack, Murkrow and Houndour can be forced out again or KOed. In short, the fastest and easiest ways to handle Riolu would be Protect, Fake Out, Sucker Punch, and faster priority; if the opponent lacks any of these, Riolu is virtually unstoppable—barring the fact that Riolu is unable to phaze out the last Pokemon remaining, however.</p>
 
Amateur GP check. Take what you want for it. This looks good for the most part apart from an abundance of multiple spaces between words in the middle of sentences.
Additions in Blue
Subtractions in Red
Comments in Purple


[Overview]

<p>Though previously unseen throughout the entirety (do you mean entirety as in no one used it at all or entirety as in no one used it throughout the history of little cup; if the latter 'entire history' might be better the 'entirety') of Little Cup, Riolu was (two spaces) granted Prankster from the Dream World, giving reason to actually use (you accidentally have two spaces here) this adorable little thing. Prankster grants Riolu a +1 priority boost to all of its moves that don't inflict direct damage. But how does this ability differentiate Riolu from its fellow Prankster (two spaces) abuser Murkrow, who has a reliable coverage move and significantly more (two spaces) support options, along with better offensive and defensive stats? The (two spaces) key to Riolu's success comes from its jewel of a movepool, which contains both Roar and Copycat. Through Riolu's unique combination of moves and ability, it has a niche that cannot be reliably (technically Murkrow has Sleep Talk+Whirlwind) filled by any other Pokemon: priority phazing. Thanks to the Dream World, this little cutie is now a force to be reckoned with, providing team support and strong revenging capabilities with its Prankster Copycat.</p>

[SET]
name: Priolu
move 1: Copycat
move 2: Roar
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Crunch
item: Eviolite
ability: Prankster
nature: Impish
evs: 196 HP / 196 Def / 116 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Copycat (two spaces) is the crux of the set, giving Riolu myriad options to harass the (two spaces) opponent's team. For example, after Riolu uses Roar, it can proceed to (two spaces) use Copycat to copy Roar with +1 priority, allowing Riolu to (two spaces) continuously phaze the opponent's team before its foes can attack. Copycat isn't limited to support options such as Roar, however. (you began your discussion of Copycat+Roar by saying it was an example of the ways copycat can harass the opponent's team on this set; accordingly, I don't think you need to state that Copycat has other purposes before you discuss another example of what it can be used for; don't change this if you disagree however) Furthermore/Additionally/Moreover (only add this if you add my previous change) Riolu (two spaces) can use a slow Drain Punch, Riolu's main STAB move and only source of (two spaces) healing (unless it uses Copycat after Recover or another recovery move) and then use Copycat, in order to hit twice in a row without interruption. This is very handy (two spaces) against Pokemon such as Scraggy, Drilbur, or Murkrow, who are all 2HKOed by Drain Punch. The same method applies for Crunch, which is (two spaces) Riolu's best way of handling Misdreavus, (remove comma) and its only way of touching Natu.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The listed EV spread is used to maximize Riolu's bulk, (you don't need a comma before a since clause at the end of a sentence) since it (two spaces) is unnecessary to invest in its offenses or Speed due to the role (two spaces) of this set. The EV spread maximizes Riolu's physical bulk first, (two spaces) allowing it to live very important attacks such as +1 Scraggy Drain (two spaces) Punch and Life Orb Drilbur Earthquake, and then invests the rest in its (two spaces) special bulk, which gives Riolu good 23 / 21 / 18 defenses after (two spaces) Eviolite. Thanks to its ability to tank these attacks, Riolu can use Drain Punch to attack twice in a row and, all the while regaining all of the health it had lost. The moves on this set are pretty much non-negotiable. The only other possibilities are Hi Jump Kick over Drain Punch, though (two spaces) this the extra power is usually inferior to Drain Punch's recovery as due to Riolu can deal enough damage being able to hitting twice in a row with the latter anyway, and Toxic instead of Crunch, which is a decent option but still generally less useful.</p>

<p>While Riolu is a one man army of sorts, it still requires a lot of team support to use effectively. In order to utilize fully take advantage of its unique (two spaces) priority Roar, it prefers entry hazards being up on the opponent's (two spaces) side. Accordingly, Pokemon such as Dwebble, Ferroseed, Drilbur, Bronzor, (two spaces) Lileep, and Trubbish all make good partners, as they can provide the (two spaces) entry hazard support that Riolu desires. Since Rapid Spin ruins all of Riolu's fun, a Ghost-type Pokemon that can prevent the loss of Riolu's (two spaces) precious hazards is important; Misdreavus and Frillish make fantastic teammates. Riolu also appreciates U-Turn or Volt Switch support, which lets it get in for free in order toswitch in and avoid without taking a hit so it can begin tearing through opposing teams. Another entertaining use of Copycat is to use Copycat to copy U-Turn or Volt Switch after Riolu is brought in, allowing Riolu's team to continue to gain momentum. Pokemon such as Mienfoo or Chinchou are excellent (two spaces) partners for these reasons. Finally, Pokemon that can check opposing (two spaces) Mienfoo and Psychic- and Flying-type Pokemon are important, so Murkrow, (two spaces) Bronzor, Magnemite, and Scraggy are effective teammates.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>The only other sets that have any value at all (two spaces) for Riolu are an Agility and three attacks set or a Bulk Up set, but neither are worth (two spaces) it over Riolu's other options as well as primary set, and both are inferior to those run by the other Fighting-types in LC.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Unfortunately, as cool as Riolu and its ability are, there are multiple things that can get in its way. The main way to put a stop to Riolu's Copycat shenanigans is to use a faster priority move to interrupt the chain, such as Protect, Fake Out, or a failed Sucker (two spaces) Punch. Mienfoo is a very large problem for Riolu, due to Fake Out breaking the Copycat chain, (remove comma; these are just two nouns with modifiers so a comma is unnecessary) and Regenerator preventing Mienfoo from taking significant hazard damage. Abra and Solosis are problematic Pokemon as well, as they have Magic Guard to avoid entry hazard damage; Abra also has often runs Protect, which interupts to interrupt Copycat. Fortunately, both are hit hard by Crunch. Opposing Murkrow and Houndour can use Sucker Punch against Copycat to force Copycat to fail, (remove comma; these are just two verbs clauses so it is unnecessary) and threaten Riolu with their STAB moves, though games against these two are 50-50; (two spaces) if the Riolu user predicts successfully and uses Roar or an Attack, (two spaces) Murkrow and Houndour can be forced out again or KOed. In short, the (two spaces) fastest and easiest ways to handle Riolu would be Protect, Fake Out, (two spaces) Sucker Punch, and faster priority; if the opponent lacks any of these, Riolu is virtually unstoppable unless it runs out of PP—barring the fact that Riolu is unable to it cannot phaze the opponent's last remaining Pokemon remaining.</p>
 
[Overview]

<p>Though unseen throughout the entirety of Little Cup, Riolu was granted Prankster from the Dream World, giving reason to actually use this adorable little thing. Prankster grants Riolu a +1 priority boost to all of its moves that don't inflict direct damage. But how does this ability differentiate Riolu from its fellow Prankster abuser Murkrow, who has a reliable coverage move and significantly more support options, along with better offensive and defensive stats? The key to Riolu's success comes from its jewel of a movepool, which contains both Roar and Copycat. Through Riolu's unique combination of moves and ability, it has a niche that cannot be filled by any other Pokemon: priority phazing. Thanks to the Dream World, this little cutie is now a force to be reckoned with, providing team support and strong revenge killing capabilities with its Prankster Copycat.</p>

[SET]
name: Priolu
move 1: Copycat
move 2: Roar
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Crunch
item: Eviolite
ability: Prankster
nature: Impish
evs: 196 HP / 196 Def / 116 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Copycat is the crux of the set, giving Riolu a myriad of options to harass the opponent's team. For example, after Riolu uses Roar, it can proceed to use Copycat to copy Roar with +1 priority, allowing Riolu to continuously phaze the opponent's team before its foes can attack. Copycat isn't limited to support options such as Roar, however. Riolu can use a slow Drain Punch, Riolu's main STAB move and only source of healing (unless it uses Copycat after Recover or another recovery move) and then use Copycat, in order to hit twice in a row without interruption. This is very handy against Pokemon such as Scraggy, Drilbur, or Murkrow, who are all 2HKOed by Drain Punch. The same method applies for Crunch, which is Riolu's best way of handling Misdreavus, and its only way of touching Natu.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The listed EV spread is used to maximize Riolu's bulk, since it is unnecessary to invest in its offenses or Speed due to the role of this set. The EV spread maximizes Riolu's physical bulk first, allowing it to live very important attacks such as +1 Scraggy Drain Punch and Life Orb Drilbur Earthquake, and then invests the rest; the rest of the EVs are invested in its special bulk, which gives Riolu good 23 / 21 / 18 defenses after Eviolite. Thanks to its ability to tank these attacks, Riolu can use Drain Punch to attack twice in a row, all the while regaining all of the health it had lost. The moves on this set are pretty much non-negotiable. The only other possibilities are Hi Jump Kick over Drain Punch, though this is inferior due to Riolu being able to hit twice in a row anyway, and Toxic instead of Crunch, which is a decent option but still generally less useful.</p>

<p>While Riolu is a one man army of sorts, it still requires a lot of team support to use effectively. In order to utilize its unique priority Roar, it prefers entry hazards being up on the opponent's side. Accordingly, Pokemon such as Dwebble, Ferroseed, Drilbur, Bronzor, Lileep, and Trubbish all make good partners, as they can provide the entry hazard support that Riolu desires. SincBecause Rapid Spin ruins all of Riolu's fun, a Ghost-type Pokemon that can prevent the loss of Riolu's precious hazards is important; Misdreavus and Frillish make fantastic teammates. Riolu also appreciates U-Turn or Volt Switch support, which lets it get in for free in order to (space) switch in and avoid taking a hit so it can begin tearing through opposing teams. Another entertaining use of Copycat is to use Copycat to copy U-Turn or Volt Switch after Riolu is brought in, allowing Riolu's team to continue to gain momentum. Pokemon such as Mienfoo or Chinchou are excellent partners for these reasons. Finally, Pokemon that can check opposing Mienfoo and Psychic- and Flying-type Pokemon are important, so Murkrow, Bronzor, Magnemite, and Scraggy are effective teammates.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>The only other sets that have any value at all for Riolu are an Agility and three attacks set or a Bulk Up set, but neither are worth itusing over Riolu's other options as well as the other Fighting-types in LC.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Unfortunately, as cool as Riolu and its ability are, there are multiple things that can get in its way. The main way to put a stop to Riolu's Copycat shenanigans is to use a faster priority move to interrupt the chain, such as Protect, Fake Out, or a failed Sucker Punch. Mienfoo is a very large problem for Riolu, due to Fake Out breaking the Copycat chain, and Regenerator preventing Mienfoo from taking significant hazard damage. Abra and Solosis are problematic Pokemon as well, as they have Magic Guard to avoid entry hazard damage; Abra also has Protect to interrupt Copycat. FortunatelyHowever, both are hit hard by Crunch. Opposing Murkrow and Houndour can use Sucker Punch against CopycatRiolu to force Copycat to fail, and threaten Riolu with their STAB moves, though games against these two are 50-50; if the Riolu user predicts successfully and uses Roar or an Aattack, Murkrow and Houndour can be forced out again or KOed. In short, the fastest and easiest ways to handle Riolu would be Protect, Fake Out, Sucker Punch, and faster priority; if the opponent lacks any of these, Riolu is virtually unstoppable—barring the fact that Riolu is unable to phaze the last Pokemon remaining.</p>


[Overview]

<p>Though unseen throughout the entirety of Little Cup, Riolu was granted Prankster from the Dream World, giving reason to actually use this adorable little thing. Prankster grants Riolu a +1 priority boost to all of its moves that don't inflict direct damage. But how does this ability differentiate Riolu from its fellow Prankster abuser Murkrow, who has a reliable coverage move and significantly more support options along with better offensive and defensive stats? The key to Riolu's success comes from its jewel of a movepool, which contains both Roar and Copycat. Through Riolu's unique combination of moves and ability, it has a niche that cannot be filled by any other Pokemon: priority phazing. Thanks to the Dream World, this little cutie is now a force to be reckoned with, providing team support and strong revenge killing capabilities with its Prankster Copycat.</p>

[SET]
name: Priolu
move 1: Copycat
move 2: Roar
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Crunch
item: Eviolite
ability: Prankster
nature: Impish
evs: 196 HP / 196 Def / 116 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Copycat is the crux of the set, giving Riolu a myriad of options to harass the opponent's team. For example, after Riolu uses Roar, it can proceed to use Copycat to copy Roar with +1 priority, allowing Riolu to continuously phaze the opponent's team before its foes can attack. Copycat isn't limited to support options such as Roar, however. Riolu can use a slow Drain Punch, Riolu's main STAB move and only source of healing (unless it uses Copycat after Recover or another recovery move) and then use Copycat in order to hit twice in a row without interruption. This is very handy against Pokemon such as Scraggy, Drilbur, or Murkrow, who are all 2HKOed by Drain Punch. The same method applies for Crunch, which is Riolu's best way of handling Misdreavus, and its only way of touching Natu.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The listed EV spread is used to maximize Riolu's bulk, since it is unnecessary to invest in its offenses or Speed due to the role of this set. The EV spread maximizes Riolu's physical bulk first, allowing it to live very important attacks such as +1 Scraggy Drain Punch and Life Orb Drilbur Earthquake; the rest of the EVs are invested in its special bulk, which gives Riolu good 23 / 21 / 18 defenses after Eviolite. Thanks to its ability to tank these attacks, Riolu can use Drain Punch to attack twice in a row, all the while regaining all of the health it had lost. The moves on this set are pretty much non-negotiable. The only other possibilities are Hi Jump Kick over Drain Punch, though this is inferior due to Riolu being able to hit twice in a row anyway, and Toxic instead of Crunch, which is a decent option but still generally less useful.</p>

<p>While Riolu is a one man army of sorts, it still requires a lot of team support to use effectively. In order to utilize its unique priority Roar, it prefers entry hazards being up on the opponent's side. Accordingly, Pokemon such as Dwebble, Ferroseed, Drilbur, Bronzor, Lileep, and Trubbish all make good partners, as they can provide the entry hazard support that Riolu desires. Because Rapid Spin ruins all of Riolu's fun, a Ghost-type Pokemon that can prevent the loss of Riolu's precious hazards is important; Misdreavus and Frillish make fantastic teammates. Riolu also appreciates U-Turn or Volt Switch support, which lets it get in for free in order to switch in and avoid taking a hit so it can begin tearing through opposing teams. Another entertaining use of Copycat is to use Copycat to copy U-Turn or Volt Switch after Riolu is brought in, allowing Riolu's team to continue to gain momentum. Pokemon such as Mienfoo or Chinchou are excellent partners for these reasons. Finally, Pokemon that can check opposing Mienfoo and Psychic- and Flying-type Pokemon are important, so Murkrow, Bronzor, Magnemite, and Scraggy are effective teammates.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>The only other sets that have any value at all for Riolu are an Agility and three attacks set or a Bulk Up set, but neither are worth using over Riolu's other options as well as the other Fighting-types in LC.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Unfortunately, as cool as Riolu and its ability are, there are multiple things that can get in its way. The main way to put a stop to Riolu's Copycat shenanigans is to use a faster priority move to interrupt the chain, such as Protect, Fake Out, or a failed Sucker Punch. Mienfoo is a very large problem for Riolu due to Fake Out breaking the Copycat chain and Regenerator preventing Mienfoo from taking significant hazard damage. Abra and Solosis are problematic Pokemon as well, as they have Magic Guard to avoid entry hazard damage; Abra also has Protect to interrupt Copycat. However, both are hit hard by Crunch. Opposing Murkrow and Houndour can use Sucker Punch against Riolu to force Copycat to fail, and threaten Riolu with their STAB moves, though games against these two are 50-50; if the Riolu user predicts successfully and uses Roar or an attack, Murkrow and Houndour can be forced out again or KOed. In short, the fastest and easiest ways to handle Riolu would be Protect, Fake Out, Sucker Punch, and faster priority; if the opponent lacks any of these, Riolu is virtually unstoppable—barring the fact that Riolu is unable to phaze the last Pokemon remaining.</p>


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