[Overview]
<p>Anyone who's played against or with
this Riolu should have an inkling of what
Riolu it does: priority phazing. What makes it so dangerous is that if you are caught with hazards on your field, unable to halt Riolu's first Roar, and
have no without any priority
users, left, or at all, on your team, you are basically dead in the water against
the little jackal's its antics of continuously forcing your
pokemon Pokemon in and out of battle, which ensures your defeat will not be a quick and merciful one. That said, its low base stats, most notably Speed, hold it back from being totally unstoppable. It also requires a tremendous amount of support, with hazard setters and spinblockers being mandatory, in order to be successful. The payoff can be very satisfying though if you can pull off the Roar chain with nothing being able to stop you, so underestimate this NFE at your own
risk demise
(I feel like the two parts of this sentence seem to clash a little bit; in the first part you're talking about how the reader might feel if they successfully pull off a Riolu sweep and in the second part you say that as a result of this underestimating Riolu can bring about the reader's demise; it might be a good idea to link those together a little better, but I'll leave whether/how to do that up to your discretion).</p>
[SET]
name: Shuffling
move 1: Roar
move 2: Copycat
move 3: Substitute / Protect
move 4: Protect / Drain Punch / Toxic
item: Eviolite
ability: Prankster
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>For those who don't know what Riolu does, here's the gist of it. Riolu comes
in to into battle to Roar, while ensuring it either stays alive or unstatused
before it pulls off the Roar. Prankster
negligibly boosts Roar's priority to
a negligible -5, but more importantly boosts Copycat's priority to +1. What this means is that Riolu can immediately copy its own Roar and shuffle the opponent again.
Since Because Roar remains the only move last used, as the opponent didn't get to attack, Riolu gets to start a chain of Roars which the opponent is unable to stop unless they themselves have priority that can outspeed Riolu's (though Sucker Punch will fail, it can still disrupt the Copycat chain), so keep that in mind. However, also note that if you do anticipate an opponent's (faster!) priority attack, going for the manual Roar again allows you to keep the chain going without taking a stronger hit.</p>
<p>Copycat itself has uses other than copying Roar: occasionally it can be used to copy an opponent's attack
, such as Sawk or Primeape's Close Combat or Fraxure's Outrage, to finish
them it off should
they it be weakened
, such as Sawk's or Primeape's Close Combat or Fraxure's Outrage. Be aware that Riolu's Special Attack is much too low to be able to do the same to most special attackers, unless they are clinging on with a sliver of health or have poor defenses
in contrast with their and powerful moves. If the opponent cannot KO Riolu before its first Roar, status is the next best option to halt
Riolu's its efforts. A Prankster Substitute can block
their such attempts and allow Riolu to phaze unhindered. Protect works very well with Copycat, as it allows Riolu to be temporarily invulnerable to copy an opponent's move right back at them. The most common scenario you should be using this tactic for is when facing a Taunt user, as Riolu can block the Taunt and then copy it right back to prevent the opponent from using the move
on you.</p>
<p>Substitute and Protect generally make for the best combo, but the last move can
be used instead to improve Riolu's
matchup chances against certain opponents
, particularly the last pokemon standing. Drain Punch gives Riolu a form of recovery and pairs well with Substitute, but its main utility is to swiftly remove most opponents that put up resistance to Riolu’s
(change to straight apostrophe) Roaring chain, such as Magic Coat Bastiodon, Fake Out Kangaskhan, and Prankster Liepard. Copycat can form a good combo with Drain Punch, as it can be used to launch two consecutive blows on faster opponents, essentially dishing out a 150 base power STAB move that heals Riolu before
our its opponent's subsequent attack, an excellent weapon against frail opponents,
(new sentence) and It also gives Riolu a weapon to fight back directly against the opponent’s
(change to straight apostrophe) last
pokemon Pokemon, which cannot be Roared out. Toxic is even more potent than Drain Punch against that last
pokemon Pokemon, though it is pretty much used exclusively for that situation. On the other hand, it does forms a good combo with Protect for stalling poison damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Given Riolu's resistances and how often Riolu is on the receiving end of priority moves, maximizing physical bulk with a spread of 252 HP / 252 Def with an Impish nature is the best way to go, as
it can this drastically
reduce reduces the amount of damage
it takes taken from these moves and
enhance enhances Riolu's effectiveness. Eviolite only helps in this regard. The last 4 EVs can be thrown in Speed, Special Defense or Attack. However,
pokemon Pokemon in the base 60 Speed range either have no priority moves to outspeed Riolu or run max
speed Speed anyway, so investing in
speed Speed will rarely prove game-changing. The same also appiles for Attack and Special Defense, as the boost is usually too insignificant to be of any real help. Alternatively,
a spread of 224 HP / 252 Def / 32 Spd with a Jolly nature allows
you Riolu to outspeed Jolly Carracosta's Aqua Jet while 68
Spd Speed EVs with the spread
(again moving HP EVs into Speed) 188 HP / 252 Def / 68 Spd outpaces max
speed Speed non-Jolly Golem, but
will notably
detract detracts from
your Riolu's ability to withstand other faster priority.</p>
<p>Riolu’s
(change to straight apostrophe) main targets are opponents that rely on just attacks (that don't KO) alone or defensive
pokemon who Pokemon that rely on status as their main
form of damage
output. For the former, opponents such as Golem, Piloswine, Gurdurr, Kangaskhan, Primeape, Carracosta
(add comma) and Scolipede can be Roared against, although Riolu will have to take a beating (sometimes a near fatal one) to do so. Taking advantage of a resisted or weaker Choiced attack, such as Stone Edge or unSTABed Ice Punch, is also another way to do this. For defensive
pokemon Pokemon, using Substitute to block their attempts at status can buy you time to Roar
or cripple them with their own moves thanks to Copycat, while the likes of uninvested Miltank’s
(change to straight apostrophe) Body Slam, Alomomola’s
(change to straight apostrophe) Waterfall, uninvested Regirock’s
(change to straight apostrophe) Earthquake and Lickilicky’s
(change to straight apostrophe) Dragon Tail cannot break
your Sub Riolu's Substitute in one hit.
This grants you an An intact
Sub Substitute also provides an excellent insurance against faster priority while chain
phasing, an excellent insurance against faster priority phazing.
At times you can even Copycat the status move, such as Toxic or Thunder Wave, right back to cripple them.</p>
<p>While Riolu can hold its own against the opponent's efforts to stop it, it still needs support to function at
his its best.
Hazards Entry hazards are mandatory to utilize Riolu's priority Roars, as with Stealth Rock and Spikes on the field, few opponents
would be able to can survive the onslaught. Toxic Spikes are useful to speed up the process, but
isn’t aren't mandatory. Scolipede, Garbodor
(add comma) and Roselia are among the premier Spikers in the tier, as they can deal with most offensive threats, physical threats
(add comma) and special threats respectively and can throw in Toxic Spikes while soaking them up for good measure. However, be aware that every Spiker in NU bar Glalie
clashes shares weaknesses with Riolu, so a good defensive core to handle
Psychic and/or Psychic- and / or Flying-type threats is highly recommended. A Stealth Rock user is in the same boat, being crucial for Riolu's success. Fortunately, not only are they numerous, but they also (usually) cover up both Riolu and the Spiker's weaknesses. Golem, Regirock, Carracosta
(add comma) and Metang are just a few options to consider for the slot. A spinblocker is necessary to prevent the opponent from wasting your efforts with a single Rapid Spin. Misdreavus has the greatest survivability among the spinblockers in NU, but other Ghost-types such as Frillish, Golurk
(add comma) and Haunter can still work to a degree. Finally, cleric support allows Riolu a second chance should its chain be threatened or disrupted by powerful priority or status.
A teammate Teammates that know Wish
and/or and / or Heal Bell are fantastic options, with Lickilicky, Audino, Altaria,
the aforementioned Misdreavus
(add comma) or and Alomomola being notable candidates.</p>
<p>The trick to using Riolu is to find an
oppurtunity opportunity to safely Roar against an opponent who can't KO Riolu or has trouble breaking its
Sub Substitute,
namely such as one using a weaker Choiced attack. While Riolu can go toe-to-toe against most priority attacks, it definitely appreciates them out of the way first, as Riolu is forced to play mindgames or take damage: if the opponent predicts you
to will manually Roar,
he/she may he or she might simply hit you with a more powerful move, Taunt
(add comma) or a status condition, which will indefinitely cripple Riolu. One should also take note of the opponent's abilities
, such as and watch out for Soundproof, Suction Cups, Trace
(add comma) or and Prankster, as they can disrupt your chain, the former two without even trying. Thankfully,
all Soundproof and Suction Cups
pokemon Pokemon have better abilities to use, making them less common.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Roar + Copycat
(add comma) while potent (add comma) is pretty much all Riolu has going for it
(though there's no denying that it can be potent), so other playstyle options are out of the question. Focus Sash allows Riolu to phaze against much stronger threats, but is greatly inferior to Eviolite
Riolu,
who has which grants Riolu greater staying power,
can allows it to take priority attacks
(add comma) and isn't rendered useless by
entry hazards. Other movepool options include Iron Defense and Agility, which
bolsters bolster Riolu's
capability ability to withstand priority
or makes and make it much harder to outpace with priority, respectively. However, Riolu should generally try to start the chain as soon as possible, as one timely switch on
your its setup move and
Riolu its loses a golden opportunity, not to mention
the move doesn't guard neither move guards against status. Crunch is pretty much only for Natu, who is so rare it is hardly worth considering and should be handled by teammates anyway.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Riolu is easiest to stop on the turn it first uses Roar. If you can KO, status
(add comma) or Taunt it, you're in the clear (
though keep in mind that Taunt can backfire). However, once it gets started, stopping it becomes that much trickier. Magic Coat is the easiest way to stop Riolu, though fitting it on a team can be hard and the most popular user, Bastiodon, loses to Riolu’s
(change to straight apostrophe) Drain Punch. Common misconceptions that priority easily stops it are
flipped on their heads set straight if the Riolu user manually Roars on that turn. Nonetheless, Riolu can still be brought down with repeated bashings of priority, though whether or not it's too late for your team depends on how often Roar brings in your priority user. Moves with even higher priority, such as
Extreemespeed ExtremeSpeed and Protect, can stop the chain even if the user is naturally slower than Riolu, though using Protect brings the risk of giving Riolu a free
Sub Substitute, while users of
Extreemespeed ExtremeSpeed are so frail Riolu can beat them down with Drain Punch. Pokemon with certain abilities can halt Riolu's advances, such as
those with Soundproof, Magic Bounce, Suction Cups, Trace
(add comma) and ironically Prankster; Magic Guard and Regenerator can also
prevent or counteract the damage from
entry hazards
Riolu's constant shuffling forces. Rapid Spin drastically reduces Riolu's effectiveness, as it needs
the entry hazards to fully take advantage of its priority-shuffling. At the end of the day, you simply have to outplay Riolu. Knowing when to throw out a priority move or hit Riolu with your strongest move, status
(add comma) or Taunt amidst a Roaring chain
can be the is key to
defeat Riolu defeating it.</p>
