Hey guys, Lucario is one of my favorite pokemon and recently I've gone about trying to build a team centered around him that can still do ok in OU (the only tier I really play in.) I'm just starting to get back into playing after a long time off so my sets might not be exactly optimal and any advice, especially in the EV spread would be much appreciated!
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aura Sphere
- Flash Cannon
- Dark Pulse
- Agility
Like I said, I knew going in that he was going to be the centerpiece of my team so this was a de facto inclusion. The moves are pretty standard fare that cover his bases very well and I went with Agility over the more common Nasty Plot because his Speed is not fast enough to beat most mons and I'm BP-ing through Celebi the majority of the time so he's already x2 boosted most times. I messed around with creating a physical Lucario as well, but ultimately the team just worked better with a Special set.
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Nasty Plot
- Baton Pass
- Recover
Like I said, the difficulty was finding a way to reasonably let Lucario set-up and NP Celebi was the first thing that came to mind. The Defensive set was chosen to tank a couple hits reliably and Recover was chosen to help keep it alive as long as possible as it's really one of the cores of the team. The 108 Speed is specifically to beat Jolly Bisharp who could cause a whole host of problems if left unchecked.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 192 SpD / 68 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
- Protect
- Stealth Rock
A check to Talonflame was absolutely necessary and Heatran does the job pretty well so this was the next choice. With the specially defensive set and solid typing, Heatran can take a hit then Toxic or set up SR depending on the situation. With this team, I don't really have a lot of scouting options so the Protect is specifically to do some digging when it comes to the other team and find out exactly what I'm dealing with.
Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
I needed a mon to come in and kill a lot of things quickly with physical damage and Scarfed T-Tar is where I went. The Lati twins are checked very well by Pursuit-trapping and with Ice Punch there, I've surprised more than one Lando-T with an OHKO. The Stone Edge is just a safe STAB move that deals a ton of damage.
Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance
- Rapid Spin
One of the things I was missing was hazard disposal and it really came down to either Starmie or Exca and when I looked at the rest of the team, it just fit better. I'm very heavy on the Sp. Atk side if I go with Starmie and the synergy between T-Tar's Sand Stream and Exca's Sand Rush is really nice. After a single SD, he can act as an emergency sweeper that takes out a couple pokemon before the storm dies down.
Alakazam-Mega @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Substitute
I deliberated for a long while about who to put in this last spot and I'm still honestly not too sure about Mega Zam. With the BP from Celebi, I can drop him in, force a switch and then Sub(ideally.) Because he's so fragile, the Substitute is absolutely necessary and I chose Psyshock over Psychic to not be completely walled if I'm switched in on by a pokemon with high SpD that would ordinarily wall him.
Like I said, any advice is much appreciated!
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aura Sphere
- Flash Cannon
- Dark Pulse
- Agility
Like I said, I knew going in that he was going to be the centerpiece of my team so this was a de facto inclusion. The moves are pretty standard fare that cover his bases very well and I went with Agility over the more common Nasty Plot because his Speed is not fast enough to beat most mons and I'm BP-ing through Celebi the majority of the time so he's already x2 boosted most times. I messed around with creating a physical Lucario as well, but ultimately the team just worked better with a Special set.
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Nasty Plot
- Baton Pass
- Recover
Like I said, the difficulty was finding a way to reasonably let Lucario set-up and NP Celebi was the first thing that came to mind. The Defensive set was chosen to tank a couple hits reliably and Recover was chosen to help keep it alive as long as possible as it's really one of the cores of the team. The 108 Speed is specifically to beat Jolly Bisharp who could cause a whole host of problems if left unchecked.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 192 SpD / 68 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
- Protect
- Stealth Rock
A check to Talonflame was absolutely necessary and Heatran does the job pretty well so this was the next choice. With the specially defensive set and solid typing, Heatran can take a hit then Toxic or set up SR depending on the situation. With this team, I don't really have a lot of scouting options so the Protect is specifically to do some digging when it comes to the other team and find out exactly what I'm dealing with.
Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
I needed a mon to come in and kill a lot of things quickly with physical damage and Scarfed T-Tar is where I went. The Lati twins are checked very well by Pursuit-trapping and with Ice Punch there, I've surprised more than one Lando-T with an OHKO. The Stone Edge is just a safe STAB move that deals a ton of damage.
Excadrill @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance
- Rapid Spin
One of the things I was missing was hazard disposal and it really came down to either Starmie or Exca and when I looked at the rest of the team, it just fit better. I'm very heavy on the Sp. Atk side if I go with Starmie and the synergy between T-Tar's Sand Stream and Exca's Sand Rush is really nice. After a single SD, he can act as an emergency sweeper that takes out a couple pokemon before the storm dies down.
Alakazam-Mega @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Substitute
I deliberated for a long while about who to put in this last spot and I'm still honestly not too sure about Mega Zam. With the BP from Celebi, I can drop him in, force a switch and then Sub(ideally.) Because he's so fragile, the Substitute is absolutely necessary and I chose Psyshock over Psychic to not be completely walled if I'm switched in on by a pokemon with high SpD that would ordinarily wall him.
Like I said, any advice is much appreciated!
