Hey, guys. RedMeowth here. Long time lurker, first time serious RMT poster. This is a team I conceived over the past few months, based on one of the bigger threats in the metagame: Swords Dance Lucario. I’ve had a pretty good streak with this team, but I’m looking for ways to hopefully improve it. I’m not too confident in my team-building skills.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1.) This is a Nintendo DS team, not for Shoddy. I’ll be using it locally and on Wi-Fi, and some of my opponents may still use Diamond and Pearl. Hopefully, this will not be the case in the near future.
2.) I bred these Pokemon, but I only breed them up until the stats I’m looking to max with these guys are acceptable. The EV spreads, as a result, are not always the exact EVs of the Pokemon, but they are guidelines I followed for them.
TEAM BUILDING PROCESS:
Lucario is one of my favorite Pokemon, so I wanted to base the team around him. To conserve a TM, and because it would give me phenomenal coverage, I went with the Crunching version.
A while back, there was discussion around these forums where people would pack Pokemon with similar counters on the same team in order to weaken the opponents. I wanted to try this strategy out, so I needed a physically-attacking Steel-type to work with. Scizor seemed to fit the bill very well. Having a scout or revenge killer wouldn’t hurt, either.
I was starting to show a weakness to fire attacks, and I would rather avoid that. Another attacker, preferably something with special attacks, would be good to have, too. Maybe something to tear down walls? Maybe Salamence?
I still wanted more fireproofing. I considered a few different water-types in this spot, but I ultimately decided to try a bulky Starmie set because it would be nice to have Rapid Spin on my side to save Salamence.
I had a nice base now, but Stealth Rocks would be nice to help my Lucario sweep at the end of the match. I also wanted something to take electric moves well and something that had Ice Beam, so I might stand a chance against enemy Salamence. Swampert could do all of this, so let’s stick him at the helm.
The dreaded last slot. This is hard for me to pick, usually. I had a feeling Gyarados could be trouble for me, even with Starmie. Also, some kind of revenge killer besides Scizor would be helpful. Finally, I wanted something to keep Stealth Rocks on the field when a spinner came out. This led me to choose Rotom for the final slot. The only reason it isn’t an appliance is because some of my opponents use Diamond and Pearl still.
So, let’s take a peek under the microscope at these guys.
SWAMPERT @ Leftovers
Torrent
Relaxed nature, 252 HP, 252 Defense, 4 Attack
Stealth Rock
Earthquake
Ice Beam
Protect
My lead and one of my defensive creatures. Swampert blocks electric attacks, it lays down Stealth Rocks, and Ice Beam is a main line of defense against Flying and Dragon Pokemon. If it survives the beginning of the game, which it often does, I can bring it in later to stop some of the fire attacks of the enemy.
Stealth Rock is to chip away at powerful fliers that can threaten Lucario, such as Gyarados, Salamence, or Zapdos. Earthquake is here for a powerful STAB move, and I wanted at least one Pokemon at my side that can use this powerful attack. Ice Beam is supposed to be an aid against Dragon Pokemon, but Swampert is going to get hit before he can attack, so it’s not helping that much. I call Protect when I want to know what the opponent is going to do next because I can’t figure it out.
Vs. Azelf: I can try to use Stealth Rock on it. If it has Taunt, I won’t get them up now. If it doesn’t taunt, Rocks go up. After that, I’m probably safest going to Rotom. Azelf will probably either use Psychic or Explosion. If Psychic, I can Shadow Ball Azelf.
Vs. Aerodactyl: VERY likely, it’s going to taunt me, so I’ll just use Ice Beam on the first turn to do some damage. Stealth Rocks are going up against me, so Starmie will just have to come out later to expel them.
Vs. Metagross: Probably in my best interest to Protect the first turn just to see the set. If it uses Trick, Rotom is probably my best switch-in. Just Discharge on it, then. Otherwise, I’ll set up Stealth Rock, and if Swampert is still alive, I’ll Earthquake it.
Vs. Swampert: Stealth Rock at first; he can’t stop me. Then again, I can’t stop him. Ice Beam after that because it might do decent damage to anything that isn’t a bulky water.
Vs. Jirachi: Geez… It probably has Choice Scarf, which it will trick onto me. Therefore, rather than Stealth Rock, I should dent it with Earthquake.
Vs. Infernape: Let’s see, I’m getting flinched on Turn 1 unless I switch to Rotom. If I keep Swampert in, I can probably throw up Rocks next turn, but I probably lose Swampert after a couple of Close Combats. Rotom will be able to hit Infernape with Discharge. Maybe it can paralyze it so that rocks don’t go up, but that’s still about a 1-in-3 shot.
Vs. Machamp: Set up Stealth Rocks and get either Encored or face a Substitute. Swap to Rotom on the second turn to avoid the Dynamic Punch, and Shadow Ball the Substitute away.
Vs. Ninjask: I HATE this Pokemon. I HATE that freaking Substitute + Protect combo that punks use. I’ll set up Stealth Rock, but there isn’t a lot else I can do besides Ice Beam the Substitutes.
Vs. Roserade: Roserade will probably use Sleep Powder on the first turn. I lose.
Vs. Tyranitar: Wow. I actually stand a chance here! Use Stealth Rock to set up, then Earthquake to take down Tyranitar after a couple of uses.
Changes considered: Looking over this, Swampert doesn’t seem like a very good lead, does he? And he isn’t really pulling his weight mid-game because either: 1.) He’s poisoned, 2.) I can’t find a good time to switch him in, or 3.) He’s dead. I’ve been considering at the very least not making him the lead and bringing him in later in the game to Stealth Rock. If he does get pushed back in order, I might swap Protect for either Surf or Toxic to give me either more Water power or the ability to poison enemies. If that doesn’t work, I’m up for switching him with some other Pokemon entirely. Any ideas?
ROTOM @ Choice Scarf
Levitate
Modest nature, 252 Sp.Atk, 252 Speed, 4 HP
Discharge
Shadow Ball
Trick
Will-O-Wisp
Rotom is supposed to glue the team together, but since I’m fighting on Wi-Fi, I can’t put it into an appliance without Action Replay (one of my opponents actually did this). So, why did I even choose Rotom, anyway? First, I wanted a ghost on my team to keep enemies from Spinning the Stealth Rocks away. However, in ten battles, I have fought nobody who spun the rocks away. I was aiming to try and have at least one resistance per type (preferably two), and Rotom provided flying resistance. Having another electric resist was a nice bonus, too, especially in the likely event that Swampert died. I chose the Choice Scarf set to try and revenge kill things that it would have a better time beating than Scizor would (*cough*Gyarados*cough*).
I chose Discharge over Thunderbolt because it can still do a lot to those weak to it and because of the higher paralysis rate. Shadow Ball is here for STAB, and I like how it can drain the opponent’s Special Defense. Trick is to try and lock opponents into a move they don’t want to use or forcing them to make just one move. Will-O-Wisp is filler, but I chose that because it can cripple physical attackers like Tyranitar (and because Substitute + Choice Scarf = fail).
Changes considered: This is one Pokemon I’m willing to swap out completely, honestly. I can’t get the forms to fight on Wi-Fi without hacking, and Rotom is a bit on the frail side. I would like to have a Choice Scarf user on my side, though, preferably one who can lure Ghost or Dark attacks that Lucario could switch in on. I would consider Latias, but she could be banned from the tier soon.
STARMIE @ Leftovers
Natural Cure
Timid nature, 216 Speed, 136 HP, 156 Def
Surf
Thunderbolt
Rapid Spin
Recover
Starmie is currently my bulky Water-type. It is supposed to be able to take hits from fire, water, ice, steel, and anything else that’s “not very effective”. More importantly, since Salamence is kind of a key player for my team, it packs Rapid Spin to dispatch Stealth Rocks. So far, though, I have found its defensive capabilities underwhelming. Still, it does help to take out Infernape, bulky waters, and possibly Heatran.
Surf is so that Starmie can have a powerful STAB Water attack. Rapid Spin, as I mentioned, is meant to dispel entry hazards, particularly Stealth Rock (though Toxic Spikes could be an issue for Swampert). I chose Thunderbolt over Ice Beam because I was more paranoid about Gyarados than Salamence. Now, I’m not so sure, though. Since this Starmie is supposed to be bulky, Recover seemed appropriate to try and survive.
Changes considered: Remember how I said I might want to take Swampert out of the lead position? I’ve considered using Starmie as my lead, though probably with a different moveset. Most likely, it would be a Timid Starmie with Hydro Pump, Grass Knot, Ice Beam, and Rapid Spin while wearing an Expert Belt. That, or at the very least MAYBE replacing Thunderbolt with Ice Beam. Or using the Choice Scarf set. Starmie seems awesome in theory, so I want the practice to be just as awesome. I will NOT remove it, though.
SALAMENCE @ Life Orb
Intimidate
Naïve nature, 252 Speed, 240 Sp.Atk, 16 Atk
Draco Meteor
Fire Blast
Brick Break
Roost
Mixmence tears Pokemon apart like they were made of tissue paper. This is approximately the EV spread of the new version and the moves of the classic version. I did this because I liked having Roost around but wanted a faster Salamence. If I need to break down enemies who are really tough, Salamence is often my go-to Pokemon. Often times in my matches, he might drop two or three enemies, sometimes without even having to switch after using Draco Meteor. Intimidate also helps to scare off physical attacks. I primarily included Salamence in the team because his typing covers all of Lucario’s weaknesses, and vice versa. This has been my answer to bulky ground Pokemon when Swampert is down and Starmie can’t take the hit. In short, he is often my MVP at the end of the match.
Draco Meteor is destruction given form. Even when Salamence’s Special Attack is cut to half of what it was at first, he can do devastating and often fatal damage to anything that isn’t made of metal. For enemies who are made of metal, though, Fire Blast will do a lot of damage to them. Brick Break is here mainly because I didn’t want to spend forever trying to get an Earthquake TM, but it’s still useful on Pokemon like Heatran (as well as some Dark-types). Of course, with Life Orb, Salamence gets worn down easily. Roost will help him hold on a bit longer.
Changes considered: Salamence has been such a boon to this team, I’ve almost wondered if he was evil. Maybe I’m overwhelming foes a bit too much with it. Because of that, I’ve wondered if Dragonite could work well in its stead. Gyarados might also work here, since he also Intimidates. This change is more to give myself a greater challenge, though, so don’t take it too seriously.
SCIZOR @ Choice Band
Technician
Adamant nature, 232 HP, 160 Sp.Def, 96 Attack, 20 Speed (I’m actually not sure if this is even the spread. It’s been so long since I trained this one. The point is that it’s supposed to be more specially bulky than powerful.)
Bullet Punch
U-Turn
Pursuit
Superpower
I’m sure you’re all familiar with Choice Band Scizor; it has been the most common Pokemon on Smogon teams since Platinum came out and gave it Bullet Punch. I chose Scizor not necessarily because she was popular, but because I felt she could work well with my Lucario. The idea is that Scizor draws out and wounds Pokemon that would be able to beat Lucario, leaving them for Salamence, Starmie, and Rotom to shut down. This way, Lucario could come in without much of a problem (although, the plan has worked in reverse as well :P) Scizor’s EV set was designed not with power in mind, but rather so that it can take Special Attacks like a champ and hit the special attackers back.
Bullet Punch on Scizor… need I say more? U-Turn is useful for getting out of situations Scizor doesn’t want to face while doing at least some damage. I have yet to encounter a case where Superpower is particularly useful, but I suppose it’s for Magnezone. I actually like Pursuit because it gives me some way to hit ghosts and dark-types. It’s particularly good if they swap out.
Changes considered: Like Salamence, I haven’t considered many changes to Scizor because she has been working really well for the team. Again, any changes I propose are just to be odd, such as replacing Scizor with Scarfed Jirachi. Scizor’s doing well, though.
LUCARIO @ Shuca Berry
Steadfast (though Inner Focus would work, too)
Adamant nature, 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 Defense
Swords Dance
Close Combat
Extreme Speed
Crunch
Finally, we get to the star of the show, Swords Dance Lucario. I still think he can be a potent threat in the metagame, even if ScarfTar is dominating now. Lucario is decently fast, he is immune to poison and sandstorms, he takes very little damage from Stealth Rocks, he packs a strong priority move, and he’s powerful. This guy is meant to come out once the opponent is decently weakened and ready to lose. Sometimes, he comes out prematurely, however, or he doesn’t take the stage at all. If I do get Lucario out, however, he can defeat foes rather easily.
Right now, as you may have noticed, Lucario is holding a Shuca Berry instead of a Life Orb. On my Platinum game, I currently have only one Life Orb, so I gave this berry to Lucario instead. I chose Shuca over Occa or Chople because I figured Lucario would be more likely to get hit by Earthquakes than fire attacks. What do you think?
Swords Dance is there, obviously, to sharpen Lucario’s power to impressive levels. Close Combat allows it to deal massive damage to an opponent, especially after a Swords Dance, though it does leave him weak to the opponent’s next move should they survive / revenge kill. I use Extreme Speed if I don’t think he can take the next attack and think Luke can beat the opponent. It’s also used when Close Combat is not very effective, in which case, I don’t want to risk the enemy’s survival when I’m at -1 Defense. Crunch is here to hit slower ghosts and psychics and gain altogether neutral coverage on every opponent I face. The defense-down effect of Crunch doesn’t hurt either.
Changes considered: Seeing as this is the focus Pokemon of the team, I don’t want to change it. However, I have considered breeding one with Bullet Punch instead of either Crunch (requires Hitmonchan) or Extreme Speed (with Smeargle, Crunch and Bullet Punch is possible). I’m leaning more towards replacing Crunch because Bullet Punch will work better for Pokemon who outrun Luke but resist Extreme Speed (*cough*Gengar*cough*). I lose coverage on Rotom, but this is a Wi-Fi team, so Rotom should almost be a non-factor (aside from me and one other guy I faced). If I do want / need to breed another Lucario, I might try for Inner Focus as its ability since that outright cancels flinching rather than triggering something when he's flinched.
I’ve had some problems against the following Pokemon or tactics:
Zapdos: One of my opponents had a SubRoost Zapdos that was a pain to beat. Swampert was down at the time thanks to his Roserade, and that was my best shot. I eventually clipped it with Rotom’s Discharge (I think), but it endured like a champ. Swampert seems to be my best shot at any Zapdos right now, but some might carry HP Grass instead of Heat Wave or HP Ice.
Electric-types in general: Swampert is supposed to help me against Electric-types, but by the time one appears, Swampert might be dead, and there’s always the chance of HP Grass. I use Rotom’s Shadow Ball a lot of the time to deal with Electivire or Jolteon, and Discharge for Zapdos. I have yet to fight a Magnezone, but if Swampert’s down, then, I guess my best shot is either Scizor’s Superpower or Salamence’s Fire Blast.
Substitute + Protect: As I mentioned earlier, I HATE this combination because you get very few chances to hit the enemy. I was so close to victory in one match, but my opponent had a Venusaur with Substitute, Protect, Leech Seed, Toxic, and Black Sludge. I know that priority moves are usually the best thing to use against opponents like this, but even a +4 Extreme Speed from Lucario (I figured I would boost while he protected) couldn’t finish off that Venusaur (and I ran out).
So, there’s my team. Rate away and help me improve it if you can. Feel free, even, to berate me for being kinda noobish. I may not take all advice, but I’ll listen.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1.) This is a Nintendo DS team, not for Shoddy. I’ll be using it locally and on Wi-Fi, and some of my opponents may still use Diamond and Pearl. Hopefully, this will not be the case in the near future.
2.) I bred these Pokemon, but I only breed them up until the stats I’m looking to max with these guys are acceptable. The EV spreads, as a result, are not always the exact EVs of the Pokemon, but they are guidelines I followed for them.
TEAM BUILDING PROCESS:
Lucario is one of my favorite Pokemon, so I wanted to base the team around him. To conserve a TM, and because it would give me phenomenal coverage, I went with the Crunching version.
A while back, there was discussion around these forums where people would pack Pokemon with similar counters on the same team in order to weaken the opponents. I wanted to try this strategy out, so I needed a physically-attacking Steel-type to work with. Scizor seemed to fit the bill very well. Having a scout or revenge killer wouldn’t hurt, either.
I was starting to show a weakness to fire attacks, and I would rather avoid that. Another attacker, preferably something with special attacks, would be good to have, too. Maybe something to tear down walls? Maybe Salamence?
I still wanted more fireproofing. I considered a few different water-types in this spot, but I ultimately decided to try a bulky Starmie set because it would be nice to have Rapid Spin on my side to save Salamence.
I had a nice base now, but Stealth Rocks would be nice to help my Lucario sweep at the end of the match. I also wanted something to take electric moves well and something that had Ice Beam, so I might stand a chance against enemy Salamence. Swampert could do all of this, so let’s stick him at the helm.
The dreaded last slot. This is hard for me to pick, usually. I had a feeling Gyarados could be trouble for me, even with Starmie. Also, some kind of revenge killer besides Scizor would be helpful. Finally, I wanted something to keep Stealth Rocks on the field when a spinner came out. This led me to choose Rotom for the final slot. The only reason it isn’t an appliance is because some of my opponents use Diamond and Pearl still.
So, let’s take a peek under the microscope at these guys.
Torrent
Relaxed nature, 252 HP, 252 Defense, 4 Attack
Stealth Rock
Earthquake
Ice Beam
Protect
My lead and one of my defensive creatures. Swampert blocks electric attacks, it lays down Stealth Rocks, and Ice Beam is a main line of defense against Flying and Dragon Pokemon. If it survives the beginning of the game, which it often does, I can bring it in later to stop some of the fire attacks of the enemy.
Stealth Rock is to chip away at powerful fliers that can threaten Lucario, such as Gyarados, Salamence, or Zapdos. Earthquake is here for a powerful STAB move, and I wanted at least one Pokemon at my side that can use this powerful attack. Ice Beam is supposed to be an aid against Dragon Pokemon, but Swampert is going to get hit before he can attack, so it’s not helping that much. I call Protect when I want to know what the opponent is going to do next because I can’t figure it out.
Vs. Azelf: I can try to use Stealth Rock on it. If it has Taunt, I won’t get them up now. If it doesn’t taunt, Rocks go up. After that, I’m probably safest going to Rotom. Azelf will probably either use Psychic or Explosion. If Psychic, I can Shadow Ball Azelf.
Vs. Aerodactyl: VERY likely, it’s going to taunt me, so I’ll just use Ice Beam on the first turn to do some damage. Stealth Rocks are going up against me, so Starmie will just have to come out later to expel them.
Vs. Metagross: Probably in my best interest to Protect the first turn just to see the set. If it uses Trick, Rotom is probably my best switch-in. Just Discharge on it, then. Otherwise, I’ll set up Stealth Rock, and if Swampert is still alive, I’ll Earthquake it.
Vs. Swampert: Stealth Rock at first; he can’t stop me. Then again, I can’t stop him. Ice Beam after that because it might do decent damage to anything that isn’t a bulky water.
Vs. Jirachi: Geez… It probably has Choice Scarf, which it will trick onto me. Therefore, rather than Stealth Rock, I should dent it with Earthquake.
Vs. Infernape: Let’s see, I’m getting flinched on Turn 1 unless I switch to Rotom. If I keep Swampert in, I can probably throw up Rocks next turn, but I probably lose Swampert after a couple of Close Combats. Rotom will be able to hit Infernape with Discharge. Maybe it can paralyze it so that rocks don’t go up, but that’s still about a 1-in-3 shot.
Vs. Machamp: Set up Stealth Rocks and get either Encored or face a Substitute. Swap to Rotom on the second turn to avoid the Dynamic Punch, and Shadow Ball the Substitute away.
Vs. Ninjask: I HATE this Pokemon. I HATE that freaking Substitute + Protect combo that punks use. I’ll set up Stealth Rock, but there isn’t a lot else I can do besides Ice Beam the Substitutes.
Vs. Roserade: Roserade will probably use Sleep Powder on the first turn. I lose.
Vs. Tyranitar: Wow. I actually stand a chance here! Use Stealth Rock to set up, then Earthquake to take down Tyranitar after a couple of uses.
Changes considered: Looking over this, Swampert doesn’t seem like a very good lead, does he? And he isn’t really pulling his weight mid-game because either: 1.) He’s poisoned, 2.) I can’t find a good time to switch him in, or 3.) He’s dead. I’ve been considering at the very least not making him the lead and bringing him in later in the game to Stealth Rock. If he does get pushed back in order, I might swap Protect for either Surf or Toxic to give me either more Water power or the ability to poison enemies. If that doesn’t work, I’m up for switching him with some other Pokemon entirely. Any ideas?
Levitate
Modest nature, 252 Sp.Atk, 252 Speed, 4 HP
Discharge
Shadow Ball
Trick
Will-O-Wisp
Rotom is supposed to glue the team together, but since I’m fighting on Wi-Fi, I can’t put it into an appliance without Action Replay (one of my opponents actually did this). So, why did I even choose Rotom, anyway? First, I wanted a ghost on my team to keep enemies from Spinning the Stealth Rocks away. However, in ten battles, I have fought nobody who spun the rocks away. I was aiming to try and have at least one resistance per type (preferably two), and Rotom provided flying resistance. Having another electric resist was a nice bonus, too, especially in the likely event that Swampert died. I chose the Choice Scarf set to try and revenge kill things that it would have a better time beating than Scizor would (*cough*Gyarados*cough*).
I chose Discharge over Thunderbolt because it can still do a lot to those weak to it and because of the higher paralysis rate. Shadow Ball is here for STAB, and I like how it can drain the opponent’s Special Defense. Trick is to try and lock opponents into a move they don’t want to use or forcing them to make just one move. Will-O-Wisp is filler, but I chose that because it can cripple physical attackers like Tyranitar (and because Substitute + Choice Scarf = fail).
Changes considered: This is one Pokemon I’m willing to swap out completely, honestly. I can’t get the forms to fight on Wi-Fi without hacking, and Rotom is a bit on the frail side. I would like to have a Choice Scarf user on my side, though, preferably one who can lure Ghost or Dark attacks that Lucario could switch in on. I would consider Latias, but she could be banned from the tier soon.
Natural Cure
Timid nature, 216 Speed, 136 HP, 156 Def
Surf
Thunderbolt
Rapid Spin
Recover
Starmie is currently my bulky Water-type. It is supposed to be able to take hits from fire, water, ice, steel, and anything else that’s “not very effective”. More importantly, since Salamence is kind of a key player for my team, it packs Rapid Spin to dispatch Stealth Rocks. So far, though, I have found its defensive capabilities underwhelming. Still, it does help to take out Infernape, bulky waters, and possibly Heatran.
Surf is so that Starmie can have a powerful STAB Water attack. Rapid Spin, as I mentioned, is meant to dispel entry hazards, particularly Stealth Rock (though Toxic Spikes could be an issue for Swampert). I chose Thunderbolt over Ice Beam because I was more paranoid about Gyarados than Salamence. Now, I’m not so sure, though. Since this Starmie is supposed to be bulky, Recover seemed appropriate to try and survive.
Changes considered: Remember how I said I might want to take Swampert out of the lead position? I’ve considered using Starmie as my lead, though probably with a different moveset. Most likely, it would be a Timid Starmie with Hydro Pump, Grass Knot, Ice Beam, and Rapid Spin while wearing an Expert Belt. That, or at the very least MAYBE replacing Thunderbolt with Ice Beam. Or using the Choice Scarf set. Starmie seems awesome in theory, so I want the practice to be just as awesome. I will NOT remove it, though.
Intimidate
Naïve nature, 252 Speed, 240 Sp.Atk, 16 Atk
Draco Meteor
Fire Blast
Brick Break
Roost
Mixmence tears Pokemon apart like they were made of tissue paper. This is approximately the EV spread of the new version and the moves of the classic version. I did this because I liked having Roost around but wanted a faster Salamence. If I need to break down enemies who are really tough, Salamence is often my go-to Pokemon. Often times in my matches, he might drop two or three enemies, sometimes without even having to switch after using Draco Meteor. Intimidate also helps to scare off physical attacks. I primarily included Salamence in the team because his typing covers all of Lucario’s weaknesses, and vice versa. This has been my answer to bulky ground Pokemon when Swampert is down and Starmie can’t take the hit. In short, he is often my MVP at the end of the match.
Draco Meteor is destruction given form. Even when Salamence’s Special Attack is cut to half of what it was at first, he can do devastating and often fatal damage to anything that isn’t made of metal. For enemies who are made of metal, though, Fire Blast will do a lot of damage to them. Brick Break is here mainly because I didn’t want to spend forever trying to get an Earthquake TM, but it’s still useful on Pokemon like Heatran (as well as some Dark-types). Of course, with Life Orb, Salamence gets worn down easily. Roost will help him hold on a bit longer.
Changes considered: Salamence has been such a boon to this team, I’ve almost wondered if he was evil. Maybe I’m overwhelming foes a bit too much with it. Because of that, I’ve wondered if Dragonite could work well in its stead. Gyarados might also work here, since he also Intimidates. This change is more to give myself a greater challenge, though, so don’t take it too seriously.
Technician
Adamant nature, 232 HP, 160 Sp.Def, 96 Attack, 20 Speed (I’m actually not sure if this is even the spread. It’s been so long since I trained this one. The point is that it’s supposed to be more specially bulky than powerful.)
Bullet Punch
U-Turn
Pursuit
Superpower
I’m sure you’re all familiar with Choice Band Scizor; it has been the most common Pokemon on Smogon teams since Platinum came out and gave it Bullet Punch. I chose Scizor not necessarily because she was popular, but because I felt she could work well with my Lucario. The idea is that Scizor draws out and wounds Pokemon that would be able to beat Lucario, leaving them for Salamence, Starmie, and Rotom to shut down. This way, Lucario could come in without much of a problem (although, the plan has worked in reverse as well :P) Scizor’s EV set was designed not with power in mind, but rather so that it can take Special Attacks like a champ and hit the special attackers back.
Bullet Punch on Scizor… need I say more? U-Turn is useful for getting out of situations Scizor doesn’t want to face while doing at least some damage. I have yet to encounter a case where Superpower is particularly useful, but I suppose it’s for Magnezone. I actually like Pursuit because it gives me some way to hit ghosts and dark-types. It’s particularly good if they swap out.
Changes considered: Like Salamence, I haven’t considered many changes to Scizor because she has been working really well for the team. Again, any changes I propose are just to be odd, such as replacing Scizor with Scarfed Jirachi. Scizor’s doing well, though.
Steadfast (though Inner Focus would work, too)
Adamant nature, 252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 Defense
Swords Dance
Close Combat
Extreme Speed
Crunch
Finally, we get to the star of the show, Swords Dance Lucario. I still think he can be a potent threat in the metagame, even if ScarfTar is dominating now. Lucario is decently fast, he is immune to poison and sandstorms, he takes very little damage from Stealth Rocks, he packs a strong priority move, and he’s powerful. This guy is meant to come out once the opponent is decently weakened and ready to lose. Sometimes, he comes out prematurely, however, or he doesn’t take the stage at all. If I do get Lucario out, however, he can defeat foes rather easily.
Right now, as you may have noticed, Lucario is holding a Shuca Berry instead of a Life Orb. On my Platinum game, I currently have only one Life Orb, so I gave this berry to Lucario instead. I chose Shuca over Occa or Chople because I figured Lucario would be more likely to get hit by Earthquakes than fire attacks. What do you think?
Swords Dance is there, obviously, to sharpen Lucario’s power to impressive levels. Close Combat allows it to deal massive damage to an opponent, especially after a Swords Dance, though it does leave him weak to the opponent’s next move should they survive / revenge kill. I use Extreme Speed if I don’t think he can take the next attack and think Luke can beat the opponent. It’s also used when Close Combat is not very effective, in which case, I don’t want to risk the enemy’s survival when I’m at -1 Defense. Crunch is here to hit slower ghosts and psychics and gain altogether neutral coverage on every opponent I face. The defense-down effect of Crunch doesn’t hurt either.
Changes considered: Seeing as this is the focus Pokemon of the team, I don’t want to change it. However, I have considered breeding one with Bullet Punch instead of either Crunch (requires Hitmonchan) or Extreme Speed (with Smeargle, Crunch and Bullet Punch is possible). I’m leaning more towards replacing Crunch because Bullet Punch will work better for Pokemon who outrun Luke but resist Extreme Speed (*cough*Gengar*cough*). I lose coverage on Rotom, but this is a Wi-Fi team, so Rotom should almost be a non-factor (aside from me and one other guy I faced). If I do want / need to breed another Lucario, I might try for Inner Focus as its ability since that outright cancels flinching rather than triggering something when he's flinched.
I’ve had some problems against the following Pokemon or tactics:
Zapdos: One of my opponents had a SubRoost Zapdos that was a pain to beat. Swampert was down at the time thanks to his Roserade, and that was my best shot. I eventually clipped it with Rotom’s Discharge (I think), but it endured like a champ. Swampert seems to be my best shot at any Zapdos right now, but some might carry HP Grass instead of Heat Wave or HP Ice.
Electric-types in general: Swampert is supposed to help me against Electric-types, but by the time one appears, Swampert might be dead, and there’s always the chance of HP Grass. I use Rotom’s Shadow Ball a lot of the time to deal with Electivire or Jolteon, and Discharge for Zapdos. I have yet to fight a Magnezone, but if Swampert’s down, then, I guess my best shot is either Scizor’s Superpower or Salamence’s Fire Blast.
Substitute + Protect: As I mentioned earlier, I HATE this combination because you get very few chances to hit the enemy. I was so close to victory in one match, but my opponent had a Venusaur with Substitute, Protect, Leech Seed, Toxic, and Black Sludge. I know that priority moves are usually the best thing to use against opponents like this, but even a +4 Extreme Speed from Lucario (I figured I would boost while he protected) couldn’t finish off that Venusaur (and I ran out).
So, there’s my team. Rate away and help me improve it if you can. Feel free, even, to berate me for being kinda noobish. I may not take all advice, but I’ll listen.
