Yeah...this thing needs an analysis. ah, it's been a while since i've done this.
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Draco Meteor / Hidden Power Fire
item: Life Orb
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is very unlike your typical Latios in two aspects: the most obvious is that it is physically-based. Standard special Latios is hard walled by Heatran and Jirachi, loses to Blissey unless it predicts and uses Psyshock, and is defeated by Choice Scarf Tyranitar. These threats are all extremely common and hinder Latios's effectiveness. However, none of these Pokemon specialize in taking physical hits, and they all share one thing in common—a weakness to Earthquake. Because of this, a Latios running Earthquake can lure Heatran, Jirachi, and Tyranitar out and proceed to kill them. The issue is that Latios isn't strong enough to OHKO these Pokemon with its underwhelming base 90 Attack. The Attack boost granted by Dragon Dance remedies this and ensures pretty much nothing can revenge kill it. To get an idea of how useful the boost is, take a look at these calculations:</p>
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>+1 Earthquake vs. 180/0 Tyranitar: 79.53 - 93.52% — guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock and 1 layer of Spikes</li>
<li>+1 Earthquake vs. 252/0 Jirachi: 81.68 - 96.53% — 93.75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and 2 Spikes</li>
<li>+1 Earthquake vs. 32/0 Shuca Berry Jirachi: 47.27 - 55.87% — guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock</li>
</ul>
<p>These damage calculations demonstrate the potency of a +1 Earthquake. It even does over half to standard Shuca Berry Jirachi as it switches into Stealth Rock, which means even Jirachi can't handle Latios. Specially defensive Jirachi and Choice Band Tyranitar are OHKOed with entry hazard support or the slightest bit of prior damage. With these Pokemon gone, rain teams can often go to town.</p>
<p>The other differentiating aspect of this set is that it is a sweeper instead of a hole puncher. The rest of the set is conducive to this role. Outrage is stronger than Draco Meteor with an Attack boost, though the lock-in is admittedly undesirable. However, it lacks the nasty Special Attack drop of Draco Meteor, which forces standard Latios to switch out after using it, so it is not all bad. Outrage OHKOes defensive Politoed and gets the KO on 248/216+ Jellicent with Stealth Rock and 3 layers of Spikes up, which means it is more than strong enough.</p>
<p>The last slot is really up for grabs. Latios doesn't really have anything good left in its physical movepool, so the last slot contains one of two special attacks. Draco Meteor is the preferred option, still boasting quite a bit of power even with minimal investment. For example, it OHKOes max HP Hippowdon after Spikes damage, in addition to nailing Gyarados and Landorus-T. It boasts similar power to Outrage against threats with equal or close to equal defenses, and hits specially-weak Pokemon very hard. You can lure out Pokemon expecting to wall a physical Latios (once you've revealed your set, that is) and kill many of them with Draco Meteor. Hidden Power Fire is also an option for Ferrothorn, Skarmory, Scizor, and Forretress, though it lacks the general coverage and usefulness of Draco Meteor. Plus, a Magnezone can trap and kill these threats anyway.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is fairly simple, maximizing Latios's sweeping capabilities. If you prefer, a specially-based set can be run, utilizing Dragon Dance only for its Speed boost. Such a set would run a spread of 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe with Dragon Pulse, Grass Knot or Psyshock, and Hidden Power Fire as its attacking moves. It can outspeed all Choice Scarf users after a boost and hit hard with Latios's signature special power. However, it lacks the Tyranitar-killing ability of the physical variant, so it is overall inferior. On this set, the last slot is replaceable with the right support. Grass Knot can be used to deal heavy damage to bulky Water-types without resorting to Outrage, but that use is just too niche, and you can already use Draco Meteor followed by an Earthquake to kill almost all of them. Psychic and Zen Headbutt present themselves as decent options, giving Latios a secondary STAB that OHKOes most Fighting-types—the only major difference between the two is that one hits specially and the other physically. In particular, they are most useful if you want Latios to be able to check Keldeo somewhat, though with a Naive nature and no defensive investment, Latios would really be more of a revenge killer. A Lum Berry is a potential option for the item slot, allowing Latios to evade any one crippling status, such as a burn, paralysis, or sleep. Overall, this set is very customizable to your needs.</p>
<p>This set's main purpose is as a surprise lure on offensive teams for Tyranitar, Heatran, Jirachi, and to a lesser extent, Tentacruel. For this reason, rain teams, especially those with a Volcarona, will appreciate this set. In any case, since in most cases you will not have Hidden Power Fire, Magnezone support is a must, as Ferrothorn and Forretress will otherwise prove to be thorns in your side. If you do choose to run Hidden Power Fire, you will need support to kill Hippowdon, Landorus-T, and other troublesome physically bulky Pokemon. Shuca Berry Jirachi with Icy Wind and Grass Knot makes an excellent ally for this role, luring out these Ground-type Pokemon, taking the incoming Earthquake with its Shuca Berry, and KOing with Icy Wind (Grass Knot in Hippowdon's case—Icy Wind is not powerful enough). Finally, entry hazards are essential for Latios's success, as they can secure various KOs, which has been mentioned numerous times—you need both Stealth Rock and Spikes. On the types of teams Latios is usually on (rain or weatherless hyper offense), Custap Berry Skarmory is a perfect fit for this role, as it is reliably able to get up Stealth Rock and at least one layer of Spikes. All in all, this Latios does need a bit of support to fulfill its purpose, but the results make up for it in numerous ways.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Draco Meteor / Hidden Power Fire
item: Life Orb
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is very unlike your typical Latios in two aspects: the most obvious is that it is physically-based. Standard special Latios is hard walled by Heatran and Jirachi, loses to Blissey unless it predicts and uses Psyshock, and is defeated by Choice Scarf Tyranitar. These threats are all extremely common and hinder Latios's effectiveness. However, none of these Pokemon specialize in taking physical hits, and they all share one thing in common—a weakness to Earthquake. Because of this, a Latios running Earthquake can lure Heatran, Jirachi, and Tyranitar out and proceed to kill them. The issue is that Latios isn't strong enough to OHKO these Pokemon with its underwhelming base 90 Attack. The Attack boost granted by Dragon Dance remedies this and ensures pretty much nothing can revenge kill it. To get an idea of how useful the boost is, take a look at these calculations:</p>
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>+1 Earthquake vs. 180/0 Tyranitar: 79.53 - 93.52% — guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock and 1 layer of Spikes</li>
<li>+1 Earthquake vs. 252/0 Jirachi: 81.68 - 96.53% — 93.75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and 2 Spikes</li>
<li>+1 Earthquake vs. 32/0 Shuca Berry Jirachi: 47.27 - 55.87% — guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock</li>
</ul>
<p>These damage calculations demonstrate the potency of a +1 Earthquake. It even does over half to standard Shuca Berry Jirachi as it switches into Stealth Rock, which means even Jirachi can't handle Latios. Specially defensive Jirachi and Choice Band Tyranitar are OHKOed with entry hazard support or the slightest bit of prior damage. With these Pokemon gone, rain teams can often go to town.</p>
<p>The other differentiating aspect of this set is that it is a sweeper instead of a hole puncher. The rest of the set is conducive to this role. Outrage is stronger than Draco Meteor with an Attack boost, though the lock-in is admittedly undesirable. However, it lacks the nasty Special Attack drop of Draco Meteor, which forces standard Latios to switch out after using it, so it is not all bad. Outrage OHKOes defensive Politoed and gets the KO on 248/216+ Jellicent with Stealth Rock and 3 layers of Spikes up, which means it is more than strong enough.</p>
<p>The last slot is really up for grabs. Latios doesn't really have anything good left in its physical movepool, so the last slot contains one of two special attacks. Draco Meteor is the preferred option, still boasting quite a bit of power even with minimal investment. For example, it OHKOes max HP Hippowdon after Spikes damage, in addition to nailing Gyarados and Landorus-T. It boasts similar power to Outrage against threats with equal or close to equal defenses, and hits specially-weak Pokemon very hard. You can lure out Pokemon expecting to wall a physical Latios (once you've revealed your set, that is) and kill many of them with Draco Meteor. Hidden Power Fire is also an option for Ferrothorn, Skarmory, Scizor, and Forretress, though it lacks the general coverage and usefulness of Draco Meteor. Plus, a Magnezone can trap and kill these threats anyway.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is fairly simple, maximizing Latios's sweeping capabilities. If you prefer, a specially-based set can be run, utilizing Dragon Dance only for its Speed boost. Such a set would run a spread of 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe with Dragon Pulse, Grass Knot or Psyshock, and Hidden Power Fire as its attacking moves. It can outspeed all Choice Scarf users after a boost and hit hard with Latios's signature special power. However, it lacks the Tyranitar-killing ability of the physical variant, so it is overall inferior. On this set, the last slot is replaceable with the right support. Grass Knot can be used to deal heavy damage to bulky Water-types without resorting to Outrage, but that use is just too niche, and you can already use Draco Meteor followed by an Earthquake to kill almost all of them. Psychic and Zen Headbutt present themselves as decent options, giving Latios a secondary STAB that OHKOes most Fighting-types—the only major difference between the two is that one hits specially and the other physically. In particular, they are most useful if you want Latios to be able to check Keldeo somewhat, though with a Naive nature and no defensive investment, Latios would really be more of a revenge killer. A Lum Berry is a potential option for the item slot, allowing Latios to evade any one crippling status, such as a burn, paralysis, or sleep. Overall, this set is very customizable to your needs.</p>
<p>This set's main purpose is as a surprise lure on offensive teams for Tyranitar, Heatran, Jirachi, and to a lesser extent, Tentacruel. For this reason, rain teams, especially those with a Volcarona, will appreciate this set. In any case, since in most cases you will not have Hidden Power Fire, Magnezone support is a must, as Ferrothorn and Forretress will otherwise prove to be thorns in your side. If you do choose to run Hidden Power Fire, you will need support to kill Hippowdon, Landorus-T, and other troublesome physically bulky Pokemon. Shuca Berry Jirachi with Icy Wind and Grass Knot makes an excellent ally for this role, luring out these Ground-type Pokemon, taking the incoming Earthquake with its Shuca Berry, and KOing with Icy Wind (Grass Knot in Hippowdon's case—Icy Wind is not powerful enough). Finally, entry hazards are essential for Latios's success, as they can secure various KOs, which has been mentioned numerous times—you need both Stealth Rock and Spikes. On the types of teams Latios is usually on (rain or weatherless hyper offense), Custap Berry Skarmory is a perfect fit for this role, as it is reliably able to get up Stealth Rock and at least one layer of Spikes. All in all, this Latios does need a bit of support to fulfill its purpose, but the results make up for it in numerous ways.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Draco Meteor / Hidden Power Fire
item: Life Orb
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Why it's good: DD Latios has been rejected in the past on calls of being outclassed and terrible, but none of that is true at all. Latios has immense power when boosted and gains Earthquake to hit Heatran and Jirachi with. It's no Dragonite, but the ability to outright steamroll these Pokemon and completely turn the tables on the opponent's preconceptions makes it more than viable. Putting it on-site doesn't really remove that surprise factor, as it'll still be uncommon and deadly in the hands of a skilled user.
[SET COMMENTS]
[*] not your typical latios -- more late-game sweeper-oriented
[*] surprises common latios checks and counters and replaces them with a completely different list
[*] insanely high speed after a boost lets it outspeed ridiculous things like chlorophyll-boosted venusaur and almost every choice scarfer/pokemon in the game
[*] its outrage possesses pretty good power when boosted, being the main stab move of choice. the lock-in does unfortunately mean that it could mean latios would die if used to early in the game, so preserve it for late-game.
[*] earthquake is a great move, nailing heatran and jirachi, which completely changes what the opponent can use to handle latios
[*] draco meteor, even with minimal investment still has that trademark latios power and is great when you don't want to go for the outrage or are facing a physically bulky foe, and doesn't force latios out due to it being physically biased
[*] hp fire is an option to nuke ferrothorn/forretress/scizor/skarmory
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[*] evs enable latios to perform its job most efficiently etc., there might be better ones but this is what i've got
[*] psyshock is a neat option for keldeo/breloom, but outside of that it's rather useless
[*] zen headbutt is another neat option for stuff like gyarados, salamence, gengar, venusaur, dragonite, etc. while hitting as stab from the physical side without resorting to outrage which has an unfortunate lock-in.
[*] specially biased using dragon dance for just its speed boost with draco meteor / hp fire / psyshock or earthquake or something
[*] good as a surprise on offensive teams -- not really something that needs much in the way of partners
[*] if you're not running hp fire, strongly consider magnezone to quickly handle those steel-types
[*] but if you are forgoing draco meteor, you're easily susceptible to physical walls like landorus-t, gliscor, and hippowdon -- you have literally an infinite amount of options to deal with these from starmie to specs toed to keldeo to rotom-w to [insert x water-type move user here]. hell you could even use kyurem-b.
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Outrage
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Draco Meteor / Hidden Power Fire
item: Life Orb
nature: Naive
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Why it's good: DD Latios has been rejected in the past on calls of being outclassed and terrible, but none of that is true at all. Latios has immense power when boosted and gains Earthquake to hit Heatran and Jirachi with. It's no Dragonite, but the ability to outright steamroll these Pokemon and completely turn the tables on the opponent's preconceptions makes it more than viable. Putting it on-site doesn't really remove that surprise factor, as it'll still be uncommon and deadly in the hands of a skilled user.
[SET COMMENTS]
[*] not your typical latios -- more late-game sweeper-oriented
[*] surprises common latios checks and counters and replaces them with a completely different list
[*] insanely high speed after a boost lets it outspeed ridiculous things like chlorophyll-boosted venusaur and almost every choice scarfer/pokemon in the game
[*] its outrage possesses pretty good power when boosted, being the main stab move of choice. the lock-in does unfortunately mean that it could mean latios would die if used to early in the game, so preserve it for late-game.
[*] earthquake is a great move, nailing heatran and jirachi, which completely changes what the opponent can use to handle latios
[*] draco meteor, even with minimal investment still has that trademark latios power and is great when you don't want to go for the outrage or are facing a physically bulky foe, and doesn't force latios out due to it being physically biased
[*] hp fire is an option to nuke ferrothorn/forretress/scizor/skarmory
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[*] evs enable latios to perform its job most efficiently etc., there might be better ones but this is what i've got
[*] psyshock is a neat option for keldeo/breloom, but outside of that it's rather useless
[*] zen headbutt is another neat option for stuff like gyarados, salamence, gengar, venusaur, dragonite, etc. while hitting as stab from the physical side without resorting to outrage which has an unfortunate lock-in.
[*] specially biased using dragon dance for just its speed boost with draco meteor / hp fire / psyshock or earthquake or something
[*] good as a surprise on offensive teams -- not really something that needs much in the way of partners
[*] if you're not running hp fire, strongly consider magnezone to quickly handle those steel-types
[*] but if you are forgoing draco meteor, you're easily susceptible to physical walls like landorus-t, gliscor, and hippowdon -- you have literally an infinite amount of options to deal with these from starmie to specs toed to keldeo to rotom-w to [insert x water-type move user here]. hell you could even use kyurem-b.
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