[OVERVIEW]
Despite its middle-of-the-road Speed tier, Lucario is one of the most dangerous late-game sweepers thanks to its access to strong priority moves like Extreme Speed, Vacuum Wave, and Bullet Punch. Its set versatility makes it hard to play around; for example, Slowbro can be brought in predicting Swords Dance, only to be forced back out after discovering Lucario is running Nasty Plot. Its nearly unresisted STAB combination is often hard to switch into, especially when factoring in Extreme Speed to pick off Fighting-resistant Pokemon like Talonflame and Thundurus. With coverage like Crunch, Earthquake, and Shadow Ball, Lucario is able to beat down should-be checks like Basculegion, Chandelure, and Slowbro, which all resist its STAB combination. Terastallization further enhances Lucario's sweeping potential, giving boosted Extreme Speed the potential to OHKO Talonflame, bulky Noivern, and Choice Scarf Rotom-H as well as unboosted Shadow Ball achieving an OHKO on Slowbro after Stealth Rock. While fragile, Lucario has a great typing with a useful immunity to Poison-type attacks and resistance to common Dark-, Dragon-, and Grass-type moves, which gives it an opportunity to set up against Vileplume, Dragalge, and Brute Bonnet. Unfortunately, however, those moves are still dealing a significant amount of damage to Lucario. Lucario is too reliant on priority due to its Speed tier, as it is outsped by common threats like Flygon, Mienshao, and Krookodile. It is also very susceptible to Talonflame's burn as well as Rocky Helmet users like Slowbro and Vileplume due to its use of contact moves.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Crunch / Meteor Mash / Earthquake
item: Life Orb / Air Balloon
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Normal
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Extreme Speed is Lucario's best friend, enabling it to revenge kill faster, weakened Pokemon like Mienshao, Thundurus, and Munkidori. Crunch gives Lucario super effective coverage to hit Ghost-type Pokemon, which are immune to Close Combat and Extreme Speed, such as Chandelure and Basculegion while simultaneously targeting Slowbro, which is 2HKOed after a Swords Dance boost. Meteor Mash aids Lucario against slower Fighting resistant Pokemon like Sylveon, Dragalge, and Vileplume. Earthquake hits the previously mentioned Dragalge and Chandelure for super effective damage as well as other physical walls such as Bellibolt and Tera Poison Slowbro. Air Balloon can be used over Life Orb to allow Lucario to switch into Choice-locked Earthquake from users like Krookodile and Flygon, giving it a safe opportunity to set up; however, Lucario misses out on Life Orb's extra damage, often forcing it to Terastallize more often than not. Inner Focus lets it ignore Intimidate from Krookodile and Incineroar as well as Ambipom's and Mienshao's Fake Out flinch. Jolly lets Lucario Speed tie with Porygon-Z and Brambleghast, but Adamant gives it a strong damage boost; however, it becomes noticeably slower, getting outpaced by Gallade, Chandelure, and Rotom-H. Tera Normal gives Lucario a much-needed boost to Extreme Speed's power, having the chance to OHKO Talonflame and Flygon. Becoming a Normal-type is great for Lucario offensively, but it isn't great defensively; it no longer walls RestTalk Alolan Muk and Vileplume and loses useful resistances to Dragon-, Dark-, and Grass-type moves, giving the upper hand to Dragalge, Brute Bonnet, Tsareena, and Vileplume; Choice Band Flygon becomes an effective revenge killer due to Lucario no longer resisting First Impression. Defensive Tera from foes like Tera Ghost Talonflame, Tera Poison Wo-Chien and Incineroar, and Tera Steel Noivern are commonly used as counterplay against this set.
Sticky Web support from Galvantula greatly benefits Lucario, allowing it to outspeed Lycanroc-D and non-Choice Scarf variants of Krookodile and Mienshao. Lucario also enjoys entry hazards from other dedicated leads on hyper offense teams such as Lycanroc-D and Smeargle. Some other notable partners on those teams include non-lead Lycanroc-D, Thundurus, and Toxtricity, all of which punish some of Lucario's checks like Chandelure, Slowbro, and Swampert; in return, Lucario can KO Mienshao, Alolan Muk, and Sylveon that give them trouble. On bulky offense or balance builds, Lucario appreciates help from slow pivots like Dragalge and Magnezone, which handle the likes of Hisuian Typhlosion, Talonflame, and Vileplume. Knock Off support from Krookodile, Alolan Muk, and Wo-Chien helps wear down Ghost-types like Chandelure, Hisuian Typhlosion, and Basculegion; Wo-Chien is especially noteworthy alongside Vileplume, Umbreon, and Registeel for spreading paralysis, allowing Lucario to outspeed Choice Scarf users like Mienshao and Flygon. Pokemon that can wall Fighting- and Ground-type moves like Slowbro and Talonflame pair nicely with Lucario, giving it more opportunities to switch in and sweep.
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Vacuum Wave / Aura Sphere
move 3: Flash Cannon / Aura Sphere
move 4: Shadow Ball
item: Life Orb / Air Balloon
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Ghost / Fighting
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Nasty Plot takes advantage of Lucario's higher Special Attack stat and surprises common switch-ins like Slowbro and Chandelure. Lucario is often reliant on priority, so Vacuum Wave is the preferred Fighting-type move, OHKOing faster Pokemon like Shell Smash Cloyster as well as dealing massive damage to other threats like Lycanroc-D and Tera Steel Noivern, both of which can be used to stop Swords Dance Lucario. Aura Sphere, however, is much stronger, letting Lucario more reliably break through walls like Registeel and Copperajah; though without the priority, Lucario becomes much less of a threat. Flash Cannon helps against special walls like Sylveon, Florges, and Dragalge that aren't taking much damage from its other moves. Shadow Ball has great synergy with Lucario's Fighting-type attacks, hitting Fighting-resistant foes like Slowbro, Reuniclus, and Chandelure with super effective damage. Tera Ghost boosts Shadow Ball's damage, giving it a favorable roll to OHKO Slowbro while adding an immunity to Close Combat from revenge killers such as Mienshao, Lycanroc-D, and Infernape. It adds a weakness to Knock Off, however, making Lucario noticeably weaker against Alolan Muk and Tsareena. On the other hand, Tera Fighting helps a lot with the power of Vacuum Wave and Aura Sphere; the former can now OHKO Lycanroc-D as well as Krookodile after Spikes, and the latter can 2HKO specially defensive Swampert while unboosted.
While Swords Dance Lucario can hit Fighting-resistant foes with Extreme Speed, Nasty Plot variants suffer due to its only priority being Vacuum Wave; because of this, it appreciates help from Thundurus, Lycanroc-D, and Magnezone to take down faster Fighting-resistant foes like Talonflame, Noivern, and Oricorio-E. Lucario appreciates Sticky Web support from Galvantula to help with its poor Speed, and in return, it can act as an emergency spinblocker with Tera Ghost. It often faces problems breaking past Poison-types like Alolan Muk and Dragalge, so Ground-types like Flygon, Krookodile, and Rhyperior help to knock them out; all three of them can also set Stealth Rock, which punishes Lucario's switch-ins even more. Some physical wallbreakers such as Lycanroc-D, Feraligatr, and Flygon appreciate Lucario's potential to break through Quagsire, Vileplume, and Slowbro; in return, they provide offensive pressure and can break through Alolan Muk, Assault Vest Reuniclus, and Tera Water Diancie. Slow pivots like Dragalge, Bellibolt, and Incineroar can safely bring in Lucario while providing other utility such as Toxic Spikes, Toxic, and Knock Off, respectively.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Lucario has several other options to help its Speed. Bullet Punch can be used over Meteor Mash as an additional priority move, but it's weak even after a boost and only targets Lycanroc-D and faster, weakened Ghost-types. Trailblaze can be used to boost Lucario's Speed while dealing damage; it also hits Quagsire and Swampert for the most damage, but it still remains a rather weak and niche alternative. Agility can be used in place of Swords Dance and Nasty Plot while running Adamant and Modest, respectively, but without access to moves that boost its offenses further, Lucario has a harder time breaking walls, although it can have an easier time cleaning. Stone Edge can be used to hit Talonflame on the switch, but it doesn't offer much outside of that. While not optimal, Lucario can use Choice Band and Choice Specs to take on a wallbreaker role and have more immediate power; however, it can be easily exploited due to the number of foes that resist Lucario's STAB attacks. Swords Dance Lucario can use Tera Ghost to become immune to Close Combat from common revenge killers like Mienshao, Lycanroc-D, and Infernape, using them as an opportunity to set up, but the damage drop off with Extreme Speed becomes very noticeable. Lucario tends to have issues finding time to set up, so Leftovers can be used to take full advantage of its great defensive typing, giving it some longevity in battle. Lum Berry allows Lucario to play more aggressively against Talonflame without worrying about being burned.
Checks and Counters
====
**Physical Walls**: Swampert, Quagsire, and Tera Poison Avalugg all feast on Lucario, being able to switch in on Swords Dance Lucario and either force it out or simply KO it. Slowbro uses Lucario as setup fodder thanks to its great defensive profile, though it can be caught off guard by Nasty Plot variants.
**Adverse Contact Effects**: Status-inducing abilities like Talonflame's Flame Body, Vileplume's Effect Spore, and Bellibolt's Static all punish Lucario because of its use of contact moves. Lucario also has to be cautious of status moves like Will-O-Wisp from Talonflame and Hisuian Typlosion, Thunder Wave from Slowbro and Klefki, and Stun Spore from Vileplume and Wo-Chien. If Lucario has Terastallized, then it needs to worry about Toxic from Alolan Muk, Vileplume, Umbreon, and Bellibolt. Physical sets rely solely on contact moves, making some matchups against Rocky Helmet users like Slowbro and Vileplume less ideal than they already are.
**Ghost-types**: Chandelure, Hisuian Typhlosion, and Basculegion are all immune to Lucario's Close Combat and Extreme Speed while simultaneously resisting Meteor Mash; the former two have to be cautious of Earthquake, while all three should be wary of Crunch. Hisuian Typhlosion will always be faster than Lucario, while Chandelure and Basculegion have to use Choice Scarf to outspeed it, but all of them can easily OHKO Lucario. Users of Tera Ghost like Talonflame, Porygon-Z, and Galvantula hinder Lucario's ability to sweep due to their immunity to most of its moves.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lucario.189361/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/powerofmemes.583607/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/stories.400664/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sunny004.197240/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
Despite its middle-of-the-road Speed tier, Lucario is one of the most dangerous late-game sweepers thanks to its access to strong priority moves like Extreme Speed, Vacuum Wave, and Bullet Punch. Its set versatility makes it hard to play around; for example, Slowbro can be brought in predicting Swords Dance, only to be forced back out after discovering Lucario is running Nasty Plot. Its nearly unresisted STAB combination is often hard to switch into, especially when factoring in Extreme Speed to pick off Fighting-resistant Pokemon like Talonflame and Thundurus. With coverage like Crunch, Earthquake, and Shadow Ball, Lucario is able to beat down should-be checks like Basculegion, Chandelure, and Slowbro, which all resist its STAB combination. Terastallization further enhances Lucario's sweeping potential, giving boosted Extreme Speed the potential to OHKO Talonflame, bulky Noivern, and Choice Scarf Rotom-H as well as unboosted Shadow Ball achieving an OHKO on Slowbro after Stealth Rock. While fragile, Lucario has a great typing with a useful immunity to Poison-type attacks and resistance to common Dark-, Dragon-, and Grass-type moves, which gives it an opportunity to set up against Vileplume, Dragalge, and Brute Bonnet. Unfortunately, however, those moves are still dealing a significant amount of damage to Lucario. Lucario is too reliant on priority due to its Speed tier, as it is outsped by common threats like Flygon, Mienshao, and Krookodile. It is also very susceptible to Talonflame's burn as well as Rocky Helmet users like Slowbro and Vileplume due to its use of contact moves.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Crunch / Meteor Mash / Earthquake
item: Life Orb / Air Balloon
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Normal
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Extreme Speed is Lucario's best friend, enabling it to revenge kill faster, weakened Pokemon like Mienshao, Thundurus, and Munkidori. Crunch gives Lucario super effective coverage to hit Ghost-type Pokemon, which are immune to Close Combat and Extreme Speed, such as Chandelure and Basculegion while simultaneously targeting Slowbro, which is 2HKOed after a Swords Dance boost. Meteor Mash aids Lucario against slower Fighting resistant Pokemon like Sylveon, Dragalge, and Vileplume. Earthquake hits the previously mentioned Dragalge and Chandelure for super effective damage as well as other physical walls such as Bellibolt and Tera Poison Slowbro. Air Balloon can be used over Life Orb to allow Lucario to switch into Choice-locked Earthquake from users like Krookodile and Flygon, giving it a safe opportunity to set up; however, Lucario misses out on Life Orb's extra damage, often forcing it to Terastallize more often than not. Inner Focus lets it ignore Intimidate from Krookodile and Incineroar as well as Ambipom's and Mienshao's Fake Out flinch. Jolly lets Lucario Speed tie with Porygon-Z and Brambleghast, but Adamant gives it a strong damage boost; however, it becomes noticeably slower, getting outpaced by Gallade, Chandelure, and Rotom-H. Tera Normal gives Lucario a much-needed boost to Extreme Speed's power, having the chance to OHKO Talonflame and Flygon. Becoming a Normal-type is great for Lucario offensively, but it isn't great defensively; it no longer walls RestTalk Alolan Muk and Vileplume and loses useful resistances to Dragon-, Dark-, and Grass-type moves, giving the upper hand to Dragalge, Brute Bonnet, Tsareena, and Vileplume; Choice Band Flygon becomes an effective revenge killer due to Lucario no longer resisting First Impression. Defensive Tera from foes like Tera Ghost Talonflame, Tera Poison Wo-Chien and Incineroar, and Tera Steel Noivern are commonly used as counterplay against this set.
Sticky Web support from Galvantula greatly benefits Lucario, allowing it to outspeed Lycanroc-D and non-Choice Scarf variants of Krookodile and Mienshao. Lucario also enjoys entry hazards from other dedicated leads on hyper offense teams such as Lycanroc-D and Smeargle. Some other notable partners on those teams include non-lead Lycanroc-D, Thundurus, and Toxtricity, all of which punish some of Lucario's checks like Chandelure, Slowbro, and Swampert; in return, Lucario can KO Mienshao, Alolan Muk, and Sylveon that give them trouble. On bulky offense or balance builds, Lucario appreciates help from slow pivots like Dragalge and Magnezone, which handle the likes of Hisuian Typhlosion, Talonflame, and Vileplume. Knock Off support from Krookodile, Alolan Muk, and Wo-Chien helps wear down Ghost-types like Chandelure, Hisuian Typhlosion, and Basculegion; Wo-Chien is especially noteworthy alongside Vileplume, Umbreon, and Registeel for spreading paralysis, allowing Lucario to outspeed Choice Scarf users like Mienshao and Flygon. Pokemon that can wall Fighting- and Ground-type moves like Slowbro and Talonflame pair nicely with Lucario, giving it more opportunities to switch in and sweep.
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Vacuum Wave / Aura Sphere
move 3: Flash Cannon / Aura Sphere
move 4: Shadow Ball
item: Life Orb / Air Balloon
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Ghost / Fighting
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Nasty Plot takes advantage of Lucario's higher Special Attack stat and surprises common switch-ins like Slowbro and Chandelure. Lucario is often reliant on priority, so Vacuum Wave is the preferred Fighting-type move, OHKOing faster Pokemon like Shell Smash Cloyster as well as dealing massive damage to other threats like Lycanroc-D and Tera Steel Noivern, both of which can be used to stop Swords Dance Lucario. Aura Sphere, however, is much stronger, letting Lucario more reliably break through walls like Registeel and Copperajah; though without the priority, Lucario becomes much less of a threat. Flash Cannon helps against special walls like Sylveon, Florges, and Dragalge that aren't taking much damage from its other moves. Shadow Ball has great synergy with Lucario's Fighting-type attacks, hitting Fighting-resistant foes like Slowbro, Reuniclus, and Chandelure with super effective damage. Tera Ghost boosts Shadow Ball's damage, giving it a favorable roll to OHKO Slowbro while adding an immunity to Close Combat from revenge killers such as Mienshao, Lycanroc-D, and Infernape. It adds a weakness to Knock Off, however, making Lucario noticeably weaker against Alolan Muk and Tsareena. On the other hand, Tera Fighting helps a lot with the power of Vacuum Wave and Aura Sphere; the former can now OHKO Lycanroc-D as well as Krookodile after Spikes, and the latter can 2HKO specially defensive Swampert while unboosted.
While Swords Dance Lucario can hit Fighting-resistant foes with Extreme Speed, Nasty Plot variants suffer due to its only priority being Vacuum Wave; because of this, it appreciates help from Thundurus, Lycanroc-D, and Magnezone to take down faster Fighting-resistant foes like Talonflame, Noivern, and Oricorio-E. Lucario appreciates Sticky Web support from Galvantula to help with its poor Speed, and in return, it can act as an emergency spinblocker with Tera Ghost. It often faces problems breaking past Poison-types like Alolan Muk and Dragalge, so Ground-types like Flygon, Krookodile, and Rhyperior help to knock them out; all three of them can also set Stealth Rock, which punishes Lucario's switch-ins even more. Some physical wallbreakers such as Lycanroc-D, Feraligatr, and Flygon appreciate Lucario's potential to break through Quagsire, Vileplume, and Slowbro; in return, they provide offensive pressure and can break through Alolan Muk, Assault Vest Reuniclus, and Tera Water Diancie. Slow pivots like Dragalge, Bellibolt, and Incineroar can safely bring in Lucario while providing other utility such as Toxic Spikes, Toxic, and Knock Off, respectively.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Lucario has several other options to help its Speed. Bullet Punch can be used over Meteor Mash as an additional priority move, but it's weak even after a boost and only targets Lycanroc-D and faster, weakened Ghost-types. Trailblaze can be used to boost Lucario's Speed while dealing damage; it also hits Quagsire and Swampert for the most damage, but it still remains a rather weak and niche alternative. Agility can be used in place of Swords Dance and Nasty Plot while running Adamant and Modest, respectively, but without access to moves that boost its offenses further, Lucario has a harder time breaking walls, although it can have an easier time cleaning. Stone Edge can be used to hit Talonflame on the switch, but it doesn't offer much outside of that. While not optimal, Lucario can use Choice Band and Choice Specs to take on a wallbreaker role and have more immediate power; however, it can be easily exploited due to the number of foes that resist Lucario's STAB attacks. Swords Dance Lucario can use Tera Ghost to become immune to Close Combat from common revenge killers like Mienshao, Lycanroc-D, and Infernape, using them as an opportunity to set up, but the damage drop off with Extreme Speed becomes very noticeable. Lucario tends to have issues finding time to set up, so Leftovers can be used to take full advantage of its great defensive typing, giving it some longevity in battle. Lum Berry allows Lucario to play more aggressively against Talonflame without worrying about being burned.
Checks and Counters
====
**Physical Walls**: Swampert, Quagsire, and Tera Poison Avalugg all feast on Lucario, being able to switch in on Swords Dance Lucario and either force it out or simply KO it. Slowbro uses Lucario as setup fodder thanks to its great defensive profile, though it can be caught off guard by Nasty Plot variants.
**Adverse Contact Effects**: Status-inducing abilities like Talonflame's Flame Body, Vileplume's Effect Spore, and Bellibolt's Static all punish Lucario because of its use of contact moves. Lucario also has to be cautious of status moves like Will-O-Wisp from Talonflame and Hisuian Typlosion, Thunder Wave from Slowbro and Klefki, and Stun Spore from Vileplume and Wo-Chien. If Lucario has Terastallized, then it needs to worry about Toxic from Alolan Muk, Vileplume, Umbreon, and Bellibolt. Physical sets rely solely on contact moves, making some matchups against Rocky Helmet users like Slowbro and Vileplume less ideal than they already are.
**Ghost-types**: Chandelure, Hisuian Typhlosion, and Basculegion are all immune to Lucario's Close Combat and Extreme Speed while simultaneously resisting Meteor Mash; the former two have to be cautious of Earthquake, while all three should be wary of Crunch. Hisuian Typhlosion will always be faster than Lucario, while Chandelure and Basculegion have to use Choice Scarf to outspeed it, but all of them can easily OHKO Lucario. Users of Tera Ghost like Talonflame, Porygon-Z, and Galvantula hinder Lucario's ability to sweep due to their immunity to most of its moves.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lucario.189361/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/powerofmemes.583607/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/stories.400664/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sunny004.197240/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/
Last edited:
