Luxray, is it usable?

[dekzeh]

Hnn, I can see a lot of potential on Rivalry, especially with pretty much all teams using Blissey/Cresselia (who will always be female).
Switching in Blissey/Cresselia you get a free attack boost, with Luxray already high base Atk (120 is not low you know) you'll jump to 558Atk with a +Atk nature, give it a Choice Band and its 744Atk. With Choice Band however you will be easily forced to switch and lose your Rivalry boost :(

But then we can use Life Orb. I was thinking about it and that's what I used in a team I made with random pokes I wanted to try:

Luxray (Female) @ Life Orb
Rivalry
Adamant, 4HP / 252Atk / 252Spd
-Spark
-Ice Fang
-Fire Fang
-Crunch

He's got a crappy moveset indeed (only if somehow it could get the elemental punches instead of fangs..) and a below average speed (can't do nothing about that) but with the potential free Atk boost it could be viable to use.

Here's some damage calcs I did:


Spark on Blissey:
54.90% - 64.57% on MaxHP/MaxDef+
Easy 2HKO if the whore decides to stay in after you get your Atk Boost.

Spark on Skarmory
74.55% - 87.72% on MaxHP/MaxDef+
Huh?

Fire Fang on Bronzong
55.92% - 65.98% on MaxHP/MaxDef+ with Levitate
Yeah, easy 2HKO

Crunch on Celebi
63.61% - 74.75% on MaxHP/MaxDef+
Not like I've seen a lot of Celebi's lately, but meh.

Crunch on Claydol
76.85% - 90.43% on MaxHP/MaxDef+
Does anyone still uses Claydol?

Ice Fang on Cradily
56.91% - 66.76% on MaxHP/MaxDef+
Easy 2HKO :>

Crunch on Cresselia
51.13% - 60.14% on MaxHP/MaxDef+
High Chance to 2HKO.

Crunch on Dusknoir
71.09% - 83.67% on MaxHP/MaxDef+
Poor big scary ghost :(

Crunch on Electvire
84.54% - 99.31% on NoHP/NoDef
Of course you won't stay in if it gets speed boost from spark, but you can catch it switching in huh? Stealth Rock/Spikes gives a nice chance to OHKO.

Fire Fang on Forretress
94.07% - 110.45% on MaxHP/MaxDef+
Aw :(

Ice Fang on Gliscor
101.69% - 119.77% on MaxHP/MaxDef+
No chance

Spark on Heatran
64.09% - 75.23% on NoHP/NoDef
Meh, why I calc'c this?

Ice Fang on Hippowdon
44.52% - 52.38% on MaxHP/MaxDef+
I don't like Hippo :/ Yeah.. it walls poor Luxray, but can take a lot of dmg switching in and maybe (with lots of lucky and a Knock Offer) be 2HKO'd. Spikes could help huh.

Fire Fang on Jirachi
51.98% - 61.14% on MaxHP/MaxDef+
Yeah..

Ice Fang on Rhyperior
40.32% - 47.47% on MaxHP/MaxDef+
53.46% - 62.90% on MaxHP/NoDef
Stupid trait...

Crunch on Swampert
34.16% - 40.10% on MaxHP/MaxDef+
Pert and Hippo are the only safe switch-ins so far.. woot. It'll be worn down by consecutive switch-ins since it lacks a decent revocering move.

Ice/Fire Fang on Tangrowth
54.70% - 64.36% on MaxHP/MaxDef+
Poor Tangrowth :D

Spark on Weezing
49.40% - 58.08% on MaxHP/MaxDef+
Didn't expect that much.. Yeah, not a bad chance to 2HKO, but at least Weez won't be OHKOing you back or anything. Stealth Rock helps a lot here.

Crunch on Uxie
60.73% - 71.47% on MaxHP/MaxDef+
:/

Crunch on Mespirit
68.41% - 80.49% on MaxHP/MaxDef+
Yeah..


Of course, Ice Fang OHKO all Dragons but Kingdra. I won't bother calculating Spark against those water punks ._.

If you can predict the switch-in it has a high chance of being 2HKO'd. Too bad Luxray is sooo slow.. actually I don't get how stuff like Miltank are faster then this but meh...

And I'm not saying its some gamebreaker or something, I'm just trying to point its USABLE.

Electvire seems better but while it gets a free Spd boost, Luxray gets a free Atk boost, that makes them a lot different. If Luxray had a movepool as good as Vire's I'd certainly use it a lot more.

Please give your opnions.

PS: I'll run calc's for a Choice Band set tomorrow.

 

[poke-chan]

That's really interesting. With good prediction a Rivalry-boosted Luxray could seriously kick ass.

It's too bad it can't deal a bit more damage/be faster, because this would seriously throw people for a loop :/ It's still viable. Maybe a quick claw, lol

 

[Bologo]

[ABILITY]
Rivalry
[SHORT DESC]
Move power depends on gender of the opponent.
[LONG DESC]
When this Pokemon attacks an opponent of the same gender as itself, the move power increases by 25%. When this Pokemon attacks an opponent of the opposite gender, the move power decreases by 25%. The damage is unaltered if this Pokemon attacks an opponent having no gender

I took this straight from the analysis. As you can see, it doesn't power up attack, it powers up move power. Furthermore, the boost is only 1.25x, not 1.5x.

Sorry, but Rivalry just isn't as good as intimidate simply bceause they have to be the same gender. I suppose it's alright if you make Luxray a female seeing as on Shoddybattle, most people just pick Male since it's the default.

EDIT: Thanks Dr. Bolty

 

[dekzeh]

Hnn. I don't get it. Shoddy must be bugged then.. if so, sorry for this ._.

Edit:

Odd thing, in the Luxray analyses

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With Choice Band and a boost from Rivalry, Luxray will be hitting his opponents with +2 Attack, making him a very powerful "hit and run" attacker. Thunder is listed to do more damage to Aggron as his massive Defense keeps him fairly safe from Spark. Quick Attack covers faster, weakened threats and Reversal/Flail. Return actually does more damage than the other physical attacks when they all hit neutral.</p>

Not sure on what to trust.. >.>

 

[Dr. Bolty]

Sorry, but Rivalry just isn't as good as intimidate simply bceause they have to be the opposite gender. I suppose it's alright if you make Luxray a female seeing as on Shoddybattle, most people just pick Male since it's the default.

Rivalry increases power if the opponent is the same gender, not opposite.

 

[Orwell]

Also, if the genders are different, then Rivalry Luxray's attack decreases.

EDIT: The move power changes, not the attack stat itself.

 

[dekzeh]

I'd run it female for the fact that 99% of the teams have Blissey/Cresselia, but since the 'standard' is male, you could also run it male.
I'm just curious on how exactly Rivalry works...

 

[DownShift]

Would Choice Scarf be better than Choice Band? Nah...

 

[The Requiem]

There was something goin around awhile ago with using Parattract with Rivalry Luxray, but thats kinda sketch, seeing as how switching would ruin the lovey dovey, and whats the use if you're deboosted b/c of your own ability?

I'd just stick with Intimidate, if yo HAVE to use Luxray, and its weak movepool.

 

[Ace11]

Rivalry: Raises the Pokemon with Rivalry's Attack by 1.5x if the target is of the same gender as the Pokemon with Rivalry. Isn't that right?

 

[Bologo]

Read my post, I took the ability description right from the analysis...and that came from the research thread...

 

[Thorns]

Luxray is used heaps amongst noobs. I go to school and see Luxray. Head to Wi-Fi battle tower and see Luxray. Luxray has a crap movepool. Luxray has crap speed. Luxray needs a Choice Scarf.

 

[TSPhoenix]

I knew it had a shitty movepool, but Luxray is seriously about as bad as Flareon, which is saying something.

 

[Great Sage]

Obviously, Luxray is completely outclassed in OU by Electivire. But 120 base attack is pretty big in UU, and any boost to that is quite good. Luxray's Thunderbolt actually does more than its Spark due to the higher base power... Maybe an Electivire style mixed attacker?

 

[Mercenary Raven]

I knew it had a shitty movepool, but Luxray is seriously about as bad as Flareon, which is saying something.

...about as bad as Flareon? At least Luxray has a few moves in its pool on both sides (even if it isn't all that great), what does Flareon have? The ability to switch in on fire moves omg?

Luxray > Flareon -_-

 

[Kyril]

i guess, due to lackluster speed, luxray will be nothing but a UU Electrivire of sorts, except crunch over earthquake and fire + ice fang over ice punch and cross chop

 

[gubgub111]

Correct me if im wrong but isnt thunder fang the exact same thing as spark just a physical version? and arent you trying to boost its attack? just a thought

 

[Danigi]

Spark is physical. IIRC the only difference between the two is Spark has a 30% para rate, while Thunder Fang has 10% para and 10% flinch rates.

 

[Lemmiwinks MkII]

Spark is also slightly more accurate.

 

[Bologo]

Honestly, Luxray's only thing that it has over Electivire is that it has Intdimidate to have a bit more staying power. Rivalry's 25% boost just really isn't enough to warrant its use over Electivire.

Luxray's only hope is if a sub-version of Diamond/Pearl gets released and it has a Volt Tackle move tutor.

 

[Spaceboy]

Luxray would be deadly with volt tackle, but atm it can only survive in bl and uu. It's a shame, cos i took a luxray through my elite 4 and it always helped me out.

 

[Mood4food77]

hehe charged volt tackle

i mean, a charged spark from my level 46 luxray could OHKO cynthia's millotic

imagine what a charged volt tackle could do...

(120 + stab=180, 180 x 2=360, now double that equals 720....

on a gyarados, 180 x 4=720...double that..1440)

 

[Tenor]

Volt Tackle is for Pikachu. Back off.

Make sure it has Intimidate and a +attack nature with plenty of HP EVs.

Give it an Expert Belt (Life Orb if you don't plan on surviving after a round or two) and make sure it has Ice Fang.

Baton Pass speed or attack to it.

Watch the fireworks.

 

[Danigi]

Every physical sweeper does good with speed and/or attack passed to it.

 

[lipucd]

Volt Tackle is for Pikachu. Back off.

Pika gets too much stuff to its self as is, at this point raichu's a second though due to light ball >_<;;

In all reality Luxray could be ALOT more usful with VT. Heck, with all that attack you would figured he'd learn the dang thing after so long...Though Pika can keep his stupid orb requesting trainers not to thunderstone.