Hello~ This is my first real post on Smogon, after being a long-time lurker since Platinum. With the release of X&Y, this was the team I’ve been using, with a reasonable degree of success (at least to me!) I was able to reach 1850 on the simulator while keeping roughly a 3-1 win ratio on actual 3DS wi-fi games. The main game plan is to use Skarmory to set up rocks and spikes, then using other teammates to make it easy for Lucario to sweep weakened teams, even if it doesn’t get a chance to swords dance. There’s also a slight twist for some of the pokemon from its “conventional” counterpart, which brings the surprise factor that helps in getting crucial KOs, or at least enough damage to bring the opposing team into Lucario’s KO range.
Overview
Moves, EVs, and Game Plan
Skarmory (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Def
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind
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This slot was changed a few times, but I didn’t have many options due to the limited number of pokemon that carry spikes. While Tyranitar was carrying stealth rock, I’ve tried Ferrothorn, Roserade, Froslass, and Greninja. I chose Skarmory because it was at least resistant to one of Talonflame’s STABs, and with Tyranitar, can alternate between sponging duties. It also has a nice ground/toxic immunity and a phazing move, which helps against some opponents who decide to dance in front of Skarmory. The most fun part about using a Skarmory is whirlwinding a switch-in, which essentially skips the opponent’s turn while getting some damages and leftovers recovery.
Skarmory’s game plan is simple, but actually stirs up a lot of mind games. The most common scenario is when being against a mold breaker Excadrill, especially if several hazards are already on the opposing field. If he spins, I’d have to set all of those up again. However, if I mindlessly switch to Gengar, he can easily KO on the switch, which may cost me the match. Another scenario is choosing between roost/hazards and whirlwind in front of set-up sweepers. Finally, there is also the new problem of defog, especially with Crobat. Against a Crobat, I’ll typically set-up just rocks and try to keep Skarmory alive as long as possible, while against a mold breaker Excadrill, I’ll stealth rock to see if he earthquakes (most of the time he does), before switching out to Gengar.
Even with its drawbacks, I don’t think there is another pokemon that fits the team well while also having spikes. If Skarmory does its job and I’m able to protect my hazards, sometimes Lucario doesn’t even need to boost before sweeping through. I chose a specially defensive version because aside from Starmie, no other member is water-resistant.
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Tyranitar (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 180 SAtk / 40 Spe / 36 Def
Bold Nature
- ThunderboltStealth Rock
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
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Weird set and spread, huh? When I included Tyranitar at first due to it being the only rock-setter with relatively strong attacks, I thought I’d just slap x4 coverage moves that no other teammates could use, with maximum special attack and special defense. But, it has been working surprisingly well, and I moved stealth rock to allow for another x4 coverage move and an assault vest. The weather works as a small bonus against the rather frequent Charizard Y (perhaps the most frequently seen mega), the occasional drizzle/drought teams, and life orb attackers. No particular teammate minds the sandstorm at all except for Starmie. However, I’ll be extremely careful about switching Tyranitar in or out if I see an opposing Excadrill, especially if it’s paired with its own Tyranitar.
Tyranitar’s game plan is to lure out and pick off pokemon it can with the appropriate x4 coverage move, while being the dedicated status absorber of the team. It doesn’t mind the burn at all, which it will typically start with against teams that carry Rotom. The biggest goal that it typically achieves early on is getting rid of Gliscor, which is extremely popular along with Rotom and Talonflame. Speaking of Talonflame, it’s the only pokemon in the entire team that resists both of its dangerous STABs, while hitting it with thunderbolt if it stays in. Aside from that, it’s my first answer to Aegislash, which needs to be gone completely before Lucario can even dream of sweeping. The EVs allow Tyranitar to hit around 30~40% depending on the Aegislash’s spreads. Afterwards, it can be dealt with Garchomp’s earthquake regardless of whether it stays in or not. Also, with 180 SAtk and 40 Spe, Scizors thinking about U-turning or dancing are properly disposed of. I chose flamethrower over fire blast because I really can’t afford to miss on banded U-turn Scizor. The nature and the rest were put into defense since special defense is complemented by sandstorm and assault vest.
Aside from Gliscor, pokemon that can normally switch into and dance in front of Tyranitar, such as Garchomp, Gyarados, and Dragonite, are also properly disposed of. Since dragon dance is rather problematic for this team if the opponent gets one as I switch, it will most of the time stay in on these threats hoping for a set-up in order to surprise it and move on.
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Gengar (F) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Disable
- Shadow Ball
- ThunderboltDazzling Gleam
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I was originally disappointed about not being able to use sub-pain split Gengar. But after using this version, I now refuse to use any other Gengar, at least for this team. Gengar is another amazing glue that holds the team together, and has great synergy with Lucario. It’s either immune or resistant to threats that others are weak to, and lures out threats that others can take care of (Aegislash, Tyranitar, etc). It can stay in for prolonged periods of time if needs be with sludge recovery and substitute. It’s also a one-stop answer to the popular Kangaskhan without shadow claw, and to some spinners, notably Excadrill.
Disable has more uses than simply keeping Gengar alive. If used correctly, I can disable moves that prevent Lucario from setting-up, namely Earthquake, Flamethrower, fighting moves or status moves. With those moves disabled, pokemon that Lucario had no business being in front of suddenly becomes easy set-up fodder. Even if things are looking grim, one disable into a Lucario swords dance has turned the game around many times. One example I can remember is switching into a Mamoswine Earthquake and disabling it, then swiching Lucario in for an easy Swords Dance. Of course, I won’t deliberately sacrifice my Gengar to give Lucario a boost if its early in the game and roadblocks such as Aegislash are alive and healthy. But towards end game, if the opposing team is weakened enough or if Gengar is about to go down, I will try to disable the right move to give Lucario an easy time setting up.
I used Dazzling Gleam for perfect coverage, but its disappointing power and limited super-effective usage made me drop it for Thunderbolt. Sure, thunderbolt isn’t strong enough without STAB, but it occasionally surprises the Gyarados who decides to dance in front of Gengar. It also allows me to hit dangerous pokemon like Talonflame if I’m behind a substitute.
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Garchomp (F) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Spe / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Substitute
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Wow, no swords dance? Garchomp’s role on this team isn’t sweeping, but rather weakening opponents with impunity behind a substitute. I’ll even lead with Garchomp if I see a Smeargle or suspect a Breloom / Klefki lead. With Klefki, if it goes for a swagger on turn one as I substitute, it’s essentially a swords dance boost and I can proceed to put large holes in the opposing team until the substitute is broken. Garchomp also acts as a switch into electric moves aimed at Starmie or Skarmory, most notably thunder wave and volt switch. In a pinch when I need to switch into a possible status move or a scald, lum berry guarantees Garchomp’s safety.
Substitute has so many uses and along with lum berry, allows Garchomp to evade all status moves and stay in for a long time against threats it would normally not be able to such as Ferrothorn’s leech seed or Gliscor’s toxic. It also allows Garchomp to find out if some questionable pokemon are wearing a scarf, since the opponent will have to break the substitute lest he continue attacking with impunity. Swords dance may look attractive but Togekiss and Skarmory both render Garchomp useless without stone edge. Since Lucario can sweep weakened teams without worrying about speed, all Garchomp needs to focus on is bringing opposing pokemon into its KO range, which isn’t the hardest thing to do considering its attack and coverage. Sand Veil looks somewhat attractive considering this Garchomp’s role, but seems rather unreliable considering 3 turns of sandstorm at maximum.
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Lucario (F) @ Lucarionite
Ability: Steadfast (Adaptability)
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Bullet Punch
- Extreme Speed
- Swords Dance
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Lucario was my favorite since Platinum, and in my opinion an often overlooked set-up attacker. I’ll admit, Lucario’s defenses are brittle and setting up swords dance is extremely difficult. On top of that, its three attacking slots don’t allow it to one-hit every relevant threat, even if it manages to get a boost. These reasons are probably why I haven’t seen more of Lucario on either the simulator or wi-fi in gens 5 and 6. But there are 5 other pokemon to help Lucario get around that, and Lucario’s biggest kink over other set-up attackers probably is not having to care about speed charts or scarfed attackers after setting up.
I chose an adamant nature over jolly because most of the time, Lucario needs stronger priority moves to hit faster or scarfed attackers. Jolly allows me to outspeed a positive nature of up to 111, but that doesn’t help me against fragile & agile threats such as Gengar, Starmie, Greninja, Noivern, or Talonflame, the last of which has a priority move anyway making jolly irrelevant. With adamant, I can outspeed a positive nature of up to 97, which is somewhat important to remember when debating which to use between a priority or a close combat. Crunch does have its uses, mainly getting through Trevenant, Slowbro, and maybe Jellicent later once it is released. But without bullet punch, I can’t get through opposing Gengar without taking a hit first that does somewhere around 85~90%. The occasional Sableye or Klefki with priority will-o-wisp/thunder wave also can’t be taken down without bullet punch. I think bullet punch has better synergy with an adamant swords dance version, while crunch has better synergy with either a jolly or an agility version.
Setting up swords dance with Lucario is also another issue, but there are some ways I’ve been using to pull it off. The easiest is by using a disable from Gengar (mentioned above), coming in on a choiced resisted attack, or coming into/after a draco meteor. Another way is simply remembering which OU attacks Lucario is guaranteed to survive. Believe it or not, Lucario can survive a shadow ball from a mega Gengar, and a surf from a life orb Starmie, and after a boost both can be quickly disposed of with neutral priority moves. After a swords dance, I’ve seen some jaw-dropping feats, such as one-hitting a healthy Skarmory and a full-health Gyarados. Although the game plan generally is setting Lucario up for a sweep, I don’t mind using it in a pinch if other teammates are having trouble handling a particular threat.
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Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
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This is life orb Starmie. Although no one on the roster is particularly weak to stealth rock, I can never go wrong with having a rapid spin user, especially considering the rather popular sticky web. Also, it is the only pokemon on the team with a water STAB and a resist, which was why it was chosen over Excadrill even with Tyranitar’s sandstorm. It’s also the fastest pokemon on the team, which is a small bonus when having to revenge a teammate. I’ve considered putting a scarf on Starmie many times since the team is rather weak to speed-boosting pokemon such as Volcarona or Dragonite. But that would force me to switch Starmie out if the spin is blocked by Gengar or Trevenant, and if I can just keep rocks up both will be severely crippled by the time they switch in.
Surf and ice beam are self-explanatory I’m sure, but Psychic may raise some eyebrows, considering its limited usage. However, it has more uses than it seems and is Starmie’s strongest STAB option against pokemon that are resistant to surf and ice beam. It one hits Gengar and also hits the occasional Venasaur which in the case of a mega can’t be struck down with ice beam.
If everything goes according to plan, which is rarely the case, Starmie shouldn’t have to make an appearance during the game. Starmie’s game plan is using rapid spin, while serving as an insurance for x4 ice-weak pokemon in case Tyranitar goes down. It usually lures out and takes on spin-blockers that it has no trouble getting through such as Gengar and Trevenant. If there’s an opposing Aegislash, the mere presence of Starmie will usually lure it out. Surf on the predicted Aegislash will damage it quite nicely, and Tyranitar can take the incoming shadow sneak and either force it out or KO it with dark pulse.
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Feel free to critique or make suggestions, and hopefully I'll be able to reach 1900 and be part of the Top 500 leaderboard!
Overview
Moves, EVs, and Game Plan
Skarmory (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SDef / 4 Def
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Roost
- Whirlwind
---
This slot was changed a few times, but I didn’t have many options due to the limited number of pokemon that carry spikes. While Tyranitar was carrying stealth rock, I’ve tried Ferrothorn, Roserade, Froslass, and Greninja. I chose Skarmory because it was at least resistant to one of Talonflame’s STABs, and with Tyranitar, can alternate between sponging duties. It also has a nice ground/toxic immunity and a phazing move, which helps against some opponents who decide to dance in front of Skarmory. The most fun part about using a Skarmory is whirlwinding a switch-in, which essentially skips the opponent’s turn while getting some damages and leftovers recovery.
Skarmory’s game plan is simple, but actually stirs up a lot of mind games. The most common scenario is when being against a mold breaker Excadrill, especially if several hazards are already on the opposing field. If he spins, I’d have to set all of those up again. However, if I mindlessly switch to Gengar, he can easily KO on the switch, which may cost me the match. Another scenario is choosing between roost/hazards and whirlwind in front of set-up sweepers. Finally, there is also the new problem of defog, especially with Crobat. Against a Crobat, I’ll typically set-up just rocks and try to keep Skarmory alive as long as possible, while against a mold breaker Excadrill, I’ll stealth rock to see if he earthquakes (most of the time he does), before switching out to Gengar.
Even with its drawbacks, I don’t think there is another pokemon that fits the team well while also having spikes. If Skarmory does its job and I’m able to protect my hazards, sometimes Lucario doesn’t even need to boost before sweeping through. I chose a specially defensive version because aside from Starmie, no other member is water-resistant.
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Tyranitar (F) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 180 SAtk / 40 Spe / 36 Def
Bold Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
---
Weird set and spread, huh? When I included Tyranitar at first due to it being the only rock-setter with relatively strong attacks, I thought I’d just slap x4 coverage moves that no other teammates could use, with maximum special attack and special defense. But, it has been working surprisingly well, and I moved stealth rock to allow for another x4 coverage move and an assault vest. The weather works as a small bonus against the rather frequent Charizard Y (perhaps the most frequently seen mega), the occasional drizzle/drought teams, and life orb attackers. No particular teammate minds the sandstorm at all except for Starmie. However, I’ll be extremely careful about switching Tyranitar in or out if I see an opposing Excadrill, especially if it’s paired with its own Tyranitar.
Tyranitar’s game plan is to lure out and pick off pokemon it can with the appropriate x4 coverage move, while being the dedicated status absorber of the team. It doesn’t mind the burn at all, which it will typically start with against teams that carry Rotom. The biggest goal that it typically achieves early on is getting rid of Gliscor, which is extremely popular along with Rotom and Talonflame. Speaking of Talonflame, it’s the only pokemon in the entire team that resists both of its dangerous STABs, while hitting it with thunderbolt if it stays in. Aside from that, it’s my first answer to Aegislash, which needs to be gone completely before Lucario can even dream of sweeping. The EVs allow Tyranitar to hit around 30~40% depending on the Aegislash’s spreads. Afterwards, it can be dealt with Garchomp’s earthquake regardless of whether it stays in or not. Also, with 180 SAtk and 40 Spe, Scizors thinking about U-turning or dancing are properly disposed of. I chose flamethrower over fire blast because I really can’t afford to miss on banded U-turn Scizor. The nature and the rest were put into defense since special defense is complemented by sandstorm and assault vest.
Aside from Gliscor, pokemon that can normally switch into and dance in front of Tyranitar, such as Garchomp, Gyarados, and Dragonite, are also properly disposed of. Since dragon dance is rather problematic for this team if the opponent gets one as I switch, it will most of the time stay in on these threats hoping for a set-up in order to surprise it and move on.
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Gengar (F) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Disable
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
---
I was originally disappointed about not being able to use sub-pain split Gengar. But after using this version, I now refuse to use any other Gengar, at least for this team. Gengar is another amazing glue that holds the team together, and has great synergy with Lucario. It’s either immune or resistant to threats that others are weak to, and lures out threats that others can take care of (Aegislash, Tyranitar, etc). It can stay in for prolonged periods of time if needs be with sludge recovery and substitute. It’s also a one-stop answer to the popular Kangaskhan without shadow claw, and to some spinners, notably Excadrill.
Disable has more uses than simply keeping Gengar alive. If used correctly, I can disable moves that prevent Lucario from setting-up, namely Earthquake, Flamethrower, fighting moves or status moves. With those moves disabled, pokemon that Lucario had no business being in front of suddenly becomes easy set-up fodder. Even if things are looking grim, one disable into a Lucario swords dance has turned the game around many times. One example I can remember is switching into a Mamoswine Earthquake and disabling it, then swiching Lucario in for an easy Swords Dance. Of course, I won’t deliberately sacrifice my Gengar to give Lucario a boost if its early in the game and roadblocks such as Aegislash are alive and healthy. But towards end game, if the opposing team is weakened enough or if Gengar is about to go down, I will try to disable the right move to give Lucario an easy time setting up.
I used Dazzling Gleam for perfect coverage, but its disappointing power and limited super-effective usage made me drop it for Thunderbolt. Sure, thunderbolt isn’t strong enough without STAB, but it occasionally surprises the Gyarados who decides to dance in front of Gengar. It also allows me to hit dangerous pokemon like Talonflame if I’m behind a substitute.
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Garchomp (F) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Spe / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Substitute
---
Wow, no swords dance? Garchomp’s role on this team isn’t sweeping, but rather weakening opponents with impunity behind a substitute. I’ll even lead with Garchomp if I see a Smeargle or suspect a Breloom / Klefki lead. With Klefki, if it goes for a swagger on turn one as I substitute, it’s essentially a swords dance boost and I can proceed to put large holes in the opposing team until the substitute is broken. Garchomp also acts as a switch into electric moves aimed at Starmie or Skarmory, most notably thunder wave and volt switch. In a pinch when I need to switch into a possible status move or a scald, lum berry guarantees Garchomp’s safety.
Substitute has so many uses and along with lum berry, allows Garchomp to evade all status moves and stay in for a long time against threats it would normally not be able to such as Ferrothorn’s leech seed or Gliscor’s toxic. It also allows Garchomp to find out if some questionable pokemon are wearing a scarf, since the opponent will have to break the substitute lest he continue attacking with impunity. Swords dance may look attractive but Togekiss and Skarmory both render Garchomp useless without stone edge. Since Lucario can sweep weakened teams without worrying about speed, all Garchomp needs to focus on is bringing opposing pokemon into its KO range, which isn’t the hardest thing to do considering its attack and coverage. Sand Veil looks somewhat attractive considering this Garchomp’s role, but seems rather unreliable considering 3 turns of sandstorm at maximum.
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Lucario (F) @ Lucarionite
Ability: Steadfast (Adaptability)
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Bullet Punch
- Extreme Speed
- Swords Dance
---
Lucario was my favorite since Platinum, and in my opinion an often overlooked set-up attacker. I’ll admit, Lucario’s defenses are brittle and setting up swords dance is extremely difficult. On top of that, its three attacking slots don’t allow it to one-hit every relevant threat, even if it manages to get a boost. These reasons are probably why I haven’t seen more of Lucario on either the simulator or wi-fi in gens 5 and 6. But there are 5 other pokemon to help Lucario get around that, and Lucario’s biggest kink over other set-up attackers probably is not having to care about speed charts or scarfed attackers after setting up.
I chose an adamant nature over jolly because most of the time, Lucario needs stronger priority moves to hit faster or scarfed attackers. Jolly allows me to outspeed a positive nature of up to 111, but that doesn’t help me against fragile & agile threats such as Gengar, Starmie, Greninja, Noivern, or Talonflame, the last of which has a priority move anyway making jolly irrelevant. With adamant, I can outspeed a positive nature of up to 97, which is somewhat important to remember when debating which to use between a priority or a close combat. Crunch does have its uses, mainly getting through Trevenant, Slowbro, and maybe Jellicent later once it is released. But without bullet punch, I can’t get through opposing Gengar without taking a hit first that does somewhere around 85~90%. The occasional Sableye or Klefki with priority will-o-wisp/thunder wave also can’t be taken down without bullet punch. I think bullet punch has better synergy with an adamant swords dance version, while crunch has better synergy with either a jolly or an agility version.
Setting up swords dance with Lucario is also another issue, but there are some ways I’ve been using to pull it off. The easiest is by using a disable from Gengar (mentioned above), coming in on a choiced resisted attack, or coming into/after a draco meteor. Another way is simply remembering which OU attacks Lucario is guaranteed to survive. Believe it or not, Lucario can survive a shadow ball from a mega Gengar, and a surf from a life orb Starmie, and after a boost both can be quickly disposed of with neutral priority moves. After a swords dance, I’ve seen some jaw-dropping feats, such as one-hitting a healthy Skarmory and a full-health Gyarados. Although the game plan generally is setting Lucario up for a sweep, I don’t mind using it in a pinch if other teammates are having trouble handling a particular threat.
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Starmie @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
---
This is life orb Starmie. Although no one on the roster is particularly weak to stealth rock, I can never go wrong with having a rapid spin user, especially considering the rather popular sticky web. Also, it is the only pokemon on the team with a water STAB and a resist, which was why it was chosen over Excadrill even with Tyranitar’s sandstorm. It’s also the fastest pokemon on the team, which is a small bonus when having to revenge a teammate. I’ve considered putting a scarf on Starmie many times since the team is rather weak to speed-boosting pokemon such as Volcarona or Dragonite. But that would force me to switch Starmie out if the spin is blocked by Gengar or Trevenant, and if I can just keep rocks up both will be severely crippled by the time they switch in.
Surf and ice beam are self-explanatory I’m sure, but Psychic may raise some eyebrows, considering its limited usage. However, it has more uses than it seems and is Starmie’s strongest STAB option against pokemon that are resistant to surf and ice beam. It one hits Gengar and also hits the occasional Venasaur which in the case of a mega can’t be struck down with ice beam.
If everything goes according to plan, which is rarely the case, Starmie shouldn’t have to make an appearance during the game. Starmie’s game plan is using rapid spin, while serving as an insurance for x4 ice-weak pokemon in case Tyranitar goes down. It usually lures out and takes on spin-blockers that it has no trouble getting through such as Gengar and Trevenant. If there’s an opposing Aegislash, the mere presence of Starmie will usually lure it out. Surf on the predicted Aegislash will damage it quite nicely, and Tyranitar can take the incoming shadow sneak and either force it out or KO it with dark pulse.
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Feel free to critique or make suggestions, and hopefully I'll be able to reach 1900 and be part of the Top 500 leaderboard!
