[OVERVIEW]
Lucario is one of the most dangerous attackers in the tier, ready to sweep at a moment’s notice. Lucario’s fantastic typing, incredible movepool including strong priority in Extreme Speed, and excellent offensive stats make it one of the premier Swords Dance users in the tier that every team must be aware of. Lucario’s immunity to sand, poison, and 4x resistance to Stealth Rock make it resilient to residual damage, allowing it to be one of the few Pokemon able to run Life Orb consistently without a lot of drawbacks. As a Swords Dance sweeper, Lucario can pick and choose its defensive checks with its coverage moves, whether it be Crunch for Rotom-A and bulky Psychic-types like Latias and Celebi; Ice Punch for Gliscor, Dragonite, Latias, and Zapdos; or Bullet Punch for Gengar and Choice Scarf Tyranitar. Lucario also is a premier Choice Scarf user due to outspeeding and KOing common Speed-boosting sweepers such as Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Gyarados, and Dragonite with its strong Close Combat and excellent coverage. Lucario also has excellent other sweeping options in Agility and Calm Mind that have very different answers, potentially surprising standard counterplay.
Lucario is held back by its decent base 90 Speed stat and its inability to have all of its options at once. Lucario is unfortunately both not very fast and frail, meaning many offensive Pokemon such as Rotom-A, Gliscor, Latias, Jirachi, Gengar, and Flygon outspeed and threaten to KO it, especially after it drops its defensive stats with Close Combat. This is made worse that Lucario often wants the extra power from Adamant to break through Pokemon such as physically Skarmory at +2, meaning even more Pokemon such as offensive Suicune outspeed it. Even with good defensive typing, sweeping Lucario sets are often relegated to very aggressive teams, as it doesn’t provide much defensive utility due to its frailty and common weaknesses. This is exacerbated by Lucario being a Steel-type that doesn't check Latias and is itself checked by the faster Jirachi, typical responsibilities of a Steel-type. Lucario is also a victim of its own success, as defensive teams often have multiple checks and more offensive teams almost always have multiple Fighting-type resists and a Pokemon resistant to Extreme Speed that can finish off Lucario, such as Fire Punch Jirachi and Scizor. Even with all of this, there are some Pokemon Lucario badly struggles to break unless it has a specific moveset, such as Gliscor, faster Jirachi, Choice Scarf Magnezone or Magneton, and faster priority users like Mach Punch Infernape. Choice Scarf Lucario struggles against defensive teams due to its relatively weak Close Combat and relies heavily on prediction, as its moves can be easily punished if not chosen carefully. Theoretically, Lucario could deal with a lot of these issues; however, it is limited by four moveslots and cannot carry everything it needs.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Bullet Punch / Crunch / Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
=======
Swords Dance pushes Lucario Attack to dangerous heights, as only extremely bulky Pokemon such as physically defensive Hippowdon can survive a neutral +2 Adamant Close Combat. Swords Dance makes slower counterplay difficult, as Lucario hits incredibly hard, such as OHKOing physically defensive Skarmory after Stealth Rock at +2, and has all of the coverage moves it could want to handle Fighting-type resistances. Close Combat is quite effective even without a boost, as it easily OHKOes Clefable, Tyranitar, Heatran, Magnezone, and Empoleon. Close Combat 3HKOes Flying-types such as offensive Zapdos, Gyarados, and Dragonite, making it difficult for them to continually stomach it with Stealth Rock up.
Extreme Speed picks off faster Pokemon at +2, as it is strong enough to OHKO even bulkier revenge killers such as Flygon and Latias after two rounds of Stealth Rock damage. Extreme Speed is also critical to ward off other slower priority users such as Breloom and weakened Scizor. Bullet Punch is prominent for handling Gengar and Choice Scarf Tyranitar, as it OHKOes both after Stealth Rock at +2. Another option is Crunch, as it OHKOes RestTalk Rotom-A, Latias, and has a 50% chance to OHKO defensive Celebi after Stealth Rock. Finally, Ice Punch OHKOes Lucario’s most prominent check in Gliscor while also hitting Latias, Zapdos, Celebi, and Dragonite very hard. Note that the only mandatory moves are Swords Dance and Close Combat -- feel free to mix and match moves as needed, but Lucario often sorely wants priority.
Set Details
========
A simple 252 Attack EVs and 252 Speed EVs spread is perfect for Lucario, as it doesn’t have much bulk, so it aims to hit as hard and fast as possible. Adamant is the preferred nature, as it helps OHKO very bulky Pokemon such as Skarmory and defensive Latias +2 with Close Combat and Crunch, respectively. However, Jolly has merit to outspeed Pokemon such as offensive Suicune, most other Lucario, slower Gliscor, and Rotom-A. This is especially relevant when running Ice Punch, as Lucario now outpaces slower Gliscor and Modest Zapdos, threatening to OHKO them after a Swords Dance boost. Note that Lucario should never use Steadfast and instead use Inner Focus, as the Speed boost is nullified by paralysis that flinching is often accompanied with.
Lucario has a number of other items it could use, such as Shuca Berry to lure in and KO checks such as Gliscor. It also allows it to barely survive boosted Earthquakes, letting it check Dragon Dance Tyranitar and Gyarados provided they use Earthquake, as Tyranitar has Fire Punch which also OHKOes and Gyarados OHKOes with +1 Waterfall. Other items include Salac Berry alongside Endure over the priority move to outspeed many revenge killers, Lum Berry prevents foes such as defensive Latias from statusing it, and Focus Sash either in the lead spot or alongside heavy anti-entry hazard support to survive one strong hit and remove the foe. However, Lucario often sorely misses the raw power of Life Orb.
Usage Tips
========
Lucario is effective just wallbreaking with Close Combat and only sweeping with Swords Dance if it has the opportunity. Combined with Stealth Rock, few Pokemon can safely switch into Lucario’s Close Combat, so just using it when it gets the opportunity can get a lot of value. Try to get Lucario in on 4x resisted attackers or on predicted switches as it is really frail; even strong resisted attacks such as Latias’s Choice Specs Draco Meteor can do upwards to 75% to it. Lucario’s coverage moves can often be unexpected due to the sheer amount of options it has, so leverage this to get the KO you need. The perfect time to set up Swords Dance is on predicted switches or on Choiced locked attacks such as Tyranitar’s Pursuit or -2 Choice Scarf Latias' Draco Meteor. As such, foes can often be desperate to prevent Lucario from setting up; for example, using Encore or Thunder Wave with Clefable rather than letting Lucario get a Swords Dance uncontested. Use this to your advantage to get easy KOes or potentially set up and win the game immediately. Be careful of Choice Scarf Magnezone and Magneton, as they can come in after Lucario uses Close Combat and remove it. Note that a 2x resisted Close Combat outdamages a neutral Extreme Speed.
Team Options
========
Lucario is commonly paired with a two different types of Pokemon: the first are frail Dark-weak Pokemon such as Gengar, Latias, Starmie, and Rotom-A that bait Tyranitar to use a Choiced locked Pursuit so it can get a free Swords Dance. The second are very aggressive teammates that can take advantage of the holes it creates in defensive cores and the predictable ways opponents try to check it. Choiced Latias is one of its best partners, as not only does it bait in Tyranitar to trap it, but Trick can also lock a wall into a weak attack that lets Lucario set up. Other common Tyranitar targets such as Gengar and Rotom-A can also burn Jirachi, making it much less effective in answering Lucario. On a similar note, Lucario appreciates Tyranitar itself, especially if Lucario drops Crunch, as it is then walled by bulkier Ghost- and Psychic-types. Tyranitar also helps answer Zapdos and Latias, while sand can potentially put faster Pokemon such as Starmie and Latias in range of Extreme Speed.
Lucario also appreciates very aggressive teammates that can take advantage of the holes it generates. Specially offensive teammates such as Heatran and Empoleon often bait in special walls for Lucario to take advantage of, while Dragon Dance Gyarados, Metagross, and Scizor enjoy that Lucario can simply OHKO physical walls like Skarmory with a boosted Close Combat. Trick + Iron Ball Metagross is particularly good partner, as Trick commonly targets Lucario checks like Zapdos, Rotom-A, and Jirachi. Lucario also is helpful on Spikes based offenses, as Spikes weaken grounded targets that can commonly take an unboosted Close Combat. Offensive Skarmory is the premier Spiker, and other good teammates such as mixed Flygon are great alongside Lucario. Finally, Lucario also fits alongside extensive paralysis support, as it can mitigate its issue with Speed. Common partners include Uxie, Starmie, Jirachi, and Zapdos.
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Close Combat
move 2: ThunderPunch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Crunch / Copycat / Swords Dance
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Lucario's resistance to residual damage, fantastic coverage, and good speed tier makes it a strong revenge killer. Close Combat does solid damage to most offensive Pokemon, always OHKOing Tyranitar and pressuring Heatran and Empoleon. ThunderPunch and Ice Punch are solid coverage moves: Thunderpunch OHKOes offensive Gyarados without a Wacan Berry or considerable bulk and Ice Punch does the same to Dragonite unless it has an Yache Berry while also hitting Gliscor, Latias, and Zapdos hard.
As these moves have perfect coverage for what it needs to revenge kill, Lucario has a number of options in the last slot. Crunch is the most prominent of these, as it OHKOes Gengar after Stealth Rock and a turn of sand and 2HKOes Rotom-A. Lucario is the best user of Copycat in the tier. Lucario has the speed to use helpful moves such as U-turn, Explosion, and Spikes before the foe can interrupt it. Note that it no longer repeatedly uses the last used move and fails if it copies the same move twice. As Lucario is ineffective against defensive teams, another option is Swords Dance. As Lucario is an excellent switch-in against Knock Off Clefable, Lucario can set up a Swords Dance and threaten defensive teams with its coverage.
Set Details
========
Lucario needs near maximum Speed and Attack EVs and a Jolly nature to always outspeed and threaten +1 Gyarados and +1 Dragonite, Rotom-A, as well as neutral-natured faster Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Jirachi and Flygon. It can run an Adamant nature, but being outsped by these Pokemon is not worth the marginal extra attack power.
Usage Tips
========
Lucario should generally avoid switching in on attacks unless it 4x resists them, as it very frail and taking a lot of damage switching leaves it vulnerable to priority from Scizor, opposing Lucario, and Dragonite. Try to switch Lucario in as a threat such as Tyranitar and Gyarados use Dragon Dance, as it will outspeed and threaten them out. Note that Close Combat OHKOes Tyranitar through Chople Berry after Stealth Rock, but only OHKOes Wacan Berry Gyarados after two rounds of Stealth Rock. Against more offensive teams, Lucario can make a lot of progress just using Close Combat with Stealth Rock up if the opponent doesn't have a Ghost-type. Typical Fighting-type resists on these teams often don't have recovery and are weak to Stealth Rock. However, against more defensive teams, Lucario doesn't have a lot to do besides switching into Clefable, as it is easily walled. Try to be very aggressive in these scenarios: using its health to weaken walls or potentially using Copycat to copy Explosion.
Team Options
========
Choice Scarf Lucario needs heavy support to be worth it, as its attacks other than Close Combat don't hit very hard. Lucario's teammates need to be strong against defensive teams, as it struggles even more than most Choice Scarf Pokemon. Taunt + Dragon Dance Tyranitar, entry hazards, and stallbreakers such as Taunt + Will-O-Wisp Gengar are helpful to neuter bulky Pokemon such as Skarmory and Hippowdon. Gengar is an especially good partner, as it often forces in Clefable to use Knock Off and get rid of Lucario's Choice Scarf. Other good Spikes partners such as Choice Specs Latias and Jirachi are also welcome. Latias and Gengar also draw in Dark-types, which gives Lucario a chance to switch in.
Lucario's prowess against very offensive teams facilitates teammates that invite in opposing set up sweepers. Roserade is a good example, as it struggles to deal with Dragon Dance sweepers and sets up Spikes. Despite this, Lucario does appreciate some back up against specifically Gyarados, as Wacan Berry Gyarados survives Thunder Punch and KOes it back. Defensive Rotom-A, Suicune, and Skarmory and good back up answers to Gyarados. Lucario also enjoys support from Tyranitar in removing Ghost-types to use Close Combat more effectively.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
Lucario's great offenses mean it could use a wide variety of additional offensive moves, such as Agility and Calm Mind, or other attacks as an all-out-attacker to maximize its coverage, such as Thunder Punch and Stone Edge. All of these options appreciate entry hazard support to make up for the lack of Swords Dance's power. Agility boosts Lucario's Speed to negate the need for priority, as it outspeeds all revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Rotom-A, Gliscor, and Choice Scarf Magnezone and can KO them with the appropriate coverage option. Such a set is effective against offensive teams, but struggles with power against walls such as Hippowdon, Jirachi, Zapdos, Latias, and Skarmory. Calm Mind surprises these walls with boosted special coverage coming from Lucario's higher Special Attack stat. +1 Lucario is strong enough to have a chance to OHKO Clefable with Aura Sphere and has access to good coverage with options such as Dragon Pulse, Shadow Ball, Vacuum Wave, and various Hidden Power types. While surprising, such a set still struggles to OHKO various walls and doesn't ameliorate Lucario's issues with Speed. All-out-attacking Lucario sets focus on using options to beat Flying-types; Thunder Punch OHKOes Gyarados without a Wacan Berry, Stone Edge hits physically defensive Zapdos very hard, and having the additional coverage move can be very surprising. Lucario also has destructively strong Choice Specs and Choice Band sets, as Lucario's sand immunity and great movepool allow it disguise itself effectively. Choice Specs boosted Focus Blast can OHKO Pokemon such as Clefable, physically defensive Hippowdon, and offensive Jirachi, while Choice Band Lucario hits hard immediately and can 2HKO offensive Flying-types such as Gyarados. However, Lucario often wants to fully take advantage of its movepool without the restrictions of a Choice item.
Lucario has a humongous movepool, and various niche options such as Counter + Focus Sash, Reversal, Me First, and Magnet Rise all have merit on individual sets. However, Lucario struggles to fit all of its options as is.
Checks and Counters
========
**Bulky Flying-types**: Gliscor, Zapdos, and Gyarados are fantastic general answers to Lucario. Gliscor is typically thought of first as the best Lucario check in the tier, as it is faster, neutral to Stealth Rock, very physically bulky even without investment, and swiftly OHKOes Lucario with Earthquake. Zapdos and Gyarados need a lot of investment to take Lucario's attacks and are typically slower, but can easily OHKO it with Heat Wave and Earthquake respectively. Lucario very rarely has Stone Edge or Thunder Punch, which it needs to OHKO Gyarados (and Zapdos in Stone Edge's case). Lucario can get around all of these Pokemon—Shuca Berry or Agility + Ice Punch beats Gliscor, while even physically defensive Zapdos and Gyarados don't enjoy Lucario's attacks + Stealth Rock. These Pokemon also take a lot from +2 Extreme Speed.
**Ghost-types**: Rotom-A and Gengar are also excellent checks to Lucario, as they are immune to both Close Combat and ExtremeSpeed. Rotom-A is often thought of as the other best Lucario check in the tier, as Choice Scarf Rotom-A outspeeds, resists Bullet Punch, and OHKOes it with Overheat or Thunderbolt after a Special Defense drop from Close Combat. Defensive Rotom-A walls Lucario if it doesn't have Crunch and burns it. Gengar outspeeds Lucario and OHKOes it with Focus Blast. However, Lucario can deal with both of these Pokemon, as it OHKOes Rotom-A with +2 Crunch and OHKOes Gengar with +2 Bullet Punch or Crunch.
**Faster Pokemon**: Since Lucario hits so hard, outspeeding and revenge killing it is often the best course of action instead of surviving its attacks. Jirachi, Choice Scarf Magnezone and Magneton, Choice Scarf Heatran, and Choice Scarf Tyranitar are all great checks, as they resist Extreme Speed and KO Lucario after it has dropped its defenses with Close Combat. Jirachi is notable in that it naturally outspeeds Lucario, while Choice Scarf Magnezone and Magneton guarantee -1 Lucario's removal as they outspeed and OHKO with Thunderbolt. Other faster Pokemon such as Flygon, Timid Suicune, Latias, and Starmie outspeed Lucario, but take a lot of damage from +2 Extreme Speed and fall to Agility Lucario.
**Extremely Bulky Pokemon**: While +2 Lucario is incredibly strong, extraordinarily bulky Pokemon such as physically defensive Hippowdon, Celebi, Uxie, Cresselia, and Skarmory can survive a hit and incapacitate Lucario. Physically defensive Hippowdon, Uxie, and Cresselia are notable in that they are the only Pokemon in the tier Lucario has no chance to OHKO with a physical attack at +2 after Stealth Rock. These Pokemon and others such as Swampert, Nidoqueen, Metagross, and Latias can survive multiple unboosted Lucario attacks and KO it back. Note that Lucario often needs the right coverage move to threaten these Pokemon and falls flat if it doesn't have it: without Crunch, it can't even 2HKO Celebi, Uxie, and Cresselia, while it needs Ice Punch to threaten Nidoqueen, Gliscor, and Zapdos.
**Status**: Lucario despises burn and paralysis, as burn completely ruins it and paralysis exposes its poor defenses to many more Pokemon. Rotom-A walls Lucario lacking Crunch and burns it, while Latias, Celebi, Jirachi, Uxie, and Cresselia can survive a hit and paralyze it. Even Pokemon Lucario OHKOes such as Clefable and Blissey can use Thunder Wave on a predicted Swords Dance.
**Priority**: Breloom, Infernape, Dragonite, and Scizor are notable in that they force Lucario to use ExtremeSpeed itself lest they hit it very hard with priority. Infernape is notable in that it naturally outspeeds Lucario and OHKOes it with Mach Punch after a Defense drop, while bulkier Breloom, Dragonite, and Scizor survive ExtremeSpeed and hit very hard with their priority attacks.
[CREDITS]
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