UU Lucario

ehT

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Lucario

[QC:3/3]
Eyan / BOUFF / A Cake Wearing A Hat
[GP:2/2] The Dutch Plumberjack / marthaa

[OVERVIEW]

With good offensive stats, access to Swords Dance and Nasty Plot, and a wide movepool, Lucario is a menacing and unpredictable setup sweeper for offensive teams. It also has a good defensive typing with nifty resistances to Bug, Rock, Dark, and Steel, as well as an immunity to Poison that can aid in its setup. However, this is offset by Lucario's meager defensive stats, meaning that it has to rely on forced switches and its resistances for setup opportunities. It also has a middling Speed stat that, while circumvented somewhat by its access to priority moves, leaves it vulnerable to faster threats that can take a hit, like Mega Aerodactyl and Krookodile. Lastly, Lucario faces heavy competition from the tier's plethora of other Fighting-types and struggles to stand out from the likes of Terrakion, Infernape, Cobalion, and Heracross.


[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Iron Tail / Bullet Punch / Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========

Swords Dance is needed to boost Lucario's Attack and allows it to set up for a sweep. Close Combat is Lucario's strongest, most reliable STAB move, and its main drawback of lowered defenses is negligible, since Lucario is very frail to begin with. Extreme Speed, with 80 Base Power and +2 priority, is one of this set's biggest selling points, since it nearly always goes first. This allows it to pick off frail or weakened targets without worrying about being outsped as well as take out would-be revenge killers, such as Hydreigon, Latias, and Infernape. Bullet Punch is a priority STAB move that allows Lucario to get around Mega Aerodactyl, Nihilego, and Terrakion, which resist Extreme Speed, as well as hit Fairy-types for super effective damage. Iron Tail is a very powerful but inaccurate secondary STAB attack that can break through slower Pokemon that can take a Close Combat or Bullet Punch, such as Amoonguss, Mega Altaria, and Togekiss. Ice Punch targets Gliscor while still doing the same damage as Iron Tail to targets that are only 2x weak to Ice, such as Amoonguss and Nidoqueen. Crunch hits Ghost- and Psychic-types, such as Chandelure, Slowbro, and Reuniclus. Earthquake hits Tentacruel, Doublade, Chandelure, and Nidoqueen.

Set Details
========

Maximum investment in Attack and Speed ensures that Lucario hits as fast and as hard as it can. Justified capitalizes on Lucario's resistance to Dark, allowing it to gain an Attack boost from moves such as Choice Scarf Hydreigon's Dark Pulse. A Jolly nature allows Lucario to outspeed the likes of Mamoswine, Heracross, and Timid Mega Blastoise. However, an Adamant nature can be used if you're not worried about hitting the aforementioned threats, as it nets important OHKOs and 2HKOs; for example, Adamant Close Combat 2HKOes Unaware Quagsire after Stealth Rock. Life Orb provides a significant boost to all of Lucario's moves with relatively few drawbacks. It is preferable over other items because Lucario typically needs to KO what's in front of it to avoid getting KOed itself, making the effect on its longevity negligible.

Usage Tips
========

Lucario should generally only be brought in after something on your team has been KOed, as it is frail and needs all the HP it can get in order to properly sweep. Ideally, you should wait until checks, such as Hippowdon and Doublade, have been weakened or eliminated before setting up. However, you can use Lucario as an early-game wallbreaker to set the stage for a teammate as well. Set up on Pokemon that Lucario can threaten, such as Nihilego, Blissey, and Choice-locked Hydreigon. Setup isn't always necessary, however, as Lucario is pressured to get off as much damage as possible and is quite powerful even without a boost. If your opponent sends out a Fighting-resistant Pokemon to stop Lucario, it is worth noting that resisted STAB Close Combat still does more damage than a neutral Extreme Speed, so don't be afraid to use it even against such targets.

Team Options
========

Lucario shines best on offensive teams that require a late-game sweeper or an early-game wallbreaker. Additional Fighting-types such as Terrakion and Infernape appreciate Lucario's ability to put heavy pressure on traditional checks to Fighting-types, such as Latias and Slowbro. Users of Volt Switch and U-turn such as Mega Manectric, Rotom-W, Rotom-C, and Hydreigon can all bring in Lucario safely so that it's less likely to take a hit before setting up. Pursuit trappers such as Krookodile and Mega Aerodactyl can eliminate bulky Ghost- and Psychic-types. Nasty Plot Celebi threatens bulky Water-types that can take a hit from a boosted Lucario, such as Slowbro and Swampert, and also appreciates Lucario's ability to deal with Scizor and soft check Mega Aerodactyl with Bullet Punch. They also have decent defensive synergy, with Celebi resisting Water, Ground, and Fighting and Lucario resisting Bug and Dark. Mega Abomasnow is another offensive Grass-type that does a good job supporting Lucario, as it can threaten most bulky Water-types and pick off offensive threats with Ice Shard. Lucario, in return, threatens most Steel- and Rock-types, giving them good offensive synergy. Spikes users such as Klefki are extremely helpful, as they can wear down particularly bulky checks over the course of the game. Lucario also does an excellent job of exploiting Sticky Web from Smeargle, as the speed control partly nullifies Lucario's main drawback over Cobalion in its lower Speed, and the entry hazard is right at home on hyper offense to begin with.

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Aura Sphere / Focus Blast
move 3: Flash Cannon
move 4: Vacuum Wave / Dark Pulse
item: Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Moves
========

Nasty Plot boosts Lucario's Special Attack by two stages, making it extremely deadly in a single turn. Aura Sphere is a drawback-free STAB move with decent power. However, Focus Blast is a very viable, albeit inaccurate alternative, as after a Nasty Plot boost, it can OHKO many bulky Pokemon that Aura Sphere cannot. Pokemon OHKOed by boosted Focus Blast but not by Aura Sphere include Blissey, Suicune, Hippowdon, Swampert, specially defensive Bronzong, and Mega Blastoise; it can also 2HKO Tentacruel. Flash Cannon is a secondary STAB move that allows Lucario to hit Fairy-types. Vacuum Wave gives Lucario a form of priority, which means that it won't immediately fold to any faster attacker, such as Krookodile, Mega Aerodactyl, or Hydreigon. Dark Pulse is an option to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types. These include Latias, Jellicent, Chandelure, and Doublade, most of which are commonly found on the bulky teams against which this set is most effective.

Set Details
========

Special Attack and Speed are fully invested in, as Lucario doesn't need any other stat to do its job. Life Orb gives the most power possible with the fewest drawbacks. Inner Focus, while situational, is better than Steadfast, since it stops the occasional Fake Out user from getting free chip damage on Lucario. It also stops other Pokemon such as Mega Sharpedo, Choice Scarf Togekiss, and Hydreigon locked into Dark Pulse from taking Lucario down through flinches and stopping its sweep.

Usage Tips
========

Special Lucario is more of a wallbreaker than a flat-out sweeper. As such, it does best versus balance and stall teams, although it still has an edge versus some offensive builds. Set up on something that can't touch it, such as Blissey or Amoonguss, provided something has already been put to sleep in the case of the latter. Vacuum Wave is a much weaker move than Extreme Speed, meaning that fast threats like Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Sceptile, and Talonflame must be weakened considerably to be KOed even at +2. Faster Fighting-resistant Pokemon like Latias, Mega Beedrill, and Crobat must be eliminated entirely if Lucario wants to sweep. Dark Pulse gives Lucario a much easier time versus defensive teams that rely on Ghost-types to check Fighting-types. If carrying Dark Pulse, surefire checks to faster offensive threats are highly recommended, as they must be eliminated outright to stop them from revenge killing Lucario.

Team Options
========

As a wallbreaker, Nasty Plot Lucario best pairs with Pokemon that appreciate the likes of Blissey, Slowbro, and Hippowdon being weakened and in return alleviate offensive pressure. Such Pokemon include Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Sceptile, Mega Beedrill, and Choice Scarf Hydreigon. Pursuit users can trap and eliminate a large number of Lucario's checks such as Jellicent, Doublade, Latias, and Slowbro. Spikes users, such as Klefki and Froslass, are very proficient at whittling down such Pokemon as well, putting them into KO range of a boosted attack. Klefki can also slow down faster Pokemon with priority Thunder Wave, giving Lucario the option to not have to rely on the relatively weak Vacuum Wave to get around them. Speed control in general make this set's job much easier, and therefore this set is a viable option alongside a Sticky Web setter such as Smeargle. Volt Switch and U-turn users allow Lucario to come in for free, maximizing its potential to do damage. Bulky pivots such as Doublade, Amoonguss, Rotom-W, and Sylveon can hold their own versus offensive threats like Mega Aerodactyl, Infernape, and Latias, which would otherwise prevent Lucario from boosting or shrug off a hit and KO it.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options
========

Thanks to Lucario's expansive coverage options, it can run a number of viable Z-Moves to bust through defensive checks with a single-use powerful attack in exchange for the consistent power boost of Life Orb. For example, Crunch-based Black Hole Eclipse at +2 is guaranteed to OHKO Slowbro, and +2 Close Combat-based All-Out Pummeling nets a near-guaranteed OHKO on standard Hippowdon. Do be wary, though, that losing the power boost of Life Orb makes Lucario drastically weaker, thus greatly compromising its ability to consistently wallbreak. High Jump Kick with an Adamant nature OHKOes standard Hippowdon after Stealth Rock while also netting a guaranteed OHKO on Swampert. Unfortunately, it comes with the nasty drawback of losing 50% of Lucario's health if it misses, is used against a Ghost-type, or is used against a Pokemon using Protect.

Checks and Counters
========

**Offensive Pressure**: Though Lucario is still strong without a boost, it is outsped and eliminated by a plethora of faster threats before it can get an attack off. Cobalion gets special mention, since it revenge kills the Swords Dance set effortlessly thanks to its high Defense and resistance to Extreme Speed and Bullet Punch.

**Ghost-types**: Bulky Ghost-types such as Jellicent and Doublade wall most Lucario variants with ease, but they must watch out for Dark-type coverage. Faster Ghost-types such as Choice Scarf Chandelure are particularly good at this, as they only have to worry about being put into range of +2 Bullet Punch.

**Bulky Pokemon That Resist Fighting**: Pokemon such as Slowbro, Mantine, Gliscor, and Amoonguss can check Lucario quite convincingly, although they can either be taken out by the appropriate coverage move or be easily worn down by boosted attacks.
 
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Eyan

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Overview
  • Last line -- avoid concluding lines like these for analyses; it's fluff. Just add to the first point about how its role as a setup sweeper, since the idea of setting up is mentioned in the second line but no mention of it before.
Moves [Swords Dance]
  • Close Combat line -- not that it matters in the sense that it's going to be in paragraphs sooner or later, but you have two moves in this one line
  • "Extreme Speed, with 80 Base Power and +2 priority, is one of this set's biggest selling points, since it nearly always goes first." -- which allows it to pick off frail or weakened targets, or something along those lines. Understand that the idea is not to tell people what the move does, but what it does in practice for the Pokemon.
  • Ice Punch line -- it's worth mentioning that you really only run this move if you're that weak of Gliscor considering Iron Tail OHKOes specially defensive Gliscor after Stealth Rock, and other targets get hit just as hard by Iron Tail as Ice Punch. Basically, something like "...targets Gliscor while still maintaining coverage against Nidoqueen...."
  • Crunch line -- give examples of specific Ghost-types (like the two you mentioned in the Earthquake line) and Psychic-types.
Moves [Nasty Plot]
  • Dark Pulse line -- Again, just give examples of the Psychic-types and Ghost-types.
Other Options
  • Z-Move line -- you mentioned this being in exchange for the consistent power, but while you're at it, just make it clear that without a Life Orb, Lucario really doesn't hit as hard as hard as you'd think or want, especially without setting up.
Next QC member should focus more on NP, since I haven't had much experience using that set in this meta. Good stuff though; I'll look at Kyurem when I'm not tired af. QC 1/3
 
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mention slowbro as a crunch target, as it's honestly the most important one and otherwise walls the shit out of luc

wrt espeed just say outrun or outpaced instead of outprioritized

give examples in pursuit trappers and spikes for the np set - weavile in particular is a good partner for luc since in addition to trapping it also outruns a lot of offensive checks to lucario and appreciates luc's ability to deal with weav answers like zor and mola.

in the last bullet point for np team options add in mega swampert, lucario can beat fat waters like mola and slowbro after a boost and those are usually the things standing in pert's way of cleaning lategame

for c&c, the very last section is kinda eh since none of those pokemon can actually tank a +2 cc

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Lucario Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Conkeldurr: 472-555 (114 - 134%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Lucario Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Blastoise-Mega: 387-458 (106.9 - 126.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Lucario Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Swampert-Mega: 419-493 (103.7 - 122%) -- guaranteed OHKO

(they never run max hp but even if they do it doesn't matter)

i'd just remove it completely because if you're trying to check a +2 lucario with an offensive mon it's really difficult unless you outrun it. the mons u mention like doublade and chandelure can kind of do this, but like you said if theyre running the right coverage move it doesn't matter.
 
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Adaam

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I'm not QC but I love Lucario so I have some tips for you:

SD Set

  • Mention Terrakion as another BP target.
  • When discussing Extremespeed, talk about how it allows Lucario to circumvent would-be revenge killers at +2 instead of only picking off weakens threats. Stuff like Latias, Drei, Ape etc take massive amounts of damage at +2.
  • Speaking of Latias, mention that Adamant has a chance to OHKO it at +2 with SR up.
  • Mention Froslass as a spike setter since Luc is a HO staple which is where Froslass resides.
  • This applies to the NP set as well, but I'd really emphasize how it is a phenomenal offensive check to both Scizor, Weavile, and Mamoswine which are some of the the biggest problems offense faces.
NP Set

  • Mention it's a lot easier to revenge kill due to inferior priority when discussing how it's a wallbreaker and not a sweeper. Beedrill, Crobat, Aero, Sceptile, Latias etc all easily take +2 Vacuum waves and snuff a sweep.
  • Mention Froslass as a spikes user.
  • Give example of Pursuit users, Weavile and M-Aero are two excellent ones since they beat most of the aforementioned stuff.
  • "Best Pokémon are those that appreciate weakened walls" what walls? Mention stuff the NP set lures like Slowbro/doublade if running Dark Pulse so the Aero mention sounds more fitting.
C&C stuff:

  • TBH rename Offensive Pressure as Revenge Killers or faster Pokémon resistant to priority since that's what you really mean. Mention what revenges each set. SD struggles with Cobalion, Krook, Aero/Terrak without BP, and Celebi. NP has a lot more but the common ones are Lati, Aero, Beedrill, and Pidgeot (doesn't resist but can take boosted Waves easily)
Hope this helps
 
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Deleted User 400951

Banned deucer.
Hello there, AM check:

First of all you'll want to add the new drops (washtom, latias-mega, etc.) wherever appropriate. Also remove mons that were banned/moved on up to OU/unranked. In general, this analysis is super dated, with lots of examples given that show how damn old it is.

"Close Combat is Lucario's strongest, most reliable STAB move." - mention that it lowers defenses which imo is important.

I'm gonna wait on QC for this but imo special lucario is definitely not worth a set. Extreme Speed > Vacuum Wave imo, a lot of specially bulky mons that just don't give a frick, etc.. If QC does decide on keeping it imo f blast > aura sphere as it's just so much more powerful and aura sphere is just kinda weak. Yeah talked on discord we all agreed it's worthy of a set.

TBH just updating this with more relevant examples and stuff would be fine, it's a really well written analysis!
 
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A Cake Wearing A Hat

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You mention Slowbro a lot in this. While this is for good reason it isn't nearly as relevant as before so maybe tone that down a bit. Implement the close combat point above but mention that it's defenses are ass anyway so it doesn't matter much.

Overview

State some examples of faster threats that can take a hit

I'd probably mention heracross over mienshao considering recent meta trends and Heras shared role to luc as a semi slow SD fighting type

SD

--moves--

Add nihilego to bullet punch targets, and add mega altaria to the examples to either be or iron tail. Get better examples of crunch targets.

--set details--

Mention mamoswine as a prominent thing ada fails to outspeed since it wins if jolly and loses if ada

--usage tips--

Also mention that Lucario can be brought in via free switches as a whole, via pivoting etc, rather than only via revenging. Remove the weavile mention.

--team options--

Add webs support as a team option. Replace raikou with mega manectric as a volt switch user considering meta trends. Mention that the additional fighting types also help to deal with opposing Cobalion which otherwise force out luc.

Np

--moves--

At least mention one ghost/psychic which is actually in the tier, like mlati or chandy

--team options--

Remove the first line since the sets are generally meant to be read separately from one another in an analysis. Give examples of pursuit users. Add webs again.

3/3 good work to be honest, didn't need much rewriting.
 
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Lumari

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add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 1/2
[OVERVIEW]

With good offensive stats, access to Swords Dance and Nasty Plot, and a wide movepool, Lucario is a menacing and unpredictable setup sweeper for offensive teams. It also has a good defensive typing with nifty resistances to Bug, Rock, Dark, and Steel, as well as an immunity to Poison that can aid in its setup. However, this is offset by Lucario's meager defensive stats, meaning that it has to rely on forced switches and its resistances for setup opportunities. It also has a middling Speed stat that, while circumvented somewhat by its access to priority, leaves it vulnerable to faster threats that can take a hit, like Mega Aerodactyl and Krookodile. Lastly, Lucario faces heavy competition from the tier's plethora of other Fighting-types (RC) and struggles to stand out from the likes of Terrakion, Infernape, Cobalion, and Heracross.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Iron Tail / Bullet Punch / Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Swords Dance is needed to boost Lucario's Attack and set up for a sweep. Close Combat is Lucario's strongest, most reliable STAB move, and its main drawback of lowered defenses is negligible, (AC) since Lucario is very frail to begin with. Extreme Speed, with 80 Base Power and +2 priority, is one of this set's biggest selling points, since it nearly always goes first. This allows it to pick off frail or weakened targets without worrying about being outsped, as well as take out would-be revenge killers, such as Hydreigon, Latias, and Infernape. Bullet Punch is a priority STAB move that allows it Lucario to get around Mega Aerodactyl, Nihilego, (AC) and Terrakion, which resist Extreme Speed, as well as hit Fairy-types for super effective damage. Iron Tail is a very powerful (RC) but inaccurate secondary STAB attack that can break through slower Pokemon that can take a Close Combat or Bullet Punch, such as Amoonguss, Mega Altaria, and Togekiss. Ice Punch targets Gliscor (RC) while still doing the same damage as Iron Tail to targets that are only 2x Ice weak, (RH) such as Amoonguss and Nidoqueen. Crunch hits Ghost- and Psychic-types, such as Chandelure, Slowbro, and Reuniclus. Earthquake hits Tentacruel, Doublade, Chandelure, and Nidoqueen.

Set Details
========

Maximum investment in Attack and Speed ensures that Lucario hits as fast and as hard as it can. Justified capitalizes on Lucario's resistance to Dark, allowing it to gain an Attack boost from moves such as Choice Scarf Hydreigon's Dark Pulse. A Jolly nature allows you Lucario to outspeed the likes of Mamoswine, Heracross, and Timid Mega Blastoise. However, an Adamant nature can be used if you're not worried about hitting the aforementioned threats, as it nets important OHKOes OHKOs and 2HKOes 2HKOs; for example, Adamant Close Combat 2HKOes Unaware Quagsire after Stealth Rock. Life Orb provides a significant boost to all of Lucario's moves with relatively few drawbacks. It is preferable over other items because Lucario typically needs to KO what's in front of it to avoid getting KOed itself, making the effect on its longevity negligible.

Usage Tips
========

Lucario should generally only be brought in after something on your team has been KOed, as it is frail and needs all the HP it can get in order to properly sweep. Ideally, you should wait until checks, such as Hippowdon and Doublade, have been weakened or eliminated before setting up. However, you can use Lucario as an early-game wallbreaker to set the stage for a teammate as well. Set up on Pokemon that Lucario can threaten, such as Nihilego, Blissey, and Choice-locked Hydreigon. Setup isn't always necessary, however, as Lucario is pressured to get off as much damage as possible (RC) and is quite powerful even without a boost. If your opponent sends out a Fighting-resistant Pokemon to stop Lucario, it is worth noting that resisted STAB Close Combat still does more damage than a neutral Extreme Speed, so don't be afraid to use it even against such targets.

Team Options
========

Lucario shines best on offensive teams that require a late-game win condition sweeper or an early-game wallbreaker. Additional Fighting-types such as Terrakion and Infernape appreciate Lucario's ability to put heavy pressure on traditional checks to Fighting-types, such as Latias and Slowbro. Users of Volt Switch and U-turn such as Mega Manectric, Hydreigon, Rotom-W, and Rotom-C can all bring in Lucario safely (RC) so that it's less likely to take a hit before setting up. Pursuit trappers such as Krookodile and Mega Aerodactyl can eliminate bulky Ghost- and Psychic-types. Nasty Plot Celebi can threaten bulky Water-types that can take a hit from a boosted Lucario, such as Slowbro and Swampert, and also appreciates Lucario's ability to deal with Scizor and soft check Mega Aerodactyl with Bullet Punch. They also have decent defensive synergy, with Celebi resisting Water, Ground, and Fighting (RC) and Lucario resisting Bug and Dark. Mega Abomasnow is another offensive Grass-type that does a good job of supporting Lucario, as it can threaten most bulky Water-types and pick off offensive threats with Ice Shard. Lucario, in return, threatens most Steel- and Rock-types, giving them good offensive synergy. Spikes users such as Klefki are extremely helpful, (AC) as they can wear down particularly bulky checks over the course of the game. Lucario also does an excellent job of abusing exploiting Sticky Web from Smeargle, as the Speed speed control provided by Sticky Web partly nullifies Lucario's main drawback over Cobalion in its lower Speed, and the entry hazard is right at home on hyper offense to begin with.

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Aura Sphere / Focus Blast
move 3: Flash Cannon
move 4: Vacuum Wave / Dark Pulse
item: Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Moves
========

Nasty Plot boosts Lucario's Special Attack by two stages, making it extremely deadly in a single turn. Aura Sphere is a drawback-free STAB move with decent power. However, Focus Blast is a very viable, albeit inaccurate, (AC) alternative, as after a Nasty Plot Boost, boost, it can OHKO many bulky Pokemon that Aura Sphere cannot. Pokemon OHKOed by boosted Focus Blast but not by Aura Sphere include Blissey, Suicune, Hippowdon, Swampert, specially defensive Bronzong, and Mega Blastoise; it can also 2HKO Tentacruel. Flash Cannon is a secondary STAB move and that allows Lucario to hit Fairy-types. Vacuum Wave gives Lucario a form of priority, which means that it won't immediately fold to any faster attacker, such as Krookodile, Mega Aerodactyl, or Hydreigon. Dark Pulse is an option to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types. These include Latias, Jellicent, Chandelure, and Doublade, most of which are commonly found on the bulky teams against which this set is most effective.

Set Details
========

Special Attack and Speed are fully invested in, as Lucario doesn't need any other stat to do its job. Life Orb gives the most power possible with the fewest drawbacks. Inner Focus, while situational, is better than Steadfast, since it stops the occasional Fake Out user from getting free chip damage on Lucario. It also stops other Pokemon such as Mega Sharpedo, Choice Scarf Togekiss, and Hydreigon locked into Dark Pulse from being able to flinch taking Lucario down through flinches and stopping its sweep.

Usage Tips
========

Special Lucario is more of a wallbreaker than a flat-out sweeper. As such, it does best versus balance and stall teams, although it still has an edge versus some offensive builds. Set up on something on something that can't touch it, such as Blissey or Amoonguss, provided something has already been put to sleep in the case of the latter. Vacuum Wave is a much weaker move than Extreme Speed, meaning that fast threats like Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Sceptile, and Talonflame must be weakened considerably to be KOed even at +2. Faster Fighting-resistant Pokemon like Latias, Mega Beedrill, and Crobat must be eliminated entirely if Lucario wants to sweep. Dark Pulse gives Lucario a much easier time versus defensive teams that rely on Ghost-types to check Fighting-types. If carrying Dark Pulse, surefire checks to faster offensive threats are highly recommended, as they must be eliminated outright to stop them from revenge killing Lucario.

Team Options
========

As a wallbreaker, Nasty Plot Lucario's best teammates are pairs with (dangler technically) Pokemon that appreciate the likes of Blissey, Slowbro, and Hippowdon being weakened (RC) and in return alleviate offensive pressure. Such Pokemon include Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Sceptile, Mega Beedrill, and Choice Scarf Hydreigon. Pursuit users can trap and eliminate a large number of Lucario's checks such as Jellicent, Doublade, Latias, and Slowbro. Spikes users, such as Klefki and Froslass, are very proficient at whittling down such Pokemon as well, putting them into KO range of a boosted attack. Klefki can also slow down faster Pokemon with priority Thunder Wave, giving Lucario the option to not rely on the relatively weak Vacuum Wave to get around them. Speed control in general make this set's job much easier, and therefore makes this set is a viable option alongside a Sticky Web setter such as Smeargle. Volt Switch and U-turn users allow Lucario to come in for free, maximizing its potential to do damage. Bulky pivots such as Doublade, Amoonguss, Rotom-W, and Sylveon can hold their own versus offensive threats like Mega Aerodactyl, Infernape, and Latias, who which would otherwise prevent Lucario from boosting or shrug off a hit and KO it.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options
========

Thanks to Lucario's expansive coverage options, it can run a number of viable Z-Moves to bust through defensive checks with a single-use nuke in exchange for the consistent power boost of Life Orb. For example, Z-Crunch Crunch-based Black Hole Eclipse at +2 is guaranteed to OHKO Slowbro, and +2 Z-Close Combat-based All-Out Pummeling nets a near-guaranteed OHKO on standard Hippowdon. Do be wary, though, that the losing the power boost of Life Orb makes Lucario drastically weaker, thus greatly compromising its ability to consistently wallbreak. High Jump Kick with an Adamant nature OHKOes standard Hippowdon after Stealth Rock (RC) while also netting a guaranteed OHKO on Swampert. Unfortunately, it comes with the nasty drawback of losing 50% of Lucario's health if it misses, is used against a Ghost-type, or is used against a Pokemon using Protect.

Checks and Counters
========

**Offensive Pressure**: Though Lucario is still strong without a boost, it is outsped and eliminated by a plethora of faster threats before it can get an attack off. Cobalion gets special mention, since it revenge kills the Swords Dance set effortlessly thanks to its high Defense and resistance to Extreme Speed and Bullet Punch.

**Ghost-types**: Bulky Ghost-types such as Jellicent and Doublade wall most Lucario variants with ease, but they must watch out for Dark-type coverage. Faster Ghost-types such as Choice Scarf Chandelure are particularly good at this, as they only have to worry about being put into range of +2 Bullet Punch.

**Bulky Pokemon That Resist Fighting**: Pokemon such as Slowbro, Mantine, Gliscor, and Amoonguss can check Lucario quite convincingly, although they can either be taken out by the appropriate coverage move or be easily worn down by boosted attacks.
 
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autumn

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GP 2/2
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[OVERVIEW]

With good offensive stats, access to Swords Dance and Nasty Plot, and a wide movepool, Lucario is a menacing and unpredictable setup sweeper for offensive teams. It also has a good defensive typing with nifty resistances to Bug, Rock, Dark, and Steel, as well as an immunity to Poison that can aid in its setup. However, this is offset by Lucario's meager defensive stats, meaning that it has to rely on forced switches and its resistances for setup opportunities. It also has a middling Speed stat that, while circumvented somewhat by its access to priority moves, leaves it vulnerable to faster threats that can take a hit, like Mega Aerodactyl and Krookodile. Lastly, Lucario faces heavy competition from the tier's plethora of other Fighting-types, (RC) and struggles to stand out from the likes of Terrakion, Infernape, Cobalion, and Heracross.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Extreme Speed
move 4: Iron Tail / Bullet Punch / Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Moves
========

Swords Dance is needed to boost Lucario's Attack and allows it to set up for a sweep. Close Combat is Lucario's strongest, most reliable STAB move, and its main drawback of lowered defenses is negligible, (AC) since Lucario is very frail to begin with. Extreme Speed, with 80 Base Power and +2 priority, is one of this set's biggest selling points, since it nearly always goes first. This allows it to pick off frail or weakened targets without worrying about being outsped, (RC) as well as take out would-be revenge killers, such as Hydreigon, Latias, and Infernape. Bullet Punch is a priority STAB move that allows Lucario to get around Mega Aerodactyl, Nihilego, (AC) and Terrakion, which resist Extreme Speed, as well as hit Fairy-types for super effective damage. Iron Tail is a very powerful, (RC) but inaccurate secondary STAB attack that can break through slower Pokemon that can take a Close Combat or Bullet Punch, such as Amoonguss, Mega Altaria, and Togekiss. Ice Punch targets Gliscor, (RC) while still doing the same damage as Iron Tail to targets that are only 2x weak to Ice weak, such as Amoonguss and Nidoqueen. Crunch hits Ghost- and Psychic-types, such as Chandelure, Slowbro, and Reuniclus. Earthquake hits Tentacruel, Doublade, Chandelure, and Nidoqueen.

Set Details
========

Maximum investment in Attack and Speed ensures that Lucario hits as fast and as hard as it can. Justified capitalizes on Lucario's resistance to Dark, allowing it to gain an Attack boost from moves such as Choice Scarf Hydreigon's Dark Pulse. A Jolly nature allows Lucario to outspeed the likes of Mamoswine, Heracross, and Timid Mega Blastoise. However, an Adamant nature can be used if you're not worried about hitting the aforementioned threats, as it nets important OHKOs and 2HKOs; for example, Adamant Close Combat 2HKOes Unaware Quagsire after Stealth Rock. Life Orb provides a significant boost to all of Lucario's moves with relatively few drawbacks. It is preferable over other items because Lucario typically needs to KO what's in front of it to avoid getting KOed itself, making the effect on its longevity negligible.

Usage Tips
========

Lucario should generally only be brought in after something on your team has been KOed, as it is frail and needs all the HP it can get in order to properly sweep. Ideally, you should wait until checks, such as Hippowdon and Doublade, have been weakened or eliminated before setting up. However, you can use Lucario as an early-game wallbreaker to set the stage for a teammate as well. Set up on Pokemon that Lucario can threaten, such as Nihilego, Blissey, and Choice-locked Hydreigon. Setup isn't always necessary, however, as Lucario is pressured to get off as much damage as possible and is quite powerful even without a boost. If your opponent sends out a Fighting-resistant Pokemon to stop Lucario, it is worth noting that resisted STAB Close Combat still does more damage than a neutral Extreme Speed, so don't be afraid to use it even against such targets.

Team Options
========

Lucario shines best on offensive teams that require a late-game sweeper or an early-game wallbreaker. Additional Fighting-types such as Terrakion and Infernape appreciate Lucario's ability to put heavy pressure on traditional checks to Fighting-types, such as Latias and Slowbro. Users of Volt Switch and U-turn such as Mega Manectric, Hydreigon, Rotom-W, and Rotom-C, (AC) and Hydreigon (groups volt switch users) can all bring in Lucario safely so that it's less likely to take a hit before setting up. Pursuit trappers such as Krookodile and Mega Aerodactyl can eliminate bulky Ghost- and Psychic-types. Nasty Plot Celebi can threatens bulky Water-types that can take a hit from a boosted Lucario, such as Slowbro and Swampert, and also appreciates Lucario's ability to deal with Scizor and soft check Mega Aerodactyl with Bullet Punch. They also have decent defensive synergy, with Celebi resisting Water, Ground, and Fighting and Lucario resisting Bug and Dark. Mega Abomasnow is another offensive Grass-type that does a good job supporting Lucario, as it can threaten most bulky Water-types and pick off offensive threats with Ice Shard. Lucario, in return, threatens most Steel- and Rock-types, giving them good offensive synergy. Spikes users such as Klefki are extremely helpful, (AC) as they can wear down particularly bulky checks over the course of the game. Lucario also does an excellent job of exploiting Sticky Web from Smeargle, as the speed control partly nullifies Lucario's main drawback over Cobalion in its lower Speed, and the entry hazard is right at home on hyper offense to begin with.

[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Aura Sphere / Focus Blast
move 3: Flash Cannon
move 4: Vacuum Wave / Dark Pulse
item: Life Orb
ability: Inner Focus
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Moves
========

Nasty Plot boosts Lucario's Special Attack by two stages, making it extremely deadly in a single turn. Aura Sphere is a drawback-free STAB move with decent power. However, Focus Blast is a very viable, albeit inaccurate alternative, as after a Nasty Plot boost, it can OHKO many bulky Pokemon that Aura Sphere cannot. Pokemon OHKOed by boosted Focus Blast but not by Aura Sphere include Blissey, Suicune, Hippowdon, Swampert, specially defensive Bronzong, and Mega Blastoise; it can also 2HKO Tentacruel. Flash Cannon is a secondary STAB move that allows Lucario to hit Fairy-types. Vacuum Wave gives Lucario a form of priority, which means that it won't immediately fold to any faster attacker, such as Krookodile, Mega Aerodactyl, or Hydreigon. Dark Pulse is an option to hit Ghost- and Psychic-types. These include Latias, Jellicent, Chandelure, and Doublade, most of which are commonly found on the bulky teams against which this set is most effective.

Set Details
========

Special Attack and Speed are fully invested in, as Lucario doesn't need any other stat to do its job. Life Orb gives the most power possible with the fewest drawbacks. Inner Focus, while situational, is better than Steadfast, since it stops the occasional Fake Out user from getting free chip damage on Lucario. It also stops other Pokemon such as Mega Sharpedo, Choice Scarf Togekiss, and Hydreigon locked into Dark Pulse from taking Lucario down through flinches and stopping its sweep.

Usage Tips
========

Special Lucario is more of a wallbreaker than a flat-out sweeper. As such, it does best versus balance and stall teams, although it still has an edge versus some offensive builds. Set up on something that can't touch it, such as Blissey or Amoonguss, provided something has already been put to sleep in the case of the latter. Vacuum Wave is a much weaker move than Extreme Speed, meaning that fast threats like Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Sceptile, and Talonflame must be weakened considerably to be KOed even at +2. Faster Fighting-resistant Pokemon like Latias, Mega Beedrill, and Crobat must be eliminated entirely if Lucario wants to sweep. Dark Pulse gives Lucario a much easier time versus defensive teams that rely on Ghost-types to check Fighting-types. If carrying Dark Pulse, surefire checks to faster offensive threats are highly recommended, as they must be eliminated outright to stop them from revenge killing Lucario.

Team Options
========

As a wallbreaker, Nasty Plot Lucario best pairs with Pokemon that appreciate the likes of Blissey, Slowbro, and Hippowdon being weakened and in return alleviate offensive pressure. Such Pokemon include Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Sceptile, Mega Beedrill, and Choice Scarf Hydreigon. Pursuit users can trap and eliminate a large number of Lucario's checks such as Jellicent, Doublade, Latias, and Slowbro. Spikes users, such as Klefki and Froslass, are very proficient at whittling down such Pokemon as well, putting them into KO range of a boosted attack. Klefki can also slow down faster Pokemon with priority Thunder Wave, giving Lucario the option to not have to rely on the relatively weak Vacuum Wave to get around them. Speed control in general make this set's job much easier, and therefore this set is a viable option alongside a Sticky Web setter such as Smeargle. Volt Switch and U-turn users allow Lucario to come in for free, maximizing its potential to do damage. Bulky pivots such as Doublade, Amoonguss, Rotom-W, and Sylveon can hold their own versus offensive threats like Mega Aerodactyl, Infernape, and Latias, which would otherwise prevent Lucario from boosting or shrug off a hit and KO it.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]

Other Options
========

Thanks to Lucario's expansive coverage options, it can run a number of viable Z-Moves to bust through defensive checks with a single-use nuke powerful attack in exchange for the consistent power boost of Life Orb. For example, Crunch-based Black Hole Eclipse at +2 is guaranteed to OHKO Slowbro, and +2 Close Combat-based All-Out Pummeling nets a near-guaranteed OHKO on standard Hippowdon. Do be wary, though, that the losing the power boost of Life Orb makes Lucario drastically weaker, thus greatly compromising its ability to consistently wallbreak. High Jump Kick with an Adamant nature OHKOes standard Hippowdon after Stealth Rock while also netting a guaranteed OHKO on Swampert. Unfortunately, it comes with the nasty drawback of losing 50% of Lucario's health if it misses, is used against a Ghost-type, or is used against a Pokemon using Protect.

Checks and Counters
========

**Offensive Pressure**: Though Lucario is still strong without a boost, it is outsped and eliminated by a plethora of faster threats before it can get an attack off. Cobalion gets special mention, since it revenge kills the Swords Dance set effortlessly thanks to its high Defense and resistance to Extreme Speed and Bullet Punch.

**Ghost-types**: Bulky Ghost-types such as Jellicent and Doublade wall most Lucario variants with ease, but they must watch out for Dark-type coverage. Faster Ghost-types such as Choice Scarf Chandelure are particularly good at this, as they only have to worry about being put into range of +2 Bullet Punch.

**Bulky Pokemon That Resist Fighting**: (imo Bulky Fighting-resistant Pokemon is more concise, but it's up to you) Pokemon such as Slowbro, Mantine, Gliscor, and Amoonguss can check Lucario quite convincingly, although they can either be taken out by the appropriate coverage move or be easily worn down by boosted attacks.

some of tdp's check wasn't implemented fully, make sure you're using the method in this video.
 
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