Effective Lures in OU

Introduction

Lures are regarded as one of the best ways to eliminate specific threats in high level play, as they help create opportunities for a teammate to sweep. Effective lures need to have value outside of their surprise factor so even if the opponent doesn't have the threats you want to lure and eliminate, your lure can still function without being completely outclassed by its standard sets. For example, even though Fire Blast Gyarados with Special Attack investment can lure and weaken or OHKO Ferrothorn, it becomes incredibly easy to check or wall without Speed or Attack investment to the point where you are better off using another Ferrothorn lure. Furthermore, against skilled opponents, just having a lure is not enough to eliminate the threat you want to; you must be patient and committed to your bluff by playing your Pokémon as if it doesn't have a way to deal with its supposed check or counter, and when the opponent lets his guard down, you reveal your hidden trick. Now that we are finished with the basics, let's see some good lures:

Lures

Heatran @ Power Herb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Solar Beam
- Taunt

What it does

This Heatran set is designed to lure and eliminate special walls and bulky Water-types, namely Chansey, specially defensive Gliscor, Rotom-W, Alomomola, Slowbro, Azumarill, defensive Starmie, Suicune, and specially defensive Mega Charizard X. Magma Storm should be used as those Pokémon switch into Heatran, making sure they can't escape. Then, Solar Beam OHKOes bulky Water-types, Taunt in conjunction with repeated hits from Magma Storm beats Chansey, Earth Power in tandem with Taunt takes care of Mega Charizard X, and Gliscor is 2HKOed by Magma Storm after Stealth Rock the vast majority of the time. Even though this set is a dedicated lure, Magma Storm is a great move to spam given Heatran's great Special Attack stat, the passive damage it causes, and the guaranteed advantageous switch that it gives you, while Earth Power serves as the usual coverage move, and Heatran can still act as a check to Clefable, Steel-types, and Talonflame. Not to mention that given this set's wide array of Pokémon it can lure, it almost always has luring value.

Good partners

Greninja appreciates Chansey, Alomomola, Azumarill, and Suicune being removed and is free to terrorize teams after they are gone. Greninja also has good synergy with Heatran in general. The same goes for Keldeo, which appreciates the absence of bulky Water-types. Any variant of Dragon Dance Gyarados benefits from the absence of bulky Water-types, making for another good partner. Latios, Latias, and Mega Alakazam are all Pokémon that enjoy having Chansey, Alomomola, and Azumarill out of the way so they can wallbreak or clean up without worries, and Latios and Latias also have excellent defensive synergy with Heatran.

Talonflame @ Liechi Berry / Salac Berry
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 88 HP / 252 Atk / 168 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Natural Gift
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz

What it does

Liechi Berry or Salac Berry provides Talonflame with a one-use 100 Base Power Grass- or Fighting-type attack respectively, which, when coupled with a Swords Dance boost, allows Talonflame to get past most of its checks and counters. With Liechi Berry, +2 Natural Gift deals ~74% minimum damage to physically defensive Rotom-W and Rhyperior, 85.6% minimum damage to Choice Scarf Tyranitar, and 65% damage minimum to physically defensive Quagsire, a probable OHKO after Stealth Rock and Brave Bird damage. On the other hand, while holding a Salac Berry, +2 Natural Gift always OHKOes physically defensive Tyranitar and does 78% damage minimum to max HP Heatran. Furthermore, because Talonflame commonly carries Sharp Beak or no item + Acrobatics, it is even easier to bluff one of the above sets even after using an attacking move. Unlike most lures, this set works fine in any stage of the game, as it is pretty self-sufficient and has plenty of sweeping potential, especially if the opponent relies on a Pokémon that Natural Gift takes care of to handle Talonflame.

Good partners

This Talonflame set is an excellent partner to Mega Pinsir, as they share almost the exact same counters, allowing Mega Pinsir to sweep after Talonflame does its part. Sand Rush Excadrill also appreciates the removal of Rotom-W, one of its best checks. Latios, Latias, and Calm Mind Clefable become much more effective after Heatran and Tyranitar are gone, so they make for good partners. Swords Dance Bisharp is another great teammate because this Talonflame set weakens or eliminates Quagsire, one of the few Pokémon that can prevent Bisharp from destroying defensive teams.

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock / Hidden Power Fire
- Earthquake
- Defog / Roost

What it does

This set's primary function is to lure out and eliminate Heatran. Unlike Surf, the move that is usually preferred, Earthquake needs no prediction at all against Heatran, as it always OHKOes it after a Draco Meteor, while Heatran will switch out the moment it sees Surf. Earthquake is also useful to OHKO Choice Scarf Magnezone, a common check to Latios on offensive teams, and 2HKO Jirachi with the tiniest bit of prior damage.

Good partners

Calm Mind Clefable and bulky Dragon Dance Mega Charizard X are the best partners for this set, as they are both exceptional late-game cleaners that are very hard to stop after Heatran is gone. Mega Gardevoir also appreciates the weakening of all the Steel-types that Latios lures and weakens, as it is able to spam Hyper Voice much more easily and can also wallbreak effectively with Jirachi weakened. Finally, any kind of Talonflame likes Heatran and Magnezone gone.

Thundurus @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant / Prankster
EVs: 76 Atk / 180 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power Ice
- Superpower / Thunder Wave

What it does

Knock Off removes Chansey's Eviolite, making it susceptible to getting 2HKOed by Superpower, severely dents Thundurus's checks, such as Latios, Latias, and irachi, and screws up Choice Scarf users, such as Magenzone and Landorus-T, which can no longer check Thundurus after their item has been removed. In general, Knock Off is a great move to spam early-game, as it deals with many of Thundurus's checks and counters. Superpower is another handy luring tool which allows Thundurus to 2HKO Eviolite-lacking Chansey, and it covers the same targets as Focus Blast without a terrible chance to miss. Superpower is also Thundurus's best bet against Assault Vest Raikou, one of Thundurus's common checks on offensive teams, 2HKOing it after Stealth Rock.

Good partners

Greninja, Latios, Mega Charizard Y, and any strong special attacker that struggles to get past Chansey are good partners for this set. In general, this Thundurus plays as a lure to cripple special walls so special wallbreakers and cleaners can shine.

Landorus @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast / Sludge Wave / Psychic
- Hidden Power Ice
- Knock Off

What it does

This set has a simple goal: to lure and KO specially defensive Gliscor. Many defensive teams started using specially defensive Gliscor to counter Landorus, and Hidden Power Ice exploits this metagame trend to make for a very efficient wallbreaker. However, this is one of the lures that is semi-standard, and thus Hidden Power Ice should stay hidden until you are confident that the opponent no longer believes you have it. This set acts not only as a lure for Gliscor, but as a very efficient standalone wallbreaker.

Good partners

Any Pokémon that appreciates Landorus's wallbreaking abilities is a nice partner. Calm Mind Clefable appreciates specially defensive Gliscor's absence, as it is one of Clefable's best counters. Mega Charizard Y can wreck havoc with Chansey, Latios, and Latias weakened or eliminated. Greninja is able to roam free after Chansey has been eliminated, and it can provide some great utility against offensive teams. Anything can work as a partner to this set, as it's very self-sufficient.

Breloom @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Seed
- Mach Punch
- Rock Tomb

What it does

This set forgoes Spore for sheer power and improved coverage, making it almost impossible to wall, with a few exceptions. Common answers to Breloom, such as Mandibuzz, Mega Venusaur, Psychic-lacking physically defensive Celebi, Amonguss, physically defensive Ferrothorn, Chesnaught, and Flying-type move-lacking defensive Gliscor, are all seriously crippled or outright beaten by this set, making it a great lure for any bulky Grass-type. Even without setting up, this set is very potent and packs a lot of power, great coverage, and revenge killing utility in Mach Punch, making it useful against offensive teams too.

Good partners

Any Pokémon that appreciates Grass-types gone works well with this set. Keldeo, Azumarill, especially Belly Drum variants, Mega Gyarados, double dance Landorus-T, and Sand Rush Excadrill are some of the most threatening Pokémon that are hard to stop after Breloom has done its job. In general, this set works great with multiple other physical sweepers checked by Grass-types.

Keldeo @ Expert Belt
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Hydro Pump / Icy Wind
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power Flying / Hidden Power Electric

What it does

This set should be bluffed as a Choice Scarf set in the early-game to give to the opponent the illusion that Keldeo is Choice-locked, and when the moment is right, use the appropriate coverage move to eliminate the target. Also, Pokémon such as Ferrothorn and Heatran often carry Protect and use it against Keldeo, so if they see a move they don't fear, there is a big chance they will stay in to capitalize on it, giving you a chance to cripple them. Hidden Power Flying 2HKOes burned Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss after Stealth Rock, and Hidden Power Electric OHKOes any Gyarados that thinks it can set up on your supposedly Choice-locked Secret Sword and 2HKOes Slowbro after Stealth Rock damage.

Good partners

The partners you should use depend on the move you use in the last slot. If you go with Hidden Power Flying, Pokémon such as Azumarill, Mega Gyarados, and Calm Mind Clefable have a much easier time sweeping and wallbreaking. On the other hand, if you go with Hidden Power Electric, Mega Charizard X, Excadrill, and Swords Dance Talonflame are all great partners, as they are able to take advantage of Slowbro's absence.

Landorus-T @ Earth Plate
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Gravity
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock / U-turn
- Stone Edge / U-turn

What it does

With Gravity, Landorus-T can beat many of its common checks and counters, namely Rotom-W, Skarmory, and specially defensive Gliscor, and gets to spam Earthquake with almost zero worries. The only common Pokémon in OU that resist Earthquake under Gravity are Celebi, Mega Pinsir, Mega Heracross, and Chesnaught: Of these, Celebi loses to U-turn, and Mega Pinsir loses to Stone Edge. Decreasing the evasion of opposing Pokémon is another little perk of Gravity, as it improves Stone Edge's accuracy, making it 100% accurate. This set is not exactly a good lure, because if the opponent needs Skarmory or Rotom-W alive, they will keep it, as they can switch out after seeing Gravity. However, Gravity allows Landorus-T to take advantage of its usual counters in order to become a formidable wallbreaker, as long as the opponent doesn't have more than one hard counter to Landorus-T. So, in a sense, Landorus-T serves as a lure by taking advantage of its usual counters to wallbreak.

Good partners

Spikes Greninja is one of the best partners for this set, as Landorus-T lures in and beats Skarmory, a common Defog user, while simultaneously forcing Spikes damage on every single opposing Pokémon thanks to Gravity. Also, Greninja can easily clean up after Landorus-T softens up the opponent's team. As for other partners, anything that has good offensive and defensive synergy with Landorus-T works here; just remember that it's not a dedicated lure, but a Pokémon able to take advantage of its common switch-ins. Some Pokémon that work well alongside Landorus-T and can take advantage of Gravity are Mega Gardevoir and Gengar, which gain access to a 100% accurate Focus Blast and can get past the Pokémon that wall Landorus-T.

Victini @ Expert Belt
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 140 Atk / 116 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash / Mild Nature
- V-Create
- Focus Blast
- Grass Knot / Thunder
- Glaciate

What it does

Expert Belt Victini bluffs a Choice Scarf set in order to lure and beat many of its common checks and counters. The given EVs guarantee the 2HKO on specially defensive Heatran with Focus Blast after Stealth Rock damage while also giving Glaciate a big chance to OHKO max HP Landorus-T after Stealth Rock damage and guaranteeing the 2HKO on Slowbro with Grass Knot. Luring targets of this set include Landorus-T, Gliscor, Slowbro, Tyranitar, Quagsire, Heatran, Hippowdon, Suicune, and Alomomola (you need Thunder for Alomomola), many of which can be 2HKOed with a combo of V-create and the appropriate coverage move (Quagsire, physically defensive Hippowdon, and Tyranitar), while some others require some prediction, because if you use V-create they can then outspeed and OHKO or cripple Victini. Even though this set has heavier investment in Special Attack than in Attack, V-Create still hits pretty hard, and thanks to the wide array of Pokémon that Victini checks, scares out, and lures, it is very consistent.

Good partners

This set has a ton of great partners because it lures out many Pokémon. Most of the Pokémon that Victini can eliminate are physical walls though, so physical sweepers are its best partners. Some examples include Swords Dance Bisharp, Swords Dance Hawlucha, Swords Dance Mega Scizor, and Swords Dance Garchomp, all of which have good synergy with Victini and become very dangerous if Victini does its job right.

Staraptor @ Choice Band
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Double Edge
- Final Gambit
- U-turn / Close Combat

What it does

Thanks to Staraptor's immense power, it has few safe switch-ins, all of which are demolished by Final Gambit if Staraptor is healthy and Stealth Rock is up. For example, Skarmory, Staraptor's best counter, is cleanly OHKOed by Final Gambit, and the same goes for Mega Aerodactyl and Zapdos, while checks such as Rhyperior and Tyranitar are seriously crippled. Final Gambit has the added benefit of giving you the matchup advantage, so you can send in the appropriate set up sweeper after Staraptor is sacrificed.

Good partners

Mega Pinsir and double dance Landorus-T are some of the best partners for this set, as they can easily sweep after Skarmory, or other checks they share with Staraptor, such as Rotom-W and Zapdos, are eliminated. Outside of Pokémon able to take advantage of Staraptor's luring abilities, a way to get rid of Stealth Rock is a necessity, as well as fast Pokémon to cover Staraptor's weak matchup against offensive teams. Latios and Latias are great teammates that fare well against offensive teams and can get rid of Stealth Rock, while Greninja, Choice Scarf Landorus-T, and Weavile are some great checks to offensive teams in general, with the latter two also appreciating Skarmory's removal.

Rotom-W @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Thunder Wave

What it does

This set plays like regular Rotom-W with the exception of using Thunder Wave over Pain Split, which allows it to cripple common switch-ins, such as Latios, Latias, Kyurem-B, and Mega Charizard X. This not only means Rotom-W can lure and cripple those Pokémon, but also that it isn't set up bait for Dragon Dance Mega Charizard X, a very threatening sweeper.

Good partners

Mega Charizard Y appreciates being able to move before Latios and Latias, as it can 2HKO them with Fire Blast. Swords Dance Crawdaunt and Belly Drum Azumarill can also benefit from Latios and Latias being paralyzed, as the twins are some of their best offensive checks. Finally, offensive Mega Scizor is able to outspeed and OHKO a paralyzed Mega Charizard X with +2 Superpower, pairing nicely with Thunder Wave Rotom-W.

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