Approved by Hogg and King UU
We all know what lures are: Pokemon that run unorthodox sets to draw in and weaken or eliminate particular threats in order to pave the way for a sweeper. Employing lures is a key strategy for offensive teams that want to maximize the opportunity to execute a sweep. Lures can take many forms; whether it's an unexpected mixed set (like the example below) or running Thunder Wave to slow down a threatening Choice Scarf user, anything that sufficiently cripples the shared checks in question is fair game.
However, it's important to consider opportunity cost when building a lure. If a Pokemon must lose its ability to check certain Pokemon it should, it may not be worth it to make that one your lure. For example, say I want to lure in Blissey for my NP Infernape. I realize that Sylveon also draws in Blissey, so I decide to use it as my lure. Now I could slap a max Attack Last Resort Sylveon on my team and call it a day, but this represents a "bad lure", because it is one that functions only to lure in a particular threat or threats but is otherwise subpar. In other words, make sure your lure is still a decent standalone Pokemon. Here's an example of a good lure:
Crawdaunt @ Life Orb
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Crabhammer
- Knock Off
- Aqua Jet
- Sludge Wave
This is an example of a good lure because it is unexpected and hits very common Crawdaunt switch-ins like Whimsicott and Chesnaught. This could break down these walls for something like Gyarados that also struggles with these Pokemon.
This project is a twist on the "Lure That Threat" projects hosted in other subforums, so pay close attention to the following!
How this project will work:
1. I will post the Pokemon of the week, which will be a sweeper or cleaner.
2. You will post the best lure to pair with the Pokemon of the week with a brief explanation (no sprites necessary, although it looks nice); in other words, the partner that does the best job of drawing in and sufficiently weakening/eliminating as many of the Pokemon of the week's checks and counters as possible without sacrificing viability. Don't use standard sets, although some analysis sets may be acceptable if they are relatively rare (such as Earthquake Lucario). This is one step more rigorous than "Lure That Threat", because it similarly encourages creativity but additionally focuses on building the best lure in general rather than a lure that only serves to draw in a single Pokemon.
3. Voting will be underway for a couple of days, and afterward I'll present the top 2 (I'll have a vote as well).
4. Reservations are allowed, but just edit your post instead of making a brand new one.
Say the Pokemon of the week is DD Gyarados; ideally, your post will look something like this:
Week 5: Calm Mind Reuniclus
Reuniclus @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Calm Mind
- Recover
Voting until Saturday!
Build That Lure
We all know what lures are: Pokemon that run unorthodox sets to draw in and weaken or eliminate particular threats in order to pave the way for a sweeper. Employing lures is a key strategy for offensive teams that want to maximize the opportunity to execute a sweep. Lures can take many forms; whether it's an unexpected mixed set (like the example below) or running Thunder Wave to slow down a threatening Choice Scarf user, anything that sufficiently cripples the shared checks in question is fair game.
However, it's important to consider opportunity cost when building a lure. If a Pokemon must lose its ability to check certain Pokemon it should, it may not be worth it to make that one your lure. For example, say I want to lure in Blissey for my NP Infernape. I realize that Sylveon also draws in Blissey, so I decide to use it as my lure. Now I could slap a max Attack Last Resort Sylveon on my team and call it a day, but this represents a "bad lure", because it is one that functions only to lure in a particular threat or threats but is otherwise subpar. In other words, make sure your lure is still a decent standalone Pokemon. Here's an example of a good lure:
Crawdaunt @ Life Orb
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Crabhammer
- Knock Off
- Aqua Jet
- Sludge Wave
This is an example of a good lure because it is unexpected and hits very common Crawdaunt switch-ins like Whimsicott and Chesnaught. This could break down these walls for something like Gyarados that also struggles with these Pokemon.
This project is a twist on the "Lure That Threat" projects hosted in other subforums, so pay close attention to the following!
How this project will work:
1. I will post the Pokemon of the week, which will be a sweeper or cleaner.
2. You will post the best lure to pair with the Pokemon of the week with a brief explanation (no sprites necessary, although it looks nice); in other words, the partner that does the best job of drawing in and sufficiently weakening/eliminating as many of the Pokemon of the week's checks and counters as possible without sacrificing viability. Don't use standard sets, although some analysis sets may be acceptable if they are relatively rare (such as Earthquake Lucario). This is one step more rigorous than "Lure That Threat", because it similarly encourages creativity but additionally focuses on building the best lure in general rather than a lure that only serves to draw in a single Pokemon.
3. Voting will be underway for a couple of days, and afterward I'll present the top 2 (I'll have a vote as well).
4. Reservations are allowed, but just edit your post instead of making a brand new one.
Say the Pokemon of the week is DD Gyarados; ideally, your post will look something like this:
Crawdaunt @ Life Orb
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Crabhammer
- Knock Off
- Aqua Jet
- Sludge Wave
Crawdaunt shares several checks with Gyarados such as Chesnaught, Whimsicott, and Tangrowth. Sludge Wave at least 2HKOes all of them, so with a bit of prediction, you can eliminate these checks and free up Gyarados for a sweep at no risk.
Week 5: Calm Mind Reuniclus
Reuniclus @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Calm Mind
- Recover
Voting until Saturday!
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