[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's Attack to dangerous heights, with physically defensive Skarmory being OHKOed by a neutral +2 Adamant Close Combat and only extremely bulky Pokemon such as physically defensive Hippowdon able to survive it. The Attack boost makes slower counterplay difficult, as Lucario hits incredibly hard and has all of the coverage moves it could want to handle Fighting-type answers. Close Combat is quite effective even without a boost, as it easily OHKOes Clefable, Tyranitar, Heatran, Magnezone, and Empoleon and 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, being strong enough to OHKO even bulkier revenge killers such as Flygon and Latias after two rounds of Stealth Rock damage and a Swords Dance boost. It 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 and 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, though Lucario often sorely wants priority.
Set Details
========
A simple spread of 252 Attack and 252 Speed EVs is perfect for Lucario, as it doesn’t have much bulk and 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 with +2 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. Salac Berry is an option 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 can be run 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 attacks or on predicted switches, as it is really frail; even strong resisted attacks such as Choice Specs Latias’s Draco Meteor can do upwards to 75% to it. Lucario’s coverage moves can often be unexpected due to the sheer range 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 Choice-locked attacks such as Tyranitar’s Pursuit or -2 Choice Scarf Latias's Draco Meteor. As a result, opponents can often be desperate to prevent Lucario from setting up, such as using Encore or Thunder Wave with Clefable rather than letting Lucario get a Swords Dance uncontested. Use this to your advantage to get easy KOs 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 Choice item Tyranitar into 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. Choice item Latias is one of its best partners, as not only does it bait in Tyranitar to trap it, 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 and is walled by bulkier Ghost- and Psychic-types. Tyranitar also helps answer Zapdos and Latias, while sand can 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 Lucario's ability to 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 offense teams, as the chip damage wears down 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.
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's Attack to dangerous heights, with physically defensive Skarmory being OHKOed by a neutral +2 Adamant Close Combat and only extremely bulky Pokemon such as physically defensive Hippowdon able to survive it. The Attack boost makes slower counterplay difficult, as Lucario hits incredibly hard and has all of the coverage moves it could want to handle Fighting-type answers. Close Combat is quite effective even without a boost, as it easily OHKOes Clefable, Tyranitar, Heatran, Magnezone, and Empoleon and 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, being strong enough to OHKO even bulkier revenge killers such as Flygon and Latias after two rounds of Stealth Rock damage and a Swords Dance boost. It 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 and 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, though Lucario often sorely wants priority.
Set Details
========
A simple spread of 252 Attack and 252 Speed EVs is perfect for Lucario, as it doesn’t have much bulk and 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 with +2 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. Salac Berry is an option 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 can be run 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 attacks or on predicted switches, as it is really frail; even strong resisted attacks such as Choice Specs Latias’s Draco Meteor can do upwards to 75% to it. Lucario’s coverage moves can often be unexpected due to the sheer range 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 Choice-locked attacks such as Tyranitar’s Pursuit or -2 Choice Scarf Latias's Draco Meteor. As a result, opponents can often be desperate to prevent Lucario from setting up, such as using Encore or Thunder Wave with Clefable rather than letting Lucario get a Swords Dance uncontested. Use this to your advantage to get easy KOs 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 Choice item Tyranitar into 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. Choice item Latias is one of its best partners, as not only does it bait in Tyranitar to trap it, 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 and is walled by bulkier Ghost- and Psychic-types. Tyranitar also helps answer Zapdos and Latias, while sand can 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 Lucario's ability to 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 offense teams, as the chip damage wears down 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.
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