Latias has always been one of the most dominant pokemon after its placement in Ubers from ADV suddenly dropped to OU in late DPPt. Players eagerly tested her out in the OU metagame, and it is without a doubt one of the most used pokemon as of date. After two suspect tests, Latias still remains OU, and many figured it would not return to Ubers anytime soon. That being said, I figured I would try Latias out. I first used the most common sets for her: Specs, Scarf, Life Orb, Calm Mind, etc. After my experience with Latias grew, I realized it had amazing bulk to take hits from both ends of the spectrum. Numerous players think that it is only bulky from the special side, but this is not true. After many weeks, this simple set proved to work the best for me, and I finally decided to post it here on the C&C. This is my first analysis, so don't expect it to be great.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/latias
(oringinal analysis)
Status: Needs to be proofread
[Overview]
<p> Latias is a definite force to be reckoned with in the OU metagame, as its strong offensive power can rip through many pokemon, excluding the likes of Blissey and Tyrannitar. Latias is also extremely versatile, being able to take the role of supporting and walling to great extents thanks to its insane moveset including Light Screen, Reclect, Wish, and Recover. Being able to stall out the pink blob Blissey is certainly not an easy task, and Latias is one of the few special attackers that can boast about it.</p>
<p> Despite its awesome stats and movepool, Latias' typing often gets the better of it. Being weak to some of the most common attacks in the game including Scizor's U-Turn, Tyrannitar's pursuit, or Salamence's Outrage means that it can't perform its walling abilities as much as it would like to.</p>
[Set]
Name: Physically Bulky
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Dragon Pulse
move 3: Recover
move 4: Hidden Power Fire/Surf
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/6 Sp.Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Latias' physical bulkiness is often overshadowed by its much higher special bulkiness. This set aims to maximize Latias' physical defensive capibilities, which results in a mixed tank that is extremely difficult to take down. The 252 HP EVs and 252 Def EVs with a Bold nature maxes out Latias' physical durability. 6 EVs in Sp. Atk is to have some edge in your power. 6 EVs may not seem like a lot, but this Latias is capable of setting up multiple Calm Minds at once easily, allowing it to boost its Sp. Atk to insane levels.</p>
<p>This set is extremely easy to use and very effective once it sets up. Come in against weak physical attackers or Choiced Attacks that do nothing to you, and Calm Mind up. Such examples of this are Breloom (provided one of your pokemon is already asleep), Scarfed Heatran stuck on Fire Blast, and any kind of Inferape out there. Your opponent will most likely bring out a physical pokemon to take out Latias, however with this set's incredible physical bulk, Latias should have no problem surving to set up another Calm Mind. Recover only adds to the tanking ability, allowing your survivability to last much longer.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>This set's moveset is very simple. Calm Mind is the crux of this set, which allows Latias to set up and sweep even with only 6 EVs in Sp. Atk. Moreover, that sexy base 130 Sp. Defense is boosted even more, which means that almost no special attack will ever even 2ko you. Dragon Pulse provides excellent coverage, and in general is just mandatory STAB. Recover gives Latias a reliable healing method. For the last slot, you can opt for either HP Fire or Surf. Dragon Pulse hits everything neutrally except for steels, so HP Fire can hit those pesky steels super effectively. HP Fire also gives you a way to destroy Scizor who thinks he can just own you with U-Turn/Pursuit. However, if you're worried about Heatran walling you completly, go for Surf. With Surf and Dragon Pulse, Latias obtains perfect coverage in OU, bar Empoleon and Shedinja, the latter which is rarely seen. After a few Calm Minds up, Latias will not be dying easily.</p>
<p> This Latias is a pain to take down, no questions asked. The only significant downfall, really, is how low Latias' speed will be. Pokemon you are normally supposed to outrun are now faster than you. The best example of this is Salamence. A max speed Salamence can OHKO this Latias with Outrage. For this reason, paralysis support is strongly reccomended to help Latias get a clean sweep without focusing too much on speed. Another way to take this Latias down is to Toxic it early on. This prevents Latias from continuing to set up and forcing it to attack sooner or later. A cleric on your team will help Latias significantly. Blissey and Celebi are both good partners, as they both cripple pokes with Thunder Wave and can use Heal Bell to rid Latias of toxic.</p>
<p> Scizor is arguably the best Latias partner in existance. This Latias has extreme difficulty with the likes of Tyrannitar, Salamence, Flygon, and Weavile. Scizor can revenge kill all of them with Bullet Punch. Scizor also tears holes in the opponents team with STAB U-Turn, which is good for scouting purposes. Scizor and Latias cover each other's weaknesses very well, Scizor for taking Latias' Dark, Ghost, Bug, Dragon, and Ice attacks and Latias for taking Scizor's Fire Weakness. Metagross is also another option. When paired up with Latias, they resist every type in the game.</p>
<p> More often than not, this Latias needs entry hazard support greatly to help its sweep. The most preferable entry hazard of choice is Toxic Spikes. With two layers of Toxic Spikes, Latias can continue to set up without even having to attack. Toxic Spikes also help Latias outstall non-Aeromatherapy Blissey. Other entry hazards that aid Latias are Stealth Rock and Spikes. This Latias is most definitly forcing many switches with its bulkiness, causing entry hazard damage to build up. </p>
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/latias
(oringinal analysis)
Status: Needs to be proofread
[Overview]
<p> Latias is a definite force to be reckoned with in the OU metagame, as its strong offensive power can rip through many pokemon, excluding the likes of Blissey and Tyrannitar. Latias is also extremely versatile, being able to take the role of supporting and walling to great extents thanks to its insane moveset including Light Screen, Reclect, Wish, and Recover. Being able to stall out the pink blob Blissey is certainly not an easy task, and Latias is one of the few special attackers that can boast about it.</p>
<p> Despite its awesome stats and movepool, Latias' typing often gets the better of it. Being weak to some of the most common attacks in the game including Scizor's U-Turn, Tyrannitar's pursuit, or Salamence's Outrage means that it can't perform its walling abilities as much as it would like to.</p>
[Set]
Name: Physically Bulky
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Dragon Pulse
move 3: Recover
move 4: Hidden Power Fire/Surf
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Bold
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/6 Sp.Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Latias' physical bulkiness is often overshadowed by its much higher special bulkiness. This set aims to maximize Latias' physical defensive capibilities, which results in a mixed tank that is extremely difficult to take down. The 252 HP EVs and 252 Def EVs with a Bold nature maxes out Latias' physical durability. 6 EVs in Sp. Atk is to have some edge in your power. 6 EVs may not seem like a lot, but this Latias is capable of setting up multiple Calm Minds at once easily, allowing it to boost its Sp. Atk to insane levels.</p>
<p>This set is extremely easy to use and very effective once it sets up. Come in against weak physical attackers or Choiced Attacks that do nothing to you, and Calm Mind up. Such examples of this are Breloom (provided one of your pokemon is already asleep), Scarfed Heatran stuck on Fire Blast, and any kind of Inferape out there. Your opponent will most likely bring out a physical pokemon to take out Latias, however with this set's incredible physical bulk, Latias should have no problem surving to set up another Calm Mind. Recover only adds to the tanking ability, allowing your survivability to last much longer.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>This set's moveset is very simple. Calm Mind is the crux of this set, which allows Latias to set up and sweep even with only 6 EVs in Sp. Atk. Moreover, that sexy base 130 Sp. Defense is boosted even more, which means that almost no special attack will ever even 2ko you. Dragon Pulse provides excellent coverage, and in general is just mandatory STAB. Recover gives Latias a reliable healing method. For the last slot, you can opt for either HP Fire or Surf. Dragon Pulse hits everything neutrally except for steels, so HP Fire can hit those pesky steels super effectively. HP Fire also gives you a way to destroy Scizor who thinks he can just own you with U-Turn/Pursuit. However, if you're worried about Heatran walling you completly, go for Surf. With Surf and Dragon Pulse, Latias obtains perfect coverage in OU, bar Empoleon and Shedinja, the latter which is rarely seen. After a few Calm Minds up, Latias will not be dying easily.</p>
<p> This Latias is a pain to take down, no questions asked. The only significant downfall, really, is how low Latias' speed will be. Pokemon you are normally supposed to outrun are now faster than you. The best example of this is Salamence. A max speed Salamence can OHKO this Latias with Outrage. For this reason, paralysis support is strongly reccomended to help Latias get a clean sweep without focusing too much on speed. Another way to take this Latias down is to Toxic it early on. This prevents Latias from continuing to set up and forcing it to attack sooner or later. A cleric on your team will help Latias significantly. Blissey and Celebi are both good partners, as they both cripple pokes with Thunder Wave and can use Heal Bell to rid Latias of toxic.</p>
<p> Scizor is arguably the best Latias partner in existance. This Latias has extreme difficulty with the likes of Tyrannitar, Salamence, Flygon, and Weavile. Scizor can revenge kill all of them with Bullet Punch. Scizor also tears holes in the opponents team with STAB U-Turn, which is good for scouting purposes. Scizor and Latias cover each other's weaknesses very well, Scizor for taking Latias' Dark, Ghost, Bug, Dragon, and Ice attacks and Latias for taking Scizor's Fire Weakness. Metagross is also another option. When paired up with Latias, they resist every type in the game.</p>
<p> More often than not, this Latias needs entry hazard support greatly to help its sweep. The most preferable entry hazard of choice is Toxic Spikes. With two layers of Toxic Spikes, Latias can continue to set up without even having to attack. Toxic Spikes also help Latias outstall non-Aeromatherapy Blissey. Other entry hazards that aid Latias are Stealth Rock and Spikes. This Latias is most definitly forcing many switches with its bulkiness, causing entry hazard damage to build up. </p>
