
Fly me to the moon,
Let me play among the stars.
QC Approved: Zebraiken, Omicron, tennisace
GP Approved: Komodo (for Mafeking), SuperJOCKE
[Overview]
<p>The moon is the master of the tides, the light of our night, and the bringer of werewolves. Lunatone, however, is much less impressive than the moon. Aside from its good Special Attack, Lunatone's stats are middling at best. Lunatone's odd typing provides it with half a dozen weaknesses and half a dozen resists, making it a mixed bag defensively. While its low Speed stat seems to hinder any hope it would have at sweeping, Lunatone has two ways of fixing this: Trick Room and Rock Polish. Unfortunately, much like the moon must compete with the sun for dominance of the sky, Lunatone must compete with Solrock (and quite a few other Pokemon) for a spot on a team. Whenever you opt to use Lunatone, it is crucial to focus on its special side; otherwise, you might as well stick to Solrock.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Earth Power
move 4: Explosion
item: Focus Sash
ability: Levitate
nature: Quiet
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpA
ivs: 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Lunatone's main goal for this set is to set up Trick Room for your team and die fighting, allowing a stronger sweeper to come in for free. Focus Sash is Lunatone's item of choice, allowing it to survive a hit while setting up Trick Room. From there, it can be used to weaken the opponent's team. Psychic is its strongest STAB attack, making it an obvious choice. Earth Power offers great coverage alongside Psychic, though it leaves Lunatone completely walled by Murkrow. Explosion, despite Lunatone's low Attack stat, is the best option for the final slot, as it guarantees a free switch-in for your sweeper of choice.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs maximize both of Lunatone's offenses, as it doesn't intend to stick around for long. With 0 Speed IVs and a Quiet nature, it is as slow as possible while still hitting hard on the special side. Hidden Power Rock is a weaker STAB attacking option that offers pseudo-QuakeEdge coverage with Earth Power; just remember to use 2 Speed IVs when using it. A specially bulky build with Leftovers is an option, allowing Lunatone to stick around longer in exchange for some of its offensive capability; when using this spread, Stealth Rock can be used over Earth Power for added team support.</p>
<p>If, for some reason, Lunatone is not being used in the lead position, having a spinner on your team is recommended to keep its Focus Sash intact. Armaldo is the best choice for this role, as it functions well as both a Trick Room sweeper and an offensive spinner. Because Lunatone will likely only set up Trick Room once for your team, having several other Trick Room users, such as Mesprit, Audino, and Lampent, is definitely recommended. Mesprit and Audino can use Healing Wish, while Lampent has access to Memento, allowing Lunatone to switch in for free if it is not in the lead position. As Lunatone struggles against Dark-types such as Absol, a strong but slow Fighting-type, such as Gurdurr, Emboar, or Throh, is also a great teammate.</p>
[SET]
name: Rock Polish
move 1: Rock Polish
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Rock
move 4: Earth Power / Baton Pass
item: Life Orb
ability: Levitate
nature: Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With Rock Polish, Lunatone is actually capable of sweeping on its own. Psychic and Hidden Power Rock are its two STAB attacks of choice. Earth Power offers the best coverage alongside these two, making it a solid choice for the final slot. Baton Pass, however, is also a great option for passing Speed boosts to a more powerful sweeper. After a single Rock Polish, Lunatone outspeeds Swellow and Choice Scarf Jynx, and can OHKO them both with Hidden Power Rock. Braviary, offensive Rotom-S, and Sawk (after Sturdy is broken) are also all OHKOed by either Hidden Power Rock or Psychic.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>With a Modest nature and 252 Special Attack EVs, Lunatone hits as hard as possible. 252 Speed EVs are then allocated to maximize its Speed, with the remaining 4 going into HP for added bulk. A Timid nature can also be used to outspeed neutral base 80 Speed Pokemon before setting up Rock Polish, though the loss in power is noticeable. Life Orb is the best item for maximum damage output. Ice Beam is an option over Hidden Power Rock to hit Cacturne and Shiftry harder, but is generally an inferior choice.</p>
<p>Despite the added Speed from Rock Polish, Lunatone is still very susceptible to priority attacks, especially Absol's Sucker Punch. As such, carrying Pokemon that can remove opposing Dark-types, such as Sawk and Throh, is a good idea. Additionally, Lunatone's poor Speed prior to boosting means that paralysis support is welcomed. Regirock and Mesprit can both provide this, as well as Stealth Rock support. As with any sweeper, entry hazards are greatly appreciated for netting more KOs and breaking Sturdy. Cacturne and Garbordor can supply Spikes support, and the latter boasts access to Toxic Spikes as well.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Lunatone has an impressive amount of other options to run. For example, a bulky Choice Specs set will punch holes in the opponent's team. It is also quite capable of using Calm Mind, as its Special Attack and Special Defense are already pretty good; as an added bonus, it can Baton Pass those boosts to other sweepers. It can also pass Cosmic Power or utilize dual screens to aid frailer teammates. Lunatone is just bulky enough to set up rain for your team, and can use Hidden Power Water and Ice Beam alongside STAB Psychic for great coverage. Psyshock is an option on any set to hit special walls harder. Shadow Ball offers decent coverage alongside Pyschic and Earth Power, but leaves Lunatone completely at the mercy of Cacturne, Shiftry, and Murkrow. Rest is its only form of recovery, making it an unreliable option for defensive sets. Hypnosis is a similarly unreliable yet useful option to cripple the opponent. Toxic helps Lunatone wear down defensive Pokemon that try to wall it. Stealth Rock is a great support move that can aid Lunatone and other sweepers in chipping away at the opposing team. Finally, Substitute is a solid option to scout an opponent's switch and protect Lunatone from status and weaker attacks.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Taunt can effectively shut down either set, as Lunatone is not particularly fast and needs to set up before it can hope to sweep. Dark-types in general are problematic, especially Cacturne and Shiftry if Lunatone lacks Ice Beam. Regice and Mantine have enough bulk to tank Lunatone's assaults, though both are weak to Hidden Power Rock. Slower Pokemon under Trick Room, especially Exeggutor, are huge problems. Priority, especially Absol's Sucker Punch and Choice Band Floatzel's Aqua Jet, will quickly dispose of Lunatone. Finally, faster threats that prey on any of its 6 weaknesses, such as Leafeon or Haunter, can quickly spell disaster for Lunatone.