Approved by Aerrow. Props to blarajan for helping me out with some ideas this week!
Hi folks! I am Hawkstar, and I shall be running Pokemon of the Week in LC. You've seen this in other tiers, and it works in the same exact way. Each week, I'll feature a Pokemon that is good in the metagame, but isn't getting quite the attention it deserves. With behemoths such as Murkrow, Mienfoo, and Misdreavus in the tier, it isn't hard for them to overshadow other similar Pokemon. Our first featured Pokemon of the Week had just that problem before user blarajan began to popularize it. I am, of course, talking about the fearsome Riolu!
Riolu
Fighting-type
40 HP / 70 Atk / 40 Def / 35 SpA / 40 SDef / 60 Spe
Abilities: Steadfast / Inner Focus / Prankster
Taking a quick look at it, Riolu seems unimpressive. Mienfoo stat's are literally higher than all of Riolu's, and it gets the fabled Regenerator, which makes it such a powerful pivot. Of course, Riolu gets some other moves, like Bulk Up, that Mienfoo does not, but Timburr is far and away better with Bulk Up, who has higher Attack, more bulk, Mach Punch and the Guts ability. Scraggy is also better at boosting than Riolu, since it can boost its Speed as well and doesn't fear Misdreavus. With all these other Fighting-types outclassing it at all these roles, why is Riolu even worth using? Riolu is the only Pokemon in the entire game to have all of Prankster, Copycat, and Roar, which turns Riolu from a gimmick into a fearsome speed shuffler. Copycat, however, has excellent utility on its own, perhaps even more than Roar. It allows you to revenge kill threats like Misdreavus, Drilbur, and Dragon-types who take a lot of damage from their own STAB moves. It also allows you to copy hazards, status moves, and Volt Switch and U-turn, which makes setting up on Riolu a bad idea.
So, let's hear from everyone else about their experiences with Riolu. Please feel free to post good sets and explain them!
Ray Jay's Edit that was Commisioned by blarajan
Starting now, we're turning this into a little competition (geddit, little?). Using the Pokemon of the Week, take a new alt account from scratch to the top 3 of the ladder! The stipulation is that you must build the team around the Pokemon of the Week. Anyone who succeeds and posts their findings here on teammates, strategy, and etc. will be working their way towards that Community Contributor badge, as they are both succeeding and technically imparting their knowledge on the community through Pokemon of the week. Thanks~
Hi folks! I am Hawkstar, and I shall be running Pokemon of the Week in LC. You've seen this in other tiers, and it works in the same exact way. Each week, I'll feature a Pokemon that is good in the metagame, but isn't getting quite the attention it deserves. With behemoths such as Murkrow, Mienfoo, and Misdreavus in the tier, it isn't hard for them to overshadow other similar Pokemon. Our first featured Pokemon of the Week had just that problem before user blarajan began to popularize it. I am, of course, talking about the fearsome Riolu!

Riolu
Fighting-type
40 HP / 70 Atk / 40 Def / 35 SpA / 40 SDef / 60 Spe
Abilities: Steadfast / Inner Focus / Prankster
Taking a quick look at it, Riolu seems unimpressive. Mienfoo stat's are literally higher than all of Riolu's, and it gets the fabled Regenerator, which makes it such a powerful pivot. Of course, Riolu gets some other moves, like Bulk Up, that Mienfoo does not, but Timburr is far and away better with Bulk Up, who has higher Attack, more bulk, Mach Punch and the Guts ability. Scraggy is also better at boosting than Riolu, since it can boost its Speed as well and doesn't fear Misdreavus. With all these other Fighting-types outclassing it at all these roles, why is Riolu even worth using? Riolu is the only Pokemon in the entire game to have all of Prankster, Copycat, and Roar, which turns Riolu from a gimmick into a fearsome speed shuffler. Copycat, however, has excellent utility on its own, perhaps even more than Roar. It allows you to revenge kill threats like Misdreavus, Drilbur, and Dragon-types who take a lot of damage from their own STAB moves. It also allows you to copy hazards, status moves, and Volt Switch and U-turn, which makes setting up on Riolu a bad idea.
So, let's hear from everyone else about their experiences with Riolu. Please feel free to post good sets and explain them!
Ray Jay's Edit that was Commisioned by blarajan
Starting now, we're turning this into a little competition (geddit, little?). Using the Pokemon of the Week, take a new alt account from scratch to the top 3 of the ladder! The stipulation is that you must build the team around the Pokemon of the Week. Anyone who succeeds and posts their findings here on teammates, strategy, and etc. will be working their way towards that Community Contributor badge, as they are both succeeding and technically imparting their knowledge on the community through Pokemon of the week. Thanks~