[Overview]
<p>Anyone who's played against or with Riolu should have an inkling of what it does: priority phazing. What makes it so dangerous is that if you are caught with hazards on your field, unable to halt Riolu's first Roar, and without any priority users, you are basically dead in the water against its antics of continuously forcing your Pokemon in and out of battle, which ensures your defeat will not be a quick and merciful one. That said, its low base stats, most notably Speed, hold it back from being totally unstoppable. It also requires a tremendous amount of support, with hazard setters and spinblockers being mandatory in order to be successful. The payoff can be very satisfying though if you can pull off the Roar chain with nothing being able to stop you, so potential victims shouldn't underestimate this NFE lest they risk their demise.</p>
[SET]
name: Priolu
move 1: Roar
move 2: Copycat
move 3: Substitute / Protect
move 4: Protect / Drain Punch / Toxic
item: Eviolite
ability: Prankster
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>For those who don't know what Riolu does, here's the gist of it. Prankster negligibly boosts Roar's priority to -5, but more importantly boosts Copycat's priority to +1. What this means is that once you get Riolu into battle (preferably unscathed and free from status), use Roar the first turn. Riolu can then immediately copy its own Roar and shuffle the opponent again. Because Roar remains the only move last used, as the opponent didn't get to attack, Riolu gets to start a chain of Roars which the opponent is unable to stop unless they themselves have priority that can outspeed Riolu's (though Sucker Punch will fail, it can still disrupt the Copycat chain), so keep that in mind. However, also note that if you do anticipate an opponent's (faster!) priority attack, going for the manual Roar again allows you to keep the chain going without taking a stronger hit.</p>
<p>Copycat itself has uses other than copying Roar: occasionally it can be used to copy an opponent's attack, such as Sawk's or Primeape's Close Combat or Fraxure's Outrage, to finish it off should it be weakened. Be aware that Riolu's Special Attack is much too low to be able to do the same to most special attackers, unless they are clinging on with a sliver of health or have poor defenses and powerful moves. If the opponent cannot KO Riolu before its first Roar, status is the next best option to halt its efforts. A Prankster Substitute can block such attempts and allow Riolu to phaze unhindered. Protect works very well with Copycat, as it allows Riolu to be temporarily invulnerable to copy an opponent's move right back at them. The most common scenario you should be using this tactic for is when facing a Taunt user, as Riolu can block the Taunt and then copy it right back to prevent the opponent from using the move.</p>
<p>Substitute and Protect generally make for the best combo, but the last move can be used instead to improve Riolu's chances against certain opponents. Drain Punch gives Riolu a form of recovery and pairs well with Substitute, but its main utility is to swiftly remove most opponents that put up resistance to Riolu's Roaring chain, notably Magic Coat Bastiodon, Fake Out Kangaskhan, and Prankster Liepard. Copycat can form a good combo with Drain Punch, as it can be used to launch two consecutive blows on faster opponents, essentially dishing out a 150 Base Power STAB move that heals Riolu before its opponent's subsequent attack, an excellent weapon against frail opponents. It also gives Riolu a weapon to fight back directly against the opponent's last Pokemon, which cannot be Roared out. Toxic is even more potent than Drain Punch against that last Pokemon, though it is pretty much used exclusively for that situation. On the other hand, it does form a good combo with Protect for stalling poison damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Given Riolu's resistances and how often Riolu is on the receiving end of priority moves, maximizing physical bulk with a spread of 252 HP / 252 Def with an Impish nature is the best way to go, as this drastically reduces the amount of damage taken from these moves and enhances Riolu's effectiveness. Eviolite only helps in this regard. The last 4 EVs can be thrown in Speed, Special Defense, or Attack. However, Pokemon in the base 60 Speed range either have no priority moves to outspeed Riolu or run max Speed anyway, so investing in Speed will rarely prove game-changing. The same also applies for Attack and Special Defense, as the boost is usually too insignificant to be of any real help. Alternatively, a spread of 224 HP / 252 Def / 32 Spe with a Jolly nature allows Riolu to outspeed Jolly Carracosta's Aqua Jet while 68 Speed EVs with the spread 188 HP / 252 Def / 68 Spe outpaces max Speed non-Jolly Golem, but notably detracts from Riolu's ability to withstand other faster priority.</p>
<p>Riolu's main targets are opponents that rely on just attacks (that don't KO) alone or defensive Pokemon that rely on status as their main form of damage. For the former, opponents such as Golem, Piloswine, Gurdurr, Kangaskhan, Primeape, Carracosta, and Scolipede can be Roared against, although Riolu will have to take a beating (sometimes a near fatal one) to do so. Taking advantage of a resisted or weaker Choice attack, such as Stone Edge or Ice Punch, is also another way to do this. For defensive Pokemon, using Substitute to block their attempts at status can buy Riolu time to Roar or cripple them with their own moves thanks to Copycat, while the likes of uninvested Miltank's Body Slam, Alomomola's Waterfall, uninvested Regirock's Earthquake and Lickilicky's Dragon Tail cannot break Riolu's Substitute in one hit, though this is assuming maximum physical defense. An intact Substitute also provides an excellent insurance against faster priority while chain phazing.</p>
<p>While Riolu can hold its own against the opponent's efforts to stop it, it still needs support to function at its best. Entry hazards are mandatory to utilize Riolu's priority Roars, as with Stealth Rock and Spikes on the field, few opponents can survive the onslaught. Toxic Spikes are useful to speed up the process, but aren't mandatory. Scolipede, Garbodor, and Roselia are among the premier Spikers in the tier, as they can deal with most offensive threats, physical threats, and special threats respectively and can throw in Toxic Spikes while soaking them up for good measure. However, be aware that every Spiker in NU bar Glalie shares weaknesses with Riolu, so a good defensive core to handle Psychic- and/or Flying-type threats is highly recommended. A Stealth Rock user is in the same boat, being crucial for Riolu's success. Fortunately, not only are they numerous, but they also (usually) cover up both Riolu and the Spiker's weaknesses. Golem, Regirock, Carracosta, and Metang are just a few options to consider for the slot. A spinblocker is necessary to prevent the opponent from wasting your efforts with a single Rapid Spin. Misdreavus has the greatest survivability among the spinblockers in NU, but other Ghost-types such as Frillish, Golurk, and Haunter can still work to a degree. Finally, cleric support gives Riolu a second chance should its chain be threatened or disrupted by powerful priority or status. Teammates that know Wish and/or Heal Bell are fantastic options, with Lickilicky, Audino, Altaria, Misdreavus, or Alomomola being notable candidates.</p>
<p>The trick to using Riolu is to find an opportunity to safely Roar against an opponent that can't KO Riolu or has trouble breaking its Substitute, such as one using a weaker Choice attack. While Riolu can go toe-to-toe against most priority attacks, it definitely appreciates them out of the way first, as Riolu is forced to play mindgames or take damage: if the opponent predicts you will manually Roar, he or she may simply hit Riolu with a more powerful move, Taunt, or a status condition, which will indefinitely cripple Riolu. One should also take note of the opponent's abilities and watch out for Soundproof, Suction Cups, Trace, and Prankster, as they can disrupt your chain, the former two without even trying. Thankfully, Soundproof and Suction Cups Pokemon have better abilities to use, making them less common.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Roar + Copycat, while potent, is pretty much all Riolu has going for it, so other playstyle options are out of the question. Focus Sash allows Riolu to phaze against much stronger threats, but is greatly inferior to Eviolite, which grants Riolu greater staying power, allows it to take priority attacks, and isn't rendered useless by entry hazards. Other movepool options include Iron Defense and Agility, which bolster Riolu's ability to withstand priority and make it much harder to outpace with priority, respectively. However, Riolu should generally try to start the chain as soon as possible, as one timely switch on its setup move and it loses a golden opportunity, not to mention neither move guards against status. Crunch is pretty much only for Natu, who is so rare it is hardly worth considering and should be handled by teammates anyway.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Riolu is easiest to stop on the turn it first uses Roar. If you can KO, status, or Taunt it, you're in the clear (though keep in mind that Taunt can backfire). However, once it gets started, stopping it becomes that much trickier. Magic Coat is the easiest way to stop Riolu, though fitting it on a team can be hard and the most popular user, Bastiodon, loses to Riolu's Drain Punch. Common misconceptions that priority easily stops it are set straight if the Riolu user manually Roars on that turn. Nonetheless, Riolu can still be brought down with repeated bashings of priority, though whether or not it's too late for your team depends on how often Roar brings in your priority user. Moves with even higher priority, such as Fake Out, ExtremeSpeed, and Protect, can stop the chain even if the user is naturally slower than Riolu, though using Protect brings the risk of giving Riolu a free Substitute, while users of Fake Out or ExtremeSpeed are either weak to Fighting and/or are just so frail that Riolu can beat them down with Drain Punch. Pokemon with certain abilities can halt Riolu's advances, such as those with Soundproof, Magic Bounce, Suction Cups, Trace, and ironically Prankster; Magic Guard and Regenerator can also prevent or counteract the damage from entry hazards Riolu's constant shuffling forces. Rapid Spin drastically reduces Riolu's effectiveness, as it needs entry hazards to fully take advantage of its priority-shuffling. At the end of the day, you simply have to outplay Riolu. Knowing when to throw out a priority move or hit Riolu with your strongest move, status, or Taunt amidst a Roaring chain is key to defeating Riolu.</p>
