Overview
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With the arrival of generation six and Mega Evolutions Lucario was one of the biggest benefactors of this. (sorry but this sentence is so grammatically incorrect that I have no idea what you mean, so I can't fix it without taking away possible meaning. ;_;) Having receiving received a Mega Evolution of his own, Lucario continues to be the major threat he it was since his its arrival in the Diamond and Pearl days DPP. With its newly acquired Mega offensive stats of being; 145 Attack, 140 Special Attack and 112 Speed, Lucario is one of the most dangerous and feared Pokemon of this generation.
Lucario's role as a late game sweeper is still much of the same as it was in the last generation. Now he it performs this role better than ever,(AC) and with even greater efficiency. In his its Mega form, Adaptability makes all of its STAB moves insanely powerful and very difficult to switch into. With its base 112 Speed, it out(- Space)paces most of its major checks that would normally prevent him it from sweeping.Though Mega Lucario has been introduced, Lucario in its normal form is still very viable and is still capable of beating teams the same way it did before.
Mega Nasty Plot
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name: Mega Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Aura Sphere
move 3: Flash Cannon
move 4: Dark Pulse / Vacuum Wave
ability: Inner Focus
item: Lucarionite
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
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With The vast movepool Lucario possesses and its three boosting moves gives Mega Lucario is a plethora of different sets to run. This set is meant to be used late game to sweep teams once the ground work has been done. Nasty Plot is your boosting moves for this particular set,(AC) letting Lucario to be able to take advantage of a forced switch and securing secure KOs at +2 that you wouldn'(+Apos.)t without the boost. Aura Sphere is used as one of your main STAB moves to take advantage of Adatability. Flash Cannon will hit everything that that resists Fighting,(AC) such as . For example Gliscor, Landorus-T and Fairy type Pokemon,(AC) all of which are all hit very hard by a Flash Cannon it. Dark Pulse is the preferred last move to be able to deal with Ghost-(+Hyph.)types, Latias, Latios and Aegislash,(AC) all of which are not hit hard enough by Flash Cannon or Aura Sphere. Vacuum Wave can by be used over Dark Pulse if the previously mentioned Pokemon are handled by the rest of the team,(RC) to give you a way to hit Sand Rush Excadrill in the Sand and hit Choice Scarf scarf users that try to revenge kill Lucario.
Set Details
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The EVs are meant to maximize Lucario's offensive power and sweeping abilities. With 252 Speed EVs and a Timid nature, you out(-Space)speed everything that is between base 100 - and base 110 Speed that poses a threat to you. (that sentence is kind of a "duh" sentence. Don't you mean "that normally poses a threat to you? Clarify or remove the sentence.) Garchomp, Landorus-I, Keldeo, Terrakion (if you lack Vacuum Wave), Latios and Latias can either OHKO you with the appropriate move or heavily damage you. Lucarionite is the item used here to take advantage of Adaptability, the speed and the Special Attacking stat. Running a Justified as Lucario's ability nature is an option here as well to bluff a physical SD set and to luring lure in physical walls.
Usage Tips
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Generally,(AC) Lucario should be sent out late game against something that it can immediately threaten out and can set up a Nasty Plot against. To achieve a sweep,(AC) you will want to have Stealth Rocks up to get some chip damage to be able to wear down opponents to and bring them into a range where Lucario and can clean with little resistance. Spikes are also useful for this job as the consistent damage against opponents things will rack up very quickly and makes Lucario's sweeping job much easier.
Being able to remove problematic Pokemon from the opposing team needs to be done Before attempting to set up with Lucario, you must take down or weaken problematic Pokemon from the opposing team. (fixed passive voice) Things like Mandibuzz, Zapdos,(AC) and Mega Venusaur needs to be severely weakened for Lucario to be able to take them out at +2 with the appropriate move. Common Scarfers such as Diggersby, Keldeo, Terrakion,(AC) and Garchomp all need to be either taken out or removed depending on whether of or not you chose to use Vacuum Wave over Dark Pulse. If you don't have Dark Pulse, Aegislash and most ghost types Ghost-types need to be weakened or taken out. If Lucario lacks priority, opposing Choice Scarf users need to be removed. If you have Dark Pulse, removing Scarf users needs to be done. (fixed passive voice, clarified implification)
Due to its less then desirable less-than-desirable bulk, getting Lucario in safely is a very crucial way much for him to guarantee its sweep more comfortably. Pairing Lucario with a VoltTurn user is a great way to do this, as they keep up offensive pressure to prevent opponents from removing hazards and also force switches and wear down the opponent with entry hazard damage. Pairing with a VoltTurn user is a huge boon is they accomplish two things for you. The first is keeping pressure on to not allow them to Defog or Rapid spin the hazards away. The second with the forced switches entry hazards damage will wear on the opposing team thus paving a sweep with Lucario. (cleaning up clutter)
Lastly, due to the way Speed mechanics function with Mega Evolutions, the initial turn you Mega Evolve,(AC) you retain the Speed of the base Lucario form,(AC) that being base 90. Therefore,(AC) you need to be sure that you can Mega Evolve and avoid encountering something that is faster than Lucario. It is a good idea to send Sending Lucario in on slower defensive walls to ensure that you can safely evolve without taking too much damage.
Team Options
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Mega Lucario is easily fit on any offensive or balanced team,(AC) acting as the primary sweeper or the wallbreaker for another Pokemon to clean up what is the left of the opposing team. Good teammates for Mega Lucario are those who are handle able to remove its checks. Partners such as Tyranitar and Rotom-W are able to beat and check threats like Gyarados, Talonflame,(AC) and Zapdos. A trapper such as Gothitelle is an excellent choice as it's able to trap Pokemon like Keldeo and Terrakion if they have locked themselves into a move that cannot take out knock out Gothitelle before they are knocked taken out first. Mixed Aegislash is a good partner as it can work with Lucario to they both break down each other's checks,(AC) such as Zapdos and Hippowdon. Thundurus-I is able to switch in on predicted Earthquakes aimed at Lucario from the likes of Excadrill or Garchomp and be able to threaten both with an OHKO. Thundurus is also able to provide paralysis support to slow down Choice Scarf scarf users,(AC) notably Genesect and Keldeo.
Mega Swords Dance
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name: Mega Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Crunch / Ice Punch
move 4: Extreme(-Space)Speed / Bullet Punch
ability: Justified
item: Lucarionite
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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With the movepool that Lucario possesses,(AC) you can also run a physical Swords Dance set. Unlike the Nasty Plot set,(AC) this set has better priority options in Bullet Punch and Extreme(-Space)Speed. Close Combat is the main move you will be using with this set as you destroy just about anything that isn't really bulky and doesn't resist fighting. Crunch is a good option if you need to have coverage on ghost Ghost-types that will prevent you from spamming Close Combat at will. If ghost Ghost-types are handled by the rest of the team,(AC) Ice Punch can be considered over Crunch to be able to hit Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Zapdos. The last moveslot is used on a priority move in either ExtremeSpeed or Bullet Punch. ExtremeSpeed will allows you to outpace priority Talonflames who come in to revenge kill or check you. Bullet Punch is the other option to hit Terrakion, Fairies and Choice Scarf scarf Gengar.
Set Details
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The EVs are very straight forward since there really isn't much different to do with Lucario in terms of EV spreads. Running 252 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature will let you will outspeed everything from base 100 to base 110 Speed while speed tying other Mega Lucarios. 252 Atk EVs will maximize your attacking power to make the most of your Lucario's base 145 Attack stat. Justified is the prefered ability for this set as you can switch in on Dark-(+Hyph.)type moves and get a boost,(AC) making you even more dangerous if you set up a Swords Dance following the Justified boost.
Usage Tips
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Lucario thrives on offensive teams, but can easily function of on slower,(AC) bulkier teams,(AC) acting as a late game cleaner. When trying to find something to set up on, looking for things like Blissey, Forretress,(AC) and even Tyranitar. Tyranitar is a bit trickier as you have to know that he be sure that it will switch out,(AC) otherwise you risk taking an Earthquake or Fire Blast and losing Lucario losing Lucario to an Earthquake or Fire Blast. To ensure that Lucario can sweep without too many hiccups,(AC) having Pokemon like Gliscor, Landorus-T,(AC) and Mega Venusaur weakened to where Lucario can take them down cleanly and avoid taking unnecessary damage is extremely beneficial. VoltTurn users such as Rotom-W and Genesect force switching,(AC) and rack up damage,(AC) and will find more opportunities for Lucario to try and set up and sweep,(AC) and are therefore great partners.
Lastly, due to the way Speed mechanics function with Mega Evolutions, the initial turn you Mega Evolve,(AC) you retain the Speed of the base Lucario form,(AC) that being base 90. Therefore,(AC) you need to be sure that you can Mega Evolve and avoid encountering something that is faster than Lucario. It is a good idea to send Sending Lucario in on slower defensive walls to ensure that you can safely evolve without taking too much damage. (it's probably not necessary to repeat the exact same paragraph twice but w/e)
Team Options
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When picking teammates and team playstyles that include Lucario,(AC) you will likely tend to want to play an offensive or offense or a more balanced playstyle. This allows Lucario to have the necessary teammates around him to be able to succeed. Rotom-W and Tyranitar are two prime teammates for Lucario as they can both can keep Talonflame, Gyarados,(AC) and Zapdos in check or weaken them for Lucario. If you go the Hyper offense route, Deoxys-Defense Speed and Deoxys-Speed have to be considered as they are the best entry hazards settlers in the game at the moment.
Strong physical attackers such as Terrakion, Conkeldurr,(AC) and Garchomp are all able to lure in its Lucario's common checks and wear them down for Lucario. Sticky Web users are also good options as it they makes Lucario's revenge killers slower than it him so it he doesn't fear them nearly as much while trying to sweep. Keldeo, Genesect,(AC) and Garchomp are the main targets of using Sticky Web for your to you team,(AC) as all three pose a threat. Teammates that can beat the likes of Mega Venusaur, Sableye, and Klefki should also be considered,(AC) as they those threats either make sweeping more difficult or can cripple Lucario with a burn or a paralysis. (cleared up vagueness) Lastly, Gothitelle is yet another great option in order to trap and kill off some of its Lucario's checks,(AC) such as like Skarmory, Hippowdon,(AC) and Slowbro.
Swords Dance
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name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Close Combat
move 3: Crunch / Ice Punch
move 4: Extreme(-Space)Speed / Bullet Punch
ability: Justified
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 Def / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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Much like the Mega Swords Dance set,(AC) the moves on Lucario's regular Swords Dance set are all the same. Close Combat is still your main form of STAB,(AC) hitting everything that isn't Flying-, Fairy-,(AC) or Poison-type for neutral damage. (if you want to be accurate, add in Psychic and Bug in that list :/) Crunch will give you a way to combat Ghost-types that prevent you from being able to Close Combat. With Crunch,(AC) you can catch Gengar on the switch and OHKO it. Crunch will also hit Aegislash,(AC) but you do need to be careful of King's Shield as you Lucario will lose your its boosts or drop down to -2 Attack. If you choose,(RC) Ice Punch,(AC) it will be your primary way of taking out both Landorus-T and Gliscor as you out(-Space)speed who otherwise can take a Close Combat and retaliate with an Earthquake them and avoid their Earthquake. Since Talonflame is faster and makes a good check to Lucario, Extreme(-Space)Speed is great to out prioritize its Brave Bird and give you a good chance to OHKO if Talonflame is not running HP investment. Bullet Punch can be used over Extreme Speed if you don't need to hit Talonflame. Instead of running Extreme Speed you could run Bullet Punch, which Bullet Punch will also give you coverage on Terrakion, Choice Scarf Tyranitar,(AC) and Fairy-(+Hyph.)types.
Set Details
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Once again,(AC) the EVs are nothing too special here. You should invest fully in both Attack and Speed to optimize your sweeping potential. Running an Adamant nature will give you will give you the necessary power to sweep when coupled with Life Orb. Due to Lucario's low Speed for an offensive Pokemon,(AC) running Adamant doesn't really hurt it in the long run as you can still out(-Space)pace the immediate slower threats to you such as Dragonite,(AC) who is generally also running an Adamant nature. Faster threats are generally dealt with by using Extreme(-Space)Speed.
Usage Tips
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Even though Mega Lucario is often better to run in most cases, using Lucario's base form is still very much viable, especially if you have already used your Mega slot on another Pokemon. In that case,(AC) Lucario can play the role of a secondary sweeper,(AC) where . Where he it would set up and dent the opposing team for another sweeper such as Mega Pinsir to sweep late game. Like all Lucario sets,(AC) using it mid-(+Hyph.) to late-(+Hyph.)game is usually the best time for him to be sent out to either wallbreak or attempt a sweep. Setting up on a vulnerable Pokemon such as against a Tyranitar that doesn't carry Earthquake or Fire Blast is the best time to get this done such as against a Tyranitar that doesn't carry Earthquake or Fire Blast. Lucario in this scenario is safe to be able to set up a Swords Dance. Another example would be Blissey or Chansey that don't have Thunder Wave and will give you and opportunity to set up.
Team Options
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Things to consider when building a team that has Lucario would be to have Pokemon that account for Talonflame,(AC) as Lucario will not be able to operate fully with it lurking in the wings. RestTalk Gyarados handles physical Lucario without too much of an issue and can threaten it with Waterfall or and phaze it out with Dragon Tail. To deal with those Pokemon,(AC) Rotom-W, Thundurus-I, and Tyranitar can be used to check the previously mentioned threats. Rotom-W gives support with Volt Switch support by wearing down the opposing team by forcing switches. Thundurus-I can provide Thunder Wave support to slow down certain threats to allow Lucario to be faster. Thundurus-I can also take a Brave Bird from Talonflame and OHKO with a Thunderbolt after the Brave Bird recoil. Tyranitar keeps Talonflame in check and can set up Stealth Rock to limit Gyarados and Talonflame's entries.
Other Options
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Since Lucario is very versatile,(AC) you can run more sets than those listed here. For example,(AC) you could run an Agility set for late game cleaning against weakened offensive teams. After an Agility you would be the fastest Pokemon left in that is left in the battle. With this set you can't hope to try and break through stall teams,(AC) though, as you lack power to do the necessary damage for that job.
Another option would be running a Substitute set with three attacks. This will protect you from faster Pokemon as you the Substitute will take the hit and you can then attack them afterwards without losing your Lucario. This set works best with a specially offensive Lucario as there are fewer things that can reliably check it.
Running a mixed set is also viable with Mega Lucario. This set is more focused on wallbreaking rather than sweeping. A moveset of Close Combat, Vacuum Wave, Dark Pulse and Flash Cannon is optimal for this role.
Checks & Counters
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Lucario doesn't have many true counters due to its versatility and sheer power.(+Period) ,(RC) However,(AC) there are several checks and ways you can keep Lucario from sweeping your teams. Regardless of what Lucario set you are running, status is something you want to avoid. Paralysis is a huge pain for Lucario to try and over(-Space)come due to its amazing Speed tier. Without that Speed,(AC) Lucario can be easier to revenge kill and deal with.(+Period),(RC) Because of this,(AC) things like Thundurus-I and Klefki are mentions can be used as checks as they can Thunder Wave Lucario and neuter its sweeping abilities. Burns are is also another thing you need to be wary of, especially with the physical sets. Sableye and Scald users are the main ones you need to be careful with,(AC) as if you try to set up at the wrong time you could get hit with a Scald burn or a Will-o-Wisp that will render Lucario useless. The specially offensive set doesn't mind the burn but it does put Lucario on a timer and hurts its longevity. Choice Scarf users such as Keldeo, Garchomp, Landorus, Landorus-T,(AC) and Genesect are all able to revenge kill Lucario with their respective moves being Secret Sword, Earthquake,(AC) or Flamethrower. However,(AC) all of these need to be wary of avoiding getting too low on health to avoid being in a range where one of Lucario's priority moves is able to kill them. Moltres is really the only true way Flamethrower to OHKO it. (I hope that's what you meant) With a Specially Defensive EV spread it can handle the Nasty Plot set with ease,(AC) and while the Swords Dance set can still hurt it put can't take Moltres it out in with one shot.
For Against the physically set,(AC) using RestTalk Gyarados is a good option to avoid being swept by SD Lucario. Gyarados can take any hit that Lucario can throw at it with the help of Intimidate and hit back with a Earthquake that will OHKO Lucario if it has a defense drop after using Close Combat;(+Semi),(RC) otherwise,(AC) EQ is a 2HKO. (again, I hope that's what you meant) Mega Venusaur makes a decent check to the physical set,(AC) but only if Lucario is unboosted. Without a Swords Dance under its belt,(AC) Mega Lucario can only deal Mega Venusaur takes 32.6 - 38.7% to Mega Venusaur with from a Close Combat,(AC) while Mega Venusaur is its able to 2HKO back with Earthquake,(RC) or put Lucario to sleep with Sleep Powder. Aegislash is also another check to Lucario as it forces it into a guessing game to avoid attacking on a King's Shield. With this guessing game,(AC) if Lucario isn't boosted it isn't able to safely set up,(AC) and risks taking a Sacred Sword and then a dying to a Shadow Sneak. Talonflame gets a mention as a check due to its priority Brave Bird. Choice Banded Brave Bird does 93.2 - 109.9% (56% chance to OHKO) to 4/0 Mega Lucario,(AC) which this is an OHKO on regular Lucario. If Mega Lucario has already used Close Combat due to the defense drop or Lucario had switch in with hazards up. (Don't even know what this is for; I can't tell what it means) In return,(AC) a +2 Mega Lucario does 72.4 - 85.5% with a +2 Extreme(-Space)Speed to 192 HP / 0 Def Talonflame and Talonflame can use Flare Blitz in return to take it out. The 4 HP / 0 Def takes 84.1 - 99.3% from +2 Mega Lucario's Extreme(-Space)Speed and still then dies to Flare Blitz recoil.
The Nasty Plot set in terms of counters and checks is a fairly short list. The list of checks and counters for the Nasty Plot set is fairly short. Specially Defensive Zapdos puts a flat out stop to Mega Lucario, taking only 37 - 43.8% from all of Mega Lucario's +2 attacks (Aura Sphere, Flash Cannon, Dark Pulse) ant and threaten with Thunderbolt or Heat Wave. Specially Defensive Moltres is also a good counter,(AC) as it resists you resist all of Mega Lucario's main attacks,(AC) taking 38.3 - 45.4% at from +2 Lucario and destroying it,(AC) even can destroy its life with an uninvested Flamethrower. Fully Specially Defensive Mega Venusaur is a good check to an unboosted Lucario, as it is also able to withstand all of its hits attacks while recovering health with Synthesis and threatening Lucario with Sleep Powder. Talonflame is another solid check due to its priority Flying-type moves. Since the Nasty Plot set doesn't have a priority move that hits Talonflame very hard,(AC) Talonflame doesn't have much to fear and can check it better than it can the Swords Dance set.
