[OVERVIEW]
* The combination of Lugia's colossal bulk and Multiscale makes it one of the most durable walls in the tier and lets it function as an essential defensive backbone for many defensive teams.
* What allows Lugia to check an incredible portion of the tier and reliably shut down many boosted sweepers is Multiscale; it boosts Lugia's already strong defensive capabilities to the point where Lugia is nigh impossible to OHKO without breaking its Multiscale beforehand and forces foes to set Stealth Rock or status Lugia before attempting to make a breakthrough.
* Immunity to Ground also contributes to Lugia's effectiveness as a wall, as it allows Lugia to check some of the notable threats to defensive teams like Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground.
* Lugia's high Speed as a wall is another advantage for a defensive Pokemon, as this allows Lugia to reliably stall out Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, and other slower threats.
* It should be noted that whether Lugia successfully checks foes or not is almost entirely dependent on whether or not Multiscale is intact due to its somewhat disappointing defensive typing. This means Lugia requires strong entry hazard removal support from its teammates and cleric support to prevent burn and poison from invalidating Multiscale, so it thus struggles to fit in archetypes other than stall.
* Inability to do much against Necrozma-DM is Lugia's one of the worst downsides; many Necrozma-DM sets are capable of breaking through Multiscale with Sunsteel Strike, do not mind Toxic or any attack that Lugia commonly carries, and can hinder Lugia's usefulness with Toxic and Stealth Rock. The fact that defensive teams have somewhat narrow defensive counterplay against Necrozma-DM further concerns players when attempting to bring Lugia into play.
* Lugia's passivity leaves it unable to pose a threat to almost every Pokemon immune to Toxic, resulting in it being easily taken advantage of by Steel-types like Necrozma-DM and vulnerable to Mega Gengar. Substitute users like Zygarde-C and Arceus-Ground also prove to be serious issues, as Lugia can no longer check them should they be the last Pokemon remaining.
* While carrying Psychic or Ice Beam can remedy these issues, Lugia's passivity still restricts the number of teams it can justify a spot on.
[SET]
name: Wall
move 1: Roost
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Whirlwind / Dragon Tail
move 4: Psychic / Ice Beam
item: Leftovers
ability: Multiscale
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Roost functions as a reliable form of recovery, and it is chosen over Recover in order to more easily stall out foes with Electric-, Ice-, and Rock-type moves. Examples of Roost's benefits can be seen against threats like Stone Edge Primal Groudon and Thunder Primal Kyogre.
* Lugia's massive bulk allows it to easily stall foes with Toxic.
* Whirlwind removes a foe from the field, letting Lugia shut down a setup sweeper that it can't stall out reliably. Whirlwind also has benefits of phazing foes behind Substitute.
* Dragon Tail is an alternative phazing move that does minor damage and can be handy against Shadow Tag users like Mega Gengar and Gothitelle, but using Dragon Tail leaves Lugia unable to properly check Substitute users, and it has a slight chance to miss. Dragon Tail is also unable to phaze Geomancy Xerneas.
* Psychic targets certain foes that Lugia cannot effectively stall out with Toxic. It harshly punishes Mega Gengar, having a chance to outright OHKO its regular forme if switched in when Stealth Rock is up. Psychic also has the benefits of 2HKOing Mega Lucario and Toxapex after some prior damage and heavily damaging Marshadow and Mega Blaziken.
* Ice Beam allows Lugia to take more offensive approaches to checking Dragon-types. Both Mega Salamence and Rayquaza are OHKOed by Ice Beam after Stealth Rock damage, and the former can still be taken out by Ice Beam after taking damage from Double-Edge's recoil. It should be noted that Lugia is able to check Zygarde-C with Ice Beam, which would otherwise freely set up on Lugia with Substitute up to block Toxic and sponge Psychic while phazing Lugia with Dragon Tail.
* Substitute eases Lugia's attempt to stall slower foes and blocks status. Substitute also serves as Lugia's only way to prevent the loss of momentum against Necrozma-DM, as Necrozma-DM is forced to use Sunsteel Strike against Lugia behind Substitute and will be discouraged to use Lugia as setup fodder.
Set Details
========
* Maximum HP investment makes Lugia's HP divisible by 16, letting it take full advantage of Leftovers recovery. 96 Speed EVs allow Lugia to outspeed neutral-natured base 90 Speed Pokemon and move first against threats like Swords Dance Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. 136 EVs can be run to outspeed Dragon Dance variants of regular Zygarde and let Lugia use Toxic on them before they set up a Substitute.
* The remainder of the EVs are invested in Defense with a Bold nature to maximize Lugia's physical bulk, giving it a good chance to survive attacks like +2 Stone Edge from Arceus-Ground, +1 Double-Edge from Mega Salamence, and +2 Shadow Claw from Extreme Killer Arceus after Stealth Rock damage.
* Maximum HP and Special Defense investment with a Calm nature improves Lugia's special bulk to the point where it can check Geomancy Xerneas after taking Stealth Rock damage and even avoid the 2HKO from Mega Gengar. However, this option is generally unreliable and Lugia typically prefers physically defensive investment to better check foes it commonly pivots into.
* Leftovers provides Lugia with passive recovery.
* Multiscale halves damage from attacks when Lugia is at full HP, but you should note that moves like Sunsteel Strike and Moongeist Beam and abilities like Mold Breaker, Teravolt, and Turboblaze can bypass this.
Usage Tips
========
* Lugia's role is fairly straightforward. After threats like Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground are revealed to be offensive variants, Lugia can be switched into them liberally to simply wall them and stall them with Toxic. Boosted threats can be phazed with Whirlwind or dealt with by Psychic or Ice Beam depending on the foe. That said, several conditions must be fulfilled in order for Lugia to effectively and consistently check offensive threats.
* Avoid any status ailments. Both poison and burn will invalidate Multiscale, while paralysis significantly diminishes Lugia's ability to check foes like Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre, as they will strike Lugia first if it is paralyzed. Avoiding status moves will not be easy, however, as many Arceus formes carry Toxic and so do a majority of Primal Groudon variants. Statused Lugia should be cured as soon as possible if a Pokemon with a cleric move is given a chance.
* Keep Stealth Rock away from the field by any means necessary. Lugia's effectiveness as a wall depends on whether its Multiscale is intact or not, and Stealth Rock is worse than other factors that cripple Multiscale due to Lugia's weakness to said entry hazard. Be quick to identify and pressure Stealth Rock users like Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground from the opposing team, eliminating them if possible. As entry hazard users have to be out of play for Lugia to have breathing room, even trading Toxic with Lugia against Stealth Rock setters may be a worthwhile decision if Lugia's team has cleric support. If Stealth Rock is set, have a teammate like Giratina-O or Arceus-Dark swiftly remove it from the field so Lugia can face setup sweepers with Multiscale intact and thus maximize its chance to reliably check them before they proceed to threaten Lugia's team.
* Do not attempt to stall every foe with Toxic. As Lugia switches into foes, there is a considerable chance that the likes of Primal Groudon, Arceus-Ground, and Mega Lucario will set up. As Lugia can only handle the first hit with Multiscale, boosted foes should be promptly phazed with Whirlwind or Dragon Tail before they overpower Lugia with a second attack after breaking Multiscale.
Team Options
========
* In order for Lugia to provide its team with strong defensive presence, it must be employed on teams where various Pokemon can consistently remove Stealth Rock from the field and provide cleric support.
* Pokemon like Arceus-Ground, Arceus-Dark, and Giratina can provide Defog support and effectively handle Primal Groudon or Necrozma-DM. Arceus-Ground is notable for its ability to offensively check Dragon-types with Ice Beam in the event where Lugia does not have said moves, and revenge kill Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM. Both Arceus-Dark and Giratina can avoid Shadow Tag users, and the former can check dangerous wallbreakers like Ultra Necrozma and Lunala while the latter can effectively absorb status for Lugia and handle Ho-Oh well.
* Mega Sableye is another noteworthy partner that can provide entry hazard control with Magic Bounce. Magic Bounce is useful for bouncing back Stealth Rock and other status moves, punishing a foe's attempt to hinder Lugia. Mega Sableye also offensively checks Ultra Necrozma and Extreme Killer Arceus, which Lugia struggles to take down immediately, with Foul Play. The ability to completely shut down defensive Necrozma-DM and benefiting from Lugia's Toxic with Fake Out are other notable reasons why Mega Sableye has good synergy with Lugia.
* Clerics like Chansey and Blissey can cure Lugia's status with Heal Bell and absorb status themselves thanks to Nature Cure. They can also deal with powerful special attackers like Xerneas and Primal Kyogre more consistently with their sheer special bulk. Xerneas and Magearna are appropriate clerics as well, and they can also check Dark-types and, in the former's case, Marshadow.
* As Lugia struggles to do much against Steel-types, Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh can be good partners. Primal Groudon sets Stealth Rock to keep Yveltal in line and makes up for Lugia's passivity with its offensive presence. Ho-Oh can spread various status ailments to facilitate Lugia's attempt to stall foes with residual damage, and Lugia appreciates Ho-Oh's ability to spread burns and further worsen physical attackers' matchup against it. Ho-Oh's Regenerator is also worth noting, as this allows Ho-Oh to effectively scout many Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM sets without sustaining much damage. Scouting aforementioned foes is somewhat dangerous for Lugia due to them potentially carrying Stealth Rock or other status moves.
* Entry hazard users can make Lugia's Whirlwind and Dragon Tail more useful and also punish Toxic-immune Pokemon every time they switch into Lugia. Primal Groudon, Arceus-Ground, Arceus-Dark, and Tyranitar are Stealth Rock users that can be employed on teams that Lugia generally secures its place in. Ferrothorn and Skarmory can set Spikes, which harshly punishes Steel-types' attempts to take advantage of Lugia, and they can check some troublesome foes like Primal Kyogre and Necrozma-DM, respectively.
* Mega Gengar can trap and remove clerics to prevent them from curing poison and take advantage of Lugia spreading poison with Hex. In events where Lugia fails to stop offensive foes but manages to put them on a timer, Mega Gengar can trap and revenge kill them.
* Toxapex can set Toxic Spikes to further aid Lugia's attempt to Toxic stall foes, can check Marshadow, and can check many sweepers that remain as the last Pokemon with Haze.
* Pursuit trappers like Tyranitar and Alolan Muk can trap and remove Mega Gengar from play.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Lugia's ability to withstand many attacks and contend against Primal Groudon may make it seem like a viable Defog user, but its horrendous matchup against Steel-type entry hazard setters like Necrozma-DM, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory leaves this option completely outclassed by Ho-Oh.
* Both Whirlwind and Dragon Tail can be run for Lugia to better deal with Shadow Tag users and retain its ability to deal with Substitute users, but forgoing Psychic or Ice Beam isn't ideal.
* Aeroblast is a slightly more powerful STAB move than Psychic that has a better chance to 2HKO Mega Lucario and is the best attack against Marshadow and Mega Mewtwo X, but it cannot 2HKO Mega Gengar and leaves Lugia unable to threaten Toxapex.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Necrozma-DM**: Necrozma-DM is one of the worst Steel-types to face for Lugia, as it can hit through Lugia's Multiscale with Sunsteel Strike or Searing Sunraze Smash and takes minuscule damage from any attacks. Defensive variants do not mind Lugia at all and can proceed to set Stealth Rock or cripple Lugia with Toxic. Lugia's attempt to gradually wear down Necrozma-DM will fail if Necrozma-DM packs Morning Sun. Lugia is therefore almost completely dependent on its teammates to handle any variant of Necrozma-DM.
**Steel-types**: Lugia's lack of offensive presence and reliance on Toxic to inflict meaningful damage make most Steel-types nuisances for its effectiveness. Various Steel-types like Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Mega Scizor can switch into Lugia with impunity and proceed to utilize their support options. It should also be noted that most relevant Steel-types carry Toxic or entry hazard moves, which further concerns Lugia.
**Magic Bounce**: Both Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie bounce back Toxic and cannot be phazed due to Magic Bounce. Mega Sableye is only slightly annoyed by Dragon Tail, which still does pitiful damage, and Mega Diancie can set Stealth Rock against Lugia or threaten it with Diamond Storm.
**Dark- and Ghost-types**: Dark-types like Yveltal and Arceus-Dark and Ghost-types like Marshadow and Lunala can hit Lugia super effectively and bypass its sheer bulk. While none of them except Lunala are capable of OHKOing Lugia with Multiscale intact, they are still capable of weakening Lugia to the point where it can no longer freely pivot into foes.
**Shadow Tag**: Mega Gengar can trap Lugia lacking Dragon Tail and proceed to remove it after Taunt, but it must be wary of Psychic. Gothitelle easily traps and neutralizes any Lugia lacking Dragon Tail.
**Status**: Both poison and burn invalidate Lugia's Multiscale with residual damage, and paralysis reduces Lugia's ability to reliably keep itself healthy with Roost.
**Foes that Cannot be Phazed**: Dragon Dance Zygarde discourages Lugia from using Toxic by setting up behind Substitute and phazes Lugia with Dragon Tail before Lugia can phaze it. Z-Geomancy Xerneas can set up on Lugia after Ingrain. Substitute users like Arceus-Ground and Toxic-immune setup sweepers like Mega Lucario can freely set up on Lugia if it does not have a feasible way to break Substitute.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[DMDW, 434601]]
- Earlier versions by: [[CKW, 289489]]
- Quality checked by: [[Nayrz, 212134], [Melee Mewtwo, 75110], [Cynara, 224455]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Fireflame479, 231476], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
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