Regis_Neo
Moderator
[GAL=53593]"A well-trained one can sense auras to identify and
take in the feelings of creatures over half a mile away."[/GAL]
take in the feelings of creatures over half a mile away."[/GAL]
By: Regis_Neo
Known as the Aura Pokemon, Lucario is probably best known as the mascot for the 4th generation of Pokemon games: it had a staring role in one of the anime movies (Lucario & The Mystery of Mew), was featured prominently in the anime and videogames, and even had a slot in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a fighter. And the stardom is well-deserved, as Lucario is a great sweeper in the videogame, blessed with good typing (Fighting/Steel) and powerful physical and special attack stats.
Base Stats:
HP: 70
Att: 110
Def: 70
Sp Att: 115
Sp Def: 70
Spe: 90
Originally, Lucario was thought to be one of the new legendary Pokemon when Diamond and Pearl was announced (along with its silhouette). That speculation ultimately did not pass once its stats were revealed, but that is perhaps for the better overall as we get to enjoy his presence in the VGC, unlike actual legendaries/ubers from that generation like Dialga and Palkia. As mentioned previously, Lucario has excellent attacking stats on the physical and special side, and can function well as a sweeper on either end. Lucario also has some rather interesting support options too, such as Heal Pulse, Follow Me, and more.
[GAL=53592]Lucario[/GAL]
Lucario @ Life Orb / Chople Berry
Ability: Inner Focus
Nature: Adamant / Jolly
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
-Close Combat
-Crunch
-Ice Punch
-Detect
Close Combat, simply put, will dent pretty much anything in the game, if not outright OHKO it. Crunch offers great damage against Psychic, and combined with Close Combat will get neutral coverage against all types (meaning between the two attacks, one Fighting and one Dark, every Pokemon type can be hit for at least neutral damage). Ice Punch offers a great option against the many Dragon types out there. and Detect will allow you to avoid unwanted damage since while Lucario has good typing and resistances, its defenses overall aren't super great. In Singles, Detect can be dropped for a stat-boosting move like Swords Dance, or another attack for coverage.
This is just a sampling of Lucario's diverse movepool as well; you can opt for other great physical attacks such as Earthquake, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Blaze Kick, and Thunder Punch. Lucario also gets both Extreme Speed and Bullet Punch for priority moves, both of which are great for catching faster foes offguard; if possible, it's highly recommended to look at one of them over Crunch or Ice Punch if you have other Pokemon covering the types those moves hit. If you dislike Close Combat's defensive drops, you have other options as well such as Low Kick if you're anticipating heavy foes or even lower accuracy options like High Jump Kick and Cross Chop.
[GAL=53592]Lucario[/GAL]
Lucario @ Life Orb / Chople Berry
Ability: Inner Focus
Nature: Modest / Timid
EVs: 6 HP / 252 Sp. Atk / 252 Spe
-Aura Sphere
-Dark Pulse
-Hidden Power Ice
-Detect
Lucario's special sweeper set is much like the physical sweeper set, only with special attacks pretty much. Aura Sphere and Dark Pulse both combine for neutral coverage just like Close Combat and Crunch on the physical set, and Aura Sphere is extra nice since it has perfect accuracy and will never miss. Hidden Power Ice offers super effective damage against Dragons, and Detect rounds out the set to protect against opposing attacks. In Singles, Detect can be dropped for a stat-boosting move like Nasty Plot, or another attack for coverage.
Unlike the other options in the physical movepool, Lucario's special movepool is a bit more limited, but still effective if you're looking for other options. Vacuum Wave is notable for being a special-based priority move, and if you can find a way to add it to your moveset it can give you a great jump on faster foes or even picking off weakened ones. Much like how Swords Dance is an option for the physical set to boost its attack, the special set has Nasty Plot to boost its special attack if you can find the time. Dragon Pulse is an alternative to Hidden Power Ice if your Lucario doesn't have it, though you'll lose out on the 4x super effective damage most Dragons take from Ice attacks and have to settle for 2x instead. Flash Cannon offers a Steel type STAB option, but given Steel's poor attacking type, you're better off with other moves most of the time. Some other options include Psychic and Shadow Ball, and even Focus Blast if you're looking for a stronger (but less accurate) option over Aura Sphere.
Other Options
Lucario's supporting moveset is not to be underestimated: Follow Me, Helping Hand, Healing Pulse, and Quick Guard are all great options that can be added into any moveset. If you want, you can even build a defensive set around Lucario's decent typing, with moves like Drain Punch for recovery and some of the above moves to support the team. Generally though, there are better defensive Pokemon up for supporting a team, but Lucario can catch opposing teams off-guard considering his normal status as a sweeper.
For your item choice, it all depends really on what you want to accomplish: Life Orb offers much more destructive power and a better chance to OHKO opposing targets, but Chople Berry is nice for lessening the damage Lucario may take from common Fighting Pokemon like Hitmontop. Focus Sash is another option here as well in terms of survivability, guaranteeing that Lucario will live through at least one attack. Even Air Balloon is appreciated for the temporary immunity it gives Lucario from Ground attacks. For the Ability, Inner Focus overall is the most useful as flinch attacks like Fake Out are pretty common. Steadfast might seem good on paper, but that is also a lost turn of an attack for just a speed boost. Finally, if you have access to the special Target copy or BW2, you may have a Lucario with Justified, which can be used for a fun Beat Up combo to quickly boost Lucario's attack to sky high levels, but his lower speed tier means he'll have trouble sweeping outright over faster Pokemon like Terrakion.
Overall, Lucario is a great Pokemon for team consideration. It can fill either physical or special sweeping roles, and even offers decent supporting moves in Doubles.