Lucario, The Aura Pokémon. By catching the aura emanating from others, it can read their thoughts and movements. By reading the auras of all things, it can tell how others are feeling from over half a mile away. It's said that no foe can remain invisible to Lucario It understands human speech. , since it can detect auras. Even foes it could not otherwise see.
Overview
Lucario has gone through an interesting journey since the dawn of X and Y. Back in the 4th generation when it was first introduced, it was arguably the one of the best late game sweeper and one of the best wallbreakers as well. Now however, it finds itself used a lot less due to the fact that it’s largely outclassed by the threats we face in our ever evolving game. It was granted a brief reprieve early on in the form of Mega Lucario but it was not meant to be. However, that doesn't really mean that normal Lucario is bad, just that others can do what it does a bit better.
Positives
+ Amazing Offensive Power. Nothing enjoys switching into this. NOTHING.
+Fighting is a solid offensive type, and it has STAB Steel-type attacks for Fairies
+Plenty of coverage, boosting, and priority moves, good movepool in general
+Versatile on physical and special offense
+Decent set of resistances to help it set up on things
Negatives
- It’s pretty frail. It can’t effectively switch in and take a hit in most cases
- Wishes it had more speed
- Common weaknesses, amplifies its poor bulk
- Still gets shut down by several common Pokemon depending on the coverage moves it runs
Abilities
Steadfast: Speed raises by one level every time the Pokémon flinches. This a pretty great ability , unfortunately it’s not the best option due to Lucario’s natural frailty compared to its overwhelming offenses As a result Luke needs to be able to react immediately most of the time and it really needs all the HP it can get in order to be an effective sweeper.
Inner Focus: This Pokémon will not flinch. Does not prevent flinching with Focus Punch. Great Ability allows Luke to take all the Fake Out’s and Air Slashes for days.
Hidden Ability (Available):
Justified: Attack is raised by one stage when the Pokémon is hit by a Dark-type move. This is my ability of choice for Non Mega Lucario as it allows it to get a nice attack boost from a resisted a Dark-type move and increase it’s already awesome power.
Movesets
"I’m Luke Skywalker , and I’m here to rescue you”
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Earthquake / Ice Punch / Crunch
- Extremespeed / Bullet Punch
Item Attached: Life Orb
Ability: Justified / Inner Focus
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk) / Jolly Nature
What you thought because it's a new gen that we'd just forget the Star Wars quotes?! Well you thought wrong mwhahaha... ahem cough.. Anyways this is easily Lucario's best set and the one you'll see most of the time. Switch it in on a resisted dark type move and just set up and wreck them. Swords Dance gives Lucario a massive boost to its Attack, making it beastly. Close Combat is a brilliant move with STAB that will lower your defences, but lets face it, Lucario is unlikely to survive many moves anyway. Earthquake, Ice Punch and Crunch give great variety and type coverage while Extremespeed has decent priority, as does Bullet Punch, but with the ability to take out Fairy-types
A Special Aura
- Aura Sphere
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Vacuum Wave
- Dark Pulse
- Nasty Plot
Item Attached: Life Orb / Air Balloon
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
This is the standard Special set for Lucario. Though Lucario's Special Attack is greater than its physical, its movepool is a bit less diverse, so there's only a limited amount of ways you can get it done. Aura Sphere is regarded as Lucario's signature move, and it hits decently and never misses. Hidden Power Ice helps with coverage while Vacuum Wave has got STAB priority. Dark Pulse can help take out the Psychics that can cause grief and Nasty Plot will boost its Special Attack by a decent amount.
This is Red 5, I’m going in
- Agility
- Close Combat
- Crunch / Dark Pulse
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Item Attached: Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 Atk / 68 SAtk / 188 Spd
Naughty Nature (+Atk, -SDef)
Yes, this is an Agility based set. Many of Lucario's counters work by outspeeding it, so the Agility boost will give Lucario the speed it needs in order to outspeed those. The rest of the sets work as you'd expect by giving a decent amount of coverage against various other Pokémon. Close Combat gets STAB and hits hard, while Crunch & Dark Pulse work well against
Other Options
Blaze Kick, Calm Mind, Choice Band, Choice Scarf, Dragon Pulse, Drain Punch, Flash Cannon, Focus Blast, Force Palm, Stone Edge
Blaze Kick gives a decent amount of coverage, and can burn the opponent.
Calm Mind can boost both Special Attack and most notably, Special Defense, which is much needed on Lucario
The Choice items, both Choice Band & Scarf, can help give Lucario a fantastic boost, allowing it to hit even harder than you could possibly imagine
Dragon Pulse gives decent coverage, as it's a Dragon-type move, but with the abundance of Fairy-types, it may be useless if anticipated.
Drain Punch is not available in the Kalos-native metagame, but if it ever is again, it has decent power and will heal Lucario, which is always handy
Flash Cannon is a decent Steel move that utilises Lucario's awesome Special Attack stat. It can do decent damage to the Fairy-types that plague the metagame
Focus Blast hits really hard, but has low accuracy
Force Palm may seem like a weak Fighting-type move, but with a 30% chance of paralysis, you can't just dismiss it.
High Jump Kick can hit hard, but if it misses, it will destroy Lucario's health itself
Stone Edge can hit many Pokémon hard, but it is a bit unpredictable due to its reduced accuracy
Double & Triple Battle Options
Lucario is an interesting choice for a doubles/triples team, it has the offenses to attack from either side of the spectrum, but it speed ties with Pikachu, and it's a Steel type in an environment where Earthquakes occur more often than inopportune Rock Slide flinches. It also doesn't take too much damage before going down, so Lucario, by itself is a slower glass cannon. Interestingly enough, it does get Follow Me as an attack, despite it only taking 1 or 2 hits max, the redirection at the right time can win you games.
Oracle of Ages
- Follow Me
- Feint/Heal Pulse/Detect
- Extreme Speed
- Close Combat/High Jump Kick
Item Attached: Life Orb / Focus Sash
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 Speed, 252 Atk, 4 Def
Jolly Nature
Unfortunately, making a Lucario spread without Lucarionite is easier said than done. Iif one wants to go the fast sweeper route, there's close to no reason to not use the Mega Stone. So this set will try and solidify the semi-speedy, yet frail "glass supporter" niche. The first move, the inspiration of the set, Follow Me, is used to redirect attacks regardless of if the opponent is a Grass type/holding Safety Goggles. A free turn for the partner can create win conditions left and right. The next move is focused on supporting the partner further, Feint will allow you to double target without fear, Heal Pulse is a nifty move I wasn't aware that Lucario even learned, and because of that, your opponent won't be expecting it either. Detect when paired up with Follow Me allows for some fun mind games your opponent has to work through. Extreme Speed is excellent for finishing opponent's off and for once OUTSPEEDING the opposing Talonflame's Brave Bird alongside other priority moves. Close Combat is the STAB of Choice, however Hi Jump Kick is riskier but deals more damage.
Best partners for this set would be Pokemon who enjoy setting up before attacking. Generally bulky Pokemon like Gyarados would appreciate attacks being redirected, and on occasion being healed.
Countering Lucario
You don't want to switch into Lucario's moves. This is a fact. Very few Pokémon will survive with a decent amount of health if you do. However, there are decent counters. Due to its frailty, if you hit hard enough, especially with a super effective move, then Lucario will likely fall in battle, and with its Speed being merely passable, you can outspeed it. Psychic-types like Mega Alazakam, for example, will outspeed Lucario like crazy, and one hit with a Psychic would likely floor it. Earthquakes are also something that Lucario fears. If you use a Gliscor, then you essentially have the ultimate Lucario counter. Its Earthquake can destroy it, and it can absorb practically every hit Lucario hard. Just go for Speed and power and you will win.
Overview
Mega Lucario, it's what Lucario has always wanted to be. It has had a boost in Speed that makes it more passable, and has had boosts in both Attacks to make it hit even harder. To top that off, its ability, Adaptability, gives it an even larger boost to its STAB moves. This makes Mega Lucario a powerhouse that many fear, with some even going to the point of banning it. It's just that powerful. It's not all awesome, though. Its defences didn't receive too much of a boost, only Defense getting a small boost and Special Defense getting nothing. However, with the boosts it got it likely won't have to worry about that, as it will KO most opponents.
Positives
+ Its Attack and Special Attack are in the 140s, making it an absolute beast
+ Its ability gives it a nice boost for its STAB moves
+ With its movepool, it's quite diverse
Negatives
- Its Speed. while boosted, is merely passable. It can still be outsped.
- Its defences are still poor. It is quite frail
Abilities
Adaptability: Increases the Same Type Attack Bonus from *1.5 to *2. This is an amazing ability , it’s almost like having a choice band or something anytime you use a stab move. It's just epic.
Movesets
"Luke…I am your father”
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Iron Tail / Stone Edge / Ice Punch
- Bullet Punch
Item Attached: Lucarioite
Ability: Adaptability(Justified on Lucario)
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
This is what I use. Sword’s Dance boosts its already immense power to unbelievable levels allowing it to sweep and wreck just about everything with the right team to support it. Iron Tail is extremely unreliable at times but it’s a great secondary to abuse with adaptability and it’s really needed to take on bulkier fairy types like Xerneas and Fairy Arceus. Stone Edge and Ice Punch are also good options depending on which threats you want to counter.
A Special Aura
- Nasty Plot
- Aura Sphere
- Dark Pulse / Shadow Ball
- Vacuum Wave / Flash Cannon
Item Attached: Lucarioite
Ability: Adaptability(Justified on Lucario)
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
This set is the standard special set for Mega Lucario. Nasty Plot, if you can set it up, will boost Mega Lucario's Special Attack to the levels that even Blissey shudders at. Aura Sphere gets the STAB and will never miss. Dark Pulse & Shadow Ball provide coverage, but Dark Pulse is perferable due to the chance of flinching. Vacuum Wave has priority while Flash Cannon will take care of those pesky Fairy-types
Other Options
Blaze Kick, Calm Mind, Dragon Pulse, Drain Punch, Focus Blast, Force Palm, Stone Edge
Calm Mind can boost both Special Attack and most notably, Special Defense, which is much needed on Lucario
Dragon Pulse gives decent coverage, as it's a Dragon-type move, but with the abundance of Fairy-types, it may be useless if anticipated.
Drain Punch is not available in the Kalos-native metagame, but if it ever is again, it has decent power and will heal Lucario, which is always handy
Focus Blast hits really hard, but has low accuracy
Force Palm may seem like a weak Fighting-type move, but with a 30% chance of paralysis, you can't just dismiss it.
High Jump Kick can hit hard, but if it misses, it will destroy Lucario's health itself
Stone Edge can hit many Pokémon hard, but it is a bit unpredictable due to its reduced accuracy
Double & Triple Battle Options
With Lucarionite, it's Attack and Special attack get a gracious boost, but of course, most importantly it's speed bumps up from 90 to 112. Lucario is fast, frail, but fierce, especially with Adaptability.
Proud of its Power
-Aura Sphere
- Flash Cannon
- Substitute/Nasty Plot
- Protect/Detect
Item Attached: Lucarioite
Ability: Adaptability(Inner Focus on Lucario)
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
Adaptability makes Lucario's strong moves into ridiculously powerful moves. This set goes Special because as Lucario is a frail sweeper that appreciates the one turn set up, it doesn't need Intimidate and Will-O-Wisp shenanigans getting in its way. Aura Sphere and Flash Cannon are your STABS, no excuse to not use them. The 3rd moveslot is for how you want Lucario to set up. Substitute always makes the opponent's heart sink a little as now they can't just use Earthquake once or land Fire Blast once, they have to do it twice which is very difficult when Lucario is firing off Adaptability boosted attacks for free. Nasty Plot I feel is more risky, but the reward of OHKOing just about anything after successfully using the move might be worth it. Protect has more PP than Detect, but if Imprison Sableye ever comes back then Detect will be the way to go. These attacks allows Lucario to Mega Evolve safely and reap the benefits of base 112 speed afterwards.
Partners for this set either distract the opponent from Mega Lucario or are hitting just as hard as Lucario. Amoonguss is good at redirecting attacks and spreading status while Talonflame can deal insane amounts of damage with it's Brave Bird. Hydreigon also manages to take care of Aegislash, who loves to set up in Lucario's face.
Fast and frail hasn't exactly been the way of Doubles/Triples, but that's not to say playing cautiously with frail Pokemon won't meet with success either. As it is, Lucario is one of the few Pokemon available right now that directly threaten Mega Kangaskhan, for that, some players have been attracted to it. Though its power isn't just limited to just KOing Kangahan, it's dent a lot of other Pokemon too.
Countering Mega Lucario
Essentially the same as normal Lucario. Mega Lucario, despite hitting hard, is frail so you need to either be able to absorb hits, which is nigh on impossible. Hitting hard with Ground or Psychic-type moves is definitely your best bet, and you need to outspeed it, else your Pokémon will likely receive some significant damage.
Locations in Games
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Not in game
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Not in game
Colosseum/XD:
Not in game
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Evolve Riolu
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Evolve Riolu
Black/White:
Evolve Riolu
Black 2/White 2:
Evolve Riolu
X/Y:
Given by Korrina at Tower of Mastery
Evolve Riolu
Animé Appearences
