Introduction
I always make stall or semi-stall teams, but after reading this article, I discovered that I needed an offensive team to ladder when my points are slow. Then, after some thinking, I made a very offensive team and won a lot of battles with it, but I still think it can get better. If it can, please let me know how.
This team was made in order to remove one-by-one every counter lucario has, so that it can come in and sweep the foe's team. It also includes spikes and stealth rock, so that lucario's sweep can be more assured. Ok, let's start.
Team Building process
First, I Decided I would make a team based on Lucario. First, I knew I would have stealth rock so that lucario achieves the KOs it needs. So, I just went with a suicidal lead, that is, aerodactyl, since it's the fastest one.
Since luca's biggest nemesis are bulky ground types, I wanted a poké that could easily beat them. Starmie was perfect for the job. It also can lure pursuit users, on which lucario can set up on. Starmie also kills fire types that lucario can't (scarftran, priority infernape).
Then, I knew I wanted spikes. But it wouldn't be any spiker. I wanted a very offensive spiker that could keep pressure at the foe. I discovered that OU had a lot of water types. Then, I picked Roserade, since she can kill or set spikes at them.
Then I realized that I needed a spin blocker, so that I can keep my hazards. SubSplit gengar is one of the top threats of this metagame, so I picked him. He also loves the hazards.
And then, I wanted Sandstorm to help lucario's sweep, as well as killing bulky psychics and bulky ghosts that lucario can't kill. Then, Scarftar came to mind. It also checks starmie, one threat to my team.
And then, I tought my team had troubles with steel types like skarmory and bronzong, sincze my only fire attack was rose's HP fire. So, I changed the aero lead for an Infernape lead.
But then, an AgilliGross owned my team, and I decided to change gengar for rotom-H since they do almost the same spin blocking role, while rotom-h also stops metagross and counters steels pretty well.
And this is how the team looks now.
In-Depth Analysis
Infernape (M) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 64 Atk / 252 SAtk / 192 Spd
Hasty Nature (+Spd, -Def)
- Fake Out
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Blast
- Close Combat
Fire is a great attacking type on this meta, hitting the dominant steel types for super effectively, so I picked infernape for a SR lead. Fake Out breaks the sash of the other leads. Stealth Rock helps lucario reaching some important KOs. Fire Blast is a powerful move and when infernape has used its sash, it will be blazed. Close Combat is just secondary stab. 192 with a hasty nature reaches 330 speed, outpacing base 100s. Special attack is maxed for a devasting fire blast, and the rest is sent to attack to give more punch to close combat.
Starmie @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin
I used to run Life Orb, but changed it for scarf since it outspeeds some threats to my team. STABed Hydro Pump coming off of 328 special attack is nothing to laugh at, hammering most neutrals for a 2HKO. Thunderbolt rounds off the coverage with hydro pump, hitting water pokémon (bar lanturn). Ice Beam is used now to revenge scarf flygon and +1 DD dragonite. Don't bother using it against shaymin or celebi, since it won't OHKO and you'll be dead after, roserade does much better against those. Using scarf and Rapid Spin might look dumb, but starmie will mostly be switching after it spins, so it doesn't matter. Modest is used here because it reaches 329 speed, enough to outspeed 328 (jolly flygon's speed, timid jirachi's speed, timid shaymin and a lot more), so with a scarf it will be outspeeding scarfed versions of those by 1 point.
Roserade (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 24 Def / 252 SAtk / 232 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Grass Knot
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Spikes
Ah Roserade. She's here because A) She absorbs toxic spikes/ B) checks almost every grass or water poké that are popular thanks to the FWG core rise; C) Provide spikes that help the team and D) hits like a boss. Grass Knot is a powerful move against most of the meta game. It's so powerful that it can OHKO gyarados and +0 crocune after rocks. Sludge Bomb is a reliable and powerful STAB, and while poison isn't a good attacking type, it murders grass types like shaymin and celebi, who cause trouble to my team. Hidden Power [Fire] is there to kill forretress and skarmory, who completely laugh at roserade's STABs (tough I'm thinking in changing it for ground to hit heatran) and Spikes is nice on an offensive team and it helps lucario achieving KOs (like on hippowdon). Special attack is maxed. Timid with 232 EVs reach 300. I didn't max it because due to HP fire, it will only reach 305 and there's nothing that it outspeeds that 300 doesn't outspeed. The rest is dumped into defense.
Rotom-H @ Choice Specs
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Trick
Gengar used to have this spot, but after realizing how my team was weak to AgiliGross, I changed it. Rotom-H gets gengar's same handy immunities as well as more resistances and more bulk, for the price of less speed. Overheat is his signature move and can be used to smack steel types that rotom loves to wall. Thunderbolt is a powerful STAB and electric is a good attacking type. Shadow Ball is rotom's another STAB and along with thunderbolt and overheat, it hits everything at least for neutral. Trick is used to stop walls from doing their job. The EVs here are simple: max speed and special attack.
Tyranitar (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
Ttar. My favourite pokémon ever. But, like roserade, that's not why he's here. It's here to set rocks, revenge kill some stuff and kill psychics and ghosts that cause trouble for lucario. Crunch is a reliable STAB and destroys ghosts and psychics. Pursuit is a crunch that hits on the switch, meaning a check-mate for dark-weak pokemon. Stone Edge is a powerful move and it can severely maim a lot of stuff and Earthquake is nice for killing other lucarios, heatran, etc and it covers well with stone edge. Max speed and attack like every sweeper, jolly to outspeed base 115s and slower.
Lucario (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- ExtremeSpeed
- Bullet Punch
The theme of the team. He's also the 3rd coolest pokémon IMO only losing to ttar and roserade. He cleans the rest of the foe's team. Swords Dance is a deadly setup move and it just needs one turn to be fatal. Close Combat is an imensely powerful move factoring STAB and after a swords dance it will be OHKOing even skarmory after stealth rock. ExtremeSpeed owns almost everything that is faster than lucario (it OHKOes flygon) and Bullet Punch kills gengar and scarftars.
Why not using Crunch over ExtremeSpeed or Bullet Punch?
With Bullet Punch + ExtremeSpeed I can't hit Dusknoir, Rotom-A, Cresselia and Celebi.
With Crunch + Bullet Punch I can't hit Starmie, Infernape and Jolteon.
With Crunch + Extremespeed I can't hit gengar, froslass and scarfed tyranitar.
After analysing this, the 1st combination's issues can be easily eliminated by tyranitar while the 2nd and 3rd Combinations' issues can be handled but with difficulty by the team. So, I picked the 1st combination.
Conclusion
I won a lot of matches thanks to lucario. This mades me realize that lucario is so awesome at the battlefield as he's awesome in his look. I'm also very happy that I could make a good team with 3 pokés that are on my top 10 favourite pokés.
