Blaziken
03-23-2008, 06:35 AM
Lucario
Lucario was one of the most hyped about pokemon in the 4th generation, making its first anime appearance before the generation it’s in was even released. Many people thought that it was a legendary pokemon but as we now know, Lucario isn’t. However it does have a unique typing of steel and fighting, boosting many handy resistances. Plus it’s offensive capabilities are very good backed up by an awesome movepool. Lucario should never be used for defensive play, only offensive, something which it excels greatly at. To sum up Lucario overall, it’s a very strong offensive pokemon that is a major threat in the 4th generation battling scene.
Physical Sweeper
Item: Life Orb/ Leftovers
Nature: Adamant
Attacks:
Swords Dance
Close Combat
Crunch
Extremespeed/ Bullet Punch
This is by far one of Lucario’s most devastating sets. Swords Dance will double its already impressive attack power, making it very hard to stop at times. Close Combat is it’s strongest move, reaching 180 power with the STAB. Crunch covers pokemon such as Cresselia and Dusknoir who will try and come in to spoil Lucario’s sweeping potential with status moves. There however is one problem with Lucario. Faster pokemon such as Azelf, Weavile and Infernape might easily be able to pick it off if it wasn’t for Extremespeed. Combined with a Swords Dance boost and a possible Life Orb, Extremespeed could potentially knock out Azelf, Weavile and so on with one hit. If you’re afraid of Gengar, sacrifice 20 power and go for Bullet Punch, an attack equally as impressive as Extremespeed on Lucario. Unfortunately, this set is not perfect, just like every pokemon but this set gets close. Just to give you a small indication on how strong this Lucario is, a Swords Dance, Life Orb boosted Close Combat does over 90% damage to a Skarmory with as much defence as possible. This set is by no means perfect but it can cover and destroy some of the more popular pokemon. If you really want, you could
add in Stone Edge over Crunch but that isn’t the greatest idea when taking on Dusknoir.
Rating: 9/10
Special Choice
Item: Choice Specs/ Choice Scarf
Nature: Modest
Attacks:
Aura Sphere
Dragon Pulse/ Hidden Power (Ice)
Shadow Ball
Vacuum Wave
Lucario also has the potential to be a very lethal special sweeper and in this case, a choice special sweeper. Choice Specs is advised here to be your item but Choice Scarf is also worth consideration. Aura Sphere is Lucario’s main attacking move and with any extra power from Choice Specs, it can dint the ever-so-popular special wall Blissey pretty badly, possibly taking it down in 2 hits. Dragon Pulse or Hidden Power are to cover dragon pokemon while Shadow Ball takes down psychic and ghost pokemon. Vacuum Wave is a handy attack to get a sneaky hit in but with Choice Scarf, this move has its limited use so that’s one of the reasons why Choice Specs is better for special Lucario. Lucario overall as a special sweeper works very well and considering how many people expect Lucario to be physical, this set adds in a small element of surprise.
Rating: 8.5/10
Calm Mind Sweeper
Item: Life Orb/ Leftovers
Nature: Timid
Attacks:
Calm Mind
Aura Sphere
Dragon Pulse/ Hidden Power (Ice)
Shadow Ball/ Agility
Calm Mind sweeping version of Lucario isn’t as good as the choice set but it can work. Obviously get in as many Calm Mind attacks in as possible before sweeping. All the moves here are for coverage against some of the popular threats in the 4th generation. The only new thing to consider here is Agility. Since Lucario is outrun by pokemon such as Infernape and some Garchomp, Agility is worth consideration, especially if you can get in a few Calm Mind attacks in. However if you do choose Agility, you do lose your coverage for pokemon such as Dusknoir and Cressila. It’s quite a basic set but it can work, however not as good as the choice special sets.
Rating: 7.5/10
Hard-Out Physical Sweeper
Item: Life Orb/ Choice Band/ Expert Belt
Nature: Adamant/ Jolly
Attacks:
Close Combat
Crunch
Stone Edge
Extremespeed/ Bullet Punch
Like the Swords Dancing Lucario except this set obviously doesn’t have Swords Dance. Stone Edge now is able to gain a spot in the set. Similar to the other set except you do lose a bit of power from not having the Swords Dance boost however with either Choice Band or Life Orb, every hit you land could be very devastating for your opponent.
Rating: 8/10
Salac
Item: Salac Berry
Nature: Adamant
Attacks:
Close Combat
Swords Dance
Substitute
Crunch/ Stone Edge
I personally don’t like this set because you get walled so easily by so many things and it’s so easy to take down. However it’s still worth mentioning so here it goes. Close Combat is once again your main sweeping move while Swords Dance is to power up. Substitute is to activate Salac berry while Crunch or Stone Edge depends on what pokemon you want to take down. The point of this is to switch into something that will be forced to switch and Substitute. Power yourself up with Swords Dance while using Substitute as a little shield until Salac Berry activates, allowing you to outrun so many pokemon and take them out. However don’t try and be a hero and take on something like Salamence in a Substitute. This version of Lucario is best saved for later in battles but still, it isn’t too good as many pokemon will still be able to take it out in some sort of fashion.
Rating: 6.5/10
Reversal
Item: Salac Berry
Nature: Adamant
Attacks:
Swords Dance
Substitute/ Endure
Reversal
Stone Edge/ Rock Slide
The Endure-Salac combo had a bit of popularity in the 3rd generation but now, it’s lost most of it simply because of Sandstorm themed teams, moves that allow you to attack first and Choice Scarf. However Lucario is able to bypass Sandstorm, making the Reversal strategy worth a bit more consideration. Swords Dance is needed to boost attack power and Lucario should be able to take something like a Gengar’s Shadow Ball, using the turn to power up. The reason why Crunch isn’t listen here because unlike the previous sets, when you run into something like Gyarados, you probably won’t have to option of switching out. Stealth Rock and Spikes now are even more popular meaning that when Lucario switches out, it’ll get injured by Spikes and Stealth Rock when it has to switch back in, making Substitute pretty much vain since it can’t get down to the 4% mark most of the time to activate Salac Berry. This is even worse if your opponent sends out Gyarados after Salac Berry has been activated so that’s why Crunch has been displaced with Rock Slide or Stone Edge. Just hope that you’ve gotten enough Swords Dance attacks away so that you can take down Cresselia or Dusknoir who almost completely wall this set. On one final note, with the rock attacks, it’s simply a choice between pokemon and accuracy.
Rating: 7/10
Mixed Sweeper
Item: Life Orb
Nature: Mild/ Rash/ Lonely
Attacks:
Aura Sphere
Close Combat
Hidden Power Ice/ Dragon Pulse
Crunch/ Stone Edge/ Shadow Ball/ Extremespeed
The mixed sweeping version of Lucario isn’t as good as the other normal sweeping sets but this one does have the element of surprise. Aura Sphere can be surprising for some like Gliscor since many people will think to believe that Lucario is a physical attacking pokemon. Close Combat can be for eliminating other pokemon with a lower defence than special defence but either fighting move can be replaced with something else if you want but you do lose protection against Skarmbliss and other walling strategies. The 3rd move is for dragons and the last is just a filler.
Rating: 7.5/10
Contests
Contest Type: Smart
Moves:
Swords Dance
Shadow Ball
Dragon Pulse
Protect
The good old Swords Dance combo. Set up Swords Dance and watch your points double next turn, hopefully to eight hearts. This set has been designed so that you’ll be able to get the maximum points possible with Lucario at a minimum risk.
Rating: 9.5/10
Type:
Lucario as mentioned before has a unique typing of fighting and steel, giving it mixed advantages and disadvantages. One of the better things is that Lucario being a steel type pokemon has a few handy resistances without being a defensive pokemon. Another advantage it has is that it’s one of the only if not the only pokemon to take around 3% damage from Stealth Rock each time Lucario switches into battle. This takes off the worry of Stealth Rock with sweepers, which aren’t too durable like Lucario. However there are negatives with Lucario’s unique typing. With it’s fighting attribute, it cancels out some of the resistances steel provides, making Lucario take neutral damage from types such as flying and psychic when a steel pokemon could’ve resisted. Lucario’s defensive stats are also very low, around Infernape’s level meaning that Lucario will be lucky to survive any attack that does at least neutral damage. It’s movepool is diverse but too many pokemon can easily wall Lucario. As mentioned before, Cresselia and Dusknoir can wall Lucario easily if it’s not packing Crunch but the special sweeping Lucario might break them with Shadow Ball. Gliscor is your prime choice to wall physical Lucario but not special since it might have Hidden Power Ice with it. Gyarados with Intimidate can wall physical Lucario and take any special attack Lucario throws at it besides Hidden Power Electric which is incredibly rare. Basically the physical sweeping version can be walled somewhat easily by Gliscor, Weezing and other pokemon which have high defenses and take neutral damage from Close Combat. A Close Combat backed by the power boost from Swords Dance and even Life Orb is lethal, making pokemon like Skarmory and Forretress tremble. The special sweeping Lucario can be covered by Milotic, Spiritomb and Heracross. Just a quick note, don’t get any smart ideas about using faster pokemon such as Infernape and Azelf to try and sweep physical Swords Dancing Lucario because it most likely has Extremespeed and with Life Orb, knock out the two in one hit. Basically, Lucario isn’t an easy pokemon to tackle at first but once you’ve found out what version of Lucario it is, walling it shouldn’t be too hard. However watch out since Lucario can have a few tricks up it’s sleeve.
Abilities
Inner Focus: This ability might be helpful at times against say example a flinch haxer but considering how rare they are and that it only gives you a small immunity to something like that isn’t really worth putting Inner Focus in. It does prevent you from flinching but flinching is quite rare and just protecting yourself from it isn’t as good as gaining something from it.
Steadfast: This is the better ability, granting you a boost in speed each time you flinch. The boost is equivalent to a Salac Berry boost so it is handy, especial against pokemon who try and get some simply damage in with Fake Out. By no means is this ability the best one but it is nice to have, especially one that allows you to gain something from being slightly disadvantaged or something like that.
Overall Rating for Lucario: 8.5/10
Stats
Gender: Male 87.5%, Female: 12.5%
Type: Fighting/Steel
Species: Aura Pokemon
Height: 4’00”
Weight: 119lbs
Weaknesses: Fire, Fighting, Ground (x2)
Resistances: Ghost, Normal, Steel, Grass, Ice Dragon (0.5)
Bug, Rock, Dark (0.25)
Immunities: Poison
Pokedex Entries:
Diamond- It has the ability to sense the auras of all things. It understands human speech.
Pearl- By catching the aura emanating from others, it can read their thoughts and movements.
Evolution: Evolves from Riolu after leveling up during the day and when happiness is at its highest.
Location: Evolve Riolu
Abilities: Steadfast- Speed increases by one stage when flinched
Inner Focus- Prevents Flinching
National Dex No.: 448
Popularity: High
Generation Introduced: 4th
Anime Appearances: 4
Mismagius
Mismagius is a welcomed addition to the 4th generation battling scene. Unlike some other ghost pokemon like Gengar and Banette, Mismagius can be a dominant sweeper without being as frail. It’s speed, special attack and special defence are all its highest stats, reaching 339 at max which makes it quite useable. However all its other stats are basically the opposite, all equally low, bringing Mismagius down to the BL tier of battling. Despite this, Mismagius has still had a feature in many teams and is still a great pokemon.
Choice
Item: Choice Specs/ Choice Scarf
Nature: Timid/ Modest
Attacks:
Thunderbolt
Shadow Ball
Energy Ball
Hidden Power (Fighting)/ Hidden Power (Ice)/ Thunder Wave/ Willo-Wisp/ Destiny Bond
This set is pretty simple, well for the first 3 moves anyway. Thunderbolt and Energy Ball are for coverage against Gyarados and Swampert. Shadow Ball turns into 120 power with the STAB, making it the main sweeping move for Mismagius. With its last move, it really depends on what item Mismagius is holding. If Choice Specs, only the Hidden Power option should really be considered. If you can’t get any of those Hidden Power types, go for Destiny Bond as a little surprise at the end. Choice Scarf widens the door and opens up all of those options for Mismagius, most noticeably Destiny Bond. Thunder Wave and Willo-Wisp are just to help teammates out and don’t benefit Mismagius too much. Destiny Bond is best attempted with Choice Scarf since if Mismagius is at low health when you switch it in, Destiny Bond might catch a few people by surprise. This is quite a basic set for Mismagius but it’s still a very good one. It’s a shame though that Mismagius doesn’t get Focus Blast.
Rating: 8/10
Perish Song
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Timid
Attacks:
Mean Look
Perish Song
Substitute
Protect/ Destiny Bond/ Shadow Ball
Perish trapping version of Mismagius is very risky and probably shouldn’t be tried on a constant basis. Mean Look traps your foes, making them unable to escape to your Perish Song, which will take them down in 3 turns. Substitute will help you stall out the 2 turns before switching out while Protect might provide some extra support to help stall out. Destiny Bond is sort of a dead weight here, providing no real help besides if lucky, taking down one of your opponent’s pokemon along with yourself. Shadow Ball is just a sweeping move if Mismagius becomes your last pokemon. It’s a bit too risky to try this version but if you’ve got the guts, go for it.
Rating: 6/10
Special Sweeper
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Modest/ Timid
Attacks:
Calm Mind
Substitute
Shadow Ball
Thunderbolt
This is one of the better sets for Mismagius and for that reason, it’s one the most popular ones. The point of this is to switch into something like a Heracross or Garchomp who have a choice item attached to them. Make sure though that they’re actually using a move that Mismagius resists so Close Combat or Earthquake are both fine choices to switch into. Also anything that forces your opponent to switch pokemon is fine. Once doing so set up a Substitute while your opponent switches out, giving you a free turn to set up Calm Mind sweep. Shadow Ball and Thunderbolt are just there for coverage. If you want, you could put in Hidden Power Fighting to cover Tyranitar. This is a good set because it works well with the resistances Mismagius has since forcing the switch here to ever so important for Mismagius. Just remember that if your opponent switches in Weavile or any pokemon like that, make a switch for it IF you’re in your Substitute. If not, hope that the attack your going to you knocks them before they do.
Rating: 8/10
Status Inflictor
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Timid
Attacks:
Thunder Wave
Willo-Wisp
Shadow Ball
Destiny Bond/ Thunderbolt
The point of this set really is just to inflict as many status problems onto your opponent as possible before fainting and using a ghost pokemon such as Mismagius is a great idea since it has so many immunities. It’s a shame that Mismagius doesn’t get Hypnosis but Thunder Wave and Willo-Wisp are still two keys moves in shutting down vital sweepers. Shadow Ball simply does some extra damage while the last choice is dependant on what you want Mismagius to do more of, to have a better coverage over others or to surprise and take down those more tougher sweepers such as Heracross. Unfortunately fellow ghost types, most noticeably Spiritomb do the job much better, making this set not as popular.
Rating: 7/10
Contests
Contest Type: Smart
Moves:
Calm Mind
Protect
Magical Leaf
Taunt
This is the same as the Swords Dance combo except Calm Mind becomes the score doubling. Do whatever you can to get 2 rounds of 8 hearts at least with the set. Most of the time I wouldn’t advise you to you two moves which have the same effect, the two in Protect and Taunt. Well basically there wasn’t anything else to use and Mismagius has a rather dismal moveset for contests meaning that they’re really the only options.
Rating: 6/10
Type:
Mismagius is one of the new pure ghost types in the 4th generation meaning that with its typing, it has 2 immunities and plus its ability in Levitate, Mismagius has a total number of 3 immunities which is very handy but that’s the only positive on the defensive side of things besides its also decent special defence. However its other defence is horrible, luring physical volleys to target Mismagius. There’s not much it can do Mismagius except get up Substitutes and hope it gets enough Calm mind attacks in to take out its opponent. Common counters for Mismagius are pokemon with Pursuit such as Tyranitar and Weavile. Mismagius if not in a Substitute is quite likely to run at the site of them, making it easy prey for Pursuit. Dark types are basically the way to go against Mismagius but a strong volley of physical attacks can easily bring it down. One thing that keeps it in the BL tier of battling is Gengar. It’s superior to Mismagius in almost every way since it has better stats and a better movepool.
Ability
Levitate: This is one of the most handiest abilities to have simply because it gives you an immunity to ground attacks. It is the only ability Mismagius can have but there aren’t any complaints coming from me.
Overall Rating of Mismagius: 7.5/10
Stats
Gender: Male 50%, Female: 50%
Type: Ghost
Species: Magical Pokemon
Height: 2’11”
Weight: 9.7lbs
Weaknesses: Ghost, Dark (x2)
Resistances: Poison, Bug (0.25)
Immunities: Normal, Fighting, Ground
Pokedex Entries:
Diamond- Its cries sound like incantations. Those hearing it are tormented by headaches and hallucinations.
Pearl- It chants incantations. While they usually torment targets, some chants bring happiness.
Evolution: Evolves from Misdreavus by using Dusk Stone
Location: Evolve Misdreavus
Ability: Levitate- Prevents damage from ground type moves and any sort of spikes excluding Stealth Rock
National Dex No.: 448
Popularity: High
Generation Introduced: 4th
Anime Appearances: 1
Lucario was one of the most hyped about pokemon in the 4th generation, making its first anime appearance before the generation it’s in was even released. Many people thought that it was a legendary pokemon but as we now know, Lucario isn’t. However it does have a unique typing of steel and fighting, boosting many handy resistances. Plus it’s offensive capabilities are very good backed up by an awesome movepool. Lucario should never be used for defensive play, only offensive, something which it excels greatly at. To sum up Lucario overall, it’s a very strong offensive pokemon that is a major threat in the 4th generation battling scene.
Physical Sweeper
Item: Life Orb/ Leftovers
Nature: Adamant
Attacks:
Swords Dance
Close Combat
Crunch
Extremespeed/ Bullet Punch
This is by far one of Lucario’s most devastating sets. Swords Dance will double its already impressive attack power, making it very hard to stop at times. Close Combat is it’s strongest move, reaching 180 power with the STAB. Crunch covers pokemon such as Cresselia and Dusknoir who will try and come in to spoil Lucario’s sweeping potential with status moves. There however is one problem with Lucario. Faster pokemon such as Azelf, Weavile and Infernape might easily be able to pick it off if it wasn’t for Extremespeed. Combined with a Swords Dance boost and a possible Life Orb, Extremespeed could potentially knock out Azelf, Weavile and so on with one hit. If you’re afraid of Gengar, sacrifice 20 power and go for Bullet Punch, an attack equally as impressive as Extremespeed on Lucario. Unfortunately, this set is not perfect, just like every pokemon but this set gets close. Just to give you a small indication on how strong this Lucario is, a Swords Dance, Life Orb boosted Close Combat does over 90% damage to a Skarmory with as much defence as possible. This set is by no means perfect but it can cover and destroy some of the more popular pokemon. If you really want, you could
add in Stone Edge over Crunch but that isn’t the greatest idea when taking on Dusknoir.
Rating: 9/10
Special Choice
Item: Choice Specs/ Choice Scarf
Nature: Modest
Attacks:
Aura Sphere
Dragon Pulse/ Hidden Power (Ice)
Shadow Ball
Vacuum Wave
Lucario also has the potential to be a very lethal special sweeper and in this case, a choice special sweeper. Choice Specs is advised here to be your item but Choice Scarf is also worth consideration. Aura Sphere is Lucario’s main attacking move and with any extra power from Choice Specs, it can dint the ever-so-popular special wall Blissey pretty badly, possibly taking it down in 2 hits. Dragon Pulse or Hidden Power are to cover dragon pokemon while Shadow Ball takes down psychic and ghost pokemon. Vacuum Wave is a handy attack to get a sneaky hit in but with Choice Scarf, this move has its limited use so that’s one of the reasons why Choice Specs is better for special Lucario. Lucario overall as a special sweeper works very well and considering how many people expect Lucario to be physical, this set adds in a small element of surprise.
Rating: 8.5/10
Calm Mind Sweeper
Item: Life Orb/ Leftovers
Nature: Timid
Attacks:
Calm Mind
Aura Sphere
Dragon Pulse/ Hidden Power (Ice)
Shadow Ball/ Agility
Calm Mind sweeping version of Lucario isn’t as good as the choice set but it can work. Obviously get in as many Calm Mind attacks in as possible before sweeping. All the moves here are for coverage against some of the popular threats in the 4th generation. The only new thing to consider here is Agility. Since Lucario is outrun by pokemon such as Infernape and some Garchomp, Agility is worth consideration, especially if you can get in a few Calm Mind attacks in. However if you do choose Agility, you do lose your coverage for pokemon such as Dusknoir and Cressila. It’s quite a basic set but it can work, however not as good as the choice special sets.
Rating: 7.5/10
Hard-Out Physical Sweeper
Item: Life Orb/ Choice Band/ Expert Belt
Nature: Adamant/ Jolly
Attacks:
Close Combat
Crunch
Stone Edge
Extremespeed/ Bullet Punch
Like the Swords Dancing Lucario except this set obviously doesn’t have Swords Dance. Stone Edge now is able to gain a spot in the set. Similar to the other set except you do lose a bit of power from not having the Swords Dance boost however with either Choice Band or Life Orb, every hit you land could be very devastating for your opponent.
Rating: 8/10
Salac
Item: Salac Berry
Nature: Adamant
Attacks:
Close Combat
Swords Dance
Substitute
Crunch/ Stone Edge
I personally don’t like this set because you get walled so easily by so many things and it’s so easy to take down. However it’s still worth mentioning so here it goes. Close Combat is once again your main sweeping move while Swords Dance is to power up. Substitute is to activate Salac berry while Crunch or Stone Edge depends on what pokemon you want to take down. The point of this is to switch into something that will be forced to switch and Substitute. Power yourself up with Swords Dance while using Substitute as a little shield until Salac Berry activates, allowing you to outrun so many pokemon and take them out. However don’t try and be a hero and take on something like Salamence in a Substitute. This version of Lucario is best saved for later in battles but still, it isn’t too good as many pokemon will still be able to take it out in some sort of fashion.
Rating: 6.5/10
Reversal
Item: Salac Berry
Nature: Adamant
Attacks:
Swords Dance
Substitute/ Endure
Reversal
Stone Edge/ Rock Slide
The Endure-Salac combo had a bit of popularity in the 3rd generation but now, it’s lost most of it simply because of Sandstorm themed teams, moves that allow you to attack first and Choice Scarf. However Lucario is able to bypass Sandstorm, making the Reversal strategy worth a bit more consideration. Swords Dance is needed to boost attack power and Lucario should be able to take something like a Gengar’s Shadow Ball, using the turn to power up. The reason why Crunch isn’t listen here because unlike the previous sets, when you run into something like Gyarados, you probably won’t have to option of switching out. Stealth Rock and Spikes now are even more popular meaning that when Lucario switches out, it’ll get injured by Spikes and Stealth Rock when it has to switch back in, making Substitute pretty much vain since it can’t get down to the 4% mark most of the time to activate Salac Berry. This is even worse if your opponent sends out Gyarados after Salac Berry has been activated so that’s why Crunch has been displaced with Rock Slide or Stone Edge. Just hope that you’ve gotten enough Swords Dance attacks away so that you can take down Cresselia or Dusknoir who almost completely wall this set. On one final note, with the rock attacks, it’s simply a choice between pokemon and accuracy.
Rating: 7/10
Mixed Sweeper
Item: Life Orb
Nature: Mild/ Rash/ Lonely
Attacks:
Aura Sphere
Close Combat
Hidden Power Ice/ Dragon Pulse
Crunch/ Stone Edge/ Shadow Ball/ Extremespeed
The mixed sweeping version of Lucario isn’t as good as the other normal sweeping sets but this one does have the element of surprise. Aura Sphere can be surprising for some like Gliscor since many people will think to believe that Lucario is a physical attacking pokemon. Close Combat can be for eliminating other pokemon with a lower defence than special defence but either fighting move can be replaced with something else if you want but you do lose protection against Skarmbliss and other walling strategies. The 3rd move is for dragons and the last is just a filler.
Rating: 7.5/10
Contests
Contest Type: Smart
Moves:
Swords Dance
Shadow Ball
Dragon Pulse
Protect
The good old Swords Dance combo. Set up Swords Dance and watch your points double next turn, hopefully to eight hearts. This set has been designed so that you’ll be able to get the maximum points possible with Lucario at a minimum risk.
Rating: 9.5/10
Type:
Lucario as mentioned before has a unique typing of fighting and steel, giving it mixed advantages and disadvantages. One of the better things is that Lucario being a steel type pokemon has a few handy resistances without being a defensive pokemon. Another advantage it has is that it’s one of the only if not the only pokemon to take around 3% damage from Stealth Rock each time Lucario switches into battle. This takes off the worry of Stealth Rock with sweepers, which aren’t too durable like Lucario. However there are negatives with Lucario’s unique typing. With it’s fighting attribute, it cancels out some of the resistances steel provides, making Lucario take neutral damage from types such as flying and psychic when a steel pokemon could’ve resisted. Lucario’s defensive stats are also very low, around Infernape’s level meaning that Lucario will be lucky to survive any attack that does at least neutral damage. It’s movepool is diverse but too many pokemon can easily wall Lucario. As mentioned before, Cresselia and Dusknoir can wall Lucario easily if it’s not packing Crunch but the special sweeping Lucario might break them with Shadow Ball. Gliscor is your prime choice to wall physical Lucario but not special since it might have Hidden Power Ice with it. Gyarados with Intimidate can wall physical Lucario and take any special attack Lucario throws at it besides Hidden Power Electric which is incredibly rare. Basically the physical sweeping version can be walled somewhat easily by Gliscor, Weezing and other pokemon which have high defenses and take neutral damage from Close Combat. A Close Combat backed by the power boost from Swords Dance and even Life Orb is lethal, making pokemon like Skarmory and Forretress tremble. The special sweeping Lucario can be covered by Milotic, Spiritomb and Heracross. Just a quick note, don’t get any smart ideas about using faster pokemon such as Infernape and Azelf to try and sweep physical Swords Dancing Lucario because it most likely has Extremespeed and with Life Orb, knock out the two in one hit. Basically, Lucario isn’t an easy pokemon to tackle at first but once you’ve found out what version of Lucario it is, walling it shouldn’t be too hard. However watch out since Lucario can have a few tricks up it’s sleeve.
Abilities
Inner Focus: This ability might be helpful at times against say example a flinch haxer but considering how rare they are and that it only gives you a small immunity to something like that isn’t really worth putting Inner Focus in. It does prevent you from flinching but flinching is quite rare and just protecting yourself from it isn’t as good as gaining something from it.
Steadfast: This is the better ability, granting you a boost in speed each time you flinch. The boost is equivalent to a Salac Berry boost so it is handy, especial against pokemon who try and get some simply damage in with Fake Out. By no means is this ability the best one but it is nice to have, especially one that allows you to gain something from being slightly disadvantaged or something like that.
Overall Rating for Lucario: 8.5/10
Stats
Gender: Male 87.5%, Female: 12.5%
Type: Fighting/Steel
Species: Aura Pokemon
Height: 4’00”
Weight: 119lbs
Weaknesses: Fire, Fighting, Ground (x2)
Resistances: Ghost, Normal, Steel, Grass, Ice Dragon (0.5)
Bug, Rock, Dark (0.25)
Immunities: Poison
Pokedex Entries:
Diamond- It has the ability to sense the auras of all things. It understands human speech.
Pearl- By catching the aura emanating from others, it can read their thoughts and movements.
Evolution: Evolves from Riolu after leveling up during the day and when happiness is at its highest.
Location: Evolve Riolu
Abilities: Steadfast- Speed increases by one stage when flinched
Inner Focus- Prevents Flinching
National Dex No.: 448
Popularity: High
Generation Introduced: 4th
Anime Appearances: 4
Mismagius
Mismagius is a welcomed addition to the 4th generation battling scene. Unlike some other ghost pokemon like Gengar and Banette, Mismagius can be a dominant sweeper without being as frail. It’s speed, special attack and special defence are all its highest stats, reaching 339 at max which makes it quite useable. However all its other stats are basically the opposite, all equally low, bringing Mismagius down to the BL tier of battling. Despite this, Mismagius has still had a feature in many teams and is still a great pokemon.
Choice
Item: Choice Specs/ Choice Scarf
Nature: Timid/ Modest
Attacks:
Thunderbolt
Shadow Ball
Energy Ball
Hidden Power (Fighting)/ Hidden Power (Ice)/ Thunder Wave/ Willo-Wisp/ Destiny Bond
This set is pretty simple, well for the first 3 moves anyway. Thunderbolt and Energy Ball are for coverage against Gyarados and Swampert. Shadow Ball turns into 120 power with the STAB, making it the main sweeping move for Mismagius. With its last move, it really depends on what item Mismagius is holding. If Choice Specs, only the Hidden Power option should really be considered. If you can’t get any of those Hidden Power types, go for Destiny Bond as a little surprise at the end. Choice Scarf widens the door and opens up all of those options for Mismagius, most noticeably Destiny Bond. Thunder Wave and Willo-Wisp are just to help teammates out and don’t benefit Mismagius too much. Destiny Bond is best attempted with Choice Scarf since if Mismagius is at low health when you switch it in, Destiny Bond might catch a few people by surprise. This is quite a basic set for Mismagius but it’s still a very good one. It’s a shame though that Mismagius doesn’t get Focus Blast.
Rating: 8/10
Perish Song
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Timid
Attacks:
Mean Look
Perish Song
Substitute
Protect/ Destiny Bond/ Shadow Ball
Perish trapping version of Mismagius is very risky and probably shouldn’t be tried on a constant basis. Mean Look traps your foes, making them unable to escape to your Perish Song, which will take them down in 3 turns. Substitute will help you stall out the 2 turns before switching out while Protect might provide some extra support to help stall out. Destiny Bond is sort of a dead weight here, providing no real help besides if lucky, taking down one of your opponent’s pokemon along with yourself. Shadow Ball is just a sweeping move if Mismagius becomes your last pokemon. It’s a bit too risky to try this version but if you’ve got the guts, go for it.
Rating: 6/10
Special Sweeper
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Modest/ Timid
Attacks:
Calm Mind
Substitute
Shadow Ball
Thunderbolt
This is one of the better sets for Mismagius and for that reason, it’s one the most popular ones. The point of this is to switch into something like a Heracross or Garchomp who have a choice item attached to them. Make sure though that they’re actually using a move that Mismagius resists so Close Combat or Earthquake are both fine choices to switch into. Also anything that forces your opponent to switch pokemon is fine. Once doing so set up a Substitute while your opponent switches out, giving you a free turn to set up Calm Mind sweep. Shadow Ball and Thunderbolt are just there for coverage. If you want, you could put in Hidden Power Fighting to cover Tyranitar. This is a good set because it works well with the resistances Mismagius has since forcing the switch here to ever so important for Mismagius. Just remember that if your opponent switches in Weavile or any pokemon like that, make a switch for it IF you’re in your Substitute. If not, hope that the attack your going to you knocks them before they do.
Rating: 8/10
Status Inflictor
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Timid
Attacks:
Thunder Wave
Willo-Wisp
Shadow Ball
Destiny Bond/ Thunderbolt
The point of this set really is just to inflict as many status problems onto your opponent as possible before fainting and using a ghost pokemon such as Mismagius is a great idea since it has so many immunities. It’s a shame that Mismagius doesn’t get Hypnosis but Thunder Wave and Willo-Wisp are still two keys moves in shutting down vital sweepers. Shadow Ball simply does some extra damage while the last choice is dependant on what you want Mismagius to do more of, to have a better coverage over others or to surprise and take down those more tougher sweepers such as Heracross. Unfortunately fellow ghost types, most noticeably Spiritomb do the job much better, making this set not as popular.
Rating: 7/10
Contests
Contest Type: Smart
Moves:
Calm Mind
Protect
Magical Leaf
Taunt
This is the same as the Swords Dance combo except Calm Mind becomes the score doubling. Do whatever you can to get 2 rounds of 8 hearts at least with the set. Most of the time I wouldn’t advise you to you two moves which have the same effect, the two in Protect and Taunt. Well basically there wasn’t anything else to use and Mismagius has a rather dismal moveset for contests meaning that they’re really the only options.
Rating: 6/10
Type:
Mismagius is one of the new pure ghost types in the 4th generation meaning that with its typing, it has 2 immunities and plus its ability in Levitate, Mismagius has a total number of 3 immunities which is very handy but that’s the only positive on the defensive side of things besides its also decent special defence. However its other defence is horrible, luring physical volleys to target Mismagius. There’s not much it can do Mismagius except get up Substitutes and hope it gets enough Calm mind attacks in to take out its opponent. Common counters for Mismagius are pokemon with Pursuit such as Tyranitar and Weavile. Mismagius if not in a Substitute is quite likely to run at the site of them, making it easy prey for Pursuit. Dark types are basically the way to go against Mismagius but a strong volley of physical attacks can easily bring it down. One thing that keeps it in the BL tier of battling is Gengar. It’s superior to Mismagius in almost every way since it has better stats and a better movepool.
Ability
Levitate: This is one of the most handiest abilities to have simply because it gives you an immunity to ground attacks. It is the only ability Mismagius can have but there aren’t any complaints coming from me.
Overall Rating of Mismagius: 7.5/10
Stats
Gender: Male 50%, Female: 50%
Type: Ghost
Species: Magical Pokemon
Height: 2’11”
Weight: 9.7lbs
Weaknesses: Ghost, Dark (x2)
Resistances: Poison, Bug (0.25)
Immunities: Normal, Fighting, Ground
Pokedex Entries:
Diamond- Its cries sound like incantations. Those hearing it are tormented by headaches and hallucinations.
Pearl- It chants incantations. While they usually torment targets, some chants bring happiness.
Evolution: Evolves from Misdreavus by using Dusk Stone
Location: Evolve Misdreavus
Ability: Levitate- Prevents damage from ground type moves and any sort of spikes excluding Stealth Rock
National Dex No.: 448
Popularity: High
Generation Introduced: 4th
Anime Appearances: 1