What is a good moveset for Lucario?

Question

If you have a good competitive moveset for Lucario, post an answer below and upvote the best ones. Movesets for any of its pre-evolutions can also be shared on this thread.

Be sure to include full set details in your post, e.g. items, abilities, natures and EVs. Some detail, including the intended game mode for your set, is also appreciated. Access the full list of guidelines here.

Lucario Pokédex and learnset for reference.

Answer 1

Lucario (M) @ Wide Lens
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- High Jump Kick
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
- Swords Dance
Analysis
Wide Lens will increase the accuracy of High Jump Kick to 99% so there's a small chance you lose half of your HP.
Inner Focus is there because it's the best ability on Lucario.
Jolly is so you get max Speed investment without a Choice Scarf.
EVs are for sweeping.

High Jump Kick gets STAB and is the best move on Lucario because it can hit so many different types.
Earthquake is coverage for those Fire types, as well as the Electric and Poison types.
Ice Punch deals with the Ground types and has amazing coverage against Flying, Grass and Dragon.
Swords Dance is there to boost your Attack since your nature makes sure you're able to outspeed everything.

Answer 2

Lucario @ Focus Sash
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Bone Rush
- Aura Sphere
- Dark Pulse
- Meteor Mash

1. Bone Rush-A good move doves 25 base power per hit (2-5 times). A solution to its Fire weakness.
   Accuracy: 90%
2. Aura Sphere-Signature move. Cannot miss and does a powerful 80 base power.
   Accuracy: ---
3. Dark Pulse-Has a good base power of 80 and has 20% chances to cause flinching. Pretty neat!
   Accuracy: 100
4. Meteor Mash-Has a base power of 90. A powerful Steel type move. Has 20% chance to raise Attack by 1 stage.
   Accuracy: 90%

Comments

Modest isn't too good with physical moves like meteor mash and bone rush.

Answer 3

Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Flash Cannon
- Aura Sphere
- Dragon Pulse/ Dark Pulse

• Flash Cannon(STAB)
• Aura Sphere(STAB)
• Dragon Pulse (idk it is strong) / Dark Pulse (coverage)

Why not use SpA Lucario it has SpA>Atk

Answer 4

¿How's this one?

Lucario @ Air Balloon
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 64 Atk / 216 SpA / 228 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Work Up
- Aura Sphere
- Meteor Mash / Bone Rush
- Extreme Speed

Work up for stat boost, Aura Sphere as a strong STAB, Extreme Speed - Luke's best priority (for me), Meteor Mash for Hatterene(s) and Fairy coverage, Bone Rush is a good choice too but with Bone Rush Luke struggles against Dragapult and Tornadus.. Good luck..

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Answer 5

Very good set in my opinion

Lucario @ Lucarionite
Ability: Inner Focus (Screw Fake Out)
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpA / 6 Spe
Mild / Lonely Nature
- Close Combat
- Aura Sphere
- Earthquake / Dragon Pulse
- Swords Dance

Close Combat: STAB and a must have on almost all Fighting-type mon
Aura Sphere: ITS HIS SIGNATURE MOVE DUH and its STAB
Earthquake / Dragon Pulse: Coverage
Swords Dance: Great setup move

Swords Dance as much as you can then sweep remember, you only Sword Dance 3 times to get six stages.

Comments

Since you're running a set that involves SD, you can switch out Ausphere with a coverage move or a STAB, physical Steel move to kick out faes.

Also, neither Equake or Dragopulse is STAB ^^

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at that time i didnt know what STAB meant

Answer 6

Lucario (M) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Psychic
- Extreme Speed
- Ice Punch

These moves are chosen to create the best defense for Lucario
High Jump kick is a nice move for attack
Psychic is a great counter-attack move against fighting sweeper (like Conkeldurr)
Extreme Speed to make sure Lucario is able to KOs faster opponents (like Greninja or Zeraora)
And finally, ice punch is an elemental punch to stop Ground-type threat in its way

Answer 7

Gen 8 BDSP Monotype (Fighting)

Lucario @ Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Focus Blast
- Aura Sphere
- Flash Cannon
- Dark Pulse

Lucario is used as a special attacker on Fighting-type teams if you decide not to use Nasty Plot Toxicroak. Focus Blast is used for strong fighting STAB useful for early and mid-game, whereas Aura Sphere is for a reliable fighting STAB move late game. Flash Cannon is used for steel STAB that allows you to deal neutral or supper effective damage to most Pokemon who resist your Fighting-type moves. Dark Pulse is used for coverage since Lucario's other special moves don't really cover much. Choice Specs is used for more power for your moves, while Choice Scarf is an option for speed control if you need to use Lucario as a Choice Scarf user.

Comments

I think you made the 100th Lucario Answer.

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Nice set btw, though I think running Focus Blast and Aura Sphere in the same moveset is counter productive. Focus Blast can be used pretty consistently without having to worry about accuracy (Most of the time), and if you worry about accuracy, just use aura sphere. It may have less power but it is Far more Consistent. Plus, removing one of them would free up some room for more coverage.

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here are the links for the items you are using on the set, you can put on if you want :) https://img.pokemondb.net/sprites/items/choice-scarf.png https://img.pokemondb.net/sprites/items/choice-specs.png

Answer 8

Unstoppable Doggo

Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Drain Punch
- Rock Slide
- Zen Headbutt
- Close Combat

Drain Punch = STAB + healing
Rock Slide = Counters Fire-types
Zen Headbutt = Counters Fighting-types
Close Combat = STAB and can OHKO (One Hit KO)

Answer 9

Lucario @ Expert Belt
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 221 HP / 245 Atk / 186 Def / 256 Spe / 256 SpA
Jolly Nature
- Aura Sphere
- Meteor Mash
- Close Combat
- Dragon Pulse / Shadow Ball / Focus Blast / Iron Tail

Aura Sphere is for its Special Attack. Meteor Mash is a great STAB move and has a chance to raise your Attack. Close Combat is just a super strong move to annoy the opponent's Steel types. Dragon Pulse, Shadow Ball, and Focus Blast have the same explanation as Aura Sphere. Iron Tail Is just to flinch people.

Comments

EVs should total 510/508.

Answer 10

Gen 9 National Dex

Lucario @ Lucarionite / Life Orb
Ability: Steadfast
Tera Type: If @ Lucarionite: N/A - If @ Life Orb: Dragon / Flying
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Sp. Atk. / 252 Speed
Nature: Timid

Moves:
- Aura Sphere
- Dragon Pulse / Flash Cannon
- Vacuum Wave
- Dark Pulse / Flash Cannon / Shadow Ball

Explanation:
A Life Orb would be my other go-to option for an item if you already have another mega evolving Pokémon on your team - the Life Orb is supposed to make up for the lack of Mega Lucario's ability (Adaptability). The Steadfast ability is useful for switching into Fake Out users like Ambipom and Sneasler (Steadfast raises Speed when flinched). The EVs and Nature are to make Lucario as fast as possible, because the Life Orb or Adaptability would already cover SpA.
- Aura Sphere is a no-brainer - it's a powerful STAB move that's unable to miss.
- Dragon Pulse is powerful coverage, and Terastallizing Lucario into Dragon would not only give STAB to this move, but it would also make Lucario resist any incoming Fire-type attacks. Flash Cannon may be an objectively better choice for this slot though, due to the fact it's a STAB move that Lucario could still use after mega evolving.
- Vacuum Wave is a must-have - it's Lucario's only priority special move, and it has STAB.
- Dark Pulse / Flash Cannon / Shadow Ball are all just coverage, but Shadow Ball has proven the most useful to me, able to take down Pokémon like Annihilape and Flutter Mane.

NOTE: I'm not that competitive of a Pokémon player

Answer 11

Gen 9 NU Swords Dance

Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Close Combat
- Crunch

Lucario recently dropped to NU, so here is a Swords Dance set it can use there while it is available. This is a Swords Dance Tera Normal Extreme Speed set. This is basically like Swords Dance Tera Normal Quick Attack Scyther. Surprised no one posted a set like this yet. Swords Dance is used to boost Lucario's attack stat to make it a scary sweeper. Extreme Speed with Tera Normal lets Lucario have a powerful priority STAB move that allows Lucario to pick off faster Pokemon such as Flygon, Delphox, Arcanine, Tauros-Paldea-Aqua, Salazzle, Thundurus, Oricorio-Pom-Pom, as well as Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Flamigo and Staraptor. Extreme Speed is also useful to hit Pokemon such as Dragalge and Vileplume. Close Combat is used for a powerful Fighting STAB that allows Lucario to hit Steel-types such as Copperajah and Registeel, as well as Avalugg. Crucnh is used so Lucario can deal super effective damage to Ghost-types such as Chandelure, Palossand, and Oricorio-Sensu. Crunch is also useful to deal more damage to Galarian Slowbro. Life Orb is used to boost the power of Lucario's attacks. Inner Focus is used for the Ability to prevent Lucario's attack from being lowered by Intimidate.

Answer 12

Lucario @ Lucarionite
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Serious Nature
- Close Combat / High Jump Kick
- Swords Dance
- Meteor Mash / Flash Cannon
- Ice Punch

I personally prefer Close Combat than Hi Jump Kick, because Hi Jump Kick isn’t as safe as Close Combat. Swords Dance is there for some extra power, Meteor Mash or Flash Cannon for STAB, and Ice Punch for coverage against Ground Types.

Comments

If you use Meteor Mash, then those Spatk evs are wasted

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Why flash cannon on a physical set? For steel stab, use bullet punch or meteor mash and change the EVs to 252 Atk 252 Spe and 4 HP and change the nature to adamant or jolly.

Answer 13

Lucario @ Air Baloon
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aura Sphere
- Swords Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Flash Cannon / Meteor Mash

First of all, the Air Balloon is for getting immunity from a Ground type move on the first turn (if you opponent has a ground type move). Second of all, the Adamant Nature helps Lucario set up a good Attack stat with Swords Dance on board. Aura Sphere STAB and never misses. So Aura Sphere is a great pick. Swords Dance to set up a good attack stat to beat opponents with the Adamant Nature.

Extreme Speed for its good priority and in case you wanna defeat a Pokemon that survived an attack. Flash Cannon is powerful and a great move. Meteor Mash is also good but it only has 90 accuracy but do any of your choice between Meteor Mash and Flash Cannon.

Hope I helped for your Lucario!

Comments

Ah yes, the classic Swords dance + Special moves combo. Gets 'em every time.

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Why. Just Why. First of all, swords dance boosts physical attacks damage. Why mixed with adamant? 252 in both attack stats is bad. Swords dance only benifits 1 move, replace it.

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ok ill try to fix it

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Aura sphere is still a waste use close combat instead

Answer 14

Lucario @ Big Root
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 84 Def / 168 SpD
Naive Nature
- Calm Mind
- Drain Punch
- Bulk Up
- Aura Sphere

Despite not being able to hit the dreaded Ghost types with their Mean Looks, Fighting type immunity, and downright annoying-ness, this moveset can only be learned by Mew, Mewtwo, Mienshao, and Lucario, making this a very original and exceptionally powerful moveset, having both physical and special capabilities as well as getting good STAB bonuses for both attacks and being able to heal when necessary. (You'll notice that Drain Punch is among my favorite attacks.) You also have infinite accuracy for your highest damaging attack, base stats included. You could include a Iron Tail for type coverage, or a Focus Blast for an extremely high damaging attack.

Comments

Why did Iget down voted?

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I don't think that person knows anything about Lucario. That's why.
I've honestly never tried this one, maybe l will.

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you should have invested the rest of the evs in atk and SpA. Also, the set is not that great. For those who recieves 'not very effective' damage from fighting may take up this advantage. Also, Lucario is Frail, it may get knocked out before it sets up calm mind or Bulk Up.

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so true

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Agreed. You should only have one setup move. Tops.