The Jackal Sweeps Again[OU RMT]

[mc2094]

The Jackal Sweeps Again-Lucario Team[OU RMT]

The team is currently 1455 on ladder.

Skip this if you want. Just a brief summary of the building process.

Lucario has always been a powerful sweeper. Be it OU or Uber, if you don't have a counter to him then you're going to get sweeped by him a few times. Although he isn't as much of a threat as before, he can still handle entire teams on his own with the proper support. The SD set is very threatining. After a single boost it can take out some of the most sturdy walls out there and has little trouble getting past frail and slow sweepers. The main pokemon that give him trouble are Gyarados, Gliscor, Salamence, Zapdos, Scarf Rotom-h, and any pokemon scarfed with either EQuake or Earth Power. The idea of this team is to take out those pokemon early in the game by baiting and having the perfect counter to them.

Building Process:

The first member of my team was obviously going to be Lucario. As mentioned above he is great for sweeping late game. The biggest thing about him is his nature selection and his fourth move. Adamant allowed Lucario to get crucial OHKOs, while Joly combined with Ice Punch allows him to hit common counters such as Zapdos. Crunch is usually the prefered option as it allows Lucario to hit Celebi and non-scarf Rotom-A. I have always found Rotom-A to be the most difficult pokemon to counter. Will-o-Wisp prevents pursuiters from trap killing them like other ghost. Even without w-o-w, Rotom-A need to take prior damage in order to be OHKO on the switch through pursuit do to their incredible bulk. Factor in moves like substitute and rest and you have a pokemon that will be switching in to you consistentley. the best counter I have used to him is Jolteon but I really didn't feel he had a place in this team. Celebi is also a threat and t-wave is a pain for any offensive team. Crunch was clearly the better choice. The last move option was Stone Edge which was hitting three key fliers-Gyarados, Salamence, and Zapdos. Gyarados isn't exactly the hardest thing to counter. Rotom-A can handle it fairly well, as can almost any other pokemon with T-Bolt. Zapdos, although not easily taken down through offense, can be weakened up and picked off by Lucario's Extremespeed. Salamence would have to be hit on the switch which means no SD and a -1 from Intimidate. This was enough reason to not consider Stone Edge. The last possible move is bullet punch. This is a very god move as it allows Lucario to hit Gengar but that's pretty much it. Gengar can be trap killed easily and isn't as common as before due to the accuracy drop in hypnosis so I felt Bullet Punch wouldn't be used as often. So my choice in the end was Adamant with Crunch. (boy that was long)

Next I needed a way to bait out the counters. Just having my team consist of pokemon that can handle Gliscor, Zapdos, etc. just wouldn't work. I need to have a way to get those counters into play. I knew how effective U-turn was at giving quick advantages so I went with that. Once I looked at which pokemon could learn U-trun the choice was between Scizor and Infernape. they both have very similar counters and they are very capable at sweeping on their own. The main problem I found with Infernape was that he was attracting other counters such as Tentacrule and Cresselia, pokemon that usually don't give Luacrio trouble. Scizor was also able to trap kill guys like Latias and is excellent when going against stall. His U-turn also packed more punch so I decided to go with him.

Now I needed the perfect counter. Heatran, Gyarados, Salamence, and Magnezone are common switch-ins for Scizor. To my disapointmant I didn't find any pokemon capable of countering all of them in the OU tier. I thought it would be a waste of time but I went to the UU tier to see what it had. To my surprise I found a pokemon capable of countering allof these guys and more. Porygon2 was perfect for the job. It stopped Gyarados and Slamence in their tracks and prevented Scarftran from being a threat. He also trapped and paralyzed Scarfzone which is the only variant that threatens Luacrio. The added bonus of having a good switch-in to Jolteon's Thunder Bolt and Vaporeon's Surf was even better. I went with the standard set as it did exactly what I wanted it to do.

I noticed I was lacking a lead so I figured I would choose one before anything else. I wanted something consistent at getting down SR because Luacrio needed it in order to take out guys like Salamence and Zapdos. I also wanted someone who would contribute to helping Lucario sweep. Suicide leads were automatically removed as an option. The main pokemon I was looking at were Swampert and Metagross. Metagros rareley failed to set up SR but I have noticed more and more people are having counters for him in their team. He also didn't really help take out and major threats to Lucario. Swampert on the other hand is excellent at countering Salamence and Gliscor and Zapdos if it lacks HP Grass. It also does well against most leads and has great survivability. Swampert also gives me a fire resist which is helpful in most cases. With protect, he is great at scouting for choice items and getting rid of Exploders. Swampert was clearly the better choice here.

With two slots left I had to decide what threatened my team the most. I currently had a grass weakness and a Fighting weakness. Zapdos could threaten quite a bit and I also noticed a bit of a bulky water weakness. Starmie also had its way with this team since my only real counter was Porygon2, but even he can't handle continuous Hydro Pumps. I also didn't have a spin blocker on the team. The choice was pretty simple for me here. Scarf Rotom-A. I decided Rotom-H would work the best due to Overheat as I didn't have a fire type move atm. He can serve as a back-up to Salamence and Gyarados as well. The addition of Trick gives me another answer to stall and I was lacking a scarfer so it fits that role also.

The last slot is the most difficult one. I decided it would be best to focus on typing. I still lacked a solid switch to an Infernape's Grass Knot. Infernape in general was still a bit of a problem. Luacrio could take him out with a +2 Extremespeed but Luacrio is usually best when sent late game. I also had a bit of a fire weakness with two pokemon taking SE from it and only one solid switch-in. I could also see CB Scizor being a problem with U-turn and being able to take out my entire team if Rotom-H wasn't available. I also felt that I needed a bit more bulk in the offensive side as Porygon2 doesn't have a very easy time against physical sweepers that have fighting type moves such as Close Combat and Brick Break. Bulkydos fit the spot perfectly. It can switch-in all day(SR hurts though) against Infernape, Scizor, and enemy Lucarios. It also provided me with a great fire resist and another ground immunity. I already have an immunity to electric and a pokemon that can switch-in against what is probably the most deadly Gyardos counter, Jolteon. Gyarados also gave me an excellent switch against walls such as Swampert and Hippowdon due to taunt and is capable of doing its own share of damage with DD.

Lacking: I currently didn't have any good switch when facing a sleep lead such as brelloom. I am considering Kingdra in place of Gyarados. Kingdra can sweep very well and gets easy switch-ins due to lum berry. It also doesn't have a major weakness to electric. The weakness it does have can be a problem though. Scizor is my best bet against a dragon type move and he is the last guy I want to go to when going against a MixMence. Kingdra also doesn't have a weakness to SR but it doesn't have an immunity to ground either. Although this team doesn't really need another immunity to ground because Rotom-H can switch in and Lucario is the only pokemon weak to ground it never hurts to have someone to go to when facing a pokemon locked in EQuake.

Now that that's done, onto the team.

sprites from bulbapedia

The Stealth Rocker

Swampert@Leftovers
Relaxed
252 Hp/ 228 Def/ 28 SAtk

• Stealth Rock
• Ice Beam
• Earth Quake
• Protect

Swampert is the most consistent lead I have used. Rarely does he fail to get down stealth rock. He can take hits like nothing and is able to hit hard with Earth Quake and Ice Beam. Protect rounds the set by providing extra recovery and scouting for choice items as well as being able to block Explosion. The EVs allow for maximum bulk while still being able to OHKO Salamence with Ice Beam without the use of SR. The EVs listed in the strat. dex are meant to be able to beat Garchomp iirc. On a side note, I think an update should be made of MixPert in the strat. dex.

How it helps Lucario: Swampert is excellent when it comes to stopping counters such as Gliscor and Salamence. He also keeps other physical sweepers in check while also being an excellent sponge for attacks like Fire Blast and Earth Quake. He also aids guys like Gyarados which in turn helps Lucario due to the role Gyarados has. I really can't think of a better lead for this team but let me know if you have any ideas.


The Physical Wall/Sweeper

Gyarados@Leftovers
Adamant
156 HP/ 72 Atk/ 96 Def/ 184 Spe

• Dragon Dance
• Waterfall
• Stone Edge
• Taunt

Good ol' Bulkydos. Another very consistent pokemon that rarely fails to help this team out. Gyarados can come in against physical threats like Infernape and Scizor. It also does well against bulky grounds. Gyarados is also capable of tearing major holes in stall teams, especially after pokemon like Rotom-A have been taken care of. His weakness to SR definatley isn't a good thing but Leftovers keeps him in good health most of the time and he usually stays in for a turn or two. I am currently considering something like DD Kingdra with Lum Berry as it does a very similar thing as Gyarados. It will allow me to have a better option against sleep inducers and it has a better immunity to fire. Though it isn't capable of walling as well and its ability isn't as good as Intimidate so I will probably keep Gyarados. Aside from that, I am also considering to fit Thunderwave in here. It will help the team out quite a bit and make Lucario's job easier. Possibly in place of Taunt as I don't use it very often. Please give your opinion on this and the possibility of using Kingdra. the EVs allow me to outspeed base 115, mainly Gengar and Azelf.

How it helps Lucario: Gyarados provides an excellent answer to bulky grounds such as Hippowdon who can ruin Lucario's sweep. It also handles faster physical sweepers that can revenge kill Lucario, namely Mach Punch Infernape and CB Scizor(after a Close Combat).


REVENGE!!!

Rotom-H@Choice Scarf
Modest
4 HP/ 252 SAtk/ 252 Spe

• Overheat
• Thunderbolt
• Shadow Ball
• Trick

I personally have very little experience with scarf Rotom. I always had trouble facing them so I decided to give him a try. He serves as a solid sweeper and is great at ruining walls like Blissey who switch-in expecting the standard set. He has great coverage and will almost always take something down in every battle. His typing is very helpful as it provides both a fighting immunity and a spin blocker.

How it helps Lucario: In order to use Lucario to the fullest entry hazard is needed. This is especially true in ubers but this isn't ubers. Stealth Rock is really all Lucario needs in order to sweep, aside from counters. The extra damage Flyers take is very helpful in allowing Luacrio to defeat pokemon such as Salamence and Zapdos with Extremespeed. He also serves as a great set up switch for Lucario. Once my opponent knows he is scarfed they won't hesitate to send out their CB Tyranutar to trap kill him with Pursuit. This gives Luacrio a free turn to use Swords Dance. He can also great at getting rid of guys like Scizor and Mach Punch Infernape who can stop Lucario from sweeping by using priority once life orb has taken its toll on Lucario.

Is That a Brown Celebi?

Celebi@Leftovers
252 HP/ 220 Def/ 36 Spe

• Calm Mind
• Grass Knot
• HP [Fire]
  
• Recover

Celebi has recently replaced Porygon2. Despite of my initial beliefs, Porygon2 didn't work as well as I thought it would. Although this isn't a permanent replacement I feel that it might be after some more testing. Celebi has excellent typing and is capable of dishing out it's own amount of damage. It's capable of baiting Scizor early which makes the entire battle much easier. I would like to have Thunderwave but the Calm Mind ensures that Scizor won't be surviving the attack as without a boost it does less than 75% damage.. Grass Knot gives great coverage and deals plenty of damage to Gyarados who switch in thinking that taunt is all they need. A +1 Grass Knot deals a minimum of 52% damage to the standard 156 HP Bulkydos. Aside from being an offensive threat Celebi can wall plenty of pokemon and can recover off any damage it takes. It has decent synergy with Gyarados, resisting electric attacks while Gyarados can take any fire attacks launched at it.

How it helps Lucario: Rather than directly helping Lucario, Celebi helps the other team members and keep some major threats in check. This in turn helps Lucario. Being able to take out bulky water like Swampert(a pokemon that was originally a problem) also helps. Celebi can also bait Scizor who has the ability to beat Lucario after a defense drop and Life Orb damage.

Why this over Porygon2? Porygon2 often ended up causing problems. Sure he was able to wall some top tier threats but he often required help. He brought another Fighting weakness to the team which wasn't very helpful. The other thing was that all of the pokemon he kept in check were already handlede by my other members. Swampert, Scizor, and Rotom-H did well against Salamence while Gyarados could handle Heatran. Enemy Gyarados were also handled by Rotom-H and Celebi made them a bit less threatening.






Previous Member:

Porygon2@Leftovers Bold
252 HP/ 216 Def/ 40 SAtk

• Thunderbolt
• Ice Beam
• Recover
• Thunderwave

Porygon2 is an excellent choice for this team. It can counter common pokemon that switch-in to Scizors U-turn and can then either wall, trap, or OHKO them. Switching isn't the best option against Porygon2 due to Thunderwave. Recover allows it to heal itself up later in the battle if my opponent decides to keep their Gyarados from battling. It has a nice immunity to ghost type moves giving it very good synergy with Rotom-H. Thunderwave also helps by slightly limmiting Lucario's not so high speed compared to other sweepers.

How it helps Lucario: It gets rid of/walls Luacrio's most common physical counters, it's that simple. The ability to cripple some other pokemon makes it even easier for Lucario to sweep. It can wall several other pokemon and help by slowing the team with Thunderwave. The perfect pokemon for this team imo.


Replaced by Celebi.


The Bait and Trapper

Scizor@Choice Band
Adamant
76 HP/ 252 Atk/ 12 Spe/ 168 SDef

• Bullet Punch
• U-Turn
• Superpower
• Pursuit

No matter how hard I try, Scizor always ends up being in my team. He can bait out pokemon such as Heatran and Magnezone with U-Turn. Bullet Punch lets him pick off weakened threats such as Salamence and even sweep in some cases. Superpower is for that predicted Heatran switch or just to finish off my opponents Scizor. Pursuit lets him trap kill both Gengar and Latias with ease( assuming no HP Fire). The extra bulk in SDef allows him to switch-in constentley against attacks like surf and makes it easier to take Latias down. The small investment in speed EVs lets me outrun other Scizor's that have 8 EVs in speed which has both advantages and disadvantages.

How it helps Lucario: Scizor is a huge part of this teams success. It baits out the pokemon that are meant to stop Luacrio from sweeping due to the fact that almost all of Lucario's and Scizor's counters are the same. He can get rid of threats like Latias which can be a pain for any team. He is also great at weakening pokemon like Zapdos for Lucario to finish off if I find myself in a situation in which I have lost my initial counter.


The Steel Jackal

Lucario@Life Orb Adamant
252 Atk/ 4 Def/ 252 Spe

• Swords Dance
• Extremespeed
• Close Combat
• Crunch

The star of the show. Lucario comes in late game after everyone has done their job. With threats like Gyarados and Gliscor out of the way, Lucario can come in and set up and proceded to sweep my opponents entire team. Crunch allows me to hit Celebi and Rotom-A. Though I don't have too much trouble against them, certain sets can ruin me. Things like HP Fire on celebi or substitute on Rotom-A can spell trouble so Crunch is a must in order to get these guys out of the way. The Added ability to hit things like Cresselia and a paralyzed pokemon such as Gengar and Latias is just a bonus. Here are some calcs taken off of the strat. dex to show you what Lucario is capable of doing if you didn't already know.




Damage Calculations
​

Close Combat vs. max HP / Def Skarmory 84.4% - 99.7%
Close Combat vs. max HP / Def Bronzong: 95.2% - 100% (67% chance to OHKO)
Close Combat vs. max HP / Def Hippowdon: 75.7% - 89.3%
Close Combat vs. max HP / Def Forretress: 79.7% - 93.8%
Close Combat vs. max HP / Def Donphan: 82.0% - 96.9%
Crunch vs. max HP / Def Cresselia: 63.5% - 74.8%
Crunch vs. max HP Cresselia: 85.1% - 100% (2.6% chance to OHKO)
Crunch vs. max HP / Def Dusknoir: 88.4% - 100% (21% chance to OHKO)
Crunch vs. max HP / Def Celebi: 78.7% - 93.1%
Crunch vs. max HP / Def Rotom - Appliance: 100%


So that's my Lucario team. I have had quite a bit of success with it and don't see too many problems with the team. Some main issues are sleep inducers. Jolteon can also be a problem, whether it is specs or not. Non-specs variants can hit several of my pokemon for SE damage though Swampert can usually survive a non-boosted HP Grass. MixMence is also a bit of a problem as I don't have a very good switch against Draco Meteor. Though he gets very few chances to switch in against me. The most common case can be either against Gyarados when it uses Taunt or Scizor locked in Superpower or Pursuit. Luckily for me, most people send out guys like Magnezone or Rotom-A in these situations. Thanks for reading this. RMT!

images from arkeis





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[mc2094]

Threat List

Red is major threat
Green is workable
Gray is not a problem


Offensive

Aerdactyl-The lead isn't very difficult to handle. It usually taunts first turn which is why I go strait for the 2HKO. I usually prefer not to face this as it will stop the me from getting stealth rock into play but it doesn't do much harm to me so w/e. I haven't met any CB variants but I would go for Swampert or Scizor as they have an easy time KOing him.

Alakazam-Not used very much. Probably go for the Bullet Punch with Scizor. Lucario has little trouble taking him down with X-speed and Rotom-h outruns and can fire off Shadow Ball.

Azelf-Azelf also taunts often so again I go for the 2HKO. If it doesn't taunt first turn I'll usually get down rocks and then protect as it will usually explode. Scizor is very good at revenging nasty plot variants and Lucario has little trouble with him. Rotom-h is agains capable of taking him out. Very similar to Alakazam.

Brellom-Leads can be annoying. Well sleep powder can be annoying. I usually let P2 take the sleep and then I go to Rotom-h who can usually wall sets like sub-focus punch-sleep powder-leech seed. SD variants aren't really a problem as they don't get very many chances to set up.

Electivire-Faced a few today so I feel obliged to include him. Lucario and Scizor can revenge easily and Rotom-H can switch-in with little trouble.

Empoleon-This can set up on quite a few of my pokemon which isn't that good. Most people save it for late game which is the time I send out Lucario. I seem to be weak to it but not once has it given me trouble.

Flygon-Non-scarf variants are just bad. Too slow to de much and too frail to take hits. Scarfers are going to be U-turning early so Gyarados and Rotom-h get some free switches. Scizor can fire off Bullet Punch and Lucario gets a OHKO after a boosted X-speed.

Gengar-I usually don't rsk switching in my counters until I know what type it is. A sub Gengar with HP Fire could be trouble and rotom-h would get OHKO by Shadow Ball. Non-sub variants are easy to handle as Scizor and Rotom-h can OHKO. Lucario can also get it on the switch on a predicted Close Combat.

Gyarados-Thunderbolt. Rotom-h can handle it with Thunderbolt. Celebi can also bait it out and then weaken it up quite a bit with a +1 Grass Knot.

Heatran-Non-scarf variants are easy picking for Lucario. Gyarados is an excellent switch as it is only 3HKO by Fire Blast after sr and can procede to set up with DD or fire off Waterfall.

Infernape-I have quite a few pokemon weak to him but three pokemon are capable of taking him out. Scizor can also revenge him once he's been weakened by life orb and sr damage. Gyarados is usually my initial switch but a SD Infernape could be a threat. Swampert is usually ideal for the SD set but he must be in really good health to survive the Close Combat after factoring in both SD and Intimidate. As long as I can weaken him up, Lucario should have little trouble. Rotom-H is also great as he can inflict quite a bit of damage with Thunderbolt.

Jirachi-The trick leads are scouted for with protect. The flinch hax set can't do much against Rotom-H and Gyarados. Though I never faced one, it seems sub cm sweeper will give me problems. The addition of Celebi makes this a lot easier to handle.

Jolteon- Scizor, Lucario, and Rotom-h can all do their share of damage. Swampert can take any Thunderbolts though Life Orb variants usually carry HP Grass though that fails to OHKO Swampert due to the extra bulk but Swampert has to be in good health.

Kingdra-Rotom-h does well against it, Lucario gets a OHKO with a boosted x-speed and although resisted, Scizors Bullet Punch can still do some damage.

Latias-Scizor traps it completely if it lacks HP Fire. Rotom-h can trick it if it starts setting up CM. Lucario can hit it on the switch with Crunch.

Lucario-Scizor is good at revenge killing. Swampertt can handle him to an extent and fire off EQuake. Gyarados is an excellent switch and Rotom-h can do quite a bit of harm is it doesn't use crunch on the switch.

Machamp-Rotom-h can wall him if it lacks payback. Scizor can do a bit of damage with Bullet Punch. As long as it takes some damage, Lucario can finish it off. Confusion is annoying.

Magnezone-Scizor can catch it with U-turn and then P2 will paralyze it. Non-Scarf variants are taken down by Lucario. Rotom-h can also hit it with Overheat.

Metagross-Overheat is the way to go. Swampert also manages to force him to explode which is when protect is used.

Rotom-A-Scarf varients are the only ones that can harm me. lucario can OHKO with Crunch while my own Rotom-h can hit them with SE.

Salamence-Scizor can hit it with Bullet Punch. Swampert is also capable of hitting it with Ice Beam while surviving the Draco Meteor due to the extra bulk. MixMence can be a threat if sr isn't down though.

Scizor- Gyarados is a great switch. It resists Bullet Punch and scoffs at U-turn. Celebi often baits it out and can hit it with HP Fire which deals around 73% damage to most Scizor so a CM boost comes in handy. I usually want to get rid of this guys early so that I can ensure the sweep from Lucario.

Starmie-Rotom-H does a fine job at taking this out. Scizor also can trap kill while Starmie can do little back due to the extra bulk. Swampert can also take a Thunderbolt though he isn't very good at surving things like a Life Orb Hydro Pump. This thing can be a problem but some prior damage lets Lucario finish it off. The defensive variants aren't har to beat though.

Suicune-Rotom-H handles this with Thunderbolt. Scizor can pick off its health with U-turn while taking little damage himself. Celebi also does well if it lacks Ice Beam. Lucario can also take it out with a +2 Close Combat.

Togekiss-Rotom-H is able to hit it for SE damage while Swampert can do the same. Scizor can take on the offensive variants with Bullet Punch while Lucario can hit it with x-speed.

Tyranitar-CB sets usually try to pursuit Rotom-H which makes it easy to set up Lucario. Scizor is obviously going to have little trouble though Babiri Berry ruins him. Swampert also handles him being able to 2HKO most DD variants though Ttar can usually 2HKO swampert with Crunch if it has Life Orb which leads back to Scizor.

Weavile-Scizor eats this thing. If it tries to trap kill Rotom-H then Lucario gets a free turn to dance.

Defensive
note: I will not list every pokemon here. Only those that can actually be a problem as Lucario is capable of handling several walls.

Gliscor-gyarados and Swampert have an easy time with him.

Swampert-This guy can be a bit of a pain if it decides to start spamming roar though that's about it. Celebi can OHKO with Grass Knot while Gyarados can Taunt it.

Suicune-Defensive variants aren't at all a problem. Lucario still manages to do plenty of damage and Rotom-H has no trouble switching in. Gyarados can also cripple it with Taunt.

Zapdos-uh...I usually just keep the pressure on it and keep it from getting chances to Roost. The main goal is to keep it weak enough for Lucario to take out.

 

[Omega Phoenix]

Paving the way for Lucario? This strategy seems familiar haha. It's interesting though because i was just working on a way to implement Porygon2 in my team, so i applaud that.

For starters, keep Gyarados. Its your best switch-in to Scizor, Infernape and Lucario. Kingdra, whilst being a solid option, lacks that ability to consistantly switch into U-Turns and Close Combats, as it doesnt have the speed necessary to avoid those 2HKO's. I understand Rotom can absorb the fighting moves, but youd want to limit the work that Rotom has to do, as its survivability is greatly decreased using the Scarf set.

Swampert, solid lead, just with all the suicude leads around these days, im not sure you can reliably get stealth rock up every game, which your team sorely needs in order to keep threats like MixMence and Zapdos at bay. MixMence in your team can be handled to an extent, by being revenged by Scizor, but only with SR up. No-one in your team can handle a BulkyDos with HP Grass, especially as Swampert commonly takes damage whilst setting up SR. Even a SubToxicDos can cause your team problems. Having not used scarf Rotom much myself, im not sure how much damage it can deal to Zapdos with Thunderbolt, but im assuming with SR up, it can be enough to handle it.

So it seems a lot of your teams success hinges upon getting SR up, whilst preventing your opponent from doing the same. As much as you don't want a suicide lead, i think its the best option for your team here. I'm thinking Azelf, as it can reliably taunt, set up SR, and explode to get the momentum going. I'm sure you can find the one from the analysis so i won't list it here. Without SR Gyarados can more effectively handle the threats its in your team for, and can reduce the load on your Rotom.

SDef EV's on Scizor, im not quite sure what difference they make compared to HP, but im no EV wizard so i'll trust you on that one.

As for the T-Wave idea on Gyarados, i'd be all for it, but i feel Taunt is just too useful in aiding your team to beat stall, that i'm not sure it'd be worth switching. Porygon2 and Lucario would certainly love more paralysis support though, as that low speed is essentially what's keeping P2 from becoming OU.

Or alternatively, if your craving the paralysis support, and a Breloom counter, perhaps a defensive Celebi could do the trick.
Celebi @ Leftovers
Bold
252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Spe
- T-Wave/Leech Seed
- Grass Knot
- Recover
- HP Fire/Leech Seed

This in place of Gyarados would enable you to keep your Swampert lead to handle the threats you've mentioned, whereas this Celebi can effectively spread paralysis around, and handle Scizor to an extent with HP Fire. Grass Knot can handle those bulky grounds, and T-Wave for everything else to help out Lucario. Leech Seed is there as an option for taking on stall. But most importantly, Breloom will never cause your team problems. Rotom is still there to handle those troublesome Infernape. Also this gives your team a status absorber through natural cure, which can help keep the momentum of your team going. As much as paralysis benefits your team, it can be equally as destructive if inflicted on you, so this could come in handy. Celebi also provides another pursuit weakness for your Lucario to take advantage of.

All in all i know im not the best rater, but since you asked so nicely, i hope ive given you some ideas to work with in the meantime.

 

[iKitsune]

I'm trying to spread what i beleive is the truth about Lucario and that is that this Lucario set you are using is in fact, in my opinion a poor wallbreaker. This is because as i see it Lucario is one of the most overprepared for sweepers so it is extremely difficult to pave the way for it by removing the stringent checks teams employ to stop it. I feel Lucario works best on an offensive team. This team has the wallbreakers to power through the opponent and although Lucario is the main feature Salamence could just as easily be the one doing the sweeping. You are substantially weak to CM Jirachi (Psychic /TBolt) its going to rip through this team easily not to mention that it walls Lucario. Flash Cannon variants may also win because you are likely to lose Swampert before it comes out. In general specs users such as Starmie and Rotom are going to cause headaches for this team.

Rotom is just another pokemon on this team that gets set up on,the other being p2 who although fits perfectly can be redundant. It provides some extra insurance against big threats but overall i would prefer a Special Sub Gengar in that slot. Gengar baits in Scizor another Pokemon who can beat Lucario provided it has cc defense drops but more importantly it provides you with offense to put the hurt into the likes of Zapdos, Salamence and Infernape without having to switch which is crucial for wallbreaking. Another reason to use Gengar is that it does not get set up on and the extra speed and special attack is useful when tyring to beat opposing lucarios, TTar's and Latias. The only down sides you have if you choose to use Gengar is starmie spinning away and a lack of general bulkyness. Gengar, if pursuited, provides the perfect set up oppurtunity for Lucario.

You may want to consider the Celebi that Omega Phoenix reccomends. However if you do you would definitely keep Rotom and you would also run this set:

Celebi @ Leftovers
Bold
252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Spe
- Calm Mind
- Grass Knot
- Recover
- HP Fire

Celebi as i see it is an excellent choice for this team. It walls bulky waters who this team has a degree of trouble with. It baits in Scizor, who as i already mentioned can check Luke, and it also provides this team with a counter to other Celebi and CM Rachi (the bane of this team) who it should always beat provided there is no crit. Other than that it even easily counters Empoleon(probably the best sweeper in OU), just be sure not to break the sub and let it get the petaya boost instead just cm up. You should also be aware to cm before using HP fire on Scizor, .

The only thing you lose out against with this change is salamence, but you already have multiple checks, ie Rotom/Gengar and Scizor and a counter in Swampert. If you do choose to use Celebi definitely consider this set. Partly why i feel this change will be so succesful is because p2 can be redundant in this metagame, especially against stall.

Overall even though i have been very critical in this rate i honestly think you have a really solid team here and have made an excellent attempt at paving the way for a Luke sweep.

Good luck with the team.

 

[mc2094]

Thank you guys very much for the rate.

@Omega Phoenix-I actually find myself being able to get down sr quite often with swampert. If my opponent isn't leading with something that has taunt I'll usually get them down. Protect helps me with trick users so I don't get locked into EQuake going against Jirachi or something. Swampert also ends up being used alot in the mid game. His typing helps Gyarados and he works well as a sponge. If I do replace Gyarados then I will definatley try out Azelf lead. I actually haven't had very much trouble when sr is down but getting them down should be much easier. I have tried taunt but it seems far too many people are prepared for that and it usually ends up being a waste. I may try something like grass knot or u-turn in its place.

@iKitsune-I have been having trouble with random specs users. Guys like specsMence can be a bit of a problem for me. I think Celebi will work nicely with that set. The only thing I'm worried about is MixApe. Now I'll have no counter to it while it will be able to hit everyone except for rotom-h with SE though rotom-h is OHKO by an overheat. Nevertheless, I'll try it out. I'm also planning on trying the wall breaking approach you suggested.

Thanks again, keep the rates coming.

EDIT: As far as wall breakers go, I noticed that SD Infernape may work due to his ability to bait Zapdos and Gyarados out making it easier for Lucario to sweep.

 

[iKitsune]

Run Celebi over p2. Not Gyarados.

Also run this optimal ev spread on Gyarados.
156 HP / 72 Atk / 96 Def / 184 Spe

All teams have trouble with specs users especially Specs Mence. You have scizor for Specs Mence which with good prediction can pursuit it. Specs Mence will also provide a perfect oppurtunity to set up a sub with sub gengar.
Celebi will help as it cant be beaten with DM if you use recover as they use it and are on good health.

I seriously suggest you reread my former rate and respond to each of my points. Otherwise its just a waste of my time.

 

[mc2094]

Yeah, I didn't mention everything you posted but I made the changes. I'll try that Gyara spread out. I'm assuming it is meant to allow me to outspeed Gengar and Azelf but I don't think I'll be able to OHKO Starmie but I'll run some calcs anyway. If I find that the previous spread worked better than I might give Scizor a more bulky spread focused on allowing him to trap kill guys like Gengar and Starmie by having more SDef and a bit less attack. I actually miss rotom so I might keep him because celebi has been working well with him. Gengar is alright at times but I feel that celebi is usually baiting out scizor so hp fire on gengar often ends up as dead weight. And that was my fault for not noticing the part of p2 being removed. As for Mence, even with p2 I have a slight amount of trouble as I just don't have anything that can safley switch into a Draco Meteor and not take too much damage. Scizor is usually the guy I go to and even he takes quite a bit of damage. I don't think their is very much I can do about that though. If I do run a bulkier spread on Scizor I will have more trouble finishing off weakened Salamence. I'm going to keep working on this problem.

Thanks for the help.

EDIT: +1 Stone Edge is a 2HKO doing a minimum of 64% to Life Orb Starmie which puts it in range for Lucario. As for the poll, either people just want to give bad rates or they don't feel like suggesting anything.

PROBLEMS: I still have a major problem against sleep leads, mainly Breloom. I usually have to let Swampert fall asleep and then go to Rotom-H. This fails horribly if Breloom has Seed Bomb. Help is much appreciated.

 

[iKitsune]

Bulky Gyarados cant do much to starmie. Only a lo adamant variant can ohko it after sr and that is definitely not what this team needs. If you want a sleep absorber, something i dont this team strictly needs, then you could, if you wanted to, change Gyarados into a bulky rest talk dd variant. It works well with the celebi i suggested because they have good synergy and Celebi takes out its counters. ie Starmie, Vaporeon and Skarmory to name a few.

Really thats all i have to offer. The thing with sleep leads is to know what take sleep on your team and then play accordingly. Without a rest talker they are always difficult to handle, even with one they can still be tricky.

This is the Gyarados set:

Gyarados @Leftovers
Impish
252hp/252def/sp.def

waterfall
dragon dance
rest
sleep talk

 

[mc2094]

I guess I'll try that set out but I may consider something such as roar in place of dragon dance just to see how it works. I have seen this set used and know it works well with Celebi. If I find Gyara in situations where it can sweep often then I might try a more specific EV spread. Truth is, I have a tough time deciding who should go to sleep. I usually go with Gyara as he is meant to just wall pokemon and force switches. Thanks again for the help. I myself can't really figuer out what I have to change. I don't find any one pokemon to be a threat. It really just comes down to making the right switches and predictions for this team.

 

[mc2094]

Well, I haven't bumped this yet and have gotten only two people to help so I think it is alright for me to bump this. Seriously though, +1,000 people viewed this and only 2 actually post. And the pole is their for a reason. If you find that this team is weak to something please feel free to atleast address what it is.