Pokemon Scarlet and Violet best Lucario moveset

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Lucario is a fan favourite introduced in generation 4 of the Pokemon games. While Lucario deserves all the love it gets from fans of the franchise, it sadly gets little to no attention in the current metagame. That is because there are arguably faster mons that outpace him, but with the proper build, Lucario can be a pretty powerful choice in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

If any of you die-hard fans of Lucario are looking to use him competitively, look no further because this guide will take you through the best builds and movesets to turn Lucario into an unstoppable threat. For more movesets, check out the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Meowscarada moveset and also learn which Pokemon can be transferred in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Best build for Lucario in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

Lucario is a Pokémon that we don’t recommend using for high-level Tera Raids since it lacks much-needed bulk for them. However, most players are unaware of its competitive prowess. Lucario’s powerful abilities and moveset make it a formidable wallbreaker and sweeper. As such, we recommend using our Offensive Lead build for Lucario.

Depending on whether you’re using Sword Dance to set up early game sweeps, this build aims to make Lucario capable of one-hit KO-ing bulky Pokémon that are physical walls.

Best Lucario moveset in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

These are the best moves for Lucario in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet:

1. Close Combat
2. Bullet Punch
3. Extreme Speed
4. Sword Dance / Protect

And the best Lucario setup:

• Ability: Inner Focus
• EVs: 252 Attack/ 252 Speed/ 4 Sp. Def
• Nature: Jolly (+Speed, – Sp. Atk)
• Item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
• Tera Type: Normal

The anti-flinch ability, Inner Focus, is a must-have for Lucario as moves with the chance to flinch are always popular in competitive battles. Speed-wise, Lucario will lag behind against possible leads like Meowscarada, but by making use of priority moves like Extreme Speed and Bullet Punch, you’ll be the first to punish and disrupt their setup. Still, you’ll get an extra bit of pace from the Jolly Nature and the Speed EVs.

The idea behind using the Normal Tera typing is to neutralize its weaknesses while increasing the strength of Extreme Speed. Start setting your sweep by initiating with Sword Dance followed by Extreme Speed if you are running Focus Sash. Otherwise, a Lucario holding a Life Orb that starts off with Extreme Speed followed by Protect on the 2nd turn also works.

The Aura Pokemon can be overlooked by players because of its less-than-ideal base Defense and Speed Stat. While it’s true that players look for hard-hitting, fast Pokemon, they’re unaware of Lucario’s cheeky priority moves. Before these players even know it, they’ll be up for a thorough beating from Lucario as a lead Pokémon.

Now that we’ve covered the best moveset for Lucario in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, check out the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Espathra moveset and how to make a Pokemon Scarlet and Violet egg power 3 sandwich to keep you fighting longer.