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This article is about Lucario's appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. For other uses, see Lucario.

Lucario is a returning veteran in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.

It currently ranks 17th on the tier list. Lucario's kill power is unmatched and it is able to quickly turn a match to its favor thanks to its aura mechanic in addition to rage. Lucario's combo game is good as well, having exceptional range and power on attacks; unfortunately Lucario has considerable lag on some attacks and lacks a good number of reliable set-ups into its kill moves, landing it in the B tier.

Attributes[]

Strengths[]

  • Can wall jump and wall cling.
  • Can crawl.
  • Has the highest traction in the game.
  • Has the unique Aura mechanic which allows Lucario to deal increased damage and knockback the higher its own percentage is.
    • In addition, the Aura multiplier stacks with the Rage mechanic.
  • All its attacks are aura-imbued, having some properties similar to transcending priority for some attacks (such as Forward Smash).
  • Excellent edge-guarding moves.
  • Has the fastest pummel in the game.
  • Powerful grab game for combos.
  • Aura Sphere is a powerful projectile capable of killing, especially when Lucario is at higher percentages. It also deals damage to opponents close to Lucario while charging it.
  • Excellent recovery thanks to its floatiness, jumps and Extreme Speed, the lattermost is greatly enhanced by the Aura.
  • Has a command grab, Force Palm.
    • This one can also be used as a long range move should the grab fail to connect.
  • Has a counter: Double Team.

Weaknesses[]

  • Poor knockback on most moves unless Lucario is at higher percentages, meaning it has trouble killing without its Aura.
  • Relies heavily on throws in order to combo.
  • Doesn't have any kill throws outside of Force Palm.
  • Recovery is weaker at lower percentages.
  • Lacks a Meteor Smash.
  • Double Team can easily result in a suicide if used in the air, especially if Lucario is not facing the platform.

Summary[]

Kuroham-lucario

Lucario's stats by Kurogane Hammer.

Lucario is an All-Rounder, with very balanced stats; while its movement speed is somewhat a bit slow, it has the highest traction in the game, which allied with its floatiness plays a lot in its favor in order to pull combos. Lucario is also a Power type character, with a gameplay that revolves around the Aura, an unique mechanic exclusive to Lucario, where its normal attacks, throws and Specials will deal more damage and knockback the higher its damage percentage is. It is hard to calculate the exact amount of damage added to each attack, however the multiplier starts at 0.66x with Lucario at 0%, with a cap 1.7x when Lucario reaches 200%, meaning all attacks will have achieved its max power. Also, when Lucario uses its new Final Smash, Mega Lucario, all attacks will hit at max power independently of its damage.

With high aura, Lucario's moves become incredibly strong, to the point of surpassing other powerhouses, such as Bowser and Ganondorf. In addition, the newly introduced Rage mechanic stacks with Lucario's Aura, further improving its power. Because of this, Lucario is especially good against damage-racking characters that don't have many launching options, like Zero Suit Samus and Pikachu. Likewise, characters that can KO early (great launch power), in theory, tend to do better against him, like Bowser, Charizard, and Ike. The first step to playing Lucario is to manage its aura. Its special moves become especially powerful when Lucario gets above 100%.

This also makes Lucario extremely good in 1 on 1 matches, because if it manages to get a stock advantage, it will be able to deal massive amounts of damage before being KO'd, "evening" the stocks. But of course, skill is the determinant factor in this.

One of Lucario's greatest assets is the safety of its moves. Nearly all its moves are imbued with the Aura in the form of blue concentrated energy. For example, both Force Palm and Forward Smash release a burst of Aura, which have transcending priority, meaning those effects can't clash with other attacks. This gives Lucario a huge advantage against most opponents, as it will almost always outrange their attacks without much retaliation.

Aura Sphere, the Neutral Special, is Lucario's most powerful and important asset among the Special Moves. Its size is affected by the Aura, to the point of enlarging almost twice its normal size when Lucario is above 100%; hitting an opponent with a fully charged Aura Sphere in this state, especially when off stage, can result in a KO. At the start of Lucario's stock, a player may only want to use Aura Sphere in order to rack up damage and stage control, but once it gets over 50%, players will want to make sure they always have one of these charged up. A good opportunity to fully charge Aura Sphere is after launching an opponent offstage, and charging while they are making their way back to the edge. Players can also catch an opponent in it while charging, and then preform a jump-canceled Up Smash out of shield. Another good strategy with Aura Sphere is to use the charging animation for edge-guarding, by moving to the edge until Lucario is in its balancing animation, then turning around and begin charging Aura Sphere. One of a few things may happen:

1) While trying to grab the ledge, the opponent will be hit with the Aura Sphere and take multiple hits. When this happens, shield, roll towards the stage, and launch the Aura Sphere. The opponent will be forced to recover after being hit with the charging projectile, and when they reach the peak of their recovery move, they'll be hit with the Aura Sphere.

2) They'll grab the ledge and try to climb up. They will be hit with Aura Sphere and be unable to attack or move. Simply do the same thing here as in number one. This may also works in the case of a ledge attack.

3) They'll grab the ledge and roll to get past the Aura Sphere. In this situation, they'll end up in front of Lucario. Just hit the special attack button to immediately launch the Aura Sphere and hit them.

4) They'll jump up off the ledge to go over Lucario. If they are not hit by the Aura Sphere and manage to get over Lucario, shield to cancel and store the charge and then go for a Forward Aerial or Up Smash. If they are hit by the charge, refer to number one.

Some combos that work with Aura Sphere are: Down Throw, Forward Aerial, Neutral Special; and Down Throw, Neutral Aerial (fast fall), Neutral Special.

Force Palm has incredible range when reaching 100% or more, and is very useful for zoning. It can also grab if the attack is activated close enough to an enemy. The Force Palm grab is more damaging than its regular throws even at 0%, so if the opponent is shielding, try going for a Force Palm. If the player isn't confident that they'll get the grab on it, they should go for a grab and throw instead.

Extreme Speed is an astounding recovery that covers great distance and also deals some damage to opponents as well. The move can also be angled, allowing Lucario to control its trajectory by inputting left or right along with the Up Special command. An edge-guarding opponent won't be able to hit Lucario due to its fast speed, and if they try to intercept him, they may take damage from Lucario instead. The move has high landing lag but if Lucario lands on the opposite side of the stage from where they were edge-guarding it will give Lucario enough time to recuperate from the landing lag and get back into the battle.

Double Team is very powerful when Lucario is at high percentages and if the opponent's attack is a highly damaging attack. These two factors put together create a deadly move that can kill most characters pretty early in a stock. Just remember not to use it excessively.

Lucario's ground game is solid and very combo friendly. Its Neutral Attack is a very effective attack that can trap most characters for all three hits, and can also be cancelled into a grab. Forward and Down Tilts, while not very powerful, are great for executing combos and spacing. Lucario's Up Tilt can combo with itself, especially against fast fallers, and can also start various juggling setups.

All of Lucario' Smash Attacks all have incredible power, often being the strongest in the game when Lucario is at maximum Aura power; in addition, they all boast from high range. Forward Smash is Lucario's strongest Smash Attack in terms of knockback, and can deal up to 38% at maximum Aura when fully charged and sweetspotted, however it has considerable startup and ending lag, being more useful as punishing missed attacks and shield breaks. Up Smash is one of the most powerful Smash Attacks in the game, and the strongest in terms of raw damage, being able to deal up to 42% at maximum Aura when fully charged and sweetspotted. Its Down Smash covers a wide area around Lucario, being great for edge-guarding.

Lucario's aerial game is notable for its range and utility for combos, with high number of active frames, meaning Lucario can use bait air dodges. Its aerials also have low ending and landing lags, which, combined with Lucario's floatiness allows it to string many aerials before touching the ground. Neutral Aerial covers a wide area, is great for starting combos, and has pretty good launch power too. Forward Aerial can combo with itself and other moves, and its useful for edge-guarding. Back Aerial is Lucario's strongest aerial, being a good combo finisher, and can KO most opponents at just above 100%. Up Aerial is great for juggling, being very useful after Up Tilts. Down Aerial has pretty good attack power, however it is more useful as a defensive move for avoiding attacks and mindgames, as it stalls Lucario in midair, even while falling. If Lucario is descending onto the stage from above and an opponent is on the ground ready to use an anti-air move, using Down Aerial will momentarily halt Lucario's momentum, which can allow for a quick change of direction to catch the opponent off guard. If the opponent is charging an Up Smash and the Down Aerial is used, quickly change direction so that the Up Smash won't hit Lucario, and fast fall. Once on the ground the opponent will suffer whatever lag comes from their Up Smash, giving Lucario's chance to retaliate..

Lucario's throws are the bread and butter of its gameplay, being its main tool for combos. Forward and Down Throws are the best for starting combos. Back Throw is a decent kill throw, however only when Lucario is at high percentages. Up Throw is good for juggling setups against opponents at lower percentages.

Lucario's flaws, however, lies in its too balanced stats, which can sometimes prevent him from fully using the maximum potential of its Aura. Being a middleweight and floaty, it usually takes few strong attacks to finish off Lucario. Despite its combo potential, they are very limited and reliant on throws, as most of its other combos are dependent on Lucario's own position due the properties of the hitboxes in most of its attacks. Its most serious flaw, however, is the functionality of its moveset, having weak fast moves and slow strong moves, that are usually very easy to punish. In addition, the Aura mechanic can sometimes work agains it; with low Aura, its most powerful moves are too weak to KO, while with high aura, its combo moves are too strong to chain together. Also, at higher percentages, Lucario's Aura becomes a double-edge sword: dealing high damage, but cannot afford to commit mistakes. Finally, Extreme Speed is a recovery move very dependent on Aura to be effective: its speed and range scales with the Aura, being very slow and covering low range at low percentages; at very high percentages, the move is hard to maneuver, and it is possible for Lucario to overshoot the stage and suicide if not properly aimed.

Overall, Lucario is a very technical character that must rely on combos when itself is at low percentages, and being at higher percentages grants him tremendous power that can easily finish off opponents at the lowest percentages. However, players must be patient and aware of Lucario's weaknesses to prevent opponents from exploiting them.

Differences from Brawl[]

Despite being a high tier character in Brawl, Lucario received more buffs than nerfs, with a more powerful aura system that helps it in both damage and recovery departments.

Attributes[]

  • Nerf Slightly lighter than in Brawl.
  • Buff Overall damage and knockback scaling of its Aura is higher.

Ground Attacks[]

  • Nerf All attacks, except for Forward Tilt, deal less damage.
  • Buff Up Tilt is much faster and has more KO power.
  • Buff Dash Attack has a slightly different animation, with Lucario delivering a more fierce flying kick, spreading its arms. It is slightly faster, has higher reach and less ending lag.

Aerial Attacks[]

  • Buff All attacks are faster.
  • Notice Neutral and Up Aerials deal less damage when Lucario is at 0%. All other aerials deal more damage at 0%.
  • Buff Down Aerial now has almost no ending lag.

Grabs and Throws[]

  • Buff Grab is slightly faster.

Special Attacks[]

  • Buff Aura Sphere can now get even larger when Lucario is at maximum aura power, to the point of becoming bigger than Lucario himself. In addition, when using it in the air, Lucario is pushed back, allowing for recovery if used in reverse.
  • Buff Force Palm, when not used to grab, now generates a much larger explosion blast, specially at maximum aura power. It also causes higher knockback.
  • Buff Extreme Speed now causes damage, and is also affected by aura power. At higher aura, the speed and distance it covers greatly increases, to the point of becoming harder for the player to control its trajectory.
  • Buff Double Team's attack has more range, with Lucario sliding farther for the counter.
  • Notice New Final Smash, Mega Lucario, now replaces its old one, Aura Storm. It is now a transformation-type, and while in this form, Lucario aura power is raised to the maximum regardless of its percentage.

Moveset[]

The damage variations (X% ~ Y%) refer to Lucario's attack growth ability, X being the minimal damage and Y the strongest it can get.

Ground Attacks[]

Jab[]

◾Jab – Slaps downward with one paw, then throws a punch, and finally a kick. 1%, 1%, 1%. Hit all three for 4%. ~ 4%, 3%, 5%. Total 12%

Tilts[]

◾Up Tilt – Kicks in an arc above him. 3% ~ 8% or 10%

◾Down Tilt – Does a low kick that sends out a little aura blast. 3% ~ 8%

◾Forward Tilt – Punches forward, letting out a small aura blast. Hits twice. Can be tilted. 6% ~ 17%

Smash Attacks[]

◾Up Smash – Sends an aura blast upwards. Like Marth's up smash, opponents close to Lucario are knocked upwards in the direction of the blast, recieving extra damage. (Blast Only) Uncharged: 9% ~ 23%. (Blast Only) Fully charged: 12% ~ 33%. (Knock and blast) Uncharged: 11% ~ 30%. (Knock and blast) Fully Charged: 14% ~ 42%.

◾Forward Smash – Sends an aura blast forward. The visuals make it seem like the attack has more range than it really does. Deals less damage at the very tip of the attack. Uncharged: 10% ~ 27%. At the tip, 8% ~ 22%. Fully Charged: 14% ~ 38%. At the tip, 12% ~ 30%.

◾Down Smash – Sends aura blasts at both sides of him. Uncharged: 9% ~ 24%. Fully charged: 12% ~ 33%.

Other Attacks[]

◾Dash Attack – A flying kick forward. Similar to Fox's. 3% ~ 13%

◾Ledge Attack – Climbs the edge and unleashes an aura blast from its paws. 4% ~ 11%

◾Get-Up Attack – As it gets up, kick to one side and punches at the other. 4% ~ 11%

Aerial Attacks[]

◾Up Aerial – Kicks upwards. 7% ~ 18% sweet spotted, 3% ~ 10% if not.

◾Down Aerial – Kicks downwards twice, sending aura blasts from its feet. Slows its descent, though less than Brawl. At low damage, each kick deals 3%, but hit both for 7%. In higher damage, the first kick deals 8%, and the second, 10%.

◾Neutral Aerial – Spins horizontally with arms outstretched, emitting aura from its paws. 5% ~ 13% in front of him, 3% ~ 10% at is back.

◾Forward Aerial – Quickly kicks forward in an arc. 3% ~ 10%

◾Back Aerial – Punches at its back. 9% ~ 25%

Grabs and Throws[]

◾Pummel – Hurts opponent with aura power. It's a VERY fast pummel. 0.6666% ~ 1.6666%.

◾Forward Throw – Sends opponent forward psychically. 5% ~ 13%

◾Back Throw – Slams opponent on the ground behind him. 6% ~ 17%

◾Down Throw – Lifts opponent and slams them on the ground. 4% ~ 11%

◾Up Throw – Sends opponent upwards with an aura-imbued punch. 7% ~ 18%

Special Moves[]

Lucario's Special Moves
Brawl 3DS/Wii U Ultimate
Standard Special Aura Sphere
Side Special Force Palm
Up Special Extreme Speed
Down Special Double Team
Final Smash Aura Storm Mega Evolution Aura Storm

Lucario's Custom Special Moves
Custom 1 Custom 2
Standard Special Snaring Aura Sphere Piercing Aura Sphere
Side Special Advancing Force Palm Long-Distance Force Palm
Up Special Ride the Wind Extreme Speed Attack
Down Special Glancing Counter Stunning Double Team

Taunts[]

  • Up Taunt: Aura surrounds it as it growls fiercely.
  • Side Taunt: Points one paw in front of it and produces a small aura blast while growling.
  • Down Taunt: Makes a battle pose, similar to Link's down taunt.

In competitive play[]

Lucario was considered to be a viable character since the game's release. The aura buffs, which vastly increased Lucario's KO power to the point where a max Aura Lucario could consistently KO opponents under 75%, and improved its recovery to become one of the best, as well as a powerful combo game, lead many professionals to view Lucario as a high-tier character. Despite its low tournament representation, it achieved acceptable results in the game's early lifespan thanks to notable players such as Day, Motsunabe and Serge, and would eventually be ranked 23rd on the first 4BR tier list. More recently, Lucario has achieved better tournament representation in competitive play. At Smash Factor 5, Serge, along with fellow smashers Daimy and Richi, placed among the top 12 using Lucario. Day also managed to place 17th at Super Smash Con 2016, a much bigger tournament which had many top level players attending and notably saw him defeat ZeRo, which sent him into the losers bracket of said tournament, a feat achieved by only a select few. Gomamugitya also managed to place 1st with his partner in the doubles tournament of Super Smash Con 2016 while using Lucario. This caused it to slightly rise to 22nd place on the second tier list.

As time went on, Lucario's tier position grew to be among the most contentious of all characters, as players within the community (that grew steadily bigger around late 2015) began seeing Lucario as having one of the worst neutral games due to its laggy attacks and subpar movement speed, and viewed its recovery as blown out of proportion as its flaws were surprisingly easy to exploit, especially with its extreme landing from a helpless state lag post 1.0.4. A number of professionals then considered Lucario to be a poor character who suffered from overspecializing with the aura gimmick, thus leaving it as little threat to a cautious player. As time went on, Lucario's tournament results grew barren, with fewer players maining it, thus causing more and more to look down on it.

In spite of these setbacks, Lucario's results have since noticeably improved as time went on due to some new developments towards its metagame, and has seen generally improved results, especially in Japan, leading it to be perceived more positively again in spite of high competition. This allowed it to rise to 19th on the third and tier list. While some advocated Lucario's placement was too high due to its inconsistent results and high-risk playstyle, Tsu- broke through perceptions by placing 2nd at Frostbite 2017, while defeating ZeRo at the same tournament. Although ZeRo himself managed to win the tournament, This very high result, tied with more consistent ones, have led Lucario to rise to 17th on the fourth and current tier list. As such, the majority of players feel that Lucario's current placing was accurate for the time being, although a few professionals occasionally voice about its high-risk playstyle being a liability against competitive play, most notably against characters such as Cloud.

Trophy Description[]

Lucario[]

LucarioTrophy3DS

A Fighting/Steel-type Pokemon that excels in combat through the reading and manipulation of Aura. As Lucario takes more damage, its attacks grow in strength. At maximum power Lucario deals triple damage and its Aura Sphere is particularly devastating! Foes won't even know what hit them!

  • DS - Pokemon Diamond & Pokemon Pearl (04/2007)
  • 3DS - Pokemon X & Pokemon Y (10/2013)

Lucario (Alt)[]

Lucario's up special Extreme Speed will send this Pokémon searing on the path you choose. Lucario flies farther the more damage it's taken. Lucario makes use of its Aura for the side special Force Palm. At extremely close range, Lucario will grab an enemy first, dealing additional damage.

Other features[]

To be added

Costume Gallery[]

Lucario Palette (SSB4)

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • Lucario was officially announced as a playable character on Jan. 31st, which is the anniversary of Super Smash Bros. Brawl in Japan.
  • Lucario, alongside Charizard and Mewtwo, can transform into its Mega Evolution form during battle as its Final Smash.
  • Lucario's All star Congratulation screen in the Wii U version is probably a reference from the Movie "Lucario and the Mystery of Mew" when Lucario is given chocolate from Max in one scene.
  • Lucario and Dr. Mario are the only two characters in the game that lacks a meteor smash.

Gallery[]

External links[]

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