Gen 4 [DPP OU] Lucario Doncic and the Lialias Mavericks | Peaked Top 100

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INTRODUCTION


Hello everyone, my name is Lialiabeast and I have been playing DPP OU for some time, which has now become one of my favorite tiers, if not my favorite. However, until recently I have only used teams that I stole from other people and never actually tried to build my own team, as I was certain that it would fail hard. One day, I decided to sign up for the apprentice program (goated Noglastica and adem encouraged me to do it), so I ended up getting help from probably the most handsome tutor on this website (I don't know any other tutor, but I am certain that's true) AndViet. I have decided to post this team here, since it is officially my very first team in DPP OU and I would like to show it to you all. At first, I had my doubts about this team, but after great guidance from my tutor and a few changes, I ended up loving it and actually win games. I am also a huge NBA fan, so for some reason I came up with this concept (mostly a pun) for my team. I’m proud to present to you the Lialia's Mavericks!


TEAM BUILDING PROCESS



Lucario, aka Lucario Doncic the MVP, was the main idea of the team, as I already knew that it can hit hard and sweep entire teams if it sets up, and I always liked this Pokemon in general, so I wanted to build my team around it.


I was convinced by my experience and by my tutor, that Dragon + Steel combination is amazing in this generation, so we were already looking for a hot Dragon-type Pokemon to add to the team. Dragonite, aka Spencer Dragonitie, seemed like the perfect choice at that time, since it has great synergy with Lucario, as they cover each other's weaknesses, and it hits quite hard as well. Therefore, this insane attacking duo was ready to deal some damage.


After picking 2 physical attackers right off the bat, I wouldn't feel safe without us picking at least 1 special attacker for our next steps. Gengar, aka Gengar Finney-Smith, is probably my favorite special attacker in the tier, and it is also a Ghost-type Pokemon, which is always useful for blocking cringe Rapid Spin + providing Fighting immunity for our MVP. My crazy tutor suggested a set that I immediately liked, and will probably use it until I get bored of DPP OU (so basically when I get bored of Pokemon in general). Overall, this was quite an easy pick.


Okay, so, dealing damage and attacking is very fun, but I wanted a defensive Pokemon as well, that would also add good coverage to the team. At this point, we were also thinking about adding a member that can set Stealth Rock, and perhaps act as a lead for the team. With all that in mind, we decided that our next member should be Bronzong, aka Jazong Kidd the COACH. Great coverage in typing, great bulk, access to Stealth Rock, ability to switch into a number of threats, and the fact that it can act as a decent lead without necessarily being a suicide one, made this choice excellent in my eyes.


The last 2 picks are not the original ones, as a "member change" happened to both of them. For our 5th pick, we wanted to have another defensive Pokemon that can take special hits well, and mostly check Water-type threats like Sleeptalk Suicune. At first, we picked Curse Gastrodon to do the job, but after a few games I realized that Storm Drain doesn't really work they way I wanted and started thinking about possibly better options for this slot. Latias, aka Latian Wood, seemed like a better option after some thinking, since it has great special bulk, it can hit hard with Choice Specs, it has great Speed stat, and it can deal with the threats that are mentioned above. After a few more games, we decided to change the item from Choice Specs to Choice Scarf for reasons that I will be explaining in the team description below.


Having 2 Dragon-type Pokemon made us notice that the team has a huge weakness on Ice, that Lucario can't really switch into and Bronzong alone didn't feel enough for that. First choice was Infernape, as the initial idea was the Fire typing and the fact that it can hit hard + I could make use of its access to U-turn that could bring Lucario in safely and it would start setting up. However, after testing it, it didn't quite work for me, since Infernape can't really switch into many attacks, and with opposing Stealth Rock and Spikes, it would always feel like it takes too much damage, before it could do anything. Therefore, I decided that I really wanted a Fire-type Pokemon that would be more comfortable to do what Infernape couldn't, as well as handling Sandstorm. Heatran, aka Tim Heatranway Jr., felt like a really good option, as it could also deal with Pokemon that could possibly annoy Lucario such as Jirachi and Scizor. With that, the team was now completed, so let's take a look at the sets.


TEAM DESCRIPTION



Bronzong @ Lum Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion
- Gyro Ball
- Hypnosis / Earthquake


Bronzong felt like the only member of the team that could act as a natural lead. Thanks to its bulk, it is almost guaranteed that it will set Stealth Rock up, which is great, because hot players, like myself, enjoy the move named Stealth Rock. Some leads, like Metagross, will probably have a hard time breaking Bronzong, and on the other hand, Bronzong can hit frail leads like Azelf pretty hard. Explosion allows a teammate to switch in for free, like Dragonite or Lucario, after I feel like Bronzong has done its job and I don't really need it anymore. As I already mentioned in the team building process, I wanted to keep Bronzong during a game, as much as possible, and switch it back in, in order to check some possible threats, while also hitting them back with its last 2 moves. For example, Gyro Ball targets Pokemon like Latias, after it comes in to take a possible Draco Meteor head on. At first, our last move was Hypnosis, but after we realized that it misses 100% of the time, we changed it into Earthquake. However, it is good to mention that if Hypnosis actually hits, it gives me a huge advantage early game and can be a game changer. Earthquake targets Steel-types that Bronzong switches into, like Jirachi and Metagross. I used the OU Tank Bronzong Evs spread, because it seemed like the right choice for how I wanted to use Bronzong. Lum Berry is great for lead Bronzong, as it can avoid sleep from Pokemon like Roserade, but I have to be honest here: I use Lum Berry mostly because I hate the stupid mf named Machamp with its awful confusion, so I literally click free Explosion after cringe Dynamic Punch!!

1. 252 SpA Infernape Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 128+ SpD Bronzong: 240-284 (71 - 84%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

2. 252 SpA Heatran Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 128+ SpD Bronzong: 282-332 (83.4 - 98.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

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Doncic (Lucario) @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
Evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Extreme Speed
- Bullet Punch



The MVP knows only one thing: WIN GAMES. Lucario hits so damn hard, and I feel like it is always my win condition in every game I play, since it is probably THE BEST late-game cleaner, so that is why I try to keep it as healthy as possible. Its access to Swords Dance, Close Combat that is a move with 120 BP, and Extreme Speed that is the best priority move, makes this thing literally a menace that hits hard even the bulkiest Pokemon. Bullet Punch targets Pokemon that are faster than Lucario and resist or they are immune to Extreme Speed, such as +1 DD Tyranitar and Gengar, respectively. I mentioned that Lucario hits bulky Pokemon hard, but I actually did some notable calculations just to show you how crazy strong this thing really becomes after 1 SD boost.

1. +2 252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Close Combat vs. 240 HP / 216+ Def Swampert: 394-465 (98.2 - 115.9%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO

2. +2 252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Hippowdon: 318-375 (75.7 - 89.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

3. +2 252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory: 282-333 (84.4 - 99.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

4. +2 252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 128 Def Bronzong: 391-462 (115.6 - 136.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO

5. +2 252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 224+ Def Jirachi: 364-430 (90 - 106.4%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO

6. +2 252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Extreme Speed vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Latias: 241-284 (80 - 94.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

7. +2 252+ Atk Life Orb Lucario Bullet Punch vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Gengar: 249-294 (95.4 - 112.6%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
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Dinwiddie (Dragonite) @ Choice Band
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch


Dragonite is arguably the most powerful Dragon-type in DPP OU. There are many sets that can be used, but we ended up choosing between the Dragon Dance set, and the Choice Band set. My tutor then asked me a very simple question: "What do you want Dragonite's role to be?". Therefore, I decided that Choice Band was the set I want to go with, since Choice Band Dragonite can literally destroy multiple Pokemon in the tier with its crazy STAB in Outrage, and I already had a setup sweeper, so I decided that I am way too based to have 2 of them in the same team. We can't ignore the fact, both members of our insane original attacking duo have access to Extreme Speed, which I already mentioned that it is the best priority move, so there is no reason not to use it. Earthquake and Fire Punch are both coverage moves; Earthquake targets Steel-types like Heatran, and Fire Punch targets walls that are able to take on an Choice Band boosted Outrage such as Skarmory and Forretress. Of course, besides the two that were mentioned, there are not many Pokemon can take on a Choice Band boosted Outrage, and I will show you below some notable calculations vs Steel-types that people might switch into expected Outrage from Dragonite.

1. 252+ Atk Choice Band Dragonite Outrage vs. 252 HP / 128 Def Bronzong: 129-153 (38.1 - 45.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

2. 252+ Atk Choice Band Dragonite Outrage vs. 164 HP / 0 Def Jirachi: 165-194 (43.1 - 50.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

3. 252+ Atk Choice Band Dragonite Outrage vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Scizor: 165-194 (48.1 - 56.5%) -- 34.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

4. 252+ Atk Choice Band Dragonite Outrage vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Empoleon: 183-216 (59.2 - 69.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

5. 252+ Atk Choice Band Dragonite Outrage vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Blissey: 598-705 (83.7 - 98.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (not a Steel-type but I hate this mon so we have to show that it always dies!)
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Finney-Smith (Gengar) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Disable

Gengar is our first choice for a special attacker, as mentioned above. However, this Gengar runs something that I never thought about using until andviet opened my beautiful eyes. This is not my set, and I have never used it before building this team, so I will try to explain what it does by my expierence laddering with it lately. The whole purpose of this set is click Substitute whenever you get the chance, and click Disable right after the opponent clicks something that can KO Gengar. A great example is Pursuit Scizor, Tyranitar, and even Payback Machamp after Gengar switches into Machamp on a Dynamic Punch, and basically forces a Payback. This combination is so fun to use, and I literally laughed like an idiot when it was actually working. The funny thing is that you can click it not only for dodging a Dark-type move that is coming, but in other situations as well, like when a foolish Choice Specs Latias tries to break your sub. Overall, this is a great way to annoy your opponents and laugh at their faces! The rest of the moves are pretty basic, since every Gengar runs Shadow Ball for its STAB attack, and Focus Blast for coverage, as it targets Dark-, and Steel-types.
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Wood (Latias) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse
- Surf
- Trick


Speaking of special attackers, time to write about our second option for one of them. Latias is so good in this tier, that I actually believe that it fits in literally every team without giving it much thought. It can be in bulky teams, it can be in offensive teams, and it can definitely be in balanced teams. Originally, the main idea was that Latias would hit really hard, so we gave it a Choice Specs right away. However, after a couple of games, we both noticed that the team gets worn down pretty easily by Choice Scarf Rotom (W and H both). For that reason, we changed the item for Choice Specs to Choice Scarf, and the nature became Modest, and it would still deal the damage I needed to deal. I included both Draco Meteor, which is Latias's most powerful STAB for sure, and Dragon Pulse because I like to play safe sometimes and keep hitting foes with Latias's Dragon-type STAB without lowering the Special Attack, that would force it out eventually. Surf is the last attacking move that hits the Steel-types for neutral damage like Skarmory, as well as being effective on Heatran which switches in on Latias quite often. Trick is meant to use it on Pokemon that wall Latias, such as Clefable and Blissey.

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Hardaway Jr. (Heatran) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Toxic


Heatran is used for steel resistance, good bulk in general, and for its powerful offensive ability. We decided to use this set, since I would always bring Heatran in against a Pokemon that gets walled by it such as Celebi or Choice Scarf Latias (expecting Dragon move), and click free Substitute. Also, I usually try to bait my opponent when I bring Heatran in after they KO one of my other members, since that way they assume that it runs either Choice Specs or Choice Scarf, and again I click free Substitute. Originally, this Heatran used to run Magma Storm, but after missing every single time, we changed it into Fire Blast, which targets and KOes most Steel-types like Metagross. Earth Power targets Steel-types as well, but mainly it is used for the Heatran 1v1 (aka speed tie bs). Therefore, Heatran basically forces out nearly every Steel-type in the tier. That alone is a really good reason to run Toxic, which Heatran can easily hit if it still has its Substitute.


THREAT LIST

: Tyranitar will always be a threat to this team, since Gengar and especially Latias is really important to the team.
: Even with the Scarfed Latias, Rotom (any form) is pretty hard to deal with, especially if the opponent has the combination of Tyranitar + Rotom. Rotom not only can wall Lucario, but its Choice Scarf set can kill Gengar, and wear down Bronzong, which can't do anything back. Only chance of beating this combination is by keeping Heatran as healthy as possible for the Rotom.
: As soon as Bronzong is dead, and Metagross comes in against anything other than Heatran, it can just click Agility and then sweep the entire team. Therefore, you don't click Explosion with Bronzong unless you are 100% certain that you don't need it anymore.
: Thanks to its ability, Intimidate, and its typing Gyarados is always a safe switch-in against Lucario, and it can even annoy Dragonite sometimes. If both Dragonite and Latias are low on health, Dragon Dance Gyarados will be able to sweep the rest of the team just like Agility Metagross.


REPLAYS + IMPORTABLE + PEAK

I haven't used the team in a tournament game (YET), so I got only a few replays from laddering to show you.
1. https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-1682184783 Gengar bullying fat team
2. https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-1682247769-pnfh17g8qdgbpw87tas2czmdx3lfmo8pw MVP MVP MVP
3. https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-1682249456 good game vs fat team
4. https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-1682355181-48fblpvywxizpqaozx9mr8f8hp2uzmupw close game vs offense
5. https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-1682370130 Gengar clutching
6. https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-1683072641 hot Dragonite
7. https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-1679964750-wn0qr345e5xlvfrgly5tpjdyon50nftpw tried Gastrodon again for last 2 games to peak (didn't really use it at all this game so doesn't matter)
8. https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-1683131372-o4brxpw72xz0g24obrogwe8axmt1ir8pw GG
9. https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-1683186459 fat teams can't beat the Mavericks


Don't have a proof of where I started, but I am quite sure it was mid 1200s


CONCLUSION

Once again, huge shoutout to AndViet for having the patience to help me learn all about team building, and working to make me a better DPP OU player in general. Honestly speaking, I never cared about team building, testing teams, and all that stuff, but now after this whole thing with Lialias Mavericks, I have changed my mind. It feels so good when you are building your own team, testing it through games, and after a few changes it actually works and wins games. This is by far the most fun thing I have done since I started playing competitive Pokemon, and I am confident more Lialia teams will come, and who knows, perhaps more RMTs as well. Thanks for reading and goodbye for now!​
 
Last edited:

awyp

'Alexa play Ladyfingers by Herb Alpert'
is a Top Tutoris a Top Team Rateris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
RMT Leader
Hey Lialia,


It has been a pleasure building this team with you, it's one of my favorite teams to play with in DPP OU. Aside from that the presentation being fantastic, I love the Dallas Mavs and the theme of 'Lucario Doncic' works to perfection.

So since we made a decent amount of correction to this team already, there's not a lot for me to say but there are some thoughts.

Hypnosis is a great move (When it hits..) It's a complete gamechanger and really helps Bronzong carry its weight, my suggestion is if you need a safe alternative, EQ is a good option. Also Metagross wouldn't be a bad entry hazard lead (as a replacement) and do a majority of the things that Bronzong is doing besides the ability of having (Hypnosis).

Metagross has similar bulk and similar typing aside from ground weakness which could be assisted with Shuca Berry. Metagross hits harder, including when it comes to explosion, also if there is a need to keep Metagross late in game, I think it would be slightly more reliable because Explosion could hit harder and you have another addition of having a priority move.

1665622558924.png

Metagross @ Shuca Berry / Occa Berry
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch
- Explosion

I would say with Latias, (this goes just to preference) I use Draco Meteor pretty consistently over Dragon Pulse depending on the game situation and I don't know if the opposing team has Tyranitar / Scizor coming in for a pursuit kill. I would go with Thunderbolt > Dragon Pulse because one of the threats to this team is Dragon Dance Gyarados as you stated. So depending on the bulk and if entry hazard is up, I would like to have the consistency of guaranteeing a kill of Gyarados every time I see it setting up.

Lastly I will add that Magma Storm on Heatran works way better but we both realized that Magma Storm never hits when we really need it to and when there isn't a need for trapping so I would recommend to go with either based on the style of your play (To whoever wants to copy this team).

That Gengar set is the bomb, and pisses / confuses so many people on the ladder (Never see it coming, hopefully there's rejuvenation with using this set in the near future for gen 4 because I NEVER see it on the ladder).

Anyway thank you for posting a RMT Lialia, it's been a pleasure reading it and building the team with you!
 
Last edited:

Jeong

Banned deucer.
Hi,

You don't have anything to absorb Spore (Sleep Talk) from Breloom but I don't think it's a threat.

I like the idea of bringing Hypno into Zong. So far I've only seen it on rain teams. Well, you mention Rotom in all his forms as a threat... What if you try Payback instead? You have Lum Berry in case of WoW in defensive version or free switch to Heatran. It can also be used to pressure Starmie in some way so that he cannot Spin comfortably.

I agree with AndViet Latias is one of the pillars of your team and I think he is necessary with TBolt for DD Gyara. Without this, the only way to stop it is with priority or Boom with Zong. The HWish option isn't bad considering the offensive stuff you're carrying. Especially the core with Lucario.

We all agree that this Disable Gengar has never been seen on the ladder, or at least I have. The question is: really income? Is Sub version better than PSplit or even Sleep Talk? Well, it's all a matter of testing. I honestly think it's a good set and the most original.

I'm not a big fan of using double dragon / triple steel, but I guess it depends on the team and in this case it fits very well. Good team.
 
I used this exact Gengar set in gen 5. It was one of my favorite sets ever. Like you said, you get so many free subs and switches while hitting almost everything for neutral or super effective. Awesome to see it still being used today.

I recently threw it on a gen 9 team that mainly utilizes old builds because I've been too lazy to build a proper team. It completely shuts down Annihilape if you disable the rage fist lol
 

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