Pokemon GO Lucario in PvP and PvE guide: Best moveset, counters, and more

Lucario is one of the most beloved monsters across the Pokemon franchise, and with its recent implementation as one of Pokemon GO's current Three-Star Raid Bosses. This has led to many players wondering if it is as good in the mobile spin-off as it is in the main series. However, determining viability in Niantic's spin-off is much different than that of the main series.

Those who have played both the mainline titles and the mobile game will know the two are entirely different experiences. As such, many creatures that were decent or great in the main series have no viability whatsoever in the mobile game, and vice versa.

So where does this leave Lucario? Did it transfer to mobile well, or has it fallen off?

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Best PvE moveset for Lucario in Pokemon GO

Lucario in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Best offensive PvE moveset for Lucario

The best offensive PvE moveset for Lucario in Pokemon GO would be Counter as the Fast move, along with Aura Sphere and Power-Up Punch as the Charged moves.

You will primarily be using Counter and Aura Sphere as the main moves for Lucario. Since they match the elemental typing of Lucario, you will enjoy the Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) with this moveset.

Best defensive PvE moveset for Lucario

Counter as the Fast move, along with Blaze Kick and Shadow Ball as the Charged moves, would be the best defensive PvE moveset for Lucario in GO.

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Best PvP moveset for Lucario in Pokemon GO

Counter as the Fast move along with Close Combat and Shadow Ball as the Charged moves would be the best PvP moveset for Lucario in Pokemon GO.

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Is Lucario good in Pokemon GO PvP?

Lucario in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Sadly, Lucario is significantly held back in combat by its lack of impressive bulk stats and low combat power score. However, it does have a solid niche in Ultra League as it is the only Fighting type that can deal with some of Giratina's biggest counters thanks to its access to the charged attack, Shadow Ball.

As such, some Giratina users like to bring Lucario to make sure it can get into battle.

Some players like using Lucario as they feel that the secondary Steel typing it possesses makes up for its lack of defensive bulk. While this can be true in some cases, defensive typings hold most of their value when it comes to finding a safe-switcher. In this regard, it is one of the better, but still not the best, Fighting types in this field.

Those looking to take Lucario into competitive play should know it works best with a moveset of Counter, Power-Up Punch, and Shadow Ball. This allows this Pokemon to set up buffs and take down some of the most dangerous picks in both Great and Ultra Leagues, where it can be played. However, due to its low combat power, it is not advised for use in Pokemon GO's Master League.

Trainers should be wary of Lucario's few weaknesses. It is weak to Ground, Fire, and other Fighting-type attacks. As such, players should keep Lucario out of 1v1s with other Fighting types and switch it out immediately.

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Is Lucario good in Pokemon GO PvE?

Lucario, as seen in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Lucario is a great investment in terms of its PvE prowess. Thanks to Aura Sphere, Lucario can dish out some serious damage, making it one of the strongest Fighting-type raid attackers in the game. Not only is it great in its current state for this facet of gameplay, but its Mega Evolution is on the way as well, meaning it will get even better for these types of battles.

Thanks to having a secondary Steel typing, it has incredible defenses in many raids, with some even bringing it as a defensive check for weaker raids despite its low defense stat in Pokemon GO.

Most raid bosses players bring Lucario to will be unable to do very much substantial damage to it since these bosses tend to lack moves that can affect this element.

Those looking to use Lucario in Pokemon GO's Raid Battles, Gym Attacks, or any other form of PvE should be aware that it performs best with a moveset of Counter and Aura Sphere. This combination of attacks works great for maximizing Lucario's Fighting-type damage output, which earns it the positive status it has now.

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Best counters for Lucario in Pokemon GO

You can use the following counters to defeat Lucario in battles:

• Primal Groudon
• Mega Charizard X
• Mega Charizard Y
• Mega Blaziken
• Mega Garchomp
• Reshiram
• Mega Rayquaza
• Terrakion
• Keldeo
• Groudon
• Heatran
• Volcarona
• Mega Houndoom

Besides these aforementioned monsters, there are other counters with similar elemental typings that perform well against Lucario.