Requested by: Musicgreninja 

   Mega Lucario, the Pokemon that had to be banned from OU in the X&Y meta to Ubers. It is not something to scoff at, even with it's frailness when it comes to enduring hits. This Pokemon is also part of a controversy surrounding an infamous Poketuber who has claimed that Volcarona  was a counter to this mon. Volcarona's a shaky one, though.  That's not too relevant, but I just wanted to mention that. Now, where do we start with this Pokemon...ah, yes. Adaptability, it's fearsome and AWESOME ability, which doubles the STAB boost on it's Fighting and Steel type moves. Let's also not forget it's most recent addition to the Steel type moves that it can get in USUM by breeding. Mega Lucario is a strong Fighting type Pokemon who can knock out Fairy types with it's strong ability to steel the show from them. As proven in the anime and games, Lucario does well with special and physical moves, but isn't good at sustaining damage. With setup from Nasty Plot or SD, combined with some kind of priority, Mega Lucario is made even scarier. 

    Before Mega Lucario was placed in Ubers, I think it was in OU, and due to it's overall strengths, there wasn't really much that could go toe to toe with it easily, so it got kicked to Smogon Jail(Ubers). Notable threats to it are Pokemon that can survive a hit from it, Fire types, Aegislash, Choice Scarfers, and Pokemon who are naturally faster than it and have a ground move. The most common move set for Mega Lucario has got to be the following: SD, Meteor mash, Close Combat, and Bullet Punch. Other moves that it can carry are Ice Punch for either Mega Salamence(although Meteor Mash is a better option because it's STAB), or Crunch or EQ for Aegislash and Toxapex, respectively. Stone Edge is another option for it for that pesky Ho-Oh. Remember, if you're running the common physical set, watch out for burns from a Pokemon like Toxapex at all times, since that effectively cripples it. Whirlwind and Haze also get rid of SD boosts, which makes Lugia and Toxapex all the more annoying to make them faint. Zygarde Complete has great defensive bulk, able to tank a Close Combat if it has max defense in EVs, and paralyze it. Paralysis and Sticky Webs are going to be a big problem for Mega Lucario as well, since they make it slower than 355 at LV 100. The special set isn't too bad either, with good moves such as Dark Pulse, Flash Cannon, and aura sphere!

     Other things that put Lucario down are the Pokemon that outspeed it and can steal it's stat boosts, or have the necessary bulk to tank a hit and then use it's own power against it. Those Pokemon are: Xerneas, Yveltal, and Marshadow. Isn't it interesting how the entire Yggdrasil trio can take out Mega Lucario? Xerneas has got to be the weakest and worst check to Mega Lucario. Certainly, the Pokemon of Life has the potential to force Mega Lucario out, but it is very circumstantial! Geomancy is the one thing that defines Xerneas in Ubers for it's offensive presence, and there are two different approaches for this. The first is utilizing Fairium Z, but this results in taking the normal two turns, but has extra stat boosts. Mega Lucario could easily decimate Xerneas with a Meteor Mash or use bullet Punch to finish it off easily. The second is the more straightforward one, with Power Herb, and is the instant boost one, doubling it's speed. Moonblast will no doubt do 100% damage when boosted to a Mega Lucario. Yveltal, on the other hand is a Pokemon who can be both a sweeper or a defensive physical wall! Scarf Oblivion Wing does a lot of damage, and allows it to recover HP. Against Life Orb, DO NOT use Close Combat since that will pave the way for Yveltal to get a 100% guaranteed knock out with Oblivion Wing and get a lot of HP back. Specs Yveltal does a ton of damage as well with Heat Wave or Oblivion Wing, but you can lock it into a move such as Dark Pulse to make it less of a threat as well. Defensive Yveltal can use foul play to use Lucario's own power against it. Zygarde has enough bulk to tank a CC or Meteor Mash unboosted. Marshadow can steal boosts with Spectral Thief, but can't take a BP that easily without suffering major damage. +4 BP can do it, though.

   I think that a Pokemon who can act as a cleric for Mega Lucario or be immune to being paralyzed or being burned, or doesn't really mind it, is great. This is why Primal Groudon(I know, I know, it's from the Smogon website) makes a great team member for Mega Lucairo, despite it being one of Mega Lucario's greatest foes. Primal Groudon has PTSD from +2 Close combats from Mega Lucarios. That aside, Groudon has the ability to get up Stealth Rocks on the opponent's side of the field, effectively crippling Ho-Oh and getting rid of Multiscale on Lugia, since it only works at full health. If the opportunity presents itself, switch regular Lucario into a Dark type attack since it will multiply Lucario's attack by 1.5, giving it a free boost because of Justified. Sticky Web teams, according to the Smogon website, pair very well with it, since it lowers the opponent's speed by .67.  Be sure to have a Pokemon that can reliably cripple Primal Kyogre for Groudon....like Primal Kyogre itself! Naganadel could also be a good mon to pair with it in my personal opinion since it has the power and Dragon moves to reliably secure a KO on Zygarde, but you'd have to think of a way to cover the amount of ground weaknesses on the team. Besides the fact that it's defenses are absolute crap, they're still decent. Please, don't nerf this Pokemon:) It earned it's spot in Ubers, and I hope it stays that way in future generations. Well, I think I have covered all that I can cover on this Pokemon, so I'll leave it up to a certain someone to do that:) More information can be found here: https://www.smogon.com/dex/sm/pokemon/lucario/

Score: OP FOR LOWER TIERS/10