Lucario has emerged as a prominent contender in the Pokémon TCG Pocket, showcasing remarkable synergies with other Fighting-type cards. This comprehensive guide will delve into the top-performing Lucario decks currently dominating the meta, offering insights on how to fully leverage its capabilities, as well as a brief assessment of Lucario’s impact in competitive play.
Lucario Card Overview
- HP: 100
- ATK: 40
- Ability: [Fighting Coach] Boosts damage dealt by your Fighting Pokémon by 20 against the opponent’s Active Pokémon.
- ATK Cost: 2 (Fighting-type)
- Retreat Cost: 2
- Weakness: Psychic
- Set & Pack: Space-Time Smackdown; Dialga Pack
Lucario stands out in the Pokémon Pocket ecosystem due to its versatile utility. Its unique ability, Fighting Coach, allows it to immediately enhance the attack strength of all other Fighting-type Pokémon, applying a damage buff as soon as it enters play, whether active or benched.
Notably, Lucario also mitigates the common vulnerability of Fighting-types towards Psychic Pokémon by enabling them to inflict greater damage against swift Psychic decks that leverage Gardevoir’s capabilities.
The Best Deck for Lucario
The optimal Lucario deck can be constructed around the Primeape-Mankey duo. Utilizing Genetic Apex’s Mankey and Mythical Island’s Primeape enables substantial damage outputs of 40 and 70, respectively, all for a single Energy cost when Lucario is present on the field. Including Marshadow provides a safety net in case your initial damage dealers are taken down early on.
When you have two Lucario cards on the Bench, the damage benefit rises dramatically. Instead of the standard 20 point boost, your Fighting Pokémon will enjoy a cumulative 40 point increase, as Lucario’s ability stacks with its copies.
Complete Deck List
| Card | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Riolu | 2 |
| Lucario | 2 |
| Mankey (Genetic Apex) | 2 |
| Primeape (Mythical Island) | 2 |
| Marshadow | 1 |
| Professor’s Research | 2 |
| Poke Ball | 2 |
| Cyrus | 1 |
| John | 2 |
| Pokemon Communication | 2 |
| X Speed | 2 |
Deck Synergies
- Evolve one or two Lucarios on your bench to maximize damage.
- Initiate attacks quickly with Mankey and Primeape for early advantage.
- Should Mankey or Primeape fall, use Marshadow for a second wave of offense or switch to Lucario.
- Utilize Giovanni to enhance Lucario’s effectiveness, providing a strategic upper hand in matches.
Alternative Deck for Lucario
For players seeking a different strategy, a highly competitive Lucario deck can feature Rampardos. This Stage 2 Pokémon evolves from Cranidos, derived from Skull Fossil, and can deliver an impressive 150 damage with the help of Lucario’s buff, all for a single Energy.
To ensure dependable performance, pairing with Marshadow and Hitmonchan as additional supporters can help sustain your offensive grip.
Deck List
| Card | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Cranidae | 2 |
| Rampardos | 2 |
| Riolu | 2 |
| Lucario | 2 |
| Hitmonchan | 1 |
| Marshadow | 1 |
| Professor’s Research | 2 |
| Poke Ball | 2 |
| Cyrus | 1 |
| John | 1 |
| Skull Fossil | 2 |
| Pokemon Communication | 2 |
However, the Rampardos strategy does face challenges. Firstly, Rampardos inflicts self-damage and can be easily knocked out. Secondly, evolving this line can be tricky due to the reliance on the Skull Fossil item card.
How to Counter Lucario
Lucario effectively struggles against Psychic-type matchups. A notable counter involves deploying a Mewtwo ex and Gardevoir configuration, reinforced with the Giant Cape item. This setup allows Mewtwo ex, fortified to 170 HP courtesy of Giant Cape, to withstand early onslaughts while Gardevoir ramps up its capabilities. After a few rounds, you can unleash a consistent 70 damage, potent enough to take down most attackers from Lucario decks.
Lucario’s Performance in the Metagame
A review of ten recent tournaments, each featuring over 100 participants, provides insightful data regarding the efficacy of Lucario decks:
- Lucario decks typically secure an average ranking of 33.5 in tournaments with significant player counts.
- The Rampardos combination has emerged as the most favored synergy with Lucario.
- Supporting Pokémon like Hitmonchan and Marshadow are frequently included in these decks.
Though an average ranking of 33.5 may not appear impressive, especially in comparison to reigning champions like Darkrai ex decks, it is important to note that Lucario decks are steadily gaining momentum. With its innate synergy amongst Fighting-type Pokémon, Lucario is poised for heightened relevance as the PvP landscape shifts in favor of Fighting-type cards.
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