[OVERVIEW]
* Lugia's typing grants it an immunity to Ground-type moves and a resistance to Psychic-type moves, which in conjunction with fantastic bulk and a useful ability in Multiscale allows it to check a multitude of attackers, such as Mega Salamence, Primal Groudon, Arceus-Ground, Deoxys-A, and Mewtwo.
* Lugia has a good matchup against offense teams, being able to phaze, status, or KO common attackers such as Mega Salamence, Extreme Killer Arceus, and Xerneas.
* A decent Speed tier allows Lugia to outspeed slower attackers such as Primal Groudon and most Ho-Oh variants, which is helpful in situations where Lugia will need to Roost or Toxic stall these foes.
* It is susceptible to Toxic, which breaks Multiscale and ruins its ability to continuously switch into threats.
* The introduction of Lunala gives Lugia another threat to worry about in the metagame due to Lunala's prominence on offense, a playstyle Lugia usually does well against.
* It is weak to increasingly prominent Dark-types, such as Yveltal and Arceus-Dark.
* Poor offensive stats leave it with little offensive presence, meaning it is deadweight against stall and is easily checked or walled by Pokemon that are not vulnerable to being worn down by Toxic, such as Ferrothorn and Kyogre.
* Lugia needs solid anti-hazard support to adequately check threats.
* It is vulnerable to being trapped by Mega Gengar, which takes little damage from Ice Beam and can status or heavily damage Lugia in return.
[SET]
name: Wall
move 1: Roost
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Whirlwind
move 4: Ice Beam / Substitute
item: Leftovers
ability: Multiscale
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Roost gives Lugia reliable recovery, helping it maintain longevity.
* Toxic puts a timer on Pokemon that are not immune to it, severely hindering offensive teams.
* Whirlwind phazes setup sweepers such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Xerneas, and Mega Salamence.
* Ice beam hits Mega Salamence and Zygarde-C super effectively.
* Substitute allows Lugia to avoid status and utility moves such as Leech Seed, which aids with its walling capabilities by giving it more breathing room when Toxic stalling foes. However, this leaves Lugia as complete Taunt bait and unable to touch Pokemon that are unfazed by Toxic.
* Alternatively, Psychic can be used for a more powerful STAB move and the ability to hit Mega Lucario, preventing it from freely setting up.
Set Details
========
* Maximum HP investment allows Lugia's HP to be divisible by 16, which grants it 25% of its HP after four turns of Leftovers and thus makes it easier to continue using Substitute.
* The Defense investment with a Bold nature enables Lugia to check a multitude of physical attackers, giving it a good chance to avoid the KO from Adamant +2 Arceus-Normal's Shadow Claw, +2 Arceus-Ground's Stone Edge, and +1 Mega Salamence's Double Edge after Stealth Rock.
* The Speed investment allows it to outspeed everything up to neutral-natured base 90s.
* The Speed EVs can alternatively be shifted to Special Defense to allow Lugia to tank hits more easily.
Usage Tips
========
* If Stealth Rock is not up, Lugia can switch in liberally on more or less any non-boosted physical attacker.
* Make sure to remove Stealth Rock before bringing Lugia in on a powerful hit such as Mega Salamence's Double Edge, as it has a chance to 2HKO Lugia without its Multiscale intact.
* Try to poison unboosted setup sweepers or powerful attackers, such as Xerneas and Swords Dance Arceus formes, with Toxic and proceed to Roost stall.
* On the other hand, if facing boosted setup sweepers that are able to 2HKO Lugia through Multiscale, such as +2 Xerneas, phaze them and use Roost on something that does not threaten Lugia.
* Avoid status, especially poison, as it breaks Multiscale and can quickly wear Lugia down, making it unable to continuously use Roost.
* Keep Lugia as healthy as possible to keep its Multiscale intact. Ideally, it should be at full each time it switches out.
* If Lugia is statused, try to heal it with a cleric before switching it back in.
Team Options
========
* Partners to remove or discourage entry hazards are mandatory. Support Arceus formes, Giratina-O, Mega Salamence, and Mega Sableye can all fill this role.
* Status absorbers or clerics can mitigate the effect of status on Lugia. Examples include Chansey, Clefable, defensive Primal Kyogre, and Zygarde-C. Chansey can also take on Lunala and Darkrai, and Clefable can check Yveltal.
* Alolan Muk is able to cover Lugia's crippling weakness to Dark- and Ghost-types, notably Pursuit trapping Lunala and Mega Gengar. Lugia in return is able to cover Alolan Muk's unimpressive physical bulk.
* Arceus-Dark and Yveltal can deal with Arceus-Ghost, one of the only offensive Arceus formes Lugia is unable to effectively deal with.
* Pokemon that are vulnerable to certain setup sweepers, such as support Arceus formes, Alolan Muk, Zygarde-C, and Solgaleo, appreciate Lugia's ability to phaze them.
* Frailer attackers or Pokemon without reliable recovery such as Ho-Oh, Giratina-O, and Primal Groudon appreciate Lugia's ability to switch into Pokemon that can otherwise severely weaken them and potentially prevent them from accomplishing their purpose.
* Klefki and Ferrothorn are able to set Spikes to make Lugia's phazing more effective.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Dragon Tail deals a small amount of damage and can be used as an alternative to Whirlwind, but it has a small chance to miss and leaves Lugia unable to deal with Geomancy Xerneas.
* An offensive Calm Mind set with Flyinium Z can be used to surprise opponents and net a KO here and there, but this detracts largely from Lugia's defensive capabilities.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Steel-types, such as Klefki, Solgaleo, Mega Scizor, and Ferrothorn easily wall Lugia and can set entry hazards on it or status it. Mega Lucario can set up on Lugia and beat it one-on-one.
**Mega Gengar**: Mega Gengar takes little from Ice Beam and can trap and eliminate Lugia, giving the opposing team a much better chance to sweep late-game.
**Mega Sableye**: Mega Sableye is able to bounce back Toxic and takes little from Ice Beam while wearing down Lugia with status in return.
**Dark- and Ghost-types**: Dark- and Ghost-types, notably Lunala, Darkrai, Arceus-Ghost, Yveltal, and Arceus-Dark, can hit Lugia super effectively and easily take it on one-on-one it if Stealth Rock is up. However, Swords Dance Arceus-Ghost can be Roost stalled if it switches into Toxic, and Yveltal loses to Lugia one-on-one if it comes in on a Toxic or is slower than Lugia. Alolan Muk is immune to Toxic and can cripple Lugia with Knock Off or a Toxic of its own.
**Status Users**: Pokemon that carry status moves, especially Toxic, are able to cripple Lugia, removing its effectiveness against strong attackers.
**Ingrain Geomany Xerneas**: Ingrain Geomancy Xerneas cannot be phazed by Whirlwind, can heal off status with Rest, and uses Lugia as setup fodder.
**Ice- and Electric-types**: Ice- and Electric-types can both hit Lugia super effectively. Arceus-Ice and Arceus-Electric are able to set up on Lugia with Calm Mind, although they do not appreciate Toxic if not carrying Refresh. Kyurem-W and Zekrom are both able to KO Lugia through Multiscale with their abilities, and Tapu Koko can Taunt Lugia to prevent it from recovering or using Toxic and whittle it down with Thunderbolt or Nature's Madness.
* Lugia's typing grants it an immunity to Ground-type moves and a resistance to Psychic-type moves, which in conjunction with fantastic bulk and a useful ability in Multiscale allows it to check a multitude of attackers, such as Mega Salamence, Primal Groudon, Arceus-Ground, Deoxys-A, and Mewtwo.
* Lugia has a good matchup against offense teams, being able to phaze, status, or KO common attackers such as Mega Salamence, Extreme Killer Arceus, and Xerneas.
* A decent Speed tier allows Lugia to outspeed slower attackers such as Primal Groudon and most Ho-Oh variants, which is helpful in situations where Lugia will need to Roost or Toxic stall these foes.
* It is susceptible to Toxic, which breaks Multiscale and ruins its ability to continuously switch into threats.
* The introduction of Lunala gives Lugia another threat to worry about in the metagame due to Lunala's prominence on offense, a playstyle Lugia usually does well against.
* It is weak to increasingly prominent Dark-types, such as Yveltal and Arceus-Dark.
* Poor offensive stats leave it with little offensive presence, meaning it is deadweight against stall and is easily checked or walled by Pokemon that are not vulnerable to being worn down by Toxic, such as Ferrothorn and Kyogre.
* Lugia needs solid anti-hazard support to adequately check threats.
* It is vulnerable to being trapped by Mega Gengar, which takes little damage from Ice Beam and can status or heavily damage Lugia in return.
[SET]
name: Wall
move 1: Roost
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Whirlwind
move 4: Ice Beam / Substitute
item: Leftovers
ability: Multiscale
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Roost gives Lugia reliable recovery, helping it maintain longevity.
* Toxic puts a timer on Pokemon that are not immune to it, severely hindering offensive teams.
* Whirlwind phazes setup sweepers such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Xerneas, and Mega Salamence.
* Ice beam hits Mega Salamence and Zygarde-C super effectively.
* Substitute allows Lugia to avoid status and utility moves such as Leech Seed, which aids with its walling capabilities by giving it more breathing room when Toxic stalling foes. However, this leaves Lugia as complete Taunt bait and unable to touch Pokemon that are unfazed by Toxic.
* Alternatively, Psychic can be used for a more powerful STAB move and the ability to hit Mega Lucario, preventing it from freely setting up.
Set Details
========
* Maximum HP investment allows Lugia's HP to be divisible by 16, which grants it 25% of its HP after four turns of Leftovers and thus makes it easier to continue using Substitute.
* The Defense investment with a Bold nature enables Lugia to check a multitude of physical attackers, giving it a good chance to avoid the KO from Adamant +2 Arceus-Normal's Shadow Claw, +2 Arceus-Ground's Stone Edge, and +1 Mega Salamence's Double Edge after Stealth Rock.
* The Speed investment allows it to outspeed everything up to neutral-natured base 90s.
* The Speed EVs can alternatively be shifted to Special Defense to allow Lugia to tank hits more easily.
Usage Tips
========
* If Stealth Rock is not up, Lugia can switch in liberally on more or less any non-boosted physical attacker.
* Make sure to remove Stealth Rock before bringing Lugia in on a powerful hit such as Mega Salamence's Double Edge, as it has a chance to 2HKO Lugia without its Multiscale intact.
* Try to poison unboosted setup sweepers or powerful attackers, such as Xerneas and Swords Dance Arceus formes, with Toxic and proceed to Roost stall.
* On the other hand, if facing boosted setup sweepers that are able to 2HKO Lugia through Multiscale, such as +2 Xerneas, phaze them and use Roost on something that does not threaten Lugia.
* Avoid status, especially poison, as it breaks Multiscale and can quickly wear Lugia down, making it unable to continuously use Roost.
* Keep Lugia as healthy as possible to keep its Multiscale intact. Ideally, it should be at full each time it switches out.
* If Lugia is statused, try to heal it with a cleric before switching it back in.
Team Options
========
* Partners to remove or discourage entry hazards are mandatory. Support Arceus formes, Giratina-O, Mega Salamence, and Mega Sableye can all fill this role.
* Status absorbers or clerics can mitigate the effect of status on Lugia. Examples include Chansey, Clefable, defensive Primal Kyogre, and Zygarde-C. Chansey can also take on Lunala and Darkrai, and Clefable can check Yveltal.
* Alolan Muk is able to cover Lugia's crippling weakness to Dark- and Ghost-types, notably Pursuit trapping Lunala and Mega Gengar. Lugia in return is able to cover Alolan Muk's unimpressive physical bulk.
* Arceus-Dark and Yveltal can deal with Arceus-Ghost, one of the only offensive Arceus formes Lugia is unable to effectively deal with.
* Pokemon that are vulnerable to certain setup sweepers, such as support Arceus formes, Alolan Muk, Zygarde-C, and Solgaleo, appreciate Lugia's ability to phaze them.
* Frailer attackers or Pokemon without reliable recovery such as Ho-Oh, Giratina-O, and Primal Groudon appreciate Lugia's ability to switch into Pokemon that can otherwise severely weaken them and potentially prevent them from accomplishing their purpose.
* Klefki and Ferrothorn are able to set Spikes to make Lugia's phazing more effective.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
* Dragon Tail deals a small amount of damage and can be used as an alternative to Whirlwind, but it has a small chance to miss and leaves Lugia unable to deal with Geomancy Xerneas.
* An offensive Calm Mind set with Flyinium Z can be used to surprise opponents and net a KO here and there, but this detracts largely from Lugia's defensive capabilities.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Steel-types, such as Klefki, Solgaleo, Mega Scizor, and Ferrothorn easily wall Lugia and can set entry hazards on it or status it. Mega Lucario can set up on Lugia and beat it one-on-one.
**Mega Gengar**: Mega Gengar takes little from Ice Beam and can trap and eliminate Lugia, giving the opposing team a much better chance to sweep late-game.
**Mega Sableye**: Mega Sableye is able to bounce back Toxic and takes little from Ice Beam while wearing down Lugia with status in return.
**Dark- and Ghost-types**: Dark- and Ghost-types, notably Lunala, Darkrai, Arceus-Ghost, Yveltal, and Arceus-Dark, can hit Lugia super effectively and easily take it on one-on-one it if Stealth Rock is up. However, Swords Dance Arceus-Ghost can be Roost stalled if it switches into Toxic, and Yveltal loses to Lugia one-on-one if it comes in on a Toxic or is slower than Lugia. Alolan Muk is immune to Toxic and can cripple Lugia with Knock Off or a Toxic of its own.
**Status Users**: Pokemon that carry status moves, especially Toxic, are able to cripple Lugia, removing its effectiveness against strong attackers.
**Ingrain Geomany Xerneas**: Ingrain Geomancy Xerneas cannot be phazed by Whirlwind, can heal off status with Rest, and uses Lugia as setup fodder.
**Ice- and Electric-types**: Ice- and Electric-types can both hit Lugia super effectively. Arceus-Ice and Arceus-Electric are able to set up on Lugia with Calm Mind, although they do not appreciate Toxic if not carrying Refresh. Kyurem-W and Zekrom are both able to KO Lugia through Multiscale with their abilities, and Tapu Koko can Taunt Lugia to prevent it from recovering or using Toxic and whittle it down with Thunderbolt or Nature's Madness.
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