Riolu (Swords Dance) [QC: 0/3]

[rolen120]

Current Riolu

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Copycat
move 3: Drain Punch
move 4: Crunch / Shadow Claw
item: Eviolite
ability: Prankster
nature: Adamant / Relaxed
evs: 196 Atk / 116 Def / 196 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

• Changes Riolu from being a supporter or revenge killer into a deadly late game sweeper
• After one swords dance Riolu hits an astounding attack of 34 allowing it to OHKO a significant portion of the metagame
• It can be extremely hard to set up because of Riolu's subpar speed and it must use Swords Dance using Drain Punch
• Because of the low HP stat Drain Punch can recover very large portions of HP, especially after a Swords Dance
• The EVs give it max attack while still trying to maintain some bulk
• Swords Dance is self explanatory, it gives Riolu a way to boost its attack to amazing levels
• Copycat allows Riolu to make use of its nifty ability, prankster, and can copy the last attack now as a priority attack
• Drain Punch is the main offensive move because it packs a huge punch (no pun intended) after stab and swords dance PLUS it heals half the damage dealt
• Crunch gives the set coverage against ghost types and Shadow Claw is listed solely for being able to hit Crogunk for at least neutral damage while still keeping the set's coverage
  

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

• You could invest into speed and lose some bulk in order to start using Drain Punch easier
• Relaxed can be used over adamant for a speed drop but allows for more power when using copycat on special moves
• You can mess with the IVs in order to choose the type of hidden power if it were to copy it
• Pursuit users work hand in hand with Riolu because they get rid of the pesky ghosts and possibly any bulky psychic-types they have

Why this set deserves a spot on the site
Before the discovery of Swords Dance Riolu, I had never seen any sort of offensive Riolu. This set has swept teams when I tried it. Most people see a Riolu and assume a spikes team with a Roar+Copycat but get confused when it comes out without any spikes or rocks up. Then they still assume a roar and don't switch while you just set up a Swords Dance and then start punching holes into their team.

 

[Electrolyte]

The set on site right now is actually an offensive one; Roar is only mentioned in AC. Just saying.

Now, this seems like a cool idea, but is it really worth a set? Like, what does is beat that Priolu doesn't? Grimer and Foongus still wall it to hell and back, and you can't even use Protect to scout Spore and shut down Foongus / Shroomish anymore. Murkrow, Misdreavus, and Abra all still counter it, since they can come in as you set up and KO / cripple you.

I think this set definitely relies on the surprise factor. Since Riolu tends to force switches, it can seize the opportunity to set up and then start attacking. Be sure to mention this in the set comments. However, the catch is, things that can come in as you Swords Dance and defeat you will always force you out, and things that wall you will also always still wall you.

Logs? I will be sure to test this myself. Seems pretty cool.

 

[rolen120]

The set on site right now is actually an offensive one; Roar is only mentioned in AC. Just saying.

Now, this seems like a cool idea, but is it really worth a set? Like, what does is beat that Priolu doesn't? Grimer and Foongus still wall it to hell and back, and you can't even use Protect to scout Spore and shut down Foongus / Shroomish anymore. Murkrow, Misdreavus, and Abra all still counter it, since they can come in as you set up and KO / cripple you.

I think this set definitely relies on the surprise factor. Since Riolu tends to force switches, it can seize the opportunity to set up and then start attacking. Be sure to mention this in the set comments. However, the catch is, things that can come in as you Swords Dance and defeat you will always force you out, and things that wall you will also always still wall you.

Logs? I will be sure to test this myself. Seems pretty cool.

The set on site lacks swords dance and its more based around revenge killing not full out sweeping

I wouldn't exactly say riolu forces switches, if someone predicts a roar+copycat set which is still about the most common, switching is a dumb idea because you would just be forced to switch again. They usually sit there and fire off whatever they have expecting roar.

It is still very much a late game sweeper when threats like foongus, grimer, and the like are damaged. Another thing to note is that I failed to mention how important drain punches healing is.

I find it somewhat similar to scarfcross in UU, when the right threats are taken down it is almost unstoppable, but as long as they stand they will stop you

 

[Electrolyte]

Yeah ok if that's the case then I don't think this deserves a set. The set on site is just as good at cleaning as it is revenge killing; in a large amount of my matches a simple revenge kill easily snowballs into a full out sweep even without a power boost.

My point is, Riolu doesn't need Swords Dance to sweep; Protect / Copycat / Drain Punch / Crunch is all it really needs to beat down on it's opponents. Swords Dance is in no way a bad idea, but it is really outclassed by Protect, which can scout support moves / last ditch efforts such as Murkrow's Brave Bird. You can boost your power, sure, but I doubt the long term effect is going to be very different if everything either walls or doesn't wall you anyway. Take away the walls of Priolu and it too can sweep.

The only significant difference between this set and Priolu is the toss up between Protect and Swords Dance. You're right; Protect is more suited towards revenge killing and possibly support, and SD is more suited towards late game cleaning, but you have to keep in mind that it is only marginally better and doing this, and therefore is quite outclassed by Protect. Riolu's ability to clean up is not because of Swords Dance; it is because it has good initial power, bulk, and an insane priority move that hits at 112.5 BP after STAB AND heals it. Swords Dance only boosts it's efficiency by making its attacks a bit stronger but honestly the damage difference is quite small, and most things are still OHKOd / 2HKOd. At the cost of such a small difference in damage rolls is the loss of your ability to scout for even stronger moves and a lot more reliability when it comes to revenge killing.

I'll leave it up to QC to finalize but I'd probably put SD in AC of Priolu over Protect or into OO with it's cousin, Bulk Up.

 

[iss]

Yeah, unless you can provide replays of this working, I'll probably have to reject it. Electrolyte basically covered everything I was going to say.

 

[rolen120]

I do actually have a replay here, but you're all right, it doesn't exactly need the boost to sweep. currently it doesn't mention swords dance, but it does mention bulk up :L we should probably update the current analyses to include swords dance in the other options.

 

[iss]

I added this to Other Options:

Riolu gets Swords Dance, which can be used to pull off a surprise sweep with Copycat to deal with Riolu's abysmal Speed.

It will appear onsite shortly.

 

[Oglemi]

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