Pokémon Unite - Lucario build: Best items and moves for Lucario explained

Lucario build: Our recommendations for the best Lucario moveset in Pokémon Unite

Lucario is classified as an All-Rounder in Pokémon Unite, which means, in the terms of offense and endurance, they're considered balanced fighters. When it comes to playing as Lucario, you'll want to capitalise on its high mobility to use fast paced attacks to overwhelm your enemies, score goals or retreat when needed.

While Lucario is a melee focused fighter, you do need to pay attention to the direction of your attacks. It may take you a certain amount of practice before you know how to use all of its attacks to your advantage, but it's definitely worth the work. You certainly don't want to waste a move by sending it in the wrong direction!

Although playing as Lucario doesn't require any evolution in Pokémon Unite, despite it being a second stage evolution, you will still want to spend the opening minutes of a match levelling up as quickly as possible to ensure you've unlocked all of Lucario's special moves. By doing so you're also more likely to unlock the upgraded special moves later on in the match.

When playing as Lucario it's also vital you avoid any Pokémon which can inflict a status effect, especially Alolan Ninetales or Cinderace. These effects can easily destroy Lucario's health, while also making it difficult for you to retreat and heal.

An advantage other players won't have, however, is Lucario's excellent basic attack, which is, currently, one of the best in the game. Not only does it cause a good amount of damage per hit, but, every third attack, it has the added bonus of throwing Pokémon within its area of effect and, in doing so, possibly stun them. This will give you the opportunity to unleash a stronger attack!

As you grow more confident with Lucario, you may also want to add its ability - Steadfast - into your battle strategy. While Steadfast provides you with two good bonuses, it will only be activated if Lucario has low health, so you will have to keep an eye on your health. Ideally, you should use it for retreating purposes, but the shield could also be helpful in fighting Zapdos.

At the beginning of the match, you'll have the choice between Quick Attack and Meteor Mash.

We recommend choosing Quick Attack, because of its shorter cooldown rate and how it can be used to damage multiple Pokémon. The trick to use Quick Attack is to, like many of Lucario's moves, practise lining it up; you'll easily learn how to align Quick Attack, so you can can a number of opponents.

Upon reaching Level 5, you'll need to choose between Extreme Speed and Power-Up Punch.

Here we recommend choosing Power-Up Punch due to the variety of bonuses it offers. This ranges from giving your basic attack a boost and decreasing its own cooldown if the move hits, to dealing an increased amount of damage if its victim's health is already low.

You will need to charge this move to enjoy its full power, which can make it hard to use in a crowded area. Thankfully, this is negated with a bit of practise - especially if you sneak up on your foes - and when the move is upgraded, because you'll become immune to any hindrance when charging Power-Up Punch.

We also recommend Power-Up Punch, because after you've used Aura Cannon - Lucario's Unite Move - the damage dealt by this attack will be increased.

At Level 7, you need to choose between Bone Rush and Close Combat.

We recommend selecting Bone Rush, because, once upgraded, it will reduce the cooldown rate for ExtremeSpeed or Power-Up Punch. This means you can begin an assault with either move, use Bone Rush and then follow up with either ExtremeSpeed or Power-Up Punch - a combo which will cause a great amount of damage to any opponent.

Bone Rush also grants Lucario more control over the battlefield, by allowing you to teleport a short distance and, once you arrive, causing some damage. You can use this final attack to surprise an enemy and, if needed, dodge blows. Again, you may want to practice using Bone Rush to ensure you use this move to its full effect.

Lucario's Unite Move - Aura Cannon - will be unlocked at Level 9.

Aura Cannon is a powerful ranged attack, which deals additional damage to opposing Pokémon within the area of effect. You will have to decide upon the direction of this move, so it's essential you choose wisely or else you'll simply waste this attack.

Best held items for Lucario in Pokémon Unite explained

When it comes to selecting held items for Lucario in Pokémon Unite, you'll want to start by considering items which will increase the amount of damage it deals.

This can be anything from the Scope Lens, which increases critical damage, to the Muscle Band, which is great for boosting Lucario's already useful basic attacks. You might also want to consider the Rocky Helmet, which will damage opposing Pokémon whenever they successfully hit you.

We recommend giving Lucario at least two attack-based items to ensure it's capable of causing as much damage as possible.

For the third and final slot, you should consider selecting a support item, with the exact one you choose depending on your attack strategy for Lucario. If you want to focus on attacking the enemy team, then a healing based item, like the Shell Bell or Focus Band, is a good choice.

If, however, you'd prefer to focus on scoring goals, the Score Shield is an excellent option. This will prevent your scoring efforts from being interrupted by enemy players by providing a shield which is equal to 7.5% of Lucario's max HP.

Best battle items for Lucario in Pokémon Unite explained

Like many fighters in Pokémon Unite, one of the best battle items you can give Lucario is the Eject Button. This will allow you to capitalize on this Pokémon's high mobility, so you can quickly cross the map to either score a final goal or assist a teammate.

If you want a similar effect, but with a smaller cooldown rate, then consider X Speed! The X Attack is also a good option for boosting Lucario's powerful moveset.

Finally, if you're fed up with Lucario becoming a victim to status effects, then try the Full Heal. This item will remove any status condition and, for a short period of time, make you immune to them, so you can either retreat or defeat your opponent.

How to unlock Lucario in Pokémon Unite

To unlock Lucario in Pokémon Unite, you need to purchase its Pokémon license from the Unite Battle Committee.

Lucario's Pokémon license costs either 10,000 Aeos Coins or 575 Aeos Gems.

Have fun using Lucario in Pokémon Unite!