The Rise & Fall of Mega Lucario in Pokémon GO PvE

Lucario (Mega)

Mega Lucario is the premier Fighting type in Pokémon GO, boasting exceptional damage output and a cool moveset.

Players were hyped by the Mega Lucario Raid Day event as it gave the fan-favorite Pokémon a new tool that made it even stronger than it already was – Force Palm.

Now, while its moveset is indeed great, it is unfortunately a downgrade, thanks to the monumental changes to Raid mechanics. 

How does this all affect Mega Lucario? Let’s explore the meta shifts with regards to this beloved Mega Evolution with this detailed write-up! 

Understanding the move changes

Niantic formally announced the changes to the Raid system and the biggest takeaway from this update is that move durations for both Fast and Charged attacks will be rounded up to the nearest 0.5s multiplier.

There were some other changes in between, but the dedicated researchers at the Silph Road subreddit confirmed, “It wasn’t just a bad dream: the 0.5 second cycle system is here to stay.”

The multipliers for 0.5s are 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and so on. So, if a move lasted 0.9s previously, it will now be slower at 1.0s. Similarly, a previously 0.7s move would be faster at 0.5s.

Note: These changes are exclusive to Raids. 

The curious case of Mega Lucario

Let’s check out how Mega Lucario’s Fast Moves are affected by these 0.5 shenanigans:

Move Damage Energy gain Old duration New duration Old DPS Old EPS New DPS New EPS
Force Palm 9 14 0.90s 1.00s 10.00 15.56 9 14
Counter 12 8 0.90s 1.00s 13.33 8.89 12 8

Counter got gutted by 9.97% in DPS and 10% in EPS. Sadly, Force Palm also faced the axe, leaving it high and dry with a 10% reduction in both DPS and EPS.

Additionally, Lucario’s go-to Charged attack, Aura Sphere, also took a hit.

Move Damage Energy cost Old cooldown New cooldown Old DPS New DPS DPE
Aura Sphere 90 50 1.80s 2.00s 50 45 1.8

Aura Sphere takes longer to deal damage and loses much of its aura, with 5 whole points out of the window for DPS. 10% damage nerf again. Bummer! 😥 

Note that this update eliminates the concept of damage window since the actual damage will now be registered at the stark end of the move duration. The 

The Impact

Force Palm and Aura Sphere are each now 11.11% slower. In other words, Mega Lucario is slower.

With Mega Lucario sporting bulk stats of just 175 Defense and 172 HP, the performance dip is quite significant in the long run.

While Mega Lucario retains its Fighting type throne, it’s a nerfed, toned-down king/queen.

Mega Lucario vs other Fighting types

Judging by the GO Hub Pokémon DPS and TDO Comparer, we end up with the following for a few prominent Fighting types:

Pokémon DPS TDO
Mega Lucario (Force Palm | Aura Sphere) 24.40 680.1
Keldeo (Low Kick | Sacred Sword) 23.29 847.4
Pheromosa (Low Kick | Focus Blast) 22.48 333.4
Terrakion (Double Kick | Sacred Sword) 20.65 664.5
Shadow Conkeldurr (Counter | Dynamic Punch)  19.43 482.1

In a complete sense, Keldeo is the best Fighting type and Terrakion is very reliable. But, these two are Mythical/Legendary, so gathering XL Candy for them is a pain. Not to mention, Keldeo has had extremely limited accessibility and most don’t even have it in their Pokédex.

Mega Lucario, on the other hand (palm?), had insane XL Candy drops during its Raid Day event and many trainers have it maxed out.

Ultimately, Mega Lucario is stellar but it underperforms compared to its old self and can be overtaken by other Fighting types in niche situations.

Parting words

So, is Mega Lucario bad? Absolutely not!

But yes, it will feel a bit clumsy using it in Raids. In this context, you should keep in mind that the best attackers today may not be in their prime forever. Kartana, for example, isn’t really bad but outclassed by cheaper options.

Use invaluable resources like Stardust, Elite TMs, and Candies wisely but at the end of the day, never forget to enjoy the game!

All the best, trainers!

Author & tags

MeteorAsh15
MeteorAsh15https://www.charlieintel.com/author/niladrisarkar/
Niladri Sarkar is a vastly experienced Content Writer who specializes in Pokémon competitive battles, combat mechanics, design, and lore. Having previously worked with reputed organizations like Dexerto and Smogon, Niladri has immense knowledge in Pokémon GO, TCG Pocket, VGC, Unite, and mainline games like Scarlet & Violet. He has been with GO Hub since September 2019 and is known as their resident Dragon Master. You can reach out to Niladri at [email protected].
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