Le blabla des stratèges

Name     Item     Ability     Nature
Anti-Lead
   Focus Sash    Inner Focus    Lonely
Moveset    IVs
~ Close Combat
~ ExtremeSpeed
~ Crunch
~ Counter / Swords Dance
   0 Def
EVs
4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

Lucario's ability to - quite literally - "counter" common leads of OU with its versatility and power makes it a worthwhile lead in the OU metagame. What makes Lucario the ideal Counter lead is not only Inner Focus, but also its immunity to sandstorm and threat of set-up. Your opponent may expect Swords Dance and will likely not wish to allow this setup and greedily attack. While most Focus Sash Pokémon have trouble dealing with instant weather brought on by Tyranitar and Hippowdon, Lucario is immune and can take them out with Counter.

A combination of Close Combat and ExtremeSpeed will 2HKO common suicide leads like Aerodactyl and Infernape. Fake Out won’t even save Infernape from demise due to Inner Focus. Unfortunately, both of these attacks miss the 2HKO on Azelf, and as such, Crunch is the recommended third attacking option. Not only does this round off type coverage, but with it, you are not left hopeless against switch-ins such as the Rotom formes or Cresselia. Counter's main use is against bulky leads such as Bronzong, Metagross, Swampert, and Hippowdon that you normally wouldn't be able to touch, and also various attackers like Flygon, Mamoswine, and Machamp.

A Lonely nature is chosen to maximize damage from Counter, as is the 0 IV in Defense. Max Speed is required to outrun +Speed Heatran and Mamoswine, allowing you to OHKO both with Close Combat before they set up. Other possibilities in the third slot include assorted Hidden Powers; Hidden Power Grass 2HKOes Swampert, while Hidden Power Ice or Electric could be used against Salamence and Gyarados, respectively. Protect is another option to ease prediction with Counter, while Magic Coat can be used to bounce Sleep Powder / Spore back at Roserade and Smeargle respectively. It should be noted, however, the loss of Crunch in the third slot will leave you vulnerable to Ghost-types and Azelf. Swords Dance can also be used as a sort of inverse Counter; while normally bulky leads would have the chance to set up, you can turn the tables and prepare for an early-game sweep. It is recommended that such a choice be replacing Counter to retain type coverage.

This lead can’t deal with Roserade and Smeargle leads as they can put it to sleep with Sleep Powder and Spore respectively, so a sleep absorber, such as Rest + Sleep Talk Gyarados or Rotom-A, is very useful, although they will both take a lot of damage from Leaf Storm. The odd Close Combat / Fire Blast + Vacuum Wave Infernape lead will beat this; therefore Gyarados, Latias, Starmie, and bulky Water-types are good partners to deal with this particular Infernape. Because Jolly Mamoswine can 2HKO Lucario with Earthquake + Ice Shard before being 2HKOed itself, Pokemon such as Bronzong, Gyarados, and Scizor can make nice partners to deal with it. Gyarados and Salamence can switch in and cause problems should your Focus Sash be broken. Therefore, Vaporeon and Suicune can make effective partners to deal with the former, while Swampert can deal with the latter. Magnezone is a nice partner to trap Scizor as well as Metagross trying to finish Lucario off with Bullet Punch, and Dragon Dance Tyranitar and Calm Mind Latias can take advantage of Scizor being taken out. Other Fighting-types, such as Heracross and Infernape, are good options for partners since Anti-Lead Lucario is a great way to scout your opponent's Fighting-type resistances and then concentrate on taking them out, allowing your other Fighting-type to sweep.

Since this lead doesn’t set up Stealth Rock itself, having a Pokemon to set up Stealth Rock once Lucario has done its job is very useful. Heatran, Metagross, and Swampert are good Pokemon to do this.