Lycanroc Movesets & Competitive Sets

Set Details Close Combat hits Steel-types like Copperajah and Stakataka and is the strongest neutral attack for most Ground-types. Psychic Fangs nails Fighting-types like Passimian and Toxicroak. Otherwise, Accelerock is great for finishing sweeps even when sand expires. Life Orb is necessary for wallbreaking: with it, Lycanroc OHKOes Copperajah and 2HKOes Vaporeon. Gigalith and Sandslash complete a sand team core along with Lycanroc. Gigalith also provides Stealth Rock, and Sandslash is used to sweep alongside Lycanroc as they both wear down shared checks like Mudsdale and Vaporeon. Pivots help bring Lycanroc in safely after sand is set, so try the likes of offensive ones like Decidueye and Rotom-C as well as defensive examples such as Talonflame, Xatu, and Alolan Exeggutor. Decidueye and Alolan Exeggutor are also great at breaking holes in the opponent’s defenses so that Lycanroc may sweep, while the other three are necessary for when Lycanroc is forced out by a healthy Ground-type. The former two pivots also help against Fighting-types, as otherwise Lycanroc requires significant chip damage before it can take out Passimian with Psychic Fangs.

Moves Brick Break targets Steel-types like Aggron, Alolan Sandslash, and Ferroseed, OHKOing the former two and doing a considerable amount of damage to the latter at +2. Fire Fang is also an option that reliably OHKOes Ferroseed at +2 in addition to Alolan Sandslash so that Lycanroc is not required to spend its Z-Move. Accelerock is used to threaten the few Pokemon capable of outspeeding Lycanroc, picking off foes such as Choice Scarf Swanna and Dodrio. Set Details Lycanium Z gives Lycanroc an incredibly powerful nuke to bust past some of its would-be checks such as Jellicent and Lurantis. Steadfast gives Lycanroc a +1 Speed boost when flinched by Kangaskhan's Fake Out. Usage Tips Lycanroc should be used primarily as a late-game sweeper utilizing its combination of a one-time nuke, priority, and coverage to clean up weakened teams. If the opposing team has a hard counter like Gurdurr, try to pressure and eliminate it before attempting to sweep. Lycanroc's Z-Move is fully accurate whereas Stone Edge is not, so if a sweep relies on landing Stone Edge, make sure your other moves such as Brick Break and Accelerock won't already KO a foe before using it. Team Options Strong special attackers such as Haunter and Swanna are great teammates for breaking common checks to Lycanroc like Mudsdale and Gurdurr. Checks to Fighting-type Pokemon are also useful for taking Mach Punches from the likes of Gurdurr and Hitmonchan, which are commonly used to revenge kill Lycanroc. Pokemon like Jellicent and Ferroseed are great for sponging Water- or Grass-attacks aimed at Lycanroc and can do a good job wearing down Pokemon with status or entry hazards so that Lycanroc can sweep. Finally, Choice Scarf users such as Primeape and Rotom-F and can more effectively sweep late-game thanks to Lycanroc's ability to remove foes such as Oricorio-E and Cryogonal, and Rotom-F can threaten defensive behemoths that can wall Lycanroc like Mudsdale and Tangela.

Moves Accelerock is used for threatening Pokemon capable of outspeeding Lycanroc such as Floatzel and for picking off faster foes such as Choice Scarf Swanna and Scyther. Toxic punishes bulky foes that can take Stone Edge such as Regirock, Mudsdale, Torterra, and Gastrodon by putting them on a timer. Toxic also allows Lycanroc to punish setup sweepers like Carracosta. Similarly, Taunt shuts down defensive Pokemon such as Regirock, preventing it from setting up entry hazards, while also disabling other status moves like Silvally-Fairy's Defog and Audino's Wish and Toxic. Set Details Lycanium Z turns Stone Edge into a powerful nuke that allows Lycanroc to break through Pokemon like Alolan Sandslash that would otherwise be able to remove its entry hazards. Steadfast allows Lycanroc to gain a +1 Speed boost on a Fake Out from Kangaskhan. Usage Tips Lycanroc can find wallbreaking opportunities mid- to late-game against offensive and balanced teams once it has set up Stealth Rock and its checks like Gurdurr, Mudsdale, and Claydol have been either severely crippled or weakened. Wallbreaking shouldn't be Lycanroc's main priority, though; it should aim to set up Stealth Rock and check Pokemon like Simisear before it starts looking for wallbreaking opportunities. The optimal time for Lycanroc to set up Swords Dance or Stealth Rock is against a Pokemon that it threatens out like Scyther and Dodrio. However, if you expect a bulky foe like Torterra or Regirock to come in, you should use Toxic to wear it down. Lycanroc should use Accelerock to hit faster Pokemon like Choice Scarf Swanna and revenge kill a +1 Speed Jynx. Lastly, Lycanroc should try to preserve its Z-Move for a scenario where it needs to OHKO a Pokemon that Stone Edge would miss out on or when it needs to break through a Pokemon like Regirock for a teammate instead of wasting it early-game. Team Options Lycanroc fits best on teams that require an offensive entry hazard setter and a way of keeping faster foes such as Simisear in check. Pokemon that appreciate entry hazard support like Silvally-Fairy, Primeape, and Kangaskhan make for good partners, as chip damage allows them to break through bulky foes more easily. Wallbreakers such as Jellicent and Drampa can aid Lycanroc in breaking down bulky Pokemon like Regirock and Sableye, while Lycanroc can break down Eelektross and Clefairy for them. Drampa is also able to pivot into Water- and Grass-type attacks from Pokemon like Ludicolo and Victreebel for Lycanroc. Lycanroc appreciates entry hazard support and completes a potent offensive core with Qwilfish. Qwilfish is also able to check Fighting-types like Hitmonchan and Gurdurr for Lycanroc and can set up Toxic Spikes to wear down foes like Regirock more easily for Lycanroc.