[Overview]
<p>When one thinks of Latios in Ubers, the first thing that comes to mind is power. With a decent 130 Special Attack stat bolstered
further by Soul Dew, Latios possesses the power to break through many of the great walls found in Ubers, such as Giratina. Latios also possesses a great base 110 Speed stat, allowing it to outrun the majority of the Ubers metagame. Finally, Levitate is a great ability that gives Latios immunity to both Ground-type moves as well as Spikes and Toxic Spikes. Latios is not without its faults, however. Pitiful 90 / 80 physical bulk means that even super effective physical attacks that do not get STAB on them will likely OHKO it. Latios also cannot check Kyogre as well as its sister Latias, as a Water Spout from Modest Choice Scarf Kyogre at full health 2HKOes it. Like most fast sweepers, Latios is vulnerable to all forms of status. Finally, Latios does not possess a powerful Fighting- or Fire-type move, meaning that it has to resort to a Hidden Power if it wants to hit Steel-types super-effectively. If it chooses to forgo Hidden Power Fire, it becomes massive Spikes bait for Ferrothorn. Despite these flaws, Latios makes for an excellent wallbreaker due to its power and Speed.</p>
[SET]
name: All-Out Attacker
move 1: Dragon Pulse
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Thunder
move 4: Draco Meteor / Grass Knot
item: Soul Dew
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This Latios set takes advantage of its excellent power, Speed and movepool. With Soul Dew, Latios reaches an impressive 538 Special Attack and makes for a terrific hit-and-run attacker. Latios checks Kyogre and Groudon fairly well due to its Dragon / Psychic typing and
excellent ability, Levitate, and beats almost all Dragons in the tier one-on-one unless they wield a Choice Scarf. Dragon Pulse is Latios's main STAB move and possesses the power to OHKO Palkia and 2HKO Groudon. Psyshock lets Latios deal with Chansey and Blissey, usually 2HKOing Chansey after Stealth Rock and always 2HKOing Blissey. Psyshock also deals with Fighting Arceus and Terrakion.</p>
<p>The last two moves largely depend on what weather you are running. Under the sun, Hidden Power Fire is a terrific option to nail Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Jirachi, Forretress, and Scizor. However, Hidden Power Fire does cause Latios to run 30 Speed EVs, meaning that opposing Latios and offensive Latias will outrun it if they lack a Hidden Power of their own. However, the coverage provided by Hidden Power Fire is usually worth it. If Latios is used on a rain team, Thunder is the preferred option for beating Lugia while potentially spreading paralysis, as Hidden Power Fire is significantly weakened. Thunder still hits some Steel-types such as Jirachi and Heatran for adequate damage, though Latios is completely walled by Ferrothorn in the rain. Draco Meteor is a decent option in the last slot, as it can finish off pokemon that Dragon Pulse cannot, such as support Dialga at 70% health and Latias. However, the Special Attack drop is often unappealing and costs Latios momentum, so Grass Knot can be used in its place. In addition to OHKOing Groudon, Grass Knot deals with Rock Arceus and Ground Arceus (not to mention Water Arceus if you are using Latios on sun teams). Grass Knot can also 2HKO Tyranitar
after Stealth Rock.; which otherwise walls Latios, after Stealth Rock For the most part, Grass Knot does not offer Latios much in the way of coverage as the combination of Dragon Pulse and Psyshock hits most Water- and Ground-type Pokemon hard enough.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Though this set is meant to cause as much immediate damage as possible by using Latios's excellent coverage and power, there are some intriguing non-attacking options at its disposal. Latios can utilize Magic Coat to
combat anti-lead Deoxys-S
as well as screw over status users such as Lugia and support Arceus. Roost is a decent option for replenishing Latios's health, though Latios will not find many opportunities to use it against offensive teams. Roar is a good choice for sets that use Draco Meteor as it prevents Latios from becoming setup bait after the Special Attack drop while racking up hazard damage. Roar is especially useful on teams with a dedicated hazard setter, such as Custap Berry Forretress or Deoxys-S. Finally, Memento can be used to give a sweeper an opportunity to set up. Latios does not have many more appealing options to attack with, though Surf is very usable on rain teams to destroy Heatran and Excadrill while hitting Jirachi harder than Thunder does. Since Surf hits both Ground Arceus and Rock Arceus, it is recommended not to run it alongside Grass Knot on the same set. Though Modest might be tempting for the additional power, Timid is greatly preferred to outrun dangerous threats such as Palkia and Garchomp. The slight drop in power is not nearly as noticeable as the drop in Speed.
<p>Darkrai makes for a good teammate, as it can put
to sleep troublesome pokemon such as Ghost Arceus and bulky Steel-types
to sleep. In return, Latios can handle
the Pokemon that Darkrai struggles with, such as RestTalk Kyogre and Fighting Arceus. Rocky Helmet Skarmory is a neat teammate because it makes revenge killing Latios more difficult for the opponent; Skarmory fares well against Swords Dance Arceus while pressuring repeated U-turns from Genesect. Powerful Ground-type
Pokemon, such as Groudon and Landorus-T, can take many of Latios's checks down in one hit. Groudon is arguably the best choice for this purpose, as it allows Latios to run Hidden Power Fire and deal with some Steel-types itself. Bulky Steel Arceus can handle most
Choice Scarf-wearing dragons, barring Reshiram.</p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse
move 3: Psyshock
move 4: Roost / Hidden Power Fire / Thunder
item: Soul Dew
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set eschews coverage in favor of wallbreaking potential. Though Latios can still be used as a hit-and-run attacker (and will have to be if the opponent has a Genesect), this Latios has the ability to take advantage of switches with Calm Mind. Psyshock and an immunity to Toxic Spikes make Latios a quality Calm Mind user. After a Calm Mind boost or two, Latios has the potential to beat walls it normally has a difficult time bypassing, such as support Arceus
formes and Umbreon. The Special Defense boost also makes Latios incredibly difficult for specially based Choice Scarf users such as Palkia and Kyogre to revenge kill. A +1 Draco Meteor can kill most Arceus formes, though the Special Attack drop will often force Latios to switch out. If the Special Attack drop is unappealing, Dragon Pulse is a reasonable alternative, though the power drop is very noticeable. Psyshock gives Latios the edge in many Calm Mind wars, notably against Calm Mind Arceus formes and Kyogre. Roost is preferred in the final slot to give Latios staying power and potentially sweep, though Latios does not possess great coverage with its two STAB moves. Hidden Power Fire and Thunder are alternatives if coverage is more important to Latios than recovery.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Other coverage moves are usable in the fourth slot, such as Surf and Grass Knot, but these don't offer Latios desirable coverage in comparison to Hidden Power Fire or Thunder. To support Calm Mind Latios, physically defensive Wobbuffet can be used to dispose of many physical Choice Scarf users such as Zekrom and Garchomp. Sadly, it cannot deal with Genesect. Again, Rocky Helmet Skarmory makes for an excellent teammate to prevent Genesect from using U-turn repeatedly. Latios also enjoys Pokemon that can destroy Steel-types, such as Earth Plate Groudon and Reshiram. In return, Latios fares well versus Kyogre and Water Arceus. Other Pokemon that can beat Steel-types, such as Fighting Arceus, are useful as teammates, though Latios does not cover Fighting Arceus's weaknesses very well. Finally, all status cripples Latios, so a cleric is appreciated if your team can afford to run one.</p>
[SET]
name: Speed Booster
move 1: Tailwind / Dragon Dance
move 2: Draco Meteor / Dragon Pulse
move 3: Psyshock
move 4: Thunder / Hidden Power Fire
item: Soul Dew
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set plays similarly to the all-out attacker, but with a twist. Due to Latios's already high Speed, the fact that Tailwind doubles its Speed ensures that no Choice Scarf user can outspeed and revenge kill it. Tailwind also gives one of Latios's teammates an opportunity to clean up if Latios falls before the Tailwind peters out. The moves are simple: use Draco Meteor for power, Psyshock for Chansey and Blissey, and Hidden Power Fire or Thunder for coverage. Dragon Pulse can be used over Draco Meteor for consistency.</p>
<p>Alternatively, Latios can use Dragon Dance as the boost in Speed does not disappear until Latios either switches out or faints. Dragon Dance gives Latios a better chance to clean by itself, but does not support the rest of the team should Latios fail to sweep. For this reason, Tailwind is often the better choice, especially on hyper offense teams.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This Latios prefers to be on teams with heavy offensive pressure, as Tailwind lasts only a few turns. Choice Specs Kyogre, Rayquaza, and Life Orb Ho-Oh all make for excellent partners for Latios as they love the added Speed which Tailwind grants them. Latios cannot check Kyogre by itself, so Grass Arceus is a solid teammate
, as it removes some pressure off Latios to deal with Kyogre. Latios can afford to run some bulk to help out against Kyogre
due to the fact that Tailwind will allow it to outrun the entire metagame
, despite the loss in Speed EVs
;, though at least 176 Speed should be run to outrun Palkia
, however. Like the other sets, Latios still appreciates support from Fighting-types such as Terrakion and Arceus-Fighting to remove Steel-types.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Light Screen
move 2: Reflect
move 3: Draco Meteor / Roost
move 4: Memento
item: Light Clay
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Latios's typing, ability, high base Speed, and access to Memento enable it to distinguish
itself as an exceptionally talented dual screen user. Light Screen and Reflect enable Latios to cushion both it and its team from the enemies' attacks for eight turns. With Memento in his arsenal, Latios can sacrifice himself to lower the offensive stats of an enemy even further, allowing a teammate a free switch-in. The third moveslot choice depends on what the team needs. If Latios's only goal is to cripple an opponent, Draco Meteor lets it do heavy damage before lowering its attacking stats. In addition, Draco Meteor prevents Latios from being destroyed by Taunt and stops Rayquaza from setting up on him. Alternatively, Latios can easily set up screens more than once a match, and Roost enables it to heal himself to do so even more reliably.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The listed EV spread allows Latios to avoid a 2HKO on average from Timid Choice Scarf Palkia's Spacial Rend after Light Screen, and Speed tie with other Latios and Latias. If one feels that these Pokemon are simply too uncommon and wishes to increase Latios's bulk, a spread of 252 HP / 64 SpD / 192 Spe lets it outrun all non-Choice Scarf Garchomp, while 252 HP/ 160 SpD / 96 Spe enables it to outspeed all base
90 Speed Pokemon while retaining a fairly high amount of special bulk.</p>
<p>
Latios can run moves besides Draco Meteor, or use a healing move for team support. Latios has other options outside of Draco Meteor and Roost if more team support is needed. Thunder Wave enables Latios to further cripple his enemies by cutting their Speed and the chance of full paralysis can even help his teammates get an extra boost. Tailwind enables Latios to double the Speed of his team. In particular, it can be used in conjunction with Memento for a teammate to take advantage of the boosts to both bulk and Speed. Finally, Latios can run Dragon Pulse as an option for
a more reliable STAB. However, Dragon Pulse is fairly weak and incapable of breaking even the Substitutes of a 252 / 0 Ho-Oh or Lugia.</p>
<p>As Latios's main purpose is to help a teammate sweep, it is a good idea to pair it up with stat-boosting teammates, such as Dragon Dance Rayquaza and Shell Smash Cloyster. In particular, Latios enjoys support from Mew and Gorebyss. They are capable of easily accumulating many boosts to pass to a teammate, who can further use the protection provided by dual screens to pave the way for a bulky sweep.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Hidden Power Fighting hits Heatran fairly hard in any weather, 2HKOing offensive and physically defensive variants, while 3HKOing specially defensive Heatran. It is also Latios's best option against Tyranitar, though it will not even come close to OHKOing it. However, Latios is usually better off with Hidden Power Fire, especially on sun teams. Hidden Power Ground OHKOs Heatran, but has little use outside of that. Thunder Wave and Toxic
can be used to cripple walls such as Lugia, but Latios doesn't really have room for them and is better off attacking. A Choice Scarf set might seem intriguing at first, but without Soul Dew
, Latios will dish out disappointing damage while easily succumbing to both physical and special attacks. Latios does have access to Trick, so a Choice Scarf set can cripple an unsuspecting check such as Heatran. Thunderbolt might seem useful on sun teams to hit Lugia and Water-type pokemon, but in reality Thunderbolt is a terrible move
in Ubers due to its low Base Power and average coverage; in addition, Draco Meteor outdamages Thunderbolt in almost all cases, bar against Gyarados. Psycho Shift is a very gimmicky move that seemingly solves Latios's problem with status moves
, but in reality, ; however, it is really situational and rarely worth the moveslot.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Specially defensive Jirachi in rain fares very well against Latios, as neither of its STAB moves will bother Jirachi much and Hidden Power Fire's power is weakened by rain. Jirachi can retaliate in return by crippling Latios with status. Thunder does 3HKO it while having a 30% chance to paralyze, so Jirachi is far from a hard counter. Dark Arceus gives Latios a lot of trouble, as it can
use Recover to negate damage from Draco Meteor
damage and retaliate with a super effective Judgment.
Ghost Arceus also behaves similarly, but has to beware of Psyshock. Dark Arceus does not care about the Calm Mind variant either, as it can set up Calm Mind alongside it and is immune to Psyshock. Steel Arceus fares very well in rain, as it resists Latios's main STAB moves and avoids a 2HKO from rain-boosted Surf. Steel Arceus must be wary of Thunder paralysis and cannot effectively check Latios in sunlight if it carries Hidden Power Fire. Ferrothorn is similar to Steel Arceus in that it resists Latios's STAB moves, but Hidden Power Fire will take away half of Ferrothorn's life
, even under rain, so it must be
wary of switching directly into Latios
; that said, even though Leech Seed and Protect can stall Latios out
should Ferrothorn get in safely. Under sunlight, Heatran fares very well against Latios, fearing nothing except for the rare Hidden Power Fighting. Due to its lack of reliable recovery, however, Heatran cannot repeatedly come in on Draco Meteor if Stealth Rock is up; outside of sunlight, it must be wary of Surf as well. Tyranitar can trap Latios with Pursuit, though it does not enjoy switching into Grass Knot.
Calm Mind Ghost Arceus can Recover off Draco Meteor damage from the all-out attacking set, while setting up alongside the Calm Mind set. A +1 Psyshock will do over 50% to it, however. Choice Scarf users generally do a good job revenge killing Latios. Genesect deserves a special mention as it OHKOes Latios after a Download boost with U-turn, while giving momentum to your opponent's team should you switch Latios out of the U-turn. Scizor also gives Latios trouble, as it can trap Latios with Pursuit or outright OHKO it with U-turn. Choice Band Bullet Punch will deal massive damage to Latios as well, though it falls short of an OHKO. Scizor and Genesect need to avoid switching into Hidden Power Fire though. Choice Scarf Dragons such as Zekrom, Rayquaza, and Palkia can OHKO Latios, though the latter needs Draco Meteor to do so even after Stealth Rock. Giratina-O and Swords Dance Arceus can pick off weakened Latios with Shadow Sneak and ExtremeSpeed, respectively.</p>
<p>If Stealth Rock is off the opponent's side of the field, Latios becomes vulnerable to Lugia and Ho-Oh. Lugia can take any of Latios's attacks if
Multiscale is intact, including Thunder, while retaliating with Toxic. Lugia does need to watch out for Magic Coat, though. Life Orb and Choice Band variants of Ho-Oh are not OHKOed by any of Latios's attacks and can OHKO back with Brave Bird. Ho-Oh cannot safely switch in, though, even if Stealth Rock is not up. Deoxys-Defense is another Pokemon that appreciates a hazardless field, as Deoxys is guaranteed to survive two consecutive Draco Meteors at full health, but may fall if Stealth Rock is up.</p>
