Volkner & Luxray introduce the new Terrain mechanic with their Electric Terrain. While they’re the only pairs that benefit from it currently, chances are Volkner & Luxray will be a staple for Electric sync teams. The pair’s versatile sync grid allows them to function best as secondary offense or defense, depending on which tiles you take.
The best sync grid build for Volkner & Luxray would be to go for Electric Terrain MP Refresh, and focus a build towards Wild Charge or Thunder Fang.
Sync Grid Builds
At sync level 2, Swift Sparking Bite (2/5) picks up all of the refreshes for a versatile build whether you need to deal damage or inflict a condition. Stunning High Voltage (3/5) is two offensive variations depending on if you want to use Thunder Fang or Wild Charge. Defensive Charge (3/5) makes Luxray into a good secondary tank that paralyzes and flinches opponents with his passive skills.
Universal Upgrades
- HP +10
- Attack +10
- Defense +5
- Sp. Def +10
- Speed +10
- Electric Terrain MP Refresh 2
Since the builds are so varied, there is only one skill that is universal: Electric Terrain MP Refresh 2. Many of Luxray’s abilities rely on Electric Terrain being active, so being able to use it as many times as possible is critical to Luxray’s effectiveness. Like the grid tiles, each build wants a different lucky skill.
Swift Sparking Bite Build (Sync Level 2/5)
Total Sync Orb Cost: 750
Total Energy Used: 60
Unique Upgrades:
- HP +10
- Attack +5
- Thunder Fang Power +4
- Thunder Fang Move Gauge Refresh 3
- Wild Charge Power +3
- Wild Charge Move Gauge Refresh 3
- Make Some Sparks! MP Refresh 2
- Power Induction 3
- Turbo Charge 2
Recommended Lucky Skill:
Defense Crush 2, Fast Track 2
At sync level 2, Volkner & Luxray do not have access to the damage-reducing and healing tiles that are needed for tanking. Instead, the build focuses on a nimble tech role, grabbing refresh tiles for all moves.
Picking up both Thunder Fang Move Gauge Refresh 3 and Wild Charge Move Gauge Refresh 3 gives you options whether you want to use the cheaper status-changing attack or a more powerful punch.
Make Some Sparks! MP Refresh 2 is best to add an additional stack of Attack boosts and more importantly to make Luxray’s next attack a critical hit. It is better to use the guaranteed critical hit on the stronger Wild Charge.
When the field is Electric Terrain, Turbo Charge 2 will speed up the move gauge regen and Power Induction 3 will power up moves.
For a lucky skill, Defense Crush 2 and Fast Track 2 will work equally well. Defense Crush 2 has a chance to lower the target’s Defense with each successful attack and Fast Track 2 may raise Luxray’s Speed after an attack. Which one you choose depends on what your team composition is.
Stunning High Voltage Build (Sync Level 3/5)
Total Sync Orb Cost: 750
Total Energy Used: 60
Unique Upgrades:
- HP +10
- Attack +5
- Thunder Fang Power +4
- Wild Charge Power +3
- Paralysis Synergy 2
- Power Induction 3
- Standfast 5
TF:
Thunder Fang Power +4
Thunder Fang Move Gauge Refresh 3
Recommended Lucky Skill:
Defense Crush 2, Fast Track 2
WC:
Defense +5
Turbo Charge 2 or Make Some Sparks! MP Refresh 2
Recommended Lucky Skill:
Critical Strike 2
The two variations here change depending on which attack you plan on using more: Thunder Fang or Wild Charge. Using Thunder Fang lends itself to status infliction and Wild Charge focuses on damage output.
Both variations pick up several skills to increase Luxray’s damage. Paralysis Synergy 2 will power up moves when the target is paralyzed. Even if using Wild Charge, start with a Thunder Fang or leave paralysis to another sync pair. Power Induction 3 boosts the power of moves when the field is Electric Terrain. Standfast 5 is more relevant for Wild Charge because it reduces the amount of recoil damage when using the attack.
When primarily using Thunder Fang, the build picks up its Move Gauge Refresh 3 to reduce Luxray’s move gauge burden. With continual quick attacks, the lucky skills Defense Crush 2 or Fast Track 2 will potentially lower the target’s Defense or raise Luxray’s Speed after a successful attack.
Wild Charge needs three bars on the move gauge, so this variation picks up Turbo Charge 2 to quickly charge the move gauge. This assumes that another sync pair will be able to raise Luxray’s critical-hit rate to +3 for guaranteed criticals. If you don’t need to speed up the gauge, grabbing Make Some Sparks! MP Refresh 2 for better Attack and another guaranteed critical hit is better suited for you. Either way, the lucky skill Critical Strike 2 is best to boost damage.
Defensive Charge Build (Sync Level 3/5)
Total Sync Orb Cost: 750
Total Energy Used: 60
Unique Upgrades:
- Defense +20
- Thunder Fang Move Gauge Refresh 3
- Make Some Sparks! MP Refresh 2
- Electrorepulsion 3
- First Aid 4
- Shock Recovery 1
Recommended Lucky Skill:
Vigilance
Sacrificing damage, building Volkner & Luxray defensively means using Thunder Fang primarily to either inflict paralysis or cause the opponent to flinch. They are best suited to be second in the team tactics due to their poor defenses where they’ll shield the fragile Striker after the primary tank goes down.
Grabbing Thunder Fang Move Gauge Refresh 3 reduces the move’s cost by having a chance to restore one bar on the move gauge after each successful attack. Make Some Sparks! MP Refresh 2 will raise Luxray’s Attack by +1 and ensure his next attack is a critical hit, but if it is used in an Electric Terrain, it will raise every ally’s Accuracy by +1. This is very helpful for Strikers with a powerful, but inaccurate attack.
Luxray is incapable of improving his own defenses, but Electrorepulsion 3 will reduce the damage taken by an opponent’s attack when the field is Electric Terrain. Shock Recovery 1 also depends on Electric Terrain being active. It will restore a little bit of Luxray’s HP when he successfully attacks. Finally, First Aid 4 will heal 40% of Luxray’s HP when it is low.
If another sync pair raises Luxray’s defenses, Vigilance is the recommended lucky skill because it will prevent critical hits from cutting through the elevated defenses.