Electric-types in RU

By Oathkeepre. Released: 2021/06/22.
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Electric-types in RU art

Art by tiki.

Introduction

Do you hear that? That buzzing sound? No, it's not a nearby Bug-type using Bug Buzz. It is the sound of flowing electricity in the RU community! Why's that? Because RU has some winners when it comes to Electric-types and it's one of the more commonly used types. Among them being a dog, some wires, and a lizard. Each have their own merits and perks, but as with anything, they do have their downsides. The biggest one of all being that they all had a precious gift stolen from them this generation, Hidden Power. That's not to say that any of them don't have a way to handle their biggest enemy, Ground-types! Let's explore these Electric-types, shall we?

Electric-type #1: Raikou

Raikou

What we have here is somewhat of a standard attacking set for Raikou. It loves to feast on arguably the metagame's most commonly used Pokémon, Togekiss. Fun fact: this set is by far the best offensive check to Nasty Plot variants. Raikou can spread Toxic to its checks like Dhelmise, Seismitoad, and Gastrodon or hit its checks with coverage moves and wear down opposing teams over time. Volt Switch lets it pivot on Grass-types like Zarude, Roserade, and Dhelmise, as well as specially bulky foes like Snorlax and Assault Vest Reuniclus, while Thunderbolt halts Water-types like Milotic, Suicune, and Volcanion that freely run around. Even other threats like Togekiss and Tornadus, which can stand in the way of teams, just get obliterated by Thunderbolt. As far as coverage goes, Aura Sphere deals decent damage to Zarude, which would otherwise laugh at any move Raikou throws at it, including Toxic that Zarude can remove with Jungle Healing. Since Hidden Power was removed this generation, Raikou lost any hope of a Grass-type move, but it was granted Scald as a consolation gift for its troubles. While Scald cannot hit Water-immune Ground-types like Seismitoad and Gastrodon, it hits threats like Steelix and Rhyperior and potentially burns them. Toxic punishes the former two Water / Ground foes, along with other foes like Porygon2 and Grass-types not named Roserade and Vileplume.

Raikou

Raikou's Speed tier puts it at one of the highest in the RU metagame, so why wouldn't it want to sweep, right? Calm Mind boosts its already good Special Attack and Special Defense and puts more pressure on threats like Rhyperior and Darmanitan to take it down with their STAB moves. Thankfully, this is where Substitute comes in. It can take the place of Scald and give Raikou more opportunities to set up. Combine this with its ability, Pressure, and slower Pokémon will find it even more annoying to take down Raikou. While the moves in the set are utilized commonly and recommended, it's possible to throw in a move like Extrasensory to hit Roserade and Dragalge or Shadow Ball to hit Celebi and catch them off guard. Raikou can also set up with Calm Mind to minimize damage taken from these threats and then retaliate. While this set does look good on paper, it does come with flaws. Calm Mind Raikou has a hard time breaking through Grass-types and Water / Ground types like Gastrodon and Seismitoad, is vulnerable to entry hazards, and requires Toxic Spikes support. Grass-types and foes like Gastrodon and Seismitoad need to be severely weakened so that Raikou can easily pick them off with one of its moves after a Calm Mind boost. Removal of entry hazards, especially Toxic Spikes, is necessary to prevent Raikou from being worn down during set up, especially if it is running Substitute. Galarian Weezing works very well as a partner, providing entry hazard control with Defog support and Toxic Spikes. It also functions as a Ground immunity and check to Zarude for Raikou. Speaking of Zarude, the monkey is a great way to handle Gastrodon. It will never be able to survive a Power Whip. Did I mention that Zarude also pivots on Togekiss and lets Raikou zap it into oblivion? Well, it does!

Electric-type #2: Toxtricity

Toxtricity

Rock on, lizard, rock on! Thanks to Punk Rock, moves like Overdrive and Boomburst get a 30% boost in power. Choice Specs combined with a Modest nature makes this lizard a dominant threat. Even common switch-ins to it like Steelix and Rhyperior are 3HKOed by Boomburst. These are just a couple of reasons why Toxtricity is a menace in RU. It puts many threats in mind games in terms of what it'll do. For instance, do you have anything that can reliably eat up a Boomburst? How about something like a Rhyperior or Steelix to prevent a Volt Switch and stop some other dangerous wallbreakers from coming in? These are the things to consider when it's on the field. Volt Switch pressures the opponent into bringing in a Ground-type that Boomburst heavily damages. Snarl is a nice coverage move that hits Dhelmise, Alolan Marowak, and Golurk, which resist or are immune to Overdrive and Boomburst. If Toxtricity wants coverage for Fairy-types, STAB Sludge Bomb can be used in the last slot. In short, you better take a very good look at your team, decide what's needed and what's not, and hope and pray that you come out the winner of the mind game!

Toxtricity

This set turns Toxtricity into a setup sweeper utilizing Shift Gear. After one boost, Shift Gear allows Toxtricity to outspeed Choice Scarf users like Zarude and Mienshao. This set carries Drain Punch, which hits Steel- and Rock-types like Stakataka that can handle Toxtricity's special attacks. This is also why Mild nature is used. Life Orb provides a damage boost and prevents Toxtricity from being Choice locked; however, Throat Spray is an alternative that gives a similar boost in power to Choice Specs, along with the freedom to switch moves.

In terms of being more valuable, the Choice Specs set has more merit due to the immediate power it provides. Not to mention that the Shift Gear set does not let Toxtricity hit Ghost-types, unlike the Choice Specs set. The residual damage from Life Orb is also not wanted despite the freedom to switch moves; while the power boost does help Toxtricity force out threats like Noivern and Zarude, it is put into KO range after one or two rounds of Life Orb recoil. Throat Spray is a one-time use item and goes away upon Toxtricity leaving the field which makes it not as splashable as Choice Specs. The Shift Gear set is generally used on screens-based hyper offensive teams, while the Choice Specs set can fit on balance and bulky offensive teams.

Long story short, Toxtricity is easily the strongest wallbreaker in the tier thanks to Punk Rock-boosted Boomburst. The one flaw Toxtricity has, however, is the fact that it's the slowest of the offensive Electric-types. This, in turn, means it can suffer at the hands of Nasty Plot Togekiss and its annoying Air Slash + Flamethrower combination. Toxtricity is also vulnerable to entry hazards. All entry hazards, save for Toxic Spikes, shorten its longevity and prevent it from doing its job of punching huge holes in the opposing team. Plus, if it's worn down enough, Toxtricity will have have less opportunities to be a problem. Threats like Noivern can simply drop a Draco Meteor on it and get rid of it after one or two rounds of Stealth Rock damage. This is why Toxtricity really relies on entry hazard control from teammates like Wish + Defog Togekiss to keep it healthy.

Electric-type #3: Xurkitree

Xurkitree

This set of wires has a ridiculously high Special Attack and uses that to annihilate its Ground-type checks in Rhyperior and Seismitoad, albeit with some slight prediction due to the lovely Choice Scarf it goes into battle with. This makes Xurkitree a very good late-game cleaner. However, its bulk is not exactly something to write home about, since it can easily be forced out and lose momentum. Xurkitree's coverage is nearly perfect, with only specially defensive Pokémon like Porygon2, Snorlax, Assault Vest Reuniclus, and the occasional Lightning Rod Alolan Marowak being able to withstand it. Dazzling Gleam handles threats like Regidrago and Zarude, which resist Xurkitree's other moves. Other than that, Xurkitree, like its other Electric-type brethren, thrives in an RU metagame where bulky Water- and Flying-types like Togekiss, Noivern, and Crobat are common.

Xurkitree

Xurkitree can sport Heavy-Duty Boots to give it the freedom to switch moves and set itself apart from Raikou by having better coverage and an insanely superior base Special Attack stat of 173. However, this means that Xurkitree loses out on the extra Speed that Choice Scarf provides, so faster Electric-immune and -resistant foes like Flygon, Zarude, and Roserade can force it out. It also means that manually switching into Nasty Plot Togekiss may be problematic with Xurkitree's mediocre bulk. Xurkitree can go two different ways in terms of Grass coverage. Grass Knot deals more damage to heavier foes like Steelix, while Energy Ball is more consistent and erases foes like Gastrodon, Seismitoad, and Diancie. Other than that, all the other attacks are similar to the Choice Scarf set in terms of coverage. One nice thing about this set, however, is that it can give Xurkitree more leeway, letting it Volt Switch consistently and not take entry hazard damage. Lightning Rod Alolan Marowak is the only Pokémon that can truly wall both sets, since it is immune to Electric and resists all other moves.

Conclusion

I won't sugarcoat it, Electric-types are very good in the RU metagame right now and are always something to pay attention to and think about when teambuilding. Each Electric-type has their own way to beat Ground-types, whether it be Scald from Raikou, Punk Rock-boosted Boomburst from Toxtricity, or Energy Ball and Grass Knot from Xurkitree. However, like with anything, there are downsides. Grass-types like Zarude, Celebi, and even Dhelmise are starting to become more common. But, all of these Electric-types can Volt Switch on such threats and bring in a teammate to handle them!

HTML by Ryota Mitarai.
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