
QC: erisia / Hootie (Threw - Not official) / (Punchshroom - not official) , ~Eternally, Final Thoughts by boltsandbombers
GP: The Dutch Plumberjack (Sobi - amcheck) / P Squared
[OVERVIEW]
Electivire is well known for its wide movepool allowing it to hit most Pokemon for super effective damage. Due to Electivire's good attacking stats, it is able to utilize both its physical and special coverage options to run an effective mixed wallbreaker set. Electivire's niche doesn't end there, as it possesses a nice Speed tier, which gives it solid wallbreaking capabilities and makes it a decent balance breaker. However, it's worth noting that Electivire's relatively low Special Attack forces it to rely on super effective coverage to break past bulkier foes, meaning bulky Pokemon that Electivire lacks coverage against such as Musharna and Mega Audino can stop it in its tracks. Moreover, possessing only a couple of resistances, poor bulk, and middling Speed, Electivire struggles versus offensive teams and finds itself forced out by faster Pokemon such as Tauros, Archeops, Swellow, and Charizard. It faces competition as an Electric-type from other Electric-types like Rotom and Lanturn, which provide a huge amount of defensive utility to teams.
[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Hidden Power Grass
item: Life Orb
ability: Motor Drive / Vital Spirit
nature: Hasty
evs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
A physically based set is easier to wall in this metagame, so this set relies mostly on Electivire's special movepool. Thunderbolt hits most Pokemon that do not resist it for decent damage, especially physically defensive targets such as Weezing, and it lacks Wild Charge's recoil, making it preferable in most situations. Flamethrower has good coverage alongside Thunderbolt, hitting Grass- and Steel-types such as Gourgeist-XL, Vileplume, Torterra, Steelix, and Ferroseed. Earthquake allows Electivire to deal significant damage to Electric-types such as Lanturn and Fire-types such as Camerupt and Assault Vest Magmortar, and is Electivire's main niche over its rival Manectric. It's also worth mentioning that Earthquake 2HKOes Assault Vest Hariyama with a bit of prior damage, which many teams rely on to deal with special attackers. Hidden Power Grass completes Electivire's coverage by hitting Gastrodon and Rhydon, which otherwise wall this set.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed EVs plus a Speed-boosting nature make Electivire as fast as possible, letting it outspeed Pokemon such as Rotom, Kangaskhan, and Vivillon, while maximum Special Attack EVs are preferable because Pokemon that tend to switch into Electivire have a higher Defense stat. The rest is dumped into Attack to power up Earthquake and deal more damage to special walls with the move. A Hasty nature is chosen over a Naive nature as Electivire takes heavy damage from physical attacks regardless, whereas Electivire can switch more comfortably into Electric-types and sleep inducers, which are often special attackers such as Vivillion and Lilligant. Keep in mind that a Hasty nature makes Electivire even weaker to common priority such as Hitmonchan's Mach Punch and Shiftry's Sucker Punch, however, and a Naive nature is a completely viable option. Motor Drive gives Electivire an immunity to Electric-type moves and can be really useful against Pokemon such as Lanturn and Rotom, as getting a Speed boost allows Electivire to clean weakened teams late-game. Vital Spirit should be considered as well to avoid being put to sleep by Vivillon's Sleep Powder and Jynx's Lovely Kiss. Life Orb is used to give a needed boost to Electivire's attacks while allowing it to switch between its moves.
Usage Tips
========
Due to Electivire's poor bulk, it appreciates being brought in safely by Volt Switch and U-turn from pivoting teammates, or after a Pokemon has fainted. It can also be brought in on a predicted Electric-type move, such as Rotom's or Lanturn's Volt Switch, if it runs Motor Drive, and receive a free boost in Speed, preventing foes such as Tauros and Swellow from checking it effectively. Another way of getting Electivire in for free is on a predicted sleep-inducing move, such as Vivillon's Sleep Powder or Jynx's Lovely Kiss, if it runs Vital Spirit. Electivire should be used on offensive teams due to its lack of defensive merit outside of its immunities, and balanced teams are generally better off with Magmortar for a coverage-based wallbreaker due to its higher Special Attack and subsequent ability to make good use out of Assault Vest. Make sure to predict correctly between Electivire's coverage moves, as it can be worn down quickly by Life Orb recoil.
Team Options
========
Entry hazard support is crucial to ensure some KOs; for example, after three layers of Spikes, Flamethrower has a high chance to OHKO Steelix. The best Spiker Electivire can have as a teammate is Garbodor because it can deal with Mega Audino's attacks with relative ease and set up layers of Spikes or Toxic Spikes. Other good partners for Electivire with access to Stealth Rock are Mesprit and Torterra, as these Pokemon are able to switch into Ground-type moves, which threaten Electivire, and form a nice defensive synergy with Garbodor. Mesprit also has access to Healing Wish, which can be useful late-game if Electivire is needed but is too weakened. Lilligant has the ability to force out Ground-types, which creates a setup opportunity for Electivire to weaken bulky Pokemon, while Electivire can put pressure on Lilligant's checks such as Vileplume and Assault Vest Magmortar with its respective coverage option. Scyther and Swellow are great partners for Electivire, as they can U-turn out on a predicted check, such as Steelix, Regirock, Rotom, or Rhydon, and bring in Electivire, which threatens all of them with the appropriate coverage move. Scyther is also immune to Ground-types and can use the bulky Pokemon that Electivire struggles to break such as Musharna and Mega Audino as setup fodder. Other U-turn users are Primeape and Archeops, which form a VoltTurn core with Electivire if you choose Volt Switch in its last slot. Strong wallbreakers such as Aurorus and Samurott form a good offensive core with Electivire, as they deal with bulky Ground-types. Fast offensive Pokemon such as Swellow and Floatzel also benefit from Electivire's ability to block Thunder Wave.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Volt Switch can be used instead of Hidden Power Grass, as it gives offensive momentum and the ability to pivot away from bulky Pokemon, which often switch into Electivire. Keep in mind that the remaining members on your party should be able to deal with bulky Ground-types. Ice coverage is a nice way to deal with Dragon-types such as Altaria and Sliggoo, as they are often specially bulky, and Ice Punch is a better way to deal with them due to their high Special Defense stats; however, the damage output against Pokemon such as Rhydon and Gastrodon is much lower. Focus Blast can be considered to hit Pokemon such as Aurorus, Regirock, and Piloswine for a lot more damage than Earthquake and Hidden Power Grass. Another reason to consider this move is that it has a high chance to OHKO Steelix after entry hazards or a little bit of damage. However, the move tends to be unreliable due to accuracy issues, which makes this option generally not worth it. Electivire is able to run a physically based mixed set to further distinguish itself from Manectric, as it possesses a great base Attack combined with a solid movepool. The set that gives the best coverage is Earthquake, Ice Punch, Wild Charge, and Hidden Power Grass, although the first two moves can be replaced by Fire Punch and Iron Tail and still maintain decent coverage; Iron Tail allows Electivire to hit Mega Audino, with a high chance of 2HKOing it if Stealth Rock is up. Expert Belt can be used over Life Orb for more longevity or to bluff a Choice item, but the power loss is notable.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Priority and Faster Pokemon**: Pokemon that naturally outspeed Electivire such as Tauros, Archeops, and Pyroar are all able to revenge kill it, though none of these Pokemon can safely switch in. Electivire's poor Defense statallows strong priority to threaten it such as Hitmonchan's Mach Punch, Shiftry's Sucker Punch, and Samurott's Aqua Jet. They can deal even more damage if Electivire runs a Hasty nature.
**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Mega Audino, Musharna, and Malamar are not 2HKOed by any of Electivire's attacks and can even use it as setup bait for Calm Mind and Superpower, respectively. Mega Audino and Musharna can also stall Electivire with Life Orb recoil by recovering HP with Wish and Moonlight, while Malamar can Knock Off its Life Orb and stall it out with Rest. Regirock takes all of Electivire's attacks very well, avoiding the 2HKO from Earthquake, and threatens Electivire with its own Earthquake, although it still needs to watch out for the rare Focus Blast.
**Ground-types**: Claydol and Piloswine are the best answer for Electivire, as both can survive any two hits and retaliate back with their STAB moves of choice. Rhydon and Gastrodon are shakier checks, as both are 2HKOed by Hidden Power Grass, but they can take any other attack plus one Hidden Power Grass and threaten Electivire with a Ground-type STAB move.
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