[OVERVIEW]
When it comes to fast Electric-types, Electrode has no issues standing out. Its astonishing base 140 Speed makes it the fastest unboosted Pokemon in the tier by quite some margin. With its incredible Speed, usable Special Attack, and Explosion, it makes for a good revenge killer and suicide wallbreaker on offensive teams. Electrode can reliably revenge kill Scyther, which other Electric-types like Manectric and Electabuzz can only Speed tie with. It also pairs well with Electric-types, though, as they share a lot of checks that Electrode can lure in and destroy with Explosion. However, Electrode's offensive stats leave something to be desired when comparing it to Electabuzz and Manectric, and although its Explosion hits hard, it won't KO bulkier Pokemon without some prior damage. It also has less than stellar bulk, so it won't withstand most super effective hits, and even strong neutral hits like Kangaskhan's Double-Edge will KO it without much prior damage.
[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Toxic
item: Petaya Berry / Magnet / Leftovers / Liechi Berry
ability: Static
nature: Rash / Mild / Naive
evs: 12 HP / 32 Atk / 116 Def / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Substitute gives Electrode a much needed shield from hard hitters, scouts for switch-ins when forcing foes out, and helps activate Petaya Berry or Liechi Berry. Explosion leaves a serious dent in most foes despite Electrode's horrible Attack. This is helped because Electrode's checks do not resist Normal; the main Pokemon that does, Omastar, wants nothing to do with Thunderbolt, and Ghost-types in Misdreavus and Banette are fairly uncommon and don't enjoy Thunderbolt either. Hidden Power Ice lets it OHKO Gligar and push damage on Vileplume so Explosion KOes. Toxic can cripple Cradily, which otherwise walls Electrode.
As for its item, a pinch Berry is the most common choice. Petaya Berry is generally the best choice for its Special Attack boost, but Liechi Berry can be useful for instantly taking down a bulkier Explosion target like Kangaskhan, Vileplume, Ampharos, or the uncommon Hypno. Leftovers is another option, especially if Electrode is running Toxic, as it gives it longevity and potentially more Substitute uses. Magnet is useful if Electrode is running a Speed-boosting nature to give it a much needed damage boost to Thunderbolt.
Because its Speed is so high, Electrode generally doesn't need a lot of Speed EVs unless you want it to outrun a specific boosted target, such as Gorebyss in rain or Salac Berry-boosted base 50s, 55s, or 60s like Banette. Not requiring a lot of Speed EVs means that it can invest in Special Attack, Attack, and even bulk at the same time. The spread shown above puts Electrode at 340 Speed with a neutral nature, letting it outrun base 105s like Scyther, Manectric, and Electabuzz. The spread also makes Substitute take exactly 25% of Electrode's health, allowing for the quickest activation of its pinch Berry. If not using one, this benchmark is unnecessary. 116 Defense EVs let Electrode take maximum Attack Kangaskhan's Earthquake. If you are not using any HP investment, 128 EVs will do the same. The other EVs are dumped into Attack for Explosion. An alternative spread is 100 Atk / 192 SpA / 216 Spe with a Naive nature, which revenge kills Swift Swim Gorebyss.
Team Options
========
Since Electrode needs help to break through bulkier Pokemon, Spikes is a natural fit with it. Omastar and Glalie make for good Spikes users, since the former can switch into Kangaskhan and fit on almost any team, and the latter is great at getting Spikes up early on for Electrode to take advantage of. Electrode makes a great partner for a second Electric-type like Manectric or Electabuzz, which greatly appreciates Electrode baiting in and using Explosion on shared counters, and they too appreciate Spikes support. Rain Dance Omastar, Scyther, and Gorebyss also appreciate Electrode's ability to lure in and destroy the likes of Ampharos, Vileplume, and Kangaskhan.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Taunt is an option over Substitute on some teams to easily KO Wish Kangaskhan with Explosion. Hidden Power Grass hits Lanturn without resorting to Explosion, but the downsides of dropping Hidden Power Ice are generally not worth it. Thunder Wave could be used on teams that appreciate faster Pokemon being slowed down.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Kangaskhan**: Although weakened Kangaskhan can be KOed by Explosion, offensive versions can OHKO Electrode back with ease. Rest means it might be able to switch out and heal any damage later, undoing Electrode's hard work. It also can potentially switch out or use Protect on a predicted Explosion.
**Bulky Electric-types and Grass-types**: Volt Absorb Lanturn renders Hidden Power Ice Electrode useless and may run Protect to block Explosion or Rest to handle Toxic. Ampharos cannot deal much damage to Electrode at once but generally outlasts it with its superior bulk and power. Cradily completely sits on Electrode unless it runs Toxic, as it is 3HKOed by Hidden Power Ice at best. Vileplume is also an effective counter, as it resists Thunderbolt and isn't 2HKOed by unboosted Hidden Power Ice. However, all of these Pokemon but Cradily fall to Explosion with enough chip damage.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Cubic Skunk, 527292]]
- Quality checked by: [[Heysup, 355066], [Plas, 355066]]
- Grammar checked by: [[CryoGyro, 331519], [Finland, 517429]]
When it comes to fast Electric-types, Electrode has no issues standing out. Its astonishing base 140 Speed makes it the fastest unboosted Pokemon in the tier by quite some margin. With its incredible Speed, usable Special Attack, and Explosion, it makes for a good revenge killer and suicide wallbreaker on offensive teams. Electrode can reliably revenge kill Scyther, which other Electric-types like Manectric and Electabuzz can only Speed tie with. It also pairs well with Electric-types, though, as they share a lot of checks that Electrode can lure in and destroy with Explosion. However, Electrode's offensive stats leave something to be desired when comparing it to Electabuzz and Manectric, and although its Explosion hits hard, it won't KO bulkier Pokemon without some prior damage. It also has less than stellar bulk, so it won't withstand most super effective hits, and even strong neutral hits like Kangaskhan's Double-Edge will KO it without much prior damage.
[SET]
name: Substitute
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Explosion
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Toxic
item: Petaya Berry / Magnet / Leftovers / Liechi Berry
ability: Static
nature: Rash / Mild / Naive
evs: 12 HP / 32 Atk / 116 Def / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Substitute gives Electrode a much needed shield from hard hitters, scouts for switch-ins when forcing foes out, and helps activate Petaya Berry or Liechi Berry. Explosion leaves a serious dent in most foes despite Electrode's horrible Attack. This is helped because Electrode's checks do not resist Normal; the main Pokemon that does, Omastar, wants nothing to do with Thunderbolt, and Ghost-types in Misdreavus and Banette are fairly uncommon and don't enjoy Thunderbolt either. Hidden Power Ice lets it OHKO Gligar and push damage on Vileplume so Explosion KOes. Toxic can cripple Cradily, which otherwise walls Electrode.
As for its item, a pinch Berry is the most common choice. Petaya Berry is generally the best choice for its Special Attack boost, but Liechi Berry can be useful for instantly taking down a bulkier Explosion target like Kangaskhan, Vileplume, Ampharos, or the uncommon Hypno. Leftovers is another option, especially if Electrode is running Toxic, as it gives it longevity and potentially more Substitute uses. Magnet is useful if Electrode is running a Speed-boosting nature to give it a much needed damage boost to Thunderbolt.
Because its Speed is so high, Electrode generally doesn't need a lot of Speed EVs unless you want it to outrun a specific boosted target, such as Gorebyss in rain or Salac Berry-boosted base 50s, 55s, or 60s like Banette. Not requiring a lot of Speed EVs means that it can invest in Special Attack, Attack, and even bulk at the same time. The spread shown above puts Electrode at 340 Speed with a neutral nature, letting it outrun base 105s like Scyther, Manectric, and Electabuzz. The spread also makes Substitute take exactly 25% of Electrode's health, allowing for the quickest activation of its pinch Berry. If not using one, this benchmark is unnecessary. 116 Defense EVs let Electrode take maximum Attack Kangaskhan's Earthquake. If you are not using any HP investment, 128 EVs will do the same. The other EVs are dumped into Attack for Explosion. An alternative spread is 100 Atk / 192 SpA / 216 Spe with a Naive nature, which revenge kills Swift Swim Gorebyss.
Team Options
========
Since Electrode needs help to break through bulkier Pokemon, Spikes is a natural fit with it. Omastar and Glalie make for good Spikes users, since the former can switch into Kangaskhan and fit on almost any team, and the latter is great at getting Spikes up early on for Electrode to take advantage of. Electrode makes a great partner for a second Electric-type like Manectric or Electabuzz, which greatly appreciates Electrode baiting in and using Explosion on shared counters, and they too appreciate Spikes support. Rain Dance Omastar, Scyther, and Gorebyss also appreciate Electrode's ability to lure in and destroy the likes of Ampharos, Vileplume, and Kangaskhan.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Taunt is an option over Substitute on some teams to easily KO Wish Kangaskhan with Explosion. Hidden Power Grass hits Lanturn without resorting to Explosion, but the downsides of dropping Hidden Power Ice are generally not worth it. Thunder Wave could be used on teams that appreciate faster Pokemon being slowed down.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Kangaskhan**: Although weakened Kangaskhan can be KOed by Explosion, offensive versions can OHKO Electrode back with ease. Rest means it might be able to switch out and heal any damage later, undoing Electrode's hard work. It also can potentially switch out or use Protect on a predicted Explosion.
**Bulky Electric-types and Grass-types**: Volt Absorb Lanturn renders Hidden Power Ice Electrode useless and may run Protect to block Explosion or Rest to handle Toxic. Ampharos cannot deal much damage to Electrode at once but generally outlasts it with its superior bulk and power. Cradily completely sits on Electrode unless it runs Toxic, as it is 3HKOed by Hidden Power Ice at best. Vileplume is also an effective counter, as it resists Thunderbolt and isn't 2HKOed by unboosted Hidden Power Ice. However, all of these Pokemon but Cradily fall to Explosion with enough chip damage.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Cubic Skunk, 527292]]
- Quality checked by: [[Heysup, 355066], [Plas, 355066]]
- Grammar checked by: [[CryoGyro, 331519], [Finland, 517429]]
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