Okay, so, this is my first Revamp thing I've done, but I've done quite a few peer edits in Analysis Workshop. Bear with me.
Also, keep in mind most of the sets have Substitute.
This is a Work In Progress!~
Status: Ready to Upload.
Changes (see above):
* Revamped the entire thing.
* Split "SubPunch" set to a Special Substitute set, a Physical SubPuncher set and an updated version(MixChu!).
* Revamped "Nasty Plot" set.
* Team Options, of course! It's in Orange.. like Raichu is orange and all.
* Added "Encore" set, Encore is amazing.
* Removed "Choice Specs" set, Manectric is better in that regard.
* Finished editing.
Update Log:
8/13/09 Thursday: Completed First Draft.
8/14/09 Friday: First major update, grammar-updated everything, updated Team Options.
8/16/09 Sunday: MixChu!
8/18/09 Tuesday: Removed mentions of Surf in the Nasty Plot set (illegal).
1/30/10 Saturday: Complete revamp.
1/31/10 Sunday: Another revamp, mainly of nitpicks.
2/02/10 Tuesday: Changed the order of the sets.
2/03/10 Wednesday: "Additional Comments" and "Overview" crap, changed the order of the sets, and revamped the Substitute Physical set [Now uses Encore] and the Encore! set [Now uses Wish primarily].
2/04/10 Thursday: Another revamp, courtesy of Scoopapa.
2/13/10 Saturday: Ready to Upload.
3/01/10 Monday: Yet another revamp. Thanks, PK Gaming! Additionally, removed Substitute Special - you suck, Manectric.
-----
[Overview]
<p>In the anime, Raichu players are portrayed as antagonists against the mascot (although, of course, that's Pokemon anime). Competitively, however, the inverse is true. Raichu still has the coolness factor of Pikachu, however Raichu's important extra 10 base Speed he has over Pikachu and ability to hold an item other than Light Ball mean that although Raichu is comparatively weaker, Raichu is superior in almost any other case, such as Encoring. A more logical comparison would be with Raikou. Although Raikou is admittedly a better sweeper, Raichu's ability to attack physically (including Focus Punch), use Nasty Plot, and Encore give Raichu a few one-ups that can help in battle more often than expected. Raichu is a great option to surprise enemies, and is surprisingly great against many of the Suspects in UU right now. He can hold his own in battle better than most expect.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot Attacker
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Encore
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
EVs: 32 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Compared to the other Electric-types in UU, Raichu boasts incredible coverage and Nasty Plot. With a high Speed, decent Special Attack, and Nasty Plot, Raichu can perform highly damaging blows in the lower tiers with little support..</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Due to Raichu's high Speed and a STAB move that is resisted by few, Raichu is excellent at causing switches. This is a prime time to use Nasty Plot, which doubles Raichu's mediocre 278 Special Attack to 556, further boosted by Life Orb. Thanks to Raichu's excellent 100 base Speed, Raichu can easily clean up opponent's Pokemon your sweepers left behind. However, be caution not to use Raichu as Raikou.</p>
<p>Thunderbolt is the obvious STAB move, doing great damage backed up by Life Orb and Nasty Plot. Raichu's Thunderbolt, even without a Nasty Plot, can still be used to deal hefty damage to Water-types like Milotic, however unlikely they are to stick around for the attack.</p>
<p>Raichu's second attack of choice is Hidden Power Ice. Although Grass-Type moves may seem more attractive, the main opponent it will be hitting harder than Hidden Power Grass is Milotic, who you are better off Thunderbolting anyway. Hidden Power [Ice] just barely KOs Venusaur and certain forms of Rhyperior after Stealth Rock and a Nasty Plot.</p>
<p>Raichu's final attack is where preference comes into play. Focus Blast will hit Chansey and Clefable, who can sponge Thunderbolt relatively easily, so it is generally the preferred choice when Raichu is sweeping. Surf washes away Steelix much more reliably. </p>
<p>The EV spread allows Raichu to outspeed positive Speed natured base 95 opponents, such as Drapion, Leafeon, and Moltres. As much Special Attack as possible is needed to give Raichu max power after Nasty Plot and Life Orb. 32 HP EVs generates 269, which allows Raichu to attack 11 times instead of ten. The remainder EVs go into Special Defense, because Raichu can absorb the assaults of other Electric-types in a pinch.</p>
<p> To further demonstrate the power of Focus Blast, it will 2HKO all forms of Registeel and Steelix after one Nasty Plot. </p>
<p>As the demonstrations show, this Raichu is a very efficient sweeper. Unfortunately, Raichu has no way to get past Chansey, who is never OHKOd by +2 Life Orb Focus Blast and can only be beaten via Special Defense drops or critical hits (not mentioning Focus Blast's shaky accuracy). Good partners for Raichu can deal Chansey and benefit from the above pokemon being taken out. As always, Hariyama is an excellent option to nail Chansey with Focus Punch, while avoiding damage or status thanks to 101 HP Substitutes, while good, bulky Stealth Rockers like Registeel (who lures in Moltres, who Raichu can Nasty Plot with a predicted double-switch) are essential in giving Raichu possible OHKOs. </p>
name: SubPunch + Encore
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Encore
move 4: Volt Tackle
item: Leftovers
nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Raichu's physical movepool is incredibly bland compared to its special movepool, but it has enough to do what it needs. Substitute is the core of the set, allowing Raichu to perform its punching prowess while giving it a shield it so greatly needs because of it's lowly Defense and weakness to a very popular move, Earthquake.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p> Encore goes perfectly hand-in-hand with Substitute: if an unexpecting opponent uses Stealth Rock while you set up your Substitute, Encore it to force it to uselessly perform the same move or switch .</p>
<p>Focus Punch is your main attack. When shielded with your substitute, Focus Punching is incredibly easy (forming the "SubPunch" combo) and gives Raichu a very good way to damage foes. Focus Punch inflicts an OHKO, or at least cripples anything that doesn't resist it or has a delicated Defense,and importantly deals with Dugtrio, making this set a wonderful lure. </p>
<p>In the last slot, Volt Tackle can be used as a more situational, stronger version of Thunderbolt, although Leftovers cannot entirely soften the blow. A "filler" you can use is Quick Attack, which gives Raichu a priority move to finish off opponents in general, and works extremely well if entry hazards are supported, but there is simply not enough room, and giving up Encore would be naive.</p>
<p>The EVs are straightforward, with heavy investments in Attack and Speed. Because Focus Punch will be used again and again, you can use a spread of 60 HP / 252 Atk / 196 Spe with an Adamant nature, or 160 HP / 252 Atk / 96 Spe with a Jolly Nature. Either outspeeds Venusaur's max Speed without a boost, do if it attempts a Sleep Powder, you can hide behind your Substitute and then Encore it, smacking away. The latter provides more bulk, while the former is tailor-made to deal as much burst damage as possible. </p>
<p>A mostly different choice of teammates are used here; due to this Raichu's ability to severely damage Clefable and Chansey switch-ins, Hariyama is not needed. Stealth Rock and Spikes from Registeel or Froslass, respectively, are more recommended than ever because of the amount of switches SubPunching forces. Strong special attackers to pinpoint the hole Raichu creates, such as Raikou, who shares many similar counters to a Special Raichu, are good choices. </p>
[SET]
name: MixChu
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Focus Punch
move 4: Surf
item: Life Orb
nature: Hasty
EVs: 164 Atk / 92 SpA / 252 Spe
<p>Raichu can use a Mixed set to break down some of the walls of UU, opening a sweep - unfortunately for the Mouse Pokemon, it's survivability is even shorter than other sets. A negative Defense nature combined with Substitute and Life Orb mean its lifespan is severely limited, although it is just enough time for Raichu to essentially cripple most enemies of the metagame.</p>
<p>When you combine Raichu's incredible Special type coverage and Focus Punch on the physical spectrum, you have a wallbreaker rivaling Blaziken. Thunderbolt, Focus Punch and your Special complement of choice hit a multitude of walls super-effective. Focus Punch means Raichu is able to eliminate Chansey who may be too quick to jump into. Surf will damage most Ground-Types who switch into Raichu, and Thunderbolt works on mostly everything else.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are rather specific. Due to Substitute whittling off 25% of Raichu's HP, a 32 HP EV spread is not viable, and due to Life Orb, making his HP simply divisible by 4 will not cut it. For this reason, Raichu's HP is left untouched to work on it's other stats. Speed is maxed with Hasty (not that it's taking Earthquakes any time soon anyway) to speed-tie with other Base 100s, a situation you can't lose if you can OHKO your target and you Substitute on the switch. 164 Atk EVs gives Raichu a clear shot at OHKOing Chansey with Focus Punch if Stealth Rock is in play (including 1 turn of Leftovers in case you Substitute on the switch) and the rest is dumped into Special Attack to soup up Raichu's Thunderbolts.</p>
<p>Raichu's main trump card over other UU wall-breakers, in particular Blaziken and Nidoking, is his Speed. Raichu can still eliminate Chansey, switch out and near end-game, clean up his opponents with 328 Speed and Life Orb Thunderbolts. Raichu's threat of Encore forces out opponents Raichu really can't hurt, like a Donphan using Stealth Rock, allowing it to safely get a Substitute up, easing prediction. Blaziken and Nidoking are forced to outpredict the opponent in order effieciently sweep. Additionally, Raichu is much less predictable than the other two.</p>
<p>MixChu is notorious for being the best at wall-breaking of any Raichu set. Thus, teammates who enjoy Chansey being removed as well as those who can lure it in, and then leave enough dents in the opponent's team for Raichu to sweep, are excellent. Trick Rotom can make Raichu's life easier, as Tricking Chansey a Choice Scarf means it is much more predictable to handle, and Rotom has no problem absorbing Ground attacks. Choice Specs Sceptile can 2HKO almost any opponent once Chansey has been dealt with. Stealth Rock or Spikes is incredibly important in securing 2HKO's and OHKO's alike. Froslass shines as it is able to also beat Chansey, as does Registeel and Cloyster can scare it out with Explosion.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, bulky Altaria is indestructible to Raichu. It is recommended you have means of stopping it, such as Life Orb Moltres with Hidden Power [Rock] to lure it in and swiftly KO it.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Encore
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Wish
item: Leftovers / Shed Shell
nature: Timid
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Raichu's most specialized set. Although Raichu's only means of attack is Thunderbolt, few opponents can resist the Electric-type and Raichu is a very good team player.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Encore really forms this set. Raichu's one of the fastest Encorers around, being one of the fastest in UU (the faster competition being Jumpluff and Lopunny) , and although his immunities are non-existent, many opponents will attempt to status him. Simply create a Substitute to dodge the status attempt, and then force the opponent into repeating that move over and over with Encore. You can also Encore a weak move, like a bulky Donphan's Rapid Spin, and switch to a teammate that doesn't mind that move and set up. Encore makes Raichu an excellent addition to resistance-based teams, even if it has few to offer itself. Encoring a stat-up move like Blaziken's Swords Dance generally isn't that hard with Raichu's Speed. </p>
<p>Once you've successfully brought up your Substitute and flattered your prey into repeating a useless move, attacking your opponent. Even without much Special Attack investment, Raichu's Special Attack isn't horrible. Be sure to switch on ground types and those who are completely immune to the effects of electric attacks as your effectively walled. </p>
<p>Hidden Power [Grass] can be used over Wish, although you lose any chance of re-Encoring pretty much anything, you can annoy opponents with your actually surprisingly tough Substitutes (on the Special side, anyway), you gain much-needed coverage on Ground-types, particularly Dugtrio expecting to switch in on Thunderbolt. </p>
<p>You want as much Speed and HP as possible to not only make your Substitutes bulky for the unsuspecting wall, but to Encore much easier. Special Attack EVs aren't needed because the aim of this set isn't to attack, but to support the team with fast Encores. </p>
<p>Raichu is apt at beating Chansey, and to a lesser extent can cripple Raikou. If you can get a special attacker who doesn't mind status, like ResTalking Rotom, to wither away at Chansey until it heals, switch in Raichu and Encore the move. You can then set up a Substitute and then proceed to Wish. Alternatively, remember to run Shed Shell to be able to flee the grasp of Dugtrio. You can't hurt Dugtrio without Surf, which is illegal with Encore, while the ground mole easily delivers an OHKO. Bear in mind you lose alot of survivability, which is crucial as you will be switching into random, Encorable attacks.</p>
<p>The most common pokemon in UU as of the moment, Venusaur, is simply bait for Raichu. If it is not a Scarved version , it may begin by Sleep Powder-ing a slow pokemon, then Swords Dance. Raichu can Encore that and Wishing or switching to an appropriate teammate. </p>
<p>Bulky Stealth Rockers and Spikers like Steelix, Froslass, and Cloyster work great with Raichu. Encore forces a ton of switches and means Raichu's offense doesn't make too much of an impact. Steelix is recommended over Registeel as it provides more resistances (this is best on a resistance-based team) than Registeel.</p>
<p>Any Ghost-type, particularly Mismagius, Rotom, or Froslass, is excellent with Raichu. They can absorb Encored Seismic Tosses from Chansey, throw up their own Substitute (or in Froslass' case, Spikes) to scout the field, then stat-up with Calm Mind, Charge Beam, or more Spikes respectively, while the former two absorb Ground assaults thanks to Levitate. Pokemon who enjoy Chansey being removed from the field are good partners, too, although they should have as many resistances as possible to merge well with Encore. Pokemon like Moltres are great for this job, also absorbing Earthquakes aimed at Raichu. </p>
<p>Since you should be switching as much as the Encored opponent to fully abuse it, Rapid Spin support is great. The Rapid Spinner who provides the most resistances is Claydol, who, again, can take Earthquakes. Claydol will absolutely love getting Wished as well, since it lacks any recovery outside of Rest or Leftovers.</p>
<p>Trickers can make Raichu's life easier, but they also overlap his use. It is not recommended to use a Tricker on a team with Raichu, but you should have a Choiced Pokemon to absorb the multiple sneaky item-swappers in UU.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Most importantly, Raichu's defense is its Achilles' heel. Nearly every physical attacker who has problems with Registeel or Steelix will carry Earthquake - and nearly every Earthquake (really any STABbed neutral, physical attack) in UU will cripple Raichu. The Encorer set, which is the bulkiest, cannot survive an Earthquake from Dugtrio. A team with Raichu in it should always have at least one immunity to Ground, whether it be Levitate or through Flying type. Claydol is an excellent choice, because it also sets up Stealth Rock. Due to Raichu's high Speed, it is an excellent revenge-killer making it have many opportunities to force switches and set up Nasty Plot or Substitute.</p>
<p>Fighting types pair excellently with Raichu. Hariyama is nearly always a good choice to pair with Raichu, unless running the Subpunch or Support! sets. It can set up Substitutes unbreakable by Chansey, who walls any Special attacks Raichu throws at it and OHKO with a timely Focus Punch. Hitmonlee is a better choice on more offensive teams, being immune to Thunder Wave and easily OHKOing with a Close Combat. Hitmonlee is also very capable of sweeping once Claydol has been removed, which is especially easy as Claydol's Ground Type may tempt it to switch into Raichu (who can almost OHKO with a Nasty Plot Hidden Power on the Nasty Plot Attacker set). If using an Support set, Raichu also can temporarily cripple Raikou.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Tickle could be useful in softening up physical attackers on the switch-in, especially when using the Substitute Physical set, and Thunder Wave is in a similar boat in that case (although be careful of Persian in NU and Hitmonlee in UU, both whom can absorb Thunder Wave and OHKO Raichu), but works against physical attackers. Wish can support the team and works interestingly with Encore. Dual Screens can work because of Raichu's high Speed, although the huge bias on Raichu's Special Defense could be troublesome.</p>
[EVs]
<p>On the Encorer set, you can move a few HP EVs to Special Attack, but it really isn't needed since Raichu's main purpose isn't to attack.</p>
<p>On the Nasty Plot Attacker set, you can go 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe Timid with 29 HP IVs, this gives you a Life Orb number while being as fast as possible. It isn't recommended, however, as base 100s who speed tie you all have a way to OHKO you if you lose the tie.</p>
<p>On the Substitute sets, it is highly unrecommended to run any other spread.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Dugtrio is amazing at generally countering Raichu - as long as it gets in safely, it can easily OHKO with Earthquake. Houndoom can scare it with Sucker Punch and Pursuit. Simple revenge-killing would be naive, because Encore sets usually have teammates to help abuse a misplay. </p>
<p>The Nasty Plotter set is arguably the hardest to counter. With sufficient entry hazards, Nasty Plot and Life Orb even Chansey is almost always 2HKOed by Focus Blast, so if your Chansey isn't carrying Thunder Wave it's very risky to switch in. Walls generally aren't the best way to defeat Raicou, however Dugtrio can easily revenge-kill most Raichu. If using Dugtrio, be wary of Hidden Power Ice strikes.</p>
<p>Following the Nasty Plotter set is Subpunch set. Claydol walls it completely and Donphan can soak up its attacks, but if you are trying to revenge kill it try to use something that can take a Quick Attack (Life Orb Dugtrio is bad in this scenario) and / or ensure it doesn't have a Substitute up. Rotom can shrug off it's attacks and Quagsire can also work as an counter in most situations.</p>
<p> MixChu 2HKOs nearly any pokemon in UU with the right attack. When Raichu is harrassing your team with Life Orb Thunderbolts - or Surf - feel free to switch in Chansey, but be wary of Substitute or a direct Focus Punch. Switching in Dugtrio is risky unless you get Dugtrio in on a Thunderbolt, you risk being OHKO by Surf or Focus Punch. Quagsire makes a fine counter, as can he sponge Focus Punch and is immune to both Surf and Thunderbolt .</p>
<p>Against the Substitute Special set, Chansey is potentially excellent against Raichu. Raichu has no means of touching Chansey and once its Substitute is down, Chansey practically has a free chance at any of her status attacks - either of which will cripple Raichu badly. Clefable can also wall Raichu to some extent if it is using this set, and again revenge-killing Raichu is easy if you have something fast enough. </p>
<p>Support sets can be troublesome, but they aren't unbeatable. A good spinner like Hitmontop will halt the main way the support set deals damage - entry hazards. Encore sets are generally weak as well, so both offensive (be careful of using slow set-uppers) and stall teams can take its assault.</p>
Also, keep in mind most of the sets have Substitute.
This is a Work In Progress!~
Status: Ready to Upload.
Changes (see above):
* Revamped the entire thing.
* Split "SubPunch" set to a Special Substitute set, a Physical SubPuncher set and an updated version(MixChu!).
* Revamped "Nasty Plot" set.
* Team Options, of course! It's in Orange.. like Raichu is orange and all.
* Added "Encore" set, Encore is amazing.
* Removed "Choice Specs" set, Manectric is better in that regard.
* Finished editing.
Update Log:
8/13/09 Thursday: Completed First Draft.
8/14/09 Friday: First major update, grammar-updated everything, updated Team Options.
8/16/09 Sunday: MixChu!
8/18/09 Tuesday: Removed mentions of Surf in the Nasty Plot set (illegal).
1/30/10 Saturday: Complete revamp.
1/31/10 Sunday: Another revamp, mainly of nitpicks.
2/02/10 Tuesday: Changed the order of the sets.
2/03/10 Wednesday: "Additional Comments" and "Overview" crap, changed the order of the sets, and revamped the Substitute Physical set [Now uses Encore] and the Encore! set [Now uses Wish primarily].
2/04/10 Thursday: Another revamp, courtesy of Scoopapa.
2/13/10 Saturday: Ready to Upload.
3/01/10 Monday: Yet another revamp. Thanks, PK Gaming! Additionally, removed Substitute Special - you suck, Manectric.
-----
[Overview]
<p>In the anime, Raichu players are portrayed as antagonists against the mascot (although, of course, that's Pokemon anime). Competitively, however, the inverse is true. Raichu still has the coolness factor of Pikachu, however Raichu's important extra 10 base Speed he has over Pikachu and ability to hold an item other than Light Ball mean that although Raichu is comparatively weaker, Raichu is superior in almost any other case, such as Encoring. A more logical comparison would be with Raikou. Although Raikou is admittedly a better sweeper, Raichu's ability to attack physically (including Focus Punch), use Nasty Plot, and Encore give Raichu a few one-ups that can help in battle more often than expected. Raichu is a great option to surprise enemies, and is surprisingly great against many of the Suspects in UU right now. He can hold his own in battle better than most expect.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot Attacker
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast / Encore
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
EVs: 32 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Compared to the other Electric-types in UU, Raichu boasts incredible coverage and Nasty Plot. With a high Speed, decent Special Attack, and Nasty Plot, Raichu can perform highly damaging blows in the lower tiers with little support..</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Due to Raichu's high Speed and a STAB move that is resisted by few, Raichu is excellent at causing switches. This is a prime time to use Nasty Plot, which doubles Raichu's mediocre 278 Special Attack to 556, further boosted by Life Orb. Thanks to Raichu's excellent 100 base Speed, Raichu can easily clean up opponent's Pokemon your sweepers left behind. However, be caution not to use Raichu as Raikou.</p>
<p>Thunderbolt is the obvious STAB move, doing great damage backed up by Life Orb and Nasty Plot. Raichu's Thunderbolt, even without a Nasty Plot, can still be used to deal hefty damage to Water-types like Milotic, however unlikely they are to stick around for the attack.</p>
<p>Raichu's second attack of choice is Hidden Power Ice. Although Grass-Type moves may seem more attractive, the main opponent it will be hitting harder than Hidden Power Grass is Milotic, who you are better off Thunderbolting anyway. Hidden Power [Ice] just barely KOs Venusaur and certain forms of Rhyperior after Stealth Rock and a Nasty Plot.</p>
<p>Raichu's final attack is where preference comes into play. Focus Blast will hit Chansey and Clefable, who can sponge Thunderbolt relatively easily, so it is generally the preferred choice when Raichu is sweeping. Surf washes away Steelix much more reliably. </p>
<p>The EV spread allows Raichu to outspeed positive Speed natured base 95 opponents, such as Drapion, Leafeon, and Moltres. As much Special Attack as possible is needed to give Raichu max power after Nasty Plot and Life Orb. 32 HP EVs generates 269, which allows Raichu to attack 11 times instead of ten. The remainder EVs go into Special Defense, because Raichu can absorb the assaults of other Electric-types in a pinch.</p>
<p> To further demonstrate the power of Focus Blast, it will 2HKO all forms of Registeel and Steelix after one Nasty Plot. </p>
<p>As the demonstrations show, this Raichu is a very efficient sweeper. Unfortunately, Raichu has no way to get past Chansey, who is never OHKOd by +2 Life Orb Focus Blast and can only be beaten via Special Defense drops or critical hits (not mentioning Focus Blast's shaky accuracy). Good partners for Raichu can deal Chansey and benefit from the above pokemon being taken out. As always, Hariyama is an excellent option to nail Chansey with Focus Punch, while avoiding damage or status thanks to 101 HP Substitutes, while good, bulky Stealth Rockers like Registeel (who lures in Moltres, who Raichu can Nasty Plot with a predicted double-switch) are essential in giving Raichu possible OHKOs. </p>
name: SubPunch + Encore
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Focus Punch
move 3: Encore
move 4: Volt Tackle
item: Leftovers
nature: Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Raichu's physical movepool is incredibly bland compared to its special movepool, but it has enough to do what it needs. Substitute is the core of the set, allowing Raichu to perform its punching prowess while giving it a shield it so greatly needs because of it's lowly Defense and weakness to a very popular move, Earthquake.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p> Encore goes perfectly hand-in-hand with Substitute: if an unexpecting opponent uses Stealth Rock while you set up your Substitute, Encore it to force it to uselessly perform the same move or switch .</p>
<p>Focus Punch is your main attack. When shielded with your substitute, Focus Punching is incredibly easy (forming the "SubPunch" combo) and gives Raichu a very good way to damage foes. Focus Punch inflicts an OHKO, or at least cripples anything that doesn't resist it or has a delicated Defense,and importantly deals with Dugtrio, making this set a wonderful lure. </p>
<p>In the last slot, Volt Tackle can be used as a more situational, stronger version of Thunderbolt, although Leftovers cannot entirely soften the blow. A "filler" you can use is Quick Attack, which gives Raichu a priority move to finish off opponents in general, and works extremely well if entry hazards are supported, but there is simply not enough room, and giving up Encore would be naive.</p>
<p>The EVs are straightforward, with heavy investments in Attack and Speed. Because Focus Punch will be used again and again, you can use a spread of 60 HP / 252 Atk / 196 Spe with an Adamant nature, or 160 HP / 252 Atk / 96 Spe with a Jolly Nature. Either outspeeds Venusaur's max Speed without a boost, do if it attempts a Sleep Powder, you can hide behind your Substitute and then Encore it, smacking away. The latter provides more bulk, while the former is tailor-made to deal as much burst damage as possible. </p>
<p>A mostly different choice of teammates are used here; due to this Raichu's ability to severely damage Clefable and Chansey switch-ins, Hariyama is not needed. Stealth Rock and Spikes from Registeel or Froslass, respectively, are more recommended than ever because of the amount of switches SubPunching forces. Strong special attackers to pinpoint the hole Raichu creates, such as Raikou, who shares many similar counters to a Special Raichu, are good choices. </p>
[SET]
name: MixChu
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Focus Punch
move 4: Surf
item: Life Orb
nature: Hasty
EVs: 164 Atk / 92 SpA / 252 Spe
<p>Raichu can use a Mixed set to break down some of the walls of UU, opening a sweep - unfortunately for the Mouse Pokemon, it's survivability is even shorter than other sets. A negative Defense nature combined with Substitute and Life Orb mean its lifespan is severely limited, although it is just enough time for Raichu to essentially cripple most enemies of the metagame.</p>
<p>When you combine Raichu's incredible Special type coverage and Focus Punch on the physical spectrum, you have a wallbreaker rivaling Blaziken. Thunderbolt, Focus Punch and your Special complement of choice hit a multitude of walls super-effective. Focus Punch means Raichu is able to eliminate Chansey who may be too quick to jump into. Surf will damage most Ground-Types who switch into Raichu, and Thunderbolt works on mostly everything else.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are rather specific. Due to Substitute whittling off 25% of Raichu's HP, a 32 HP EV spread is not viable, and due to Life Orb, making his HP simply divisible by 4 will not cut it. For this reason, Raichu's HP is left untouched to work on it's other stats. Speed is maxed with Hasty (not that it's taking Earthquakes any time soon anyway) to speed-tie with other Base 100s, a situation you can't lose if you can OHKO your target and you Substitute on the switch. 164 Atk EVs gives Raichu a clear shot at OHKOing Chansey with Focus Punch if Stealth Rock is in play (including 1 turn of Leftovers in case you Substitute on the switch) and the rest is dumped into Special Attack to soup up Raichu's Thunderbolts.</p>
<p>Raichu's main trump card over other UU wall-breakers, in particular Blaziken and Nidoking, is his Speed. Raichu can still eliminate Chansey, switch out and near end-game, clean up his opponents with 328 Speed and Life Orb Thunderbolts. Raichu's threat of Encore forces out opponents Raichu really can't hurt, like a Donphan using Stealth Rock, allowing it to safely get a Substitute up, easing prediction. Blaziken and Nidoking are forced to outpredict the opponent in order effieciently sweep. Additionally, Raichu is much less predictable than the other two.</p>
<p>MixChu is notorious for being the best at wall-breaking of any Raichu set. Thus, teammates who enjoy Chansey being removed as well as those who can lure it in, and then leave enough dents in the opponent's team for Raichu to sweep, are excellent. Trick Rotom can make Raichu's life easier, as Tricking Chansey a Choice Scarf means it is much more predictable to handle, and Rotom has no problem absorbing Ground attacks. Choice Specs Sceptile can 2HKO almost any opponent once Chansey has been dealt with. Stealth Rock or Spikes is incredibly important in securing 2HKO's and OHKO's alike. Froslass shines as it is able to also beat Chansey, as does Registeel and Cloyster can scare it out with Explosion.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, bulky Altaria is indestructible to Raichu. It is recommended you have means of stopping it, such as Life Orb Moltres with Hidden Power [Rock] to lure it in and swiftly KO it.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Encore
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Wish
item: Leftovers / Shed Shell
nature: Timid
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Raichu's most specialized set. Although Raichu's only means of attack is Thunderbolt, few opponents can resist the Electric-type and Raichu is a very good team player.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Encore really forms this set. Raichu's one of the fastest Encorers around, being one of the fastest in UU (the faster competition being Jumpluff and Lopunny) , and although his immunities are non-existent, many opponents will attempt to status him. Simply create a Substitute to dodge the status attempt, and then force the opponent into repeating that move over and over with Encore. You can also Encore a weak move, like a bulky Donphan's Rapid Spin, and switch to a teammate that doesn't mind that move and set up. Encore makes Raichu an excellent addition to resistance-based teams, even if it has few to offer itself. Encoring a stat-up move like Blaziken's Swords Dance generally isn't that hard with Raichu's Speed. </p>
<p>Once you've successfully brought up your Substitute and flattered your prey into repeating a useless move, attacking your opponent. Even without much Special Attack investment, Raichu's Special Attack isn't horrible. Be sure to switch on ground types and those who are completely immune to the effects of electric attacks as your effectively walled. </p>
<p>Hidden Power [Grass] can be used over Wish, although you lose any chance of re-Encoring pretty much anything, you can annoy opponents with your actually surprisingly tough Substitutes (on the Special side, anyway), you gain much-needed coverage on Ground-types, particularly Dugtrio expecting to switch in on Thunderbolt. </p>
<p>You want as much Speed and HP as possible to not only make your Substitutes bulky for the unsuspecting wall, but to Encore much easier. Special Attack EVs aren't needed because the aim of this set isn't to attack, but to support the team with fast Encores. </p>
<p>Raichu is apt at beating Chansey, and to a lesser extent can cripple Raikou. If you can get a special attacker who doesn't mind status, like ResTalking Rotom, to wither away at Chansey until it heals, switch in Raichu and Encore the move. You can then set up a Substitute and then proceed to Wish. Alternatively, remember to run Shed Shell to be able to flee the grasp of Dugtrio. You can't hurt Dugtrio without Surf, which is illegal with Encore, while the ground mole easily delivers an OHKO. Bear in mind you lose alot of survivability, which is crucial as you will be switching into random, Encorable attacks.</p>
<p>The most common pokemon in UU as of the moment, Venusaur, is simply bait for Raichu. If it is not a Scarved version , it may begin by Sleep Powder-ing a slow pokemon, then Swords Dance. Raichu can Encore that and Wishing or switching to an appropriate teammate. </p>
<p>Bulky Stealth Rockers and Spikers like Steelix, Froslass, and Cloyster work great with Raichu. Encore forces a ton of switches and means Raichu's offense doesn't make too much of an impact. Steelix is recommended over Registeel as it provides more resistances (this is best on a resistance-based team) than Registeel.</p>
<p>Any Ghost-type, particularly Mismagius, Rotom, or Froslass, is excellent with Raichu. They can absorb Encored Seismic Tosses from Chansey, throw up their own Substitute (or in Froslass' case, Spikes) to scout the field, then stat-up with Calm Mind, Charge Beam, or more Spikes respectively, while the former two absorb Ground assaults thanks to Levitate. Pokemon who enjoy Chansey being removed from the field are good partners, too, although they should have as many resistances as possible to merge well with Encore. Pokemon like Moltres are great for this job, also absorbing Earthquakes aimed at Raichu. </p>
<p>Since you should be switching as much as the Encored opponent to fully abuse it, Rapid Spin support is great. The Rapid Spinner who provides the most resistances is Claydol, who, again, can take Earthquakes. Claydol will absolutely love getting Wished as well, since it lacks any recovery outside of Rest or Leftovers.</p>
<p>Trickers can make Raichu's life easier, but they also overlap his use. It is not recommended to use a Tricker on a team with Raichu, but you should have a Choiced Pokemon to absorb the multiple sneaky item-swappers in UU.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Most importantly, Raichu's defense is its Achilles' heel. Nearly every physical attacker who has problems with Registeel or Steelix will carry Earthquake - and nearly every Earthquake (really any STABbed neutral, physical attack) in UU will cripple Raichu. The Encorer set, which is the bulkiest, cannot survive an Earthquake from Dugtrio. A team with Raichu in it should always have at least one immunity to Ground, whether it be Levitate or through Flying type. Claydol is an excellent choice, because it also sets up Stealth Rock. Due to Raichu's high Speed, it is an excellent revenge-killer making it have many opportunities to force switches and set up Nasty Plot or Substitute.</p>
<p>Fighting types pair excellently with Raichu. Hariyama is nearly always a good choice to pair with Raichu, unless running the Subpunch or Support! sets. It can set up Substitutes unbreakable by Chansey, who walls any Special attacks Raichu throws at it and OHKO with a timely Focus Punch. Hitmonlee is a better choice on more offensive teams, being immune to Thunder Wave and easily OHKOing with a Close Combat. Hitmonlee is also very capable of sweeping once Claydol has been removed, which is especially easy as Claydol's Ground Type may tempt it to switch into Raichu (who can almost OHKO with a Nasty Plot Hidden Power on the Nasty Plot Attacker set). If using an Support set, Raichu also can temporarily cripple Raikou.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Tickle could be useful in softening up physical attackers on the switch-in, especially when using the Substitute Physical set, and Thunder Wave is in a similar boat in that case (although be careful of Persian in NU and Hitmonlee in UU, both whom can absorb Thunder Wave and OHKO Raichu), but works against physical attackers. Wish can support the team and works interestingly with Encore. Dual Screens can work because of Raichu's high Speed, although the huge bias on Raichu's Special Defense could be troublesome.</p>
[EVs]
<p>On the Encorer set, you can move a few HP EVs to Special Attack, but it really isn't needed since Raichu's main purpose isn't to attack.</p>
<p>On the Nasty Plot Attacker set, you can go 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe Timid with 29 HP IVs, this gives you a Life Orb number while being as fast as possible. It isn't recommended, however, as base 100s who speed tie you all have a way to OHKO you if you lose the tie.</p>
<p>On the Substitute sets, it is highly unrecommended to run any other spread.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Dugtrio is amazing at generally countering Raichu - as long as it gets in safely, it can easily OHKO with Earthquake. Houndoom can scare it with Sucker Punch and Pursuit. Simple revenge-killing would be naive, because Encore sets usually have teammates to help abuse a misplay. </p>
<p>The Nasty Plotter set is arguably the hardest to counter. With sufficient entry hazards, Nasty Plot and Life Orb even Chansey is almost always 2HKOed by Focus Blast, so if your Chansey isn't carrying Thunder Wave it's very risky to switch in. Walls generally aren't the best way to defeat Raicou, however Dugtrio can easily revenge-kill most Raichu. If using Dugtrio, be wary of Hidden Power Ice strikes.</p>
<p>Following the Nasty Plotter set is Subpunch set. Claydol walls it completely and Donphan can soak up its attacks, but if you are trying to revenge kill it try to use something that can take a Quick Attack (Life Orb Dugtrio is bad in this scenario) and / or ensure it doesn't have a Substitute up. Rotom can shrug off it's attacks and Quagsire can also work as an counter in most situations.</p>
<p> MixChu 2HKOs nearly any pokemon in UU with the right attack. When Raichu is harrassing your team with Life Orb Thunderbolts - or Surf - feel free to switch in Chansey, but be wary of Substitute or a direct Focus Punch. Switching in Dugtrio is risky unless you get Dugtrio in on a Thunderbolt, you risk being OHKO by Surf or Focus Punch. Quagsire makes a fine counter, as can he sponge Focus Punch and is immune to both Surf and Thunderbolt .</p>
<p>Against the Substitute Special set, Chansey is potentially excellent against Raichu. Raichu has no means of touching Chansey and once its Substitute is down, Chansey practically has a free chance at any of her status attacks - either of which will cripple Raichu badly. Clefable can also wall Raichu to some extent if it is using this set, and again revenge-killing Raichu is easy if you have something fast enough. </p>
<p>Support sets can be troublesome, but they aren't unbeatable. A good spinner like Hitmontop will halt the main way the support set deals damage - entry hazards. Encore sets are generally weak as well, so both offensive (be careful of using slow set-uppers) and stall teams can take its assault.</p>
