[OVERVIEW]
* Despite its underwhelming stats, Raichu possesses a solid niche in VGC due to its expansive pool of support options and access to Lightning Rod, which lets it be an excellent support partner for Water-types like Tapu Fini and Pelipper and Flying-types like Mega Charizard Y.
* Raichu's good Speed allows it to quickly disrupt foes in various ways with support moves like Fake Out and Encore, letting its teammates safely set up boosts or Tailwind reliably.
* These near-exclusive traits set Raichu apart from other Lightning Rod users like Mega Manectric, Alolan Marowak, and Togademaru.
* While Raichu easily handles any relevant Electric-types thanks to Lightning Rod, its horrid bulk leaves it unable to reliably take hits without relying on Focus Sash or its teammates' Intimidate. The fact that Raichu has a hard time justifying Protect in its moveset further worsens its problem with survivability.
* Raichu's offensive presence is meager, as it struggles to deal significant damage without resorting to a Z-Move and struggles to effectively deal with common Electric-type checks. Therefore, Raichu functions the best when running a dedicated support set.
[SET]
name: Fast Utility
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Encore
move 3: Thunderbolt / Volt Switch
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Protect / Feint / Nuzzle
item: Focus Sash / Electrium Z
ability: Lightning Rod
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
* Raichu's superb Speed stat makes it one of the fastest Fake Out users, and it can provide its teammate a turn to safely make a move.
* Encore locks a foe into the same move for three turns, potentially forcing them to repeatedly use an unfavorable move or switch out.
* Thunderbolt is the strongest STAB move, while Volt Switch is slightly weaker but can be used to take advantage of forced switches and generate momentum.
* Hidden Power Ice targets Landorus-T, but note that unboosted Hidden Power Ice is too weak to OHKO Landorus-T from full HP.
* Protect guards Raichu from attacks for a turn and let its teammates handle a problematic foe.
* Feint breaks foes' Protect or Detect, leaving them vulnerable to Raichu's teammates. It also proves to be useful with breaking Focus Sashes and securing the success of a Z-Move.
* Nuzzle paralyzes non-Ground- and Electric-type foes and reduces their Speed, leaving them vulnerable to slower and powerful attackers like Incineroar and Landorus-T.
* Focus Sash allows Raichu to survive a potential KO and generally aids it by improving its chances of survivability. Electrium Z can be used to provide Raichu with more offensive presence by letting it use Gigavolt Havoc. While the damage output may not seem great at
* Ensure that Raichu is providing sufficient support for its teammates. This means Fake Out should be used against problematic foes in the beginning and faster threats and Choice Scarf users should be taken down or crippled by Nuzzle. Scouting a foe with Protect and locking them into a wrong move with Encore can also provide good setup opportunities for Raichu's teammates.
* Pokemon that are weak to Electric-type moves, such as Mega Charizard Y, Gyarados, Braviary, and Pellipper,(AC) can be paired with Raichu due to its Lightning Rod. They also can switch into Ground-types aimed at Raichu thanks to their immunity to Ground. Tapu Fini and Azumarill also appreciate Lightning Rod.
* Various Pokemon with setup options can take advantage of free turns that Raichu generates with Fake Out, Encore, and even full paralysis after Nuzzle. Setup sweepers like Mega Salamence and Gyarados can set up without fearing Electric-type moves while discouraging Earthquake from foes, while slower threats like Incineroar can effectively combat faster foes after Raichu paralyzes them.
[SET]
name: Bulky Utility
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Nuzzle / Electroweb
move 3: Volt Switch
move 4: Feint / Knock Off
item: Assault Vest
ability: Lightning Rod
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 20 Def / 4 SpA / 156 SpD / 76 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
* Raichu's high Speed allows it to make other Fake Out users like Incineroar and Mega Kangaskhan flinch. Fake Out's general utility proves to be useful for Raichu's teammate, as they gain a free turn to safely set up.
* Nuzzle paralyzes non-Ground- and Electric-type foes, crippling their Speed. Electroweb is an alternative option to provide
* Volt Switch lets Raichu pivot out and switch to another teammate and preserve momentum.
* Feint removes the effect of Protect and Detect from a foe, leaving them vulnerable to Raichu's teammates. Especially if Raichu's teammate is a Z-Move user, Feint helps ensuring that a foe will take massive damage from Z-Move after their protection is broken.
* Knock Off rids foes of an item, and it is useful for getting rid of foes' items and scouting possible Z-Crystals. Ridding foes like Cresselia, Gastrodon, and Tapu Fini of their item and removing pinch Berries also greatly reduces their longevity and overall defensive presence.
* This set is dedicated to make Raichu as bulky as possible with an Assault Vest and heavy investment in HP. The given EV spread allows Raichu to survive -1 Adamant Mega Kangaskhan's Double-Edge from full HP, survive Ludicolo's rain-boosted Hydro Vortex, and avoid the 2HKO from Timid Mega Charizard Y's Heat Wave. 76 Speed EVs and a Timid nature allow Raichu to outspeed neutral-natured base 100 Speed Pokemon.
* Pokemon like Mega Charizard Y, Tapu Fini, Gyarados, and Pellipper enjoy Raichu's Lightning Rod and ability to render the likes of Tapu Koko and Zapdos ineffective. They also notably force Ground-types like Landorus-T to refrain from using their STAB moves.
* Practically any Pokemon with mediocre Speed appreciates Raichu's useful speed control and Fake Out that improves their matchup against faster foes. Tailwind setters and setup sweepers also enjoy the various utility options Raichu can provide. Slower and bulkier Pokemon like Incineroar and Landorus-T can take advantage of Raichu's speed control and hindrance of various physical walls, while Mega Salamence and Gyarados can have significantly better setup conditions with Raichu's support. Their Intimidate also improves Raichu's durability further by compensating for Raichu's pitiful Defense stat, while Assault Vest improves Raichu's matchup against special attackers.
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