Raikou
Status: Done.
QC: [PK Gaming] [Bloo] [Setsuna]
GP: [Ray Jay] [Wekhter / NixHex]
[Overview]
<p>Raikou has always been in a strange place, as it was too strong for DPP UU while not entirely up to OU standards. However, Raikou has the potential to become one of the most devastating sweepers due to its access to Calm Mind. With its blazing fast base 115 base Speed stat and its powerful base 115 Special Attack, Raikou can wreak havoc on those unprepared. Raikou's Speed fits in quite well with the new metagame, outpacing new threats like Thundurus, Tornadus, and Landorus, while still outpacing old threats like Latios, and Latias. Raikou is better than most Electric-types with the exception of Jolteon, who is faster, has similar Special Attack, and also Volt Absorb to abuse, although Raikou is much bulkier. Last generation, a special event also gave Raikou four new moves that expand its pitiful movepool: Aura Sphere, Weather Ball, Zap Cannon, and Extremespeed. The only useful moves are Aura Sphere and Weather Ball; however, Extremespeed can be used to eliminate faster, weakened threats. Unfortunately, there is a heavy cost for access to these moves. Because these moves come with the event Raikou, they must be used with a Rash nature, which boosts Special Attack while lowering Special Defense. Fortunately, Raikou still hits 329 Speed with a neutral nature, which outspeeds positive-natured base 100s by a single point.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Shadow Ball
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>This set is Raikou's best shot at attempting a sweep. After one Calm Mind, Raikou becomes considerably powerful and can devastate opponents with its access to a pseudo BoltBeam combination in Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ice. A +1 Life Orb Thunderbolt does huge damage even to neutral targets, bar special walls such as Blissey and friends. Hidden Power Ice may be replaced by Hidden Power Fighting in order to KO Tyranitar, but this sacrifices Raikou's speed by one point due to the imperfect IV. Shadow Ball rounds out the coverage, hitting Ghost-types such as Gengar, whom Raikou outspeeds, very hard. </p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Life Orb is the item of choice for this set to provide maximum power output and the EV spread is fairly standard by maximizing Special Attack and Speed with a Timid nature to outspeed threats such as Latios and Latias and Thundurus while tying with other base 115's such as Starmie and Azelf. Because this set has no form of recovery, it focuses on doing heavy damage immediately following a single Calm Mind boost rather than trying to obtain several boosts. Shadow Ball can be replaced with some other filler move such as Volt Switch, but lacks synergy with Calm Mind as its boosts are reset upon switching. As with most Pokemon, entry hazards assist Raikou in gaining easier KOs; likewise, Raikou is affected by all three entry hazards, which will greatly shorten its lifespan. Raikou can also utilize the Air Balloon to attempt to get multiple Calm Mind boosts, but it generally needs the initial attacking power of Life Orb. Raikou is best paired with a strong physical attacker such as Scizor or Conkeldurr to take out the special walls that give Raikou so many problems.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + Calm Mind
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 128 HP / 76 Def / 52 SpA / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>While the previous set focuses on doing immediate damage after one Calm Mind boost, this set aims to grab multiple boosts with the aid of Substitute. Raikou is one of the better users of Substitute due to its decent bulk, amazing Speed, and access to Calm Mind. Substitute blocks status and is a pseudo-shield from dangerous switch-ins such as Dugtrio. Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ice provide the best coverage overall, especially since Raikou has nearly no other options. Hidden Power Grass is an option over Hidden Power Ice to hit Swampert, Quagsire, and Gastrodon, but these are not very common threats, and Raikou can generally not afford to lose the Ice-type coverage provided by Hidden Power Ice.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>While Leftovers is the preferred item to keep Raikou alive for as along as possible, Life Orb can be used for immediate attacking power, but is not recommended as it will drain Raikou's HP much more quickly. If Life Orb is used, the EV spread should be 252 SpA / 252 Spe; however, you might as well just use the Offensive Calm Mind set. For the main EV spread, a Timid nature with maximum EVs in Speed allows Raikou to outspeed key threats such as Latios and Latias while still forcing a Speed tie with Starmie and Azelf. In regard to teammates, strong Fighting-types or Pokemon with powerful Fighting-type moves are recommended to remove Blissey and Ferrothorn and prevent them from stopping Raikou's set up as they both wall this set completely.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Aura Sphere / Shadow Ball
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
nature: Rash / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>With the fifth generation, Raikou gained a useful move in the form of Volt Switch, which is a special, Electric-type version of U-turn. Because of its access to the BoltBeam combination and its great speed, when equipped with a Choice Scarf Raikou can easily outspeed and revenge kill common threats. Similarly to Jolteon, Raikou can utilize Choice Specs Volt Switch to put heavy pressure on your opponent, doing massive damage to anything not a Ground-type or named Blissey. Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball are the only viable options for the third moveslot, providing additional coverage.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Because using the move Aura Sphere requires a Rash nature, Choice Scarf is recommended over Choice Specs to make up for the loss in speed. The EV spread is simple, maximizing Raikou's Special Attack and Speed. Again, strong Fighting-types or Pokemon with powerful Fighting-type moves are recommended to take out Blissey and Chansey.</p>
[SET]
name: Rain Abuser
move 1: Thunder
move 2: Weather Ball
move 3: Aura Sphere
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Rash
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>With access to new moves in Weather Ball and Aura Sphere, Raikou can cause massive amounts of damage when used with Drizzle support from Politoed. In the rain, Weather Ball becomes a 100 Base Power Water-type move, which can seriously wreck Ground-type switch-ins and just do major damage in general. With the boost from rain, Weather Ball effectively has 150 Base Power—as strong as Water Spout. Aura Sphere is a nice addition to Raikou's movepool, allowing it to KO most Tyranitar and 2HKO most Steel-types. Thunder has perfect accuracy in the rain and has a nice 30% chance to paralyze, something that aids Raikou due to its forced Rash nature. Hidden Power Ice rounds out Raikou's coverage and also hits Dragon-types that resist the Electric / Water / Fighting combination, such as Latios and Latias, for heavy damage.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Air Balloon can be used over Life Orb or Leftovers to provide a temporary Ground immunity, but Raikou sorely misses the power of Life Orb or the instant recovery of Leftovers. Again, the EV spread is straightforward, maximizing both the Special Attack and Speed stats. Calm Mind is an option over Hidden Power Ice but Raikou sorely misses the coverage and will rarely have a chance to set up due to its hindered Speed. This set is obviously meant to be used with Drizzle support from Politoed, or at the very least, Rain Dance support as otherwise Thunder has miserable accuracy and Weather Ball is useless without weather.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Raikou has probably the worst offensive movepool of all the legendary Pokemon, so there really aren't many other options. Extremespeed can be used as a filler move on some of the sets, but has little merit as Raikou is already blazing fast and has below average Attack. Extrasensory is an option as a filler move to hit Fighting-types hard, but a STAB Thunderbolt does nearly as much damage and a STAB Thunder does more damage. Charge Beam can be substituted with Calm Mind, but it is weak, unreliable, and its accuracy is too shaky be of any real use. Raikou gets support options such as Light Screen, Reflect, Thunder Wave, and Roar, but because it is affected by all entry hazards and has only decent defenses and HP at best it is better off just attacking.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Any bulky Ground-type can stop Raikou in its tracks as even a super-effective Hidden Power Ice is quite weak. Tyranitar walls any Raikou without Aura Sphere, and Choice Scarf variants can just barely outspeed Raikou and KO with Earthquake. Blissey and Chansey wall all variants of Raikou bar a +6 Aura Sphere or Thunderbolt and can stall it out with status and/or Seismic Toss. Swampert and Quagsire completely wall Raikou without Hidden Power Grass, as any unboosted neutral attack will not be doing much damage, while Quagsire with Unaware don't mind boosted attacks. Lanturn walls Raikou as it resists the BoltBeam combination and has decent HP and Special Defense to tank special attacks, although it really can't do much in return and is rather uncommon. It is important to note, however, that with a Rash nature, Raikou still manages to hit 329 speed, which is still faster than positive-natured base 100s.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Raikou gains Volt Absorb from the Dream World which will give it more opportunities to switch in safely and regain HP. It will also have nothing to fear from Thunder Wave, meaning it can be a better check to Thunder Wave Blissey and Thundurus with priority Thunder Wave. Unfortunately, the fourth generation event moves such as Weather Ball and Aura Sphere, are illegal with Volt Absorb.</p>
