QC: 0/3
GP: 0/3
[OVERVIEW]
*Alolan Raichu's ability to break through walls, revenge kill Choice Scarf users, and maintain momentum against fast and slow teams alike make it a top pick for Electric teams
*Its ability, Surge Surfer, combined with its 110 speed, allows it to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame including all Choice Scarfers while under electric terrain from Tapu-Koko
*Electric Terrain-boosted STAB attacks, combined with the afformentioned speed, allow it to carve up frailer offensive teams
*Secondary psychic stab allows it to hit hard with a stab psyshock against bulky special walls such as Chansey, Lanturn, Goodra and Mega Venusaur, as well as improving the matchup against Fighting teams
*Middling 95 special attack stat means that Alolan Raichu requires electric terrain support to be truly effective, and non-electric moves hit unimpressively
*Exceptionally frail; even middlingly strong resisted attacks can 2hKO, and the electric/Psychic typing gives it nasty weaknesses to ground, Dark, Bug and Ghost
*It can easily be picked off by priority moves. It is vulnerable to Choice Scarf users after Electric Terrain falls.
*It has access to coverage moves such as Surf, Grass Knot and Focus Blast to hit potential switch-ins hard, but cannot run all of them and is thus walled by something
[SET]
name: Surge Surfer
move 1: Volt Switch / Thunderbolt
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Grass Knot / Surf / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast
item: Choice Specs / Life Orb
ability: Surge Surfer
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SPA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Volt Switch backed up by Electric Terrain and Choice Specs can deal large damage to offensive Pokemon. Alolan Raichu should mainly use this move early game if wearing Choice Specs to avoid a choice lock.
*Thunderbolt is best used alongside Life Orb to clean up late game, and is Alolan Raichu's hardest hitting STAB move.
* Psyshock is an obligatory STAB move that 2hKOs Mega Venusaur and deals solid damage to walls and other poison types, such as Salazzle, Mega Garchomp, and bulky Volcarona even after it gets a Quiver Dance boost. It also deals more damage to Alolan Marrowack than any other move besides Surf.
*Psychic can be ran to OHKO Mega Venusaur after a bit of prior damage and deal more damage to Porygon2 than its other moves.
*Grass Knot hits bulky Ground and Rock types, such as Swampert, Quagsire, Rhyperior and Gastridon, hard
*Surf drowns bulky Ground types and walls that could take a Psyshock, such as Excadrill, Rhyperior, Piloswine,, Heatran, and bulky Volcarona, which it can 2hKO if you predict the switch. It does more damage than Grass Knot to lighter Ground-types such as Crookodile and Diggersby and also is better against Heatran than Focus Blast because of its 100% accuracy.
*Hidden Power Ice deals respectable damage to dragon types such as Mega Garchomp, Dragonite and Latios while also OHKOing Landorus-T and Gliscor without a Yache berry.
*Focus Blast hits harder against steel types such as Magnezone and Heatran; bulky Rock types such as Tyranitar, who must use a Chopel berry to survive; and defensive Porygon2. Focus Blast's 70% accuracy can be a nasty letdown though.
Set Details
========
*The given spread maximizes Alolan Raichu's speed and power. Maximum speed is important in order to speed tie with opposing Alolan Raichu, as well as to speed tie maxed base 110's when electric terrain falls. If running Thunderbolt, a Modest nature is preferred in order to gain a noticeable power boost. For example, Modest with Choice Specs gives you a small chance of OHKOing Mega Metagross from full, whereas the damage from Timid maxes out at 96%.
* Surge Surfer doubles speed when electric terrain is up, so it can outspeed Scarf users
*Choice Specs gives an immediate power boost, allowing it to achieve impressive feats. Life Orb can be ran as an alternative if you like being able to switch moves and are willing to trade some power for it. If running a Timid nature, the power drop from Life orb costs you some KO feats, such as an OHKO on Mega Metagross with Thunderbolt and Stealth Rock, OHKO on Venusaur with Psychic and Stealth Rock and 2hKO against mixed defensive Lanturn with Psyshock and Stealth Rock.
Usage Tips
========
* Bring Raichou in on a free switch, such as after a teammate faints or through a slow pivot
*Raichu should mainly be used early and mid-game as a revenge killer or a hit-and-run breaker. This is why Volt Switch is useful,as Raichu can do some damage as it escapes. Volt Switch does use up Electric Terrain turns.
*If none of Alolan Raichu's moves ohko the target, it may be wiser to escape either with Volt Switch or a manual switch since Alolan Raichu is so frail.
*Be careful about overpredicting with Alolan Raichu. It is better to lose some momentum by risking an Electric move against an incoming Ground-type than to lose Alolan Raichu if the opponent does not switch out and instead goes for an attack which will most likely deal massive damage.
*Once opposing Pokemon have been weakened, use Alolan Raichu to clean up the opposing team, preferably while under Electric Terrain support for the extra speed. Late game, Volt Switch may turn out to be a liability since it forces you to switch out into something. The Life Orb set is more suited for late game cleaning because Alolan Raichu has access to all its coverage moves.
Team Options
========
*Stealth rocks set by Alolan Golem can secure 2hKOs and be a general hinderance to the opponent, since you'll be forcing lots of switches. Alolan Golem can break specially bulky pokemon for Alolan Raichu to clean up later.
*Tapu-Koko is an essential teammate, setting electric terrain and powering up Alolan Raichu's Electric moves and speed. Electric Terrain allows it to achieve most of those impressive 2hKOs. Tapu-Koko can break through bulky walls with Nature's Madness or Guardian of Alola for easier cleanup later by Raichu.
* Slow pivots such as Assault Vest Eelektross, defensive Rotom-w and Zapdos can bring in Alolan Raichu safely. Zapdos can Defog entry hazards, minimizing unnecessary damage done to Alolan Raichu. It can also paralyze sweepers with Discharge or infect walls with Toxic, allowing your team to break through them faster. Rotom-w can also help whittle down opponents with Pain Split. Zapdos and Eelektross's Fire-type moves can also break through Grass types which would otherwise wall Alolan Raichu.
* Scarf Rotom-Wash can cripple walls that Raichou can't break through, such as Eviolite Chansey and Porygon2, by tricking them a choice item. Rotom-W can also pivot into physical and Ground-type attacks before weakening their users with Hydro Pump or bringing in Alolan Raichu safely on a switch.
* Wallbreakers such as Thundurus, xurkitree and AlolanGolem can help whittle down the opposing team for Alolan Raichu to clean up late game.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Electric
------
*Aloraichium-Z gives Alolan Raichu access to Stoked Sparksurfer, a 175-bp Electric move with a 100% paralysis chance. However, Raichu is able to dent most of its switch-ins with item-boosted coverage moves. Therefore the opportunity cost of not having the item as well as having to predict carefully when to use the move is generally not worth the surprise factor.
*Expert belt and magnet can be run to bluff a Choice item, but Raichu's coverage move power is underwhelming without the boost.
*Nasty Plot turns Alolan Raichu into a dangerous sweeper if it manages to set up, but finding those opportunities is difficult, and Electric Terrain will most likely fall while it is still on the field, slowing it down and weakening its Electric moves. Raichu's poor bulk means that priority moves will most likely stop it before it does enough damage.
*A physical attacking set with Volt Tackle, Extreme Speed, Knock Off and Celebrate with a Normalium-Z is a foolhardy bluffas Alolan Raichu's power is detestable compared to special sets and it cannot OHKO nearly as many targets.
Checks and Counters
=============
Electric
==========
*Revenge killers: Priority users and Choice Scarf users can easily destroy a Raichu that has taken prior damage due to its nonexistent bulk. Choice Band Dragonite's Extreme Speed, Bisharp's Sucker Punch, and Mimickyou's +2 Shadow Sneak all OHKO Alolan Raichu from full. Alolan Raichu can outspeed all common scarfers in Electric Terrain though.
*Special walls: Specially defensive walls such as Chansey and Porygon2 are completely unphased by Alolan Raichu's moves. Chansey can kill Alolan Raichu in three Seismic tosses, and Porygon2's special attacks are an easy 2HKO as well.
*Ground-types and Electric immunity: Excadrill, Lanturn, Landorus forms, and Swampert can gain momentum against Alolan Raichu if given a free turn such as on a choice-locked Volt Switch. Alolan Marowac can take advantage of the Choice Specs set by pivoting into a Volt Switch, forcing Alolan Raichu to switch out. Mamoswine can 2hKO Alolan Raichu from full with priority Ice Shard. Excadrill, Landorus-t and Alolan Marowack cannot stand up to surf; Lanturn fears Psyshock; and Swampert dies to Grass knot.
*Bulky Dragons: Latios, Latias, Goodra and Kyurem-B can sponge most of Alolan Raichu's attacks and hit back with their stab moves. Kyurem-B fears Focus Blast, and Goodra cannot stand up to multiple Psyshocks.
*Grass Types: Ferrothorn easily takes any attack Raichu can throw at it besides Focus Blast. Tapu-Bulu can OHKO Alolan Raichu with Horn Leech while removing Electric Terrain. Serperior outspeeds Alolan Raichu when Electric Terrain is not up and OHKOs with Leaf Storm, gaining the opposing team serious momentum. Grass-types generally do not fear anything Alolan Raichu can hit them with besides the rare Hidden Power Ice.
*Bulky Electric-types: Zapdos, Assault Vest Eelektross and Lanturn can takeAlolan Raichu's Electric attacks easily; Lanturn is totally immune to them and heals itself due to Volt Absorb.
*Residual damage: Life orb recoil, Stealth rock damage and status, when combined, quickly wear Raichu down, which is why it's important to keep it out of the way of direct hits.
GP: 0/3
[OVERVIEW]
*Alolan Raichu's ability to break through walls, revenge kill Choice Scarf users, and maintain momentum against fast and slow teams alike make it a top pick for Electric teams
*Its ability, Surge Surfer, combined with its 110 speed, allows it to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame including all Choice Scarfers while under electric terrain from Tapu-Koko
*Electric Terrain-boosted STAB attacks, combined with the afformentioned speed, allow it to carve up frailer offensive teams
*Secondary psychic stab allows it to hit hard with a stab psyshock against bulky special walls such as Chansey, Lanturn, Goodra and Mega Venusaur, as well as improving the matchup against Fighting teams
*Middling 95 special attack stat means that Alolan Raichu requires electric terrain support to be truly effective, and non-electric moves hit unimpressively
*Exceptionally frail; even middlingly strong resisted attacks can 2hKO, and the electric/Psychic typing gives it nasty weaknesses to ground, Dark, Bug and Ghost
*It can easily be picked off by priority moves. It is vulnerable to Choice Scarf users after Electric Terrain falls.
*It has access to coverage moves such as Surf, Grass Knot and Focus Blast to hit potential switch-ins hard, but cannot run all of them and is thus walled by something
[SET]
name: Surge Surfer
move 1: Volt Switch / Thunderbolt
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Grass Knot / Surf / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Focus Blast
item: Choice Specs / Life Orb
ability: Surge Surfer
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SPA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Volt Switch backed up by Electric Terrain and Choice Specs can deal large damage to offensive Pokemon. Alolan Raichu should mainly use this move early game if wearing Choice Specs to avoid a choice lock.
*Thunderbolt is best used alongside Life Orb to clean up late game, and is Alolan Raichu's hardest hitting STAB move.
* Psyshock is an obligatory STAB move that 2hKOs Mega Venusaur and deals solid damage to walls and other poison types, such as Salazzle, Mega Garchomp, and bulky Volcarona even after it gets a Quiver Dance boost. It also deals more damage to Alolan Marrowack than any other move besides Surf.
*Psychic can be ran to OHKO Mega Venusaur after a bit of prior damage and deal more damage to Porygon2 than its other moves.
*Grass Knot hits bulky Ground and Rock types, such as Swampert, Quagsire, Rhyperior and Gastridon, hard
*Surf drowns bulky Ground types and walls that could take a Psyshock, such as Excadrill, Rhyperior, Piloswine,, Heatran, and bulky Volcarona, which it can 2hKO if you predict the switch. It does more damage than Grass Knot to lighter Ground-types such as Crookodile and Diggersby and also is better against Heatran than Focus Blast because of its 100% accuracy.
*Hidden Power Ice deals respectable damage to dragon types such as Mega Garchomp, Dragonite and Latios while also OHKOing Landorus-T and Gliscor without a Yache berry.
*Focus Blast hits harder against steel types such as Magnezone and Heatran; bulky Rock types such as Tyranitar, who must use a Chopel berry to survive; and defensive Porygon2. Focus Blast's 70% accuracy can be a nasty letdown though.
Set Details
========
*The given spread maximizes Alolan Raichu's speed and power. Maximum speed is important in order to speed tie with opposing Alolan Raichu, as well as to speed tie maxed base 110's when electric terrain falls. If running Thunderbolt, a Modest nature is preferred in order to gain a noticeable power boost. For example, Modest with Choice Specs gives you a small chance of OHKOing Mega Metagross from full, whereas the damage from Timid maxes out at 96%.
* Surge Surfer doubles speed when electric terrain is up, so it can outspeed Scarf users
*Choice Specs gives an immediate power boost, allowing it to achieve impressive feats. Life Orb can be ran as an alternative if you like being able to switch moves and are willing to trade some power for it. If running a Timid nature, the power drop from Life orb costs you some KO feats, such as an OHKO on Mega Metagross with Thunderbolt and Stealth Rock, OHKO on Venusaur with Psychic and Stealth Rock and 2hKO against mixed defensive Lanturn with Psyshock and Stealth Rock.
Usage Tips
========
* Bring Raichou in on a free switch, such as after a teammate faints or through a slow pivot
*Raichu should mainly be used early and mid-game as a revenge killer or a hit-and-run breaker. This is why Volt Switch is useful,as Raichu can do some damage as it escapes. Volt Switch does use up Electric Terrain turns.
*If none of Alolan Raichu's moves ohko the target, it may be wiser to escape either with Volt Switch or a manual switch since Alolan Raichu is so frail.
*Be careful about overpredicting with Alolan Raichu. It is better to lose some momentum by risking an Electric move against an incoming Ground-type than to lose Alolan Raichu if the opponent does not switch out and instead goes for an attack which will most likely deal massive damage.
*Once opposing Pokemon have been weakened, use Alolan Raichu to clean up the opposing team, preferably while under Electric Terrain support for the extra speed. Late game, Volt Switch may turn out to be a liability since it forces you to switch out into something. The Life Orb set is more suited for late game cleaning because Alolan Raichu has access to all its coverage moves.
Team Options
========
*Stealth rocks set by Alolan Golem can secure 2hKOs and be a general hinderance to the opponent, since you'll be forcing lots of switches. Alolan Golem can break specially bulky pokemon for Alolan Raichu to clean up later.
*Tapu-Koko is an essential teammate, setting electric terrain and powering up Alolan Raichu's Electric moves and speed. Electric Terrain allows it to achieve most of those impressive 2hKOs. Tapu-Koko can break through bulky walls with Nature's Madness or Guardian of Alola for easier cleanup later by Raichu.
* Slow pivots such as Assault Vest Eelektross, defensive Rotom-w and Zapdos can bring in Alolan Raichu safely. Zapdos can Defog entry hazards, minimizing unnecessary damage done to Alolan Raichu. It can also paralyze sweepers with Discharge or infect walls with Toxic, allowing your team to break through them faster. Rotom-w can also help whittle down opponents with Pain Split. Zapdos and Eelektross's Fire-type moves can also break through Grass types which would otherwise wall Alolan Raichu.
* Scarf Rotom-Wash can cripple walls that Raichou can't break through, such as Eviolite Chansey and Porygon2, by tricking them a choice item. Rotom-W can also pivot into physical and Ground-type attacks before weakening their users with Hydro Pump or bringing in Alolan Raichu safely on a switch.
* Wallbreakers such as Thundurus, xurkitree and AlolanGolem can help whittle down the opposing team for Alolan Raichu to clean up late game.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Electric
------
*Aloraichium-Z gives Alolan Raichu access to Stoked Sparksurfer, a 175-bp Electric move with a 100% paralysis chance. However, Raichu is able to dent most of its switch-ins with item-boosted coverage moves. Therefore the opportunity cost of not having the item as well as having to predict carefully when to use the move is generally not worth the surprise factor.
*Expert belt and magnet can be run to bluff a Choice item, but Raichu's coverage move power is underwhelming without the boost.
*Nasty Plot turns Alolan Raichu into a dangerous sweeper if it manages to set up, but finding those opportunities is difficult, and Electric Terrain will most likely fall while it is still on the field, slowing it down and weakening its Electric moves. Raichu's poor bulk means that priority moves will most likely stop it before it does enough damage.
*A physical attacking set with Volt Tackle, Extreme Speed, Knock Off and Celebrate with a Normalium-Z is a foolhardy bluffas Alolan Raichu's power is detestable compared to special sets and it cannot OHKO nearly as many targets.
Checks and Counters
=============
Electric
==========
*Revenge killers: Priority users and Choice Scarf users can easily destroy a Raichu that has taken prior damage due to its nonexistent bulk. Choice Band Dragonite's Extreme Speed, Bisharp's Sucker Punch, and Mimickyou's +2 Shadow Sneak all OHKO Alolan Raichu from full. Alolan Raichu can outspeed all common scarfers in Electric Terrain though.
*Special walls: Specially defensive walls such as Chansey and Porygon2 are completely unphased by Alolan Raichu's moves. Chansey can kill Alolan Raichu in three Seismic tosses, and Porygon2's special attacks are an easy 2HKO as well.
*Ground-types and Electric immunity: Excadrill, Lanturn, Landorus forms, and Swampert can gain momentum against Alolan Raichu if given a free turn such as on a choice-locked Volt Switch. Alolan Marowac can take advantage of the Choice Specs set by pivoting into a Volt Switch, forcing Alolan Raichu to switch out. Mamoswine can 2hKO Alolan Raichu from full with priority Ice Shard. Excadrill, Landorus-t and Alolan Marowack cannot stand up to surf; Lanturn fears Psyshock; and Swampert dies to Grass knot.
*Bulky Dragons: Latios, Latias, Goodra and Kyurem-B can sponge most of Alolan Raichu's attacks and hit back with their stab moves. Kyurem-B fears Focus Blast, and Goodra cannot stand up to multiple Psyshocks.
*Grass Types: Ferrothorn easily takes any attack Raichu can throw at it besides Focus Blast. Tapu-Bulu can OHKO Alolan Raichu with Horn Leech while removing Electric Terrain. Serperior outspeeds Alolan Raichu when Electric Terrain is not up and OHKOs with Leaf Storm, gaining the opposing team serious momentum. Grass-types generally do not fear anything Alolan Raichu can hit them with besides the rare Hidden Power Ice.
*Bulky Electric-types: Zapdos, Assault Vest Eelektross and Lanturn can takeAlolan Raichu's Electric attacks easily; Lanturn is totally immune to them and heals itself due to Volt Absorb.
*Residual damage: Life orb recoil, Stealth rock damage and status, when combined, quickly wear Raichu down, which is why it's important to keep it out of the way of direct hits.
Last edited:
