[overview]
Draft order: Late round 2 or early round 3
Price range: 15-16 points
Overview: Raging Bolt is seen by many as the second coming of Kingambit. Boasting a monstrously high Special Attack stat with great bulk on both sides, it's able to hit hard while taking hits just as well. Thunderclap is the most threatening tool in its arsenal, being able to clean up games incredibly well while also packing an incredibly strong Draco Meteor for foes that are slower than it. Similarly to Kingambit, it is quite one dimensional in what it does, but don't let that fool you; it's still one of the strongest threats in the metagame.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
* Wallbreaker: Raging Bolt is able to use a mix of Calm Mind and Taunt to break through most teams' defensive cores, firing off powerful Draco Meteor and Thunderbolt for slower threats and Thunderclap for faster ones. It can utilize Terastallization to gain valuable coverage to help with this.
* Cleaner: Thanks to access to Booster Energy and Thunderclap, it's able to come in late-game and pick off remaining Pokemon with ease.
Common Moves
========
* Primary STAB moves: Thunderclap, Thunderbolt, Discharge, Volt Switch, Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse
* Setup moves: Calm Mind
* Utility moves: Taunt, Dragon Tail, Thunder Wave, Substitute
* Coverage: Solar Beam, Weather Ball, Ancient Power, Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
* Sunny Day: This allows Raging Bolt to activate Protosynthesis without having to rely on Booster Energy or a teammate to set sun for it. It gives it flexibility with its item slot and allows it to use coverage, such as Solar Beam and Weather Ball, while also giving a similar damage buff compared to Calm Mind.
Common Items
========
* Booster Energy: It is by far the most common of Raging Bolt's items, allowing it to begin breaking immediately, rather than having to spend a turn setting up.
* Heavy-Duty Boots: Giving Raging Bolt an immunity to entry hazards allows it to set up much easier thanks to its ability to take hits more safely.
* Choice Specs: Functioning similarly to Booster Energy, Choice Specs's increased power can be valuable vs slower teams.
* Leftovers: It's an alternative to Heavy-Duty Boots, most notably in matchups where the opponent has poor hazard setters or is unable to reliably answer Calm Mind Raging Bolt.
Niche Items
========
* Sitrus Berry: Practically speaking, it's a side grade to Heavy-Duty Boots and Leftovers but is only a better choice if you expect to take one strong hit.
* Resistance Berry: A resistance Berry can help Raging Bolt set up easier or allow it to pick off a faster threat that it otherwise couldn't.
* Life Orb/Expert Belt/Magnet: Damage-boosting items help it hit damage benchmarks while not being Choice-locked from Choice Specs.
* Power Herb: While only ran with Solar Beam, it can be used to OHKO Ground-types such as Swampert and Gastrodon.
* Mental Herb: Mental Herb prevents Raging Bolt from being susceptible to Encore when using Calm Mind or Taunt by the likes of Scream Tail and Uxie.
* Assault Vest: This allows Raging Bolt to utilize its strong defensive typing in matchups where it may not need setup to be effective. It can be seen as a side grade to Heavy-Duty Boots, but it may outclass it on teams with strong hazard removal.
Tera
========
Raging Bolt is one of the best Tera Captains in the format. It benefits massively from Tera on both the offensive and defensive side. Offensively, (ac) it's able to strengthen its already strong Thunderclap and Draco Meteor with STAB Tera types, also being able to choose types such as Water and Grass, providing it with much needed coverage against the likes of Excadrill and Iron Treads or to strengthen Solar Beam against Ting-Lu. Defensively, it's able to utilize Tera types such as Fairy, Steel, Water, and Poison to give it better defensive matchups, allowing it to set up in front of the likes of Urshifu-S, Baxcalibur, and Weavile.
Draft Strategy
========
Raging Bolt pairs incredibly well with a lot of early first round picks: Palafin, Great Tusk, and Iron Valiant; it wants to be with Pokemon that are not reliant on Tera to function, and the best of these happen to be the Tera-banned threats. Its lack of support options, however, as well as its struggle against bulkier specially defensive walls, means that it does require a lot of team support.
* Physical wallbreakers: Raging Bolt is not a mixed attacker; it will struggle with breaking through specially defensive walls by itself, especially Ground-types. Pairing it with the likes of Palafin, Baxcalibur, and Weavile can help with this, as they are able to break through Raging Bolt's checks, and Raging Bolt can break through their checks, creating a powerful wallbreaking duo.
* Entry hazard control: A lot of the time, it wants the opposing team to be weakened so that it can easily clean with Thunderclap. Hazards are one of the easiest ways to achieve this, whether that be through the use of Stealth Rock, Spikes, or Toxic Spikes. Some good hazard setters that pair well with Raging Bolt include Ting-Lu, Glimmora, and Samurott-H, all of which reliably can set hazards for it. Raging Bolt also appreciates being able to run items other than Heavy-Duty Boots, so reliable spinners, such as Great Tusk, Iron Treads, and Excadrill, make for strong pairings. You can also use Hatterene with Magic Bounce to achieve a similar outcome.
* Speed: While less important than it is on most drafts, due to Thunderclap being priority move, Raging Bolt is plagued with a very mediocre Speed tier. It appreciates having partners, such as Greninja, Meowscarada, and Talonflame, to cover the fastest Pokemon in the metagame, but Raging Bolt also appreciates base 95 through 110 Speed Pokemon, such as Kyurem, Urshifu-S, Manaphy, and Ogerpon-H, to deny the opponent the ability to freely run the likes of Adamant Sneasler, Modest Iron Valiant, and Modest Iron Moth.
* Dual screens: Since it is very reliant on being able to safely use Calm Mind a lot of the time, Raging Bolt appreciates both Reflect and Light Screen, whether that be from Prankster setters such as Klefki and Grimmsnarl, Aurora Veil from Ninetales-A, or just regular Light Screen and/or Reflect from Scream Tail or even a low price Pokemon like Ribombee.
Checks and Counters
========
* Bulky Grass- and Ground-types: While Draco Meteor can break through these Pokemon, Raging Bolt does not like being forced out afterwards, since it's a massive momentum sink to do so and provides the opponent a safe turn of setup. The likes of Iron Treads and Rillaboom can be particularly annoying, as they can live a hit and Volt Switch or U-turn out into Pokemon that can capitalize on a -2 Raging Bolt. Using reliable pivots, such as Greninja and Meowscarada, can help offset this by attempting to regain control of the game state.
* Fast Encore: Given the mass distribution of Encore, Raging Bolt can often find itself being locked into moves and forced out because of this. Its best way past this is to pair it with either strong Choice Scarf users or naturally fast cleaners, as most Encore users tend to be rather frail, with notable exceptions of Scream Tail and Uxie. Raging Bolt can utilize Mental Herb in these matchups to better its odds at breaking them.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/dartrix-joker.356084/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
Draft order: Late round 2 or early round 3
Price range: 15-16 points
Overview: Raging Bolt is seen by many as the second coming of Kingambit. Boasting a monstrously high Special Attack stat with great bulk on both sides, it's able to hit hard while taking hits just as well. Thunderclap is the most threatening tool in its arsenal, being able to clean up games incredibly well while also packing an incredibly strong Draco Meteor for foes that are slower than it. Similarly to Kingambit, it is quite one dimensional in what it does, but don't let that fool you; it's still one of the strongest threats in the metagame.
[strategy comments]
Common Roles
========
* Wallbreaker: Raging Bolt is able to use a mix of Calm Mind and Taunt to break through most teams' defensive cores, firing off powerful Draco Meteor and Thunderbolt for slower threats and Thunderclap for faster ones. It can utilize Terastallization to gain valuable coverage to help with this.
* Cleaner: Thanks to access to Booster Energy and Thunderclap, it's able to come in late-game and pick off remaining Pokemon with ease.
Common Moves
========
* Primary STAB moves: Thunderclap, Thunderbolt, Discharge, Volt Switch, Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse
* Setup moves: Calm Mind
* Utility moves: Taunt, Dragon Tail, Thunder Wave, Substitute
* Coverage: Solar Beam, Weather Ball, Ancient Power, Tera Blast
Niche Moves
========
* Sunny Day: This allows Raging Bolt to activate Protosynthesis without having to rely on Booster Energy or a teammate to set sun for it. It gives it flexibility with its item slot and allows it to use coverage, such as Solar Beam and Weather Ball, while also giving a similar damage buff compared to Calm Mind.
Common Items
========
* Booster Energy: It is by far the most common of Raging Bolt's items, allowing it to begin breaking immediately, rather than having to spend a turn setting up.
* Heavy-Duty Boots: Giving Raging Bolt an immunity to entry hazards allows it to set up much easier thanks to its ability to take hits more safely.
* Choice Specs: Functioning similarly to Booster Energy, Choice Specs's increased power can be valuable vs slower teams.
* Leftovers: It's an alternative to Heavy-Duty Boots, most notably in matchups where the opponent has poor hazard setters or is unable to reliably answer Calm Mind Raging Bolt.
Niche Items
========
* Sitrus Berry: Practically speaking, it's a side grade to Heavy-Duty Boots and Leftovers but is only a better choice if you expect to take one strong hit.
* Resistance Berry: A resistance Berry can help Raging Bolt set up easier or allow it to pick off a faster threat that it otherwise couldn't.
* Life Orb/Expert Belt/Magnet: Damage-boosting items help it hit damage benchmarks while not being Choice-locked from Choice Specs.
* Power Herb: While only ran with Solar Beam, it can be used to OHKO Ground-types such as Swampert and Gastrodon.
* Mental Herb: Mental Herb prevents Raging Bolt from being susceptible to Encore when using Calm Mind or Taunt by the likes of Scream Tail and Uxie.
* Assault Vest: This allows Raging Bolt to utilize its strong defensive typing in matchups where it may not need setup to be effective. It can be seen as a side grade to Heavy-Duty Boots, but it may outclass it on teams with strong hazard removal.
Tera
========
Raging Bolt is one of the best Tera Captains in the format. It benefits massively from Tera on both the offensive and defensive side. Offensively, (ac) it's able to strengthen its already strong Thunderclap and Draco Meteor with STAB Tera types, also being able to choose types such as Water and Grass, providing it with much needed coverage against the likes of Excadrill and Iron Treads or to strengthen Solar Beam against Ting-Lu. Defensively, it's able to utilize Tera types such as Fairy, Steel, Water, and Poison to give it better defensive matchups, allowing it to set up in front of the likes of Urshifu-S, Baxcalibur, and Weavile.
Draft Strategy
========
Raging Bolt pairs incredibly well with a lot of early first round picks: Palafin, Great Tusk, and Iron Valiant; it wants to be with Pokemon that are not reliant on Tera to function, and the best of these happen to be the Tera-banned threats. Its lack of support options, however, as well as its struggle against bulkier specially defensive walls, means that it does require a lot of team support.
* Physical wallbreakers: Raging Bolt is not a mixed attacker; it will struggle with breaking through specially defensive walls by itself, especially Ground-types. Pairing it with the likes of Palafin, Baxcalibur, and Weavile can help with this, as they are able to break through Raging Bolt's checks, and Raging Bolt can break through their checks, creating a powerful wallbreaking duo.
* Entry hazard control: A lot of the time, it wants the opposing team to be weakened so that it can easily clean with Thunderclap. Hazards are one of the easiest ways to achieve this, whether that be through the use of Stealth Rock, Spikes, or Toxic Spikes. Some good hazard setters that pair well with Raging Bolt include Ting-Lu, Glimmora, and Samurott-H, all of which reliably can set hazards for it. Raging Bolt also appreciates being able to run items other than Heavy-Duty Boots, so reliable spinners, such as Great Tusk, Iron Treads, and Excadrill, make for strong pairings. You can also use Hatterene with Magic Bounce to achieve a similar outcome.
* Speed: While less important than it is on most drafts, due to Thunderclap being priority move, Raging Bolt is plagued with a very mediocre Speed tier. It appreciates having partners, such as Greninja, Meowscarada, and Talonflame, to cover the fastest Pokemon in the metagame, but Raging Bolt also appreciates base 95 through 110 Speed Pokemon, such as Kyurem, Urshifu-S, Manaphy, and Ogerpon-H, to deny the opponent the ability to freely run the likes of Adamant Sneasler, Modest Iron Valiant, and Modest Iron Moth.
* Dual screens: Since it is very reliant on being able to safely use Calm Mind a lot of the time, Raging Bolt appreciates both Reflect and Light Screen, whether that be from Prankster setters such as Klefki and Grimmsnarl, Aurora Veil from Ninetales-A, or just regular Light Screen and/or Reflect from Scream Tail or even a low price Pokemon like Ribombee.
Checks and Counters
========
* Bulky Grass- and Ground-types: While Draco Meteor can break through these Pokemon, Raging Bolt does not like being forced out afterwards, since it's a massive momentum sink to do so and provides the opponent a safe turn of setup. The likes of Iron Treads and Rillaboom can be particularly annoying, as they can live a hit and Volt Switch or U-turn out into Pokemon that can capitalize on a -2 Raging Bolt. Using reliable pivots, such as Greninja and Meowscarada, can help offset this by attempting to regain control of the game state.
* Fast Encore: Given the mass distribution of Encore, Raging Bolt can often find itself being locked into moves and forced out because of this. Its best way past this is to pair it with either strong Choice Scarf users or naturally fast cleaners, as most Encore users tend to be rather frail, with notable exceptions of Scream Tail and Uxie. Raging Bolt can utilize Mental Herb in these matchups to better its odds at breaking them.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nyx.564960/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/hacker.387847/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/dartrix-joker.356084/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/ken.594478/
Last edited:
