Raikou (Done) [Approval 2/2] [GP Checks 2/2]

[Lockeness]

Analysis is done and ready for upload![Approval 2/2] [GP Checks 2/2]

[Overview]

<p>Lions and Tigers and Raikou, oh my! With blistering base 115 Speed and Special Attack, great special bulk, Roar, and only one weakness, Raikou has the qualities most phazers and tanks wish they had. This combination of factors allows Raikou to come in on a slew of special attackers and either tank them with a blazing fast RestTalk combo or phaze them with Roar. Speaking of Roar, Raikou is one of the most dependable phazers in OU. Unlike many of its phazing brethren, Raikou has both significant offensive prowess in Thunder as well as amazing Speed. With Spikes support, Raikou can become a true terror. Good base 90 HP and 100 Special Defense give Raikou some serious special bulk, but its low Defense is a bit of a drag, especially with a weakness to the ubiquitous Earthquake. Raikou's movepool is shallow, and it can do little to the most common Pokemon in OU&mdash;Snorlax. However, beyond these few issues, Raikou is easily one of the most dependable Pokemon in OU and will shine as a member of any team.</p>

[SET]
name: Phazer
move 1: Thunder / Thunderbolt
move 2: Roar
move 3: Reflect / Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Water
move 4: Rest
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>When it comes to dependable phazers, it doesn't get much better than Raikou. This set will stop numerous special attackers and setup sweepers such as Growth Vaporeon, Zapdos, Gengar, Suicune, and Growth Jolteon. Raikou will also serve as an effective check to any Misdreavus trying to Perish trap. While Roar phazes opponents and racks up entry hazard damage, Raikou can also threaten opponents with STAB Thunder. It can choose between both Thunder and Thunderbolt. Thunder has extra power and a 30% paralysis chance, while Thunderbolt is more accurate and has more PP. Reflect will halve the damage from physical sweepers such as Snorlax, Marowak, and Heracross, making it easier to switch out to a counter. Reflect will also greatly benefit Snorlax trying to set up Belly Drum, but without Hidden Power, Raikou will be unable to threaten Exeggutor or Ground-types. Hidden Power Ice and Water are both options over Reflect if Raikou needs the extra coverage. Rest is in the fourth slot to keep Raikou alive once its health has become dangerously low. Status from opponents, especially paralysis, will still be a pain, and without Sleep Talk, Raikou will be forced to either switch out or wait for the sleep from rest to end. Raikou's Rest is incredibly fast and with its superior bulk opponents will often fail to KO or significantly damage Raikou as it regains its health before they can attack.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Raikou is, without a doubt, the best offensive phazer in OU. With Spikes support, it will easily rack up damage from forced switches and offensive pressure. Cloyster makes a great partner since it has Spikes, super effective STAB against most Ground-types, high Defense, and Explosion to open holes in the opponents team. Forretress is a less solid teammate because of its inability to check Ground-types, but it is better geared towards providing long-term Spikes support for Raikou. Both Skarmory and Suicune are excellent phazing partners. Skarmory will cover Raikou's Ground weakness, while Raikou can absorb powerful Electric attacks such as Thunder aimed at Skarmory. Skarmory's high Defense and ability to wall Snorlax complements Raikou's strong special bulk and ability to damage some of Skarmory's key checks, namely Zapdos. Suicune offers great mixed bulk and long-term recovery. Raikou, Suicune, and Skarmory form a potent defensive combo that few OU threats will be able to break. Because of its high Speed, Raikou is vulnerable to status, especially paralysis. Without Sleep Talk, it will really appreciate Heal Bell support to remove sleep from Rest. Miltank is arguably the best choice as a Heal Bell user since it boasts high Defense and instant recovery in Milk Drink.</p>

[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 2: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Water
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With its excellent base 115 Speed, Raikou is the second fastest Pokemon in OU behind Jolteon. This means that Raikou will almost always have a chance to hammer the opponent before they can fire back. Incredibly fast recovery in Rest and the ability to continue attacking opponents with Thunder once asleep make Raikou a potent tank. Rather than phazing common special threats such as Zapdos, Gengar, Growth Vaporeon, and Exeggutor this set aims to abuse Raikou's great tanking ability. This Raikou set will also prevent Skarmory, Starmie, and Suicune from phazing, or Rapid Spinning in Starmie's case. Switching into this set can be deadly as Raikou can hit the opponent very hard twice before they can even move. The difference between using Thunder or Thunderbolt comes down to the classic argument of accuracy versus raw power. Thunderbolt will provide more consistency but Thunder will provide the power necessary to muscle through opposing tanks such as Zapdos. The paralysis chance from Thunder is beneficial in general, but its low accuracy and PP are a pain, especially in longer matches. Hidden Power Ice and Water are both great options for this set. Hidden Power Ice provides super effective coverage against Exeggutor, Ground-types, and Dragonite. However, Hidden Power Water will hit certain Ground-types such as Steelix and Rhydon much harder. One side note regarding Hidden Power Water&mdash;the IV drop from using Water over Ice will cause many moves to KO Raikou more often and more quickly than if it used Hidden Power Ice. For example, with Hidden Power Water, Raikou will almost always be OHKOed by Gengar's Explosion, while Tyranitar's Rock Slide will go from a 4HKO to a 3HKO.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Raikou is a powerful tank, but there are a few threats that it will have trouble breaking, namely Snorlax, Quagsire, and Steelix. Skarmory makes a great Snorlax check and has the added benefit of providing physically defensive synergy with Raikou. Skarmory will check Snorlax with its ever-useful Whirlwind, while Suicune will provide additional phazing support against any pesky Ground-types. Not only does Exeggutor resist Earthquake, but it also threatens most Ground-types, including Quagsire, with STAB Giga Drain. The paralysis rate from Thunder can help out slower attackers such as Marowak and Rhydon. Physical threats such as these will also give Raikou's team an option against opposing Raikou and Blissey. Spikes support from Cloyster or Forretress is also nice, as the additional damage from Spikes against threats like Exeggutor and Ground-types is very welcome.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Raikou has one of the most shallow movepools in the game and offers little in the way of alternative options to the sets listed above. However, there are a few other options Raikou can utilize if need be. Crunch on the RestTalk is a more effective way to damage opposing Raikou and Exeggutor, and the possiblity of a Special Defense drop will also come in handy versus opponents with large special bulk. However, STAB Thunder, even when resisted, is stronger than a neutral Crunch. Considering Thunder's high paralysis chance, Crunch is usually not worth dropping Hidden Power for Raikou match-ups. Hidden Power Grass over Hidden Power Ice or Water will give Quagsire a nasty surprise if it should come in on Raikou. Rhydon and Marowak are also covered by Hidden Power Grass. However, losing out on the super effective coverage from Hidden Power Ice against Nidoking and Exeggutor is less than preferable. Toxic is a possibility to wear down Snorlax and any walls that switch in. However, Thunder is often powerful enough to render Toxic unnecessary; giving up Reflect, and thereby leaving Raikou totally and completely walled by Nidoking and Steelix, is usually not worth the trouble of adding Toxic, either.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Raikou easily checks a large swath of the metagame, but some opponents will flip the tables on the electric tiger. Snorlax is the defining member of OU and threatens nearly everything that tries to come in, including Raikou. Even if Raikou has Reflect, Snorlax will still be able to set up with Curse or paralyze Raikou with Body Slam. As such, Raikou will almost always be forced to switch out of Snorlax, giving the latter an extra turn to either set up, attack, or switch to another teammate. With its wonderful Electric immunity, Quagsire is an excellent Raikou check as long as the latter doesn't pack Hidden Power Grass. Quagsire easily threatens with Earthquake and can set up with Belly Drum as Raikou switches in fear of being severely damaged. Rhydon and Marowak can come in on a predicted Thunder and threaten Raikou with a super effective Earthquake. However, both will need to be wary of switching in on Hidden Power. Steelix also makes a good check to Raikou as long as it doesn't use Hidden Power Water. Even if Raikou has Reflect up, Steelix can phaze with Roar, potentially racking up Spikes damage. Jolteon resists Thunder and can use RestTalk Raikou as an opportunity to set up Agility or Substitute, then Baton Pass to a Ground-type such as Marowak or Rhydon that can come in and fire away with STAB Earthquake. However, Jolteon won't be able to set up against phazing Raikou at all, and it especially won't like the 30% paralysis chance from Thunder. Blissey also deserves a mention as a check because of its ridiculous Special Defense and HP, as it can also use Light Screen to completely neuter Raikou go for the freeze with Ice Beam.</p>

 

[Jorgen]

Hidden Power Water/Ice is more standard than Crunch. Hidden Power is also more standard than Reflect on the Roar set, too. Crunch isn't as bad on Raikou as DP is on Zapdos since Crunch actually helps in Raikou dittos, but it still probably belongs in OO.

 

[Lockeness]

Both Reflect and Crunch have been moved to OO and Hidden Power Ice/Water have been moved to the sets. More suggestions are welcome.

 

[Earthworm]

While Crunch is definitely other options material, Reflect deserves its spot alongside HP on Roar Raikou imo (if not being the main option but that's certainly more debatable). Reflect means that Raikou isn't at threat from special exploders nearly as much (e.g. Gengar and Exeggutor, but this doesn't mean the threat is completely gone) and also means that if Snorlax gets phazed in it is a lot less of a threat (not only to Raikou, but also to anything you might want to switch to). It can also help you set up things but that isn't specific to Raikou's Reflect.

Needs more spikes mention for the roar set. Raikou is the best Spikes phazer by a long shot. Also it is probably worth specifically mentioning the ability to phaze growth pokes since Raikou is arguably the best general phazer for those (Ttar is better for Espeon only, Suicune better for vap only, Raikou probably is the best jolt phazer, but only Raikou can do all of them with a decent level of safety).

 

[Jorgen]

Yeah, Reflect is definitely slash material on the Roar set.

As for Growtheon phazing, Jolt is the main one. I don't know about trumping up Raikou as a Phazer for Vap or Espeon because those two just do so much damage to Raikou. Vap should be attacked, whereas Espeon should really be handled by other means.

 

[Crystal_]

Needs more spikes mention for the roar set. Raikou is the best Spikes phazer by a long shot

^This

Also yeah I agree with Reflect. Move it back to the main set.

 

[M Dragon]

Reflect should be a main option in the roar set.

Vaporeon and Suicne will check marowak, Rhydon, and Tyranitar who may try to come in on this set.

Well, Vaporeon will take a LOT from marowak EQ though.
Suicune + Raikou wall most mixed attackers

 

[Lockeness]

Great suggestions as always! I would love to hear any additional comments you guys have to offer. I hope to have the rough draft complete by this Sunday. I might start a little earlier if time allows.

 

[Lockeness]

The rough draft for Raikou is now complete! Feel free to fire away with suggestions, comments, and advice!

 

[Jorgen]

Sleep Talk Set:

This set will take on many common special attackers and threats such as Zapdos, Gengar, Skarmory, Starmie, Suicune, and Growth Vaporeon.

Skarmory, Starmie, and Suicune don't really qualify as threats that need to be "walled" the same way the others do. However, Starmie, Skarmory, and Suicune do often either Rapid Spin or Phaze, and Raikou does stop all of that from happening, so it's worth mentioning them, but just not in the same sentence.

Thunderbolt will provide more consistency but Thunder will provide the power necessary to beat through opposing tanks such as Zapdos and Suicune.

Put Snorlax over Suicune.

Hidden Power Ice will provide amazing neutral coverage with Thunder

Hits most Grounds and Exeggutor for SE damage. Hidden Power is always for SE coverage, as unSTABbed 70 base power is awful for a neutral move.

Marowak, Tyranitar, and Rhydon will all enjoy seeing powerful special attackers gone and can use the holes Raikou opens up to sweep opposing teams.

Raikou isn't really opening up holes for these guys. Well, he can paralyze other Raikou with Thunder, but that's about all it can do.


Addition: Thunder Raikou likes Spikes support the same way Zapdos does. It's not as good as Zapdos with Spikes, but it regardless gives it the extra help it needs to possibly KO Snorlax.


Roar Set:

This set will stop numerous special attackers, walls, and set up sweepers such as Skarmory, Growth Vaporeon, Misdreavus, Starmie, Zapdos, Gengar, Suicune, Growth Jolteon, and Tyranitar.

Skarmory, Starmie, and Suicune don't belong, Tyranitar isn't really well-checked with Earthquake being common and Rock Slide doing a hefty 31-37%. Misdreavus also isn't a special attacker or setup sweeper, so it's kinda weird seeing it next to the rest. Walls aren't really something that need to be "stopped", so they should probably be seen in another sentence.

Behind Reflect Raikou will be better situated to take on opposing Snorlax and Heracross.

Heracross is a weird thing to say here. Reflect also neutralizes Grounds such as Marowak and Nidoking. Those are more relevant than Heracross.

Because status, especially paralysis, is such a pain for Raikou the fourth slot is dedicated to Rest.

Rest is just for keeping it from dying. This makes it sound like Rest makes status not that big a deal on Roar Raikou, when in all actuality status is pretty crippling because of no Sleep Talk.

Forretress is a more defensively solid teammate and is better geared toward providing long term Spikes support for Raikou.

Forretress doesn't shore up Raikou's Ground weakness the same way Cloyster does. So, if anything, Forry is less defensively solid.


The Rest:

Hidden Power Grass offers little in the way of coverage outside of hitting Quagsire super effectively.

Well, it's not that bad. It hits Marowak and Rhydon hard. It just misses out on both Steelix and Exeggutor, and also drops coverage against Nidoking, so it's generally not as good against more common threats.

With Toxic Raikou will actually be able to do damage to Snorlax rather than just setting up Reflect and the switching out.

Raikou isn't exactly doing paltry damage if it's running Thunder. Roar gets Spikes damage, too, and there's generally better things to toss out Toxic that don't totally forfeit being able to do anything to Nidoking and Steelix.

Raikou has no reliable way to wear down Snorlax outside of Toxic, and using it will require Raikou to give up the defense boost from Reflect.

Again, Raikou isn't as good as Zapdos at this, but its Thunder isn't exactly easy for Snorlax to come into, especially with Spikes down and the threat of being Roared right back out. Toxic is far from the only thing Raikou can do to Snorlax, and is actually one of Raikou's worst options, so trumping it up like this is bad.

Jolteon will have a harder time setting up against phazing Raikou and it won't like the 30% paralysis chance from Thunder.

More like Jolteon won't set up on Roar Raikou.

Tyranitar boasts strong special bulk and powerful physical attacks, but it won't enjoy Reflect from phazing versions of Raikou.

Thunder(bolt) takes out a decent chunk of change, too, especially for something like Tyranitar that generally doesn't carry Rest.

Blissey also deserves a mention as a check because of its ridiculous Special Defense and HP, but it won't be able to do much in terms of actual damage to Raikou outside of Toxic and Seismic Toss.

Almost no Blissey runs Seismic Toss because it's illegal with Heal Bell. Light Screen is more common and totally neutralizes Raikou if it attempts to stay in and stall Blissey out. Ice Beam is also somewhat common on Blissey and can be used to go for the Freeze.

 

[Lockeness]

I apologize for not getting on these updates as soon as I would have liked. AP study and test taking season is in full swing and I have a bunch of other writing assignments and required work on my plate. However, I will continue to update and work on this analysis in my spare time. I will get Jorgen's updates up sometime later today so that this analysis can keep rolling!

EDIT- Jorgen's edits are implemented! More suggestions are welcome.

 

[Crystal_]

With blisetering base 115 Speed

and special attack

The roar set should go before the resttalk imo

I don't like when you say Raikou has a fast resttalk set, saying that raikou itself is fast is enough. Otherwise it sounds to me like raikou's resttalk is fast at wearing things down or something.

You make it sound like thunder raikou will beat snorlax. It still needs many things to happen to beat lax (spikes, maybe ch, resting then 4 max thunders in a row).

Thunder can aslo paralyze other Raikous.

Gengar can also be good for baitexploding into opposing Raikous. And when you mention eggy, i'd remove giga since it scares them out without necessarily having gdrain anyway.

Hidden Power should be the first moves slashed in the roar set, before reflect.

In the third slot Raikou can choose to run Reflect, which will boost its defense significantly. Behind Reflect Raikou will be better situated to take on opposing Snorlax, Marowak, and Nidoking. While behind Reflect and factoring in Leftovers recovery an Earthquake from Heracross or Snorlax is a 5HKO, barring a critical hit. However, Raikou won't be able to do much to Snorlax in return. Raikou will almost always switch agaisnt Snorlax while Reflect will continue to benefit Raikou's team with increased physical defense.

Just rewrite thi to something like: Reflect will halve the damage from physical sweepers such as Snorlax, Marowak, heracross etc, making it easier to switch out to a counter more easily. It can help Snorlax setting up belly drum as well, but without the coverage move, raikous ability to rack up spikes damage with roar will get greatly reduced.

Crunch is mainly good for Raikou dittos. And maybe zapdos if you dont thunder.

Raikou has no reliable way to wear down Snorlax outside of Toxic

Remove this from C&C

When you mention ground-types you can also mention Nidoking. And maybe eggy somewhere too idk.

 

[Lockeness]

I will update this analysis with Crystal_'s suggestions on Wednesday May 9. Until then I will be on reduced activity because of exams and other projects. I apologize for the delays. I will be back to more consistent activity on May 17.

 

[Lockeness]

The majority of Crystal's edits have been updated into the analysis. The only suggestion I didn't implement was the one regarding whether Reflect or Hidden Power should come first in the Roar set. I've seen opinions either way, and at this point I don't think the position matters too much. However, if I hear a really strong well supported argument for changing the placement of the moves I'll be happy to change it. Additional Approval checks are welcome!

 

[Conflict]

Overview:

Great base 90 HP and 100 Special Defense give Raikou some serious special bulk but it unfortunately suffers from a low defensive stat and a weakness to the most common physical attack in the game- Earthquake.

Base 90 HP is good but not great (great would be 100+; i.e. Lax/Blissey) so change that to 'Decent'. And im not so sure if Raikous defense stat is so bad that it suffers from it.

Phazer:

Again Raikou can choose between both Thunder and Thunderbolt, but the extra power and 30% paralysis chance from Thunder is definitely recommended.

This sounds as if Thunder is the better option than Thunderbolt which it isnt. Both have their merits (Tbolt has more PP and accuracy which can come in handy) so you should probably reword that.

but without Hidden Power, Raikou's ability to rack up Spikes damage with roar will be greatly reduced.

Hmmm Raikou can still rack up spikes damage with roar regardless of an Hidden Power (Reflect -> Roar vs. Snorlax/Quagsire for example). Just mention that he cant threaten Pokemons with a Electric immunity anymore.

Both Skarmory and Suicune are excellent phazing partners.

Maybe mention that Skarmory+Suicune+Raikou can counter pretty much every single Pokemon out there. Not sure about that but at least give Suicune a bigger mention.


RestTalk:

This set will take on many common special attackers and threats such as Zapdos, Gengar, and Growth Vaporeon.

Give Exeggutor a mention here because Raikou can switch into Eggy not fearing a Sleep Powder and Psychic is only a 4hko (with Lefties). And with HP[Ice] Raikou can hit back reasonably hard.

but Thunder will provide the power necessary to beat through opposing tanks such as Zapdos. The paralysis chance from Thunder is also beneficial when facing opposing Raikou.

Eh im not so sure if Thunder is better vs. opposing Raikou since youll have to waste a few Thunders on Raikou just to paralyze it. With Thunder only having 16 PP that can come back and bite you in the ass later in the match. Just mention that Thunder gives you a nice paralysis rate (vs everything) and remove the part that talks specifically about opposing Raikou's.

Explosion Gengar is another option for luring in and KOing Quagsire.

Take this out. Gengar doesnt want to explode vs. Quagsire in most cases and cant switch in. And Explosion doesnt even kill Quagsire guaranteed (he need to be under ~77% HP to die guaranteed).

While Raikou's tank set won't abuse Spikes quite as well as Zapdos the additional damage against threats such as Snorlax is very welcome.

Resttalk Raikou deals as much damage as the Roar-Raikou set does to Snorlax. Change 'the additional damage against threats such as Snorlax is very welcome' to 'the additional coverage against threats like Exeguttor, ground-types coupled with the ability to recover without much risk is very welcome' or something similar to that. Just point out how the opponent cant abuse the 2 Restturns with a dangerous sweeper.

Other Options:
Maybe mention the possibility of Curse+Return+Thunder+Rest-Raikou which is probably the only Raikou-set that can sweep lategame though it isnt that effective in general. (Its main selling point is beating many of the common Curse-Pokemon counters like Skarmory, Suicune, Misdreavus, Gengar and Miltank).

Checks and Counters:

Mention that both Rhydon, Marowak and Nidoking as well as Exeguttor are able to 'check' Raikou if the need arises and Hidden Power-less Raikou stands no chance. They arent reliable but can work vs the rigth Hidden Power and threaten Raikou with a suppereffective EQ (HP[Ice] vs. Rhydon: 43-51% = 3hko with Lefties; HP[Ice/Water/Grass] vs. Marowak: 40-47% = 3hko).


Other than that and a few obvious spelling errors (that GP will notice anyways) that looks pretty good.

Make these changes and then you can consider this approved.

 

[Jorgen]

Roar Set Comments:
Against certain high powered threats such as Snorlax, Raikou will almost always switch out. The additional physical defense for from Reflect in these situations for Raikou's team is very much appreciated.

-you pretty much already said this. remove it.


ST Set Comments:
Hidden Power Ice will provide amazing super effective coverage with Thunder

-Just mention Exeggutor explicitly. We all know that's 100% of the reason you ever choose Ice over Water.


AC:
Suicune will provide additional phazing support against any pesky ground types.

-It'll just check them. This description of Suicune's synergy with Raikou is a little weird. I'd listen to Conflict's suggestions on this part.


Explosion Gengar is another option for luring in and KOing Quagsire.

-This is kinda like the Heracross mention for Reflect in the first set (I brought this up earlier). I mean, Gengar blowing up on Quag is both possible and effective, but it's rare and not really something that's in the fore of your mind when considering Gengar. Gengar mostly helps out with the baiting-and-killing of Snorlax and opposing Raikou.


OO:
Crunch is a more consistent option than Thunder in Raikou vs. Raikou match ups.

-Pretty much the only reason to use Crunch is to get the Special Fall in Raikou dittos. Not because it's reliable damage, but because it forces the other Raikou out, or gives you the win if it's last-poke Raikou.


However, Thunder is often powerful enough to render Toxic unnecessary.
-And it leaves you totally powerless against Nido and Steelix. TOTALLY.



C&C:
Snorlax is the defining member of OU and threatens nearly everything that tries to come in, including Raikou.

-Raikou isn't coming in on Snorlax. This sentence makes it sound like he is.


Raikou has no reliable way to wear down Snorlax outside of Toxic

-Crystal_ mentioned this, but nix this. Thunder and RoarSpikes damage, coupled with Reflect neutralization, gives Raikou plenty of play against Snorlax. Toxic isn't even necessary for Snorlax, let alone a good option for other matchups.


C&C should also make mention Egg, Rhydon, Marowak, and Nidoking for variants of Raikou lacking the appropriate coverage move. Heck, in Marowak's and, to an extent, Nidoking's case, all you need to do is predict the electric move and see the electric dog run while you get a free, powerful hit on whatever decides to take you on.


Also I agree with all of Conflict's suggestions except for the Overview suggestions (Raikou's physical defense is pretty damn exploitable, so keep that bit in) and the Other Options Curse set (It could definitely work as a gimmick, but imo it really isn't worth talking about, let alone implicitly recommending as an "other option", in the on-site analysis).

Pending these changes (many of which are admittedly stylistic or cosmetic), I'll pass my approval as well.

 

[Lockeness]

All suggestions are added- this analysis is ready for GP checks!

 

[Tamahome]

The analysis is pretty complete, but you could also mention that Raikou counters Dragonite, and even that's BL, it may causes headaches if you're not well prepared.

 

[Lockeness]

The analysis is pretty complete, but you could also mention that Raikou counters Dragonite, and even that's BL, it may causes headaches if you're not well prepared.

I mentioned Dragonite next to Exeggutor when discussing mons that hp ice counters. If you feel I need any more elaboration just let me know!

 

[Jorgen]

Raikou doesn't just threaten with HP Ice, it also tanks most of Dnite's hits - Double-Edge only has a very slim chance of 3HKO (unless it's HP Water Raikou, in which case Double-Edge is a 3HKO over half the time).

Speaking of bulk differences with choice of hidden power, it's worth mentioning that a full-health HP Ice Raikou only has a slim chance of being OHKOed by Gengar's Explosion (335-394 damage, with 384 HP), whereas HP Water Raikou will be OHKOed a little less than half the time (332-391 damage, with 364 HP). Tyranitar Rock Slide also transforms from a high 4HKO to a likely 3HKO if you run Hidden Power Water. There's a couple of other notable damage bumps with Hidden Power Water that I'm probably forgetting, but it'd be a good idea to mention that, in general, the HP drop from Hidden Power Water is actually pretty significant.

 

[Lockeness]

Thanks Jorgen! I added in some of your examples in the section regarding using hidden power Ice and hp water.

 

[Nix_Hex]

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[Overview]

<p>Lions and Tigers and Raikou, oh my! With blisetering base 115 Speed and Special Attack, great special bulk, Roar, and only one weakness,(comma) Raikou has the qualities most phazers and tanks wish they had. These This combination of factors allows Raikou to come in on a slew of special attackers and either tank them with a blazing fast RestTalk combo or phaze them with Roar. Speaking of Roar, Raikou is one of the most dependable phazers in OU. Unlike many of its phazing brethren,(comma) Raikou has both significant offensive prowess in Thunder as well as amazing Speed. With Spikes support,(comma) Raikou can become a true terror. Good base 90 HP and 100 Special Defense give Raikou some serious special bulk but its low defensive stat is a bit of a drag, especially with Raikou's weakness to the ubiquitous Earthquake. Raikou's movepool is shallow and it can do little to the most common Pokemon in OU- Snorlax. OU&mdash;Snorlax. However, beyond these few issues,(comma) Raikou is easily one of the most dependable Pokemon in OU and will shine as a member of any team.</p>

[SET]
name: Phazer
move 1:(space)Thunder / Thunderbolt
move 2:(space)Roar
move 3:(space)Reflect / Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Water
move 4:(space)Rest
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>When it comes to dependable phazers,(comma) it doesn't get much better than Raikou. This set will stop numerous special attackers and set up sweepers such as Growth Vaporeon, Zapdos, Gengar, Suicune, and Growth Jolteon. Raikou will also serve as an effective check to any Misdreavus trying to PerishTrap.(Should there be a space between Perish and Trap?) While Roar phazes opponents and racks up entry hazard damage,(comma) Raikou can also threaten opponents with STAB Thunder. Raikou can choose between both Thunder and Thunderbolt. Thunder has extra power and a 30% paralysis chance,(comma) while Thunderbolt is more accurate and has more PP. Reflect will halve the damage from physical sweepers such as Snorlax, Marowak, and Heracross,(comma) making it easier to switch out to a counter. Reflect will also greatly benefit Snorlax trying to set up Belly Drum, but without Hidden Power,(comma) Raikou will be unable to threaten Exeggutor or Ground-types. Hidden Power Ice and Water are both options over Reflect if Raikou needs the extra offensive coverage. Rest is in the fourth slot to keep Raikou alive once its health has become dangerously low. Status from opponents, especially paralysis, will still be a pain, and without Sleep Talk,(comma) Raikou will be forced to either switch out or wait for the sleep from rest to end. Raikou's Rest is incredibly fast and with its superior bulk opponents will often fail to KO or significantly damage Raikou as it regains its health before they can attack.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Raikou is,(comma) without a doubt,(comma) the best offensive phazer in OU. With Spikes support,(comma) Raikou will easily rack up damage from forced switches and offensive pressure. Cloyster makes a great partner since it has Spikes, super effective STAB against most Ground-types, high physical defense,(comma) and Explosion to open holes in the opponents team. Forretress is a less defensively solid teammate because of its inability to check Ground-types,(comma) but is better geared toward providing long term Spikes support for Raikou. Both Skarmory and Suicune are excellent phazing partners. Skarmory will cover Raikou's Ground weakness while Raikou can absorb powerful Electric attacks such as Thunder aimed at Skarmory. Skarmory's high physical Defense and ability to wall Snorlax complement Raikou's strong special bulk and ability to damage some of Skarmory's key checks,(comma) such as namely Zapdos. Suicune offers great mixed defense and long term recovery. Raikou, Suicune, and Skarmory are a potent defensive combo that few OU threats will be able to break. Because of its high Speed,(comma) Raikou is very sensitive to paralysis and status in general. status, especially paralysis. Without Sleep Talk,(comma) it will really appreciate Heal Bell support to remove sleep from Rest. Miltank is arguably the best choice as a Heal Beller since it boasts high physical Defense and instant recovery in Milk Drink.</p>

[SET]
name:RestTalk
move 1:(space)Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 2:(space)Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Water
move 3:(space)Rest
move 4:(space)Sleep Talk
item:(space)Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With its incredibly sexy base 115 Speed,(comma) Raikou is the second fastest Pokemon in OU behind Jolteon. This means that Raikou will almost always have a chance to hammer the opponent before they can fire back. Incredibly fast recovery in Rest and the ability to continue hammering opponents with Thunder once asleep with make Raikou a potent tank. This set will take on many common special attackers and threats such as Zapdos, Gengar, Exeggutor,(comma) and Growth Vaporeon. Raikou will also prevent Skarmory, Starmie, and Suicune from either phazing or Rapid Spinning in Starmie's case. Switching into this set can be deadly since Raikou will almost always be able to hammer the opponent on the switch,(comma) and then hit them again the following turn before the opponent can even move. The difference between using Thunder or Thunderbolt comes down to the classic arguments of accuracy versus raw power. Thunderbolt will provide more consistency but Thunder will provide the power necessary to beat through opposing tanks such as Zapdos. The paralysis chance from Thunder is beneficial in general, but its low accuracy and PP are a pain, especially in longer matches. Hidden Power Ice and Water are both great options for this set. Hidden Power Ice provides super effective coverage against Exeggutor, Ground-types, and Dragonite. However, Hidden Power Water will hit certain Ground-types such as Steelix and Rhydon much harder. One side note regarding Hidden Power Water- the Water&mdash;the IV drop from using Water over Ice will cause many moves to KO more often and more quickly than if Raikou used Hidden Power Ice. For example,(comma) with HP Hidden Power Water,(comma) Raikou will almost always be OHKOed by Gengar's Explosion,(comma) and while Tyranitar's Rock Slide will go from a 4HKO to a 3HKO.</p>


[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Raikou is a powerful tank, but there are a few threats that it will have trouble breaking;,(comma) namely Snorlax, Quagsire, and Steelix. Skarmory makes a great Snorlax check and has the added benefit of providing physically defensive synergy with Raikou. Skarmory will check Snorlax with its ever useful Whirlwind while Suicune will provide additional phazing support against any pesky Ground-types. Not only does Exeggutor resist Earthquake,(comma) but it also threatens most Ground-types(no space), including Quagsire, with STAB Giga Drain. The paralysis rate from Thunder can help out slower attackers such as Marowak and Rhydon. Physical threats such as these will also give Raikou's team an option against opposing Raikou and Blissey. Spikes support from Cloyster or Forretress is also nice. The additional damage from Spikes against threats like Exeggutor and Ground-types is very welcome.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Raikou has one of the most shallow movepools in the game and offers little in the way of alternative options to the sets listed above. However, there are a few other options Raikou can utilize if need be. Crunch on the RestTalk is a more effective way to damage opposing Raikou and Exeggutor, and the possiblity of a Special Defense drop will also come in handy versus opponents with large special bulk. The possible Special Defense drop from Crunch makes it an option for Raikou to use against opposing Raikou. However, STAB Thunder, even resisted, is stronger than a neutral Crunch. Considering Thunder's high paralysis chance,(comma) Crunch is usually not worth dropping Hidden Power for Rakiou match-ups. Hidden Power Grass over Hidden Power Ice or Water will give Quagsire a nasty surprise if it should come in on Raikou. Rhydon and Marowak are also covered by Hidden Power Grass. However, losing out on super effective coverage against Steelix, Nidoking, and Exeggutor is less than preferable. Toxic is a possibility to wear down Snorlax and any walls that switch in. However, Thunder is often powerful enough to render Toxic unnecessary. Giving up Reflect, and thereby leaving Raikou totally and completely walled by Nidoking and Steelix,(comma) is usually not worth the trouble of adding Toxic. </p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Raikou easily checks a large swath of the metagame, but some opponents will flip the tables on the electric tiger. Snorlax is the defining member of OU and threatens nearly everything that tries to come in, including Raikou. Even if Raikou has Reflect,(comma) Snorlax will still be able to set up with Curse or paralyze Raikou with Body Slam. As such,(comma) Raikou will almost always be forced to switch out from Snorlax, giving it an extra turn to either set up, attack, or switch to another teammate. Quagsire, with its wonderful Electric immunity, is an excellent Raikou check barring the rare occurance that Raikou should carry Hidden Power Grass. Quagsire easily threatens with Earthquake and can set up with Belly Drum as Raikou switches in fear of being severely damaged. Rhydon and Marowak can come in on a predicted Thunder and threaten Raikou with a super effective Earthquake. However, both will need to be wary of switching in on Hidden Power. Steelix also makes a good check to Raikou as long as it doesn't use Hidden Power Water. Even if Raikou has Reflect up,(comma) Steelix can still phaze with Roar, potentially racking up Spikes damage. Jolteon resists Thunder and can use RestTalking Raikou as an opportunity to set up Agility or substitute,(comma) and then Baton Pass to a Ground-type such as Marowak or Rhydon to come in and fire away with STAB Earthquake. However, Jolteon won't be able to set up against phazing Raikou at all and it especially won't like the 30% paralysis chance from Thunder. Blissey also deserves a mention as a check because of its ridiculous Special Defense and HP, as it can also use Light Screen to completely neuter Raikou, and Ice Beam to go for the freeze chance.</p>

Excellent write up. Just make sure to watch your formatting in the future. each move should be move 1: [move here], and for hidden power write out the words Hidden Power for each type. Also, you forgot the item on the Phazer set, but I kindly inserted it since 99% of GSC uses Leftovers from what I know lol.

[GP 1/2]

 

[Lockeness]

GP check implemented! Nixhex, thank you for your help and for your complements! It means a lot to me to see other users appreciate my work. I do apologize for the formating errors and my lack of commas! One of these days I promise to head over to OWL Purdue and force myself to learn correct comma usage!

 

[Calm Pokemaster]

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[Overview]

<p>Lions and Tigers and Raikou, oh my! With blistering base 115 Speed and Special Attack, great special bulk, Roar, and only one weakness, Raikou has the qualities most phazers and tanks wish they had. This combination of factors allows Raikou to come in on a slew of special attackers and either tank them with a blazing fast RestTalk combo or phaze them with Roar. Speaking of Roar, Raikou is one of the most dependable phazers in OU. Unlike many of its phazing brethren, Raikou has both significant offensive prowess in Thunder as well as amazing Speed. With Spikes support, Raikou can become a true terror. Good base 90 HP and 100 Special Defense give Raikou some serious special bulk, but its low defensive stat Defense is a bit of a drag, especially with Raikou's a weakness to the ubiquitous Earthquake. Raikou's movepool is shallow, and it can do little to the most common Pokemon in OU&mdash; Snorlax. However, beyond these few issues, Raikou is easily one of the most dependable (nitpick: you use "dependable" too many times. Please try and replace this instance with some other adjective) Pokemon in OU and will shine as a member of any team.</p>

[SET]
name: Phazer
move 1: Thunder / Thunderbolt
move 2: Roar
move 3: Reflect / Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Water
move 4: Rest
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>When it comes to dependable phazers, it doesn't get much better than Raikou. This set will stop numerous special attackers and setup sweepers such as Growth Vaporeon, Zapdos, Gengar, Suicune, and Growth Jolteon. Raikou will also serve as an effective check to any Misdreavus trying to PerishTrap. While Roar phazes opponents and racks up entry hazard damage, Raikou can also threaten opponents with STAB Thunder. Raikou It can choose between both Thunder and Thunderbolt. Thunder has extra power and a 30% paralysis chance, while Thunderbolt is more accurate and has more PP. Reflect will halve the damage from physical sweepers such as Snorlax, Marowak, and Heracross, making it easier to switch out to a counter. Reflect will also greatly benefit Snorlax trying to set up Belly Drum, but without Hidden Power, Raikou will be unable to threaten Exeggutor or Ground-types. Hidden Power Ice and Water are both options over Reflect if Raikou needs the extra offensive coverage. Rest is in the fourth slot to keep Raikou alive once its health has become dangerously low. Status from opponents, especially paralysis, will still be a pain, and without Sleep Talk, Raikou will be forced to either switch out or wait for the sleep from rest to end. Raikou's Rest is incredibly fast and with its superior bulk opponents will often fail to KO or significantly damage Raikou as it regains its health before they can attack.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Raikou is, without a doubt, the best offensive phazer in OU. With Spikes support, Raikou it will easily rack up damage from forced switches and offensive pressure. Cloyster makes a great partner since it has Spikes, super effective STAB against most Ground-types, high physical Defense, and Explosion to open holes in the opponents team. Forretress is a less defensively solid teammate because of its inability to check Ground-types, but it is better geared towards providing long-term Spikes support for Raikou. Both Skarmory and Suicune are excellent phazing partners. Skarmory will cover Raikou's Ground weakness, while Raikou can absorb powerful Electric attacks such as Thunder aimed at Skarmory. Skarmory's high Defense and ability to wall Snorlax complement Raikou's strong special bulk and ability to damage some of Skarmory's key checks, namely Zapdos. Suicune offers great mixed defense bulk and long-term recovery. Raikou, Suicune, and Skarmory are form a potent defensive combo that few OU threats will be able to break. Because of its high Speed,(comma) Raikou is very sensitive vulnerable to status, especially paralysis. Without Sleep Talk,(comma) (don't copy-paste checks 9.9) it will really appreciate Heal Bell support to remove sleep from Rest. Miltank is arguably the best choice as a Heal Bell user since it boasts high Defense and instant recovery in Milk Drink.</p>

[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 2: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Water
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With its incredibly sexy (the adjective "sexy" is inappropriate in a formal analysis) excellent base 115 Speed, Raikou is the second fastest Pokemon in OU behind Jolteon. This means that Raikou will almost always have a chance to hammer the opponent before they can fire back. Incredibly fast recovery in Rest and the ability to continue hammering attacking (in general, don't repeat the same adjective twice in short intervals) opponents with Thunder once asleep make Raikou a potent tank. This set will take on many common special attackers and threats such as Zapdos, Gengar, Exeggutor, and Growth Vaporeon. (please try and rewrite this sentence - there is an almost exactly similar sentence in the previous set) Raikou will also prevent Skarmory, Starmie, and Suicune from either phazing, or Rapid Spinning in Starmie's case. Switching into this set can be deadly since Raikou will almost always be able to hammer the opponent on the switch, then hit them again the following turn before the opponent can even move as Raikou can hit the opponent very hard twice before they can even move. The difference between using Thunder or Thunderbolt comes down to the classic argument of accuracy versus raw power. Thunderbolt will provide more consistency but Thunder will provide the power necessary to beat muscle through opposing tanks such as Zapdos. The paralysis chance from Thunder is beneficial in general, but its low accuracy and PP are a pain, especially in longer matches. Hidden Power Ice and Water are both great options for this set. Hidden Power Ice provides super effective coverage against Exeggutor, Ground-types, and Dragonite. However, Hidden Power Water will hit certain Ground-types such as Steelix and Rhydon much harder. One side note regarding Hidden Power Water&mdash;the IV drop from using Water over Ice will cause many moves to KO Raikou more often and more quickly than if Raikou it used Hidden Power Ice. For example, with Hidden Power Water, Raikou will almost always be OHKOed by Gengar's Explosion, while Tyranitar's Rock Slide will go from a 4HKO to a 3HKO.</p>
(remove line break)
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Raikou is a powerful tank, but there are a few threats that it will have trouble breaking,(comma) namely Snorlax, Quagsire, and Steelix. Skarmory makes a great Snorlax check and has the added benefit of providing physically defensive synergy with Raikou. Skarmory will check Snorlax with its ever-useful Whirlwind, while Suicune will provide additional phazing support against any pesky Ground-types. Not only does Exeggutor resist Earthquake,(comma) but it also threatens most Ground-types, including Quagsire, with STAB Giga Drain. The paralysis rate from Thunder can help out slower attackers such as Marowak and Rhydon. Physical threats such as these will also give Raikou's team an option against opposing Raikou and Blissey. Spikes support from Cloyster or Forretress is also nice, as the additional damage from Spikes against threats like Exeggutor and Ground-types is very welcome.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Raikou has one of the most shallow movepools in the game and offers little in the way of alternative options to the sets listed above. However, there are a few other options Raikou can utilize if need be. Crunch on the RestTalk is a more effective way to damage opposing Raikou and Exeggutor, and the possiblity of a Special Defense drop will also come in handy versus opponents with large special bulk. However, STAB Thunder, even resisted, is stronger than a neutral Crunch. Considering Thunder's high paralysis chance, Crunch is usually not worth dropping Hidden Power for Raikou match-ups (this last part doesn't make much sense. Do you mean to say that Hidden Power is better as it provides super effective coverage on key threats?). Hidden Power Grass over Hidden Power Ice or Water will give Quagsire a nasty surprise if it should come in on Raikou. Rhydon and Marowak are also covered by Hidden Power Grass. However, losing out on super effective coverage against Steelix, Nidoking, and Exeggutor is less than preferable. Toxic is a possibility to wear down Snorlax and any walls that switch in. However, Thunder is often powerful enough to render Toxic unnecessary; giving up Reflect, and thereby leaving Raikou totally and completely walled by Nidoking and Steelix, is usually not worth the trouble of adding Toxic, either.</p> (I combined the last two sentences since they both discuss the demerits of Toxic)

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Raikou easily checks a large swath of the metagame, but some opponents will flip the tables on the electric tiger. Snorlax is the defining member of OU and threatens nearly everything that tries to come in, including Raikou. Even if Raikou has Reflect, Snorlax will still be able to set up with Curse or paralyze Raikou with Body Slam. As such, Raikou will almost always be forced to switch out from of Snorlax, giving it the latter an extra turn to either set up, attack, or switch to another teammate. Quagsire, With its wonderful Electric immunity, Quagsire is an excellent Raikou check as long as the latter doesn't pack Hidden Power Grass barring the rare occurance that Raikou should carry Hidden Power Grass. Quagsire easily threatens with Earthquake and can set up with Belly Drum as Raikou switches in fear of being severely damaged. Rhydon and Marowak can come in on a predicted Thunder and threaten Raikou with a super effective Earthquake. However, both will need to be wary of switching in on Hidden Power. Steelix also makes a good check to Raikou as long as it doesn't use Hidden Power Water. Even if Raikou has Reflect up, Steelix can still ("still" is redundant with "even") phaze with Roar, potentially racking up Spikes damage. Jolteon resists Thunder and can use RestTalk Raikou as an opportunity to set up Agility or Substitute, then Baton Pass to a Ground-type such as Marowak or Rhydon to that can come in and fire away with STAB Earthquake. However, Jolteon won't be able to set up against phazing Raikou at all, and it especially won't like the 30% paralysis chance from Thunder. Blissey also deserves a mention as a check because of its ridiculous Special Defense and HP, as it can also use Light Screen to completely neuter Raikou, and Ice Beam to go for the freeze chance with Ice Beam.</p>

The only major issue I found was your repeated use of the same / similar adjectives and sentences - just avoid that. Great job otherwise, so

GP 2 / 2

 

[Lockeness]

GP checks are finished this analysis is done and ready for upload. As always- a big shout out to those who helped make this analysis possible through their knowledge and advice!