Pokémon Raikou

[Martin]

Raikou

Data:
Type: Electric
Base Stats: 90 HP / 85 Atk / 75 Def / 115 SpA / 100 SpD / 115 Spe
Abilities: Pressure / Inner Focus

Learnset:

All Moves

Level Up:
— - Extreme Speed
— - Thunder Shock
— - Leer
— - Charge
— - Quick Attack
6 - Spark
12 - Bite
18 - Calm Mind
24 - Roar
30 - Thunder Fang
36 - Howl
42 - Crunch
48 - Extrasensory
54 - Discharge
60 - Reflect
66 - Rain Dance
72 - Thunder
78 - Zap Cannon

Technical Machine:
TM08 - Hyper Beam
TM09 - Giga Impact
TM14 - Thunder Wave
TM15 - Dig
TM17 - Light Screen
TM18 - Reflect
TM21 - Rest
TM24 - Snore
TM25 - Protect
TM32 - Sandstorm
TM33 - Rain Dance
TM34 - Sunny Day
TM39 - Facade
TM40 - Swift
TM41 - Helping Hand
TM42 - Weather Ball
TM66 - Thunder Fang
TM76 - Round
TM80 - Volt Switch
TM81 - Bulldoze
TM85 - Snarl
TM90 - Electric Terrain
TM93 - Eerie Impulse

Technical Record:
TR01 - Body Slam
TR08 - Thunderbolt
TR09 - Thunder
TR12 - Agility
TR20 - Substitute
TR26 - Endure
TR27 - Sleep Talk
TR31 - Iron Tail
TR32 - Crunch
TR33 - Shadow Ball
TR49 - Calm Mind
TR56 - Aura Sphere
TR74 - Iron Head
TR84 - Scald
TR86 - Wild Charge
TR95 - Throat Chop

Move Tutor:
Rising Voltage

Transfer only:
Toxic
Double Team
Charge Beam
Quash
Psyche Up
Swagger
Confide
Magnet Rise
Shock Wave
Laser Focus
Rock Smash
Cut
Strength
Mud Slap
Headbutt
Double Edge
Mimic
Curse
Detect

New Moves:

• Scald
• Aura Sphere (without nature lock)
• Weather Ball (without nature lock)
• Extreme Speed (without nature lock)
• Zap Cannon (without nature lock)

Notable Moves: (realistic options in bold)

• Thunderbolt
• Volt Switch
• Scald
• Shadow Ball
• Aura Sphere
• Extrasensory
• Substitute
• Calm Mind
• Discharge
• Thunder
• Weather Ball
• Rising Voltage
• Snarl
• Thunder Wave
• Toxic
• Extreme Speed

Overview:

• High Speed and good Special Attack allow it to outpace and threaten Pokemon like Latios, Tornadus-I, Gengar, and Kartana
• Access to Scald makes it the fastest viable offensive Electric-type that can non-commitally threaten a healthy defensive Landorus-T.
  • It also allows it to exert pressure and force progress versus other common Electric-type resists/switch-ins like Ferrothorn, Garchomp, Hippowdon, Rillaboom, Rotom-H, Tyranitar, Zygarde, and Amoonguss.
• Has access to a good boosting move in Calm Mind
• Flexible coverage all-around, including options to hit Lati@s, Dragapult, Tyranitar, Excadrill, Ferrothorn, Amoonguss, and Kyurem super effectively.
• Unboosted firepower is a little lacking but far from bad, and available coverage moves have a low base power
• Faces competition from Tapu Koko, which has a stronger Thunderbolt/Volt Switch under terrain, has access to U-turn, is faster than Tornadus-T, Cinderace, and neutral-natured Dragapult, and has an option to hit Zygarde and Garchomp super effectively.
  • That said, Raikou's superior range of coverage moves, better Landorus-T matchup, and lack of Poison weakness versus Tornadus mean it isn't outclassed.

Potential Movesets:
Substitute + Calm Mind
Raikou @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Scald / Shadow Ball / Aura Sphere / Extrasensory

Substitute protects Raikou from being revenge killed by Choice Scarf Landorus-T, as well as capitalising on Urshifu/Bisharp's Sucker Punch, while it tries to clean house with boosted attacks. It also blocks Toxic and lets you set up on Ferrothorn, Clefable, and Amoonguss consistently.

Calm Mind + 3 Attacks
Raikou @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP / 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Scald
- Shadow Ball / Extrasensory / Aura Sphere

General purpose wallbreaker. +1 Life Orb Extrasensory OHKOs physically defensive Amoonguss, similar to Thundurus' Psychic, but unlike Thundurus, Raikou poses as an immediate threat to Landorus-T thanks to Scald. Shadow Ball nails the Lati twins and screws over Dragapult switch-ins. Aura Sphere hits Ferrothorn hard, dealing upwards of 78% to physically defensive variants (worthwhile bc that could be the difference between getting your item knocked off and/or being stalled out with Leech Seed), and it has the added benefit of hitting Kyurem and Hydreigon super effectively and KOing SpD TTar at +1 after two SR switch-ins.

Heavy Duty Boots Pivot
Raikou @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Scald
- Shadow Ball / Aura Sphere / Calm Mind

Pivots with Volt Switch while giving exactly zero flying fucks about Spikes. Scald is the most spammable move in the game and is your best way of pressuring Electric-type switch-ins, namely Lando-T. The coverage is honestly super weak but your choice between Shadow Ball and Aura Sphere comes down to whether you wanna revenge kill weakened Latios and have a strong button vs Dragapult switch-ins or if you want to hit Kyurem and Hydreigon super effectively. Either way Aura Sphere deals under half to Ferrothorn, so your best bet versus it is to either grab momentum with Volt Switch or to hit it with Aura as it comes in and to then volt out to see if it switches or Knocks.

Choice Specs
Raikou @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Scald
- Shadow Ball / Aura Sphere / Extrasensory

Choice Specs makes your Volt Switches hit harder. It also lets you consistently revenge kill Latios with Shadow Ball and makes your Scald spam hurt more.

Assault Vest Pivot
Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 228 SpA / 28 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Scald
- Shadow Ball / Aura Sphere / Extrasensory

Old man set from ORAS. Allows Raikou to comfortably tank a +2 Focus Blast from Tornadus-T, lets you take on Rotom-H more comfortably, tanks Specs Latios' Draco Meteor, +2 Naganadel's Draco at full health, and lets Raikou generally take better advantage of its good Special Defense stat. The EVs are for that Naga hit—just go max/max if you lack Extrasensory or otherwise don't care about tanking Draco (understandable—it's very specific and not likely during late game) because you tank +2 Sludge Wave from around 73% anyway. Granted you don't OHKO back but it'll be in range of one or two Life Orb recoils at least.