Raikou (QC 2/2) (GP 3/3)

Sprocket said:

The one big downside to the Dual Screens set is that it's grounded out quite easily if it lacks HP Ice, in addition to being weak to Earthquake.

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[Overview]

<p>Throughout each generation and metagame, [add comma] Raikou has always been a stellar Electric-[remove space]type who possesses above[add hyphen]average power and , [add comma]speed as well as , [add comma] and respectable bulk. The VGC 2012 metagame hardly hinders Raikou's role as it' [add apostrophe]s still more than capable of being a dominant threat. Crown Raikou, which was distributed via Wonder Card, has blessed Raikou with a diverse assortment of new moves such as Weather Ball and Aura Sphere. One major downside to using Crown Raikou is the fact that it can only utilize a Rash nature. While it does provide Raikou extra power, [add comma] it prevents it from outspeeding various pokemon above 100 base speed with base 100 speed, [add comma] including Garchomp. [add period] and the However, the drop in Special Defense puts it in danger of powerful special attacks. Non-event Raikou is just as viable as Crown Raikou, however the loss of the two aforementioned attacks may be discouraging but retaining it's high speed and bulk it notable. Non-event Raikou can still be used; however, take note that if you use it, Weather Ball and Aura Sphere are gone, but it will retain its Speed and bulk by doing so. Raikou can be a very effective pokemon in VGC whichever way it's utilized and should never be underestimated.</p>

[SET]

name: Special Attacker
move 1: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 2: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
move 3: Aura Sphere / Rain Dance
move 4: Protect
item: Air Balloon / Life Orb
ability: Pressure
nature: Rash / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Raikou is one of the few viable Electric-[remove space]types available in the VGC metagame. Thunderbolt, Hidden power Ice, and Aura Sphere provide phenominal coverage in VGC[add comma] allowing it to strike the majority of the top threats for super effective damage. Thunderbolt is your main stab move which will significantly damage any target that does not resist it. Hidden pPower Ice is preferred as it allows Raikou to OHKO Garchomps (the plural for Garchomp is Garchomp. i.e. There were several Garchomp in the meadow) that lack Yache Berry and severely damages most Ground- and Dragon-[remove space]types. However[add comma] it should be noted that with a Rash nature Garchomp will outspeed Raikou, [add comma] which is where Air Balloon comes into play. If Gastrodon and or Swampert become as nuissance, [add comma] Hidden Power Grass is viable as it deals a large amount of damage to them both. Aura Sphere is a very reliable Fighting-[remove space]type move, which allows Raikou to massarcre Tyranitar and dent tanks such as Blissey and Snorlax , [add comma] . [remove period] Aurasphere is also useful for as well as consistently damaging evasion abusers. Thunder and Rain Dance coincide with each other as it they allows Raikou to utilize it' [remove apostrophe]s strongest stab STAB move, [remove comma] that never misses while Rain is in active up , [add comma] and that also has a 20% chance to paralyze its target. Protect allows Raikou to protect itself from harm during that turn, [remove comma] and can allow it's opponent partner (assuming it's your partner) to KO it's threat. Rash Raikou should would certainly make better use of protect as the decrease in sSpeed will allow threats such as Latios, Garchomp, and Terrakion to get the drop on it.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Max Speed and max Special Attack allows it to speed tie with +speed positive natured base 100 speed pPokemon that carry max speed EVs. Air Balloon temporarily grants Raikou no weaknesses as long as it doesn't sustain damage from any attacking move a Ground-type immunity, which, in return, gives it no weaknesses. Life Orb provides Raikou with extra power, but then it will be more suspectible to Earth Quake from faster Ground-[remove space]types. As mentioned before, the Rash natured event Raikou that comes with event Raikou gives it a lot of extra power but the downside is the drop in sSpeed, and vulnerability to special attacks. A Timid nature allows it to outpace the majority of threats in the VGC 2012 metagame, but is it will be much weaker than the event raikou and lacks the special moves it comes with. If Crown Raikou's speed becomes a big hassle, you can easily equip it with a choice scarf, [add comma] however, [add comma] the inability for it to change up its moves is disheartening. Raikou's teammate should be able to handle fast Ground-[remove space]types and special tanks. Scarf Abomasnow is a notable teammate as it outpaces Garchomp, Landorus, and Latios, [add comma] and can OHKO the former two while dealing plenty of damage to Latios. Also, [add comma] the presence of Hail turns Weather Ball into a 100 BP Ice-[remove space]type move which Raikou can use as it pleases. Hitmontop also deserves a mention as it handles special tanks such as Tyranitar, [add comma] Blissey, [add comma] and Snorlax. It , [add comma] while also also has having access to Wide Guard which can save Raikou from an Earthquake and allow it to retaliate.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>A bulky Raikou set is viable considering Raikou has respectable HP and dDefense stats. A Modest nature with 252 HP / 64 Def / 60 SAtk / 84 SDef / 48 Spd allows Raikou to survive a Dragon Gem Draco Meteor from Latios and a Fighting Gem Close Combat from Hitmontop. With Extreme[remove space]Speed accompanied with Crown Raikou it can net get you surprise kills on weakened Pokemon. If your team struggles against bulky Psychic-[remove space]types such as Cresselia, Latias, Gallade, etc and others; Shadow bBall allows Raikou to dent them, but otherwise it lacks significant coverage. Weather Ball is an excellent move for Raikou which allows it to function on any weather team. On Rain teams it allows Raikou to abuse Thunder and Weather[space]bBall becomes a 150 base power water type Water-type move. Weather Ball Raikou is also a huge benefit for sun teams that have problems getting past Water-[remove space]types. An Electric Gem is useful for boosting Thunderbolt's power for that one turn to deal massive damage to the target with no reprocussion. Shuca Berry is also a good choice and allows Raikou to handle at least one Ground-[remove space]type move, and is a bit more reliable than Air[space]Balloon which loses its effect if Raikou takes damage from an attack. Reflect and Light Screen are two interesting moves that Raikou can use to support itself and its team, and it's speed will allow it to set up either before your opponent can make a move the majority of the time. A Dual Screens set should consist of a Timid nature and 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe. Discharge is a nifty option to possibly paralyze both opponents, [add comma] but it only works effectively if your partner is immune to it or protects that turn.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Because of the drastic loss in speed by carrying a Rash nature, Raikou now loses to a number of pPokemon, [add comma] most notably Garchomp.[space]Also; the drop in Special Defense will put Raikou in danger of powerful special moves such as Draco Meteor, Hydro Pump, Fire Blast etc and others. If Raikou lacks Air Balloon it becomes more suspectible to Ground-[remove space]types. Amoonguss is also another counter to Raikou as it can sponge most of Raikou's its attacks and put it to sleep with Spore.</p>

[Unreleased]

<p>Raikou obtains Volt Absorb through Dream World and is much more useful than Pressure in VGC. Volt Absorb allows it to recover after getting hit with Electric-[remove space]types moves and works especially well when your partner is spamming Discharge. It should be noted that Crown Raikou is incompatible with Volt Absorb.</p>

Click to expand...

[Overview]

<p>Throughout each generation and metagame, Raikou has always been a stellar Electric-type who possesses above-average (remove hyphen, 'above average' never has a hyphen) power, Speed, and respectable bulk. The VGC 2012 metagame hardly hinders Raikou's role as it's still more than capable of being a dominant threat. Crown Raikou, which was distributed via Wonder Card, has blessed Raikou with a diverse assortment of new moves such as Weather Ball and Aura Sphere. One major downside to using Crown Raikou is the fact that it can only utilize a Rash nature. While it does provide Raikou extra power, it prevents it from outspeeding various pokemon with base 100 speed 100 base Speed, as well as including Garchomp. However, the drop in Special Defense puts it in danger of powerful special attacks. Non-event Raikou can still be used; however, take note that if you use it, Weather Ball and Aura Sphere are gone, but it will retain its Speed and bulk by doing so. Raikou can be a very effective pokemon in VGC whichever way it's utilized and should never be underestimated.</p>

[SET]

name: Special Attacker
move 1: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 2: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
move 3: Aura Sphere / Rain Dance
move 4: Protect
item: Air Balloon / Life Orb
ability: Pressure
nature: Rash / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Raikou is one of the few viable Electric-types available in the VGC metagame. Thunderbolt, Hidden power Ice, and Aura Sphere provide phenominal phenomenal coverage in VGC allowing it to strike the majority of the top threats for super effective damage. Thunderbolt is your main stab STAB move which will significantly damage any target that does not resist it. Hidden Power Ice is preferred as it allows Raikou to OHKO Garchomp that lack Yache Berry and severely damages most Ground- and Dragon-types. However it should be noted that with a Rash nature Garchomp will outspeed Raikou, which is where Air Balloon comes into play. If Gastrodon or Swampert become a nuissance nuisance, Hidden Power Grass is viable as it deals a large amount of damage to them both. Aura Sphere is a very reliable Fighting-type move, which allows Raikou to massarcre massacre Tyranitar and dent tanks such as Blissey and Snorlax, as well as consistently damaging evasion abusers. Thunder and Rain Dance coincide work well with each other as they allows Raikou to utilize its strongest STAB move that never misses while Rain is up, and that also has a 30% chance to paralyze its target. Protect allows Raikou to protect itself from harm during that turn and can allow it's (remove apostrophe) partner to KO it's threat. Rash Raikou would certainly make better use of protect as the decrease in Speed will allow threats such as Latios, Garchomp, and Terrakion to get the drop on it.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Max Speed allows it to speed tie with positive natured base 100 speed Pokemon that carry max speed EVs. Air Balloon temporarily grants Raikou a Ground-type immunity, which, in return, gives it no weaknesses. Life Orb provides Raikou with extra power, but then it will be more suspectible susceptible to Earthquake Quake from faster Ground-types. The Rash natured event A Rash Nature gives Raikou gives it a lot of extra power but the downside is the drop in Speed, and vulnerability to special attacks. A Timid nature allows it to outpace the majority of threats in the VGC 2012 metagame, but it will be much weaker than the event Raikou and lacks the special unique moves it comes with. If Crown Raikou's speed becomes a big hassle, you can easily equip it with a Choice Scarf, however, the inability for it to change up its its inability to change moves is disheartening can be disadvantageous. Raikou's teammate should be able to handle fast Ground-types and special tanks. Scarf Abomasnow is a notable teammate as it outpaces Garchomp, Landorus, and Latios, and can OHKO the former two while dealing plenty of damage to Latios. Also, the presence of Hail turns Weather Ball into a 100 BP Ice-type move which Raikou can use as it pleases (?, make this clearer). Hitmontop also deserves a mention as it handles special tanks such as Tyranitar, Blissey, and Snorlax, while also also having access to Wide Guard which that can save Raikou from an Earthquake and allow it to retaliate.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>A bulky Raikou set is viable considering Raikou has respectable HP and Defense stats (why is it viable?). A Modest nature with 252 HP / 64 Def / 60 SAtk / 84 SDef / 48 Spd allows Raikou to survive a Dragon Gem Draco Meteor from Latios and a Fighting Gem Close Combat from Hitmontop. ExtremeSpeed accompanied with Crown Raikou can get you surprise kills on weakened or frail Pokemon. If your team struggles against bulky Psychic-types such as Cresselia, Latias,and Gallade,and others;,(remove commas after ‘Latias’ and ‘Gallade’ and replace ‘and others;’ with a comma) Shadow Ball allows Raikou to dent them, but otherwise it lacks significant coverage. Weather Ball is an excellent move for Raikou which that allows it to function on any weather team. On Rain teams it allows Raikou to abuse Thunder and Weather Ball becomes a 150 base power Water-type move. Weather Ball Raikou is also a huge benefit for sun teams that have problems getting past Water-types. An Electric Gem is useful for boosting Thunderbolt's power for one turn to deal massive damage to the target with no reprocussion repercussions. Shuca Berry is also a good choice and allows Raikou to handle often survive at least one Ground-type move, and is a bit more reliable than Air Balloon which loses its effect if Raikou takes damage from an attack. Reflect and Light Screen are two interesting moves that Raikou can use to support itself and its team, and it's (remove apostrophe)Speed will allow it to set up either screen before your opponent can make a move the majority of the time. A Dual Screens set should consist of use a Timid nature and an EV spread of 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe. Discharge is a nifty option to possibly paralyze both opponents, but it only works effectively if your partner is immune to it or Protects that turn.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Because of the drastic loss in Speed caused by carrying using a Rash nature, Raikou now loses to a number of Pokemon, most notably Garchomp;.(remove semi-colon, add period)The drop in Special Defense will put Raikou in danger of powerful special moves such as Draco Meteor, Hydro Pump, Fire Blast and others. If Raikou lacks Air Balloon it becomes more suspectible suspectible to Ground-types. Amoonguss is also another counter to Raikou as it can sponge most of its attacks and put it to sleep with Spore.</p>

[Unreleased]

<p>Raikou obtains Volt Absorb through Dream World. (add period)and is This Ability is much more useful than Pressure in VGC. Volt Absorb allows it to recover after getting hit with Electric-types moves and works especially well when your partner is spamming Discharge. It should be noted that Crown Raikou is incompatible with Volt Absorb.</p>

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Hide

[Overview]

<p>Throughout each generation and metagame, Raikou has always been a stellar Electric-type who possesses above-average power, (good/excellent?) Speed, and respectable bulk. The VGC 2012 metagame hardly hinders Raikou's role continues this trend, as it's Raikou is still more than capable of being a dominant threat. The Crown Raikou event , which was distributed via Wonder Card, has blessed Raikou with a diverse assortment of new moves, such as Weather Ball and Aura Sphere. One major downside to using Crown Raikou is the fact that ; however, it can only utilize a Rash nature. While this does provide Raikou with extra power, it also prevents it Raikou from outspeeding various Pokemon with 100 base Speed base 100 Speed, as well as Garchomp. On top of this, the drop in Special Defense puts it in danger of leaves it more vulnerable to powerful special attacks. Non-event Raikou can still be used; however, take note that if you use it, Weather Ball and Aura Sphere are gone, but it will retain its is viable as well, forgoing Weather Ball and Aura Sphere for Speed and bulk by doing so. Raikou can be a very effective Pokemon in VGC whichever way it's utilized, and it should never be underestimated.</p>

[SET]
(remove space)
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Thunderbolt / Thunder
move 2: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
move 3: Aura Sphere / Rain Dance
move 4: Protect
item: Air Balloon / Life Orb
ability: Pressure
nature: Rash / Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Raikou is one of the few viable Electric-types available in the VGC metagame. Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice, and Aura Sphere provide phenomenal coverage in VGC, allowing it to strike the majority of the top threats for super effective damage. Thunderbolt is your Raikou's main STAB move, which and will significantly damage any target that does not resist it. Hidden Power Ice is the preferred coverage move as it allows Raikou to OHKO Garchomp that lack Yache Berry non-Yache Garchomp and severely damages most other Ground- and Dragon-types. However, it should be noted that with a Rash nature Garchomp will outspeed Raikou Garchomp will outspeed Rash Raikou (in future please be careful of ambiguities - this could also be interpreted to mean Rash Garchomp), which is where Air Balloon comes into play. If Gastrodon or Swampert become a nuisance, Hidden Power Grass is viable as it deals a large amount of damage to them both. Aura Sphere is a very reliable Fighting-type move, which that allows Raikou to massacre Tyranitar and dent tanks such as Blissey and Snorlax, as well as consistently damaging damage evasion abusers. Thunder and Rain Dance work well with each other as they allow enable Raikou to utilize its strongest STAB move that never misses while rain is up, and that also has a 30% chance to paralyze its target. Protect allows Raikou to protect itself from harm during that for a turn, and can allow its partner to KO it's possibly while its partner takes out a threat. Rash Raikou would certainly make better use of Protect as the decrease in Speed will allow Speed drop would enable threats such as Latios, Garchomp, and Terrakion to get the drop on it.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Maximum Speed investment allows it Raikou to Speed tie with positive-natured base 100 Speed Pokemon that carry max themselves run maximum Speed EVs. Air Balloon temporarily grants Raikou a Ground-type immunity, which, in turn, gives it and hence no weaknesses. Life Orb provides Raikou with extra power, but then it will then be more susceptible to faster Earthquakes from faster Pokemon. A Rash nature gives Raikou a lot of extra power but the downside is the drop in Speed, and additional vulnerability to special attacks. A Timid nature, on the other hand, allows it to outpace the majority of threats in the VGC 2012 metagame, but it will be much weaker than Crown Raikou and lacks the unique moves it comes with and have less coverage. If Crown Raikou's Speed becomes proves a big hassle, you can easily equip it with a Choice Scarf; however, its inability to change moves can be disadvantageous. </p>

<p>Raikou's teammates should be able to handle fast Ground-types and special tanks. Choice Scarf Abomasnow is anotable teammate noteworthy choice as it outpaces Garchomp, Landorus, and Latios, and can OHKO the former two while dealing plenty of damage to Latios. Also, the presence of Hail hail it summons turns Weather Ball into a 100 BP Base Power Ice-type move which that Raikou can use as it pleases. Hitmontop also deserves a mention as it handles special tanks such as Tyranitar, Blissey, and Snorlax, while also having access to Wide Guard that can to save Raikou from an Earthquake and allow it to retaliate.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>A bulky Raikou set is viable considering Raikou has respectable HP and Defense stats(remove space). A With a Modest nature with and a spread of 252 HP / 64 Def / 60 SAtk SpA / 84 SDef SpD / 48 Spd Spe, allows Raikou to survive Raikou survives a Dragon Gem Draco Meteor from Latios and a Fighting Gem Close Combat from Hitmontop. ExtremeSpeed can get you nab surprise kills on weakened or frail Pokemon. If your team struggles against bulky Psychic-types, such as Cresselia, Latias, and Gallade, Shadow Ball allows Raikou to dent them, but otherwise lacks significant coverage otherwise. Weather Ball is an excellent move for Raikou that allows it to function on any weather team. On rain teams, it allows Raikou to abuse Thunder and Weather Ball becomes Raikou can wield an improved Thunder in addition to a 150 Base Power Water-type move Weather Ball. Weather Ball Raikou is also a huge benefit for great on sun teams that have problems getting past Water-types. </p>

<p>An Electric Gem is useful for boosting Thunderbolt's power for one turn to deal massive damage to the target with no repercussions. Shuca Berry is also a good choice and that allows Raikou to often survive at least one Ground-type move, and is a bit more reliable than Air Balloon, which loses its effect if Raikou takes damage from an attack. Reflect and Light Screen are two interesting moves that Raikou can use to support itself and its team, and its Speed will allow it to set up either screen before your opponent can make a move the majority of the time. A Dual Screens set Dual screens Raikou should use a Timid nature and an EV spread of 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe. Discharge is a nifty option to possibly paralyze both opponents, but it only works effectively if your partner is immune to it or uses Protect that turn.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Because of the drastic loss in Speed caused by using a Rash nature, Raikou now loses to is now outsped by a number of Pokemon, most notably Garchomp (, who can take it out with a powerful eq, etc etc). Additionally, the drop in Special Defense will put Raikou in danger of powerful special moves such as Draco Meteor, Hydro Pump, Fire Blast and others. If Raikou lacks Air Balloon, it becomes will be more susceptible to Ground-types. Amoonguss is another good counter to Raikou as it can sponge most of its Raikou's attacks and put it to sleep with Spore.</p>

[Unreleased]

<p>Raikou obtains Volt Absorb through Dream World. This ability is much more useful than Pressure in VGC, Volt Absorb allows it to recover after getting hit with as it allows Raikou to recover health when hit by Electric-types moves and . In particular, it works especially well when your partner is spamming Discharge. with a Discharge-spamming partner. However, it should be noted that Crown Raikou is incompatible with Volt Absorb.</p>

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