Raikou (Analysis)

QC Approval: PK Gaming, Snunch, Heysup
GP Approval: Athenodoros, TelamonianAjax



Raikou








[Overview]
<p>Raikou is a dominating presence in UU. Its huge base 115 Speed and Special Attack stats allow it to outspeed most of the tier and hit extremely hard after a single Calm Mind. It also has access to three useful event moves: Aura Sphere, Weather Ball, and ExtremeSpeed, which, along with its greater bulk, often make it superior to its Electric-type counterparts. It is essential to note, however, that using the event moves forces Raikou to have a Rash nature and to be shiny in accordance with its real-world release. Luckily, even with a Rash nature, Raikou still manages to hit 329 speed, allowing it to outspeed unboosted base 100s.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Aura Sphere / Shadow Ball
item: Life Orb
nature: Rash / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Offensive Calm Mind Raikou sacrifices longevity for the ability to hit hard and fast. By using Calm Mind on a switching opponent, Raikou gains huge power and reasonable bulk to go along with its excellent speed. Thunderbolt provides Raikou with a powerful and reliable STAB move, while Aura Sphere is a strong secondary option with good complementary coverage, especially against special walls such as Chansey, Snorlax, and Regice. The Hidden Power of choice covers specific individual threats: Hidden Power Ice will OHKO Flygon, while Hidden Power Grass will OHKO Gastrodon and Quagsire, the latter of which ignores Raikou's boosts with its ability, Unaware. Life Orb is chosen over Leftovers for the additional power it brings, while a Rash nature is necessary to use Aura Sphere.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Maximum Special Attack and Speed are used to ensure optimum offensive ability. Although Rash is preferable in most cases, a Timid nature can be used to allow Raikou to hit its maximum speed. In this case, Shadow Ball or Extrasensory must be used to maintain legality while still providing strong coverage. Signal Beam is an option in place of Hidden Power for its ability to OHKO all Celebi after a single Calm Mind, while also hitting the many Grass- and Dark-types in the tier. Wobbuffett and Dugtrio are notable partners for this set for their ability to trap and remove the special walls that plague Raikou's sweeping ability. Strong Fighting-type Pokemon, such as Hitmontop and Heracross are strong partners to Raikou for their ability to threaten Chansey and Snorlax.</p>

[SET]
name: Substitute + Calm Mind
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Aura Sphere
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid / Rash
evs: 128 HP / 76 Def / 52 SpA / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With Substitute in its moveset, Raikou can attempt to set up multiple Calm Minds to amass a huge Special Attack stat. Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ice together hit everything in the tier neutrally bar Lanturn, Magneton, Rotom-H, Rotom-F and Shedinja. Aura Sphere is an alternative to allow Raikou to potentially beat walls such as Chansey or Snorlax, while still providing excellent coverage. The EVs prevent Defensive Calm Mind Celebi from breaking Raikou's Substitutes after one Calm Mind boost; after two, Espeon's Psychic's will only rarely break a Substitute. Further, the above EV's prevent Jolly Flygon from breaking Raikou's Substitute with U-Turn, and allow Raikou to survive two Adamant Choice Scarf Brave Birds from Staraptor 59% of the time when switching into Stealth Rock. Hidden Power Grass can be used as the coverage option if you fear Unaware Quagsire, who otherwise completely walls this set.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Raikou can use Air Balloon instead of Leftovers to obtain extra Calm Mind boosts on Ground-types, but it suffers greatly in survivability should it do so. While Raikou can run other coverage moves, Hidden Power Ice is generally the preferred option for the wide coverage it provides. An alternate spread of 232 SpA / 24 SpD / 252 Spe can be used for a more offensive set; with this, Raikou can still take a 95 BP move from an uninvested base 100 Special Attack stat at +1 with a Substitute intact such as a Slowbro's Surf. Wobbuffett and Dugtrio are notable partners for their ability to remove the special walls that can stop Raikou's sweep.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Aura Sphere / Shadow Ball
move 4: Volt Switch
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
nature: Rash / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Raikou gains amazing power or speed with a Choice item. Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ice provide Raikou with excellent coverage, while Volt Switch gives it an effective move for scouting switches. A Choice Scarf set should run Aura Sphere to provide further coverage while still giving Raikou the ability to outrun threats such as Choice Scarf Staraptor. On the other hand, the Choice Specs version should use Shadow Ball and a Timid nature to allow Raikou to maintain its Speed while still hitting with excellent power. Regardless of the choice of moveset and item, Raikou functions brilliantly as a late-game cleaner.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>A choiced Raikou should rarely run anything other than what is listed, but Signal Beam can be used in place of Aura Sphere or Shadow Ball to hit Celebi hard. Sleep Talk is also a possible option if you are concerned about switching Raikou into a sleep-inducing move. The EV spread maximizes Raikou's Special Attack and Speed, with little reason to invest in anything else. A strong Fighting-type Pokemon such as Heracross is recommended to deal with Chansey and Snorlax.</p>

[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Calm Mind / Roar
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[Set Comments]

<p>Raikou has the ability to use a RestTalk set effectively, allowing it to beat the special walls that would otherwise stop Raikou cold--notably, Chansey. Thunderbolt is the move of choice for its generally strong coverage, as well as for being Raikou's most reliable STAB attack. The final slot depends on the role you expect Raikou to fulfill. If running Raikou on an offensive or balanced team, Calm Mind is the superior choice in order to sweep the opposing team, while Roar is the superior for stall teams in order to accumulate entry hazard damage.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>A combination of Rest and Chesto Berry can be used for a quicker recovery option, and allows a coverage move to be used in place of Sleep Talk. This has the advantage of making Raikou less vulnerable to set-up physical attackers. If Rest and Chesto Berry are used, Raikou can still beat Chansey, but can no longer switch in as freely and absorb Electric- and Flying-type attacks aimed at your team. Pokemon that are able to threaten and remove Ground-types are recommended to stop them from walling this set. The EV spread gives Raikou's Substitutes the greatest chance of surviving various attacks by maximizing HP, while also ensuring the ability to set up quickly by maximizing Speed.</p>

[OTHER OPTIONS]

<p>While Raikou does not have a particularly large movepool, there are several additional options it can use. Weather Ball is an excellent choice on a Hail team, as it acts as a stronger Ice Beam. Shadow Ball provides good neutral coverage, and is a strong attack against Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokemon. Raikou is capable of setting up both Reflect and Light Screen, allowing it to set up for itself or a teammate. Extrasensory can be used to hit Poison- and Fighting-types, but has little utility outside of that. A choiced Raikou can attempt to sweep by using Charge Beam, but it takes two boosts to hit harder than Thunderbolt. Raikou can also support the team with Thunder Wave, but due to Raikou's sub-par bulk, this job is usually best left to other team members.</p>

[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]

<p>Despite Raikou's power, there are several checks and counters to it. Chansey, for instance, is as good as it gets. Insane special walling capacity, instant recovery, the ability to cripple Raikou with status, and the ability to break its Substitutes with Seismic Toss make Chansey a full stop to Raikou. Likewise, Snorlax is able to take boosted Aura Spheres with its excellent Special Defense, and can OHKO or 2HKO in return with Earthquake or Return respectively. Defensive Ground-types make great checks to Raikou, as they can switch in on any of its moves and threaten it with a super effective Earthquake in return, although they will still take heavy damage from Hidden Power Ice or Grass. Abomasnow is a decent check to Raikou with its resistance to Thunderbolt, as Hail will shorten Raikou's sweeping capability. It must, of course, be very wary of Aura Sphere, which will OHKO Abomasnow with ease. Celebi resists Raikou's STAB options and can take super effective Shadow Balls and Hidden Powers easily. Additionally, it can boost alongside Raikou with Calm Mind or sap its health with Leech Seed, although Raikou can beat it with the rare Signal Beam. Raikou is also vulnerable to all forms of entry hazards, so Stealth Rock or multiple layers of Spikes severely limit its ability to switch in, while Toxic Spikes limits the time it has to sweep.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Raikou gains the excellent ability Volt Absorb from Dream World, allowing it to recover 25% of its health by switching into any Electric-type attack. This will generally be the preferred ability except on the Sub+CM set, which appreciates the ability to stall powerful moves out of their meager PP. Note that 4th Generation moves, such as Aura Sphere and Sleep Talk, are illegal with Volt Absorb.</p>

no need for hidden power bug as Raikou gets Signal Beam. Also, unboosted won't KO Specially defensive Celebi and has not much use otherwise. AC material at best, but certainly not a slash.

The big thing about Bug is that aside from hitting celebi it also hits the grass types that ice would hit making its only use hitting Flygon and psychics that might resist shadow ball. Changed anyway.

Sawsbuck (Analysis)

Sawsbuck



Status: Done!
QC Checks: PK Gaming, Chou Toshio, Oglemi
GP Checks: Ray Jay, Zystral


[Overview]

<p>At first, Sawsbuck seems like a weak choice due to the ban of the ability Drought, which robs it of a chance of an easy speed boost thanks to Chlorophyll. However, Sawsbuck still has qualities that make it a viable contender in the Underused tier. Swords Dance and a good physical movepool allows Sawsbuck to still be a good physical sweeper, while Baton Pass gives it the option of supporting other Pokemon in sweeping. Sawsbuck becomes even more powerful if Sunny Day can be set up by a teammate due to Chlorophyll, and Grass-type moves keeps Hippopotas from freely switching in to get rid of the sun. Sawsbuck may have been weakened with the loss of permanent sun, but it still remains a threat in the right hands and should not be underestimated.</p>

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Horn Leech
move 3: Return / Double-Edge
move 4: Nature Power / Jump Kick
item: Life Orb
ability: Sap Sipper
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Swords Dance makes Sawsbuck a dangerous sweeper, reaching 598 Attack after a single boost. This results in serious damage to most of the Pokemon which don't resist Horn Leech, which is Sawsbuck's best physical Grass-type move that heals Sawsbuck as well. Return is the main choice for a secondary STAB move, getting a powerful neutral hit on most opponents. Double-Edge is an option for the higher base power, but has the drawback of recoil, making it a secondary option. Horn Leech can alleviate that effect, however, so it can work if the extra power is desired. In the last slot, Nature Power is the main option. It has the same type and power of Earthquake in a Wi-Fi environment, which allows Sawsbuck to hit most Steel-types super effectively. Jump Kick is a viable alternative, due to hitting the same targets while also doing damage to bulky Normal-types such as Snorlax and Blissey. If Jump Kick misses, however, Sawsbuck loses a large amount of HP, making it quite risky.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Sap Sipper is Sawsbuck's best choice for an ability, as Sunny Day is unreliable to count on. It also can get a free Attack boost on the odd chance that it switches in on a Grass-type move. If Sunny Day is present on a Pokemon on the team, however, Chlorophyll is a good option. Arcanine is one of a multitude of options that can set up Sunny Day reasonably well. It also does well against bulky Grass-types and Escavalier, which means it is a very good teammate for Sawsbuck in normal conditions. Slowbro has good synergy with Sawsbuck, resisting Fire-, Ice-, and Fighting-type attacks, and keeps Fire-types away in general.</p>

[SET]
name: Baton Pass
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Agility
move 3: Baton Pass
move 4: Horn Leech / Substitute
item: Lum Berry / Leftovers
ability: Sap Sipper
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Sawsbuck can pass stat boosts well both in and out of the sun, meaning it is a viable Pokemon to set up for a teammate that needs a boost. Swords Dance and Agility are both fantastic boosting moves, making them staples on this set along with Baton Pass. Agility is especially useful, as it lets Sawsbuck pass the boosts to another Pokemon easily before getting hit. Horn Leech is listed in the last spot for an attacking move, meaning Sawsbuck can use the boosts itself if needed. Substitute can be used for protection if desired, but leaves Sawsbuck helpless to defend itself, especially if it is Taunted. Lum Berry is the recommended item, as it protects Sawsbuck from a crippling status which could prevent it from doing its job. Leftovers can give Sawsbuck slight healing, which helps if Sawsbuck uses Substitute for status protection.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Sap Sipper is the best ability if Sawsbuck is used outside of sun, but Chlorophyll is superior if the sun is up. If Substitute is being used, an EV spread of 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe with a Jolly nature is the best choice, giving Sawsbuck maximum speed and bulk as its Attack stat isn't being used.</p>

<p>Sawsbuck can also pass Work Up, which can work for mixed sweepers such as Victini. The other boosts are usually superior, however. Uxie is a good partner, as it can set up Reflect and Light Screen, which significantly helps Sawsbuck's survivability. Fast, physically offensive Pokemon make good sweepers for Sawsbuck to pass to, as the Swords Dance boost can give them much-needed power. Some examples of these include Weavile, Flygon, and Aerodactyl. Slower Pokemon that have a high Attack stat also work well, as an Agility boost can allow them to sweep. Some good examples are Mamoswine, Heracross, Bisharp, and Azumarill. Donphan, Deoxys-D, and Registeel are also good teammates, as they can set up entry hazards which aid a sweep.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Sawsbuck has few viable moves other than those listed. Megahorn and Wild Charge are alternative coverage moves, but they have limited coverage compared to Sawsbuck's aforementioned moves. Leech Seed and Aromatherapy are there, but these are best left to another, more defensive Pokemon such as Celebi. Grasswhistle can be used to put a Pokemon to sleep, but is unreliable due to its terrible accuracy. Sawsbuck also learns Thunder Wave and Light Screen, but it is much too frail to be supporting its team outside of Baton Passing. Sawsbuck also gets Sunny Day, but it would much rather have a teammate set it up.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Abomasnow is a good check, resisting Horn Leech and Nature Power while getting rid of sun just by switching in. Hitmontop can either revenge kill Sawsbuck with Mach Punch or switch in with Intimidate, making it able to take a hit then OHKO back. Escavalier can take every move Sawsbuck has, and Megahorn easily scores an OHKO on Sawsbuck. Dusclops has great bulk, making it able to take a hit and cripple Sawsbuck with Will-O-Wisp. Tangrowth can also take a hit and can work well if using Hidden Power Fire or Brick Break.</p>

[Dream World]

<p>Sawsbuck gets Serene Grace from the Dream World, which is normally an amazing ability. However, Sawsbuck has no good moves that take advantage of it, making it inferior to Chlorophyll and Sap Sipper.</p>

note: HP bug is weaker than signal beam anyway

the rain abuser set should just go... because there is no rain. but you could actually run that set in hail. a 100 base power ice move is much better than 70 base power hidden power.

At least give a mention to Weather Ball in Other Options. I wouldn't seriously use it on a set. Then again, Abomasnow doesn't have much appeal to me. The rain abuser set could at least go into Other Options as well.

erp on rain abuser, copied that from the OU analysis, now removed. Although KOU can set up rain on its own it has better things to be doing. I do however see lots of potential with a Hail abuser set as it turns Kou into a better Starmie in terms of coverage.

I feel like its getting close to QC stage so any further input is greatly appreciated, many edits have occured.

Ok it looks good, but i've got a few changes for this analysis.

• The main set implies that Sunny Day is being used. Please change it so Sunny Day is an afterthought. Sap Sipper should be the only ability listed and Chlorophyll should get an AC mention.
• Double-Edge needs a secondary slash alongside for Return. Recoil sucks, but Double-Edge is insanely strong, especially after a boost. Horn leech can somewhat alleviate that.
• Jump Kick needs a secondary slash alongside Nature Power because it gets similar coverage in addition of targeting bulky Normal-types like Snorlax and Chansey.
• Jolly should be the only nature listed. Sawsbuck can't afford to run Adamant because it needs to tie with opposing base 95's like Arcanine.

Implement those changes and you can consider this stamped.

Edit: QC APPROVED (1/3)

Okay, made the changes!

mention weather ball on choice set with hail support? same as hail abuser set except on a choice set for immediate power

• HP Ice shouldn't get a secondary slash alongside Aura Sphere. It needs to be 3rd Option, with an HP Grass slash while Aura Sphere should be the 4th move. The other attacks (extrasensory / shadow ball / etc) are AC material and should mentioned if you want to use a Timid nature.

name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Aura Sphere
item: Life Orb
nature: Rash / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

• On the SubCM set, i'd remove that HP Grass slash altogether and replace it with Aura Sphere. (Targeting Chansey / bulky fighting weak special walls > Hitting Quag and Gastrodon.)

• The Choice set looks fine, just remove Shadow Ball as a slash period (its useless)

• The Hail abuser should be removed. Mention in AC that Weather Ball can be used over HP Ice if you're planning on using Abomasnow
• I definitely want to see a Restalk set. It lets Raikou beat Chansey 1 vs 1 and the added bulk is useful in checking strong special threats + Staraptor.

name: Restalk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Calm Mind / Roar
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

I'll stamp your analysis when you implement my changes.

Changes implemented

If you're using Aura Sphere, you have to use a Rash nature.

oops, commented on the that in AC but with wrong nature

If you're putting Aura Sphere unslashed in the first set, don't you need a Rash nature?

You do, in the Additional Comments section there is a note stating:
Shadow Ball or Extrasensory are options over Aura Sphere if one intends to use a Timid nature

I likely will need to find a way to make that clearer but that's a note for the GP stage.

SubCM should look like this:

[SET]
name: Substitute + Calm Mind
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Aura Sphere
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid / Rash
evs: 128 HP / 76 Def / 52 SpA / 252 Spe

Without defensive investment, Raikou is hard-pressed to set up multiple Calm Minds.

That was the EV spread I had but I removed it temporarily until someone explained exactly what those EVs do for it/allow it to survive.

If someone could elaborate i'll edit it in and comment on it.

The reason is on the 4th gen analysis Texas and it is not to let defensive CM Celebi and ScarfGon's U-turn break the Sub...

I'm trying to see if it can be changed and I'll edit my post when I have the answer.

Found it, thanks.

There needs to be more elaboration on what Aura Sphere does for Raikou's sweeping abilities besides just being a coverage move. Explanations on how it performs against threats like Snorlax and Chansey should probably be explored in greater depth.

Also, any set that has Aura Sphere slashed should have Rash slashed as well, and probably mentioned somewhere that Aura Sphere has to be shiny (I WILL kick anyone I find on PO using a non-shiny Aura Sphere Raikou).

Before I approve this, can you clean it up a bit?

Raikou currently has Aura Sphere stapled onto the Offensive Calm Mind set, but suggests Timid as an alternative nature. This isn't what you intended to mean, but as it stands it doesn't make sense. If you're going to slash Timid, you need to slash Extrasensory or Shadow Ball. Shadow Ball is needed with Hidden Power Grass for Celebi, so that could easily be slashed there.

And the Calm Mind EVs are probably fine, but can I get a bit of an explanation?