Raikou (Full Re-write) (In progress)


Just re-writing Raikou because the analysis is just way too bare-bones.

[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>
 

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