PK Gaming didn't reserve this yet :)
[Overview]
<p>The Pokemon mascot's big brother has always found itself outclassed in past generations, but this is no longer the case. Raichu has finally found itself a place that it can call home, thanks to an excellent Dream World ability in Lightningrod and the introduction of the RU tier. It is one of the three viable Electric-types in the metagame, along with Electivire and Manectric. While the former takes on the role of a mixed attacker, and the latter is a hit-and-run special attacker, Raichu distinguishes itself by being a powerful setup sweeper that can plow through teams after a boost from Nasty Plot. This is aided by the fact that most special walls are weak to Raichu's STAB Electric-type moves.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Encore / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Lightningrod
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Raichu reaches a staggering 558 Special Attack after a boost from Nasty Plot. Despite its frailty, Raichu has an easier time setting up a Nasty Plot courtesy of another nifty move in its repertoire: Encore. The lightning mouse can come in any kind of support or Electric-type move and use Encore, provided that Raichu is faster than its opponent, which it usually is, due to its base 100 Speed. Raichu can then double its Special Attack while the foe switches out. Thunderbolt is a powerful and reliable STAB move, easily crushing common special walls, such as Slowking and Mantine. Hidden Power Ice grants Raichu the excellent BoltBeam coverage, which hits the vast majority of the metagame for at least neutral damage. Focus Blast can be used to hit the Pokemon that do resist this combination, namely Magneton, Rotom-F, and Lanturn, but the shaky accuracy makes it a poorer option when compared to the general utility of Encore.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Raichu has the option to run Grass Knot over Hidden Power Ice in order to deal more damage to bulky Ground-types; this particularly hits Claydol, Rhydon, and Quagsire harder. However, Hidden Power Ice does enough damage after a boost, and running Grass Knot leaves Raichu walled by Grass-types. As far as teammates go, Raichu appreciates the Pokemon that resist the BoltBeam combination gone before it comes into play. Both Magneton and Lanturn have a weakness to Ground-type attacks, so Dugtrio is a natural choice for a teammate in order to safely eliminate them. Since Raichu is a very fast Pokemon,mopponents will normally resort to revenge killing it to bring it down. Therefore, another good teammate for Raichu is Wynaut, which can not only take out opposing Choice Scarf revenge killers, but can also grant Raichu an opportunity to set up, courtesy of its own Encore.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Raichu forces switches, but its frailty means that any decently powered attack will knock it out. Therefore, it can effectively use Substitute to cast a safety blanket around itself, giving it opportunities to set up and preventing crippling status effects. Other useful moves include Magnet Rise, which can eliminate Raichu's Ground-type weakness, and Yawn, which can give Raichu an opportunity to set up. Raichu can also use other charming moves such as, well, Charm, Tickle, and Teeter Dance. Due to legality issues, however, many of these support moves are unfortunately incompatible with Lightningrod. Agility can be used to double Raichu's Speed, but Raichu is too weak to sweep without a Nasty Plot boost. Raichu can go mixed by utilizing Volt Tackle and Focus Punch, but it's outclassed by Electivire in this regard. Similarly, there's little to no point in using Choice items on Raichu, as Manectric does a much better job with them.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best way to deal with Raichu is to revenge kill it. Its frail defenses mean that it can be taken out by most powerful STAB moves, such as Leaf Storm from Sceptile or Tri Attack from Porygon-Z. A surprisingly small number of RU Pokemon can outspeed Raichu, so Choice Scarf users tend to be the most reliable way to dispose of Raichu. However, there are still a few walls that can stand up to Raichu after a boost from Nasty Plot. Of these, Lanturn is probably the best choice, since it takes paltry damage from Grass Knot, and can wear Raichu down with STAB Scald.</p>
[Overview]
<p>The Pokemon mascot's big brother has always found itself outclassed in past generations, but this is no longer the case. Raichu has finally found itself a place that it can call home, thanks to an excellent Dream World ability in Lightningrod and the introduction of the RU tier. It is one of the three viable Electric-types in the metagame, along with Electivire and Manectric. While the former takes on the role of a mixed attacker, and the latter is a hit-and-run special attacker, Raichu distinguishes itself by being a powerful setup sweeper that can plow through teams after a boost from Nasty Plot. This is aided by the fact that most special walls are weak to Raichu's STAB Electric-type moves.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Encore / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb
ability: Lightningrod
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Raichu reaches a staggering 558 Special Attack after a boost from Nasty Plot. Despite its frailty, Raichu has an easier time setting up a Nasty Plot courtesy of another nifty move in its repertoire: Encore. The lightning mouse can come in any kind of support or Electric-type move and use Encore, provided that Raichu is faster than its opponent, which it usually is, due to its base 100 Speed. Raichu can then double its Special Attack while the foe switches out. Thunderbolt is a powerful and reliable STAB move, easily crushing common special walls, such as Slowking and Mantine. Hidden Power Ice grants Raichu the excellent BoltBeam coverage, which hits the vast majority of the metagame for at least neutral damage. Focus Blast can be used to hit the Pokemon that do resist this combination, namely Magneton, Rotom-F, and Lanturn, but the shaky accuracy makes it a poorer option when compared to the general utility of Encore.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Raichu has the option to run Grass Knot over Hidden Power Ice in order to deal more damage to bulky Ground-types; this particularly hits Claydol, Rhydon, and Quagsire harder. However, Hidden Power Ice does enough damage after a boost, and running Grass Knot leaves Raichu walled by Grass-types. As far as teammates go, Raichu appreciates the Pokemon that resist the BoltBeam combination gone before it comes into play. Both Magneton and Lanturn have a weakness to Ground-type attacks, so Dugtrio is a natural choice for a teammate in order to safely eliminate them. Since Raichu is a very fast Pokemon,mopponents will normally resort to revenge killing it to bring it down. Therefore, another good teammate for Raichu is Wynaut, which can not only take out opposing Choice Scarf revenge killers, but can also grant Raichu an opportunity to set up, courtesy of its own Encore.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Raichu forces switches, but its frailty means that any decently powered attack will knock it out. Therefore, it can effectively use Substitute to cast a safety blanket around itself, giving it opportunities to set up and preventing crippling status effects. Other useful moves include Magnet Rise, which can eliminate Raichu's Ground-type weakness, and Yawn, which can give Raichu an opportunity to set up. Raichu can also use other charming moves such as, well, Charm, Tickle, and Teeter Dance. Due to legality issues, however, many of these support moves are unfortunately incompatible with Lightningrod. Agility can be used to double Raichu's Speed, but Raichu is too weak to sweep without a Nasty Plot boost. Raichu can go mixed by utilizing Volt Tackle and Focus Punch, but it's outclassed by Electivire in this regard. Similarly, there's little to no point in using Choice items on Raichu, as Manectric does a much better job with them.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best way to deal with Raichu is to revenge kill it. Its frail defenses mean that it can be taken out by most powerful STAB moves, such as Leaf Storm from Sceptile or Tri Attack from Porygon-Z. A surprisingly small number of RU Pokemon can outspeed Raichu, so Choice Scarf users tend to be the most reliable way to dispose of Raichu. However, there are still a few walls that can stand up to Raichu after a boost from Nasty Plot. Of these, Lanturn is probably the best choice, since it takes paltry damage from Grass Knot, and can wear Raichu down with STAB Scald.</p>
