Pikapower! A team built around Pikachu

[NeoSeth]

Okay, so I got bored playing with my old team and made a Sandstorm team. After tweaking it into excellent usability, I got bored again. So I made a Rain Dance team. And after that, I read a post by Neno about his Breloom-based team. It introduced me to lead synergy, and as a result, I decided to make a team based around...

So, with building a team around a specific Pokemon, I had a challenge that I hadn't really undertaken before. I must say I think I was (And still am, to a lesser extent) in over my head. Building a team around weather is easy. Building a team around a frail mouse that to this moment has only ever survived ANY hit once is hard. So, at a glance:

So, the first step was to identify Pikachu's weaknesses:

FRAGILITY, so it needs to go first.
With 90 Speed, it's not fast enough to outspeed everything.
No strong priority. (Covered later)

How do I go about accomplishing a Pikasweep then? Well, I'll need to cripple the opposition. Paralysis is the most helpful, as Pikachu gets decent coverage and hits hard with Light Ball. Burn also helps prevent an attack from hitting AS hard. Also, it doesn't hit super-hard, so entry hazards help to get as many OHKOs as possible. With this in mind, I made the following team:

Frosslass w/ Focus Sash
Snow Cloak
Timid
252 SA, 252 Spe, 6 SD
Ice Beam
Spikes
Taunt
Destiny Bond

A great lead, as it counters many common leads and can set up well. And unlike many leads, it can come back in later to block Rapid Spin. Spikes is the goal of this set, and I've been able to get up three layers, which is a first for me with any Pokemon. That helps Pikachu's sweep in an obvious way. Taunt is obvious to prevent other entry hazards, and Destiny Bond is used to bring other Pokemon down with me. Here's how I deal with some common leads:

Aerodactyl: I'll start off with the weakest link. He'll taunt first, and KO with Stone Edge. Not good. I'd probably switch and frighten him away with Scizor.
Azelf: Faster, and will Taunt first. Scizor is frightening as well, but Ice Beam secures a 2HKO. Stealth Rock isn't too bad, as only two Pokemon are weak to it.
Machamp: Destiny Bond and Spikes, in that order. Payback + Bullet Punch KOs me, so I might as well bring it with me.
Roserade: Taunt, Ice Beam. No Roserade should stay in and risk an Ice Beam. Hidden Power Fire will not KO with Focus Sash, and my higher speed gives me the upper hand.
Metagross: Destiny Bond + Spikes, although Taunt could work. I wouldn't risk it, though.
Heatran: Taunt, since he has no priority. Destiny Bond if he attacked last turn, Spikes if not.

Gallade w/ Leftovers
Steadfast
Adamant
252 HP, 152 Atk, 104 Spd
Close Combat
Night Slash
Thunder Wave
Will o' Wisp
A good status spreader, and takes opponents by surprise when he doesn't sweep. Thunder Wave in particular slows his foes so he can KO them if they don't switch. Will o' Wisp cripples any physical attacker or Pokemon slow enough for Pikachu to KO anyway, or something immune to Thunder Wave.

Dragonite w/ Leftovers
Inner Focus
Careful
252 HP, 44 Spd, 212 SD
Dragon Claw
Roar
Roost
Thunder Wave
Salamence is a better sweeper than Dragonite, but Dragonite is bulkier and better defensively. Roost lets him stall (To an extent), and Dragon Claw is just to attack. I tried Flamethrower, and that didn't work out as well. Thunder Wave is to further spread Paralysis, slowing Pokemon for Pikachu to hit. Heal Bell removes status from the rest of my team, and is my first choice to go for another move, although it does help. If my opponent's team is already Paralyzed, he can use Roost and Dragon Claw to break through some physically weak walls. I've beaten Blissey using him, but he's not my first choice.

Heatran w/ Shuca Berry
Flash Fire
Timid
252 SA, 252 Spd, 6 Atk
Fire Blast
Earth Power
Explosion
Stealth Rock
It's the basic lead, but for use later in the game. It absorbs Fire-type attacks aimed at Scizor, and Explosion can punch through any particularly troublesome special walls that would switch out if I went to a different Pokemon. (*cough*Blissey*cough*). He is, however, really good at hitting Bronzong, a Pokemon that needs to be gone for Pikachu to begin attacking.

Scizor w/ Life Orb
Technician
Adamant
252 Atk, 252 Spd, 6 HP
Bullet Punch
Brick Break
U-Turn
Swords Dance
If it just isn't safe for Pikachu to come out, Scizor can. Swords Dance on the switch and kill away. I chose Scizor for his resistance to Ice so he can come in off of Dragonite. He also acts as great bait for Heatran. U-Turn can scout and let me get in Pikachu against a weakened Pokemon. His Physical orientation is to take out dedicated Special Walls that could otherwise stop Pikachu dead.

And now, BEHOLD!!!

Pikachu w/ Light Ball
Static
Timid
252 SA, 252 Spd, 6 Defense
Thunderbolt
Grass Knot
Hidden Power [Ice]/Surf?
Substitute
I come in on something he scares, and Substitute. I then proceed to hit everything in sight as hard as I can. These moves grant the best possible coverage, and Timid is for maximum speed. Against a team softened up with Spikes, Stealth Rock and Paralysis, I sweep with aplomb. Thunderbolt nails waters, and Grass Knot hits Hippowdon, Swampert, Tyrannitar and Donphan hard. Hidden Power also hits Donphan well (On the switch, I'd Grass Knot if he was already in), and nails Gliscor for the KO (Though I try to remove him earlier). He is powerful enough to OHKO everything he hits super-effectively, and 2HKO what he doesn't, which is fine with the Substitute. The only other moveset options are Encore (Too risky, and is a supporting role whereas this is the star), Agility (Priority KOs me), Nasty Plot (Still too slow and no shield) and Quick Attack. Quick Attack is too weak to be worth putting in over Sub.

I've been playtesting, and I win around 70% of the time. Pikachu succeeds around 90% of the time he comes out, which is also 70% of the time. I think it's a little low, both win-wise and Pikachu-appearance rate. And so I came here, to the number 1 website for Pokemon competitive battling.

It is truly an AMAZING feeling to destroy someone with Pikachu, even better than walling an entire OU team with a Leafeon (Done it!). This feeling is why I want to continue to work on this team until I perfect it. So... any and all help is appreciated. Just PLEASE be constructive, and not a jerk. I know how challenging this is going to be, but I'm willing to work at it.

 

[NeoSeth]

Team Building Process:

Obviously, a Pikachu team isn't complete without Pikachu. I went with the Sweeper moveset, as he's the star of the show, not some Encore-supporting groupie.

I always wanted to use Dragonite on my team, and I figured it'd be nice to try one of the fearsome "Offensive Anti-Leads" out. Swampert was to provide some lead synergy and to set up Stealth Rock

Swampert wasn't working out, and neither was the Leadnite. I replaced Swampert with Heatran, who provides good offense, SR AND Explosion to get a free switch-in. Roserade had GREAT lead synergy with Heatran, could get up Toxic Spikes and Sleep an opponent. Dragonite then became a healer with Roost and Heal Bell. I added Thunder Wave, as para-support would help Pikachu IMMENSELY. Then I started thinking... what if I had MORE para-support?

Rotom-H blocked Rapid Spin and provided dual-status support. It seemed perfect, but it wasn't working out. Flamethrower became Dragon Claw to allow Dragonite to hit harder against Blissey, a major threat to this team. Roserade, I realized, wasn't working out either since Toxic Spikes prevented me from Paralyzing my foes, and the damage just didn't add up quickly enough. But I needed a Spin blocker, AND an entry hazard lead with synergy with Heatran. Who could possibly meet those standards?

Frosslass is one of my favorite Pokemon, and I usually use it as an annoying SubSpiker with T-Wave on a Hail Team to abuse Snow Cloak (and Brightpowder, hehehe...). Spikes did damage more immediately than Toxic Spikes, and with my wide array of resistances and coverage, switches should be often. Ghost typing blocked Rapid Spin and Ice-typing provided synergy with Heatran, allowing me to work two hazards in to each other very well. My team was coming together, and everything was flowing. But I needed two more members, and more Para support is always good...

Gallade fit the bill nicely, doubling statuses and hitting hard. CB Scizor was the glue for the team, as I had heard it put. In theory, it removed special walls and had synergy with Heatran. Its performance, however, was underwhelming. I changed him into an SD variant, who was far more effective and boosted my weak offensive line (Pikachu can't do it all). That said, I also needed a phazer to spread out the entry damage, reveal the team and spread statuses. Who could possibly do that? Jolteon? But who would I replace? Then I realized the answer was right in front of me.

Dragonite became a phazer, with Roar replacing Heal Bell. This helped IMMENSELY, revealing entire strategies. Pikachu no longer needed to pray that Scizor didn't come out. I could reveal it myself and take it down with Heatran. I also went from paralyzing one or two Pokemon to statusing so many Pokemon people would ragequit. Sigh... it is beautiful.

 

[GAK]

I applaud you for making a team with Pikachu. I love how every Pokemon has a move to help cripple the foe's team to prepare for a sweep and then also they have moves to hit the opponent hard and cover your weaknesses.

I think Roserade would make a lead, because I believe Toxic Spikes badly poisoning your foe will better aid your sweep than spikes will, with Froslass. You can also you Sleep Powder to cripple a Pokemon immune to T. Spikes.

 

[NeoSeth]

Thanks very much, Gak. I did run Roserade on an earlier build that had different Pokemon for Para support, so I think I'll try it again.

 

[Nozizaki]

Flinch-Kiss is a Para-spreader, and it does it better than Gallade, but it's a little more of a sweeper.

 

[doublel]

Not sure about toxic spikes. Since you would want to spread para, it seems a bit counterproductive.

 

[Moo]

Why not try a Trick-Scarf Froslass lead?:
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/froslass#Choice_Scarf_Lead
It has the ability to cripple other leads. Also, IMO Pikachu is nothing more than a gimmick, and lacks the stats to do anything.

I come in on something he scares, and Substitute.

What can Pikachu possibly scare?
The Pikachu set from Smogon is based on the NU/UU metagame, But other than that, looks like a pretty solid team. Maybe replace Pika with Raikou or Jolteon

 

[NeoSeth]

Why not try a Trick-Scarf Froslass lead?:
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/froslass#Choice_Scarf_Lead
It has the ability to cripple other leads. Also, IMO Pikachu is nothing more than a gimmick, and lacks the stats to do anything.
What can Pikachu possibly scare?
The Pikachu set from Smogon is based on the NU/UU metagame, But other than that, looks like a pretty solid team. Maybe replace Pika with Raikou or Jolteon

The whole point of the team is to use Pikachu in OU, so I won't be replacing him. And with Para support, he scares a good amount of Pokemon, especially Waters and Flying types for obvious reasons. With a Light Ball he hits pretty hard, and with proper support he can OHKO a good deal of Pokemon. And I like your TrickScarf idea, I'll test it.

@ doubel Yeah, I'm not using Toxic spikes. They interfere with Para-support.

And thanks for the Gyarados recommendation, NightShadow. Who do you recommend I replace for him?

 

[Wind2008]

You need Nasty Plot to make Pikachu a considerable Pokemon in OU.

Drop Sub,with para support you won't get hit a whole lot and you simply can't afford to not get the OHKO with Pikachu.

Regardless of what you do Pikachu is bad in OU,though.

 

[moussaka]

I'm not so sure Wind, Pikachu is just too frail to be able to effectively use Nasty Plot...Substitute is vital on any Pikachu set, as it's usually the only way Pikachu will survive, well, anything...

PS Love the concept of this team, NeoSeth XD

 

[NeoSeth]

Thanks, moussaka, lol.

The only boosting move halfway workable on Pikachu is Agility, which allows me to hit just about everything without priority. This wouldn't be bad if Pikachu could take a hit, but it can't. Even a Bullet Punch, which is resisted, hits really hard. Substitute lets me take a hit from any move, and with all the support OHKOing back is easy.

Although, with a vast amount of my opponent's team eliminated, maybe priority moves aren't such a big deal. Maybe I could run Agility. We'll see when I have some serious time to work on this team, like tonight (East Coast time).

And here's a question: Should I replace HP Ice with Surf? That lets me hit Heatran and Infernape hard, although I lose power against Gliscor and I can't hit Grass types...

 

[moussaka]

Infernape probably won't be able to take a Thunderbolt anyway...I'd stick with HP Ice, or possibly even Grass Knot.

 

[Fievel]

I agreed with Wind, Pikachu needs to be timid to have a decent speed. And with all the support from the rest of his team, Nasty Plot or even Agility to boost his speed, might actually be viable on Pikachu. And Substitute could easily be treated the same as Agility or NP, with the Substitutes being pretty weak. The substitutes do allow Pikachu to withstand a priority move, which in other words he would die from right away. So basically it all comes down to preference. The substitues allow more surviablity, the Agility allows pikachu to outspeed more its threats(which is like everything), NP allows pikachu to have more SpA and help him kill more.

 

[Aqueos]

Nasty Plot turns pikachu into something scary. I applaud you for trying to use pikachu in ou and being semi succesful. Now that salamence is out of the picture, hp ice is only good for hitting flygon (if you have nasty plot and sub set up dragonite will just die to t-bolt) I might drop surf/hp ice for nastyplot, as surf is redundant coverage. So without hp ice pikachu is walled by
Grass types aka roserade/celebi/shaymin
Roserade is probably a lead and already dead
Celebi hates scizor but be wary of hp-fire
Shaymin These are so rare I wouldn't be sure what to do.
And Flygon
You don't really have an answer to flygon, so I don't really know.

 

[NeoSeth]

With Nasty Plot, Pikachu hits SUPER hard. You're absolutely right. I'm keeping HP Ice, though, for the power it has on Gliscor (Really threatening, as it outspeeds and OHKOs with Earthquake) and Flygon (The same). Breloom is also nailed by HP Ice, and with some skilled maneuvering I can get a cheap set-up on Breloom by Substituting on the Spore and KOing with HP Ice, or breaking Breloom's sub as it breaks mine, which I still win with anyway thanks to my speed.

So, for coverage's sake and ease of set up, I'm sticking with HP Ice. It doesn't help the sweep as much anymore, but it still makes setting up a lot less stressful and easier to do. It's nice to know that with HP Ice, their switch-in is probably dead and I'm free to go without any worry of being countered. Without it, though, I'd be hitting the PANIC button every time I saw a Flygon or Gliscor, and Scarf/Specs Roserade aren't so uncommon as you think outside of the lead position. Also, LO Sceptile. Been going up without Mence around. In all, HP Ice really has saved my butt on several occasions.

I'm also going to do a shameless plug worthy of Mike Gallagher himself: Please rate my other team as well:

http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74717

It's a team built around using Wish-Support Leafeon to the fullest, and it works rather well. I still have some questions, though, so please inspect it.

 

[Box]

Why give Dragonite Dragon Claw? I'm rather partial to Draco Meteor on my chubby dragon.

While it may lower your Spa, Dragonite's mainly there to phaze and T-Wave if necessary, right? I understand Roost is to keep him in when he takes a beating from anything faster than him before roaring, not to aid in a sweeping streak?

Besides, you already have Scizor and Gallade so smash breadcrumb Pokes.

Just my two cents :D

 

[NeoSeth]

You know, you're right. Why not give him Draco Meteor? Why didn't I think of that? I'll give that a shot, and see how it works. It's just that Special walls make me paranoid, since short of making Pikachu a SubPuncher, I can't break through them during his sweep.

 

[GtM]

I'm just curious about this, but why did you give Gallade Night Slash? Psycho Cut gains STAB, and it's still super-effective against Gengar. Basically, Psycho Cut has a BP of 105, whilst Night Slash has a BP of 75.

 

[Lucien Lachance]

Watch out, here comes a massive wall of text from a full rate. XD

Let's see how Froslass handles these leads here... (In no real order here)

Azelf: They taunt you, so use Ice Beam for 51.7% - 61%. From there, they either Fire Blast, or use SR. If they SR, you hit them again for a 2HKO. If they use FB they break you down to sash and you 2HKO. Win situation for you there.

Aerodactyl: They taunt you, so you use Ice beam for 95.4% - 111.9%. You would OHKO, if Aero didn't have Sash. But, if they use SR next turn you just 2HKO. If they use stone edge you just 2HKO. Another win for you.

Swampert: You outspeed and go for an easy taunt. From there just set-up Spikes. 3 spikes then spam Ice Beam until your down to sash in which case just use Destony Bond to KO Swampert. I'm pretty sure this is a tie. But, you accomplish lying down Spikes and prevent them from setting SR. Win.

Infernape: This is a tough one. They probably use SR the first turn because they know you can't really hit them too hard. You can't use Destony Bond to KO him to, unless it's priority in which case you win. I strongly suggest switching and coming out later to set-up spikes. Lose.

Roserade: Easy. Taunt and then Ice Beam. HP fire brings you down to sash as you 2HKO with Ice beam the next turn. Win. But, they could HP fire you first turn in which case you have to use Destony Bond or make a switch. Well, it's a win or a tie.

Machamp: He'll just spam Payback. Spikes + Destony Bond. Mostly win.

Hippo!: Probably use Stock-up so use it as set-up bait. Taunt and then spike him. If he hits you, you have sash and then just use Destony Bond. Win. Or.... you just let him set-up with Stock-up and just use Spikes. When he goes offensive use Destony Bond. Win either way.

Ninjask: I don't think any lead really beats this bug. They usually just use Protect and Sub and Swords Dance whenever possible. Just use it has set-up bait. Spikes and then Ice Beam. When they switch to a sweeper just use Destony Bond. Win!

I know there's more... but I can't think of them and I'm too lazy to find them.

I agree with GtM's suggestion. More overall power. Other than that he's good. You can always go for broke and use Hypnosis >> Will-O-Wisp. Ruin one pokemon and cripple the switch in.

You need to update you analysis for Dragonite. I will say, with a SpD boosting nature and max HP and SpD, Starmie still did around 50% with Ice beam. I used a Dragonite with Light Screen so I only took about 25%. Although with Roost you take 25% too. just a heads up. Dragonite doesn't really "wall" pokemon using Ice Beam. XD.

Might I suggest on Heatran using Substitute >> Explosion? If you know their Tran is Scarfed and if their locked in to Fire Blast or Flamethrower aimed at Scizor and you send in your Heatran, their switching next turn to a Gengar or something. So why not Sub on the switch? Special walls are mainly Blissey. With sub, you shield Heatran from any status moves carried by Blissey or any pokemon for that matter. Then you can use Leftovers too. Might I also suggest using Flamethrower >> Fire Blast? Missing is the worst thing that could happen in OU. No joke. I've lost matches becuase I've missed 3 times in a row with Fire Blast.

Scizor seems fine, only why put so many EVs in Spe when it doesn't outspeed anything. Dump them into HP.

On Pikachu, might I make a really weird suggestion? Nasty Plot >> Grass Knot. Keep HP Ice. Let me show you how this works. Sub on the switch, and Nasty Plot when they break sub. From there Pikachu is deadly.
+2 HP Ice V Swampert = 45.5% - 54%. Grass Knot does OHKO, but you always KO with SR and Spikes.
+2 HP Ice V Hippo = 94.3% - 111%. OHKO with SR and Spikes.
+2 HP Ice V Donphan = 133.3% - 157.3%. OHKO W/O SR and Spikes.
+2 HP Ice V TTar = 49.7% - 58.5%. Good chance to 2HKO with SR and Spikes.
I know, I know, 2HKOs!?!? What! This is why I am suggesting you use Focus Sash >> Light Orb so you don't go OHKO'd by TTar and Swampert and get the 2HKOs. You still OHKO Hippo and Donphan and get the 2HKO on TTar and Swampert.

Strategizing FTW!

 

[Purimpopoie]

I know, I know, 2HKOs!?!? What! This is why I am suggesting you use Focus Sash >> Light Orb so you don't go OHKO'd by TTar and Swampert and get the 2HKOs. You still OHKO Hippo and Donphan and get the 2HKO on TTar and Swampert.

Strategizing FTW!

Light Ball is what makes Pikachu better than Raichu, so removing it is out of the question, I think.

I also agree that Pikachu can't take a hit, so Nasty Plot, while interesting, is probably not the best idea: You either drop Sub and die without it to take the hit, or you NP up on the turn they break your sub, and then die to priority.

 

[Tangyrowth]

While many people are saying that it is absolutely necessary for Pikachu to be using Nasty Plot, I highly disagree. A light-balled Pikachu surpasses even Electivire in terms of both Atk and SpAtk, albeit ElectiviRe gets a 20% boost from Expert Belt.

Pikachu can hit hard enough without Nasty Plot. If you really want to use Nasty Plot, then sure, baton pass to it, or something.

 

[Forte.EXE]

Watch out, here comes a massive wall of text from a full rate. XD

Let's see how Froslass handles these leads here... (In no real order here)

Azelf: They taunt you, so use Ice Beam for 51.7% - 61%. From there, they either Fire Blast, or use SR. If they SR, you hit them again for a 2HKO. If they use FB they break you down to sash and you 2HKO. Win situation for you there.

Aerodactyl: They taunt you, so you use Ice beam for 95.4% - 111.9%. You would OHKO, if Aero didn't have Sash. But, if they use SR next turn you just 2HKO. If they use stone edge you just 2HKO. Another win for you.

Swampert: You outspeed and go for an easy taunt. From there just set-up Spikes. 3 spikes then spam Ice Beam until your down to sash in which case just use Destony Bond to KO Swampert. I'm pretty sure this is a tie. But, you accomplish lying down Spikes and prevent them from setting SR. Win.

Infernape: This is a tough one. They probably use SR the first turn because they know you can't really hit them too hard. You can't use Destony Bond to KO him to, unless it's priority in which case you win. I strongly suggest switching and coming out later to set-up spikes. Lose.

Roserade: Easy. Taunt and then Ice Beam. HP fire brings you down to sash as you 2HKO with Ice beam the next turn. Win. But, they could HP fire you first turn in which case you have to use Destony Bond or make a switch. Well, it's a win or a tie.

Machamp: He'll just spam Payback. Spikes + Destony Bond. Mostly win.

Hippo!: Probably use Stock-up so use it as set-up bait. Taunt and then spike him. If he hits you, you have sash and then just use Destony Bond. Win. Or.... you just let him set-up with Stock-up and just use Spikes. When he goes offensive use Destony Bond. Win either way.

Ninjask: I don't think any lead really beats this bug. They usually just use Protect and Sub and Swords Dance whenever possible. Just use it has set-up bait. Spikes and then Ice Beam. When they switch to a sweeper just use Destony Bond. Win!

A few problems with your lead analysis. I'll list them in the same order you did.

Azelf: Fine. You 2HKO, but it's still a win for Azelf, since it has done its job, laying down Stealth Rock.

Aerodactyl: Same story. Sets up Stealth Rock, which is what it's supposed to do.

Swampert: No Swampert in there right mind is going to go straight for Stealth Rock on a Froslass. Earthquake for an easy 2HKO. Seeing as there's only one Pokemon on this team that doesn't take damage from Earthquake, that's a problem. Even a bigger problem when said Pokemon is hit for 4x Super Effective damage from Swampert's other attack, Ice Beam.

Infernape: No problems here. Most likely, knowing that Froslass is faster, two Fire Blasts. Win here, but you have to choose between getting two layers of Spikes up, or a dead Infernape.

Roserade: Once again, you're not going to go for Sleep Powder or Toxic Spikes on a Froslass. Hidden Power [Fire] for a 2HKO, and all you're doing is breaking the Sash at best. Loss.

Machamp: No chance of a win here. Payback, Bullet Punch. You get one layer of Spikes at best, and that's it. Loss.

Hippowdon: Win here, since Taunt stops them. I don't really know how much of a win you consider this, seeing as you don't get up Spikes, but whatever floats your boat.

Ninjask: Protect + Substitute means you lose. They Protect on your Taunt/Ice Beam, set up a Substitute, and can pass to something like Tyranitar, which breaks the Sash on entry and then OHKOs you. Loss, or win, depending on whether or not the player using Ninjask is a little bit slow (mentally, since it's obvious Destiny Bond would kill your Pokemon).

 

[Lucien Lachance]

@Purim - I suggested sash so pikachu uses the same strategy only uses NP when they break the sub to attempt to sweep.

Using Light Orb = Better than Raichu because of higher SpA.

Using Focus Sash = You survive a hit, you get a Nasty Plot so you have +2 SpA.

Hmmm... I think Focus Sash wins here. Pikachu is guarenteed to survive a single hit as well as get a NP boost.

@Shiny Pidget - Gee... When I used Swampert as a lead, my goal was to set-up SR and do as much damage as possible in a short amout of time while staying alive. I know I know Azelf and Aero are suside leads designed to set-up SR. I still think it's a win though. you can always Rapid Spin away rocks.

 

[Darkamber8828]

His team doesn't learn rapid spin.

If you want to use Nasty Plot, use Raichu.

Or Azelf.

 

[greg3064]

I just started using Pikachu on an OU team to try something new. I would get rid of Will-o-Wisp, as burning a special attacker faster than Pikachu will prevent you from Paralyzing it, which will result in the rodent's death.

Using a Serene Grace/Body Slam combo (Jirachi or Togekiss) will allow you to paralyze ground types, Jolteon, and the occasional Electevire. I think Togekiss would work well, as you could use another Ground immunity. I would use one of those over Gallade and keep Dragonite the way he is, so you could paralyze everything.

I've been using Nasty Plot. It's hard to pull off, but without it Pikachu does lack some necessary power (it'll only reach 418 SpA without it). If you use Togekiss you can pass Nasty Plots, but with Para-support too the moveset would be a little tight.

If you remove Gallade, you won't be able to handle Blissey as well. You could replace Roar on Dragonite with Superpower.

Lastly, I'd consider replacing Shuca on Heatran, as it's not leading and the ground attacks it will be taking will be more situational anyway. Life Orb and Leftovers are both good alternatives, though Shuca could stay if it works for you.