[OVERVIEW]
Raichu is one of the fastest Fake Out users, sporting a base Speed of 110 that lets it outspeed the likes of Mega Kangaskhan and Infernape. It also has Lightningrod, which neuters opposing Electric-types by redirecting Electric-type attacks, benefiting teams that struggle with foes such as Thundurus. With access to a good utility movepool containing options such as Fake Out, Encore, Nuzzle, and Feint, Raichu controls game flow and provides speed control. On the other hand, its poor bulk leaves it easily KOed by strong attacks such as Mega Kangaskhan's Return and Talonflame's Flare Blitz. In addition, Raichu provides little offensive pressure by itself, as it lacks the ability to deal meaningful damage and is walled by Grass- and Ground-types. Compared to other Electric-types in the metagame—Rotom-W, Thundurus, and Zapdos—Raichu lacks the natural Ground immunity, bulk, and offensive pressure the other options provide, making it a niche option for teams requiring its specific support.
[SET]
name: Fast Support
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Encore / Feint
move 3: Volt Switch / Thunderbolt
move 4: Nuzzle / Feint
item: Air Balloon / Focus Sash
ability: Lightningrod
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Access to one of the fastest Fake Outs lets Raichu outspeed other Fake Out users and immobilize a foe for a turn nearly without fail, giving Raichu's partner room to set up or go on the offensive without being hindered. Encore locks a foe into the same move for three turns, possibly forcing it to use a suboptimal move. An Electric-type STAB move in the form of Volt Switch or Thunderbolt enables Raichu to still be an offensive threat to frailer foes, such as Talonflame and Azumarill. Volt Switch lets Raichu pivot to refresh Fake Out and bring in a partner; alternatively, Thunderbolt deals more damage and, when combined with more Special Attack EVs, picks up the KO on threats such as Talonflame. In addition, Thunderbolt is a better option for situations where Raichu does not wish to switch out. Nuzzle lets Raichu provide speed control for a team and reduce its tendency to suck momentum, even hitting Mega Diancie where Thunder Wave cannot due to bypassing Magic Bounce in addition to Taunt. Feint breaks Protect, making it a good option for applying offensive pressure while also synergizing with the threat of Fake Out. Feint is especially helpful for partners that use single-target attacks, such as Mega Kangaskhan, which benefit from Raichu breaking Protect.
Set Details
========
Lightningrod redirects Electric-type attacks, neutering the offensive pressure of opposing Electric-types such as Thundurus. Maximum Speed EVs and a Timid nature let Raichu Speed tie with the competitive base 110 Speed tier, which includes threats such as Latios and Mega Diancie. The remainder is put into HP to alleviate Raichu's poor bulk, letting it survive attacks like Mega Charizard Y's Heat Wave. An alternative set with maximum Special Attack instead of HP is recommended if using Thunderbolt, to pick up the KO on Talonflame. Air Balloon is useful for discouraging opposing Choice Scarf Landorus-T from locking itself into Earthquake, forcing a U-turn or a Rock Slide, both of which Raichu is relatively unafraid of. On the other hand, Focus Sash is a good catch-all defensive item for surviving any powerful attack, including not only Landorus-T's Earthquake but also Talonflame's Flare Blitz and Mega Charizard Y's Heat Wave.
Usage Tips
========
Raichu's Fake Out support is key to helping allies set up—such as through Belly Drum, Swords Dance, Tailwind, or Substitute—or to maintain offensive pressure. Due to Raichu's access to Encore, its Fake Out is especially threatening, as foes cannot stall out the Fake Out turn with Protect. Feint can punish Protects as well. Although opposing Pokemon will want to double Protect on Raichu's Fake Out, Encore combined with a high Speed allows Raichu to lock foes into Protect, making them effectively useless for three turns or until they switch out. In addition, Encore is useful for locking foes into Fake Out, which doesn't work after the first turn out, or setup moves such as Belly Drum and Substitute, and for locking foes into resisted moves or Electric-type moves, either for Raichu's partner or itself. Thus, Raichu should be used for building up offensive pressure and providing the necessary support to its partner. With Volt Switch, Raichu can take advantage of its rotational power to keep itself healthy and refresh Fake Out, coming in when the support is needed and avoiding situations where it becomes a momentum sink, unable to impact the field. For example, Raichu can't threaten certain fast threats such as Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Talonflame and bulkier threats such as Aegislash and Amoonguss, all of which either outspeed and KO it first or are relatively untouched by anything from its movepool. Be careful when bringing Raichu in on attacks, as its poor bulk and negligible resistances leave it susceptible to being KOed on the switch. Instead, mostly use it as a lead or switch it in after a partner is KOed.
Team Options
========
Water- and Flying-types, such as Azumarill and Talonflame, that benefit from Lightningrod incapacitating opposing Electric-types such as Thundurus make for very good partners for Raichu. Fake Out support is good for partners that appreciate the free setup opportunities, such as Belly Drum Azumarill, Power-Up Punch Mega Kangaskhan, and Substitute users such as Heatran and Kyurem-B. Unlike other Electric-types, Raichu has a poor matchup against Talonflame, being outsped and OHKOed by Flare Blitz, so good Talonflame checks such as Landorus-T and Mega Diancie help alleviate this weakness. Raichu is incapable of threatening Amoonguss, so Amoonguss checks and switch-ins that are immune to Spore such as Safety Goggles Jirachi compensate for Raichu's poor Amoonguss matchup. Other Pokemon that can threaten to KO Amoonguss such as Talonflame and Mega Charizard Y also are good options.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hidden Power Ice is a possible coverage move, but it's unpopular because Choice Scarf Landorus-T can easily move before Raichu and U-turn out. In addition, Hidden Power Ice doesn't pick up the KO on Landorus-T even with maximum Special Attack investment.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Speed**: Threats faster than Raichu, such as Talonflame and Landorus-T and even weather sweepers such as Swift Swim Ludicolo and Chlorophyll Venusaur, do not need to worry about a large portion of its utility moves and can threaten to OHKO it, nullifying its ability to properly support its partner. Raichu is especialy vulnerable against threats with a faster Fake Out, such as Swift Swim Ludicolo and Weavile.
**Miscellaneous**: Not running Protect leaves Raichu with little counterplay to opposing Fake Out. In addition, Kangaskhan with Inner Focus can ignore Raichu's Fake Out because it cannot flinch.
**Typing Advantage**: Grass- and Ground-types such as Amoonguss and Landorus-T are for the most part unthreatened by Raichu's movepool and untouched by its Electric-type STAB moves. Grass-types are generally unafraid of being paralyzed, while Ground-types are immune to Nuzzle altogether. Ghost-types such as Aegislash and Gengar are immune to both Fake Out and Feint.
Raichu is one of the fastest Fake Out users, sporting a base Speed of 110 that lets it outspeed the likes of Mega Kangaskhan and Infernape. It also has Lightningrod, which neuters opposing Electric-types by redirecting Electric-type attacks, benefiting teams that struggle with foes such as Thundurus. With access to a good utility movepool containing options such as Fake Out, Encore, Nuzzle, and Feint, Raichu controls game flow and provides speed control. On the other hand, its poor bulk leaves it easily KOed by strong attacks such as Mega Kangaskhan's Return and Talonflame's Flare Blitz. In addition, Raichu provides little offensive pressure by itself, as it lacks the ability to deal meaningful damage and is walled by Grass- and Ground-types. Compared to other Electric-types in the metagame—Rotom-W, Thundurus, and Zapdos—Raichu lacks the natural Ground immunity, bulk, and offensive pressure the other options provide, making it a niche option for teams requiring its specific support.
[SET]
name: Fast Support
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Encore / Feint
move 3: Volt Switch / Thunderbolt
move 4: Nuzzle / Feint
item: Air Balloon / Focus Sash
ability: Lightningrod
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Access to one of the fastest Fake Outs lets Raichu outspeed other Fake Out users and immobilize a foe for a turn nearly without fail, giving Raichu's partner room to set up or go on the offensive without being hindered. Encore locks a foe into the same move for three turns, possibly forcing it to use a suboptimal move. An Electric-type STAB move in the form of Volt Switch or Thunderbolt enables Raichu to still be an offensive threat to frailer foes, such as Talonflame and Azumarill. Volt Switch lets Raichu pivot to refresh Fake Out and bring in a partner; alternatively, Thunderbolt deals more damage and, when combined with more Special Attack EVs, picks up the KO on threats such as Talonflame. In addition, Thunderbolt is a better option for situations where Raichu does not wish to switch out. Nuzzle lets Raichu provide speed control for a team and reduce its tendency to suck momentum, even hitting Mega Diancie where Thunder Wave cannot due to bypassing Magic Bounce in addition to Taunt. Feint breaks Protect, making it a good option for applying offensive pressure while also synergizing with the threat of Fake Out. Feint is especially helpful for partners that use single-target attacks, such as Mega Kangaskhan, which benefit from Raichu breaking Protect.
Set Details
========
Lightningrod redirects Electric-type attacks, neutering the offensive pressure of opposing Electric-types such as Thundurus. Maximum Speed EVs and a Timid nature let Raichu Speed tie with the competitive base 110 Speed tier, which includes threats such as Latios and Mega Diancie. The remainder is put into HP to alleviate Raichu's poor bulk, letting it survive attacks like Mega Charizard Y's Heat Wave. An alternative set with maximum Special Attack instead of HP is recommended if using Thunderbolt, to pick up the KO on Talonflame. Air Balloon is useful for discouraging opposing Choice Scarf Landorus-T from locking itself into Earthquake, forcing a U-turn or a Rock Slide, both of which Raichu is relatively unafraid of. On the other hand, Focus Sash is a good catch-all defensive item for surviving any powerful attack, including not only Landorus-T's Earthquake but also Talonflame's Flare Blitz and Mega Charizard Y's Heat Wave.
Usage Tips
========
Raichu's Fake Out support is key to helping allies set up—such as through Belly Drum, Swords Dance, Tailwind, or Substitute—or to maintain offensive pressure. Due to Raichu's access to Encore, its Fake Out is especially threatening, as foes cannot stall out the Fake Out turn with Protect. Feint can punish Protects as well. Although opposing Pokemon will want to double Protect on Raichu's Fake Out, Encore combined with a high Speed allows Raichu to lock foes into Protect, making them effectively useless for three turns or until they switch out. In addition, Encore is useful for locking foes into Fake Out, which doesn't work after the first turn out, or setup moves such as Belly Drum and Substitute, and for locking foes into resisted moves or Electric-type moves, either for Raichu's partner or itself. Thus, Raichu should be used for building up offensive pressure and providing the necessary support to its partner. With Volt Switch, Raichu can take advantage of its rotational power to keep itself healthy and refresh Fake Out, coming in when the support is needed and avoiding situations where it becomes a momentum sink, unable to impact the field. For example, Raichu can't threaten certain fast threats such as Choice Scarf Landorus-T and Talonflame and bulkier threats such as Aegislash and Amoonguss, all of which either outspeed and KO it first or are relatively untouched by anything from its movepool. Be careful when bringing Raichu in on attacks, as its poor bulk and negligible resistances leave it susceptible to being KOed on the switch. Instead, mostly use it as a lead or switch it in after a partner is KOed.
Team Options
========
Water- and Flying-types, such as Azumarill and Talonflame, that benefit from Lightningrod incapacitating opposing Electric-types such as Thundurus make for very good partners for Raichu. Fake Out support is good for partners that appreciate the free setup opportunities, such as Belly Drum Azumarill, Power-Up Punch Mega Kangaskhan, and Substitute users such as Heatran and Kyurem-B. Unlike other Electric-types, Raichu has a poor matchup against Talonflame, being outsped and OHKOed by Flare Blitz, so good Talonflame checks such as Landorus-T and Mega Diancie help alleviate this weakness. Raichu is incapable of threatening Amoonguss, so Amoonguss checks and switch-ins that are immune to Spore such as Safety Goggles Jirachi compensate for Raichu's poor Amoonguss matchup. Other Pokemon that can threaten to KO Amoonguss such as Talonflame and Mega Charizard Y also are good options.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hidden Power Ice is a possible coverage move, but it's unpopular because Choice Scarf Landorus-T can easily move before Raichu and U-turn out. In addition, Hidden Power Ice doesn't pick up the KO on Landorus-T even with maximum Special Attack investment.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Speed**: Threats faster than Raichu, such as Talonflame and Landorus-T and even weather sweepers such as Swift Swim Ludicolo and Chlorophyll Venusaur, do not need to worry about a large portion of its utility moves and can threaten to OHKO it, nullifying its ability to properly support its partner. Raichu is especialy vulnerable against threats with a faster Fake Out, such as Swift Swim Ludicolo and Weavile.
**Miscellaneous**: Not running Protect leaves Raichu with little counterplay to opposing Fake Out. In addition, Kangaskhan with Inner Focus can ignore Raichu's Fake Out because it cannot flinch.
**Typing Advantage**: Grass- and Ground-types such as Amoonguss and Landorus-T are for the most part unthreatened by Raichu's movepool and untouched by its Electric-type STAB moves. Grass-types are generally unafraid of being paralyzed, while Ground-types are immune to Nuzzle altogether. Ghost-types such as Aegislash and Gengar are immune to both Fake Out and Feint.
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