Raikou (Done)

[Audiosurfer]

[Overview]

<p>While often overlooked, Raikou can still be a good option for a team. Raikou has a nice Special Attack stat as well as a great Speed stat that lets it outspeed important Pokemon, such as Tornadus and Latios. Raikou's main problem is the severe amount of competition it faces for a teamslot from other Electric-types. Thundurus has Prankster, granting it priority on moves such as Thunder Wave and Taunt, Rotom-W has a useful Water typing that lets it act as a better check to weather based teams, and Zapdos has access to Tailwind, allowing it to grant speed control to its teammates. In addition, all of the aforementioned Pokemon possess an immunity to Ground-type moves. Thankfully, Raikou has a move of its own that lets it find a niche&mdash;Snarl. Due to Snarl's rarity, Raikou is one of the premier users of it in the tier, giving it a role that the aforementioned Electric-types cannot fill. In addition, Raikou also has a broad offensive movepool with moves such as Aura Sphere and Weather Ball, although their event distribution forces Raikou to use a Rash nature. Even in a tier filled with other great Electric-types, Raikou is worth considering for a teamslot.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive Support
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Snarl / Light Screen
move 4: Protect
item: Shuca Berry / Electric Gem
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 32 HP / 252 SpA / 224 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With this set, Raikou can use its great Speed and Special Attack to threaten the opponent, while also acting as a nice check to opposing special attackers. Thunderbolt is the STAB move of choice as it lets Raikou deal heavy damage to bulky Water-types such as Jellicent, and Pokemon such as Tornadus, while granting Raikou nice neutral coverage across the board. Hidden Power Ice is used in the second slot to hit Pokemon that resist or are immune to Thunderbolt, such as Latios, Salamence, Landorus-T, and Garchomp, for super effective damage. It also forms a pseudo BoltBeam combination with Thunderbolt, giving Raikou impeccable coverage. Snarl might seem like a strange move on an offensive set, but it allows Raikou to handle special attackers. Since you can stack Special Attack drops with Snarl, Raikou has no problem whittling down the offenses of even the strongest special attackers until they can barely scratch Raikou. This can be very problematic for your opponent, especially if their team relies on multiple special attackers. Light Screen is a secondary option if you don't want your opponent to be able to switch out and remove their stat drops, but it isn't stackable like Snarl is. In addition, it doesn't do damage, which would otherwise be nice to pick off weakened Pokemon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Shuca Berry is the main option to allow Raikou to survive Earthquakes and stray Earth Powers that could otherwise heavily damage or outright KO it. If power is preferred, Electric Gem can be used to grant Raikou a supercharged Thunderbolt. The EV spread allows Raikou to outspeed Tornadus and Thundurus, while hitting as hard as possible with 252 Special Attack EVs, with the remaining EVs invested in HP. If you're using Raikou on a rain team, Thunder can be used instead of Thunderbolt for the power boost and nifty 30% paralysis chance, but due to how commonly the weather changes in Doubles, its shaky accuracy outside of rain can be undesirable. Discharge can be an option if you're in need of a spread move, but it is significantly weaker than Thunderbolt, and the fact that you will need to either use Protect or switch in a Ground-type to avoid damaging, and potentially paralyzing your partner makes Thunderbolt the better option for the most part. Hidden Power Grass can be an option to get rid of Gastrodon, Swampert, and Rhyperior, but Raikou is then walled by common Dragon-type Pokemon such as Latios, Kyurem-B, and Hydreigon. Expert Belt can be a nice option to grant Raikou more offensive power, but the power boost only applies to super effective moves.</p>

<p>Pokemon such as Terrakion enjoy Raikou's ability to threaten bulky Water-types that bother them. In return, Terrakion can get rid of Tyranitar and Abomasnow, both of which can be problematic for Raikou. While Raikou can reduce an opposing Pokemon's Special Attack, it can't make a Pokemon's Attack stat drop, making Hitmontop a great partner due to the useful ability in Intimidate. Hitmontop is also able to OHKO Tyranitar and Abomasnow with its STAB Fighting-type moves, and has Wide Guard to shield Raikou from Earthquake, making it even better as a partner for Raikou. Since Ground-types can switch into Thunderbolt easily, and proceed to KO Raikou with their STABs, Pokemon that can get rid of them, such as Rotom-W and Abomasnow, make great partners for Raikou. Also, any Pokemon in the tier that enjoys having opposing special attackers weakened makes for a good teammate for this set.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Aura Sphere can be useful to give Raikou a way to hit Tyranitar for major damage, while hitting Heatran and Ferrothorn for super effective damage as well. A set with Weather Ball could be an interesting option, but Weather Ball isn't a very reliable option, especially when weather the changes frequently in the tier. Additionally, both of the previously mentioned moves have the drawback of forcing Raikou into using a Rash nature, due to them being event moves. A way to take advantage of this is to make Raikou shiny so you can fool your opponent into thinking you are using an event move. A set with Rain Dance and Thunder can be useful on rain teams to act as a weather changer, but since Raikou has trouble with common weather inducers, such as Tyranitar and Abomasnow, this set might not function very well. Volt Switch can be a nice option to gain momentum while dishing out damage, but the fact that it forces Raikou out can be annoying when you need Raikou to stay in and attack more than once.</p>

<p>Sunny Day can be a useful option since Raikou can then threaten Water-types further, while not being hampered itself by the presence of sun. Reflect can be a nice option to cushion damage from physical hits, but Raikou is typically better off using either Snarl or Light Screen, and having a Pokemon with Intimidate on its team. Psych Up can be useful to copy stat boosts from Pokemon such as Volcarona and Manaphy, but is highly situational. Sitrus Berry can be decent to grant Raikou extra survivability, but it is typically better served by another item choice. Quash can be an interesting option as a form of pseudo-Speed control, especially due to Raikou's high Speed. Thanks to Raikou's high Speed, Special Attack, and great coverage, a Choice set can be a good option to deal more damage or surprise opponents expecting to outspeed Raikou. Thunder Wave can be used to grant Speed control, but then Raikou becomes difficult to justify using instead of Thundurus.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Tyranitar can easily switch into Raikou&mdash;as long as Raikou lacks Aura Sphere&mdash;and proceed to strike back with a STAB Crunch or Rock Slide. The fact that Tyranitar gets a 50% Special Defense boost from the sandstorm it summons makes it even more of a threat, as Raikou will barely be able to scratch it. Ground-type Pokemon, such as Garchomp, Excadrill, Mamoswine, Rhyperior, and Landorus, are immune to Thunderbolt and can KO Raikou with a STAB-boosted Earthquake. Most of them must be wary of a Hidden Power Ice though. Mamoswine is an especially good answer for this reason, as Thick Fat and its Ice typing lets it resist Hidden Power Ice as well, while still being able to hit hard with Earthquake. Rhyperior is also excellent since its ability, Lightningrod, allows it to redirect Raikou's Thunderbolts, severely hampering Raikou's effectiveness. Grass-type Pokemon, such as Amoonguss and Virizion, can take a hit from Raikou and either use Spore or strike back, respectively. Amoonguss can even use Rage Powder to redirect Thunderbolts, which it will take little damage from due to a natural resistance to Electric-type attacks, and great bulk. It also has Regenerator to shake off any damage Raikou manages to deal to it. Dragon-types, such as Latios, Latias, Kyurem, Kyurem-B, and Hydreigon, have no problem taking a Thunderbolt and can live through a Hidden Power Ice. Kyurem and Kyurem-B are especially notable since they are only hit neutrally by Hidden Power Ice. Most of them do not appreciate a Special Attack drop from Snarl, though. Gastrodon and Swampert are immune to Thunderbolt, are hit neutrally by Hidden Power Ice, and can strike back with Earth Power and Earthquake, respectively, but must be careful of Hidden Power Grass. Powerful Choice Scarf users, such as Chandelure and Kyurem, can easily outspeed Raikou and either KO or cripple it. Rotom-H resists every move Raikou commonly carries, and can hit it with a STAB-boosted Overheat. However, between Overheat stat drops and Snarl drops, Rotom-H will quickly stop being able to threaten it.</p>

[Unreleased]

<p>Volt Absorb is useful since it grants an extra immunity and gives Raikou a way to regain HP. It can be useful on Rain teams that are threatened by powerful Electric-type attacks. In addition, it allows Raikou to take on Thundurus very easily, as it is immune to Thunderbolt and Thunder Wave, resists Hidden Power Flying, doesn't mind Hidden Power Ice or Taunt, and outspeeds Thundurus. Also, Pressure is not a very useful ability in Doubles, since the shorter game length compared to Singles means the reduced PP rarely becomes an issue.</p>

skeleton

[Overview]

• Speedy and strong
• Cool movepool (some of the better options only available on Event Raikou though
• Faces huge competition from other Electrics: Thundurus has priority Thunder Wave, Zapdos has Tailwind + Heat Wave, Rotoms have Levitate and a cool secondary STAB. Thundurus + Zapdos also have higher SpA
• However, saving grace for Raikou is Snarl, which gives it a great niche that justifies using it over others.
• Great Speed tier is nice too (beats notable threats like Latios, Thundurus, Tornadus)
• Overall complete badass

[Set]
name: Standard
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Snarl / Light Screen
move 4: Protect
item: Shuca Berry / Electric Gem
nature:Timid
evs: 32 HP / 252 SpA/ 224 Spe

[Set Comments]

• Thunderbolt is reliable STAB and is cool
• Hidden Power Ice is nice for BoltBeam coverage and grants excellent coverage alongside Thunderbolt
• Snarl is great to allow Raikou to support team and easily handle Special Attackers through the drops
• Light Screen can be used since it lasts even if the opponent's mons switch out, but you can't stack stat drops like with Snarl and it doesn't deal damage
• Protect = Protect
• Electric Gem can be nice to supercharge (hehe) your Thunderbolt for a time
• Shuca Berry is nice to live through Earthquakes that will mess Raikou up

[Additional Comments]

• Thunder can be used over Thunderbolt if using Rain due to more power, but shaky accuracy outside of Rain can suck
• Discharge can be used for spread + nifty paralysis chance, but hitting teammates can suck and it's noticably weaker than Thunderbolt
• Hidden Power Grass can be cool to get rid of Gastrodon + Swampert, also nice to get harder hit on Rhyperior, but Hidden Power Ice is generally more useful
• Expert Belt is cool if you want more offensive power without sacrificing Raikou's bulk
• EV spread gives enough speed to beat Tornadus and Thundurus
• Pokemon that appreciate its ability to eliminate bulky Water-types such as Terrakion make for good teamates
• Any Pokemon that enjoys drops to Special Attacker's offense will enjoy having Raikou around
• Since Raikou can't drop Attack, Hitmontop makes for a good partner, especially since it has Wide Guard to shield Raikou from Earthquake
• Pokemon that can eliminate Ground-types such as Abomasnow and Rotom-W make for good partners

[Other Options]

• Set w/ Weather Ball can be cool, but is semi-unreliable in a tier where weather changes are commonplace (also Rash nature sucks) Aura Sphere is cool to hit Tyranitar and Steel-types like Ferrothorn and Heatran super effectively. You can make Raikou shiny to make your opponents think that it's using some of its event moves
• Rain Dance + Thunder set can be cool for Rain teams
• Volt Switch is a nice way to keep up momentum, but you can't use it as consistently as Thunderbolt
• Sunny Day set can be cool since it has Thunderbolt to threaten Water-types and isn't negatively affected by Sun
• Reflect is cool
• Signal Beam to hit Psychics
• Psych Up to copy stat boosts from things like Volcarona and Manaphy which can be cool
• Sitrus Berry cool for extra longevity
  
• Quash is an interesting move to have
• Thunder Wave can be interesting but generally makes sense to save that to Thundurus
• Choice Sets can make use of high Speed, Special Attack, coverage to be very threatening

[Checks and Counters]

• Tyranitar does not care about Raikou unless it has Aura Sphere
• Ground-types like Garchomp + Excadrill are immune to Thunderbolt and can KO Raikou w/ STAB, but should watch out for Hidden Power Ice
• Mamoswine is especially good since w/ Ice typing and Thick Fat, it resists Hidden power Ice and is immune to Thunderbolt while easily KOing with Earthquake
• Grass-types like Amoonguss + Virizion can tank its hits and either hit it with Spore or strike back. Amoonguss can even redirect its Thunderbolts, which it proceeds to take little damage from, and can also use Regenerator to heal off the little damage it takes
• Dragon-types such as Latios, Latias, Hydreigon, Kyurem, and Kyurem-B can all easily take a Thunderbolt from Raikou, and Kyurem and Kyurem-B are not hit neutrally by Hidden Power Ice. Most of them do not appreciate Special Attack drops from Snarl though
• Lightningrod Pokemon such as Rhyperior are annoying since they redirect its Thunderbolts
• Gastrodon + Swampert are immune to Thunderbolt, hit neutrally by Hidden Power Ice, can KO back w/ Ground STAB
• Powerful Scarfers can outspeed and either KO or cripple it
• Rotom-Heat resists all of its attacks and strikes back hard

[Unreleased]

• Volt Absorb is cool to gain some HP and grant an extra immunity, and could be sweet on Rain teams too since it could then switch into pesky Electric-type hits. Also Pressure is not very useful in doubles so most things are an improvement. In addition, gives it a Thunder Wave immunity letting it take on Thunrudus p easily.

 

[noobcubed]

I might be missing the point here, but it seems like Light Screen achieves much the same thing as Snarl and five turns is an age anyway so why not use that?
Also, you missed Mamoswine off the list of counters. Mention that, although a great counter to Raikou on its own, it's not so great when facing Hitmontop, a common Raikou partner.

 

[Audiosurfer]

Snarl is better than Light Screen since it can be used repeatedly to render Special Attackers useless, so it can screw over Special Attackers more. added mamoswine though

 

[tofucocoa]

im going to agree with noobcubed about light screen, though i'd suggest slashing it with snarl instead of replacing it. light screen can't be easily removed and the effects tend to last longer as noobcubed said. replace sitrus with electric gem on the main items and move sitrus, discharge and expert belt to oo.

a specs set could also be listed but ive limited experience with that so...

for oo, list all of its rash event moves together. also in the same breath mention how making your raikou shiny can leave your opponent guessing. remove roar and chestorest from oo and add signal beam. roar to stop trick room doesn't make much sense when youve just compared it to thund with your thund description and chestorest is largely pointless when you could recover health with sitrus and the only status you should be concerned about is paralysis.

ps make a comparison with landorus-t cos they're both dogs :3

 

[Audiosurfer]

ok made changes (except for lando since raikou is definitely more catlike)

 

[Mizuhime]

In overview mention the fact that it's a tiger, LOS Tigers

QC Approved 1/3
to lazy to get the stamp

 

[Nollan]

Overview

It doesn't exactly face "huge" competition, it is the only Electric type (and the fastest pokemon in general) that can use Snarl, which is a very nice niche for it. It is also faster than all of the aforementioned Electrics, and the only one of them that is faster than Latios, apart from the uncommon offensive Thundurus.

Standard

Light Screen (and Reflect) should go to OO, Snarl is Raikou's niche, so use it (it is also way better unless a Defiantmon is around). While it is true that Light Screen lasts longer, Snarl can be used repetitively, force switches with more ease, and deals damage at the same time, making it more consistent. The whole point of Raikou is providing support whilst retaining offensive presence, and Snarl does that better than Light Screen.

Shuca Berry is better than Electric Gem, it allows it to handle Yache Garchomp and Landorus-T, to name a few, so slash it before Electric Gem.

Standard- Additional Comments

Sitrus Berry on an offensively inclined pokemon? No thanks. :s

Unless Expert Belt nabs some important KOs, I'd pass on it, if you want raw offensive power, Specs Rotom exists.

Gyarados is a great partner, they cover eachother's weaknesses (apart from Rock) very well, and Gyarados can bring in much appreciated Intimidate support, and possibly abuse Dragon Dance due to the fact that these two will be rendering attackers fairly ineffective.

Other Options

Sunny Day- Raikou's speed (similar to Latios) allows it to change the weather very quickly, which can be efficient. This can also be used effectively alongside Weather Ball for a solid 150bp attack that gets solid coverage alongside TBolt.

Bulldoze- A possibility for lowering the opposition's speed, but it is very, very, weak.

Swagger- Because all Electric Bengal Tigers have SWAG

Checks & Counters

When you say Excadrill & Garchomp can KO with STAB, make sure to mention a Shuca Berry can stop these KOs, and Raikou commonly holds one.

Also, I'm pretty sure Raikou's solid 90/100 special bulk can tank an Earth Power from Gastrodon :p

Rotom-Frost also resists Raikou's attacks like Rotom-Heat does.

Defiantmons will be pesky, though Tornadus can be easily handled, Bisharp in particular will be hard to deal with, as a Dark Gem Sucker Punch will deal up to 95% to a 32/0 Raikou.

Unrealeased

I think we are underestimating Volt Absorb's potential here. Volt Absorb would be very useful on Raikou, helping preserve its bulk, giving it an amazingly effective immunity to Thunder Wave, which it despises, as well as Electric attacks in general. As such, Volt Absorb would make it a great check to Thundurus, who could only try to hit it with HP Ice, and even then its going to do nothing after a SpA drop or two. If Volt Absorb were to be realeased, Gyarados would become a wonderful Raikou partner (it already is, but more so), as they counter eachother's checks, and Gyarados can provide Intimidate support like Hitmontop can.

 

[Laga]

@Nollan please stop looking at Snarl as if it is some godsend! It's good, but it is not Raikou's "main niche", Raikou's main niche is being a powerful and fast Electric type, that can outspeed even the genie speed tier.

First of all, I will work off of Nollan's check, as I strongly disagree with some of his points.

"Light Screen (and Reflect) should go to OO, Snarl is Raikou's niche, so use it (it is also way better unless a Defiantmon is around). While it is true that Light Screen lasts longer, Snarl can be used repetitively, force switches with more ease, and deals damage at the same time, making it more consistent. The whole point of Raikou is providing support whilst retaining offensive presence, and Snarl does that better than Light Screen."

· Light Screen should go to AC, as it is a very potent move, and "Snarl is Raikou's niche" should NOT be mentioned anywhere. Reflect can go to OO though, as Intimidate is everywhere anyway.

"Sitrus Berry on an offensively inclined pokemon? No thanks. :s"

· Do not remove Sitrus Berry; move it down to Other Options as one of the first mentions, as it is a perfectly viable option.

"Gyarados is a great partner, they cover eachother's weaknesses (apart from Rock) very well, and Gyarados can bring in much appreciated Intimidate support, and possibly abuse Dragon Dance due to the fact that these two will be rendering attackers fairly ineffective."

· Do not mention Dragon Dance anywhere, otherwise this point is good.

"Swagger- Because all Electric Bengal Tigers have SWAG Especially useful alongside a Pokemon with a Lum Berry."

· Fixed this for you nollsy!

"Also, I'm pretty sure Raikou's solid 90/100 special bulk can tank an Earth Power from Gastrodon."

· Gastrodon still walls the shit out of Raikou though.

"I think we are underestimating Volt Absorb's potential here. Volt Absorb would be very useful on Raikou, helping preserve its bulk, giving it an amazingly effective immunity to Thunder Wave, which it despises, as well as Electric attacks in general. As such, Volt Absorb would make it a great check to Thundurus, who could only try to hit it with HP Ice, and even then its going to do nothing after a SpA drop or two. If Volt Absorb were to be realeased, Gyarados would become a wonderful Raikou partner (it already is, but more so), as they counter eachother's checks, and Gyarados can provide Intimidate support like Hitmontop can."

· Let me rephrase this one; no need for mentions of Gyarados or Hitmontop or anything else than the following: an immunity to Thunder Wave would be extremely useful, as Thundurus is countered, and Raikou gets to maintain its speed.

Everything else in Nollan's check looks good.

Now on to some extra things.

· Explain the EVs in AC, as it is obligatory to do this bar obvious 252 / 252 / 4 spreads.

· Remove Quash. I see little to no use of this, as you would only really need Quash for fast opponents such as Swift Swim Kingdra and Ludicolo; these are faster than Raikou anyway.

· Discharge in Other Options.

Make the changes, I'll take a look, and probably stamp it :)

 

[Nollan]

@Nollan please stop looking at Snarl as if it is some godsend! It's good, but it is not Raikou's "main niche", Raikou's main niche is being a powerful and fast Electric type, that can outspeed even the genie speed tier.

In my view, the speedy Snarl is one of the few reasons you would use Raikou; if you want a speedy Electric-type attacker, try offensive Thundurus, who has a better typing, and 111 base speed, or Scarf Rotom-W, who has stronger STAB for Ground-types in Hydro Pump. As far as I am concerned, it is Raikou's "main niche", as Raikou really lacks stand out options apart from it (its speed tier only differentiates it from offensive Thundurus in that it doesn't speed tie w/ Tornadus, who can't KO Thundurus anyway). Also, by powerful Electric-type, do you mean:

252 SpA Raikou Hidden Power Ice vs. 0 HP / 0- SpD Yache Berry Landorus-T: 188-222 (58.93 - 69.59%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Raikou Hidden Power Ice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp: 320-380 (89.38 - 106.14%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO <this one in particular leaves me ashamed of poor Raikou :[
252 SpA Raikou Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 100+ SpD Suicune: 212-252 (52.47 - 62.37%) -- 98.83% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Raikou Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Cresselia: 114-135 (25.67 - 30.4%) -- possible 4HKO
252 SpA Raikou Hidden Power Ice vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Latios: 130-154 (43.18 - 51.16%) -- 3.91% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Raikou Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 176+ SpD Thundurus: 127-151 (35.08 - 41.71%) -- guaranteed 3HKO (HP Ice does ~0.25% less)

Let's face it, Raikou is pretty bad in terms of all-out damage output. It can't even reliably OHKO a non-Yache Garchomp with 4 HP / 0 SpD. I heavily disagree with your opinion on its niche; tbh it needs that Snarl support to A) increase its SpD (through SpA drops) so that it hits harder than the opposition and B) so that you actually have a good reason to use it. I am not intending for this to be a counterbash (even though I do call you fat something like 5 times), or anything of the sort; I just want to point out why and where I disagree with you.

· Light Screen should go to AC, as it is a very potent move, and "Snarl is Raikou's niche" should NOT be mentioned anywhere. Reflect can go to OO though, as Intimidate is everywhere anyway.

Fine w/ this too, but from my view Rotom-W, Cresselia, and others do a better job setting screens.

· Do not remove Sitrus Berry; move it down to Other Options as one of the first mentions, as it is a perfectly viable option.

I believe Shuca to be a pretty important (almost required imo) item on Raikou, because:
252 Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 32 HP / 0 Def Raikou: 312-368 (94.83 - 111.85%) -- 68.75% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Landorus-T Earthquake vs. 32 HP / 0 Def Raikou: 338-398 (102.73 - 120.97%) -- guaranteed OHKO

The concept is that w/o Shuca Berry, you cannot beat Yache Lando-T/Garchomp, as well as quite a few rarer Ground-types, one-on-one. I would personally prefer that over 25% healing, since it will not really be very useful on Raikou given how fast-paced Doubles is. Raikou is meant to use its speed, if you want something bulky, use Cresselia, or defensive Thundurus (who has priority support options to justify the use of a bulky set).

· Do not mention Dragon Dance anywhere, otherwise this point is good.

Haha yeah, I started theorizing there, didn't I? :s

· Gastrodon still walls the shit out of Raikou though.

My point is that Gastrodon cannot simply "KO" back. I wanted it reworded to "walls" or something along those lines, just for accuracy's sake.

· Explain the EVs in AC, as it is obligatory to do this bar obvious 252 / 252 / 4 spreads.

Audiosurfer did explain the EVs. :s

 

[Pocket]

I also hold reservations about the importance of Snarl on an offensive mon like Raikou. Raikou can broaden its offensive coverage with Signal Beam / Shadow Ball in the 3rd slot to nail Latios, Cresselia, and possibly Tyranitar / Hydreigon (if Signal Beam) harder. You can very well give Raikou Expert Belt for a guarantee OHKO on non-Yache Garchomp and a 2HKO on Latios. LO Thunder coming from Raikou is no joke, either.

I guess Nollan's point is that Raikou's damage output is disappointing anyways, so mine as well give it a utility move in Snarl when it cannot do major damage to the opponent's team? I think Raikou can pack a punch if it is used in the Rain with a 2nd coverage move over Snarl / Light Screen. I have very limited experience with Raikou, though, so take all of this with a grain of salt. If those who have extensive play experience with Raikou are vouching for Snarl, then let's stick with that for now.

 

[Nollan]

I also hold reservations about the importance of Snarl on an offensive mon like Raikou. Raikou can broaden its offensive coverage with Signal Beam / Shadow Ball in the 3rd slot to nail Latios, Cresselia, and possibly Tyranitar / Hydreigon (if Signal Beam) harder. You can very well give Raikou Expert Belt for a guarantee OHKO on non-Yache Garchomp and a 2HKO on Latios. LO Thunder coming from Raikou is no joke, either.

I guess Nollan's point is that Raikou's damage output is disappointing anyways, so mine as well give it a utility move in Snarl when it cannot do major damage to the opponent's team? I think Raikou can pack a punch if it is used in the Rain with a 2nd coverage move over Snarl / Light Screen. I have very limited experience with Raikou, though, so take all of this with a grain of salt. If those who have extensive play experience with Raikou are vouching for Snarl, then let's stick with that for now.

The point I am trying to make is that Raikou is outclassed as a raw offensive Pokemon, but it has nice speed and some nifty support options, which is something you should make the most of (aka use Snarl). Anyway, there are a few less arguable things that I'd like to see happen:

• Rephrase some of the Ground-types mentions in C&C (such as Gastrodon), for example, phrase it like: "X resists Raikou's STABs, and can retaliate with its Ground-type STAB", or something along those lines.
• The most important part of Volt Absorb is that TWave immunity; mention it.
• I am really, really adamant about Shuca going before Electric Gem on the set slashes, for reasons I have previously explained
• Sitrus -------> OO
• Expert Belt -------> OO (ik Pocket probably disagrees w/ this)
• A x2 Extrasensory is only 160bp vs Tbolt's 142.5bp, at the end of the day, that's not really a big enough difference, I'd drop Shadow Ball and Extrasensory from OO; I'd say Signal Beam (only 150 vs 142.5), but it does nail a few key threats, so not as sure about it

I don't have anything else to say really, apart from those little things and the C&C team facing some (big) disagreements, it looks very nice.

QC APPROVAL 2/3

PS- btw, if you are too lazy to get the stamp (like me), just drag your avatar in its place. That's the way to do it. B)

 

[rdjacobian]

I also hold reservations about the importance of Snarl on an offensive mon like Raikou. Raikou can broaden its offensive coverage with Signal Beam / Shadow Ball in the 3rd slot to nail Latios, Cresselia, and possibly Tyranitar / Hydreigon (if Signal Beam) harder. You can very well give Raikou Expert Belt for a guarantee OHKO on non-Yache Garchomp and a 2HKO on Latios. LO Thunder coming from Raikou is no joke, either.

I guess Nollan's point is that Raikou's damage output is disappointing anyways, so mine as well give it a utility move in Snarl when it cannot do major damage to the opponent's team? I think Raikou can pack a punch if it is used in the Rain with a 2nd coverage move over Snarl / Light Screen. I have very limited experience with Raikou, though, so take all of this with a grain of salt. If those who have extensive play experience with Raikou are vouching for Snarl, then let's stick with that for now.

Snarl/light screen is a staple on raikou (it's good on it, if you are good with raikou). Trust meh I used to use a lot of raikou. Volt Switch is fun for doubling up intimidate, scouting, and weather wars (definitely something I'd recommend!). I usually ran tbolt, hp ice, snarl/lightscreen,volt switch/protect on my raikou (with lando-t :3). Good on bulky offense teams (best style theoretically,though style<broken shit). Shuca is insignificant if you have intimidate. I ran a bit more bulk on my raikou, probably because imo no sand veil means that lando-t is better than chomp, I only put in enough spatk evs to ohko non yache lando-t with hp (n)ice. Scarf Thundy-T imo outclasses Raikou as a hard hitting fast spatker. Also, no swagger on raikou- do NOT encourage swagger. We need to keep swagger a classified secret from the serebii masses. I have to deal with enough poop on the smogon doubles ladder as it is -.-

 

[Audiosurfer]

ok tried to incorporate most of the changes (didnt understand the part w/ ground types @Nollan since they are immune to its stabs as opposed to resisting it, and i say that they can ko back w/ ground stab). put shuca > electric gem but didn't drop ebelt to oo since Pocket seemed to think an offensive set was also a good option (still ac) so figured that was a nice balance.

 

[Nollan]

The Ground-type thing I was trying to make a point in was that Shuca Berry will prevent OHKOs, allowing Raikou to beat things like Garchomp and Landorus-T one-on-one w/ Hidden Power Ice. In the big picture its not very important anyway, so whatevs.

 

[Audiosurfer]

did writeup for this

 

[Nix_Hex]

Audiosurfer
[Overview]
Mention Zapdos's and Thundurus's immunity to Earthquake, which also differentiates them from Raikou.

[Set Comments]
... Light Screen is a secondary option for if you don't want your opponent to be able to switch out and remove their stat drops, but it isn't stackable like Snarl is. In addition, it doesn't do damage, which can be nice to pick off weakened Pokemon.</p>
Do this instead: "...but it isn't stackable like Snarl is. In addition, it doesn't do damage, which would otherwise be nice to pick off weakened Pokemon.

[Other Options]
Signal beam barely does more than Thunderbolt and eats up a slot for HP Ice. Celebi doesn't exist. Remove it.

Everything else looks good!

QC 3/3

 

[Audiosurfer]

done, done, and done

 

[piikachuu]

gp check
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Removals
Comments

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[Overview]

<p>While it is often overlooked, Raikou can still make be a good option for a team. Raikou has a nice Special Attack stat as well as a great Speed tier that lets it outspeed important Pokemon such as Tornadus and Latios. Raikou's main problem is the severe amount of competition it faces for a teamslot from other Electric-types. Thundurus has Prankster, granting it priority on moves such as Thunder Wave and Taunt, Rotom-W has a useful Water typing that lets it act as a better check to weather based teams, and Zapdos has access to Tailwind, allowing it to grant speed control to its teammates. In addition, all of the aforementioned possess an immunity to Ground-type moves. Thankfully, Raikou has a move of its own that lets it find a niche–&mdash;Snarl. Due to Snarl's rarity, Raikou is one of the premiere users of it in the tier, giving it a role that the aforementioned Electric-types cannot fill. In addition, Raikou also has a broad offensive movepool with moves such as Aura Sphere and Weather Ball, although their event distribution limits them to a Rash nature because they are event moves you will be forced to use a Rash nature to utilize them. Even in a tier filled with great Electric-types, Raikou is still worth considering for a teamslot.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive Support
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Snarl / Light Screen
move 4: Protect
item: Shuca Berry / Electric Gem
ability: Pressure (while Volt Absorb is unreleased, I think this should still be here)
nature:(space)Timid
evs: 32 HP / 252 SpA(space)/ 224 Spe
(remove extra line break)

[Set Comments][SET COMMENTS]

<p>With this set, Raikou can use its great Speed and Special Attack to threaten the opponent while also acting as a nice check to opposing special attackers. Thunderbolt is the main STAB move as it lets Raikou deal heavy damage to bulky Water-types such as Jellicent and Pokemon such as Tornadus, and it grants Raikou nice neutral coverage across the board. Hidden Power Ice is used in the second slot to hit Pokemon that resist or are immune to Thunderbolt, such as Latios, Salamence, Landorus-T, and Garchomp, for super effective damage. It also forms a BoltBeam combination with Thunderbolt, giving Raikou impeccable coverage. Snarl might seem like a strange move on an offensive set, but it is great at allowing allows Raikou to handle special attackers. Because you can stack Special Attack drops with Snarl, Raikou has no problem whittling down the offenses of even the strongest special attackers until they can barely scratch Raikou. This can be very problematic for your opponent, especially if their team relies on multiple special attackers. Light Screen is a secondary option for if you don't want your opponent to be able to switch out and remove their stat drops, but it isn't stackable like Snarl is. In addition, it doesn't do damage, which would otherwise be nice to pick off weakened Pokemon.</p>

[Additional Comments][ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>(remove space)Shuca Berry is the main option to allow Raikou to survive Earthquakes and stray Earth Powers that could otherwise heavily damage or outright KO it. If you'd rather have more power power is preferred, an Electric Gem can be used to grant Raikou a supercharged Thunderbolt. The EV spread is used to allow allows Raikou to outspeed Tornadus and Thundurus, with the remaining EVs added to its HP. If you're using Raikou on a rain team, Thunder can be used instead of Thunderbolt for the power boost and nifty 30% paralysis chance, but due to how common weather changes are in Doubles, its shaky accuracy outside of Rrain can be undesirable. Discharge can be an option if you're in need of a spread move, but it is significantly weaker than Thunderbolt and the fact that you will need to either use Protect or switch in a Ground-type to avoid damaging and potentially paralyzing your partner makes Thunderbolt the better option for the most part. Hidden Power Grass can be an option to get rid of Gastrodon, Swampert, and Rhyperior, but Raikou is then walled by common Dragon-type Pokemon such as Latios, Kyurem-B and Hydreigon. Expert Belt can be a nice option to grant Raikou more offensive power without having to sacrifice any bulk.</p>

<p>Pokemon such as Terrakion enjoy Raikou's ability to threaten bulky Water-types that bother them. In return, Terrakion can get rid of Tyranitar and Abomasnow, which can be problems problematic for Raikou. While Raikou can reduce an opposing Pokemon's Special Attack, it can't drop a Pokemon's Attack stat, making Hitmontop a great partner. Hitmontop is also able to KO Tyranitar and Abomasnow, as well as having Wide Guard to shield Raikou from Earthquake, making it an even better partner for Raikou. Since Ground-types can switch into Thunderbolt easily and can KO Raikou with their STABs, Pokemon that can get rid of them such as Rotom-W and Abomasnow make great partners for Raikou. In general, any Pokemon in the tier that enjoys having opposing special attackers weakened makes for a good teammate for this set.(remove space)</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Aura Sphere can be useful to give Raikou a way to hit Tyranitar for major damage, as well as hitting Heatran and Ferrothorn super effectively. A set with Weather Ball could be an interesting option, but Weather Ball isn't too reliable of an option when weather changes happen frequently in the tier. Additionally, both of the previously mentioned moves have the drawback of forcing Raikou into using a Rash nature due to them being event moves. A way to take advantage of this is to make Raikou shiny so you can fool your opponent into thinking you are using an event move. A set with Rain Dance and Thunder can be useful on rain teams to act as a weather reseter changer, but since Raikou has trouble with common weather inducers such as Tyranitar and Abomasnow, this set might not function very well. Volt Switch can be a nice option to gain momentum while dishing out damage, but the fact that it forces Raikou out can be annoying when you need to stay in and attack more than once.</p>

<p> Sunny Day can be a useful option since Raikou can then threaten Water-types further and is not hampered by the presence of sun. Reflect can be a nice option to cushion damage from physical hits, but it is typically better off using either Snarl or Light Screen and having a Pokemon with Intimidate on its team. Psych Up can be useful to copy stat boosts from Pokemon such as Volcarona and Manaphy, but it is highly situational. Sitrus Berry can be decent to grant Raikou extra survivability, but it is typically better served by another item choice. Quash can be an interesting option as a form of pseudo-Speed control, especially due to Raikou's high Speed. Thanks to Raikou's high Speed, Special Attack, and great coverage, a Choice set can be a good option to deal more damage or surprise opponents expecting to outspeed Raikou. Thunder Wave can be used to grant Speed control, but then Raikou becomes difficult to justify using instead of Thundurus.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Tyranitar can easily switch into Raikou as long as Raikou lacks Aura Sphere and proceed to strike back with a STAB-boosted Crunch or Rock Slide. The fact that Tyranitar gets a 50% Special Defense boost from the sandstorm it summons makes it even more of a threat, as Raikou will barely be able to scratch it. Ground-type Pokemon such as Garchomp, Excadrill, Mamoswine, Rhyperior,(AC) and Landorus are immune to Thunderbolt and can KO Raikou with a STAB-boosted Earthquake. Most of them must be wary of a Hidden Power Ice though. Mamoswine is an especially good answer for this reason, as Thick Fat and its Ice typing lets it resist Hidden Power Ice as well, while still being able to hit hard with Earthquake. Rhyperior is also excellent since its ability Lightningrod allows it to redirect Raikou's Thunderbolts, severely hampering its usability. Grass-type Pokemon such as Amoonguss and Virizion can take a hit from Raikou and either use Spore or strike back,(AC) respectively. Amoonguss can even use Rage Powder to redirect Thunderbolts, which it will take little damage from. It also has Regenerator to shake off any damage Raikou manages to deal to it. Dragon-types such as Latios, Latias, Kyurem, Kyurem-B, and Hydreigon have no problem taking a Thunderbolt and can live through a Hidden Power Ice. Kyurem and Kyurem-B are especially notable since they are only hit neutrally by Hidden Power Ice. Most of them do not appreciate a Special Attack drop from Snarl though. Gastrodon and Swampert are immune to Thunderbolt, hit neutrally by Hidden Power Ice, and can strike back with Earth Power and Earthquake,(AC) respectively,(AC) but must be careful of Hidden Power Grass. However, they are both easily handled by Hidden Power Grass, so they must watch out for it. Powerful Choice Scarf users such as Chandelure and Kyurem can easily outspeed Raikou and either KO it or cripple it. Rotom-H resists every move Raikou commonly carries, and can hit it with a STAB-boosted Overheat. However, between Overheat stat drops and Snarl drops, Rotom-H will quickly stop being a threat.</p>

[Unreleased]

<p>Volt Absorb is useful since it grants an extra immunity and gives Raikou a way to regain HP. It can be useful on Rain teams who that are threatened by powerful Electric-type attacks. In addition, it allows Raikou to take on Thundurus very easily, as it is immune to Thunderbolt and Thunder Wave, resists Hidden Power Flying, doesn't mind Hidden Power Ice or Taunt, and outspeeds Thundurus. Also,(AC) Pressure is not a very useful ability in Doubles, since due to the shorter game length compared to Singles,(RC) means the reduced PP rarely becomes an issue.</p>

1/2

I tried to reduce the wordiness of several sentences. I also feel that you embellish Snarl too much in the overview - it's even slashed in the set.

 

[Audiosurfer]

While Light Screen is slashed, it's still a pretty situational option while Snarl should be used instead in the vast majority of cases (not Smogon Doubles but every VGC team that's had success with it has used Snarl) so even though it's slashed it still plays a heavy role in Raikou's niche (other electrics can use light screen but they can't use snarl) hence why i give it such a large mention. if other people think this should be changed as well then i can edit it but I think it's a stance that should be kept.
also implemented the check, so thanks :) bring on the next one

 

[Oopa]

amcheck
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edit: to remove spaces in between the lines in the set

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[Overview]


<p>While often overlooked, Raikou can still be a good option for a team. Raikou has a nice Special Attack stat as well as a great Speed tierstat that lets it outspeed important Pokemon such as Tornadus and Latios(comment: I thought you could only 'lie in a speed tier'). Raikou's main problem is the severe amount of competition it faces for a teamslot from other Electric-types.: Thundurus has Prankster, granting it priority on moves such as Thunder Wave and Taunt,; Rotom-W has a useful Water typing that lets it act as a better check to weather based teams,; and Zapdos has access to Tailwind, allowing it to grant speed control to its teammates. In addition, all of the aforementioned Pokemon possess an immunity to Ground-type moves. Thankfully, Raikou has a move of its own that lets it find a niche &mdash;Snarl. Due to Snarl's rarity, Raikou is one of the premier users of it in the tier, giving it a role that the aforementioned Electric-types cannot fill. In addition, Raikou also has a broad offensive movepool with moves such as Aura Sphere and Weather Ball, although their event distribution limits themforces Raikou to use a Rash nature. Even in a tier filled with other great Electric-types, Raikou is still worth considering for a teamslot.</p>


[SET]

name: Offensive Support
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Snarl / Light Screen
move 4: Protect
item: Shuca Berry / Electric Gem
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 32 HP / 252 SpA/ 224 Spe


[SET COMMENTS]


<p>With this set, Raikou can use its great Speed and Special Attack to threaten the opponent, (AC) while also acting as a nice check to opposing special attackers. Thunderbolt is the main STAB move of choice as it lets Raikou deal heavy damage to bulky Water-types such as Jellicent, (AC) and Pokemon such as Tornadus, and itwhile grantsing Raikou nice neutral coverage across the board(comment: 'main' is unnecessary as Thunderbolt is the only STAB move). Hidden Power Ice is used in the second slot to hit Pokemon that resist, (AC) or are immune to Thunderbolt, such as Latios, Salamence, Landorus-T, and Garchomp, for super effective damage. It also forms a pseudo BoltBeam combination with Thunderbolt, giving Raikou impeccable coverage. Snarl might seem like a strange move on an offensive set, but it allows Raikou to handle special attackers. BecausSince you can stack Special Attack drops with Snarl, Raikou has no problem whittling down the offenses of even the strongest special attackers until they can barely scratch Raikou. This can be very problematic for your opponent, especially if their team relies on multiple special attackers. Light Screen is a secondary option for if you don't want your opponent to be able to switch out and remove their stat drops, but it isn't stackable like Snarl is. In addition, it doesn't do damage, which would otherwise be nice to pick off weakened Pokemon.</p>


[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]


<p>Shuca Berry is the main option to allow Raikou to survive Earthquakes and stray Earth Powers that could otherwise heavily damage or outright KO it. If power is preferred, Electric Gem can be used to grant Raikou a supercharged Thunderbolt. The EV spread allows Raikou to outspeed Tornadus and Thundurus, while hitting as hard as possible with 252 SpA EVs, with the remaining 32 EVs addinvested to itsin HP. If you're using Raikou on a rain team, Thunder can be used instead of Thunderbolt for the power boost and nifty 30% paralysis chance, but due to how commonly the weather changes are in Doubles, its shaky accuracy outside of rain can be undesirable. Discharge can be an option if you're in need of a spread move, but it is significantly weaker than Thunderbolt and the fact that you will need to either use Protect or switch in a Ground-type to avoid damaging, (AC) and potentially paralyzing your partner makes Thunderbolt the better option for the most part. Hidden Power Grass can be an option to get rid of Gastrodon, Swampert, and Rhyperior, but Raikou is then walled by common Dragon-type Pokemon such as Latios, Kyurem-B, (AC) and Hydreigon. Expert Belt can be a nice option to grant Raikou more offensive power without having to sacrifice any bulk, but the power boost only applies to super effective moves.(comment: stop using 'nice XD)</p>


<p>Pokemon such as Terrakion enjoy Raikou's ability to threaten bulky Water-types that bother them. In return, Terrakion can get rid of Tyranitar and Abomasnow, both of which can be problematic for Raikou.(comment: it sounded like Terrakion's removal service was problematic) While Raikou can reduce an opposing Pokemon's Special Attack, it can't dropmake a Pokemon's Attack stat drop, making Hitmontop a great partner due to the useful ability in Intimidate. Hitmontop is also able to KO Tyranitar and Abomasnow with its STAB Fighting-type moves, as well as having Wide Guard to shield Raikou from Earthquake, making it an even better partner for Raikou. Since Ground-types can switch into Thunderbolt easily, (AC) and proceed to KO Raikou with their STABs, Pokemon that can get rid of them, (AC) such as Rotom-W and Abomasnow, (AC) make great partners for Raikou. In general, any Pokemon in the tier that enjoys having opposing special attackers weakened makes for a good teammate for this set.(comment: when you use 'in general', it sounds like you are summing up the paragraph, when instead you are talking about something slightly different :/)</p>


[Other Options]


<p>Aura Sphere can be useful to give Raikou a way to hit Tyranitar for major damage, as whilell as hitting Heatran and Ferrothorn for super effectively. damage as well.(comment: this is so the reader also knows tyranitar is weak to fighting like Heatran and 'Thorn) A set with Weather Ball could be an interesting option, but Weather Ball isn't tooa very reliable of an option, (AC) especially when the weather changes happenso frequently in the tier. Additionally, both of the previously mentioned moves have the drawback of forcing Raikou into using a Rash nature, (AC) due to them being event moves. A way to take advantage of this is to make Raikou shiny so you can fool your opponent into thinking you are using an event move. A set with Rain Dance and Thunder can be useful on rain teams to act as a weather changer, but since Raikou has trouble with common weather inducers, (AC) such as Tyranitar and Abomasnow, this set might not function very well. Volt Switch can be a nice option to gain momentum while dishing out damage, but the fact that it forces Raikou out can be annoying when you need Raikou to stay in and attack more than once.</p>


<p>Sunny Day can be a useful option since Raikou can then threaten Water-types further and, (AC) while itself is not hampered by the presence of sun. Reflect can be a nice option to cushion damage from physical hits, but itRaikou is typically better off using either Snarl or Light Screen, (AC) and having a Pokemon with Intimidate on its team. Psych Up can be useful to copy stat boosts from Pokemon such as Volcarona and Manaphy, but is highly situational. Sitrus Berry can be decent to grant Raikou extra survivability, but it is typically better served by another item choice. Quash can be an interesting option as a form of pseudo-Speed control, especially due to Raikou's high Speed. Thanks to Raikou's high Speed, Special Attack, and great coverage, a Choice set can be a good option to deal more damage or surprise opponents expecting to outspeed Raikou. Thunder Wave can be used to grant Speed control, but then Raikou becomes difficult to justify using instead of Thundurus.</p>


[Checks and Counters]


<p>Tyranitar can easily switch into Raikou &mdash;as long as Raikou lacks Aura Sphere &mdash;and proceed to strike back with a STAB-boosted Crunch or Rock Slide. (comment: sorry, I do not know the html 'entity' for &mdash)The fact that Tyranitar gets a 50% Special Defense boost from the sandstorm it summons makes it even more of a threat, as Raikou will barely be able to scratch it. Ground-type Pokemon, (AC) such as Garchomp, Excadrill, Mamoswine, Rhyperior, and Landorus, (AC) are immune to Thunderbolt and can KO Raikou with a STAB-boosted Earthquake. Most of them must be wary of a Hidden Power Ice though. Mamoswine is an especially good answer for this reason, as Thick Fat and its Ice typing lets it resist Hidden Power Ice as well, while still being able to hit hard with Earthquake. Rhyperior is also excellent since its ability, (AC) Lightningrod, (AC) allows it to redirect Raikou's Thunderbolts, severely hampering itRaikou's usability. Grass-type Pokemon such as Amoonguss and Virizion can take a hit from Raikou and either use Spore or strike back, respectively. Amoonguss can even use Rage Powder to redirect Thunderbolts, which it will take little damage from due to a natural resistance to Electric, (AC) and bulk. It also has Regenerator to shake off any damage Raikou manages to deal to it. Dragon-types, (AC) such as Latios, Latias, Kyurem, Kyurem-B, and Hydreigon, (AC) have no problem taking a Thunderbolt and can live through a Hidden Power Ice. Kyurem and Kyurem-B are especially notable since they are only hit neutrally by Hidden Power Ice. Most of them do not appreciate a Special Attack drop from Snarl though. Gastrodon and Swampert are immune to Thunderbolt, are hit neutrally by Hidden Power Ice, and can strike back with Earth Power, (AC) and Earthquake, respectively, but must be careful of Hidden Power Grass. Powerful Choice Scarf users, (AC) such as Chandelure and Kyurem, (AC) can easily outspeed Raikou and either KO or cripple it. Rotom-H resists every move Raikou commonly carries, and can hit it with a STAB-boosted Overheat. However, between Overheat stat drops and Snarl drops, Rotom-H will quickly stop being a threat.</p>


[Unreleased]


<p>Volt Absorb is useful since it grants an extra immunity and gives Raikou a way to regain HP. It can be useful on Rain teams that are threatened by powerful Electric-type attacks. In addition, it allows Raikou to take on Thundurus very easily, as it is immune to Thunderbolt and Thunder Wave, resists Hidden Power Flying, doesn't mind Hidden Power Ice or Taunt, and outspeeds Thundurus. Also, Pressure is not a very useful ability in Doubles, since the shorter game length compared to Singles means the reduced PP rarely becomes an issue.</p>

 

[noobcubed]

I know this is in the second stage of GP but, for the record, here is my opinion on Snarl versus Light Screen:

As you know I'm no VGC expert, but I can see why the Snarl might have more relative merit over Light Screen in VGC. When you only have two Pokemon not on the field (as opposed to four in SmogDubz) it's just that little bit harder to switch out of a special attack drop.

In the analysis, I would run through the merits of each. Then it doesn't really matter what order the slashes are in, readers can decide for themselves from the arguments.

Advantages of Snarl:

Stackable
Chip damage
Not prevented by Taunt
Exclusive to Raikou among Electric types - probably you should be running a Thundurus forme otherwise

Advantages of Light Screen:

Probably ends up lasting longer - the targets will most likely switch out (or die) within five turns
Can be made to last even longer with Light Clay
No annoying 5% miss chance
No being massive Bisharp bait

 

[Audiosurfer]

I've already listed the relevant points regarding the two. Things like Light Clay and 5% miss chance really aren't things that need to be heavily focused on, especially since 5% won't make or break decision making and Light Clay is a terrible option. Even if they switch out it's still good for you since you've forced out a dangerous special attacker, and if you're forcing out their mons you're the one with an advantage you can exploit. You can't really force anything out with Light Screen, because plenty of the more powerful mons will just attack through it and still deal damage, but after a few snarls they can't do very much damage. Anyways, outside of all that, the main reason I gave snarl the bigger mention is a reason you list in your comparison: if you're not using snarl you really have no reason to use Raikou. You'll probably be better served by mons such as Thundurus, Zapdos, or Rotom-W (not sure if thund gets light screen but the others definitely do). But yeah anyways don't wanna give the impression that they're moves on equal footing when they're really not.

EDIT: Also implemented Shellgon's amcheck

 

[Kingler]

Amcheck
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Subtractions
Comments

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[Overview]

<p>While often overlooked, Raikou can still be a good option for a team. Raikou has a nice Special Attack stat as well as a great Speed stat that lets it outspeed important Pokemon, (AC) such as Tornadus and Latios. Raikou's main problem is the severe amount of competition it faces for a teamslot from other Electric-types. Thundurus has Prankster, granting it priority on moves such as Thunder Wave and Taunt, Rotom-W has a useful Water typing that lets it act as a better check to weather based teams, and Zapdos has access to Tailwind, allowing it to grant speed control to its teammates. In addition, all of the aforementioned Pokemon possess an immunity to Ground-type moves. Thankfully, Raikou has a move of its own that lets it find a niche(remove space)&mdash;Snarl. Due to Snarl's rarity, Raikou is one of the premier users of it in the tier, giving it a role that the aforementioned Electric-types cannot fill. In addition, Raikou also has a broad offensive movepool with moves such as Aura Sphere and Weather Ball, although their event distribution forces Raikou to use a Rash nature. Even in a tier filled with other great Electric-types, Raikou is still (imo 'even' and 'still' repeat the same meaning, though you can feel free to disagree)worth considering for a teamslot.</p>

[SET]
name: Offensive Support
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Snarl / Light Screen
move 4: Protect
item: Shuca Berry / Electric Gem
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 32 HP / 252 SpA(space)/ 224 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With this set, Raikou can use its great Speed and Special Attack to threaten the opponent, while also acting as a nice check to opposing special attackers. Thunderbolt is the STAB move of choice as it lets Raikou deal heavy damage to bulky Water-types such as Jellicent, and Pokemon such as Tornadus, while granting Raikou nice neutral coverage across the board. Hidden Power Ice is used in the second slot to hit Pokemon that resist, (RC) or are immune to Thunderbolt, such as Latios, Salamence, Landorus-T, and Garchomp, for super effective damage. It also forms a pseudo BoltBeam combination with Thunderbolt, giving Raikou impeccable coverage. Snarl might seem like a strange move on an offensive set, but it allows Raikou to handle special attackers. Since you can stack Special Attack drops with Snarl, Raikou has no problem whittling down the offenses of even the strongest special attackers until they can barely scratch Raikou. This can be very problematic for your opponent, especially if their team relies on multiple special attackers. Light Screen is a secondary option for(sounds confusing) if you don't want your opponent to be able to switch out and remove their stat drops, but it isn't stackable like Snarl is. In addition, it doesn't do damage, which would otherwise be nice to pick off weakened Pokemon.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Shuca Berry is the main option to allow Raikou to survive Earthquakes and stray Earth Powers that could otherwise heavily damage or outright KO it. If power is preferred, Electric Gem can be used to grant Raikou a supercharged Thunderbolt. The EV spread allows Raikou to outspeed Tornadus and Thundurus, while hitting as hard as possible with 252 Special Attack EVs, with the remaining 32 EVs invested in HP. If you're using Raikou on a rain team, Thunder can be used instead of Thunderbolt for the power boost and nifty 30% paralysis chance, but due to how commonly the weather changes in Doubles, its shaky accuracy outside of rain can be undesirable. Discharge can be an option if you're in need of a spread move, but it is significantly weaker than Thunderbolt, (AC) and the fact that you will need to either use Protect or switch in a Ground-type to avoid damaging, and potentially paralyzing your partner makes Thunderbolt the better option for the most part. Hidden Power Grass can be an option to get rid of Gastrodon, Swampert, and Rhyperior, but Raikou is then walled by common Dragon-type Pokemon such as Latios, Kyurem-B, and Hydreigon. Expert Belt can be a nice option to grant Raikou more offensive power without having to sacrifice any bulk(what do you mean by this? Life Orb isn't even mentioned, so there isn't any real difference in "bulk") , but the power boost only applies to super effective moves.</p>

<p>Pokemon such as Terrakion enjoy Raikou's ability to threaten bulky Water-types that bother them. In return, Terrakion can get rid of Tyranitar and Abomasnow, both of which can be problematic for Raikou. While Raikou can reduce an opposing Pokemon's Special Attack, it can't make a Pokemon's Attack stat drop, making Hitmontop a great partner due to the useful ability in Intimidate. Hitmontop is also able to OHKO Tyranitar and Abomasnow with its STAB Fighting-type moves, as well as and hasving Wide Guard to shield Raikou from Earthquake, making it an even better as a partner for Raikou. Since Ground-types can switch into Thunderbolt easily, and proceed to KO Raikou with their STABs, Pokemon that can get rid of them, such as Rotom-W and Abomasnow, (AC) make great partners for Raikou. Also, any Pokemon in the tier that enjoys having opposing special attackers weakened makes for a good teammate for this set.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Aura Sphere can be useful to give Raikou a way to hit Tyranitar for major damage, while hitting Heatran and Ferrothorn for super effective damage as well. A set with Weather Ball could be an interesting option, but Weather Ball isn't a very reliable option, especially when weather the changes frequently in the tier. Additionally, both of the previously mentioned moves have the drawback of forcing Raikou into using a Rash nature, due to them being event moves. A way to take advantage of this is to make Raikou shiny so you can fool your opponent into thinking you are using an event move. A set with Rain Dance and Thunder can be useful on rain teams to act as a weather changer, but since Raikou has trouble with common weather inducers, such as Tyranitar and Abomasnow, this set might not function very well. Volt Switch can be a nice option to gain momentum while dishing out damage, but the fact that it forces Raikou out can be annoying when you need Raikou to stay in and attack more than once.</p>

<p>Sunny Day can be a useful option since Raikou can then threaten Water-types further, while itself is(sounds quite weird) not being hampered itselfby the presence of sun. Reflect can be a nice option to cushion damage from physical hits, but Raikou is typically better off using either Snarl or Light Screen, and having a Pokemon with Intimidate on its team. Psych Up can be useful to copy stat boosts from Pokemon such as Volcarona and Manaphy, but is highly situational. Sitrus Berry can be decent to grant Raikou extra survivability, but it is typically better served by another item choice. Quash can be an interesting option as a form of pseudo-Speed control, especially due to Raikou's high Speed. Thanks to Raikou's high Speed, Special Attack, and great coverage, a Choice set can be a good option to deal more damage or surprise opponents expecting to outspeed Raikou. Thunder Wave can be used to grant Speed control, but then Raikou becomes difficult to justify using instead of Thundurus.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Tyranitar can easily switch into Raikou(remove space)&mdash;as long as Raikou lacks Aura Sphere(remove space)&mdash;and proceed to strike back with a STAB-boosted Crunch or Rock Slide. The fact that Tyranitar gets a 50% Special Defense boost from the sandstorm it summons makes it even more of a threat, as Raikou will barely be able to scratch it. Ground-type Pokemon, such as Garchomp, Excadrill, Mamoswine, Rhyperior, and Landorus, are immune to Thunderbolt and can KO Raikou with a STAB-boosted Earthquake. Most of them must be wary of a Hidden Power Ice though. Mamoswine is an especially good answer for this reason, as Thick Fat and its Ice typing lets it resist Hidden Power Ice as well, while still being able to hit hard with Earthquake. Rhyperior is also excellent since its ability, Lightningrod, allows it to redirect Raikou's Thunderbolts, severely hampering Raikou's usability effectiveness(it sounds like it hurts Raikou's viability, which i'm p sure you're not trying yo say). Grass-type Pokemon, (AC) such as Amoonguss and Virizion, (AC) can take a hit from Raikou and either use Spore or strike back, respectively. Amoonguss can even use Rage Powder to redirect Thunderbolts, which it will take little damage from due to a natural resistance to Electric-type attacks, and great bulk. It also has Regenerator to shake off any damage Raikou manages to deal to it. Dragon-types, such as Latios, Latias, Kyurem, Kyurem-B, and Hydreigon, have no problem taking a Thunderbolt and can live through a Hidden Power Ice. Kyurem and Kyurem-B are especially notable since they are only hit neutrally by Hidden Power Ice. Most of them do not appreciate a Special Attack drop from Snarl, (AC) though. Gastrodon and Swampert are immune to Thunderbolt, are hit neutrally by Hidden Power Ice, and can strike back with Earth Power, (AC) and Earthquake, respectively, but must be careful of Hidden Power Grass. Powerful Choice Scarf users, such as Chandelure and Kyurem, can easily outspeed Raikou and either KO or cripple it. Rotom-H resists every move Raikou commonly carries, and can hit it with a STAB-boosted Overheat. However, between Overheat stat drops and Snarl drops, Rotom-H will quickly stop being able to threaten it.</p>

[Unreleased]

<p>Volt Absorb is useful since it grants an extra immunity and gives Raikou a way to regain HP. It can be useful on Rrain teams that are threatened by powerful Electric-type attacks. In addition, it allows Raikou to take on Thundurus very easily, as it is immune to Thunderbolt and Thunder Wave, resists Hidden Power Flying, doesn't mind Hidden Power Ice or Taunt, and outspeeds Thundurus. Also, Pressure is not a very useful ability in Doubles, since the shorter game length compared to Singles means the reduced PP rarely becomes an issue.</p>

 

[Nix_Hex]

Audiosurfer
looks good
[GP 2/2]

 

[Audiosurfer]

ok got it done NixHex :)