i used raikou plenty of times and he is great, he deserves an OU page
QUALITY CONTROL [3/0]
OPEN FOR QC CHECKS
[if anybody saw a rejected raikou set- its a SET not a complete analysis which raikou deserves]
REWRITED
RAIKOU [OU analysis]
[OVERVIEW]:
-After thundurus has been banished from the OU metagame to the uber family, raikou becomes once again a premier choice as one of the deadliest electric types in the current metagame.
- Blistering speed, above average sp.atk and access to calm mind makes raikou a powerful special sweeper.
- Rikou's bulk is no slouch either- unlike any other special sweeper he is not frail on the special side, and he can afford to take some hits like a hydro pump from the standard rotom-W set.
-Raikou's limited movepool stops its awesomeness, as he will get walled by a host of pokemons like: sp.defensive heatran, jirachi, tyranitar [if lacks aura sphere], gliscor [if lacks HP ice] and gastrodon and swampert [if it lacks HP grass].
-Also, due to its pure electric type being, entry hazards will make raikou's life hard, as they will slowly worn raikou down, limiting its sweep.
-Regardless, raikou is a great pokemon, and if you will ignore its presence, your team will pay a huge price.
[SET 1]
Name: offensive calm mind
Move 1: calm mind
Move 2: thunderbolt
Move 3: shadow ball/ aura sphere
Move 4: HP ice/ HP grass
Item: life orb/leftovers
Ability: pressure
Nature: timid/rash
Evs: 252speed/252sp.atk/4 HP
Name: offensive calm mind
Move 1: calm mind
Move 2: thunderbolt
Move 3: shadow ball/ aura sphere
Move 4: HP ice/ HP grass
Item: life orb/leftovers
Ability: pressure
Nature: timid/rash
Evs: 252speed/252sp.atk/4 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
-with blistering speed, above average sp.atk and access to calm mind, raikou can pull off a mid-game or a late-game sweep without sweat.
-with blistering speed, above average sp.atk and access to calm mind, raikou can pull off a mid-game or a late-game sweep without sweat.
-using this set is simple: switch into a bulky water, like vaporeon and jellicent. They will flee at your sight, allowing you to set up.
-100 base sp.def is no joke-and after a CM or two, raikou will become hard to stop.
-thunderbolt is your main attack, as it provides STAB and hits hard after a calm mind to anything that does not resist it, and even worse to those who are weak to it, such as skarmory, vaporeon, politoed and such….
- After thunderbolt, there is shadow ball, which can hit psychic and ghost type for super effective damage like celebi, gengar and reuncilus. However, if your team can handle these pokemons, you can use aura sphere, which can hit Tyranitar [who can wall this set if raikou lack aura sphere], magnezone, scarfty and terrakion, but if you want to use aura sphere, you will have to use rash nature.
-the final slot goes for the hidden power dilemma: HP ice can hit gliscor, salamence, dragonite, landorus and breloom for super effective damage. But HP grass gets rid gastrodon, rotom-W and swampert.
[ADDINTIONAL COMMENTS]
-life orb is the preferred item due to the power it supplies, but leftovers will help you to stay at the battlefield a bit longer.
-life orb is the preferred item due to the power it supplies, but leftovers will help you to stay at the battlefield a bit longer.
-you can use balloon for a free switch on an earthquake, but once you got hit, you don’t have it anymore, and that’s not helpful
-if you will choose timid nature, you will be able to get a speed tie with starmie, but, with rash nature, not only that you can use aura sphere, it gives you more power.
-if you are using this set on a rain team, then you should run thunder instead, as its stronger then thunderbolt.
-the evs are simple: 252 sp.atk for the max, 252 speed is there so you could reach max speed [with timid nature], and the rest goes for HP.
-blissey could be a pain, as she can take aura sphere with an ease and cripple you with Thunder wave or toxic, so a strong fighting type can give you a great help.
-also, hazards can be a downer for raikou, so a spinner would be great too.
-hitmontap, in fact, makes a great teammate, as he can get rid of blissey, and the hazards!
- If you're running HP ice, you will be threatened be gliscor and landorus, so bulky water like rotom-W will handle them.
-however, if you are using HP grass, gastrodon,swampert and quagsire will wall you, so a grass type like celebi or breloom can threaten them.
[SET 2]:
Name: choice
Move 1: volt change
Move 2: thunderbolt
Move 3: aura sphere/shadow ball
Move 4: HP ice/ grass
Item: choice specs/choice scarf
Ability: pressure
Nature: timid/rash
Evs: 252 speed/252 sp.atk/ 4 HP
Name: choice
Move 1: volt change
Move 2: thunderbolt
Move 3: aura sphere/shadow ball
Move 4: HP ice/ grass
Item: choice specs/choice scarf
Ability: pressure
Nature: timid/rash
Evs: 252 speed/252 sp.atk/ 4 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
- With choice scarf, raikou can become an amazing revenge killer, as he is capable revenge killing every single dragon dancer in the game and most notably- shell smash cloyster.
- With choice scarf, raikou can become an amazing revenge killer, as he is capable revenge killing every single dragon dancer in the game and most notably- shell smash cloyster.
-with choice specs, however, raikou will become an amazing hard hitter, capable of 2HKO sp.defensive jirachi, bronzing with STAB thunderbolt.
-volt change is your best attack, as you can scout to a counter and learn about the rival's team.
-thunderbolt is a powerful STAB that can hit hard anything that doesn’t resist it.
- Shadow ball can be used to finish off psychic types like the lati twins, reuncilus, gengar and more. But with aura sphere you will be able to hit tyranitar,heatran and terrakion for super effective damage.
- the dilemma of the HP makes an appearance once more- if you will choose HP ice, you will be capable of revenge killing threats like choice scarf landorus, gliscor, salamence and dragonite [both after a DD], but if you will go with HP grass, you will get rid of rotom-W, gastrodon and swampert.
[ADDINTIONAL COMMENTS]
-timid is recommended for the choice scarf set, so you could outspeed as many threats as possible, but if you want to use rash nature, then choice specs is much more suited.
-the evs are [again] simple: 252 sp.atk so you can hit hard as possible, 252 speed is there so you can outspeed as much as you can, and the rest basically goes to HP.
-whether you choose choice specs or choice scarf, this set is a hit and run, so spikes in your field can really hurt, a spinner would be a great partner.
- landorus is a great partner for raikou, as raikou can scout to him when he has trouble with special walls, and landorus can scout with U-turn to raikou in order to scare a bulky water away from the battlefield.
-blissey is a pain for raikou, so a fighting type can solve this problem.
- is you choose choice specs, then raikou would appreciate a cleaner like latios, who can fire off a powerful draco meteor at weakened enemies.
-like any other sweeper, hazards of your own would be appreciated, so a pokemon like skarmory, who can set up stealth rock and spikes can help, as it synergies with raikou pretty well.
[SET 3]
Name: sub CM
Move 1: substitute
Move 2: calm mind
Move 3: thunderbolt
Move 4: HP ice/ aura sphere
Item: leftovers
Ability: pressure
Nature: rash/ timid
Evs:128 HP/ 76 def/ 52 sp.atk/ 252 speed
Name: sub CM
Move 1: substitute
Move 2: calm mind
Move 3: thunderbolt
Move 4: HP ice/ aura sphere
Item: leftovers
Ability: pressure
Nature: rash/ timid
Evs:128 HP/ 76 def/ 52 sp.atk/ 252 speed
[SET COMMENTS]
-once he is behind a substitute, raikou can set up a few calm minds and become an unstoppable pokemon.
-once he is behind a substitute, raikou can set up a few calm minds and become an unstoppable pokemon.
-with this set, raikou is capable of beating walls that counter him usually like blissey.
-substitute is your main move, as it gives you cover from status problems, or protects you from a powerful attack
-after that there's calm mind, which, once you are behind a sub, you can set up a couple of times on walls.
-thunderbolt is your main STAB, which can hit the opponent hard if it doesn’t resist it after a few CM.
-aura sphere can be used if you wish to hit blissey for super effective damage, but HP ice gives you more coverage against salamence, dragonite, gliscor, landorus and more.
[ADDINTIONAL COMMENTS]
-if you wish to use aura sphere, then you will have to go with rash nature, but if you want to go with HP ice, then timid could give you a lot of help, as you will be able to beat gengar and infernape.
-with 128 HP and 76 def, your opponent will have some hard times breaking your sub. 252 speed is there for max speed, and the rest goes for the sp.atk.
-leftovers is there so you can regain health and make a sub over and over.
- This set works really great with toxic spikes, as it helps wear down walls who will try to desperately break your sub, so forretress could really assist you.
- Again, you will have to get rid of hazards, so a spinner would be great for raikou.
- If you will not use HP ice, then bulky ground types [most notably gliscor] will wall you, so bulky waters can really help, like jellicent.
- however, if you don’t pack aura sphere, then tyranitar and terrakion can give you some problems, so gliscor can give you some help against those two.
[SET 4]
Name: rain abuser
Move 1: thunder
Move 2: weather ball
Move 3: aura sphere
Move 4: HP grass/HP ice
Item: life orb/expert belt/ leftovers
Ability: pressure
Nature: rash
Evs: 252 speed/ 252 sp.atk/ 4 HP
Name: rain abuser
Move 1: thunder
Move 2: weather ball
Move 3: aura sphere
Move 4: HP grass/HP ice
Item: life orb/expert belt/ leftovers
Ability: pressure
Nature: rash
Evs: 252 speed/ 252 sp.atk/ 4 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
-in a metagame that is being dominated by weathers like rain, raikou makes an excellent abuser of the rain.
-under the rain, raikou has amazing coverage, which combined with his great speed; he can take many pokemons in the current metagame like volcarona.
- raikou's thunder under rain is extremely powerful, and can take a big chunk out of a pokemon who doesn’t resist it.
-weather ball can threaten heatran, volcarona, , infernape and such…
-aura sphere has a great value as well, as it threaten one of rain's biggest nemesis:tyranitar.
-HP grass is used so you will be able to deal major damage to gastrodon, quagsire and swampert.
-HP ice however, helps you with dragons, hippodown and grass types who can give trouble to rain teams.
[ADDINTIONAL COMMENTS]
-rash nature is the only nature you can use, as weather ball and aura sphere are illegal with a different nature.
-rash nature is the only nature you can use, as weather ball and aura sphere are illegal with a different nature.
-the evs aren’t complicated: 252 sp.atk is invested so you could reach max sp.atk, 252 speed for max speed without a boosting nature, and the rest goes for HP.
-shadow ball can be used but its coverage isn’t high as aura sphere or any other attack.
-expert belt is you best item because this set has an amazing coverage and therfore, expert belt is best used with this set
- Rain support is required for this set; politoed is capable of it as it can summon rain thanks to its ability drizzle.
-besides rain support, you will also need entry hazards, so a pokemon like skarmory can help, as it provides spikes and stealth rock which can help raikou's sweep.
-once again, the pink blob blissey, can sponge raikou's attacks and cripple it back, a strong physical hitter like scizor or a fighting type can take that bitch down.
-celebi is another pokemon who resists raikou's coverage, latias can come in and set up on her face, latios works well too, as it can take celebi out with a strong draco meteor.
-finally, if HP ice was chosen, then gastrodon and swampert can wall you for good, so a grass type like celebi or virizon can threaten them with a STAB grass attack like giga drain or leaf blade.
- but if you chose HP grass, then dragons and grass types can bring you lots of pain, so a steel type like jirachi or bronzing can wall plenty of grass types and some dragons.
[OTHER OPTIONS]
-charge beam can be used in order to boost raikou's special attack.
-charge beam can be used in order to boost raikou's special attack.
-signal beam can be used to hit celebi for super effective damage, but it has little use besides that.
-hidden power rock can be used for volcarona, but outside of that its useless.
-a rest talk set can be used, but it's outclassed by other pokemons like spiritomb or gyarados.
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
-volcarona is a good counter, since he resists raikou's attacks and can set up a butterfly dance or strike him with a bug buzz.
-volcarona is a good counter, since he resists raikou's attacks and can set up a butterfly dance or strike him with a bug buzz.
- blissey, raikou old nemesis, can sponge all raikou's attacks and can cripple it with thunder wave or toxic, but she must be careful from the sub-cm set.
- defensive steel types like jirachi or bronzong can sponge raikou's attacks and can cripple it with thunder wave or threaten it with an EQ
- scarfed physically based pokemons can outspeed raikou and kill it like: landorus or terrakion.
- If raikou packs HP grass, then it will be countered by gliscor, landorus and bulky ground types [they must beware, however, from the rain abuser set].
-If raikou use HP ice, then ground/water types will wall it, most notably, gastrodon.
- all the three kinds of entry hazards can worn raikou out, as toxic spikes cripple it and spikes can hurt raikou on a switch.
[DREAM WORLD]
- raikou's unreleased dream world ability is volt absorb.
- raikou's unreleased dream world ability is volt absorb.
- This ability is obviously better then preassure, as it can help raikou to get into the battlefield more easily.
- Not only that, it can also give raikou immunity against thunder wave, any sweeper's worst nightmare.
-it can also counter the volt-turn combo, as it absorbs volt changes and recovers him.
- However, it's not a win-win: with his dream world ability, raikou will lose aura sphere and weather ball, means you will not be able to use the rain abuser set.
so, what do you guys think ?
tell me if i forgot somthing about him
EDIT: i added two sets [rain abuser by pocket and the subCM set] and did it by the format [dream world section and checks and counters& other options]