[Overview]
<p>Raticate is one of many terrible Pokemon doomed to obscurity in NU. Due to its terrible 55 / 60 / 70 Defenses, Raticate will often be hard-pressed to find a chance to switch in. Raticate has an amazing ability in the ability in Guts, but unfortunately, (RC) Raticate is outclassed by nearly every Guts Pokemon in the tier, as most of them are either faster, more powerful, (AC) or bulkier than Raticate. To make matters worse, Raticate has a barren physical movepool, making it relatively easy to wall.</p>
<p>Despite these flaws, Raticate still has several traits making it worth using in the NU metagame. Its base 97 Speed is a blessing in the current metagame, as it allows Raticate to outpace common Pokemon such as Jynx and Haunter. Raticate is the only Guts abuser who that has access to Sucker Punch, allowing it to revenge kill Pokemon such as Jynx, Choice Scarf Haunter, and Scolipede. Raticate also has access to both U-Turn and Swords Dance, allowing it to function as either a scout or sweeper. However, Raticate should really be used Zangoose and Swellow What does this mean? I can't correct it if I don't know what's correct due to its higher Speed over the former and Stealth Rock weakness over the latter; otherwise, you're better off using the former two instead.</p>
[SET]
name: Guts
move 1: Facade
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Pursuit / Swords Dance
item: Flame Orb / Toxic Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Raticate's decent Attack and unique Speed tier make it a formidable Guts abuser. As with several other Guts abusers, Facade is Raticate's most powerful STAB, (RC) with a whooping 210 Base Power, and allows Raticate to break through walls such as Alomomola and Tangela if it is running Swords Dance. Sucker Punch is Raticate's main draw over other Guts abusers, as it allows Raticate to bypass Choice Scarf users that other Guts abusers please change the rest of these have trouble with, most notably Jynx. U-Turn is used to maintain momentum. Elaborate? Pursuit is the preferred option in the final slot, as it allows Raticate to put Pokemon such as Haunter and Jynx in a checkmate position. However, Swords Dance is an option, as it is Raticate's only way of boosting its Attack stat and allows Raticate to sweep weakened teams. However, Raticate is extremely frail, meaning that it can only set up a Swords Dance if it forces a switches or takes advantages of foes using Protect, (AC) such as Alomomola and Lickilicky, thus making Pursuit the preferred option.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The choice between the Flame Orb and the Toxic Orb depends on the user. If you would like Raticate to act as a wallbreaker and stay in the match for a much longer duration of time, then the Flame Orb is the better item option. However, if you prefer Raticate to be more a scout, switching in and out of the battle with U-Turn, then the Toxic Orb is the preferred item choice. Explain in a damage sense why this is better Crunch is a very usable option over Sucker Punch, as it allows Raticate to hit many of its Ghost-type prey reliably. However, its lack of priority makes it the inferior option overall. Taunt is an option on this set, as it cripples common walls such as Roselia and Probopass, but Raticate is too frail to use this move effectively. Raticate can use Protect over either U-Turn or Swords Dance to guarantee Guts activation, but it has little use outside of that. While not needed, dual screens support from Pokemon such as Gardevoir and Meganium is very useful, as it mitigates Raticate's pitiful bulk. Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Scolipede, Pineco, or Garbodor is also recommended to aide Raticate's sweeping potential. For example, Pokemon such as Metang and Alomomola are 2HKOed by Facade after Stealth Rock and 2 two layers of Spikes. Golem is a very solid partner for this set, as it can not only set up Stealth Rock, but also threaten Rock- and Steel-types such as Regirock and Metang with Earthquake. Choice Band Sawk is another good partner to remove Rock- and Steel-types from the match.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Raticate can use its alternate ability, Hustle, with a Choice Scarf to become a fast and powerful revenge killer. Unfortunately, Raticate is a rather unreliable revenge killer thanks to the accuracy-lowering effects of Hustle. Hone Claws can be used in tandem with Hustle to mitigate the accuracy issues, but at this point, you're better off using the Guts set with Swords Dance. Raticate can use Super Fang to halve the opponent's HP, but this is an extremely risky tactic, as nearly any move from the foe will OHKO Raticate. Finally, Raticate has an excellent special movepool, with moves such as Shadow Ball, Charge Beam, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Blizzard, but its mediocre Special Attack makes these moves all but useless.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Bulky Rock-types such as Regirock and Golem make excellent counters to Raticate, as they apart from a the rare low health Reversal, (RC) they fear absolutely nothing from Raticate and can OHKO it with Stone Edge. Metang is a great counter, as it can withstand a Swords Dance boosted-Facade, (RC) and OHKO in return with Meteor Mash. Ghost-types such as Misdreavus and Golurk can stall out the status damage that Raticate is receives by simply not attacking, but lose if Raticate is carrying Crunch. Alomomola and Tangela can stall out Raticate also stall Raticate out until its death if it lacks Swords Dance. Common Pokemon that are able to withstand a Sucker Punch, such as Choice Scarf Primeape and Gurdurr, can easily revenge kill Raticate with little difficulty due to its low defenses. Preventing Raticate from getting a Guts boost with momentum and offensive presence is a a great way to stop it, as it is extremely weak without the Guts boost. How is this possible? If it gets in at all, it gets guts up. Perhaps you mean something like "keeping constant offensive pressure on the opponent's team will keep raticate from switching in at all due to its low defenses, which means it will not be able to active guts before it starts attacking." However, this method will fail if Raticate is carrying Protect. Finally, if you lack defensive answers to Raticate, then it is best to capitalize on the fact that Raticate is usually put on a timer due the the status Orb, so packing entry hazards and priority users is a good way to keep it in check.</p>