[OVERVIEW]
Electrode's shockingly fast base 140 Speed helps carve out a valuable niche for it as a revenge killer, outspeeding the likes of Tauros and Floatzel without the need of a Choice Scarf unlike its main competitor for a fast Electric-type, Manectric. Electrode also comes packed with Explosion in its arsenal of wallbreaking tools, threatening bulky targets to open up a hole for another offensive teammate while scaring out common Explosion-resistant Pokemon such as Drifblim, Dusclops, Magneton, and even offensive Regirock with entry hazards down. Due to its revenge killing prowess and favorable trading potential with Explosion, Electrode holds a lot of Spikes hyper offense teams together alongside other offensive Pokemon that take advantage of heavy entry hazard damage like Drifblim, Tauros, Medicham, or a second Electric-type like Manectric or Magneton.
However, what Electrode makes up for in Speed, it sacrifices in power compared to other Electric-types. Electrode is reliant on Life Orb to make up for its measly base 70 Special Attack and base 50 Attack, which hinders Electrode's longevity in conjunction with entry hazards. With Explosion needing as much power as it can get, Electrode's average bulk is weakened by the need to run a nature that cuts into its defenses, further weakening its ability to shrug off stray hits. Even on sets without Explosion, Electrode's lacking base stats outside of Speed will harm its trading potential compared to other Electric-types like Magneton and Manectric, who offer better defensive utility and coverage.
[SET]
Name: All-Out Attacker
Move 1: Thunderbolt
Move 2: Explosion / Toxic
Move 3: Hidden Power Ground / Hidden Power Ice
Move 4: Signal Beam / Sucker Punch / Taunt / Thunder Wave
Item: Life Orb / Zap Plate / Leftovers
Ability: Static
Nature: Rash / Naive
EVs: 72 Atk / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Hidden Power Ground can OHKO Magneton, which resists the combination of Thunderbolt + Explosion, and deals decent damage to Nidoqueen and other Electric-types like Manectric and Ampharos. Hidden Power Ice is an alternative coverage option for Grass- and Ground-types, doing more damage to Vileplume, Sandslash, and Gligar than the aforementioned coverage options. Signal Beam is used alongside Hidden Power Ground as coverage for Grass-types such as Meganium, Cacturne, and Shiftry. Although Explosion is one of Electrode's biggest assets, it can be dropped if Electrode wants to stick around longer as a revenge killer. The most common move choice over Explosion is Toxic, which breaks down special walls Electrode can't immediately threaten such as Regirock, Cradily, and Lickilicky, and pairs well with Hidden Power Ground to threaten Toxic-immune Pokemon. Even though Sucker Punch seems counterintuitive for a fast Pokemon such as Electrode, it's an effective tool Electrode can use that can check opposing priority, faster Choice Scarf users such as Medicham and Gardevoir, Custap Berry-boosted attacks, and Drifblim after Unburden. This is helpful if Electrode is being used without Skuntank to provide Speed control and check Drifblim. Taunt lets Electrode punish passive play by shutting down entry hazards, status, and recovery moves, and works well in tandem with Toxic to prevent foes from using Rest or Heal Bell to cure it. Thunder Wave reliably spreads paralysis against fast offensive Pokemon such as Tauros and Choice Scarf users that can't OHKO it such as Manectric and Gardevoir. Substitute can also be used as a great catch-all utility option, letting Electrode capitalize on switches, block status from Pokemon like Vileplume, bait Sucker Punch from Skuntank, Cacturne, and Shiftry, and potentially stall for Toxic damage on bulky targets.
Life Orb provides a much-needed boost to Electrode's general damage, as both Thunderbolt and Explosion benefit from the raise in power. Zap Plate can be used instead if the recoil damage isn't as appealing, but it makes Electrode's coverage significantly weaker. Leftovers is helpful for Electrode's longevity as a revenge killer and is the best item on sets that use Toxic. A Rash nature maximizes Electrode's damage while maintaining Electrode's ability to revenge kill Floatzel, but a Naive nature is also helpful to outspeed Choice Scarf Hitmonchan with full Speed investment. These natures lower Special Defense so that Electrode can tank most priority attacks easier, but Mild and Hasty can also be considered so Electrode can comfortably pivot into Slowking, Drifblim, Manectric, and Charizard. If Electrode is being used without Explosion, a Modest or Timid nature is preferred. 76 Defense EVs can be used for Electrode to survive Choice Scarf Tauros's Earthquake from full health.
Team Options
=========
This Electrode set holds together hyper offense teams that choose to forgo Choice Scarf users as their main form of Speed control, as Electrode's ability to switch moves and using Explosion when it's low on health can be valuable. There are two methods for how Electrode can make progress, either by using it mid-game to revenge kill and use Explosion to weaken bulky foes for offensive teammates, or by using it late-game when its checks are already weakened and cleaning up with its great Speed. The most effective way for Electrode to clean up and pressure switches is by pairing it with entry hazard support, making teammates who can set Stealth Rock or Spikes valuable. Glalie is an effective Spikes lead on hyper offense, setting Spikes early while denying opposing hazards with Taunt and using Explosion to weaken the opposing team. Cacturne can be used as a midgame spiker that can switch into common defensive cores while potentially giving Electrode entry through Encore. Regirock can set Stealth Rock on offensive teams, potentially luring Electrode's shared checks such as Vileplume, Meganium, and Hitmonchan so it can use Explosion on them, as well as beating down Nidoqueen and opposing Regirock with Earthquake to weaken them in range of Electrode's attacks. Electrode especially pairs well with other offensive Electric-types like Magneton and Manectric, as they both appreciate Electrode using Explosion on their shared checks like Vileplume and Nidoqueen, and can weaken these Pokemon themselves for Electrode. Using Explosion on Vileplume and Meganium can also go a long way for offensive Pokemon that like them weakened or KOed such as Shiftry, Hitmonchan, and Floatzel. Since Thunder Wave Electrode can paralyze common revenge killers such as Tauros, Manectric, and various Choice Scarf users like Hitmonchan and Gardevoir, it enables fast wallbreakers such as Charizard, Haunter, and one's own Manectric which are commonly revenge killed.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Electrode can be used as a lead on Rain teams with Thunder, Rain Dance, Explosion, and Taunt with Damp Rock to facilitate Swift Swim sweepers such as Floatzel, Mantine, and Gorebyss. Substitute Electrode can utilize Petaya Berry to boost all of its coverage and hit harder than Life Orb, but is hard to pull off full sweeps in Petaya Berry range due to the abundance of priority moves and Choice Scarf users. Magnet Rise prevents Ground-types such as Nidoqueen and Sandslash from OHKOing Electrode, and forces Tauros into using its Normal-type STAB move to hit Electrode, making it vulnerable to Static paralysis. Shuca Berry works to similar effect without sacrificing a moveslot and prevents Choice Scarf Tauros from KOing Electrode with Earthquake, potentially letting Electrode respond to it with Thunder Wave. Hidden Power Grass lets Electrode OHKO Rhydon, Quagsire, and Gastrodon, but these Pokemon are too uncommon for it to be worth using over other Hidden Power types.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bulky Grass-types**: Due to Cradily's resistance to Explosion, it can take Electrode's attacks with impunity with great special bulk and Recover, although Electrode can limit its longevity with Toxic. Electrode can only hit Vileplume super effectively with Hidden Power Ice, and it has trouble threatening to KO Vileplume with Explosion due to its great invested physical bulk. While Meganium is worse at taking Electrode's attacks and is susceptible to Explosion or Toxic, its solid mixed bulk allows it to stall out Electrode's coverage options with Synthesis and it can potentially respond to Electrode with Earthquake.
**Ground-types**: Specially defensive Nidoqueen can tank Electrode's coverage well while being immune to Toxic and can respond to Electrode with Earth Power, forcing it to use Explosion to favorably trade versus Nidoqueen. Other Ground-types like Sandslash and Gligar can switch into Electrode lacking Hidden Power Ice to similarly force it into using Explosion, and their great physical bulk means Explosion can fail to OHKO even after entry hazard chip damage. Quagsire can counter Electrode with Damp to block Explosion, meaning Electrode's only ways of responding to it are with the more niche options of Toxic or Hidden Power Grass.
**Special Walls**: Specially defensive Regirock can tank Electrode's Thunderbolt well and can't be threatened with Explosion, allowing it to reliably set up Stealth Rock and hinder Electrode's great Speed with Thunder Wave. Lickilicky and Hypno are special walls that have great longevity against Electrode by using Wish, and Electrode needs good prediction to catch them with Explosion due to it potentially being blocked by Protect. Hypno, however, is very susceptible to Toxic, and Electrode's Explosion has a roll to OHKO it.
**Choice Scarf Users**: Electrode is outsped by all Choice Scarf users that are faster than Choice Scarf Hitmonchan including Medicham, Gardevoir, Typhlosion, and Tauros, allowing them to limit Electrode's offensive potential by revenge killing it.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/amity.619555/
Quality checked by:
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https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
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