Electrode (Ubers) [QC 1/2]

[Useless Uses]

[OVERVIEW]

Electrode has an inconsistent yet dangerous niche in RBY Ubers. As the only pokemon that can outspeed the omnipresent Mewtwo, Electrode can switch in on an unboosted or currently boosting Mewtwo and get off a guaranteed Thunder Wave, crippling Mewtwo for the rest of the game before using Explosion on it or a Switch in. Electrode's mind-boggling crit rate of 27.3% combined with explosion is an extremely volatile combination that your opponent will have to play around. Electrode works best as a mid/lategame Explosion user, waiting for its counters and checks to be cleared before throwing out Thunder Waves and Screeches, crippling Mewtwo and other pokemon who pose a threat to your team. Unfortunately, those are the only signs of remote viability Electrode has in Ubers. It has middling stats and no bulk to speak of, which leads it to be 2HKO’d by the majority of the tier. Electrode contains an absolutely terrible movepool, having only access to Normal and Electric attacks. Electrode is unviable outside of Explosion and forcing pokemon to switch out with Thunder Wave/Screech.

[SET]
name: Glorified Phaser
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Explosion
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Screech/Flash

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Electrode's Thunder Wave helps teammates, such as Snorlax and Chansey check Mewtwo better. Only pokemon you should attempt to paralyze are Mewtwo, Mew, and Pokemon that can check them. Using paralysis support can help slow bulky pokemon have an easier time setting up Reflect or doing damage. Just the fact that when switching into Electrode you'll have to take a Thunder Wave, Screech and/or Explosion can severely limit your opponents options, unless they have a counter like Rhydon or Golem. When using Electrode you should always look for an opportunity to switch in your Electrode, such as on a pokemon healing or using Amnesia. Electrode can also play the roll of Electric type check, resisting both of Zapdos' STAB attacks and being able to throw off a Thunder Wave for free. However, you may take a Thunder Wave in return, so the risk should be assessed before bringing Electrode in. After Electrode safety switches in you have a few options depending on what the matchup is. Thunder Wave is great for crippling fast attackers or pokemon that dislike being paralyzed. Thunderbolt is used to soften up pokemon into Explosion range. Nothing in the game, except for the Gengar line, +6 full health Amnesia Snorlax, and rock-type pokemon, can survive both a Thunderbolt and a crit Explosion. Even the mighty Mew and Mewtwo will fall to this combo, a critical hit Explosion will deal a minimum of 81.6% to Mewtwo and a minimum of 78.4% to Mew. Please do not count on critical hits happening all the time as it is purely luck reliant. Critical Explosion should be treated more as hypothetical situation that your opponent will have to fear and less of something that will always happen. While Electrode's non-critical Explosion can't OHKO anything, it can put important pokemon into KO range of certain moves, such as exploding on Chansey which allows Tauros and Snorlax's Body Slam to OHKO.

Screech is a great pressure tool against pokemon that are boosting. After a Screech your Explosion damage becomes a similar to a critical hit. All pokemon, excluding Gengar and rock type Pokemon, must switch out or faint/take heavy damage. Screech can also annoy Reflect users like Snorlax and Chansey. Screech works less as a way to OHKO a pokemon with Explosion and more as a pressure tool to force dangerous opponents out, allowing your own dangerous pokemon to get on the field safely.

Electrode isn't very useful as a lead. The most common leads are Jolteon, Gengar, Exeggutor and Jynx which Electrode can Thunder Wave making it harder for them to throw out their own Thunder Waves/sleep moves. But after paralyzing the opponent's lead, it won't have much use other than exploding as it will likely be paralyzed or taken out. If you want to use an electric type in the lead slot, Jolteon functions much better.

The three big drawbacks that make Electrode rare in Ubers are its inconsistency, lack of defensive utility, and it being regulated to death fodder if your opponent brought Rhydon or Golem. Electrode's reliance on predictions and luck hamper it severely. With just one wrong move or a bit of bad luck your Electrode could instantly faint. Electrode's low bulk makes it hard for it to switch in on an attacking move more than once. Before using Electrode you should always ask the question, why don't I use Jolteon? The answer to this question is usually wanting to guarantee a Thunder Wave on Mewtwo or/and Explosion. Only players with sizable metagame knowledge can utilize Electrode to its fullest potential, and even then it isn't amazing.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Thunder should almost never be used over Thunderbolt for Electrode. The only benefit Thunder has is a 2HKO on Lapras and Articuno, and because of Thunder's low accuracy you're fairly likely to miss on important targets. Light Screen/Reflect aren't very viable without reliable recovery, and Electrode's Rest is anything but reliable. Hyper Beam is just a weaker, less accurate Explosion and it's unlikely it'll OHKO anything without a crit. Take Down is only used to smack Chansey and Alakazam harder without using Explosion. The only really viable alternative is Flash, reducing a pokemon's accuracy is extremely annoying, especially on Mew and Mewtwo trying to set up, but is generally not worth using because of Screech's power to make a pokemon switch out.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Rhydon & Golem**: If you so much as show Electrode a picture of these two, it will cower in fear. It is comical how much Rock types (with the exception of the fossils) dominate Electrode. They can switch on critical hit Explosion, are immune to Electric-type moves, and OHKO it with Earthquake. Though this usually doesn't come into play due to Rhydon and Golem's low use.

**Exeggutor**: Exeggutor can switch in on all of Electrode's moves before threatening it with paralysis, a damaging move, or sleep, though like most pokemon it will have to be wary of Screech + Explosion/critical Explosion.

**Gengar**: The matchup with Gengar is weird as they both can check each other. Gengar can switch in on Explosion or Screech before attacking with Night Shade/Psychic making it a reliable check if you plan on Electrode's normal-type moves, however it hates getting paralyzed. If a Gengar without Psychic switches in on Thunderbolt it will lose the matchup unless it puts Electrode to sleep or uses Explosion. Switching in a revealed Gengar is risky since Electrode could forgo Explosion and instead use Thunderbolt on the switch-in.

**Paralysis**: Paralysis completely removes the slight niche that Electrode has, without speed Electrode only has its Explosion left, which can be nullified if it gets fully paralyzed. Common Pokémon like Exeggutor, Snorlax, and Chansey, and rarer pokemon such as Jolteon and Dragonite, can switch into Electrode's Thunderbolt and Thunder Wave sorta-safely before paralyzing it with Stun Spore, Body Slam, or Thunder Wave. However these Pokemon will have to be wary of a critical Explosion as one can OHKO all but Snorlax. You could also use your own Electrode to try and paralyze, but it will most likely have to take a Thunder Wave on the switch-in.

**Reflect**: Reflect has a 72.7% chance to check Electrode's Explosion. As Electrode is the fastest pokemon, nothing can switch in on it and setup a Reflect without the chance of Explosion. Reflect can work well against an Electrode switching in, however everything fears the chance of a critical hit Explosion. The biggest problem with Reflect is the fact that Electrode can use Screech to negate it. Reflect should not be used over any of the above options.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Useless Uses, 589128]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

 

[Plague von Karma]

So we had a draft of this before, which got abandoned due to iffy quality. The feedback and such shared here could be very helpful in writing a successful analysis. Obviously don't go committing plagiarism like an idiot, but take into account what everyone says!

Important points;

• Uncontested Thunder Wave by existing is very very good
• Speed makes it quite volatile and a crit Explosion is a thermonuclear warhead
• Soft-checks stuff like Reflect Mew, Chansey, and Slowbro. Not exactly well, it is situational, but worth considering. Some Mew variants despise dealing with Electrode.
• Bring up partners that appreciate paralysis; remember that these should actually function on a team, so something like Rhydon probably wouldn't work. Use yer knoggin! The obligatory Snorlax comes to mind...
• I recommend noting some big calcs for Explosion, especially after Screech or with a crit. You should also note the targets for that Explosion, as well as when to actually do it, these two aspects are often not considered by newer players and they just click the button willy-nilly.
• Checks would be Exeggutor (though it's dicey), Rhydon/Golem, Gengar, being paralyzed itself, etc.

I remember Sevi 7 having experience with this Pokemon.

 

[Ctown6]

Hey there! Much apologies for the delay, I’m here to gift you the first qc. I would like to preface this by saying I’m quite impressed with youre writing, it is very good especially for a newer writer here on the sight!

With that being said there are a few things to go over so let’s jump into it.

less than ideal bulk,

This is kinda sugar coated, it’s bulk is straight up bad and I’d add in that it really struggles to switch in to attacks.
Maybe change it to :
“It Has middling stats and no bulk to speak of, which leads it to be 2HKO’d by the majority of the tier.”

The 2HKO part just sort of emphasizes this, but we don’t really need great detail here such as any calcs since it’s just a brief mention.

bad typing, and low damage,

I would drop both of these lines tbh. Electric typing isn’t bad on its own per say. Sure it’s not as good as psychic or normal, but it’s only weak to ground and stab on tbolt is pretty nice. Electrodes issues don’t really stem from it being an electric type, just it’s bad stats and move pool.

The low damage line just seems kinda out of place, it could be worthy of a mention later in the analyses, since it is quite reliant on crits to do big damage, but with such a high crit rate it can still do a lot. Notably 3HKOing Tauros and it can OHKO Chansey with a crit boom .

Electrode's guaranteed Thunder Wave

I’d drop the guaranteed, I get what you’re going for but it’s kinda vague. It’s also not guaranteed if there’s a Rhydon or Sandslash, or a status blocker such as paralyzed Chansey.

Amnesia/Reflect

You can drop this, twave helps out all variants of Snorlax

help Snorlax/Slowbro have an easier time setting up Reflect or doing damage

I’d drop reflect since slowbro will be setting up with amnesia, just to help avoid confusion

Screech and/or an Explosion can severely limit your opponents options.

“… can severely limit your opponents options, unless they have a counter such as Rhydon.

add that snippet to the end

It's also decently safe to switch into anything without Earthquake, Stun Spore, or Thunder Wave such as Lapras, Jynx, and Gengar.

honestly this whole part should probably go, it really isn’t safe to bring trode in on any of these except for Gengar, jynx and Lapboth 2HKO with blizz.

instead what I would mention here is that Electrode is a decent switch in to fellow electric types if your team is weak to them, in Jolteon and Zapdos, sure you’ll eat a twave but you also can stop Zapdos in its tracks, which can often be huge since Zapdos enjoys ripping teams apart

“Electrode can also play the roll of Electric type check, resisting both of Zapdos' STAB attacks and being able to throw off a Thunder Wave for free. However, you may take a Thunder Wave in return, meaning the risk should be assessed before bringing Electrode in”

Critical Explosion should be used more as hypothetical situation that your opponent will have to fear and less of something that will always happen.

nothing wrong here, just wanted to point out that this is a fantastic line, and is very well written to illustrate the point of what Electrode does.

Even the mighty Mewtwo will fall to this combo.

I would add Mewtwo and Mew.
Then I would add a sentence after containing 2 calcs,
“A critical hit explosion will deal a minimum of 81.6% to Mewtwo and a minimum of 78.4% to Mew.”

allowing your own dangerous pokemon to get on the field safely.

I would add to the end:

“ to get on the field safely, or to throw off a Thunderbolt or Thunder Wave for free.”

Electrode isn't very useful as a lead. The most common leads are Jolteon, Alakazam, Exeggutor and Jynx which Electrode can Thunder Wave making it harder for them to throw out their own Thunder Waves/sleep moves.

Actually, Starmie and Gengar are more used than Zam or Jynx, I’d probably swap those names here, and then note how Starmie is forced to switch and Gengar gets crippled, however the point of the paragraph is still fine.

The two big drawbacks that make Electrode rare in Ubers are its inconsistency and its difficultly to fit in a team

I would make it 3 big drawbacks, with the third being it’s horrendous matchup with rhydon and golem, sonce that hasn’t been mentioned yet.
Somewhere in that paragraph, insert this:
“Electrode is absolutely helpless against Rhydon and Golem, and can often be dead weight if the opponent brings one of the Rocks”

They can switch on its explosion, are unaffected by electric moves, and most can OHKO it with Earthquake. Though this usually doesn't come into play due to Rhydon and Golem's low use.

2 things here. Remove the most before “can OHKO” unless the opponent brings onix, electrode is going down to a stab earthquake lol

also I’d remove the last sentence entirely, rhydon is a fairly common pick in the metagame, golem is a different story, but since they both accomplish the same thing that shouldn’t matter.

Checks and Counters

you should add 2 sections to this,

1. Jolteon, yeah seems weird right? Well they both just kind of stonewall eachother, trode has to eat para and jolteon sometimes he rest so it’s more of a losing battle sonce electrode is forced to explode.
(TBH this is kind of bull because Electrode is also a jolt answer if you need it to be…. I might call on another qcer to get there opinion on this)

2.Exeggutor, gutor has great special bulk and doesn’t super mind being paralyzed, it once again forces an electrode boom, but it will live without a crit and doesn’t take much from tbolt. It can respond with stun spore and powerful psychics.

That’s it for now! Great writing:) implement these changes and hit me up so I can look it over one more time before passing it on, if you have any questions at all feel free to hit me up on discord and I’m happy to assist!

 

[Useless Uses]

Hey, so apparently I never said implemented. Um, yeah that's it.

Implemented!

 

[Plague von Karma]

Implement for QC 2/2, I'm Ubers QC now!

Add
Remove
Comments
Highlight
(AA) = Apostrophise
(RC) = Remove Comma

Not to be mean but I do suggest proofreading what you've written to make sure there are no glaring grammatical errors when implementing my check. I fixed a bunch, but it was a bit awkward sometimes. A few bits I noticed;

• You use /s a lot to shorten sentences, this is a no-go. "Or" is usually fine.
• Pokemon are worded as objects in analyses; "it", "which", etc are important, not "who" etc
• "Pokemon" should always be capitalised
• Don't use "crit", use "critical hit"

Implementing this into your future analyses will immediately improve them.

You have the raw facts down, so this should be fine.

donk

[OVERVIEW]

Electrode has an inconsistent yet dangerous niche in RBY Ubers. As the only pokemon that can outspeed the omnipresent Mewtwo, Electrode can switch in on an unboosted or currently boosting Mewtwo and get off a guaranteed Thunder Wave, crippling Mewtwo for the rest of the game before using Explosion on it or a Switch in. (This could be generalised to "any Pokemon", as it's the fastest Pokemon in the game. I understand the focus though - it IS Mewtwo we're on about - so call this an optional change.) Electrode's mind-boggling critical hit rate of 27.3% combined with Explosion is an extremely volatile combination that your opponent will have to play around. Electrode works best as a mid/lategame mid- to late-game Explosion user, waiting for its counters and checks to be cleared before throwing out Thunder Waves and Screeches, crippling putting Mewtwo and other Pokemon who that pose a threat to your team into awkward positions. (some Mewtwo variants want to be paralysed, as cringe as that is to hear) Unfortunately, those are the only signs of remote viability Electrode has in Ubers. It has middling stats and no bulk to speak of, which leads it to be 2HKOed by the majority of the tier. Electrode contains an absolutely terrible movepool, having only access to Normal and Electric attacks. Electrode is unviable outside of Explosion and forcing pokemon to switch out with Thunder Wave/ and Screech.

This isn't bad, but it feels like something is missing. This is one of those Pokemon those gremlin memers use a lot and lose for it, so maybe we need to be a bit harsher and/or see the bigger picture.

I think the key thing we're missing is why Electrode has to wait. It's because it reveals Rhydon almost immediately, and thus tends to just be bait for it. Letting Rhydon in for free is a terrible prospect and it can't play around it to save its life.

[SET]
name: Glorified Phaser
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Explosion
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Screech/Flash

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Electrode's Thunder Wave helps teammates, such as Snorlax and Chansey check Mewtwo better. The only Pokemon you should attempt to paralyze are Mewtwo, Mew, and Pokemon that can check them. Using paralysis support can help slow bulky pokemon have an easier time setting up Reflect or doing damage. Just the fact that when switching into Electrode you'll have to take a Thunder Wave, Screech and/or Explosion can severely limit your opponent's (AA) options (RC) unless they have a counter like Rhydon or Golem. When using Electrode you should always look for an opportunity to switch in your Electrode, such as on a pokemon healing or using Amnesia. Electrode can also play the role of Electric type check, resisting both of Zapdos' STAB attacks and being able to throw off a Thunder Wave for free. However, you may take a Thunder Wave in return, so the risk should be assessed before bringing Electrode in. After Electrode safety switches in you have a few options depending on what the matchup is. Thunder Wave is great for crippling fast attackers or pokemon that dislike being paralyzed. Thunderbolt is used to soften up pokemon into Explosion range. Nothing in the game, except for the Gengar line, +6 full health Amnesia Snorlax, and rock-type pokemon, can survive both a Thunderbolt and a crit Explosion. Even the mighty Mew and Mewtwo will fall to this combo, a critical hit Explosion will deal a minimum of 81.6% to Mewtwo and a minimum of 78.4% to Mew. Please do not count on critical hits happening all the time as it is purely luck reliant. Critical Explosion should be treated more as a hypothetical situation that your opponent will have to fear and less of as something that will always happen. While Electrode's non-critical Explosion can't OHKO anything, it can put important pokemon into KO range of certain moves, such as exploding on Chansey which allows Tauros and Snorlax's Body Slam to OHKO.

Screech is a great pressure tool against pokemon that are boosting. After a Screech your Explosion damage becomes a similar to a critical hit. All pokemon, excluding Gengar and Rock-type Pokemon, must switch out or faint/take heavy damage. Screech can also annoy Reflect users like Snorlax and Chansey. Screech works less as a way to OHKO a pokemon with Explosion and more as a pressure tool to force dangerous opponents out, allowing your own dangerous pokemon to get on the field safely.

Electrode isn't very useful as a lead. The most common leads are Jolteon, Gengar, Exeggutor and Jynx which Electrode can Thunder Wave making it harder for them to throw out their own Thunder Waves/ and sleep moves. But after paralyzing the opponent's lead, it won't have much use other than exploding as it will likely be paralyzed or taken out. If you want to use an electric type in the lead slot, Jolteon functions much better.

The three big drawbacks that make Electrode rare in Ubers are its inconsistency, lack of defensive utility, and it being regulated to death fodder if your opponent brought Rhydon or Golem. Electrode's reliance on predictions and luck hamper it severely. With just one wrong move or a bit of bad luck your Electrode could instantly faint. Electrode's low bulk makes it hard for it to switch in on an attacking move more than once. Before using Electrode you should always ask the question, why don't I use Jolteon? The answer to this question is usually wanting to guarantee a Thunder Wave on Mewtwo or/and Explosion. Only players with sizable metagame knowledge can utilize Electrode to its fullest potential, and even then it isn't amazing.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Thunder should almost never be used over Thunderbolt for Electrode. The only benefit Thunder has is a 2HKO on Lapras and Articuno, and because of Thunder's low accuracy you're fairly likely to miss on important targets. Light Screen/ and Reflect aren't very viable without reliable recovery, and Electrode's Rest is anything but reliable. Hyper Beam is just a weaker, less accurate Explosion and it's unlikely it'll OHKO anything without a critical hit. Take Down is only used to smack Chansey and Alakazam harder without using Explosion, which is not only limited in utility, but also deals recoil damage that brings Electrode closer to being forced to Explode. The only really viable alternative is Flash, reducing a Pokemon's accuracy is extremely annoying, especially on Mew and Mewtwo trying to set up, but is generally not worth using because of Screech's power to make a pokemon switch out. coaxing foes to switch out.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Rhydon & Golem**: If you so much as show Electrode a picture of these two, it will cower in fear. It is comical how much Rock types (with the exception of the fossils) dominate Electrode. They can switch on critical hit Explosion, are immune to Electric-type moves, and OHKO it with Earthquake. Though this usually doesn't come into play due to Rhydon and Golem's low use.

**Exeggutor**: Exeggutor can switch in on all of Electrode's moves before threatening it with paralysis, a damaging move, or sleep, though like most pokemon it will have to be wary of Screech + Explosion/critical Explosion.

**Gengar**: The matchup with Gengar is weird as they both can check each other. Gengar can switch in on Explosion or Screech before attacking with Night Shade/Psychic making it a reliable check if you plan on Electrode's normal-type moves; (ASC) however, (AC) it hates getting paralyzed. If a Gengar without Psychic switches in on Thunderbolt it will lose the matchup unless it puts Electrode to sleep or uses Explosion. Switching in a revealed Gengar is risky since Electrode could forgo Explosion and instead use Thunderbolt on the switch-in.

**Paralysis**: Paralysis completely removes the slight niche that Electrode has, without speed Electrode only has its Explosion left, which can be nullified if it gets fully paralyzed. Common Pokémon like Exeggutor, Snorlax, and Chansey, and rarer pokemon such as Jolteon and Dragonite, can switch into Electrode's Thunderbolt and Thunder Wave sorta-safely before paralyzing it with Stun Spore, Body Slam, or Thunder Wave. However these Pokemon will have to be wary of a critical Explosion as one can OHKO all but Snorlax. You could also use your own Electrode to try and paralyze, but it will most likely have to take a Thunder Wave on the switch-in.

**Reflect**: Reflect has a 72.7% chance to check Electrode's Explosion. As Electrode is the fastest pokemon, nothing can switch in on it and set up a Reflect without the chance of taking an Explosion. Reflect can work well against an Electrode switching in; (ASC) however, (AC) everything listed most Pokemon fears the chance of a critical hit Explosion. The biggest problem with Reflect is the fact that Electrode can use Screech to effectively negate it. Reflect should not be used over any of the above options. Not sure what this was referring to. Is it to Electrode? This is Checks & Counters, so Electrode is fighting it here.

List examples of Reflect users; Snorlax, for example.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Useless Uses, 589128]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

 

[Useless Uses]

Sorry for being inactive, I'll start on this soon. Thanks for the advice you've given!

Implement for QC 2/2, I'm Ubers QC now!

Add
Remove
Comments
Highlight
(AA) = Apostrophise
(RC) = Remove Comma

Not to be mean but I do suggest proofreading what you've written to make sure there are no glaring grammatical errors when implementing my check. I fixed a bunch, but it was a bit awkward sometimes. A few bits I noticed;

• You use /s a lot to shorten sentences, this is a no-go. "Or" is usually fine.
• Pokemon are worded as objects in analyses; "it", "which", etc are important, not "who" etc
• "Pokemon" should always be capitalised
• Don't use "crit", use "critical hit"

Implementing this into your future analyses will immediately improve them.

You have the raw facts down, so this should be fine.

donk

[OVERVIEW]

Electrode has an inconsistent yet dangerous niche in RBY Ubers. As the only pokemon that can outspeed the omnipresent Mewtwo, Electrode can switch in on an unboosted or currently boosting Mewtwo and get off a guaranteed Thunder Wave, crippling Mewtwo for the rest of the game before using Explosion on it or a Switch in. (This could be generalised to "any Pokemon", as it's the fastest Pokemon in the game. I understand the focus though - it IS Mewtwo we're on about - so call this an optional change.) Electrode's mind-boggling critical hit rate of 27.3% combined with Explosion is an extremely volatile combination that your opponent will have to play around. Electrode works best as a mid- to late-game Explosion user, waiting for its counters and checks to be cleared before throwing out Thunder Waves and Screeches, putting Mewtwo and other Pokemon that pose a threat to your team into awkward positions. Though it should be noted that for some variants of Mewtwo, being paralyzed is a positive. Unfortunately, those are the only signs of remote viability Electrode has in Ubers. It has middling stats and no bulk to speak of, which leads it to be 2HKOed by the majority of the tier. Electrode contains an absolutely terrible movepool, having only access to Normal and Electric attacks. Electrode is unviable outside of Explosion and forcing pokemon to switch out with Thunder Wave and Screech.

This isn't bad, but it feels like something is missing. This is one of those Pokemon those gremlin memers use a lot and lose for it, so maybe we need to be a bit harsher and/or see the bigger picture.

I think the key thing we're missing is why Electrode has to wait. It's because it reveals Rhydon almost immediately, and thus tends to just be bait for it. Letting Rhydon in for free is a terrible prospect and it can't play around it to save its life.

[SET]
name: Glorified Phaser
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Explosion
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Screech/Flash

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Electrode's Thunder Wave helps teammates, such as Snorlax and Chansey check Mewtwo better. The only Pokemon you should attempt to paralyze are Mewtwo, Mew, and Pokemon that can check them. Using paralysis support can help slow bulky pokemon have an easier time setting up Reflect or doing damage. Just the fact that when switching into Electrode you'll have to take a Thunder Wave, Screech and/or Explosion can severely limit your opponent's (AA) options unless they have a counter like Rhydon or Golem. When using Electrode you should always look for an opportunity to switch in your Electrode, such as on a pokemon healing or using Amnesia. Electrode can also play the role of Electric type check, resisting both of Zapdos' STAB attacks and being able to throw off a Thunder Wave for free. However, you may take a Thunder Wave in return, so the risk should be assessed before bringing Electrode in. After Electrode safety switches in you have a few options depending on what the matchup is. Thunder Wave is great for crippling fast attackers or pokemon that dislike being paralyzed. Thunderbolt is used to soften up pokemon into Explosion range. Nothing in the game, except for the Gengar line, +6 full health Amnesia Snorlax, and rock-type pokemon, can survive both a Thunderbolt and a crit Explosion. Even the mighty Mew and Mewtwo will fall to this combo, a critical hit Explosion will deal a minimum of 81.6% to Mewtwo and a minimum of 78.4% to Mew. Please do not count on critical hits happening all the time as it is purely luck reliant. Critical Explosion should be treated more as a hypothetical situation that your opponent will have to fear and less of as something that will always happen. While Electrode's non-critical Explosion can't OHKO anything, it can put important pokemon into KO range of certain moves, such as exploding on Chansey which allows Tauros and Snorlax's Body Slam to OHKO.

Screech is a great pressure tool against pokemon that are boosting. After a Screech your Explosion damage becomes a similar to a critical hit. All pokemon, excluding Gengar and Rock-type Pokemon, must switch out or faint/take heavy damage. Screech can also annoy Reflect users like Snorlax and Chansey. Screech works less as a way to OHKO a pokemon with Explosion and more as a pressure tool to force dangerous opponents out, allowing your own dangerous pokemon to get on the field safely.

Electrode isn't very useful as a lead. The most common leads are Jolteon, Gengar, Exeggutor and Jynx which Electrode can Thunder Wave making it harder for them to throw out their own Thunder Waves and sleep moves. But after paralyzing the opponent's lead, it won't have much use other than exploding as it will likely be paralyzed or taken out. If you want to use an electric type in the lead slot, Jolteon functions much better.

The three big drawbacks that make Electrode rare in Ubers are its inconsistency, lack of defensive utility, and it being regulated to death fodder if your opponent brought Rhydon or Golem. Electrode's reliance on predictions and luck hamper it severely. With just one wrong move or a bit of bad luck your Electrode could instantly faint. Electrode's low bulk makes it hard for it to switch in on an attacking move more than once. Before using Electrode you should always ask the question, why don't I use Jolteon? The answer to this question is usually wanting to guarantee a Thunder Wave on Mewtwo or Explosion. Only players with sizable metagame knowledge can utilize Electrode to its fullest potential, and even then it isn't amazing.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Thunder should almost never be used over Thunderbolt for Electrode. The only benefit Thunder has is a 2HKO on Lapras and Articuno, and because of Thunder's low accuracy you're fairly likely to miss on important targets. Light Screen/ and Reflect aren't very viable without reliable recovery, and Electrode's Rest is anything but reliable. Hyper Beam is just a weaker, less accurate Explosion and it's unlikely it'll OHKO anything without a critical hit. Take Down is only used to smack Chansey and Alakazam harder without using Explosion, which is not only limited in utility, but also deals recoil damage that brings Electrode closer to being forced to Explode. The only really viable alternative is Flash, reducing a Pokemon's accuracy is extremely annoying, especially on Mew and Mewtwo trying to set up, but is generally not worth using because of Screech coaxing foes to switch out.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Rhydon & Golem**: If you so much as show Electrode a picture of these two, it will cower in fear. It is comical how much Rock types (with the exception of the fossils) dominate Electrode. They can switch on critical hit Explosion, are immune to Electric-type moves, and OHKO it with Earthquake. Though this usually doesn't come into play due to Rhydon and Golem's low use.

**Exeggutor**: Exeggutor can switch in on all of Electrode's moves before threatening it with paralysis, a damaging move, or sleep, though like most pokemon it will have to be wary of Screech + Explosion.

**Gengar**: The matchup with Gengar is weird as they both can check each other. Gengar can switch in on Explosion or Screech before attacking with Night Shade/Psychic making it a reliable check if you plan on Electrode's normal-type moves; (ASC) however, (AC) it hates getting paralyzed. If a Gengar without Psychic switches in on Thunderbolt it will lose the matchup unless it puts Electrode to sleep or uses Explosion. Switching in a revealed Gengar is risky since Electrode could forgo Explosion and instead use Thunderbolt on the switch-in.

**Paralysis**: Paralysis completely removes the slight niche that Electrode has, without speed Electrode only has its Explosion left, which can be nullified if it gets fully paralyzed. Common Pokémon like Exeggutor, Snorlax, and Chansey, and rarer pokemon such as Jolteon and Dragonite, can switch into Electrode's Thunderbolt and Thunder Wave sorta-safely before paralyzing it with Stun Spore, Body Slam, or Thunder Wave. However these Pokemon will have to be wary of a critical Explosion as one can OHKO all but Snorlax. You could also use your own Electrode to try and paralyze, but it will most likely have to take a Thunder Wave on the switch-in.

**Reflect**: Reflect has a 72.7% chance to check Electrode's Explosion. As Electrode is the fastest pokemon, nothing can switch in on it and set up a Reflect without the chance of taking an Explosion. Reflect can work well against an Electrode switching in; (ASC) however, (AC) most Pokemon fear the chance of a critical hit Explosion. The biggest problem with Reflect is the fact that Electrode can use Screech to effectively negate it. Pokemon like Snorlax and Alakazam commonly run Reflect, making them acceptable ways of deterring Electrode from switching-in.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Useless Uses, 589128]]
- Quality checked by: [[,Ctown6 ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

 

[Sabelette]

Locking this abandoned analysis.