Raichu [QC 0/2] [GP 0/2]

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Plague von Karma

Banned deucer.
[OVERVIEW]

Raichu distinguishes itself from Jolteon and Zapdos for its access to Surf, making it the only Electric-type capable of OHKOing Rhydon. This makes Raichu deceptively threatening against teams featuring Water-types alongside Rhydon, as their typical way to contest Electric-types falls flat. With modern RBY OU teams dropping Exeggutor more frequently, as well as Sing Chansey's prominence, Raichu can provide teams with a very unique matchup against the new standard. Raichu is also far more customizable than its Electric-type competition, possessing moves like Submission and Body Slam, giving some wiggle room for creativity.

However, these traits aren't nearly enough for it to see OU stardom, which has saddled Raichu with the identity of being a "noob trap." This is because Raichu is not only highly frail but also cannot replicate the massive damage output of Zapdos and Jolteon. Because Raichu is outsped by Tauros while lacking the bulk and Ground immunity Zapdos has to duel it one-on-one, it can't replicate the end-games it secures. It also can't outspeed and connect Thunder Wave as Jolteon does. All things considered, a Raichu end-game is a rare sight; ergo, it is difficult to justify Raichu over these Pokemon despite its Surf access. Many players compensate for the Rhydon weakness with teammates like Starmie and Exeggutor—the latter of which beats Raichu very consistently—leading to Raichu being pushed out on conventional RBY OU teams.

[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Surf
move 3: Thunder Wave
move 4: Submission

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

The combination of Thunderbolt and Surf gives Raichu near-unique coverage in RBY OU, only really being replicated by Starmie and Lapras. STAB Thunderbolt 2HKOes Cloyster, Starmie, Slowbro, and even Articuno if it's sustained minor chip damage. Surf complements this to OHKO Rhydon 87.5% of the time, as well as Golem. Indeed, Surf doesn't quite OHKO Rhydon consistently, which can very rarely come back to bite Raichu. Thunder Wave ensures Raichu can force out Tauros if it's out of Earthquake range, as well as any other Pokemon that dislikes paralysis; examples include Cloyster, Starmie, and sometimes Alakazam depending on the team structure. Submission is strictly there for Chansey, KOing Chansey from a minimum of 41.8%, preventing Raichu from being walled and 2HKOing consistently from 60% alongside Thunderbolt.

For Raichu to be impactful, Exeggutor and Snorlax should be accounted for, as it's otherwise not going to deal much damage to the opposing team. Given this, it's recommended to pair Raichu with Pokemon that give them a hard time, such as Psychic + Blizzard Starmie and Reflect Snorlax. In return, Raichu can fix their iffy Cloyster matchup, identifying itself as a mid-game check to it while making Rhydon very uncomfortable. If the team matchup is favorable, it will usually goad the opponent into sending in Snorlax, usually forcing a war that forces either Snorlax to Rest.

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

When customizing Raichu, Submission tends to be the move to drop. However, this also means customizing Raichu means forfeiting its Chansey matchup, so teams doing this need to compensate in return. Surf can be dropped to alleviate this, but at that point, Zapdos or Jolteon will usually be the better Pokemon.

Seismic Toss allows Raichu to damage Exeggutor in a meaningful way; if it lands two and paralyzes it, then Exeggutor is forced to Explode much earlier if it's to get its two-for-one with Sleep Powder. Another option for hitting Exeggutor is Body Slam, which can allow Raichu to spread paralysis while attacking. However, the damage dealt is less than Seismic Toss without a critical hit. Furthermore, if dropping Submission, the benefit of spreading paralysis is dubious at best, considering it makes Raichu a prime switch-in opportunity for Chansey, which is immune to paralysis from Body Slam thanks to being Normal-type.

Hyper Beam deals less damage than Submission to Chansey, but gives Raichu a way to snipe Alakazam from around 50%. Agility can make Raichu's end-games a bit scarier, outrunning the entire tier while ignoring the Speed drop from paralysis. However, both of these fourth moves are much better suited for Zapdos, which uses them in vastly superior ways, rooted in its bulk: generally, it's more reliable in cases Hyper Beam backfires, and it finds more set-up opportunities with Agility.

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

**Exeggutor**: Raichu has zero options to hit Exeggutor with outside of the rare Seismic Toss, which means any Raichu is an opportunity for Exeggutor to land Sleep Powder and start pressuring teams with Psychic. If Sleep Clause Mod is active, Exeggutor will still deal significant damage to Raichu with Psychic, or even paralyze it with Stun Spore.

**Snorlax**: Snorlax sets featuring Earthquake or Amnesia will give Raichu a very hard time, the former KOing it from 67.8% minimum and the latter using it as easy set-up fodder. Even outside of these options, Raichu struggles to damage Snorlax, with Thunderbolt dealing 28.1% maximum.

**Tauros**: Tauros outruns Raichu and can KO it from a minimum of 63.4% with Earthquake, but greatly fears paralysis from Thunder Wave. Ergo, if Tauros is to beat Raichu, it must do so when revenge killing while Raichu is in KO range.

**Paralysis**: Because of how fragile Raichu is, paralysis of any kind will leave it open for punishment. Paralysis-spreading Pokemon include Alakazam, Starmie, Chansey, Stun Spore Exeggutor variants, Zapdos, Jolteon, and Slowbro. While it can certainly beat quite a few of these Pokemon, it will usually take paralysis in the process, so it is moreso a trade than outright winning. This can be favorable for Raichu's teammates but must be made with its demise in mind.

**Gengar**: Raichu struggles to damage Gengar, with Thunderbolt's damage capping out at 29.1%, and being outsped means Gengar can fire off an uncontested Hypnosis. Gengar can't damage Raichu much in return either though, relying on Night Shade while being threatened with Thunder Wave itself. Thus, the matchup is inconsistent once Sleep Clause Mod is active.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[May, 236353]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
 
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