Status: DONE! (and awaiting edits)
K, so I'm about halfway done with the Electric Dog's OU writeup, with the rest expected by the end of the week. I figured that I would post this to get ideas and comments. As per Colonel M's instructions (and I also agree with him), the Offensive Booster, being Raikou's best bet for OU, should go first. I'm taking out the Rest-talk set, because when I asked about it on #stark two different times, I got mobs of people telling me it was a pile of crap. And quite frankly, I agree.
I changed the name of Substitute + Calm Mind to "Conservative Booster" for a few purposes: going with the idea that the Offensive Booster is the new standard, the Sub/CM set should be defined in contrast to the standard, not as a standalone. Also, I wanted to emphasize the point that the set is not the demigod that it was in RSE. If there is an issue, I will give it back its old name.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/raikou
[SET]
name: Offensive Booster
move 1: Calm Mind / Charge Beam
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Fighting
item: Life Orb
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 6 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is perhaps Raikou's best set in the current metagame, able to outpace and tear through almost any Pokemon after a single turn of setup. Thunderbolt OHKOes many offensive Pokemon such as Salamence, Heatran, Gyarados, and Scizor after a boost. Shadow Ball, after a boost, easily OHKOes Rotom formes and 2HKOes Latias and Celebi, who would otherwise give this set trouble. The final move depends on whether you would rather OHKO Swampert and Hippowdon with Hidden Power Grass or Tyranitar with Hidden Power Fighting. Charge Beam is an option for a boosting move if you would like to do damage while setting up. However, keep in mind that it only has a 63% chance to give you a Special Attack raise, factoring in accuracy. In general, Calm Mind is the reliable choice, although the combination of Charge Beam and a boosted Shadow Ball guarantees a OHKO on Celebi.</p>
<p>While Raikou has a lot going for it, it can be difficult finding time to set up. This, combined with the fact that many defensive teams pack Hippowdon or Swampert along with Blissey, can make it difficult to sweep, which is a key reason for Raikou not being a top-tier OU Pokemon. Your best bet is to come in on resisted attacks or after a KO, or on defensively oriented Pokemon such as Suicune, Skarmory, or Zapdos, who can be scared off as you use Calm Mind or Charge Beam. Additionally, make sure you do not reveal Raikou too early to the opponent, lest it be walled and you lose your offensive momentum.</p>
<p>Although Blissey defeats this set regardless of your choice of moves, the choice of Hidden Power determines what counters you will need your team to overcome. If you choose Hidden Power Grass, Tyranitar becomes a counter. Machamp, Scizor, and Gliscor are decent checks for Tyranitar, and they also can force out Blissey. Since your team will likely be predominately oriented towards special attacking in order to lure in and overcome Blissey, using one of the three is recommended to ensure that Tyranitar doesn't cause you problems. If you choose Hidden Power Fighting, Swampert and Hippowdon need to be overcome. Fortunately, Grass-type attacks, such as those of a Tinkerbell Celebi, scare both of them off quite handily. Hippowdon suffers against Pokemon with strong special attacks regardless.</p>
<p>Your ultimate concern when using this Raikou is how you will defeat the pink behemoth Blissey. Toxic Spikes are not recommended, since you are setting up over one turn rather than a number of turns, so Toxic Spikes will have less effect. Instead, the use of Explosion from the likes of Gengar and Heatran, Trick from almost any Special attacker, or Pursuit from Scizor is advised.</p>
[SET]
name: Conservative Booster
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 68 HP / 116 SpA / 72 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This was Raikou's standard set in Advance, but it no longer holds the awesome power it once wielded. You play this set by using Substitute the first turn and either setting up Calm Minds, or if your opponent is audacious enough to bring in a Flygon, Dugtrio, or a fast Earthquake user, you attack. Unfortunately, this set is more easily walled by the opponent than the offensive booster, and notably has trouble with Latias and Hippowdon, who fail to counter the Offensive Booster. The only real reason to use this set over the Offensive Booster is if you are concerned about revenge killers. Otherwise, you should take note of the fact that while this is not a poor set, it is rather outmoded in the current metagame.</p>
<p>Since this set is countered by many of the same Pokemon that counter the Offensive Booster, similar partners are recommended. However, since this Raikou is setting up over a number of turns rather than one, Toxic Spikes as a support option are usable. Roserade is likely the best option for this role due to its greater offensive presence, but Forretress is undeniably the most reliable Toxic Spiker in the game. Tentacruel is also a decent choice, but it is often disappointed by its typing.</p>
[SET]
name: Beast of Choice
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Choice Specs
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although Raikou's attacking movepool is pathetic, to say the least, it is at least wide enough to run a decent choice set. Thunderbolt is there for STAB, Shadow Ball coming off Choice Specs lets you 2HKO Latias switch-ins, while the Hidden Power that you select depends on what targets you want to hit. Hidden Power Grass lets you blast Swampert, and Hidden Power Ice lets you hit Flygon and Gliscor. Sleep Talk is simply there because there is nothing else you can use, but Raikou can work as a decent sleep absorber, able to come in on sleep inducers like Gengar and Breloom and threaten them with boosted attacks. Honestly, though, Pokemon like Starmie and Latias have a much better movepool, coupled with access to Trick, which lets them run better Choice sets.</p>
<p>All in all, this set has many of the same counters as the earlier set, though it can beat all of them besides Blissey with the correct Hidden Power (or 2HKO Tyranitar on the switch-in with Thunderbolt). Therefore, you should select your teammates in a similar manner to that of the other sets.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Raikou loves Stealth Rock for the ability to net numerous KOes, such as an OHKO on Hippowdon after a Calm Mind and a Life Orb. This entry hazard is remarkably easy to set up, and you can pick a bulky Pokemon such as Swampert or a fast, frail supporter such as Azelf to put it on the field. Substitute + Calm Mind Raikou can take good advantage of Toxic Spikes, so a Roserade or a Forretress is recommended for use alongside it. Any Raikou set really disdains a Sandstorm, so you shouldn't throw Tyranitar on your team as a trapper for Blissey without giving it serious thought.<p>
<p>Raikou works best as a sweeper, and its offensive partners should concentrate on luring in and defeating its counters. Many of the counters depend on the Hidden Power selected, but Blissey is a guaranteed counter to any set you run. Therefore, you should consider using Pursuit users such as Scizor, wallbreakers such as Infernape and Salamence, Explosion users such as Azelf, or Trick users such as Latias and Starmie to ensure that the pink blob doesn't stop your sweep. Tyranitar can also be handled by Scizor and other Fighting-types, while Swampert is defeated by Roserade, who can also set up and clear Toxic Spikes. Gyarados is also a solid partner to Raikou, as it lures in defensive Water-types such as Suicune and Vaporeon, who consequently become setup fodder for Raikou. In turn, Gyarados takes the Ground-type attacks that are often aimed at Raikou.</p>
<p>Although being weak to Earthquake (and by extension, Earth Power) is never a good thing, Raikou is fortunately not weak to anything else, and many Pokemon can take advantage of (often choiced) Ground-type attacks. Therefore, Latias and Azelf are solid partners for Raikou from a defensive standpoint, and they can also lure in and defeat a Blissey with Trick or Explosion, respectively. Other than that, Raikou has little notable synergy with other Pokemon, and you should be careful about using it alongside Pokemon such as Heatran.</p>
<p>Raikou's chief counters are Blissey, Tyranitar, and Snorlax, although Tyranitar is beaten by Hidden Power Fighting and Snorlax needs Earthquake to quickly bring down Raikou. Blissey is partnered by various physical walls such as Skarmory, Hippowdon, and Forretress. Of these, only Hippowdon bothers Raikou, and even it is OHKOed by a +1 Life Orb-boosted Hidden Power. Snorlax is partnered by Scizor, Salamence, and Gyarados, none of whom trouble Raikou. Tyranitar is seen alongside similar partners as Snorlax.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Raikou's movepool is rather shallow, so aside from the given sets, there are few additional options. It can run a Dual Screen set with Reflect and Light Screen, but Pokemon such as Bronzong are better for such a task by virtue of typing and access to Explosion. Discharge can be used over Thunderbolt, but Raikou, being rather quick, prefers power over paralysis. Signal Beam can guarantee a OHKO on Celebi, but that's all you hit with it, and Shadow Ball has better overall coverage, also hitting the Rotom formes. With a Damp Rock, Raikou can set up the Rain for its teammates and abuse Thunder if you need it to do so.</p>
<p>One may ask why a Choice Scarf set is not recommended for Raikou. The simple reason is that Raikou has a pathetically shallow movepool and there are so many Pokemon that have superior coverage and access to Trick to cripple Blissey, which makes them better revenge killers. These include Starmie, Azelf, Rotom-A, and Latias. Still, if you want it to work as a Scarfed revenge killer, Raikou can fulfill your wish.</p>
[EVs]
<p>The Offensive Calm Mind set and the Choice sets prefer max Special Attack and Speed. Even when using a Choice Scarf, you may find yourself needing to outspeed Latias and Gengar, or tie with Starmie. The Substitute/Calm Mind set should use the recommended EVs, as it doesn't need as much Special Attack, instead preferring HP and Special Defense investment to help it setup Substitutes.</p>
[Legal IVs for Hidden Power]
<p>The following IVs are necessary for each Hidden Power type with the given natures, assuming all other IVs are 31 (or odd):</p>
<dl>
<dt>Hidden Power Ice</dt>
<dd>Timid: 22 Atk / 30 Def</dd>
<dd>Modest: 10 Atk / 30 Def</dd>
<dt>Hidden Power Grass </dt>
<dd>Timid: 2 Atk / 30 SpA</dd>
<dt>Hidden Power Fighting</dt>
<dd>Timid: 30 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 30 Spe</dd>
</dl>
[Opinion]
<p>The DP metagame has really struck blows to Raikou. With the falling usage of bulky waters such as Vaporeon, Suicune, and Milotic, Raikou finds it harder to set up Calm Minds. The fact that Latias is now in OU further limits Raikou's options, forcing it to rely on the risky Offensive Calm Mind set, lest it be easily walled. Finally, the popularity of Choice Scarf users, the introduction of Toxic Spikes, and the fact that Earthquake is a common move on many Pokemon in the metagame, may appear to be the final stakes in Raikou's heart.</p>
<p>But one would be remiss to discount Raikou as a threat. While its movepool is shallow, it has all the moves necessary to wreck havoc, such as Calm Mind, Hidden Power, and Shadow Ball. Base 115 Speed, combined with decent typing, sturdy defenses, and great offensive stats shouldn't be discounted either. Raikou may not have the fear aura it used to hold, but it can still be an excellent late-game sweeper.</p>
[Counters]
<p>You probably saw it coming. Raikou's best counters are from the triumvirate of special walls: Blissey (given Seismic Toss), Snorlax, and Tyranitar. All three of them can switch in with impunity and beat Raikou one-on-one, though a boosted Hidden Power Fighting from the Offensive Booster will OHKO Tyranitar.</p>
<p>The Substitute/Calm Mind set tends to be easier to handle. Flygon and Gliscor have an easy time against sets with Hidden Power Grass, while Swampert, Rhyperior, and Mamoswine defeat sets with Hidden Power Ice. A Calm Mind Latias can deal with a Substitute/Calm Mind set whatever the Hidden Power, but it is easily 2HKOed by a +1 Life Orb-boosted Shadow Ball from the Offensive Calm Mind user, which is the new standard. Hippowdon can handle the Substitute/Calm Mind user, but since it is easily defeated by Hidden Power Grass from the Offensive Booster, use it as a counter in last resort situations only.</p>
<p>Electivire walls Raikou and defeats it with Earthquake. Magnezone and Jolteon wall many Raikou sets similarly, but they fail to deal significant damage to Raikou to in return.</p>
<p>Finally, Raikou despises Toxic Spikes, which prevent it from executing its strategy of boosting its stats and sweeping by putting it on an effective timer. It is also revenge killed by faster Pokemon, such as Flygon and Dugtrio, if it does not have a Substitute up.</p>
K, so I'm about halfway done with the Electric Dog's OU writeup, with the rest expected by the end of the week. I figured that I would post this to get ideas and comments. As per Colonel M's instructions (and I also agree with him), the Offensive Booster, being Raikou's best bet for OU, should go first. I'm taking out the Rest-talk set, because when I asked about it on #stark two different times, I got mobs of people telling me it was a pile of crap. And quite frankly, I agree.
I changed the name of Substitute + Calm Mind to "Conservative Booster" for a few purposes: going with the idea that the Offensive Booster is the new standard, the Sub/CM set should be defined in contrast to the standard, not as a standalone. Also, I wanted to emphasize the point that the set is not the demigod that it was in RSE. If there is an issue, I will give it back its old name.
[SET]
name: Offensive Booster
move 1: Calm Mind / Charge Beam
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Fighting
item: Life Orb
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 6 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is perhaps Raikou's best set in the current metagame, able to outpace and tear through almost any Pokemon after a single turn of setup. Thunderbolt OHKOes many offensive Pokemon such as Salamence, Heatran, Gyarados, and Scizor after a boost. Shadow Ball, after a boost, easily OHKOes Rotom formes and 2HKOes Latias and Celebi, who would otherwise give this set trouble. The final move depends on whether you would rather OHKO Swampert and Hippowdon with Hidden Power Grass or Tyranitar with Hidden Power Fighting. Charge Beam is an option for a boosting move if you would like to do damage while setting up. However, keep in mind that it only has a 63% chance to give you a Special Attack raise, factoring in accuracy. In general, Calm Mind is the reliable choice, although the combination of Charge Beam and a boosted Shadow Ball guarantees a OHKO on Celebi.</p>
<p>While Raikou has a lot going for it, it can be difficult finding time to set up. This, combined with the fact that many defensive teams pack Hippowdon or Swampert along with Blissey, can make it difficult to sweep, which is a key reason for Raikou not being a top-tier OU Pokemon. Your best bet is to come in on resisted attacks or after a KO, or on defensively oriented Pokemon such as Suicune, Skarmory, or Zapdos, who can be scared off as you use Calm Mind or Charge Beam. Additionally, make sure you do not reveal Raikou too early to the opponent, lest it be walled and you lose your offensive momentum.</p>
<p>Although Blissey defeats this set regardless of your choice of moves, the choice of Hidden Power determines what counters you will need your team to overcome. If you choose Hidden Power Grass, Tyranitar becomes a counter. Machamp, Scizor, and Gliscor are decent checks for Tyranitar, and they also can force out Blissey. Since your team will likely be predominately oriented towards special attacking in order to lure in and overcome Blissey, using one of the three is recommended to ensure that Tyranitar doesn't cause you problems. If you choose Hidden Power Fighting, Swampert and Hippowdon need to be overcome. Fortunately, Grass-type attacks, such as those of a Tinkerbell Celebi, scare both of them off quite handily. Hippowdon suffers against Pokemon with strong special attacks regardless.</p>
<p>Your ultimate concern when using this Raikou is how you will defeat the pink behemoth Blissey. Toxic Spikes are not recommended, since you are setting up over one turn rather than a number of turns, so Toxic Spikes will have less effect. Instead, the use of Explosion from the likes of Gengar and Heatran, Trick from almost any Special attacker, or Pursuit from Scizor is advised.</p>
[SET]
name: Conservative Booster
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
item: Leftovers
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 68 HP / 116 SpA / 72 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This was Raikou's standard set in Advance, but it no longer holds the awesome power it once wielded. You play this set by using Substitute the first turn and either setting up Calm Minds, or if your opponent is audacious enough to bring in a Flygon, Dugtrio, or a fast Earthquake user, you attack. Unfortunately, this set is more easily walled by the opponent than the offensive booster, and notably has trouble with Latias and Hippowdon, who fail to counter the Offensive Booster. The only real reason to use this set over the Offensive Booster is if you are concerned about revenge killers. Otherwise, you should take note of the fact that while this is not a poor set, it is rather outmoded in the current metagame.</p>
<p>Since this set is countered by many of the same Pokemon that counter the Offensive Booster, similar partners are recommended. However, since this Raikou is setting up over a number of turns rather than one, Toxic Spikes as a support option are usable. Roserade is likely the best option for this role due to its greater offensive presence, but Forretress is undeniably the most reliable Toxic Spiker in the game. Tentacruel is also a decent choice, but it is often disappointed by its typing.</p>
[SET]
name: Beast of Choice
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Shadow Ball
move 3: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Choice Specs
ability: Pressure
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although Raikou's attacking movepool is pathetic, to say the least, it is at least wide enough to run a decent choice set. Thunderbolt is there for STAB, Shadow Ball coming off Choice Specs lets you 2HKO Latias switch-ins, while the Hidden Power that you select depends on what targets you want to hit. Hidden Power Grass lets you blast Swampert, and Hidden Power Ice lets you hit Flygon and Gliscor. Sleep Talk is simply there because there is nothing else you can use, but Raikou can work as a decent sleep absorber, able to come in on sleep inducers like Gengar and Breloom and threaten them with boosted attacks. Honestly, though, Pokemon like Starmie and Latias have a much better movepool, coupled with access to Trick, which lets them run better Choice sets.</p>
<p>All in all, this set has many of the same counters as the earlier set, though it can beat all of them besides Blissey with the correct Hidden Power (or 2HKO Tyranitar on the switch-in with Thunderbolt). Therefore, you should select your teammates in a similar manner to that of the other sets.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Raikou loves Stealth Rock for the ability to net numerous KOes, such as an OHKO on Hippowdon after a Calm Mind and a Life Orb. This entry hazard is remarkably easy to set up, and you can pick a bulky Pokemon such as Swampert or a fast, frail supporter such as Azelf to put it on the field. Substitute + Calm Mind Raikou can take good advantage of Toxic Spikes, so a Roserade or a Forretress is recommended for use alongside it. Any Raikou set really disdains a Sandstorm, so you shouldn't throw Tyranitar on your team as a trapper for Blissey without giving it serious thought.<p>
<p>Raikou works best as a sweeper, and its offensive partners should concentrate on luring in and defeating its counters. Many of the counters depend on the Hidden Power selected, but Blissey is a guaranteed counter to any set you run. Therefore, you should consider using Pursuit users such as Scizor, wallbreakers such as Infernape and Salamence, Explosion users such as Azelf, or Trick users such as Latias and Starmie to ensure that the pink blob doesn't stop your sweep. Tyranitar can also be handled by Scizor and other Fighting-types, while Swampert is defeated by Roserade, who can also set up and clear Toxic Spikes. Gyarados is also a solid partner to Raikou, as it lures in defensive Water-types such as Suicune and Vaporeon, who consequently become setup fodder for Raikou. In turn, Gyarados takes the Ground-type attacks that are often aimed at Raikou.</p>
<p>Although being weak to Earthquake (and by extension, Earth Power) is never a good thing, Raikou is fortunately not weak to anything else, and many Pokemon can take advantage of (often choiced) Ground-type attacks. Therefore, Latias and Azelf are solid partners for Raikou from a defensive standpoint, and they can also lure in and defeat a Blissey with Trick or Explosion, respectively. Other than that, Raikou has little notable synergy with other Pokemon, and you should be careful about using it alongside Pokemon such as Heatran.</p>
<p>Raikou's chief counters are Blissey, Tyranitar, and Snorlax, although Tyranitar is beaten by Hidden Power Fighting and Snorlax needs Earthquake to quickly bring down Raikou. Blissey is partnered by various physical walls such as Skarmory, Hippowdon, and Forretress. Of these, only Hippowdon bothers Raikou, and even it is OHKOed by a +1 Life Orb-boosted Hidden Power. Snorlax is partnered by Scizor, Salamence, and Gyarados, none of whom trouble Raikou. Tyranitar is seen alongside similar partners as Snorlax.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Raikou's movepool is rather shallow, so aside from the given sets, there are few additional options. It can run a Dual Screen set with Reflect and Light Screen, but Pokemon such as Bronzong are better for such a task by virtue of typing and access to Explosion. Discharge can be used over Thunderbolt, but Raikou, being rather quick, prefers power over paralysis. Signal Beam can guarantee a OHKO on Celebi, but that's all you hit with it, and Shadow Ball has better overall coverage, also hitting the Rotom formes. With a Damp Rock, Raikou can set up the Rain for its teammates and abuse Thunder if you need it to do so.</p>
<p>One may ask why a Choice Scarf set is not recommended for Raikou. The simple reason is that Raikou has a pathetically shallow movepool and there are so many Pokemon that have superior coverage and access to Trick to cripple Blissey, which makes them better revenge killers. These include Starmie, Azelf, Rotom-A, and Latias. Still, if you want it to work as a Scarfed revenge killer, Raikou can fulfill your wish.</p>
[EVs]
<p>The Offensive Calm Mind set and the Choice sets prefer max Special Attack and Speed. Even when using a Choice Scarf, you may find yourself needing to outspeed Latias and Gengar, or tie with Starmie. The Substitute/Calm Mind set should use the recommended EVs, as it doesn't need as much Special Attack, instead preferring HP and Special Defense investment to help it setup Substitutes.</p>
[Legal IVs for Hidden Power]
<p>The following IVs are necessary for each Hidden Power type with the given natures, assuming all other IVs are 31 (or odd):</p>
<dl>
<dt>Hidden Power Ice</dt>
<dd>Timid: 22 Atk / 30 Def</dd>
<dd>Modest: 10 Atk / 30 Def</dd>
<dt>Hidden Power Grass </dt>
<dd>Timid: 2 Atk / 30 SpA</dd>
<dt>Hidden Power Fighting</dt>
<dd>Timid: 30 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 30 Spe</dd>
</dl>
[Opinion]
<p>The DP metagame has really struck blows to Raikou. With the falling usage of bulky waters such as Vaporeon, Suicune, and Milotic, Raikou finds it harder to set up Calm Minds. The fact that Latias is now in OU further limits Raikou's options, forcing it to rely on the risky Offensive Calm Mind set, lest it be easily walled. Finally, the popularity of Choice Scarf users, the introduction of Toxic Spikes, and the fact that Earthquake is a common move on many Pokemon in the metagame, may appear to be the final stakes in Raikou's heart.</p>
<p>But one would be remiss to discount Raikou as a threat. While its movepool is shallow, it has all the moves necessary to wreck havoc, such as Calm Mind, Hidden Power, and Shadow Ball. Base 115 Speed, combined with decent typing, sturdy defenses, and great offensive stats shouldn't be discounted either. Raikou may not have the fear aura it used to hold, but it can still be an excellent late-game sweeper.</p>
[Counters]
<p>You probably saw it coming. Raikou's best counters are from the triumvirate of special walls: Blissey (given Seismic Toss), Snorlax, and Tyranitar. All three of them can switch in with impunity and beat Raikou one-on-one, though a boosted Hidden Power Fighting from the Offensive Booster will OHKO Tyranitar.</p>
<p>The Substitute/Calm Mind set tends to be easier to handle. Flygon and Gliscor have an easy time against sets with Hidden Power Grass, while Swampert, Rhyperior, and Mamoswine defeat sets with Hidden Power Ice. A Calm Mind Latias can deal with a Substitute/Calm Mind set whatever the Hidden Power, but it is easily 2HKOed by a +1 Life Orb-boosted Shadow Ball from the Offensive Calm Mind user, which is the new standard. Hippowdon can handle the Substitute/Calm Mind user, but since it is easily defeated by Hidden Power Grass from the Offensive Booster, use it as a counter in last resort situations only.</p>
<p>Electivire walls Raikou and defeats it with Earthquake. Magnezone and Jolteon wall many Raikou sets similarly, but they fail to deal significant damage to Raikou to in return.</p>
<p>Finally, Raikou despises Toxic Spikes, which prevent it from executing its strategy of boosting its stats and sweeping by putting it on an effective timer. It is also revenge killed by faster Pokemon, such as Flygon and Dugtrio, if it does not have a Substitute up.</p>
