Raichu, The Mouse Pokémon. Its long tail serves as a ground to protect itself from its own high-voltage power. If its electric pouches run empty, it raises its tail to gather electricity from the atmosphere. It turns aggressive if it has too much electricity in its body. It discharges power through its tail. It can loose 100,000-volt bursts of electricity, instantly downing foes several times its size.
Overview
Raichu has spent most of its existence overshadowed. Whether by its pre Evolution by popularity, or other Electric types by superior bulk, speed and/or offense. The shift to Generation 8 should have been a major boon to Raichu. The removal of Hidden Power from available attacks means that few Electric types have direct answers to Ground types, while Raichu’s expansive movepool includes both Surf and Grass Knot natively allowing it to answer the Electric type’s old nemesis.
However, an expansive movepool does not compensate for Raichu’s other flaws. Its offense is middling without boosting with Nasty Plot, which is near impossible to pull off thanks to Raichu’s paper Defenses and how horrible Mono-Electric is defensively. Its support movepool is vast, but there are faster and bulkier candidates like Regieleki, Lopunny, Whimsicott and Grimmsnarl. And even Raichu’s expansive movepool still leaves it without an answer for Grass types. In the end, Raichu’s biggest foe are its stats and the existence of better Electric types like the Rotom forms and Raikou.
Positives
Base 110 Speed is quite impressive, enabling Raichu to get the jump on many Pokémon.
Wide coverage including options like Surf, Grass Knot and Focus Blast give Raichu answers to many Pokémon.
Expansive Support options including the rare Nuzzle and Encore.
Negatives
Paper thin defenses and poor typing ensures that Raichu struggles to take a hit.
Below average Special Attack requires Nasty Plot setup for worthwhile damage and below Average Physical Attack with no physical Boosting options makes that unusable
Doesn’t get boosted by Light Ball
Movesets
Muroid Usuper
-Nasty Plot
-Thunderbolt
-Surf
-Focus Blast
Item Attached: Life Orb
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
Nasty Plot Raichu can make for a threatening sweeper once setup. Come in on Electric Attack, a sleeping or disabled foe, Nasty Plot and proceed to clean up a team in the late game. Nasty Plot is necessary for giving Raichu the power to deal serious damage. Thunderbolt is reliable STAB, Surf answers most Ground types while Focus Blast answers Steel types and provides Neutral coverage against most Dragons and some Grass types.
Dynamax
Raichu does not make for a good Dynamax sweeper. Yes, Raichu enjoys the increased bulk and power once set up and loves Electric Terrain from Max Voltage, but its movepool does not enable it to snowball into an unstoppable threat while Dynamaxed. Raichu can take advantage of Dynamax, but isn’t the best abuser of it..EVs and Items
Max Special Attack and Speed as is necessary for a sweeper. Life Orb recommended for the power boost, though if you are confident on your Entry Hazard control, you could swap that out for Focus Sash to find more opportunities to setup Nasty Plot.Other Options
Grass Knot -eviscerates Gastrodon, Seismitoad, and Quagsire, but otherwise offers poorer coverage in comparison to Surf and you are walled by Dragon and Grass types if you swap out Focus Blast.Nuzzle -reliable paralysis that can’t be stopped by Taunt.
Encore -makes your opponent predictable for a few turns. Requires very good prediction lest Raichu just locks the opponent into a move that KOs it.
Volt Switch -excellent scouting tool for predicted switch-ins and general pivot option..
Partners
Alolan Sandslash makes for an excellent partner, offering Hazard control and a reliable offensive and defensive answer to the Grass and Dragon types that trouble Raichu while Raichu makes an excellent lure for Ground types that it can subsequently wash out with Surf. As with any Pokémon with Lightning Rod and Motor Drive, partners that draw Electric attacks like Gyarados and Pelipper make for good partners, enabling Raichu to safely come in and get an additional boost before going for a sweep, while in return being reliable Pivots into Ground type moves.
VGC & Double Battle Options
Raichu’s unique blend of traits make it a niche support option in doubles teams. Lightning Rod makes Raichu an invaluable partner to the many popular Electric weak Pokémon like Kyogre, Tornadus and Yveltal, able to stave off the fearsome Regieleki. High natural speed also works to Raichu’s favor, enabling it to perform shutdowns with Encore, Feint and the Taunt proof Nuzzle. However, Raichu’s old problems persist -it is near helpless against the Grass types in the format and is exceedingly frail. Additionally, many naturally faster opponents such as Zacian Crowned, Calyrex Shadow Rider alongside numerous priority users can stop Raichu before it can start.
Lightning Tag Team
-Fake Out
-Encore
-Nuzzle
-Volt Switch
Item Attached: Focus Sash
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
Raichu plays as a hard disruptor in Doubles. Fake Out is invaluable in stopping opponents from setting and with Raichu’s natural speed can more reliably stop opponents in comparison to Incineroar and Rillaboom. Encore is brutal in Doubles formats where many more moves are useless if they are forced to be repeated. Locking an opposing Incineroar in Fake Out, a Grimmsnarl into Reflect/Light Screen, Whimsicott into Tailwind, many Pokémon into Protect, etc. guarantees your opponent is doing nothing or switching out, turning a situation into a soft 2 versus 1. However, Encore requires good prediction, lest Raichu locks its opponent into a move that KOs it and their partner. Nuzzle provides reliable Paralysis, giving a potent speed control option not stopped by Taunt. Volt Switch rounds out the set, giving Raichu a pivot option against predicted switches and prevents Raichu from being dead weight as the last Pokémon.
Other Options & Partners
Feint -Protect is the most common move in Doubles format and this breaks it. Works even better if Raichu encores a Pokémon’s Protect and offers an incredibly high priority option vs targets hanging on by a Focus Sash.
Helping Hand -Raichu’s offense is lacking, so enabling a partner to hit harder makes up for Raichu’s lack of power.
Electroweb -good for the same reason Regieleki uses it -spread Speed Control and Damage.
Rain teams -many of the Pokémon Raichu enables such as Kyogre, Pelipper, Tornadus, etc. function best on Rain teams, making Raichu a natural inclusion on them.
Countering Raichu
Grass types are a huge problem for Raichu, resisting their STAB and common coverage moves. Whimsicott, Amoongus, Vileplume and Venusaur even resist Focus Blast, leaving Raichu with no good options beyond switching out, though be cautious of trying to use Raichu as setup fodder as Nuzzle and Encore can quickly turn the tables on a greedy opponent.
Naturally Faster and Priority users also give Raichu plenty of problems. Dugtrio easily traps in and revenge KOs Raichu but can’t switch in safely for fear of Surf. Lycanroc, Sneasel, Cincinno are just some of the many other Pokémon that naturally outspeed and OHKO Raichu, and that is even before we get into Choice Scarf users. Priority users like Entei, Rillaboom, and Lucario can pick off a weakened Raichu before it can sabotage them with Nuzzle or switch out with Volt Switch.
Raichu, The Mouse Pokémon. It's believed that the weather, climate, and food of the Alola region all play a part in causing Pikachu to evolve into this form of Raichu. This Pokémon rides on its tail while it uses its psychic powers to levitate. It attacks with star-shaped thunderbolts.
Overview
Raichu’s surfer cousin from Alola returns in Galar for another go round. With a more focused stat spread, additional resistances and coverage from its Psychic subtyping, and an amazing ability in Surge Surfer, Alolan Raichu has several advantages over its Kantonian cousin. The addition of Rising Voltage is an incredible boon in Sword and Shield, giving Raichu an incredible Base 140 STAB move to spam in its favored Electric Terrain.
However, all is not good for Alolan Raichu. The removal of Z Crystals means that not only has Alolan Raichu lost its guaranteed Paralysis nuke in Stoked Sparksurfer, it also means that Knock Off is more common and powerful than ever. Additionally, many of the issues of general frailty and lack of power that plague its Kantonian counterpart also stalk Alolan Raichu.
PositivesBetween Rising Voltage and Surge Surfer, Alolan Raichu is overwhelming in Electric Terrain.
Additional Psychic typing provides additional coverage and resistances, giving Alolan Raichu more pivot opportunities
Incredibly wide movepool for both offense and support gives Alolan Raichu a lot of flexibility
Negatives
Poor defenses and weakness to the omnipresent Knock Off means that Raichu is laughably easy to KO.
Special Attack is still below average and unimpressive without Nasty Plot and all the issues that entails.
Still isn’t boosted by Light Ball and lost its signature Z Crystal in the generational shift.
Movesets
Current Rider
-Rising Voltage
-Psyshock
-Surf
-Nasty Plot
Item Attached: Life Orb
Ability: Surge Surfer
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
Alolan Raichu becomes a vicious cleaner and late game sweeper once Electric Terrain is setup, able to cleave through teams with its boosted STAB once the Electric immune and resistant targets have been removed. Rising Voltage’s power is insane under Electric Terrain and is the crux of the set. Psyshock is secondary STAB, hitting targets like Venusaur and Amoongus hard as well as providing an answer to dedicated sponges like Goodra and Blissey. Surf washes out most Ground types, preventing them from being a reliable check. Nasty Plot is invaluable against bulkier teams, giving Alolan Raichu to patch up its Special Attack and become nigh unstoppable for the remaining turns of Electric Terrain.
Dynamax
Alolan Raichu can Dynamax as a desperation move to setup its own Electric terrain, but it loses out on the insane power of Rising Voltage while Dynamaxed and many of its other favored moves setup opposing terrains and is not recommended under normal circumstances.EVs & Items
Standard Sweeper Array of Max Special Attack and Speed. Modest Nature is preferred here -you will be getting your speed boost from Surge Surfer, so the extra power is more important to reach for those KOs. Even with Modest, you are outspeeding Scarf Dragapult in Electric Terrain. .
Other Options
Grass Knot -hits Gastrodon and Seismitoad hard, but misses out on Landorus-Therian that Surf covers.
Focus Blast -answers Dark types, but outside of Tyranitar and Krookodile, most are hit harder by Rising Voltage.
Volt Switch -Valuable pivot option to get Raichu’s Electric Surge partner in safely or just to counter a predicted Switch.
Partners
Tapu Koko is the best partner for Alolan Raichu, setting up the vital Electric Terrain with Electric Surge, answering Dragon types with Dazzling Gleam, eliminating Defog users with its Electric STAB, and a reliable pivot to get Alolan Raichu in with Volt Switch. Seriously, any Electric Terrain setter works for Alolan Raichu, it is that important. Pinurchin also works if Tapu Koko is unavailable. Landorus and Flygon make excellent partners for being able to eliminate Motor Drive, Lightning Rod and Volt Absorb users while being able to pivot into Ground moves consider you have to stack Electric types with Alolan Raichu.
Countering Alolan Raichu
Rillaboom is one of Alolan Raichu’s biggest checks, able to switch in, deprive it of its valued Electric Terrain, resist the incoming Rising Voltage and OHKO next turn with Grassy Glide. However, if Alolan Raichu is setup with Nasty Plot, it can OHKO with Focus Blast on the switch.
Terrain disruption is the best way to counter Alolan Raichu. Other terrain setters in Tapu Bulu, Tapu Lele, and Indeedee fare well. The Misty Terrain setters can deprive Alolan Raichu of Electric Terrain, but are weak to its STABs and thus are not recommended. Defog also works well, but since most users are weak to Electric, be cautious.
Alolan Raichu’s lack of power outside of Rising Voltage can be used against it against bulkier foes. Tyranitar fares well against sets lacking Focus Blast. Blissey and Goodra can sit on sets lacking Psyshock without care. Garchomp does well, not weak to any of Alolan Raichu’s coverage and having sufficient bulk to take its STABs. Seismitoad does well against sets lacking Grass Knot.
Like weather-based Sweepers, running out the clock on Electric Terrain or revenge killing Alolan Raichu with priority also works well. Sucker Punch users like Absol and Bisharp make excellent revenge killers and will force it to run or be KOd.
Locations in Games
Red/Blue/Yellow:
Cerulean Cave, Power Plant (Red/Blue)
Trade from Red/Blue (Yellow)
Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Evolve Pikachu
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Evolve Pikachu
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Evolve Pikachu
Colosseum/XD:
Snagged from Cipher Boss Greevil in Citadark Isle (XD)
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Evolve Pikachu
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Evolve Pikachu
Black/White:
Transfer from Generation IV
Black 2/White 2:
Transfer from Generatino IV
X/Y:
Evolve Pikachu
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Evolve Pikachu
Sun/Moon:
Evolve Pikachu
Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Evolve Pikachu
Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Evolve Pikachu (Kantonian)
Trade in Saffron City (Alola Form)
Sword/Shield:
Soothing Wetlands, Forest of Focus, Challenge Beach
Gift from Diglett Master (Alola Form)
Max Raid Battles: Giant's Cap, Motostoke Riverbank, Fields of Honor, Forest of Focus, Challenge Beach, Honeycalm Sea
Dynamax Adventure
Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl:
Evolve Pikachu
Legends: Arceus:
Golden Lowlands
Animé Appearences
