Raichu Movesets & Wettbewerbs-Sets

Alolan Raichu is one of the deadliest sweepers and revenge killers in the metagame thanks to Rising Voltage's extreme power and Surge Surfer doubling its Speed. Psyshock lets it slam Zeraora and specially defensive walls that would otherwise be a problem for Alolan Raichu, such as Gastrodon and Rotom-H. Focus Blast lets Alolan Raichu blast through two of its biggest counters in Tyranitar and Ferrothorn, while Surf lets it beat Landorus-T and more reliably damage Rotom-H. Grass Knot can be used to specifically OHKO Gastrodon, Groudon, and Seismitoad, although it does little else over Surf. Nasty Plot can be used on a forced switch to OHKO or 2HKO nearly everything in the tier, although it often prefers to just attack due to its sheer wallbreaking power. Life Orb lets Alolan Raichu boost its already amazing offensive power to the extreme at the cost of longevity, while Heavy-Duty Boots lets it ignore entry hazards and not rely on the Terrain-ending Defog. Tapu Koko is a necessary partner, as it provides Electric Terrain and dual screens support to facilitate setup. Gods like Rayquaza, Lunala, and Mewtwo are also extremely appreciated, as they dramatically increase Alolan Raichu's Special Attack stat. Since Alolan Raichu is able to break through common Pokemon like Rotom-W and Skarmory, cleaners like Kartana and Weavile pair well. In return, they help deal with Ground-types like Gastrodon and Hippowdon and Grass-types like Tangrowth and Ferrothorn. Airborne Pokemon and Flying-types not weak to Electric-type attacks like Zapdos and Rotom-H can pressure Alolan Raichu thanks to Rising Voltage not doubling in power, while Dragon-types like Dialga and Zekrom naturally resist it. Thus, answers like Weavile, Volcanion, and the aforementioned Tapu Koko significantly help Alolan Raichu. In return, Alolan Raichu can capitalize on the damage they've dealt to either finish the game off or KO targets for said partners. Alolan Raichu's crippling weakness to the two offensive Terrain setters in Rillaboom and Tapu Lele make answers like Corviknight, Tangrowth, Slowbro, and Slowking great defensive checks. Priority attackers like Yveltal, Urshifu-R, and Weavile also heavily threaten Alolan Raichu, so answers like Slowbro, Slowking, Clefable, and Skarmory are appreciated. Entry hazard setters like Skarmory, Clefable, and Landorus-T allow Alolan Raichu to make quick progress on its forced switches, while Toxic support lets Alolan Raichu have a much easier time breaking through bulkier answers like Rotom-H and Hippowdon.

Alolan Raichu is one of the best ways for Electric teams to handle fast threats thanks to Surge Surfer, outspeeding the entire metagame under Tapu Koko's Electric Terrain. Rising Voltage's power is significantly boosted under Electric Terrain, letting Alolan Raichu break past foes that don't resist it or are not specially bulky and be an effective sweeper as well. Psychic is useful for hitting notable Fighting- and Poison-type threats to Electric teams such as Kommo-o, Mega Venusaur, and Nidoking. Grass Knot provides important coverage for Ground-types such as Hippowdon, Gastrodon, Swampert, and Seismitoad. Nasty Plot is an option over Grass Knot if a teammate like Rotom-C already has Grass-type coverage, allowing Alolan Raichu to set up on foes it can force out like Pelipper, Toxapex, and Celesteela, making it a sufficient wallbreaker as well. Focus Blast can KO many important targets including Hydreigon, Excadrill, Tyranitar, Diggersby, and Ferrothorn after chip damage. Maximum Speed investment with a Timid nature allows Alolan Raichu to outspeed Keldeo, Alolan Ninetales, and Landorus outside of Electric Terrain. A Modest nature can be used instead to increase damage output while still being very fast under Electric Terrain. Life Orb is used to increase Alolan Raichu's otherwise underwhelming damage output so it can sweep better. Alolan Raichu is very frail, so it should generally avoid switching in recklessly after Electric Terrain has been set up and instead come in safely from teammates' pivoting. Tapu Koko is needed in order to set Electric Terrain for Alolan Raichu so it can clean teams or weaken foes. It also provides an immunity against Dragon-type moves from foes like Garchomp, Latios, and Mega Altaria, and it can beat problematic Dark-types like Bisharp thanks to its STAB Dazzling Gleam. Zeraora can deal with specially defensive walls such as Blissey and Celebi that Alolan Raichu struggles with. Alolan Golem and Magnezone can trap problematic Steel-types like Ferrothorn and Scizor with Magnet Pull and KO them. Alolan Golem is also able to set up Stealth Rock to chip foes for Alolan Raichu. Tapu Koko, Rotom-W, Rotom-H, and Regieleki are able to pivot into Alolan Raichu with Volt Switch and weaken foes, giving it more opportunities to sweep. Bulky partners such as Zapdos and Rotom-W are able to take powerful attacks or priority moves for Alolan Raichu, provide support with Defog, and switch in on Ground-type attacks. However, Rotom-W has to be wary of Mold Breaker Excadrill. Additionally, Zapdos is able to check Tapu Bulu, which disrupts Electric Terrain and checks Alolan Raichu freely due to its typing.

Moves Fake Out is mandatory on any Alolan Raichu, as it prevents a foe from doing anything for a turn, letting Alolan Raichu's partner more effectively deal with a threat. Thunderbolt and Psychic are Alolan Raichu's STAB moves, which possess good neutral coverage on a significant portion of the metagame. They are also boosted by Electric and Psychic Terrain, respectively. Protect is useful to give Alolan Raichu extra turns to stick around, as it will be KOed by most strong or super effective hits, and it lets Alolan Raichu's partner deal with a threat. Encore can punish opposing moves like Protect and Fake Out, locking their user into either doing nothing next turn or switching out. Set Details Psychium Z is the preferred item, as paired with Psychic Terrain it lets Alolan Raichu hit incredibly hard, OHKOing most targets that don't resist or are immune to it. Even outside of Psychic Terrain it lets Alolan Raichu deal heavy damage. If you want Alolan Raichu to focus more on support and less on offense, a Focus Sash can be used instead, letting Alolan Raichu potentially use another move in place of Protect, such as Encore or Feint. Surge Surfer is Alolan Raichu's only ability and lets it reach an incredibly high Speed stat. A Timid nature is used to increase Alolan Raichu's Speed even further. Maximum Speed is important so that outside of Electric Terrain, Alolan Raichu can still use its moves before other Pokemon that are only slightly slower than it, such as Alolan Ninetales and Kartana. For the same reason, a spread of maximum Special Attack and Speed is simple and effective. An EV spread of 60 HP / 12 Def / 252 SpA / 36 SpD / 148 Spe avoids the 2HKO from Alolan Ninetales's Blizzard, including damage from hail, but makes Alolan Raichu more vulnerable to threats that are only slightly slower than it outside of Electric Terrain. Usage Tips Alolan Raichu is best used as a lead, letting it immediately use Fake Out to prevent a foe from doing anything for a turn. This leaves Alolan Raichu's partner free to either deal with an opposing Pokemon or use a setup move. When faced with a threat it cannot KO, Alolan Raichu must be careful of being knocked out itself, as its frailty means it cannot take attacks very well. It can be good to switch Alolan Raichu out after its job of using Fake Out is done, letting it be sent out later on in the battle to use it again. When paired with another fast and offensive teammate, Alolan Raichu can help score early-game KOs to swing momentum in your favor. Its other support moves like Feint and Encore allow Alolan Raichu to effectively support a more offensive teammate. Team Options Alolan Raichu pairs excellently with Tapu Koko, making it extremely fast thanks to Surge Surfer. The Electric Terrain makes Alolan Raichu's Thunderbolts deal significantly more damage. These two together form an effective lead against opposing fast and offensive teams. Tapu Lele is another excellent partner, as its Psychic Terrain powers up Alolan Raichu's Shattered Psyche into an incredibly powerful attack that will OHKO most Pokemon that don't resist it. This pairing is great against slower and bulkier teams. Fake Out and Encore help teammates use setup moves, so partners such as Calm Mind Tapu Fini and Curse Alolan Muk will appreciate the free turns. Teammates that can deal with opposing Ground-types are appreciated, so Pokemon like Kartana and Gyarados make good partners. Alolan Raichu can't handle opposing Electric- or Steel-types very well, so a Ground-type partner like Garchomp or Krookodile is appreciated. Alolan Raichu should have Protect when used with a Ground-type partner so it can use Earthquake more freely. Arcanine is also a useful teammate, as its Intimidate lowers the power of incoming physical attacks and can help deal with Pokemon like Vikavolt and Magnezone.

Moves Thunderbolt is Alolan Raichu's powerful STAB Electric-type attack and is boosted by Electric Terrain. Psychic allows Alolan Raichu to hit Poison-types, most notably Mega Venusaur. Focus Blast enables Alolan Raichu to hit Steel- and Normal-types such as Ferrothorn and Diggersby. Grass Knot can be used to hit Water- and Ground-types such as Swampert and Hippowdon, while Hidden Power Ice is an option to hit certain Ground-types such as Landorus-T and Gliscor. Surf can be used over Grass Knot or Hidden Power Ice as another means to reliably hit Alolan Marowak and Excadrill. Set Details Maximum Speed investment allows Alolan Raichu to be as fast as possible. A Modest nature along with maximum Special Attack investment is used to allow Alolan Raichu to hit as hard as possible. Life Orb is used to slightly boost Alolan Raichu's attacks at the cost of some of its HP. Surge Surfer allows Alolan Raichu to outspeed the entire metagame under Electric Terrain. Usage Tips Set up Electric Terrain before switching in Alolan Raichu so it can outspeed the entire metagame and receive a significant boost to its Electric-type attacks, allowing it to easily spam Thunderbolt. Preserve Electric Terrain from Tapu Koko, as without its Speed boost, Alolan Raichu is easily revenge killed. Use Alolan Raichu to revenge kill fast threats such as Choice Scarf Terrakion and Choice Scarf Victini. Alolan Raichu should also be used to clean late-game because of its high Speed stat and powerful Electric-type attacks in Electric Terrain. Avoid taking unnecessary damage because it lowers the number of hits Alolan Raichu can take from Life Orb. Be careful against trappers such as Dugtrio and Alolan Muk, as they can easily trap and KO Alolan Raichu. Use pivots such as Volt Switch Zapdos and U-turn Tapu Koko to bring in Alolan Raichu safely. Team Options Tapu Koko can use its Electric Surge ability to set up Electric Terrain for Alolan Raichu, enabling it to outspeed the entire boosted metagame while also boosting the power Alolan Raichu's Electric-type attacks. Zapdos can remove entry hazards with Defog, allowing Alolan Raichu to take more rounds of Life Orb recoil. Zapdos can also cripple special walls such as Chansey and opposing Zapdos that give Alolan Raichu trouble with Toxic. Rotom-Wash checks physical attackers and can cripple them with Will-O-Wisp. Magnezone can trap and KO Steel-types such as Ferrothorn that wall Alolan Raichu. Xurkitree can serve as a secondary revenge killer while also giving Alolan Raichu freedom to run Hidden Power Ice over Grass Knot. Xurkitree can also run Tail Glow to get past special walls such as Chansey and Jirachi. Alolan Golem can set up Stealth Rock to make it much easier for Alolan Raichu to sweep late-game while also being able to eliminate special walls with its powerful physical attacks. Mega Manectric is a great pivot that can also allow Alolan Raichu to take certain physical attacks with Intimidate.

Moves Thunderbolt is Alolan Raichu's primary STAB move and most spammable attack, dishing out high damage when under Electric Terrain. Psychic is Alolan Raichu's other STAB attack, which is great for targeting Pokemon immune to Thunderbolt such as Landorus and Nidoking as well as troublesome Poison-types, most importantly Mega Venusaur. Nasty Plot turns Alolan Raichu into a threatening sweeper by enhancing its otherwise mediocre Special Attack. Focus Blast is important coverage for Raichu, ensuring it can hit Pokemon that resist its STAB attacks such as Excadrill and Ferrothorn as well as letting it target troublesome Pokemon like Tyranitar and Kyurem-B. Set Details Maximum Special Attack and Speed investment with a Modest nature ensures Alolan Raichu can hit as hard as possible while outspeeding the entire metagame with its ability, Surge Surfer, while under Electric Terrain. A Modest nature is necessary to ensure Alolan Raichu can OHKO Assault Vest Alolan Muk with boosted Stoked Sparksurfer while under Electric Terrain. Aloraichium Z enables Alolan Raichu to use Stoked Sparksurfer, a unique Z-Move that provides Alolan Raichu a one-time burst of damage to get past defensive Pokemon after prior chip damage that can otherwise wall it. Additionally, its 100% chance to paralyze can also come in handy against foes that it cannot OHKO. Usage Tips As a mid- to late-game sweeper, Alolan Raichu should be preserved as much as possible until it's able to finish off the opposing team. With that in mind, focus on chipping down Alolan Raichu's defensive checks like Chansey and eliminating its offensive checks like Bisharp to best put it into a position to sweep. Due to Alolan Raichu's low Special Attack, look for opportunities to freely use Nasty Plot. Some opportunities like this include against weak, defensive Pokemon like Toxapex that cannot do much to threaten it or on predicted switches. Additionally, due to its low Special Attack and middling Speed with Modest, be sure to maintain Electric Terrain at all times if possible to give it the boost it needs to sweep. Alolan Raichu is Electric's best tool to take on the troublesome Poison matchup. As such, play with it carefully and look for openings to bring in Alolan Raichu and freely use Nasty Plot so that it can effectively take down Alolan Muk with Stoked Sparksurfer and then sweep the remainder of the team with Psychic. Be sure to utilize Alolan Raichu's one-time Z-Move to overwhelm an opposing Pokemon that would otherwise survive one of its attacks. Even if Alolan Raichu doesn't have the chance to use its Z-Move to finish off a foe, it can be used for the 100% paralyze chance as a last-ditch effort to neutralize a threat to its team. Team Options Tapu Koko is an essential partner for Alolan Raichu, as it requires Tapu Koko's Electric Terrain up in order to function at all as a sweeper. Tapu Koko also benefits Alolan Raichu by dealing with Dark- and Dragon-types that are threatening to Alolan Raichu like Hydreigon and Latios. Alolan Golem provides massive support in the form of Stealth Rock that helps chip down foes throughout the battle to enable Alolan Raichu to sweep late-game. Alolan Golem and Magnezone are able to trap and remove Steel-types such as Excadrill and Ferrothorn, removing the pressure from Alolan Raichu to take them down with Focus Blast. Zapdos and Rotom-Wash form an effective defensive pair for Electric that benefit Alolan Raichu by checking Ground-types, removing entry hazards, and acting as slow pivots to safely bring in Alolan Raichu throughout the battle. Zapdos notably can take on Tapu Bulu for Alolan Raichu, which is often a hard stop to it thanks to Grassy Surge overwriting the Electric Terrain Alolan Raichu requires to function. Zeraora is an effective physical attacker that can take on specially defensive Pokemon that Alolan Raichu is unable to deal with such as Chansey, and its high Speed helps other fast offensive foes that Alolan Raichu has trouble dealing with like Latios.