[OVERVIEW]
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Psychic / Psyshock
move 4: Grass Knot / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb / Aloraichium Z
ability: Surge Surfer
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Set Details
========
Usage Tips
========
========
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: Dark-types often run Pursuit which cripples Alolan Raichu alot, both Sneasel and Scarf Drapion are pokemon Alolan Raichu does not like to be on the field with. With Pursuit you either able to OHKO it or bring it to a certain point it can't so much after. Then the other Dark-types like Alolan Persian is able to outspeed and do heavy damage with Foul Play or OHKO with Z-Foul Play, another one is AV Incineroar what does not get killed by +2 Surf and OHKO's it back.
**Faster Pokemon**: Since Alolan Raichu is so frail it can easily be revenge killed by Choice Scarfer such as Emboar, Delphox and Hitmonlee what all have no trouble OHKO'ing Alolan Raichu. U-Turn Choice Scarf like Mesprit, Braviary and Passimian make it hard for Alolan Raichu it do something since it's hard to switch into your check to these since they can always just U-Turn out and if Alolan Raichu stays in it would probably die. Faster Pokémons like Sceptile and Specs Accelgor threaten Alolan Raichu alot since both outspeed and have the ability to OHKO Alolan Raichu before it has the chance to do something.
**Priority users**: Alolan Raichu poor Defenses make it an easy target or Priority such as Ice Shard from Vanilluxe, Sucker Punch from Spiritomb, Liepard, Hitmonlee, Toxicroak, Kangaskhan and Emboar, and as last Fake Out users such as Incineroar and Ambipom.
- Alolan Raichu is a great offensive sweeper with good Speed tier allowing to outspeed notable threats like Virizion, Sigilyph, Drapion and Houndoom, decent Special Attack, good offensive typing and a really good movepool.
- With the new unique Psychic typing Alolan Raichu is now able to get past pokemons like Virizion, Vileplume, Hariyama what Raichu had trouble doing + your moveset has always something to hit the opponant neutral what Raichu doesn't have.
- Alolan Raichu has great coverage and access to Nasty Plot is it able to break through most balanced core in the metagame.
- Alolan Raichu faces a lot of competition from the faster pokemons in this tier like Sceptile and Sneasel.
- Alolan Raichu is very frail and has poor defensive typing, so it's hard to set up with so don't expect to set up multiple times. Also if you don't OHKO your opponant there is a huge potential getting KOed yourself.
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Psychic / Psyshock
move 4: Grass Knot / Focus Blast
item: Life Orb / Aloraichium Z
ability: Surge Surfer
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Nasty Plot increases Alolan Raichu's power to immensely heights and with a +2 it is able to break through most Balance teams.
- Thunderbolt is Alolan Raichu's best Electric STAB move with a good 90 base power and 100% accuracy it has no drawbacks over something like Thunder.
- Psychic is Alolan Raichu's second typing STAB move with the same power and accuracy as Thunderbolt, Psychic allows you to deal with bulky Grass-types such as Virizion and Vileplume, also it lets you deal better with the bulky Fighting- and Poison-types in the tier.
- Psyshock can be a good alternative for Psychic, you do give up on some power but this lets you deal better with Virizion which gets OHKOed by Life Orb Psyshock, Cryogonal and mismagius after a Nasty Plot and AV users such as Hariyama.
- Grass Knot is an option as last moveslot, this allows Seismitoad, Quagsire, Rhydon and Gastrodon not to wall you since with +2 psychic / Psyshock wont OHKO these 3. With Grass Knot you still do very good damage to Steelix and it has the potential to OHKO non-Sturdy Steelix with +2 Life Orb Grass Knot.
- Focus Blast is an option for the last moveslot, this allows you to hit Shiftry, Guzzlord, Incineroar (which gets OHKOed by +2 Focus Blast even if it's AV) and Ferroseed what Surf or Grass Knot does not do. These pokemons are quite uncommon so take that in mind when you choose your last move.
Set Details
========
- Maximizing in Special Attack and Speed EVs brings out the best offensive capabilites in Alolan Raichu. A Timid nature is certainly needed over something like Modest, otherwise you don't outspeed Virizion, Mismagius, Delphox, Charizard and Sigilyph.
- Surge Surfer is the only ability Alolan Raichu has sadly, since this ability only works when you have Electric Terrain on the field what Alolan Raichu is not able to have on it's movepool.
- Life Orb increases Alolan Raichu's damage by 1.3 so it can break through teams more easily. With Life Orb you're able to OHKO Virizion with Psyshock.
- Aloraichium Z can be used over Life Orb if you want to have an one time nuke in your arsenal, this way you don't necassary need to get up to +2 to do heavy damage, good example of this is that you're able to OHKO Drapion with Stoked Sparksurfer or OHKO Meloetta with +2. Also a good thing to note is that Aloraichium Z 100% paralyzes the opponant when the move hits.
Usage Tips
========
- Alolan Raichu's role on the team would be to break through the Balance teams with Nasty Plot or check offense Pokémons that has lower speed then Alolan Raichu like Virizion. As said before Nasty Plot is hard to set up to begin with. Set Nasty Plot up against the bulkier pokémons such as non Calm Mind boosted Slowbro, Aromatisse, Audino, Gourgeist-Super or on pokemons that are normally forced out by Alolan Raichu such as Virizion, Garbodor, Vaporeon, Jellicent and Vileplume.
- Alolan Raichu has alot of competition in it's current Speed tier from Sceptile, Whimsicott, Sneasel and common Scarfers like Emboar. So first try to get rid of these before you try to sweep with Alolan Raichu.
- Alolan Raichu shouldn't be switched in directly since it's so frail and wont survive most hits, it's better used as a revenge killer then.
========
- Grass-types that would appreciate Bulky Poison- and Flying-types to be gone such as: Sceptile, Whimsicott, Vileplume, Virizion. In return These deal with the Ground-types that Alolan Raichu has issues with.
- Fighting-types that also like Bulky Poison- and Flying-types to be gone such as: Hitmonlee, Emboar, Machamp, Toxicroak and gallade. In return they can deal with the Pursuit / Dark types such as Sneasel and Drapion what is a huge bother for Alolan Raichu.
- Fire-types that would see Water-types rather gone then on the field such as: Delphox, Houndoom, Typhlosion, Charizard. In return these can kill the Grass-types were Alolan Raichu an issue has with, such as Sceptile, Rotom-Mow and Whimsicott.
- Slow U-Turners, since Alolan Raichu is pretty hard to switch in it's better to have it come on when the opponant already used their move. This way Alolan Raichu comes in safely and unharmed, what makes it's longelivity way longer. Good examples are: Golbat, Incineroar and Uxie.
- Hazard stackers like Garbodor and Accelgor makes Alolan Raichu's job way easier so it doesn't need a +2 all the time to kill certain pokemons, good example is with 1 Spike and Stealth Rocks on the field you can OHKO Rhydon with Surf without a boost what you otherwise would need a boost for.
- Aurora Veil, Memento or anything else that is able to boost Alolan Raichu's Defensive stats or lowering the opponents Attacking stats works with it. This makes it able to survive a hit and either nuke something or set up it's Nasty Plot.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
- AlolanChu has access to Electic Terrain and can activate it's own ability "Surge Surfer" by itself, making it hit Speed levels that nobody is able to get while boosting its Electric-type moves. However, Electric Terrain's boost is smaller than Nasty Plot's boost and does not affect Alolan Raichu's other moves, and Surge Surfer Alolan Raichu is still weak to priority moves that offensive teams normally have.
- Choice Scarf is an option with Volt Switch over Nasty Plot, this way you become one of the fastest Scarfers in NU which is quite nice it's lacks the good SpA to be really become a threat but it's certainly a nice revenge killer / late game cleaner. Good thing to note is that Choice Scarf doesn't need to run Timid it can easily run Modest to bring your Special Attack up for the loss of the Life Orb.
- Choice Specs is used as a nuke that is able to switch out through Volt Switch, Choice Specs works well since Alolan Raichu as mentioned before has perfect coverage which makes it hard to switch in well on Choice Specs if you predict well.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: Dark-types often run Pursuit which cripples Alolan Raichu alot, both Sneasel and Scarf Drapion are pokemon Alolan Raichu does not like to be on the field with. With Pursuit you either able to OHKO it or bring it to a certain point it can't so much after. Then the other Dark-types like Alolan Persian is able to outspeed and do heavy damage with Foul Play or OHKO with Z-Foul Play, another one is AV Incineroar what does not get killed by +2 Surf and OHKO's it back.
**Faster Pokemon**: Since Alolan Raichu is so frail it can easily be revenge killed by Choice Scarfer such as Emboar, Delphox and Hitmonlee what all have no trouble OHKO'ing Alolan Raichu. U-Turn Choice Scarf like Mesprit, Braviary and Passimian make it hard for Alolan Raichu it do something since it's hard to switch into your check to these since they can always just U-Turn out and if Alolan Raichu stays in it would probably die. Faster Pokémons like Sceptile and Specs Accelgor threaten Alolan Raichu alot since both outspeed and have the ability to OHKO Alolan Raichu before it has the chance to do something.
**Priority users**: Alolan Raichu poor Defenses make it an easy target or Priority such as Ice Shard from Vanilluxe, Sucker Punch from Spiritomb, Liepard, Hitmonlee, Toxicroak, Kangaskhan and Emboar, and as last Fake Out users such as Incineroar and Ambipom.
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