Quick Introduction
A-Raichu has very quickly established itself as a very threatening offensive wallbreaker, as well as late game cleaner. It has a very good offensive STAB typing in Psychic Electric, and has decent enough coverage moves such as signal beam and surf to pose an immediate threat to majority of teams. Because of this, every single team with the goal of succeeding must have some sort of gameplan for A-Raichu, otherwise they are very quickly overwhelmed by the combination of Psyshock, Thunderbolt, and Volt switch. Signal Beam can serve to hit potential checks like Calyrex, while Surf can hit Assault Vest Klawfs. Though it doesn’t have very good defensive stats, don’t be fooled as in this metagame electric, psychic also subs as a decent defensive typing, giving it several potential entry points during the course of a game. This dual typing resist both of other A-Raichu’s STABs, as well as flying, fighting, and an immunity to the lesser seen thunder wave.
Choice Scarf
(Raichu-Alola) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Surge Surfer
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature/Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Psyshock
- Volt Switch
- Surf/Signal Beam
A-Raichu has a variety of sets, however the one that stands out the most is Choice Scarf. Though it may seem strange to use Choice Scarf on something with such high speed, you quickly understand why. Scarf can deal with Salazzle, the fastest mon who threatens to 2 hit ko it with flamethrower, or can can one hit ko it with overheat after just 2% to 17% of chip damage. Using choice scarf however, flips the tables. Having the increased speed tier also allows you to outspeed several choice scarfers, such as Zororark who would otherwise pursuit trap you, which you can now outspeed and volt switch out of. Late game, A-Raichu can make use of Scarf and clean up the opponents team with thunderbolt, psychock, or coverage, or create an entry point for another cleaner with volt switch. Timid lets you speed tie with other timid scarf A-Raichu, and lets you outspeed a bit more scarf users than modest like Zoroark. Modest is a no brainer as it lets you dish out more damage, and you don’t lose a lot by not investing in speed on an already very fast pokemon. Overall this is the standard set and acts as a pivoter, cleaner, and breaker all in one.
Choice Specs
Raichu-Alola) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Surge Surfer
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Psyshock
- Volt Switch
- Surf/Signal Beam
With Specs, A-Raichu can decimate and punish defensive colors to even a further extent to before. Potential checks like Shiinotic, Drampa, and Assault Vest Klawf can quickly fold to specs psyshock or surf respectively, and even with some chip, thunderbolt. One of the main draws to Choice Specs A-Raichu is that it boosts Volt Switch’s power even further, which can punish it’s checks yet even more and bring them into range of teammates. The standard Choice Scarf set is difficult enough to switch into for some teams, now add the extra damage on top of that and you have a recipe for success. Often in early game, you can sack a mon and go into A-Raichu, bluffing a scarf set and surprising them with a massive Thunderbolt or Volt switch. Specs also ups the specific coverage of Surf and Signal Beam, which can make them safer clicks when predicting. However, this set faces many issues. The obvious issue is the weaker speed tier. Making it threatened by every scarfer ever, Jolly Maushold & Timid Salazzle. If you decide to team build with Specs A-Raichu, it’s going to need support in the form of speed control such as webs or faster mons such as scarfers to pivot into. Overall, specs isn't bad or horrible at all, it’s exploitable as every pokemon is, and you should consider building with it as it has some great advantages over other sets because of it’s enhanced wall breaking capabilities.
Nasty Plot + Life Orb
(Raichu-Alola) @ Life Orb
Ability: Surge Surfer
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
- Psyshock/Psychic
- Surf/Signal Beam
Similar to choice specs, the goal of this set is to break down walls and try to sweep late game. With nasty plot and life orb, you dish out ridiculous amounts of damage. combine that with great offensive STAB and coverage, and you are very hard to switch into. The mains strength of this set is it’s amazing coverage and ability to deal with checks such as AV Klawf, Shiinotic, and so on. This set does so much sheer damage in fact, that you can drop psyshock all together and run psychic to get similar if not better results. Though there is much advantage to using this set, there is also a lot you are sacrificing. For one, you have to drop volt switch in favor of nasty plot, which you don’t usually mind with how all in the set is, but it can suck to not have volt switch at times. Because of your reliance on life orb, A-Raichu is really easily chipped down with the accumulation of attacks, hazards, and life orb damage. You don’t typically mind these as the teams this set will fit on will usually be hyper offensive or very fast paced teams, however these are still relevant and exploitable weaknesses.
Though the two sets act very differently, you could drop Nasty Plot for Volt Switch for a “Volt Switch + 3 attacks” set instead. However, Nasty Plot is most of the time better.
Assault Vest
Raichu-Alola @ Assault Vest
Ability: Surge Surfer
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Psyshock
- Draining Kiss/Surf/Signal Beam
Assault vest is not nearly used as enough as every other set, but it still has seen some (hard on some) usage. Despite being an assault vest user, you still have a standard timid spread. This is simply because assault vest is solely there to help switch into opposing A-Raichus. This, is not a horrible idea on paper. You resist both STABS and can 1v1 it with coverage. However, you lose a lot of traits that may make A-Raichu worth using in the first place. For one, not going for scarf, specs, or lorb makes your speed tier vulnerable to scarfers and faster pokemon, and worsens your damage output. This take on A-Raichu serves a different purpose for that reason, mostly coming in on neutral or resisted hits to volt switch out or threaten foes. You’re weak to chip damage from toxic, hazards, and attacks, so you very much appreciate being used with a wish passer or on a fast paced team that doesn't need you switching in a whole lot.
Other Options
Focus Blast - An alternative way to hit klawf, while also offering coverage for drampa.
Thunder - can be used on very rarely seen rain teams, and is a very powerful spam move. Rain also compliments surf.
Encore - If you can pay off sacrificing a coverage slot on a plot set, this can really come in handy.
Agility - a bit of an anti-meta development, meant to counter scarfers that would otherwise revenge kill you and smacks them back with hard STAB.
Knock off - though you are by no means a physical attacker, you still have a solid enough base 85 physical attack and can chunk dark weak pokemon as well as force progress on slower switch ins before volt switching out. Notably, you can knock Assault Vest off of Klawf.
Checks & Counters
Drampa
Normal Dragon dual typing allows Drampa to resist Thunderbolt, volt switch, and take other coverage moves pretty well. It can threaten Raichu back with STAB Dragon moves and can even exploit Psyshock by repeatedly roosting to build up beserk boosts. You can deal with this by simply volt switching out, or chipping it down and picking it off with Psyshock. Focus blast is niche, but a good coverage move to hit drampa as well.
Shiinotic
With a Fairy Grass dual typing, once again your electric STAB is resisted, making Shiinotic a prime switch in into volt switches. Shiinotic can also threaten spore against A-Raichu, which can be devastating in faster paced match ups. However, compared to other A-Raichu switch ins, it is far more exploitable. Shiinotic has worse bulk than Drampa, and cannot handle psyshocks nearly as well. With its over reliance on spore, you can exploit this by switching into your own spore immune grass type and force it out.
Calyrex
Similar to to shiinotic, Calyrex can come in on thunderbolts and surfs, and takes volt switches really well. Calyrex can run a few sets like calm mind, leech seed, or trick room but none are particularly too difficult to deal with. It’s very exploitable in its typing, as outside of raichu it’s very easy to break. As such simply volt switching on it is a very easy way to punish it, and gives you an entry point to your physical breaker. You can also run signal beam to hit it for 4x super effective damage.
Klawf
Rock typing grants neutrality to both of A-Raichu’s STABS. With Assault Vest and regenerator, Klawf can continuously come in on Raichu and threaten it with earthquake,stone edge, or knock off then heal off any damage it might’ve taken with regenerator. At this point, pretty much every A-Raichu set has adapted to use Surf to hit Klawf. Despite surf, Klawf still can check scarf A-Raichu only getting 3 hit KO’ed by surf. Specs however, can break through it with surf. Any choice locked set can very easily be exploited by this, as apart from klawf surf does not hit much and is easy to take advantage of in the form of switches. Klawf is a nuisance to A-Raichu and your best bet against it is to volt switch out, hit it with surf, or in the more niche case hit it coming in with knock off.
Fast Pokemon
Timid Salazzle, Jolly Maushold, and Choice Scarfers all threaten to outspeed and ko non choice scarf A-Raichus. This is very easy to play around, you simply switch out. However against a pursuit Zoroark, things play out a bit different. Against a non invested mixed attacking pursuit Zoroark, you can take one pursuit and switch out with volt switch. However otherwise, you’re pretty much just dead. There’s no real way to avoid this as Zoroark sets vary and you won’t always expect pursuit, however if you want to play it safe you could avoid having A-Raichu KOIng something and instead pivot to a teammate to KO it instead. While we’re on the topic of Zoroark, sucker punch is another thing to be weary of as majority of Zoroark sets like to use sucker punch to punish A-Raichu.
Knock Off
At the moment, knock off is everywhere. Sableye, Klawf, Salazzle, and Zoroak all can use knock off, which makes life for A-Raichu difficult. This is fairly easy to avoid, Flame Orb milotic can switch into majority of knock off users just fine and is a nice knock off absorber as well. There are other knock off absorbers in the tier, but milotic will be the one seen with A-Raichu the most often.
20 A-Raichu sets, starting with mostly relevant to niche to meme. Enjoy.
Written by Essence