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Volt Switch makes Raikou a powerful pivot that can consistently bring in teammates like Moltres against switch-ins like Amoonguss and Tangrowth. Thunderbolt gives Raikou a stronger STAB move to break past targets that shrug off Volt Switch, like Slowking, Salamence, and Scizor. Scald punishes Ground-type switch-ins like Hippowdon, Nidoqueen, and Excadrill with a burn chance, as well as 2HKOing the latter two. Scald also hits Nihilego and Rotom-H for super effective damage while being Raikou's best coverage move for Thundurus-T. Aura Sphere hits Dark-types like Hydreigon and Zarude, both of which otherwise wall Raikou. It can also heavily threaten Cobalion, forcing a chipped Cobalion to switch out. Raikou runs Heavy-Duty Boots to negate entry hazard damage, which allows it to come in more frequently and retain momentum with pivoting. Inner Focus is used to prevent flinches from faster threats like Choice Scarf Hydreigon using Dark Pulse. Raikou best fits on offensive teams that can form strong momentum cores with it. Zarude, Scizor, and Moltres make great partners for Raikou, forming VoltTurn cores with it and luring in the likes of Skarmory and Primarina for Raikou to come in on. Zarude also beats Ground-types like Hippowdon and Swampert, while Scizor and Moltres pressure Grass-types like Tangrowth and Amoonguss. Entry hazard support from Pokemon like Skarmory, Hippowdon, Nihilego, and Swampert helps Raikou wear down switch-ins like opposing Hippowdon and Nihilego, as well as Grass-types like Amoonguss and Tangrowth. Fighting-type wallbreakers like Keldeo and Swords Dance Cobalion can pressure specially defensive walls like Chansey and Nihilego, which are hard for Raikou to break through. Water-types like Primarina and the aforementioned Keldeo pressure Ground-types like Hippowdon, Mamoswine, and Excadrill, as well as Nihilego, all of which otherwise stop Raikou from making progress with ease. Primarina can also check Hydreigon, which offensively checks Raikou. Switch-ins to Grass-types, such as Amoonguss and Mandibuzz, can annoy Tangrowth and Zarude, giving Raikou a much easier time. Mandibuzz also dissuades Spore from from opposing Amoonguss thanks to Overcoat. Flying-types like the aforementioned Mandibuzz and Skarmory, in addition to Salamence, can switch into Ground-type moves for Raikou.

Raikou's great Speed stat and shockingly good coverage make it a good choice for Calm Mind sweeping. Substitute pairs very well with Pressure for PP stalling, punishes more flimsy checks, and also protects Raikou from status. Rest with Chesto Berry is a reasonable alternative for giving Raikou more chances to set up Calm Mind. Volt Switch lets Raikou function as a pivot when needed. Extrasensory is mainly for hitting Naganadel as hard as possible. Shadow Ball does good damage to Dragapult, and Aura Sphere can be used if your team has issues with Ferrothorn. Items Leftovers pairs the best with Calm Mind and Substitute. Life Orb turns Raikou into a more immediate sweeper, and works especially well when Raikou Dynamaxes. Always hold Chesto Berry when using Rest, as Raikou can't afford spending time asleep.

Raikou's ability to pivot with Volt Switch, combined with its good Speed stat and coverage, make Choice Specs a reasonable option for it. Extrasensory is Raikou's best attack against Naganadel, while Shadow Ball hits Dragapult hard. Aura Sphere lets Raikou deal a good amount of damage to Ferrothorn, who otherwise walls Raikou.

Alternate EV spread: 8 HP / 132 Def / 152 SpA / 216 Spe For full USUM 1v1 analyses, you can check out the USUM format page.

Substitute is used against Pokemon Raikou forces out like Landorus and Choice Band Victini and defensive Pokemon such as Zapdos. Substitute also goes well with Pressure, as it allows Raikou to stall out low PP moves like Draco Meteor and Close Combat from Latios and Terrakion, respectively. Calm Mind allows it to turn into a dangerous sweeper to help with opposing special attackers such as Hydreigon and Mega Venusaur. Thunderbolt hits Pokemon like Skarmory and Slowbro. Shadow Ball targets Psychic-types like Mega Gallade, Latios, Choice Band Victini, and Golurk. Hidden Power Ice is an option over Shadow Ball to threaten Dragon- and Ground-types such as Garchomp, Dragonite, Landorus, and Gliscor. However, Shadow Ball is more useful over Hidden Power Ice due to other teammates being able to run it. Raikou's teammates love it taking care of threatening Pokemon such as Celebi and Mega Gallade. Rotom-W is a great defensive wall that can hinder physical attackers like Dragonite, Mega Swampert, Tyranitar, and Terrakion with Will-O-Wisp, OHKO Ground-types like Mamoswine and Nidoking with Hydro Pump, and safely bring Raikou in with Volt Switch. Zapdos is a great wall that can take care of Steel-types such as Excadrill and Ferrothorn with Heat Wave and get rid of troublesome entry hazards with Defog. Magnezone can trap Steel-types like Ferrothorn and Excadrill with Hidden Power Fire. Mega Manectric can check physical attackers like Heracross and Dragonite thanks to Intimidate and use Volt Switch to gain momentum for the team. Furthermore, its coverage in Flamethrower, Signal Beam, and Hidden Power Ice helps with Pokemon like Magnezone, Celebi, and Landorus. Thundurus is a special attacker that can greatly help in the Ground-type matchup, using Hidden Power Ice and Grass Knot to take care of Pokemon like Garchomp, Gastrodon, and Mamoswine. Grass Knot is also useful to get rid of Swampert in the Water-type matchup, and Thundurus can use Prankster Thunder Wave to help slow down Pokemon that Raikou cannot outpace like Weavile and Choice Scarf Terrakion.

Moves Thunder is Raikou's best and most powerful STAB move if it has Primordial Sea, helping a bit with Raikou's lack of power. Thunderbolt is for any other sets, as it's more reliable. Both of these moves allow Raikou to hit common threats in AAA for super effective damage, like Skarmory and Suicune. Volt Switch is used to pivot out of threats Raikou can't beat one-on-one while getting free damage. It's also good if you predict a Pokemon to switch out so you can get momentum on the Pokemon that switches in. Shadow Ball is a standard coverage move that is mostly used because of Raikou's lack of better options. It hits a few Pokemon harder than Raikou's STAB moves, such as Latios. Hidden Power Ice rounds off BoltBeam coverage with Raikou's STAB moves, allowing it to hit threats such as Zygarde and Landorus. Hidden Power Grass is used specifically to hit Manaphy with an Electric immunity preventing Raikou from being setup bait for it, and also to beat Water / Ground types. Set Details Assault Vest is the preferred item to help Raikou with its job of switching into Pokemon, particularly special attackers. Choice Specs can be used to increase Raikou's damage output, making it more threatening. It doesn't miss the ability to switch moves too much, as it usually wants to use its STAB moves anyway. Primordial Sea allows Raikou to switch in on Fire-types like Heatran and Victini, which greatly adds to Raikou's pivoting capabilities. Additionally, it gives a much-needed boost to Raikou's STAB moves, as it allows Raikou to use Thunder over Thunderbolt. Alternatively, Regenerator gives Raikou more longevity; although it doesn't let it beat any additional Pokemon, it helps it check them for a longer time. A Timid nature is used to maximize Raikou's Speed. The EVs are used to allow Raikou to hit as hard and as fast as possible. The leftover EVs are put into HP to increase its general bulk. Usage Tips Even though it resists Brave Bird, don't switch Raikou into Gale Wings Pokemon recklessly, as it may fail to absorb two consecutive blows due to its low Defense. It can only safely switch into Skarmory, so don't use it as your only Flying-type check. When using Primordial Sea, preserve Raikou when facing a weather team, as it can easily stop sweeps by stopping the weather. Raikou checks a lot of special attackers, so don't be afraid to switch it in on them, unless you need to keep it healthy, as it's a great way to put exert pressure and get momentum. Against most teams, it's wise to spam Electric moves. They allow Raikou to either do quite some damage or get momentum. However, watch out when the opponent has a Pokemon that often runs Volt Absorb or Motor Drive, particularly Manaphy. Raikou can outspeed and KO a lot of the Ground-types it wants to hit with Hidden Power Ice, so they aren't a huge problem. Especially when using Regenerator, spam Volt Switch to gain momentum and get health back at the same time. With Primordial Sea Raikou puts a lot of pressure on Heatran and Victini, deterring them from using Fire-type moves. It can take all attacks from Heatran pretty easily, but you can't switch it in on Victini's Choice Band-boosted U-turn too often. When playing against stall teams, don't rely on Raikou to do any damage to the opposing team, as it can't hurt Pokemon like Goodra or Chansey at all. Rather, try to switch it in when you need it to absorb a hit with something and use Volt Switch to get chip damage. With Volt Switch Raikou can bring in wallbreakers that have trouble coming in safely, even if Volt Switch itself doesn't do major damage. Team Options Raikou is usually used on balanced or offensive teams to absorb hits and easily gain momentum. It shouldn't be used on other teams because it's not bulky enough to wall threats throughout the match. Gale Wings Skarmory makes a good core with Raikou, as it's able to keep up the offensive pressure with Swords Dance, can check the physical attackers that threaten Raikou, and has good type synergy with it. In general, Raikou likes to have a Pokemon to absorb physical hits on the team. It also appreciates having a strong wallbreaker like Latios or Heracross on the team, which it can easily bring in on walls via Volt Switch while they help Raikou to tear down stall teams in return. Entry hazard stacking works well in combination with Raikou because Raikou forces a lot of switches. Ferrothorn and Deoxys are examples of Pokemon that can support Raikou with Spikes. Similarly, Raikou likes hazard removal. As it's grounded and tends to switch in a lot, it will be hurt badly by a combination of Stealth Rock and Spikes. This will prevent Raikou from switching in as easily and thus make it harder for your team to absorb special hits. Starmie is a good option for an offensive Rapid Spin user, while the aforementioned Skarmory can support it with Defog. Raikou synergizes well with U-turn and other Volt Switch users, like Victini, because they can keep switching to each other while checking whatever is on the field.

Moves Thunderbolt is Raikou's best reliable STAB move. It allows Raikou to hit many threats for decent damage and hits most Steel-types neutrally. Volt Switch is used for pivoting and inflicting chip damage when Raikou is not facing a Steel-type and can't beat the threat. Aura Sphere is used to hit Steel-types super effectively, allowing Raikou to trap them more efficiently. Specifically, it's its best move versus common threats like Ferrothorn and Heatran. The final slot can go to multiple moves. Shadow Ball is one of Raikou's stronger coverage moves and has great coverage with Aura Sphere. It can be used to hit Pokemon like Latios and Doublade hard. A Hidden Power can round out specific coverage. Ice has great coverage with Raikou's Electric STAB moves and makes it perform better against Ground-types, while Grass is useful against Ground-types too, like Hippowdon, but doesn't make Raikou setup fodder for Motor Drive Manaphy. However, Pokemon like Zygarde will have an easier time against you. Set Details Choice Specs is the best option on this set, as Raikou needs it to do its job of removing Steel-types well. With Choice Specs, it can 2HKO Heatran and Ferrothorn, even with maximum Special Defense investment, while without this power boost, many Pokemon will avoid the OHKO or 2HKO, making Raikou unable to beat them at times. Magnet Pull allows Raikou to trap the Steel-types it can usually easily switch in on and KO them. Rash is the nature on this set, as Aura Sphere is event locked into it. Sadly, this makes Raikou unable to outspeed Pokemon with base 110 Speed, but Aura Sphere's importance for this set usually outweighs this. If you don't feel like you need it, you can use Timid to outspeed everything up to base 115 Speed, though. The EVs are fairly straightforward: . Raikou needs maximum Speed to outspeed positive-natured base 100s by one point, while the Special Attack EVs maximize its damage output, as Raikou is fairly weak otherwise. The final 4 EVs are put into HP to give Raikou a little more bulk. Usage Tips Raikou is able to switch in on Skarmory and defensive variants of Heatran quite well, so don't be afraid to do so to remove them for your team. More offensive Steel-types need more caution to trap, but after a KO or a free switch, Raikou can revenge kill Pokemon like Genesect and Lucario quite well. Don't let Lucario boost, though, as Raikou isn't bulky enough to tank boosted Extreme Speed. Be aware that Raikou can't trap Doublade due to its secondary Ghost typing. Be careful with what you lock Raikou in; don't lock it into an Electric STAB move if a Pokemon with an Electric immunity like Manaphy with Volt Absorb or Motor Drive is on the opposing team. Volt Switch is safe to use, though, if you've trapped something. Aura Sphere is less risky, but it can give momentum to your opponent if they have a Ghost-type like Gengar or Hoopa, both of which can put enormous offensive pressure on your team. Raikou's other moves are quite weak, so they can be taken advantage of as well. When you don't have to trap Steel-types anymore, you can generally play quite recklessly with Raikou unless you need it to revenge kill a threat like Victini. You can put a lot of pressure on the opponent by getting Raikou in on Pokemon it threatens and outspeeds and using Volt Switch to gain momentum. Raikou can also function as a catch-all lead, often being able to get a positive matchup by just Volt Switching out of most foes. Raikou can't damage most opponents on stall teams well. Try to take out their Steel-type if possible, and spam Volt Switch otherwise to get your other Pokemon in safely. You don't need to be careful with Raikou once their Steel-type has been removed. Team Options This Raikou set should be used to support Pokemon that dislike Steel-types. Gale Wings users such as Braviary and Honchkrow are good partners for this reason. These Pokemon also cover Raikou's Ground weakness. This Raikou set fits best on offensive teams, as it can pressure the opponent and gain momentum pretty easily. As Raikou can provide free switches with Volt Switch, strong sweepers such as Lucario like its presence. Motor Drive Manaphy and Ground-types tend to switch in on Raikou, so having something to take them on is a must. Pokemon like Shaymin-S can switch in on their STAB moves and hit them super effectively with their own, but they can't switch in on Manaphy's Ice Beam. Wallbreakers also enjoy the presence of Raikou on a team. It can get them in safely so they can try to break the opponent's team. Latios is a good example that also enjoys Raikou's ability to weaken Steel-types. Other Options Levitate, Thick Fat, Desolate Land, and similar abilities can be run to give Raikou resistances or immunities to types a team struggles with. Desolate Land also gives Raikou a Fire-type Weather Ball. Weather Ball can also be used on the Primordial Sea set to beat Ground-types more easily. Intimidate is another good option to let Raikou switch in on physical attackers better. If you want an increased damage output, a Sheer Force set with Life Orb is an option; however, its power is still not great. Nevertheless, it can be a viable cleaner. Extrasensory is an option to hit Poison- and Fighting-types, although most are hit hard enough by Raikou's STAB moves. Raikou could run a mixed set with Refrigerate Extreme Speed, giving it a good tool against Gale Wings users to avoid taking damage. However, it is extremely weak, so its niche is limited. Light Screen and Reflect are viable options on Raikou, as it can set them up pretty easily when forcing something out and can use Volt Switch to bring in other Pokemon that want the support. Calm Mind can help Raikou clean teams late-game when it is done pivoting. Poison Heal is often a good option on such a set for some passive recovery while being unable to be worn down by status. Finally, Mold Breaker can be used to get past Volt Absorb and Motor Drive Pokemon, specifically Manaphy; however, it doesn't do much otherwise. Checks and Counters Manaphy: Motor Drive Manaphy can wall Raikou while possibly getting a Speed boost from its STAB moves. Afterwards, it can set up and possibly sweep your team, so be extremely careful when facing it. Ground-types: Ground-types such as Hippowdon, Gastrodon, and Zygarde can stop Raikou from getting momentum. The former two do not fear Hidden Power Ice that much, while the latter can revenge kill Raikou with Extreme Speed if it is at low health. Special Walls: Raikou has no good way of getting past special walls. Although its attacks have decent power, it's nothing extraordinary. Therefore, Pokemon like Chansey and Goodra can easily wall Raikou the entire match. Extreme Speed Users: Raikou's physical bulk is disappointing, so Extreme Speed users can often pick it off when it's taken a bit of damage. Dragonite and Entei are good users of the move and can even switch in on Raikou in a pinch.

Moves Thunderbolt provides coverage for Water- and Flying-types. Hidden Power Ice lets Raikou OHKO or do massive damage to Landorus-T, Mega Salamence, and Garchomp. Extrasensory gives Raikou coverage for Poison- and Fighting-types such as Amoonguss and Conkeldurr. Snarl lets Raikou reduce special attackers' damage output. Shadow Ball hits Ghost- and Psychic-types for super effective damage. Protect allows Raikou to avoid powerful attacks, such as Earthquake, and double targeting. Set Details Life Orb allows Raikou to hit as hard as possible without locking it into a move and to get crucial OHKOs with Hidden Power Ice on Mega Salamence and Garchomp, which it would not have gotten without a boosting item. A simple spread maximizing Special Attack and Speed is preferred, as Raikou wants to hit as hard and as fast as possible. Usage Tips When you are using Raikou, you often have it for a specific role: getting rid of Water-types or lowering special attackers' damage output. As Raikou is quite easily KOed by powerful attacks, you must remember to keep Raikou around until it has done its job. There are a couple of things you must keep in mind when using Snarl on Raikou. If you see a Competitive or Defiant user such as Milotic or Bisharp, you must avoid using Snarl until they are gone or you know your opponent did not bring them. You should also mostly use Snarl when your opponent has powerful special attackers on the field, as it does not do a lot of damage and you must be sure that it is worth it to lower the foes' Special Attack stats over dealing damage with a STAB move. Team Options In order to pressure foes not to use Earthquake, Pokemon immune to Ground work well as partners for Raikou. In addition, Wide Guard users such as Aegislash and Swampert are also good to avoid Earthquake. Because Raikou is very good at getting rid of Water-types, Pokemon that appreciate their absence such as Mega Salamence, Heatran, and Landorus-T are good on teams with Raikou. To let Raikou survive more physical attacks, Pokemon with Intimidate or Will-O-Wisp are solid partners. Some good Intimidate users include Scrafty and Landorus-T, while Gengar and Rotom-H are good at providing Will-O-Wisp support.

Moves Calm Mind increases Raikou's damage output, securing OHKOs on Garchomp and Mega Salamence after one boost. The Special Defense boost also lets Raikou muscle past threats that would otherwise wall it, such as defensive Zapdos, Cresselia, and Porygon2. Thunderbolt is Raikou's most powerful STAB move that has perfect accuracy under normal conditions. Hidden Power Ice completes Raikou's pseudo-BoltBeam coverage and hits most Ground-types that are immune to Thunderbolt. Substitute lets Raikou set up on defensive threats such as Cresselia and Porygon2 more effectively, avoiding nasty status such as Toxic, which would severely cripple it. Set Details A Timid nature should always be run with maximum investment in Speed, allowing Raikou to outspeed as many threats as possible. 236 Speed EVs is an option if you want to outspeed everything up to Mega Lucario, and 228 Speed EVs may be used if you only wish to outspeed Thundurus. Running 220 EVs in HP maximize Leftovers recovery, allowing Raikou to make more Substitutes. The rest of the EVs are allocated to Special Attack, letting Raikou have a chance to OHKO both Mega Salamence and Garchomp at +1. Running maximum Special Attack is also an option, having a chance to OHKO Landorus-T prior to boosting, but you lose the chance to potentially set up Substitute against Suicune's Scald. Leftovers is the best item on the set, offering crucial passive recovery as Raikou sets up Calm Mind behind Substitute. Pressure works in great in conjunction with Substitute, allowing Raikou to effectively stall out PP against more defensive threats such as Rotom-W and Ferrothorn. Usage Tips Calm Mind Raikou struggles with bulky offense teams, as they give very few to no opportunities for it to set up. Therefore, if you see teams with Mega Kangaskhan, Mamoswine, or Mega Mawile, it's better to leave out Raikou entirely. The best time to send out Raikou is mid- or late-game, as without any Calm Mind boosts, Hidden Power Ice and even Thunderbolt lack any real firepower. With that said, never stay in on any Ground-types, even Landorus-T, as the chance of a Choice Scarf, Assault Vest, or Focus Sash set is extremely high. As far as defensive threats go, don't try to set up Calm Mind or Substitute on Mega Sableye before it Mega Evolves, as priority Will-O-Wisp can badly hinder Raikou's chance of sweeping late-game. Substitute should always take priority over Calm Mind when you predict a switch, as it not only avoids taking a potential Toxic but also makes Raikou harder to revenge kill. While Choice Scarf Rotom-W is relatively uncommon, when dealing with Rotom-W, be wary of Trick; otherwise, using Substitute is the best option to try to fish for a miss from Hydro Pump before proceeding to set up. Team Options Raikou can set up on a lot of defensive threats that Mega Kangaskhan struggles with, such as Cresselia, Mega Sableye, and Porygon2. Raikou can also deal with the bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W, Suicune, and Slowbro, while Mega Kangaskhan can help Raikou eliminate bulky Fairy-types like Sylveon. In a similar fashion, Mega Salamence, being immune to Ground-types and having Intimidate to soften physical attacks while eliminating Fighting-types such as Assault Vest Conkeldurr, also forms a nice core with Raikou. In turn, Raikou can help Mega Salamence check Thundurus. Coincidently, Suicune and Raikou set up on each other's checks, with Suicune dealing with Ground-types such as Hippowdon and Mamoswine while Raikou can check Thundurus and Zapdos in return. Landorus-T helps Raikou check Mega Charizard X and Garchomp, both Pokemon that Raikou struggles to set up on, and can easily switch into Earthquakes aimed at Raikou. On more offensive teams, Greninja's superior coverage options to hit all Ground-types and even eliminate Dragonite through Multiscale are much appreciated, which will allow Raikou more chances to set up. Serperior can provide Glare support, which helps Raikou set up Substitute or Calm Mind, and also easily eliminate Hippowdon in the process. In turn, Raikou can help Serperior check Talonflame.

Moves Volt Switch lets Raikou pivot out at will while doing decent damage thanks to Choice Specs. Thunderbolt is a powerful and reliable STAB move, 2HKOing specially defensive Thundurus and physically defensive Zapdos. Hidden Power Ice is by far the best coverage option Raikou has, which can OHKO threats such as Garchomp, Mega Salamence, and Landorus-T. Shadow Ball is the best move in the last slot, hitting Gengar, Aegislash, and Cresselia for more damage than any other move. Extrasensory can be used if 2HKOing Mega Venusaur is more important for your team while also having a slight, but unreliable, chance to flinch. Set Details Maximum investment in Speed with a Timid nature allows Raikou to take full advantage of its base 115 Speed, outspeeding crucial threats such as Thundurus, Serperior, and Mega Lucario and getting a Choice Specs-boosted attack in before they can retaliate. Special Attack is also maximized to hit as hard as possible, taking full advantage of Choice Specs. Though not important, the remaining EVs should be allocated to Special Defense, as due to the mechanics of Hidden Power, it's the only viable place where they'll increase Raikou stat by one. Choice Specs allows Raikou to outright OHKO Garchomp and Mega Salamence, both of which cannot be KOed without the item, while offering immediate firepower without the recoil damage from Life Orb. Usage Tips Choice Specs Raikou is immensely powerful, as Hidden Power Ice will OHKO most threats that are 4x weak to it, and Shadow Ball outright OHKOes Mega Gengar if you choose to use it. Unlike the Calm Mind set, Choice Specs Raikou struggles with defensive threats such as Cresselia and Porygon2, both of which can Toxic Raikou and outstall it with their reliable recovery. Try to avoid spamming Volt Switch early-game if there are opposing Ground-types present in Team Preview. When dealing with Gengar, Volt Switch is the safer option to avoid the Protect + Destiny Bond combination from Mega Gengar while also scouting for Focus Sash from non-Mega Gengar. Shadow Ball is the safer option in general, which can be used to 2HKO offensive variants of Mamoswine, a common switch-in for Raikou. If your team needs a solid switch-in to SwagPlay threats such as Klefki and Thundurus, Raikou is your best bet, as it's immune to Thunder Wave and its Thunderbolt is guaranteed to 2HKO both of them. Thunderbolt is great for late-game, once Ground-types have been removed or scouted for, 2HKOing Mega Kangaskhan. This Raikou may also directly switch into Suicune on a Calm Mind and still comfortably 2HKO it with Thunderbolt. Team Options Due to the nature of the set being locked into one move, Choice Band Scizor and Choice Specs Raikou form a very nice VoltTurn core. Scizor deals with all Fairy-types Raikou may have trouble with, like Sylveon, and Raikou can check the bulky Water-types, including Rotom-W and Suicune. To further complement this core, Choice Scarf Landorus-T checks Mega Charizard X, something that walls Raikou; provides a general, safe Earthquake switch-in; appreciates the aforementioned Water-types weakened and removed in return; and lastly is a nice part of the VoltTurn core with its own U-turn. Fighting-types such as Blaziken and Mega Heracross both enjoy the removal of bulky Water-types and Talonflame, and they also deal with Mamoswine for Raikou. Cloyster can pressure and set up on Ground-types such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Hippowdon so that Raikou may freely spam Choice Specs-boosted Thunderbolt late-game, and in return, Raikou can check fast special attackers such as Thundurus, Mega Charizard Y, and Serperior for Cloyster. Finally, Azumarill checks both Mamoswine and Blaziken, while Raikou can check Slowbro, Thundurus, and Zapdos for Azumarill. Both Talonflame and Mega Salamence make great teammates due to Raikou's ability to take on troublesome Electric-types such as Thundurus and Zapdos.

Moves Reflect softens the damage dealt by physical attacks, while Light Screen does the same to special attacks. When these screens are used together, they halve all incoming damage, allowing Raikou to set up even on Earthquake while making your entire team much harder to take down. Volt Switch lets Raikou pivot out once the screens are set up, dealing chip damage and breaking potential Focus Sashes for the next teammate. Hidden Power Ice is an important move in the last slot so that Raikou doesn't get walled by Ground-types that would otherwise potentially have free turns. Set Details A Timid nature with full investment in Speed allows Raikou to set up screens on as many threats as possible while also making it an effective scout for Choice Scarf users. Maximum HP allows Raikou to be bulky behind screens, gives it more chances to set up both screens before going down, and notably avoids a potential OHKO from Choice Band Garchomp while Raikou is behind Reflect. The remaining 4 EVs have little use and can be allocated to either Special Attack or Special Defense, since they won't have any value if allocated to Defense due to Hidden Power Ice mechanics. Light Clay boosts the duration of both screens from five turns to eight, letting your team benefit from them for potentially the whole match. Pressure is a great ability on a defensive Raikou set, effectively stalling out more of the foes' PP complemented by the extra bulk offered by the screens. Usage Tips Dual screens Raikou is typically used as a lead to get up screens as soon as possible. Raikou should be used against more offensive teams, as the pressure provided by screens can be a nightmare for opposing teams that rely on OHKOs, which turn to 2HKOs. Although they're uncommon, benching Raikou against stall-oriented teams is the best option, as most of these teams don't mind screens anyway, with Seismic Toss to break Substitute and Unaware users that won't mind your setup sweeper's boosts. Reflect holds priority over Light Screen when faced against Charizard, as Raikou struggles with Mega Charizard X more. Once the screens are up, Volt Switch should be used to preserve Raikou for another chance to set them up at a later point in the game and to get your setup sweepers in immediately. Team Options Setup sweepers with Intimidate such as Mega Salamence and Mega Gyarados are fantastic teammates for Raikou, being able to set up behind screens along with the reduced damage from Intimidate. Mega Salamence easily beats Fighting-types such as Breloom and Mega Heracross and appreciates Raikou's Volt Switch to break Focus Sash. Mega Gyarados can easily set up on Mamoswine, Hippowdon, and Mega Swampert, especially behind screens. Due to its bulk along with plenty of resistances and immunities, Aegislash can benefit from the screens greatly as a common user of Weakness Policy. A lot of these setup sweepers struggle with Thundurus due to Prankster and its great coverage, and Raikou can check it reliably. Mega Charizard X can use Raikou as a setup fodder; for this reason Landorus-T and Garchomp are great teammates that can both check it, while Garchomp can make use of the screens to set up itself. Frail sweepers such as Blaziken, which can easily beat Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, and opposing Raikou that take advantage of this Raikou's passiveness, also appreciate the reduced damage. While Raikou struggles to do anything to defensive threats, including Cresselia, Porygon2, and Mega Sableye, Suicune can easily set up Calm Mind on these threats while appreciating Raikou's ability to freely switch into Electric-types and set up screens.

Set Description Thunderbolt is Raikou's best STAB move and should be used against both Tornadus formes, Keldeo, and Jellicent. Shadow Ball should be used against Choice Scarf Cresselia and offensive Latias sets. Signal Beam lets Raikou be a reliable Serperior answer. Hidden Power Grass can be used to OHKO Swampert and Choice Band Rhyperior, while Hidden Power Fire gives Raikou a better matchup against some Genesect sets. Raikou should always be shiny so the opponent can't be sure if it lacks Aura Sphere. EVs Raikou should use maximum Speed EVs to Speed tie Jellicent with the 30 Speed IVs forced by Hidden Power Fire. Usage Tips Raikou should almost always use the move that does the most damage to its foe. The only exception is when a Pokemon is expected to use Endure + Custap Berry. In this situation, it is better to click a weaker move if the weaker move can still 2HKO but is less likely to activate Custap Berry.

Set Description Substitute + Protect in combination with Raikou's ability, Pressure, allows it to PP stall Pokemon such as Choice-item variants of Rhyperior, Jellicent, and Arcanine. Toxic allows Raikou to more easily beat non-Rest Cresselia. Raikou should always be shiny so the opponent can't be sure it's not an Aura Sphere special attacker variant. EVs Raikou should have maximum Speed EVs and a Timid nature to outspeed Choice Scarf Jellicent. It should also have 192 HP EVs to optimize its Substitute stalling. Usage Tips Unless Raikou can 2HKO with Thunderbolt, it should always use its Substitute + Protect strategy to PP stall its foe. Against Snorlax, Raikou should always use Substitute on the first turn to play around Belly Drum + Custap Berry sets that lack Return. Raikou should always attempt to scout Trick from Pokemon like Cresselia and Porygon-Z by using Protect. It should then use Toxic or Thunderbolt, respectively, to give itself the best chance of winning these matchups.

Raikou is one of the few viable Electric-types in the VGC metagame. Thunderbolt, Hidden Power Ice, and Aura Sphere provide phenomenal coverage in VGC, allowing it to strike the majority of the top threats for super effective damage. Thunderbolt is Raikou's main STAB move, and will significantly damage any target that does not resist it. Hidden Power Ice is the preferred coverage move as it allows Raikou to OHKO non-Yache Garchomp and severely damage most other Ground- and Dragon-types. However, it should be noted that Garchomp will outspeed Rash Raikou, which is where Air Balloon comes into play. If Gastrodon and Swampert are nuisances, Hidden Power Grass is viable as it deals a large amount of damage to them both. Aura Sphere is a very reliable Fighting-type move that allows Raikou to massacre Tyranitar, dent tanks such as Blissey and Snorlax, and consistently damage evasion abusers. Thunder and Rain Dance work well with each other as they enable Raikou to utilize its strongest STAB move that also has a 30% chance to paralyze its target. Protect allows Raikou to protect itself from harm for a turn, possibly while its partner takes out a threat. Rash Raikou would certainly make better use of Protect as the Speed drop enables threats such as Latios, Garchomp, and Terrakion to get the drop on it. Maximum Speed investment allows Raikou to Speed-tie with positive-natured base 100 Speed Pokemon that themselves run maximum Speed. Air Balloon temporarily grants Raikou a Ground-type immunity and hence no weaknesses. Life Orb provides Raikou with extra power, but it will then be more susceptible to faster Earthquakes. A Rash nature gives Raikou a lot of extra power but the downside is the drop in Speed and additional vulnerability to special attacks. A Timid nature, on the other hand, allows it to outpace the majority of threats in the VGC 2012 metagame, but it will be much weaker and have less coverage. If Crown Raikou's Speed proves a big hassle, you can easily equip it with a Choice Scarf; however, its inability to change moves can be disadvantageous. Raikou's teammates should be able to handle fast Ground-types and special tanks. Choice Scarf Abomasnow is a noteworthy choice as it outpaces Garchomp, Landorus, and Latios, and can OHKO the former two while dealing plenty of damage to Latios. Also, the hail it summons turns Weather Ball into a 100 Base Power Ice-type move; Raikou can thus run Hidden Power Grass. Hitmontop also deserves a mention as it handles special tanks such as Tyranitar, Blissey, and Snorlax, while also having access to Wide Guard to save Raikou from Earthquake.

This is a sample set. We aren't working on BW Monotype analyses at the moment, but check out BW Monotype resources for more information about the metagame.

The old standard from ADV returns for another round in DW OU. With Raikou's superior Speed and good special bulk, it is arguably the best Thundurus check in the metagame. Raikou is completely immune to Thundurus's Electric-type STAB moves as well as Thunder Wave. Unlike Jolteon, however, Raikou can shrug off a Focus Blast from the thunder genie a lot more easily while immediately threatening to deal a large amount of damage with its own Electric-type STAB or simply to set up Calm Minds. The idea behind the set is to switch into something Raikou can force out, such as Lightning Rod Zapdos or bulky Water-types, set up a Substitute, and proceed to gather Calm Mind boosts. The other option is to set up Calm Mind boosts on relatively weak special attackers as they become increasingly unable to break Raikou's Substitutes. Thunderbolt is Raikou's main STAB option, although Thunder can easily replace it you're using Raikou on a rain team for the extra power and paralysis chance. Hidden Power Ice boasts the widest coverage alongside Raikou's STAB, as well as the ability to KO dangerous threats such as Garchomp, Salamence, Landorus, and Dragonite. The EV spread presented takes advantage of Raikou's special bulk. With the given EVs in HP and Special Defense, uninvested Politoed's Scald will never break +1 Raikou's Substitutes in the rain, while a neutral unboosted Hidden Power from Zapdos and Thundurus fails to break unboosted Raikou's Substitute. The HP EVs also prevent Tyranitar's unboosted Pursuit from breaking Raikou's Substitute. Maximum Speed investment and a Timid nature allow Raikou to take advantage of its Speed stat while Speed tying with Starmie and Azelf. The remaining EVs go into Special Attack to power up Raikou's attacks. Raikou can use Hidden Power Grass in the final slot if Gastrodon is a huge problem, or Hidden Power Fire to dent Ferrothorn. However, both options are generally inferior to Hidden Power Ice as they do not offer the same coverage against more dangerous threats. Sand teams are Raikou's biggest enemies. Not only does Tyranitar hard counter Raikou, but the most prominent sand sweeper, Excadrill, takes little damage from Hidden Power Ice, outspeeds Raikou, and OHKOes it with Earthquake. Bulky Ground-types such as Gastrodon and specially defensive Quagsire, as well as Blissey and Chansey, also wall Raikou easily. Therefore, Swords Dance Breloom is one of Raikou's best friends. It can easily revenge kill Excadrill with Mach Punch, set up on the aforementioned bulky Ground-types, and take them out with Bullet Seed. Skarmory can use its amazing physical bulk to wall Excadrill and can set up Spikes on the defensive Pokemon. Air Balloon Terrakion can check Excadrill once, set up Rock Polish, and sweep quite easily. Dugtrio is excellent to run alongside Raikou as well, as it can trap and KO Tyranitar, thus winning the weather war and removing one of Raikou's counters. Toxic Spikes support can help cripple some of Raikou's counters, such as Gastrodon, Chansey, and Blissey. Tentacruel offers good synergy with Raikou, as Raikou can switch into Electric-type attacks aimed at it. Forretress is another good teammate that easily sets up on Choice Scarf Garchomp, which could potentially revenge kill Raikou.

Raikou's high Speed and Special Attack, as well as its access to Volt Switch, naturally suggest a Choice set. With Choice Specs, Raikou will severely hurt anything that doesn't resist its STAB moves, while with a Choice Scarf, it becomes an excellent revenge killer, reaching 541 Speed. While Jolteon might seem better at this role, Raikou's bulk once again saves the day; the ability to switch into any of Thundurus's attacks is a major advantage for Raikou. Raikou is also more powerful than Jolteon and has access to better coverage moves. Thunder and Thunderbolt are Raikou's main STAB attacks, while Volt Switch allows it to keep momentum for the team. Shadow Ball enables Raikou to hit Latias, Latios, and Celebi for super effective damage. If outspeeding Thundurus and other Pokemon between base 101 and base 113 Speed is not important, Weather Ball is an incredible move in both rain and sun that greatly improves Raikou's coverage. Especially if using Choice Specs, the recommended combination is a Timid nature with the Volt Absorb ability and Shadow Ball in the last moveslot, as outspeeding Thundurus is extremely important. However, if your team is well-equipped to deal with the threats in the base 101 to 113 Speed range, then a Rash nature with Weather Ball and Pressure gives much better coverage. The loss of the positive Speed nature is not as important with a Choice Scarf, as Rash Raikou can still outspeed base 100s. Bulky Ground-types are a thorn in Raikou's side as always, especially when it's spamming Volt Switch in the early-game. Breloom is a great partner to Raikou as it easily sets up on defensive Ground-types, Serperior can spam Leaf Storm without fear, and Virizion and Celebi are also great Grass-types. Pokemon that can make VoltTurn combinations with Raikou are also good teammates, as they allow you to keep offensive momentum. Genesect is the premier U-turn user in Dream World; Scizor and Landorus are very potent as well. Such a strategy also appreciates the use of entry hazards, which Deoxys-S can effortlessly lay down. Obviously, if you're running Weather Ball, Raikou appreciates weather support from either Politoed or Ninetales, particularly the former as it allows Raikou to spam 100% accurate Thunders.

This set takes full advantage of Raikou's excellent offensive stats. Its base 115 Special Attack and Speed stats, as well as access to Calm Mind and good coverage, simply beg for an offensive sweeper set. Calm Mind allows Raikou to boost its Special Attack to high levels. A boosted Thunder will dent virtually everything that doesn't resist it, while Hidden Power Ice maximizes coverage. Thunderbolt can be used instead of Thunder if not using rain, while Hidden Power Fighting is usable as it is Raikou's best weapon against Tyranitar. Keep in mind, however, that Hidden Power Fighting requires Raikou to use an imperfect Speed IV, which means it must forfeit the Speed-tie with Starmie. Extrasensory is used in the last slot because Raikou's movepool doesn't contain much else, though it can be helpful to OHKO Toxicroak, which gives rain teams a lot of problems. Alternatively, Shadow Ball hits Latias and Latios harder, and should be used alongside Hidden Power Fighting. You might wonder why Raikou is not running any of its DPP event moves, namely Aura Sphere and Weather Ball. The reason is simple: event Raikou must use a Rash nature. While the event moves give much better coverage than the listed options, Raikou needs a Timid nature to be successful. Without it, Raikou gets outsped by Thundurus, Latias, Latios, Landorus, and Keldeo, which it cannot afford. The event moves are also incompatible with the Volt Absorb ability, which takes away Raikou's excellent ability to check Thundurus. Life Orb is the preferred held item, as it powers up Raikou's moves for sweeping. Air Balloon is also good, however, as it allows Raikou to avoid Ground-type moves for a turn. In particular, this prevents it from being revenge killed by Excadrill and other fast Ground-types. Offensive Calm Mind Raikou detests sand teams. Dugtrio can trap and remove Tyranitar, while Breloom takes out many of Raikou's counters, such as Excadrill, Gastrodon, Blissey, and Chansey. Double Dance Terrakion also gives many sand teams trouble. Additionally, without the protection of a Substitute, Choice Scarf revenge killers, such as Landorus and Garchomp, can easily OHKO Raikou as long as they do not switch into Hidden Power Ice; for a similar reason, Dugtrio is a major thorn in Raikou's side too. Therefore, Pokemon that can set up on Ground-type moves are good teammates. Again, Breloom does this job admirably, but so do Virizion and Serperior. Rock Polish Landorus can also set up on Choice-locked Ground-type attacks.

Set Description Unlike other Raikou sets, Calm Mind prefers coming in mid- or late-game to set up a timely Calm Mind and sweep its foes once its common checks are eliminated. Raikou is faster than all of the unboosted metagame and has good special bulk, so it can set up a Calm Mind to reduce incoming damage from common special attackers like Mew, Rotom-A, and Latias after it has used Draco Meteor while threatening a 2HKO back. This set prefers to use Leftovers, as it intends to stay on the field with its Calm Mind boosts for extended periods; however, it can also use Sitrus Berry for immediate recovery, or Lum Berry for a one-time insurance against Thunder Wave. Team Options The biggest beneficiaries of dual screens are bulky attackers such as Metagross, Gyarados, and Rotom-A, as they can stay on the field for longer and trade more favorably as incoming damage is reduced. Pokemon with many weaknesses, like Tyranitar and Heatran, and ones prone to being worn down to heavy neutral damage hits, like Kingdra, maneuver more comfortably behind dual screens as well. Lastly, setup attackers such as Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Swords Dance Mew, and Calm Mind Latias get more opportunities to use their setup moves behind screens. Rain Dance is appreciated most by Swift Swim users such as Kingdra and Ludicolo, which are both capable of dealing heavy damage to the Ground-types that would otherwise beat Raikou. Checks and Counters Ground-types: Common Ground-types such as Swampert and Gliscor can switch into Electric-type attacks and threaten significant damage back with their own Earth Power and Earthquake, respectively. Raikou is also prone to other common Ground-type coverage such as Metagross's or Tyranitar's Earthquake and Mew's Earth Power. Tyranitar: Tyranitar comfortably switches into Raikou's attacks and threatens to either return major damage or set up a Dragon Dance. Whenever it switches in, it will also remove the ongoing effects of rain with Sand Stream. Powerful physical attackers: Raikou's mediocre physical defense leaves it vulnerable to common powerful physical attackers such as Tyranitar, Hitmontop, and Heracross. Many of the metagame's physical attackers run Ground-type coverage as well.

Set Description Raikou is an excellent Rain Dance user because its innately high Speed makes it difficult to stop from setting up, and its offensive capabilities means it benefits from rain's conditions with Thunder. Thunder's increased accuracy in rain makes for a significant powerup, as Raikou becomes able to 2HKO nearly all of the unresisted metagame with Life Orb. A Life Orb-boosted Shadow Ball also 2HKOes Latias and comes close to 2HKOing Latias, both of which resist Thunder. Raikou can forgo Life Orb's power boost to use Damp Rock instead, which better benefits its Swift Swim teammates. While this item is generally less powerful given Tyranitar's omnipresence, it still has merits once Tyranitar is eliminated. The more offensive Life Orb set prefers Protect in its last slot so it can stay on the field to maximize its Thunder use, while the Damp Rock set intends on supporting its teammates with weather control and speed control through Thunder Wave or defense with Light Screen.

Set Description Raikou utilizes its immense base 115 Speed as a lead that can outspeed, threaten, and set up a screen of its choosing against the common lead metagame. Raikou will set up Reflect against physical leads such as Tyranitar and Metagross or Light Screen against special attackers like Latias and Rotom-H. Dual screens allow Raikou's offensively oriented teammates to switch in more comfortably and threaten significant damage in return while also enabling the likes of Dragon Dance Tyranitar and Calm Mind Latias to use their setup moves easier. Light Clay extends screens to last for 8 turns, which often accounts for the majority of turns in this fast-paced metagame. Raikou isn't a great beneficiary of its own dual screens, so it prefers making way for its teammates by switching out or being KOed at an opportune moment. Thunderbolt does solid neutral damage against a majority of the metagame, needing only minimal chip to 2HKO 252 HP Metagross, 252 HP Hitmontop, and uninvested Heracross. Shadow Ball notably hits Latias while also being better against Mew, as Thunderbolt risks paralyzing itself through Mew's Synchronize.

Raikou's blistering Speed makes it one of the most fearsome revenge killers in ADV Doubles, as it is only outsped by Sceptile and the rare Aerodactyl and Jolteon, though it does tie with Starmie. Thunderbolt is strong enough to secure 2HKOs on a large portion of the tier's neutral targets, including Tauros and Zapdos. Hidden Power Grass is primarily for hitting Swampert, though it's also Raikou's strongest option to hit Steelix. A Calm Mind boost doesn't hit specific offensive benchmarks, but it does make it easier to pick up KOs against the likes of Metagross and Arcanine while bolstering its Special Defense to improve its matchups against attackers like Gengar and Suicune. Thunder Wave can be used to slow down fast threats, though it will likely be burning through its foes' omnipresent Lum Berry first. Raikou runs Lum Berry so that its offensive pressure can be kept up even after being paralyzed once. Steelix is Raikou's absolute worst matchup, so pairing Raikou with a Water-type that can OHKO it with Hydro Pump—like Swampert, Starmie, or Suicune—is highly recommended. Its special attacks will bounce right off of Snorlax, which can threaten back with Earthquake, so be sure to have multiple strong physical attackers like Metagross, Tauros, and Heracross. Raikou's Thunderbolt fails to 2HKO Tyranitar, which makes it easy Dragon Dance bait if not paired with bulky Earthquake users like Steelix and Swampert, which can threaten Tyranitar back.