Role: Physical Sweeper
Electivire @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Motor Drive
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wild Charge
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
- Hammer Arm
Explanation: The first three moves are pretty obvious (Wild Charge for STAB and it abuses Electivire's high Atk stat, Ice Punch to cover its weaknesses namely Ground and also to cover against Grass and Dragon, both of which its Electric attacks won't be very effective against, and Earthquake for its high power and coverage). I prefer Hammer Arm over other Fighting type moves (I choose it for its coverage against Normal, Rock, Steel, Ice, Dark and also it's just a pretty good type move to have) like Brick Break or Cross Chop because of various reasons, but most prominently: it has higher BP and (relatively) high accuracy with high PP as well (not really a factor but just wanna throw it in). Yes, it lowers Electivire's speed, and you may be wondering: why give it all those EVs and a Spe boosting nature and a Choice Scarf if we're just going to use a move that decreases its Spe?
The thing is, with Choice Scarf, Electivire (and all those other factors) Electivire is likely going to hit first unless said opponent invests in Spe as well or uses moves like Quick Attack/Vacuum Wave which are not super effective against Electivire anyway. By hitting first with Hammer Arm, depending on the opponent's Spe, it may be even possible to hit first against since your Electivire will be quite fast. Choice Scarf locks Electivire into only one move so either way you are going to have to switch it unless you want to keep using Hammer Arm. And once you switch out... and then you switch in, BAM, all the stat reductions (including reduction in Spe) is gone. You can use whatever attacks you want again :) Furthermore, you're not always going to use Hammer Arm, you can use any of your other three attacks. So, this doesn't mean you have to keep switching out, unless you don't get a OHKO since your opponent is likely to switch to a Pokemon that can resist your attacks, and Choice Scarf will force you to use the previous move that is no longer effective, hence you should switch out.
Phew. It's a long explanation, but if you don't feel comfortable using Hammer Arm, then Brick Break or Cross Chop are good alternatives! I like Brick Break but find its BP a bit low, and Cross Chop is a great move but has low PP. Focus Punch is just... very risky. You may never get to hit especially if you opponent knows you have a Focus Punch (say, it fails). But if you're using either of these moves, perhaps an Adamant nature will be better.
