What is a good moveset for Raikou?

Question

If you have a good competitive moveset for Raikou, post an answer below and upvote the best ones. Movesets for its pre-evolutions, if any, can also be shared on this thread.

Be sure to include full set details in your post, e.g. items, abilities, natures and EVs. Some detail, including the intended game mode for your set, is also appreciated. Access the full list of guidelines here.

Raikou Pokédex and learnset for reference.

Answer 1

Raikou @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt / Discharge
- Scald
- Substitute
- Calm Mind

Comments

How can Raikou learn scald?

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TR84 in Sw/Sh gives Raikou access to Scald.

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if you are using Raikou in doubles, do not use discharge. Although it's better than thunderbolt because of the higher paralyze chance, it will also hit your ally. if you are using this in singles, then yes, please.

Answer 2

Gen 4

Raikou @ Damp Rock
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Rain Dance
- Thunder
- Hidden Power [Water]
- Shadow Ball

Rain Dance makes STAB Thunder never miss. Hidden Power [Water] is Ground coverage and is boosted by Rain. Shadow Ball is general coverage.

Answer 3

National Dex RU Offensive Pivot

Raikou @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Aura Sphere
- Scald / Hidden Power [Grass] / Hidden Power [Ice]

The offensive pivot set Raikou uses in NatDex RU. Raikou appreciates having both Volt Switch and Thunderbolt, as they are used for different purposes. Volt Switch is used to bring in teammates, while Thunderbolt is for power. Aura Sphere provides Raikou with a coverage move that targets Pokemon such as Cobalion, Zarude, and Mega Steelix. Scald lets Raikou hit Ground-types such as Nidoqueen super effectively. Scald also threatens opposing Pokemon since Scald has a 30% chance to burn. Hidden Power Grass lets Raikou hit Seismitoad super effectively. Hidden Power Ice alongside Thunderbolt forms the BoltBeam combo. Hidden Power Ice lets Raikou hit Nidoqueen, Flygon, Noivern, Gligar, Zygarde-10%, Chesnaught, Mega Sceptile, and Roserade super effectively. Heavy-Duty Boots is used to prevent Raikou from being chipped by Stealth Rock and Spikes.

Comments

maybe this just doesn’t fit with the nature of the moveset, but instead of Heavy-Duty Boots, maybe Choice Scarf/Specs? It is a pivot, after all, and a powerful/speedy Volt Switch is quite useful.

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The power/extra speed seems nice, but Raikou really doesn't want to be locked into a move as being choice locked as an Electric-type is rather rough for Raikou, since this set is for a format that has a few Ground-types such as Seismitoad and Mega Steelix.

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Okay, that makes sense.

Answer 4

Heres one that I personally like

Raikou @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Extreme Speed
- Aura Sphere

He needs a rash nature for the event (and also the shiny). Thunderbolt is a good STAB move. I like using volt switch on raikou. Extreme speed to take out faster opponents. And aura sphere because it never misses

Answer 5

National Dex RU Calm Mind

Raikou @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Aura Sphere
- Scald / Hidden Power [Ice]

A Calm Mind + Z move set for NatDex RU. This set is used to surprise Pokemon expecting the Offensive Heavy-Duty Boots pivot set Raikou uses. Calm Mind is used to boost Raikou's breaking power. Thunderbolt is used as Raikou's STAB move as it is powerful. Aura Sphere provides coverage against Pokemon such as Cobalion, Mega Steelix, and Zarude. Aura Sphere is also used to be powered up by Fightinium Z, turning into All-Out Pummeling, allowing Raikou to overwhelm its traditional checks such as Seismitoad upon getting a +1 boost from Calm Mind. Scald provides coverage against Pokemon such as Nidoqueen and threatens opposing Pokemon with a burn. Hidden Power Ice can be used to form the BoltBeam combo as well as letting Raikou deal super effective damage to Pokemon such as Nidoqueen, Noivern, Flygon, Zygarde-10%, Roserade, Chesnaught, and Mega Sceptile.

Answer 6

Tanky - nuker

Raikou @ Leftovers
Ability: Inner focus
EVs: 252 Def / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Rain Dance
- Weather Ball / Scald
- Thunder / Thunderbolt
- Calm Mind

Best partnered with screens, but it could handle itself properly without it since I made my raikou tanky built, the moves compliments with each other while covering the threat of ground type monsters, rain dance makes thunder a STAB with impressive power of 110 sure hit or you can go play safely with thunderbolt in case you don't wanna risk them figuring out that you r using the rain for assisting ur accuracy, and rain dance as well makes the weather ball a water type move annihilating most ground type Pokemons, sure scald is great with burn chance but 150 power from weather boost is pretty good, you can still use scald and give off the 30 difference power for burn, for me its a good trade off from the 2ndary effect, since you won't be triggering it easily, and weather ball can be flexible if someone tries to set up a weather effect in the battlefield, calm mind is to make it even more tankier and hit harder. My motive here is to hit them with moves of such whopping power so I could make it to the least invested EVs the (sp. atk) of my build and being tanky at the same time, ability is to avoid paraflinch and fake out users, leftover for sustain.

This is my build and I'm sharing it so it'd be improved or implemented by interested players, If you dont agree with it, I'm open for suggestions to change, but please at least don't forget to respect my post, thanks a lot!

Answer 7

Gen 9 NU Substitute + Calm Mind

Raikou @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Grass / Ghost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Tera Blast / Shadow Ball

A Substitute + Calm Mind set Raikou can use in Gen 9 NU. Substitute allows Raikou to take advantage of switches and passive Pokemon, allowing it to have more setup opportunities. With Pressure combined with Substitute, Raikou can potentially PP stall out a move so it has low PP. Calm Mind is used to boost the Special Attack and Special Defense stats of Raikou, allowing it to become a potent wincon that can be hard for Special Wallbreakers to take out should it get off multiple Calm Mind boosts. Thunderbolt is Raikou's Electric STAB since it is consistent and a move that has decent power. Tera Blast with Tera Grass allows Raikou to dunk on the Water/Ground types in the tier named Gastrodon, Swampert, and Quagsire. If you have another Pokemon that's Tera reliant on the team, you can use Shadow Ball with Tera Ghost so Raikou isn't as Tera reliant. Tera Ghost boosts the power of Shadow Ball and can let you setup on Chansey since this set has Substitute. You can do Scald with Tera Water so Raikou can fish for burns, but note that it struggles against Water/Ground types, specifically Gastrodon since it hard walls Thunderbolt + Scald unless it used its Tera. Leftovers is used to give Raikou some HP recovery.