RBY 4U (Under3U) Electrode [GP Ready]

Electrode
Type: Electric
Stats: 60 | 50 | 70 | 80 | 140

Introduction

In a tier where Waters are omnipresent, Electrode might seem like a good idea : It hits them hard, is fast, and on top of that can boom. The problem is that Nidoking walls it and is on basically every team, making it very difficult for Electrode to express itself. Nidoking also tends to be around until the late stages of the game, so Electrode will pretty much always be struggling. This is why you have to take care of Nidoking before using (and even possibly revealing) Electrode, which is not an easy task at all. A pokemon such as Slowpoke can be a good partner, since it can bait and trade with Nidoking. They can both make room for each other. Once you’ve taken Nidoking out, there’s actually not much that really likes going up against Electrode,Tangela not being as common as Nidoking. You can also use Electrode as a lead since it baits Nidoking and therefore can allow you to double to Venomoth. It's not a bad sleep absorber, and the fact that it outspeeds everything makes it not have any particularly bad match-ups. Electrode is overall a difficult to use high risk high reward pokemon.

Standard

Electrode
- Thunderbolt
- Explosion
- Screech / Thunder Wave
- Hyper Beam / Take Down / Substitute

Set Details

Thunderbolt is your main STAB to 2HKO almost every pokemon it’s super effective against (Omastar being a 82.2% chance). Explosion is for when Electrode isn’t useful anymore, and is your best move against Nidoking (a critical hit is a OHKO). Screech supports Electrode’s Explosion against Nidoking since it OHKOs at -2, meaning you can potentially force it out and use an Electric move. However, your opponent will be aware of that and might just decide to stay in, so be prepared to the fact that by using Screech, you’re creating a mindgame situation. Thunder Wave spreads paralysis through the opposite team but isn't very useful in practice since Nidoking is omnipresent in the tier, meaning it'll switch in almost everytime. A normal move is mandatory on Electrode to avoid a lack of flexibility against Nidoking. Hyper Beam finishes off Nidoking after a +2 Psychic from Slowpoke, and to a lesser extend kills Abra after a Thunderbolt. Take Down takes two hits to do that but is less risky and more flexible than Hyper Beam. Using Screech and a Normal move is your best option against Double Nido since you can use Slowpoke and your normal move in order to take one down, and Screech plus Explosion for the second one. Substitute is a good option since Electrode forces out a lot of the tier, and it means Nidoking has to stay in to take the Sub out. You probably want to run this alongside Screech because it can really easily force the opponent's hand, even though it does mean it can't run a normal move. Using both Thunder Wave and Screech can be okay if you use Electrode as a lead to scare things out, but a non lead one will want a normal move most of the time. The problem with not using a normal move is that you're not getting rid of Nidoking properly enough, meaning you will have trouble paralysing anything.

Other Options

Rest is okay once Nidoking is gone. Thunder gets you the OHKO on Slowpoke, Staryu, and Scyther.

Checks and Counters

Nidoking is the most common check, taking no damage from Electrode except half from Explosion. Nidoqueen teams are even worse, since you now have to take care of both before being able to use Electrode, which is very difficult. An Explosion critical hit or after a Screech doesn’t even always OHKO her. Tangela is also a very good check given its typing, bulk, and possibility of statusing, but isn’t difficult to switch into. It has good chances of surviving a critical hit or -2 Explosion. Porygon can paralyse Electrode to make it easier to handle. Abra can too but it hates paralysis itself. Weepinbell is a possible check thanks to its typing and access to Stun Spore but it dislikes paralysis too.

 

screech should be the third move on the set after tbolt and explosion. Then have twave / hbeam / take down.

Maybe also note how it can be run as a lead: it baits nidoking which at least lets you get in venomoth easily, and there's nought wrong with it taking sleep and it doesn't really have a bad lead matchup [though some are better or worse than others] - outspeeding everything certainly helps there.

 

sub should be mentioned in set details not OO really, since alongside screech it can really easily force the opponent's hand, even though it does mean it can't run a normal move.

I think screech maybe should be the first slash before thunder wave. Mention how twave in practice isn't very useful since Nidoking is so present in the tier, that when you click it chances are a nidoking is switching into it 9 times out of 10.