Pikachu

-review by Zman-
Pikachu

Nature: hasty

Item: light ball

Moves:
-Volt Tackle
-Grass Knot
-Focus Punch / Brick Break
-Thunderbolt / Encore / Hidden Power (ice)

First and foremost, the item, light ball, is absolutely required on this set in order to prevent it from being outclassed by Pikachu’s stronger evolution; Raichu. That said, overall a Pikachu equipped with this signature item will often cause much more damage than a Raichu with a similar set because Light Ball doubles both of pikachu’s offensive stats. The move options that cause said damage are somewhat straight forward, since theres not a whole lot of different options that work here. Volt Tackle is Pika’s strongest attack (180 base power when factoring in S.T.A.B), and is the focal point of the set, as it separates Pikachu from other electric types, such as Electivire. Grass Knot takes care of physically sturdy Pokémon, if any are reckless enough to switch into Pika to absorb his potent electric attacks. Swampert, Hippowdon, Quagsire are good examples. For the 3rd slot, you can take your pick from two usful fighting attacks, brick break or focus punch. Focus punch is preferred here, as a 2x (super effective) brick break is still weaker than a neutral volt tackle. However if you don’t want to risk being killed due to mispredicting with focus punch, brick break still offers nice coverage against things like Bastidon, Tyranitar, etc. In the last slot, any of the mentioned moves are helpful. Thunderbolt opponents such as Skarmory and Gyarados without worrying about the recoil damage that comes with volt tackle. Encore is useful for causing switches if used on an opponent at the right time (like after they use stealth rock, protect, a stat boosting move), allowing you to loose focus punches with ease. Finally, hidden power ice aids in taking out the dragon types that everyone seems to love using, namely Salemence and Dragonite, provided neither is faster than Pikachu.

Notes: Fake out is usable, but Pikachu really needs all the power it can get, so it is a lesser option. Thunder punch is much the same story, as is quick attack. Substitute can go nicely with focus punch or encore, but when coupled with the recoil from volt tackle, it’s risky and not recommended. Without a speed boosting nature, Pikachu will often be killed before it has a chance to fire off any sort of attack, in OU at least.