What Mega Evolution changes
Raichu, number 26 in the National Dex and a Kanto Pokémon,
holds Raichunite Y to become Mega Raichu Y,
taking its total from 485 to 585. The biggest single gain is 70 Sp. Atk, followed by 20 Speed. Nothing goes down — HP, Defense and Sp. Def stay exactly where they were.
The typing does not change — it is Electric before and after — so the Mega is the same defensive problem as the base form, only bigger. Mega Evolving replaces Static and Lightning Rod with No Guard.
What gets through
As Electric, 1 of the eighteen attacking types get through for extra damage. It resists 3. The full board is above; the short version is that the
types listed under ×2 and ×4 are the ones worth planning around.
On the Regulation M-B ladder
Mega Raichu Y is played on 7.0% of teams in the Regulation M-B VGC
ladder, which puts it 24th of the 282 Pokémon with enough games to
measure. The move almost every one of them carries is Zap Cannon at 98.8%.
The Champions module tiers it OU.
Those figures come from Smogon's published usage statistics rather than from anything measured
here, and they describe what the ladder plays, not what is strongest.
What threatens it
Smogon publishes no head-to-head checks-and-counters data for doubles formats, so this list is
computed, not measured: these are the most-played Regulation M-B Pokémon carrying
a damaging move of a type Mega Raichu Y takes extra damage from.
- Garchomp — Earthquake (Ground, ×2), on 85.7% of its sets
- Swampert-Mega — Earthquake (Ground, ×2), on 73.4% of its sets
- Venusaur — Earth Power (Ground, ×2), on 77% of its sets
- Venusaur-Mega — Earth Power (Ground, ×2), on 95.6% of its sets
- Hydreigon — Earth Power (Ground, ×2), on 58.8% of its sets
- Excadrill — High Horsepower (Ground, ×2), on 56.9% of its sets
Where it sits among the Megas
Of the 91 Mega forms in the dex, Mega Raichu Y is 66th by base
stat total. Its best stat is Sp. Atk at 160, which is 13th
among Megas; its worst is Defense at 55, 90th.
4 other Megas share the Electric typing and therefore this exact matchup board: Mega Raichu X, Mega Eelektross, Mega Manectric, Mega Zeraora.
The unevolved Raichu is itself on 0.33% of teams.
Putting it on a team
A Mega slot is a commitment: the stone occupies the held item, so whatever Mega Raichu Y would have
wanted from an item, it does not get. Drop it into the
team builder to see what the rest of the six then have to cover,
or take it to the damage calculator to find out whether those
160 points of
Special Attack actually change a
knockout.
