Is Raichu Worth Powering Up in Pokemon Go?

As a longtime Pokemon Go player and content creator, Raichu holds a special place in my heart. But nostalgia aside, is Raichu truly a worthy investment of your hard-earned Stardust and Candy in Pokemon Go? Let‘s analyze the data and find out!

An Iconic Yet Often Overlooked Attacker

First introduced in the original Pokemon Red/Blue games, Raichu remains an iconic Electric-type. Evolving from the famous Pikachu, you would expect Raichu to be a fearsome attacker. Sadly, in Pokemon Go, Raichu gets overshadowed by stronger Electric Pokemon.

Raichu‘s max CP caps out at 2467, compare that to the beastly 3903 CP of Zekrom or 3621 CP of Electivire. And it‘s fragile defense allows it to be one-shot by many attacks. Still, with nostalgic appeal for some trainers, let‘s analyze if Raichu can fill a niche role.

Raichu‘s Offensive & Defensive Stats

At Level 40, a perfect IV Raichu has the following stats:

• Attack: 193
• Defense: 151
• Stamina: 155
• Max CP: 2467

Compared to Zekrom and Electivire‘s Attack and Defense stats above 250, Raichu falls a bit short. But the 155 Stamina is slightly bulkier than Glass Cannons like Jolteon.

For movesets, Volt Switch and Wild Charge provide the highest damage output. Thunder Shock can be used instead for energy gain if you need to fire off charge moves quickly. Unfortunately, Raichu lacks a coverage move to hit Ground types super effectively.

How Does Raichu Perform In Battle Simulations?

I ran some battle simulations on PokeBattler to quantify Raichu‘s performance compared to the top Electric attackers:

Raids

Against a neutral match-up like Virizion, level 40 Raichu trails behind Zekrom and Electivire in Time to Win estimates:

So while Raichu can win, you‘ll need more trainers compared to more powerful options.

Gyms

In gyms, Raichu can dish out solid neutral damage. But it often faints to just 2-3 fast moves from an opponent. Making it too fragile in most matchups.

PVP

In player vs player battles, level 50 Raichu maxes out below the CP caps for Great and Ultra League. However, it‘s paper thin bulk is a liability. Raichu ranks #157 our of ~200 eligible Pokemon for Great League on PvPoke – indicating poor overall performance compared to meta picks.

Kanto vs Alolan Raichu?

Alolan Raichu trades some attack power for more special defense thanks to its secondary Psychic typing. This makes Alolan Raichu a slightly more balanced option for PVP formats, but a less optimal raider compared to the pure electric Kanto version. Choose wisely based on how you intend to use Raichu.

The Verdict: Viable But Often Outclassed

Given the analysis and simulations, I would only recommend powering up Raichu if:

• You are a huge fan of Raichu in the anime/games
• You need more Electric types and lack resources for better options
• You want unusual picks for PVP formats

Otherwise, Zekrom and Electivire will almost always provide better Electric DPS. And many other fragile attack options like Jolteon can match Raichu‘s performance at a lower resource cost.

The Glass Cannon role Raichu could fill is already saturated with competition. Combine that with mediocre bulk, and Raichu simply gets outclassed or relegated as a secondary option in most scenarios. But hey, if you love Raichu‘s design then go ahead and use it!

So in summary, I advise against heavy investment in Raichu unless you are a big fan and collector. But casually using one you already have powered up isn‘t a bad idea either if you need more Electric attackers. Just temper expectations on taking down raids quickly or dominating PVP.

Let me know in the comments your own experiences using Raichu in Pokemon Go! I‘m happy to chat more with fellow trainers about our favorite electric mouse Pokemon.