Training Cosplay Pikachu?

Question

So I got my cosplay Pikachu, and its actually pretty good. It has max IV's in Atk., Def., and Spe. I thought, ah what the heck, I'll train it. its nature is brave, ability is lightning rod, and I trained its evs in atk and spe. Obviously it can't learn egg moves, which makes it very much less useful I realize. What would be the best moveset for it? I was thinking meteor mash/icicle crash + volt switch, but I'm not sure what else to teach it.

Comments

The loss of Egg moves actually isn't that bad, as none of Pikachu's Egg moves are particularly useful

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Generally speaking, you are correct. But Volt Tackle on a Light Ball Pikachu will obliterate any water type (obviously not Swampert and the always common Whiscash and Quagsire).

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I didn't know that Volt Tackle was an egg move at the time.

Answer 1

Pikachu @ Light Ball
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Brave Nature
- Wild Charge
- Knock Off
- Icicle Crash
- Volt Switch / Encore
The Light Ball doubles Pikachu's Attack, making it deceptively powerful with an Attack stat of about 165. To put that into perspective, Light Ball Pikachu actually has a higher Attack stat than Pure Power Azumarill. Lightning Rod is a decent ability, powering up Volt Tackle as well as giving Pikachu opportunities to come in freely on predicted Electric type attacks. The EVs maximize Pikachu's Speed and Attack and the rest are dumped into Defense. It is unfortunate that you have a Brave Nature; it reduces Pikachu's Speed, which is pretty detrimental as Pikachu needs to be outspeeding as much as possible, due to its inability to live even resisted hits. However, it boosts Pikachu's Attack, so it isn't the end of the world. Wild Charge is Pikachu's primary STAB, and between the Light Ball and maximum Attack investment, it actually hits pretty hard. Knock Off provides coverage but more importantly excellent utility. Volt Switch is a great way to keep momentum going for the team, but you can also consider Encore, which can be useful for locking the opponent into a boosting move to gain free turns. Icicle Crash is the best exclusive move Cosplay Pikachu gets, as it can hit bulky Ground types which are immune/take little damage from Pikachu's other attacks and overall has relevant coverage.

Comments

How can I get volt tackle on it if I can't breed it? Also, you can change which cosplay Pikachu you have, so that's why I didn't specify. Thanks!

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I'm really sorry, it's so ingrained in my brain that Pikachu learns Volt Tackle that I didn't even acknowledge this, that was really dumb lol :'D. And okay, I don't really know how the Cosplay Pikachus work lol. Fixed both of these issues.

Answer 2

I focus on versatility above all else. As a result, I used Thunderbolt, Icicle Crash, Grass Knot, and Wild Charge. Thunderbolt for most water types, Wild Charge for Milotics and other high SpDef waters, Grass Knot for rock and ground, and Icicle Crash for dragons. As far as nature goes, I really lucked out with Mild nature (no penalty for attack, boost for special attack).

Either way, as much as I love using Pikachu all the time, Magneton has comparable offensive abilities to Light Ball Pikachu, with much better defensive abilities. I use Pikachu because it is so versatile. Either way, both Pikachu and Magneton stand no chance against the ubiquitous Golem...