Competitive Information for Pikachu [Black/White]
Electric
Abilities:
This Pokemon draws Electric moves to itself to raise Sp. Atk by 1; Electric immunity.
30% chance a Pokemon making contact with this Pokemon will be paralyzed.
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Note: Pokemon with the Lightning Rod ability are immune to Electric attacks.
Movesets for Singles
Looking for a competitive moveset for Pikachu? These builds are optimized for Black/White Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the Black/White metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Get ready to meet Pikachu, the remarkable Electric-typed Pokémon! Pikachu is not a Pokémon anyone usually expects to see on the battlefield. Its only type-related weakness is Ground. Curious about Pikachu's movesets? Check our suggestions listed below!
Item: Light Ball / Focus Sash
Ability: Lightning Rod
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Volt Tackle / Wild Charge
- Double-Edge / Return
- Brick Break / Seismic Toss
- Fly
Pikachu stands out as an awesome Physical Sweeper in single battles. It's designed to take down the opponent's team with formidable physical moves. Focus Sash helps protect Pikachu from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Lightning Rod, Pikachu draws electric moves to itself to raise sp. Atk by 1; electric immunity. With a Light Ball equipped to it, if held by a pikachu, its attack and sp. Atk are doubled.
◆ Wild Charge is a physical STAB-boosted 90-base power Electric-type move (has 1/4 recoil).
◆ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
◆ Return is a physical 0-base power Normal-type move (max 102 power at maximum happiness).
◆ Brick Break is a physical 75-base power Fighting-type move (destroys screens, unless the target is immune).
◆ Seismic Toss is a physical 0-base power Fighting-type move (does damage equal to your Pikachu's level).
◆ Fly is a physical 90-base power Flying-type move (flies up on first turn, then strikes the next turn).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gaa19
Item: Light Ball / Focus Sash
Ability: Lightning Rod
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Thunderbolt / Discharge
- Surf
- Signal Beam
- Grass Knot
Pikachu stands out as an extraordinary Special Sweeper in single battles. This setup is intended to overwhelm foes with powerful special power. Focus Sash helps protect Pikachu from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Lightning Rod, Pikachu draws electric moves to itself to raise sp. Atk by 1; electric immunity. With a Light Ball equipped to it, if held by a pikachu, its attack and sp. Atk are doubled.
◆ Discharge is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Electric-type move (30% chance to paralyze adjacent pokemon).
◆ Surf is a special 95-base power Water-type move (hits adjacent pokemon. Double damage on dive).
◆ Signal Beam is a special 75-base power Bug-type move (10% chance to confuse the target).
◆ Grass Knot is a special 0-base power Grass-type move (more power the heavier the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gba19
Item: Light Ball
Ability: Static
Nature: Naughty (+Atk, -SpD)
EVs: 252 Hp / 33 Atk / 225 Def
Moveset:
- Brick Break
- Endure
- Reversal
- Agility
For those intense single battles, Pikachu is a remarkable Physical Wall. It's designed to withstand physical attacks and hit back effectively. With Static, 30% chance a pokemon making contact with Pikachu will be paralyzed. With a Light Ball equipped to it, if held by a pikachu, its attack and sp. Atk are doubled.
◆ Endure is a status move (Pikachu survives attacks this turn with at least 1 hp).
◆ Reversal is a physical 0-base power Fighting-type move (more power the less hp your Pikachu has left).
◆ Agility is a status move (raises your Pikachu's speed by 2 stages).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gca19
Item: Light Ball
Ability: Static
Nature: Mild (+SpA, -Def)
EVs: 128 Atk / 128 SpA / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Electro Ball
- Volt Tackle
- Quick Attack
- Thunderbolt
Pikachu proves to be a superb Mixed Sweeper for single battles. With Static, 30% chance a pokemon making contact with Pikachu will be paralyzed. This is the pikachu used by ash:same moves and ability, just edited to make it usable. With a Light Ball equipped to it, if held by a pikachu, its attack and sp. Atk are doubled.
◆ Volt Tackle is a physical STAB-boosted 120-base power Electric-type move (has 33% recoil. 10% chance to paralyze target).
◆ Quick Attack is a physical priority-increased 40-base power Normal-type move (usually goes first).
◆ Thunderbolt is a special STAB-boosted 95-base power Electric-type move (10% chance to paralyze the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/gda19
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Pikachu? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive Black/White Double Battles. The VGC is the ultimate test of strategy and skill, and these movesets and EVs are designed to excel against multiple opponents at once while providing essential support to your team. Dominate the Black/White metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: Light Ball / Focus Sash
Ability: Lightning Rod
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Volt Tackle / Wild Charge
- Double-Edge / Return
- Brick Break / Seismic Toss
- Fly
Pikachu makes an a first-rate Physical Sweeper in double battles. It was designed to crush rivals using forceful physical power. Focus Sash helps protect Pikachu from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Lightning Rod, Pikachu draws electric moves to itself to raise sp. Atk by 1; electric immunity. With a Light Ball equipped to it, if held by a pikachu, its attack and sp. Atk are doubled.
◆ Wild Charge is a physical STAB-boosted 90-base power Electric-type move (has 1/4 recoil).
◆ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
◆ Return is a physical 0-base power Normal-type move (max 102 power at maximum happiness).
◆ Brick Break is a physical 75-base power Fighting-type move (destroys screens, unless the target is immune).
◆ Seismic Toss is a physical 0-base power Fighting-type move (does damage equal to your Pikachu's level).
◆ Fly is a physical 90-base power Flying-type move (flies up on first turn, then strikes the next turn).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/haa19
Item: Light Ball / Focus Sash
Ability: Lightning Rod
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Discharge / Thunderbolt
- Surf
- Signal Beam
- Grass Knot
Pikachu stands out as a notable Special Sweeper in double battles. This strategy is built to overwhelm foes with heavy-hitting special moves. Focus Sash helps protect Pikachu from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. With Lightning Rod, Pikachu draws electric moves to itself to raise sp. Atk by 1; electric immunity. With a Light Ball equipped to it, if held by a pikachu, its attack and sp. Atk are doubled.
◆ Thunderbolt is a special STAB-boosted 95-base power Electric-type move (10% chance to paralyze the target).
◆ Surf is a special 95-base power Water-type move (hits adjacent pokemon. Double damage on dive).
◆ Signal Beam is a special 75-base power Bug-type move (10% chance to confuse the target).
◆ Grass Knot is a special 0-base power Grass-type move (more power the heavier the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/hba19
Item: Light Ball
Ability: Lightning Rod
Nature: Naive (+Spe, -SpD)
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Grass Knot
- Fake Out
- Protect
- Thunderbolt / Thunder
Pikachu excels as a terrific Special Sweeper during double battles. It tries to overwhelm foes with potent special moves. With Lightning Rod, Pikachu draws electric moves to itself to raise sp. Atk by 1; electric immunity. This Pikachu is really more of a 2v2 style build.
Use Fake Out first to allows your partner to use a support moves (Tailwind, Icy Wind, or Spore) for an easier second turn.
Thunderbolt is Pikachu's main STAB move, which does plenty of damage to anything that doesn't resist it. The alternative Thunder is a harder-hitting option should only be used with rain teams since its horrible accuracy without the rain isn't worth the extra damage.
Grass Knot is an excellent way for Pikachu to smack a wide variety of Pokemon with super effective damage Especially those super heavy Ground- and Rock-types likes Rhyperior, Gastrodon, Tyranitar, and Terrakion.
Protect is useful to allows Pikachu to last longer during battle, and it allows your teammates to give Pikachu to power up and go on the offensive. With a Light Ball equipped to it, if held by a pikachu, its attack and sp. Atk are doubled.
◆ Fake Out is a physical priority-increased 40-base power Normal-type move (hits first. First turn out only. 100% flinch chance).
◆ Protect is a status move (prevents moves from affecting your Pikachu this turn).
◆ Thunderbolt is a special STAB-boosted 95-base power Electric-type move (10% chance to paralyze the target).
◆ Thunder is a special STAB-boosted 120-base power Electric-type move (30% chance to paralyze. Can't miss in rain).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/hca19
Movepool
Want to know what moves Pikachu can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon Black/White generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by type, category, accuracy, and power. Moves in bold get the same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Pikachu.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Pikachu can perform in Black/White. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive BW Move and Ability Combos for Pikachu
- Moves: Defense curl + Rollout
- Moves: Rain dance + Thunder
- Moves: Endure + Flail
- Moves: Endure + Reversal
- Moves: Endure + Endeavor
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Moves: Substitute + Reversal
- Moves: Yawn + Protect
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Fling + Item: King's Rock
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Move: Endeavor + Item: Focus Sash
- Item: Blunder Policy + Move: Dynamic Punch
- Moves with Priority: Bide, Endure, Follow Me, Helping Hand, Protect, Extreme Speed, Fake Out, Feint, Quick Attack
- Moves that Break Screens: Brick Break
- Moves that inflict status: Yawn, Thunder Wave, Toxic
Moves that boost Pikachu's stats
- Agility
- Charge
- Charge Beam
- Defense Curl
- Nasty Plot
Most notable and possible best moves for Pikachu
- Fake Out
- Knock Off
- Light Screen
- Protect
- Rest
- Toxic
- Volt Switch
Common Effort Values for Pikachu in Black and White
Usage Data
Explore the latest analytical usage data for this Pokémon from various VGC and online competitions. We use this data to develop our strategies and movesets. The data is categorized by competition and skill level: top-ranking trainers, mid-level players, and entry-level players.
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