Competitive Information for Pikachu (Unova) [Sword/Shield]
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-unova? These builds are optimized for Sword/Shield Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the Sword/Shield metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Unleash the power of Pikachu-Unova, an outstanding Pokémon with Electric typing. It's a sight to see Pikachu-Unova out in the 8th generation battlefield. Its only type-related weakness is Ground. Check out the movesets listed below to learn more about Pikachu-Unova's strategies.
Item: Focus Sash / Choice Band
Ability: Lightning Rod
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Volt Tackle / Wild Charge
- Knock Off / Thief
- Body Slam / Facade
- Play Rough
Prepare for single battles with Pikachu as an exceptional Physical Sweeper. It is designed to overwhelm foes with destructive physical moves. Focus Sash helps protect Pikachu from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Choice Band will increase the damage of Pikachu's physical moves by 1.5x at the cost of locking you into the first move you pick. With Lightning Rod, Pikachu draws electric moves to itself to raise sp. Atk by 1; electric immunity. Facade's damage doubles when the user has a status affliction.
◆ Wild Charge is a physical STAB-boosted 90-base power Electric-type move (has 1/4 recoil).
◆ Knock Off is a physical 65-base power Dark-type move (1.5x damage if foe holds an item; Note: This will also remove that item).
◆ Thief is a physical 60-base power Dark-type move (if your Pikachu has no item, it steals the target's).
◆ Body Slam is a physical 85-base power Normal-type move (30% chance to paralyze the target).
◆ Facade is a physical 70-base power Normal-type move (power doubles if Pikachu is burn/poison/paralyzed).
◆ Play Rough is a physical 90-base power Fairy-type move (10% chance to lower the target's attack by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mae19
Item: Focus Sash / Throat Spray
Ability: Lightning Rod
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Thunderbolt / Discharge
- Surf
- Grass Knot
- Round / Snore
Pikachu is a stunning Special Sweeper to use for single battles. This moveset is designed to crush rivals using heavy-hitting special moves. Throat Spray activates when a Pokemon uses a sound-based move (in this case Round or Snore) and increases Pikachu's special attack stat by 2 stages. 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.
◆ Discharge is a special STAB-boosted 80-base power Electric-type move (30% chance to paralyze adjacent pokemon).
◆ Surf is a special 90-base power Water-type move (hits adjacent pokemon. Double damage on dive).
◆ Grass Knot is a special 0-base power Grass-type move (more power the heavier the target).
◆ Round is a special 60-base power Normal-type move (power doubles if others used round this turn).
◆ Snore is a special 50-base power Normal-type move (Pikachu must be asleep. 30% chance to flinch target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mbe19
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Pikachu-unova? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive Sword/Shield 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 Sword/Shield metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: Focus Sash / Choice Band
Ability: Lightning Rod
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Volt Tackle / Wild Charge
- Knock Off / Thief
- Body Slam / Facade
- Play Rough
For those intense double battles, Pikachu is a decent Physical Sweeper. The objective of this moveset is to take down the opponent's team with formidable physical attacks. Focus Sash helps protect Pikachu from being one-shotted and allowing it to atleast use a crucial move when brought out. Choice Band will increase the damage of Pikachu's physical moves by 1.5x at the cost of locking you into the first move you pick. With Lightning Rod, Pikachu draws electric moves to itself to raise sp. Atk by 1; electric immunity. Facade's damage doubles when the user has a status affliction.
◆ Wild Charge is a physical STAB-boosted 90-base power Electric-type move (has 1/4 recoil).
◆ Knock Off is a physical 65-base power Dark-type move (1.5x damage if foe holds an item; Note: This will also remove that item).
◆ Thief is a physical 60-base power Dark-type move (if your Pikachu has no item, it steals the target's).
◆ Body Slam is a physical 85-base power Normal-type move (30% chance to paralyze the target).
◆ Facade is a physical 70-base power Normal-type move (power doubles if Pikachu is burn/poison/paralyzed).
◆ Play Rough is a physical 90-base power Fairy-type move (10% chance to lower the target's attack by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/nae19
Item: Focus Sash / Throat Spray
Ability: Lightning Rod
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Discharge / Electroweb
- Surf
- Grass Knot
- Round / Snore
Ready for double battles? Pikachu is an exquisite Special Sweeper. This approach seeks to take down the opponent's team with heavy-hitting special moves. Throat Spray activates when a Pokemon uses a sound-based move (in this case Round or Snore) and increases Pikachu's special attack stat by 2 stages. 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.
◆ Electroweb is a special STAB-boosted 55-base power Electric-type move (100% chance to lower the foes speed by 1 stage).
◆ Surf is a special 90-base power Water-type move (hits adjacent pokemon. Double damage on dive).
◆ Grass Knot is a special 0-base power Grass-type move (more power the heavier the target).
◆ Round is a special 60-base power Normal-type move (power doubles if others used round this turn).
◆ Snore is a special 50-base power Normal-type move (Pikachu must be asleep. 30% chance to flinch target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/nbe19
Movepool
Want to know what moves Pikachu-unova can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon Sword/Shield 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-unova.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Pikachu-unova can perform in Sword/Shield. 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 SS Move and Ability Combos for Pikachu-unova
- Moves: Rain dance + Thunder
- Moves: Endure + Reversal
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Moves: Substitute + Reversal
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Fling + Item: King's Rock
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Moves with Priority: Endure, Helping Hand, Protect, Feint, Quick Attack
- Moves that Break Screens: Brick Break
- Moves that inflict status: Thunder Wave, Toxic
Moves that boost Pikachu-unova's stats
- Agility
- Charge Beam
- Nasty Plot
Most notable and possible best moves for Pikachu-unova
- Knock Off
- Light Screen
- Protect
- Reflect
- Rest
- Toxic
- Volt Switch
Common Effort Values for Pikachu-unova in Sword and Shield
- Adamant Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Modest Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Jolly Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Timid Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Bold Nature ( 252/0/252/0/0/4 )
- Calm Nature ( 252/0/0/0/252/4 )
- Relaxed Nature ( 252/0/88/0/168/0 )
- Sassy Nature ( 252/0/4/0/252/0 )
- Optimize Pikachu-unova's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon Sword and Shield
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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