Pikachu Movesets and Best Builds

This is a guide to movesets and best builds for using Pikachu in competitive play for the games Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (SV). Read on for tips on the best Nature, EV spreads, Movesets, Tera Type, and Held Items to use with Pikachu, as well as its strengths and weakness.

Pikachu - Related Guides
Evolution and Learnset	Moveset for Ranked Battle	Tera Raid Build

Pikachu Base Stats, Type, Ability and Weakness

Paldea #74 Kitakami #21		Type
Pikachu
		Abilities
		Static Lightning Rod (Hidden)
Weak to:
	(2x)
Damaged Normally By:	(1x)
Resists:	(0.5x)

What is Type Effectiveness?

Ability Name		Description
Static		Has a 30% chance to paralyze opponents that come into direct contact with the user.
Lightning Rod (Hidden)		The user draws in all Electric type moves. Electric-type moves cannot damage the user but instead will boost its Special Attack by one stage.

Base Stats

Best Nature for Pikachu

Best Natures
Timid （+Spe, -Atk）	Jolly （+Spe, -Sp. Atk）

What are Natures?

Singles Movesets for Pikachu

Build Name	Recommendation
Unrivaled Water Pikachu	★★★
Mystery Gift Flying Pikachu	★★★

Unrivaled Water Pikachu Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
EV Spread	4 HP / 252 Sp. Atk / 252 Spe
Final Stat Values	111 HP / 67 Atk / 60 Def / 102 Sp. Atk (204 with Light Ball) / 70 Sp. Def / 156 Spe
Ability	Lightning Rod
Tera Type
Held Item	Light Ball
Moveset	・ Encore ・ Surf ・ Thunderbolt ・ Grass Knot

Summary

Offensive Stats doubled thanks to Light Ball Fast Encore user Good coverage in Water, Electric, and Grass

Ability and Held Item

Ability	Held Item
Lightning Rod	Light Ball

Pikachu's best Ability is Lightning Rod, as it can redirect all Electric-type Attacks to itself and use it to boost its own Special Attack. This makes Pikachu a useful switch-in to Electric-type Moves.

Its Held Item is Light Ball, an item that doubles Pikachu's Attack and Special Attack stat.

Moves Breakdown

Encore	Surf
Thunderbolt	Grass Knot

Encore is great for punishing opponents who would play defensively.

Surf makes it so Pikachu isn't walled by Ground-type Pokemon. It is also great for attacking into opposing Rock and Fire-types.

Thunderbolt is Pikachu's most consistent Electric-type Move which can deal solid damage with Light Ball.

Grass Knot is useful for attacking into heavy Pokemon such as Stonjourner or Great Tusk.

Best Tera Type: Water

Water Tera Type Matchup
Weak to:
	(2x)
Damaged Normally By:	(1x)
Resists:	(0.5x)

Unrivaled Pikachu's best Tera Type is Water as it can boost Surf's damage output, while still having an immunity to Electric.

Best Water Type Pokemon for Ranked Battle

EV Spread and Nature

It is important to max out Special Attack and Speed for Pikachu, as it needs to always hit hard and fast. It will not be taking many hits because of its frail defenses and lack of Focus Sash.

The remaining EVs are put into HP to raise ir by 1 point.

Other Viable Moves

Fake Out	Useful for breaking Focus Sashes and dealing small chip damage to opponents.

Key Damage Calculations

Damage Dealt by Pikachu
100 HP｜80 Sp. Def Defensive EV Investment: 252 HP Item: Choice Band	Thunderbolt 144 ~ 170 (69.5 ~ 82.1%) Guaranteed 2-Hit KO
100 HP｜62 Sp. Def Defensive EV Investment: 252 HP, 4 Sp. Def Ability: Static Item: Mystic Water	Thunderbolt 210 ~ 248 (101.4 ~ 119.8%) Guaranteed OHKO
115 HP｜53 Sp. Def Defensive EV Investment: 4 HP Item: Choice Band	Grass Knot 170 ~ 202 (89.4 ~ 106.3%) 37.5% Chance to OHKO
100 HP｜20 Sp. Def Defensive EV Investment: 4 HP Item: Focus Sash	Grass Knot 316 ~ 372 (179.5 ~ 211.3%) Guaranteed OHKO (Survives on Focus Sash)

Game8's Competitive Damage Calculator

Mystery Gift Flying Pikachu Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
EV Spread	4 HP / 252 Sp. Atk / 252 Spe
Final Stat Values	111 HP / 67 Atk / 60 Def / 102 Sp. Atk (204 with Light Ball) / 70 Sp. Def / 156 Spe
Ability	Lightning Rod
Tera Type
Held Item	Focus Sash
Moveset	・ Encore ・ Nuzzle ・ Grass Knot ・ Thunderbolt

Summary

Can be extremely disruptive with Encore and Nuzzle Fast Encore user Good coverage in Electric and Grass

Ability and Held Item

Ability	Held Item
Lightning Rod	Focus Sash

Pikachu's best Ability is Lightning Rod, as it can redirect all Electric-type Attacks to itself and use it to boost its own Special Attack. This makes Pikachu a useful switch-in to Electric-type Moves.

Its Held Item is Focus Sash, an item that will let it survive getting OHKOd.

Moves Breakdown

Encore	Nuzzle
Grass Knot	Thunderbolt

Encore is great for punishing opponents who would play defensively.

Nuzzle can be disruptive as paralysis is a reliable form of Speed Control and disruption.

Grass Knot is useful for attacking into heavy Pokemon such as Stonjourner or Great Tusk.

And lastly, Thunderbolt is Pikachu's STAB option if it can't paralyze anything with Nuzzle.

Best Tera Type: Flying

Flying Tera Type Matchup
Weak to:
	(2x)
Damaged Normally By:	(1x)
Resists:	(0.5x)
Immune to:	(0x)

Mystery Gift Pikachu's best Tera Type is Flying as it can protect it from Ground-type attacks, and reduce its weaknesses to two: Ice and Rock.

Best Water Type Pokemon for Ranked Battle

EV Spread and Nature

It is important to max out Special Attack and Speed for Pikachu, as it needs the extra boost to deal damage with Thunderbolt. With a Timid Nature, Attack EVs are unnecessary even though three out of its four Moves are physical, as those moves are included because of their secondary effects.

The remaining EVs are put into HP to raise ir by 1 point.

Other Viable Moves

Tickle	Can reduce the damage output and defense of Physical Attackers.

Key Damage Calculations

Damage Dealt by Pikachu
115 HP｜53 Sp. Def Defensive EV Investment: 4 HP Item: Choice Band	Grass Knot 170 ~ 202 (89.4 ~ 106.3%) 37.5% Chance to OHKO
100 HP｜20 Sp. Def Defensive EV Investment: 4 HP Item: Focus Sash	Grass Knot 316 ~ 372 (179.5 ~ 211.3%) Guaranteed OHKO (Survives on Focus Sash)

Game8's Competitive Damage Calculator

Doubles Movesets for Pikachu

Build Name	Recommendation
Unrivaled Water Pikachu	★★★
Mystery Gift Flying Pikachu	★★★

Unrivaled Water Pikachu Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
EV Spread	4 HP / 252 Sp. Atk / 252 Spe
Final Stat Values	111 HP / 67 Atk / 60 Def / 102 Sp. Atk (204 with Light Ball) / 70 Sp. Def / 156 Spe
Ability	Lightning Rod
Tera Type
Held Item	Light Ball
Moveset	・ Fake Out ・ Surf ・ Thunder ・ Protect

Summary

Offensive Stats doubles thanks to Light Ball Fast Fake Out user Good coverage in Water and Electric

Ability and Held Item

Ability	Held Item
Lightning Rod	Light Ball

Pikachu's best Ability is Lightning Rod, as it can redirect all Electric-type Attacks to itself and use it to boost its own Special Attack. This makes Pikachu a useful switch-in to Electric-type Moves.

Its Held Item is Light Ball, an item that doubles Pikachu's Attack and Special Attack stat.

Moves Breakdown

Fake Out	Surf
Thunder	Protect

Fake Out is great for buying your teammates a turn, or breaking Focus Sashes.

Surf makes it so Pikachu isn't walled by Ground-type Pokemon. It is also great for attacking into opposing Rock and Fire-types.

Thunder is Pikachu's most damaging Electric-type Move and is best used in Rain. Without Rain, Thunderbolt is a solid alternative

Protect can save it from turns where it could potentially get KOd, or out-prioritized by Moves like Fake Out.

Best Tera Type: Water

Water Tera Type Matchup
Weak to:
	(2x)
Damaged Normally By:	(1x)
Resists:	(0.5x)

Unrivaled Pikachu's best Tera Type is Water as it can boost Surf's damage output, while still having an immunity to Electric.

Best Water Type Pokemon for Ranked Battle

EV Spread and Nature

It is important to max out Special Attack and Speed for Pikachu, as it needs to always hit hard and fast. It will not be taking many hits because of its frail defenses and lack of Focus Sash.

The remaining EVs are put into HP to raise ir by 1 point.

Other Viable Moves

Thunderbolt	Thunderbolt is a more consistent Electric-type Move that Pikachu can use outside of Rain

Key Damage Calculations

Damage Dealt by Pikachu
100 HP｜80 Sp. Def Defensive EV Investment: 252 HP Item: Choice Band	Thunder 174 ~ 206 (84 ~ 99.5%) Guaranteed 2-Hit KO
100 HP｜62 Sp. Def Defensive EV Investment: 252 HP, 4 Sp. Def Ability: Static Item: Mystic Water	Thunder 210 ~ 248 (101.4 ~ 119.8%) Guaranteed OHKO
115 HP｜53 Sp. Def Defensive EV Investment: 4 HP Item: Life Orb	Surf 130 ~ 154 (68 ~ 80.6%) Guaranteed 2-Hit KO

Game8's Competitive Damage Calculator

Mystery Gift Flying Pikachu Moveset & Best Build

Nature	Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
EV Spread	4 HP / 252 Sp. Atk / 252 Spe
Final Stat Values	111 HP / 67 Atk / 60 Def / 102 Sp. Atk (204 with Light Ball) / 70 Sp. Def / 156 Spe
Ability	Lightning Rod
Tera Type
Held Item	Focus Sash
Moveset	・ Fake Out ・ Nuzzle ・ Encore ・ Thunderbolt

Summary

Fast Encore user Fast Fake Out user Can be extremely disruptive with Nuzzle, Encore, and Fake Out

Ability and Held Item

Ability	Held Item
Lightning Rod	Focus Sash

Pikachu's best Ability is Lightning Rod, as it can redirect all Electric-type Attacks to itself and use it to boost its own Special Attack. This makes Pikachu a useful switch-in to Electric-type Moves.

Its Held Item is Focus Sash, an item that will let it survive getting OHKOd.

Moves Breakdown

Fake Out	Nuzzle
Encore	Thunderbolt

Fake Out is great for buying your teammates a turn, or breaking Focus Sashes.

Nuzzle can be disruptive as paralysis is a reliable form of Speed Control and disruption.

Encore is great for punishing opponents who would play defensively.

And lastly, Thunderbolt is Pikachu's STAB option if it can't paralyze anything with Nuzzle.

Best Tera Type: Flying

Flying Tera Type Matchup
Weak to:
	(2x)
Damaged Normally By:	(1x)
Resists:	(0.5x)
Immune to:	(0x)

Mystery Gift Pikachu's best Tera Type is Flying as it can protect it from Ground-type attacks, and reduce its weaknesses to two: Ice and Rock.

Best Water Type Pokemon for Ranked Battle

EV Spread and Nature

It is important to max out Special Attack and Speed for Pikachu, as it needs the extra boost to deal damage with Thunderbolt. With a Timid Nature, Attack EVs are unnecessary even though three out of its four Moves are physical, as those moves are included because of their secondary effects.

The remaining EVs are put into HP to raise ir by 1 point.

Other Viable Moves

Protect	Because Pikachu is so frail, Protect can save it from turns where it could potentially get KOd.

How to Use Pikachu Effectively

Use Unrivaled Water Pikachu Offensively

Unrivaled Pikachu can be equipped with Light Ball so that it can deal huge damage to threats that it can hit for super-effective. Because it cannot take many hits itself, it is important to know which Pokemon it can outspeed and which it can hit for super-effective. Good knowledge of Type Matchups and Speed will help with using Offensive Unrivaled Pikachu.

Speed Explained: How Does Speed Work?

Use Mystery Gift Flying Pikachu to Disrupt

Mystery Gift Flying Pikachu can be immensely disruptive thanks to its disruption options in Fake Out, Encore, and Nuzzle. Use these moves to your advantage and limit the opponent's options!

If considering this build, you may also want to try Raichu, who has better stats altogether.

Raichu Movesets and Best Builds

How to Build a Team with Pikachu

It is important to consider what role Pikachu will need to fill in your team. It can either be offensive or disruptive, or it can be both but sacrifice a little consistency.

Water Tera Pikachu Sample Singles Team

Physical Attacker	Special Attacker	Physical Attacker
Palafin	Pikachu	Dragonite

Palafin can lead off the match, and switch into Pikachu when anticipating an Electric-type Move. Pikachu can lock an opponent into a move with Encore, and switch into Dragonite who can set up a Dragon Dance and position for a sweep.

Flying Tera Pikachu Sample Singles Team

Disruptive Lead	Physical Attacker	Special Attacker
Pikachu	Dragonite	Gholdengo

Pikachu can be disruptive, paving the way for a Dragon Dance Dragonite sweep. Gholdengo, another Ground-weak Pokemon benefits from having the Flying-type Dragonite as a defensive switch-in. It can also switch in for Dragonite to soak up an Ice-type Move.

Water Tera Pikachu Sample Doubles Team

Redirection / Support	Physical Attacker
Pikachu	Palafin
Special Attacker	Redirection / Support
Pelipper	Amoonguss

Unrivaled Water Tera Pikachu fits well into a Rain Team, being able to redirect attacks away from its Electric-weak Pokemon. Palafin especially appreciates the redirection, as it can get more chances to switch out. Pelipper is the main Rain setter of the team, with Amoonguss as a defensive switch in to Ground and Grass-type Moves as well as being disruptive support.

Flying Tera Pikachu Sample Doubles Team

Disruption / Support	Physical Attacker
Pikachu	Roaring Moon
Redirection / Support	Physical Attacker
Amoonguss	Dragonite

Pikachu can redirect Electric-type Moves away from Tera Flying Roaring Moon. It can also offer disruption through Nuzzle, Fake Out, and Encore, letting it set up Dragon Dance and position for a sweep.

Similarly, the back end of this team composition accomplishes the same thing, which would add consistency to this strategy.

Counters for Pikachu

Walling Pikachu Can Limit its Usefulness

Dragons or Defensive Pokemon can severely limit Pikachu's usefulness, taking away its utility in a match. Dragons naturally have plenty of resistances, and they can make quick work of Pikachu if it does not have Focus Sash to survive more than one hit.

Best Pokemon to Use

Pokemon	Description
Garchomp	Ranking: ★★★★★ ・Can easily KO Pikachu with a Ground-type Move or force it to waste Tera. ・Is immune to Electric and takes neutral damage from Surf and Grass Knot. ▶️Garchomp Best Movesets
Hydreigon	Ranking: ★★★★★ ・Can easily KO Pikachu with its powerful offensive options such as Draco Meteor and Earth Power. ・Can effectively wall Pikachu and limit its usefulness. ▶️Hydreigon Best Movesets
Gastrodon (West Sea)	Ranking: ★★★★★ ・Even with Grass Knot, Gastrodon takes negligible damage from Pikachu thanks to its light weight. ・Can effectively wall Pikachu and limit its usefulness. ▶️Gastrodon Best Movesets

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