Alolan Raichu is making its debut in Pokémon Unite, offering a unique blend of mobility, special attack, and versatile playstyles. Whether you’re playing as or against Raichu, understanding its abilities and how to handle it can give you a significant advantage. Here’s everything you need to know about this new Pokémon.
Raichu’s Playstyle Two Distinct Builds What You Need to Know!
Alolan Raichu offers two different playstyles, making it adaptable to various combat strategies:
- Basic Attack Build: This build focuses on Raichu’s mobility and fast attacks, similar to Cinderace or Razor Leaf Decidueye. You’ll be focusing on quick dashes, boosted basic attacks, and consistent damage output. This is perfect for players who enjoy fast-paced, aggressive gameplay with a high risk/reward factor due to Raichu’s squishy nature.
- Mage Build: The mage build leverages Raichu’s AOE (Area of Effect) moves and powerful ranged attacks, making it a great choice for players who prefer long-range poke and control in team fights. The mage build allows you to deal substantial damage from a distance while using crowd control abilities to disrupt enemies.
Pokemon Unite Alolan Raichu’s Moveset
1. Raichu’s Early Game Moves and Abilities
Raichu starts the game in its pre-evolution form, Pikachu, much like other Pokémon in the game (e.g., armarouge, Eevee). Here are some early moves that define its playstyle:
- Thunder Shock: A simple, point-and-click damage move. Raichu’s Thunder Shock does less damage compared to Pikachu’s, but it serves as a reliable poke ability.
- Thunder Wave: A skillshot that paralyzes opponents in its path, providing crowd control in team fights or when ganking enemies in the jungle.
2. Evolving to Level 5: Power and Electro Ball
At level 5, Raichu gains two important abilities that define its playstyle:
- Stored Power: A basic attack-focused move that powers up Raichu’s auto-attacks, increasing attack speed and damage. It’s a solid ability for the basic attack build, allowing you to dash after each boosted auto-attack and deal additional damage with each strike. If you enjoy kiting, this is your go-to ability.
- Electro Ball: A skillshot that deals damage over time. Once thrown, Electro Ball sticks to the ground and explodes when enemies walk near it, providing great zoning potential. The move has synergy with other abilities for long-range harassment.
3. Level 7: Thunder and Psychic Synergies
At level 7, Raichu has access to two powerful moves that enhance its combat versatility:
- Thunder: A combo ability that works well with Electro Ball. By stacking multiple Electro Balls in a bush and following up with Thunder, you can deal massive AoE damage to enemies trapped in the area.
- Psychic: A powerful area-of-effect damage move that deals significant damage over time and has synergy with Raichu’s basic attacks. It’s especially useful for the mage build, as it can help Raichu stay in control of the battlefield.
4. Raichu’s Unite Move: Star Shaped Ground
Raichu’s Unite Move is a star-shaped area on the ground that does continuous damage over time to enemies within it. Every time Raichu attacks an enemy inside this area, it triggers a boosted auto-attack, making it great for dashing around and dealing multiple hits in quick succession. This move is highly effective in team fights, particularly during objectives like Zapdos or Rayquaza.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Alolan Raichu
Strengths:
- High Mobility: With abilities like Stored Power and Electro Ball, Raichu can dash around the battlefield, making it a difficult target to hit. The basic attack build, in particular, benefits from the mobility, allowing Raichu to reposition quickly in team fights.
- Two Versatile Builds: Whether you prefer basic attack-focused gameplay or mage-style ranged damage, Raichu offers both playstyles, allowing for a diverse range of strategies depending on the situation.
- Great for Kiting: With fast auto-attacks, boosted dashes, and crowd control options, Raichu excels at kiting and avoiding enemy attacks, which makes it effective at picking off weaker foes or outmaneuvering enemies.
Weaknesses:
- Squishy: Raichu is a ranged attacker with low survivability. Despite its high mobility, it can be easily taken down if caught off guard or targeted by multiple enemies at once.
- Requires Precise Timing: The synergy between its moves, such as using Thunder with Electro Ball or setting up Psychic combos, requires precision. If not executed properly, Raichu’s potential can be wasted.
Alolan Raichu brings exciting versatility to Pokémon Unite, with two distinct builds and a mix of mobility and damage potential. Whether you enjoy dashing around and overwhelming enemies with rapid auto-attacks or prefer dealing with the enemy from a distance using powerful AOE spells, Raichu has something for every player.
It may take time to master the timing and combos for maximum effectiveness, but once you get the hang of it, Alolan Raichu can become a strong asset to any team. Just be sure to play carefully, as its squishy nature means it’s vulnerable to heavy bursts of damage.
