Pokemon Unite Pikachu Guide

The reign of Pikachu has begun. Undoubtedly one of the strongest pokemon in the game, Pikachu is an absolute monster in the current patch. It’s rather squishy, with relatively low DPS, favoring burst damage over a consistent stream of damage. So why is Pikachu so strong? Pikachu’s strength comes not necessarily from its damage, which of course is still really good, but more so from the utility it provides. To help players understand how to utilize the pokemon, here is a Pokemon Unite Pikachu guide.

[Related: Best OP Pokemon to Play]

Overview

Pikachu is one of the best ranged attackers, along with one of the best Pokemon in the game. It has these ratings in its stats,

Offense: 4 ½ stars

Endurance: 1 ½ stars

Mobility: 2 ½ stars

Scoring: 2 stars

Support: 1 ½ stars

With this in mind, Pikachu may not be the best Pokemon to support in a fight or, the best for scoring. However, with its offensive capability and early power spike, it remains a great damage dealer for any stage of the game. With these items and abilities in your toolbox, every player will be able to unleash the lightning might of Pi-KO.

Held Items

Since Pikachu is a special attacker, many of its items want to cater accordingly. Therefore, take Wise Glasses and Special Attack Specs to maximize Pika’s damage. Shell Bell is a decent option as well, but as a whole, the glasses items scale far better with special attack. The only upside of Shell Bell would be the small healing that the item provides, but the loss of special attack damage is rather substantial.

But why take Buddy Barrier? Well, the item is one of the greatest defense options in the game. Providing a fat barrier upon Unite Move usage, alongside high base health stats, Buddy Barrier is a great item to help prevent Pikachu from getting completely burst down. In addition, since its most recent Unite Move buffs, Pikachu has access to its Unite Move very often. Essentially, players want to be spamming its Unite Move as often as possible to effectively utilize the pick. The utility Pika’s Unite Move, comboed with Buddy Barrier, provides in a team fight is simply not balanced.

Score Shield is a good item for those who struggle to find opportunities to score effectively, while Focus Band is arguably the best item to prevent Pikachu from fainting frequently. Muscle Band, on the other hand, is an interesting itemization that isn’t necessarily recommended. The niche item option is for players who struggle comboing with Pikachu. But for those who already know how to combo effectively, weaving in basic attacks between move usages, don’t take Muscle Band.

Battle Items

Always take Eject Button. X-Attack might be a decent item as well, but Eject Button is just too great on the pokemon. Since Pikachu is pretty squishy as a whole, make sure to utilize Eject Button to get out of those super sticky situations. The other itemizations are really niche, and don’t really fit Pikachu’s Playstyle.

Best Moveset

Electro Ball/Volt Tackle

This is the meta moveset for Pikachu at the moment. Electro ball is a point and click, undodgeable area of effect move. Utilize the move effectively to steal objectives, last hit wild pokemon, and deal really easy damage during team fights. Since the move is literally impossible to miss, its incredibly reliable to fall back on. Rather than having to focus on hitting the move, players can prioritize timing the move for the best possible outcome. This comes in seriously clutch during Zapdos or Articuno fights, when timing is key to victory.

Volt Tackle combos perfectly with Electro Ball. Essentially, press Electro ball right after a Volt Tackle for an undodgeable, unavoidable massive burst of damage. The reason Volt Tackle is so strong right now is largley thanks to its buff. Before, the move didn’t provide enough damage. But now that the damage on Volt Tackle is rather high as well, there’s really no reason not to take it. Use Volt Tackle to extend the duration of lock down on the enemy. Attempt to time the move towards the very end of an ally’s CC to create unbearable play circumstances for the enemy.

Alternative Moveset

If players are looking for an alternative moveset, definitely switch out Volt Tackle. The move combos perfectly  with Electro Ball, but players will find themselves struggling to utilize Volt Tackle with the alternative move: Thunder. This is because Thunder deals area of effect damage over time. Volt Tackle, on the other hand, capitalizes on creating a singular moment of opportunity, an opening a tad too short to acquire Thunder’s full effects.

Therefore, take Thunder and Thunderbolt together instead. These two definitely synergize well, creating a circle on the ground that shocks the enemy. Thunderbolt potentially hinders mutliple targets, but requires strong aim control to acquire maximum usage. That’s why this build recommends Volt Tackle, since the move is far easier to use. But don’t misunderstand, Thunderbolt is still great.

Players can also take Thunderbolt with Electroball. The only real combination players should actively avoid is Thunder and Volt Tackle.

In Conclusion

Keep in mind, Pikachu, albeit broken at the moment, is still not without its weaknesses. Since the pokemon is rather squishy, be sure to position safely and understand which threats to focus during pinnacle team fights. Standing as a broken, S tier attacker in the current meta, playing the pokemon correctly yields some amazing results. And to play the pokemon properly, make sure to utilize the tips and tricks provided by this Pokemon Unite Pikachu Guide.

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