Raichu – Genetic Apex
Date Reviewed: January 13, 2025
Ratings Summary:
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is horrible. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Otaku
The ninth best Pokémon of Genetic Apex is Raichu (Genetic Apex 095/226)! Raichu is a Stage 1 (L) Pokémon that evolves from Pikachu (duh) and already has another version available, Raichu (Mythical Island 026/068). This Raichu has 100 HP, (F) Weakness, a Retreat Cost of (C), no Ability, and just one attack, “Thunderbolt”. Priced at (L)(L)(L), Thunderbolt deals 140 damage while discarding all Energy attached to Raichu (or whatever is using this attack).
The (L) Type has a few things going for it besides better synergy with other (L) Pokémon 48 of 50 of (W) Pokémon and 13 of 36 of (C) Pokémon are (L) Weak, two (R) Pokémon, two (L) Pokémon, and one (F) Pokémon sporting (L) Weakness. All these groups contain at least one competitive Pokémon, which is kind of obvious for (W), but impressive for the others. Pikachu ex (Genetic Apex 096/226, 259/228, 281/226, 285/226) and Pikachu (Mythical Island 025/068) hit harder for each (L) Pokémon on your Bench.
Being a Stage 1 is just “okay”. They take less time and deck space to run than Stage 2s, but are still a little slow and demanding when compared with Basic Pokémon. No Stage-specific or general Evolution support exists, even though we began the game with one piece for Basics (Poké Ball). Plus, we already have an anti-Evolution effect on Aerodactyl ex (Mythical Island 46/068, 78/068, 84/068). Fortunately, the powers-that-be do tend to give Evolutions better stats and/or effects.
100 HP is on the “high” end of low HP scores. There are a few main attackers that fall just short of scoring a OHKO again this, but not many. Factor in some damage boosting factors like Weakness or Giovanni and I’m not sure if there’s any. Speaking of Weakness, Raichu’s (F) Weakness hurts a little only because a few supporting attackers can sneak in a OHKO. Raichu does enjoy a good Retreat Cost of (C), though; even a single X Speed zeroes it out, and if you have to pay an actual Energy, it still tends to be manageable.
Thunderbolt requires combos to really work. Its (L)(L)(L) cost is not small. At the very least, you’ll need something up front to stall that needs little-to-no Energy and at least a little luck. Plus Raichu discards all its Energy after. This can sometimes be a benefit, if your opponent has an attacker that hits harder based on the Energy attached to the opposing Active, or that copies attacks. Mostly, though, it’s a serious drawback only partially mitigated by Raichu itself likely being KO’d after one attack.
Preferably, you’ll make use of Lt. Surge (Genetic Apex 226/226, 273/226). This Trainer Supporter deserves a full review and almost made the Top 4 Trainer countdown. It lets you move (L) Energy attached to your Benched Pokémon to your Active Electabuzz, Electrode, or Raichu. While not as general use as Misty, Lt. Surge makes Raichu viable. If you can make room for it, Magneton (Genetic Apex 098/226) works well with Lt. Surge. Not to receive the Energy, but because its Ability allows it to attach a bonus (L) Energy to itself, once per turn.
Before we get to other deck partners for Raichu, let’s cover the rest of its card family. You have to evolve from a Pikachu, and you’ve got two options. Pikachu (Genetic Apex 094/228; Promo Series A 009/P-A, 015/P-A, 026/P-A) and Pikachu (Mythical Island 025/068) have identical stats, but different attacks. The former does a vanilla 20-for-(L), while for the same Energy the latter can do 10 plus 10 more per (L) Pokémon on your Bench. Unless you’re running a lot of non-(L) Pokémon alongside today’s Raichu, go with the Mythical Island Pikachu.
There’s also Raichu (Mythical Island 026/068) has a little more HP and a higher Retreat Cost than today’s Raichu, but the attack is the main difference. Still priced at (L)(L)(L), it does 60 damage to your opponent’s Active and 20 to each of their Benched Pokémon. If Raichu is already a secondary attacker, it might be worth running the two together, but the 1/1 split can make that too unreliable. If I’m running one or the other, I’d go with today’s Raichu instead. There’s also Pikachu ex, but that isn’t mechanically connected to Pikachu or Raichu. Other than being (L) support due to its attack.
Rating: 3.25
Raichu’s strength lies in combos, or arguable, an entire deck, so I’m not going to score it higher. Still, it has seen competitive success, and that is likely to remain true at least until the next expansion. Raichu is often run alongside Pikachu ex decks. There’s also a deck called Single Point Lightning that seems to be functional, but a bit lacking when used in an actual tournament. Still, Raichu is the big hitter of that deck, at least in terms of damage.
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