Is Raticate Good?

Raticate is strictly viable for early-to-mid game story playthroughs and Nuzlockes. It provides a massive power spike right at level 20 with high speed and strong STAB moves. However, its abysmal defensive stats make it completely unviable for late-game bosses or any serious competitive PvP.

Use it to carry your first few gym badges, then box it for a better Normal-type.

Rating 4/10 · Tier C-(In-Game Story), Untiered (PvP) · Role : Early-Game Physical Attacker / Guts Wallbreaker

Strengths

• Evolves very early at level 20, granting an immediate offensive advantage.
• Super Fang halves enemy HP regardless of their defensive stats.
• The Guts ability pairs perfectly with a Flame Orb and Facade for massive damage.
• Base 97 Speed outpaces most unevolved Pokémon in the early game.

Weaknesses

• Base 55 HP and 60 Defense mean it gets one-shot by almost any strong attack.
• Base 81 Attack is pitiful without the Guts boost in the late game.
• Completely absent from the modern Scarlet & Violet competitive ladder.
• Extremely vulnerable to priority moves like Mach Punch or Extreme Speed.

Raticate defines the "early route rodent" archetype perfectly. In games where it is available, such as Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl or classic retro titles, it serves as a fast, physical Normal-type attacker. It is completely absent from the Scarlet and Violet competitive scene, reflecting its irrelevance in modern VGC or Smogon formats.

Its primary role is to carry your team through the first half of a story playthrough. Evolving at a mere level 20 gives it a massive statistical advantage over early gym leaders who are still using unevolved Pokémon. Moves like Hyper Fang hit incredibly hard at this stage of the game.

By the time you reach level 40, Raticate's role drastically diminishes. Its base stat total of 413 simply cannot keep up with fully evolved opponents. You are forced to pivot it from a main sweeper into a niche utility role or box it entirely.

If you insist on using Raticate in the late game or in casual battles with friends, you must rely on its Guts ability. Guts boosts Attack by 50% when afflicted by a status condition and ignores the attack drop usually caused by a burn. This turns Raticate into a fragile but dangerous wallbreaker.

Recommended Guts Moveset

• Item: Flame Orb
• Ability: Guts
• Moves: Facade / Sucker Punch / U-turn / Protect
• EVs: 252 Attack / 252 Speed / 4 HP

Protect is mandatory to safely trigger the Flame Orb on your first turn. Once burned, STAB Facade doubles in base power to 140, which, combined with the Guts boost, allows Raticate to punch massive holes in neutral targets.

Sucker Punch provides crucial priority against faster Ghost-types that are immune to Facade, like Gengar. U-turn allows Raticate to pivot out of unfavorable matchups. However, the burn damage combined with its inherent frailty means Raticate rarely survives more than three turns on the field.

Raticate shines brightest in specific in-game scenarios rather than competitive matchups. Its best utility comes from the move Super Fang. Because Super Fang always cuts the target's current HP in half, it completely ignores defensive stat boosts and high base Defense.

This makes Raticate an exceptional tool for catching legendary Pokémon. You can safely spam Super Fang to reduce a legendary's HP to the red zone without any risk of accidentally landing a critical hit and knocking it out.

Situations Where Raticate Excels

• Early Nuzlocke Routes: Hyper Fang's chance to flinch combined with Raticate's high speed can save runs against early bosses.
• Breaking Defensive Walls: Super Fang instantly chunks bulky targets like Snorlax or Blissey that would otherwise stall out your physical attackers.
• Baiting Ghost-types: Using Sucker Punch to heavily damage frail Ghost or Psychic types that attempt to outspeed and sweep your team.

Raticate's fatal flaw is its complete lack of survivability. With base 55 HP, 60 Defense, and 70 Special Defense, it cannot take a hit. Even resisted attacks will strip away massive chunks of its health.

Any STAB Fighting-type move, such as Close Combat or High Jump Kick, guarantees an instant knockout. More problematically, Raticate is easily dispatched by priority moves. A Mach Punch from a Breloom or an Extreme Speed from a Dragonite will bypass Raticate's respectable base 97 Speed and destroy it before it can act.

Furthermore, base 97 Speed is no longer considered fast in modern Pokémon generations. It is easily outsped by common offensive threats. Without the Guts boost, its base 81 Attack fails to secure one-hit knockouts, leaving it exposed to devastating counterattacks.

Do not bring Raticate to the Elite Four or any post-game battle tower facilities. Its stats are too low to handle opponents with optimized EVs and competitive movesets. You should also avoid using it if your team already lacks defensive pivots, as Raticate offers zero defensive synergy.

If you need a strong Normal-type physical attacker, there are vastly superior alternatives. Ursaluna is the ultimate Guts abuser in modern generations, boasting monstrous Attack and incredible physical bulk that Raticate lacks.

For an early-game carry that actually remains viable through the entire game, Staraptor is a much better choice. It provides Intimidate for team support, hits harder with STAB Brave Bird, and fulfills a similar fast physical attacker role with far better results.