What it does
Thunder is an Electric-type Special move with very high Base Power and 70% accuracy. It has a chance to inflict Paralysis on the target.
Weather changes accuracy: 100% in rain, 50% in harsh sun — exactly symmetric with Hurricane. That symmetry is the reason rain teams often carry both: two guaranteed-accurate, high-power moves under their own weather.
Additional rain mechanic: in rain, Thunder has a chance to pierce through Protect and Detect. The bypass probability is (100 − the move's base accuracy)% — for Thunder (base 70%), that is a 30% chance to pierce Protect in rain. Opponents know this, and it affects their decision-making.
It hits Pokémon in Fly or Bounce semi-invulnerable states.
Paralysis in Champions: the full-stop chance is 12.5% (lower than standard games), but the Speed reduction effect is still permanent until the paralyzed Pokémon switches out.
Completely misses Ground-type targets — Electric immunity means the move does nothing against them.
Who runs it
Jolteon (19%) is one of the fastest Electric-type special attackers. Thunder fires at full power under rain with zero accuracy risk — its high Speed combined with guaranteed rain accuracy is a strong combination.
Manectric (27%) has Lightning Rod, granting Electric immunity and a Special Attack boost from absorbed Electric moves. On special-attacking sets, Thunder is the primary Electric damage output.
Heliolisk (21%) is Electric/Normal with solid Special Attack, and Thunder is its main Electric move.
Raichu (17%) contributes reliable Electric STAB in rain teams under the guaranteed-accuracy condition.
Pikachu (22%) carries Thunder on specific sets built around rain support.
Castform (33%) in rainy form naturally benefits from the weather, and Thunder is part of its rain-condition attack toolkit.
How to use it
Thunder's use logic parallels Hurricane exactly: click freely under rain, be cautious without it. Rain teams that carry both have two high-power, guaranteed-accurate coverage moves running simultaneously — that's a very high ceiling for offensive pressure.
The Protect-pierce in rain is a subtle psychological factor. Opponents who would normally Protect to dodge a hit face a percentage chance of eating Thunder anyway. Even if it doesn't pierce most of the time, the chance alone changes how opponents use Protect. That's a real competitive advantage.
Ground-type immunity is the hard counter. If a Ground-type is on the field, Thunder does absolutely nothing — factor this in before clicking.
Typical rain-team rhythm: Pelipper's Drizzle establishes rain, a special attacker fires Thunder into appropriate targets while the accuracy is 100%.
Tips & strategy
Thunder and Hurricane form a paired coverage set in rain. They're both guaranteed under rain, but they hit different types. Thunder gets Electric super effectiveness on Water and Flying (a somewhat redundant overlap on Water since rain teams carry Water moves anyway), but more importantly, it covers targets that Hurricane doesn't. Two guaranteed high-power moves from the same weather condition is what makes rain cores so hard to answer.
When rain is overwritten, both moves drop to unreliable accuracy simultaneously. An opponent who flips the weather with Drought or Sunny Day kneecaps your entire special offense in one switch. Rain retention is not optional — it's the foundation the whole package stands on.
The paralysis chance is a bonus, not a plan. If it fires, the Speed reduction is permanent for the duration that Pokémon stays in, which affects speed tiers going forward. Treat it as 'useful if it happens' rather than something to engineer around.