Some thoughts on the "Raikou Returns" article.

While I like some points, I dislike others. Here are some counterpoints to some reasons they pose that Raikou will be obsoleted.

Grass types are viable options that are easier to obtain:

Venusaur's move that made it so great was only available for a 3 HOUR time slot, and for those who missed it, like me, didn't get a chance at one, let alone an army of six. For Alolan Exeggcutor, while it does in fact not flinch in the face of Water attacks, getting good IVs and the right moveset, (For players who aren't in the raid centered meta) was quite hard. Heck, my only two were a 15/12/4 and a level one 15/10/13, and I was catching everything! Also, while its TDO may be a bit superior to Raikou, its DPS falls behind that of its Kanto counterpart, making it the 3rd or 4th option in the Grass type line.

Smack Down Tyranitar surpassing Raikou against Flying types:

I remember in a previous article that Tyranitar could only surpass Raikou VS Flying types if the Pokemon had a double weakness or if there was Partly Cloudy weather.... maybe I'm hallucinating. And in the rain, well, Raikou rules all.

Other competitors stealing Raikou's thunder:

Normally, you'd only be using Rock types VS the double weak, as Geodude is about as easy to find in the wild as Machop, doing more DPS than every available counter already, including Raikou. (Other than Tyranitar and Legacy Omastar) But saying that Ancient Power Rayquaza and Kyogre are better than it? Meh. They aren't. Raikou still has superior DPS, which matters more, and is still the best overall non-rock counter for Ho-Oh and Moltres.

"Alolan Golem handles Articuno better than anything not named Tyranitar,"

No. Legacy Omastar is technically better, sporting a resistance rather than a neutrality. Only in rain does Alolan Golem pull ahead. And there, Raikou is still the best non Rock type option, as Rayquaza is doubly weak to Ice, and Kyogre is more of a tank!

The Electivire and Magnezone situation:

I've seen very few times that they let non-legendaries walk all over legendaries. In Entei's case, while outclassed by Charizard with Blast Burn, still has a sizable bulk advantage, making it viable, if not more viable than Charizard in raids. Latios has a niche as a gym sweeper, (thanks to Dragonite getting that moveset turned legacy) and Latias, is a bulky, potion efficient Dragon version of Lugia. (With higher attack) Let's not talk about the Regis and Suicuine, they were a big joke. Electivire and Magnezone will probably not get the right movesets, and Raikou will still remain supreme. Not to mention that they both require evolution items, which are already quite a hassle to get. (And the fact that there will be twenty in game for all the new Gen 4 evolutions, five of those are Gen 2) After Raikou leaves the quest rewards, even if Magnezone and Electivre have near Raikou levels of power, what's a king to a God?

Final Outlook:

Still, they are right that there probably won't be any raid bosses to fight with Raikou and the pack. When Arceus comes, (really late in the gen) already invested Raikou can dominate its Water forme. Also, there's a good chance that Floatzel may become a raid boss, and Vaporeon and Kyogre to make a reappearance. Plus, kanye players have already invested in teams of six Raikou, so, why would even need to power up its competitors?

These were just some of my thoughts, and we need to see the whole thing through before making a final verdict. With Gen 4 a few months away, and the evolution items even farther, we'll have to wait and see what happens.