The Electric-type is hailed as one of the best offensively, and that remains true in Pokemon's competitive space. Having some Electric-type offensive presence on a competitive team is crucial, and competitive battlers have their respective Pokemon for the job.
A lot of Electric-type Pokemon have good attacking stats, so a good, competitive viable Electric-type will need to offer something more. Fortunately for these ones, they have specific niches that not only give them attacking power, but good support potential as well. These fifteen have seen quite a bit of usage in their respective tiers, and for good reason.
15 Jolteon
Jolteon was a competitive mainstay in earlier generations, but the ongoing power creep has not been kind to it. It has great Special Attack and Speed stats, but it doesn't have as much going for it compared to others.
It can still be a pretty decent pivot and utility 'mon, with access to Thunder Wave, Toxic, Yawn, and Volt Switch. Unfortunately, its offensive potential is thwarted by a pretty barren moveset, sorely lacking in decent coverage moves. Having below-average bulk, especially on the physical end, doesn't help much either.
14 Galvantula
The 106 Speed Galvantula has access to Sticky Web, a rare entry hazard that lowers the opponent's Speed. That rounds out a unique support movepool that also includes Volt Switch, Thunder Wave, and Toxic, to go along with Bug Buzz and Compound Eyes' accuracy-boosted Thunder for offense in a pinch.
On a hyper-offensive team, it can be a solid final piece of the puzzle. However, it loses value against teams with checks for entry hazards, and even with its nice movepool, its 97 Special Attack isn't quite enough for going it alone offensively.
13 Alolan Raichu
While Alolan Raichu has the same stats as its Kantonian variant, adding the Psychic-type has a lot of benefits. It gives Raichu an extra STAB option it desperately needed, with Psychic and Psyshock being very good attacking moves. It also adds the Surge Surfer ability, which gives it a very unique niche as an Electric Terrain sweeper.
Other than that, though, Raichu is a typical sweeper that badly needs to set up, and is sorely lacking in terms of general bulk. The extra type also gives it more weaknesses, which are magnified by its awful HP and meager defenses.
12 Heliolisk
On paper, Heliolisk is a run-of-the-mill Electric-type attacker, with good offensive stats and not much else. But a deeper look into its moveset and abilities shows that Heliolisk has a lot of tricks in its bag.
It's commonly seen with Dry Skin, which essentially works as a Water-type immunity. Its coverage pool is also incredibly wide, with moves like Dark Pulse, Focus Blast, Grass Knot, and Surf working alongside your Electric-type move of choice. It works great with a pair of Choice Specs, though its Speed isn't quite elite to make it a truly great wallbreaker.
11 Xurkitree
Xurkitree has the highest Special Attack among Pokemon available in Sword & Shield, but it wouldn't be viable with that alone. It's gotten pull over other Electric-type wallbreakers thanks to its rare coverage. Energy Ball and Dazzling Gleam are great to have alongside Thunderbolt and Volt Switch.
Where it really lacks is the Speed department. Its 83 Speed just isn't enough to get the first punch over other wallbreakers of its stature, which hurts when you don't have reliable bulk. At the very least, Beast Boost can get it to really snowball over a slower opposing team.
10 Raikou
Stats-wise, Raikou is essentially an upgraded Heliolisk, boasting equally great Special Attack and Speed (115), solid Special Defense (100), and below-average everything else. That in itself makes it a great offensive pivot, and its moveset adds some versatility to that.
Alongside your typical Electric-type attack and Volt Switch, it has access to a surprising and excellent coverage move: Scald. You could supplement your moveset further with support moves like Toxic and Thunder Wave, or a set-up option in Calm Mind. It's at its worst when facing good special walls and Ground-types that don't mind getting hit by Scald.
9 Toxtricity
You'd be hard-pressed to find as potent a special wallbreaker as Toxtricity. The 114 Special Attack might not be spectacular, but its Punk Rock ability and access to moves that can take advantage of it puts Toxtricity over the edge.
With a boost to sound-based moves, Boomburst and its signature Overdrive become must-haves in a moveset. Other STAB moves like Volt Switch and Sludge Bomb are also nice to have, with both Thunder Wave and Toxic being viable status-inflictors. It, unfortunately, needs some help in both the Speed and bulk departments, as well as Ground-type checks, of course.
8 Regieleki
The fastest Pokemon ever, Regieleki's 200 Speed is sure to beat even Choice Scarf-ed sweepers to the punch. It's a versatile support Pokemon thanks to that.
It's great for removing entry hazards via Rapid Spin, and it can even be a pretty good lead, either for setting screens while holding a Light Clay or going all-in via Explosion. It helps to have access to Volt Switch and its signature Thunder Cage, both of which get a boost in power thanks to its Transistor ability. Unfortunately, it's quite limited in terms of coverage, and has virtually no answer for opposing Ground-types.
7 The Rotom Appliances
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Ah, the omnipresent Rotom. Ever since it got its five appliance forms in Pokemon Platinum, Rotom has been a competitive fixture, to varying degrees of success, and even more so after Generation V gave its forms different types.
Its most successful forms have been Rotom-Heat and Rotom-Wash, though Rotom-Mow has seen usage too. While none of them are expected to be spectacular attackers, all benefit from having Levitate, nice all-around stats, and movesets that include Volt Switch, a respective high base power STAB attacking move, and other support moves like Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, Toxic, and Defog.
6 Arctozolt & Dracozolt
Unlike Arctovish and Dracovish, which are in two different stratospheres competitively speaking, Arctozolt and Dracozolt each have a spot in the UnderUsed Banned List, or UUBL. Both are wallbreakers that can go physical or mixed, sharing a signature move in Bolt Beak and abilities that increase their Speed in certain weathers.
They get Slush Rush for hail and Sand Rush for sandstorms, respectively, and have access to solid coverage moves throughout. They're both kinda high-maintenance with their shared bulk being quite mediocre, but they're worth checking out if you're building their respective weather team.
5 Thundurus
Thundurus is the one Force of Nature to have both forms be equally viable, getting two different but similarly good niches out of its Incarnate and Therian formes.
While the Therian form is stronger on paper (145 Special Attack), it lacks a bit in the Speed department, while the Incarnate form has sufficient Speed to go with an almost as good Special Attack stat (125). The abilities also provide a little something for both forms, with Incarnate getting either Defiant or Prankster, and Therian getting Volt Absorb. Both formes lack bulk, though, so neither will take hits well.
4 Magnezone
Not only is Magnezone an excellent special wallbreaker at 130 Special Attack, but its ability, Magnet Pull, helps it trap and kill other Steel-types. It would need a good moveset to do so, of course, but it has that too.
It's not oozing with coverage, but Body Press is great to have alongside its main attacking moves thanks to its high 115 Defense. Support moves like Thunder Wave and Toxic, and pivoting moves like Volt Switch and Teleport, are on the table as well. Pokemon it can't check mainly consist of Ground-types and bulky Grass-types.
3 Zapdos
Zapdos stands as one of the most versatile and effective Electric-type attackers out there. Its main role is as a special wallbreaker, but it has so much more to offer aside from that.
It shares its excellent typing with Thundurus, but moves like Defog, Toxic, Thunder Wave, and Roost for healing add surprising support potential. Offensively, it has access to your typical STAB moves as well as Heat Wave for some great coverage. It's great in the rain, too. Its main drawback is its mediocre bulk, which can be a problem when dealing with faster Pokemon.
2 Zeraora
Zeraora's signature move Plasma Fists alone already gives it so much value; a good physical Electric-type is extremely hard to come by. It's far from a one-trick pony, though, having tons of great coverage moves under its belt.
This is all without mentioning its great stats, topped by the incredible 143 Speed and supplemented by a great 112 Attack stat. Both allow it to either sweep or revenge kill fairly easily, depending on what build it runs with. Its main flaw is its bulk, which, while surprisingly not terrible, will still get it completely wiped by a Ground-type move.
1 Tapu Koko
The battle for the top spot is a battle between the meta's two best offensive pivots. While Zeraora packs more of a punch and a bit more bulk, Tapu Koko offers quite a bit more to the table while getting close enough to Zeraora's attacking power. Being a Fairy-type helps a lot, too.
Tapu Koko is a Swiss Army knife, providing nice support to go with its offense. A moveset of Thunderbolt, Dazzling Gleam, U-Turn or Volt Switch, and Roost is pretty standard, and moves like Thunder Wave, Toxic, Taunt, Reflect, and Light Screen are available to you, too.