Status: Done
QC Checks: Bloo, Bad Ass, Iconic
GP Checks: Chou Toshio, JC104
Gyarados
[Overview]
<p>While Gyarados received few new toys in BW, the sheer speed and power of BW's OU metagame will likely prevent Gyarados from taking a spot amongst the top 10 used Pokemon. An excellent offensive typing in Water combined with a massive 125 base attack, two excellent abilities in Intimidate and Moxie, and Dragon Dance make Gyarados a superb physical offensive threat. Unfortunately, the presence of incredibly fast threats like Chlorophyll abusers, Prankster abusers, Deoxys-S and Excadrill really put a damper on Gyarados's performance as a sweeper.</p>
<p>More noteworthy in BW are Gyarados's solid 95 / 79 / 100 base defensive stats backed by Intimidate and excellent defensive typing. In a metagame saturated with Fighting attacks and Earthquake users, Gyarados finds a new niche as a formidable check to physical threats. Despite its fall in popularity as a sweeper, it remains a top-tier threat that makes a great addition to most teams.</p>
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Roar / Dragon Tail
nature: Impish
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Excellent defensive typing, with key resistances to Fire-, Bug-, Ground-, Water-, Fighting- and Steel-type attacks, Intimidate, and decent 90 / 79 / 100 base defensive stats allow Gyarados to function as an excellent RestTalk user. Rest allows Gyarados to shrug off damage and status, while Sleep Talk prevents Gyarados from being dead weight while asleep. The ability to shed status conditions is a huge boon to Gyarados when taking on Gliscor, Jellicent, and Heatran. The substantial investment in bulk allows Gyarados to repeatedly check common threats like Heatran, Scrafty, and Scizor.</p>
<p>Waterfall provides Gyarados with a reliable STAB move. Even without Attack investment, the STAB boost combined with Gyarados's innate offensive prowess will allow Waterfall to bring down frail sweepers and foes weak to Water. Roar and Dragon Tail both let Gyarados phaze opponents. Dragon Tail is useful since it is unaffected by Taunt and deals minor damage, but Roar is more reliable and deals with Substitute users.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread maximizes Gyarados’s physical bulk, while also allowing it to switch into Stealth Rock five times. An alternate EV spread of 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD with a Careful nature allows Gyarados to take special attacks more easily, while still allowing it to check physical threats like Lucario and Scizor.</p>
<p>This set has problems with faster users of Electric-type attacks. Thundurus, Zapdos, Jolteon, and Rotom-W can all OHKO Gyarados with STAB Thunderbolt. Bulky Water-types such as Vaporeon are able to hit Gyarados with a super-effective Hidden Power Electric should they be allowed to switch in. Given its phazing potential, this Gyarados works best with entry hazard support. Ferrothorn is an excellent partner for Gyarados, able to set up Stealth Rock and Spikes, and to cover Gyarados’s weakness to Rock- and Electric-type attacks, while Gyarados covers Ferrothorn’s weakness to Fire- and Fighting-type attacks. Gyarados also appreciates teammates that can spin away Stealth Rock, such as Starmie and Excadrill.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Earthquake / Bounce
nature: Adamant / Jolly
item: Life Orb
ability: Moxie / Intimidate
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Excellent offensive stats backed by Dragon Dance and Water typing allow Gyarados to deal significant damage to unprepared teams. With a neutral nature, Gyarados hits 391 Speed after one Dragon Dance, allowing it to outspeed positive-natured foes with base 120 Speed. With Life Orb and one Dragon Dance, Gyarados hits incredibly hard with Waterfall. Stone Edge provides great coverage, allowing Gyarados to hit Flying-types such as Salamence, Dragonite, Zapdos, and opposing Gyarados hard. Earthquake gives Gyarados a shot at hitting Ferrothorn and Empoleon, while Bounce can be used to nail bulky Grass-types for super effective damage.</p>
<p>Moxie is the preferred ability as it allows Gyarados to gain Attack boosts by defeating foes. Alternatively, Intimidate gives Gyarados more opportunities to switch in, notably against enemy Scizor.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Jolly nature can be used to outspeed positive-natured base Speed 130 Pokemon after a Dragon Dance. Ice Fang can be used in lieu of Stone Edge to maintain the super effective hit against Flying-types, while smashing Grass- and Dragon-types for super effective damage.</p>
<p>This set is primarily countered by bulky Water-types such as Vaporeon and Suicune, who take laughable damage from Stone Edge and can scare Gyarados away with super effective Hidden Power Electric or threaten it with a burn from Scald. Rotom-W is also a fantastic check with its resistance to Water, immunity to Ground, considerable bulk, and STAB Thunderbolt. Without Bounce, bulky Grass-types like Ferrothorn, Celebi, and Tangrowth can switch in and either Paralyze Gyarados or hit it with STAB Grass-type attacks. Porygon2, Dusclops, Skarmory, and Swampert can all avoid being 2HKOed by Gyarados without a Dragon Dance and either Status it, KO it, or phaze it away. Gyarados is also easily revenge killed by faster, Choice Scarf users such as Latios and Starmie. The best partners to this Gyarados are Pokemon that can take advantage of bulky Water- and Grass-type enemies. Once again, Ferrothorn is an excellent partner, being able to switch freely into Water-types and set up entry hazards or retaliate with Power Whip. Just be careful against enemies that may carry Hidden Power Fire as a nasty surprise, usually Water-types with considerable base Special Attack like Starmie and Rotom-W. Pursuit users like Tyranitar and Scizor are useful for trapping Choice Scarfed Latios, Latias and Starmie. Scizor can also be used to defeat Deoxys-S.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Stone Edge / Bounce
nature: Adamant
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
evs: 156 HP / 72 Atk / 96 Def / 184 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set trades immediate power and Speed for additional bulk, allowing Gyarados to set up on the likes of Scizor, Lucario, and Conkeldurr and procure several Dragon Dances before attempting a sweep. Taunt allows Gyarados to set up on Pokemon that normally give it trouble, such as Skarmory, and protects Gyarados from harmful status moves coming from Pokemon like Dusclops and Blissey. Waterfall provides Gyarados with a reliable STAB-move, and Stone Edge gives decent neutral coverage and the ability to hit Flying-types like Dragonite and Zapdos hard. Alternatively, Gyarados can opt to run Bounce over Stone Edge to get a super effective hit on most bulky Grass-types and a neutral hit on Ferrothorn. The turn used to Bounce also lets Gyarados gain additional Leftovers recovery.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread provides Gyarados with an impressive blend of power and survivability. 156 HP EVs allow Gyarados to survive two Life Orb Fire Blasts from Heatran after Stealth Rock and 96 Defense EVs allow Gyarados to avoid a 2HKO from Quick Attack by Choice Band Scizor. 184 EVs in Speed allow Gyarados to outspeed positive-natured base 115s after a Dragon Dance. The rest of the EVs are put into Attack to increase Gyarados’s power. Alternatively, an EV spread of 152 HP / 168 Def / 188 Spe allows Gyarados to set up against strong physical sweepers like Conkeldurr more easily.</p>
<p>This set works significantly better with Rapid Spin support, which can be provided by the excellent offensive partners Starmie and Excadrill are. Excadrill covers both of Gyarados's weaknesses, while Gyarados resists Excadrill's weaknesses to Fire-, Fighting-, Ground- and Water-type attacks. Once again, entry hazard support aids Gyarados immensely in sweeping. Ferrothorn is an excellent supplier of entry hazard support thanks to its type synergy with Gyarados. Like the offensive variant, Gyarados has trouble with bulky Water-types like Vaporeon, who can either burn Gyarados with Scald or severely damage it with Hidden Power Electric. Rotom-W completely counters this set due to Gyarados's lower Attack investment. Without Bounce, bulky Grass-types like Ferrothorn also make life difficult for Gyarados. Finally, Porygon2 remains a thorn in Gyarados's side, taking pitiful damage from Waterfall and threatening to bring Gyarados down with Electric-type attacks. Carrying Pokemon that can switch into these aforementioned threats, such as Ferrothorn for bulky Water-types, Heatran for bulky Grass-types, and bulky Fighting-types for Porygon-2 helps tremendously in aiding a Gyarados sweep.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>On either of the Dragon Dance sets, there are several potential alternative items. Wacan Berry can allow Gyarados to survive a strong Electric-type attack and hopefully get in another Dragon Dance. Similarly, Lum Berry can be used to cure an untimely status effect, particularly a burn from Scald.</p>
<p>Aqua Tail can be used instead of Waterfall for a slight increase in power, but Waterfall’s perfect accuracy and chance to flinch the foe generally make it the superior option. Return is a viable coverage move, as the combination of Water and Normal is resisted only by Empoleon, Ferrothorn, Jellicent, and Shedinja in OU. Thunder Wave is a generally good move Gyarados can use, and lets it neuter checks that rely on Speed such as Rotom-W, Latios, and Latias.</p>
<p>A Choice Band set with Waterfall, Payback, Stone Edge, and Earthquake allows Gyarados to hit extremely hard right off the bat, but its vulnerability to the common sources of residual damage, Sandstorm and Stealth Rock, really hinders its survivability. Similarly, Gyarados can opt to run a Choice Scarf set with Moxie, but this set usually best left to Salamence due to Salamence’s higher base Speed and Attack.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best counter to Gyarados is Eviolite Porygon2. Porygon2 can Trace back Gyarados’s Intimidate, shrug off a Waterfall, and severely damage Gyarados with Discharge or Thunderbolt. Bulky Water-types like Vaporeon can also switch into Gyarados easily and either cripple it with a burn from Scald or threaten Gyarados with Hidden Power Electric. Without Bounce, Gyarados also has a difficult time getting past bulky Grass-types like Ferrothorn. Faster Pokemon carrying Electric-type attacks such as Starmie and Rotom-W are also huge threats to Gyarados. Rotom-W in particular is an effective answer to Gyarados since it resists Waterfall, Earthquake, and Bounce. Latios and Latias can similarly check Gyarados, and while they rarely carry Thunderbolt, their STAB Dragon-type attacks are still a huge threat to Gyarados.</p>
<p>Gyarados is not a fan of residual damage. Offensive sets are limited in their ability to switch in due to Gyarados's weakness to Stealth Rock. Defensive sets have a harder time walling certain threats if Stealth Rock is present. Sandstorm also takes its toll on Gyarados, wearing it down or removing its Leftovers recovery.</p>
QC Checks: Bloo, Bad Ass, Iconic
GP Checks: Chou Toshio, JC104
Gyarados
[Overview]
<p>While Gyarados received few new toys in BW, the sheer speed and power of BW's OU metagame will likely prevent Gyarados from taking a spot amongst the top 10 used Pokemon. An excellent offensive typing in Water combined with a massive 125 base attack, two excellent abilities in Intimidate and Moxie, and Dragon Dance make Gyarados a superb physical offensive threat. Unfortunately, the presence of incredibly fast threats like Chlorophyll abusers, Prankster abusers, Deoxys-S and Excadrill really put a damper on Gyarados's performance as a sweeper.</p>
<p>More noteworthy in BW are Gyarados's solid 95 / 79 / 100 base defensive stats backed by Intimidate and excellent defensive typing. In a metagame saturated with Fighting attacks and Earthquake users, Gyarados finds a new niche as a formidable check to physical threats. Despite its fall in popularity as a sweeper, it remains a top-tier threat that makes a great addition to most teams.</p>
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Roar / Dragon Tail
nature: Impish
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Excellent defensive typing, with key resistances to Fire-, Bug-, Ground-, Water-, Fighting- and Steel-type attacks, Intimidate, and decent 90 / 79 / 100 base defensive stats allow Gyarados to function as an excellent RestTalk user. Rest allows Gyarados to shrug off damage and status, while Sleep Talk prevents Gyarados from being dead weight while asleep. The ability to shed status conditions is a huge boon to Gyarados when taking on Gliscor, Jellicent, and Heatran. The substantial investment in bulk allows Gyarados to repeatedly check common threats like Heatran, Scrafty, and Scizor.</p>
<p>Waterfall provides Gyarados with a reliable STAB move. Even without Attack investment, the STAB boost combined with Gyarados's innate offensive prowess will allow Waterfall to bring down frail sweepers and foes weak to Water. Roar and Dragon Tail both let Gyarados phaze opponents. Dragon Tail is useful since it is unaffected by Taunt and deals minor damage, but Roar is more reliable and deals with Substitute users.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread maximizes Gyarados’s physical bulk, while also allowing it to switch into Stealth Rock five times. An alternate EV spread of 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD with a Careful nature allows Gyarados to take special attacks more easily, while still allowing it to check physical threats like Lucario and Scizor.</p>
<p>This set has problems with faster users of Electric-type attacks. Thundurus, Zapdos, Jolteon, and Rotom-W can all OHKO Gyarados with STAB Thunderbolt. Bulky Water-types such as Vaporeon are able to hit Gyarados with a super-effective Hidden Power Electric should they be allowed to switch in. Given its phazing potential, this Gyarados works best with entry hazard support. Ferrothorn is an excellent partner for Gyarados, able to set up Stealth Rock and Spikes, and to cover Gyarados’s weakness to Rock- and Electric-type attacks, while Gyarados covers Ferrothorn’s weakness to Fire- and Fighting-type attacks. Gyarados also appreciates teammates that can spin away Stealth Rock, such as Starmie and Excadrill.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Earthquake / Bounce
nature: Adamant / Jolly
item: Life Orb
ability: Moxie / Intimidate
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Excellent offensive stats backed by Dragon Dance and Water typing allow Gyarados to deal significant damage to unprepared teams. With a neutral nature, Gyarados hits 391 Speed after one Dragon Dance, allowing it to outspeed positive-natured foes with base 120 Speed. With Life Orb and one Dragon Dance, Gyarados hits incredibly hard with Waterfall. Stone Edge provides great coverage, allowing Gyarados to hit Flying-types such as Salamence, Dragonite, Zapdos, and opposing Gyarados hard. Earthquake gives Gyarados a shot at hitting Ferrothorn and Empoleon, while Bounce can be used to nail bulky Grass-types for super effective damage.</p>
<p>Moxie is the preferred ability as it allows Gyarados to gain Attack boosts by defeating foes. Alternatively, Intimidate gives Gyarados more opportunities to switch in, notably against enemy Scizor.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Jolly nature can be used to outspeed positive-natured base Speed 130 Pokemon after a Dragon Dance. Ice Fang can be used in lieu of Stone Edge to maintain the super effective hit against Flying-types, while smashing Grass- and Dragon-types for super effective damage.</p>
<p>This set is primarily countered by bulky Water-types such as Vaporeon and Suicune, who take laughable damage from Stone Edge and can scare Gyarados away with super effective Hidden Power Electric or threaten it with a burn from Scald. Rotom-W is also a fantastic check with its resistance to Water, immunity to Ground, considerable bulk, and STAB Thunderbolt. Without Bounce, bulky Grass-types like Ferrothorn, Celebi, and Tangrowth can switch in and either Paralyze Gyarados or hit it with STAB Grass-type attacks. Porygon2, Dusclops, Skarmory, and Swampert can all avoid being 2HKOed by Gyarados without a Dragon Dance and either Status it, KO it, or phaze it away. Gyarados is also easily revenge killed by faster, Choice Scarf users such as Latios and Starmie. The best partners to this Gyarados are Pokemon that can take advantage of bulky Water- and Grass-type enemies. Once again, Ferrothorn is an excellent partner, being able to switch freely into Water-types and set up entry hazards or retaliate with Power Whip. Just be careful against enemies that may carry Hidden Power Fire as a nasty surprise, usually Water-types with considerable base Special Attack like Starmie and Rotom-W. Pursuit users like Tyranitar and Scizor are useful for trapping Choice Scarfed Latios, Latias and Starmie. Scizor can also be used to defeat Deoxys-S.</p>
[SET]
name: Bulky Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Stone Edge / Bounce
nature: Adamant
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
evs: 156 HP / 72 Atk / 96 Def / 184 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set trades immediate power and Speed for additional bulk, allowing Gyarados to set up on the likes of Scizor, Lucario, and Conkeldurr and procure several Dragon Dances before attempting a sweep. Taunt allows Gyarados to set up on Pokemon that normally give it trouble, such as Skarmory, and protects Gyarados from harmful status moves coming from Pokemon like Dusclops and Blissey. Waterfall provides Gyarados with a reliable STAB-move, and Stone Edge gives decent neutral coverage and the ability to hit Flying-types like Dragonite and Zapdos hard. Alternatively, Gyarados can opt to run Bounce over Stone Edge to get a super effective hit on most bulky Grass-types and a neutral hit on Ferrothorn. The turn used to Bounce also lets Gyarados gain additional Leftovers recovery.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread provides Gyarados with an impressive blend of power and survivability. 156 HP EVs allow Gyarados to survive two Life Orb Fire Blasts from Heatran after Stealth Rock and 96 Defense EVs allow Gyarados to avoid a 2HKO from Quick Attack by Choice Band Scizor. 184 EVs in Speed allow Gyarados to outspeed positive-natured base 115s after a Dragon Dance. The rest of the EVs are put into Attack to increase Gyarados’s power. Alternatively, an EV spread of 152 HP / 168 Def / 188 Spe allows Gyarados to set up against strong physical sweepers like Conkeldurr more easily.</p>
<p>This set works significantly better with Rapid Spin support, which can be provided by the excellent offensive partners Starmie and Excadrill are. Excadrill covers both of Gyarados's weaknesses, while Gyarados resists Excadrill's weaknesses to Fire-, Fighting-, Ground- and Water-type attacks. Once again, entry hazard support aids Gyarados immensely in sweeping. Ferrothorn is an excellent supplier of entry hazard support thanks to its type synergy with Gyarados. Like the offensive variant, Gyarados has trouble with bulky Water-types like Vaporeon, who can either burn Gyarados with Scald or severely damage it with Hidden Power Electric. Rotom-W completely counters this set due to Gyarados's lower Attack investment. Without Bounce, bulky Grass-types like Ferrothorn also make life difficult for Gyarados. Finally, Porygon2 remains a thorn in Gyarados's side, taking pitiful damage from Waterfall and threatening to bring Gyarados down with Electric-type attacks. Carrying Pokemon that can switch into these aforementioned threats, such as Ferrothorn for bulky Water-types, Heatran for bulky Grass-types, and bulky Fighting-types for Porygon-2 helps tremendously in aiding a Gyarados sweep.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>On either of the Dragon Dance sets, there are several potential alternative items. Wacan Berry can allow Gyarados to survive a strong Electric-type attack and hopefully get in another Dragon Dance. Similarly, Lum Berry can be used to cure an untimely status effect, particularly a burn from Scald.</p>
<p>Aqua Tail can be used instead of Waterfall for a slight increase in power, but Waterfall’s perfect accuracy and chance to flinch the foe generally make it the superior option. Return is a viable coverage move, as the combination of Water and Normal is resisted only by Empoleon, Ferrothorn, Jellicent, and Shedinja in OU. Thunder Wave is a generally good move Gyarados can use, and lets it neuter checks that rely on Speed such as Rotom-W, Latios, and Latias.</p>
<p>A Choice Band set with Waterfall, Payback, Stone Edge, and Earthquake allows Gyarados to hit extremely hard right off the bat, but its vulnerability to the common sources of residual damage, Sandstorm and Stealth Rock, really hinders its survivability. Similarly, Gyarados can opt to run a Choice Scarf set with Moxie, but this set usually best left to Salamence due to Salamence’s higher base Speed and Attack.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best counter to Gyarados is Eviolite Porygon2. Porygon2 can Trace back Gyarados’s Intimidate, shrug off a Waterfall, and severely damage Gyarados with Discharge or Thunderbolt. Bulky Water-types like Vaporeon can also switch into Gyarados easily and either cripple it with a burn from Scald or threaten Gyarados with Hidden Power Electric. Without Bounce, Gyarados also has a difficult time getting past bulky Grass-types like Ferrothorn. Faster Pokemon carrying Electric-type attacks such as Starmie and Rotom-W are also huge threats to Gyarados. Rotom-W in particular is an effective answer to Gyarados since it resists Waterfall, Earthquake, and Bounce. Latios and Latias can similarly check Gyarados, and while they rarely carry Thunderbolt, their STAB Dragon-type attacks are still a huge threat to Gyarados.</p>
<p>Gyarados is not a fan of residual damage. Offensive sets are limited in their ability to switch in due to Gyarados's weakness to Stealth Rock. Defensive sets have a harder time walling certain threats if Stealth Rock is present. Sandstorm also takes its toll on Gyarados, wearing it down or removing its Leftovers recovery.</p>
