[Overview]
<p>BW brought about huge obstacles for Gyarados to overcome, such as Ferrothorn and Rotom-W, the latter of whom gained a secondary Water typing, as well as common Choice Scarf users such as Rotom-W and Terrakion. These issues compounded problems Gyarados already faced, such as its Stealth Rock weakness, preventing it from being a top offensive contender in the DW metagame. This does not mean Gyarados, who had always been a fine sweeper in the OU metagame, is a bad Pokemon by any means. However, with new threats emerging in the DW tier such as Blaziken, Keldeo, and Technician Breloom, Gyarados's excellent defensive typing and stats will be tested like never before. Gyarados's offensive capabilities should never be overlooked though. With an impressive base 125 Attack, coupled with access to Dragon Dance, the prevalence of rain, and a terrific choice of abilities between Moxie or Intimidate, Gyarados can still pose a major offensive threat to any team.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Bounce
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 72 HP / 236 Atk / 16 Def / 184 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to obtain multiple Dragon Dances behind a Substitute to attempt a sweep. Substitute is incredibly useful on Gyarados, as it grants Gyarados protection from status, Taunt, Volt Switches from Pokemon such as Rotom-W, revenge killers such as Terrakion and Landorus, and priority moves, in addition to the ability to set up on bulky Waters without worrying about Scald burns. Substitute also provides protection while Gyarados is airborne after using Bounce, allowing it to rack up even more Leftovers recovery, which somewhat compensates for its weakness to Stealth Rock. Waterfall serves as powerful, reliable STAB, and its flinch rate coupled with Bounce's paralysis rate form a paraflinch combination. All of this means there are very few Pokemon in DW who can handle this set one-on-one.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs for this set enable Gyarados to outspeed all base 115s such as Starmie after one Dragon Dance, and also prevent a burned Ferrothorn from breaking its Substitutes with an uninvested Power Whip. However, note that both Bounce and Waterfall make Gyarados take damage from Ferrothorn's Iron Barbs, so Gyarados should look to obtain as many boosts as possible to minimize Iron Barbs damage. A good partner to burn Ferrothorn is Rotom-W with Will-O-Wisp, as Ferrothorn, who resists both Rotom-W's STAB moves, is a common switch-in to Rotom-W. Both Gyarados's abilities, Moxie and Intimidate, have their uses on this set. Moxie allows Gyarados to quickly become more of a threat offensively, while Intimidate gives Gyarados more opportunities to switch in or set up.</p>
<p>Politoed makes an excellent partner to Gyarados as it makes Gyarados more of an offensive threat initially, while also eliminating residual damage from sand or hail. Gyarados could make use of Rapid Spin support for more switch-in opportunities: Starmie makes a good Rapin Spin user for this Gyarados as it can break down physical walls such as Skarmory, Cloyster, and Quagsire. Gyarados loves paralysis support when behind a Substitute; this can be provided by Ferrothorn and Jirachi. The former is also able to lay hazards, while the latter can supply Gyarados with Wishes. Finally, Magnezone can be used as a partner to eliminate some checks to Gyarados, such as Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Choice-locked Genesect.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Dragon Tail / Roar
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Waterfall
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>In a metagame where threats such as Blaziken, Keldeo, and Dragonite run rampant, Gyarados's solid 95 / 79 / 100 defenses backed by Intimidate and superb defensive typing become all the more relevant. While Gyarados's defensive stats aren't the best in DW, it has tools that make it an excellent defensive Pokemon. Thunder Wave is useful for stopping setup sweepers, and it works great in tandem with Waterfall's flinch rate, making it tough for the opponent to even land a hit. When Gyarados isn't crippling foes with Thunder Wave, it can phaze them out, which is bolstered by the threat of offensive variants of Gyarados as they force a lot of switches. Dragon Tail is the main choice of phazing move as it isn't affected by Taunt, and with Gyarados's naturally high Attack stat, few sweepers will be able to keep their Substitute up against it. Roar is an option for its reliable accuracy, and is a significantly better option against Substitute + Bulk Up users such as Toxicroak, as well as Substitute Jirachi. Taunt rounds out the set, prevent phazing attempts, status, or attempts at setting up hazards. Even uninvested, Gyarados's base 80 Speed lets it outrun a large portion of the utility Pokemon in DW, allowing it to shut them down with Taunt.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs maximize Gyarados's ability to take physical hits, while 248 HP EVs allow for five switches into Stealth Rock as opposed to four.</p>
<p>The presence of Stealth Rock greatly hampers Gyarados's ability to switch into attacks, so Forretress can be used a Rapid Spin partner; it can also provide hazards to wear opponents down after Gyarados phazes them out. Ferrothorn is an excellent partner to Gyarados as it can provide Gyarados with hazards as well, and heal Gyarados through Leech Seed. Furthermore, Ferrothorn can check one of Gyarados's greatest nemeses: Rotom-W. Jirachi forms an incredibly tough defensive core alongside Gyarados as the two share great type synergy. Jirachi can also provide Gyarados with Wish support, and as Jirachi is capable of spreading paralysis, Gyarados can forgo Thunder Wave for another move, such as Protect, which is useful for scouting VoltTurn chains and more recovery. Rest is another option over Thunder Wave. In this case, a cleric such as Blissey or Chansey could prove useful. Thanks to its Drizzle ability, Politoed is a very useful partner, as in addition to boosting Gyarados's Water STAB, it eliminates residual damage caused by hail or sandstorm.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Stone Edge / Bounce
move 4: Earthquake
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Moxie
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While the power creep has made all-out offensive Dragon Dance Gyarados less threatening this generation, Moxie coupled with rain allow it to rip through unprepared teams. Unlike the Substitute + Dragon Dance variant of Gyarados, this one is more of an immediate threat offensively, outspeeding all base 120s after a single Dragon Dance. Waterfall is Gyarados's main weapon and hits extremely hard after a Dragon Dance, thanks to boosts from Life Orb and possibly rain. Waterfall's flinch rate make it even more of a threat; it allows Gyarados to possibly break down bulkier Pokemon such as Skarmory. Stone Edge provides excellent neutral coverage alongside Waterfall, hitting Pokemon such as Dragonite, Serperior, and Celebi. One can opt for Bounce for strong secondary STAB, but it as not as safe of an option on this set; Gyarados lacks protection from Substitute, so it is susceptible to attacks when landing. Earthquake is Gyarados's best option against Empoleon and Ferrothorn.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Adamant is preferred for generally more power, but a Jolly nature can be used to outspeed positive-natured base 130s, such as Jolteon and Aerodactyl, after a Dragon Dance. Moxie is the preferred ability as it makes Gyarados an extremely dangerous late-game cleaner; if the opponent sacrifices a Pokemon, Gyarados will become even more threatening. However, Intimidate can be used to ease switching in. Life Orb grants more power, but Lum Berry is an option to shield Gyarados from status, making it easier to set up. Additionally, the Life Orb boost isn't even always necessary if Gyarados can rack up Moxie boosts. Ice Fang can be used over Stone Edge or Bounce to deal with Grass-types while maintaining coverage against Flying-and Dragon-types, but it sometimes doesn't hit hard enough. Taunt can be used over Earthquake to prevent phazing attempts from Pokemon such as Skarmory, status, or opposing Taunts, but this leaves Gyarados walled by Ferrothorn, a prominent defensive threat in the DW metagame.</p>
<p>This Gyarados doesn't typically switch around a lot as it is best used as a late-game sweeper, but Rapid Spin support is useful to extend a Gyarados sweep. Forretress is a good candidate for Rapid Spinning, as it can also lay hazards, which makes Gyarados incredibly hard to switch into. As this Gyarados runs into trouble against bulky Water-types, such as Slowbro, Alomomola, and Cloyster, a strong special sweeper, such as Thundurus, can be used as an offensive partner, eliminating each other's checks. Gyarados and Thundurus are furthermore both excellent rain sweepers. If Gyarados is using Life Orb, then status, such as burn and paralysis, will really hamper its ability to sweep. Therefore, a cleric would prove useful. Jolteon can be used as an offensive cleric while also playing a similar role to Thundurus in eliminating Gyarados' checks.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Fang
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Moxie
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Thanks to Moxie, Gyarados makes a terrific Choice Scarf user. In addition to being able to revenge kill a large portion of set-up sweepers in DW, Gyarados can also function as a late-game cleaner, as it receives an Attack boost from Moxie after simply revenge killing something. Therefore, Gyarados will essentially have a Dragon Dance boost while locked into a move. It is imperative that this Gyarados be used in rain, as the boosted Waterfall will greatly help Gyarados obtain the first Moxie KO, at which point very few Pokemon in DW will be able to take a hit from it. This will let it rack up more Moxie boosts for an increasingly unstoppable sweep. Waterfall is Gyarados primary attack, and lets it revenge kill +1 Volcarona and Blaziken. Earthquake takes out Empoleon and Ferrothorn, while Ice Fang comes in handy for revenge killing Dragon Dance Dragons, such as Salamence and Dragonite. While Stone Edge is mainly filler, it is Gyarados's strongest option against opposing Gyarados.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Jolly nature is required to outspeed +1 Haxorus, Dragonite, and every unboosted Pokemon in DW. Jolly also allows Gyarados to both revenge kill Timid Jolteon and prevent Jolteon from revenge killing it.</p>
<p>Drizzle Politoed is the best method of supplying Gyarados with rain; the Choice Specs variant is preferred as it can soften walls for Gyarados with its powerful rain-boosted Hydro Pumps. A Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon with a Choice item usually appreciates Rapid Spin support, and Gyarados is no exception. Once again, Forretress make a good spinner, as it can lay hazards and switch into Choice Scarf Terrakion and Landorus, who both outspeed Gyarados. Gyarados will like to fire off its strong Waterfalls so a teammate that can combat opposing Water resist is a good idea. In addition to spinning away Stealth Rock for Gyarados, Starmie can eliminate Water-types with Thunderbolt, and Grass- and Dragon-types with Ice Beam.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Gyarados can use Aqua Tail in lieu of Waterfall on any of its sets for a slight increase in power, but Waterfall's reliability and flinch rate are better in most cases. A RestTalk + Dragon Dance set is possible, but mono-Water coverage isn't ideal, and Gyarados will have trouble surviving through the sleep turns. Gyarados can function as a wallbreaker when equipped with a Choice Band, but is easily forced out without a way to boost its Speed, meaning its Stealth Rock weakness can really hurt it. Finally, Gyarados can utilize Wacan Berry to survive an Electric-type attack.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Gyarados runs into a lot of trouble against Rotom-W as it can switch into both of Gyarados's STAB attacks, while threatening with its 4x super effective STAB Electric-type attacks. Rotom-W can also beat the Substitute + Dragon Dance variant if it packs Thunderbolt or Thunder.</p>
<p>Without Bounce, Gyarados has trouble getting past bulky Grass-types, such as Ferrothorn, Celebi, and Amoonguss, all of whom can cripple Gyarados with paralysis. Ferrothorn in particular does a great job at stopping Gyarados, as it takes neutral damage from Bounce. Moreover, Ferrothorn doesn't mind being paralyzed by Bounce, and can paralyze Gyarados in return, while Earthquake is Gyarados's only neutral attack against Ferrothorn that doesn't cause Iron Barbs recoil. Skarmory and physically defensive Cloyster wall Gyarados excellently thanks to their immense Defense stats. Skarmory can even take hits from a +2 Gyarados and phaze it out, while Cloyster effectively checks even Substitute Gyarados thanks to Rock Blast and its resistance to Water-type attacks. Finally, Gyarados has trouble breaking through bulky Waters such as Slowbro, Jellicent, and Vaporeon due to their Water resistance and Scald's burn rate.</p>
<p>Latios and Latias can check Gyarados, and they can even run Thunderbolt to quickly KO it. Choice Scarf users such as Terrakion, Landorus, and Tyranitar can force Gyarados out even after a Dragon Dance, assuming it doesn't have a Substitute up. Finally, Ditto can transform into the offensive Dragon Dance set and KO it with Stone Edge.</p>
<p>BW brought about huge obstacles for Gyarados to overcome, such as Ferrothorn and Rotom-W, the latter of whom gained a secondary Water typing, as well as common Choice Scarf users such as Rotom-W and Terrakion. These issues compounded problems Gyarados already faced, such as its Stealth Rock weakness, preventing it from being a top offensive contender in the DW metagame. This does not mean Gyarados, who had always been a fine sweeper in the OU metagame, is a bad Pokemon by any means. However, with new threats emerging in the DW tier such as Blaziken, Keldeo, and Technician Breloom, Gyarados's excellent defensive typing and stats will be tested like never before. Gyarados's offensive capabilities should never be overlooked though. With an impressive base 125 Attack, coupled with access to Dragon Dance, the prevalence of rain, and a terrific choice of abilities between Moxie or Intimidate, Gyarados can still pose a major offensive threat to any team.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Bounce
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 72 HP / 236 Atk / 16 Def / 184 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to obtain multiple Dragon Dances behind a Substitute to attempt a sweep. Substitute is incredibly useful on Gyarados, as it grants Gyarados protection from status, Taunt, Volt Switches from Pokemon such as Rotom-W, revenge killers such as Terrakion and Landorus, and priority moves, in addition to the ability to set up on bulky Waters without worrying about Scald burns. Substitute also provides protection while Gyarados is airborne after using Bounce, allowing it to rack up even more Leftovers recovery, which somewhat compensates for its weakness to Stealth Rock. Waterfall serves as powerful, reliable STAB, and its flinch rate coupled with Bounce's paralysis rate form a paraflinch combination. All of this means there are very few Pokemon in DW who can handle this set one-on-one.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs for this set enable Gyarados to outspeed all base 115s such as Starmie after one Dragon Dance, and also prevent a burned Ferrothorn from breaking its Substitutes with an uninvested Power Whip. However, note that both Bounce and Waterfall make Gyarados take damage from Ferrothorn's Iron Barbs, so Gyarados should look to obtain as many boosts as possible to minimize Iron Barbs damage. A good partner to burn Ferrothorn is Rotom-W with Will-O-Wisp, as Ferrothorn, who resists both Rotom-W's STAB moves, is a common switch-in to Rotom-W. Both Gyarados's abilities, Moxie and Intimidate, have their uses on this set. Moxie allows Gyarados to quickly become more of a threat offensively, while Intimidate gives Gyarados more opportunities to switch in or set up.</p>
<p>Politoed makes an excellent partner to Gyarados as it makes Gyarados more of an offensive threat initially, while also eliminating residual damage from sand or hail. Gyarados could make use of Rapid Spin support for more switch-in opportunities: Starmie makes a good Rapin Spin user for this Gyarados as it can break down physical walls such as Skarmory, Cloyster, and Quagsire. Gyarados loves paralysis support when behind a Substitute; this can be provided by Ferrothorn and Jirachi. The former is also able to lay hazards, while the latter can supply Gyarados with Wishes. Finally, Magnezone can be used as a partner to eliminate some checks to Gyarados, such as Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Choice-locked Genesect.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Dragon Tail / Roar
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Waterfall
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>In a metagame where threats such as Blaziken, Keldeo, and Dragonite run rampant, Gyarados's solid 95 / 79 / 100 defenses backed by Intimidate and superb defensive typing become all the more relevant. While Gyarados's defensive stats aren't the best in DW, it has tools that make it an excellent defensive Pokemon. Thunder Wave is useful for stopping setup sweepers, and it works great in tandem with Waterfall's flinch rate, making it tough for the opponent to even land a hit. When Gyarados isn't crippling foes with Thunder Wave, it can phaze them out, which is bolstered by the threat of offensive variants of Gyarados as they force a lot of switches. Dragon Tail is the main choice of phazing move as it isn't affected by Taunt, and with Gyarados's naturally high Attack stat, few sweepers will be able to keep their Substitute up against it. Roar is an option for its reliable accuracy, and is a significantly better option against Substitute + Bulk Up users such as Toxicroak, as well as Substitute Jirachi. Taunt rounds out the set, prevent phazing attempts, status, or attempts at setting up hazards. Even uninvested, Gyarados's base 80 Speed lets it outrun a large portion of the utility Pokemon in DW, allowing it to shut them down with Taunt.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs maximize Gyarados's ability to take physical hits, while 248 HP EVs allow for five switches into Stealth Rock as opposed to four.</p>
<p>The presence of Stealth Rock greatly hampers Gyarados's ability to switch into attacks, so Forretress can be used a Rapid Spin partner; it can also provide hazards to wear opponents down after Gyarados phazes them out. Ferrothorn is an excellent partner to Gyarados as it can provide Gyarados with hazards as well, and heal Gyarados through Leech Seed. Furthermore, Ferrothorn can check one of Gyarados's greatest nemeses: Rotom-W. Jirachi forms an incredibly tough defensive core alongside Gyarados as the two share great type synergy. Jirachi can also provide Gyarados with Wish support, and as Jirachi is capable of spreading paralysis, Gyarados can forgo Thunder Wave for another move, such as Protect, which is useful for scouting VoltTurn chains and more recovery. Rest is another option over Thunder Wave. In this case, a cleric such as Blissey or Chansey could prove useful. Thanks to its Drizzle ability, Politoed is a very useful partner, as in addition to boosting Gyarados's Water STAB, it eliminates residual damage caused by hail or sandstorm.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Stone Edge / Bounce
move 4: Earthquake
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
ability: Moxie
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While the power creep has made all-out offensive Dragon Dance Gyarados less threatening this generation, Moxie coupled with rain allow it to rip through unprepared teams. Unlike the Substitute + Dragon Dance variant of Gyarados, this one is more of an immediate threat offensively, outspeeding all base 120s after a single Dragon Dance. Waterfall is Gyarados's main weapon and hits extremely hard after a Dragon Dance, thanks to boosts from Life Orb and possibly rain. Waterfall's flinch rate make it even more of a threat; it allows Gyarados to possibly break down bulkier Pokemon such as Skarmory. Stone Edge provides excellent neutral coverage alongside Waterfall, hitting Pokemon such as Dragonite, Serperior, and Celebi. One can opt for Bounce for strong secondary STAB, but it as not as safe of an option on this set; Gyarados lacks protection from Substitute, so it is susceptible to attacks when landing. Earthquake is Gyarados's best option against Empoleon and Ferrothorn.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Adamant is preferred for generally more power, but a Jolly nature can be used to outspeed positive-natured base 130s, such as Jolteon and Aerodactyl, after a Dragon Dance. Moxie is the preferred ability as it makes Gyarados an extremely dangerous late-game cleaner; if the opponent sacrifices a Pokemon, Gyarados will become even more threatening. However, Intimidate can be used to ease switching in. Life Orb grants more power, but Lum Berry is an option to shield Gyarados from status, making it easier to set up. Additionally, the Life Orb boost isn't even always necessary if Gyarados can rack up Moxie boosts. Ice Fang can be used over Stone Edge or Bounce to deal with Grass-types while maintaining coverage against Flying-and Dragon-types, but it sometimes doesn't hit hard enough. Taunt can be used over Earthquake to prevent phazing attempts from Pokemon such as Skarmory, status, or opposing Taunts, but this leaves Gyarados walled by Ferrothorn, a prominent defensive threat in the DW metagame.</p>
<p>This Gyarados doesn't typically switch around a lot as it is best used as a late-game sweeper, but Rapid Spin support is useful to extend a Gyarados sweep. Forretress is a good candidate for Rapid Spinning, as it can also lay hazards, which makes Gyarados incredibly hard to switch into. As this Gyarados runs into trouble against bulky Water-types, such as Slowbro, Alomomola, and Cloyster, a strong special sweeper, such as Thundurus, can be used as an offensive partner, eliminating each other's checks. Gyarados and Thundurus are furthermore both excellent rain sweepers. If Gyarados is using Life Orb, then status, such as burn and paralysis, will really hamper its ability to sweep. Therefore, a cleric would prove useful. Jolteon can be used as an offensive cleric while also playing a similar role to Thundurus in eliminating Gyarados' checks.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Fang
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Moxie
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Thanks to Moxie, Gyarados makes a terrific Choice Scarf user. In addition to being able to revenge kill a large portion of set-up sweepers in DW, Gyarados can also function as a late-game cleaner, as it receives an Attack boost from Moxie after simply revenge killing something. Therefore, Gyarados will essentially have a Dragon Dance boost while locked into a move. It is imperative that this Gyarados be used in rain, as the boosted Waterfall will greatly help Gyarados obtain the first Moxie KO, at which point very few Pokemon in DW will be able to take a hit from it. This will let it rack up more Moxie boosts for an increasingly unstoppable sweep. Waterfall is Gyarados primary attack, and lets it revenge kill +1 Volcarona and Blaziken. Earthquake takes out Empoleon and Ferrothorn, while Ice Fang comes in handy for revenge killing Dragon Dance Dragons, such as Salamence and Dragonite. While Stone Edge is mainly filler, it is Gyarados's strongest option against opposing Gyarados.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>A Jolly nature is required to outspeed +1 Haxorus, Dragonite, and every unboosted Pokemon in DW. Jolly also allows Gyarados to both revenge kill Timid Jolteon and prevent Jolteon from revenge killing it.</p>
<p>Drizzle Politoed is the best method of supplying Gyarados with rain; the Choice Specs variant is preferred as it can soften walls for Gyarados with its powerful rain-boosted Hydro Pumps. A Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon with a Choice item usually appreciates Rapid Spin support, and Gyarados is no exception. Once again, Forretress make a good spinner, as it can lay hazards and switch into Choice Scarf Terrakion and Landorus, who both outspeed Gyarados. Gyarados will like to fire off its strong Waterfalls so a teammate that can combat opposing Water resist is a good idea. In addition to spinning away Stealth Rock for Gyarados, Starmie can eliminate Water-types with Thunderbolt, and Grass- and Dragon-types with Ice Beam.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Gyarados can use Aqua Tail in lieu of Waterfall on any of its sets for a slight increase in power, but Waterfall's reliability and flinch rate are better in most cases. A RestTalk + Dragon Dance set is possible, but mono-Water coverage isn't ideal, and Gyarados will have trouble surviving through the sleep turns. Gyarados can function as a wallbreaker when equipped with a Choice Band, but is easily forced out without a way to boost its Speed, meaning its Stealth Rock weakness can really hurt it. Finally, Gyarados can utilize Wacan Berry to survive an Electric-type attack.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Gyarados runs into a lot of trouble against Rotom-W as it can switch into both of Gyarados's STAB attacks, while threatening with its 4x super effective STAB Electric-type attacks. Rotom-W can also beat the Substitute + Dragon Dance variant if it packs Thunderbolt or Thunder.</p>
<p>Without Bounce, Gyarados has trouble getting past bulky Grass-types, such as Ferrothorn, Celebi, and Amoonguss, all of whom can cripple Gyarados with paralysis. Ferrothorn in particular does a great job at stopping Gyarados, as it takes neutral damage from Bounce. Moreover, Ferrothorn doesn't mind being paralyzed by Bounce, and can paralyze Gyarados in return, while Earthquake is Gyarados's only neutral attack against Ferrothorn that doesn't cause Iron Barbs recoil. Skarmory and physically defensive Cloyster wall Gyarados excellently thanks to their immense Defense stats. Skarmory can even take hits from a +2 Gyarados and phaze it out, while Cloyster effectively checks even Substitute Gyarados thanks to Rock Blast and its resistance to Water-type attacks. Finally, Gyarados has trouble breaking through bulky Waters such as Slowbro, Jellicent, and Vaporeon due to their Water resistance and Scald's burn rate.</p>
<p>Latios and Latias can check Gyarados, and they can even run Thunderbolt to quickly KO it. Choice Scarf users such as Terrakion, Landorus, and Tyranitar can force Gyarados out even after a Dragon Dance, assuming it doesn't have a Substitute up. Finally, Ditto can transform into the offensive Dragon Dance set and KO it with Stone Edge.</p>
