Gyarados (QC 3/3) [GP 2/2]

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Original skeleton by Mr.lol


Gyarados

[Overview]
-Strongest Fish Ever
-Access to second strongest Waterfall in the game, Crawdaunt sucks.
-It has the rare Taunt, Intimidate, decent bulk and unique typing.
-Intimidate + Moxie = Great Ability choices, Intimidate lets it take physical hits better then Lugia, Moxie is only usable on a Scarf set but that is not viable
-4x weakness to Electric-type moves and hates Stealth Rock
-lacks recovery so doesn't like taking too much damage
All-in-all Gyarados's unique attributes let it harass stall quite easily X_X, just make sure to defend it from Thunder.
-Not the best pokemon around but has a niche in Ubers, rapes fire-types including Heatran, Blaziken, Ho-Oh.

[SET]
Name : Tauntrados
Move 1: Dragon Tail
Move 2: Waterfall / Earthquake
Move 3: Taunt
Move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
Nature : Impish
evs : 248 HP / 184 Def / 76 Spe
ability: Intimidate

[SET COMMENTS]
-Set abuses Gyarados unique typing and ability to harass stall teams
-Taunt is main use of this set, gives Gyarados ability to stop enemy team from recovering HP, and prevents the guy from getting phazed / statused.
-Waterfall is strong STAB, but is weather dependent. Earthquake lets you hit Steels immune to Toxic and isn't reliant on weather.
-Dragon Tail lets you phaze stuff and rack up residual damage. Weakens the many Dragon-types who love to come in to spam Thunder, uses Gyarados's high Attack stat
-Toxic cripples walls even more, Taunt + Toxic means they can't heal from residual damage.

[Additional Comments]
-Have a Ground-type or at least something to take Electric-type attacks. Ferrothorn is a nice partner and shares perfect synergy with Gyarados, Excadrill can spin and has excellent typing to pair with gyarados.
-Substitute blocks opposing Dragon Tails but other moves are perferred.
-Example = SD Ground Arceus, annoyed by Lugia and Tina-a no longer after residual damage.
-Can work in any weather and has good physical bulk
-If used in a sun team, Fire Blast can be used over Waterfall, although it looks funny, Fire Blast grabs easy 2HKOes on Ferrothorn and Forretress. Cooks Genesect as well and hits Skarmory hard.
-Walls standard Genesect, and checks Salamence, Garchomp, physical Rayquaza, Blaziken, Ho-Oh, Excadrill and more.
-Pair up with a spinblocker to maximize this set's efficiency in harassing defensive pokemon, Giratina resists Electric-type moves while Ghost Arceus beats Latios and some Palkia sets.
-Likes Wish support to recover fast. Chansey and Rachi can tank Thunders and pass wishes. Blissey can do the same.
-SR weakness, Rapid Spin will pro-long it's ability to switch. Excadrill is best partner for this but Forretress can pair up well too. This set likes entry hazards, and Forretress can setup any of them.
-Ferrothorn absorbs Thunders like a boss and can setup spikes. Gastrodon resists both weaknesses and can tank most weaker attacks pretty well such as from support Dialga.

252 Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 253-300 (64.37 - 76.33%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 169-200 (43 - 50.89%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Dragon Claw vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 278-329 (70.73 - 83.71%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 248+ Atk Griseous Orb Giratina-O Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 145-172 (36.89 - 43.76%) -- 99.9% chance to 3HKO
-1 4 Atk Groudon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 124-146 (31.55 - 37.15%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Groudon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 205-244 (52.16 - 62.08%) -- 97.66% chance to 2HKO
+1 252+ Atk Silk Scarf Arceus-Normal ExtremeSpeed vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 219-258 (55.72 - 65.64%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Excadrill Rock Slide vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 322-380 (81.93 - 96.69%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Choice Band Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 290-344 (73.79 - 87.53%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 176+ Atk Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 123-145 (31.29 - 36.89%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 168-199 (42.74 - 50.63%) -- guaranteed 3HKO



[SET]
Name : SubDancer
Move 1: Dragon Dance
Move 2: Waterfall
Move 3: Substitute
Move 4: Earthquake
item: Leftovers
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 88 HP / 252 Atk / 168 Spe
ability: Intimidate

[SET COMMENTS]

-Thanks to Intimidate, Dragon Tail from Groudon, Lugia, Giratina will not break Gyarados's Substitute. It can easily setup on weaker pokemon such as Ferrothorn, some Forretress, Blissey, Genesect, lead Tyranitar and things like Fighting Arceus.
-Dragon Dance and Substitute plays different compared to Kingdra and Kabutops, as it is a bulkier sweeper and supports the team with Intimidate.
-Immune to Toxic Spikes and Spikes as well, can freely come in on Earthquakes and start setting up.
-Waterfall is Gyarados best STAB option and it hits foes fairly hard, Kyogre support is necessary to maximize the power.
-Earthquake smacks Steel-types such as Dialga, Jirachi and Steel Arceus while getting a neutral hit on Ferrothorn as well. Zekrom also hates Earthquakes. Outrage can be used to OHKO Latias, Palkia and Rayquaza but isn't advisable because getting stuck leaves Gyarados easily revenged killed when not behind a sub.

[Additional Comments]
-EVs give Gyarados good enough bulk to make Substitutes which can survive Groudon's Dragon Tail with Intimidate. Speed lets Gyarados outruns everything up to Mewtwo at +1 and gives maximum power.
-Adamant can be used for more power, but Gyarados desperately needs the Speed to outrun Mewtwo as otherwise Mewtwo can revenge kill Gyarados easily.
-Bounce is Gyarados's only secondary STAB but it can be used to OHKO Grass Arceus at +1 with Stealth Rock damage.
-Pairs up well with Kabutops, who can spin and smacks down faster foes such as Choice Scarf Dialga with Low Kick. Gyarados sets up on Roarless Giratina and can weaken Ferrothorn for Kabutops.


[Other Options]
-Dragon Dance, but outclassed by Salamence and Kingdra.
-Choice Band for sheer power and still have some bulk
-Choice Scarf for some Moxie roll with STAB Waterfall but Salamence is better with more Speed and STAB Outrage.

[Checks and Counters]
-Groudon removes sun and can hit it with Stone Edge, beware though as it can get Toxiced + Dragon Tailed out in the process. Stone Edge does not OHKO and Dragon Tail stops Swords Dance.
-Grass Arceus is not harmed by any attack and can repeatedly spam Judgements to KO, doesn't like Toxic though and it can't recover due to Taunt.
-Choice Scarf users such as Palkia, Kyogre and Dialga can revenge it with Thunder
-Zekrom can take a hit and OHKO with Bolt strike but doesn't like eating Dragon Tail. Kyurem-B can do the same with Fusion Bolt.
-Stealth Rock limits the number of switch ins.
-Lack of recovery means repeated hits will bring it down.
-Focus on revenging it, walling it is hard due to Toxic + Taunt


[Overview]

<p>Gyarados has had a long and miserable history in the Uber tier, dating way back to DPP. Most people treated it as some sort of joke, and never took it seriously. Not all hope was lost, however, as they were eventually swayed to approve its usefulness. While not awesome, it has a niche in the tier with a support set designed to work under any weather condition, rain and sand in particular. Its somewhat unique typing grants it a Ground and Spikes immunity, as well as resistances to some common attacks such as Fire Blast and Surf. Intimidate is a huge boon to Gyarados's niche in Ubers, as it boosts Gyarados's measly physical Defense stat to levels comparable to that of Lugia's, allowing Gyarados to check numerous physical attackers and act as a wonderful pivot. Unlike most of the weaker walls, such as Giratina and Lugia, Gyarados can do decent damage to things it should be checking, such as Tyranitar, Excadrill, and Ho-Oh. Its base 81 Speed might not seem like much, but it is just enough for Gyarados to outpace most stall-based Pokemon, such as Forretress and Chansey. Access to unique moves such as Taunt, Dragon Tail, Toxic, and Thunder Wave makes it a decent stallbreaker like Heatran; however, Gyarados brings a different list of resistances to the table and checks different threats. Although ever-lasting rain makes Gyarados vulnerable to Thunder, rain boosts the power of Gyarados's STAB attack, while sand teams will appreciate Gyarados' combination of unique typing and Intimidate support to check dangerous sweepers, such as Excadrill and Rock Polish Groudon. Gyarados does have its obvious flaws, however, such as its lack of reliable recovery and weakness to Stealth Rock, which means it cannot take repeated beatings without Wish support.</p>

[SET]
name: Tauntrados
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Dragon Tail
move 3: Waterfall / Earthquake
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
Nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 184 Def / 76 Spe


[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set utilizes all of Gyarados's unique attributes as a defensive threat capable of breaking stall and checking dangerous sweepers at the same time. Taunt is its advantage over similar Pokemon such as Giratina and Lugia, as it gives Gyarados the ability to stop the enemy from recovering HP, prevents status moves from being thrown around, and also stops entry hazard users from setting up as long as they are slower than Gyarados. All of the defensive Spikes users besides fast Deoxys-D sets are easily stopped in their tracks by Taunt. Although Ferrothorn can wear down Gyarados through repeated Power Whips, it cannot recover with Leech Seed or set up Spikes. Volt Switch Forretress can be a nuisance as well, and Gyarados also needs to be paired with a Ghost-type, as entry hazards play a huge role in its success. Taunt is also a great move to stop RestTalk users such as Kyogre and Giratina. Thanks to the new sleep mechanics, Gyarados can easily Taunt them on the first turn and phaze them out the following turn, preventing them from doing anything. Thankfully, Gyarados resists Water-type attacks, so mono-attacking Kyogre will not be able to do much damage, although an unlucky burn on the switch will greatly shorten Gyarados's life. Gyarados has good enough defenses to stave off unboosted Dragon Pulses from Giratina and force it out with Dragon Tail. If it tries to recover with Rest, Taunt will just make it useless.</p>

<p>Double switching is important to make proper use of Intimidate, and with the ability in effect, Gyarados can easily live hits from powerful sweepers, such as Rayquaza's Outrage and Ho-Oh's Brave Bird. This unique ability also makes Gyarados a decent team player, and while it cannot support its team in any other way, it is capable of utilizing entry hazards on its own through Dragon Tail&mdash;another key move of this set. Gyarados has a usable base 125 Attack to go along with Dragon Tail, and while it lacks STAB, it is powerful enough to deal major damage when combined with entry hazards, especially against the likes of Rayquaza and Kyurem-W. With so many Dragon-types roaming around the tier, Dragon Tail becomes more useful than Roar for Gyarados, and it also wears down common counters such as Zekrom and Palkia. Bulkier threats such as Chansey and Giratina also hate the extra damage they take from Dragon Tail. Waterfall is the most consistent STAB move, and is mainly used to strike common threats it checks, such as Ho-Oh, Excadrill, Blaziken, Genesect, and Tyranitar. Even if the weather is sunny, Gyarados can break Ho-Oh's Substitutes with Waterfall, and cripple the phoenix with Toxic. In rain, Waterfall becomes a decently powerful attack, capable of 3HKOing the likes of Arceus and Chansey. Genesect lacking Thunder will have trouble killing Gyarados, making it an excellent switch-in to the most common Genesect set. Both of Blaziken's sets are walled, and Gyarados can just reply with Waterfall or Dragon Tail it out. Waterfall also comes along with a decent flinch rate, which can come in handy against defensive threats such as Forretress. Earthquake is a good alternative over Waterfall to hit Steel-types such as Dialga and Jirachi. With Earthquake, Gyarados can beat Dialga and Jirachi one-on-one, but will fail if they pack Thunder. Toxic is the best status move to use on this set, as it cripples walls. The combination of Toxic and Taunt can easily take down walls, as they can't heal the residual damage. Thunder Wave is a viable alternative, but Toxic has more use in general and limits the number of times a threat can come in to force out Gyarados.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>76 Speed EVs let Gyarados outrun and Taunt minimal invested base 90s, such as Groudon and Giratina, before they can use a support move; this extra Speed is crucial to Gyarados's success. 248 HP EVs give Gyarados a Stealth Rock number and maximum overall bulk. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Defense, as this set is meant to challenge physical threats with Intimidate. Gyarados is one of the very few Pokemon capable of surviving a boosted hit from the dreaded Swords Dance Rayquaza, as it resists V-Create. In return, Gyarados can phaze out Rayquaza with Dragon Tail, forcing it to take extra Stealth Rock damage the next time it switches in. While a +1 Outrage will, unfortunately, OHKO Gyarados, Rayquaza can then easily be revenge killed by Gyarados's teammates. Gyarados can also phaze out a boosted Arceus with Dragon Tail even after Stealth Rock damage, although Wish support is necessary to keep Gyarados alive longer.</p>

<p>Coincidentally, the main Wish passers of the tier share great typing synergy with Gyarados. Jirachi and the pink blobs can easily take Thunders and Draco Meteors for Gyarados, while Gyarados can switch in on Earthquakes for free and shrug off Close Combats. Wishes from Blissey and Chansey can heal Gyarados back to almost full health, and although Jirachi passes smaller Wishes, it has a resistance to Rock-type attacks and has U-turn to give Gyarados more switch-in opportunities. Protect can be used to scout for Thunders and stack more Leftovers recovery, but Gyarados has better things to do most of the time.</p>

<p>Pairing Gyarados with a Rapid Spin user keeps it alive for longer. The best one to pair with Gyarados is obviously Excadrill, as they share perfect synergy with each other. Excadrill is the most likely spinner to pull off a successful Rapid Spin, and has a powerful Earthquake to smash Zekrom and Dialga, while resisting Dragon as well. Gyarados can check opposing Excadrill, Landorus-T, Hippowdon, Fighting Arceus, Ho-Oh, and some Groudon, while providing Intimidate support to give more switch-in opportunities for Excadrill. Toxic from Gyarados can also cripple defensive threats aiming to wall Excadrill, such as Lugia and Ground Arceus. Forretress is another viable teammate for Rapid Spin support with its numerous resistances and access to every entry hazard, which enhances Gyarados's phazing prowess. Gyarados resists Forretress's only weakness and can check Heatran and Ho-Oh well. Intimidate can, once again, help Forretress survive longer, especially against powerful threats such as Choice Band Terrakion. While it shares an Electric-type weakness with Gyarados, Kabutops can perform well as an offensive spinner. It can outrun a large portion of the metagame under rain and hit any spinblocker not named Giratina hard. Gyarados can support Kabutops by checking Groudon and switching in on Fighting-type attacks from the likes of Terrakion and Fighting Arceus. Kabutops's access to Low Kick also allows it to take out Steel-types, such as Ferrothorn and Steel Arceus once they are weakened by Gyarados. The rare Gastrodon walls Kabutops, but it is easily stopped in its tracks by Gyarados through Taunt and Toxic.</p>

<p>You will need to pair Gyarados up with a spinblocker to keep entry hazards up on your opponent's side, as it maximizes Gyarados's ability to shuffle the opposing team. The Giratina formes are the best choices as they both resist Electric, and have huge bulk, amd both can phaze on their own as well. Gyarados can support them in walling through Intimidate, and checking certain Dragon-types such as Garchomp, Salamence, and Rayquaza. Ghost Arceus is capable of beating threats Gyarados will not enjoy facing, such as Latios and Mewtwo. In return, Gyarados can soften hits with Intimidate, Taunt annoying threats such as Forretress, and destroy Tyranitar, the main user of Pursuit in the tier, meaning Ghost Arceus is free to run Flamethrower instead of Focus Blast, maximizing its efficiency in spinblocking.</p>

<p>In terms of pure synergy, Gyarados fits right into just about any team. For rain teams, common teammates are Ferrothorn, Dialga, Grass Arceus, Excadrill, Steel Arceus, Jirachi, Gastrodon, and of course Kyogre. All of them are standard Pokemon found in rain teams, so Gyarados has no problem fitting in, and can act as a defensive pivot on such teams, by providing a useful Ground immunity, access to Taunt to break stall, and Intimidate to check physical threats. Ferrothorn shares perfect synergy with Gyarados, and can set up Spikes as well. It also gets Leech Seed to annoy foes, and can provide Gyarados with some extra healing, making Gyarados's annoying strategy even more effective. Gyarados's power is also maximized in the rain, giving Waterfall a much needed power boost to actually hurt things. Although Thunder always hits in rain, all of Gyarados's teammates are capable of taking Thunders and Stone Edges easily, save Kyogre, who enjoys Gyarados's Intimidate support and ability to switch in on offensive Groudon and Excadrill spamming Earthquake.</p>

<p>For sand teams, Tyranitar and Hippowdon love Gyarados's ability to check Fighting Arceus, opposing Excadrill, Groudon, and Steel Arceus. Although Hippowdon can take on Excadrill and Groudon on its own, Gyarados can assist it with Intimidate support; both also enjoy Gyarados's ability to defeat defensive Kyogre and make Spikes users useless. All of Tyranitar's common weaknesses are resisted by Gyarados, while Tyranitar can easily tank Thunders and Pursuit its users to death. Hippowdon can form a powerful physically defensive core with Gyarados, as it can wall Zekrom and Terrakion, both of whom are problematic threats for Gyarados. Groudon has huge Defense, resists both of Gyarados's weaknesses, and can set up Stealth Rock, as well as roast Steel-types with a Fire-type attack. Gyarados can check Ho-Oh and stop Giratina from doing anything. Gyarados can also take on defensive Kyogre&mdash; who loves to switch in on Groudon&mdash;but a burn can be disastrous. In the sun, Thunder's accuracy is reduced to an unreliable 50%, so Gyarados can be a lot harder to OHKO. When paired with Groudon, Gyarados should use another move over Waterfall, such as Stone Edge, to take out Ho-Oh and Reshiram. Keep in mind that Gyarados functions best in rain or sand due to sun's already limited playstyle.</p>

Below are some calculations to show Gyarados's bulk.

<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>252 Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 253-300 (64.37 - 76.33%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>-1 252 Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 169-200 (43 - 50.89%) -- guaranteed 3HKO</li>
<li>+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Dragon Claw vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 278-329 (70.73 - 83.71%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>-1 248+ Atk Griseous Orb Giratina-O Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 145-172 (36.89 - 43.76%) -- 99.9% chance to 3HKO</li>
<li>-1 4 Atk Groudon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 124-146 (31.55 - 37.15%) -- guaranteed 4HKO</li>
<li>-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Groudon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 205-244 (52.16 - 62.08%) -- 97.66% chance to 2HKO</li>
<li>+1 252+ Atk Silk Scarf Arceus-Normal ExtremeSpeed vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 219-258 (55.72 - 65.64%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Excadrill Rock Slide vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 322-380 (81.93 - 96.69%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>-1 252 Atk Choice Band Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 290-344 (73.79 - 87.53%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
><li><-1 176+ Atk Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 123-145 (31.29 - 36.89%) -- guaranteed 4HKO</li>
<li>-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 168-199 (42.74 - 50.63%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
</li></ul>

[Other Options]

<p>A set with Substitute and Dragon Dance can be used to set up on defensive Pokemon, but it has coverage issues and will either be too slow, or too weak. Roar can be an alternative over Dragon Tail on the first set to phaze out Substitute users, but Taunt already prevents that, and Dragon Tail utilizes Gyarados's good Attack stat. Water + Dragon also happens to have pretty good coverage in Ubers, striking most Dragon-types who resist Water for super effective damage. Substitute can be used on the first set to protect Gyarados from status, but Taunt is generally the better move to stop defensive threats, and Scald isn't that common in Ubers. Gyarados can use other sets, but they are not really effective in the Uber tier. It can also set up on defensive Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Forretress. A Choice Band set can be used for sheer power while still packing some bulk, but Kabutops is generally better for that thanks to Swift Swim and a powerful secondary STAB move. Rest and Sleep Talk can be used for more recovery, but Gyarados already suffers from 4 moveslot syndrome, and it will be useless when sleeping, especially with the new sleep mechanics. Avalanche can be used to directly OHKO Dragon-types such as Rayquaza, Garchomp, and Salamence, and deal a good amount of damage to Giratina-O, but Dragon Tail is better for phazing. Moxie can be used with Choice Scarf to sweep the opponent, but Gyarados is too slow for that, and Salamence is generally the better choice with its superior Attack and Speed.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Any Pokemon that packs an Electric-type move and is bulky enough to take an attack from Gyarados can easily force it out. These threats include Kyogre, Palkia, Dialga, and Zekrom; however, none of them will enjoy taking repeated Dragon Tails combined with entry hazard damage. If they do get in safely though, Gyarados has to switch out or get OHKOed. None of them will enjoy a Toxic to the face either, except Dialga, who hates taking Earthquake, but has good enough Defense to take at least one hit and KO back with Thunder. Zekrom has huge physical Defense so it can survive an Earthquake easily, and Bolt Strike will OHKO, but it does not like taking Dragon Tails on the switch; Kyurem-B can achieve the same thing with Fusion Bolt. Groudon cannot KO Gyarados quickly, but it has huge Defense, and the sun it brings weakens Gyarados's Waterfall. Groudon will not enjoy Toxic, however, and has to be wary of Dragon Tail if it tries to set up Swords Dance. Groudon's Stone Edge fails to OHKO Gyarados, but it can chip off the damage easily due to Gyarados's lack of recovery, assuming Groudon is switching into Gyarados, not the other way round. Mixed attacker Giratina-O resists Waterfall and can take out Gyarados easily with Thunder, or just tear out a chunk of its HP with Draco Meteor.</p>

<p>Ferrothorn can't do much to Gyarados, but it can wear Gyarados down with repeated Power Whips and Iron Barbs, especially when Intimidate is not in effect. If Spikes are up, however, Ferrothorn will not like switching repeatedly on Dragon Tails as it cannot recover with Leech Seed due to Taunt. Darkrai can put Gyarados to sleep with Dark Void and take it out with a boosted Dark Pulse, as long as Darkrai does not come in on Taunt. However, Darkrai does not like taking Waterfalls on the switch, as it will 2HKO. Mewtwo can bypass Intimidate and strike Gyarados hard with Psystrike or fry it with Thunder, however it too will not like switching into Waterfalls in rain. Shaymin-S resists Waterfall and can foil Toxic attempts with a faster Substitute. From there, Shaymin-S can 2HKO Gyarados with Seed Flare. If Terrakion manages to come in safely, its Choice Band set can KO Gyarados. Kabutops can survive one hit and strike back hard with Stone Edge, a guaranteed OHKO with Choice Band. In general, Stealth Rock will hinder Gyarados's ability to switch in freely and repeated hits will bring it down eventually.</p>

[SET]
Name : SubDancer
Move 1: Dragon Dance
Move 2: Waterfall
Move 3: Substitute
Move 4: Earthquake
item: Leftovers
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 88 HP / 252 Atk / 168 Spe
ability: Intimidate

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This set functions differently compared to the above set, as it primarily aims to setup on defensive pokemon. Substitute protects Gyarados from status inducers such as Blissey and easily setup Dragon Dances on them. Thanks to Intimidate, Dragon Tail from Groudon, Lugia and Giratina will not break Gyarados's Substitute, allowing an easy setup if they lack Roar or Whirlwind. It can easily setup on weaker pokemon such as some Ferrothorn and Forretress, Blissey, Hippowdon, Tentacruel, Gastrodon, Excadrill, Genesect, standard Tyranitar and things like Fighting Arceus. Dragon Dance and Substitute plays differently compared to Kingdra and Kabutops, as it is a bulkier but slower sweeper while supporting the team with Intimidate. Being immune to Toxic Spikes and Spikes is a huge plus as Gyarados can come in freely on Earthquakes and start setting up. Despite Gyarados's low initial Speed, Dragon Dance can attempt to fix that, and with it's unique set of resistances, Gyarados can often find switch in opportunities.</p>

<p>Waterfall is Gyarados best STAB option and it hits most pokemon fairly hard. Kyogre support is necessary to maximize the power as it can help push would be 3HKOs into 2HKOs. Waterfall also gets a super-effective hit against most threats Gyarados can switch in on as such as Tyranitar and Blaziken. Earthquake works well as a coverage move to smack Steel-types such as Dialga, Jirachi and Steel Arceus while getting a neutral hit on Ferrothorn as well. Zekrom, a common check to Gyarados is also 2HKOed by Earthquake. Water and Ground coverage isn't perfect however, as some Dragon-types such as Rayquaza, Salamence, Giratina-O and Latias resist it. To fix that issue, Outrage can be used to OHKO Latias, Palkia and Rayquaza but isn't advisable because getting stuck leaves Gyarados easily revenged killed when not behind a sub. The use of Outrage is only for those who desperately want to destroy Dragon-types not named Dialga.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>The EVs maximizes Gyarados' Attack and gives it good enough bulk to make Substitutes bulky enough to survive Groudon's Dragon Tail with Intimidate. The Speed investment and a Jolly nature lets Gyarados outruns everything up to Mewtwo at +1. An Adamant nature can be used for more power, but Gyarados desperately needs the Speed to outrun Mewtwo as otherwise Mewtwo can revenge kill Gyarados easily. Bounce is Gyarados's only secondary STAB but it can be used to OHKO Grass Arceus at +1 with Stealth Rock damage. The downfall of the charge-up turn can be fatal however, because Thunder can still hit you during that turn. This Gyarados set pairs up well with other swift swimmer such as Kabutops, who can spin and smacks down faster foes such as Choice Scarf Dialga with Low Kick. In return, Gyarados sets up on Roarless Giratina and can weaken Ferrothorn for Kabutops. Kingdra is another good teammate as it can beat down Dragon-types who resist Earthquake such as Giratina-O with Draco Meteor or Outrage, and it is capable of revenge killing Palkia as well thanks to Swift Swim. Pairing this set with Dialga is also a good idea as Dialga can setup Stealth Rock and OHKO most Dragon-types with it's powerful Draco Meteor, as well as sharing perfect synergy with Gyarados. Entry hazard users can make Gyarados's sweep easier, and as such, Ferrothorn makes a great partner to this set as well. Ferrothorn also enjoys Gyarados's resistances to all of its weaknesses, and the ability to check Blaziken and Ho-Oh.</p>
 
I've been recently trying to use Gyarados legitimately and I was surprised to find it wasn't actually that bad. It's far from excellent but it can certainly do its job. So far I like pairing it with Ferrothorn to have a little mini defensive core with all the utility the two bring (Taunt is just so good in Ubers). He's very similar to Giratina-O in roles but the fact that he isn't weak to Dragon/Ghost and has Taunt is what really lets him carve his own niche.
 
Excadrill is the most likely one to pull of a successful spin so it is the best, not in terms of utility though. Tentacruel and Forretress both have their own advantages. Cloyster just doesn't do well mid game and dies way too easily to be mentioned here.
 
I have found a couple of legitimate uses to use Gyarados, at least in ladder matches. First of all, its typing and excellent ability in Intimidate allow it to check prominent threats such as Blaziken, Excadrill lacking both a SD boost and Rock Slide, Rayquaza (unless it has Draco Meteor) and physically offensive Giratina-O. Secondly, that powerful 125 attack and excellent movepool (including Waterfall, Outrage, Earthquake, etc) allow it to wallbreak in rain. Waterfall deals ~ 40% to specially defensive Ferrothorn and outrage outright kills stuff like Giratina. Don't forget about the element of surprise; your opponent might not even know Gyarados even gets Outrage, forget can OHKO his dragon type when equipped with a band.

Gyarados has very disappointing speed, so I don't see the point of scarfing it as it will get revenged anyway. A Scarf Gyarados is basically an inferior Kabutops IMO with a change in ability. Band is legit as hell and I have some replays to illustrate what it can do:

http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ubers-35201866

Gyarados can survive a non-electric hit from Mewtwo and kill back with Waterfall.

http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ubers-35195595

Gyarados easily tanks a ScarfOgre surf and kills it in one blow with outrage. Kyogre still had ~75% health at the time so the pure power of this attack is not to be understated.

http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ubers-35151710

Gyarados scares away a blaziken who tried to set up on my team, murders the Darkrai that came in foolishly thinking it could take a Waterfall and sleep me, then murders a Genesect coming in for the revenge kill.

http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ubers-35161756

Gyarados wears down and kills a Giratina, and nearly kills off a Ferrothorn. This wallbreaking allowed Omastar to sweep easily late game.


Gyarados checks enough threats and hits hard enough to warrant an analysis on Smogon. I had no problem using it effectively after fairly extensive playtesting. I do want to try Taunt Stallbreaker Gyarados out though!


In regards to rapid spinners, I prefer offensive oriented ones as Tentacruel and Forretress will have a terrible time getting by Giratina-A (though they can set up their own hazards on them). Cloyster is strong early game vs. Deoxys formes but struggles against opponents that are willing to wait a few turns to set up hazards. After SR damage, it is fairly easily to kill in one blow. It threatens 2 of the three major spinblockers though which is great. Kabutops and Excadrill are probably the best, especially Exca as it has better bulk, defensive typing, and is a little more threatening to the Giratina formes.
 
Excadrill is the most likely one to pull of a successful spin so it is the best, not in terms of utility though. Tentacruel and Forretress both have their own advantages. Cloyster just doesn't do well mid game and dies way too easily to be mentioned here.
Fair point, but I would think saying that Excadrill can spin the easiest is better, as it's not clearly 'better'. Also, you forgot Kabutops. :P
 
I will think about the CB set again thanks and see what the rest of the team thinks. It works fine for me because I find it useful, and the reasons Sweep posted. CB Gyarados can also take out Giratina and Rayquaza which is pretty big for a rain team. The disadvantage is it's pretty slow and Kabutops has a more useful Swift Swim ability although you can pair up both together which is possible. Kingdra has Dragon STAB but I think CB Gyarados plays differently with its superior bulk, wider movepool and stronger Attack STAB.

Fair point, but I would think saying that Excadrill can spin the easiest is better, as it's not clearly 'better'. Also, you forgot Kabutops. :P
OK, I will change it thanks and yeah I forgotten Kabutops :P It is already mentioned in the analysis though.
 

Theorymon

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QC Approved 2/3

I did a lot of thinking about this, and I know Gyarados has been rejected several times... but I decided that we have cover more niche Pokemon before, so I am fine with it getting an analysis this gen AS LONG as you make it very clear that Gyarados is a very niche Pokemon!

As for CB, I did not like it at all. I felt like it didn't take very good advantage of Gyarados's unique typing, it had to switch out so much due to choice and its speed that it'd die pretty fast!
 

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My opinion on CB is mixed, it hits ridiculously hard with CB Waterfall in rain but you miss out on using stuff like Taunt in the process, that and CB + Sr weak just don't go together. Then again Sweep's replays are convincing...

I think Gyara's biggest attribute is being THE BEST switch into Blaziken and OHKO it with an Earthquake / Waterfall or phaze it out with Dragon Tail. No other Pokemon can beat Blaziken better. Giratina gets destroyed by Roar Blaze, everything else gets murdered by +2 Flare Blitz ;_; (which gyara can tank because of INTIMIDATE). Unlike other stuff that abuses hazards, it can actually destroy Forry + Exca (cough cough Lugia) easily with boosted Waterfall and that attack stat.

I also think Roar should be added in OO, it doesn't use that great attack stat, but it helps when something decides to sub up on you in sun.

Gyarados is a mon that's been neglected a long time in my opinion, and definitely deserves an analysis.
 
Gyarados being a niche pokemon is mentioned, and the CB set stays in Other Options for now. Putting Roar in as well but Dragon Tail is just the better option as Gyarados wants to weaken the opponent as much as it can, also uses Gyarados's good Attack stat, thanks.
 

QC approved 3/3

The bulky set is perfectly fine but the SubDD set should be moved to OO imo. I've tried it and no matter what move you choose as coverage it is horribly weak to something. Seeing as it isn't particularly fast or easy to setup there really isn't much point in using it, especially when there are many good Swift Swimmers to choose from.
 
Put SubDD into hide tag and mentioned it in AC instead. If after sufficient testing, and SubDD warrants a separate set, then it will be posted later. Thanks for the QC check and this is finally ready, Poppy's right, Gyarados is getting approved at the end of the generation.

Ready for GP checks.
 
I made an amcheck. The only big problem was the constant lack of commas. Otherwise, great job!

Additions
Deletions
Comments
[Overview]

<p>Gyarados had a long miserable history in the Ubers tier dated way back in DPP. Most people treated it as some sort of joke, and never took it seriously. Not all hope was lost however, as they were eventually swayed to approve it's usefulness. While not awesome, it has a niche in the tier with the support set designed to work under any weather condition, with rain and sand being the preferred ones. It's somewhat unique typing grants it a Ground and Spikes immunity and resistances to some common attacks such as Fire Blast and Surf. Intimidate is a huge boon to Gyarados's niche in Ubers, as it boosts Gyarados's measly physical Defense stat to levels comparable to that of Lugia's, allowing Gyarados to check numerous physical attackers, acting as a wonderful pivot. Unlike, most of the weaker walls such as Giratina and Lugia, Gyarados can strike back decently hard at things it should be checking such as Tyranitar, Excadrill and Ho-Oh. Base 81 Speed might not seem much, but it is just enough for Gyarados to outpace most stall-based pokemon such as Forretress and Chansey. Access to unique moves such as Taunt, Dragon Tail, Toxic, and Thunder Wave, makes it a decent stall breaker like Heatran; however, Gyarados brings a different list of resistances to the table and checks different threats. Although ever-lasting rain makes Gyarados vulnerable to Thunder, the rain boosts the power of Gyarados's STAB attack, while sand teams will appreciate Gyarados' combination of unique typing and Intimidate support to check dangerous sweepers such as Excadrill and Rock Polish Groudon. Gyarados does have its obvious flaws however, it's lack of reliable recovery and weakness to Stealth Rock means it cannot take repeated abuse without Wish support.</p>

Name : Tauntrados
Move 1: Taunt
Move 2: Dragon Tail
Move 3: Waterfall / Earthquake
Move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
Nature : Impish
evs : 248 HP / 184 Def / 76 Spe
ability: Intimidate

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>As there are far too many powerful sweepers in the Ubers tier, this set utilizes all of Gyarados's unique attributes as a defensive threat capable of breaking stall and checking dangerous sweepers at the same time. Taunt is its advantage over similar pokemon such as Giratina and Lugia, as it gives Gyarados the ability to stop the enemy from recovering HP, prevents status moves from being thrown around, and it also stops entry hazards users from setting up as long as they are slower than Gyarados. All of the defensive Spikes users besides fast Deoxys-D sets are easily stopped in their tracks by Taunt. Although Ferrothorn can wear down Gyarados through repeated Power Whips, it cannot recover with Leech Seed or setup Spikes. Volt Switch Forretress can be an nuisance as well, and a Ghost-type is needed to pair with Gyarados, as entry hazards play a huge role in Gyarados's success. Taunt is also a great move to stop RestTalk users such as Kyogre and Giratina. Thanks to the new sleep mechanics, Gyarados can easily Taunt them on the first turn and phaze them out the following turn, preventing them from doing anything. Thankfully, Gyarados resists Water-type attacks, so mono-attacking Kyogre will not be able to do much damage, although an unlucky burn on the switch will greatly shorten Gyarados's life. Gyarados has good enough defenses to stave off unboosted Dragon Pulses from Giratina and force it out with Dragon Tail. If it tries to recover with Rest, Taunt will just make it useless.</p>

<p>Double switching is important to abuse Intimidate properly, and with the ability in effect, Gyarados can easily live hits from powerful sweepers such as Rayquaza's Outrage and Ho-Oh's Brave Bird. This unique ability also makes Gyarados a decent team player, and while it cannot support the its team in any other way, it is capable of abusing entry hazards on it's own through Dragon Tail which is another key move of this set. Gyarados has a usable base 125 Attack to go along with Dragon Tail, and while it lacks STAB, it is powerful enough to deal major damage when combined with entry hazards, especially against the likes of Rayquaza and Kyurem-W. With so many Dragon-types roaming around the tier, Dragon Tail becomes more useful than Roar for Gyarados, and it also wears down common counters such as Zekrom and Palkia a lot faster than they think. Bulkier threats like Chansey and Giratina will also hate the extra damage they take from Dragon Tail, racking up residual damage. Waterfall is the most consistent STAB move, and is mainly used to strike common threats checked by it, such as Ho-Oh, Excadrill, Blaziken, Genesect and Tyranitar. Even if the weather is sunny, Gyarados can break Ho-Oh's Subsitute with Waterfall and cripple the phoenix with Toxic. In rain, Waterfall becomes a decently powerful attack, capable of 3HKOing threats like Arceus and Chansey. Genesect will have trouble killing Gyarados&mdash;outside of Thunder&mdash;making it an excellent switch-in to the most common Genesect set. Both of Blaziken's sets are resisted walled, and Gyarados can just reply with Waterfall or can Dragon Tail it out. It Waterfall also comes along with a decent flinch rate, which can come in handy against defensive threats such as Forretress. Earthquake is a good alternative over Waterfall to hit Steel-types such as Dialga and Jirachi. With Earthquake, Gyarados can beat Dialga and Jirachi one-on-one but will fail if they pack Thunder. Toxic is the best status move to use with this set, as it cripples walls. The combination of Toxic and Taunt can easily take down walls, as they can't heal from the residual damage. Thunder Wave is a viable alternative, but Toxic has more use in general and it limits the number of times a threat can come in to force out Gyarados. Protect can be used to scout for random Thunders and stacks more leftovers recovery, but Gyarados has better things to do most of the time.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>The EV spread gives Gyarados optimum physical bulk while retaining the ability to outrun slow base 90s such as Groudon and Giratina.; 76 Speed EVs lets Gyrados outrun them &mdash;and Taunt them&mdash; first before they can use a support move. The extra Speed is crucial to Gyarados's success, and 248 HP EVs gives Gyarados a Stealth Rock number, and maximum overall bulk. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Defense, as this set is meant to challenge physical threats thanks to Intimidate. Gyarados is one of the very few pokemon capable of surviving a boosted hit from the dreaded Swords Dance Rayquaza, as V-Create is resisted. In return, Gyarados can phaze out Rayquaza with Dragon Tail, forcing it to take extra Stealth Rock damage the next time it switches in, . Uunfortunately a +1 Outrage will OHKO Gyarados, but it leaves Rayquaza easily revenged killed by Gyarados's teammates. Gyarados can also phaze out a boosted Arceus with Dragon Tail even after Stealth Rock damage, although Wish support is necessary to keep Gyarados alive longer. Coincidentally, the main Wish passers of the tier share great typing synergy with Gyarados. Jirachi and the pink blobs can easily take Thunders and overpowered Draco Meteors for Gyarados, while Gyarados can switch in on Earthquakes for free and shrug off Close Combats. This makes it sound like you are saying DracoMeteor is a broken move. Wishes from Blissey and Chansey can recover Gyarados back to almost full health, and although Jirachi passes smaller wishes, it has a resistance to Rock-type attacks and has U-turn to give more switch-in opportunities to Gyarados.</p>

<p>Having a Rapid Spin user to pair with Gyarados is useful to keep it alive longer. The best one to pair with Gyarados is obviously Excadrill as both share perfect synergy with each other. Excadrill is the most likely one spinner to pull off a successful Rapid Spin, and has a powerful Earthquake to smash Zekrom and Dialga, while resisting Dragon as well. Gyarados can check opposing Excadrill, some Groudon, Landorus-T, Hippwowdon, Fighting Arceus, and Ho-Oh, and some Groudon, while providing Intimidate support to give more switch in opportunities for Excadrill. Toxic from Gyarados can also cripple defensive threats aiming to wall Excadrill, such as Lugia and Ground Arceus. Forretress is another viable teammate for Rapid Spin support, with its numerous resistances and access to every entry hazard, enhancing Gyarados' phazing prowess. Gyarados resists Forretress's only weakness and can check Heatran and Ho-Oh well. Intimidate can once again help Forretress survive longer, especially against powerful threats such as Choice Band Terrakion. While sharing an Electric-type weakness with Gyarados, Kabutops can perform well as an offensive spinner. It can outrun a large portion of the metagame and hit any spin blocker not named Giratina hard. Gyarados can support Kabutops by checking Groudon and switching in on Fighting-type attacks such as from the likes of Terrakion and Fighting Arceus. Kabutops' access to Low Kick also allows it to take out Steel-types once they are weakened by Gyarados such as by the likes of Ferrothorn and Steel Arceus. The rare Gastrodon walls Kabutops, but it is easily stopped in its tracks by Gyarados through Taunt and Toxic.</p>

<p>You need to pair Gyarados up with a spin blocker to keep entry hazards up on your opponent's side, as it maximizes Gyarados's ability to shuffle the opposing team. The Giratina formes are the best choices as they both resist Electric and have huge bulk. Both can phaze on their own as well. Gyarados can support them in walling through Intimidate, and checking certain Dragon-types such as Garchomp, Salamence and Rayquaza. Arceus-Ghost is capable of beating threats Gyarados will not enjoy facing, such as Latios and Mewtwo. In return, Gyarados can soften hits with Intimidate, Taunt annoying threats such as Forretress, and destroys Tyranitar, the main user of Pursuit in the tier, meaning Arceus-Ghost is free to run Flamethrower instead of Focus Blast, maximizing Arceus-Ghost's efficiency in spinblocking. I assumed that Focus Blast was the move you mean to include. If not, just change it. In terms of pure synergy, Gyarados fits right in into just about any team. For rain teams, common teammates are Ferrothorn, Dialga, Grass Arceus, Excadrill, Steel Arceus, Jirachi, Gastrodon and of course Kyogre. All of them are standard pokemon found in rain teams, so Gyarados has no problem fitting in, and Gyarados can act as a defensive pivot on in such teams, by providing a useful Ground immune immunity, Taunt to break stall and checking physical threats. Ferrothorn shares perefect synergy with Gyarados, and can setup Spikes as well. It also gets Leech Seed to annoy foes, and can provide Gyarados some extra healing, making Gyarados's annoying strategy even more effective. Gyarados's power is also maximized in the rain, giving Waterfall a much needed power boost to actually hurt things. Although Thunder always hits 100% in rain, all of the teammates are capable of taking Thunders and Stone Edges easily, save Kyogre, who enjoys Gyarados's Intimidate support and ability to switch in on Offensive Groudon and Excadrill spamming Earthquake. For sand teams, Tyranitar and Hippowdon love Gyarados's ability to check Fighting Arceus, opposing Excadrill, Groudon and Steel Arceus. Although Hippowdon can take on Excadrill and Groudon on its own, Gyarados can assist it with Intimidate support.; Bboth also enjoy Gyarados's ability to defeat defensive Kyogre and make Spikes users useless. All of Tyranitar's common weaknesses are resisted by Gyarados, while Tyranitar can easily tank Thunders and Pursuit themtheir users to death. This sounded as if T-tar Pursuits the Thunders. I reworded it, but I found the task a bit difficult. If you don't like the way I reworded it, just rephrase it accordingly. Hippowdon can form a powerful physically defensive core with Gyarados, as it can wall Zekrom and Terrakion, both of whom problematic threats for Gyarados. Groudon has huge Defense, resists both of Gyarados's weaknesses, and can setup Stealth Rock, as well as roast Steel-types with a Fire-type attack. Gyarados can check Ho-Oh and stops Giratina from doing anything. Gyarados can also take on defensive Kyogre&mdash; who loves to switch in on Groudon&mdash;but a burn can be a disaster. In the sun, Thunder's accuracy is reduced to an unreliable 50%, so Gyarados can be a lot harder to get OHKOed. When paired with Groudon, Gyarados should use another move over Waterfall such as Stone Edge to take out Ho-Oh and Reshiram. Keep in mind, Gyarados functions best in rain or sand due to sun's already limited play style.</p>

Below are some calculations to show Gyarados's bulk

<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>252 Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 253-300 (64.37 - 76.33%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 252 Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 169-200 (43 - 50.89%) -- guaranteed 3HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Dragon Claw vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 278-329 (70.73 - 83.71%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 248+ Atk Griseous Orb Giratina-O Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 145-172 (36.89 - 43.76%) -- 99.9% chance to 3HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 4 Atk Groudon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 124-146 (31.55 - 37.15%) -- guaranteed 4HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Groudon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 205-244 (52.16 - 62.08%) -- 97.66% chance to 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>+1 252+ Atk Silk Scarf Arceus-Normal ExtremeSpeed vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 219-258 (55.72 - 65.64%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Excadrill Rock Slide vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 322-380 (81.93 - 96.69%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 252 Atk Choice Band Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 290-344 (73.79 - 87.53%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li><-1 176+ Atk Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 123-145 (31.29 - 36.89%) -- guaranteed 4HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 168-199 (42.74 - 50.63%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
</li></ul>

[Other Options]

<p>A set with Substitute and Dragon Dance can be used to setup on defensive pokemon, but it has coverage issues and will be either too slow or weak. Roar can be an alternative over Dragon Tail on the first set to phaze pass out Substitute users, but Taunt already prevents that, and Dragon Tail uses utilizes Gyarados's good Attack stat. Utilizes just works a bit better here. Water + Dragon also happens to have pretty good coverage in Ubers, striking most the Dragon-types who resist Water for super effective damage. Substitute can be used on the first set to protect Gyarados from status, but Taunt is generally the better move to stop defensive threats, and Scald isn't that common in Ubers. Gyarados can use other sets, but they are not really effective in the Ubers tier. It can also setup on defensive pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Forretress. A Choice Band set can be used for sheer power and while still packing some bulk, but Kabutops is generally better for that thanks to Swift Swim and a powerful secondary STAB move. Rest and Sleep Talk can be used for more recovery, but Gyarados already suffers from 4 moveslot syndrome and it will be useless when sleeping, especially with the new sleep mechanics. Avalanche can be used to directly OHKO Dragon-types such as Rayquaza, Garchomp, Salamence and deal a good amount of damage to Giratina-O, but Dragon Tail is better for phazing. Moxie can be used with the Choice Scarf set to sweep the opponent, but Gyarados is too slow for that, and Salamence is generally the better choice with its superior Attack and Speed.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Any user Pokemon packing an Electric-type move, and is bulky enough to take an attack from Gyarados can easily force it out Gyarados, such as; these threats include Kyogre, Palkia, Dialga and Zekrom.; Hhowever, all of them will not enjoy taking repeated Dragon Tails combined with entry hazards damage. If they do get in safely, Gyarados has to switch out or get OHKOed. All of them won't enjoy a Toxic to the face either, except Dialga, who hates taking Earthquake, but it has good enough Defense to take at least one hit and KO back with Thunder. Zekrom has huge physical Defense&mdash; so it can survive an Earthquake easily, and Bolt Strike will OHKO, but it does not like taking Dragon Tails on the switch.; Kyurem-B can achieve the same thing with Fusion Bolt. Groudon cannot KO Gyarados quickly, but it has huge Defense, and the sun it brings weakens Gyarados's Waterfall. Groudon will not enjoy Toxic however, and has to be wary of Dragon Tail if it tries to setup set up Swords Dance. 'Setup' is an adjective. 'Set up' is a verb. Stone Edge fails to OHKO Gyarados, but it can chip off the damage easily due to Gyarados's lack of recovery, and assuming Groudon is switching into Gyarados; not the other way round. Mixed Attacker Giratina-O resists Waterfall and can take out Gyarados easily with Thunder, or just tear out a chunk of HP with Draco Meteor.</p>

<p>Ferrothorn can't do much to Gyarados, but it can wear Gyarados down with repeated Power Whips and Iron Barbs, especially when Intimidate is not in effect. If Spikes are up however, Ferrothorn will not like switching repeatedly on Dragon Tails as it cannot recover with Leech Seed due to Taunt. Darkrai can put Gyarados to sleep Gyarados with Dark Void and take it out with a boosted a Dark Pulse, as long as Darkrai does not come in on Taunt. Keep in mind, Darkrai does not like taking Waterfalls on the switch, as it will 2HKO. Mewtwo can bypass Intimidate and strike Gyarados hard with Psytrike or fry it with Thunder, however it too will not like switching into Waterfalls in rain. Shaymin-S resists Waterfall and can foil Toxic attempts with a faster Substitute. From there, Shaymin-S can 2HKO Gyarados with Seed Flare. If Terrakion managed to come in safely, the Choice Band set can KO Gyarados. Kabutops can survive one hit and strike back hard with Stone Edge, a guaranteed OHKO with Choice Band. In general, Stealth Rock will hinder Gyarados' ability to switch in freely and repeated hits will bring it down eventually.</p>


EDIT: I added this because I realized that it could be annoying to change everything for this check.
[Overview]

<p>Gyarados had a long miserable history in the Ubers tier dated way back in DPP. Most people treated it as some sort of joke, and never took it seriously. Not all hope was lost however, as they were eventually swayed to approve its usefulness. While not awesome, it has a niche in the tier with the support set designed to work under any weather condition, with rain and sand being the preferred ones. It's somewhat unique typing grants it a Ground and Spikes immunity and resistances to some common attacks such as Fire Blast and Surf. Intimidate is a huge boon to Gyarados's niche in Ubers, as it boosts Gyarados'smeasly physical Defense stat to levels comparable to that of Lugia's, allowing Gyarados to check numerous physical attackers, acting as a wonderful pivot. Unlike most of the weaker walls such as Giratina and Lugia, Gyarados can strike back decently hard at things it should be checking such as Tyranitar, Excadrill and Ho-Oh. Base 81 Speed might not seem much, but it is just enough for Gyarados to outpace most stall-based pokemon such as Forretress and Chansey. Access to unique moves such as Taunt, Dragon Tail, Toxic, and Thunder Wave make it a decent stall breaker like Heatran; however, Gyarados brings a different list of resistances to the table and checks different threats. Although ever-lasting rain makes Gyarados vulnerable to Thunder, the rain boosts the power of Gyarados's STAB attack, while sand teams will appreciate Gyarados' combination of unique typing and Intimidate support to check dangerous sweepers such as Excadrill and Rock Polish Groudon. Gyarados does have its obvious flaws however, it's lack of reliable recovery and weakness to Stealth Rock means it cannot take repeated abuse without Wish support.</p>

Name : Tauntrados
Move 1: Taunt
Move 2: Dragon Tail
Move 3: Waterfall / Earthquake
Move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
Nature : Impish
evs : 248 HP / 184 Def / 76 Spe
ability: Intimidate

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>As there are far too many powerful sweepers in the Ubers tier, this set utilizes all of Gyarados's unique attributes as a defensive threat capable of breaking stall and checking dangerous sweepers at the same time. Taunt is its advantage over similar pokemon such as Giratina and Lugia, as it gives Gyarados the ability to stop the enemy from recovering HP, prevents status moves from being thrown around, and also stops entry hazard users from setting up as long as they are slower than Gyarados. All of the defensive Spikes users besides fast Deoxys-D sets are easily stopped in their tracks by Taunt. Although Ferrothorn can wear down Gyarados through repeated Power Whips, it cannot recover with Leech Seed or setup Spikes. Volt Switch Forretress can be a nuisance as well, and a Ghost-type is needed to pair with Gyarados, as entry hazards play a huge role in Gyarados's success. Taunt is also a great move to stop RestTalk users such as Kyogre and Giratina. Thanks to the new sleep mechanics, Gyarados can easily Taunt them on the first turn and phaze them out the following turn, preventing them from doing anything. Thankfully, Gyarados resists Water-type attacks, so mono-attacking Kyogre will not be able to do much damage, although an unlucky burn on the switch will greatly shorten Gyarados's life. Gyarados has good enough defenses to stave off unboosted Dragon Pulses from Giratina and force it out with Dragon Tail. If it tries to recover with Rest, Taunt will just make it useless.</p>

<p>Double switching is important to abuse Intimidate properly, and with the ability in effect, Gyarados can easily live hits from powerful sweepers such as Rayquaza's Outrage and Ho-Oh's Brave Bird. This unique ability also makes Gyarados a decent team player, and while it cannot support its team in any other way, it is capable of abusing entry hazards on it's own through Dragon Tail which is another key move of this set. Gyarados has a usable base 125 Attack to go along with Dragon Tail, and while it lacks STAB, it is powerful enough to deal major damage when combined with entry hazards, especially against the likes of Rayquaza and Kyurem-W. With so many Dragon-types roaming around the tier, Dragon Tail becomes more useful than Roar for Gyarados, and it also wears down common counters such as Zekrom and Palkia. Bulkier threats like Chansey and Giratina will also hate the extra damage they take from Dragon Tail, racking up residual damage. Waterfall is the most consistent STAB move, and is mainly used to strike common threats checked by it, such as Ho-Oh, Excadrill, Blaziken, Genesect and Tyranitar. Even if the weather is sunny, Gyarados can break Ho-Oh's Subsitute with Waterfall and cripple the phoenix with Toxic. In rain, Waterfall becomes a decently powerful attack, capable of 3HKOing threats like Arceus and Chansey. Genesect will have trouble killing Gyarados&mdash;outside of Thunder&mdash;making it an excellent switch-in to the most common Genesect set. Both of Blaziken's sets are walled, and Gyarados can just reply with Waterfall or can Dragon Tail it out. Waterfall also comes along with a decent flinch rate, which can come in handy against defensive threats such as Forretress. Earthquake is a good alternative over Waterfall to hit Steel-types such as Dialga and Jirachi. With Earthquake, Gyarados can beat Dialga and Jirachi one-on-one but will fail if they pack Thunder. Toxic is the best status move to use with this set, as it cripples walls. The combination of Toxic and Taunt can easily take down walls, as they can't heal the residual damage. Thunder Wave is a viable alternative, but Toxic has more use in general and limits the number of times a threat can come in to force out Gyarados. Protect can be used to scout for Thunders and stacks more leftovers recovery, but Gyarados has better things to do most of the time.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>The EV spread gives Gyarados optimum physical bulk while retaining the ability to outrun slow base 90s such as Groudon and Giratina; 76 Speed EVs let Gyrados outrun them &mdash;and Taunt them&mdash; before they can use a support move. The extra Speed is crucial to Gyarados's success, and 248 HP EVs gives Gyarados a Stealth Rock number, and maximum overall bulk. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Defense, as this set is meant to challenge physical threats thanks to Intimidate. Gyarados is one of the very few pokemon capable of surviving a boosted hit from the dreaded Swords Dance Rayquaza, as V-Create is resisted. In return, Gyarados can phaze out Rayquaza with Dragon Tail, forcing it to take extra Stealth Rock damage the next time it switches in. Unfortunately a +1 Outrage will OHKO Gyarados, but it leaves Rayquaza easily revenged killed by Gyarados's teammates. Gyarados can also phaze out a boosted Arceus with Dragon Tail even after Stealth Rock damage, although Wish support is necessary to keep Gyarados alive longer. Coincidentally, the main Wish passers of the tier share great typing synergy with Gyarados. Jirachi and the pink blobs can easily take Thunders and Draco Meteors for Gyarados, while Gyarados can switch in on Earthquakes for free and shrug off Close Combats. Wishes from Blissey and Chansey can recover Gyarados back to almost full health, and although Jirachi passes smaller wishes, it has a resistance to Rock-type attacks and has U-turn to give more switch-in opportunities to Gyarados.</p>

<p>Having a Rapid Spin user to pair with Gyarados is useful to keep it alive longer. The best one to pair with Gyarados is obviously Excadrill as both share perfect synergy with each other. Excadrill is the most likely spinner to pull off a successful Rapid Spin, and has a powerful Earthquake to smash Zekrom and Dialga, while resisting Dragon as well. Gyarados can check opposing Excadrill, Landorus-T, Hippowdon, Fighting Arceus, Ho-Oh, and some Groudon, while providing Intimidate support to give more switch in opportunities for Excadrill. Toxic from Gyarados can also cripple defensive threats aiming to wall Excadrill, such as Lugia and Ground Arceus. Forretress is another viable teammate for Rapid Spin support, with its numerous resistances and access to every entry hazard, enhancing Gyarados' phazing prowess. Gyarados resists Forretress's only weakness and can check Heatran and Ho-Oh well. Intimidate can once again help Forretress survive longer, especially against powerful threats such as Choice Band Terrakion. While sharing an Electric-type weakness with Gyarados, Kabutops can perform well as an offensive spinner. It can outrun a large portion of the metagame and hit any spin blocker not named Giratina hard. Gyarados can support Kabutops by checking Groudon and switch in on Fighting-type attacks from the likes of Terrakion and Fighting Arceus. Kabutops' access to Low Kick also allows it to take out Steel-types once they are weakened by Gyarados by the likes of Ferrothorn and Steel Arceus. The rare Gastrodon walls Kabutops, but it is easily stopped in its tracks by Gyarados through Taunt and Toxic.</p>

<p>You need to pair Gyarados up with a spin blocker to keep entry hazards up on your opponent's side, as it maximizes Gyarados's ability to shuffle the opposing team. The Giratina formes are the best choices as they both resist Electric and have huge bulk. Both can phaze on their own as well. Gyarados can support them in walling through Intimidate, and checking certain Dragon-types such as Garchomp, Salamence and Rayquaza. Arceus-Ghost is capable of beating threats Gyarados will not enjoy facing, such as Latios and Mewtwo. In return, Gyarados can soften hits with Intimidate, Taunt annoying threats such as Forretress, and destroy Tyranitar, the main user of Pursuit in the tier, meaning Arceus-Ghost is free to run Flamethrower instead of Focus Blast, maximizing Arceus-Ghost's efficiency in spinblocking. In terms of pure synergy, Gyarados fits right in into just about any team. For rain teams, common teammates are Ferrothorn, Dialga, Grass Arceus, Excadrill, Steel Arceus, Jirachi, Gastrodon and of course Kyogre. All of them are standard pokemon found in rain teams, so Gyarados has no problem fitting in, and Gyarados can act as a defensive pivot on such teams, by providing a useful Ground immunity, Taunt to break stall and checking physical threats. Ferrothorn shares perfect synergy with Gyarados, and can setup Spikes as well. It also gets Leech Seed to annoy foes, and can provide Gyarados some extra healing, making Gyarados's annoying strategy even more effective. Gyarados's power is also maximized in the rain, giving Waterfall a much needed power boost to actually hurt things. Although Thunder always hits in rain, all of the teammates are capable of taking Thunders and Stone Edges easily, save Kyogre, who enjoys Gyarados's Intimidate support and ability to switch in on Offensive Groudon and Excadrill spamming Earthquake. For sand teams, Tyranitar and Hippowdon love Gyarados's ability to check Fighting Arceus, opposing Excadrill, Groudon and Steel Arceus. Although Hippowdon can take on Excadrill and Groudon on its own, Gyarados can assist it with Intimidate support; Both also enjoy Gyarados's ability to defeat defensive Kyogre and make Spikes users useless. All of Tyranitar's common weaknesses are resisted by Gyarados, while Tyranitar can easily tank Thunders and Pursuit their users to death. Hippowdon can form a powerful physically defensive core with Gyarados, as it can wall Zekrom and Terrakion, both of whom problematic threats for Gyarados. Groudon has huge Defense, resists both of Gyarados's weaknesses, and can setup Stealth Rock, as well as roast Steel-types with a Fire-type attack. Gyarados can check Ho-Oh and stop Giratina from doing anything. Gyarados can also take on defensive Kyogre&mdash; who loves to switch in on Groudon&mdash;but a burn can be a disaster. In the sun, Thunder's accuracy is reduced to an unreliable 50%, so Gyarados can be a lot harder to OHKO. When paired with Groudon, Gyarados should use another move over Waterfall such as Stone Edge to take out Ho-Oh and Reshiram. Keep in mind, Gyarados functions best in rain or sand due to sun's already limited play style.</p>

Below are some calculations to show Gyarados's bulk

<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>252 Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 253-300 (64.37 - 76.33%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 252 Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 169-200 (43 - 50.89%) -- guaranteed 3HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Dragon Claw vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 278-329 (70.73 - 83.71%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 248+ Atk Griseous Orb Giratina-O Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 145-172 (36.89 - 43.76%) -- 99.9% chance to 3HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 4 Atk Groudon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 124-146 (31.55 - 37.15%) -- guaranteed 4HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Groudon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 205-244 (52.16 - 62.08%) -- 97.66% chance to 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>+1 252+ Atk Silk Scarf Arceus-Normal ExtremeSpeed vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 219-258 (55.72 - 65.64%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Excadrill Rock Slide vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 322-380 (81.93 - 96.69%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 252 Atk Choice Band Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 290-344 (73.79 - 87.53%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li><-1 176+ Atk Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 123-145 (31.29 - 36.89%) -- guaranteed 4HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 168-199 (42.74 - 50.63%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
</li></ul>

[Other Options]

<p>A set with Substitute and Dragon Dance can be used to setup on defensive pokemon, but it has coverage issues and will be either too slow or weak. Roar can be an alternative over Dragon Tail on the first set to phaze out Substitute users, but Taunt already prevents that, and Dragon Tail utilizes Gyarados's good Attack stat. Water + Dragon also happens to have pretty good coverage in Ubers, striking most the Dragon-types who resist Water for super effective damage. Substitute can be used on the first set to protect Gyarados from status, but Taunt is generally the better move to stop defensive threats, and Scald isn't that common in Ubers. Gyarados can use other sets, but they are not really effective in the Ubers tier. It can also setup on defensive pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Forretress. A Choice Band set can be used for sheer power while still packing some bulk, but Kabutops is generally better for that thanks to Swift Swim and a powerful secondary STAB move. Rest and Sleep Talk can be used for more recovery, but Gyarados already suffers from 4 moveslot syndrome and it will be useless when sleeping, especially with the new sleep mechanics. Avalanche can be used to directly OHKO Dragon-types such as Rayquaza, Garchomp, Salamence and deal a good amount of damage to Giratina-O, but Dragon Tail is better for phazing. Moxie can be used with the Choice Scarf set to sweep the opponent, but Gyarados is too slow for that, and Salamence is generally the better choice with its superior Attack and Speed.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Any Pokemon packing an Electric-type move, bulky enough to take an attack from Gyarados can easily force it out; these threats include Kyogre, Palkia, Dialga and Zekrom; however, all of them will not enjoy taking repeated Dragon Tails combined with entry hazards damage. If they do get in safely, Gyarados has to switch out or get OHKOed. All of them won't enjoy a Toxic to the face either, except Dialga, who hates taking Earthquake, but has good enough Defense to take at least one hit and KO back with Thunder. Zekrom has huge physical Defense &mdash; so it can survive an Earthquake easily, and Bolt Strike will OHKO, but it does not like taking Dragon Tails on the switch; Kyurem-B can achieve the same thing with Fusion Bolt. Groudon cannot KO Gyarados quickly, but it has huge Defense, and the sun it brings weakens Gyarados's Waterfall. Groudon will not enjoy Toxic however, and has to be wary of Dragon Tail if it tries to set up Swords Dance. Stone Edge fails to OHKO Gyarados, but it can chip off the damage easily due to Gyarados's lack of recovery, and assuming Groudon is switching into Gyarados; not the other way round. Mixed Attacker Giratina-O resists Waterfall and can take out Gyarados easily with Thunder, or just tear out a chunk of HP with Draco Meteor.</p>

<p>Ferrothorn can't do much to Gyarados, but it can wear Gyarados down with repeated Power Whips and Iron Barbs, especially when Intimidate is not in effect. If Spikes are up however, Ferrothorn will not like switching repeatedly on Dragon Tails as it cannot recover with Leech Seed due to Taunt. Darkrai can put Gyarados to sleep with Dark Void and take it out with a boosted Dark Pulse, as long as Darkrai does not come in on Taunt. Keep in mind, Darkrai does not like taking Waterfalls on the switch, as it will 2HKO. Mewtwo can bypass Intimidate and strike Gyarados hard with Psytrike or fry it with Thunder, however it too will not like switching into Waterfalls in rain. Shaymin-S resists Waterfall and can foil Toxic attempts with a faster Substitute. From there, Shaymin-S can 2HKO Gyarados with Seed Flare. If Terrakion managed to come in safely, the Choice Band set can KO Gyarados. Kabutops can survive one hit and strike back hard with Stone Edge, a guaranteed OHKO with Choice Band. In general, Stealth Rock will hinder Gyarados' ability to switch in freely and repeated hits will bring it down eventually.</p>
 
Thanks, I fixed it, the check was really helpful.

Thank you very much for the copy paste version because this analysis pretty long. Ready for the next GP check.
 
[Overview]

<p>Gyarados has had a long and miserable history in the Ubers tier,(comma) dated dating way back in to DPP. Most people treated it as some sort of joke, and never took it seriously. Not all hope was lost,(comma) however, as they were eventually swayed to approve its usefulness. While not awesome, it has a niche in the tier with the a support set designed to work under any weather condition, with rain and sand being the preferred ones. It's Its somewhat unique typing grants it a Ground and Spikes immunity and , as well as resistances to some common attacks such as Fire Blast and Surf. Intimidate is a huge boon to Gyarados's niche in Ubers, as it boosts Gyarados's(space)measly physical Defense stat to levels comparable to that of Lugia's, allowing Gyarados to check numerous physical attackers, acting and act as a wonderful pivot. Unlike most of the weaker walls,(comma) such as Giratina and Lugia, Gyarados can strike back decently hard at 'gyarados can do decent damage to' would work better here, but feel free to keep original phrasing if this changes your meaning too much things it should be checking,(comma) such as Tyranitar, Excadrill,(comma) and Ho-Oh. Its base 81 Speed might not seem like much, but it is just enough for Gyarados to outpace most stall-based Pokemon,(comma) such as Forretress and Chansey. Access to unique moves such as Taunt, Dragon Tail, Toxic, and Thunder Wave makes it a decent stall breaker like Heatran; however, Gyarados brings a different list of resistances to the table and checks different threats. Although ever-lasting rain makes Gyarados vulnerable to Thunder, the rain boosts the power of Gyarados's STAB attack, while sand teams will appreciate Gyarados's combination of unique typing and Intimidate support to check dangerous sweepers,(comma) such as Excadrill and Rock Polish Groudon. Gyarados does have its obvious flaws however, it's such as its lack of reliable recovery and weakness to Stealth Rock,(comma) means which means it cannot take repeated abuse beatings without Wish support.</p>

[SET]
Name(remove space): Tauntrados
Move 1: Taunt
Move 2: Dragon Tail
Move 3: Waterfall / Earthquake
Move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
Nature(remove space): Impish
evs(remove space): 248 HP / 184 Def / 76 Spe
ability: Intimidate

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>As there are far too many powerful sweepers in the Ubers tier, this set utilizes all of Gyarados's unique attributes as a defensive threat capable of breaking stall and checking dangerous sweepers at the same time. Taunt is its advantage over similar Pokemon such as Giratina and Lugia, as it gives Gyarados the ability to stop the enemy from recovering HP, prevents status moves from being thrown around, and also stops entry hazard users from setting up as long as they are slower than Gyarados. All of the defensive Spikes users besides fast Deoxys-D sets are easily stopped in their tracks by Taunt. Although Ferrothorn can wear down Gyarados through repeated Power Whips, it cannot recover with Leech Seed or set up Spikes. Volt Switch Forretress can be a nuisance as well, and a Ghost-type is needed to pair with Gyarados Gyarados also needs to be paired with a Ghost-type, as entry hazards play a huge role in Gyarados'sits success. Taunt is also a great move to stop RestTalk users such as Kyogre and Giratina. Thanks to the new sleep mechanics, Gyarados can easily Taunt them on the first turn and phaze them out the following turn, preventing them from doing anything. Thankfully, Gyarados resists Water-type attacks, so mono-attacking Kyogre will not be able to do much damage, although an unlucky burn on the switch will greatly shorten Gyarados's life. Gyarados has good enough defenses to stave off unboosted Dragon Pulses from Giratina and force it out with Dragon Tail. If it tries to recover with Rest, Taunt will just make it useless.</p>

<p>Double switching is important to abuse Intimidate properly make proper use of Intimidate, and with the ability in effect, Gyarados can easily live hits from powerful sweepers,(comma) such as Rayquaza's Outrage and Ho-Oh's Brave Bird. This unique ability also makes Gyarados a decent team player, and while it cannot support its team in any other way, it is capable of abusing entry hazards on it's own through Dragon Tail which is another key move of this set. Gyarados has a usable base 125 Attack to go along with Dragon Tail, and while it lacks STAB, it is powerful enough to deal major damage when combined with entry hazards, especially against the likes of Rayquaza and Kyurem-W. With so many Dragon-types roaming around the tier, Dragon Tail becomes more useful than Roar for Gyarados, and it also wears down common counters such as Zekrom and Palkia. Bulkier threats like such as Chansey and Giratina will also hate the extra damage they take from Dragon Tail, racking up residual damage. Waterfall is the most consistent STAB move, and is mainly used to strike common threats checked by it, such as Ho-Oh, Excadrill, Blaziken, Genesect,(comma) and Tyranitar. Even if the weather is sunny, Gyarados can break Ho-Oh's Substitutes with Waterfall,(comma) and cripple the phoenix with Toxic. In rain, Waterfall becomes a decently powerful attack, capable of 3HKOing threats like the likes of Arceus and Chansey. Genesect will have trouble killing Gyarados&mdash;outside of Thunder&mdash; ,(comma) making it an excellent switch-in to the most common Genesect set. Both of Blaziken's sets are walled, and Gyarados can just reply with Waterfall or can Dragon Tail it out. Waterfall also comes along with a decent flinch rate, which can come in handy against defensive threats such as Forretress. Earthquake is a good alternative over Waterfall to hit Steel-types such as Dialga and Jirachi. With Earthquake, Gyarados can beat Dialga and Jirachi one-on-one,(comma) but will fail if they pack Thunder. Toxic is the best status move to use with this set, as it cripples walls. The combination of Toxic and Taunt can easily take down walls, as they can't heal the residual damage. Thunder Wave is a viable alternative, but Toxic has more use in general and limits the number of times a threat can come in to force out Gyarados. Protect move to AC imo; it's not in the set can be used to scout for Thunders and stacks more Leftovers recovery, but Gyarados has better things to do most of the time.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>The EV spread gives Gyarados optimum physical bulk while retaining the ability to outrun slow base 90s such as Groudon and Giratina; 76 Speed EVs let Gyarados outrun them &mdash;and Taunt them&mdash; and Taunt slow base 90s, such as Groudon and Giratina, before they can use a support move. The ; this extra Speed is crucial to Gyarados's success.(period) and 248 HP EVs give Gyarados a Stealth Rock number, and maximum overall bulk. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Defense, as this set is meant to challenge physical threats thanks to Intimidate. Gyarados is one of the very few Pokemon capable of surviving a boosted hit from the dreaded Swords Dance Rayquaza, as V-Create is resisted it resists V-create. In return, Gyarados can phaze out Rayquaza with Dragon Tail, forcing it to take extra Stealth Rock damage the next time it switches in. Unfortunately a +1 Outrage will OHKO Gyarados, but it leaves Rayquaza easily revenged killed by Gyarados's teammates. Gyarados can also phaze out a boosted Arceus with Dragon Tail even after Stealth Rock damage, although Wish support is necessary to keep Gyarados alive longer.</p>

<p>
Coincidentally, the main Wish passers of the tier share great typing synergy with Gyarados. Jirachi and the pink blobs can easily take Thunders and Draco Meteors for Gyarados, while Gyarados can switch in on Earthquakes for free and shrug off Close Combats. Wishes from Blissey and Chansey can recover heal Gyarados back to almost full health, and although Jirachi passes smaller Wishes, it has a resistance to Rock-type attacks and has U-turn to give Gyarados more switch-in opportunities to Gyarados.</p>

<p>Having a Rapid Spin user to pair with Gyarados is useful to keep it alive longer Pairing Gyarados with a Rapid Spin user keeps it alive for longer. The best one to pair with Gyarados is obviously Excadrill,(comma) as both they share perfect synergy with each other. Excadrill is the most likely spinner to pull off a successful Rapid Spin, and has a powerful Earthquake to smash Zekrom and Dialga, while resisting Dragon as well. Gyarados can check opposing Excadrill, Landorus-T, Hippowdon, Fighting Arceus, Ho-Oh, and some Groudon, while providing Intimidate support to give more switch in opportunities for Excadrill. Toxic from Gyarados can also cripple defensive threats aiming to wall Excadrill, such as Lugia and Ground Arceus. Forretress is another viable teammate for Rapid Spin support, with its numerous resistances and access to every entry hazard, enhancing which enhances Gyarados's phazing prowess. Gyarados resists Forretress's only weakness and can check Heatran and Ho-Oh well. Intimidate can once again help Forretress survive for longer, especially against powerful threats such as Choice Band Terrakion. While sharing an Electric-type weakness with Gyarados, Kabutops can perform well as an offensive spinner. It can outrun a large portion of the metagame and hit any spinblocker not named Giratina hard. Gyarados can support Kabutops by checking Groudon and switching in on Fighting-type attacks from the likes of Terrakion and Fighting Arceus. Kabutops's access to Low Kick also allows it to take out Steel-types, such as Ferrothorn and Steel Arceus once they are weakened by Gyarados by the likes of Ferrothorn and Steel Arceus. The rare Gastrodon walls Kabutops, but it is easily stopped in its tracks by Gyarados through Taunt and Toxic.</p>

<p>You will need to pair Gyarados up with a spinblocker to keep entry hazards up on your opponent's side, as it maximizes Gyarados's ability to shuffle the opposing team. The Giratina formes are the best choices as they both resist Electric and have huge bulk. Both can phaze on their own as well. Gyarados can support them in walling through Intimidate, and checking certain Dragon-types such as Garchomp, Salamence and Rayquaza. Arceus-Ghost Ghost Arceus is capable of beating threats Gyarados will not enjoy facing, such as Latios and Mewtwo. In return, Gyarados can soften hits with Intimidate, Taunt annoying threats such as Forretress, and destroy Tyranitar, the main user of Pursuit in the tier, meaning Arceus-Ghost Ghost Arceus is free to run Flamethrower instead of Focus Blast, maximizing Arceus-Ghost's its efficiency in spinblocking.</p>

<p>
In terms of pure synergy, Gyarados fits right in into just about any team. For rain teams, common teammates are Ferrothorn, Dialga, Grass Arceus, Excadrill, Steel Arceus, Jirachi, Gastrodon,(comma) and of course Kyogre. All of them are standard Pokemon found in rain teams, so Gyarados has no problem fitting in, and Gyarados can act as a defensive pivot on such teams, by providing a useful Ground immunity, access to Taunt to break stall,(comma) and Intimidate to checking check physical threats. Ferrothorn shares perfect synergy with Gyarados, and can set up Spikes as well. It also gets Leech Seed to annoy foes, and can provide Gyarados with some extra healing, making Gyarados's annoying strategy even more effective. Gyarados's power is also maximized in the rain, giving Waterfall a much-needed power boost to actually hurt things. Although Thunder always hits in rain, all of the its teammates are capable of taking Thunders and Stone Edges easily, save Kyogre, who enjoys Gyarados's Intimidate support and ability to switch in on Offensive Groudon and Excadrill spamming Earthquake.</p>

<p>
For sand teams, Tyranitar and Hippowdon love Gyarados's ability to check Fighting Arceus, opposing Excadrill, Groudon,(comma) and Steel Arceus. Although Hippowdon can take on Excadrill and Groudon on its own, Gyarados can assist it with Intimidate support; Both also enjoy Gyarados's ability to defeat defensive Kyogre and make Spikes users useless. All of Tyranitar's common weaknesses are resisted by Gyarados, while Tyranitar can easily tank Thunders and Pursuit their users to death. Hippowdon can form a powerful physically defensive core with Gyarados, as it can wall Zekrom and Terrakion, both of whom are problematic threats for Gyarados. Groudon has huge Defense, resists both of Gyarados's weaknesses, and can setup Stealth Rock, as well as roast Steel-types with a Fire-type attack. Gyarados can check Ho-Oh and stop Giratina from doing anything. Gyarados can also take on defensive Kyogre&mdash; who loves to switch in on Groudon&mdash;but a burn can be a disaster. In the sun, Thunder's accuracy is reduced to an unreliable 50%, so Gyarados can be a lot harder to OHKO. When paired with Groudon, Gyarados should use another move over Waterfall,(comma) such as Stone Edge,(comma) to take out Ho-Oh and Reshiram. Keep in mind, that Gyarados functions best in rain or sand due to sun's already limited playstyle.</p>

Below are some calculations to show Gyarados's bulk.(period)

<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>252 Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 253-300 (64.37 - 76.33%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 252 Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 169-200 (43 - 50.89%) -- guaranteed 3HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Dragon Claw vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 278-329 (70.73 - 83.71%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 248+ Atk Griseous Orb Giratina-O Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 145-172 (36.89 - 43.76%) -- 99.9% chance to 3HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 4 Atk Groudon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 124-146 (31.55 - 37.15%) -- guaranteed 4HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Groudon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 205-244 (52.16 - 62.08%) -- 97.66% chance to 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>+1 252+ Atk Silk Scarf Arceus-Normal ExtremeSpeed vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 219-258 (55.72 - 65.64%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Excadrill Rock Slide vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 322-380 (81.93 - 96.69%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 252 Atk Choice Band Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 290-344 (73.79 - 87.53%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li><-1 176+ Atk Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 123-145 (31.29 - 36.89%) -- guaranteed 4HKO</li></ul>
<ul class="damage_calculation"><li>-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 168-199 (42.74 - 50.63%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
</li></ul>

[Other Options]

<p>A set with Substitute and Dragon Dance can be used to setup allow Gyarados to set up on defensive Pokemon, but it has coverage issues and will be either too slow or too weak. Roar can be an alternative over Dragon Tail on the first set there's only one set haha to phaze out Substitute users, but Taunt already prevents that, and Dragon Tail utilizes Gyarados's good Attack stat. Water + Dragon also happens to have pretty good coverage in Ubers, striking most the Dragon-types who resist Water for super effective damage. Substitute can be used on the first set again, only one set to protect Gyarados from status, but Taunt is generally the better move to stop defensive threats, and Scald isn't that common in Ubers. Gyarados can use other sets, but they are not really effective in the Ubers tier kind of vague..? either clarify what you mean specifically or remove imo. It can also set up on defensive Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Forretress. A Choice Band set can be used for sheer power while still packing some bulk, but Kabutops is generally better for that thanks to Swift Swim and a powerful secondary STAB move. Rest and Sleep Talk can be used for more recovery, but Gyarados already suffers from 4 four-moveslot syndrome and it will be useless when sleeping, especially with the new sleep mechanics. Avalanche can be used to directly OHKO Dragon-types such as Rayquaza, Garchomp, and Salamence,(comma) and also deal a good amount of damage to Giratina-O, but Dragon Tail is better for phazing. Moxie can be used with the Choice Scarf set to sweep the opponent, but Gyarados is too slow for that, and Salamence is generally the better choice with its superior Attack and Speed.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Any Pokemon packing that packs an Electric-type move, and that is bulky enough to take an attack from Gyarados can easily force it out.(period) These threats include Kyogre, Palkia, Dialga,(comma) and Zekrom; however, all of them will not enjoy taking repeated Dragon Tails combined with entry hazards damage. If they do get in safely, though, Gyarados has to switch out or get OHKOed. All of them won't enjoy a Toxic to the face either, except Dialga, who hates taking Earthquake, but has good enough Defense to take at least one hit and KO back with Thunder. Zekrom has huge physical Defense &mdash; so it can survive an Earthquake easily, and Bolt Strike will OHKO, but it does not like taking Dragon Tails on the switch; Kyurem-B can achieve the same thing with Fusion Bolt. Groudon cannot KO Gyarados quickly, but it has huge Defense, and the sun it brings weakens Gyarados's Waterfall. Groudon will not enjoy Toxic,(comma) however, and has to be wary of Dragon Tail if it tries to set up Swords Dance. Stone Edge fails to OHKO Gyarados, but it can chip off the damage easily due to Gyarados's lack of recovery, and assuming Groudon is switching into Gyarados,(comma) not the other way round i dont really get this. Mixed Attacker Giratina-O resists Waterfall and can take out Gyarados easily with Thunder, or just tear out a chunk of its HP with Draco Meteor.</p>

<p>Ferrothorn can't do much to Gyarados, but it can wear Gyarados down with repeated Power Whips and Iron Barbs, especially when Intimidate is not in effect. If Spikes are up,(comma) however, Ferrothorn will not like switching repeatedly on Dragon Tails as it cannot recover with Leech Seed due to Taunt. Darkrai can put Gyarados to sleep with Dark Void and take it out with a boosted Dark Pulse, as long as Darkrai does not come in on Taunt. Keep in mind However, Darkrai does not like taking Waterfalls on the switch, as it will 2HKO. Mewtwo can bypass Intimidate and strike Gyarados hard with Psystrike or fry it with Thunder, however it too will not like switching into Waterfalls in rain. Shaymin-S resists Waterfall and can foil Toxic attempts with a faster Substitute. From there, Shaymin-S can 2HKO Gyarados with Seed Flare. If Terrakion manages to come in safely, the Choice Band sets can KO Gyarados. Kabutops can survive one hit and strike back hard with Stone Edge, a guaranteed OHKO with Choice Band. In general, Stealth Rock will hinder Gyarados's ability to switch in freely and repeated hits will bring it down eventually.</p>
also, reformat the damage calcs as follows:

<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>0 Atk Ferrothorn Power Whip: 66.7% - 78.5%</li>
<li>252 Atk+ Haxorus Outrage: 63.3% - 75.8%</li>
</ul>
[gp]1/2[/gp]
 
It's been months since I last amchecked, so I'm probably somewhat rusty.

But the only way to get rid of rust is to start again!

Deletions
Additions
Comments

[Overview]

<p>Gyarados has had a long and miserable history in the Ubers, tier dating way back to DPP. Most people treated it as some sort of joke, and never took it seriously. Not all hope was lost, however, as they were eventually swayed to approve its usefulness. While not awesome, it has a niche in the tier with a support set designed to work under any weather condition, with rain and sand being the preferred onesin particular. Its somewhat unique typing grants it a Ground and Spikes immunity, as well as resistances to some common attacks such as Fire Blast and Surf. Intimidate is a huge boon to Gyarados's niche in Ubers, as it boosts Gyarados's measly physical Defense stat to levels comparable to that of Lugia's, allowing Gyarados to check numerous physical attackers, and act as a wonderful pivot. Unlike most of the weaker walls, such as Giratina and Lugia, Gyarados can do decent damage to things it should be checking, such as Tyranitar, Excadrill, and Ho-Oh. Its base 81 Speed might not seem like much, but it is just enough for Gyarados to outpace most stall-based pokemon such as Forretress and Chansey. Access to unique moves such as Taunt, Dragon Tail, Toxic, and Thunder Wave makes it a decent stall breaker like Heatran; however, Gyarados brings a different list of resistances to the table and checks different threats. Although ever-lasting rain makes Gyarados vulnerable to Thunder, rain boosts the power of Gyarados's STAB attack, while sand teams will appreciate Gyarados' combination of unique typing and Intimidate support to check dangerous sweepers, such as Excadrill and Rock Polish Groudon. Gyarados does have its obvious flaws, however, such as its lack of reliable recovery and weakness to Stealth Rock, which means it cannot take repeated beatings without Wish support.</p>

[SET]
Name: Tauntrados
Move 1: Taunt
Move 2: Dragon Tail
Move 3: Waterfall / Earthquake
Move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
Nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 184 Def / 76 Spe


[SET COMMENTS]

<p>As there are far too many powerful sweepers in the Ubers tier, this set utilizes all of Gyarados's unique attributes as a defensive threat capable of breaking stall and checking dangerous sweepers at the same time. Taunt is its advantage over similar Pokemon such as Giratina and Lugia, as it gives Gyarados the ability to stop the enemy from recovering HP, prevents status moves from being thrown around, and also stops entry hazard users from setting up as long as they are slower than Gyarados. All of the defensive Spikes users besides fast Deoxys-D sets are easily stopped in their tracks by Taunt. Although Ferrothorn can wear down Gyarados through repeated Power Whips, it cannot recover with Leech Seed or set up Spikes. Volt Switch Forretress can be a nuisance as well, and Gyarados also needs to be paired with a Ghost-type, as entry hazards play a huge role in its success. Taunt is also a great move to stop RestTalk users such as Kyogre and Giratina. Thanks to the new sleep mechanics, Gyarados can easily Taunt them on the first turn and phaze them out the following turn, preventing them from doing anything. Thankfully, Gyarados resists Water-type attacks, so mono-attacking Kyogre will not be able to do much damage, although an unlucky burn on the switch will greatly shorten Gyarados's life. Gyarados has good enough defenses to stave off unboosted Dragon Pulses from Giratina and force it out with Dragon Tail. If it tries to recover with Rest, Taunt will just make it useless.</p>

<p>Double switching is important to make proper use of Intimidate, and with the ability in effect, Gyarados can easily live hits from powerful sweepers, such as Rayquaza's Outrage and Ho-Oh's Brave Bird. This unique ability also makes Gyarados a decent team player, and while it cannot support its team in any other way, it is capable of abusing entry hazards on it's own through Dragon Tail which is &mdash;another key move of this set. Gyarados has a usable base 125 Attack to go along with Dragon Tail, and while it lacks STAB, it is powerful enough to deal major damage when combined with entry hazards, especially against the likes of Rayquaza and Kyurem-W. With so many Dragon-types roaming around the tier, Dragon Tail becomes more useful than Roar for Gyarados, and it also wears down common counters such as Zekrom and Palkia. Bulkier threats such as Chansey and Giratina will also hate the extra damage they take from Dragon Tail. Waterfall is the most consistent STAB move, and is mainly used to strike common threats it checked by its, such as Ho-Oh, Excadrill, Blaziken, Genesect, and Tyranitar. Even if the weather is sunny, Gyarados can break Ho-Oh's Substitutes with Waterfall, and cripple the phoenix with Toxic. In rain, Waterfall becomes a decently powerful attack, capable of 3HKOing the likes of Arceus and Chansey. Genesect will have trouble killing Gyarados; outside of Thunder, making it an excellent switch-in to the most common Genesect set. Both of Blaziken's sets are walled, and Gyarados can just reply with Waterfall or can Dragon Tail it out. Waterfall also comes along with a decent flinch rate, which can come in handy against defensive threats such as Forretress. Earthquake is a good alternative over Waterfall to hit Steel-types such as Dialga and Jirachi. With Earthquake, Gyarados can beat Dialga and Jirachi one-on-one, but will fail if they pack Thunder. Toxic is the best status move to use with this set, as it cripples walls. The combination of Toxic and Taunt can easily take down walls, as they can't heal the residual damage. Thunder Wave is a viable alternative, but Toxic has more use in general and limits the number of times a threat can come in to force out Gyarados.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>76 Speed EVs let Gyarados outrun them and Taunt slow base 90s, such as Groudon and Giratina, before they can use a support move before they can use a support move; this extra Speed is crucial to Gyarados's success. 248 HP EVs give Gyarados a Stealth Rock number and maximum overall bulk. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Defense, as this set is meant to challenge physical threats thanks towith Intimidate. Gyarados is one of the very few Pokemon capable of surviving a boosted hit from the dreaded Swords Dance Rayquaza, as it resists V-Create. In return, Gyarados can phaze out Rayquaza with Dragon Tail, forcing it to take extra Stealth Rock damage the next time it switches in. Unfortunately a +1 Outrage will OHKO Gyarados, but it leaves RayquazaWhile a +1 Outrage will, unfortunately, OHKO Gyarados, Rayquaza can then easily be revenged killed by Gyarados's teammates. Gyarados can also phaze out a boosted Arceus with Dragon Tail even after Stealth Rock damage, although Wish support is necessary to keep Gyarados alive longer.</p>

<p>Coincidentally, the main Wish passers of the tier share great typing synergy with Gyarados. Jirachi and the pink blobs can easily take Thunders and Draco Meteors for Gyarados, while Gyarados can switch in on Earthquakes for free and shrug off Close Combats. Wishes from Blissey and Chansey can heal Gyarados back to almost full health, and although Jirachi passes smaller Wishes, it has a resistance to Rock-type attacks and has U-turn to give Gyarados more switch-in opportunities. Protect can be used to scout for Thunders and stacks more Leftovers recovery, but Gyarados has better things to do most of the time.</p>

<p>Pairing Gyarados with a Rapid Spin user keeps it alive for longer. The best one to pair with Gyarados is obviously Excadrill, as they share perfect synergy with each other. Excadrill is the most likely spinner to pull off a successful Rapid Spin, and has a powerful Earthquake to smash Zekrom and Dialga, while resisting Dragon as well. Gyarados can check opposing Excadrill, Landorus-T, Hippowdon, Fighting Arceus, Ho-Oh, and some Groudon, while providing Intimidate support to give more switch -in opportunities for Excadrill. Toxic from Gyarados can also cripple defensive threats aiming to wall Excadrill, such as Lugia and Ground Arceus. Forretress is another viable teammate for Rapid Spin support, with its numerous resistances and access to every entry hazard, which enhances Gyarados's phazing prowess. Gyarados resists Forretress's only weakness and can check Heatran and Ho-Oh well. Intimidate can once again help Forretress survive longer, especially against powerful threats such as Choice Band Terrakion. While sharing an Electric-type weakness with Gyarados, Kabutops can perform well as an offensive spinner. It can outrun a large portion of the metagame and hit any spinblocker not named Giratina hard. Gyarados can support Kabutops by checking Groudon and switching in on Fighting-type attacks from the likes of Terrakion and Fighting Arceus. Kabutops's access to Low Kick also allows it to take out Steel-types, such as Ferrothorn and Steel Arceus once they are weakened by Gyarados. The rare Gastrodon walls Kabutops, but it is easily stopped in its tracks by Gyarados through Taunt and Toxic.</p>

<p>You will need to pair Gyarados up with a spinblocker to keep entry hazards up on your opponent's side, as it maximizes Gyarados's ability to shuffle the opposing team. The Giratina formes are the best choices as they both resist Electric and have huge bulk. Both can phaze on their own as well. Gyarados can support them in walling through Intimidate, and checking certain Dragon-types such as Garchomp, Salamence, and Rayquaza. Ghost Arceus is capable of beating threats Gyarados will not enjoy facing, such as Latios and Mewtwo. In return, Gyarados can soften hits with Intimidate, Taunt annoying threats such as Forretress, and destroy Tyranitar, the main user of Pursuit in the tier, meaning Ghost Arceus is free to run Flamethrower instead of Focus Blast, maximizing its efficiency in spinblocking.</p>

<p>In terms of pure synergy, Gyarados fits right into just about any team. For rain teams, common teammates are Ferrothorn, Dialga, Grass Arceus, Excadrill, Steel Arceus, Jirachi, Gastrodon, and of course Kyogre. All of them are standard Pokemon found in rain teams, so Gyarados has no problem fitting in, and can act as a defensive pivot on such teams, by providing a useful Ground immunity, access to Taunt to break stall, and Intimidate to check physical threats. Ferrothorn shares perfect synergy with Gyarados, and can set up Spikes as well. It also gets Leech Seed to annoy foes, and can provide Gyarados with some extra healing, making Gyarados's annoying strategy even more effective. Gyarados's power is also maximized in the rain, giving Waterfall a much-needed power boost to actually hurt things. Although Thunder always hits in rain, all of itGyarados's teammates are capable of taking Thunders and Stone Edges easily, save Kyogre, who enjoys Gyarados's Intimidate support and ability to switch in on Offensive Groudon and Excadrill spamming Earthquake.</p>

<p>For sand teams, Tyranitar and Hippowdon love Gyarados's ability to check Fighting Arceus, opposing Excadrill, Groudon, and Steel Arceus. Although Hippowdon can take on Excadrill and Groudon on its own, Gyarados can assist it with Intimidate support; Both also enjoy Gyarados's ability to defeat defensive Kyogre and make Spikes users useless. All of Tyranitar's common weaknesses are resisted by Gyarados, while Tyranitar can easily tank Thunders and Pursuit theirits users to death. Hippowdon can form a powerful physically defensive core with Gyarados, as it can wall Zekrom and Terrakion, both of whom are problematic threats for Gyarados. Groudon has huge Defense, resists both of Gyarados's weaknesses, and can set up Stealth Rock, as well as roast Steel-types with a Fire-type attack. Gyarados can check Ho-Oh and stop Giratina from doing anything. Gyarados can also take on defensive Kyogre&mdash; who loves to switch in on Groudon&mdash;but a burn can be a disaster. In the sun, Thunder's accuracy is reduced to an unreliable 50%, so Gyarados can be a lot harder to OHKO. When paired with Groudon, Gyarados should use another move over Waterfall, such as Stone Edge, to take out Ho-Oh and Reshiram. Keep in mind that Gyarados functions best in rain or sand due to sun's already limited playstyle.</p>

Below are some calculations to show Gyarados's bulk.

<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>252 Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 253-300 (64.37 - 76.33%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>-1 252 Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 169-200 (43 - 50.89%) -- guaranteed 3HKO</li>
<li>+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Dragon Claw vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 278-329 (70.73 - 83.71%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>-1 248+ Atk Griseous Orb Giratina-O Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 145-172 (36.89 - 43.76%) -- 99.9% chance to 3HKO</li>
<li>-1 4 Atk Groudon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 124-146 (31.55 - 37.15%) -- guaranteed 4HKO</li>
<li>-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Groudon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 205-244 (52.16 - 62.08%) -- 97.66% chance to 2HKO</li>
<li>+1 252+ Atk Silk Scarf Arceus-Normal ExtremeSpeed vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 219-258 (55.72 - 65.64%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Excadrill Rock Slide vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 322-380 (81.93 - 96.69%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>-1 252 Atk Choice Band Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 290-344 (73.79 - 87.53%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
><li><-1 176+ Atk Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 123-145 (31.29 - 36.89%) -- guaranteed 4HKO</li>
<li>-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 168-199 (42.74 - 50.63%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
</li></ul>

[Other Options]

<p>A set with Substitute and Dragon Dance can be used to set up on defensive pokemon, but it has coverage issues and will be either too slow or too weak. Roar can be an alternative over Dragon Tail on the first set to phaze out Substitute users, but Taunt already prevents that, and Dragon Tail utilizes Gyarados's good Attack stat. Water + Dragon also happens to have pretty good coverage in Ubers, striking most the Dragon-types who resist Water for super effective damage. Substitute can be used on the first set to protect Gyarados from status, but Taunt is generally the better move to stop defensive threats, and Scald isn't that common in Ubers. Gyarados can use other sets, but they are not really effective in the Ubers tier. It can also set up on defensive pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Forretress. A Choice Band set can be used for sheer power while still packing some bulk, but Kabutops is generally better for that thanks to Swift Swim and a powerful secondary STAB move. Rest and Sleep Talk can be used for more recovery, but Gyarados already suffers from 4 moveslot syndrome and it will be useless when sleeping, especially with the new sleep mechanics. Avalanche can be used to directly OHKO Dragon-types such as Rayquaza, Garchomp, Salamence and deal a good amount of damage to Giratina-O, but Dragon Tail is better for phazing. Moxie can be used with the Choice Scarf set to sweep the opponent, but Gyarados is too slow for that, and Salamence is generally the better choice with its superior Attack and Speed.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Any Pokemon that packs an Electric-type move and that is bulky enough to take an attack from Gyarados can easily force it out. These threats include Kyogre, Palkia, Dialga, and Zekrom; however, allnone of them will not enjoy taking repeated Dragon Tails combined with entry hazards damage. If they do get in safely, though, Gyarados has to switch out or get OHKOed. AllNone of them won'till enjoy a Toxic to the face either, except Dialga, who hates taking Earthquake, but has good enough Defense to take at least one hit and KO back with Thunder. Zekrom has huge physical Defense so it can survive an Earthquake easily, and Bolt Strike will OHKO, but it does not like taking Dragon Tails on the switch; Kyurem-B can achieve the same thing with Fusion Bolt. Groudon cannot KO Gyarados quickly, but it has huge Defense, and the sun it brings weakens Gyarados's Waterfall. Groudon will not enjoy Toxic, however, and has to be wary of Dragon Tail if it tries to set up Swords Dance. Groudon's Stone Edge fails to OHKO Gyarados, but it can chip off the damage easily due to Gyarados's lack of recovery, and assuming Groudon is switching into Gyarados, not the other way round. (I didn't understand what you meant in regards to this sentence) Mixed Attacker Giratina-O resists Waterfall and can take out Gyarados easily with Thunder, or just tear out a chunk of its HP with Draco Meteor.</p>

<p>Ferrothorn can't do much to Gyarados, but it can wear Gyarados down with repeated Power Whips and Iron Barbs, especially when Intimidate is not in effect. If Spikes are up, however, Ferrothorn will not like switching repeatedly on Dragon Tails as it cannot recover with Leech Seed due to Taunt. Darkrai can put Gyarados to sleep with Dark Void and take it out with a boosted Dark Pulse, as long as Darkrai does not come in on Taunt. However, Darkrai does not like taking Waterfalls on the switch, as it will 2HKO. Mewtwo can bypass Intimidate and strike Gyarados hard with Psystrike or fry it with Thunder, however it too will not like switching into Waterfalls in rain. Shaymin-S resists Waterfall and can foil Toxic attempts with a faster Substitute. From there, Shaymin-S can 2HKO Gyarados with Seed Flare. If Terrakion manages to come in safely, Choice Band set can KO Gyarados. Kabutops can survive one hit and strike back hard with Stone Edge, a guaranteed OHKO with Choice Band. In general, Stealth Rock will hinder Gyarados's ability to switch in freely and repeated hits will bring it down eventually.</p>

[Overview]

<p>Gyarados has had a long and miserable history in the Uber tier dating way back to DPP. Most people treated it as some sort of joke, and never took it seriously. Not all hope was lost, however, as they were eventually swayed to approve its usefulness. While not awesome, it has a niche in the tier with a support set designed to work under any weather condition, rain and sand in particular. Its somewhat unique typing grants it a Ground and Spikes immunity, as well as resistances to some common attacks such as Fire Blast and Surf. Intimidate is a huge boon to Gyarados's niche in Ubers, as it boosts Gyarados's measly physical Defense stat to levels comparable to that of Lugia's, allowing Gyarados to check numerous physical attackers and act as a wonderful pivot. Unlike most of the weaker walls, such as Giratina and Lugia, Gyarados can do decent damage to things it should be checking, such as Tyranitar, Excadrill, and Ho-Oh. Its base 81 Speed might not seem like much, but it is just enough for Gyarados to outpace most stall-based pokemon such as Forretress and Chansey. Access to unique moves such as Taunt, Dragon Tail, Toxic, and Thunder Wave makes it a decent stall breaker like Heatran; however, Gyarados brings a different list of resistances to the table and checks different threats. Although ever-lasting rain makes Gyarados vulnerable to Thunder, rain boosts the power of Gyarados's STAB attack, while sand teams will appreciate Gyarados' combination of unique typing and Intimidate support to check dangerous sweepers, such as Excadrill and Rock Polish Groudon. Gyarados does have its obvious flaws, however, such as its lack of reliable recovery and weakness to Stealth Rock, which means it cannot take repeated beatings without Wish support.</p>

[SET]
Name: Tauntrados
Move 1: Taunt
Move 2: Dragon Tail
Move 3: Waterfall / Earthquake
Move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
Nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 184 Def / 76 Spe


[SET COMMENTS]

<p>As there are far too many powerful sweepers in the Ubers tier, this set utilizes all of Gyarados's unique attributes as a defensive threat capable of breaking stall and checking dangerous sweepers at the same time. Taunt is its advantage over similar Pokemon such as Giratina and Lugia, as it gives Gyarados the ability to stop the enemy from recovering HP, prevents status moves from being thrown around, and also stops entry hazard users from setting up as long as they are slower than Gyarados. All of the defensive Spikes users besides fast Deoxys-D sets are easily stopped in their tracks by Taunt. Although Ferrothorn can wear down Gyarados through repeated Power Whips, it cannot recover with Leech Seed or set up Spikes. Volt Switch Forretress can be a nuisance as well, and Gyarados also needs to be paired with a Ghost-type, as entry hazards play a huge role in its success. Taunt is also a great move to stop RestTalk users such as Kyogre and Giratina. Thanks to the new sleep mechanics, Gyarados can easily Taunt them on the first turn and phaze them out the following turn, preventing them from doing anything. Thankfully, Gyarados resists Water-type attacks, so mono-attacking Kyogre will not be able to do much damage, although an unlucky burn on the switch will greatly shorten Gyarados's life. Gyarados has good enough defenses to stave off unboosted Dragon Pulses from Giratina and force it out with Dragon Tail. If it tries to recover with Rest, Taunt will just make it useless.</p>

<p>Double switching is important to make proper use of Intimidate, and with the ability in effect, Gyarados can easily live hits from powerful sweepers, such as Rayquaza's Outrage and Ho-Oh's Brave Bird. This unique ability also makes Gyarados a decent team player, and while it cannot support its team in any other way, it is capable of abusing entry hazards on its own through Dragon Tail&mdash;another key move of this set. Gyarados has a usable base 125 Attack to go along with Dragon Tail, and while it lacks STAB, it is powerful enough to deal major damage when combined with entry hazards, especially against the likes of Rayquaza and Kyurem-W. With so many Dragon-types roaming around the tier, Dragon Tail becomes more useful than Roar for Gyarados, and it also wears down common counters such as Zekrom and Palkia. Bulkier threats such as Chansey and Giratina also hate the extra damage they take from Dragon Tail. Waterfall is the most consistent STAB move, and is mainly used to strike common threats it checks, such as Ho-Oh, Excadrill, Blaziken, Genesect, and Tyranitar. Even if the weather is sunny, Gyarados can break Ho-Oh's Substitutes with Waterfall, and cripple the phoenix with Toxic. In rain, Waterfall becomes a decently powerful attack, capable of 3HKOing the likes of Arceus and Chansey. Genesect will have trouble killing Gyarados outside of Thunder, making it an excellent switch-in to the most common Genesect set. Both of Blaziken's sets are walled, and Gyarados can just reply with Waterfall or Dragon Tail it out. Waterfall also comes along with a decent flinch rate, which can come in handy against defensive threats such as Forretress. Earthquake is a good alternative over Waterfall to hit Steel-types such as Dialga and Jirachi. With Earthquake, Gyarados can beat Dialga and Jirachi one-on-one, but will fail if they pack Thunder. Toxic is the best status move to use with this set, as it cripples walls. The combination of Toxic and Taunt can easily take down walls, as they can't heal the residual damage. Thunder Wave is a viable alternative, but Toxic has more use in general and limits the number of times a threat can come in to force out Gyarados.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>76 Speed EVs let Gyarados outrun and Taunt slow base 90s, such as Groudon and Giratina, before they can use a support move; this extra Speed is crucial to Gyarados's success. 248 HP EVs give Gyarados a Stealth Rock number and maximum overall bulk. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Defense, as this set is meant to challenge physical threats with Intimidate. Gyarados is one of the very few Pokemon capable of surviving a boosted hit from the dreaded Swords Dance Rayquaza, as it resists V-Create. In return, Gyarados can phaze out Rayquaza with Dragon Tail, forcing it to take extra Stealth Rock damage the next time it switches in. While a +1 Outrage will, unfortunately, OHKO Gyarados, Rayquaza can then easily be revenge killed by Gyarados's teammates. Gyarados can also phaze out a boosted Arceus with Dragon Tail even after Stealth Rock damage, although Wish support is necessary to keep Gyarados alive longer.</p>

<p>Coincidentally, the main Wish passers of the tier share great typing synergy with Gyarados. Jirachi and the pink blobs can easily take Thunders and Draco Meteors for Gyarados, while Gyarados can switch in on Earthquakes for free and shrug off Close Combats. Wishes from Blissey and Chansey can heal Gyarados back to almost full health, and although Jirachi passes smaller Wishes, it has a resistance to Rock-type attacks and has U-turn to give Gyarados more switch-in opportunities. Protect can be used to scout for Thunders and stack more Leftovers recovery, but Gyarados has better things to do most of the time.</p>

<p>Pairing Gyarados with a Rapid Spin user keeps it alive for longer. The best one to pair with Gyarados is obviously Excadrill, as they share perfect synergy with each other. Excadrill is the most likely spinner to pull off a successful Rapid Spin, and has a powerful Earthquake to smash Zekrom and Dialga, while resisting Dragon as well. Gyarados can check opposing Excadrill, Landorus-T, Hippowdon, Fighting Arceus, Ho-Oh, and some Groudon, while providing Intimidate support to give more switch-in opportunities for Excadrill. Toxic from Gyarados can also cripple defensive threats aiming to wall Excadrill, such as Lugia and Ground Arceus. Forretress is another viable teammate for Rapid Spin support with its numerous resistances and access to every entry hazard, which enhance Gyarados's phazing prowess. Gyarados resists Forretress's only weakness and can check Heatran and Ho-Oh well. Intimidate can once again help Forretress survive longer, especially against powerful threats such as Choice Band Terrakion. While sharing an Electric-type weakness with Gyarados, Kabutops can perform well as an offensive spinner. It can outrun a large portion of the metagame and hit any spinblocker not named Giratina hard. Gyarados can support Kabutops by checking Groudon and switching in on Fighting-type attacks from the likes of Terrakion and Fighting Arceus. Kabutops's access to Low Kick also allows it to take out Steel-types, such as Ferrothorn and Steel Arceus once they are weakened by Gyarados. The rare Gastrodon walls Kabutops, but it is easily stopped in its tracks by Gyarados through Taunt and Toxic.</p>

<p>You will need to pair Gyarados up with a spinblocker to keep entry hazards up on your opponent's side, as it maximizes Gyarados's ability to shuffle the opposing team. The Giratina formes are the best choices as they both resist Electric and have huge bulk. Both can phaze on their own as well. Gyarados can support them in walling through Intimidate, and checking certain Dragon-types such as Garchomp, Salamence, and Rayquaza. Ghost Arceus is capable of beating threats Gyarados will not enjoy facing, such as Latios and Mewtwo. In return, Gyarados can soften hits with Intimidate, Taunt annoying threats such as Forretress, and destroy Tyranitar, the main user of Pursuit in the tier, meaning Ghost Arceus is free to run Flamethrower instead of Focus Blast, maximizing its efficiency in spinblocking.</p>

<p>In terms of pure synergy, Gyarados fits right into just about any team. For rain teams, common teammates are Ferrothorn, Dialga, Grass Arceus, Excadrill, Steel Arceus, Jirachi, Gastrodon, and of course Kyogre. All of them are standard Pokemon found in rain teams, so Gyarados has no problem fitting in, and can act as a defensive pivot on such teams, by providing a useful Ground immunity, access to Taunt to break stall, and Intimidate to check physical threats. Ferrothorn shares perfect synergy with Gyarados, and can set up Spikes as well. It also gets Leech Seed to annoy foes, and can provide Gyarados with some extra healing, making Gyarados's annoying strategy even more effective. Gyarados's power is also maximized in the rain, giving Waterfall a much-needed power boost to actually hurt things. Although Thunder always hits in rain, all of Gyarados's teammates are capable of taking Thunders and Stone Edges easily, save Kyogre, who enjoys Gyarados's Intimidate support and ability to switch in on Offensive Groudon and Excadrill spamming Earthquake.</p>

<p>For sand teams, Tyranitar and Hippowdon love Gyarados's ability to check Fighting Arceus, opposing Excadrill, Groudon, and Steel Arceus. Although Hippowdon can take on Excadrill and Groudon on its own, Gyarados can assist it with Intimidate support; Both also enjoy Gyarados's ability to defeat defensive Kyogre and make Spikes users useless. All of Tyranitar's common weaknesses are resisted by Gyarados, while Tyranitar can easily tank Thunders and Pursuit its users to death. Hippowdon can form a powerful physically defensive core with Gyarados, as it can wall Zekrom and Terrakion, both of whom are problematic threats for Gyarados. Groudon has huge Defense, resists both of Gyarados's weaknesses, and can set up Stealth Rock, as well as roast Steel-types with a Fire-type attack. Gyarados can check Ho-Oh and stop Giratina from doing anything. Gyarados can also take on defensive Kyogre&mdash; who loves to switch in on Groudon&mdash;but a burn can be a disaster. In the sun, Thunder's accuracy is reduced to an unreliable 50%, so Gyarados can be a lot harder to OHKO. When paired with Groudon, Gyarados should use another move over Waterfall, such as Stone Edge, to take out Ho-Oh and Reshiram. Keep in mind that Gyarados functions best in rain or sand due to sun's already limited playstyle.</p>

Below are some calculations to show Gyarados's bulk.

<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>252 Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 253-300 (64.37 - 76.33%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>-1 252 Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 169-200 (43 - 50.89%) -- guaranteed 3HKO</li>
<li>+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Dragon Claw vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 278-329 (70.73 - 83.71%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>-1 248+ Atk Griseous Orb Giratina-O Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 145-172 (36.89 - 43.76%) -- 99.9% chance to 3HKO</li>
<li>-1 4 Atk Groudon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 124-146 (31.55 - 37.15%) -- guaranteed 4HKO</li>
<li>-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Groudon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 205-244 (52.16 - 62.08%) -- 97.66% chance to 2HKO</li>
<li>+1 252+ Atk Silk Scarf Arceus-Normal ExtremeSpeed vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 219-258 (55.72 - 65.64%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Excadrill Rock Slide vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 322-380 (81.93 - 96.69%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>-1 252 Atk Choice Band Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 290-344 (73.79 - 87.53%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
><li><-1 176+ Atk Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 123-145 (31.29 - 36.89%) -- guaranteed 4HKO</li>
<li>-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 168-199 (42.74 - 50.63%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
</li></ul>

[Other Options]

<p>A set with Substitute and Dragon Dance can be used to set up on defensive pokemon, but it has coverage issues and will be either too slow or too weak. Roar can be an alternative over Dragon Tail on the first set to phaze out Substitute users, but Taunt already prevents that, and Dragon Tail utilizes Gyarados's good Attack stat. Water + Dragon also happens to have pretty good coverage in Ubers, striking most the Dragon-types who resist Water for super effective damage. Substitute can be used on the first set to protect Gyarados from status, but Taunt is generally the better move to stop defensive threats, and Scald isn't that common in Ubers. Gyarados can use other sets, but they are not really effective in the Uber tier. It can also set up on defensive pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Forretress. A Choice Band set can be used for sheer power while still packing some bulk, but Kabutops is generally better for that thanks to Swift Swim and a powerful secondary STAB move. Rest and Sleep Talk can be used for more recovery, but Gyarados already suffers from 4 moveslot syndrome and it will be useless when sleeping, especially with the new sleep mechanics. Avalanche can be used to directly OHKO Dragon-types such as Rayquaza, Garchomp, Salamence and deal a good amount of damage to Giratina-O, but Dragon Tail is better for phazing. Moxie can be used with the Choice Scarf set to sweep the opponent, but Gyarados is too slow for that, and Salamence is generally the better choice with its superior Attack and Speed.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Any Pokemon that packs an Electric-type move and is bulky enough to take an attack from Gyarados can easily force it out. These threats include Kyogre, Palkia, Dialga, and Zekrom; however, none of them will enjoy taking repeated Dragon Tails combined with entry hazard damage. If they do get in safely, though, Gyarados has to switch out or get OHKOed. None of them will enjoy a Toxic to the face either, except Dialga, who hates taking Earthquake, but has good enough Defense to take at least one hit and KO back with Thunder. Zekrom has huge physical Defense so it can survive an Earthquake easily, and Bolt Strike will OHKO, but it does not like taking Dragon Tails on the switch; Kyurem-B can achieve the same thing with Fusion Bolt. Groudon cannot KO Gyarados quickly, but it has huge Defense, and the sun it brings weakens Gyarados's Waterfall. Groudon will not enjoy Toxic, however, and has to be wary of Dragon Tail if it tries to set up Swords Dance. Groudon's Stone Edge fails to OHKO Gyarados, but it can chip off the damage easily due to Gyarados's lack of recovery, and assuming Groudon is switching into Gyarados, not the other way round. Mixed Attacker Giratina-O resists Waterfall and can take out Gyarados easily with Thunder, or just tear out a chunk of its HP with Draco Meteor.</p>

<p>Ferrothorn can't do much to Gyarados, but it can wear Gyarados down with repeated Power Whips and Iron Barbs, especially when Intimidate is not in effect. If Spikes are up, however, Ferrothorn will not like switching repeatedly on Dragon Tails as it cannot recover with Leech Seed due to Taunt. Darkrai can put Gyarados to sleep with Dark Void and take it out with a boosted Dark Pulse, as long as Darkrai does not come in on Taunt. However, Darkrai does not like taking Waterfalls on the switch, as it will 2HKO. Mewtwo can bypass Intimidate and strike Gyarados hard with Psystrike or fry it with Thunder, however it too will not like switching into Waterfalls in rain. Shaymin-S resists Waterfall and can foil Toxic attempts with a faster Substitute. From there, Shaymin-S can 2HKO Gyarados with Seed Flare. If Terrakion manages to come in safely, Choice Band set can KO Gyarados. Kabutops can survive one hit and strike back hard with Stone Edge, a guaranteed OHKO with Choice Band. In general, Stealth Rock will hinder Gyarados's ability to switch in freely and repeated hits will bring it down eventually.</p>
 
Fixed the errors, thank you. Ready for GP 2

If Gyarados switches in on Groudon, it can Intimidate it, so Groudon will have trouble KOing Gyarados quickly.
 

Arkian

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Diff said:
[Overview]

<p>Gyarados has had a long and miserable history in the Uber tier, (AC) dating way back to DPP. Most people treated it as some sort of joke, and never took it seriously. Not all hope was lost, however, as they were eventually swayed to approve its usefulness. While not awesome, it has a niche in the tier with a support set designed to work under any weather condition, rain and sand in particular. Its somewhat unique typing grants it a Ground and Spikes immunity, as well as resistances to some common attacks such as Fire Blast and Surf. Intimidate is a huge boon to Gyarados's niche in Ubers, as it boosts Gyarados's measly physical Defense stat to levels comparable to that of Lugia's, allowing Gyarados to check numerous physical attackers and act as a wonderful pivot. Unlike most of the weaker walls, such as Giratina and Lugia, Gyarados can do decent damage to things it should be checking, such as Tyranitar, Excadrill, and Ho-Oh. Its base 81 Speed might not seem like much, but it is just enough for Gyarados to outpace most stall-based pPokemon, (AC) such as Forretress and Chansey. Access to unique moves such as Taunt, Dragon Tail, Toxic, and Thunder Wave makes it a decent stall(remove space) breaker like Heatran; however, Gyarados brings a different list of resistances to the table and checks different threats. Although ever-lasting rain makes Gyarados vulnerable to Thunder, rain boosts the power of Gyarados's STAB attack, while sand teams will appreciate Gyarados's combination of unique typing and Intimidate support to check dangerous sweepers, such as Excadrill and Rock Polish Groudon. Gyarados does have its obvious flaws, however, such as its lack of reliable recovery and weakness to Stealth Rock, which means it cannot take repeated beatings without Wish support.</p>

[SET]
Nname: Tauntrados
Mmove 1: Taunt
Mmove 2: Dragon Tail
Mmove 3: Waterfall / Earthquake
Mmove 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
Nnature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 184 Def / 76 Spe
(remove line)

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>As there are far too many powerful sweepers in the Ubers tier, tThis set utilizes all of Gyarados's unique attributes as a defensive threat capable of breaking stall and checking dangerous sweepers at the same time. Taunt is its advantage over similar Pokemon such as Giratina and Lugia, as it gives Gyarados the ability to stop the enemy from recovering HP, prevents status moves from being thrown around, and also stops entry hazard users from setting up as long as they are slower than Gyarados. All of the defensive Spikes users besides fast Deoxys-D sets are easily stopped in their tracks by Taunt. Although Ferrothorn can wear down Gyarados through repeated Power Whips, it cannot recover with Leech Seed or set up Spikes. Volt Switch Forretress can be a nuisance as well, and Gyarados also needs to be paired with a Ghost-type, as entry hazards play a huge role in its success. Taunt is also a great move to stop RestTalk users such as Kyogre and Giratina. Thanks to the new sleep mechanics, Gyarados can easily Taunt them on the first turn and phaze them out the following turn, preventing them from doing anything. Thankfully, Gyarados resists Water-type attacks, so mono-attacking Kyogre will not be able to do much damage, although an unlucky burn on the switch will greatly shorten Gyarados's life. Gyarados has good enough defenses to stave off unboosted Dragon Pulses from Giratina and force it out with Dragon Tail. If it tries to recover with Rest, Taunt will just make it useless.</p> The beginning was just fluff, and you already mentioned that Gyarados can check many powerful sweepers a couple of time in this paragraph and the one to come.

<p>Double switching is important to make proper use of Intimidate, and with the ability in effect, Gyarados can easily live hits from powerful sweepers, such as Rayquaza's Outrage and Ho-Oh's Brave Bird. This unique ability also makes Gyarados a decent team player, and while it cannot support its team in any other way, it is capable of abusutilizing (Never use the word abuse in Pokemon analysis.) entry hazards on its own through Dragon Tail&mdash;another key move of this set. Gyarados has a usable base 125 Attack to go along with Dragon Tail, and while it lacks STAB, it is powerful enough to deal major damage when combined with entry hazards, especially against the likes of Rayquaza and Kyurem-W. With so many Dragon-types roaming around the tier, Dragon Tail becomes more useful than Roar for Gyarados, and it also wears down common counters such as Zekrom and Palkia. Bulkier threats such as Chansey and Giratina also hate the extra damage they take from Dragon Tail. Waterfall is the most consistent STAB move, and is mainly used to strike common threats it checks, such as Ho-Oh, Excadrill, Blaziken, Genesect, and Tyranitar. Even if the weather is sunny, Gyarados can break Ho-Oh's Substitutes with Waterfall, and cripple the phoenix with Toxic. In rain, Waterfall becomes a decently powerful attack, capable of 3HKOing the likes of Arceus and Chansey. Genesect lacking Thunder will have trouble killing Gyarados outside of Thunder, making it an excellent switch-in to the most common Genesect set. Both of Blaziken's sets are walled, and Gyarados can just reply with Waterfall or Dragon Tail it out. Waterfall also comes along with a decent flinch rate, which can come in handy against defensive threats such as Forretress. Earthquake is a good alternative over Waterfall to hit Steel-types such as Dialga and Jirachi. With Earthquake, Gyarados can beat Dialga and Jirachi one-on-one, but will fail if they pack Thunder. Toxic is the best status move to use withon this set, as it cripples walls. The combination of Toxic and Taunt can easily take down walls, as they can't heal the residual damage. Thunder Wave is a viable alternative, but Toxic has more use in general and limits the number of times a threat can come in to force out Gyarados.</p>

[Additional CommentsDDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>76 Speed EVs let Gyarados outrun and Taunt slowminimal invested base 90s, such as Groudon and Giratina, before they can use a support move; this extra Speed is crucial to Gyarados's success ("Slow base 90s" didn't make any sense, however, if you don't find my change to be suitable, then feel free to change it to something else.). 248 HP EVs give Gyarados a Stealth Rock number and maximum overall bulk. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Defense, as this set is meant to challenge physical threats with Intimidate. Gyarados is one of the very few Pokemon capable of surviving a boosted hit from the dreaded Swords Dance Rayquaza, as it resists V-Create. In return, Gyarados can phaze out Rayquaza with Dragon Tail, forcing it to take extra Stealth Rock damage the next time it switches in. While a +1 Outrage will, unfortunately, OHKO Gyarados, Rayquaza can then easily be revenge killed by Gyarados's teammates. Gyarados can also phaze out a boosted Arceus with Dragon Tail even after Stealth Rock damage, although Wish support is necessary to keep Gyarados alive longer.</p>

<p>Coincidentally, the main Wish passers of the tier share great typing synergy with Gyarados. Jirachi and the pink blobs can easily take Thunders and Draco Meteors for Gyarados, while Gyarados can switch in on Earthquakes for free and shrug off Close Combats. Wishes from Blissey and Chansey can heal Gyarados back to almost full health, and although Jirachi passes smaller Wishes, it has a resistance to Rock-type attacks and has U-turn to give Gyarados more switch-in opportunities. Protect can be used to scout for Thunders and stack more Leftovers recovery, but Gyarados has better things to do most of the time.</p>

<p>Pairing Gyarados with a Rapid Spin user keeps it alive for longer. The best one to pair with Gyarados is obviously Excadrill, as they share perfect synergy with each other. Excadrill is the most likely spinner to pull off a successful Rapid Spin, and has a powerful Earthquake to smash Zekrom and Dialga, while resisting Dragon as well. Gyarados can check opposing Excadrill, Landorus-T, Hippowdon, Fighting Arceus, Ho-Oh, and some Groudon, while providing Intimidate support to give more switch-in opportunities for Excadrill. Toxic from Gyarados can also cripple defensive threats aiming to wall Excadrill, such as Lugia and Ground Arceus. Forretress is another viable teammate for Rapid Spin support with its numerous resistances and access to every entry hazard, which enhances Gyarados's phazing prowess. Gyarados resists Forretress's only weakness, (AC) and can check Heatran and Ho-Oh well. Intimidate can, (AC) once again, (AC) help Forretress survive longer, especially against powerful threats such as Choice Band Terrakion. While it sharinges an Electric-type weakness with Gyarados, Kabutops can perform well as an offensive spinner. It can outrun a large portion of the metagame under rain, (AC) and hit any spinblocker not named Giratina hard. Gyarados can support Kabutops by checking Groudon and switching in on Fighting-type attacks from the likes of Terrakion and Fighting Arceus. Kabutops's access to Low Kick also allows it to take out Steel-types, such as Ferrothorn and Steel Arceus once they are weakened by Gyarados. The rare Gastrodon walls Kabutops, but it is easily stopped in its tracks by Gyarados through Taunt and Toxic.</p>

<p>You will need to pair Gyarados up with a spinblocker to keep entry hazards up on your opponent's side, as it maximizes Gyarados's ability to shuffle the opposing team. The Giratina formes are the best choices as they both resist Electric and, (AC) have huge bulk. Both, (AC) and can phaze on their own as well. Gyarados can support them in walling through Intimidate, and checking certain Dragon-types such as Garchomp, Salamence, and Rayquaza. Ghost Arceus is capable of beating threats Gyarados will not enjoy facing, such as Latios and Mewtwo. In return, Gyarados can soften hits with Intimidate, Taunt annoying threats such as Forretress, and destroy Tyranitar, the main user of Pursuit in the tier, meaning Ghost Arceus is free to run Flamethrower instead of Focus Blast, maximizing its efficiency in spinblocking.</p>

<p>In terms of pure synergy, Gyarados fits right into just about any team. For rain teams, common teammates are Ferrothorn, Dialga, Grass Arceus, Excadrill, Steel Arceus, Jirachi, Gastrodon, and of course Kyogre. All of them are standard Pokemon found in rain teams, so Gyarados has no problem fitting in, and can act as a defensive pivot on such teams, (RC) by providing a useful Ground immunity, access to Taunt to break stall, and Intimidate to check physical threats. Ferrothorn shares perfect synergy with Gyarados, and can set up Spikes as well. It also gets Leech Seed to annoy foes, and can provide Gyarados with some extra healing, making Gyarados's annoying strategy even more effective. Gyarados's power is also maximized in the rain, giving Waterfall a much-(remove hyphen)(space)needed power boost to actually hurt things. Although Thunder always hits in rain, all of Gyarados's teammates are capable of taking Thunders and Stone Edges easily, save Kyogre, who enjoys Gyarados's Intimidate support and ability to switch in on Ooffensive Groudon and Excadrill spamming Earthquake.</p>

<p>For sand teams, Tyranitar and Hippowdon love Gyarados's ability to check Fighting Arceus, opposing Excadrill, Groudon, and Steel Arceus. Although Hippowdon can take on Excadrill and Groudon on its own, Gyarados can assist it with Intimidate support; Bboth also enjoy Gyarados's ability to defeat defensive Kyogre and make Spikes users useless. All of Tyranitar's common weaknesses are resisted by Gyarados, while Tyranitar can easily tank Thunders and Pursuit its users to death. Hippowdon can form a powerful physically defensive core with Gyarados, as it can wall Zekrom and Terrakion, both of whom are problematic threats for Gyarados. Groudon has huge Defense, resists both of Gyarados's weaknesses, and can set up Stealth Rock, as well as roast Steel-types with a Fire-type attack. Gyarados can check Ho-Oh and stop Giratina from doing anything. Gyarados can also take on defensive Kyogre&mdash; who loves to switch in on Groudon&mdash;but a burn can be a disasterous. In the sun, Thunder's accuracy is reduced to an unreliable 50%, so Gyarados can be a lot harder to OHKO. When paired with Groudon, Gyarados should use another move over Waterfall, such as Stone Edge, to take out Ho-Oh and Reshiram. Keep in mind that Gyarados functions best in rain or sand due to sun's already limited playstyle.</p>

Below are some calculations to show Gyarados's bulk.

<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>252 Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 253-300 (64.37 - 76.33%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>-1 252 Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 169-200 (43 - 50.89%) -- guaranteed 3HKO</li>
<li>+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza Dragon Claw vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 278-329 (70.73 - 83.71%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>-1 248+ Atk Griseous Orb Giratina-O Outrage vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 145-172 (36.89 - 43.76%) -- 99.9% chance to 3HKO</li>
<li>-1 4 Atk Groudon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 124-146 (31.55 - 37.15%) -- guaranteed 4HKO</li>
<li>-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Groudon Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 205-244 (52.16 - 62.08%) -- 97.66% chance to 2HKO</li>
<li>+1 252+ Atk Silk Scarf Arceus-Normal ExtremeSpeed vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 219-258 (55.72 - 65.64%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Excadrill Rock Slide vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 322-380 (81.93 - 96.69%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
<li>-1 252 Atk Choice Band Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 290-344 (73.79 - 87.53%) -- guaranteed 2HKO</li>
><li><-1 176+ Atk Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 123-145 (31.29 - 36.89%) -- guaranteed 4HKO</li>
<li>-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Ho-Oh Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 184+ Def Gyarados: 168-199 (42.74 - 50.63%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
</li></ul>

[Other Options]

<p>A set with Substitute and Dragon Dance can be used to set up on defensive pPokemon, but it has coverage issues and will be either be too slow, (AC) or too weak. Roar can be an alternative over Dragon Tail on the first set to phaze out Substitute users, but Taunt already prevents that, and Dragon Tail utilizes Gyarados's good Attack stat. Water + Dragon also happens to have pretty good coverage in Ubers, striking most the Dragon-types who resist Water for super effective damage. Substitute can be used on the first set to protect Gyarados from status, but Taunt is generally the better move to stop defensive threats, and Scald isn't that common in Ubers. Gyarados can use other sets, but they are not really effective in the Uber tier. It can also set up on defensive pPokemon such as Ferrothorn and Forretress. A Choice Band set can be used for sheer power while still packing some bulk, but Kabutops is generally better for that thanks to Swift Swim and a powerful secondary STAB move. Rest and Sleep Talk can be used for more recovery, but Gyarados already suffers from 4 moveslot syndrome, (AC) and it will be useless when sleeping, especially with the new sleep mechanics. Avalanche can be used to directly OHKO Dragon-types such as Rayquaza, Garchomp, and Salamence, (AC) and deal a good amount of damage to Giratina-O, but Dragon Tail is better for phazing. Moxie can be used with the Choice Scarf set to sweep the opponent, but Gyarados is too slow for that, and Salamence is generally the better choice with its superior Attack and Speed.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Any Pokemon that packs an Electric-type move and is bulky enough to take an attack from Gyarados can easily force it out. These threats include Kyogre, Palkia, Dialga, and Zekrom; however, none of them will enjoy taking repeated Dragon Tails combined with entry hazard damage. If they do get in safely, (RC) though, Gyarados has to switch out or get OHKOed. None of them will enjoy a Toxic to the face either, except Dialga, who hates taking Earthquake, but has good enough Defense to take at least one hit and KO back with Thunder. Zekrom has huge physical Defense so it can survive an Earthquake easily, and Bolt Strike will OHKO, but it does not like taking Dragon Tails on the switch; Kyurem-B can achieve the same thing with Fusion Bolt. Groudon cannot KO Gyarados quickly, but it has huge Defense, and the sun it brings weakens Gyarados's Waterfall. Groudon will not enjoy Toxic, however, and has to be wary of Dragon Tail if it tries to set up Swords Dance. Groudon's Stone Edge fails to OHKO Gyarados, but it can chip off the damage easily due to Gyarados's lack of recovery, and assuming Groudon is switching into Gyarados, not the other way round. Mixed Aattacker Giratina-O resists Waterfall and can take out Gyarados easily with Thunder, or just tear out a chunk of its HP with Draco Meteor.</p>

<p>Ferrothorn can't do much to Gyarados, but it can wear Gyarados down with repeated Power Whips and Iron Barbs, especially when Intimidate is not in effect. If Spikes are up, however, Ferrothorn will not like switching repeatedly on Dragon Tails as it cannot recover with Leech Seed due to Taunt. Darkrai can put Gyarados to sleep with Dark Void and take it out with a boosted Dark Pulse, as long as Darkrai does not come in on Taunt. However, Darkrai does not like taking Waterfalls on the switch, as it will 2HKO. Mewtwo can bypass Intimidate and strike Gyarados hard with Psystrike or fry it with Thunder, however it too will not like switching into Waterfalls in rain. Shaymin-S resists Waterfall and can foil Toxic attempts with a faster Substitute. From there, Shaymin-S can 2HKO Gyarados with Seed Flare. If Terrakion manages to come in safely, its Choice Band set can KO Gyarados. Kabutops can survive one hit and strike back hard with Stone Edge, a guaranteed OHKO with Choice Band. In general, Stealth Rock will hinder Gyarados's ability to switch in freely and repeated hits will bring it down eventually.</p>
Great job trickroom!


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