DP Gyarados

[Colonel M]

Analysis: http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/gyarados

I'm extremely nervous posting it here. After consideration of re-writing and re-organizing I've decided to attempt something that I don't know if I'll either pat myself or regret. Here is the re-write of Gyarados (it's more of a rough draft per se):

[SET]
name: Offensive Gyarados
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Fang / Stone Edge
move 4: Stone Edge / Earthquake
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Adamant / Jolly
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>One of Gyarados's most powerful and intimidating sets as of date. The addition of physical Waterfall, Ice Fang, and Stone Edge has allowed Gyarados to become one of the most powerful sweepers in the OU metagame when played correctly. Dragon Dance is obviously the crux of this set as well as the EVs, outpacing Jolly Tyranitar before a Dragon Dance and besting even Jolly Weavile after a Dragon Dance. STAB Waterfall gives the set an immense advantage over many physical sweepers as it easily purges bulky Grounds from the picture. The flinch rate from Waterfall is also helpful after a Dragon Dance. Ice Fang and Stone Edge give the best coverage alongside Waterfall. Despite the shaky accuracy of Stone Edge as well as Ice Fang at times, they're almost necessary to eliminate threats such as opposing Gyarados, Zapdos, Celebi, and Breloom. Earthquake can work in tandem with either Stone Edge or Ice Fang. Rock / Ground / Water gives well-rounded coverage but is walled by Breloom and has trouble with Celebi and Tangrowth. Ground / Water / Ice has issues with bulky flyers that are neutral to ice such as Skarmory and other Gyarados; this type combination is also walled by the rare Shedinja. Any of the aforementioned moves can work together as long as you use Waterfall and Dragon Dance.</p>

<p>Life Orb adds to the massive damage potential of this set. Gyarados is most effective in the late-game when everything is weakened or affected by status. Even after a Dragon Dance, most common OU pokemon are either 2HKO'd or even OHKO'd with minor exceptions such as Skarmory, Slowbro, and particularly bulky walls. Other than those small nuisances such as more bulky physical walls Gyarados can easily pose a massive threat (this sentence seems unnecessary and is awkwardly worded). A Jolly nature can be used instead of Adamant at the cost of less power.</p>

<p>Leftovers is a decent choice for an item on this set but you'll also realize that Gyarados will miss out on those necessary OHKOs or 2HKOs that Life Orb gives.</p>

[SET]
name: BulkyGyara
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Taunt
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
EVs: 216 HP / 16 Atk / 132 Def / 144 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Gyarados's typing and ability give it an advantage over many other Water-types. This set also attempts to use a slower, more defensive approach rather than the usual hard hitting, offensive strategy.(the next part of this sentence is redundant and unecessary) and uses a slower but more defensive approach. The total EVs give 385 HP / 319 Atk / 227 Def / 234 Spe. The HP allows you to switch into Stealth Rock five times and the Speed EVs allow you to outpace max Speed base 110s after a Dragon Dance. The set can be used to absorb some attacks that he either takes neutral or not very effective hits, such as Return and Close Combat, respectively. Taunt also differentiates this moveset from the others as it can prevent you from being phazed or crippled by status.</p>

<p>This set also has an easier time switching into Pokemon such as Skarmory and scaring it off thanks to the combination of Intimidate and Taunt, leaving it to use Brave Bird while you freely dance. Stone Edge gives you the upper hand against waters such as Suicune and Milotic if they lack HP Electric.</p>

<p>While the offensive Gyarados prefers to be used during the late-game, this set can be used in any phase of the game. The use of Taunt is crucial to this set because many moves such as Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, Roar, and other Taunt users screw around with the normal strategy. Dragon Dance allows you to threaten your opponent in the early-game but is more useful in the late-game when its counters have been sufficiently weakened.</p>

[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Dragon Dance / Stone Edge / Avalanche
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Def / 20 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Gyarados is a very capable Sleep Talker and defensive pokemon in general. This set is designed to come in on physical threats and tank. Waterfall is for primary STAB, which works off Gyarados's fantastic attack stat. Stone Edge gives Gyarados a wide range of coverage alongside Waterfall, Dragon Dance can increase the chances of a late-game sweep, and Avalanche offers a more immediate solution to Dragons.</p>

<p>Thanks to Intimidate, this Gyarados takes physical hits on switch-ins just as well as a Milotic with Marvel Scale activated. The EVs ensure that Infernape will never KO with Grass Knot after a Nasty Plot. Additionally, a +1 Life Orb Stone Edge from an opposing Gyarados will never KO even after Stealth Rock damage.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Waterfall / Aqua Tail
move 2: Ice Fang / Payback
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Earthquake
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although not as threatening as some of the sets listed above, the early available source of power gives this an advantage. Removing Dragon Dance for a fourth move gives this perfect coverage against any switch-in. Aqua Tail can be used over Waterfall as the lack of Speed can justify the use of a more powerful, albeit less accurate move. Payback works over Ice Fang as the lower Speed can make a difference against threats such as Starmie and Celebi.</p>

[SET]
name: Flail
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Flail
item: Liechi Berry / Salac Berry
nature: Adamant
evs: 24 HP / 252 Atk / 232 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Gyarados has the ability to easily switch into battle and force the opponent to switch. This set takes advantage of both factors in order to set up. On the turn the opponent switches to its counter, Gyarados will Substitute. Depending on the counter, Gyarados will either Dragon Dance or Substitute accordingly, and proceed to sweep with a huge advantage in Speed and Attack. It might seem like the ease by which this is done is being oversimplified; however, this cannot be farther from the truth. How does nearly every individual deal with Gyarados? By switching, which gives Gyarados the opportunity to set up its Substitute.</p>

<p>For example, if the opponent switched in Starmie, Gyarados will Substitute down to Liechi activation and Dragon Dance on the final Substitute breaking turn, giving Gyarados +2 Attack, +1 Speed and a 200 BP move to easily OHKO Starmie with. However, if something like Celebi was switched in the turn Gyarados used Substitute, Gyarados will then Dragon Dance, and use Substitute if it feels a Thunder Wave / Leech Seed coming or Dragon Dance if a Grass Knot is coming. Depending on the amount of health left, Gyarados will then (probably) Substitute again for the Berry activation, and have +3 Attack, +2 Speed and 200 BP move to deal with the opposition.</p>
<p>Liechi Berry or Salac Berry is purely a matter of preference in the end. It depends on whether having Gyarados outspeed Deoxys-S that switch in later or having the extra boost of Attack is preferred, mostly to OHKO threats like Celebi.</p>

[Other Options]
<p>Two berries that weren't discussed can be used if you think that they warrant use. Wacan Berry helps soften the incoming Electric attack and could allow you to freely use Dragon Dance twice, once while the opponent switches-in and once after surviving the attack). This, alongside Offensive Gyarados with a Jolly nature, poses more of a threat than with an Adamant nature, Life Orb, and one Dragon Dance. Lum Berry also gives you a free Dragon Dance except by removing status instead. As with any Pokemon, a Choice Scarf can be slapped on the Choice Bander set, as the extra Speed can give Gyarados an edge in some situations.</p>

<p>Bite is only listed because it's Gyarados's best attack against Slowbro. On the offensive Gyarados it can OHKO 252 HP / 0 Def Starmie 100% of the time assuming that Starmie switches into Stealth Rock while you Dragon Dance. Return also gives near-perfect coverage alongside Waterfall, as Water / Normal is only resisted by Empoleon and Shedinja. It has a higher base power than Earthquake and Stone Edge most of the time (barring the critical hit), but doesn't hit any Pokemon for super effective damage. It works best in the BulkyGyara set as Water + Rock doesn't have the greatest of coverage. Thunder Wave is a move that causes major problems to some of Gyarados's switch-ins as no bulky Ground-type is foolish enough to switch in, and many Pokemon will not enjoy the combination of the paralysis rate and Waterfall's chance of flinching.</p>

<p>Gyarados has a myriad of special moves such as STAB Hydro Pump and Fire Blast. These can work under some conditions but almost require a boost from Life Orb in order to be effective. Hydro Pump can 2HKO Weezing while Fire Blast can 2HKO Skarmory and maims Forretress and Scizor.</p>

[EVs]
<p>Offensive Gyarados should use the given spread of max Speed and Attack. This spread gives 383 Atk / 261 Spe with an Adamant nature. The given Speed EVs will outspeed max Speed Tyranitar and max speed base 127s after a Dragon Dance. Max Attack is necessary with Life Orb. The HP EVs are leftover from there. Choice Band Gyarados should follow the same principle but can opt for more Speed, up to 252 EVs. This gives Gyarados 261 Speed, just enough to outpace base 80s with a neutral nature. You can also opt for less Speed as beating Jolly Tyranitar is a decent minimum.</p>

<p>Bulky Gyarados has many different EV spreads but 216 HP EVs allow Gyarados to switch into Stealth Rock five times with Leftovers factored in. The Speed EVs give Gyarados just enough Speed to outrun Timid Gengar after a Dragon Dance. The Attack EVs give Gyarados a total of 319 Attack which is still respectable for a Pokemon that plans to use Dragon Dance anyway while maintaining defenses. The rest is dumped into Defense for extra durability.</p>

[Dragon Dance Numbers]
<p>Because Gyarados doesn't know what he would like to outpace at times, Dragon Dance numbers come into question as concerning what Speed EVs should be considered. This section attempts to cover the Speed before a Dragon Dance, after a Dragon Dance, and what it can outspeed after.

<h3><a id="Dragon Dance Neutral Nature">Dragon Dance Numbers Neutral Nature</a></h3>
 
<table class="sortable">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>EVs Used </th>
<th>Speed Hit </th>
<th>Speed Hit After Dragon Dance </th>
<th>+1 Outspeeds </th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>8 Spe </td>
<td>200 Spe </td>
<td>300 Spe </td>
<td>Neutral Base 100s </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>84 Spe </td>
<td>219 Spe </td>
<td>328 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 100s </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>116 Spe</td>
<td>227 Spe </td>
<td>340 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 105s </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>136 Spe </td>
<td>232 Spe </td>
<td>348 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 108s </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>144 Spe </td>
<td>234 Spe </td>
<td>251 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 110s </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>184 Spe </td>
<td>244 Spe </td>
<td>366 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 115s </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>204 Spe </td>
<td>249 Spe </td>
<td>373 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 120s </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>236 Spe </td>
<td>257 Spe </td>
<td>384 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 125s </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>252 Spe </td>
<td>261 Spe </td>
<td>391 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 127s </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<h3><a id="Dragon Dance Positive Nature">Dragon Dance Numbers Positive Nature</a></h3>
 
<table class="sortable">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>EVs Used </th>
<th>Speed Hit </th>
<th>Speed Hit After Dragon Dance </th>
<th>+1 Outspeeds </th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>8 Spe </td>
<td>220 Spe </td>
<td>330 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 100's </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>36 Spe </td>
<td>227 Spe </td>
<td>340 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 105s </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>52 Spe </td>
<td>232 Spe </td>
<td>348 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 108s </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>60 Spe </td>
<td>234 Spe </td>
<td>351 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 110s </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>96 Spe </td>
<td>244 Spe </td>
<td>366 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 115s </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>116 Spe </td>
<td>248 Spe </td>
<td>373 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 120s </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>144 Spe </td>
<td>257 Spe </td>
<td>384 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 125s </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>156 Spe </td>
<td>260 Spe </td>
<td>388 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 127s </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>168 Spe </td>
<td>264 Spe </td>
<td>396 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 130s </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>220 Spe </td>
<td>278 Spe </td>
<td>417 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 140s </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>252 Spe </td>
<td>287 Spe </td>
<td>430 Spe </td>
<td>Positive Base 140s </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

[Opinion]
<p>Gyarados has become a top contender as far as being a huge threat goes. His massive 125 Attack base stat, on top of his 95 base HP, 100 base Special Defense, and his Intimidate ability, makes him more bulky than many Pokemon of his structure. The typing may be a thorn to Gyarados as being x4 weak to Electric and x2 weak to Rock-type moves isn't very amusing; despite that, Gyarados can easily switch into many attacks thrown at him and set up with impunity. The improvements of a physical Waterfall, Stone Edge, Ice Fang, Taunt lasting longer, and Life Orb also gives Gyarados a boost to his ranks. And let's not forget that he has some key resistances including Water, Fighting, Bug, Fire, and Steel while sporting an immunity to Ground. This deadly combination makes Gyarados a top-tier threat in OU that should be handled with care. Any Pokemon that switches into Gyarados for the most part is going to leave either dead or extremely hurt.</p>

<p>On top of Electric and Rock-moves being a hindrance to Gyarados the addition of Stealth Rock has limited its ability to switch in, thanks to a nasty 25% cut in his HP. The continuing threat of Sandstorm has also given Gyarados a problem abusing Leftovers as well as using Life Orb to its fullest effect. These are some of the very few shortcomings to Gyarados as there are not many safe switch-ins. He has definitely lived up to his name of being the "Atrocious" Pokemon.</p>

[Counters]
<p>Porygon2 with a defensive EV spread and Trace is the best counter to Gyarados. Thanks to Trace, Intimidate bounces back on Gyarados, and Porygon2 can unleash either Thunderbolt or Discharge to finish him off. Starmie can revenge kill some forms of Gyarados, but it must tread lightly, as a Life Orb'd Stone Edge can nearly OHKO it if Gyarados has that Dragon Dance under his belt. Bold Cresselia with Charge Beam can block most of Gyarados's attack for a while and a combination of Thunder Wave and Reflect renders Gyarados nearly useless.</p>

<p>An Impish Tangrowth can shrug off Ice Fangs with its 125 base Defense and use a STAB Power Whip on Gyarados. Celebi's high HP and Defense lets it take on Ice Fang as well, and can hit Gyarados hard with a 120 base power Grass Knot. Recover prevents it from being worn down so it can switch-in repeatedly. Metagross with ThunderPunch stands a fair chance against Gyarados provided Gyarados isn't using Earthquake. Forretress with Zap Cannon has a risky 50% accuracy, but the automatic paralysis makes the high-risk, high-reward move a mention.</p>

<p>Water-types that carry Hidden Power Electric pose a bigger threat to Gyarados. Though they risk being 2HKO'd sometimes by a Dragon Danced Stone Edge, they can attempt to stop the sweep: Milotic, Slowbro, Suicune, and Vaporeon are perfect examples of this.</p>

<p>Skarmory has a chance to at least threaten Gyarados if it has Brave Bird. With the lack of Leftovers and the recoil from Brave Bird makes its a risky 3HKO to attempt, and Bulky Gyarados can take some of the beating. Taunt prevents Skarmory from its usual strategies of using Roost and Whirlwind to counter Gyarados. Intimidate also becomes a deadly factor to Skarmory since after Gyarados switches-in Skarmory could be forced to switch.</p>

----------
Alright so here it is I guess. If you've noticed I've added a few significant changes in this time and need to know how to organize them. Everyone's help is appreciated for this please. Thank you very much and I hope I didn't fail at re-doing this or dissapoint.

*Nervously walks away until morning*.

 

[umbarsc]

On the offensive DDer, I'd prefer Jolly with max speed, which allows you to beat Timid ScarfTran with HP Electric, as well as Shaymin-S (you only have to mention the former until they allow Platinum edits).

The use of Ground / Water / Ice gives problems with Shedinja and Surskit.

Assuming Stealth Rocks are up, they really don't give you problems, so rephrase that as

The attacking combination of Ground / Water / Ice is resisted only by Surskit and Shedinja, neither of which are common or viable in OU.

 

[Articanus]

I think the first set should be:

Dragon Dance
Waterfall
Earthquake/ Stone Edge
Ice Fang/ Stone Edge.

Otherwise I can't really disagree with the order of the sets. Nice job as usual, Colonel.

 

[Lee]

The total EVs give 385 HP / 319 Atk / 230 Def / 231 Spe...

Speed EVs allow you to outspeed Infernape with max Speed after a single Dragon Dance.

231 x 1.5 = 346.5, so you're actually tieing with Infernape, who maxes at 346. But on that note, I always made sure to run 234 Speed in order to outrun Gengar, Jumpluff, Froslass and any other nasties with 110 base Speed who would stop you cold otherwise. It seems worth it...all you're losing is a measly three defense points.

I'm also not entirely comfortable with BulkyGyara being below CBGyara. According to Doug's statistics, less than 2.8% of Gyarados held Choice Band last month, compared to 34.0% who used Taunt and 24.8 percent who invested a "High (150-200)" amount of EVs in physical defence. I realise that those two statistics don't neccesarily prove beyond doubt that BulkyGyara was used more, as Taunt is occassionally used on DDGyara and some of that 24.8% who invested defence could be the ResTalk version. But it really is pretty obvious which set is used more.

 

[Blln]

<p>Gyarados has become a top contender as far as being a huge threat goes. His massive 130 Attack base stat on top of his 95 base Defense, 100 base Special Defense, and his Intimidate ability makes him more bulky than many Pokemon of his structure.

Gyarados has 125 base attack and 79 base defense.

 

[RaikouLover]

Good job, I'll let people get the grammatical stuff.

I think the order of the sets should be Offensive Gyarados, Bulky Gyarados, Rest Talk Gyarados, Choice Band Gyarados, and Flail. That is how they are in popularity.

For EV spreads: Offensive Gyarados needs 4 / 252 / 252 and Adamant or Jolly as natures indicated as a slash. Max speed is needed these days.

Bulky Gyarados - this one is debatable, but 244 is minium IMO. I used to run 152 HP / 172 Def / 184 Speed on mine because it keeps the defense and speed high, and those 16 attack EVs aren't doing you much. This one is up for debate, but I still think outspeeding Starmie, Azelf, and Raikou is worth noting since you do have Dragon Dance. In conjuction with Taunt, that set is fully capable of sweeping despite no initial attack. Your proposed spread loses too many total stat points.

Rest Talk - Stone Edge should be the first option since that is the way it is written.

Jolly should also be an option for the Leichi set as it also will outspeed things like Heatran, etc.

 

[jrrrrrrr]

Even though it is pretty gimmicky, I feel like there should be at least SOME mention of a special based set, at least in Other Options. Gyarados has an amazing special movepool that most pokemon would die to have and can use it well thanks to Choice Specs, Life Orb and the "surprise factor". I doubt an entire set would be needed, just a paragraph analyzing its options in the Other Options section would be needed. With Thunderbolt, Fire Blast, Surf, Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse, HP Flying, and Ice Beam in its movepool, I'm sure something could be mentioned.

The CB set needs a bit more than that in its analysis, I think.

 

[gorm]

just wanna say that jolly wacan berry is kinda awesome with deoe still around. if it works out you lose ~1/2 your health but get 2 neutral dds (which is better than 1 dd adamant a lifeorb obviously). I'd really only ever use it with jolly though. i guess a mention in the other options is enough !

 

[jumpluff]

[SET]
name: Offensive Gyarados
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Fang / Earthquake
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>One of Gyarados's most powerful and intimidating sets as of date. The addition of physical Waterfall, Ice Fang, and a stronger Rock move in the name of Stone Edge, has allowed Gyarados to climb to become one of the most powerful sweepers in the OU metagame when played correctly. Dragon Dance is obviously the crux of this set, outpacing Jolly Tyranitar before a Dragon Dance and besting Azelf, Raikou, and Starmie afterwards. STAB Waterfall gives the set an immense boost over many physical sweepers as it easily purges bulky Grounds from the picture. The addition of abusing the flinch rate after a Dragon Dance makes walling this set harder than most other Pokémon that sweep. Ice Fang and Stone Edge give the best coverage alongside Waterfall. Despite the shaky accuracy of Stone Edge as well as Ice Fang at times, they're almost necessary to eliminate threats such as opposing Gyarados, Zapdos, Celebi, and Breloom. Earthquake can work in tandem with either Stone Edge or Ice Fang. Rock / Ground / Water gives all-round well-round? @_@ coverage but suffers the problems of being walled by Breloom. The use of Ground / Water / Ice gives problems with Shedinja and Surskit. Any of the three said moves can work together as long as you use Waterfall and Dragon Dance.</p>

does surskit need to be mentioned anyway ?_?

<p>Life Orb adds to the massive potential to this set. It's in the late-game when everything is injured or even affected by status when Gyarados is found the most triumphant. Even after a Dragon Dance most of the common Pokémon in OU are either 2HKO'd or even OHKO'd, with minor exceptions, such as Skarmory, Slowbro, and particularly bulky walls. Other than those small nuisances, Gyarados can easily pose a massive threat.</p>

fixed the repetition of 'minor' and reworded the sentence about skarmory so you didn't repeat the list of nuisances

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Waterfall / Aqua Tail
move 2: Ice Fang
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Earthquake
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although not as threatening as the above set, the early available source of power gives this an advantage. Removing Dragon Dance for a fourth move gives this perfect coverage against any switch-in. Aqua Tail can be used over Waterfall as the lack of Speed can make a call for a more powerful move to use.</p>

[SET]
name: BulkyGyara
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Taunt
item: Leftovers
EVs: 216 HP / 16 Atk / 144 Def / 132 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Gyarados's typing and ability give it an advantage over many Water-types. This set also attempts to show a different approach from the usual hitting hard strategy and uses a slower but more defensive approach. The total EVs give 385 HP / 319 Atk / 230 Def / 231 Spe. The HP allows you to step into Stealth Rock five times and the Speed EVs allow you to outspeed Infernape with max Speed after a single Dragon Dance. The set can be used to absorb some attacks that he either takes neutral or not very effective hits, such as Return and Close Combat, respectively. Taunt gives this a different approach to the other Gyarados sets, as it prevents your opponent from easily blowing away your boosts with Whirlwind.</p>

<p>This set also has an easier time stepping into Pokémon such as Skarmory and scaring it off thanks to the combination of Intimidate and Taunt leaving it to use Brave Bird while you freely dance. Stone Edge gives the set an edge on using this to set up against bulky Waters such as Suicune and Milotic that lack Hidden Power Electric.</p>

<p>While the offensive Gyarados prefers to be used during the late-game this set can be used in either the early, mid, or late-game. The use of Taunt is crucial to this set because many moves such as Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, Roar, and other Taunt users screw around with the normal strategy. Dragon Dance is a good reason to make it threatening in the early-game but has more use in the late-game when using the move is easier if you've removed the usual threats to Gyarados.</p>

[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Dragon Dance / Stone Edge / Avalanche
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Def / 20 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
<p> Gyarados is a very capable Sleep Talker and defensive Pokémon in general. This set is designed to come in on physical threats and tank. Waterfall is for primary STAB, which works off Gyarados's fantastic attack stat. Stone Edge gives a wide range of coverage alongside Waterfall, Dragon Dance can increase the chances of a late-game sweep, and Avalanche offers a more immediate solution to Dragons.</p>

<p> Thanks to Intimidate, this Gyarados takes physical hits on switch-ins just as well as a Milotic with Marvel Scale activated. The EVs ensure that Infernape will never KO with Grass Knot after a Nasty Plot. Additionally, a +1 Life Orb Stone Edge from an opposing Gyarados will never KO even after Stealth Rock damage.</p>

[SET]
name: Flail
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Flail
item: Liechi Berry / Salac Berry
nature: Adamant
evs: 24 HP / 252 Atk / 232 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Gyarados has the ability to easily switch into battle and force the opponent to switch. This set takes advantage of both factors in order to set up. On the turn the opponent switches to its counter, Gyarados will Substitute. Depending on the counter, Gyarados will either Dragon Dance or Substitute accordingly, and proceed to sweep with a huge advantage in Speed and Attack. It might seem like the ease by which this is done is being oversimplified; however, this cannot be farther from the truth. How does nearly every individual deal with Gyarados? By switching, which gives Gyarados the opportunity to set up its Substitute.</p>

<p>For example, if the opponent switched in Starmie, Gyarados will Substitute down to Liechi activation and Dragon Dance on the final Substitute breaking turn, giving Gyarados +2 Attack, +1 Speed, and a 200 BP move to easily OHKO Starmie with. However, if something like Celebi was switched in the turn Gyarados used Substitute, Gyarados will then Dragon Dance, and use Substitute if it feels a Thunder Wave / Leech Seed coming or Dragon Dance if a Grass Knot is coming. Depending on the amount of health left, Gyarados will then (probably) Substitute again for the Berry activation, and have +3 Attack, +2 Speed, and 200 BP move to deal with the opposition.</p>

<p>Liechi Berry or Salac Berry is purely a matter of preference at the end. It depends on whether having Gyarados outspeed Deoxys-S that switch in later or having the extra boost of Attack is preferred, mostly to OHKO threats like Celebi.</p>

[Other Options]
<p>Two berries that weren't discussed can be used if you think that they warrant use. Wacan Berry helps soften the incoming Electric attack and could allow you freely to use Dragon Dance twice (once while the opponent switches, once after surviving the attack). Lum Berry also gives you a free Dragon Dance, but by removing status instead. As with any Pokémon a Choice Scarf can be slapped on the Choice Bander set, as the extra Speed gives Gyarados an extra edge in some situations.</p>

attain is not really correct, technically anyway [heh], seeing as I don't see how a Berry 'comes into possession' of more use. it's the same reason i changed defensive > defensible, because defensible is more passive in meaning and a bit different. sorry for being such a pedant. xD;

<p>Bite is only listed because it's Gyarados's best attack against Slowbro. On the offensive Gyarados it can OHKO 252 HP / 0 Def Starmie 100% of the time, factoring that Starmie switches into Stealth Rock and during your Dragon Dance. Return also gives near-perfect coverage alongside Waterfall, as Water / Normal is only resisted by Empoleon and Shedinja. It has a higher base power than Earthquake and Stone Edge most of the time (barring the critical hit), but doesn't hit any Pokémon for super effective damage. It works best in the BulkyGyara set, as Water + Rock doesn't have the greatest of coverage. Thunder Wave is a move that causes major problems to some of Gyarados's switch-ins as no bulky Ground-type is foolish enough to switch in, and many Pokémon will not enjoy the combination of the paralysis rate and Waterfall's chance of flinching.</p>

[EVs]
<p>Offensive Gyarados should use the given spread of 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe. This spread gives 349 HP / 383 Atk / 244 Spe. The given Speed EVs will outspeed max Speed Tyranitar and also besting Azelf, Raikou, and Starmie after a Dragon Dance. Max Attack is necessary with Life Orb. The HP EVs are leftover from there. Choice Band Gyarados should follow the same principle but can opt for more Speed up to 248 EVs. This gives Gyarados 260 Speed, just enough to outpace base 80s with a neutral nature.</p>

<p>Bulky Gyarados has many different EV spreads but 216 HP EVs allow Gyarados to step into Stealth Rock 5 times with Leftovers factored in. The Speed EVs give Gyarados just enough Speed to outrun max Speed Infernape after a Dragon Dance. The Attack EVs give Gyarados a total of 300 Attack which is still respectable for a Pokémon that plans to use Dragon Dance anyway while maintaining defenses. The rest is dumped into Defense for extra durability. A 216 HP / 16 Atk / 132 Def / 144 Spe with an Adamant nature grants you 319 Atk / 227 Def / 234 Spe; the extra Speed lets you reach 352 Speed after a Dragon Dance, which beats Timid Gengar (350), Adamant Weavile (349), Naive / Jolly Infernape (346), and Adamant Dugtrio (339).</p>

[Dragon Dance Numbers]
<p>Because Gyarados doesn't know what he would like to outpace at times, Dragon Dance numbers come into question as concerning what Speed EVs should be considered. This section attempts to cover the Speed before a Dragon Dance, after a Dragon Dance, and what it can outspeed after.

<p>Neutral Speed Nature</p>

8 Spe EVs (200 Spe) -> 300 Spe.  Max: Neutral Base 100s.
84 Spe EVs (219 Spe) -> 328 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 100s.
116 Spe EVs (227 Spe) -> 340 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 105s.
136 Spe EVs (232 Spe) -> 348 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 108s.
144 Spe EVs (234 Spe) -> 351 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 110s.
184 Spe EVs (244 Spe) -> 366 Spe.  Min: Positive 61s (before Dragon Dance).  Max: Positive Base 115s.
204 Spe EVs (249 Spe) -> 373 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 120s.
236 Spe EVs (257 Spe) -> 384 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 125s.
252 Spe EVs (261 Spe) -> 391 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 127s.

<p>Positive Speed Nature</p>

8 Spe EVs (220 Spe) -> 330 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 100s.
36 Spe EVs (227 Spe) -> 340 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 105s.
52 Spe EVs (232 Spe) -> 348 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 108s.
60 Spe EVs (234 Spe) -> 351 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 110s.
96 Spe EVs (244 Spe) -> 366 Spe.  Min: Positive 61s (before Dragon Dance).  Max: Positive Base 115s.
116 Spe EVs (248 Spe) -> 373 Soe.  Max: Positive Base 120s.
144 Spe EVs (257 Spe) -> 384 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 125s.
156 Spe EVs (260 Spe) -> 388 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 127s.
168 Spe EVs (264 Spe) -> 396 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 130s.
220 Spe Evs (278 Spe) -> 417 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 140s.
252 Spe EVs (287 Spe) -> 430 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 140s.

[Opinion]
<p>Gyarados has become a top contender as far as being a huge threat goes. His massive 130 Attack base stat, on top of his 95 base Defense, 100 base Special Defense, and his Intimidate ability, makes him more bulky than many Pokémon of his structure. The typing may be a thorn to Gyarados as being x4 weak to Electric and x2 weak to Rock-type moves isn't very amusing; despite that, Gyarados can easily switch into many attacks thrown at him and set up with impunity little impunity is a bad thing x_o. The improvements of a physical Waterfall, Stone Edge, Ice Fang, Taunt lasting longer, and Life Orb gives Gyarados a boost to his ranks. And let's not forget that he has some key resistances including Water, Fighting, Bug, Fire, and Steel, while sporting an immunity to Ground. This deadly combination makes Gyarados a top-tier threat in OU and should be handled with care. Any Pokémon that switches into Gyarados for the most part is going to leave either dead or extremely hurt.</p>

<p>On top of Electric and Rock-moves being a hindrance to Gyarados the addition of Stealth Rock has limited its ability to switch in, thanks to a nasty 25% cut in his HP. The continuing threat of Sandstorm has also given Gyarados a problem abusing Leftovers as well as using Life Orb to its fullest effect. These are some of the very few shortcomings to Gyarados as not much can easily stop him without careful consideration of whom you switch in.</p>

[Counters]
<p>Porygon2 that focuses on a defensive EV spread and carry Trace is the best counter to Gyarados. Thanks to Trace, Intimidate bounces back on Gyarados, and Porygon2 can unleash either Thunderbolt or Discharge to finish him off. Starmie can revenge kill some forms of Gyarados, but it must tread lightly, as a Life Orb'd Stone Edge can nearly OHKO it if Gyarados has that Dragon Dance on his belt. Bold Cresselia with Charge Beam can block most of Gyarados's attack for a while and a combination of Thunder Wave and Reflect renders Gyarados nearly useless.</p>

<p>An Impish Tangrowth can shrug off Ice Fangs with its 125 base Defense and use a STAB Power Whip on Gyarados. Celebi's high HP and Defense lets it take on Ice Fang as well, and can hit Gyarados hard with a 120 base power Grass Knot. It can heal itself up with Recover so it can keep coming in. Metagross with ThunderPunch stands a fair chance against Gyarados provided Gyarados isn't using Earthquake. Forretress with Zap Cannon has a risky 50% accuracy, but the automatic paralysis makes the high-risk, high-reward move a mention.</p>

<p>Water-types that carry Hidden Power Electric pose to be the bigger threats to Gyarados. Though they risk being 2HKO'd sometimes by a Dragon Danced Stone Edge, they can attempt to stop the sweep: Milotic, Slowbro, Suicune, and Vaporeon are perfect examples of this.</p>

<p>Skarmory has a chance to at least threaten Gyarados if it has Brave Bird. With the lack of Leftovers and the recoil from Brave Bird, it's a risky 3HKO to attempt, and BulkyGyara can take some of the beating. Taunt prevents Skarmory from its usual strategies of using Roost and Whirlwind to purge Gyarados. Intimidate also becomes a deadly factor to Skarmory since after Gyarados switches-in Skarmory could be forced to switch.</p>

----------
Alright so here it is I guess. If you've noticed I've added a few significant changes in this time and need to know how to organize them. Everyone's help is appreciated for this please. Thank you very much and I hope I didn't fail at re-doing this or dissapoint.

*Nervously walks away until morning*.

I liked this! You write quite fluently and it was quite an undertaking. Oh, and I fixed all the incidences of Pokemon [as opposed to Pokémon].

Also, maybe those DD numbers should be put in a table? Someone else or I can help you. I just think it looks messy in <code> tags, as it's more of a table. e.g.

<table class="sortable">
<h3>Neutral Speed Nature</h3> <!-- these are just comments that aren't processed, 
delete them, but is this the right header? h2 is used for set headers/section headers
 looking at the source, so h3 is the next logical step, right? -->
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Speed EVs</th>
<th>+0 Speed</th>
<th>+1 Speed</th>
<th>Outspeeds</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>116</td>
<td>227</td>
<td>340</td>
<td>Positive Base 105s</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

i don't know heh.

 

[Anti]

If it's only 12 more EVs, why not bump BulkyGyara's Speed up so it'll outrun Timid 'Gar after a DD?

 

[Fishin]

The addition of physical Waterfall, Ice Fang, and a stronger Rock move in the name of Stone Edge has allowed Gyarados to climb to become one of the most powerful sweepers in the OU metagame when played correctly

"to climb" is pretty extraneous. I'd also rephrase "in the name of Stone Edge", it sounds really awkward.

Dragon Dance is obviously the crux of this set, outpacing Jolly Tyranitar before a Dragon Dance and besting Azelf, Raikou,

Dragon Dance itself does not outpace Azelf, Raikou and friends - it allows Gyarados to outpace them. Also, Dragon Dance isn't what's letting Gyara outspeed Jolly Tyraitar, that's Gyara's speed EVs.

STAB Waterfall gives the set an immense boost over many physical sweepers as it easily purges bulky Grounds from the picture.

"advantage" would fit much better than "boost" here

The addition of abusing the flinch rate after a Dragon Dance makes walling this set harder than most other Pokemon that sweep.

I'd remove this sentence entirely or just rephrase it to "The flinch rate from Waterfall is also helpful after a Dragon Dance" or something similar, for a few reasons. First, a lot of Pokemon that are trying to wall it are going to resist water anyways, but the fact that you refer to it as "abuse" would imply that it's something you can exert control over, while it's really just random chance.

Rock / Ground / Water gives well-round coverage but suffers the problems of being walled by Breloom.

well-rounded, not well-round. I'd also mention Celebi here, since the fact that offensive Gyara with Ice Fang can beat it (well, without Reflect, but that's another story) is pretty big considering that it counters all other versions of Gyara very well.

The use of Ground / Water / Ice gives problems with Shedinja and Surskit.

Who cares about Surskit? It should only be mentioned if you're talking about what you're hitting super-effectively, because it's certainly not a threat anytime else. The main disadvantage here is that you're unable to do much to several other flying-types, most notably opposing Gyarados.

It's in the late-game when everything is injured or even affected by status when Gyarados finds to be the most triumphant.

"even" isn't really needed here. "finds to be" makes no sense, it should be replaced with "is usually".

 

[Colonel M]

Oh dear what an undertaking that I've thrown myself in. Nevertheless I've chosen it for a reason and I will attempt to take everyone's suggestions in. This is quite the handful though so I will edit this post when everything is done (which could take a little while).

@umbarsc: Slight humor really as far as Surskit (and the Shedinja was a more serious note). I can at least remove Surskit if you really want me to.

@Articanus: I can do that. Didn't want it to look like I put something like Stone Edge twice but nevertheless I wanted to do this:

- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Ice Fang / Stone Edge
- Stone Edge / Earthquake

I was afraid it would look choppy before but I guess it looks fine as suggested by you.

@Lee: I'll fix the EV for Infernape speed issue. I think I might bump it to more Speed seeing as it's not necessarily a horrible idea. I should've double-checked Doug's statistics but I wanted the order of the analysis to Offense to Defense (with the exception of Flail being last for... reasons).

@Danyul: I'll fix that. I meant 95 Base HP. Sorry for that looking misleading.

@Raikou: I would, normally, put max Speed as you've said. And I think I will. I never found the reason for the HP anyways and the extra Speed is helpful. I will also put Jolly as a mention and to look toward the Dragon Dance Numbers list for EVs.

@J7r: I can mention at least a few things on the top of my head that sound viable and I'll throw the following in: Hydro Pump (IIRC 2HKOs Weezing), Fire Blast (obvious reasons really), etc. I'm not sure if I want to list Thunder[bolt] yet as I've yet to see that. More emphasis on Special Attacks I guess can be warranted for Other Options.

As for the Choice Band set... yeah, there really isn't much to comment on it when you think about it. It's pretty clear what it does really and when I tried to explain more with it I found myself in the same boat as it was before: short and simple. I have no problem stretching it out to about 4 or 5 sentences though if you think that it could use more description.

@Gorm: I do love Wacan Berry on Gyarados but I guess Jolly never struck me. Perhaps I can go more in-depth with it in Other Options and how it works wonders on the first set.

@Misaki-Chi: Ah, wonderful job as usual Misaki! I'll look this over and put these changes in asap.

@Anti: Plan to do this as said above. Will do.

@Fishin: I'll double check these alongside Misaki's changes.

Also, two things I need:

- How should I do this Dragon Dance chart?
- Better EV spread for this Bulky Gyarados? I'm thinking either Adamant or Jolly, enough Speed EVs for Base 110s, and after that throwing most into HP and Defense. I'm thinking something similair to what I posted with Jolly, a few more Speed EVs, and using more HP and Defense.

Jolly nature: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 Spe. How's this look?

 

[RaikouLover]

Use Adamant nature for Bulky Gyarados. You are just sacrificing too many stat points by going to Jolly. Adamant nature, give yourself enough speed to reach 244 (184 EVs) would be my suggestion, then plow the rest into HP and Defense. But at least outspeed Timid Gengar. However, I would recommend that 244 so you beat Starmie, Azelf, Raikou, etc. You can pick off any of those 3 if they've taken some damage.

 

[twash]

I gave the Dragon Dance Chart a go..I take it you meant as a table? I have done the Neutral Nature, if people could check to make sure it is right (my first try at a table in HTML :P), and then if it is I shall do positive!

<h3><a id="Dragon Dance">Dragon Dance Numbers</a></h3>

<table class="sortable">
  <thead>
  <tr>
    <th>EVs Used </th>
    <th>Speed Hit </th>
    <th>Speed Hit After Dragon Dance </th>
    <th>+1 Outspeeds </th>
  </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
  <tr>
    <td>8 Spe </td>
    <td>200 Spe </td>
    <td>300 Spe </td>
    <td>Neutral Base 100s </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>84 Spe </td>
    <td>219 Spe </td>
    <td>328 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 100s </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>116 Spe</td>
    <td>227 Spe </td>
    <td>340 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 105s </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>136 Spe </td>
    <td>232 Spe </td>
    <td>348 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 108s </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>144 Spe </td>
    <td>234 Spe </td>
    <td>251 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 110s </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>184 Spe </td>
    <td>244 Spe </td>
    <td>366 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 115s </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>204 Spe </td>
    <td>249 Spe </td>
    <td>373 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 120s </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>236 Spe </td>
    <td>257 Spe </td>
    <td>384 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 125s </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>252 Spe </td>
    <td>261 Spe </td>
    <td>391 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 127s </td>
  </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

 

[Colonel M]

@Raikou: I've decided to use Jump's spread. I forgot that it was buried in the EV section and it does exactly what I ask it to do.

@Twash: This looks great. I'll add this in.

...Shit, I just accidentally deleted the positive Speed notes. Luckily Misaki's post had it still so here it is:

8 Spe EVs (220 Spe) -> 330 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 100s.
36 Spe EVs (227 Spe) -> 340 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 105s.
52 Spe EVs (232 Spe) -> 348 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 108s.
60 Spe EVs (234 Spe) -> 351 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 110s.
96 Spe EVs (244 Spe) -> 366 Spe.  Min: Positive 61s (before Dragon Dance).  Max: Positive Base 115s.
116 Spe EVs (248 Spe) -> 373 Soe.  Max: Positive Base 120s.
144 Spe EVs (257 Spe) -> 384 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 125s.
156 Spe EVs (260 Spe) -> 388 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 127s.
168 Spe EVs (264 Spe) -> 396 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 130s.
220 Spe Evs (278 Spe) -> 417 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 140s.
252 Spe EVs (287 Spe) -> 430 Spe.  Max: Positive Base 140s.

Just so you know I've swept with the grammar mistakes, added a few things, moved Choice Band under Sleep Talk set, etc.

 

[twash]

Ah, do you have the positive natured bits..? I was going to do them but you overwrite them on the original post..

 

[Colonel M]

I put it in my last post. Had to edit it in.

 

[twash]

Part two: (positive)

<h3><a id="Dragon Dance">Dragon Dance Numbers</a></h3>

<table class="sortable">
  <thead>
  <tr>
    <th>EVs Used </th>
    <th>Speed Hit </th>
    <th>Speed Hit After Dragon Dance </th>
    <th>+1 Outspeeds </th>
  </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
  <tr>
    <td>8 Spe </td>
    <td>220 Spe </td>
    <td>330 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base  100's </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>36 Spe </td>
    <td>227 Spe </td>
    <td>340 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 105s </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>52 Spe </td>
    <td>232 Spe </td>
    <td>348 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 108s </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>60 Spe </td>
    <td>234 Spe </td>
    <td>351 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 110s </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>96 Spe </td>
    <td>244 Spe </td>
    <td>366 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 115s </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>116 Spe </td>
    <td>248 Spe </td>
    <td>373 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 120s </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>144 Spe </td>
    <td>257 Spe </td>
    <td>384 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 125s </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>156 Spe </td>
    <td>260 Spe </td>
    <td>388 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 127s </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>168 Spe </td>
    <td>264 Spe </td>
    <td>396 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 130s </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>220 Spe </td>
    <td>278 Spe </td>
    <td>417 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 140s </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>252 Spe </td>
    <td>287 Spe </td>
    <td>430 Spe </td>
    <td>Positive Base 140s </td>
  </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Might wana put something seperating the two, eg. Neutral Table: [enter code] Positive Table: [enter code], as in two seperate tables.

 

[Colonel M]

That's fine. Uploading your table Twash.

 

[RaikouLover]

@Raikou: I've decided to use Jump's spread. I forgot that it was buried in the EV section and it does exactly what I ask it to do.

Jump's spread is the problem. 16 EVs are pointless because 5 attack points aren't helping you beat anything you won't already beat. 88 Speed isn't significant because how is only outspeeding base 100's after a Dragon Dance helping Gyarados at all? Infernape, Gengar, Starmie, Azelf, and Raikou still plague you even after you dance, which is poor and I can't think of a single base 100 pokemon that commonly maxes speed with a positive nature to begin with. Yes the objective isn't to sweep, but that spread was geared so much toward Garchomp that it needs to be revised. The speed needs to be fixed.

 

[Colonel M]

Wrong spread Raikou. It was buried in the EV section. Here I'll outline it:

The magic of the BulkyGyara set is really all in the EVs, so allow me to explain them. The spread: 216 HP / 16 Atk / 188 Def / 88 Spe, for 385 HP / 319 Atk / 241 Def / 220 Spe. 385 HP allows Gyarados to switch into Stealth Rock 5 times without dying (assuming it has Leftovers). 16 Atk EVs grants it its first possible bonus point; 12 would give it only 317 attack. 220 Speed allows it to outspeed the max speed base 100 speed pokemon(328) after one Dragon Dance, which would give it 330 Speed. Finally, "the rest" of the EVs go into Defense; 176 is a lot, but it really allows Gyarados to weather repeated hits from Heracross. Speed should be addressed before dumping the rest of the EVs into Defense even if its primarily going to be used defensively.

A 216 HP / 16 Atk / 132 Def / 144 Spe grants you 319 Atk / 227 Def / 234 Spe; the extra Speed lets you reach 352 Speed after a Dragon Dance, which beats Timid Gengar (350), Adamant Weavile (349), Naive / Jolly Infernape (346), Adamant Dugtrio (339) and, of course, all non-Choice Scarf Garchomp.

244 Speed allows you to outpace Timid Starmie's max 361 Speed after a Dragon Dance, as that will put Gyarados at 366 Speed. It also allows you to outspeed every non-Scarf Tyranitar variant possible before you Dragon Dance, as Tyranitar maxes at 243 Speed with Jolly. You can max Speed on CBGyara if you want, but nothing is really in between 243 Speed and Gyarados's max, neutral Speed nature 261 Speed, and tying with enemy 261 Speed Gyarados isn't very important because one of you will be Intimidated and therefore likely switching out.

Bolded is what I've chosed for the EVs.

 

[cim]

BulkyGyara should probably drop several spots.

Leftovers is definitely an awesome option on DDGyara. That way you do awesome things like switch into Scarf Heatran, hit your counter, then switch out. You know, the way you play a DDer with Intimidate. With Life Orb you can't do this and you basically get one shot to sweep. The obvious question is "BUT THEN WHY NOT USE BULKY GYARADOS?", to which the answer is that 252 Atk EVs makes a WORLD of difference in hurting counters on the switches and makes you switch in less, which can matter with Stealth Rock. I think it turns most 4hkos into 3hkos and those into 2hkos, not to mention you're faster after a DD than Bulky Gyara.

Adamant DDGyara with lots (192+) of Speed is an option too.

So yeah. leftovers. Use it.

 

[Lee]

BulkyGyara should probably drop several spots.

Care to explain why? You've made a point out of directing people to Doug's statistics when they make unfounded statements so now's probably a good time to take your own advice. As I said in my post earlier, from looking at the statistics, it's safe to say that BulkyGyara is the second most popular Gyarados set.

 

[cim]

Oh, sorry, I was misinformed and thought it was third to Rest-Talk.

 

[Colonel M]

It appears everything is sufficient. Anything else to add to this? If not I have no problem uploading this. GMT -4 @ 8:00PM. Unless there is something (or someone) that wants to wait.