NU Feraligatr

Blitz · Sep 14, 2014

Taken over for Soulgazer

Overview
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One of the best setup sweeper in NU.
Swords Dance + STAB Aqua Jet is really nice.
Not that hard to set up thanks to its typing and to its bulk.
its GATR

Swords Dance
########
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Ice Punch / Return
ability: Torrent
item: Lum Berry / Mystic Water
evs: 184 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Swords Dance.
Waterfall is used as it is Feraligatr's most reliable STAB.
Aqua Jet for priority.
Ice Punch let Feraligatr hits Grass-types as hard as possible.
Return has better neutral coverage, but doesn't break Grass-types as well as Ice Punch.

Set Details
========

184 HP / 252 Atk / 76 Spe to outspeed Max Speed base 55s and uninvested base 80s.
144 HP / 252 Atk / 112 Spe to outspeed Max Speed base 65s.
64 HP / 252 Atk / 196 Spe to outspeed Max Speed base 70s.
Lum Berry to prevent Will-O-Wisp, Toxic (Toxic Spikes), or Thunder Wave from crippling Feraligatr.
Mystic Water to make Waterfall and Aqua Jet more powerful, but Feraligatr will need to be more careful when setting up. <- Best item if Feraligatr has Healing Wish Support.

Usage Tips
========

Set up Swords Dance when given the opportunity and start breaking through.
Use Aqua Jet to pick off any faster threats that might be able to OHKO Feraligatr.
Use coverage when necessary.

Team Options
========

ENTRY HAZARDS. Crustle, Garbodor, Rhydon, Qwilfish, Roselia, Seismitoad, Accelgor, Ferroseed, etc. Feraligatr works well on both offense and balance so depending on the team any Spikes user work.
Mesprit is a fantastic partner for Feraligatr as it can easily punch holes in the opponent's team thans to its vast movepool. It can even set up Stealth Rock and use Knock Off to cripple physically defensive walls such as Ferroseed and Seismitoad to make it easier for Feraligatr to break through. Healing Wish is also really amazing when used along with Feraligatr as few Pokemon can handle a Feraligatr twice.
Grass-types themself are great partners to Feraligatr as they can easily take on opponent's Water-types, and hit opponent's Grass-types with their coverage. Vileplume, Lilligant, Sceptile, and Leafeon all work well.
Any Pokemon that can handle Poliwrath, Vileplume, Ferroseed, Seismitoad, and faster Grass-types will work well with Feraligatr.

Dragon Dance
########
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Earthquake
ability: Torrent
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Dragon Dance lets Feraligatr outspeed every Pokemon below base 125 Speed at +1.
Waterfall is used as it is its most reliable STAB.
Ice Punch for Grass- and Dragon-types. coverage.
Earthquake is used to hit things such as Lanturn, Dragalge, and Water-types harder. coverage.

Set Details
========

4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe Adamant to outspeed most of the tier at +1 (outspeeds Sceptile, but miss by 1 pts Swellow). Also outspeeds as much stuff as possible before a boost.
Life Orb for power.
Jolly can be used if you need Feraligatr to outspeed Swellow, Choice Scarf Adamant Sawk and Modest/Adamant Mesprit, and Modest Accelgor. Feraligatr will lose some power though so only use it if needed.

Usage Tips
========

Only Dragon Dance when Feraligatr can clean up or needs to boost to break through a physically defensive Pokemon.
????

Team Options
========

(I c/p'd the team options of the SD set as both have similar checks and counters, and needs similar support)

ENTRY HAZARDS. Crustle, Garbodor, Rhydon, Qwilfish, Roselia, Seismitoad, Accelgor, Ferroseed, etc. Feraligatr works well on both offense and balance so depending on the team any Spikes user work.
Mesprit is a fantastic partner for Feraligatr as it can easily punch holes in the opponent's team thans to its vast movepool. It can even set up Stealth Rock and use Knock Off to cripple physically defensive walls such as Ferroseed and Seismitoad to make it easier for Feraligatr to break through. Healing Wish is also really amazing when used along with Feraligatr as few Pokemon can handle a Feraligatr twice.
Grass-types themself are great partners to Feraligatr as they can easily take on opponent's Water-types, and hit opponent's Grass-types with their coverage. Vileplume, Lilligant, Sceptile, and Leafeon all work well.
Any Pokemon that can handle Poliwrath, Ferroseed, and Seismitoad.

Other Options
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Special Attacking set.
Superpower.
Rindo Berry.
Substitute.

Checks & Counters
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Faster Grass-types such as Lilligant, Sceptile, Leafeon, and Gourgeist-Small can check the SD set (DD outspeeds and does a huge amount with Ice Punch). Meanwhile, slower Grass-types such as Vileplume, Cradily, Tangela, Ferroseed, and Gourgeist-Super can also take on Feraligatr quite well.
Water-immune such as Seismitoad, Poliwrath, and Jynx.
Strong attackers can pressure Feraligatr.
???

Overview
########

ITS GATOR TIME
An excellent and very consistent set-up sweeper in the NU metagame that has access to Swords Dance and Dragon Dance, backed up by powerful priority in Aqua Jet
Mono-Water typing and great bulk give it ample opportunities to set up
Great coverage options in moves such as Ice Punch, Earthquake, and Superpower that allow it to beat different threats for its team
Doesn't really have any glaring flaws, but Grass types in NU such as Vileplume, Tangela and Ferroseed trouble it
Its base 78 Speed stat unfortunately lets it short of outspeeding base 80 Pokemon
Kinda needs to set up, which can be a problem if it is low on health

Swords Dance
########
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Ice Punch / Return
ability: Torrent
item: Lum Berry / Mystic Water
evs: 184 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Swords Dance is a powerful set up move that gives Feraligatr's already impressive power a boost that allows it to bypass walls such as Audino
Waterfall is Feraligatr's most reliable STAB that hits things such as Rhydon and Piloswine, and comes with a handy flinching chance that, while not being something to rely on, can secure a kill
Aqua Jet is an important move in the gator's arsenal as it allows it to revenge weak offensive threats and not fall prey to one itself. Backed up by Torrent and an SD boost, it is stronger than a neutral Return
Ice Punch is great coverage that lets Feraligatr hit Grass-types as hard as possible, particularly Vileplume. It also hits Dragon-types such as Dragalge
Return is another option with moderately high BP that gives the jaw monster a more reliable way to hit Water-types like other Feraligatr, Seismitoad, and Ludicolo; it also scores a neutral hit on the aforementioned Grass- and Dragon- types

Set Details
========

As Sheer Force hasn't been released yet, Torrent is the set ability for Feraligatr. Easily taking advantage of Torrent, Feraligatr can use it to power up Water STABs that allow our gator friend to do massive damage even while unboosted
The item of choice is expandable, as Lum Berry allows Feraligatr avoid crippling status from the likes of Audino and Uxie. On the other hand, Mystic Water requires more care when setting up, but it makes the Water-type moves it spams the most more powerful, and is overall more useful than Life Orb as it can abuse its bulk without the HP loss.
The given EVs allow Feraligatr to hit as hard as possible while being able to outspeed max speed base 55 Pokemon such as Cacturne and uninvested base 80 Pokemon such as Mesprit.
Alternatively, one can aim to outspeed other Pokemon at the cost of bulk:
112 EVs give Feraligatr the ability to outspeed base 60 opponents such as Pawniard

Usage Tips
========

Just set up Swords Dance whenever an opportunity arises, taking advantage of 4x weak mons such as Rhydon and Camerupt, or weak walls like Audino. Pretty much sets up on most weak super-effective hits and neutral attacks, which it can easily use to its advantage in order to activate Torrent. This makes Feraligatr one scary opponent.
Start breaking through bulky opponents with powerful Waterfalls and coverage moves, or simply clean up the opposing team's frail sweepers with boosted Aqua Jets
Can break through Vileplume if it SDs on the switch, SDs as the monster survives the Giga Drain, and proceed to destroy the rafflesia with the appropriate coverage move. Feraligatr cannot do this with the bulkier Tangela unless it is weakened.
Do not set up when the opponent has fast offensive threats that can heavily damage Feraligatr. For example, Grass-types that are healthy like Sceptile and Lilligant and Jynx are Pokemon to be wary of

Team Options
========

Hazard support is very important, and as Feraligatr works well on both offense and balance teams, any Stealth Rock or Spikes user will work. Suicide leads like Garbodor, Crustle, Archeops, and Qwilfish work well on offensive teams, while Pokemon such as Ferroseed, Rhydon, and Roselia are fit for more defensive oriented teams
Healing Wish support coming from the likes of Lilligant or Mesprit is hugely beneficial, giving Feraligatr another lease at life should it get crippled and allows the player to play riskier with it.
The aforementioned Mesprit is a fantastic partner for Feraligatr as it can easily punch holes in the opponent's team with its versatile movepool. Physically-based can use Knock Off to cripple physically defensive walls such as Ferroseed and Seismitoad to make it easier for Feraligatr to break through. Specially-based can defeat them with HP Fire and Energy Ball, respectively. The ability to lay Stealth Rock is also a plus.
Grass-types themselves are great candidates that help Feraligatr, as they can easily take on the foe's Water-types, and hit opposing Grass-types with their coverage. Faster ones like Lilligant, Sceptile, and Leafeon work well, while things such as Vileplume and Tangela offer support with their bulk and decent offensive presence
Fire-type Pokemon such as Pyroar, Typhlosion, and Magmortar can get rid of Grass-types like Ferroseed and heavily damage Water-types such as Poliwrath with their coverage options
Probopass can trap Ferroseed thanks to Magnet Pull and 2HKO it with HP Fire.

Dragon Dance
########
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Earthquake
ability: Torrent
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Dragon Dance gives Feraligatr a speed boost at the cost of less attacking power when used over Sword Dance. At +1, however, Feraligatr outspeed every Pokemon below base 125 Speed, such as Rotom and Sceptile.
Waterfall is once again used for its reliability and the flinching chance is even more useful thanks to the increase in speed.
Ice Punch is once again coverage for Grass-types, hitting Lilligant and Leafeon before they have a chance to move. It also targets Dragon-types
Earthquake allows Feraligatr to damage Lanturn, Dragalge, and opposing Water-types

Set Details
========

Torrent is standard and becomes even more useful as it gives more sting to a +1 Feraligatr
Life Orb is used here in order to give much more power to Feraligatr's coverage moves
The EVs maximize Feraligatr's speed and attack potential
The nature of choice is Adamant, as it increases Feraligatr's damage output and outspeeds most of the tier, missing out on things such as Swellow and Accelgor. However, Jolly can be used if you need Feraligatr to outspeed the aforementioned Swellow and Accelgor, as well as Choice Scarf users such as Adamant Sawk, and Modest/Adamant Mesprit; the cost being that Feraligatr forgoes power, so use Jolly if the team benefits from the weakening / removal of these Pokemon

Usage Tips
========

DD Feraligatr is a late game cleaner, so only use Dragon Dance when Feraligatr is able to clean up the remnants of the opposing team by setting up on Ground or Rock-types such as Rhydon, Golem, or Probopass
Alternatively, it can choose to boost in a pinch to break through a physically defensive Pokemon

Team Options
========

Once again, hazard support is crucial in order to score more kills. Leads such as Accelgor and Garbodor can set Spikes easily, and Pokemon such as the Mesprit, Seismitoad, and aforementioned Ferroseed are good hazard setters
Healing Wish support coming from the likes of Lilligant or Mesprit is hugely beneficial, giving Feraligatr another lease at life should it get crippled and allows the player to play riskier with it.
The aforementioned Mesprit is a fantastic partner for Feraligatr as it can easily punch holes in the opponent's team with its versatile movepool. Physically-based can use Knock Off to cripple physically defensive walls such as Ferroseed and Seismitoad to make it easier for Feraligatr to break through. Specially-based can defeat them with HP Fire and Energy Ball, respectively. The ability to lay Stealth Rock is also a plus.
Grass-types themselves are great candidates that help Feraligatr, as they can easily take on the foe's Water-types, and hit opposing Grass-types with their coverage. Faster ones like Lilligant, Sceptile, and Leafeon work well, while things such as Vileplume and Tangela offer support with their bulk and decent offensive presence
Fire-type Pokemon such as Pyroar, Typhlosion, and Magmortar can get rid of Grass-types like Ferroseed and heavily damage Water-types such as Poliwrath with their coverage options
Probopass can trap Ferroseed thanks to Magnet Pull and 2HKO it with HP Fire.

Other Options
########

Substitute gives more room for prediction and provides a shield for opposing status moves, giving it utility against walls for set up opportunities, particularly setting up on Ferroseed. However, forgoing coverage generally makes it fare worse against stall and balanced teams due to possible resists / immunities.
Superpower is an option that handily takes care of Ferroseed, a huge thorn on Feraligatr's side. However, the drops are undesirable and it has bad coverage compared to its other moves
Frustration can be used over Return to take advantage of Ditto that run the default max happiness
A berry such as Rindo or Wacan that can let Feraligatr set up on some of its Grass- and Electric-type checks / counters, respectively
192 EVs is another EV spread option that allows it to outspeed Modest Samurott

Checks & Counters
########

Faster, offensive Grass-types such as Lilligant, Sceptile, Leafeon, and Gourgeist-Small can check the SD set, but much be wary of DD variants as they will easily outspeed the creatures and cripple them heavily with an Ice Punch. Ludicolo has a 4x resist to its main STAB and does well against it
Slower, defensive Grass-types such as Ferroseed, Tangela and Gourgeist-Super can also take on Feraligatr easily, as the latter two can take Ice Punch well. Vileplume and Cradily serve as shakier checks, but can otherwise handle other variants lacking Ice Punch
Water-immune Pokemon such as Poliwrath and Jynx cannot be hit by priority and can check Feraligatr easily as the first can take away its boosts with Circle Throw, and the second can sleep non-Lum Berry variants / 2HKO with Psychic. Seismitoad can also check it reliably and damage it.
Strong attackers can pressure Feraligatr, and Special Attackers can take advantage of its weaker defense stat. Electric-types such as Rotom with its formes can use STAB moves to cripple or outright eliminate Feraligatr
Status of any kind can severely hamper Feraligatr's job, and while Lum Berry fixes this problem somewhat, there is nothing stopping the opponent from inflicting it again
Bulky and Fast Pokemon can revenge kill Gatr, with Mesprit and Kangaskhan being examples of such.

QC'd by: Soulgazer / Dat Blast / Montsegur
GP'd by: Goddess Briyella / Redew

Overview
########

Feraligatr is an excellent and very consistent sweeper in the NU metagame. It has access to boosting moves in Swords Dance and Dragon Dance, which are backed up by powerful priority in Aqua Jet. Its Water typing and great bulk give it ample opportunities to set up. Feraligatr also has great coverage options in moves such as Ice Punch, Earthquake, and Superpower that allow it to beat different threats for its team. While it doesn't really have any glaring flaws, Feraligatr is troubled by Grass-types such as Vileplume, Tangela, and Ferroseed. Feraligatr’s base 78 Speed stat unfortunately leaves it just short of outspeeding base 80 Pokemon, and it is somewhat reliant on setting up, which can be a problem if it is low on health. Despite these small flaws, Feraligatr is still one of the best choices when considering a sweeper for a team.

Swords Dance
########
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Ice Punch / Return
ability: Torrent
item: Lum Berry / Mystic Water
evs: 184 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Swords Dance is a powerful setup move that gives Feraligatr's already impressive power a boost which allows it to bypass walls such as Audino. Waterfall is Feraligatr's most reliable STAB move that hits Pokemon such as Rhydon and Piloswine for super effective damage, and it comes with a handy flinch chance that, while not necessarily being something to rely on, can secure a KO. Aqua Jet is an important move in Feraligatr's arsenal, as it allows Feraligatr to revenge kill weak offensive threats and not fall prey to one itself. Aqua Jet can also be backed up by Torrent and a Swords Dance boost, which would make it stronger than a neutral Return. Ice Punch is an option that offers great coverage and lets Feraligatr hit Grass- and Dragon-types such as Vileplume and Dragalge, respectively, as hard as possible. Return is another option with moderately high Base Power that gives Feraligatr a more reliable way to hit Water-types such as Seismitoad, Ludicolo, and other Feraligatr; it also grants a neutral hit on the aforementioned Grass- and Dragon-types.

Set Details
========
Because Sheer Force is an unreleased ability for Feraligatr, Torrent is its only option. It powers up STAB Water-type moves when Feraligatr is low on health, allowing Feraligatr to do massive damage even without a Swords Dance boost. Lum Berry allows Feraligatr to avoid crippling status from the likes of Audino and Uxie. On the other hand, Mystic Water makes Feraligatr's Water-type moves more powerful, and it is overall more useful than Life Orb, as Feraligatr can make better use of its bulk without the HP loss. The given EVs allow Feraligatr to hit as hard as possible while being able to outspeed max Speed base 55 Pokemon such as Cacturne and uninvested base 80 Pokemon such as Mesprit. Alternatively, one can run 112 EVs in Speed in order to outspeed max Speed base 60 Pokemon such as Pawniard, however, this comes at the cost of bulk.

Usage Tips
========

Set up Swords Dance whenever an opportunity arises, such as against Pokemon that are 4x weak to Water like Rhydon or Camerupt or against weak walls such as Audino. Feraligatr can set up on most weak super effective hits and neutral attacks, which it can easily use to its advantage in order to activate Torrent's boost. One may also start breaking through bulky foes with powerful Waterfalls and coverage moves and clean up the opposing team's frail sweepers with boosted Aqua Jets. Feraligatr can break through Vileplume if it uses Swords Dance on the switch, then use Swords Dance once again as it survives Giga Drain, and proceed to destroy Vileplume with the appropriate coverage move. However, Feraligatr cannot accomplish this against the bulkier Tangela unless it is weakened. Remember to not set up when the opponent has fast offensive threats that can heavily damage Feraligatr, such as Jynx or healthy Grass-types like Sceptile and Lilligant.

Team Options
========

Entry hazard support is very important, and as Feraligatr works well on both offensive and balanced teams, any Stealth Rock or Spikes user will work. Suicide leads such as Garbodor, Crustle, Archeops, and Qwilfish work well on offensive teams, while Pokemon such as Ferroseed, Rhydon, and Roselia are fit for more defensively oriented teams. Healing Wish support from Lilligant or Mesprit is hugely beneficial, as it gives Feraligatr another lease at life if it gets massively crippled and allows the player to play it with more risk. Mesprit is a fantastic partner for Feraligatr, as it can easily punch holes in the opponent's team with its versatile movepool and set up Stealth Rock. Physically based Mesprit can use Knock Off to cripple physically defensive walls such as Ferroseed and Seismitoad to make them easier for Feraligatr to break through, and specially based Mesprit can defeat them with Hidden Power Fire and Energy Ball, respectively. Additionally, Grass-types are great teammates for Feraligatr, as they can easily take on the foe's Water-types and hit opposing Grass-types with their coverage moves. Faster ones like Lilligant, Sceptile, and Leafeon work well, while Pokemon such as Vileplume and Tangela offer support with their bulk and decent offensive presence. Fire-type Pokemon such as Pyroar, Typhlosion, and Magmortar can get rid of Grass-types such as Vileplume and heavily damage Water-types such as Poliwrath with their coverage options. Finally, Probopass can trap Ferroseed, thanks to Magnet Pull, and 2HKO it with Hidden Power Fire.

Dragon Dance
########
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Earthquake
ability: Torrent
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Dragon Dance gives Feraligatr a Speed boost at the cost of less attacking power when used over Swords Dance. At +1, however, Feraligatr outspeeds every Pokemon below base 125 Speed, including Rotom and Sceptile. Waterfall is once again used for its reliability, and the flinch chance is even more useful thanks to the increase in Speed. Ice Punch is important coverage for Grass-types, hitting Lilligant and Leafeon before they even have a chance to move, while also threatening Dragon-types. Finally, Earthquake allows Feraligatr to reliably damage Lanturn, Dragalge, and opposing Water-types.

Set Details
========

Torrent is the standard ability and becomes even more useful on this particular set, as it gives more sting to a +1 Feraligatr. Life Orb is the preferred item, as it gives much more power to Feraligatr's coverage moves. The given EVs maximize Feraligatr's Speed and attacking prowess. Adamant is the optimal nature, as it increases Feraligatr's damage output while still retaining its ability to outspeed most of the tier, only missing out on outspeeding Pokemon such as Swellow and Accelgor. However, Jolly can be used at the cost of some power if you need Feraligatr to outspeed the aforementioned two, as well as Choice Scarf users such as Adamant Sawk and Modest or Adamant Mesprit.

Usage Tips
========

Dragon Dance Feraligatr is a very simple and straightforward late-game cleaner. The premise is to only use Dragon Dance when Feraligatr is able to clean up the remnants of the opposing team by setting up on Ground- or Rock-types such as Rhydon, Golem, or Probopass. Alternatively, it can choose to boost in a pinch to break through a physically defensive Pokemon.

Team Options
========

Entry hazard support is crucial in order to score more KOs. Leads such as Accelgor and Garbodor can set Spikes easily, and Pokemon such as Mesprit, Seismitoad, and Ferroseed are also good entry hazard setters. Lilligant or Mesprit may provide Healing Wish support, which gives Feraligatr another opportunity should it be crippled. Mesprit works as a great partner for Feraligatr due to its access to Stealth Rock and wide movepool that allows it to cover a variety of threats. Physically based Mesprit can use Knock Off to cripple physically defensive walls such as Ferroseed and Seismitoad to make them easier for Feraligatr to break through, and specially based Mesprit can defeat them with Hidden Power Fire and Energy Ball, respectively. Grass-types such as Lilligant, Tangela, Vileplume, Sceptile, and Leafeon can aid Feraligatr by handling Water-types and heavily damaging other Grass-types with their coverage moves. Alternatively, Pyroar, Typhlosion, and Magmortar are examples of Fire-types that can get rid of Grass-types such as Vileplume and heavily damage Water-types such as Poliwrath with their coverage options. Probopass with Hidden Power Fire can trap Ferroseed with Magnet Pull and remove it from play.

Other Options
########

Substitute gives Feraligatr more room for prediction and provides a shield against opposing status moves, giving it utility against walls for setup opportunities, particularly Ferroseed. However, forgoing coverage generally makes it fare worse against stall and balanced teams, which may have Pokemon that resist or are immune to Feraligatr's moves. Superpower is also an option that handily takes care of Ferroseed, a huge thorn in Feraligatr's side, but it comes at the expense of undesirable stat drops, and it also provides inferior coverage compared to Feraligatr's other moves. Frustration can be used over Return to take advantage of Ditto that run the default maximum happiness. A possible item option is Rindo Berry or Wacan Berry, as they can let Feraligatr set up on some of its Grass- and Electric-type checks and counters, respectively. Finally, 192 Speed EVs is another EV spread option that allows Feraligatr to outspeed Modest Samurott and Ludicolo.

Checks & Counters
########

**Grass-types**: Faster offensive Grass-types such as Lilligant, Sceptile, Leafeon, and Gourgeist-S can check the Swords Dance set, but they must be wary of Dragon Dance variants, as Feraligatr will easily outspeed and damage them heavily with Ice Punch. Ludicolo 4x resists Feraligatr's STAB moves and does well against it. Slower, more defensive Grass-types such as Ferroseed, Tangela, and Gourgeist-XL can also take on Feraligatr easily, as the latter two can take Ice Punch well. Vileplume and Cradily serve as shakier checks, but can otherwise handle other variants lacking Ice Punch.

**Pokemon immune to Water**: Poliwrath and Jynx are examples of Pokemon immune to Water that can check Feraligatr easily, as they cannot be hit by priority Aqua Jet; the former can phaze out Feraligatr's boosts with Circle Throw, and the latter can put non-Lum Berry variants to sleep with Lovely Kiss or 2HKO with Psychic. Seismitoad can also reliably check Feraligatr and damage it with a Ground-type STAB move.

**Powerful attackers**: Powerful attackers can pressure Feraligatr very easily, especially special attackers, which can take advantage of its weaker defense stat. In particular, Electric-types such as Rotom and its formes can use STAB moves to cripple or outright eliminate Feraligatr.

**Status moves**: Status of any kind can severely hamper Feraligatr, and while Lum Berry somewhat fixes this problem, it only works once.

**Revenge killers**: Revenge killers can get rid of Feraligatr if they have a healthy combination of decent bulk and Speed. Mesprit has a boatload of options, such as Energy Ball, to swiftly remove it, while Kangaskhan can use priority moves to remove a weakened Feraligatr.

soulgazer · Sep 14, 2014

me and raseri talked about this a bit over pm and we would like it if you could just c/p the skeleton that I had

http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/feraligatr-qc-1-3.3516311/

and do what the last two post talked about.

as for those base 60s, 70s, etc. here's what the important ones are:

60: Pawniard, other stuff but mostly Pawniard.

70: Samurott, Ludicolo

and also js but Rotom will never try to cripple Feraligatr when it can just OHKO you after some damage with its STAB.

Blitzamirin /me pet

edit: im retarded and though pawn was 65 9.9

Blitz · Sep 14, 2014

Soulgazer said:
me and raseri talked about this a bit over pm and we would like it if you could just c/p the skeleton that I had

http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/feraligatr-qc-1-3.3516311/

and do what the last two post talked about.

I based everything I put here by working on top of your skeleton (while implementing other things from Expulso's skeleton), and rewrote the analysis to better fit my writing style. I also implemented what the last two posts talked about. I've linked your skelly at the top of the OP, and did not include any stamps for QC to look over it. All in all, a fun 3 hours :]

as for those base 65s, 70s, etc. here's what the important ones are:

65: Pawniard, other stuff but mostly Pawniard.

Added.

70: Samurott, Ludicolo
Added.

and also js but Rotom will never try to cripple Feraligatr when it can just OHKO you after some damage with its STAB.

Yeah makes sense; changed.

Blitzamirin /me pet

/me pet Soulgazer

Replies in bold :)

soulgazer · Sep 14, 2014

yea sorry for that lol, but when I was qcing this it felt like if i did all the changes it wouldve been like my skeleton so I just did the c/p thingy :(

Blast · Sep 16, 2014

You only need 72 Spe to beat out max 55s and 192 to beat max 70s. Also Pawniard is only base 60 (you still need 112 EVs to beat it, but 112 EVs is for base 60s)

I guess you could mention as a con that it kinda needs to set up to sweep, which can be a problem if it's running low. Lol there really aren't many cons to using Gatr

When explaining Lum Berry in Set Details for SD I'd probably list different status Pokemon than Jynx and Lilligant since they're actually checks to Gatr

Blitz · Sep 17, 2014

Dat Blast said:
You only need 72 Spe to beat out max 55s and 192 to beat max 70s. Also Pawniard is only base 60 (you still need 112 EVs to beat it, but 112 EVs is for base 60s)

I guess you could mention as a con that it kinda needs to set up to sweep, which can be a problem if it's running low. Lol there really aren't many cons to using Gatr

When explaining Lum Berry in Set Details for SD I'd probably list different status Pokemon than Jynx and Lilligant since they're actually checks to Gatr

Thanks for catching those! Done :)

I also spoke with Soulgazer and implemented all of his changes.

soulgazer · Sep 26, 2014

Blitzamirin

QC 1/3

Blast · Sep 26, 2014

I would mention something about trying to get into Torrent range while setting up with SD Gatr, since it's by far its scariest in Torrent range

184 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spe

QC 2/3 Blitzamirin

Ares · Oct 1, 2014

Pretty much everything I thought needed to be addressed you already got from my last post. Although in team options of both mention Trapper Probopass, who can trap Ferroseed and 2HKO it with HP Fire.

looks good QC 3/3

Have fun writing ^.^

P Squared · Oct 7, 2014

amcheck?

Overview
########

Feraligatr is an excellent and very consistent set-up (remove dash, should be setup) sweeper in the NU metagame. It has access to ~~set-up~~ boosting moves in Swords Dance and Dragon Dance, which are is backed up by powerful priority in Aqua Jet. It ~~can use it~~s ~~mono~~ Water-typing (remove dash) and great bulk ~~in order to find~~ give it ample opportunities to set up. Feraligatr also has great coverage options in moves such as Ice Punch, Earthquake, and Superpower that allow it to beat different threats for its team. While it ~~also~~ doesn't really have any glaring flaws, Feraligatr is troubled by Grass-types ~~in NU~~ such as Vileplume, Tangela, (comma) and Ferroseed ~~trouble it~~. Feraligatr’s base 78 Speed stat unfortunately ~~lets it~~ leaves it just short of outspeeding base 80 Pokemon, and it is somewhat ~~needs to set~~ reliant on setting up, which can be a problem if it is low on health.

Swords Dance
########
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Ice Punch / Return
ability: Torrent
item: Lum Berry / Mystic Water
evs: 184 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Swords Dance is a powerful setup move that gives Feraligatr's already impressive power a boost that allows it to bypass walls such as Audino. Waterfall is Feraligatr's most reliable STAB move that hits things such as Rhydon and Piloswine, and it comes with a handy flinching chance that, while not being something to rely on, can secure a ~~kill~~ KO. Aqua Jet is an important move in ~~the gator~~Feraligatr's arsenal, as it allows it to revenge kill weak offensive threats and not fall prey to one itself. It can also be backed up by Torrent and an Swords Dance boost, making it stronger than a neutral Return. Ice Punch is an option that offers great coverage, and lets Feraligatr hit Grass- and Dragon-types such as Vileplume ~~as hard as possible, while also scoring a hit on Dragon-types such as~~ and Dragalge as hard as possible. Return is another option with moderately high Base Power that gives Feraligatr a more reliable way to hit Water-types such as ~~like other Feraligatr,~~ Seismitoad, ~~and~~ Ludicolo, and other Feraligatr; it also grants a neutral hit on the aforementioned Grass- and Dragon-types.

Set Details
========

As Sheer Force hasn't been released yet, Torrent is the set ability for Feraligatr. It ~~can easily take advantage of it by~~ powers up STAB Water-type moves, ~~that~~ allowing Feraligatr to do massive damage even while unboosted. ~~The item of choice is expandable~~ (not sure about this word choice)~~, as~~ Lum Berry allows Feraligatr to avoid crippling status from the likes of Audino and Uxie. On the other hand, Mystic Water makes the Water-type moves it spams more powerful, and it is overall more useful than Life Orb as it Feraligatr can abuse its bulk better without the HP loss. The given EVs allow Feraligatr to hit as hard as possible while being able to outspeed max Speed base 55 Pokemon such as Cacturne and uninvested base 80 Pokemon such as Mesprit. Alternatively, one can run 112 EVs in Speed in order to outspeed max Speed base 60 Pokemon such as Pawniard, which comes at the cost of bulk.

Usage Tips
========

~~Just s~~Set up Swords Dance whenever an opportunity arises, taking advantage of 4x weak Pokemon such as Rhydon and Camerupt, or weak walls like Audino. Feraligatr can sets up on most weak super-effective (remove dash, should be two words) hits and neutral attacks, which it can easily use to its advantage in order to activate Torrent. One may also start breaking through bulky opponents with powerful Waterfalls and coverage moves, and ~~simply~~ clean up the opposing team's frail sweepers with boosted Aqua Jets. Feraligatr can break through Vileplume if it uses Swords Dance on the switch, Swords Dances once again as it survives the Giga Drain, and proceeds to destroy Vileplume with the appropriate coverage move. However, Feraligatr cannot do this with the bulkier Tangela unless it is weakened. Remember to not set up when the opponent has fast offensive threats that can heavily damage Feraligatr, such as~~. For example,~~ Jynx and healthy Grass-types ~~that are healthy~~ like Sceptile and Lilligant~~, and Jynx, are Pokemon to be wary o~~f.

Team Options
========

Entry hazard support is very important, and as Feraligatr works well on both offensive and balanced teams, any Stealth Rock or Spikes user will work. Suicide leads such as Garbodor, Crustle, Archeops, and Qwilfish work well on offensive teams, while Pokemon such as Ferroseed, Rhydon, and Roselia are fit for more defensively oriented teams. Healing Wish support ~~coming~~ from ~~the likes of~~ Lilligant or Mesprit is hugely beneficial, as it gives Feraligatr another lease at life if it gets massively crippled and allows the player to play it with more risk. The aforementioned Mesprit is a fantastic partner for Feraligatr as it can easily punch holes in the opponent's team with its versatile movepool and also set up Stealth Rock. Physically-based (remove dash) Mesprit can use Knock Off to cripple physically defensive walls such as Ferroseed and Seismitoad to make it them easier for Feraligatr to break through. Specially-based (remove dash) Mesprit can defeat them with Hidden Power Fire and Energy Ball, respectively. ~~Its ability to lay Stealth Rock is also a plus.~~ Additionally, Grass-types themselves are great teammates for ~~candidates that help~~ Feraligatr, as they can easily take on the foe's Water-types, and hit opposing Grass-types with their coverage moves. Faster ones like Lilligant, Sceptile, and Leafeon work well, while things such as Vileplume and Tangela offer support with their bulk and decent offensive presence. Fire-type Pokemon such as Pyroar, Typhlosion, and Magmortar can get rid of Grass-types such as Vileplume and heavily damage Water-types such as Poliwrath with their coverage options. Finally, Probopass can trap Ferroseed, thanks to Magnet Pull, and 2HKO it with Hidden Power Fire.

Dragon Dance
########
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Earthquake
ability: Torrent
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Dragon Dance gives Feraligatr a Speed boost at the cost of less attacking power when used over Swords Dance. At +1, however, Feraligatr outspeeds every Pokemon below base 125 Speed, such as Rotom and Sceptile. Waterfall is once again used for its reliability, and the flinching chance is even more useful thanks to the increase in Speed. Ice Punch is important coverage for Grass-types, hitting Lilligant and Leafeon before they even have a chance to move, while also targeting Dragon-types. Finally, Earthquake allows Feraligatr to reliably damage Lanturn, Dragalge, and opposing Water-types.

Set Details
========

Torrent is standard and becomes even more useful as it gives more sting to a +1 Feraligatr. Life Orb is the preferred item ~~that is used here~~, as it gives much more power to Feraligatr's coverage moves. The given EVs maximize Feraligatr's Speed and attacking prowess. Adamant is the ~~most~~ optimal nature, as it increases Feraligatr's damage output while still retaining ~~the~~ its ability to outspeed most of the tier, only missing out on things such as Swellow and Accelgor. However, Jolly can be used at the cost of some power if you need Feraligatr to outspeed the aforementioned two, as well as Choice Scarf users such as Adamant Sawk, and Modest/ or Adamant Mesprit~~; the cost being that Feraligatr forgoes power, so use Jolly if the team benefits from weakening or removing these Pokemon~~.

Usage Tips
========

Dragon Dance Feraligatr is a very simple and straightforward ~~Pokemon whose role is that of a~~ late game cleaner. The premise is to only use Dragon Dance when Feraligatr is able to clean up the remnants of the opposing team by setting up on Ground- (dash) or Rock-types such as Rhydon, Golem, or Probopass. Alternatively, it can choose to boost in a pinch to break through a physically defensive Pokemon.

Team Options
========

Once again, hazard support is crucial in order to score more KOs ~~kills~~. Leads such as Accelgor and Garbodor can set Spikes easily, and Pokemon such as ~~the~~ Mesprit, Seismitoad, and ~~aforementioned~~ Ferroseed are also good hazard setters. Healing Wish support ~~coming~~ from the likes of Lilligant or Mesprit is hugely beneficial, as it gives Feraligatr another lease at life if it gets massively crippled and allows the player to play it with more risk. The aforementioned Mesprit is a fantastic partner for Feraligatr as it can easily punch holes in the opponent's team with its versatile movepool as well as set up Stealth Rock. Physically-based Mesprit can use Knock Off to cripple physically defensive walls such as Ferroseed and Seismitoad to make it them easier for Feraligatr to break through. Specially-based (no dashes) Mesprit can defeat them with Hidden Power Fire and Energy Ball, respectively. ~~Its ability to lay Stealth Rock is also a plus.~~ Additionally, Grass-types themselves are great teammates for ~~candidates that help~~ Feraligatr, as they can easily take on the foe's Water-types, and hit opposing Grass-types with their coverage moves. Faster ones like Lilligant, Sceptile, and Leafeon work well, while things such as Vileplume and Tangela offer support with their bulk and decent offensive presence. Fire-type Pokemon such as Pyroar, Typhlosion, and Magmortar can get rid of Grass-types such as Vileplume and heavily damage Water-types such as Poliwrath with their coverage options. Finally, Probopass can trap Ferroseed thanks to Magnet Pull and 2HKO it with Hidden Power Fire. (this is almost the same as the previous set's team options section)

Other Options
########

Substitute ~~is an alternative that~~ gives Feraligatr more room for prediction and provides a shield ~~for~~ against opposing status moves, giving it utility against walls for set-up (should be setup) opportunities, particularly setting up on Ferroseed. However, forgoing coverage generally makes it fare worse against stall and balanced teams which may have Pokemon that resist or are immune to Feraligatr's moves ~~due to possible resists / immunities~~. Superpower is also an option that handily takes care of Ferroseed, a huge thorn (heh) in Feraligatr's side, but it comes as the expense of undesirable stats drops, and it is also ~~bad~~ provides inferior coverage compared to its other moves. Frustration can be used over Return to take advantage of Ditto that run the default maximum happiness. A possible item option is a berry such as Rindo or Wacan that can let Feraligatr set up on some of its Grass- and Electric-type checks and counters, respectively. Finally, 192 Speed EVs is another EV spread option that allows Feraligatr to outspeed Modest Samurott and Ludicolo.

Checks & Counters
########

**Grass-types**: Faster, offensive Grass-types such as Lilligant, Sceptile, Leafeon, and Gourgeist-S~~mall~~ can check the Swords Dance set, but they mustch be wary of Dragon Dance variants as they will easily outspeed ~~the creatures~~ and cripple them heavily with an Ice Punch. Ludicolo has a 4x resists to its main STAB move and does well against it. Slower, defensive Grass-types such as Ferroseed, Tangela, and Gourgeist-XL~~Super~~ can also take on Feraligatr easily, as the latter two can take Ice Punch well. Vileplume and Cradily serve as shakier checks, but can otherwise handle other variants lacking Ice Punch.

**~~Water-immune~~ Pokemon immune to Water**: Poliwrath and Jynx are examples of these, as they cannot be hit by priority Aqua Jet and can check Feraligatr easily; the first can take away its boosts with Circle Throw, and the second can sleep non-Lum Berry variants or 2HKO with Psychic. Seismitoad can also check it reliably and damage it with a Ground-type STAB move.

**Powerful attackers**: They can pressure Feraligatr very easily, with special attackers taking advantage of its weaker defense stat. In particular, Electric-types such as Rotom ~~with~~ and its formes can use STAB moves to cripple or outright eliminate Feraligatr.

**Status moves**: Status of any kind can severely hamper Feraligatr~~'s job~~, and while Lum Berry somewhat fixes this problem, it only works once ~~there is nothing stopping the opponent from inflicting it again~~.

**Revenge killers**: These can get rid of Feraligatr if they have a combination of bulk and speed. Mesprit has a boatload of options, such as Energy Ball, to outright remove it, while Kangaskhan can use priority to remove a weakened Feraligatr.

Blitz · Oct 7, 2014

P Squared said:
amcheck?

Overview
########

Feraligatr is an excellent and very consistent set-up (remove dash, should be setup) sweeper in the NU metagame. It has access to ~~set-up~~ boosting moves in Swords Dance and Dragon Dance, which are is backed up by powerful priority in Aqua Jet. It ~~can use it~~s ~~mono~~ Water-typing (remove dash) and great bulk ~~in order to find~~ give it ample opportunities to set up. Feraligatr also has great coverage options in moves such as Ice Punch, Earthquake, and Superpower that allow it to beat different threats for its team. While it ~~also~~ doesn't really have any glaring flaws, Feraligatr is troubled by Grass-types ~~in NU~~ such as Vileplume, Tangela, (comma) and Ferroseed ~~trouble it~~. Feraligatr’s base 78 Speed stat unfortunately ~~lets it~~ leaves it just short of outspeeding base 80 Pokemon, and it is somewhat ~~needs to set~~ reliant on setting up, which can be a problem if it is low on health.

Swords Dance
########
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Ice Punch / Return
ability: Torrent
item: Lum Berry / Mystic Water
evs: 184 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Swords Dance is a powerful setup move that gives Feraligatr's already impressive power a boost that allows it to bypass walls such as Audino. Waterfall is Feraligatr's most reliable STAB move that hits things such as Rhydon and Piloswine, and it comes with a handy flinching chance that, while not being something to rely on, can secure a ~~kill~~ KO. Aqua Jet is an important move in ~~the gator~~Feraligatr's arsenal, as it allows it to revenge kill weak offensive threats and not fall prey to one itself. It can also be backed up by Torrent and an Swords Dance boost, making it stronger than a neutral Return. Ice Punch is an option that offers great coverage, and lets Feraligatr hit Grass- and Dragon-types such as Vileplume ~~as hard as possible, while also scoring a hit on Dragon-types such as~~ and Dragalge as hard as possible. Return is another option with moderately high Base Power that gives Feraligatr a more reliable way to hit Water-types such as ~~like other Feraligatr,~~ Seismitoad, ~~and~~ Ludicolo, and other Feraligatr; it also grants a neutral hit on the aforementioned Grass- and Dragon-types.

Set Details
========

As Sheer Force hasn't been released yet, Torrent is the set ability for Feraligatr. It ~~can easily take advantage of it by~~ powers up STAB Water-type moves, ~~that~~ allowing Feraligatr to do massive damage even while unboosted. ~~The item of choice is expandable~~ (not sure about this word choice)~~, as~~ Lum Berry allows Feraligatr to avoid crippling status from the likes of Audino and Uxie. On the other hand, Mystic Water makes the Water-type moves it spams more powerful, and it is overall more useful than Life Orb as it Feraligatr can abuse its bulk better without the HP loss. The given EVs allow Feraligatr to hit as hard as possible while being able to outspeed max Speed base 55 Pokemon such as Cacturne and uninvested base 80 Pokemon such as Mesprit. Alternatively, one can run 112 EVs in Speed in order to outspeed max Speed base 60 Pokemon such as Pawniard, which comes at the cost of bulk.

Usage Tips
========

~~Just s~~Set up Swords Dance whenever an opportunity arises, taking advantage of 4x weak Pokemon such as Rhydon and Camerupt, or weak walls like Audino. Feraligatr can sets up on most weak super-effective (remove dash, should be two words) hits and neutral attacks, which it can easily use to its advantage in order to activate Torrent. One may also start breaking through bulky opponents with powerful Waterfalls and coverage moves, and ~~simply~~ clean up the opposing team's frail sweepers with boosted Aqua Jets. Feraligatr can break through Vileplume if it uses Swords Dance on the switch, Swords Dances once again as it survives the Giga Drain, and proceeds to destroy Vileplume with the appropriate coverage move. However, Feraligatr cannot do this with the bulkier Tangela unless it is weakened. Remember to not set up when the opponent has fast offensive threats that can heavily damage Feraligatr, such as~~. For example,~~ Jynx and healthy Grass-types ~~that are healthy~~ like Sceptile and Lilligant~~, and Jynx, are Pokemon to be wary o~~f.

Team Options
========

Entry hazard support is very important, and as Feraligatr works well on both offensive and balanced teams, any Stealth Rock or Spikes user will work. Suicide leads such as Garbodor, Crustle, Archeops, and Qwilfish work well on offensive teams, while Pokemon such as Ferroseed, Rhydon, and Roselia are fit for more defensively oriented teams. Healing Wish support ~~coming~~ from ~~the likes of~~ Lilligant or Mesprit is hugely beneficial, as it gives Feraligatr another lease at life if it gets massively crippled and allows the player to play it with more risk. The aforementioned Mesprit is a fantastic partner for Feraligatr as it can easily punch holes in the opponent's team with its versatile movepool and also set up Stealth Rock. Physically-based (remove dash) Mesprit can use Knock Off to cripple physically defensive walls such as Ferroseed and Seismitoad to make it them easier for Feraligatr to break through. Specially-based (remove dash) Mesprit can defeat them with Hidden Power Fire and Energy Ball, respectively. ~~Its ability to lay Stealth Rock is also a plus.~~ Additionally, Grass-types themselves are great teammates for ~~candidates that help~~ Feraligatr, as they can easily take on the foe's Water-types, and hit opposing Grass-types with their coverage moves. Faster ones like Lilligant, Sceptile, and Leafeon work well, while things such as Vileplume and Tangela offer support with their bulk and decent offensive presence. Fire-type Pokemon such as Pyroar, Typhlosion, and Magmortar can get rid of Grass-types such as Vileplume and heavily damage Water-types such as Poliwrath with their coverage options. Finally, Probopass can trap Ferroseed, thanks to Magnet Pull, and 2HKO it with Hidden Power Fire.

Dragon Dance
########
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Earthquake
ability: Torrent
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Dragon Dance gives Feraligatr a Speed boost at the cost of less attacking power when used over Swords Dance. At +1, however, Feraligatr outspeeds every Pokemon below base 125 Speed, such as Rotom and Sceptile. Waterfall is once again used for its reliability, and the flinching chance is even more useful thanks to the increase in Speed. Ice Punch is important coverage for Grass-types, hitting Lilligant and Leafeon before they even have a chance to move, while also targeting Dragon-types. Finally, Earthquake allows Feraligatr to reliably damage Lanturn, Dragalge, and opposing Water-types.

Set Details
========

Torrent is standard and becomes even more useful as it gives more sting to a +1 Feraligatr. Life Orb is the preferred item ~~that is used here~~, as it gives much more power to Feraligatr's coverage moves. The given EVs maximize Feraligatr's Speed and attacking prowess. Adamant is the ~~most~~ optimal nature, as it increases Feraligatr's damage output while still retaining ~~the~~ its ability to outspeed most of the tier, only missing out on things such as Swellow and Accelgor. However, Jolly can be used at the cost of some power if you need Feraligatr to outspeed the aforementioned two, as well as Choice Scarf users such as Adamant Sawk, and Modest/ or Adamant Mesprit~~; the cost being that Feraligatr forgoes power, so use Jolly if the team benefits from weakening or removing these Pokemon~~.

Usage Tips
========

Dragon Dance Feraligatr is a very simple and straightforward ~~Pokemon whose role is that of a~~ late game cleaner. The premise is to only use Dragon Dance when Feraligatr is able to clean up the remnants of the opposing team by setting up on Ground- (dash) or Rock-types such as Rhydon, Golem, or Probopass. Alternatively, it can choose to boost in a pinch to break through a physically defensive Pokemon.

Team Options
========

Once again, hazard support is crucial in order to score more KOs ~~kills~~. Leads such as Accelgor and Garbodor can set Spikes easily, and Pokemon such as ~~the~~ Mesprit, Seismitoad, and ~~aforementioned~~ Ferroseed are also good hazard setters. Healing Wish support ~~coming~~ from the likes of Lilligant or Mesprit is hugely beneficial, as it gives Feraligatr another lease at life if it gets massively crippled and allows the player to play it with more risk. The aforementioned Mesprit is a fantastic partner for Feraligatr as it can easily punch holes in the opponent's team with its versatile movepool as well as set up Stealth Rock. Physically-based Mesprit can use Knock Off to cripple physically defensive walls such as Ferroseed and Seismitoad to make it them easier for Feraligatr to break through. Specially-based (no dashes) Mesprit can defeat them with Hidden Power Fire and Energy Ball, respectively. ~~Its ability to lay Stealth Rock is also a plus.~~ Additionally, Grass-types themselves are great teammates for ~~candidates that help~~ Feraligatr, as they can easily take on the foe's Water-types, and hit opposing Grass-types with their coverage moves. Faster ones like Lilligant, Sceptile, and Leafeon work well, while things such as Vileplume and Tangela offer support with their bulk and decent offensive presence. Fire-type Pokemon such as Pyroar, Typhlosion, and Magmortar can get rid of Grass-types such as Vileplume and heavily damage Water-types such as Poliwrath with their coverage options. Finally, Probopass can trap Ferroseed thanks to Magnet Pull and 2HKO it with Hidden Power Fire. (this is almost the same as the previous set's team options section)

Other Options
########

Substitute ~~is an alternative that~~ gives Feraligatr more room for prediction and provides a shield ~~for~~ against opposing status moves, giving it utility against walls for set-up (should be setup) opportunities, particularly setting up on Ferroseed. However, forgoing coverage generally makes it fare worse against stall and balanced teams which may have Pokemon that resist or are immune to Feraligatr's moves ~~due to possible resists / immunities~~. Superpower is also an option that handily takes care of Ferroseed, a huge thorn (heh) in Feraligatr's side, but it comes as the expense of undesirable stats drops, and it is also ~~bad~~ provides inferior coverage compared to its other moves. Frustration can be used over Return to take advantage of Ditto that run the default maximum happiness. A possible item option is a berry such as Rindo or Wacan that can let Feraligatr set up on some of its Grass- and Electric-type checks and counters, respectively. Finally, 192 Speed EVs is another EV spread option that allows Feraligatr to outspeed Modest Samurott and Ludicolo.

Checks & Counters
########

**Grass-types**: Faster, offensive Grass-types such as Lilligant, Sceptile, Leafeon, and Gourgeist-S~~mall~~ can check the Swords Dance set, but they mustch be wary of Dragon Dance variants as they will easily outspeed ~~the creatures~~ and cripple them heavily with an Ice Punch. Ludicolo has a 4x resists to its main STAB move and does well against it. Slower, defensive Grass-types such as Ferroseed, Tangela, and Gourgeist-XL~~Super~~ can also take on Feraligatr easily, as the latter two can take Ice Punch well. Vileplume and Cradily serve as shakier checks, but can otherwise handle other variants lacking Ice Punch.

**~~Water-immune~~ Pokemon immune to Water**: Poliwrath and Jynx are examples of these, as they cannot be hit by priority Aqua Jet and can check Feraligatr easily; the first can take away its boosts with Circle Throw, and the second can sleep non-Lum Berry variants or 2HKO with Psychic. Seismitoad can also check it reliably and damage it with a Ground-type STAB move.

**Powerful attackers**: They can pressure Feraligatr very easily, with special attackers taking advantage of its weaker defense stat. In particular, Electric-types such as Rotom ~~with~~ and its formes can use STAB moves to cripple or outright eliminate Feraligatr.

**Status moves**: Status of any kind can severely hamper Feraligatr~~'s job~~, and while Lum Berry somewhat fixes this problem, it only works once ~~there is nothing stopping the opponent from inflicting it again~~.

**Revenge killers**: These can get rid of Feraligatr if they have a combination of bulk and speed. Mesprit has a boatload of options, such as Energy Ball, to outright remove it, while Kangaskhan can use priority to remove a weakened Feraligatr.

Implemented this. I know both Team Options are mostly the same (as the sets require the same support), but I changed most of the wording in the second one just in case.

antemortem · Oct 8, 2014

amcheck

add or Capitalize / remove / comment

Overview
########

Feraligatr is an excellent and very consistent sweeper in the NU metagame. It has access to boosting(add space)moves in Swords Dance and Dragon Dance, which are backed up by powerful priority in Aqua Jet. Its Water typing and great bulk give it ample opportunities to set up. Feraligatr also has great coverage options in moves such as Ice Punch, Earthquake, and Superpower that allow it to beat different threats for its team. While it doesn't really have any glaring flaws, Feraligatr is troubled by(add space)Grass-types such as Vileplume, Tangela, and Ferroseed. Feraligatr’s base 78 Speed stat unfortunately leaves it just short of outspeeding base 80 Pokemon, and it is somewhat reliant on setting up, which can be a problem if it is low on health.

Swords Dance
########
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Ice Punch / Return
ability: Torrent
item: Lum Berry / Mystic Water
evs: 184 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Swords Dance is a powerful setup move that gives Feraligatr's already impressive power a boost that allows it to bypass walls such as Audino. Waterfall is Feraligatr's most reliable STAB move that hits things such as Rhydon and Piloswine for super effective damage, and it comes with a handy flinching chance that, while not being something to rely on, can secure a KO. Aqua Jet is an important move in Feraligatr's arsenal, as it allows it to revenge kill weak offensive threats and not fall prey to one itself. It can also be backed up by Torrent and a Swords Dance boost, making it stronger than a neutral Return. Ice Punch is an option that offers great coverage and lets Feraligatr hit Grass-(add space)and Dragon-types such as Vileplume and Dragalge, respectively, as hard as possible. Return is another option with moderately high Base Power that gives Feraligatr a more reliable way to hit Water-types such as Seismitoad, Ludicolo, and other Feraligatr; it also grants a neutral hit on the aforementioned Grass- and Dragon-types.

Set Details
========

As Sheer Force hasn't been released yet, Torrent is the set ability for Feraligatr. It powers up STAB Water-type moves when Feraligatr is low on health, allowing Feraligatr to do massive damage even while unboosted. Lum Berry allows Feraligatr to avoid crippling status from the likes of Audino and Uxie. On the other hand, Mystic Water makes the Water-type moves it spams more powerful, and it is overall more useful than Life Orb,(AC) as Feraligatr can abuse its bulk better without the HP loss. The given EVs allow Feraligatr to hit as hard as possible while being able to outspeed max Speed base 55 Pokemon such as Cacturne and uninvested base 80 Pokemon such as Mesprit. Alternatively, one can run 112 EVs in Speed in order to outspeed max Speed base 60 Pokemon such as Pawniard, which comes at the cost of bulk.

Usage Tips
========

Set up Swords Dance whenever an opportunity arises, taking advantage of 4x weak Pokemon such as Rhydon and Camerupt or weak walls like Audino. Feraligatr can setup on most weak super effective hits and neutral attacks, which it can easily use to its advantage in order to activate Torrent. One may also start breaking through bulky opponentfoes with powerful Waterfalls and coverage moves and clean up the opposing team's frail sweepers with boosted Aqua Jets. Feraligatr can break through Vileplume if it uses Swords Dance on the switch, Swords Dances once again as it survives the Giga Drain, and proceeds to destroy Vileplume with the appropriate coverage move. However, Feraligatr cannot do this with the bulkier Tangela unless it is weakened. Remember to not set up when the opponent has fast offensive threats that can heavily damage Feraligatr, such as Jynx and healthy Grass-types like Sceptile and Lilligant.

Team Options
========

Entry hazard support is very important, and as Feraligatr works well on both offensive and balanced teams, any Stealth Rock or Spikes user will work. Suicide leads such as Garbodor, Crustle, Archeops, and Qwilfish work well on offensive teams, while Pokemon such as Ferroseed, Rhydon, and Roselia are fit for more defensively oriented teams. Healing Wish support from Lilligant or Mesprit is hugely beneficial, as it gives Feraligatr another lease at life if it gets massively crippled and allows the player to play it with more risk. The aforementioned Mesprit is a fantastic partner for Feraligatr,(AC) as it can easily punch holes in the opponent's team with its versatile movepool and also set up Stealth Rock. Physically based Mesprit can use Knock Off to cripple physically defensive walls such as Ferroseed and Seismitoad to make them easier for Feraligatr to break through. Specially based Mesprit can defeat them with Hidden Power Fire and Energy Ball, respectively. Additionally, Grass-types themselves are great teammates for Feraligatr, as they can easily take on the foe's Water-types and hit opposing Grass-types with their coverage moves. Faster ones like Lilligant, Sceptile, and Leafeon work well, while things such as Vileplume and Tangela offer support with their bulk and decent offensive presence. Fire-type Pokemon such as Pyroar, Typhlosion, and Magmortar can get rid of Grass-types such as Vileplume and heavily damage Water-types such as Poliwrath with their coverage options. Finally, Probopass can trap Ferroseed, thanks to Magnet Pull, and 2HKO it with Hidden Power Fire.

Dragon Dance
########
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Earthquake
ability: Torrent
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Dragon Dance gives Feraligatr a Speed boost at the cost of less attacking power when used over Swords Dance. At +1, however, Feraligatr outspeeds every Pokemon below base 125 Speed,(RC) such as Rotom and Sceptile. Waterfall is once again used for its reliability, and the flinching chance is even more useful thanks to the increase in Speed. Ice Punch is important coverage for Grass-types, hitting Lilligant and Leafeon before they even have a chance to move, while also targeting threatening Dragon-types. Finally, Earthquake allows Feraligatr to reliably damage Lanturn, Dragalge, and opposing Water-types.

Set Details
========

Torrent is standard and becomes even more useful,(AC) as it gives more sting to a +1 Feraligatr. Life Orb is the preferred item, as it gives much more power to Feraligatr's coverage moves. The given EVs maximize Feraligatr's Speed and attacking prowess. Adamant is the optimal nature, as it increases Feraligatr's damage output while still retaining its ability to outspeed most of the tier, only missing out on things such as Swellow and Accelgor. However, Jolly can be used at the cost of some power if you need Feraligatr to outspeed the aforementioned two as well as Choice Scarf users such as Adamant Sawk and Modest or Adamant Mesprit.

Usage Tips
========

Dragon Dance Feraligatr is a very simple and straightforward late game cleaner. The premise is to only use Dragon Dance when Feraligatr is able to clean up the remnants of the opposing team by setting up on Ground- or Rock-types such as Rhydon, Golem, or Probopass. Alternatively, it can choose to boost in a pinch to break through a physically defensive Pokemon.

Team Options
========

Once again, entry hazard support is crucial in order to score more KOs. Leads such as Accelgor and Garbodor can set Spikes easily, and Pokemon such as Mesprit, Seismitoad, and Ferroseed are also good entry hazard setters. Lilligant or Mesprit may provide Healing Wish support, which gives Feraligatr another opportunity should it be crippled. Mesprit works as a great partner for Feraligatr due to its access to Stealth Rock and its wide movepool that allows it to cover a variety of threats. Physically based Mesprit can use Knock Off to cripple physically defensive walls such as Ferroseed and Seismitoad to make them easier for Feraligatr to break through. Specially based Mesprit can defeat them with Hidden Power Fire and Energy Ball, respectively. Grass-types such as Lilligant, Tangela, Vileplume, Sceptile, and Leafeon can aid Feraligatr by handling Water-types and heavily damaging other Grass-types with their coverage moves. Alternatively, Pyroar, Typhlosion, and Magmortar are examples of Fire-types that can get rid of Grass-types such as Vileplume and heavily damage Water-types such as Poliwrath with their coverage options. Probopass with Hidden Power Fire also deserves a mention as a support Pokemon who can trap Ferroseed with Magnet Pull and remove it from play.

Other Options
########

Substitute gives Feraligatr more room for prediction and provides a shield against opposing status moves, giving it utility against walls for setup opportunities, particularly setting up (repetition) on Ferroseed. However, forgoing coverage generally makes it fare worse against stall and balanced teams which may have Pokemon that resist or are immune to Feraligatr's moves. Superpower is also an option that handily takes care of Ferroseed, a huge thorn in Feraligatr's side, but it comes as the expense of undesirable stat drops, and it also provides inferior coverage compared to its other moves. Frustration can be used over Return to take advantage of Ditto that run the default maximum happiness. A possible item option is a berry such as Rindo or Wacan that can let Feraligatr set up on some of its Grass- and Electric-type checks and counters, respectively. Finally, 192 Speed EVs is another EV spread option that allows Feraligatr to outspeed Modest Samurott and Modest Ludicolo.

Checks & Counters
########

**Grass-types**: Faster, offensive Grass-types such as Lilligant, Sceptile, Leafeon, and Gourgeist-S can check the Swords Dance set, but they must be wary of Dragon Dance variants,(AC) as they Feraligatr will easily outspeed and cripple them heavily with an Ice Punch. Ludicolo has 4x resists its main STAB moves and does well against it. Slower, defensive Grass-types such as Ferroseed, Tangela, and Gourgeist-XL can also take on Feraligatr easily, as the latter two can take Ice Punch well. Vileplume and Cradily serve as shakier checks,(AC) but can otherwise handle other variants lacking Ice Punch.

**Pokemon immune to Water**: Poliwrath and Jynx are examples of these, as they cannot be hit by priority Aqua Jet and can check Feraligatr easily; the first former can take away its boosts with Circle Throw, and the second latter can put sleep non-Lum Berry variants to sleep with Lovely Kiss or 2HKO with Psychic. Seismitoad can also check it reliably and damage it with a Ground-type STAB move.

**Powerful attackers**: These can pressure Feraligatr very easily, with special attackers taking advantage of its weaker Defense stat. In particular, Electric-types such as Rotom and its formes can use STAB moves to cripple or outright eliminate Feraligatr.

**Status moves**: Status of any kind can severely hamper Feraligatr, and while Lum Berry somewhat fixes this problem, it only works once.

**Revenge killers**: These can get rid of Feraligatr if they have a healthy combination of decent bulk and Speed. Mesprit has a boatload of options, such as Energy Ball, to outright remove it, while Kangaskhan can use priority moves to remove a weakened Feraligatr.

Blitz · Oct 9, 2014

Implemented. Thanks Antemortem!

Goddess Briyella · Oct 17, 2014

Additions
Deletions
Comments

Overview
########

Feraligatr is an excellent and very consistent sweeper in the NU metagame. It has access to boosting moves in Swords Dance and Dragon Dance, which are backed up by powerful priority in Aqua Jet. Its Water typing and great bulk give it ample opportunities to set up. Feraligatr also has great coverage options in moves such as Ice Punch, Earthquake, and Superpower that allow it to beat different threats for its team. While it doesn't really have any glaring flaws, Feraligatr is troubled by Grass-types such as Vileplume, Tangela, and Ferroseed. Feraligatr’s base 78 Speed stat unfortunately leaves it just short of outspeeding base 80 Pokemon, and it is somewhat reliant on setting up, which can be a problem if it is low on health. (I recommend ending this on a high note, something like "However, despite these flaws, Feraligatr is still a solid Pokemon to be considered when building a team" as a closing sentence would be fine)

Swords Dance
########
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Ice Punch / Return
ability: Torrent
item: Lum Berry / Mystic Water
evs: 184 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Swords Dance is a powerful setup move that gives Feraligatr's already impressive power a boost that which allows it to bypass walls such as Audino. Waterfall is Feraligatr's most reliable STAB move that hits things such as Rhydon and Piloswine for super effective damage, and it comes with a handy flinch chance that, while not necessarily being something to rely on, can secure a KO. Aqua Jet is an important move in Feraligatr's arsenal, as it allows it to revenge kill weak offensive threats and not fall prey to one itself. It can also be backed up by Torrent and a Swords Dance boost, making which would make it stronger than a neutral Return. Ice Punch is an option that offers great coverage and lets Feraligatr hit Grass- and Dragon-types such as Vileplume and Dragalge, respectively, as hard as possible. Return is another option with moderately high Base Power that gives Feraligatr a more reliable way to hit Water-types such as Seismitoad, Ludicolo, and other Feraligatr; it also grants a neutral hit on the aforementioned Grass- and Dragon-types.

Set Details
========

As Sheer Force hasn't been released yet, Torrent is the set ability for Feraligatr. ("yet" is a stretch because it may not ever be released; e.g. Game Freak went back on Shadow Tag for Chandelure) Because Sheer Force is an unreleased ability for Feraligatr, Torrent is its only option. It powers up STAB Water-type moves when Feraligatr is low on health, allowing Feraligatr to do massive damage even while unboosted without a Swords Dance boost. Lum Berry allows Feraligatr to avoid crippling status from the likes of Audino and Uxie. On the other hand, Mystic Water makes the Water-type moves it spams more powerful, and it is overall more useful than Life Orb, as Feraligatr can abuse its bulk better make better use of its bulk without the HP loss. The given EVs allow Feraligatr to hit as hard as possible while being able to outspeed max Speed base 55 Pokemon such as Cacturne and uninvested base 80 Pokemon such as Mesprit. Alternatively, one can run 112 EVs in Speed in order to outspeed max Speed base 60 Pokemon such as Pawniard, which comes at the cost of bulk.

Usage Tips
========

Set up Swords Dance whenever an opportunity arises, taking advantage of 4x weak Pokemon such as Rhydon and Camerupt such as against Pokemon that are 4x weak to Water like Rhydon or Camerupt or against weak walls like such as Audino. Feraligatr can setup on most weak super effective hits and neutral attacks, which it can easily use to its advantage in order to activate Torrent Torrent's boost. One may also start breaking through bulky foes with powerful Waterfalls and coverage moves and clean up the opposing team's frail sweepers with boosted Aqua Jets. Feraligatr can break through Vileplume if it uses Swords Dance on the switch, Swords Dances once again as it survives the Giga Drain, and proceeds to destroy Vileplume with the appropriate coverage move. However, Feraligatr cannot do this with accomplish this against the bulkier Tangela unless it is weakened. Remember to not set up when the opponent has fast offensive threats that can heavily damage Feraligatr, such as Jynx and or healthy Grass-types like Sceptile and Lilligant.

Team Options
========

Entry hazard support is very important, and as Feraligatr works well on both offensive and balanced teams, any Stealth Rock or Spikes user will work. Suicide leads such as Garbodor, Crustle, Archeops, and Qwilfish work well on offensive teams, while Pokemon such as Ferroseed, Rhydon, and Roselia are fit for more defensively oriented teams. Healing Wish support from Lilligant or Mesprit is hugely beneficial, as it gives Feraligatr another lease at life if it gets massively crippled and allows the player to play it with more risk. The aforementioned Mesprit is a fantastic partner for Feraligatr, as it can easily punch holes in the opponent's team with its versatile movepool and set up Stealth Rock. Physically based Mesprit can use Knock Off to cripple physically defensive walls such as Ferroseed and Seismitoad to make them easier for Feraligatr to break through. Specially based Mesprit can defeat them with Hidden Power Fire and Energy Ball, respectively. Additionally, Grass-types themselves are great teammates for Feraligatr, as they can easily take on the foe's Water-types and hit opposing Grass-types with their coverage moves. Faster ones like Lilligant, Sceptile, and Leafeon work well, while things such as Vileplume and Tangela offer support with their bulk and decent offensive presence. Fire-type Pokemon such as Pyroar, Typhlosion, and Magmortar can get rid of Grass-types such as Vileplume and heavily damage Water-types such as Poliwrath with their coverage options. Finally, Probopass can trap Ferroseed, thanks to Magnet Pull, and 2HKO it with Hidden Power Fire.

Dragon Dance
########
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Earthquake
ability: Torrent
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Dragon Dance gives Feraligatr a Speed boost at the cost of less attacking power when used over Swords Dance. At +1, however, Feraligatr outspeeds every Pokemon below base 125 Speed such as including Rotom and Sceptile. Waterfall is once again used for its reliability, and the flinch chance is even more useful thanks to the increase in Speed. Ice Punch is important coverage for Grass-types, hitting Lilligant and Leafeon before they even have a chance to move, while also threatening Dragon-types. Finally, Earthquake allows Feraligatr to reliably damage Lanturn, Dragalge, and opposing Water-types.

Set Details
========

Torrent is standard ability and becomes even more useful on this particular set, as it gives more sting to a +1 Feraligatr. Life Orb is the preferred item, as it gives much more power to Feraligatr's coverage moves. The given EVs maximize Feraligatr's Speed and attacking prowess. Adamant is the optimal nature, as it increases Feraligatr's damage output while still retaining its ability to outspeed most of the tier, only missing out on things such as Swellow and Accelgor. However, Jolly can be used at the cost of some power if you need Feraligatr to outspeed the aforementioned two as well as Choice Scarf users such as Adamant Sawk and Modest or Adamant Mesprit.

Usage Tips
========

Dragon Dance Feraligatr is a very simple and straightforward late game cleaner. The premise is to only use Dragon Dance when Feraligatr is able to clean up the remnants of the opposing team by setting up on Ground- or Rock-types such as Rhydon, Golem, or Probopass. Alternatively, it can choose to boost in a pinch to break through a physically defensive Pokemon.

Team Options
========

Once again, entry hazard support is crucial in order to score more KOs. Leads such as Accelgor and Garbodor can set Spikes easily, and Pokemon such as Mesprit, Seismitoad, and Ferroseed are also good entry hazard setters. Lilligant or Mesprit may provide Healing Wish support, which gives Feraligatr another opportunity should it be crippled. Mesprit works as a great partner for Feraligatr due to its access to Stealth Rock and its wide movepool that allows it to cover a variety of threats. Physically based Mesprit can use Knock Off to cripple physically defensive walls such as Ferroseed and Seismitoad to make them easier for Feraligatr to break through. Specially based Mesprit can defeat them with Hidden Power Fire and Energy Ball, respectively. Grass-types such as Lilligant, Tangela, Vileplume, Sceptile, and Leafeon can aid Feraligatr by handling Water-types and heavily damaging other Grass-types with their coverage moves. Alternatively, Pyroar, Typhlosion, and Magmortar are examples of Fire-types that can get rid of Grass-types such as Vileplume and heavily damage Water-types such as Poliwrath with their coverage options. Probopass with Hidden Power Fire also deserves a mention as a support Pokemon who can trap Ferroseed with Magnet Pull and remove it from play. (A lot of this section is a direct copy of statements in the Team Options segment in the above set, you should reword some of this; I can come back and doublecheck after you do so if you want)

Other Options
########

Substitute gives Feraligatr more room for prediction and provides a shield against opposing status moves, giving it utility against walls for setup opportunities, particularly on Ferroseed. However, forgoing coverage generally makes it fare worse against stall and balanced teams which may have Pokemon that resist or are immune to Feraligatr's moves. Superpower is also an option that handily takes care of Ferroseed, a huge thorn in Feraligatr's side, but it comes as at the expense of undesirable stat drops, and it also provides inferior coverage compared to its other moves. Frustration can be used over Return to take advantage of Ditto that run the default maximum happiness. A possible item option is a berry such as ("such as" implies there are others but Feraligatr has only two weaknesses) Rindo Berry or Wacan Berry that can let Feraligatr set up on some of its Grass- and Electric-type checks and counters, respectively. Finally, 192 Speed EVs is another EV spread option that allows Feraligatr to outspeed Modest Samurott and Ludicolo.

Checks & Counters
########

**Grass-types**: Faster,(RC) offensive Grass-types such as Lilligant, Sceptile, Leafeon, and Gourgeist-S Small can check the Swords Dance set, but they must be wary of Dragon Dance variants, as Feraligatr will easily outspeed and cripple damage them heavily with an Ice Punch. Ludicolo 4x resists its Feraligatr's STAB moves and does well against it. Slower, more defensive Grass-types such as Ferroseed, Tangela, and Gourgeist-XL Super can also take on Feraligatr easily, as the latter two can take Ice Punch well. Vileplume and Cradily serve as shakier checks, but can otherwise handle other variants lacking Ice Punch.

**Pokemon immune to Water**: Poliwrath and Jynx are examples of these, as they cannot be hit by priority Aqua Jet and can check Feraligatr easily; the former can take away phaze out its boosts with Circle Throw, and the latter can put non-Lum Berry variants to sleep with Lovely Kiss or 2HKO with Psychic. Seismitoad can also check it Feraligatr reliably and damage it with a Ground-type STAB move.

**Powerful attackers**: These can pressure Feraligatr very easily, with special attackers taking advantage of its weaker Defense stat especially special attackers, which can take advantage of its weaker defense stat. (We don't capitalize "defense" when used in this way, just as we never capitalize "defenses") In particular, Electric-types such as Rotom and its formes can use STAB moves to cripple or outright eliminate Feraligatr.

**Status moves**: Status of any kind can severely hamper Feraligatr, and while Lum Berry somewhat fixes this problem, it only works once.

**Revenge killers**: These can get rid of Feraligatr if they have a healthy combination of decent bulk and Speed. Mesprit has a boatload of options, such as Energy Ball, to outright (small nitpick, but you just used this word a bit ago, maybe try something else) remove it, while Kangaskhan can use priority moves to remove a weakened Feraligatr.

Very well written. Please note my comments. :)

Antemortem, sorry for being busy yesterday. P Squared, you can feel free to contact me here or on Showdown or IRC if you'd like for me to stamp one of your amchecks. :)

GP 1/2

Blitz · Oct 17, 2014

Implemented. One more check and we're done here!

Winry · Oct 19, 2014

Hi I'm Redew

Overview
########

Feraligatr is an excellent and very consistent sweeper in the NU metagame. It has access to boosting moves in Swords Dance and Dragon Dance, which are backed up by powerful priority in Aqua Jet. Its Water typing and great bulk give it ample opportunities to set up. Feraligatr also has great coverage options in moves such as Ice Punch, Earthquake, and Superpower that allow it to beat different threats for its team. While it doesn't really have any glaring flaws, Feraligatr is troubled by Grass-types such as Vileplume, Tangela, and Ferroseed. Feraligatr’s base 78 Speed stat unfortunately leaves it just short of outspeeding base 80 Pokemon, and it is somewhat reliant on setting up, which can be a problem if it is low on health. (add space) Despite these small flaws, Feraligatr is still one of the best choices when considering a sweeper for a team.

Swords Dance
########
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Ice Punch / Return
ability: Torrent
item: Lum Berry / Mystic Water
evs: 184 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Swords Dance is a powerful setup move that gives Feraligatr's already impressive power a boost which allows it to bypass walls such as Audino. Waterfall is Feraligatr's most reliable STAB move that hits ~~things~~Pokemon such as Rhydon and Piloswine for super effective damage, and it comes with a handy flinch chance that, while not necessarily being something to rely on, can secure a KO. Aqua Jet is an important move in Feraligatr's arsenal, as it allows Feraligatr to revenge kill weak offensive threats and not fall prey to one itself. IAqua Jet can also be backed up by Torrent and a Swords Dance boost, which would make it stronger than a neutral Return. Ice Punch is an option that offers great coverage and lets Feraligatr hit Grass- and Dragon-types such as Vileplume and Dragalge, respectively, as hard as possible. Return is another option with moderately high Base Power that gives Feraligatr a more reliable way to hit Water-types such as Seismitoad, Ludicolo, and other Feraligatr; it also grants a neutral hit on the aforementioned Grass- and Dragon-types.

Set Details
========
Because Sheer Force is an unreleased ability for Feraligatr, Torrent is its only option. It powers up STAB Water-type moves when Feraligatr is low on health, allowing Feraligatr to do massive damage even without a Swords Dance boost. Lum Berry allows Feraligatr to avoid crippling status from the likes of Audino and Uxie. On the other hand, Mystic Water makes ~~the~~Feraligatr's Water-type move~~s it spam~~s more powerful, and it is overall more useful than Life Orb, as Feraligatr can make better use of its bulk without the HP loss. The given EVs allow Feraligatr to hit as hard as possible while being able to outspeed max Speed base 55 Pokemon such as Cacturne and uninvested base 80 Pokemon such as Mesprit. Alternatively, one can run 112 EVs in Speed in order to outspeed max Speed base 60 Pokemon such as Pawniard, however, thichs comes at the cost of bulk.

Usage Tips
========

Set up Swords Dance whenever an opportunity arises, such as against Pokemon that are 4x weak to Water like Rhydon or Camerupt or against weak walls such as Audino. Feraligatr can set up (add space) on most weak super effective hits and neutral attacks, which it can easily use to its advantage in order to activate Torrent's boost. One may also start breaking through bulky foes with powerful Waterfalls and coverage moves and clean up the opposing team's frail sweepers with boosted Aqua Jets. Feraligatr can break through Vileplume if it uses Swords Dance on the switch, then use Swords Dances once again as it survives ~~the~~ Giga Drain, and proceeds to destroy Vileplume with the appropriate coverage move. However, Feraligatr cannot accomplish this against the bulkier Tangela unless it is weakened. Remember to not set up when the opponent has fast offensive threats that can heavily damage Feraligatr, such as Jynx or healthy Grass-types like Sceptile and Lilligant.

Team Options
========

Entry hazard support is very important, and as Feraligatr works well on both offensive and balanced teams, any Stealth Rock or Spikes user will work. Suicide leads such as Garbodor, Crustle, Archeops, and Qwilfish work well on offensive teams, while Pokemon such as Ferroseed, Rhydon, and Roselia are fit for more defensively oriented teams. Healing Wish support from Lilligant or Mesprit is hugely beneficial, as it gives Feraligatr another lease at life if it gets massively crippled and allows the player to play it with more risk. (add space) Mesprit is a fantastic partner for Feraligatr, as it can easily punch holes in the opponent's team with its versatile movepool and set up Stealth Rock. Physically based Mesprit can use Knock Off to cripple physically defensive walls such as Ferroseed and Seismitoad to make them easier for Feraligatr to break through., and Sspecially based Mesprit can defeat them with Hidden Power Fire and Energy Ball, respectively. Additionally, Grass-types ~~themselves~~ are great teammates for Feraligatr, as they can easily take on the foe's Water-types and hit opposing Grass-types with their coverage moves. Faster ones like Lilligant, Sceptile, and Leafeon work well, while ~~things~~Pokemon such as Vileplume and Tangela offer support with their bulk and decent offensive presence. Fire-type Pokemon such as Pyroar, Typhlosion, and Magmortar can get rid of Grass-types such as Vileplume and heavily damage Water-types such as Poliwrath with their coverage options. Finally, Probopass can trap Ferroseed, thanks to Magnet Pull, and 2HKO it with Hidden Power Fire.

Dragon Dance
########
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Earthquake
ability: Torrent
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Dragon Dance gives Feraligatr a Speed boost at the cost of less attacking power when used over Swords Dance. At +1, however, Feraligatr outspeeds every Pokemon below base 125 Speed, (AC) including Rotom and Sceptile. Waterfall is once again used for its reliability, and the flinch chance is even more useful thanks to the increase in Speed. Ice Punch is important coverage for Grass-types, hitting Lilligant and Leafeon before they even have a chance to move, while also threatening Dragon-types. Finally, Earthquake allows Feraligatr to reliably damage Lanturn, Dragalge, and opposing Water-types.

Set Details
========

Torrent is the standard ability and becomes even more useful on this particular set, as it gives more sting to a +1 Feraligatr. Life Orb is the preferred item, as it gives much more power to Feraligatr's coverage moves. The given EVs maximize Feraligatr's Speed and attacking prowess. Adamant is the optimal nature, as it increases Feraligatr's damage output while still retaining its ability to outspeed most of the tier, only missing out on ~~things~~ outspeeding Pokemon such as Swellow and Accelgor. However, Jolly can be used at the cost of some power if you need Feraligatr to outspeed the aforementioned two, (AC) as well as Choice Scarf users such as Adamant Sawk and Modest or Adamant Mesprit.

Usage Tips
========

Dragon Dance Feraligatr is a very simple and straightforward late-game (add -) cleaner. The premise is to only use Dragon Dance when Feraligatr is able to clean up the remnants of the opposing team by setting up on Ground- or Rock-types such as Rhydon, Golem, or Probopass. Alternatively, it can choose to boost in a pinch to break through a physically defensive Pokemon.

Team Options
========

~~Once again, e~~Entry hazard support is crucial in order to score more KOs. Leads such as Accelgor and Garbodor can set Spikes easily, and Pokemon such as Mesprit, Seismitoad, and Ferroseed are also good entry hazard setters. Lilligant or Mesprit may provide Healing Wish support, which gives Feraligatr another opportunity should it be crippled. Mesprit works as a great partner for Feraligatr due to its access to Stealth Rock and ~~its~~ wide movepool that allows it to cover a variety of threats. Physically based Mesprit can use Knock Off to cripple physically defensive walls such as Ferroseed and Seismitoad to make them easier for Feraligatr to break through~~. S~~, and specially based Mesprit can defeat them with Hidden Power Fire and Energy Ball, respectively. Grass-types such as Lilligant, Tangela, Vileplume, Sceptile, and Leafeon can aid Feraligatr by handling Water-types and heavily damaging other Grass-types with their coverage moves. Alternatively, Pyroar, Typhlosion, and Magmortar are examples of Fire-types that can get rid of Grass-types such as Vileplume and heavily damage Water-types such as Poliwrath with their coverage options. Probopass with Hidden Power Fire ~~also deserves a mention as a support Pokemon who~~ can trap Ferroseed with Magnet Pull and remove it from play.

Other Options
########

Substitute gives Feraligatr more room for prediction and provides a shield against opposing status moves, giving it utility against walls for setup opportunities, particularly (add space) Ferroseed. However, forgoing coverage generally makes it fare worse against stall and balanced teams, (AC) which may have Pokemon that resist or are immune to Feraligatr's moves. Superpower is also an option that handily takes care of Ferroseed, a huge thorn in Feraligatr's side, but it comes at the expense of undesirable stat drops, and it also provides inferior coverage compared to Feraligatr's other moves. Frustration can be used over Return to take advantage of Ditto that run the default maximum happiness. A possible item option is a Rindo Berry or Wacan Berry, thas they can let Feraligatr set up on some of its Grass- and Electric-type checks and counters, respectively. Finally, 192 Speed EVs is another EV spread option that allows Feraligatr to outspeed Modest Samurott and Ludicolo.

Checks & Counters
########

**Grass-types**: Faster offensive Grass-types such as Lilligant, Sceptile, Leafeon, and Gourgeist-S~~mall~~ can check the Swords Dance set, but they must be wary of Dragon Dance variants, as Feraligatr will easily outspeed and damage them heavily with Ice Punch. Ludicolo 4x resists Feraligatr's STAB moves and does well against it. Slower, more defensive Grass-types such as Ferroseed, Tangela, and Gourgeist-~~Super~~XL can also take on Feraligatr easily, as the latter two can take Ice Punch well. Vileplume and Cradily serve as shakier checks, but can otherwise handle other variants lacking Ice Punch.

**Pokemon immune to Water**: Poliwrath and Jynx are examples of Pokemon immune to Water th~~ese~~at can check Feraligatr easily, as they cannot be hit by priority Aqua Jet ~~and can check Feraligatr easily~~; the former can phaze out Feraligatr's boosts with Circle Throw, and the latter can put non-Lum Berry variants to sleep with Lovely Kiss or 2HKO with Psychic. Seismitoad can also reliably check Feraligatr ~~reliably~~ and damage it with a Ground-type STAB move.

**Powerful attackers**: ~~These~~Powerful attackers can pressure Feraligatr very easily, especially special attackers, which can take advantage of its weaker defense stat. In particular, Electric-types such as Rotom and its formes can use STAB moves to cripple or outright eliminate Feraligatr.

**Status moves**: Status of any kind can severely hamper Feraligatr, and while Lum Berry somewhat fixes this problem, it only works once.

**Revenge killers**: ~~These~~Revenge killers can get rid of Feraligatr if they have a healthy combination of decent bulk and Speed. Mesprit has a boatload of options, such as Energy Ball, to swiftly remove it, while Kangaskhan can use priority moves to remove a weakened Feraligatr.

Redew · Oct 19, 2014

I am the stamp

gp 2/2 Blitzamirin

Blitz · Oct 19, 2014

Thanks Nicaea and Redew! This analysis is now finished.

Raseri · Oct 19, 2014

oki uploading then

NU Feraligatr

Blitz

Mightiest of Cleaves

soulgazer

I FEEL INFINITE

Blitz

Mightiest of Cleaves

soulgazer

I FEEL INFINITE

Blast

Member of the Alien Nation

Blitz

Mightiest of Cleaves

soulgazer

I FEEL INFINITE

Blast

Member of the Alien Nation

Ares

Fool me...can't get fooled again

P Squared

a great unrecorded history

Blitz

Mightiest of Cleaves

antemortem

Blitz

Mightiest of Cleaves

Goddess Briyella

Banned deucer.

Blitz

Mightiest of Cleaves

Winry

Super Graduate-Level Napper

Redew

κακκῶ σεαυτόν

Blitz

Mightiest of Cleaves

Raseri

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