<h4>OU</h4>
<p>For
years, Feraligatr has been unable to
fit distinguish itself in a metagame where Gyarados dominated. In the 4th generation, Feraligatr still struggles to make it onto a competitive team due to its lack of any
stand-out stats. Feraligatr
separates does manage to differentiate itself from Gyarados however, with its neutrality to Stealth Rock and access to Swords Dance. While it lacks the raw power Gyarados
that wields, it makes up for it with the
ability capability to boost its
Attack twice as fast.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall / Aqua Tail
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Return
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Feraligatr has always been in Gyarados's shadow in the OU environment, but Feraligatr has Swords
Dance to boost its Attack twice as fast as
Gyarados, and
priority in Aqua Jet to damage faster
foes, and which all serve to differentiate it from Gyarados. Feraligatr easily OHKOes defensive Rotom-A, who has next to no chance of OHKOing back with Thunderbolt, even after Stealth Rock (beware of
Sandstorm and other residual damage, however).
Even if Rotom-A tries to burn Feraligatr with Will-O-Wisp,
it has Lum Berry
is there to remedy the status. Return complements Feraligatr's Water-type STAB, hitting every Pokemon in the OU metagame for neutral damage, barring Empoleon. Furthermore, Vaporeon and Suicune cannot do enough damage to Feraligatr before being forced to
recover; Vaopreon is likely to be 2HKOed by Return, while defensive Suicune is 3HKOed. An unboosted Hidden Power Electric from either of them is only a 3HKO, allowing Feraligatr to get another Swords Dance under its belt. Aqua Jet is Feraligatr's weapon against faster Pokemon such as Heatran, Gengar, Jolteon, and Choice Scarf Tyranitar; however, you
will need residual damage to guarantee OHKOs on said Pokemon.</p>
<p>Because of Feraligatr's pure Water-typing, Electric-type attacks do not completely mutilate it like they do to Gyarados. Also, common revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Jirachi cannot OHKO Feraligatr. Life Orb Starmie also doesn't OHKO Feraligatr with Thunderbolt; it needs Stealth Rock to have a chance. Another big selling point is Torrent.
With a good amount of Because of its natural bulk, many attacks can't do enough damage to Feraligatr to OHKO it,
usually leaving Feraligatr with 33% or less HP (which will activate Torrent). When attempting to activate Torrent, be aware of how much residual damage Feraligatr has taken, and be sure
that it can finish off whatever faster Pokemon
that it needs to with Aqua Jet. Many attacks will conveniently activate Torrent after Stealth Rock damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Aqua Tail is a very viable alternative to Waterfall; with it, Feraligatr
can OHKO Rotom-A after Stealth Rock damage and 2HKO Skarmory. However, if you use Aqua Tail
for its added power, you
will have to forgo Waterfall's trade perfect accuracy and the possibility of a flinch
for more power. Lum Berry is a good item, but it won't always help your sweep. Mystic Water is a good alternative if you'd like a slightly smaller power boost for Feraligatr's STAB moves without the recoil of Life Orb. Life Orb gives you a lot of extra power, but sacrifices Feraligatr's bulk. A Jolly nature allows Feraligatr to outpace Naive Heatran, Adamant Lucario, and Adamant Gyarados. An Adamant nature is perfectly viable, however, as Feraligatr could use the slight boost in power
when against bulky Water-types. There is no need to max Speed with an Adamant nature, as Feraligatr is usually naturally faster or naturally slower than the Pokemon in its Speed tier. Pokemon such as Skarmory, Metagross, and Breloom rarely maximize their Speed, so Feraligatr only needs enough to beat defensive Rotom-A.</p>
<p>Entry hazards are extremely helpful for Feraligatr, as they guarantee some
vital KOs, especially those with Aqua Jet. With a layer or two of Spikes, Aqua Jet will have no problem OHKOing Heatran and Mamoswine after a Swords Dance. Skarmory and Forretress are recommended as partners for Feraligatr as they are the best Spikers in OU. Skarmory counters Swampert, Metagross, and Scizor without a problem; however, it
shares does share an Electric-type weakness with Feraligatr. Forretress can also set up Toxic Spikes to deter Celebi and Vaporeon, who can cause problems for Feraligatr. A Pursuit user will be extremely helpful, as Starmie is a big threat to
Feraligatr; because it is faster, can survive a +2 Aqua Jet, and potentially KOes with Thunderbolt. Tyranitar brings in an unwanted
Sandstorm, but if you don't mind that,
then Tyranitar is a great choice since it can also counter
troublesome the
troublesome Zapdos and Rotom-A. Scizor is a decent check to Gengar and Starmie and helps wound enemy walls with U-turn. Gliscor can set up Stealth Rock, counter Lucario, and even lure in Pokemon whom Feraligatr can set up on, such as Gyarados, Suicune, and Vaporeon. If Gliscor uses U-turn as they switch in, you can get Feraligatr in completely unharmed and proceed to set up.</p>
<p>Feraligatr can work well as a lure for defensive Pokemon so other sweepers
will have an easier time sweeping. Gyarados often has trouble with Rotom-A, Suicune, and Vaporeon, but if you can weaken them with Feraligatr,
it Gyarados can
then finish off the enemy team. A Pursuit user
such as Tyranitar will be
all but necessary to prevent both sweepers from succumbing to revenge killers. A Choice Scarf Flygon would be most helpful, absorbing Thunderbolts and checking Dragon Dance Dragonite. Heatran can be used as an additional lure, further weakening Water-type switch-ins with Hidden Power Grass
and as well as checking Jirachi rather nicely.</p>
<h4>OU</h4>
<p>Entry hazards of all kinds are most welcome. Since Feraligatr has trouble with offensive Suicune, Toxic Spikes are helpful for wearing it down quickly. They are also useful because they force Celebi to use Recover or switch out sooner than it would like
to, potentially racking up more entry hazard damage on the opposing team. Forretress and Roserade are two of the best Spikes users in OU; the former is also great for spinning away entry hazards while the latter instantly absorbs Toxic Spikes upon
entry, and checks as well as checking bulky Water-types. Calm Mind Jirachi with Wish is incredibly helpful as it can keep Feraligatr healthy and
give it opportunities to switch in on resisted Fire-type attacks lure in Fire-type attacks for Feraligatr to switch into. With Calm Mind and Thunderbolt, it also has a good chance
to beat of beating Calm Mind Suicune one on one. Infernape is a great offensive partner alongside Feraligatr, as it can weaken Water-types with Close Combat and U-turn to a counter, making it easier for Feraligatr to sweep. The same can work in reverse, as Feraligatr can weaken Water-types with Return so Swords Dance or Nasty Plot Infernape can sweep with ease.</p>
<h4>OU</h4>
<p>Feraligatr has a few additional moves that weren't mentioned. Earthquake can be useful for hitting Metagross and Jirachi super effectively but otherwise has inferior coverage compared to Waterfall + Return. Feraligatr learns Dragon Dance, but that is better left to Gyarados, who, despite having a weakness to Stealth Rock, boasts higher Attack and Speed.
(Space)
<h4>OU</h4>
<p>Most of the Pokemon that counter Dragon Dance Gyarados check Feraligatr well. If Rotom-A is faster than Feraligatr, it can survive an Aqua Jet and KO with Thunderbolt. Slower ones need to beware, however, as a +2 Aqua Tail may OHKO after Stealth Rock. Scarf Rotom-A is a great revenge killer. Zapdos is
in a similar boat as Rotom-A; if it outspeeds Feraligatr then it will surely win, but if not, it risks being OHKOed. Vaporeon can counter Feraligatr if it has Toxic or
Roar, but takes a lot of damage from Return. RestTalk Gyarados is a great counter thanks to Intimidate. Shaymin and Celebi also counter Feraligatr well but shouldn't risk using Leech Seed or Thunder Wave as Feraligatr can 2HKO with Return.</p>
