Darkmalice
i have implemented the above
i have implemented the above
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Doubles Gyarados
- Thread starter Metal Sonic
- Start date
Mention Taunt in Overview for support seeing how this is the move you emphasise the most in the set
1st set
Mention Protect is the optimal move for the 4th slot.
Mention in usage tips that it is a late-game cleaner (you first mention it too late in Team Options). You've mentioned that you can switch it in and out for Intimidates, but mention this should be earlier in the battle e.g. switch in and out early and mid whilst keeping it healthy for a late game sweep with dragon dance.
Team options
-Remove all mention of Choice Band Scizor. it's neither a wallbreaker nor relevant to Doubles. Mention Genesect instead
-You need to mention some examples when you state KCube can plow through many of Gyarados' checks and counters, like what you've done with Latios
-Wide Guard is fine, but you don't need to mention it protects Gyara from EQ once it Mega Evos
-Mention Volcarona can Rage Powder to help Gyarados sweep and to redirect Bug-, Fighting- and Fairy-type attacks aimed at Mega Gyarados
-ideally you should mention at least one teammate for each support move you mention. Rage Powder is Volcarona, but Togekiss is great too for Follow Me as well as Amoonguss for RP as they resist a handful for Mega's Gyarados', Electric especially in Amoonguss case. Togekiss is also immune to EQ and Amoonguss can provide Spore support. With Screens, also mention they complement Mega Gyarados' already great bulk. Meowstic has Fake Out and duals screens. Klefki has screens and Gyarados covers its Fire and Ground type weaknesses
2nd set
Speed control, not paralysis. You may be providing Icy Wind support.
Faster opponents who are the targets of speed control are typically sweepers who do not really mind being Taunted. It would be better to mention that Taunt halts the opponent's support moves.
Start in Team Options that as opposed to the first set, it is more important to pick teammates who benefit from the support Gyarados provides instead of teammates to support Gyarados. I'm not a fan of the 1st line. Some Pokemon enjoy Intimidate support much more than others, and the 1st line pretty much sums up that it works with everything just because of Intimidate. In reality, it fits well with many Pokemon because Gyarados provides many support options (Taunt, Intimidate and speed control) whilst needing little support itself.
Going along with that, say that particularly good teammates are the sweepers you've mentioned. They are strong beneficeries of Intimidate to complement their already at-least decent bulk whilst Taunt helps prevents speed control from the opposing team. Genesect also enjoys Heatran being checked and the speed support.
OO
-You can mention DD without Gyaradositie in OO. Then mention a bulky DD set (you could use a bulky Mega Gyarados set, it doesn't have to be non-mega) with Taunt. Sub should be mentioned separately as it can be used on offensive sets too.
-Add Return and Double-Edge. Strong neutral coverage with Waterfall and is your hardest hitting attack against Water-types. Double-Edge is more appropriate for Choiced sets as the recoil sucks on DD sets.
Checks and counters
Priority moves isn't a tag - combine it with offensive type advantage as that is where Mach Punch and Breloom belong. On that note, also Azumarill (checks Mega well, resists Gyarados' STAB)
Also edit the Lando-T updates when you can. I do intend to stamp Lando-T once those changes are made.
1st set
Mention Protect is the optimal move for the 4th slot.
Lando-T is not a base 80 Speed nature Pokemon
Should mention a Fighting-type example given that you've mentioned Fihgting-type attacks. Conkeldurr is a great example, as normal Gyarados soundly beats it but Mega Gyarados fails.
Mention in usage tips that it is a late-game cleaner (you first mention it too late in Team Options). You've mentioned that you can switch it in and out for Intimidates, but mention this should be earlier in the battle e.g. switch in and out early and mid whilst keeping it healthy for a late game sweep with dragon dance.
This is not a usage tip. This should be in set details
Explain this further. They can help it set up a Dragon Dance and then sweep, and soften its checks and counters before it sweeps
Team options
-Remove all mention of Choice Band Scizor. it's neither a wallbreaker nor relevant to Doubles. Mention Genesect instead
-You need to mention some examples when you state KCube can plow through many of Gyarados' checks and counters, like what you've done with Latios
-Wide Guard is fine, but you don't need to mention it protects Gyara from EQ once it Mega Evos
-Mention Volcarona can Rage Powder to help Gyarados sweep and to redirect Bug-, Fighting- and Fairy-type attacks aimed at Mega Gyarados
-ideally you should mention at least one teammate for each support move you mention. Rage Powder is Volcarona, but Togekiss is great too for Follow Me as well as Amoonguss for RP as they resist a handful for Mega's Gyarados', Electric especially in Amoonguss case. Togekiss is also immune to EQ and Amoonguss can provide Spore support. With Screens, also mention they complement Mega Gyarados' already great bulk. Meowstic has Fake Out and duals screens. Klefki has screens and Gyarados covers its Fire and Ground type weaknesses
2nd set
Mention this is the standard Speed for Heatran to make it clear for those who don't know how much speed Heatran runs normally. Also mention Cress outspeed - it's an easy Taunt target
Speed control, not paralysis. You may be providing Icy Wind support.
Faster opponents who are the targets of speed control are typically sweepers who do not really mind being Taunted. It would be better to mention that Taunt halts the opponent's support moves.
Start in Team Options that as opposed to the first set, it is more important to pick teammates who benefit from the support Gyarados provides instead of teammates to support Gyarados. I'm not a fan of the 1st line. Some Pokemon enjoy Intimidate support much more than others, and the 1st line pretty much sums up that it works with everything just because of Intimidate. In reality, it fits well with many Pokemon because Gyarados provides many support options (Taunt, Intimidate and speed control) whilst needing little support itself.
Going along with that, say that particularly good teammates are the sweepers you've mentioned. They are strong beneficeries of Intimidate to complement their already at-least decent bulk whilst Taunt helps prevents speed control from the opposing team. Genesect also enjoys Heatran being checked and the speed support.
OO
-You can mention DD without Gyaradositie in OO. Then mention a bulky DD set (you could use a bulky Mega Gyarados set, it doesn't have to be non-mega) with Taunt. Sub should be mentioned separately as it can be used on offensive sets too.
-Add Return and Double-Edge. Strong neutral coverage with Waterfall and is your hardest hitting attack against Water-types. Double-Edge is more appropriate for Choiced sets as the recoil sucks on DD sets.
Checks and counters
Priority moves isn't a tag - combine it with offensive type advantage as that is where Mach Punch and Breloom belong. On that note, also Azumarill (checks Mega well, resists Gyarados' STAB)
Also edit the Lando-T updates when you can. I do intend to stamp Lando-T once those changes are made.
Last edited:
Darkmalice
finally ok
finally ok
you dont need the html tags Metal Sonic and 3/3 send this to gp
1/2 :)
add remove (comments)
Overview
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<p>Gyarados is gifted with a great typing, resisting the common Fire-, Fighting-, Water- and Bug-type attacks while being immune to Ground. Additionally, access a splendid ability in Intimidate makes it a great choice in Doubles, (remove comma) even before it Mega Evolves. Meanwhile, Mega Gyarados's type change gives it a better match-up against certain threats that would normally halt Gyarados in its tracks, such as Rock-type attacks and Rotom-W. Furthermore, its Attack, Defense and Special Defense are greatly increased when it Mega Evolves, granting it greater bulk and offensive power as well. The access to An interesting ability in Mold Breaker allows Mega Gyarados to nullify the opponent's defensive abilities, in particular Levitate, which allows Mega Gyarados free reign to spam Earthquake. Gyarados is extremely versatile and can perform the roles of a sweeper or and supporter with moves like Thunder Wave and Taunt with great results. However, when taking an offensive route, it needs a Dragon Dance boost, (comma) as otherwise it's too slow to sweep.</p>
Mega Dragon Dance
########
name: Mega Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Protect / Stone Edge / Ice Fang
ability: Intimidate
item: Gyaradosite
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves
========
<p>Dragon Dance boosts Gyarados's Attack and Speed to make it more threatening. Waterfall is your Gyarados's primary STAB move and has with a fancy good 20% chance to flinch. Earthquake is the mandatory spread move, easily beating as it beats Rotom-W, Gyarados's biggest counter, after Mega Evolution easily after the Mold Breaker ability is applied after the Mega Evolution. Protect is the optimal move in the fourth slot, as it is a staple move in Doubles to allow Mega Gyarados to survive a turn, stall out field conditions, (comma) or to make smart plays. Stone Edge helps Gyarados beat other Gyarados, Kyurem-B, Thundurus, Zapdos, and Abomasnow, and other Gyarados. Ice Fang deserves a mention for beating Garchomp, Shaymin-Sky, Zygarde, Amoonguss, and Breloom.</p>
Set Details
========
<p>An Adamant nature is great for granting Mega Gyarados maximum power. It will be is more useful than a Jolly nature if another two Dragon Dances can be set up. However, Jolly is a safer option, (comma) as Adamant Mega Gyarados cannot outspeed some faster threats even after a boost. These include unboosted Shaymin-Sky and Deoxys-A, and also as well as any other base 80 Speed Choice Scarf user with a positive nature. Thus, if Gyarados is using Ice Fang, it should have a Jolly nature to allow it to defeat Shaymin-Sky after a Dragon Dance. Maximum Attack and Speed investment is necessary to get the full effects from Dragon Dance. Intimidate makes it easier to set up Dragon Dance by crippling opponents, but Moxie can be useful if you can grab some KOs before you Mega Evolve. Mold Breaker is helpful, allowing Mega Gyarados to hit Gastrodon for neutral damage and Rotom-W and Gengar with Earthquake. With Mold Breaker, Stone Edge can also will be able to completely ignore Multiscale from Dragonite.</p>
Usage Tips
========
<p>Gyarados functions as is a great Intimidate user in Doubles, so it can also be switched in and out of the field early-game to cripple the opponent's physical attackers. Unlike other Mega Evolutions, you may not want to evolve Gyarados immediately due to the different type combinations of the two formes, and also Gyarados's ability to Intimidate. For example, when facing a Stone Edge, Rock Slide, (comma) or even an Electric-type attack, Gyarados may want to Mega Evolve ASAP in order to survive the attacks and grab a boost. However, against threats such as Scizor and Conkeldurr, it would be is recommended to defer the Mega Evolution in fear of future Fighting- or Bug-type attacks for super effective damage. Furthermore, </p>(remove line breaks)<p>Mega Gyarados should be kept healthy until the late-game so that it can perform its role as a late-game cleaner. Timing is very crucial to success with Gyarados: (colon) know when it is safe to sweep and when you still need to continue to scout. The ability to cripple opponents with Intimidate is also invaluable. Just remember to use your its teammates to help back Gyarados up; they can help it set up a Dragon Dance and to thus allow it to sweep, or they can soften its checks and counters before it sweeps. (period)</p>
Team Options
========
<p>As Mega Gyarados functions as a late-game cleaner, wallbreakers with heavy high offenses should considered as teammates. These include Deoxys-A, Genesect, (comma) and Aegislash. Kyurem-B is a great team option as because it can plow through many of Gyarados's checks and counters, such as the physically bulky Water-types with Fusion Bolt and Mega Venusaur with STAB Ice Beam. Latios is also given a mention for being able to nuke physically bulky Water-types with strong special moves on the special side, while also packing Psyshock to defeat Mega Venusaur. Talonflame is also a great teammate with access to priority Brave Bird to defeat problematic Fighting-types and Grass-types like Mega Venusaur, Conkeldurr, Shaymin-Sky, (comma) and Keldeo. Manectric can provide valuable support with Lightning Rod, deterring opponents from spamming Electric-type attacks.</p>
<p>Mega Gyarados absolutely hates Grass-type opponents, so teammates that can eliminate them are good. Fire-type teammates include Heatran and Volcarona, while Bug-type teammates include Volcarona and Genesect, and Ice-types include Mamoswine and Kyurem-B. Volcarona can use Rage Powder to help Gyarados sweep and to redirect Bug-, Fighting-, (comma) and Fairy-type attacks aimed at Mega Gyarados. Wide Guard support is quite useful to prevent Discharges and Rock Slides, both of which are threats to Gyarados. To increase the amount of setup opportunities for Gyarados, you can consider choosing one of the many team support options in Doubles, which that has access to one of the following: Fake Out, Follow Me, Rage Powder, Light Screen, Reflect, (comma) or a sleep status move. These candidates include: (remove comma) Amoonguss, with access to Rage Powder and Spore, and resists as well as a resistance to Electric-type attacks; (period to semicolon) Togekiss for its great bulk, resistance to Fighting, and access to Follow Me; (period to semicolon) Meowstic for its has access to Light Screen and Reflect to complement Mega Gyarados's already great bulk, and as well as to Fake Out to allow setup opportunities; (period to semicolon) Klefki also has for its access to Light Screen and Reflect, and has for its good type synergy with Gyarados, whose with its Fire- and Ground-type weaknesses being are covered.</p>
UtilityMonster
########
name: UtilityMonster
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Protect
move 4: Thunder Wave / Icy Wind
ability: Intimidate
item: Sitrus Berry
evs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spe
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spd
Moves
========
<p>Taunt is a great move to foil the opponent's support Pokemon, preventing them from setting up crippling field effects or using status moves. Waterfall is your Gyarados's primary STAB move and has with a fancy good 20% chance to flinch. Protect is a staple move in Doubles to allow Gyarados to survive a turn, stall out field conditions, (comma) or to make smart plays. Thunder Wave is a great move that severely cripples opponents and grants extremely potent speed control. Icy Wind is another option for speed control, which because it can temporarily slow down both opponents on the field.</p>
Set Details
========
<p>An Impish nature is used to grant Gyarados greater Defense and to achieve the most out of its Defense EVs. 48 Speed EVs are used to let Gyarados outspeed the standard 76 Speed Heatran. Note that with the listed spread, Cresselia, a notable Taunt target, is also gets outsped. The rest of the EVs are placed into HP and Defense to get the maximum physical bulk. Sitrus Berry is a great item to allow Gyarados to recover 25% of its health in a pinch, granting it greater longevity to cripple the opponents foes further. Intimidate is mandatory to cripple the opponent's physical attackers on the field, (remove comma) and is extremely helpful to cushion your Gyarados's teammates from the opponent's physical attacks.</p>
Usage Tips
========
<p>Gyarados functions asis a great Intimidate user in Doubles, so it can also be switched in and out of the field early-game to cripple the opponent's physical attackers. Gyarados functions as a great pivot and it can switch into on many common attackers in the tier, for example including Scizor, Mamoswine, and Talonflame, and more. It can also function as a great lead against obvious Trick Room teams, and can Taunting the opposing their Trick Room setter before they get the chance to it can set up. Gyarados should focus on speed control so that its teammates can sweep. When faster opponents have been slowed down by Thunder Wave or Icy Wind, they can be fall prey to Gyarados's faster Taunts and have their support moves halted.</p>
Team Options
========
<p>As opposed to the first set, It is more important to pick teammates who that benefit from the support Gyarados provides instead of teammates that can to support Gyarados. Gyarados fits well with many Pokemon because it provides many support options, such as Taunt, Intimidate, (comma) and speed control, whilst needing little support itself. Taunt Gyarados can be a savior to fast, offensive teams to stop Trick Room. Particularly good teammates are strong sweepers such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Heracross, and Mega Charizard Y. They are strong beneficiaries of Intimidate, (comma) which to complements their already at-least decent bulk, (comma) and whilst Taunt helps prevents speed control from the opposing team. Ground-types, such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Excadrill, serve as good defensive team options for Gyarados, (comma) as they cover Gyarados's Rock- and Electric-type weaknesses well.</p>
Other Options
########
<p>A non-Mega Dragon Dance Gyarados without the use of Gyaradosite can be used, but it forgoes the perks of Mega Gyarados's greater offenses and defenses. A bulky Dragon Dance Set with Sitrus Berry and usage of Taunt is a great option, as it is able to provide reliable Intimidate support and still sweep the opponent. Substitute can also be used on other offensive sets as well. Choice Band and Choice Scarf sets can function as splendid late-game cleaners, but the restriction of moves and poorer STAB coverage makes this a them difficult sets to pull off. Return and Double-Edge can be used as strong neutral coverage with Waterfall and is the are Gyarados's hardest hitting attacks against Water-types. However, Double-Edge is more appropriate on Choice sets due to its unappealing recoil on a Dragon Dance set. Moxie can be used over Intimidate because as Gyarados can get a boost or two before Mega Evolving and becoming a menacing juggernaut. However, this is usually difficult to pull off, (comma) and Intimidate has more utility in the Doubles metagame. A Dragon Dance set with Lum Berry could work to set up on stuff passive status users like Amoonguss. Wacan Berry or Charti Berry can be used to negate halve the damage dealt by super effective Electric- or and Rock-type moves, respectively on Gyarados, possibly opening up strategic gameplays (elaborate).</p>
Checks & Counters
########
**Intimidate and Burns**: Being a physical attacker, Gyarados isalso hampered by opposing Intimidate and burns as well, which reduce the its overall damage output of Gyarados. Some Intimidate users include Hitmontop, Landorus-T, and opposing Gyarados, while burn Will-O-Wisp users include Trevenant and Rotom-W. Care must be taken for Gyarados to avoid such scenarios. Gastrodon is also a notable counter to the utility against the Utility set, as it is immune to all its Gyarados's moves, but and can burn it Gyarados with Scald.
**Offensive Typing Advantage**: (unbold) Gyarados is walled andis hurt damaged super effectively by bulky Grass-types such as Amoonguss, Abomasnow, and Shaymin-Sky due to its Water / Ground-type (remove dash) coverage. Ice Fang is an option to relieve this problem, but its low damage output may still leave complications. Electric-types such as Rotom-W, Mega Manectric, and Thundurus can pose major problems for the non-Mega Gyarados set, and must be avoided. Azumarill is also problematic for Mega Gyarados and resists the its Water STAB moves. Those Pokemon that outspeed the Mega Gyarados set may be threatening as well. Breloom and Conkeldurr can revenge even a boosted Mega Gyarados after multiple Dragon Dances with Mach Punch. Breloom also resists Gyarados's primary coverage moves.
**Speed Control**: Although Mega Gyarados is bulky enough to take multiple neutral hits, it hates being paralyzed or Trick Room being set up during itsboosted sweep, so these threats should be weakened or eliminated before trying to Dragon Dance. Thundurus-I in particular is a nuisance due to its priority Thunder Wave.
Overview
########
Mega Dragon Dance
########
name: Mega Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Protect / Stone Edge / Ice Fang
ability: Intimidate
item: Gyaradosite
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly
Moves
========
Set Details
========
Usage Tips
========
Team Options
========
Utility
########
name: Utility
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Protect
move 4: Thunder Wave / Icy Wind
ability: Intimidate
item: Sitrus Berry
evs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spe
nature: Impish
Moves
========
Set Details
========
Usage Tips
========
Team Options
========
Other Options
########
Checks & Counters
########
**Intimidate and Burns**: Being a physical attacker, Gyarados is
**Offensive Typing Advantage**: (unbold) Gyarados is walled and
**Speed Control**: Although Mega Gyarados is bulky enough to take multiple neutral hits, it hates being paralyzed or Trick Room being set up during its
implemented :)
Overview
########
Gyarados is gifted with a great typing, resisting the common Fire-, Fighting-, Water- and Bug-type attacks while being immune to Ground. Additionally, a splendid ability in Intimidate makes it a great choice in Doubles even before it Mega Evolves. Meanwhile, Mega Gyarados's type change gives it a better match-up against certain threats that would normally halt Gyarados in its tracks, such as Rock-type attacks and Rotom-W. Furthermore, its Attack, Defense, (AC) and Special Defense are greatly increased when it Mega Evolves, granting it greater bulk and offensive power as well. An interesting ability in Mold Breaker allows Mega Gyarados to nullify the opponent's enemy's defensive abilities, in particularly Levitate, which allows Mega Gyarados free reign to spam Earthquake. Gyarados is extremely versatile and can perform the role of sweeper and supporter with moves like such as Thunder Wave and Taunt with great results. However, when taking an offensive route, it needs a Dragon Dance boost, as otherwise it's too slow to sweep.
Mega Dragon Dance
########
name: Mega Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Protect / Stone Edge / Ice Fang
ability: Intimidate
item: Gyaradosite
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly
Moves
========
Dragon Dance boosts Gyarados's Attack and Speed to make it more threatening. Waterfall is Gyarados's primary STAB move and has a good 20% chance to flinch. Earthquake is the mandatory spread move, easily beating Rotom-W, Gyarados's biggest counter, after Mega Evolution. Protect is a staple move in Doubles to allow Mega Gyarados to survive a turn, stall out field conditions, or make smart plays. Stone Edge helps Gyarados beat Kyurem-B, Thundurus, Zapdos, Abomasnow, and other Gyarados. Ice Fang deserves a mention for beating Garchomp, Shaymin-Sky, Zygarde, Amoonguss, and Breloom.
Set Details
========
An Adamant nature is great for granting Mega Gyarados maximum power. It is more useful than a Jolly nature if two Dragon Dance can be set up. However, Jolly is a safer option, as Adamant Mega Gyarados cannot outspeed some faster threats even after a boost., (period -> comma) such as These include unboosted Shaymin-Sky and Deoxys-A as well as any other base 80 Speed Choice Scarf user with a positive nature. Thus, if Gyarados is using Ice Fang, it should have a Jolly nature to allow it to defeat Shaymin-Sky after a Dragon Dance. Maximum Attack and Speed investment is necessary to get the full effects from Dragon Dance. Intimidate makes it easier to set up Dragon Dance by crippling opponents foes, but Moxie can be useful if you can grab some KOs before you Mega Evolving. Mold Breaker is helpful, allowing Mega Gyarados to hit Gastrodon for neutral damage and Rotom-W and Gengar with Earthquake. With Mold Breaker, Stone Edge will be able to completely ignore Multiscale from Dragonite.
Usage Tips
========
Gyarados is a great Intimidate user in Doubles, so it can also be switched in and out of the field early-game to cripple the opponent's physical attackers. Unlike other Mega Evolutions, you may not want to evolve Gyarados immediately due to the different type combinations of the two formes, (RC) and also Gyarados's ability to Intimidate. For example, when facing a Stone Edge, Rock Slide, or even an Electric-type attack, Gyarados may want to Mega Evolve ASAP immediately in order to survive the attacks and grab a boost. However, against threats such as Scizor and Conkeldurr, it is recommended to defer the Mega Evolution in fear of future Fighting- or Bug-type attacks. Furthermore, Mega Gyarados should be kept healthy until the late-game so that it can perform its role as a late-game cleaner. Timing is very crucial to success with Gyarados: know when it is safe to sweep and when you still need to continue to scout. The ability to cripple opponents foes with Intimidate is also invaluable. Just remember to use its teammates to back Gyarados up; they can help it set up a Dragon Dance and thus allow it to sweep, or they can soften its checks and counters before it sweeps.
Team Options
========
As Mega Gyarados functions as a late-game cleaner, wallbreakers with high offenses such as Deoxys-A, Genesect, and Aegislash should considered as teammates. These include Deoxys-A, Genesect, and Aegislash. Kyurem-B is a great team option because it can plow through many of Gyarados's checks and counters, such as physically bulky Water-types with Fusion Bolt and Mega Venusaur with its STAB Ice Beam. Latios is also able to nuke physically bulky Water-types with strong special moves, (RC) while also packing Psyshock to and can defeat Mega Venusaur with with Psyshock. Talonflame is also a great teammate with access to priority Brave Bird to defeat problematic Fighting-types and Grass-types like Conkeldurr, (AC) Keldeo, (AC) Mega Venusaur, Conkeldurr, (RC) and Shaymin-Sky, and Keldeo respectively. Manectric can provide valuable support with Lightning Rod, deterring opponents from spamming Electric-type attacks.
Mega Gyarados absolutely hates Grass-type opponents foes, so teammates Pokemon that can eliminate them work well as teammates are good (just saying "are good" sounded a bit awkward). Fire-type teammates include Heatran and Volcarona, while Bug-type teammates include Volcarona and Genesect, and Ice-types include Mamoswine and Kyurem-B. Volcarona can use Rage Powder to help Gyarados sweep and to redirect Bug-, Fighting-, and Fairy-type attacks aimed at Mega Gyarados. Wide Guard support is quite useful to prevent Gyarados from being hit by Discharges and Rock Slides, both of which are threats to Gyarados. To increase the amount of setup opportunities for Gyarados, you can consider choosing one of the many team support options in Doubles that has access to one of the following: Fake Out, Follow Me, Rage Powder, Light Screen, Reflect, or a sleep status move. These candidates Pokemon that can use these moves include Amoonguss, with access to Rage Powder and Spore, (RC) as well as and a resistance to Electric-type attacks; Togekiss for its great bulk, resistance to Fighting, and access to Follow Me; Meowstic for its access to Light Screen and Reflect to complement Mega Gyarados's already great bulk, (RC) as well as and Fake Out to allow setup opportunities; Klefki for its access to Light Screen and Reflect, and for its ability to cover Gyarados's good type synergy with Gyarados, (RC) whose Fire- and Ground-type weaknesses are covered.</p>
Utility
########
name: Utility
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Protect
move 4: Thunder Wave / Icy Wind
ability: Intimidate
item: Sitrus Berry
evs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spe
nature: Impish
Moves
========
Taunt is a great move to foil the opponent's support Pokemon, preventing them from setting up crippling field effects or using status moves. Waterfall is Gyarados's primary STAB move and has a good 20% chance to flinch. Protect is a staple move in Doubles to allow Gyarados to survive a turn, stall out field conditions, or make smart plays. Thunder Wave is a great move that severely cripples opponents foes and grants extremely potent speed control. Icy Wind is another option for speed control because it can temporarily slow down both opponents foes on the field.
Set Details
========
An Impish nature, (AC) 208 EVs in Defense, (AC) and 252 HP EVs are is used to grant maximize Gyarados's physical bulk greater Defense and to achieve the most out of its Defense EVs. 48 Speed EVs are used to let Gyarados outspeed the standard 76 Speed Heatran and use Taunt on Cresselia. Note that with the listed spread, Cresselia, a notable Taunt target, is also outsped. The rest of the EVs are placed into HP and Defense to get the maximum physical bulk. Sitrus Berry is a great item to allow Gyarados to recover 25% of its health in a pinch, granting it greater longevity to cripple foes further. Intimidate is mandatory to cripple the opponent's physical attackers on the field and is extremely helpful to cushion Gyarados's teammate from physical attacks.
Usage Tips
========
Gyarados is a great Intimidate user in Doubles, so it can also be switched in and out of the field early-game to cripple the opponent's physical attackers. Gyarados functions as a great pivot and can switch into many common attackers in the tier including Scizor, Mamoswine, and Talonflame. It can also function as a great lead against obvious Trick Room teams, Taunting the opposing Trick Room setter before it can set up. Gyarados should focus on speed control so that its teammates can sweep. When faster opponents foes have been slowed by Thunder Wave or Icy Wind, they can fall prey to Gyarados's faster Taunts and have their support moves halted.
Team Options
========
It is more important to pick teammates that benefit from the support Gyarados provides instead of teammates that can support Gyarados. Gyarados fits well with many Pokemon because it provides many support options, such as Taunt, Intimidate, and speed control, whilst needing little support itself. Taunt Gyarados can be a savior to fast, offensive teams to stop Trick Room. Particularly good teammates are strong sweepers such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Heracross, and Mega Charizard Y. They are strong beneficiaries of Intimidate, which complement their already decent bulk, and Taunt helps prevents speed control from the opposing team. Ground-types, such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Excadrill, serve as good defensive team options for Gyarados, as they cover Gyarados's Rock- and Electric-type weaknesses well.
Other Options
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A non-Mega Dragon Dance Gyarados can be used, but it forgoes the perks of Mega Gyarados's greater offenses and defenses. A bulky Dragon Dance Set with Sitrus Berry and Taunt is a great option, as it is able to provide reliable Intimidate support and still sweep the opponent. Substitute can also be used on other offensive sets. Choice Band and Choice Scarf sets can function as splendid late-game cleaners, but the restriction of moves and poorer STAB coverage makes them difficult sets to pull off. Return and Double-Edge can be used as strong neutral coverage with Waterfall and are Gyarados's hardest hitting attacks against Water-types. However, Double-Edge is more appropriate on Choice sets due to its unappealing recoil on a Dragon Dance set. Moxie can be used over Intimidate because Gyarados can get a boost or two before Mega Evolving, (AC) and becoming a menacing juggernaut. However, this is usually difficult to pull off, and Intimidate has more utility in the Doubles metagame. A Dragon Dance set with Lum Berry could work to set up on passive status users like Amoonguss. Wacan Berry or Charti Berry can be used to halve the damage dealt by super effective Electric- and Rock-type moves, respectively, possibly opening up strategic gameplays.</p>
Checks & Counters
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**Intimidate and Burns**: Being a physical attacker, Gyarados is hampered by opposing Intimidate and burns, which reduce its overall damage output. Some Intimidate users include Hitmontop, Landorus-T, and opposing Gyarados, while Will-O-Wisp users include Trevenant and Rotom-W. Care must be taken for Gyarados to avoid such scenarios. Gastrodon is also a notable counter to the utility set, as it is immune to all Gyarados's moves, (RC) and can burn it with Scald.
**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Gyarados is walled and is damaged super effectively by bulky Grass-types such as Amoonguss, Abomasnow, and Shaymin-Sky due to its Water / Ground type coverage. Ice Fang is an option to relieve this problem, but its low damage output may still leave complications. Electric-types such as Rotom-W, Mega Manectric, and Thundurus can pose major problems for the non-Mega Gyarados set, (RC) and must be avoided. Azumarill is also problematic for Mega Gyarados, (AC) as it and resists its Gyarados's Water-type STAB moves. Those Pokemon that can outspeed the Mega Gyarados set may be threatening as well. Breloom and Conkeldurr can revenge even a boosted Mega Gyarados with Mach Punch., (period -> comma) while Breloom also resists Gyarados's primary coverage moves.
**Speed Control**: Although Mega Gyarados is bulky enough to take multiple neutral hits, it hates being paralyzed or slowed by Trick Room being set up during its sweep, so these threats should be weakened or eliminated before trying to using Dragon Dance. Thundurus-I, (AC) in particular, (AC) is a nuisance due to its priority Thunder Wave.
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Gyarados is gifted with a great typing, resisting the common Fire-, Fighting-, Water- and Bug-type attacks while being immune to Ground. Additionally, a splendid ability in Intimidate makes it a great choice in Doubles even before it Mega Evolves. Meanwhile, Mega Gyarados's type change gives it a better match-up against certain threats that would normally halt Gyarados in its tracks, such as Rock-type attacks and Rotom-W. Furthermore, its Attack, Defense, (AC) and Special Defense are greatly increased when it Mega Evolves, granting it greater bulk and offensive power as well. An interesting ability in Mold Breaker allows Mega Gyarados to nullify the opponent's enemy's defensive abilities, in particularly Levitate, which allows Mega Gyarados free reign to spam Earthquake. Gyarados is extremely versatile and can perform the role of sweeper and supporter with moves like such as Thunder Wave and Taunt with great results. However, when taking an offensive route, it needs a Dragon Dance boost, as otherwise it's too slow to sweep.
Mega Dragon Dance
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name: Mega Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Protect / Stone Edge / Ice Fang
ability: Intimidate
item: Gyaradosite
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly
Moves
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Dragon Dance boosts Gyarados's Attack and Speed to make it more threatening. Waterfall is Gyarados's primary STAB move and has a good 20% chance to flinch. Earthquake is the mandatory spread move, easily beating Rotom-W, Gyarados's biggest counter, after Mega Evolution. Protect is a staple move in Doubles to allow Mega Gyarados to survive a turn, stall out field conditions, or make smart plays. Stone Edge helps Gyarados beat Kyurem-B, Thundurus, Zapdos, Abomasnow, and other Gyarados. Ice Fang deserves a mention for beating Garchomp, Shaymin-Sky, Zygarde, Amoonguss, and Breloom.
Set Details
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An Adamant nature is great for granting Mega Gyarados maximum power. It is more useful than a Jolly nature if two Dragon Dance can be set up. However, Jolly is a safer option, as Adamant Mega Gyarados cannot outspeed some faster threats even after a boost., (period -> comma) such as These include unboosted Shaymin-Sky and Deoxys-A as well as any other base 80 Speed Choice Scarf user with a positive nature. Thus, if Gyarados is using Ice Fang, it should have a Jolly nature to allow it to defeat Shaymin-Sky after a Dragon Dance. Maximum Attack and Speed investment is necessary to get the full effects from Dragon Dance. Intimidate makes it easier to set up Dragon Dance by crippling opponents foes, but Moxie can be useful if you can grab some KOs before you Mega Evolving. Mold Breaker is helpful, allowing Mega Gyarados to hit Gastrodon for neutral damage and Rotom-W and Gengar with Earthquake. With Mold Breaker, Stone Edge will be able to completely ignore Multiscale from Dragonite.
Usage Tips
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Gyarados is a great Intimidate user in Doubles, so it can also be switched in and out of the field early-game to cripple the opponent's physical attackers. Unlike other Mega Evolutions, you may not want to evolve Gyarados immediately due to the different type combinations of the two formes, (RC) and also Gyarados's ability to Intimidate. For example, when facing a Stone Edge, Rock Slide, or even an Electric-type attack, Gyarados may want to Mega Evolve ASAP immediately in order to survive the attacks and grab a boost. However, against threats such as Scizor and Conkeldurr, it is recommended to defer the Mega Evolution in fear of future Fighting- or Bug-type attacks. Furthermore, Mega Gyarados should be kept healthy until the late-game so that it can perform its role as a late-game cleaner. Timing is very crucial to success with Gyarados: know when it is safe to sweep and when you still need to continue to scout. The ability to cripple opponents foes with Intimidate is also invaluable. Just remember to use its teammates to back Gyarados up; they can help it set up a Dragon Dance and thus allow it to sweep, or they can soften its checks and counters before it sweeps.
Team Options
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As Mega Gyarados functions as a late-game cleaner, wallbreakers with high offenses such as Deoxys-A, Genesect, and Aegislash should considered as teammates. These include Deoxys-A, Genesect, and Aegislash. Kyurem-B is a great team option because it can plow through many of Gyarados's checks and counters, such as physically bulky Water-types with Fusion Bolt and Mega Venusaur with its STAB Ice Beam. Latios is also able to nuke physically bulky Water-types with strong special moves, (RC) while also packing Psyshock to and can defeat Mega Venusaur with with Psyshock. Talonflame is also a great teammate with access to priority Brave Bird to defeat problematic Fighting-types and Grass-types like Conkeldurr, (AC) Keldeo, (AC) Mega Venusaur, Conkeldurr, (RC) and Shaymin-Sky, and Keldeo respectively. Manectric can provide valuable support with Lightning Rod, deterring opponents from spamming Electric-type attacks.
Mega Gyarados absolutely hates Grass-type opponents foes, so teammates Pokemon that can eliminate them work well as teammates are good (just saying "are good" sounded a bit awkward). Fire-type teammates include Heatran and Volcarona, while Bug-type teammates include Volcarona and Genesect, and Ice-types include Mamoswine and Kyurem-B. Volcarona can use Rage Powder to help Gyarados sweep and to redirect Bug-, Fighting-, and Fairy-type attacks aimed at Mega Gyarados. Wide Guard support is quite useful to prevent Gyarados from being hit by Discharges and Rock Slides, both of which are threats to Gyarados. To increase the amount of setup opportunities for Gyarados, you can consider choosing one of the many team support options in Doubles that has access to one of the following: Fake Out, Follow Me, Rage Powder, Light Screen, Reflect, or a sleep status move. These candidates Pokemon that can use these moves include Amoonguss, with access to Rage Powder and Spore, (RC) as well as and a resistance to Electric-type attacks; Togekiss for its great bulk, resistance to Fighting, and access to Follow Me; Meowstic for its access to Light Screen and Reflect to complement Mega Gyarados's already great bulk, (RC) as well as and Fake Out to allow setup opportunities; Klefki for its access to Light Screen and Reflect, and for its ability to cover Gyarados's good type synergy with Gyarados, (RC) whose Fire- and Ground-type weaknesses are covered.</p>
Utility
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name: Utility
move 1: Taunt
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Protect
move 4: Thunder Wave / Icy Wind
ability: Intimidate
item: Sitrus Berry
evs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spe
nature: Impish
Moves
========
Taunt is a great move to foil the opponent's support Pokemon, preventing them from setting up crippling field effects or using status moves. Waterfall is Gyarados's primary STAB move and has a good 20% chance to flinch. Protect is a staple move in Doubles to allow Gyarados to survive a turn, stall out field conditions, or make smart plays. Thunder Wave is a great move that severely cripples opponents foes and grants extremely potent speed control. Icy Wind is another option for speed control because it can temporarily slow down both opponents foes on the field.
Set Details
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An Impish nature, (AC) 208 EVs in Defense, (AC) and 252 HP EVs are is used to grant maximize Gyarados's physical bulk greater Defense and to achieve the most out of its Defense EVs. 48 Speed EVs are used to let Gyarados outspeed the standard 76 Speed Heatran and use Taunt on Cresselia. Note that with the listed spread, Cresselia, a notable Taunt target, is also outsped. The rest of the EVs are placed into HP and Defense to get the maximum physical bulk. Sitrus Berry is a great item to allow Gyarados to recover 25% of its health in a pinch, granting it greater longevity to cripple foes further. Intimidate is mandatory to cripple the opponent's physical attackers on the field and is extremely helpful to cushion Gyarados's teammate from physical attacks.
Usage Tips
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Gyarados is a great Intimidate user in Doubles, so it can also be switched in and out of the field early-game to cripple the opponent's physical attackers. Gyarados functions as a great pivot and can switch into many common attackers in the tier including Scizor, Mamoswine, and Talonflame. It can also function as a great lead against obvious Trick Room teams, Taunting the opposing Trick Room setter before it can set up. Gyarados should focus on speed control so that its teammates can sweep. When faster opponents foes have been slowed by Thunder Wave or Icy Wind, they can fall prey to Gyarados's faster Taunts and have their support moves halted.
Team Options
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It is more important to pick teammates that benefit from the support Gyarados provides instead of teammates that can support Gyarados. Gyarados fits well with many Pokemon because it provides many support options, such as Taunt, Intimidate, and speed control, whilst needing little support itself. Taunt Gyarados can be a savior to fast, offensive teams to stop Trick Room. Particularly good teammates are strong sweepers such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Heracross, and Mega Charizard Y. They are strong beneficiaries of Intimidate, which complement their already decent bulk, and Taunt helps prevents speed control from the opposing team. Ground-types, such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Excadrill, serve as good defensive team options for Gyarados, as they cover Gyarados's Rock- and Electric-type weaknesses well.
Other Options
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A non-Mega Dragon Dance Gyarados can be used, but it forgoes the perks of Mega Gyarados's greater offenses and defenses. A bulky Dragon Dance Set with Sitrus Berry and Taunt is a great option, as it is able to provide reliable Intimidate support and still sweep the opponent. Substitute can also be used on other offensive sets. Choice Band and Choice Scarf sets can function as splendid late-game cleaners, but the restriction of moves and poorer STAB coverage makes them difficult sets to pull off. Return and Double-Edge can be used as strong neutral coverage with Waterfall and are Gyarados's hardest hitting attacks against Water-types. However, Double-Edge is more appropriate on Choice sets due to its unappealing recoil on a Dragon Dance set. Moxie can be used over Intimidate because Gyarados can get a boost or two before Mega Evolving, (AC) and becoming a menacing juggernaut. However, this is usually difficult to pull off, and Intimidate has more utility in the Doubles metagame. A Dragon Dance set with Lum Berry could work to set up on passive status users like Amoonguss. Wacan Berry or Charti Berry can be used to halve the damage dealt by super effective Electric- and Rock-type moves, respectively, possibly opening up strategic gameplays.</p>
Checks & Counters
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**Intimidate and Burns**: Being a physical attacker, Gyarados is hampered by opposing Intimidate and burns, which reduce its overall damage output. Some Intimidate users include Hitmontop, Landorus-T, and opposing Gyarados, while Will-O-Wisp users include Trevenant and Rotom-W. Care must be taken for Gyarados to avoid such scenarios. Gastrodon is also a notable counter to the utility set, as it is immune to all Gyarados's moves, (RC) and can burn it with Scald.
**Offensive Typing Advantage**: Gyarados is walled and is damaged super effectively by bulky Grass-types such as Amoonguss, Abomasnow, and Shaymin-Sky due to its Water / Ground type coverage. Ice Fang is an option to relieve this problem, but its low damage output may still leave complications. Electric-types such as Rotom-W, Mega Manectric, and Thundurus can pose major problems for the non-Mega Gyarados set, (RC) and must be avoided. Azumarill is also problematic for Mega Gyarados, (AC) as it and resists its Gyarados's Water-type STAB moves. Those Pokemon that can outspeed the Mega Gyarados set may be threatening as well. Breloom and Conkeldurr can revenge even a boosted Mega Gyarados with Mach Punch., (period -> comma) while Breloom also resists Gyarados's primary coverage moves.
**Speed Control**: Although Mega Gyarados is bulky enough to take multiple neutral hits, it hates being paralyzed or slowed by Trick Room being set up during its sweep, so these threats should be weakened or eliminated before trying to using Dragon Dance. Thundurus-I, (AC) in particular, (AC) is a nuisance due to its priority Thunder Wave.
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