http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-127923799 mega Gyarados sweeps :) .Outrage also should be viable for Mega Gyarados it can kill Dragon types and some other types
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Gyarados [GP 1/2]
- Thread starter Colonel M
- Start date
No offense but It is a bad idea. All dragons are hit hard by ice fang except for Kyurem-B. Moreover, being locked into Outrage gives free switchins and setup oppurtunities to fairies who can hit it with their super effective STAB attacks.
Umm also not sure if you noticed, but your opponent is using a Beedrill, Lunatone, Sucker Punch Mismagius, and a non-Mega Aerodactyl....
EDIT: Yep and also a Twister Dragonite, seemed to have missed that.
Last edited:
Not to mention, twister dragonite as well :P
let us begin
Colonel M
REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS
2/2
Great work!
Colonel M
REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS
Overview
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With a base 125 Attack stat and access to Dragon Dance, Gyarados is a Pokemon that boasts being an offensive powerhouse. Thanks to its typing, which gives it resistances to numerous common attacks such as Close Combat and U-turn, and two excellent abilities in Intimidate and Moxie, Gyarados can easily set up and tear massive holes in teams. That's not all, though—Gyarados's great defensive typing and access to Intimidate allows it to easily set up a Dragon Dance or function as a wall. Roar and Dragon Tail compliment Gyarados's typing and defensive stats, allowing it to pull off a defensive set with Rest and Sleep Talk. The sheer versatility Gyarados offers is not to be underestimated when building teams around it. Bear in mind that Gyarados's middling Speed, even after a Dragon Dance, can leave it prone to revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Garchomp, Choice Scarf Terrakion, and Deoxys-S. The weakness to Stealth Rock can also be crippling as it hampers Gyarados's longevity.
With the new generation, Gyarados is also was blessed with access to a Mega Evolution. Mega Gyarados swaps out its Flying-typing for Dark-type, allowing Mega Gyarados to set up on Pokemon that rely on using Stone Edge to take it out. Furthermore, Mega Gyarados's defensive stats significantly increase as well as its Attack. Mold Breaker, its new ability, allows Mega Gyarados to punish Pokemon that rely on Levitate to dodge Earthquake, Storm Drain to block its monstrous STAB Waterfall, and Unaware to ignore its stat boosts. Though Mega Gyarados obtains weaknesses to many notable moves such as Mach Punch and U-turn, it also loses its nasty quadruple weakness to Electric-type attacks. Gyarados is a very flexible Pokemon both offensively and defensively, and Mega Gyarados's capabilities only add to the number of ways in which it can provide for its team.
Mega Dragon Dance
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name: Mega Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Ice Fang / Substitute / Taunt
ability: Intimidate
item: Gyaradosite
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves
========
This set's goal is to set up a Dragon Dance in order to let Gyarados sweep opposing teams. Waterfall is Gyarados's main STAB as it provides steady power, perfect accuracy, and a bonus 20% flinch rate. Earthquake compliments Waterfall as it too has perfect accuracy and great power, while hitting many of the targets that otherwise resist STAB Waterfall while also bypassing the Attack drop caused by Aegislash's King's Shield. Thanks to Mold Breaker, Earthquake can strike Levitate users such as Rotom-W and Gengar. Ice Fang is Gyarados's best coverage option, as after a Dragon Dance, it can 2HKO Calm Mega Venusaur while still harming Latias, Garchomp, and Dragonite. Substitute may seem like an odd option on a set that doesn't utilize Leftovers as an item, however, (RC) it is great for helping Gyarados set up on targets such as Scizor and Heatran lacking Roar and Taunt while making Gyarados less prone to being revenge killed by Deoxys-S. Substitute can also prevent Intimidate from lowering Gyarados's Attack and prevent moves such as Will-O-Wisp, prankster Thunder Wave, and Leech Seed from crippling Gyarados. Taunt is a great option that shuts down Skarmory and Hippowdon from stopping Gyarados set up. With Mold Breaker Taunt permeates through Magic Bounce Espeon—which can be nifty in stopping Espeon from setting up Calm Minds or utilizing dual screens.
Bounce is also a viable alternative to use on this set, the purpose being to bypass Mega Venusaur and Keldeo as Gyarados in order to help Mega Gyarados sweep later in the game. After Stealth Rock, a +1 Bounce is capable of OHKOing Mega Venusaur 50% of the time without STAB, right? Imo that should be added to clarify and will also OHKO Amoonguss and Chesnaught. Stone Edge is great for hitting opposing Gyarados, Zapdos, and Kyurem-B while still hitting Dragonite. Bite can be used to hit Slowbro, Latias, and Latios; however, in most cases Bite is inferior due to its mediocre Base Power.
Set Details
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252 Speed EVs allow Gyarados to outspeed Adamant Dragonite before a boost. Intimidate is the recommended ability with this set as Gyarados and Mega Gyarados appreciate the Attack drop provided by Intimidate to maximize Gyarados's tanking capability while it uses Dragon Dance. Moxie, though not necessarily the best ability, is great for punishing opponents that use sacrifices to safely switch into their Gyarados check. Since Because Gyarados doesn't need to immediately Mega Evolve, Moxie can be utilized to give Mega Gyarados some extra power while lowering the number of Dragon Dances it needs to set up. Moxie also allows Gyarados to safely check Bisharp as Moxie does not give Defiant Bisharp +1 Attack when Gyarados switches in.
Usage Tips
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Gyarados has a very flexible Mega Evolution. Staying as regular Gyarados to utilize Intimidate and Flying-type's great resistances can help ease setting up for Mega Gyarados. Since Because Mega Gyarados will usually draw in attacks such as Keldeo's Secret Sword and Conkeldurr's Mach Punch, Gyarados can delay Mega Evolving in order to set up on some of Mega Gyarados's weaknesses that opponents may attempt to target. This can work also the other way, with Gyarados using its Flying typing to bait for a free Dragon Dance as it Mega Evolves Mega Gyarados. For example, Gyarados can switch into Landorus-T and Mega Evolve to take laughable damage from Stone Edge. Another great example is stalling out Gyarados's Mega Evolution to lure in Rotom-W and then immediately Mega Evolve to shut it down with a Mold Breaker Earthquake. Mega Gyarados has awesome bulk and can take emergency attacks at full health. When utilizing Moxie, Gyarados should be held back and used later in the game or when the opponent has a significant number of Pokemon to use as death fodder. Moxie should be stacked up as much as Gyarados possibly can before Mega Evolving as it will lose Moxie for Mold Breaker. The chosen coverage move is crucial to determining what Gyarados will need eliminated before it can attempt to sweep. Remember that Mega Gyarados's number one counter is Ferrothorn. Unless Gyarados is utilizing Bounce, Ferrothorn and Mega Venusaur being either weakened or eliminated is an absolute must for Gyarados to attempt to sweep.
Team Options
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Mega Gyarados is a Pokemon that has a very strong offensive presence, but, as always, it appreciates support from other Pokemon. Mega Gyarados is an excellent late-game cleaner so packing heavily offensive Pokemon such as Kyurem-B is a good idea. Kyurem-B can easily plow through many of Gyarados's checks and counters with Fusion Bolt and its STAB Ice Beam. Latias can also puncture Mega Venusaur thanks to STAB Psyshock, and it can also provide support with Defog. On the contrary Latios can be used as an offensive Defog user. Thanks to Hidden Power Fire, Skarmory and Ferrothorn become less of an issue. Talonflame is an excellent offensive teammate with access to Gale Wings and Brave Bird for taking out Conkeldurr and Breloom while using its STAB Flare Blitz to roast demolish Ferrothorn and Skarmory. Ferrothorn has multiple methods of supporting Gyarados, (AC) including through entry hazards, paralysis, and Leech Seed to help Gyarados recover health while setting up Dragon Dance. For removing entry hazards, consider Starmie for Rapid Spin and its ability to take on bulky Water-types and Mega Venusaur. For Defog users Scizor and Zapdos all both work well. Zapdos does well at beating bulky Water-types and keeping Ferrothorn on its toes with Heat Wave. Scizor can utilize its STAB U-turn to help Gyarados switch in. Prankster Thunder Wave can be a nuisance to Gyarados's sweep. For this reason Clefable and Sylveon are great teammates that can utilize Heal Bell and Wish to keep Mega Gyarados in tip-top shape.
Bulky Dragon Dance
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name: Bulky Dragon Dance
move 1: Substitute / Taunt
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Bounce
ability: Intimidate
item: Leftovers
evs: 88 HP / 192 Atk / 4 Def / 224 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
This set takes a different approach from Gyarados's full offensive sets. Gyarados utilizes its great typing, natural bulk, and Intimidate to set up multiple Dragon Dances and then attempt to sweep. Taunt and Substitute are the two possible moves of choice to help Gyarados set up Dragon Dances or sweep easier. Taunt does an excellent job of shutting down recovery and stopping moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, and Toxic from hampering Gyarados's sweep, while also preventing Roar and Whirlwind from forcing Gyarados out. Specifically, Taunt is great for threats such as Skarmory, Gliscor, and Gourgeist as the majority of their moveset is dependent on support moves such as Substitute, Roost, Whirlwind, and Will-O-Wisp. Substitute functions by preventing status from hampering Gyarados, also blocking weak attacks to ease setting up Dragon Dance, obtaining extra recovery from Leftovers, and preventing Gyarados from being easy to revenge kill. Bounce is Gyarados's best option for its attack. Bounce allows Gyarados to bypass its biggest counters—Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss, and Chesnaught—while the charge-up turn allows Gyarados to obtain extra health from Leftovers and protect its Substitute. Taunt and Bounce are great together because Taunt completely shuts down the opponent's attempts at blocking Bounce through Substitute or Protect.
Though Bounce is superior in most scenarios, Earthquake can be used to bypass any King's Shield mind games from Aegislash. Stone Edge is also an option to beat opposing Gyarados, Kyurem-B, and Rotom-W more easily.
Set Details
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The given EVs allow +1 Speed Gyarados to outspeed Timid Noivern. Furthermore, the HP and Defense EVs allow Gyarados to a burned Ferrothorn's Power Whip while behind a Substitute. It also prevents many Water-types such as Slowbro without Psyshock from breaking through Gyarados's Substitutes. The remaining EVs are placed into Attack to help Gyarados's attacks hit reasonably hard after a single Dragon Dance. With Stealth Rock, a +1 Bounce can OHKO Calm Mega Venusaur and max HP Conkeldurr. Gyarados can opt to go slower in exchange for extra power. After a Dragon Dance, 176 Speed EVs guarantee that Gyarados will outspeed Timid Starmie.
Usage Tips
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Bulky Dragon Dance Gyarados is a very flexible Pokemon due to its both offensive and defensive prowess. The choice between Substitute and Taunt is very crucial to knowing how to succeed with Gyarados setting up Dragon Dance. Taunt means running a few more risks with Dragon Tail, Scald, and Lava Plume; however, Substitute is still vulnerable to Roar, Whirlwind, and having Bounce blocked by Protect, Substitute, and King's Shield. Gyarados can switch into a variety of offensive and defensive Pokemon and begin setting up. With Taunt, Gyarados can switch into an opposing Skarmory and Taunt it to prevent it from using Whirlwind and Roost. Thanks to Intimidate and Gyarados's defensive EV spread, Brave Bird is a possible 5HKO, while Skarmory will continue to take recoil damage, making a 2HKO from a boosted Waterfall easier. Substitute is great against Pokemon such as Gastrodon that rely on status to cripple its opponents, letting Gyarados continuously set up Dragon Dance. Best of all, Substitute can make Gyarados more difficult to revenge kill.
Team Options
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This variation of Gyarados works exceptionally well on balanced teams that combine offensive and defensive Pokemon. Mega Venusaur is a great defensive Grass-types that can harass a lot of Gyarados's checks and counters with its great defenses and solid movepool. It can use its STAB Sludge Bomb to hit Unaware Clefable, while STAB Giga Drain eliminates Rotom-W. Hidden Power Fire further helps ease the the burden on Gyarados by defeating Ferrothorn.. (extra period) Ferrothorn resists many of Gyarados's weaknesses while being able utilize its kit to help Gyarados remain bulky with Leech Seed, ensure KOes with Stealth Rock, or slow down opponents with Thunder Wave. Water-types with Scald or Will-O-Wisp are great for luring in Ferrothorn to help Gyarados set up on those that rely on Power Whip. Rotom-W and Slowbro are great examples. Trevenant and Gourgeist are great examples of Pokemon that can use Will-O-Wisp and/or Leech Seed to aid Gyarados. Latias, Scizor, and Zapdos are great users of Defog. Scizor and Zapdos can use their STAB U-turn and Volt Switch, respectively, to pivot to Gyarados to help it set up. Latios is an offensive alternative to Latias for using Defog as it can leave dents in or KO various Pokemon such as Mega Venusaur, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory. Latias can utilize Defog to aid Gyarados and use its STAB Psyshock to prevent Mega Venusaur from bullying Gyarados. Thanks to Magnet Pull, Magnezone is great way of completely removing Steel-type threats such as Skarmory and Ferrothorn. Finally, this variation of Gyarados appreciates Wish and Heal Bell as Gyarados can be a major Pokemon for teams that need answers to checks. Sylveon and Clefable are great for sponging status and passing Wish around.
RestTalk
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name: RestTalk
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Roar / Dragon Tail / Dragon Dance
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
ability: Intimidate
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
nature: Impish
Moves
========
This set's purpose is mainly to utilize Intimidate and Gyarados's great typing and bulk as a defensive status absorber. With Rest and Sleep Talk, Gyarados can remove status, keep itself healthy, and not be completely vulnerable while staying asleep. Waterfall is the mandatory STAB move and helps Gyarados check potential threats such as Mega Charizard X, Heatran, and Talonflame. Roar and Dragon Tail keeps Gyarados from being setup bait. Alternatively, Roar can be used in order to bypass Substitute and Fairy-types. Dragon Tail will ignore Taunt and is Gyarados's best attack against Mega Charizard X.
Dragon Dance adds a little spice to this set as it allows Gyarados to trade the capability of forcing switches and instead slowly boost itself. Though mono-attacking Gyarados does suffer problems such as Rotom-W and Quagsire it can still set up multiple Dragon Dances on threats such as Scizor and Conkeldurr without Stone Edge. Earthquake is a viable alternative if you feel Gyarados needs to eliminate Mega Mawile, which is a 2HKO after Stealth Rock.
Set Details
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The given EVs and nature maximize Gyarados's physical bulk while using Intimidate to cripple physical threats such as Mega Charizard X and Talonflame. Leftovers is necessary on this set to keep Gyarados healthy.
Gyaradosite is an item that can be considered on a set like this. The way RestTalk Gyaradosite works is a bit different from the Leftovers RestTalk Gyarados. With Gyaradosite you first need to consider when to Mega Evolve. Even though Gyaradosite offers a boost in Gyarados's defenses, Gyarados also removes its Flying typing for a Dark typing. This can create mixed results when using RestTalk Gyarados in situations where it has to take on Pokemon such as Conkeldurr and Mega Charizard Y. Mold Breaker can be a nasty surprise when Unaware Quagsire thinks it can stop Gyarados's Dragon Dance boosts.
Usage Tips
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This set takes advantage of Gyarados's bulk. This Gyarados is great at taking on offensive threats such as Talonflame and Mega Charizard X. What's great about this Gyarados is that it can remain healthy most of the time and repeatedly switch in and out of the opponent while using Intimidate to weaken physical attackers. With Dragon Dance Gyarados can even set up on weaker attacking opponents such as Scizor without Knock Off. Removal of Stealth Rock is necessary to help Gyarados tank threats as much as possible.
Team Options
========
Stealth Rock is a great way of punishing the opposing Pokemon when shuffling them with Roar or Dragon Tail. Ferrothorn is a good teammate as it can lay down Stealth Rock to help Gyarados when it's phazing, spread paralysis to completely cripple offensive threats, and use Leech Seed to help Gyarados passively recover on some targets. Rapid Spin from Starmie works well at eliminating potential offensive threats and some defensive targets. Since Because Dragon Tail can be a liability against Fairy-types, Excadrill can be used to KO them with its STAB Iron Head while spinning away entry hazards. Mega Venusaur is also a great teammate because Gyarados's Intimidate can help it tank otherwise dangerous threats such as other Gyarados, Rotom-W, and Azumarill. Using another Pokemon with Intimidate such as Landorus-T and Krookodile can be great to scare off physically offensive threats or make them hit significantly weaker than normal.
When using Dragon Dance consider teammates that can eliminate Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Quagsire, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory. Latios is a great example as it puts a lot of offensive pressure on defensive teams and can use Defog to eliminate Stealth Rock. Alternatively Infernape can, literally, burn holes through a lot of Gyarados's checks and counters thanks to its awesome dual STABs. Clefable and Sylveon are excellent to pair with this variation of Gyarados as Clefable and Sylveon appreciate Gyarados being a good switch-in against Heatran.
Offensive Dragon Dance
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name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall / Aqua Tail
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Bounce / Stone Edge
ability: Moxie
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves
========
This Gyarados set trades any attempt at being bulky for pure offensive might. Waterfall is your Gyarados's primary STAB move while Earthquake tackles grounded Electric-types and does great damage on threats such as Aegislash. Aqua Tail is a stronger yet slightly more inaccurate alternative to Waterfall. With a Life Orb and Stealth Rock up, a +1 Aqua Tail can OHKO Mega Mawile, max HP Scizor, and Mega Charizard X. Bounce is the best option for Gyarados's final move to help it bypass Mega Venusaur and Keldeo. Alternatively, Stone Edge can be used to eliminate Zapdos, Dragonite, and Mandibuzz.
Considering Rotom-W is a huge counter to Gyarados, (AC) Double-Edge can 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery. Furthermore, +1 Double-Edge does a massive 61% minimum to even the most physically defensive Rotom-W. Double-Edge is illegal with Moxie, though, so Intimidate will have to be used as Gyarados's ability.
Set Details
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An Adamant nature with max Attack and Speed is recommended for this set to help maximize Gyarados's tyranny. The ability choice is tricky because they both are very good for this set. Intimidate is a viable ability to help Gyarados set up Dragon Dance; however, Moxie is very good with this set as Gyarados wants to set up as minimal amount of Dragon Dances as possible. Life Orb is great for maximizing Gyarados's power, (AC) and letting it 2HKOing Skarmory with a +1 Waterfall. Lum Berry is an alternative item to protect Gyarados from harmful status such as burns and paralysis.
Usage Tips
========
When using this set it is best to use Gyarados as either a late-game sweeper or a Pokemon that can create dents in the opponent's team mid-game. Thus, you want your opponent to save Pokemon as potential sacrifices for Gyarados to give it extra boosts in Attack thanks to Moxie. Though it may might seem questionable to use Gyarados as a Pokemon that punches holes instead of sweeping through the opponent's team, other Pokemon such as Mega Charizard X or Mega Charizard Y can take advantage of weakened threats and sweep through the remaining Pokemon. This is partly because this Gyarados should not attempt to set up too many Dragon Dances. Instead, this set wants to take advantage of one or two boosts and then utilize Moxie for the remaining attacking power that Gyarados might need. Life Orb is highly recommended due to the sheer power that Gyarados can have even after a single Dragon Dance. A Lum Berry can be used instead to help Gyarados obtain a second Dragon Dance or to safely 2HKO potential threats that rely on status to stop it.
Team Options
========
This variation of Gyarados appreciates powerful Pokemon that can pierce through teams and weaken them significantly to help Gyarados finish them off. Kyurem-B is a great example as it can handle Rotom-W with Substitute and Earth Power, Skarmory and bulky Water-types with Fusion Bolt, and it can at least threaten Mega Venusaur and physically defensive Ferrothorn with its STAB Ice Beam. Since Because this Gyarados doesn't use Gyaradosite, various Mega Evolutions can help beat holes through the opponent's team. Mega Charizard X can utilize Flare Blitz to burst through Skarmory and Ferrothorn while heavily damaging bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W with Dragon Claw. Entry hazard removal is very vital. Starmie can spin away hazards and wear out bulky Water-types, Skarmory, and Mega Venusaur, while Latias, Scizor, and Zapdos are great Defog teammates. (spacing was off) Latias can Defog for Gyarados while using its STAB Psyshock to harass Mega Venusaur. Zapdos can use STAB Thunderbolt or Volt Switch to tackle bulky Water-types. Scizor can utilize U-turn to help Gyarados pivot in easier. Latios is a great offensive teammate with Gyarados as it can also utilize Defog to clear out Stealth Rock while punishing Mega Venusaur with Psyshock, as well as Skarmory and Ferrothorn with Hidden Power Fire.
Other Options
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Choice Band and Choice Scarf can be used on Gyarados with Moxie as the ability. While having an immediate boost to power or Speed and using Moxie to help boost Gyarados's Attack may might seem appealing, it Gyarados is restricted to one attack and Waterfall isn't powerful enough without rain to be used as a standalone attack most of the time. Wacan Berry can be used on the offensive Gyarados set to survive Electric-type attacks; however, in most cases Life Orb is necessary to help Gyarados 2HKO threats. A bulkier set with Thunder Wave or Toxic, Taunt, Waterfall, and Roar or Dragon Tail can be used with Wish and cleric support. Thunder Wave can cripple some of Gyarados's offensive threats while Toxic wears down defensive threats. Though it requires a Lonely or Naughty nature, Fire Blast is Gyarados's fastest way of eliminating Ferrothorn and 2HKOing Skarmory.
Checks & Counters
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**Bulky Grass-types**: Without Bounce or Ice Fang, Gyarados is prone to Grass-types hampering its sweep. Ferrothorn, Gourgeist, Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss, and Chesnaught are the best examples as all of these have methods of crippling Gyarados or stopping its sweep. Ferrothorn is arguably the best counter to Gyarados thanks to its great typing and Power Whip, access to Stealth Rock, and capability of crippling Gyarados with Leech Seed or Thunder Wave. Ferrothorn's ability also is a major thorn to Gyarados since as Waterfall, Bounce, Bite, and Ice Fang are all contact moves. With Substitute, Gourgeist can stall out Bounce while utilizing Leech Seed, Will-O-Wisp, and STAB Seed Bomb to harass Gyarados Gourgeist. Mega Venusaur, (AC) and Amoonguss, and Chesnaught are more prone to Bounce. With STAB Giga Drain Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss can completely stop Gyarados's sweep while recovering their own health. Chesnaught can use Leech Seed and Spiky Shield to harass Gyarados or simply attack Gyarados with STAB Wood Hammer. STAB Hammer Arm hits Mega Gyarados super effectively due to its lack of the Flying type.
**Bulky Water-types**: Rotom-W is a great check to regular Gyarados thanks to its access to STAB Volt Switch and Will-O-Wisp to cripple Gyarados. Vaporeon is a huge nuisance to Gyarados as it can use Wish and Protect to stall out Bounce and cripple Gyarados with status. Unaware Quagsire can threaten regular Gyarados as it ignores all of its stat boosts.
**Physical Walls**: Physical walls such as Mandibuzz, Skarmory, and Mega Aggron can give Gyarados a lot of trouble. Mandibuzz can beat any Gyarados without Stone Edge while a +1 Foul Play will OHKO any offensive Gyarados. Bulky sets can be phazed out with Whirlwind and, without Stealth Rock, Mega Gyarados will fail to 2HKO with STAB Waterfall. Skarmory is only 2HKOed by a +1 Mega Gyarados's Aqua Tail or a +1 Life Orb Gyarados's Waterfall. While Taunt sets can screw up Skarmory, without it, Skarmory is capable of setting up Stealth Rock to limit Gyarados's opportunities to switch in, Spikes to hamper Mega Gyarados's switches, Roost to alleviate taken damage, or Whirlwind to phaze it out. It can also just attack Gyarados with its STAB Brave Bird. Mega Aggron can shrug off a boosted Earthquake from regular Gyarados thanks to Filter and set up Curse in front of it. Be wary of a Mold Breaker Earthquake from Mega Gyarados, as at - +1, Earthquake 2HKOes Mega Aggron. Mega Aggron can carry Stone Edge or phaze Gyarados it out with Roar or Dragon Tail. Umbreon can withstand a +1 Waterfall from regular Gyarados and OHKO back with STAB Foul Play. It can also use Roar to phaze out Gyarados, cripple it with a status move, or use Taunt to prevent Gyarados from setting up further. Clefable is a great counter as it can use Unaware to block non-Mega Gyarados's boosts while 3HKOing most Gyarados with a STAB Moonblast. Clefable can Encore Gyarados while it uses Dragon Dance or Substitute and cripple with status or allow a free switch to a partner.
**Choice Scarf Users**: Garchomp and Landorus-T can threaten regular Gyarados with Stone Edge while and both have access to STAB Earthquake to hit Mega Gyarados. Rotom-W can outspeed +1 Gyarados and shut it down with a STAB Volt Switch. Terrakion and Keldeo both outspeed +1 Gyarados and can OHKO with Stone Edge and Hidden Power Electric, respectively.
**Thundurus**: Thundurus gets a special mention here as a check because it can utilize Prankster Thunder Wave to shut down any Dragon Dance Gyarados set—especially when Substitute is missing from the set. It also packs a strong Thunderbolt that easily OHKOes regular Gyarados and does a lot of damage to Mega Gyarados.
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With a base 125 Attack stat and access to Dragon Dance, Gyarados is a Pokemon that boasts being an offensive powerhouse. Thanks to its typing, which gives it resistances to numerous common attacks such as Close Combat and U-turn, and two excellent abilities in Intimidate and Moxie, Gyarados can easily set up and tear massive holes in teams. That's not all, though—Gyarados's great defensive typing and access to Intimidate allows it to easily set up a Dragon Dance or function as a wall. Roar and Dragon Tail compliment Gyarados's typing and defensive stats, allowing it to pull off a defensive set with Rest and Sleep Talk. The sheer versatility Gyarados offers is not to be underestimated when building teams around it. Bear in mind that Gyarados's middling Speed, even after a Dragon Dance, can leave it prone to revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Garchomp, Choice Scarf Terrakion, and Deoxys-S. The weakness to Stealth Rock can also be crippling as it hampers Gyarados's longevity.
With the new generation, Gyarados is also was blessed with access to a Mega Evolution. Mega Gyarados swaps out its Flying-typing for Dark-type, allowing Mega Gyarados to set up on Pokemon that rely on using Stone Edge to take it out. Furthermore, Mega Gyarados's defensive stats significantly increase as well as its Attack. Mold Breaker, its new ability, allows Mega Gyarados to punish Pokemon that rely on Levitate to dodge Earthquake, Storm Drain to block its monstrous STAB Waterfall, and Unaware to ignore its stat boosts. Though Mega Gyarados obtains weaknesses to many notable moves such as Mach Punch and U-turn, it also loses its nasty quadruple weakness to Electric-type attacks. Gyarados is a very flexible Pokemon both offensively and defensively, and Mega Gyarados's capabilities only add to the number of ways in which it can provide for its team.
Mega Dragon Dance
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name: Mega Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Ice Fang / Substitute / Taunt
ability: Intimidate
item: Gyaradosite
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves
========
This set's goal is to set up a Dragon Dance in order to let Gyarados sweep opposing teams. Waterfall is Gyarados's main STAB as it provides steady power, perfect accuracy, and a bonus 20% flinch rate. Earthquake compliments Waterfall as it too has perfect accuracy and great power, while hitting many of the targets that otherwise resist STAB Waterfall while also bypassing the Attack drop caused by Aegislash's King's Shield. Thanks to Mold Breaker, Earthquake can strike Levitate users such as Rotom-W and Gengar. Ice Fang is Gyarados's best coverage option, as after a Dragon Dance, it can 2HKO Calm Mega Venusaur while still harming Latias, Garchomp, and Dragonite. Substitute may seem like an odd option on a set that doesn't utilize Leftovers as an item, however, (RC) it is great for helping Gyarados set up on targets such as Scizor and Heatran lacking Roar and Taunt while making Gyarados less prone to being revenge killed by Deoxys-S. Substitute can also prevent Intimidate from lowering Gyarados's Attack and prevent moves such as Will-O-Wisp, prankster Thunder Wave, and Leech Seed from crippling Gyarados. Taunt is a great option that shuts down Skarmory and Hippowdon from stopping Gyarados set up. With Mold Breaker Taunt permeates through Magic Bounce Espeon—which can be nifty in stopping Espeon from setting up Calm Minds or utilizing dual screens.
Bounce is also a viable alternative to use on this set, the purpose being to bypass Mega Venusaur and Keldeo as Gyarados in order to help Mega Gyarados sweep later in the game. After Stealth Rock, a +1 Bounce is capable of OHKOing Mega Venusaur 50% of the time without STAB, right? Imo that should be added to clarify and will also OHKO Amoonguss and Chesnaught. Stone Edge is great for hitting opposing Gyarados, Zapdos, and Kyurem-B while still hitting Dragonite. Bite can be used to hit Slowbro, Latias, and Latios; however, in most cases Bite is inferior due to its mediocre Base Power.
Set Details
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252 Speed EVs allow Gyarados to outspeed Adamant Dragonite before a boost. Intimidate is the recommended ability with this set as Gyarados and Mega Gyarados appreciate the Attack drop provided by Intimidate to maximize Gyarados's tanking capability while it uses Dragon Dance. Moxie, though not necessarily the best ability, is great for punishing opponents that use sacrifices to safely switch into their Gyarados check. Since Because Gyarados doesn't need to immediately Mega Evolve, Moxie can be utilized to give Mega Gyarados some extra power while lowering the number of Dragon Dances it needs to set up. Moxie also allows Gyarados to safely check Bisharp as Moxie does not give Defiant Bisharp +1 Attack when Gyarados switches in.
Usage Tips
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Gyarados has a very flexible Mega Evolution. Staying as regular Gyarados to utilize Intimidate and Flying-type's great resistances can help ease setting up for Mega Gyarados. Since Because Mega Gyarados will usually draw in attacks such as Keldeo's Secret Sword and Conkeldurr's Mach Punch, Gyarados can delay Mega Evolving in order to set up on some of Mega Gyarados's weaknesses that opponents may attempt to target. This can work also the other way, with Gyarados using its Flying typing to bait for a free Dragon Dance as it Mega Evolves Mega Gyarados. For example, Gyarados can switch into Landorus-T and Mega Evolve to take laughable damage from Stone Edge. Another great example is stalling out Gyarados's Mega Evolution to lure in Rotom-W and then immediately Mega Evolve to shut it down with a Mold Breaker Earthquake. Mega Gyarados has awesome bulk and can take emergency attacks at full health. When utilizing Moxie, Gyarados should be held back and used later in the game or when the opponent has a significant number of Pokemon to use as death fodder. Moxie should be stacked up as much as Gyarados possibly can before Mega Evolving as it will lose Moxie for Mold Breaker. The chosen coverage move is crucial to determining what Gyarados will need eliminated before it can attempt to sweep. Remember that Mega Gyarados's number one counter is Ferrothorn. Unless Gyarados is utilizing Bounce, Ferrothorn and Mega Venusaur being either weakened or eliminated is an absolute must for Gyarados to attempt to sweep.
Team Options
========
Mega Gyarados is a Pokemon that has a very strong offensive presence, but, as always, it appreciates support from other Pokemon. Mega Gyarados is an excellent late-game cleaner so packing heavily offensive Pokemon such as Kyurem-B is a good idea. Kyurem-B can easily plow through many of Gyarados's checks and counters with Fusion Bolt and its STAB Ice Beam. Latias can also puncture Mega Venusaur thanks to STAB Psyshock, and it can also provide support with Defog. On the contrary Latios can be used as an offensive Defog user. Thanks to Hidden Power Fire, Skarmory and Ferrothorn become less of an issue. Talonflame is an excellent offensive teammate with access to Gale Wings and Brave Bird for taking out Conkeldurr and Breloom while using its STAB Flare Blitz to roast demolish Ferrothorn and Skarmory. Ferrothorn has multiple methods of supporting Gyarados, (AC) including through entry hazards, paralysis, and Leech Seed to help Gyarados recover health while setting up Dragon Dance. For removing entry hazards, consider Starmie for Rapid Spin and its ability to take on bulky Water-types and Mega Venusaur. For Defog users Scizor and Zapdos all both work well. Zapdos does well at beating bulky Water-types and keeping Ferrothorn on its toes with Heat Wave. Scizor can utilize its STAB U-turn to help Gyarados switch in. Prankster Thunder Wave can be a nuisance to Gyarados's sweep. For this reason Clefable and Sylveon are great teammates that can utilize Heal Bell and Wish to keep Mega Gyarados in tip-top shape.
Bulky Dragon Dance
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name: Bulky Dragon Dance
move 1: Substitute / Taunt
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Bounce
ability: Intimidate
item: Leftovers
evs: 88 HP / 192 Atk / 4 Def / 224 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
This set takes a different approach from Gyarados's full offensive sets. Gyarados utilizes its great typing, natural bulk, and Intimidate to set up multiple Dragon Dances and then attempt to sweep. Taunt and Substitute are the two possible moves of choice to help Gyarados set up Dragon Dances or sweep easier. Taunt does an excellent job of shutting down recovery and stopping moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, and Toxic from hampering Gyarados's sweep, while also preventing Roar and Whirlwind from forcing Gyarados out. Specifically, Taunt is great for threats such as Skarmory, Gliscor, and Gourgeist as the majority of their moveset is dependent on support moves such as Substitute, Roost, Whirlwind, and Will-O-Wisp. Substitute functions by preventing status from hampering Gyarados, also blocking weak attacks to ease setting up Dragon Dance, obtaining extra recovery from Leftovers, and preventing Gyarados from being easy to revenge kill. Bounce is Gyarados's best option for its attack. Bounce allows Gyarados to bypass its biggest counters—Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss, and Chesnaught—while the charge-up turn allows Gyarados to obtain extra health from Leftovers and protect its Substitute. Taunt and Bounce are great together because Taunt completely shuts down the opponent's attempts at blocking Bounce through Substitute or Protect.
Though Bounce is superior in most scenarios, Earthquake can be used to bypass any King's Shield mind games from Aegislash. Stone Edge is also an option to beat opposing Gyarados, Kyurem-B, and Rotom-W more easily.
Set Details
========
The given EVs allow +1 Speed Gyarados to outspeed Timid Noivern. Furthermore, the HP and Defense EVs allow Gyarados to a burned Ferrothorn's Power Whip while behind a Substitute. It also prevents many Water-types such as Slowbro without Psyshock from breaking through Gyarados's Substitutes. The remaining EVs are placed into Attack to help Gyarados's attacks hit reasonably hard after a single Dragon Dance. With Stealth Rock, a +1 Bounce can OHKO Calm Mega Venusaur and max HP Conkeldurr. Gyarados can opt to go slower in exchange for extra power. After a Dragon Dance, 176 Speed EVs guarantee that Gyarados will outspeed Timid Starmie.
Usage Tips
========
Bulky Dragon Dance Gyarados is a very flexible Pokemon due to its both offensive and defensive prowess. The choice between Substitute and Taunt is very crucial to knowing how to succeed with Gyarados setting up Dragon Dance. Taunt means running a few more risks with Dragon Tail, Scald, and Lava Plume; however, Substitute is still vulnerable to Roar, Whirlwind, and having Bounce blocked by Protect, Substitute, and King's Shield. Gyarados can switch into a variety of offensive and defensive Pokemon and begin setting up. With Taunt, Gyarados can switch into an opposing Skarmory and Taunt it to prevent it from using Whirlwind and Roost. Thanks to Intimidate and Gyarados's defensive EV spread, Brave Bird is a possible 5HKO, while Skarmory will continue to take recoil damage, making a 2HKO from a boosted Waterfall easier. Substitute is great against Pokemon such as Gastrodon that rely on status to cripple its opponents, letting Gyarados continuously set up Dragon Dance. Best of all, Substitute can make Gyarados more difficult to revenge kill.
Team Options
========
This variation of Gyarados works exceptionally well on balanced teams that combine offensive and defensive Pokemon. Mega Venusaur is a great defensive Grass-types that can harass a lot of Gyarados's checks and counters with its great defenses and solid movepool. It can use its STAB Sludge Bomb to hit Unaware Clefable, while STAB Giga Drain eliminates Rotom-W. Hidden Power Fire further helps ease the the burden on Gyarados by defeating Ferrothorn.. (extra period) Ferrothorn resists many of Gyarados's weaknesses while being able utilize its kit to help Gyarados remain bulky with Leech Seed, ensure KOes with Stealth Rock, or slow down opponents with Thunder Wave. Water-types with Scald or Will-O-Wisp are great for luring in Ferrothorn to help Gyarados set up on those that rely on Power Whip. Rotom-W and Slowbro are great examples. Trevenant and Gourgeist are great examples of Pokemon that can use Will-O-Wisp and/or Leech Seed to aid Gyarados. Latias, Scizor, and Zapdos are great users of Defog. Scizor and Zapdos can use their STAB U-turn and Volt Switch, respectively, to pivot to Gyarados to help it set up. Latios is an offensive alternative to Latias for using Defog as it can leave dents in or KO various Pokemon such as Mega Venusaur, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory. Latias can utilize Defog to aid Gyarados and use its STAB Psyshock to prevent Mega Venusaur from bullying Gyarados. Thanks to Magnet Pull, Magnezone is great way of completely removing Steel-type threats such as Skarmory and Ferrothorn. Finally, this variation of Gyarados appreciates Wish and Heal Bell as Gyarados can be a major Pokemon for teams that need answers to checks. Sylveon and Clefable are great for sponging status and passing Wish around.
RestTalk
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name: RestTalk
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Roar / Dragon Tail / Dragon Dance
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
ability: Intimidate
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
nature: Impish
Moves
========
This set's purpose is mainly to utilize Intimidate and Gyarados's great typing and bulk as a defensive status absorber. With Rest and Sleep Talk, Gyarados can remove status, keep itself healthy, and not be completely vulnerable while staying asleep. Waterfall is the mandatory STAB move and helps Gyarados check potential threats such as Mega Charizard X, Heatran, and Talonflame. Roar and Dragon Tail keeps Gyarados from being setup bait. Alternatively, Roar can be used in order to bypass Substitute and Fairy-types. Dragon Tail will ignore Taunt and is Gyarados's best attack against Mega Charizard X.
Dragon Dance adds a little spice to this set as it allows Gyarados to trade the capability of forcing switches and instead slowly boost itself. Though mono-attacking Gyarados does suffer problems such as Rotom-W and Quagsire it can still set up multiple Dragon Dances on threats such as Scizor and Conkeldurr without Stone Edge. Earthquake is a viable alternative if you feel Gyarados needs to eliminate Mega Mawile, which is a 2HKO after Stealth Rock.
Set Details
========
The given EVs and nature maximize Gyarados's physical bulk while using Intimidate to cripple physical threats such as Mega Charizard X and Talonflame. Leftovers is necessary on this set to keep Gyarados healthy.
Gyaradosite is an item that can be considered on a set like this. The way RestTalk Gyaradosite works is a bit different from the Leftovers RestTalk Gyarados. With Gyaradosite you first need to consider when to Mega Evolve. Even though Gyaradosite offers a boost in Gyarados's defenses, Gyarados also removes its Flying typing for a Dark typing. This can create mixed results when using RestTalk Gyarados in situations where it has to take on Pokemon such as Conkeldurr and Mega Charizard Y. Mold Breaker can be a nasty surprise when Unaware Quagsire thinks it can stop Gyarados's Dragon Dance boosts.
Usage Tips
========
This set takes advantage of Gyarados's bulk. This Gyarados is great at taking on offensive threats such as Talonflame and Mega Charizard X. What's great about this Gyarados is that it can remain healthy most of the time and repeatedly switch in and out of the opponent while using Intimidate to weaken physical attackers. With Dragon Dance Gyarados can even set up on weaker attacking opponents such as Scizor without Knock Off. Removal of Stealth Rock is necessary to help Gyarados tank threats as much as possible.
Team Options
========
Stealth Rock is a great way of punishing the opposing Pokemon when shuffling them with Roar or Dragon Tail. Ferrothorn is a good teammate as it can lay down Stealth Rock to help Gyarados when it's phazing, spread paralysis to completely cripple offensive threats, and use Leech Seed to help Gyarados passively recover on some targets. Rapid Spin from Starmie works well at eliminating potential offensive threats and some defensive targets. Since Because Dragon Tail can be a liability against Fairy-types, Excadrill can be used to KO them with its STAB Iron Head while spinning away entry hazards. Mega Venusaur is also a great teammate because Gyarados's Intimidate can help it tank otherwise dangerous threats such as other Gyarados, Rotom-W, and Azumarill. Using another Pokemon with Intimidate such as Landorus-T and Krookodile can be great to scare off physically offensive threats or make them hit significantly weaker than normal.
When using Dragon Dance consider teammates that can eliminate Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Quagsire, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory. Latios is a great example as it puts a lot of offensive pressure on defensive teams and can use Defog to eliminate Stealth Rock. Alternatively Infernape can, literally, burn holes through a lot of Gyarados's checks and counters thanks to its awesome dual STABs. Clefable and Sylveon are excellent to pair with this variation of Gyarados as Clefable and Sylveon appreciate Gyarados being a good switch-in against Heatran.
Offensive Dragon Dance
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name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall / Aqua Tail
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Bounce / Stone Edge
ability: Moxie
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves
========
This Gyarados set trades any attempt at being bulky for pure offensive might. Waterfall is your Gyarados's primary STAB move while Earthquake tackles grounded Electric-types and does great damage on threats such as Aegislash. Aqua Tail is a stronger yet slightly more inaccurate alternative to Waterfall. With a Life Orb and Stealth Rock up, a +1 Aqua Tail can OHKO Mega Mawile, max HP Scizor, and Mega Charizard X. Bounce is the best option for Gyarados's final move to help it bypass Mega Venusaur and Keldeo. Alternatively, Stone Edge can be used to eliminate Zapdos, Dragonite, and Mandibuzz.
Considering Rotom-W is a huge counter to Gyarados, (AC) Double-Edge can 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery. Furthermore, +1 Double-Edge does a massive 61% minimum to even the most physically defensive Rotom-W. Double-Edge is illegal with Moxie, though, so Intimidate will have to be used as Gyarados's ability.
Set Details
========
An Adamant nature with max Attack and Speed is recommended for this set to help maximize Gyarados's tyranny. The ability choice is tricky because they both are very good for this set. Intimidate is a viable ability to help Gyarados set up Dragon Dance; however, Moxie is very good with this set as Gyarados wants to set up as minimal amount of Dragon Dances as possible. Life Orb is great for maximizing Gyarados's power, (AC) and letting it 2HKOing Skarmory with a +1 Waterfall. Lum Berry is an alternative item to protect Gyarados from harmful status such as burns and paralysis.
Usage Tips
========
When using this set it is best to use Gyarados as either a late-game sweeper or a Pokemon that can create dents in the opponent's team mid-game. Thus, you want your opponent to save Pokemon as potential sacrifices for Gyarados to give it extra boosts in Attack thanks to Moxie. Though it may might seem questionable to use Gyarados as a Pokemon that punches holes instead of sweeping through the opponent's team, other Pokemon such as Mega Charizard X or Mega Charizard Y can take advantage of weakened threats and sweep through the remaining Pokemon. This is partly because this Gyarados should not attempt to set up too many Dragon Dances. Instead, this set wants to take advantage of one or two boosts and then utilize Moxie for the remaining attacking power that Gyarados might need. Life Orb is highly recommended due to the sheer power that Gyarados can have even after a single Dragon Dance. A Lum Berry can be used instead to help Gyarados obtain a second Dragon Dance or to safely 2HKO potential threats that rely on status to stop it.
Team Options
========
This variation of Gyarados appreciates powerful Pokemon that can pierce through teams and weaken them significantly to help Gyarados finish them off. Kyurem-B is a great example as it can handle Rotom-W with Substitute and Earth Power, Skarmory and bulky Water-types with Fusion Bolt, and it can at least threaten Mega Venusaur and physically defensive Ferrothorn with its STAB Ice Beam. Since Because this Gyarados doesn't use Gyaradosite, various Mega Evolutions can help beat holes through the opponent's team. Mega Charizard X can utilize Flare Blitz to burst through Skarmory and Ferrothorn while heavily damaging bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W with Dragon Claw. Entry hazard removal is very vital. Starmie can spin away hazards and wear out bulky Water-types, Skarmory, and Mega Venusaur, while Latias, Scizor, and Zapdos are great Defog teammates. (spacing was off) Latias can Defog for Gyarados while using its STAB Psyshock to harass Mega Venusaur. Zapdos can use STAB Thunderbolt or Volt Switch to tackle bulky Water-types. Scizor can utilize U-turn to help Gyarados pivot in easier. Latios is a great offensive teammate with Gyarados as it can also utilize Defog to clear out Stealth Rock while punishing Mega Venusaur with Psyshock, as well as Skarmory and Ferrothorn with Hidden Power Fire.
Other Options
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Choice Band and Choice Scarf can be used on Gyarados with Moxie as the ability. While having an immediate boost to power or Speed and using Moxie to help boost Gyarados's Attack may might seem appealing, it Gyarados is restricted to one attack and Waterfall isn't powerful enough without rain to be used as a standalone attack most of the time. Wacan Berry can be used on the offensive Gyarados set to survive Electric-type attacks; however, in most cases Life Orb is necessary to help Gyarados 2HKO threats. A bulkier set with Thunder Wave or Toxic, Taunt, Waterfall, and Roar or Dragon Tail can be used with Wish and cleric support. Thunder Wave can cripple some of Gyarados's offensive threats while Toxic wears down defensive threats. Though it requires a Lonely or Naughty nature, Fire Blast is Gyarados's fastest way of eliminating Ferrothorn and 2HKOing Skarmory.
Checks & Counters
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**Bulky Grass-types**: Without Bounce or Ice Fang, Gyarados is prone to Grass-types hampering its sweep. Ferrothorn, Gourgeist, Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss, and Chesnaught are the best examples as all of these have methods of crippling Gyarados or stopping its sweep. Ferrothorn is arguably the best counter to Gyarados thanks to its great typing and Power Whip, access to Stealth Rock, and capability of crippling Gyarados with Leech Seed or Thunder Wave. Ferrothorn's ability also is a major thorn to Gyarados since as Waterfall, Bounce, Bite, and Ice Fang are all contact moves. With Substitute, Gourgeist can stall out Bounce while utilizing Leech Seed, Will-O-Wisp, and STAB Seed Bomb to harass Gyarados Gourgeist. Mega Venusaur, (AC) and Amoonguss, and Chesnaught are more prone to Bounce. With STAB Giga Drain Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss can completely stop Gyarados's sweep while recovering their own health. Chesnaught can use Leech Seed and Spiky Shield to harass Gyarados or simply attack Gyarados with STAB Wood Hammer. STAB Hammer Arm hits Mega Gyarados super effectively due to its lack of the Flying type.
**Bulky Water-types**: Rotom-W is a great check to regular Gyarados thanks to its access to STAB Volt Switch and Will-O-Wisp to cripple Gyarados. Vaporeon is a huge nuisance to Gyarados as it can use Wish and Protect to stall out Bounce and cripple Gyarados with status. Unaware Quagsire can threaten regular Gyarados as it ignores all of its stat boosts.
**Physical Walls**: Physical walls such as Mandibuzz, Skarmory, and Mega Aggron can give Gyarados a lot of trouble. Mandibuzz can beat any Gyarados without Stone Edge while a +1 Foul Play will OHKO any offensive Gyarados. Bulky sets can be phazed out with Whirlwind and, without Stealth Rock, Mega Gyarados will fail to 2HKO with STAB Waterfall. Skarmory is only 2HKOed by a +1 Mega Gyarados's Aqua Tail or a +1 Life Orb Gyarados's Waterfall. While Taunt sets can screw up Skarmory, without it, Skarmory is capable of setting up Stealth Rock to limit Gyarados's opportunities to switch in, Spikes to hamper Mega Gyarados's switches, Roost to alleviate taken damage, or Whirlwind to phaze it out. It can also just attack Gyarados with its STAB Brave Bird. Mega Aggron can shrug off a boosted Earthquake from regular Gyarados thanks to Filter and set up Curse in front of it. Be wary of a Mold Breaker Earthquake from Mega Gyarados, as at
**Choice Scarf Users**: Garchomp and Landorus-T can threaten regular Gyarados with Stone Edge while and both have access to STAB Earthquake to hit Mega Gyarados. Rotom-W can outspeed +1 Gyarados and shut it down with a STAB Volt Switch. Terrakion and Keldeo both outspeed +1 Gyarados and can OHKO with Stone Edge and Hidden Power Electric, respectively.
**Thundurus**: Thundurus gets a special mention here as a check because it can utilize Prankster Thunder Wave to shut down any Dragon Dance Gyarados set—especially when Substitute is missing from the set. It also packs a strong Thunderbolt that easily OHKOes regular Gyarados and does a lot of damage to Mega Gyarados.
2/2
Great work!
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Get rid of the Speed for Noivern on SubDD and drop it down to Greninja. Nobody uses Noivern...so yeah.
Can we finally get rid of the offensive DD set for normal Gyara? I've never seen it work before, Mega is vastly superior and it's easier to wall than Mega/still walled by a lot of the same things, plus a solid bit harder than SubDD normal to set up. I mean if I really want a DD breaker/mid-game hole puncher (like this set would be), I'd even rather use Dragonite or even Haxorus or something. I just can't see what makes this set worth using in general.
Mention at least SDef on RestTalk for Lando.
Can we finally get rid of the offensive DD set for normal Gyara? I've never seen it work before, Mega is vastly superior and it's easier to wall than Mega/still walled by a lot of the same things, plus a solid bit harder than SubDD normal to set up. I mean if I really want a DD breaker/mid-game hole puncher (like this set would be), I'd even rather use Dragonite or even Haxorus or something. I just can't see what makes this set worth using in general.
Mention at least SDef on RestTalk for Lando.
i know this has its second stamp, but it's something that was overlooked:
Overview
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With a base 125 Attack stat and access to Dragon Dance, Gyarados is a Pokemon that boasts being an offensive powerhouse. Thanks to its typing, which gives it resistances to numerous common attacks such as Close Combat and U-turn, and two excellent abilities in Intimidate and Moxie, Gyarados can easily set up and tear massive holes in teams. That's not all, though - Gyarados's great defensive typing and access to Intimidate allows it to easily set up a Dragon Dance or function as a wall. Roar and Dragon Tailcompliment complement Gyarados's typing and defensive stats, allowing it to pull off a defensive set with Rest and Sleep Talk. The sheer versatility Gyarados offers is not to be underestimated when building teams around it. Bear in mind that Gyarados's middling Speed, even after a Dragon Dance, can leave it prone to revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Garchomp, Choice Scarf Terrakion, and Deoxys-S. The weakness to Stealth Rock can also be crippling as it hampers Gyarados's longevity.
compliment is when you say you like someone's shoesand then invite them to join you in an activity that does not require shoes
complement is the word you're looking for, think of it as completing something else
Overview
########
With a base 125 Attack stat and access to Dragon Dance, Gyarados is a Pokemon that boasts being an offensive powerhouse. Thanks to its typing, which gives it resistances to numerous common attacks such as Close Combat and U-turn, and two excellent abilities in Intimidate and Moxie, Gyarados can easily set up and tear massive holes in teams. That's not all, though - Gyarados's great defensive typing and access to Intimidate allows it to easily set up a Dragon Dance or function as a wall. Roar and Dragon Tail
compliment is when you say you like someone's shoes
complement is the word you're looking for, think of it as completing something else
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