[SET]
name:
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
nature: Careful
evs: 248 HP / 156 Def / 96 SpD / 8 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>While RestTalk Roar Gyarados should only be used on stall teams with lots of entry hazards, this version plays nicely on any team looking for a solid mixed wall. Instead of Roaring out your opponents, this Gyarados threatens to set up against them and clean up their team. He excels at countering Fire-types (especially Heatran and any Infernape without Stone
Edge), while still performing very well against the likes of Scizor and Lucario.
And By forgoing Attack and investing in both defenses, Gyarados
gains the capability to set sets up against Pokemon who would otherwise be considered his counters, such as Celebi, Empoleon, Swampert (without
Roar), and Vaporeon (without Hidden Power Electric).</p>
<p>With a Careful nature, 96 Special Defense EVs ensure that a defensive Celebi's Grass Knot
never inflicts more than 32%, meaning it will never
3HKO; Empoleon's Grass Knot is about
as equally powerful (Empoleon will rarely get a Petaya boost against this Gyarados), so these two will find themselves watching idly as Gyarados boosts his Attack and Speed.
It This spread also guarantees that Heatran's Fire Blast has only a very small chance to 3HKO after a Flash Fire (or Choice Specs) boost. 8 Speed is a minimal investment, but
it is enough to outrun the neutral-natured base 100 Speed group after a single Dragon Dance, which can
make mean the difference between winning the game and being flinched to death by
Jirachi; it also outspeeds Timid Rotom-A. The remainder goes into Defense to
help Gyarados take physical attacks
better, and this is further aided—Gyarados' physical hit-taking ability is compounded by Intimidate.
This Gyarados laughs in the face of Breloom, as he does not fear Spore or any of Breloom's other attacks. Finally, with all these investments this, Gyarados will even be able to beat out powerful mixed attackers, including the big three Dragon-types of OU: Kingdra, Flygon, and Dragonite.
Lastly, with the Defense investment, Gyarados will chuckle at the sight of an opposing Breloom, with no fear of Spore.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>While it may be tempting to start using Dragon Dance right away, like you would with any offensive Gyarados set, it's important to keep in mind that this Gyarados is primarily a wall and should be kept in good condition.
And Unlike with the more conventional offensive sets, this Gyarados will virtually never be able to smash through your opponent's team early
on in a battle. Gyarados is more of a “win condition”—you can depend on him to
be able to finish up in the late-game, but only if you've gotten rid of any potential threats. This primarily refers to users of
Electric-type attacks Electricity, but also includes fast, powerful Rock-
type attackers like ScarfTar and Life Orb Aerodactyl. You
will definitely want at least one solid switch-in
for to threats like Jolteon and Zapdos. A Jolteon of your own will love
to switch switching into Thunderbolts, and will serve Gyarados very well by
eliminating doing away with Skarmory and Vaporeon. Swampert is also immune to Electric and carries a bonus Rock resistance, making him a natural choice
for a partner. Shaymin is an adorable alternative; she resists Electric, and with Gyarados around, needs not worry about Heatran or Blissey when
using firing off her powerful Seed Flare.</p>
<p>
Uniquely, Toxic Spikes are very helpful to this Gyarados, since opponents like Celebi will be constantly forced to heal away damage instead of spamming Grass Knot
critical hits. A single layer is great, but with two layers, Gyarados will be
able to challenge assured victory against the likes of Vaporeon, Suicune, and Celebi
with assured victory. Removing Stealth Rock will make it considerably easier to bring Gyarados in and out, so either a fast Taunt lead or a Rapid Spin user is a good idea. Tentacruel and Forretress can both lay
down Toxic Spikes and use Rapid Spin, but
they aren't necessarily the sort of Pokemon that fit the same teams as Gyarados because their synergy with Gyarados is suspect as they pose little offensive threat (and Tentacruel shares his Electric weakness). An offensive Starmie with Rapid Spin is more suitable, despite the shared
Electric weakness, because it can lure in Rotom-A and take it down with a manly Hydro Pump. Overall, remember that this Gyarados is more of a supporter than a supportee; he's probably not a Pokemon to build your team around.</p>
<p>Theoretically, one could put an offensive twist on this set by investing heavily in Speed and possibly Attack in order to threaten opponents
earlier, while maintaining some longevity and a virtual immunity to status. After a Dragon Dance, 88 Speed outruns Jolly Jirachi and Timid Zapdos, which should be the minimum for any
offensive variants set like this. Below that, you could aim to beat Jolly Lucario and Timid Roserade, but
Roserade is nearly always used in the lead slot and Lucario will simply ExtremeSpeed you anyway. Gliscor, although somewhat annoying with Taunt, will never switch
into any Gyarados. 184 Speed will outspeed Starmie, although whether you'll be able to KO it with Waterfall is another matter. The problem with any fast, powerful RestTalk Gyarados is that he won't be able to wall and set-up against many of the same opponents, such as Celebi, who will beat you without Special Defense investment. Feel free to experiment, but this spread is tried and true, like a delicious lemon meringue pie.</p>
