[OVERVIEW]
Gyarados's all-around typing with great resistances to Fire, Ground, and Fighting allows it to check a plethora of common threats in UU such as Infernape and Mamoswine; however, a 4x weakness to Electric while also being weak to as well as a Stealth Rock weakness hinders both its defensive and offensive capabilities. Its decent offensive STAB moves in Waterfall and Bounce coupled with its coverage options and access to Dragon Dance make it an amazing setup sweeper with its access to Dragon Dance. However, despite having quite a few options, Gyarados has a hard time fitting all the coverage it needs to sweep. It has access to two incredible abilities, (AC) with Intimidate providing setup opportunities while and Moxie allows allowing Gyarados to snowball the opponent ("snowball out of control" or "snowball over the opposing team" or something, but this isn't really working) after netting an OHKO or two. One major downside for Gyarados, especially the defensive set, is its lack of reliable recovery outside of RestTalk, forcing it to rely on ("sit out" maybe, but not "rely on") sleep turns to continue dealing with the opponent.
[SET]
name: Splashin' Around (Substitute + Dragon Dance)
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Bounce / Earthquake
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Substitute gives Gyarados an immunity to status, (AC) which can cripple cut its sweep short. (or just "cripple it") Dragon Dance is the obligatory setup move, giving Gyarados sweeping potential after just one boost. Waterfall is Gyarados's main STAB move, hitting most of the tier for strong great neutral damage as well as hitting Fire- and Ground-type Pokemon (RC) such as Entei and Krookodile super effectively. Bounce is the best option Gyarados has for a Flying STAB move, but it still allows Gyarados to hit Grass-types, such as Roserade and Shaymin, as well as hitting Pokemon with Water immunities, such as Toxicroak and Heliolisk. However, since it is a two-turn move, the opponent can just switch (double space)out into something that can tank the hit. Earthquake can be is an option over Bounce that doesn't require to wait a turn before it hits and hits common switch-ins such as Empoleon and Heliolisk.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed EVs with a Jolly nature allow Gyarados to outspeed positive-natured base 80s such as Chandelure and Mamoswine and OHKO them with its Water-type STAB move as well as outspeed Mega Sceptile and Mega Beedrill at +1. Leftovers is best used with Substitute, (AC) as it provides Gyarados with a form of passive recovery, allowing for more potential Substitutes. A Jolly nature allows Gyarados to outspeed positive natured base 80s such as Chandelure and Mamoswine as well as outspeeding Mega Sceptile and Mega Beedrill at +1.
Usage Tips
========
This set aims to set up on Water-types that happen to lack a phazing option such as Alomomola and CroCune. Gyarados is meant to pivot in and out early- to mid-game, using Intimidate to check physical threats such as Mamoswine and Infernape. It must be wary of Stealth Rock being on the field, (AC) as it chips 25% of Gyarados's HP every time it switches in. Gyarados shouldn't set up until mid- to or late-game (AH) when certain checks such as Empoleon and Zapdos are gone or worn down to the point of being OHKOed at +1. Gyarados should only be switching in on physical threats, (AC) as its Stealth Rock weakness and its lack of invested bulk investment makes make it hard to tank hits as well as it wants to. If Gyarados lacks Lum Berry, (Lum isn't mentioned anywhere though?) it should avoid status at all costs, (AC) as all three statuses can cause it problems.
Team Options
========
Ground types such as Krookodile, (AC) Swampert, and Nidoqueen can provide amazing defensive synergy, (AC) as they are immune to Electric and resistant to Rock. They both can set Stealth Rock as well, aiding in a Gyarados sweep. Grass-types such as Shaymin and Roserade can help break down bulky Water-types that take can cripple Gyarados with a Scald burn or force it out via Roar. Entry hazard removal from Pokemon such as Salamence, Zapdos, and Forretress can remove Stealth Rock via Defog or Rapid Spin respectively, which severely hinders Gyarados's switchin opportunities to switch in. Other setup sweepers such as Swords Dance Cobalion or and Swords Dance Lucario can help Gyarados wear down each other's checks and counters, paving the way for either one to set up and sweep.
[SET]
name: Flying Sea Snake (Dragon Dance + 3 Three Attacks)
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Bounce / Earthquake
move 4: Earthquake / Double-Edge / Stone Edge
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
ability: Intimidate
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Dragon Dance is the foundation of this set, giving gives Gyarados a way to boost its Attack and Speed in one move. Waterfall is Gyarados's main STAB move, hitting Fire- and Ground-type Pokemon (RC) such as Chandelure and Mamoswine super effectively. Bounce is the only good Flying-type STAB Gyarados has access to. It gives Gyarados the ability to hit Grass-types, such as Chesnaught, as well as hitting Pokemon with Water immunities, such as Toxicroak, hard; however, it is requires two turns, (AC) which can allow the opponent to just switch into their Gyarados check. Earthquake provides Gyarados with a super effective move against Pokemon that typically can check it such as Empoleon and Heliolisk. Double-Edge has decent neutral coverage that and hits as hard as Waterfall without requiring a charge turn like Bounce, but it leaves Gyarados walled by Empoleon and Jellicent. Stone Edge allows Gyarados to lure eliminate opposing Zapdos that try to OHKO Gyarados with its their STAB moves.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed EVs with a Jolly nature allow Gyarados to outspeed positive-natured base 80s such as Gardevoir as well as faster Pokemon such as Mega Beedrill at +1. Lum Berry is the optimal choice to avoid prevent status from crippling Gyarados, (AC) while Life Orb can be nice to provide Gyarados with more initial power (RC) but leaves Gyarados it susceptible to status and being worn down quicker. Charti Berry is also a nice option to allow Gyarados to tank a Stone Edge from Aerodactyl, (Mega?) which outspeeds it at +1, and proceed to finish it off with a STAB Waterfall.
Usage Tips
========
Gyarados shouldn't be coming in until late-game (AH) when walls have been weakened or status users have been gotten rid of should it not carry a Lum Berry. Most of its checks don't have to be gone, but rather weakened, (AC) thanks to this set running more than one coverage move. The Stealth Rock weakness also means it can't pivot as easily as it wants to despite being a nice check to Mamoswine and Infernape.
Team Options
========
Mamoswine is a nice partner, (AC) as it provides an Electric immunity and can weaken a lot of Gyarados's checks, giving it an easier time setting up. Grass-types such as Whimsicott and Shaymin are even more important for this set, (AC) as they can break down bulky Water-types take that can cripple Gyarados with a Scald burn, (AC) while Gyarados can use special walls to set up and overpower the opponent opposing team. Healing Wish users such as Gardevoir can allow Gyarados to play more aggressively, (AC) as it can potentially set(space)up and sweep again potentially. Entry hazard support from Cobalion, Forretress, and Swampert can be really helpful in aiding in a Gyarados sweep. Forretress can also provide entry hazard removal to get rid of Stealth Rock and a slow Volt Switch to bring Gyarados in safely.
[SET]
name: Come At Me, Mamo! (Defensive)
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Roar / Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Intimidate
nature: Impish
evs: 216 HP / 184 Def / 52 SpD / 48 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Rest + Sleep Talk gives Gyarados a form of recovery that can also rid itself of status and allow it to continuously check the plethora of physical threats this set is meant to check such as Infernape, Mamoswine, Entei, and Cobalion, and more. Waterfall is a reliable STAB move that hits the Fire- and Ground-types super effectively that Gyarados tends to switch into. Toxic gives Gyarados an option to cripple bulky Water- and Grass-types such as Suicune, Swampert, and Tangrowth, (AC) as they which can comfortably take Gyarados' Water-type STAB. Roar is an option over Toxic, (AC) as it allows Gyarados to phaze out certain setup sweepers such as Cobalion, Suicune, and Reuniclus. Thunder Wave is another viable option over Toxic to give the team a form of speed control, (AC) and Gyarados's access to STAB Waterfall means Gyarados can paraflinch fairly well. Scald, coupled with Roar, allows Gyarados to phaze while burning the opponent, making it a very effective status spreader.
Set Details
========
Leftovers is the best item for Gyarados, (AC) as it gives it a form of passive recovery, allowing it to continue taking hits. An Impish nature further bolsters Gyarados's Defense stat. (makes more sense to discuss the nature here than to do so after you mention a couple other things that it does) The EV spread hits a Leftovers number, a jump point in Defense, enough Speed to outspeed Crawdaunt, (puke, so much technical terms that beginners don't understand... how about "maximizes Leftovers recovery, provides an extra point in Defense, and hits enough Speed to etc etc"?) and the rest is dumped into Special Defense, which gives you to give Gyarados a much better chance of surviving Infernape's +2 Grass Knot after Stealth Rock with Leftovers. It also avoids the 2HKO from Adamant Life Orb Mamoswine after Stealth Rock with Intimidate factored in with the provided nature. Rocky Helmet is also a nice option to punish U-turn users as well as getting chip damage on the opponent if they try to use Knock Off against Gyarados. An Impish nature further bolsters Gyarado's Defense stat. This particular set works well on entry hazard-stacking (AH) teams, (AC) as Roar can gain a ton of chip damage on the opponent while potentially stopping any sweepers from setting up.
Usage Tips
========
Gyarados should pivot in on common physical threats such as Mamoswine, Cobalion, and Infernape, (AC) as its invested bulk and Intimidate allows it to take repeated hits. It must watch out for Stealth Rock, (AC) as that cuts into its bulk heavily, leaving it susceptible to being overpowered.
Team Options
========
Entry hazards from the likes of Forretress, Swampert, and Roserade benefit this set very nicely, (AC) as it allows they allow Gyarados to rack up chip damage via Roar. Forretress can also provide entry hazard removal, (AC) which aids Gyarados's longevity, (AC) as Stealth Rock chips away 25% of its HP every time it switches in. However, most Defoggers such as Zapdos and Empoleon stack weaknesses with Gyarados, making it difficult to keep entry (RP) hazards off Gyarados' side of the field. Special walls such as Blissey and Florges are good partners, (AC) as they appreciate Gyarados's physical bulk to take on most physical attacks while they can tank most special attacks aimed at Gyarados. Krookodile and Cobalion can be really helpful in wearing down the opponent opposing team, (AC) as they can provide Stealth Rock support. Ground-types (AH) such as Swampert and Nidoqueen are really good as they resist Rock-type moves and are immune to Electric. Nidoqueen in particular is really nice, (AC) as it can provide power and Stealth Rock support.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Moxie is a really nice option on the offensive set for Gyarados, (AC) as it can help it muscle past it checks. Power Herb is an ok decent item to use, (AC) on Gyarados as it can get around the charge turn on Bounce one time to make sure to OHKO those bulky Grass-types. However, Gyarados would sorely miss Leftovers's recovery or Life Orb's power boost, (AC) and it doesn't guarantee that Gyarados will get rid of the bulk Grass-types. Crunch is a nice coverage option to get around bulky Psychic-types such as Cresselia and Reuniclus. Rest + Chesto Berry gives Gyarados a one-time recovery move after setting up, allowing it to boost and get rid of crippling status in one fell swoop.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Physical Walls**: Chesnaught can check Gyarados if it happens to have Spiky Shield to negate Bounce and a Grass-type STAB move as Bounce can be negated and Grass STAB allows Chesnaught to prevent Gyarados from setting up in its face. Roar does this as well by phazing Gyarados out. P2 Porygon2 can fully counter Gyarados with Discharge and Thunderbolt, (AC) as the former can cripple it while the latter is an OHKO. Zapdos can hard check Gyarados, (AC) as it has STAB Thunderbolt as well as being able to effectively run a physically defensive set.
**Faster Pokemon**: Mega Aerodactyl and Choice Scarf users such as Hydreigon and Salamence outspeed Gyarados at +1 and can KO or cripple it.
**Electric-types**: Heliolisk, Mega Ampharos, and Zapdos can all tank unboosted Gyarados's attacks if unboosted (dangler) and proceed to OHKO back with their STAB moves, (AC) as Gyarados is 4x weak to it them. They must, however, watch out for Gyarados's coverage, (AC) as it can hit them super effectively, (AC) in the two former two's case with Earthquake and in the latter's case with Stone Edge.
**Bulky Water-types**: Suicune and Empoleon can tank both of Gyarados's STAB moves and can proceed to phaze it out with Roar; however, Empoleon must watch out for a boosted Earthquake should it lack Shuca Berry. Milotic also gets a special mention, (AC) as it can stall out Bounce and DD Dragon Dance with Haze and access to reliable recovery.
**Prankster Pokemon**: Whimsicott can Encore Gyarados into Dragon Dance and gain momentum via U-turn, (AC) while Sableye can burn Gyarados, rendering it useless if its Lum Berry has been consumed or it doesn't have Lum Berry.
