IT'S GATR TIME
Overview
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- Recently gained Sheer Force which boosts its viability by so much
- has a myriad of moves that love sheer force boost; Waterfall, Ice Punch, Crunch
- Has access to priority in the form of Aqua Jet
- Has two amazing boosting moves: Dragon Dance and Swords Dance
- can set up on plenty of Pokemon thanks to its decent enough natural bulk of 85/100/83
- has somewhat average speed; can't outspeed some common scarfers at +1, fails to outspeed jolteon without Jolly
- SD can have 4mss because it can't run sd/ajet/waterfall/crunch/ice punch
- can't flinch with waterfall anymore because sheer force removes thats 10% chance :(
Dragon Dance
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name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Crunch
move 4: Ice Punch
ability: Sheer Force
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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- Dragon Dance for boosting
- Waterfall is strong STAB
- Crunch hits Cresselia, OHKOs phys def Slowking after prior damage with +1, and deals a lot of damage to Ghost-types, namely Doublade.
- Ice Punch hits Grass-types, namely Amoonguss, Tangrowth, and Torterra, while also hitting Tyrantrum and Druddigon
Set Details
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- Sheer Force for the boost to all its moves
- LO is amazing because the recoil is canceled thanks to Sheer Force but the effect is still there
- EV spread is classic max/max
- Jolly is used to outspeed Jolteon at +1, but Adamant is an option also, for more power.
- Lum Berry is an option to set up on status moves
Usage Tips
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- use it as a late-game set up sweeper, and set up on Pokemon that can't do much back or that it forces out. for example Aromatisse, AV Slowking, Emboar locked into Flare Blitz or Superpower (at -1 atk), Houndoom, Rhyperior, Steelix, etc.
- Don't set up if you expect the opponent has a Choice Scarf user that outspeeds Feraligatr at +1 and can KO it, for example Scarf Rotom-C or Delphox, which can hurt it with Grass Knot
Team Options
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- hazards work amazingly with DD Feraligatr. Qwilfish is excellent despite also being a Water-type, for its ability to set up both Spikes and Toxic Spikes. Crustle can also set up Spikes as well as Stealth Rock.
- Stealth Rock setters can include Cobalion, Rhyperior, and Druddigon. SR is important as it can turn many 2HKOs into OHKOs, biggest examples including Jellicent and Spiritomb.
- Swords Dance Cobalion is also good as a sweeping partner, and so is Swords Dance Virizion, both of which have decent synergy with Feraligatr, and they work well together by pressuring the opponent's walls in tandem with entry hazards.
- Wallbreakers like Choice Specs Meloetta, Choice Band Tyrantrum, Emboar, and Choice Specs Rotom-C can work well as they can break walls that this variant of Feraligatr has a hard time breaking
Swords Dance
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name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Aqua Jet
move 4: Ice Punch / Crunch
ability: Sheer Force
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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- Swords Dance doubles attack
- Waterfall is a strong STAB
- Aqua Jet is good priority for sweeping offensive teams
- Crunch hits Cresselia, OHKOs Slowking and Jellicent, while 2HKOing Doublade.
- Ice Punch hits Grass-types, namely Amoonguss, Tangrowth, and Torterra, while also hitting Tyrantrum and Druddigon
Set Details
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- Sheer Force for the boost to all its moves
- LO is amazing because the recoil is canceled thanks to Sheer Force but the effect is still there
- EV spread is simple max/max
- Jolly is an option but weak
- Lum Berry is an option to set up on status moves but also weak
Usage Tips
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- Set up on Pokemon such as Calm Mind Cresselia, Aromatisse, AV Slowking, Emboar locked into Flare Blitz or Superpower (at -1 atk), Houndoom, Rhyperior, Steelix, etc., and then just win lol
- used primarily as a wallbreaker thanks to its ridiculous power at +2 along with Sheer Force and Life Orb, but it can also work as a sweeper thanks to its access to Aqua Jet.
- against offensive teams, it's better to weaken Grass-types or faster Pokemon that can tank an Aqua Jet before setting up, as they could potentially ruin a sweep.
- The choice between Crunch and Ice Punch depends on whether you want to break Slowking or Grass-types easier.
Team Options
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- Entry hazards work well in tandem with its wallbreaking capabilities. Qwilfish can set up both Spikes and Toxic Spikes, while Crustle can set up Stealth Rock and Spikes.
- Stealth Rock setters include Cobalion, Druddigon, and Rhyperior.
- Faster sweepers work well with this as they can clean up after Feraligatr weakens or breaks the opponent's walls. These can include: Jolteon, Heliolisk, Scarf Rotom-C, Scarf Hitmonlee, and Scarf Durant.
- LO Whimsicott gets a notable mention for its ability to check Rotom-C while being a good fast sweeper in general, while being a decent switch in to Tangrowth if you decide to forego Ice Punch for Crunch
- if Ice Punch is chosen over Crunch, then having Dark-types to pressure both Jellicent and Slowking is a good idea. Drapion and Shiftry are both good for their access to Knock Off, while the former can even pursuit trap. Skuntank is also good because of its access to Pursuit.
Other Options
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- Agility
- Special attacking set
- SubSD / SubDD
- Block
- Earthquake / Superpower (but mostly useless coverage, although Superpower hits both Ferroseed and Abomasnow super effectively which is nice, but side effects arent nice)
Checks & Counters
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**Grass-types**: While they can't live a +2 Ice Punch, Amoonguss and Tangrowth both can live a +1 Ice Punch and either use Spore or Giga Drain, respectively, which can severely hinder Feraligatr. Although if Feraligatr is Adamant, then both of them would be KO'd by Ice Punch after Stealth Rock, unless both of them are fully invested in HP and Defense, in which case Tangrowth will always live while Amoonguss has approximately 60% chance of surviving. Rotom-C is another Grass-type that can outspeed unless Feraligatr is at +1 and it's not holding a Choice Scarf, and KO with Leaf Storm. It can also easily survive a +2 Aqua Jet. Ferroseed can be an annoyance thanks to its bulk, Iron Barbs, and the fact that it has Leech Seed and Thunder Wave. Abomasnow can easily survive any hit at +1, and KO Feraligatr with Giga Drain. However, it can't live a +2 Crunch after Stealth Rock.
**Residual Damage**: Feraligatr lacks direct counters that can switch in, so the best way to check or counter it is by indirect measures, such as laying down a layer of Toxic Spikes along with other entry hazards. Will-O-Wisp can also often stop a sweep, but users of the move are rare and can faint from Feraligatr's boosted attacks. Mega Banette is good as it has priority Will-O-Wisp that can stop Feraligatr in its tracks.
**Status**: Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp often cripple Feraligatr so much that it's dead weight, and bulky users such as Cresselia or physically defensive Slowking can live a +1 Crunch, but the latter can faint to a +2 Crunch from Adamant Feraligatr. Will-O-Wisp inducers include the aforementioned Banette which has priority on the move, along with Jellicent and Spiritomb, although they can be KO'd from +1 Crunch and Waterfall after Stealth Rock, respectively.
**Whimsicott**: Whimsicott can directly switch into Crunch or Waterfall, and should Feraligatr decide to set up, it can prevent that with Encore. It can't take Ice Punch, though. Additionally, it can have priority Stun Spore.
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