[overview]
**Draft Order**: (Round 6 onwards)
**Price Range**: (5-6 points)
**Overview**: Compared to other offensive Water-type Pokemon in Draft, Feraligatr’s greatest selling points are its great setup options and its ability, Sheer Force. With both Swords Dance and Dragon Dance at its disposal, Feraligatr can become very powerful and rip through opposing Draft teams that don’t account for it. However, Feraligatr is often passed over due to its disappointing Speed tier, which can cause it to be outsped by a great deal of Pokemon, and because it is less versatile compared to other Water-types. Feraligatr usually only fits on more offensive Draft teams that can pair it with other stronger wallbreakers while appreciating its handful of positive attributes.
Common Roles
========
**Dragon Dance Sweeper**: Feraligatr can use Dragon Dance to become both stronger and faster in order to defeat a wider range of targets. Furthermore, thanks to Sheer Force, it is free to use Life Orb without the recoil damage in order to break down opposing teams with its incredible power.
**Physical Wallbreaker**: Feraligatr can also focus on wallbreaking itself with Swords Dance to become significantly stronger in order to break more defensive Pokemon. This pairs especially well with Aqua Jet to ensure that Feraligatr can still defeat targets that will outspeed it.
**Defensive Pivot**: Feraligatr can create a great surprise factor as a defensive pivot by using its serviceable typing and bulk to support its team. Rather than going offensive, Feraligatr can attempt to go more defensive with moves such as Dragon Tail and Roar to phase out a dangerous sweeper while maintaining momentum with Flip Turn and decent power with Sheer Force.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Aqua Jet, Flip Turn, Liquidation
**Setup Moves**: Swords Dance, Dragon Dance, Agility
**Utility Moves**: Brick Break, Dragon Tail, Roar, Substitute
**Coverage**: Crunch, Earthquake, Ice Punch, Low Kick, Psychic Fangs, Rock Slide, Scale Shot, Shadow Claw, Stomping Tantrum, Superpower, Tera Blast, Trailblaze
Niche Moves
========
**Special Attacks**: Feraligatr can use Muddy Water alongside other special attacks such as Ice Beam to defeat physically bulky Pokemon by hitting their weaker Special Defense. However, this is highly situational as Feraligatr cannot boost its lackluster Special Attack stat.
**Curse**: Although Feraligatr wants to use one of its other moves for setting up, Curse can give it greater physical bulk, which can make revenge killing a harder prospect in rare scenarios.
**Counter**: On more defensive sets, Feraligatr can use Counter to take advantage of its serviceable bulk and KO an opponent.
**Facade**: This allows Feraligatr to have a useful move in the event of a burn.
**Rest**: Setup sweeper sets can use Rest as a way to regain health and create extra setup opportunities or capitalize on its boosts when it may have otherwise been revenge killed. This can also cure a status ailment that a foe has given.
Common Items
========
**Life Orb**: Life Orb is Feraligatr's best item in conjunction with Sheer Force and it rarely wants to run any other item, since it already provides a strong boost to its offenses without any major drawbacks.
**Lum Berry**: In games where status is going to be used to deny Feraligatr’s wallbreaking, Lum Berry can provide a crucial turn of setup, and it also allows Rest to be a one-time recovery move.
Niche Items
========
**Other Damage-Boosting Items**: Choice Band and Mystic Water can be useful for Feraligatr in scenarios where it will be using moves that are not boosted by Sheer Force, such as Earthquake and Low Kick.
**Choice Scarf**: Choice Scarf allows Feraligatr to outspeed naturally faster foes and deal immediate damage. This pairs especially well with Flip Turn to ensure that Feraligatr can maintain momentum even against a poor matchup.
**Resistance Berries**: Rindo or Wacan Berry can help Feraligatr set up in the face of a super effective attack or to deny a revenge kill from a faster foe.
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry can offer slightly more longevity for Feraligatr to avoid a 2HKO from an opponent and can help Feraligatr phase out a sweeper by surviving a hit.
**Mental Herb**: This can protect Feraligatr from moves such as Encore and Taunt, which would otherwise annoy it.
**Assault Vest**: This boosts the defensive profile for Feraligatr and gives it better Special Defense while still maintaining offensive pressure.
Tera
========
Like most Pokemon with access to Dragon Dance, Feraligatr can benefit from being a cheaper secondary Tera Captain that can boost the power of its coverage moves. Tera Water boosts the power of its STAB moves to become a stronger wallbreaker. Tera Grass can flip the script against opposing Water-types and remove its weaknesses. It can use Tera Fire and Electric to both gain a coverage move to beat specific targets and to protect itself from status conditions such as burn and paralysis, respectively. It can also make use of some defensive Tera types to set up easier, including Tera Fairy, Tera Ground, and Tera Dragon, the latter being invaluable, since it boosts Scale Shot damage.
Draft Strategy
========
Feraligatr is a powerful wallbreaker but not strong enough to win by itself. It fits best on hyper offense teams that aim to stack as many dangerous Pokemon as possible in order to overwhelm an opposing team with constant offensive pressure.
**Stronger Wallbreakers / Sweepers**: More powerful offensive Pokemon will take a lot of the weight off Feraligatr’s shoulders. Roaring Moon, Iron Valiant, and Dragonite are examples of powerful wallbreakers and sweepers that will either break down a team for Feraligatr to win more easily or benefit from Feraligatr’s own efforts. Pokemon such as Greninja and Keldeo can form a double Water-type core to wear down one another’s checks to enable a sweep.
**Dual Screens Setters**: Dual screens support from the likes of Klefki, Latias, and Jirachi are very effective, as they provide as many safe turns as possible so that Feraligatr and its teammates can set up safely to break down opposing defensive cores with repeated hits. Furthermore, this can allow Feraligatr to either set up multiple Dragon Dances or give it more freedom to run Swords Dance.
**Speed Control**: Feraligatr’s disappointing Speed tier requires faster Pokemon that can act as speed control. Pokemon such as Darkrai, Iron Boulder, and Meowscarada are good at meeting this requirement in a hyper offense draft.
**Pivots**: Pivots such as Zapdos, Landorus-T, and Galarian Slowking can help Feraligatr come on the field safely and avoid taking direct damage. In return, Feraligatr can help these Pokemon by pivoting itself out with Flip Turn.
Checks and Counters
========
**Faster Offensive Pokemon**: Feraligatr’s relatively less Speed means that it can be outsped by stronger and faster Pokemon that can defeat it safely, including Iron Valiant, Meowscarada, and Ogerpon-W. Some of these Pokemon can outspeed Feraligatr with a Speed-boosting item even if it’s at +2.
**Status Conditions**: Feraligatr hates status conditions that will negate its offensive capabilities and cause it to be worn down or become even slower, thus preventing a sweep.
**Chip Damage**: All types of entry hazards are going to annoy Feraligatr as they chip its health due toa lack of reliable recovery.
**Bulky Physical Walls**: Feraligatr can find itself checked by specific physical walls that don’t fear its coverage moves such as Alomomola, Rotom-W, and Sinistcha.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/patar136.571123/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/theuncultured.629845/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf.608304/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lustre.567354/
**Draft Order**: (Round 6 onwards)
**Price Range**: (5-6 points)
**Overview**: Compared to other offensive Water-type Pokemon in Draft, Feraligatr’s greatest selling points are its great setup options and its ability, Sheer Force. With both Swords Dance and Dragon Dance at its disposal, Feraligatr can become very powerful and rip through opposing Draft teams that don’t account for it. However, Feraligatr is often passed over due to its disappointing Speed tier, which can cause it to be outsped by a great deal of Pokemon, and because it is less versatile compared to other Water-types. Feraligatr usually only fits on more offensive Draft teams that can pair it with other stronger wallbreakers while appreciating its handful of positive attributes.
Common Roles
========
**Dragon Dance Sweeper**: Feraligatr can use Dragon Dance to become both stronger and faster in order to defeat a wider range of targets. Furthermore, thanks to Sheer Force, it is free to use Life Orb without the recoil damage in order to break down opposing teams with its incredible power.
**Physical Wallbreaker**: Feraligatr can also focus on wallbreaking itself with Swords Dance to become significantly stronger in order to break more defensive Pokemon. This pairs especially well with Aqua Jet to ensure that Feraligatr can still defeat targets that will outspeed it.
**Defensive Pivot**: Feraligatr can create a great surprise factor as a defensive pivot by using its serviceable typing and bulk to support its team. Rather than going offensive, Feraligatr can attempt to go more defensive with moves such as Dragon Tail and Roar to phase out a dangerous sweeper while maintaining momentum with Flip Turn and decent power with Sheer Force.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Aqua Jet, Flip Turn, Liquidation
**Setup Moves**: Swords Dance, Dragon Dance, Agility
**Utility Moves**: Brick Break, Dragon Tail, Roar, Substitute
**Coverage**: Crunch, Earthquake, Ice Punch, Low Kick, Psychic Fangs, Rock Slide, Scale Shot, Shadow Claw, Stomping Tantrum, Superpower, Tera Blast, Trailblaze
Niche Moves
========
**Special Attacks**: Feraligatr can use Muddy Water alongside other special attacks such as Ice Beam to defeat physically bulky Pokemon by hitting their weaker Special Defense. However, this is highly situational as Feraligatr cannot boost its lackluster Special Attack stat.
**Curse**: Although Feraligatr wants to use one of its other moves for setting up, Curse can give it greater physical bulk, which can make revenge killing a harder prospect in rare scenarios.
**Counter**: On more defensive sets, Feraligatr can use Counter to take advantage of its serviceable bulk and KO an opponent.
**Facade**: This allows Feraligatr to have a useful move in the event of a burn.
**Rest**: Setup sweeper sets can use Rest as a way to regain health and create extra setup opportunities or capitalize on its boosts when it may have otherwise been revenge killed. This can also cure a status ailment that a foe has given.
Common Items
========
**Life Orb**: Life Orb is Feraligatr's best item in conjunction with Sheer Force and it rarely wants to run any other item, since it already provides a strong boost to its offenses without any major drawbacks.
**Lum Berry**: In games where status is going to be used to deny Feraligatr’s wallbreaking, Lum Berry can provide a crucial turn of setup, and it also allows Rest to be a one-time recovery move.
Niche Items
========
**Other Damage-Boosting Items**: Choice Band and Mystic Water can be useful for Feraligatr in scenarios where it will be using moves that are not boosted by Sheer Force, such as Earthquake and Low Kick.
**Choice Scarf**: Choice Scarf allows Feraligatr to outspeed naturally faster foes and deal immediate damage. This pairs especially well with Flip Turn to ensure that Feraligatr can maintain momentum even against a poor matchup.
**Resistance Berries**: Rindo or Wacan Berry can help Feraligatr set up in the face of a super effective attack or to deny a revenge kill from a faster foe.
**Sitrus Berry**: Sitrus Berry can offer slightly more longevity for Feraligatr to avoid a 2HKO from an opponent and can help Feraligatr phase out a sweeper by surviving a hit.
**Mental Herb**: This can protect Feraligatr from moves such as Encore and Taunt, which would otherwise annoy it.
**Assault Vest**: This boosts the defensive profile for Feraligatr and gives it better Special Defense while still maintaining offensive pressure.
Tera
========
Like most Pokemon with access to Dragon Dance, Feraligatr can benefit from being a cheaper secondary Tera Captain that can boost the power of its coverage moves. Tera Water boosts the power of its STAB moves to become a stronger wallbreaker. Tera Grass can flip the script against opposing Water-types and remove its weaknesses. It can use Tera Fire and Electric to both gain a coverage move to beat specific targets and to protect itself from status conditions such as burn and paralysis, respectively. It can also make use of some defensive Tera types to set up easier, including Tera Fairy, Tera Ground, and Tera Dragon, the latter being invaluable, since it boosts Scale Shot damage.
Draft Strategy
========
Feraligatr is a powerful wallbreaker but not strong enough to win by itself. It fits best on hyper offense teams that aim to stack as many dangerous Pokemon as possible in order to overwhelm an opposing team with constant offensive pressure.
**Stronger Wallbreakers / Sweepers**: More powerful offensive Pokemon will take a lot of the weight off Feraligatr’s shoulders. Roaring Moon, Iron Valiant, and Dragonite are examples of powerful wallbreakers and sweepers that will either break down a team for Feraligatr to win more easily or benefit from Feraligatr’s own efforts. Pokemon such as Greninja and Keldeo can form a double Water-type core to wear down one another’s checks to enable a sweep.
**Dual Screens Setters**: Dual screens support from the likes of Klefki, Latias, and Jirachi are very effective, as they provide as many safe turns as possible so that Feraligatr and its teammates can set up safely to break down opposing defensive cores with repeated hits. Furthermore, this can allow Feraligatr to either set up multiple Dragon Dances or give it more freedom to run Swords Dance.
**Speed Control**: Feraligatr’s disappointing Speed tier requires faster Pokemon that can act as speed control. Pokemon such as Darkrai, Iron Boulder, and Meowscarada are good at meeting this requirement in a hyper offense draft.
**Pivots**: Pivots such as Zapdos, Landorus-T, and Galarian Slowking can help Feraligatr come on the field safely and avoid taking direct damage. In return, Feraligatr can help these Pokemon by pivoting itself out with Flip Turn.
Checks and Counters
========
**Faster Offensive Pokemon**: Feraligatr’s relatively less Speed means that it can be outsped by stronger and faster Pokemon that can defeat it safely, including Iron Valiant, Meowscarada, and Ogerpon-W. Some of these Pokemon can outspeed Feraligatr with a Speed-boosting item even if it’s at +2.
**Status Conditions**: Feraligatr hates status conditions that will negate its offensive capabilities and cause it to be worn down or become even slower, thus preventing a sweep.
**Chip Damage**: All types of entry hazards are going to annoy Feraligatr as they chip its health due to
**Bulky Physical Walls**: Feraligatr can find itself checked by specific physical walls that don’t fear its coverage moves such as Alomomola, Rotom-W, and Sinistcha.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/patar136.571123/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/theuncultured.629845/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf.608304/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/lustre.567354/
Last edited:
