Feraligatr

[The King of Harts]

Level Up Attacks:

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Lv1: Scratch,
Lv1: Leer
Lv1: Water Gun
Lv1: Rage
Lv6: Water Gun
Lv8: Rage
Lv13: Bite
Lv15: Scary Face
Lv21: Ice Fang
Lv24: Flail
Lv30: Agility
Lv32: Crunch
Lv37: Payment Plan (Target's stat changes doesn't affect this move.)
Lv45: Slash
Lv50: Screech
Lv58: Thrash
Lv63: Aqua Tail
Lv71: Superpower
Lv76: Hydro Pump

TM Compatability:

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TM01 - Claw Sharpen
TM02 - Dragon Claw
TM05 - Roar
TM06 - Toxic
TM07 - Hail
TM10 - Hidden Power
TM13 - Ice Beam
TM14 - Blizzard
TM15 - Hyper Beam
TM17 - Protect
TM18 - Rain Dance
TM21 - Frustration
TM26 - Earthquake
TM27 - Return
TM28 - Dig
TM31 - Brick Break
TM32 - Double Team
TM39 - Rock Tomb
TM40 - Aerial Ace
TM42 - Facade
TM44 - Rest
TM45 - Attract
TM48 - Troll
TM52 - Focus Blast
TM55 - Boiling Water
TM56 - Fling
TM65 - Shadow Claw
TM68 - Giga Impact
TM75 - Swords Dance
TM78 - Ground Leveling
TM80 - Rock Slide
TM82 - Dragon Tail
TM87 - Swagger
TM90 - Substitute
TM94 - Rock Smash
HM01 - Cut
HM03 - Surf
HM04 - Strength
HM05 - Waterfall
HM06 - Dive

Egg Moves:

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Crunch
Thrash
Hydro Pump
AncientPower
Mud Sport
Water Sport
Ice Punch
Metal Claw
Dragon Dance
Aqua Jet
Fake Tears
Block
Water Pulse

Feraligatr was always over shadowed by big brother Gyarados who can do everything he can, but better. But now in Gen 5, Feraligatr will find his own place in the competitive scene, and it's all thanks to Swimming Goggles and Encourage.

The Swimming Goggles increase Speed and Accuracy for all Water types. The amount is unknown, but even a 1.2x boost puts him at 336 Speed with a Jolly nature (faster than base +103s). Also, the free speed allows him to run his one advantage over Gyarados: Swords Dance. With 618 Attack, 336 Speed, and good bulk, he'll find a nice role as a clean up sweeper.

The other --and probably most important-- weapon added to Feraligatr's arsenal is his new Dream World ability Encourage. Encourage negates secondary effects such as flinch and freeze in exchange for a whopping 1.5 boost to their power. So now Waterfall has 180 BP, Ice Punch now has 112 BP, and dozens of other attacks get large boosts as well.

Swimming Goggles and Encourage don't gurantee he'll surge in usage, but they certainly don't hurt when you loot at his movepool and bulk.

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Possible Sets:

Swords Dancer
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Encourage
EVs 4 HP / 252 ATK / 252 SPE
Item: Swimming Goggles
-Swords Dance
-Waterfall
-Ice Punch
-Earthquake/Aqua Jet

Swords Dance takes Feraligatr's Attack to a huge 618. That combined with the power of Swimming Goggles and Encourage, makes Waterfall is a deadly attack. Ice Punch doesn't receive a boost from the goggles, but it does still get the Encourage one, making it useful smacking down the Dragons and Grass types that resist your STAB. Earthquake rounds out the coverage by letting you hit water types (particularly Empoleon) and is just a good all around attack. Aqua Jet is an option for a powerful priority.

Dragon Dancer
Nature: Jolly
Ability: Encourage
EVs 4 HP / 252 ATK / 252 SPE
Item: Life Orb
-Dragon Dance
-Waterfall
-Ice Punch
-Earthquake/Aqua Jet

What Dragon Dance lacks in initial power is made up in overwhelming Speed. Dragon Dance was always a staple, but Encourage has given it even more star power by boosting his two main forms of attack. With 420 Speed and 463 Attack, he's sure to make some huge dents.

Speedy Gator
Nature: Adamant
Ability: Encourage
EVs 28 HP / 252 ATK / 232 SPE
Item: Life Orb
-Agility
-Waterfall
-Ice Punch
-Earthquake

Encourage makes Agility a little more appealing now that he doesn't need to boost his offense. With 232 EVs in Speed he can safely out run Scrafed Garchomp and pretty much any other Pokemon. Waterfall, Ice Punch, and Earthquake provide flawless coverage and pack a whollop with the Life Orb. Aqua Jet isn't needed as he's more than likely faster than his opponent and he can handle most priority if healthy.

Honorable mentions go out to Shadow Claw and Rock Slide.

 

[TEA_DEMON]

If Encourage boosts the power of moves with no secondary effect, Aqua Tail is superior to Waterfall with Swimming Goggles.

I also think a Choice Band set with Dragon Tail could work... but I don't quite think Dragon Tail would be worth using in favour of coverage.

 

[Ontop]

If Encourage boosts the power of moves with no secondary effect, Aqua Tail is superior to Waterfall with Swimming Goggles.

It boosts the power of moves that HAS a secondary effect, but it will ignore the secondary effect, so Waterfall will be stronger but it's not gonna flinch. (IIRC)

 

[Euphonos]

But Aqua Tail is stronger than Waterfall. Well, it has the use of Swimming Goggles to its full extent.

 

[Ferdie]

Feraligatr is very cool pokemon so yeah it's nice too see him getting stronger.

Aqua Jet will be very important move in this metagame so I guess runnin' SD with AJ, Ice Punch and Rock Slide/Crunch/Earthquake would be pretty good set.

EDIT. oh I forgot Encourage so Waterfall is kind of must to have. So maybe SD/AJ/Waterfall/Rock Slide which gains Encourage boost too.

 

[BurningMan]

But Aqua Tail is stronger than Waterfall. Well, it has the use of Swimming Goggles to its full extent.

no its weaker than waterfall since waterfall gets a 1.5x boost and aqua tail gets nothing but better acc.

 

[Euphonos]

So, Encourage doesn't affect Aqua Tail?

 

[Ontop]

No.

If this guy stays UU he's problably gonna be top-noche there.

 

[AxelLow]

The swords dance set would be OU worthy with all the damage he would be packing.

That's kind of weird how encourage only effects moves with secondary effects. Are you sure? otherwise, it could use a whole lot more with encourage.

 

[Azlanslayer]

no its weaker than waterfall since waterfall gets a 1.5x boost and aqua tail gets nothing but better acc.

What do you mean Weaker? Aqua tail does more DAMAGE than Waterfall >_>. Both of them are water attacks, the only difference is that Waterfall is much more accurate. Where do you get the boost from? Torrent? Aqua Tail gets the boost too =]

 

[doomvendingmachine]

What do you mean Weaker? Aqua tail have more damage than Waterfall >_>. Both of them are water attacks. The only difference is that Waterfall is much more accurate. Where do you get the boost from? Torrent? Aqua Tail gets the boost too =]

No the boost is from encourage, encourage's effect is that if a move has a seccondary effect, it trades this secondary effect for a power boost (1.5 boost i think).

 

[AxelLow]

No the boost is from encourage, encourage's effect is that if a move has a seccondary effect, it trades this secondary effect for a power boost (1.5 boost i think).

Ah, ok. Now I understand it. Makes alot more since. Only with a second effect will the boost kick in. Although, swimming goggles might give enough of a boost to make aqual tail viable.

I like the idea of Rock Slide on his SD set since it'll turn that flinch chance into a very nice boost, hitting harder then stone edge.

 

[Max_LKC]

What do you mean Weaker? Aqua tail does more DAMAGE than Waterfall >_>. Both of them are water attacks, the only difference is that Waterfall is much more accurate. Where do you get the boost from? Torrent? Aqua Tail gets the boost too =]

ENCOURAGE boost the power of a move with secondary effects, waterfall secondary effect is FLINCH while aqua tail has NONE.Thus, waterfall becomes stronger, anyway if it neglects the secondary effect, wouldn't aqua jet(although its a priority move its still count as a secondary effect regardless am I right?) wont enable you to move first with encourage?

 

[Azlanslayer]

No the boost is from encourage, encourage's effect is that if a move has a seccondary effect, it trades this secondary effect for a power boost (1.5 boost i think).

Thanks alot, i'm confused with this new stuff. Like really, now the metagame changes... (ALOT)

ENCOURAGE boost the power of a move with secondary effects, waterfall secondary effect is FLINCH while aqua tail has NONE.Thus, waterfall becomes stronger, anyway if it neglects the secondary effect, wouldn't aqua jet(although its a priority move its still count as a secondary effect regardless am I right?) wont enable you to move first with encourage?

Yeah, understood.

 

[Choice Socks]

What do you mean Weaker? Aqua tail does more DAMAGE than Waterfall >_>. Both of them are water attacks, the only difference is that Waterfall is much more accurate. Where do you get the boost from? Torrent? Aqua Tail gets the boost too =]

Have you not read this thread?
To clarify to everyone, Feraligtr's new ability, Encourage, negates the secondary effects of moves and increases there power x1.5.
Aqua tail has no secondary effect, so its power is not increased.
Waterfall does have a secondary effect, which is negated (no more flinching) and its base power is increased by x1.5. Making waterfall more accurate and more powerful than Aqua Tail

 

[Azlanslayer]

Have you not read this thread?
To clarify to everyone, Feraligtr's new ability, Encourage, negates the secondary effects of moves and increases there power x1.5.
Aqua tail has no secondary effect, so its power is not increased.
Waterfall does have a secondary effect, which is negated (no more flinching) and its base power is increased by x1.5. Making waterfall more accurate and more powerful than Aqua Tail

Stop this, i have UNDERSTOOD.

 

[The King of Harts]

That's kind of weird how encourage only effects moves with secondary effects. Are you sure? otherwise, it could use a whole lot more with encourage.

I'm sure and he doesn't have a whole lot of options, but he has alright ones. Waterfall and Ice Punch are musts and his only other attacks that benefit from are:
Shadow Claw- Not so great coverage
Rock Slide- Very useable, but Ice Punch and Earthquake do the same thing, but better
Ground Leveling- It's a weaker Earthquake since it won't drop speed
Crunch- Same as Shadow Claw

Now, some question mark attacks are Thrash, Brick Break, and Ice Fang. The former two could fall under Encourage's effect, but no one knows for sure. We also don't know if Ice Fang gets a double boost since it can do two things (flinch AND freeze). If they do, both Thrash and Ice Fang will see some usage.

@Max_LKC
Priority isn't a secondary effect, it's a primary one. Aqua Jet will still hit first.

 

[Tortipouss]

What does ground levelling do exactly?

 

[The King of Harts]

What does ground levelling do exactly?

It's Ground attack with 60 BP/100 ACC/20 PP and it has a chance to lower speed.

 

[ginganinja]

I think that although Feraligatr has got certain new toys Gyarados will still overshadow it. The fact that Gyarados got Earthquake Spiral means that Feraligatr set risks being outclassed. The SD set is probably the reason to use Feraligatr over Gyarados imo.

 

[Luf]

Provided Encourage ignores second effects of moves, why not use Giga Impact? 150 BP + no recharge turn is pretty awesome.

 

[ginganinja]

Giga Inpact does not get boosted by Encourage

(Primary Effect instead of a secondary effect)

 

[DrunkRacoon]

here's a question: will Encourage remove the priority from Aqua Jet?

 

[ginganinja]

no, as posted above

 

[Panthera]

I think that although Feraligatr has got certain new toys Gyarados will still overshadow it. The fact that Gyarados got Earthquake Spiral means that Feraligatr set risks being outclassed. The SD set is probably the reason to use Feraligatr over Gyarados imo.

I'm really not seeing the appeal of Earthquake Spiral on Gyarados. Bulky sets needs Intimidate obviously, and DD sets...want Intimidate for the easier set up. It's a set up sweeper; the turn it spends dancing will be when the opponent switches in their best counter to it, so the attack boost is pretty meaningless when it only comes after the only thing that could tank +1 Waterfall is already dealt with. That ability seems useful on Scarf sets, since your opponent has to predict to avoid giving up the boost (and may have to choose between switching out something that won't be able to switch in ever again due to low health and letting you KO it and get the boost), but I doubt Gyarados is going to suddenly become a big Choice Scarf user. I do agree though that as far as Feraligatr goes, SD is going to be the big reason for using it over Gyarados.