[Overview]
<p>Lapras was always quite a unique pokemon. Back in Gen 4, Lapras was one among many bulky Waters running around the lower tiers. However, this shellfish distinguished himself from his brethren with a great movepool, both offensive and supportive alike. He could strike opponents hard with the notorious BoltBeam combo, force switches with Perish Song, or even sweep through teams with the boosting moves Curse and Dragon Dance. Now, in Gen 5, Lapras has received two godsends that only boost its potential to insane levels: Hydration and Drizzle Politoed. Because of Dream World, Lapras gets Hydration as an ability. This Lapras's Dream World ability, Hydration, coupled with Rest, unlimited Rain, and Lapras’ natural bulk, means he can allows him to hold his own with Drizzle support. Lapras can also use a 100% accurate Thunder under the Rain to damage other bulky Waters, or can nab a couple of boosts through Curse or Dragon Dance, safely Rest up thanks to Hydration, and attempt a sweep. Lapras also has a great support movepool, with moves like Perish Song and Toxic, which in conjunction with Rest can allow him to force switches or effectively stall out opponents respectively.</p>
<p>Though Lapras is a versatile pokemon with many strengths, he is not without his flaws. Unlike other Waters, such as Cloyster and Omastar, Lapras missed out on one of the best boosting moves: Shell Smash. His Ice typing also grants him a weakness to Stealth Rock, though it isn’t too much of a problem thanks to Hydration + Rest. Lapras also falls prey to the many new Fighting-types lurking around the standard environment, and is weak to the priority moves Vacuum Wave and Mach Punch. Lapras also has a low base 60 Speed, meaning Dragon Dance is the only way he can hope to outspeed anything in the metagame. One final significant problem for Lapras is the presence of various weather changers, all of whom can ruin Hydration. Despite his drawbacks, Lapras functions great excellently alongside Politoed and should seriously be considered for use on any Rain team.</p>
[SET]
name: LapDance (Dragon Dance)
move1: Dragon Dance
move2: Waterfall
move3: Return / Ice Shard
move4: Rest
item: Life Orb
ability: Hydration
evs: 252 Atk / 80 SpD / 176 Spe
nature: Jolly / Adamant
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Though he missed out on Shell Smash, Lapras still retains a great boosting move in Dragon Dance. The point of this set is to send Lapras out against a foe he who doesn’t threaten to KO you, nab a couple of boosts, Rest if necessary and proceed to sweep. Waterfall is your main Water-type STAB move, and at +1 can deal hefty amounts while under the Rain, coupled with a chance to flinch the opponent. Return is used in the third slot to hit foes who may resist Waterfall, such as Gyarados and Rotom-W. However, Ice Shard can be used to provide Lapras with an Ice-type STAB move, as well as letting him hit faster Scarfers. Rest is a must for this set, as it grants Lapras the ability to recover up all of his health before attempting to sweep.</p>
<p> The choice of nature depends on what you want Lapras to outspeed. With Jolly and the given EVs, Lapras can outspeed all positive base 100’s after a single boost. However, Adamant gives you the jump on neutral base 100’s while also giving you the ability to hit harder, while still outrunning neutral-natured base 100s. Life Orb is the preferred option on this set, as Lapras wants to be hitting as hard as it possibly can; the Attack EVs provided allow Lapras to do just so, while the Speed EVs are for what has been explained above. The remaining EVs have been placed in Special Defense so Lapras may better take hits aimed at his better defensive side.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p> Lapras can use Ice Shard in slot four to grant him three attacking moves, as Hydration can still be used to rid yourself Lapras of any paralysis or unsightly burns or paralysis. However, Rest is definitely the better choice, as it allows Lapras to recover all of its health before sweeping. Bulldoze can be used so Lapras can hit Jellicent, who walls you Lapras otherwise. The move also provides Lapras him with decent coverage, and the Speed drop can be used to so Lapras may force switches. Body Slam is an option over Return due to its chance of paralysis, though Lapras will outspeed most forms of opposition after a few Dragon Dances. Substitute is always there so Lapras can guarantee a Dragon Dance boost on a predicted switch. However, this means Lapras either has to sacrifice Rest or an attacking move, which it really should not do. Lapras can also run an alternative spread of 252 Atk / 36 SpD / 220 Spe with a Jolly nature so he may outspeed threatening base 108’s, such as Terakion and Infernape.</p>
<p>As far as teammates go, Drizzle Politoed is an absolute must, as the unlimited Rain keeps Hydration in effect allows Lapras’ Hydration to be kept intact. Ferrothorn is another great partner for Lapras, as the entry hazard support means Lapras may have an easier time picking off weaker foes. Packing a Dual Screener also benefits Lapras, as the temporary increase in bulk allows him to set up extra Dragon Dances. Good candidates for this include Reuniclus and Cresselia, both of whom can come in on any Fighting-type attack aimed at Lapras and safely set up screens thanks to their natural bulk. Speaking of which, Fighting-type attacks in general give Lapras a great deal of trouble. To get by this, Lapras should be paired with a bulky Ghost-type, such as Spiritomb or Cofagrigus, who can come in on any Fighting-type attacks Lapras may lure and use Will-O-Wisp to cripple the foe. Physical walls, namely Skarmory, can give Lapras a fair amount of trouble. Though Skarmory doesn’t like a +6 Rain boosted STAB Waterfall, it’s always nice to pair Lapras with Zapdos, who can KO Skarmory with a 100% accurate STAB Thunder.</p>
<p>Toxic Spikes support is also greatly appreciated on this set, as it allows Lapras to outstall the likes of Jellicent and Unaware Quagsire, both who can easily wall you. Tentacruel is a good candidate, as he also benefits from the Rain thanks to Rain Dish, and can come in on Fighting attacks aimed at Lapras. However, since Tentacruel shares a weakness many weaknesses with Lapras, Forretress is another option, as he shares nice type synergy with Lapras and can set up both Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock, as well as being able to Rapid Spin away any entry hazards set up by the opponent.</p>
<p>Two incredibly effective counters for this set are Unaware Quagsire and Water Absorb Jellicent. The former ignores all of Lapras’ Dragon Dance boosts and can force Lapras to switch, while the latter walls Lapras completely, only taking a small amount from Ice Shard. Ferrothorn also walls this set with great ease, and can use Lapras for set up fodder for Leech Seed and entry hazards and proceed to Power Whip away. However, he does not appreciate a +6 Waterfall under the Rain. Rotom-W also walls those who do not carry Return, and can either slowly wither wear down Lapras with Thunderbolt or Will-O-Wisp on the switch. Thunderus and Whimsicott also make good checks for Lapras, as they can stop an unboosted Lapras from setting up and beat Lapras with Thunderbolt and SubSeed respectively either Thunderbolt or SubSeed respectively.</p>
[SET]
Name: Curse
move1: Curse
move2: Rest
move3: Waterfall
move4: Toxic / Ice Shard
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
ability: Hydration
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
nature: Careful
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Unlike the Dragon Dancer, this Lapras sacrifices Speed so he may boost both his physical attack and Defense stats, which is exactly what Curse allows him to do. Both Curse an Rest are pretty self-explanatory, and the point of the set is essentially the same as the Dragon Dancer: find a good switch-in on whom you can set up on, gain a few boosts, and Rest before attempting a sweep. The latter is also very crucial for Lapras survivability, as it becomes an immense pain to take out once it has a few Curse boosts. Waterfall remains Lapras’s best STAB choice, as it packs quite a punch while under the Rain. Toxic is the best option for slot 4, as it lets Lapras beat the likes of Quagsire, Rotom-W, and Jellicent. However, if only one attacking move does not appeal to you, Ice Shard is the alternative, as it gives Lapras an Ice-type STAB move, as well as priority to bypass the Speed drops as a result of Curse.</p>
<p>For the choice of item, Leftovers is generally the better way to go if Lapras is only running Waterfall, as the Rain boost means Lapras can afford not to run a Life Orb. However, if you're using both Waterfall and Ice Shard and feel that Rest is all the recovery you need, Life Orb can be used for a push in power. The EVs given maximize Lapras’s special bulk so he may take both physical and special hits once he has obtained a few Curse boosts.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Because of his lack of a stellar physical movepool, Lapras really does not have too much else he can utilize. Return can be used do Lapras may hit Rotom-W and Gyarados, both of whom resist your STAB Waterfall. Bulldoze can be used to hit Empoleon, but finds little use outside of that. Avalanche is an interesting option, as it provides Lapras with an alternative Ice-type STAB. The negative priority is of little consequence thanks to the Speed drops from Curse, and when at full power its destructiveness easily makes up for this The negative priority also does not matter due to Curse dropping Lapras’s Speed, and it also means that the move will almost always be operating at full power (bar if the opponent switches or uses a set up move).</p>
<p>Just like all sets Lapras can runAs with all Lapras sets, Drizzle Politoed is the most important teammate, as the unlimited Rain support means Lapras can abuse Hydration + Rest to the fullest extent. Ferrothorn, once again, also makes a good partner for Lapras, as the entry hazard support gives Lapras an easier time KOing certain foes. If running Ice Shard in slot four, Toxic Spikes is are crucial for beating Quagsire and Jellicent. Tentacruel and Forretress make good choices, with the former benefiting from the Rain and the latter sharing a nice type synergy with Lapras. Packing a bulky Ghost-type, such as Cofagrigus or Evolite Dusclops, is a very efficient way for Lapras to deal with Fighting-type opposition, as the two can come in on any Fighting-type moves Lapras attracts and cripple the foe with Will-O-Wisp.</p>
<p>When countering this set, Ferrothorn does the best job, as he resists Lapras Water-type STAB and is immune to Toxic. Once sent in, Ferrothorn can use Lapras to set up Leech Seed and entry hazards and start Power Whipping. However, when Lapras reaches +6, Power Whip will not be inflicting as much damage, and Ferrothorn will not like taking a +6 Waterfall under the Rain. If not carrying Toxic, Unaware Quagsire can cause quite a problem, as he can ignore all of Lapras’ boosts and stall him out with a combination of Earthquake and Recover. Jellicent can do this as well, though a +6 Ice Shard can cause quite some damage.</p>
<p>As always, weather changers are a massive problem, as they easily nullify Lapras’s Hydration + Rest strategy. Bringing in a Tyranitar or Ninetales on a weakened Lapras means that the shellfish will either have to Rest or switch out, allowing a free setup meaning the two can set up a Dragon Dance or Nasty Plot respectively. However, they must beware when to switching in, as a predicted +6 Waterfall will seriously dent, if not KO the two weather changers (+6 waterfall would obviously KO. Also might want to mention switching in on Rest as an effective strategy).</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Lapras has a rather vast movepool, so the options he can utilize are not limited. Lapras can run a generic choice set, as he has enough of a movepool on both sides of the spectrum to do so. Due to instant recovery in the form of Rest, Lapras can run a Toxic stalling set with Substitute, Toxic, Rest, and Surf / Ice Beam. However, his bulk falls a bit short of abusing it to its fullest potential. Lapras can also use Thunder, Confuse Ray, and Waterfall to pull off a Parafusion set, though Lanturn generally pulls it off better.</p>
<p>Lapras has access to a fantastic special movepool as well, especially the use of the BoltBeam combo. Thunder can be used, as it receives 100% accuracy under the Rain. Lapras can also be used on a Hail team and abuse a 100% accurate Blizzard. However, because of Hydration, Rain is the best form of weather that for Lapras should be under. Ice Breath is an interesting move Lapras can utilize on a special set, as it always results is a critical hit. Lapras also has access to Sleep Talk, but because of Hydration, the move is completely useless (err yeah completely useless and quite possibly illegal with Hydration). Sing is a way in which Lapras can provide sleep support; however, the 55% accuracy really is not worth it. Foresight give the Dragon Dancer a way to hit Jellicent, but however, it faces incredible competition to find a slot (in all honesty this is an awful idea). Lapras can also utilize a Perish trapper set with the moves Perish Song, Whirlpool, Rest, and Surf / Ice Beam along with a Grip Claw to KO troubling foes.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>When countering Lapras, Jellicent is the first thing to come to mind. With his typing and Water Absorb, he is immune to both Waterfall and Return and resists Ice Shard, and can stall out variants who do not carry Toxic. Ferrothorn is another great counter, as he resists Lapras’s Water-type STAB and can use Lapras as a set up fodder. However, Ferrothorn must be wary, as and a Waterfall at +6 while under the Rain can seriously put a dent his in its HP. Quagsire who pack Unaware also wall Lapras, as they can ignore all of his boosts and slowly Earthquake away. However, they must be wary when facing the Curse set, as Lapras can easily outstall Quagsire with Toxic.</p>
<p>Preventing Lapras from initially setting up in the first place is always a good thing to do, as you needn’t fear the consequences later. Thunderus and Whimsicott do a fine job at of this, as they can easily Taunt either Curse or Dragon Dance set thanks to Prankster, and use Thunderbolt and Leech Seed, respectively The duo can then either Thunderbolt or Leech Seed Lapras respectively.</p>
<p>In general, Fighting-types give Lapras a tough time, since they can easily threaten his set up. Conkeldurr deserves a special mention, as he can bypass the Dragon Dance variant’s speed with a STAB super effective Mach Punch. Conkeldurr also does not mind taking a Toxic from the Curse set due to Guts, and can retaliate with a Drain Punch.</p>
