Don't know if I'm allowed to do this but I wrote up a Lapras Revamp... The one online looked a little weak. By the way I have no idea how to upload the proper syntax so I might learn and re do it.
[OVERVIEW]
<p>Lapras represents the blue-collar Pokemon in the RBY metagame. Lapras does not have the flashy Psychic or Normal typing, the extremely high offensive stat, or an almost a total lack of weaknesses. Lapras survives by being a sort of jack-of-all-trades Pokemon; much like Snorlax, Lapras can fulfill many roles on a given team without much move changes. It primarily does this through its bulk and powerful STAB Blizzard. Lapras is one of the best checks to the Physicals in the game. No Tauros or Snorlax will ever try to beat a full health Lapras, and Rhydon and Golem are easily OHKOed. Lapras also can, with luck and Confuse Ray, have a chance against Chansey (pun intended), something few other non-exploding special attackers can claim. Lapras also happens to be one of the best Exeggutor counters in the game, as it out speeds and 2HKO’s it with Blizzard. Lapras serves as a stopgap check to almost anything; Lapras’ bulk and movepool allows it to take a hit and retaliate with an appropriate response.</p>
<p>However, there is a Pokemon Lapras is often compared to: Starmie. Starmie has the holy grail of stalling in RBY with an instant recovery move, the Psychic typing, and a much higher speed stat, giving it a doubled critical hit rate. Starmie also eventually beats Lapras one on one with its Thunderbolt. While the competition often leads to Lapras’ underuse, Lapras does have significantly greater physical and special bulk due to its enormous HP stat. This allows Lapras to be a much better response to Snorlax and Tauros than Starmie. Lapras needs to be played to its strengths in order to be effective, as it can be worn down relatively easily throughout the battle, but it often can throw a monkey wrench into an opponent’s plan when used correctly.</p>
[STANDARD]
Blizzard
Thunderbolt
Body Slam
Confuse Ray/Sing/Rest
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set can hit most Pokemon in the game for good damage. Blizzard allows Lapras to hammer Exeggutor, Zapdos, Golem, and Rhydon for a 2HKO on the former two and OHKO’s on the latter two. Blizzard hits for about as much as Alakazam’s Psychic, and even does a good deal to Chansey. Thunderbolt gives Lapras a good chance against its fellow Water types, hitting Starmie, Lapras, Cloyster, and especially Slowbro hard. Body Slam is all around a great tool to try and fish for a paralysis on an incoming Chansey and Starmie that often switch in on Lapras. It also gives an attack to effectively damage Chansey without wasting precious Blizzard PP.</p>
<p>The choice for the option in the last slot often can be difficult. Confuse Ray gives Lapras the ability to get lucky and defeat a Chansey. Although Body Slam is often only a 4HKO, Chansey can get hit with Confusion enough to prevent if from healing or attacking. Sing, on the other hand, acts as a surprise to the opponent. Despite its 55% accuracy, many people try to not to get their Chansey or Starmie slept. This gives Lapras the opportunity to sleep them, giving a much greater chance to defeat them. Sing should be run without a traditional sleep lead in order to preserve the surprise. Rest gives Lapras a chance to recover health, a crucial problem it often has. However, Lapras does not really hard wall any pokemon except Articuno, so it often struggles to wake up in any better condition than it was.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Lapras is often played in two ways. Lapras can either be conserved to fight the Physicals, or it can be used early game to try and get wreak havoc on an opponent. Lapras often does not carry a recovery move, and does not enjoy taking many Snorlax or Tauros Body Slams. As such, try to get Lapras in on an Earthquake or Blizzard to get the best use out of its abilities. As stated before, Lapras if often vulnerable to being worn down, and should be preserved if used to counter physicals. In its other role, Lapras often finds its way in on an Exeggutor to hammer the opponents core with a Blizzard or a status move. This can be used to scout an opposing team, or fish for a defeat on Chansey or Starmie. However, these roles are not mutually exclusive; Lapras can and often does of these roles both in the course of battle.</p>
<p>Lapras, despite being slow, has just enough speed to outspeed Exeggutor and Chansey. As such, Lapras does not enjoy being paralyzed, like most pokemon. Being paralyzed also allows Rhydon and Golem to counter Lapras, as they hammer it with Rock Slide. However, Lapras still functions under paralysis, as it doesn’t hamper it too much otherwise. Lapras should also be played as more than just a standalone pokemon. Lapras should try and form a core with something like an Exeggutor to take Ice attacks and Electric attacks. Rest Exeggutor plays well with Lapras as they can often play off of each other’s resistances to get Exeggutor through the sleep. Lapras can also be played with either Rhydon or Golem to try and chain switch a Blizzard for Lapras to switch in on. However, a smart opponent will often catch on and foil this the second time, so only try this once.</p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p>Despite Lapras’ relatively large movepool, it does not really have any other options. Lapras can try and Reflect to better help with Physicals, but Lapras’ most common switch ins are specialists, making Reflect useless. It does have some use if the opponent only has physicals left, though. Lapras can try and use Hyper Beam to finish off opposing Chansey, yet this strategy can fail due to people often switching out confused Pokemon. Lapras can fish for a good move with Mimic; a Lapras with Recover is very difficult to take down. However, this is very inconsistent, and Lapras has good enough options to take advantage of. Lapras could try and use a water move. However, Lapras already OHKOs Rhydon and Golem with Blizzard, making the only use of it to hit Jynx with a special attack.</p>
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
<p>Chansey and Starmie often prove to be good initial switch ins to Lapras. Chansey often can defeat Lapras by paralyzing and Thunderbolting it; Lapras' chances of luck beating Chansey drop significantly when it’s paralyzed. It should be noted that a Chansey without Thunderbolt is completely walled by Lapras, but Lapras won’t be able to do anything back, depending on what the final move is. Counter Chansey and Reflect Chansey wall Lapras right back unless Lapras gets really lucky with critical hits and confuse ray. While Starmie must watch for a Thunderbolt, it can often stall it out and hit Lapras with its own Thunderbolt. A series of bad luck can also doom Starmie, so it should not be relied on to take Lapras repeatedly, as it can be hammered by Thunderbolt.</p>
<p>Jolteon, and to an extent, Zapdos are good counters to Lapras. Both Thunderbolts do major damage to Lapras, however, Zapdos must avoid switching into Blizzard. Jolteon has a relatively good Special, so it can afford to switch in to a Blizzard. Switching into a Body Slam is not the greatest idea due to its Paralysis chance, though. Early-game, it might not be a good idea to reveal these two, as well. Alakazam also can provide a shaky check to Lapras. It can paralyze Lapras and then hit it with Psychic. However, it is 3HKO’ed by Blizzard and Body Slam, making it a shaky check.</p>
<p>Paralysis goes a long way to defeating Lapras. When a player uses Lapras, it is used a utility counter, so it will take damage and often paralysis. Lapras takes good damage from almost everything except ice attacks. Since it rarely carries Rest, a good plan to beating Lapras is to simply paralyze it and hit it with what is out. Lapras takes 40-47% of its health from a Tauros Hyper Beam, so getting in range is often all that’s needed to bum rush it in the end game.</p>
[OVERVIEW]
<p>Lapras represents the blue-collar Pokemon in the RBY metagame. Lapras does not have the flashy Psychic or Normal typing, the extremely high offensive stat, or an almost a total lack of weaknesses. Lapras survives by being a sort of jack-of-all-trades Pokemon; much like Snorlax, Lapras can fulfill many roles on a given team without much move changes. It primarily does this through its bulk and powerful STAB Blizzard. Lapras is one of the best checks to the Physicals in the game. No Tauros or Snorlax will ever try to beat a full health Lapras, and Rhydon and Golem are easily OHKOed. Lapras also can, with luck and Confuse Ray, have a chance against Chansey (pun intended), something few other non-exploding special attackers can claim. Lapras also happens to be one of the best Exeggutor counters in the game, as it out speeds and 2HKO’s it with Blizzard. Lapras serves as a stopgap check to almost anything; Lapras’ bulk and movepool allows it to take a hit and retaliate with an appropriate response.</p>
<p>However, there is a Pokemon Lapras is often compared to: Starmie. Starmie has the holy grail of stalling in RBY with an instant recovery move, the Psychic typing, and a much higher speed stat, giving it a doubled critical hit rate. Starmie also eventually beats Lapras one on one with its Thunderbolt. While the competition often leads to Lapras’ underuse, Lapras does have significantly greater physical and special bulk due to its enormous HP stat. This allows Lapras to be a much better response to Snorlax and Tauros than Starmie. Lapras needs to be played to its strengths in order to be effective, as it can be worn down relatively easily throughout the battle, but it often can throw a monkey wrench into an opponent’s plan when used correctly.</p>
[STANDARD]
Blizzard
Thunderbolt
Body Slam
Confuse Ray/Sing/Rest
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set can hit most Pokemon in the game for good damage. Blizzard allows Lapras to hammer Exeggutor, Zapdos, Golem, and Rhydon for a 2HKO on the former two and OHKO’s on the latter two. Blizzard hits for about as much as Alakazam’s Psychic, and even does a good deal to Chansey. Thunderbolt gives Lapras a good chance against its fellow Water types, hitting Starmie, Lapras, Cloyster, and especially Slowbro hard. Body Slam is all around a great tool to try and fish for a paralysis on an incoming Chansey and Starmie that often switch in on Lapras. It also gives an attack to effectively damage Chansey without wasting precious Blizzard PP.</p>
<p>The choice for the option in the last slot often can be difficult. Confuse Ray gives Lapras the ability to get lucky and defeat a Chansey. Although Body Slam is often only a 4HKO, Chansey can get hit with Confusion enough to prevent if from healing or attacking. Sing, on the other hand, acts as a surprise to the opponent. Despite its 55% accuracy, many people try to not to get their Chansey or Starmie slept. This gives Lapras the opportunity to sleep them, giving a much greater chance to defeat them. Sing should be run without a traditional sleep lead in order to preserve the surprise. Rest gives Lapras a chance to recover health, a crucial problem it often has. However, Lapras does not really hard wall any pokemon except Articuno, so it often struggles to wake up in any better condition than it was.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Lapras is often played in two ways. Lapras can either be conserved to fight the Physicals, or it can be used early game to try and get wreak havoc on an opponent. Lapras often does not carry a recovery move, and does not enjoy taking many Snorlax or Tauros Body Slams. As such, try to get Lapras in on an Earthquake or Blizzard to get the best use out of its abilities. As stated before, Lapras if often vulnerable to being worn down, and should be preserved if used to counter physicals. In its other role, Lapras often finds its way in on an Exeggutor to hammer the opponents core with a Blizzard or a status move. This can be used to scout an opposing team, or fish for a defeat on Chansey or Starmie. However, these roles are not mutually exclusive; Lapras can and often does of these roles both in the course of battle.</p>
<p>Lapras, despite being slow, has just enough speed to outspeed Exeggutor and Chansey. As such, Lapras does not enjoy being paralyzed, like most pokemon. Being paralyzed also allows Rhydon and Golem to counter Lapras, as they hammer it with Rock Slide. However, Lapras still functions under paralysis, as it doesn’t hamper it too much otherwise. Lapras should also be played as more than just a standalone pokemon. Lapras should try and form a core with something like an Exeggutor to take Ice attacks and Electric attacks. Rest Exeggutor plays well with Lapras as they can often play off of each other’s resistances to get Exeggutor through the sleep. Lapras can also be played with either Rhydon or Golem to try and chain switch a Blizzard for Lapras to switch in on. However, a smart opponent will often catch on and foil this the second time, so only try this once.</p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p>Despite Lapras’ relatively large movepool, it does not really have any other options. Lapras can try and Reflect to better help with Physicals, but Lapras’ most common switch ins are specialists, making Reflect useless. It does have some use if the opponent only has physicals left, though. Lapras can try and use Hyper Beam to finish off opposing Chansey, yet this strategy can fail due to people often switching out confused Pokemon. Lapras can fish for a good move with Mimic; a Lapras with Recover is very difficult to take down. However, this is very inconsistent, and Lapras has good enough options to take advantage of. Lapras could try and use a water move. However, Lapras already OHKOs Rhydon and Golem with Blizzard, making the only use of it to hit Jynx with a special attack.</p>
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
<p>Chansey and Starmie often prove to be good initial switch ins to Lapras. Chansey often can defeat Lapras by paralyzing and Thunderbolting it; Lapras' chances of luck beating Chansey drop significantly when it’s paralyzed. It should be noted that a Chansey without Thunderbolt is completely walled by Lapras, but Lapras won’t be able to do anything back, depending on what the final move is. Counter Chansey and Reflect Chansey wall Lapras right back unless Lapras gets really lucky with critical hits and confuse ray. While Starmie must watch for a Thunderbolt, it can often stall it out and hit Lapras with its own Thunderbolt. A series of bad luck can also doom Starmie, so it should not be relied on to take Lapras repeatedly, as it can be hammered by Thunderbolt.</p>
<p>Jolteon, and to an extent, Zapdos are good counters to Lapras. Both Thunderbolts do major damage to Lapras, however, Zapdos must avoid switching into Blizzard. Jolteon has a relatively good Special, so it can afford to switch in to a Blizzard. Switching into a Body Slam is not the greatest idea due to its Paralysis chance, though. Early-game, it might not be a good idea to reveal these two, as well. Alakazam also can provide a shaky check to Lapras. It can paralyze Lapras and then hit it with Psychic. However, it is 3HKO’ed by Blizzard and Body Slam, making it a shaky check.</p>
<p>Paralysis goes a long way to defeating Lapras. When a player uses Lapras, it is used a utility counter, so it will take damage and often paralysis. Lapras takes good damage from almost everything except ice attacks. Since it rarely carries Rest, a good plan to beating Lapras is to simply paralyze it and hit it with what is out. Lapras takes 40-47% of its health from a Tauros Hyper Beam, so getting in range is often all that’s needed to bum rush it in the end game.</p>
