[OVERVIEW]
Feraligatr faces heavy competition from fellow physical Water-type Gyarados as a setup sweeper for offensive teams; however, it carves a niche for itself by being more immediately threatening with its ability Sheer Force as well as its access to a priority move in Aqua Jet. Feraligatr also has solid coverage, letting it heavily damage Water-resistant targets like Volcanion and Slowbro with Crunch or Salamence with Ice Punch. However, Feraligatr's average bulk and awkward Speed tier makes it easy to wear down, and even after a boost from Dragon Dance, it's easily outpaced by other boosted threats like Choice Scarf Galarian Zapdos and Gardevoir; it does not help that it often has to pick between hitting hard with Liquidation or picking off faster threats with Aqua Jet. These traits mean that Feraligatr fits exclusively on more offensive structures, with bulkier teams typically preferring Gyarados due to its better bulk and access to Intimidate.
[SET]
name: Setup Sweeper
move 1: Swords Dance / Dragon Dance
move 2: Aqua Jet / Liquidation
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Crunch
item: Life Orb
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
tera type: Dark / Water
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Details
====
Feraligatr can be a terrifying setup sweeper, either muscling through teams with Swords Dance or shoring up its lacking Speed with Dragon Dance. The STAB move of choice depends on what boosting move it opts to run. If Swords Dance is used, then Aqua Jet is preferred due to its status as a priority move, letting it pick off faster threats like Galarian Zapdos and Gengar. On Dragon Dance sets, Liquidation is preferred due to its higher, Sheer Force-augmented power. Ice Punch targets Grass- and Dragon-types that otherwise resist Feraligatr's STAB attacks, such as Chesnaught and Cyclizar, respectively, while Crunch dispatches the likes of Slowbro and Reuniclus. A Jolly nature lets it outrun unboosted Armarouge as well as Cyclizar at +1, while an Adamant nature lets it OHKO Fezandipiti after Stealth Rock chip with Liquidation after one Dragon Dance. Tera Dark gives Feraligatr the ability to break through Hisuian Goodra and Suicune; at +2 Attack, it guarantees an OHKO on the former and has a significant chance to do so after Stealth Rock damage for the latter. Tera Water further bolsters the power of its STAB attacks, notably letting it OHKO Galarian Weezing with a boosted Liquidation after Stealth Rock. Tera Water also gives it a significant chance to OHKO Gengar with Aqua Jet after hazard damage.
Feraligatr makes its home on offensive teams. Other physical attackers such as Maushold and Mamoswine pair nicely with Feraligatr, as they can wear down and eventually break shared checks like Galarian Weezing and Slowbro. Mamoswine in particular is able to remove Rocky Helmet from Pokemon like Chesnaught with Knock Off, giving Feraligatr some more longevity. Hazard support from the likes of Klefki and Terrakion further pressures checks like Suicune, with chip damage from Spikes and Stealth Rock letting it be OHKOed by a boosted Crunch. On bulky offense teams, Gardevoir makes for a great partner with Feraligatr by breaking through physical walls such as Galarian Weezing for it, tricking Choice Scarf onto checks like Registeel, and giving it a second chance to break with Healing Wish. In exchange, Feraligatr can pick off faster checks like Hisuian Zoroark with Aqua Jet and threaten Pokemon like Jirachi with Crunch. Jirachi itself makes for a great partner, as it can set Stealth Rock and spread paralysis with Body Slam, making Feraligatr's awkward Speed tier less of an issue. If not running Aqua Jet, powerful priority users like Slither Wing and Entei can pick off faster threats so that Feraligatr can have an easier time sweeping. Ribombee is another excellent speed-controlling partner thanks to its access to Sticky Web and Stun Spore, making it easier for Feraligatr to sweep through more offensive structures.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Trailblaze lets Feraligatr OHKO Quagsire and specially defensive Gastrodon, two Water-immune Pokemon that otherwise check it; however, Feraligatr does not get the Speed boost due to Sheer Force, and it's somewhat weak otherwise. Lum Berry gives Feraligatr a one-time shield against burn and paralysis from the likes of Talonflame and Jirachi, respectively; however, it significantly reduces its damage output, preventing it from scoring key OHKOs and 2HKOs against the likes of Slowbro and Cresselia.
Checks and Counters
====
**Physical Walls**: Physically bulky Pokemon like Suicune, Slowbro, and Umbreon can take at least one boosted hit before threatening Feraligatr with status or, in the case of the latter, Foul Play. All three must be wary of Tera Dark, however; the former two take heavy damage from a boosted Crunch, while Feraligatr is guaranteed to survive a Foul Play from the latter. Galarian Weezing can exploit Tera Dark Feraligatr and burn it, but it must watch out for Tera Water Liquidation variants.
**Electric-types**: Fast Electric-types like Raikou and Oricorio-E can take a boosted Aqua Jet before retaliating with a super effective STAB move. If Feraligatr lacks Liquidation, slower Electric-types, such as Magnezone, can take at least one hit before threatening an OHKO back.
**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf Pokemon like Galarian Zapdos and Gardevoir can outspeed Feraligatr even after a Speed boost from Dragon Dance to revenge kill it; however, both must be wary of Aqua Jet variants. Additionally, faster priority users like Slither Wing and Mimikyu can revenge kill Aqua Jet variants with First Impression and Shadow Sneak, respectively.
**Status**: Talonflame can outspeed Feraligatr to burn it with Will-O-Wisp or punish it with Flame Body. Pokemon like Vaporeon and Volcanion can also attempt to fish for burns from Scald or Steam Eruption, respectively. Additionally, paralysis from the likes of Klefki and Slowbro can stop Feraligatr in its tracks, especially if it runs Swords Dance.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bice.236507/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/flampoke.654091/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/feen.231398/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sunny004.197240/
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