No preview was completed for Gyarados. It's cursed like its Mega missing Crunch!
But you're still one of my favorite Pokemon
Old Gen 5 analysis
Subject18's old thread
Overview
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With a base 125 Attack stat and access to Dragon Dance, Gyarados is a Pokemon that boasts being an offensive powerhouse. Thanks to its typing, which gives it resistances to numerous common attacks such as Close Combat and U-turn, and two excellent abilities in Intimidate and Moxie, Gyarados can easily set up and tear massive holes in teams. That's not all, though - Gyarados's great defensive typing and access to Intimidate allows it to easily set up a Dragon Dance or function as a wall. Roar and Dragon Tail compliment Gyarados's typing and defensive stats, allowing it to pull off a defensive set with Rest and Sleep Talk. The sheer versatility Gyarados offers is not to be underestimated when building teams around it. Bear in mind that Gyarados's middling Speed, even after a Dragon Dance, can leave it prone to revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Garchomp, Choice Scarf Terrakion, and Deoxys-S. The weakness to Stealth Rock can also be crippling as it hampers Gyarados's longevity.
With the new generation, Gyarados was blessed with access to a Mega Evolution. Mega Gyarados swaps out its Flying-typing for Dark-type, allowing Mega Gyarados to set up on Pokemon that rely on using Stone Edge to take it out. Furthermore, Mega Gyarados's defensive stats significantly increase as well as its Attack. Mold Breaker, its new ability, allows Mega Gyarados to punish Pokemon that rely on Levitate to dodge Earthquake, Storm Drain to block its monstrous STAB Waterfall, and Unaware to ignore its stat boosts. Though Mega Gyarados obtains weaknesses to many notable moves such as Mach Punch and U-turn, it also loses its nasty quadruple weakness to Electric-type attacks. Gyarados is a very flexible Pokemon both offensively and defensively, and Mega Gyarados's capabilities only add to the number of ways in which it can provide for its team.
Mega Dragon Dance
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name: Mega Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Ice Fang / Substitute / Taunt
ability: Intimidate
item: Gyaradosite
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves
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This set's goal is to set up a Dragon Dance in order to let Gyarados sweep opposing teams. Waterfall is Gyarados's main STAB as it provides steady power, perfect accuracy, and a bonus 20% flinch rate. Earthquake compliments Waterfall as it too has perfect accuracy and great power, while hitting many of the targets that otherwise resist STAB Waterfall while also bypassing the Attack drop caused by Aegislash's King's Shield. Thanks to Mold Breaker, Earthquake can strike Levitate users such as Rotom-W and Gengar. Ice Fang is Gyarados's best option, as after a Dragon Dance, it can 2HKO Calm Mega Venusaur while still harming Latias, Garchomp, and Dragonite. Substitute may seem like an odd option on a set that doesn't utilize Leftovers as an item, however, it is great for helping Gyarados set up on targets such as Scizor and Heatran lacking Roar and Taunt while making Gyarados less prone to being revenge killed by Deoxys-S. Substitute can also prevent Intimidate from lowering Gyarados's Attack and prevent moves such as Will-O-Wisp, prankster Thunder Wave, and Leech Seed from crippling Gyarados. Taunt is a great option that shuts down Skarmory and Hippowdon from stopping Gyarados set up. With Mold Breaker Taunt permeates through Magic Bounce Espeon - which can be nifty in stopping Espeon from setting up Calm Minds or utilizing Dual Screens.
Bounce is also a viable alternative to use on this set, the purpose being to bypass Mega Venusaur and Keldeo as Gyarados in order to help Mega Gyarados sweep later in the game. After Stealth Rock, a +1 Bounce is capable of OHKOing Mega Venusaur 50% of the time and will also OHKO Amoonguss and Chesnaught. Stone Edge is great for hitting opposing Gyarados, Zapdos, and Kyurem-B while still hitting Dragonite. Bite can be used to hit Slowbro, Latias, and Latios; however, in most cases Bite is inferior due to its mediocre base power.
Set Details
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252 Speed EVs allow Gyarados to outspeed Adamant Dragonite before a boost. Intimidate is the recommended ability with this set as Gyarados and Mega Gyarados appreciate the Attack drop provided by Intimidate to maximize Gyarados's tanking capability while it uses Dragon Dance. Moxie, though not necessarily the best ability, is great for punishing opponents that use sacrifices to safely switch into their Gyarados check. Since Gyarados doesn't need to immediately Mega-Evolve, Moxie can be utilized to give Mega Gyarados some extra power while lowering the number of Dragon Dances it needs to set up. Moxie also allows Gyarados to safely check Bisharp as Moxie does not give Defiant Bisharp +1 Attack when Gyarados switches in.
Usage Tips
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Gyarados has a very flexible Mega Evolution. Staying as regular Gyarados to utilize Intimidate and Flying-type's great resistances can help ease setting up for Mega Gyarados. Since Mega Gyarados will usually draw in attacks such as Keldeo's Secret Sword and Conkeldurr's Mach Punch, Gyarados can delay Mega-Evolving in order to set up on some of Mega Gyarados's weaknesses that opponents may attempt to target. This can work also the other way, with Gyarados using its Flying typing to bait for a free Dragon Dance as Mega Gyarados. For example, Gyarados can switch into Landorus-T and Mega-Evolve to take laughable damage from Stone Edge. Another great example is stalling out Gyarados's Mega Evolution to lure in Rotom-W and then immediately Mega-Evolve to shut it down with a Mold Breaker Earthquake. Mega Gyarados has awesome bulk and can take emergency attacks at full health. When utilizing Moxie, Gyarados should be held back and used later in the game or when the opponent has a significant number of Pokemon to use as death fodder. Moxie should be stacked up as much as Gyarados possibly can before Mega Evolving as it will lose Moxie for Mold Breaker. The chosen coverage move is crucial to determining what Gyarados will need eliminated before it can attempt to sweep. Remember that Mega Gyarados's number one counter is Ferrothorn. Unless Gyarados is utilizing Bounce, Ferrothorn and Mega Venusaur being either weakened or eliminated is an absolute must for Gyarados to attempt to sweep.
Team Options
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Mega Gyarados is a Pokemon that has a very strong offensive presence, but, as always, it appreciates support from other Pokemon. Mega Gyarados is an excellent late game cleaner so packing heavily offensive Pokemon such as Kyurem-B is a good idea. Kyurem-B can easily plow through many of Gyarados's checks and counters with Fusion Bolt and its STAB Ice Beam. Latias can also puncture Mega Venusaur thanks to STAB Psyshock, and it can also provide support with Defog. On the contrary Latios can be used as an offensive Defog user. Thanks to Hidden Power Fire, Skarmory and Ferrothorn become less of an issue. Talonflame is an excellent offensive teammate with access to Gale Wings and Brave Bird for taking out Conkeldurr and Breloom while using its STAB Flare Blitz to roast Ferrothorn and Skarmory. Ferrothorn has multiple methods of supporting Gyarados through entry hazards, paralysis, and Leech Seed to help Gyarados recover health while setting up Dragon Dance. For removing entry hazards, consider Starmie for Rapid Spin and its ability to take on bulky Water-types and Mega Venusaur. For Defog users Scizor and Zapdos all work well. Zapdos does well at beating bulky Water-types and keeping Ferrothorn on its toes with Heat Wave. Scizor can utilize its STAB U-turn to help Gyarados switch in. Prankster Thunder Wave can be a nuisance to Gyarados's sweep. For this reason Clefable and Sylveon are great teammates that can utilize Heal Bell and Wish to keep Mega Gyarados in tip-top shape.
Bulky Dragon Dance
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name: Bulky Dragon Dance
move 1: Substitute / Taunt
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Bounce
ability: Intimidate
item: Leftovers
evs: 88 HP / 192 Atk / 4 Def / 224 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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This set takes a different approach from Gyarados's full offensive sets. Gyarados utilizes its great typing, natural bulk, and Intimidate to set up multiple Dragon Dances and then attempt to sweep. Taunt and Substitute are the two possible moves of choice to help Gyarados set up Dragon Dances or sweep easier. Taunt does an excellent job of shutting down recovery and stopping moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, and Toxic from hampering Gyarados's sweep, while also preventing Roar and Whirlwind from forcing Gyarados out. Specifically, Taunt is great for threats such as Skarmory, Gliscor, and Gourgeist as the majority of their moveset is dependent on support moves such as Substitute, Roost, Whirlwind, and Will-O-Wisp. Substitute functions by preventing status from hampering Gyarados, blocking weak attacks to ease setting up Dragon Dance, obtaining extra recovery from Leftovers, and preventing Gyarados from being easy to revenge kill. Bounce is Gyarados's best option for its attack. Bounce allows Gyarados to bypass its biggest counters - Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss, and Chesnaught - while the charge-up turn allows Gyarados to obtain extra health from Leftovers and protect its Substitute. Taunt and Bounce are great together because Taunt completely shuts down the opponent's attempts at blocking Bounce through Substitute or Protect.
Though Bounce is superior in most scenarios, Earthquake can be used to bypas any King's Shield mind games from Aegislash. Stone Edge is also an option to beat opposing Gyarados, Kyurem-B, and Rotom-W more easily.
Set Details
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The given EVs allow +1 Speed Gyarados to outspeed Timid Noivern. Furthermore, the HP and Defense EVs allow Gyarados to a burned Ferrothorn's Power Whip while behind a Substitute. It also prevents many Water-types such as Slowbro without Psyshock from breaking through Gyarados's Substitutes. The remaining EVs are placed into Attack to help Gyarados's attacks hit reasonably hard after a single Dragon Dance. With Stealth Rock, a +1 Bounce can OHKO Calm Mega Venusaur and max HP Conkeldurr. Gyarados can opt to go slower in exchange for extra power. After a Dragon Dance, 176 Speed EVs guarentee that Gyarados will outspeed Timid Starmie.
Usage Tips
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Bulky Dragon Dance Gyarados is a very flexible Pokemon due to its both offensive and defensive prowess. The choice between Substitute and Taunt is very crucial to knowing how to succeed with Gyarados setting up Dragon Dance. Taunt means running a few more risks with Dragon Tail, Scald, and Lava Plume; however, Substitute is still vulnerable to Roar, Whirlwind, and having Bounce blocked by Protect, Substitute, and King's Shield. Gyarados can switch into a variety of offensive and defensive Pokemon and begin setting up. With Taunt, Gyarados can switch into an opposing Skarmory and Taunt it to prevent it from using Whirlwind and Roost. Thanks to Intimidate and Gyarados's defensive EV spread, Brave Bird is a possible 5HKO, while Skarmory will continue to take recoil damage, making a 2HKO from a boosted Waterfall easier. Substitute is great against Pokemon such as Gastrodon that rely on status to cripple its opponents, letting Gyarados continuously set up Dragon Dance. Best of all, Substitute can make Gyarados more difficult to revenge kill.
Team Options
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This variation of Gyarados works exceptionally well on balanced teams that combine offensive and defensive Pokemon. Mega Venusaur is a great defensive Grass-types that can harass a lot of Gyarados's checks and counters with its great defenses and solid movepool. It can use its STAB Sludge Bomb to hit Unaware Clefable, while STAB Giga Drain eliminates Rotom-W. Hidden Power Fire further helps ease the the burden on Gyarados by defeating Ferrothorn.. Ferrothorn resists many of Gyarados's weaknesses while being able utilize its kit to help Gyarados remain bulky with Leech Seed, ensure KOes with Stealth Rock, or slow down opponents with Thunder Wave. Water-types with Scald or Will-O-Wisp are great for luring in Ferrothorn to help Gyarados set up on those that rely on Power Whip. Rotom-W and Slowbro are great examples. Trevenant and Gourgeist are great examples of Pokemon that can use Will-O-Wisp and/or Leech Seed to aid Gyarados. Latias, Scizor, and Zapdos are great users of Defog. Scizor and Zapdos can use their STAB U-turn and Volt Switch, respectively, to pivot to Gyarados to help it set up. Latios is an offensive alternative to Latias for using Defog as it can leave dents in or KO various Pokemon such as Mega Venusaur, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory. Latias can utilize Defog to aid Gyarados and use its STAB Psyshock to prevent Mega Venusaur from bullying Gyarados. Thanks to Magnet Pull, Magnezone is great way of completely removing Steel-type threats such as Skarmory and Ferrothorn. Finally, this variation of Gyarados appreciates Wish and Heal Bell as Gyarados can be a major Pokemon for teams that need answers to checks. Sylveon and Clefable are great for sponging status and passing Wish around.
RestTalk
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name: RestTalk
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Roar / Dragon Tail / Dragon Dance
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
ability: Intimidate
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
nature: Impish
Moves
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This set's purpose is mainly to utilize Intimidate and Gyarados's great typing and bulk as a defensive status absorber. With Rest and Sleep Talk, Gyarados can remove status, keep itself healthy, and not be completely vulnerable while staying asleep. Waterfall is the mandatory STAB move and helps Gyarados check potential threats such as Mega Charizard X, Heatran, and Talonflame. Roar and Dragon Tail keeps Gyarados from being setup bait. Alternatively, Roar can be used in order to bypass Substitute and Fairy-types. Dragon Tail will ignore Taunt and is Gyarados's best attack against Mega Charizard X.
Dragon Dance adds a little spice to this set as it allows Gyarados to trade the capability of forcing switches and instead slowly boost itself. Though mono-attacking Gyarados does suffer problems such as Rotom-W and Quagsire it can still set up multiple Dragon Dances on threats such as Scizor and Conkeldurr without Stone Edge. Earthquake is a viable alternative if you feel Gyarados needs to eliminate Mega Mawile, which is a 2HKO after Stealth Rock.
Set Details
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The given EVs and nature maximize Gyarados's physical bulk while using Intimidate to cripple physical threats such as Mega Charizard X and Talonflame. Leftovers is necessary on this set to keep Gyarados healthy.
Gyaradosite is an item that can be considered on a set like this. The way RestTalk Gyaradosite works is a bit different from the Leftovers RestTalk Gyarados. With Gyaradosite you first need to consider when to Mega-Evolve. Even though Gyaradosite offers a boost in Gyarados's defenses, Gyarados also removes its Flying-typing for Dark-typing. This can create mixed results when using RestTalk Gyarados in situations where it has to take on Pokemon such as Conkeldurr and Mega Charizard Y. Mold Breaker can be a nasty surprise when Unaware Quagsire thinks it can stop Gyarados's Dragon Dance boosts.
Usage Tips
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This set takes advantage of Gyarados's bulk. This Gyarados is great at taking on offensive threats such as Talonflame and Mega Charizard X. What's great about this Gyarados is that it can remain healthy most of the time and repeatedly switch in and out of the opponent while using Intimidate to weaken physical attackers. With Dragon Dance Gyarados can even set up on weaker attacking opponents such as Scizor without Knock Off. Removal of Stealth Rock is necessary to help Gyarados tank threats as much as possible.
Team Options
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Stealth Rock is a great way of punishing the opposing Pokemon when shuffling them with Roar or Dragon Tail. Ferrothorn is a good teammate as it can lay down Stealth Rock to help Gyarados when it's phazing, spread paralysis to completely cripple offensive threats, and use Leech Seed to help Gyarados passively recover on some targets. Rapid Spin from Starmie works well at eliminating potential offensive threats and some defensive targets. Since Dragon Tail can be a liability against Fairy-types, Excadrill can be used to KO them with its STAB Iron Head while spinning away entry hazards. Mega Venusaur is also a great teammate because Gyarados's Intimidate can help it tank otherwise dangerous threats such as other Gyarados, Rotom-W, and Azumarill. Using another Pokemon with Intimidate such as Landorus-T and Krookodile can be great to scare off physically offensive threats or make them hit significantly weaker than normal.
When using Dragon Dance consider teammates that can eliminate Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Quagsire, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory. Latios is a great example as it puts a lot of offensive pressure on defensive teams and can use Defog to eliminate Stealth Rock. Alternatively Infernape can, literally, burn holes through a lot of Gyarados's checks and counters thanks to its awesome dual STABs. Clefable and Sylveon are excellent to pair with this variation of Gyarados as Clefable and Sylveon appreciate Gyarados being a good switch-in against Heatran.
Offensive Dragon Dance
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name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall / Aqua Tail
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Bounce / Stone Edge
ability: Moxie
item: Life Orb / Lum Berry
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves
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This Gyarados set trades any attempt at being bulky for pure offensive might. Waterfall is your primary STAB while Earthquake tackles grounded Electric-types and does great damage on threats such as Aegislash. Aqua Tail is a stronger yet slightly more inaccurate alternative to Waterfall. With a Life Orb and Stealth Rock up, a +1 Aqua Tail can OHKO Mega Mawile, max HP Scizor, and Mega Charizard X. Bounce is the best option for Gyarados's final move to help it bypass Mega Venusaur and Keldeo. Alternatively, Stone Edge can be used to eliminate Zapdos, Dragonite, and Mandibuzz.
Considering Rotom-W is a huge counter to Gyarados Double-Edge can 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery. Furthermore, +1 Double-Edge does a massive 61% minimum to even the most physically defensive Rotom-W. Double-Edge is illegal with Moxie, though, so Intimidate will have to be used as Gyarados's ability.
Set Details
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An Adamant nature with max Attack and Speed is recommended for this set to help maximize Gyarados's tyranny. The ability choice is tricky because they both are very good for this set. Intimidate is a viable ability to help Gyarados set up Dragon Dance; however, Moxie is very good with this set as Gyarados wants to set up as minimal amount of Dragon Dances as possible. Life Orb is great for maximizing Gyarados's power and 2HKOing Skarmory with a +1 Waterfall. Lum Berry is an alternative item to protect Gyarados from harmful status such as burns and paralysis.
Usage Tips
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When using this set it is best to use Gyarados as either a late game sweeper or a Pokemon that can create dents in the opponent's team mid-game. Thus, you want your opponent to save Pokemon as potential sacrifices for Gyarados to give it extra boosts in Attack thanks to Moxie. Though it may seem questionable to use Gyarados as a Pokemon that punches holes instead of sweeping through the opponent's team, other Pokemon such as Mega Charizard X or Mega Charizard Y can take advantage of weakened threats and sweep through the remaining Pokemon. This is partly because this Gyarados should not attempt to set up too many Dragon Dances. Instead, this set wants to take advantage of one or two boosts and then utilize Moxie for the remaining attacking power that Gyarados might need. Life Orb is highly recommended due to the sheer power that Gyarados can have even after a single Dragon Dance. A Lum Berry can be used instead to help Gyarados obtain a second Dragon Dance or to safely 2HKO potential threats that rely on status to stop it.
Team Options
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This variation of Gyarados appreciates powerful Pokemon that can pierce through teams and weaken them significantly to help Gyarados finish them off. Kyurem-B is a great example as it can handle Rotom-W with Substitute and Earth Power, Skarmory and bulky Water-types with Fusion Bolt, and it can at least threaten Mega Venusaur and physically defensive Ferrothorn with its STAB Ice Beam. Since this Gyarados doesn't use Gyaradosite, various Mega Evolutions can help beat holes through the opponents team. Mega Charizard X can utilize Flare Blitz to burst through Skarmory and Ferrothorn while heavily damaging bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W with Dragon Claw. Entry hazard removal is very vital. Starmie can spin away hazards and wear out bulky Water-types, Skarmory, and Mega Venusaur, while Latias, Scizor, and Zapdos are great Defog teammates . Latias can Defog for Gyarados while using its STAB Psyshock to harass Mega Venusaur. Zapdos can use STAB Thunderbolt or Volt Switch to tackle bulky Water-types. Scizor can utilize U-turn to help Gyarados pivot in easier. Latios is a great offensive teammate with Gyarados as it can also utilize Defog to clear out Stealth Rock while punishing Mega Venusaur with Psyshock, as well as Skarmory and Ferrothorn with Hidden Power Fire.
Other Options
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Choice Band and Choice Scarf can be used on Gyarados with Moxie as the ability. While having an immediate boost to power or Speed and using Moxie to help boost Gyarados's Attack may seem appealing, it is restricted to one attack and Waterfall isn't powerful enough without rain to be used as a standalone attack most of the time. Wacan Berry can be used on the offensive Gyarados set to survive Electric-type attacks; however, in most cases Life Orb is necessary to help Gyarados 2HKO threats. A bulkier set with Thunder Wave or Toxic, Taunt, Waterfall, and Roar or Dragon Tail can be used with Wish and cleric support. Thunder Wave can cripple some of Gyarados's offensive threats while Toxic wears down defensive threats. Though it requires a Lonely or Naughty nature, Fire Blast is Gyarados's fastest way of eliminating Ferrothorn and 2HKOing Skarmory.
Checks & Counters
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**Bulky Grass-types**: Without Bounce or Ice Fang, Gyarados is prone to Grass-types hampering its sweep. Ferrothorn, Gourgeist, Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss, and Chesnaught are the best examples as all of these have methods of crippling Gyarados or stopping its sweep. Ferrothorn is arguably the best counter to Gyarados thanks to its great typing and Power Whip, access to Stealth Rock, and capability of crippling Gyarados with Leech Seed or Thunder Wave. Ferrothorn's ability also is a major thorn to Gyarados since Waterfall, Bounce, Bite, and Ice Fang are all contact moves. With Substitute, Gourgeist can stall out Bounce while utilizing Leech Seed, Will-O-Wisp, and STAB Seed Bomb to harass Gourgeist. Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss, and Chesnaught are more prone to Bounce. With STAB Giga Drain Mega Venusaur and Amoonguss can completely stop Gyarados's sweep while recovering their own health. Chesnaught can use Leech Seed and Spiky Shield to harass Gyarados or simply attack Gyarados with STAB Wood Hammer. STAB Hammer Arm hits Mega Gyarados.
**Bulky Water-types**: Rotom-W is a great check to regular Gyarados thanks to its access to STAB Volt Switch and Will-O-Wisp to cripple Gyarados. Vaporeon is a huge nuisance to Gyarados as it can use Wish and Protect to stall out Bounce and cripple Gyarados with status. Unaware Quagsire can threaten regular Gyarados as it ignores all of its stat boosts.
**Physical Walls**: Physical walls such as Mandibuzz, Skarmory, and Mega Aggron can give Gyarados a lot of trouble. Mandibuzz can beat any Gyarados without Stone Edge while a +1 Foul Play will OHKO any offensive Gyarados. Bulky sets can be phazed out with Whirlwind and, without Stealth Rock, Mega Gyarados will fail to 2HKO with STAB Waterfall. Skarmory is only 2HKOed by a +1 Mega Gyarados's Aqua Tail or a +1 Life Orb Gyarados's Waterfall. While Taunt sets can screw up Skarmory, without it, Skarmory is capable of setting up Stealth Rock to limit Gyarados's opportunities to switch-in, Spikes to hamper Mega Gyarados's switches, Roost to alleviate taken damage, or Whirlwind to phase it out. It can also just attack Gyarados with its STAB Brave Bird. Mega Aggron can shrug off a boosted Earthquake from regular Gyarados thanks to Filter and set up Curse in front of it. Be wary of a Mold Breaker Earthquake from Mega Gyarados, as at - +1, Earthquake 2HKOes Mega Aggron. Mega Aggron can carry Stone Edge or phase it out with Roar or Dragon Tail. Umbreon can withstand +1 Waterfall from regular Gyarados and OHKO back with STAB Foul Play. It can also use Roar to phaze out Gyarados, cripple it with a status move, or use Taunt to prevent Gyarados from setting up further. Clefable is great as it can use Unaware to block non-Mega Gyarados's boosts while 3HKOing most Gyarados with a STAB Moonblast. Clefable can Encore Gyarados while it uses Dragon Dance or Substitute and cripple with status or allow a free switch to a partner.
**Choice Scarf Users**: Garchomp and Landorus-T can threaten regular Gyarados with Stone Edge while both have access to STAB Earthquake to hit Mega Gyarados. Rotom-W can outspeed +1 Gyarados and shut it down with a STAB Volt Switch. Terrakion and Keldeo both outspeed +1 Gyarados and can OHKO with Stone Edge and Hidden Power Electric, respectively.
**Thundurus**: Thundurus gets a special mention here as a check because it can utilize Prankster Thunder Wave to shut down any Dragon Dance Gyarados set - especially when Substitute is missing from the set. It also packs a strong Thunderbolt that easily OHKOes regular Gyarados and does a lot of damage to Mega Gyarados.
Mega Dragon Dance
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name: Mega Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Bite / Stone Edge / Substitute
ability: Intimidate
item: Gyaradosite
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves
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This set proves why Rotom-W is at best a check against Gyarados. After a single Dragon Dance and Mega Evolution Earthquake deals 92% minimum to Bold Rotom-W. Mold Breaker is great for ignoring other abilities such as Unaware from Clefable and Storm Drain from Gastrodon. Waterfall is your best STAB for dishing out painful damage as Gyarados while Earthquake compliments Mold Breaker and STAB Waterfall. Bite may seem odd; however, it allows Gyarados to bypass other checks such as Celebi and Slowbro. Stone Edge covers other Gyarados, Dragonite, and Kyurem-B. Finally, Substitute is a great move to help Mega Gyarados set up on bulky Water-types such as Vaporeon and Slowbro while also helping Gyarados set up on Calm Heatran, Scizor, and many other Pokemon. Combined with Intimidate when Gyarados is originally sent out Substitute is great for protecting Gyarados from harmful status as well as easing setup of Dragon Dance. Ice Fang is an option to bypass Zygarde easier as well as still hitting threats such as Celebi, Zapdos, and Dragonite.
Set Details
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For best results of damage output and preventing threats outspeeding Gyarados maximum Attack and Speed is highly recommended. 4 Defense EVs ensures Gyarados takes minimal damage from Stealth Rock. Intimidate is the recommended ability with this set as Gyarados and Mega Gyarados appreciate the Attack drop provided by Intimidate to maximize Gyarados's bulk while using Dragon Dance. Moxie may seem really appealing but it does create limitations on setting up on possible Pokemon such as Choice Band Scizor locked onto Bullet Punch or Conkeldurr lacking Thunder Punch and Rock Slide. Jolly is an option if you are deathly afraid of Mega Gyarados losing in Speed to possible threats such as Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Manectric, but Adamant ensures a lot of 2HKOes / OHKOes after a single Dragon Dance.
Usage Tips
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Gyarados is a very flexible Mega Evolution case. Staying as regular Gyarados to utilize Intimidate and Flying-types great resistances and immunity to Earthquake can help benefit setting up Mega Gyarados. Even so, Gyarados can also use its Flying-type to bait for a free Dragon Dance as Mega Gyarados. For example, Gyarados can switch into Landorus-T and Mega-Evolve to take laughable damage from Stone Edge. Mega Gyarados has awesome bulk and can take emergency attacks at full health. Gyarados can fool Scarf Genesect into using Thunderbolt as, when Gyarados Mega-Evolves, proceeds to take 53% damage tops from Thunderbolt and OHKO Genesect back with +1 Waterfall. These are just a few examples of how well regular Gyarados and Mega Gyarados can compliment each other.
Team Options
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Mega Gyarados is a Pokemon that has a very strong presence but, as always, appreciates back-up from other Pokemon. Mega Gyarados is an excellent late game cleaner so packing heavy offenses from Pokemon such as Kyurem-B. Kyurem-B can plow through many of Gyarados's checks and counters easily with Fusion Bolt and STAB Ice Beam. Latios also can puncture problematic Water-types and does well against Mega Venusaur thanks to STAB Psyshock. With Thunderbolt Skarmory is not much of an issue and Hidden Power Fire can clear Ferrothorn. Talonflame is an excellent offensive teammate with access to Gale Wings Brave Bird taking out Conkeldurr and Breloom while using STAB Flare Blitz to roast Ferrothorn and Skarmory. Defensive teammates such as Ferrothorn are also great to have as Ferrothorn has multiple methods of supporting Gyarados through entry hazards, paralysis, and Leech Seed. For removing entry hazards consider Starmie for Rapid Spin and ways of tackling bulky Water-types and Mega Venusaur. For Defog users Latias, Scizor, and Zapdos all work well. Latias and Zapdos do well at tackling bulky Water-types. Latias can handle Mega Venusaur while Scizor can utilize STAB U-turn to help Gyarados switch-in.
Bulky Dragon Dance
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name: Bulky Dragon Dance
move 1: Substitute / Taunt
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Bounce / Earthquake / Stone Edge
ability: Intimidate
item: Leftovers
evs: 120 HP / 72 Atk / 100 Def / 216 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
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This set utilizes Gyarados's solid bulk and typing to set up Dragon Dances with the assistance of a support move. With Substitute Gyarados is able to block attacks such as Scald and Lava Plume while scouting for potential attacks that may threaten Gyarados's sweep. It's great for blocking status and can ignore Dragon Tail. Taunt is a bit of a riskier approach; however, it can prevent status effects from Toxic and Thunder Wave while stopping Pokemon such as Skarmory and Hippowdon from recovering health and phazing out Gyarados. Waterfall is Gyarados's mandatory STAB while using Dragon Dance to boost Gyarados's Attack and Speed. Bounce is great for bypassing Celebi, Mega Venusaur, and other bulky Water-types that lack Protect. Furthermore, Bounce's invulnerability to the majority of attacks can help Gyarados protect its Substitute and gain extra health from Leftovers. Be careful of Aegislash switch-ins - King's Shield will drop Gyarados's Attack by two stages. Earthquake is a solid option for bypassing the majority of bulky Water-types as well as complimenting coverage with Waterfall. Stone Edge is solid for bypassing Dragonite and Zapdos.
Set Details
========
The given EVs allow +1 Gyarados to outspeed positive Speed natured Greninja. Furthermore, the HP and Def EVs allow Gyarados to withstand a U-turn from Choice Scarf Genesect and burned Ferrothorn's Power Whip while behind a Substitute. It also prevents bulky Water-types from breaking through Gyarados's Substitute and it can sometimes withstand Giga Drain from 0 Special Attack Celebi. Best of all Gyarados is guaranteed to take +1 Close Combat from Jolly Mega Lucario and OHKO back with STAB Waterfall. The remaining EVs are placed into Attack to help Gyarados's attack still hit reasonably hard after a single Dragon Dance. With Stealth Rock +1 Bounce will guarantee a OHKO on Calm Mega Venusaur, offensive Celebi, and max HP Conkeldurr. Gyarados can opt to go slower in exchange for extra power or bulk. After a Dragon Dance, 176 Speed EVs guarantees outspeeding Timid Starmie while 160 Speed EVs guarantees outspeeding Jolly Mega Lucario. Moxie is a fine option on this set; however, Intimidate is great for helping Gyarados set up Substitute and Dragon Dance.
Usage Tips
========
Bulky Dragon Dance Gyarados has multiple purposes and ways of being used. For starters it can utilize Intimidate and its bulk to scare off threats such as Scizor and Excadrill. Furthermore, it can be used as a reasonable check against threats such as Mega Lucario and Choice Band Azumarill (provided it is not locked into Play Rough). Knowing when to set up Substitute or Dragon Dance can be pivotal to mastering Gyarados. Thanks to rain's nerf Thunder isn't very common so it is much safer to use Substitute when using Bounce. When using Bounce have ways of disposing or weakening Aegislash as otherwise it can be an annoying threat. The same goes for Pokemon such as Wish + Protect Vaporeon. It's best not to switch into attacks like Scald and Lava Plume if it can be avoided as otherwise the 30% burn rate and passive damage can really hamper Gyarados's sweeping potential. Also be careful of switching into threats such as Ferrothorn and Gliscor which can also pack Thunder Wave and Toxic, respectively. You can set up on Ferrothorn provided that it is burned by Will-O-Wisp, so using lures like Rotom-W is a great idea.
Team Options
========
This variation of Gyarados works exceptionally well on bulkier teams. Mega Venusaur and Ferrothorn are great defensive Grass-types that can harass a lot of Gyarados's checks and counters. Bulky Water-types with Scald or Will-O-Wisp are great for luring Ferrothorn to help Gyarados set up on Ferrothorn that rely on Power Whip. Rotom-W and Jellicent are great examples that can immediately burn Ferrothorn with Will-O-Wisp. Starmie can spin away Stealth Rock while handling Skarmory and Mega Venusaur with Thunderbolt and STAB Psyshock, respectively. Scald also can be used on Starmie to be used as a lure to Ferrothorn. Latias, Scizor, and Zapdos are great users of Defog. Scizor and Zapdos can use STAB U-turn and STAB Volt Switch, respectively, to pivot to Gyarados to help it set up.
Offensive Dragon Dance
########
name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Bounce / Stone Edge
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves
========
This Gyarados trades any attempt at bulking Gyarados out to go all-out on attacking. Waterfall is your primary STAB while Earthquake tackles grounded Electric-types and does great damage on threats such as Jirachi and Aegislash. Bounce is the best option for Gyarados's final move to help bypass Celebi, Mega Venusaur, and dent bulky Water-types such as Jellicent and Gastrodon. Stone Edge can be used to eliminate Zapdos, Dragonite, and Mandibuzz. Ice Fang is a viable alternative to eliminating Zygarde and Garchomp reliably while still targeting Celebi and Dragonite.
Set Details
========
Adamant with max Attack and Speed is recommended for this set to help maximize Gyarados's tyranny. Jolly should only be considered if you are deathly afraid of Mega Manectric and the very rare Jolteon. The ability choice is tricky because they both are very good for this set. For Intimidate it can help Gyarados set up Dragon Dance easier against threats such as Scizor and Landorus-T lacking Stone Edge. Moxie is still a great alternative to help Gyarados sweep with a single Dragon Dance under its belt. Lum Berry is the preferred item as it prevents status from crippling Gyarados. Furthermore, it can aid Gyarados to using status inducers such as Jirachi and Celebi as potential candidates to set up Dragon Dance on. Lum Berry and Intimidate can bluff Mega Gyarados to question Rotom-W switching in and freely staying in on Gyarados. Life Orb is great for maximizing Gyarados's power and 2HKOing Skarmory with +1 Waterfall. Wacan Berry is a good item option to assist Gyarados setting up Dragon Dance too. For example Scarf Genesect's Thunderbolt will fail to OHKO Gyarados even after Stealth Rock. This is a great way to set up a second Dragon Dance if Genesect is coming in on the revenge kill.
Usage Tips
========
This set wants teammates worn down as much as possible. It is also recommended to have potential Pokemon to have Gyarados set up Dragon Dance on so it can start its sweep. Crippling opponent's Pokemon with teammates that pack Will-O-Wisp or Thunder Wave is great for Gyarados. Stealth Rock placement and removal is highly recommended to help Gyarados 2HKO threats as well as preventing Gyarados from wearing itself out faster when using Life Orb. When using Moxie as Gyarados's ability try to keep potential Pokemon alive if only to help Gyarados obtain an Attack boost after KOing the weakened Pokemon.
Team Options
========
This variation of Gyarados appreciates powerful Pokemon that can puncture through teams and weaken them significantly to help Gyarados finish them off. Kyurem-B is a great example as it can handle Rotom-W with Substitute + Earth Power, Skarmory and bulky Water-types with Fusion Bolt, and can at least threaten Mega Venusaur and weaken physically defensive Ferrothorn with STAB Ice Beam. Since this Gyarados doesn't use Gyaradosite Mega Evolutions can help with beating holes through the opponents team. Mega Lucario can place major pressure onto teams with STAB Adaptability Close Combat, Aura Sphere, or Flash Cannon while Mega Charizard X can outspeed Genesect even after a Dragon Dance and utilize its offensive prowess to bust through Skarmory and Ferrothorn while heavily damaging bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W. Entry hazard removal is very vital. Starmie can spin away hazards and wear out bulky Water-types, Skarmory, and Mega Venusaur. while Latias, Scizor, and Zapdos are great Defog teammates that can assist Gyarados. Latias can Defog for Gyarados while using STAB Psyshock to harass Mega Venusaur. Zapdos can use STAB Thunderbolt or STAB Volt Switch to tackle bulky Water-types. Scizor can utilize STAB U-turn to help Gyarados pivot in easier.
RestTalk
########
name: RestTalk
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Roar / Dragon Tail
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
ability: Intimidate
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
nature: Impish
Moves
========
This set's purpose is mainly to utilize Intimidate and Gyarados's great typing and bulk as a status absorber and tank of sorts. With Rest and Sleep Talk Gyarados can remove status, keep itself healthy, and not be completely prone while staying asleep. Waterfall is mandatory STAB and helps Gyarados check potential threats such as Mega Lucario, Heatran, and Talonflame. Roar and Dragon Tail keep Gyarados from becoming setup bait. Roar will bypass Substitute and Fairy-types. Dragon Tail will bypass Magic Bounce Espeon and Xatu. Earthquake is a viable alternative if you feel Gyarados needs to eliminate Mega Lucario immediately while 2HKOing max HP Mega Mawile after Stealth Rock.
Set Details
========
The given EVs and nature maximize Gyarados's bulk while using Intimidate to cripple physical threats such as Mega Lucario, Mega Charizard X, and Talonflame. Leftovers is necessary on this set to keep Gyarados healthy. Unless you feel obligated to Speed creep or invest in Special Defense, don't waste EVs into Attack because it would take a significant amount of Attack EVs to guarantee 2HKOing Nasty Plot Mega Lucario with Waterfall and, provided Stealth Rock is off the field, +2 Flash Cannon will usually fail to 2HKO Gyarados. 88 Attack EVs ensure a OHKO on min HP Talonflame with Waterfall and, after Stealth Rock, has a 56% chance to 2HKO Mega Lucario.
Usage Tips
========
This set takes advantage of Gyarados's bulk - not its offenses. This Gyarados is great to tackle offensive threats such as Mega Lucario and Talonflame while also a great check to defensive threats such as Heatran and Landorus-T lacking Stone Edge and Knock Off. You are guaranteed to survive +2 Close Combat from Mega Lucario while dealing 62% minimum to -1 Mega Lucario. Removal of Stealth Rock is necessary to help Gyarados tank threats as much as possible.
Team Options
========
Entry hazards are a great source of damage for this Gyarados when shuffling with Roar or Dragon Tail. Ferrothorn is a cool teammate because it can lay entry hazards to help Gyarados when using Roar or Dragon Tail, paralysis to completely cripple offensive threats, and Leech Seed to help Gyarados passively recover on some targets. Skarmory also works as it has access to Spikes and also help rack damage of its own with Whirlwind. Forretress can lay multiple variations of entry hazards while using Rapid Spin to clear away entry hazards on Gyarados's side of the team. Rapid Spin from Starmie works well by eliminating potential offensive threats and some defensive targets. Since Dragon Tail can be a liability against Fairy-types Excadrill can be used to execute them with STAB Iron Head while spinning away entry hazards. Mega Venusaur is also a great teammate because it can rely on Gyarados's Intimidate to help tank otherwise dangerous threats such as other Gyarados, Rotom-W, and Azumarill.
Other Options
########
Choice Band and Choice Scarf sets can be used on Gyarados with Moxie as the ability. The main advantage is either having immediate power or Speed while utilizing Moxie to increase Gyarados's Attack for each KO Gyarados delivers. A bulkier set with Thunder Wave or Toxic, Taunt, Waterfall, and Roar or Dragon Tail can be used with Wish and cleric support. Thunder Wave can cripple some of Gyarados's offensive threats while Toxic wears down defensive threats. Aqua Tail is an option for extra power while sacrificing accuracy. With Stealth Rock Mega Gyarados can guarantee a 2HKO with +1 Aqua Tail. Fire Blast is Gyarados's fastest way of eliminating Ferrothorn and 2HKOing Skarmory, though requires a Lonely or Naughty nature.
Checks & Counters
########
**Bulky Grass-types**: Without Bounce and Ice Fang Gyarados is prone to Grass-types hampering its sweep. Ferrothorn, Trevenant, Gourgeist, Mega Venusaur, and Celebi are the best examples as all of these have methods of crippling Gyarados or stopping Gyarados's sweep. Ferrothorn is arguably the best counter to Gyarados thanks to its awesome typing, STAB Power Whip, access to Stealth Rock, and capable of crippling Gyarados with Leech Seed or Thunder Wave. Ferrothorn's ability also is a major thorn to Gyarados since STAB Waterfall, STAB Bounce, STAB Bite, and Ice Fang are contact moves. With Substitute Gourgeist and Trevenant can stall out Bounce and can break Gyarados's Substitute with STAB Horn Leech or STAB Seed Bomb. Will-O-Wisp can cripple Gyarados as well. Mega Gyarados can use Bite to bypass these threats. Mega Venusaur and Celebi are more prone to Bounce and, in Celebi's case, Bite and Ice Fang. With STAB Giga Drain they can completely stop Gyarados's sweep while recovering health.
**Bulky Water-types**: Rotom-W is a great check to regular Gyarados thanks to access to STAB Volt Switch and Will-O-Wisp to cripple Gyarados. Vaporeon is a huge nuisance to Gyarados as it can use Wish + Protect to stall out Bounce and cripple Gyarados with status. Unaware Quagsire can threaten Gyarados thanks to Unaware ignoring all stat boosts. Jellicent can immediately burn Gyarados with Will-O-Wisp and prevent being 2HKOed by offensive Dragon Dance Gyarados. Mega Gyarados and Bulky Dragon Dance Gyarados can scare Jellicent, though.
**Physical Walls**: Physical walls such as Mandibuzz, Skarmory, and Mega Aggron can give Gyarados a lot of trouble. Mandibuzz can beat any Gyarados without Stone Edge while +1 Foul Play will OHKO any offensive Gyarados. Bulky sets can be phazed out with Whirlwind and, without Stealth Rock, Mega Gyarados will fail to 2HKO with STAB Waterfall. Skarmory is only 2HKOed by +1 Mega Gyarados Aqua Tail or +1 Life Orb Gyarados Waterfall. Taunt sets can screw up Skarmory as well; however, Skarmory is capable of setting up Stealth Rock to limit Gyarados's opportunities to switch-in, Spikes to hamper Mega Gyarados, Roost off damage taken, phase out with Whirlwind, or just attack Gyarados with STAB Brave Bird. Mega Aggron can shrug off boosted Earthquake from regular Gyarados thanks to Filter and set up Curse in front of Gyarados. Be wary of Mold Breaker Earthquake from Mega Gyarados - +1 Earthquake 2HKOes Mega Aggron. Mega Aggron can carry Stone Edge or phase it out with Roar or Dragon Tail. Umbreon can withstand +1 Waterfall from regular Gyarados and OHKO back with STAB Foul Play. It can use Roar to phase out Gyarados, cripple it with status or Taunt to prevent Gyarados from setting up. Clefable is great as it can use Unaware to block non-Mega Gyarados's boosts while 3HKOing most Gyarados with STAB Moonblast. Clefable can Encore Gyarados while it uses Dragon Dance or Substitute and cripple with status.
**Scarf-users**: Scarf Pokemon - Genesect in particular - can hamper Gyarados's sweep. It can use Thunderbolt to OHKO regular Gyarados while using STAB U-turn against Mega Gyarados. Garchomp and Landorus-T can threaten regular Gyarados with Stone Edge while both have access to STAB Earthquake against Mega Gyarados. Rotom-W can outspeed +1 Gyarados and shut it down with STAB Volt Switch. Terrakion and Keldeo both outspeed +1 Gyarados and can OHKO with Stone Edge and Hidden Power Electric, respectively.
########
name: Mega Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Bite / Stone Edge / Substitute
ability: Intimidate
item: Gyaradosite
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves
========
This set proves why Rotom-W is at best a check against Gyarados. After a single Dragon Dance and Mega Evolution Earthquake deals 92% minimum to Bold Rotom-W. Mold Breaker is great for ignoring other abilities such as Unaware from Clefable and Storm Drain from Gastrodon. Waterfall is your best STAB for dishing out painful damage as Gyarados while Earthquake compliments Mold Breaker and STAB Waterfall. Bite may seem odd; however, it allows Gyarados to bypass other checks such as Celebi and Slowbro. Stone Edge covers other Gyarados, Dragonite, and Kyurem-B. Finally, Substitute is a great move to help Mega Gyarados set up on bulky Water-types such as Vaporeon and Slowbro while also helping Gyarados set up on Calm Heatran, Scizor, and many other Pokemon. Combined with Intimidate when Gyarados is originally sent out Substitute is great for protecting Gyarados from harmful status as well as easing setup of Dragon Dance. Ice Fang is an option to bypass Zygarde easier as well as still hitting threats such as Celebi, Zapdos, and Dragonite.
Set Details
========
For best results of damage output and preventing threats outspeeding Gyarados maximum Attack and Speed is highly recommended. 4 Defense EVs ensures Gyarados takes minimal damage from Stealth Rock. Intimidate is the recommended ability with this set as Gyarados and Mega Gyarados appreciate the Attack drop provided by Intimidate to maximize Gyarados's bulk while using Dragon Dance. Moxie may seem really appealing but it does create limitations on setting up on possible Pokemon such as Choice Band Scizor locked onto Bullet Punch or Conkeldurr lacking Thunder Punch and Rock Slide. Jolly is an option if you are deathly afraid of Mega Gyarados losing in Speed to possible threats such as Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Manectric, but Adamant ensures a lot of 2HKOes / OHKOes after a single Dragon Dance.
Usage Tips
========
Gyarados is a very flexible Mega Evolution case. Staying as regular Gyarados to utilize Intimidate and Flying-types great resistances and immunity to Earthquake can help benefit setting up Mega Gyarados. Even so, Gyarados can also use its Flying-type to bait for a free Dragon Dance as Mega Gyarados. For example, Gyarados can switch into Landorus-T and Mega-Evolve to take laughable damage from Stone Edge. Mega Gyarados has awesome bulk and can take emergency attacks at full health. Gyarados can fool Scarf Genesect into using Thunderbolt as, when Gyarados Mega-Evolves, proceeds to take 53% damage tops from Thunderbolt and OHKO Genesect back with +1 Waterfall. These are just a few examples of how well regular Gyarados and Mega Gyarados can compliment each other.
Team Options
========
Mega Gyarados is a Pokemon that has a very strong presence but, as always, appreciates back-up from other Pokemon. Mega Gyarados is an excellent late game cleaner so packing heavy offenses from Pokemon such as Kyurem-B. Kyurem-B can plow through many of Gyarados's checks and counters easily with Fusion Bolt and STAB Ice Beam. Latios also can puncture problematic Water-types and does well against Mega Venusaur thanks to STAB Psyshock. With Thunderbolt Skarmory is not much of an issue and Hidden Power Fire can clear Ferrothorn. Talonflame is an excellent offensive teammate with access to Gale Wings Brave Bird taking out Conkeldurr and Breloom while using STAB Flare Blitz to roast Ferrothorn and Skarmory. Defensive teammates such as Ferrothorn are also great to have as Ferrothorn has multiple methods of supporting Gyarados through entry hazards, paralysis, and Leech Seed. For removing entry hazards consider Starmie for Rapid Spin and ways of tackling bulky Water-types and Mega Venusaur. For Defog users Latias, Scizor, and Zapdos all work well. Latias and Zapdos do well at tackling bulky Water-types. Latias can handle Mega Venusaur while Scizor can utilize STAB U-turn to help Gyarados switch-in.
Bulky Dragon Dance
########
name: Bulky Dragon Dance
move 1: Substitute / Taunt
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Bounce / Earthquake / Stone Edge
ability: Intimidate
item: Leftovers
evs: 120 HP / 72 Atk / 100 Def / 216 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
This set utilizes Gyarados's solid bulk and typing to set up Dragon Dances with the assistance of a support move. With Substitute Gyarados is able to block attacks such as Scald and Lava Plume while scouting for potential attacks that may threaten Gyarados's sweep. It's great for blocking status and can ignore Dragon Tail. Taunt is a bit of a riskier approach; however, it can prevent status effects from Toxic and Thunder Wave while stopping Pokemon such as Skarmory and Hippowdon from recovering health and phazing out Gyarados. Waterfall is Gyarados's mandatory STAB while using Dragon Dance to boost Gyarados's Attack and Speed. Bounce is great for bypassing Celebi, Mega Venusaur, and other bulky Water-types that lack Protect. Furthermore, Bounce's invulnerability to the majority of attacks can help Gyarados protect its Substitute and gain extra health from Leftovers. Be careful of Aegislash switch-ins - King's Shield will drop Gyarados's Attack by two stages. Earthquake is a solid option for bypassing the majority of bulky Water-types as well as complimenting coverage with Waterfall. Stone Edge is solid for bypassing Dragonite and Zapdos.
Set Details
========
The given EVs allow +1 Gyarados to outspeed positive Speed natured Greninja. Furthermore, the HP and Def EVs allow Gyarados to withstand a U-turn from Choice Scarf Genesect and burned Ferrothorn's Power Whip while behind a Substitute. It also prevents bulky Water-types from breaking through Gyarados's Substitute and it can sometimes withstand Giga Drain from 0 Special Attack Celebi. Best of all Gyarados is guaranteed to take +1 Close Combat from Jolly Mega Lucario and OHKO back with STAB Waterfall. The remaining EVs are placed into Attack to help Gyarados's attack still hit reasonably hard after a single Dragon Dance. With Stealth Rock +1 Bounce will guarantee a OHKO on Calm Mega Venusaur, offensive Celebi, and max HP Conkeldurr. Gyarados can opt to go slower in exchange for extra power or bulk. After a Dragon Dance, 176 Speed EVs guarantees outspeeding Timid Starmie while 160 Speed EVs guarantees outspeeding Jolly Mega Lucario. Moxie is a fine option on this set; however, Intimidate is great for helping Gyarados set up Substitute and Dragon Dance.
Usage Tips
========
Bulky Dragon Dance Gyarados has multiple purposes and ways of being used. For starters it can utilize Intimidate and its bulk to scare off threats such as Scizor and Excadrill. Furthermore, it can be used as a reasonable check against threats such as Mega Lucario and Choice Band Azumarill (provided it is not locked into Play Rough). Knowing when to set up Substitute or Dragon Dance can be pivotal to mastering Gyarados. Thanks to rain's nerf Thunder isn't very common so it is much safer to use Substitute when using Bounce. When using Bounce have ways of disposing or weakening Aegislash as otherwise it can be an annoying threat. The same goes for Pokemon such as Wish + Protect Vaporeon. It's best not to switch into attacks like Scald and Lava Plume if it can be avoided as otherwise the 30% burn rate and passive damage can really hamper Gyarados's sweeping potential. Also be careful of switching into threats such as Ferrothorn and Gliscor which can also pack Thunder Wave and Toxic, respectively. You can set up on Ferrothorn provided that it is burned by Will-O-Wisp, so using lures like Rotom-W is a great idea.
Team Options
========
This variation of Gyarados works exceptionally well on bulkier teams. Mega Venusaur and Ferrothorn are great defensive Grass-types that can harass a lot of Gyarados's checks and counters. Bulky Water-types with Scald or Will-O-Wisp are great for luring Ferrothorn to help Gyarados set up on Ferrothorn that rely on Power Whip. Rotom-W and Jellicent are great examples that can immediately burn Ferrothorn with Will-O-Wisp. Starmie can spin away Stealth Rock while handling Skarmory and Mega Venusaur with Thunderbolt and STAB Psyshock, respectively. Scald also can be used on Starmie to be used as a lure to Ferrothorn. Latias, Scizor, and Zapdos are great users of Defog. Scizor and Zapdos can use STAB U-turn and STAB Volt Switch, respectively, to pivot to Gyarados to help it set up.
Offensive Dragon Dance
########
name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Bounce / Stone Edge
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves
========
This Gyarados trades any attempt at bulking Gyarados out to go all-out on attacking. Waterfall is your primary STAB while Earthquake tackles grounded Electric-types and does great damage on threats such as Jirachi and Aegislash. Bounce is the best option for Gyarados's final move to help bypass Celebi, Mega Venusaur, and dent bulky Water-types such as Jellicent and Gastrodon. Stone Edge can be used to eliminate Zapdos, Dragonite, and Mandibuzz. Ice Fang is a viable alternative to eliminating Zygarde and Garchomp reliably while still targeting Celebi and Dragonite.
Set Details
========
Adamant with max Attack and Speed is recommended for this set to help maximize Gyarados's tyranny. Jolly should only be considered if you are deathly afraid of Mega Manectric and the very rare Jolteon. The ability choice is tricky because they both are very good for this set. For Intimidate it can help Gyarados set up Dragon Dance easier against threats such as Scizor and Landorus-T lacking Stone Edge. Moxie is still a great alternative to help Gyarados sweep with a single Dragon Dance under its belt. Lum Berry is the preferred item as it prevents status from crippling Gyarados. Furthermore, it can aid Gyarados to using status inducers such as Jirachi and Celebi as potential candidates to set up Dragon Dance on. Lum Berry and Intimidate can bluff Mega Gyarados to question Rotom-W switching in and freely staying in on Gyarados. Life Orb is great for maximizing Gyarados's power and 2HKOing Skarmory with +1 Waterfall. Wacan Berry is a good item option to assist Gyarados setting up Dragon Dance too. For example Scarf Genesect's Thunderbolt will fail to OHKO Gyarados even after Stealth Rock. This is a great way to set up a second Dragon Dance if Genesect is coming in on the revenge kill.
Usage Tips
========
This set wants teammates worn down as much as possible. It is also recommended to have potential Pokemon to have Gyarados set up Dragon Dance on so it can start its sweep. Crippling opponent's Pokemon with teammates that pack Will-O-Wisp or Thunder Wave is great for Gyarados. Stealth Rock placement and removal is highly recommended to help Gyarados 2HKO threats as well as preventing Gyarados from wearing itself out faster when using Life Orb. When using Moxie as Gyarados's ability try to keep potential Pokemon alive if only to help Gyarados obtain an Attack boost after KOing the weakened Pokemon.
Team Options
========
This variation of Gyarados appreciates powerful Pokemon that can puncture through teams and weaken them significantly to help Gyarados finish them off. Kyurem-B is a great example as it can handle Rotom-W with Substitute + Earth Power, Skarmory and bulky Water-types with Fusion Bolt, and can at least threaten Mega Venusaur and weaken physically defensive Ferrothorn with STAB Ice Beam. Since this Gyarados doesn't use Gyaradosite Mega Evolutions can help with beating holes through the opponents team. Mega Lucario can place major pressure onto teams with STAB Adaptability Close Combat, Aura Sphere, or Flash Cannon while Mega Charizard X can outspeed Genesect even after a Dragon Dance and utilize its offensive prowess to bust through Skarmory and Ferrothorn while heavily damaging bulky Water-types such as Rotom-W. Entry hazard removal is very vital. Starmie can spin away hazards and wear out bulky Water-types, Skarmory, and Mega Venusaur. while Latias, Scizor, and Zapdos are great Defog teammates that can assist Gyarados. Latias can Defog for Gyarados while using STAB Psyshock to harass Mega Venusaur. Zapdos can use STAB Thunderbolt or STAB Volt Switch to tackle bulky Water-types. Scizor can utilize STAB U-turn to help Gyarados pivot in easier.
RestTalk
########
name: RestTalk
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Roar / Dragon Tail
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
ability: Intimidate
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
nature: Impish
Moves
========
This set's purpose is mainly to utilize Intimidate and Gyarados's great typing and bulk as a status absorber and tank of sorts. With Rest and Sleep Talk Gyarados can remove status, keep itself healthy, and not be completely prone while staying asleep. Waterfall is mandatory STAB and helps Gyarados check potential threats such as Mega Lucario, Heatran, and Talonflame. Roar and Dragon Tail keep Gyarados from becoming setup bait. Roar will bypass Substitute and Fairy-types. Dragon Tail will bypass Magic Bounce Espeon and Xatu. Earthquake is a viable alternative if you feel Gyarados needs to eliminate Mega Lucario immediately while 2HKOing max HP Mega Mawile after Stealth Rock.
Set Details
========
The given EVs and nature maximize Gyarados's bulk while using Intimidate to cripple physical threats such as Mega Lucario, Mega Charizard X, and Talonflame. Leftovers is necessary on this set to keep Gyarados healthy. Unless you feel obligated to Speed creep or invest in Special Defense, don't waste EVs into Attack because it would take a significant amount of Attack EVs to guarantee 2HKOing Nasty Plot Mega Lucario with Waterfall and, provided Stealth Rock is off the field, +2 Flash Cannon will usually fail to 2HKO Gyarados. 88 Attack EVs ensure a OHKO on min HP Talonflame with Waterfall and, after Stealth Rock, has a 56% chance to 2HKO Mega Lucario.
Usage Tips
========
This set takes advantage of Gyarados's bulk - not its offenses. This Gyarados is great to tackle offensive threats such as Mega Lucario and Talonflame while also a great check to defensive threats such as Heatran and Landorus-T lacking Stone Edge and Knock Off. You are guaranteed to survive +2 Close Combat from Mega Lucario while dealing 62% minimum to -1 Mega Lucario. Removal of Stealth Rock is necessary to help Gyarados tank threats as much as possible.
Team Options
========
Entry hazards are a great source of damage for this Gyarados when shuffling with Roar or Dragon Tail. Ferrothorn is a cool teammate because it can lay entry hazards to help Gyarados when using Roar or Dragon Tail, paralysis to completely cripple offensive threats, and Leech Seed to help Gyarados passively recover on some targets. Skarmory also works as it has access to Spikes and also help rack damage of its own with Whirlwind. Forretress can lay multiple variations of entry hazards while using Rapid Spin to clear away entry hazards on Gyarados's side of the team. Rapid Spin from Starmie works well by eliminating potential offensive threats and some defensive targets. Since Dragon Tail can be a liability against Fairy-types Excadrill can be used to execute them with STAB Iron Head while spinning away entry hazards. Mega Venusaur is also a great teammate because it can rely on Gyarados's Intimidate to help tank otherwise dangerous threats such as other Gyarados, Rotom-W, and Azumarill.
Other Options
########
Choice Band and Choice Scarf sets can be used on Gyarados with Moxie as the ability. The main advantage is either having immediate power or Speed while utilizing Moxie to increase Gyarados's Attack for each KO Gyarados delivers. A bulkier set with Thunder Wave or Toxic, Taunt, Waterfall, and Roar or Dragon Tail can be used with Wish and cleric support. Thunder Wave can cripple some of Gyarados's offensive threats while Toxic wears down defensive threats. Aqua Tail is an option for extra power while sacrificing accuracy. With Stealth Rock Mega Gyarados can guarantee a 2HKO with +1 Aqua Tail. Fire Blast is Gyarados's fastest way of eliminating Ferrothorn and 2HKOing Skarmory, though requires a Lonely or Naughty nature.
Checks & Counters
########
**Bulky Grass-types**: Without Bounce and Ice Fang Gyarados is prone to Grass-types hampering its sweep. Ferrothorn, Trevenant, Gourgeist, Mega Venusaur, and Celebi are the best examples as all of these have methods of crippling Gyarados or stopping Gyarados's sweep. Ferrothorn is arguably the best counter to Gyarados thanks to its awesome typing, STAB Power Whip, access to Stealth Rock, and capable of crippling Gyarados with Leech Seed or Thunder Wave. Ferrothorn's ability also is a major thorn to Gyarados since STAB Waterfall, STAB Bounce, STAB Bite, and Ice Fang are contact moves. With Substitute Gourgeist and Trevenant can stall out Bounce and can break Gyarados's Substitute with STAB Horn Leech or STAB Seed Bomb. Will-O-Wisp can cripple Gyarados as well. Mega Gyarados can use Bite to bypass these threats. Mega Venusaur and Celebi are more prone to Bounce and, in Celebi's case, Bite and Ice Fang. With STAB Giga Drain they can completely stop Gyarados's sweep while recovering health.
**Bulky Water-types**: Rotom-W is a great check to regular Gyarados thanks to access to STAB Volt Switch and Will-O-Wisp to cripple Gyarados. Vaporeon is a huge nuisance to Gyarados as it can use Wish + Protect to stall out Bounce and cripple Gyarados with status. Unaware Quagsire can threaten Gyarados thanks to Unaware ignoring all stat boosts. Jellicent can immediately burn Gyarados with Will-O-Wisp and prevent being 2HKOed by offensive Dragon Dance Gyarados. Mega Gyarados and Bulky Dragon Dance Gyarados can scare Jellicent, though.
**Physical Walls**: Physical walls such as Mandibuzz, Skarmory, and Mega Aggron can give Gyarados a lot of trouble. Mandibuzz can beat any Gyarados without Stone Edge while +1 Foul Play will OHKO any offensive Gyarados. Bulky sets can be phazed out with Whirlwind and, without Stealth Rock, Mega Gyarados will fail to 2HKO with STAB Waterfall. Skarmory is only 2HKOed by +1 Mega Gyarados Aqua Tail or +1 Life Orb Gyarados Waterfall. Taunt sets can screw up Skarmory as well; however, Skarmory is capable of setting up Stealth Rock to limit Gyarados's opportunities to switch-in, Spikes to hamper Mega Gyarados, Roost off damage taken, phase out with Whirlwind, or just attack Gyarados with STAB Brave Bird. Mega Aggron can shrug off boosted Earthquake from regular Gyarados thanks to Filter and set up Curse in front of Gyarados. Be wary of Mold Breaker Earthquake from Mega Gyarados - +1 Earthquake 2HKOes Mega Aggron. Mega Aggron can carry Stone Edge or phase it out with Roar or Dragon Tail. Umbreon can withstand +1 Waterfall from regular Gyarados and OHKO back with STAB Foul Play. It can use Roar to phase out Gyarados, cripple it with status or Taunt to prevent Gyarados from setting up. Clefable is great as it can use Unaware to block non-Mega Gyarados's boosts while 3HKOing most Gyarados with STAB Moonblast. Clefable can Encore Gyarados while it uses Dragon Dance or Substitute and cripple with status.
**Scarf-users**: Scarf Pokemon - Genesect in particular - can hamper Gyarados's sweep. It can use Thunderbolt to OHKO regular Gyarados while using STAB U-turn against Mega Gyarados. Garchomp and Landorus-T can threaten regular Gyarados with Stone Edge while both have access to STAB Earthquake against Mega Gyarados. Rotom-W can outspeed +1 Gyarados and shut it down with STAB Volt Switch. Terrakion and Keldeo both outspeed +1 Gyarados and can OHKO with Stone Edge and Hidden Power Electric, respectively.
Overview
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*Throw some more showers to Mega Gyarados especially its durability*
- Water / Flying is great defensive typing - the bonus of resisting many priority attacks such as Mach Punch, Bullet Punch, and Aqua Jet.
- Two great abilities in Intimidate and Moxie. Intimidate makes it easier to set up and tank attacks. Moxie obtains free Attack boosts from KOing Pokemon.
- Great stats with good movepool
- Bulky stats give Gyarados the capability of running bulkier sets to check threats such as Mega Lucario and Talonflame.
- Bad ass mega evolution that changes Gyarados to Dark / Water. Furthermore, Mold Breaker becomes its new ability and its Attack, Defense, and Special Defense are increased. Mold Breaker Earthquake is great for shutting down the number one counter to Gyarados - Rotom-W.
- Lack of powerful Dark-type STAB leaves Mega Gyarados a minor disappointment.
- Dark-type from Mega evolution leaves weakness to more moves such as U-turn and Mach Punch.
- Scarf Genesect really is a prick.
Gyarados, the menace from Generation I, returns to wreak havoc upon the OU metagame once more and claim why it is best known as the "Atrocious" Pokemon. With a base 125 Attack stat and access to STAB Waterfall and STAB Bounce, Gyarados is a Pokemon that can easily take on most of its bulky Grass-type counterparts in its regular form. Its typing, durability, and good defensive stats also allow Gyarados to be a menacing Pokemon to take down without strong super effective attacks. Moxie lets Gyarados continuously rampage through teams while increasing its Attack for every KO it delivers. Resisting priority attacks such as Bullet Punch, Mach Punch, and Aqua Jet is just icing on the cake for Gyarados as it destroys teams after a few Dragon Dances under its belt.
Thanks to Generation VI Gyarados was blessed with a powerful Mega Evolution. Mega Gyarados sacrifices its Flying-type and access to items such as Lum Berry and Leftovers for a Dark-typing, base 109 Defense, and 130 Special Defense. The sacrifice may seem significant; however, Mega Gyarados's typing flip can help set up Dragon Dance against threats such as Tyranitar which otherwise OHKOes regular Gyarados with Stone Edge. Mold Breaker is definitely the prime reason for Mega Gyarados as it bypasses one of regular Gyarados's greatest hurdles - Rotom-W.
Even though Gyarados has a lot of perks its mediocre Speed, even after a Dragon Dance, and its weakness to Stealth Rock damper its true potential. Furthermore, Electric- and Rock-type attacks are very common throughout the metagame as are Fighting- and Fairy-type attacks for Mega Gyarados. Overall, the sheer intimidation that Gyarados brings to teams is nothing to be underestimated despite its downfalls.
Mega Dragon Dance
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name: Mega Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Bite / Stone Edge / Substitute
ability: Intimidate
item: Gyaradosite
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves
========
- Dragon Dance helps boosts Gyarados's Attack and Speed to make it a menacing and unstoppable force.
- Waterfall is your primary STAB with a respectable 80 base, 120 after STAB, and a 20% chance to flinch.
- Earthquake is mandatory as it beats Rotom-W, Gyarados's biggest counter, easily after Mega Evolution.
- Bite gives Gyarados another STAB option. Though weak, it is great against some of the other Pokemon Gyarados often struggled to OHKO / 2HKO such as Starmie, Celebi, Jellicent, and Slowbro.
- Stone Edge helps Gyarados beat other Gyarados, Kyurem-B, Cloyster, Zapdos, and Dragonite.
- Substitute can help ease setting up Dragon Dance. Thanks to Intimidate and Gyarados's natural ability to intimidate foes from staying into Gyarados it can be easy to set up a Substitute.
- Ice Fang deserves mention for beating Breloom.
Set Details
========
- Adamant is the preferred nature as you want maximum power behind Mega Gyarados. Sometimes a second Dragon Dance can work its way in, so Jolly isn't always the best nature.
- Though, Jolly is not bad for a couple of reasons. It allows Gyarados to bypass Adamant Mega Aerodactyl as well as other possible threats such as Mega Manectric.
- Max Attack and Speed is necessary to get the full effects from Dragon Dance.
- Moxie is a usable ability if you can grab KOes before Gyarados Mega-Evolves; however, Intimidate makes it easier to set up Dragon Dance.
Usage Tips
========
- Gyarados is one of the few Mega Evolution Pokemon that you may want to hold off on Mega Evolving. Since Gyarados may require to take a hit or two sometimes it isn't good to preemptively Mega-Evolve. For example, when facing a situation where Gyarados has to set up while taking a Stone Edge or even an Electric-type attack Gyarados may want to Mega-Evolve ASAP. However, against threats such as Scizor it is best to hold off as otherwise you leave yourself vulnerable to taking Fighting-type attacks for Super Effective damage.
- Gyarados can be a Pokemon that can instill fear just by arriving on the field. When standing face-to-face against Choice Band Scizor it is best to bring Gyarados in provided that Scizor is locked onto Bullet Punch or Pursuit. If Stealth Rock is off of the field on your side take advantage of Gyarados's Intimidate if necessary.
- Remember that Mold Breaker really helps Gyarados out. You can hit Gastrodon for neutral damage and you hit Rotom-W and Gengar with Earthquake. Stone Edge can also completely ignore Multiscale from Dragonite. Clefable and Quagsire, two Pokemon with Unaware, still take full damage from Gyarados as well.
- Timing is very crucial to success with Gyarados. Know when it is safe to sweep and when you still need to continue to scout. If Stealth Rock is off of the field, try looking around for Pokemon that might carry moves that can threaten Gyarados. Just remember to use your teammates to help back Gyarados up.
Team Options
========
- This variation of Gyarados hates status but also does not enjoy bulky Grass-types such as Mega Venusaur and Celebi (assuming Bite is missing). Furthermore, bulky Water-types can really annoy Mega Gyarados as they can impend its sweep to rely on Earthquake instead of STAB Waterfall and threaten Gyarados with Scald or Will-O-Wisp burns, Toxic crippling its potential longevity, or paralysis making it harder to outspeed threats. Some Scarf users such as Genesect are also very annoying for Mega Gyarados.
- Heatran does a good job on responding against bulky Grass-types. It can't absorb the random Earthquake or Earth Power; however, it easily tanks Giga Drains Psychics for days. Heatran can lure out bulky Water-types and wear them out with Toxic or potentially burn them with STAB Lava Plume. Being able to learn Stealth Rock is a huge boon. It also is the best answer to Genesect.
- Bulky Water-types are difficult to take down, though Celebi does well for Gyarados. Celebi has the added benefit being able to carry a plethora of support moves to help Gyarados with its sweep. Whether you have Heal Bell, Thunder Wave, or Stealth Rock - Gyarados appreciates any of these.
- Goodra does well at handling most of the bulky Grass- and Water-types thanks to access to Flamethrower, Fire Blast, and Thunderbolt while still having STAB Draco Meteor to punish threats.
- Latios and Latias do exceptionally well against the Grass- and Water-type threats as well boasting STAB Psychic or Psyshock while carrying either offensive momentum through Latios or defensive tactics with Latias. Furthermore, Latias is a great user of Defog.
- Kyurem-B has to be careful about burns; however, it can puncture through a lot of problematic Pokemon that Gyarados suffers from.
- Excadrill is a great user of Rapid Spin and can create further harassment against the enemy team. It can carry Stealth Rock if Excadrill is the only viable Stealth Rock user on your team.
- Other viable Defog users include Zapdos and Scizor. Zapdos handles bulky Water-types while Scizor can excel against bulky Grass-types.
- Talonflame does well with the bonus of being able to clear out Fighting-types such as Conkeldurr. Be very cautious as Talonflame has a huge weakness to Stealth Rock.
- Both Rotom-W or Rotom-H can really benefit Gyarados. Rotom-W can harass most of the bulky Water-types with its movepool while Rotom-H can pulverize most Grass-types without much issue.
- Ferrothorn has great defensive synergy with Gyarados and can provide Gyarados with a lot of different ways of support.
- Politoed is a good partner as it boosts Gyarados's Water-type STAB further. It can be used offensively with a Specs set or even a Scarf set to aid the team. Alternatively, Damp Rock Politoed can be a decent Pokemon to harass the opponent's Pokemon.
Bulky Dragon Dance
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name: Bulky Dragon Dance
move 1: Substitute / Taunt
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Bounce / Earthquake / Stone Edge
ability: Intimidate / Moxie
item: Leftovers
evs: 120 HP / 72 Atk / 100 Def / 216 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
- Substitute is highly recommended with Bulky Dragon Dance. It can save Gyarados from Scald and Lava Plume burns, which arguably screw up this set's potential the most.
- Taunt still isn't a bad option because it can force attacks while utilizing Dragon Dance. Pokemon such as Mega Aggron often carry Thunder Wave and being able to Taunt it before it gets up is nice. Furthermore, Taunt forces Skarmory to recoil itself with STAB Brave Bird while dealing a possible 5HKO on Gyarados.
- Dragon Dance is mandatory for obvious reasons.
- Waterfall is also mandatory.
- Bounce is great. It destroys Mega Venusaur and Celebi while still trolling the majority of bulky Water-types. Protect is kind of a minor pain; especially Aegislash's King's Shield. Still, bypassing Mega Venusaur and other threats is well worth the reason to use Bounce. The paralysis rate is great and the free Leftovers recovery during Bounce is nothing to be underestimated.
- Earthquake is best mainly for its reliability in power, accuracy, and it also helps bypass King's Shield shenanigans from Aegislash.
- Stone Edge still is solid mainly because it hits Rotom-W, other Gyarados, and Kyurem-B. While Rotom-W is a hell enough of a Pokemon for Gyarados to bypass, Kyurem-B is a major offensive threat.
Set Details
========
- The EV spread is very complicated so it is being broken down to help simplify what it does.
- 120 HP / 100 allows Gyarados to tank a U-turn from Scarf Genesect while behind a Substitute. Furthermore, your Substitute will survive -1 Horn Leech from Trevenant.
- 216 Speed allows Gyarados to outspeed most Gliscor before Dragon Dance and Greninja after Dragon Dance.
- The remainder EVs are placed into Attack to give Gyarados steady power.
- You can throw them into Special Defense or Defense if you want more tank power. To survive Bold Celebi Giga Drain 144 SpD EVs are necessary. You can throw all of Gyarados's Attack into Defense to nearly-guarantee survival against Ferrothorn's Power Whip after Intimidate.
- For Taunt you can opt for more offense. 156 HP / 92 Atk / 100 Def / 160 Spe with an Adamant nature will outspeed Jolly Mega Lucario after a Dragon Dance while still offering some of the same perks as the original spread does.
Usage Tips
========
- Your Substitute is able to withstand a lot of pressure from a lot of Pokemon. Jellicent, Vaporeon, and Gastrodon dream of bypassing Substitute in a hit like they possibly could have back in Generation 5. You can even tank a Shadow Ball from Jellicent, too. Substitute is also sturdy enough to take Body Slam from Jirachi and Power Whip from burned Ferrothorn - both including Intimidate. Excadrill needs Rock Slide to even think about threatening Gyarados while Mega Aggron hates the sight of this set without ThunderPunch. You can sometimes tank special attacks with this spread too. For example, Bold Celebi's Giga Drain can sometimes fail to KO the Substitute.
- Substitute is great because it can scout a lot of Pokemon on the opponent's side of the field. For example, possible switch-in scenarios that Gyarados will face and what Gyarados should expect move-wise from various Pokemon.
- Taunt is solid, though. Taunt is great because you can utilize Gyarados as a way of stopping entry hazards from Skarmory and Ferrothorn when they switch in. You can also shut down their recovery as well. Taunt Gyarados likely wants more Attack investment.
- This set does best with offensive threats cleared while defensive threats are left alive. There are some that still trouble this set (Chansey and Skarmory); however, setting up on Pokemon such as bulky Water-types is your best bet.
- In a pinch this set can check Mega Lucario - even if Stealth Rock is on your side of the field. It will also check Swords Dance Talonflame using Sharp Beak, but be very careful on that one with Stealth Rock being up.
Team Options
========
- For this set Excadrill is one of the best teammates here. It can eliminate Unaware Clefable, Rotom-W, and many other potentially pesky Pokemon. With access to Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock it's a great utility and offensive Pokemon bundled into one.
- Rotom-W and Rotom-H can handle a lot of problematic Pokemon for Gyarados. Rotom-W has the benefit of drawing in Ferrothorn to burn it while Rotom-H can flat out eliminate it from existence.
- Heatran is great for screwing up a lot of Pokemon such as Aegislash to help ease the use of Bounce. Being able to set up Stealth Rock or using Toxic on Rotom-W is a bonus.
- Kyurem-B and Latios are great for puncturing holes in many Pokemon.
- Latias, Scizor, and Zapdos are great for Defog. Scizor's access to U-turn is great for getting Gyarados in safely.
- Mega Venusaur is still great for this set, though it isn't as great because it is mainly used to eliminate Celebi lacking Psychic and Rotom-W. However, it does have a purpose when Gyarados uses Bounce - it can also eliminate Pixilate Hyper Voice Sylveon, Unaware Clefable, Unaware Quagsire, Wish + Protect Vaporeon, and the number one threat - Rotom-W.
- Wish from Pokemon such as Jirachi and Clefable can be great to allow Gyarados to utilize its bulk with Intimidate.
- Skarmory is a good Pokemon to carry to eliminate Breloom which can bypass Gyarados's Substitute with STAB Bullet Seed. It also does alright handling Mamoswine. It can utilize Spikes, Stealth Rock, or Defog to aid Gyarados as well.
- Ferrothorn has great defensive synergy with Gyarados and can use its various support methods to aid Gyarados. Leech Seed can make Gyarados really healthy, Stealth Rock or Spikes for entry hazard shenanigans, or Thunder Wave for faster threats that don't need to necessarily be burned.
Offensive Dragon Dance
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name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Bounce / Stone Edge
ability: Intimidate / Moxie
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves
========
- This moveset is about putting all the cards on Gyarados's table and just going full offensive in its regular form.
- Waterfall is necessary STAB.
- Earthquake compliments well with Waterfall.
- Bounce bypasses Mega Venusaur and Celebi as well as doing a hefty amount of damage to Water-types (barring Rotom-W).
- Stone Edge covers threats such as other Gyarados, Zapdos, Dragonite, and many others. Life Orb Stone Edge is Gyarados's best course of action around bulky Rotom-W.
- Ice Fang can be used as, with Life Orb, it 2HKOes Celebi after Stealth Rock and one Dragon Dance. It's also Gyarados's best attack against Goodra and Zygarde.
Set Details
========
- Maximize Attack and Speed for obvious reasons. 4 Def in the event of Stealth Rock.
- Though Gyarados is attempting to go full out offensive Intimidate is still a very solid ability in helping Gyarados set up Dragon Dance with more opportunities.
- In some cases, though, Moxie works really well against super late game teams that are very worn out and all Gyarados has to do is plow through the team with a single Dragon Dance.
- Lum Berry is great. It helps Gyarados safely 2HKO weakened threats such as Jellicent by absorbing the Will-O-Wisp. This also can save Gyarados from being ruined by Prankster Thundurus using Thunder Wave to impend the sweep.
- For maximum power Life Orb is the way to go. +1 Adamant Earthquake OHKOes offensive Starmie and +1 Waterfall has a high chance of 2HKOing Skarmory after Stealth Rock.
- Jolly can be used if you fear losing in Speed to threats such as Adamant Mega Aerodactyl and the rarer Jolteon.
- Wacan Berry is an interesting option. With this you can safely absorb a Volt Switch from defensive Rotom-W. This also helps survive against Scarf Genesect's Thunderbolt.
Usage Tips
========
- Like stated in the first set, Gyarados can be used to soften physical threats such as Choice Band Scizor while also being used to help scout out for potentially dangerous attacks. If you're using Moxie on Gyarados, though, it is highly recommended to hold Gyarados back as long as possible.
- This variation of Gyarados really wants as much worn out in the process as possible. Though Mega Gyarados lacks the capability of carrying Lum berry, Life Orb, or Moxie it has much better Attack without any recoil.
- Stealth Rock removal is highly recommended to keep Gyarados alive and to possibly tank an attack in a dire emergency.
Team Options
========
- Excadrill is a great partner for Gyarados. It can spin away hazards and clear away one of Offensive DD Gyarados's biggest threats - Rotom-W - with the ease of Mold Breaker Earthquake. It can also lay Stealth Rock for Gyarados.
- Mega Venusaur is a great tank that can take on defensive Grass- and Water-types thanks to its ability, immunity to poison, and STAB Giga Drain and Sludge Bomb. Be careful of Scald burns and sand damage.
- Zapdos, Scizor, and Latias are all good users of Defog. Zapdos handles bulky Water-types while Scizor handles bulky Grass-types. Latias can be catered to dealing with a mixture of these Pokemon.
- Latios and Kyurem-B are great offensive powerhouses that can plow through many of Gyarados's checks and have the benefit of resisting Thunderbolts and Volt Switches.
- Heatran bullies Grass-types and has the added benefit of wearing out threats with Lava Plume's 30% burn rate or potentially using Toxic against bulky Water-types. Furthermore, Heatran has access to Stealth Rock.
- Celebi is great for Gyarados since it can tackle most bulky Water-types and aid Gyarados with Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave, or Heal Bell.
- Jirachi is also a great assistant with Gyarados as it can at least take on Stone Edge from threats such as Tyranitar and can Iron Head before Crunch comes around. Furthermore Jirachi has Wish, Thunder Wave, and Stealth Rock that can help assist Gyarados as well.
- Rotom-W and Rotom-H are great teammates thanks to their plethora of resistances and being able to handle some of Gyarados's problematic Pokemon. Furthermore, they both resist Brave Bird from Gale Wings Talonflame - which can ruin Gyarados's sweep.
- Ferrothorn has great defensive synergy with Gyarados and can provide Gyarados with a lot of different ways of support.
- Politoed is a good partner as it boosts Gyarados's Water-type STAB further. It can be used offensively with a Specs set or even a Scarf set to aid the team. Alternatively, Damp Rock Politoed can be a decent Pokemon to harass the opponent's Pokemon.
- In general, this set really needs Pokemon that has access to priority moves removed as much as possible. Though Gyarados resists many common priority attacks, it appreciates staying as healthy as possible.
RestTalk
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name: RestTalk
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Roar / Dragon Tail
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
ability: Intimidate
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
nature: Impish
Moves
========
- Rest and Sleep Talk are mandatory for recovering health and allowing Gyarados to function while asleep.
- Waterfall is your primary STAB.
- Roar is more useful as it bypasses Substitute and Fairy-types.
- Dragon Tail still isn't bad for residual damage and bypassing Xatu and Espeon.
- Earthquake can be used over the phazing attacks to ensure a OHKO on Mega Lucario after it uses Close Combat.
Set Details
========
- 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD maximizes Gyarados's physical bulk while still allowing Gyarados to take special hits.
- Impish helps further improve its durability on the physical end of the spectrum.
- Leftovers is mandatory for recovery.
- Intimidate is mandatory for decreasing physical Pokemon's Attack.
Usage Tips
========
- This set takes a different approach from most Gyarados by using its typing, natural durability, and Intimidate to act as a tank.
- Thanks to Sleep Talk and Rest Gyarados can act as a Pokemon that can absorb status such as Spore.
- This variation of Gyarados is great for tackling Pokemon such as non-Roost Scizor, Mega Lucario without Stone Edge, offensive Heatran without Hidden Power Rock or Electric, Mega Medicham without Rock Slide or Thunder Punch, and Excadrill without Rock Slide.
- Removal of Stealth Rock is, once again, highly recommended. You don't want your tank to lose 25% of its health every turn now, do you?
- Wish support isn't a bad idea with this set. With it you can keep Gyarados alive without relying so much on Rest.
Team Options
========
- As this variation of Gyarados is more of a bulkier Pokemon than a physical powerhouse, teammates that specialize in tanking are more likely to be listed. There are some offensive options, though.
- Excadrill is great as it can clear away Stealth Rock, threaten Rotom-W, and possibly lay Stealth Rock on its own. As a bonus - STAB Iron Head can eliminate Fairy-types that are immune to Dragon Tail.
- Heatran conquers threats such as Celebi without Earth Power. It also is the best answer to Genesect. Lava Plume's burn rate is highly appreciated to help Gyarados tank even better. Access to Stealth Rock and Toxic to capture lured bulky Water-types is a big bonus.
- Mega Venusaur is a great tank to go alongside bulky Gyarados as it can handle the Water-types that Gyarados struggles against.
- Celebi is another great Grass-type that has access to many utility and offensive moves.
- Wish support can be granted from Jirachi, Clefable, and one of the Eeveelutions such as Espeon or Sylveon.
- Skarmory can be used to tackle Breloom, Mega Pinsir, and Conkeldurr as well as set up entry hazards or even Defog.
- Zapdos, Latias, Scizor are great Defog users.
- Rotom-W and Rotom-H do well with Gyarados and can burn threats with Will-O-Wisp to help improve Gyarados's tanking capabilities.
- Landorus-T can take on quite a few threats, be a bulky pivot with U-turn, and provides Stealth Rock if wanted.
- Ferrothorn has great defensive synergy with Gyarados and can provide Gyarados with a lot of different ways of support.
Choice Band
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name: Choice Band
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Ice Fang
ability: Moxie / Intimidate
item: Choice Band
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
- Waterfall is necessary for STAB.
- Earthquake hits Aegislash safely and is the best move to use when Waterfall is resisted.
- Stone Edge covers Gyarados, Kyurem-B, and many other Pokemon. It is also the best attack to hit Rotom-W with.
- Ice Fang helps with Celebi, Goodra, and Zygarde.
- Bounce can be used on this set to bypass Mega Venusaur and Celebi easier, but it is riskier with the Choice Band lock as well as a forced two-turn attack without any protection.
Set Details
========
- Max Attack and Speed with Adamant for maximum power.
- With the weather nerf Moxie is the better option now. It helps Gyarados in the later stages of the game or even the earlier portions when it can KO a Pokemon and heavily dent the next one.
- Intimidate is still very viable as it helps Gyarados scare off potential threats to the team such as Scizor.
Usage Tips
========
- The main advantage of Choice Band Gyarados is you get the raw power early on. You can use Moxie to help follow up for more Attack.
- When using as a late game cleaner weaken threats and attempt to keep slower threats if possible. Else, try spreading around status such as paralysis or sleep. In Moxie Gyarados's case - a dead Pokemon means no free Attack boosts.
- Gyarados really needs entry hazards to help it out. Stealth Rock does decently, though Spikes helps out with obtaining 2HKOes on Pokemon such as Celebi.
- The real beauty of this set is you can harass your checks and counters with repeated attacks and, eventually, KO them off the field.
Team Options
========
- Mega Venusaur is a great teammate once again. It handles a lot of the problematic Pokemon and softens the others.
- Stealth Rock users such as Celebi, Jirachi, and Heatran are all great. Ferrothorn also works as it is a good defensive Pokemon to have as it resists everything Gyarados is weak too. Ferrothorn also can lay Spikes if you don't use Defog.
- Excadrill is really good thanks to spinning entry hazards, being able to puncture holes with Mold Breaker Earthquake, and even set up Stealth Rock if necessary.
- Zapdos, Latias, and Scizor are all great Defog Pokemon to pair with Gyarados.
- Politoed is a great teammate because it can boost Waterfall's power dramatically. Carrying a Damp Rock is best; however, Politoed can join in on the fun with Choice Specs or Choice Scarf.
- Skarmory can lay Spikes or Defog for Gyarados. It's also good at handling bulkier Fighting-types and, to an extent, some of the Grass-types.
- Kyurem-B and Latios are both great Pokemon that lay a lot of offensive pressure and can leave teams weakened. They also mesh decently with Gyarados's resists and weaknesses.
- Goodra tanks special hits fairly well and can aid offensively with Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Thunderbolt, or STAB Draco Meteor.
- Mixed attackers such as Aegislash work really well with Gyarados since all it needs is Pokemon weakened and not necessarily KOed.
Other Options
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- A Taunt + Thunder Wave set works well with Gyarados. Though it requires a little assistance to build with it, it acts as a great defensive teammate that can cripple threats to help other teammates sweep. Though Rotom-W is drawn to this set like a magnet and Thundurus is also immune to Thunder Wave Taunt can still screw with these Pokemon.
- Toxic can be used on the RestTalk set to beat bulky Water-types that don't have an option to remove status one-on-one. It also is Gyarados's best way to cripple Rotom-W without resorting to Mega Evolution.
- Fire Blast and Flamethrower are Gyarados's best ways to bypass Ferrothorn.
- Return is a consistent attack and Water + Normal has decent coverage. It is one of Gyarados's better options on beating Rotom-W.
- Choice Scarf can be used instead of Choice Band; however, the lack of permanent rain really tampers with the potential of the set and Gyarados really needs a Moxie boost to get going.
Checks & Counters
########
- Bulky Water-types really put a threat to any Gyarados set's sweeping potential. While many don't carry moves that can do immediate damage to Gyarados, STAB Scald's potential to burn really screws up any Gyarados sweep. Furthermore, the number one bulky Water - Rotom - is immune to Earthquake and takes at worst 51% from +1 LO Stone Edge. Rotom-W can choose to burn with Will-O-Wisp or hit with STAB Volt Switch. Rotom-W needs to beware of Mega Gyarados - Mold Breaker Earthquake will shut down Rotom-W and Volt Switch is weakened thanks to losing the Flying-type.
- Bulky Grass-types also can screw with a Gyarados sweep. Celebi, Mega Venusaur, Trevenant, and Gourgeist have ways of disposing Gyarados's sweeping potential. Mega Venusaur is the best of the bunch thanks to Thick Fat reducing Ice Fang's damage. Celebi, Trevenant, and Gourgeist need to be wary of Ice Fang and Mega Gyarados's STAB Bite. Trevenant and Gourgeist can burn Gyarados and retaliate by targeting Gyarados's weaker Defense stat. Celebi can continuously Giga Drain to full health or hit Gyarados very hard with Leaf Storm. Celebi can also paralyze Gyarados with Thunder Wave. Ferrothorn also gets a mention for resisting many of Gyarados's attacks, being able to cripple it with Thunder Wave or Leech Seed, smack it back with STAB Power Whip, and rack up passive damage with Iron Barbs. Breloom may not like taking much offense; however, it resists everything barring Ice Fang and can retaliate with STAB Bullet Seed and STAB Mach Punch against Mega Gyarados. Rock Tomb being boosted by Technician also makes Dragon Dance boosting Speed almost impossible.
- Scarf Genesect always outspeeds +1 Gyarados barring the rare Sticky Web support. It can Thunderbolt regular Gyarados or utilitize STAB U-turn or Bug Buzz on Mega Gyarados.
- Without Earthquake Gyarados is left susceptible to mind games against Aegislash's Kings Shield and also has a harder time bypassing threats such as Jirachi.
- Without Stone Edge Gyarados has a harder time bypassing other Gyarados, Kyurem-B, and Zapdos. Mandibuzz also becomes a major issue as Foul Play is boosted every time Gyarados uses Dragon Dance.
- Status really screws up non-RestTalk Gyarados. Paralysis and burns are the absolute worst, though Toxic does well at numbering Gyarados's longevity as well. Be careful of sets that have Lum Berry!
- Priority bypasses Gyarados's boosts and can still sting or possibly kill Gyarados that are weakened. Such examples include ExtremeSpeed Genesect (which gets a +Atk boost too from Download), ExtremeSpeed Dragonite, Brave Bird Talonflame, and Sucker Punch Bisharp. After Mega Evolving Conkeldurr also threatens Mega Gyarados with STAB Mach Punch and Breloom has access to Technician Mach Punch.
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*Throw some more showers to Mega Gyarados especially its durability*
- Water / Flying is great defensive typing - the bonus of resisting many priority attacks such as Mach Punch, Bullet Punch, and Aqua Jet.
- Two great abilities in Intimidate and Moxie. Intimidate makes it easier to set up and tank attacks. Moxie obtains free Attack boosts from KOing Pokemon.
- Great stats with good movepool
- Bulky stats give Gyarados the capability of running bulkier sets to check threats such as Mega Lucario and Talonflame.
- Bad ass mega evolution that changes Gyarados to Dark / Water. Furthermore, Mold Breaker becomes its new ability and its Attack, Defense, and Special Defense are increased. Mold Breaker Earthquake is great for shutting down the number one counter to Gyarados - Rotom-W.
- Lack of powerful Dark-type STAB leaves Mega Gyarados a minor disappointment.
- Dark-type from Mega evolution leaves weakness to more moves such as U-turn and Mach Punch.
- Scarf Genesect really is a prick.
Gyarados, the menace from Generation I, returns to wreak havoc upon the OU metagame once more and claim why it is best known as the "Atrocious" Pokemon. With a base 125 Attack stat and access to STAB Waterfall and STAB Bounce, Gyarados is a Pokemon that can easily take on most of its bulky Grass-type counterparts in its regular form. Its typing, durability, and good defensive stats also allow Gyarados to be a menacing Pokemon to take down without strong super effective attacks. Moxie lets Gyarados continuously rampage through teams while increasing its Attack for every KO it delivers. Resisting priority attacks such as Bullet Punch, Mach Punch, and Aqua Jet is just icing on the cake for Gyarados as it destroys teams after a few Dragon Dances under its belt.
Thanks to Generation VI Gyarados was blessed with a powerful Mega Evolution. Mega Gyarados sacrifices its Flying-type and access to items such as Lum Berry and Leftovers for a Dark-typing, base 109 Defense, and 130 Special Defense. The sacrifice may seem significant; however, Mega Gyarados's typing flip can help set up Dragon Dance against threats such as Tyranitar which otherwise OHKOes regular Gyarados with Stone Edge. Mold Breaker is definitely the prime reason for Mega Gyarados as it bypasses one of regular Gyarados's greatest hurdles - Rotom-W.
Even though Gyarados has a lot of perks its mediocre Speed, even after a Dragon Dance, and its weakness to Stealth Rock damper its true potential. Furthermore, Electric- and Rock-type attacks are very common throughout the metagame as are Fighting- and Fairy-type attacks for Mega Gyarados. Overall, the sheer intimidation that Gyarados brings to teams is nothing to be underestimated despite its downfalls.
Mega Dragon Dance
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name: Mega Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Bite / Stone Edge / Substitute
ability: Intimidate
item: Gyaradosite
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves
========
- Dragon Dance helps boosts Gyarados's Attack and Speed to make it a menacing and unstoppable force.
- Waterfall is your primary STAB with a respectable 80 base, 120 after STAB, and a 20% chance to flinch.
- Earthquake is mandatory as it beats Rotom-W, Gyarados's biggest counter, easily after Mega Evolution.
- Bite gives Gyarados another STAB option. Though weak, it is great against some of the other Pokemon Gyarados often struggled to OHKO / 2HKO such as Starmie, Celebi, Jellicent, and Slowbro.
- Stone Edge helps Gyarados beat other Gyarados, Kyurem-B, Cloyster, Zapdos, and Dragonite.
- Substitute can help ease setting up Dragon Dance. Thanks to Intimidate and Gyarados's natural ability to intimidate foes from staying into Gyarados it can be easy to set up a Substitute.
- Ice Fang deserves mention for beating Breloom.
Set Details
========
- Adamant is the preferred nature as you want maximum power behind Mega Gyarados. Sometimes a second Dragon Dance can work its way in, so Jolly isn't always the best nature.
- Though, Jolly is not bad for a couple of reasons. It allows Gyarados to bypass Adamant Mega Aerodactyl as well as other possible threats such as Mega Manectric.
- Max Attack and Speed is necessary to get the full effects from Dragon Dance.
- Moxie is a usable ability if you can grab KOes before Gyarados Mega-Evolves; however, Intimidate makes it easier to set up Dragon Dance.
Usage Tips
========
- Gyarados is one of the few Mega Evolution Pokemon that you may want to hold off on Mega Evolving. Since Gyarados may require to take a hit or two sometimes it isn't good to preemptively Mega-Evolve. For example, when facing a situation where Gyarados has to set up while taking a Stone Edge or even an Electric-type attack Gyarados may want to Mega-Evolve ASAP. However, against threats such as Scizor it is best to hold off as otherwise you leave yourself vulnerable to taking Fighting-type attacks for Super Effective damage.
- Gyarados can be a Pokemon that can instill fear just by arriving on the field. When standing face-to-face against Choice Band Scizor it is best to bring Gyarados in provided that Scizor is locked onto Bullet Punch or Pursuit. If Stealth Rock is off of the field on your side take advantage of Gyarados's Intimidate if necessary.
- Remember that Mold Breaker really helps Gyarados out. You can hit Gastrodon for neutral damage and you hit Rotom-W and Gengar with Earthquake. Stone Edge can also completely ignore Multiscale from Dragonite. Clefable and Quagsire, two Pokemon with Unaware, still take full damage from Gyarados as well.
- Timing is very crucial to success with Gyarados. Know when it is safe to sweep and when you still need to continue to scout. If Stealth Rock is off of the field, try looking around for Pokemon that might carry moves that can threaten Gyarados. Just remember to use your teammates to help back Gyarados up.
Team Options
========
- This variation of Gyarados hates status but also does not enjoy bulky Grass-types such as Mega Venusaur and Celebi (assuming Bite is missing). Furthermore, bulky Water-types can really annoy Mega Gyarados as they can impend its sweep to rely on Earthquake instead of STAB Waterfall and threaten Gyarados with Scald or Will-O-Wisp burns, Toxic crippling its potential longevity, or paralysis making it harder to outspeed threats. Some Scarf users such as Genesect are also very annoying for Mega Gyarados.
- Heatran does a good job on responding against bulky Grass-types. It can't absorb the random Earthquake or Earth Power; however, it easily tanks Giga Drains Psychics for days. Heatran can lure out bulky Water-types and wear them out with Toxic or potentially burn them with STAB Lava Plume. Being able to learn Stealth Rock is a huge boon. It also is the best answer to Genesect.
- Bulky Water-types are difficult to take down, though Celebi does well for Gyarados. Celebi has the added benefit being able to carry a plethora of support moves to help Gyarados with its sweep. Whether you have Heal Bell, Thunder Wave, or Stealth Rock - Gyarados appreciates any of these.
- Goodra does well at handling most of the bulky Grass- and Water-types thanks to access to Flamethrower, Fire Blast, and Thunderbolt while still having STAB Draco Meteor to punish threats.
- Latios and Latias do exceptionally well against the Grass- and Water-type threats as well boasting STAB Psychic or Psyshock while carrying either offensive momentum through Latios or defensive tactics with Latias. Furthermore, Latias is a great user of Defog.
- Kyurem-B has to be careful about burns; however, it can puncture through a lot of problematic Pokemon that Gyarados suffers from.
- Excadrill is a great user of Rapid Spin and can create further harassment against the enemy team. It can carry Stealth Rock if Excadrill is the only viable Stealth Rock user on your team.
- Other viable Defog users include Zapdos and Scizor. Zapdos handles bulky Water-types while Scizor can excel against bulky Grass-types.
- Talonflame does well with the bonus of being able to clear out Fighting-types such as Conkeldurr. Be very cautious as Talonflame has a huge weakness to Stealth Rock.
- Both Rotom-W or Rotom-H can really benefit Gyarados. Rotom-W can harass most of the bulky Water-types with its movepool while Rotom-H can pulverize most Grass-types without much issue.
- Ferrothorn has great defensive synergy with Gyarados and can provide Gyarados with a lot of different ways of support.
- Politoed is a good partner as it boosts Gyarados's Water-type STAB further. It can be used offensively with a Specs set or even a Scarf set to aid the team. Alternatively, Damp Rock Politoed can be a decent Pokemon to harass the opponent's Pokemon.
Bulky Dragon Dance
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name: Bulky Dragon Dance
move 1: Substitute / Taunt
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Bounce / Earthquake / Stone Edge
ability: Intimidate / Moxie
item: Leftovers
evs: 120 HP / 72 Atk / 100 Def / 216 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
- Substitute is highly recommended with Bulky Dragon Dance. It can save Gyarados from Scald and Lava Plume burns, which arguably screw up this set's potential the most.
- Taunt still isn't a bad option because it can force attacks while utilizing Dragon Dance. Pokemon such as Mega Aggron often carry Thunder Wave and being able to Taunt it before it gets up is nice. Furthermore, Taunt forces Skarmory to recoil itself with STAB Brave Bird while dealing a possible 5HKO on Gyarados.
- Dragon Dance is mandatory for obvious reasons.
- Waterfall is also mandatory.
- Bounce is great. It destroys Mega Venusaur and Celebi while still trolling the majority of bulky Water-types. Protect is kind of a minor pain; especially Aegislash's King's Shield. Still, bypassing Mega Venusaur and other threats is well worth the reason to use Bounce. The paralysis rate is great and the free Leftovers recovery during Bounce is nothing to be underestimated.
- Earthquake is best mainly for its reliability in power, accuracy, and it also helps bypass King's Shield shenanigans from Aegislash.
- Stone Edge still is solid mainly because it hits Rotom-W, other Gyarados, and Kyurem-B. While Rotom-W is a hell enough of a Pokemon for Gyarados to bypass, Kyurem-B is a major offensive threat.
Set Details
========
- The EV spread is very complicated so it is being broken down to help simplify what it does.
- 120 HP / 100 allows Gyarados to tank a U-turn from Scarf Genesect while behind a Substitute. Furthermore, your Substitute will survive -1 Horn Leech from Trevenant.
- 216 Speed allows Gyarados to outspeed most Gliscor before Dragon Dance and Greninja after Dragon Dance.
- The remainder EVs are placed into Attack to give Gyarados steady power.
- You can throw them into Special Defense or Defense if you want more tank power. To survive Bold Celebi Giga Drain 144 SpD EVs are necessary. You can throw all of Gyarados's Attack into Defense to nearly-guarantee survival against Ferrothorn's Power Whip after Intimidate.
- For Taunt you can opt for more offense. 156 HP / 92 Atk / 100 Def / 160 Spe with an Adamant nature will outspeed Jolly Mega Lucario after a Dragon Dance while still offering some of the same perks as the original spread does.
Usage Tips
========
- Your Substitute is able to withstand a lot of pressure from a lot of Pokemon. Jellicent, Vaporeon, and Gastrodon dream of bypassing Substitute in a hit like they possibly could have back in Generation 5. You can even tank a Shadow Ball from Jellicent, too. Substitute is also sturdy enough to take Body Slam from Jirachi and Power Whip from burned Ferrothorn - both including Intimidate. Excadrill needs Rock Slide to even think about threatening Gyarados while Mega Aggron hates the sight of this set without ThunderPunch. You can sometimes tank special attacks with this spread too. For example, Bold Celebi's Giga Drain can sometimes fail to KO the Substitute.
- Substitute is great because it can scout a lot of Pokemon on the opponent's side of the field. For example, possible switch-in scenarios that Gyarados will face and what Gyarados should expect move-wise from various Pokemon.
- Taunt is solid, though. Taunt is great because you can utilize Gyarados as a way of stopping entry hazards from Skarmory and Ferrothorn when they switch in. You can also shut down their recovery as well. Taunt Gyarados likely wants more Attack investment.
- This set does best with offensive threats cleared while defensive threats are left alive. There are some that still trouble this set (Chansey and Skarmory); however, setting up on Pokemon such as bulky Water-types is your best bet.
- In a pinch this set can check Mega Lucario - even if Stealth Rock is on your side of the field. It will also check Swords Dance Talonflame using Sharp Beak, but be very careful on that one with Stealth Rock being up.
Team Options
========
- For this set Excadrill is one of the best teammates here. It can eliminate Unaware Clefable, Rotom-W, and many other potentially pesky Pokemon. With access to Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock it's a great utility and offensive Pokemon bundled into one.
- Rotom-W and Rotom-H can handle a lot of problematic Pokemon for Gyarados. Rotom-W has the benefit of drawing in Ferrothorn to burn it while Rotom-H can flat out eliminate it from existence.
- Heatran is great for screwing up a lot of Pokemon such as Aegislash to help ease the use of Bounce. Being able to set up Stealth Rock or using Toxic on Rotom-W is a bonus.
- Kyurem-B and Latios are great for puncturing holes in many Pokemon.
- Latias, Scizor, and Zapdos are great for Defog. Scizor's access to U-turn is great for getting Gyarados in safely.
- Mega Venusaur is still great for this set, though it isn't as great because it is mainly used to eliminate Celebi lacking Psychic and Rotom-W. However, it does have a purpose when Gyarados uses Bounce - it can also eliminate Pixilate Hyper Voice Sylveon, Unaware Clefable, Unaware Quagsire, Wish + Protect Vaporeon, and the number one threat - Rotom-W.
- Wish from Pokemon such as Jirachi and Clefable can be great to allow Gyarados to utilize its bulk with Intimidate.
- Skarmory is a good Pokemon to carry to eliminate Breloom which can bypass Gyarados's Substitute with STAB Bullet Seed. It also does alright handling Mamoswine. It can utilize Spikes, Stealth Rock, or Defog to aid Gyarados as well.
- Ferrothorn has great defensive synergy with Gyarados and can use its various support methods to aid Gyarados. Leech Seed can make Gyarados really healthy, Stealth Rock or Spikes for entry hazard shenanigans, or Thunder Wave for faster threats that don't need to necessarily be burned.
Offensive Dragon Dance
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name: Offensive Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Bounce / Stone Edge
ability: Intimidate / Moxie
item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moves
========
- This moveset is about putting all the cards on Gyarados's table and just going full offensive in its regular form.
- Waterfall is necessary STAB.
- Earthquake compliments well with Waterfall.
- Bounce bypasses Mega Venusaur and Celebi as well as doing a hefty amount of damage to Water-types (barring Rotom-W).
- Stone Edge covers threats such as other Gyarados, Zapdos, Dragonite, and many others. Life Orb Stone Edge is Gyarados's best course of action around bulky Rotom-W.
- Ice Fang can be used as, with Life Orb, it 2HKOes Celebi after Stealth Rock and one Dragon Dance. It's also Gyarados's best attack against Goodra and Zygarde.
Set Details
========
- Maximize Attack and Speed for obvious reasons. 4 Def in the event of Stealth Rock.
- Though Gyarados is attempting to go full out offensive Intimidate is still a very solid ability in helping Gyarados set up Dragon Dance with more opportunities.
- In some cases, though, Moxie works really well against super late game teams that are very worn out and all Gyarados has to do is plow through the team with a single Dragon Dance.
- Lum Berry is great. It helps Gyarados safely 2HKO weakened threats such as Jellicent by absorbing the Will-O-Wisp. This also can save Gyarados from being ruined by Prankster Thundurus using Thunder Wave to impend the sweep.
- For maximum power Life Orb is the way to go. +1 Adamant Earthquake OHKOes offensive Starmie and +1 Waterfall has a high chance of 2HKOing Skarmory after Stealth Rock.
- Jolly can be used if you fear losing in Speed to threats such as Adamant Mega Aerodactyl and the rarer Jolteon.
- Wacan Berry is an interesting option. With this you can safely absorb a Volt Switch from defensive Rotom-W. This also helps survive against Scarf Genesect's Thunderbolt.
Usage Tips
========
- Like stated in the first set, Gyarados can be used to soften physical threats such as Choice Band Scizor while also being used to help scout out for potentially dangerous attacks. If you're using Moxie on Gyarados, though, it is highly recommended to hold Gyarados back as long as possible.
- This variation of Gyarados really wants as much worn out in the process as possible. Though Mega Gyarados lacks the capability of carrying Lum berry, Life Orb, or Moxie it has much better Attack without any recoil.
- Stealth Rock removal is highly recommended to keep Gyarados alive and to possibly tank an attack in a dire emergency.
Team Options
========
- Excadrill is a great partner for Gyarados. It can spin away hazards and clear away one of Offensive DD Gyarados's biggest threats - Rotom-W - with the ease of Mold Breaker Earthquake. It can also lay Stealth Rock for Gyarados.
- Mega Venusaur is a great tank that can take on defensive Grass- and Water-types thanks to its ability, immunity to poison, and STAB Giga Drain and Sludge Bomb. Be careful of Scald burns and sand damage.
- Zapdos, Scizor, and Latias are all good users of Defog. Zapdos handles bulky Water-types while Scizor handles bulky Grass-types. Latias can be catered to dealing with a mixture of these Pokemon.
- Latios and Kyurem-B are great offensive powerhouses that can plow through many of Gyarados's checks and have the benefit of resisting Thunderbolts and Volt Switches.
- Heatran bullies Grass-types and has the added benefit of wearing out threats with Lava Plume's 30% burn rate or potentially using Toxic against bulky Water-types. Furthermore, Heatran has access to Stealth Rock.
- Celebi is great for Gyarados since it can tackle most bulky Water-types and aid Gyarados with Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave, or Heal Bell.
- Jirachi is also a great assistant with Gyarados as it can at least take on Stone Edge from threats such as Tyranitar and can Iron Head before Crunch comes around. Furthermore Jirachi has Wish, Thunder Wave, and Stealth Rock that can help assist Gyarados as well.
- Rotom-W and Rotom-H are great teammates thanks to their plethora of resistances and being able to handle some of Gyarados's problematic Pokemon. Furthermore, they both resist Brave Bird from Gale Wings Talonflame - which can ruin Gyarados's sweep.
- Ferrothorn has great defensive synergy with Gyarados and can provide Gyarados with a lot of different ways of support.
- Politoed is a good partner as it boosts Gyarados's Water-type STAB further. It can be used offensively with a Specs set or even a Scarf set to aid the team. Alternatively, Damp Rock Politoed can be a decent Pokemon to harass the opponent's Pokemon.
- In general, this set really needs Pokemon that has access to priority moves removed as much as possible. Though Gyarados resists many common priority attacks, it appreciates staying as healthy as possible.
RestTalk
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name: RestTalk
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Roar / Dragon Tail
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
ability: Intimidate
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
nature: Impish
Moves
========
- Rest and Sleep Talk are mandatory for recovering health and allowing Gyarados to function while asleep.
- Waterfall is your primary STAB.
- Roar is more useful as it bypasses Substitute and Fairy-types.
- Dragon Tail still isn't bad for residual damage and bypassing Xatu and Espeon.
- Earthquake can be used over the phazing attacks to ensure a OHKO on Mega Lucario after it uses Close Combat.
Set Details
========
- 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD maximizes Gyarados's physical bulk while still allowing Gyarados to take special hits.
- Impish helps further improve its durability on the physical end of the spectrum.
- Leftovers is mandatory for recovery.
- Intimidate is mandatory for decreasing physical Pokemon's Attack.
Usage Tips
========
- This set takes a different approach from most Gyarados by using its typing, natural durability, and Intimidate to act as a tank.
- Thanks to Sleep Talk and Rest Gyarados can act as a Pokemon that can absorb status such as Spore.
- This variation of Gyarados is great for tackling Pokemon such as non-Roost Scizor, Mega Lucario without Stone Edge, offensive Heatran without Hidden Power Rock or Electric, Mega Medicham without Rock Slide or Thunder Punch, and Excadrill without Rock Slide.
- Removal of Stealth Rock is, once again, highly recommended. You don't want your tank to lose 25% of its health every turn now, do you?
- Wish support isn't a bad idea with this set. With it you can keep Gyarados alive without relying so much on Rest.
Team Options
========
- As this variation of Gyarados is more of a bulkier Pokemon than a physical powerhouse, teammates that specialize in tanking are more likely to be listed. There are some offensive options, though.
- Excadrill is great as it can clear away Stealth Rock, threaten Rotom-W, and possibly lay Stealth Rock on its own. As a bonus - STAB Iron Head can eliminate Fairy-types that are immune to Dragon Tail.
- Heatran conquers threats such as Celebi without Earth Power. It also is the best answer to Genesect. Lava Plume's burn rate is highly appreciated to help Gyarados tank even better. Access to Stealth Rock and Toxic to capture lured bulky Water-types is a big bonus.
- Mega Venusaur is a great tank to go alongside bulky Gyarados as it can handle the Water-types that Gyarados struggles against.
- Celebi is another great Grass-type that has access to many utility and offensive moves.
- Wish support can be granted from Jirachi, Clefable, and one of the Eeveelutions such as Espeon or Sylveon.
- Skarmory can be used to tackle Breloom, Mega Pinsir, and Conkeldurr as well as set up entry hazards or even Defog.
- Zapdos, Latias, Scizor are great Defog users.
- Rotom-W and Rotom-H do well with Gyarados and can burn threats with Will-O-Wisp to help improve Gyarados's tanking capabilities.
- Landorus-T can take on quite a few threats, be a bulky pivot with U-turn, and provides Stealth Rock if wanted.
- Ferrothorn has great defensive synergy with Gyarados and can provide Gyarados with a lot of different ways of support.
Choice Band
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name: Choice Band
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Ice Fang
ability: Moxie / Intimidate
item: Choice Band
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
- Waterfall is necessary for STAB.
- Earthquake hits Aegislash safely and is the best move to use when Waterfall is resisted.
- Stone Edge covers Gyarados, Kyurem-B, and many other Pokemon. It is also the best attack to hit Rotom-W with.
- Ice Fang helps with Celebi, Goodra, and Zygarde.
- Bounce can be used on this set to bypass Mega Venusaur and Celebi easier, but it is riskier with the Choice Band lock as well as a forced two-turn attack without any protection.
Set Details
========
- Max Attack and Speed with Adamant for maximum power.
- With the weather nerf Moxie is the better option now. It helps Gyarados in the later stages of the game or even the earlier portions when it can KO a Pokemon and heavily dent the next one.
- Intimidate is still very viable as it helps Gyarados scare off potential threats to the team such as Scizor.
Usage Tips
========
- The main advantage of Choice Band Gyarados is you get the raw power early on. You can use Moxie to help follow up for more Attack.
- When using as a late game cleaner weaken threats and attempt to keep slower threats if possible. Else, try spreading around status such as paralysis or sleep. In Moxie Gyarados's case - a dead Pokemon means no free Attack boosts.
- Gyarados really needs entry hazards to help it out. Stealth Rock does decently, though Spikes helps out with obtaining 2HKOes on Pokemon such as Celebi.
- The real beauty of this set is you can harass your checks and counters with repeated attacks and, eventually, KO them off the field.
Team Options
========
- Mega Venusaur is a great teammate once again. It handles a lot of the problematic Pokemon and softens the others.
- Stealth Rock users such as Celebi, Jirachi, and Heatran are all great. Ferrothorn also works as it is a good defensive Pokemon to have as it resists everything Gyarados is weak too. Ferrothorn also can lay Spikes if you don't use Defog.
- Excadrill is really good thanks to spinning entry hazards, being able to puncture holes with Mold Breaker Earthquake, and even set up Stealth Rock if necessary.
- Zapdos, Latias, and Scizor are all great Defog Pokemon to pair with Gyarados.
- Politoed is a great teammate because it can boost Waterfall's power dramatically. Carrying a Damp Rock is best; however, Politoed can join in on the fun with Choice Specs or Choice Scarf.
- Skarmory can lay Spikes or Defog for Gyarados. It's also good at handling bulkier Fighting-types and, to an extent, some of the Grass-types.
- Kyurem-B and Latios are both great Pokemon that lay a lot of offensive pressure and can leave teams weakened. They also mesh decently with Gyarados's resists and weaknesses.
- Goodra tanks special hits fairly well and can aid offensively with Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Thunderbolt, or STAB Draco Meteor.
- Mixed attackers such as Aegislash work really well with Gyarados since all it needs is Pokemon weakened and not necessarily KOed.
Other Options
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- A Taunt + Thunder Wave set works well with Gyarados. Though it requires a little assistance to build with it, it acts as a great defensive teammate that can cripple threats to help other teammates sweep. Though Rotom-W is drawn to this set like a magnet and Thundurus is also immune to Thunder Wave Taunt can still screw with these Pokemon.
- Toxic can be used on the RestTalk set to beat bulky Water-types that don't have an option to remove status one-on-one. It also is Gyarados's best way to cripple Rotom-W without resorting to Mega Evolution.
- Fire Blast and Flamethrower are Gyarados's best ways to bypass Ferrothorn.
- Return is a consistent attack and Water + Normal has decent coverage. It is one of Gyarados's better options on beating Rotom-W.
- Choice Scarf can be used instead of Choice Band; however, the lack of permanent rain really tampers with the potential of the set and Gyarados really needs a Moxie boost to get going.
Checks & Counters
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- Bulky Water-types really put a threat to any Gyarados set's sweeping potential. While many don't carry moves that can do immediate damage to Gyarados, STAB Scald's potential to burn really screws up any Gyarados sweep. Furthermore, the number one bulky Water - Rotom - is immune to Earthquake and takes at worst 51% from +1 LO Stone Edge. Rotom-W can choose to burn with Will-O-Wisp or hit with STAB Volt Switch. Rotom-W needs to beware of Mega Gyarados - Mold Breaker Earthquake will shut down Rotom-W and Volt Switch is weakened thanks to losing the Flying-type.
- Bulky Grass-types also can screw with a Gyarados sweep. Celebi, Mega Venusaur, Trevenant, and Gourgeist have ways of disposing Gyarados's sweeping potential. Mega Venusaur is the best of the bunch thanks to Thick Fat reducing Ice Fang's damage. Celebi, Trevenant, and Gourgeist need to be wary of Ice Fang and Mega Gyarados's STAB Bite. Trevenant and Gourgeist can burn Gyarados and retaliate by targeting Gyarados's weaker Defense stat. Celebi can continuously Giga Drain to full health or hit Gyarados very hard with Leaf Storm. Celebi can also paralyze Gyarados with Thunder Wave. Ferrothorn also gets a mention for resisting many of Gyarados's attacks, being able to cripple it with Thunder Wave or Leech Seed, smack it back with STAB Power Whip, and rack up passive damage with Iron Barbs. Breloom may not like taking much offense; however, it resists everything barring Ice Fang and can retaliate with STAB Bullet Seed and STAB Mach Punch against Mega Gyarados. Rock Tomb being boosted by Technician also makes Dragon Dance boosting Speed almost impossible.
- Scarf Genesect always outspeeds +1 Gyarados barring the rare Sticky Web support. It can Thunderbolt regular Gyarados or utilitize STAB U-turn or Bug Buzz on Mega Gyarados.
- Without Earthquake Gyarados is left susceptible to mind games against Aegislash's Kings Shield and also has a harder time bypassing threats such as Jirachi.
- Without Stone Edge Gyarados has a harder time bypassing other Gyarados, Kyurem-B, and Zapdos. Mandibuzz also becomes a major issue as Foul Play is boosted every time Gyarados uses Dragon Dance.
- Status really screws up non-RestTalk Gyarados. Paralysis and burns are the absolute worst, though Toxic does well at numbering Gyarados's longevity as well. Be careful of sets that have Lum Berry!
- Priority bypasses Gyarados's boosts and can still sting or possibly kill Gyarados that are weakened. Such examples include ExtremeSpeed Genesect (which gets a +Atk boost too from Download), ExtremeSpeed Dragonite, Brave Bird Talonflame, and Sucker Punch Bisharp. After Mega Evolving Conkeldurr also threatens Mega Gyarados with STAB Mach Punch and Breloom has access to Technician Mach Punch.
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