UU Gyarados [QC: 3/3] [GP: 2/2]

BigFatMantis

BigFatMantis

is a Community Contributoris a Metagame Resource Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributor
UUPL Champion
:ss/Gyarados:

[OVERVIEW]

Gyarados is one of the most powerful setup sweepers in UU due to its fantastic coverage and combination of Dragon Dance and Moxie, which allow it to muscle through almost everything in the tier. Great coverage moves like Ice Fang help it break through bulky foes like Amoonguss and Salamence, and Power Whip allows it to hit Slowking and beat standard Unaware walls like Quagsire and Pyukumuku, unlike many other physical sweepers like Azumarill. It has good HP and respectable bulk, allowing it to withstand attacks while setting up. Unfortunately, its only Flying-type STAB move is Bounce, which has low accuracy and is exploitable because it requires two turns to use without Power Herb. Unboosted Gyarados is outsped by many common threats such as Zeraora and Terrakion. Even at +1 Speed, it will still get outsped by Choice Scarf users like Krookodile, Victini, and Zarude. Gyarados struggles against defensive Pokemon like Skarmory and Celesteela, and it does not have coverage options to easily power through other foes with respectable bulk like Kyurem.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance Sweeper
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Fang / Bounce
move 4: Power Whip
item: Heavy Duty Boots / Power Herb
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Ice Fang hits Dragon- and Grass-types like Salamence, Kommo-o, and Tapu Bulu. However, Gyarados requires multiple boosts to reliably KO bulky Grass-types like Tangrowth and Amoonguss with it. Bounce can be used over Ice Fang, as it provides an additional STAB move and can more reliably KO a chipped Amoonguss with just one boost. While Bounce can be used without Power Herb on both hyper offensive and balanced teams, not running Power Herb makes Bounce easy to exploit with Protect, Substitute, or switching, and Power Herb can only feasibly be used on hyper offense. Power Whip offers essential coverage against bulky Water-types like Slowking and Rotom-W. It also allows Gyarados to break through the Unaware Pokemon Quagsire and Pyukumuku. Moxie is the preferred ability, as it enables Gyarados to snowball through a team after one or two boosts. Intimidate can be used on a more balance-oriented team to set up more freely against physical foes, but it notably lessens Gyarados's sweeping potential. Heavy-Duty Boots is required to prevent Stealth Rock damage, allowing Gyarados to switch in more frequently. On a hyper offense team, Stealth Rock damage is not as big of a concern, so you can use Power Herb to get an immediate hit with Bounce. Lum Berry can also be used to freely set up twice against foes like Amoonguss and Chansey. An Adamant nature can be used for additional wallbreaking power, as it guarantees OHKOing Azumarill with unboosted Power Whip as well as Thundurus with +1 Ice Fang. However, Jolly is the preferred nature to outspeed Pokemon like Mamoswine, Chandelure, and Tapu Bulu unboosted and Jolly Zeraora after Dragon Dance.

Gyarados is best used on hyper offense teams, which have support options like dual screens to allow Gyarados to set up more easily. It can also be used on bulky offense teams due to the offensive pressure it offers, but these teams make it a bit harder to directly support. Gyarados has decent bulk to set up with Dragon Dance, which can be further bolstered with a screen setter like Alolan Ninetales or Grimmsnarl. Gyarados is primarily used as a late-game cleaner, but it struggles against defensive Pokemon like Chansey and Tangrowth. A teammate that offers entry hazard support helps wear these foes down enough for Gyarados to break through them. Mew can set Spikes, while Jirachi can set up Stealth Rock and offers Healing Wish support for Gyarados if needed. Terrakion is a great offensive partner that can also set up Stealth Rock and pressure foes like Chansey. Skarmory gives Gyarados a very hard time, as it can take multiple boosted hits from it and use Whirlwind. Having Magnezone to trap and remove Skarmory allows Gyarados to sweep more easily. Victini can also help against Skarmory, Chansey, and Tangrowth by hitting them for big damage with V-Create. Diggersby forces a lot of damage onto Celesteela, Skarmory, and Chansey, allowing Gyarados to clean these typically bulky threats up more easily. Gyarados will need teammates like Zeraora and Rhyperior to absorb Electric-type attacks. Krookodile offers an Electric immunity and can set up Stealth Rock. Gyarados is also in danger of being revenge killed by priority users, especially Lycanroc-D, so Rhyperior and Krookodile can help check these foes as well. Bulky Grass-types like Tangrowth and Amoonguss can reliably pivot into Zeraora while also offering Knock Off or Spore support. Gyarados can easily set up on foes that cannot heavily damage it, like Keldeo, so having a pivot such as Scizor and Victini can help bring Gyarados into play more safely and allow it to set up on these favorable matchups.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

A Substitute set with Waterfall, Bounce, and Leftovers as an item can help Gyarados break through defensive teams, as Substitute blocks status and Gyarados can easily boost multiple times against foes like Celesteela. However, the lack of coverage causes it to struggle with foes like Rotom-W and Quagsire. Earthquake is a coverage option to OHKO Electric-types like Magnezone and Zeraora as well as KO Tentacruel and Jirachi. However, Earthquake is generally not needed for Gyarados to power through most matchups, and dropping Power Whip will leave Gyarados without a tool to damage bulky Water-types.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Electric-types**: Electric-types like Zeraora, Thundurus, and Rotom-W reliably outspeed and KO Gyarados. While they can also withstand an unboosted hit, Rotom-W loses to boosted Power Whip, while Zeraora and Thundurus cannot consistently tank multiple hits. Magnezone is slower than Gyarados, but Gyarados will be unable to KO it without Earthquake or multiple boosts, and Magnezone will OHKO it back.

**Physical Walls**: Walls can be challenging for Gyarados, as it requires multiple boosts to KO them. Skarmory can safely switch in on Gyarados and use Whirlwind to remove its boosts. Celesteela can also withstand Waterfall after several boosts. Rocky Helmet Tangrowth can give Gyarados problems if it does not have Bounce, as +1 Ice Fang does not 2HKO. Chansey can also withstand several boosted hits and cripple Gyarados with Toxic and Thunder Wave.

**Choice Scarf Users**: Gyarados is slow, and many Choice Scarf users like Victini, Krookodile, and Zarude will outspeed it at +1 and deal heavy damage with STAB or coverage moves. Choice Scarf Rotom-W also outspeeds Gyarados at +1 and threatens to OHKO it with Volt Switch. Gyarados needs to boost to +2 Speed to overcome these threats.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[BigFatMantis, 507497]]
- Quality checked by: [[Hilomilo, 313384], [Twilight, 344575], [avarice, 346653]]
- Grammar checked by: [[CryoGyro, 331519], [Finland, 517429]]
 
Last edited:
BigFatMantis said:
:ss/Gyarados:

[OVERVIEW]

- Gyarados is one of the most powerful set up sweepers in UU.
- The combination of Dragon Dance and Moxie allows it to muscle through almost everything in the tier.
- Intimidate is also an option that allows Gyarados to set up more easily against physical foes.
- Great coverage moves like Power Whip and Ice Fang help it break through typically bulky foes like Slowking and Amoonguss.
- It has good HP and respectable bulk, allowing it to withstand attacks while setting up.
- Its only Flying-type STAB move is Bounce, which is inconsistent say inaccurate instead of inconsistent here imo and requires two turns. I'd figure somewhere into this line that it can be exploitable bc of it takes two turns.
- Gyarados is quite slow, and unboosted it is outsped by many common threats such as Kyurem and Victini absolutely use Zeraora as an example here. Even at +1 Speed it will still get outspeed by enemy Choice Scarf users like Krookodile, Latias, and Rotom-W. I'd find better examples than Latias and Rotom who often opt to run different sets than Choice Scarf. Victini and Zarude work well.
- Water / Flying typing is a good defensive typing generally, but it leaves Gyarados very susceptible to Electric attacks, as they will almost always OHKO it unless it is behind screens. I'd remove this line since I think there are different drawbacks to focus on instead of this that are more glaring.
- A line on its inconsistent coverage should be considered here. Bring up that it can struggle to power through foes like Celesteela, Kyurem, etc. in one hit and can then get taken advantage of or heavily damaged.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance Sweeper
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Fang / Bounce
move 4: Power Whip
item: Heavy Duty Boots / Power Herb
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Att / 252 Spe / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

Paragraph 1
- Dragon Dance is the essential component of this set, as it allows Gyarados to be faster than any other unboosted UU Pokemon after one Dragon Dance.
- Waterfall is the most reliable STAB move for Gyarados to use, as it hits more than half the tier for neutral or Super Effective damage. I'd remove these first two lines since they present rather straightforward info.
- Ice Fang is used to hit most things that resist Waterfall, such as Dragon-types like Salamence and Latias, or Grass-types such as Tapu Bulu. However, Ice Fang requires multiple boosts to reliably KO bulky Grass-types like Tangrowth and Amoonguss
- Bounce can be used over Ice Fang, as it provides an additional STAB move for Gyarados and can more reliably KO a chipped Amoonguss with just one boost. Not having Ice Fang, though, will leave Gyarados susceptible to bulky Salamence. Bounce is also not very reliable, as it has low accuracy and requires two turns to use, allowing your opponent to bait you into using it while they switch to something that resists Flying. I think you should work on finding a way to condense this information into one shorter sentence. Saying something along the lines of "it should be noted that it can be easy to take advantage of due to taking two turns" will help make this analysis a little more concise which helps with flow. Obv rephrase it with your own words though.
- Power Whip offers essential coverage against bulky water types like Slowking and Rotom-W, which Gyarados would otherwise be unable to damage effectively. It also allows Gyarados to break through Unaware Pokemon like Quagsire that would otherwise wall it entirely.
- Moxie is the preferred ability, as it enables Gyarados to snowball through a team after one or two kills. Intimidate can still be used on a more balance oriented team to allow Gyarados to set up more freely against physical enemies note a drawback of Intimidate being that it pretty notably lessens Gyarados's sweeping potential.
- Heavy Duty Boots is required to prevent Stealth Rock damage, allowing Gyarados to switch in more frequently.
- On a pure hyper offensive team though, the 25% damage from Stealth Rock is not as big a deal, as you are typically not switching out Gyarados once it is in. As such, Power Herb can be used in combination with Bounce to get an immediate STAB boosted hit. Lum Berry can also be used to prevent Status one time and allow you to freely set up an additional Dragon Dance against foes like Amoonguss and Chansey.
- Jolly nature is required to outspeed Zeraora after one Dragon Dance. Adamant can be used for additional breaking power, but you will need to achieve +2 Speed before you can comfortably sweep entire teams.

Paragraph 2
- Gyarados is best used on hyper offense teams, as these teams have optimal support options, such as setting screens, that allow Gyarados to set up more easily.
- Gyarados can also be used on balanced offense teams, but it will need to set up with Dragon Dance on its own and will oftentimes need Intimidate to do so. I don't love the phrasing of this personally. I'd just say that it can be used on balance teams due to the offensive pressure it offers but can be a bit harder to directly support.
- Gyarados has decent bulk, and a screen setter like Alolan Ninetales or Grimmsnarl allows it to set up with Dragon Dance while taking minimal damage from neutral or resisted attacks.
- Gyarados is primarily used as a late game cleaner, but it struggles against defensive Pokemon like Chansey and Tangrowth. As such, a teammate that offers hazard support helps wear these foes down to be within range of Gyarados breaking through them. Hazards will also break Focus Sashes so that Gyarados is not revenge KO'd by Pokemon like Focus Sash Terrakion while trying to sweep. This is too situational imo and can be removed. Mew can be used to lay down Spikes, while Jirachi can be used to set up Stealth Rock and also offer Healing Wish support for Gyarados if needed.
- Skarmory gives Gyarados a very hard time, as it can take multiple boosted hits from Gyarados and can Whirlwind it away. Having a teammate like Magnezone to trap and kill Skarmory allows Gyarados to sweep the rest of the team more easily. Victini can also help against Skarmory, as well as against Chansey and Tangrowth by hitting them for big damage with V-Create.
- Water / Flying typing carries a highly exploitable Electric weakness. As such, Gyarados will need teammates like Zeraora or Thundurus-T to absorb Electric attacks. Krookodile also offers an Electric immunity, and can also set up Stealth Rock. I'd add bulky Grass-types like Tang/Amoonguss as examples here for being able to pivot into Zeraora reliably while supporting Gyarados with tools like Knock Off and Spore, respectively.
- Having a Pivot, such as Scizor or Victini, can help bring Gyarados into play more cleanly and allow it to set up with Dragon Dance on a favorable matchup.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

- A bulkier set with Substitute and Leftovers can help break through defensive oriented teams, as Substitute blocks status and Gyarados can boost multiple times more easily. Since this set only has Waterfall and Bounce for attacking moves, it cannot break through entire teams without support from teammates to take down foes like Rotom-W, Quagsire, and Skarmory first. Additionally, the extra investment in bulk makes it even slower, and foes like Zeraora can usually freely switch in and Volt Switch out to break the sub immediately.
- Taunt can be used to prevent status effects, prevent defogging hazards, and also prevent Skarmory from using Whirlwind. This presents the same issue as the Substitute set though, as Gyarados is again relegated to only two attacking moves, preventing it from cleanly breaking entire teams without relying on teammates to break them down significantly first. Not sold that this deserves a mention here because of how situational it is in practice, so I'd remove it.
- Earthquake is a coverage option to allow Gyarados to OHKO most Electric-types at +1 Attack, as well KO Tentacruel and Jirachi. However, dropping Power Whip will leave Gyarados without a tool to damage bulky water types. Additionally, Earthquake is generally not needed, as Gyarados can use Waterfall at +2 Attack to OHKO Zeraora, as well as KO Magnezone with minimal chip damage. Jirachi and Tentacruel also do not present much of a threat to Gyarados unless Jirachi has an Electric attack or Tentacruel lands a Burn with Scald, so Gyarados can usually continue to set up with Dragon Dance against these anyways. This is way too much elaboration and can be cut. Generally a good thing to monitor as you write analyses is finding a way to present valuable information while still being concise so as not to overwhelm readers or disrupt flow. Just something to keep in mind for future reference.
- Life Orb can be used for more breaking power, as a +1 Waterfall with Life Orb has a high chance to OHKO Zeraora. The damage from Life Orb will wear down Gyarados quickly though, and it does not necessarily need the boosted damage when it can boost its own attack with Moxie and Dragon Dance instead. I'd mainly just note the chip damage here since that's really the main drawback for a mon that already suffers longevity issues as is.
- A Rest set with Sleep Talk can be used to remain healthy and continuously boost itself with Dragon Dance while asleep. This set can only run Waterfall or Bounce as a coverage move though, leaving it to be walled by multiple threats. Volcanion completely shuts it down if it has Waterfall as its attacking move, while every Electric-type Pokemon shuts it down if it has Bounce as its attacking move. I'd remove this personally because it's pretty niche and hard to apply in practice.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Electric-types**: Electric-type Pokemon like Zeraora, Thundurus, and Rotom-W are all faster than Gyarados and will OHKO it easily I'd bring up that Zeraora and Thundurus can withstand a hit if they're healthy and KO it. However, if Gyarados is able boost with Dragon Dance, it can take down Rotom-W with Power Whip at +1 Attack, and can take down Zeraora and Thundurus at +2 Attack with Waterfall. Another example of something you could condense. Saying something along the lines of "the former two can't consistently tank hits from it while Rotom-W fears Power Whip" works well, though you should use your own words.Magnezone is slower than Gyarados, but Gyarados will be unable to KO it without Earthquake or multiple boosts, and Magnezone will OHKO it back.

**Physical Walls**: Skarmory and other highly defensive Pokemon can be challenging for Gyarados, as it requires multiple boosts to KO them, and they can usually inflict Gyarados with a bad status such as Chansey using Thunder Wave or Toxic. Additionally, Skarmory can use Whirlwind to remove Gyarados's boosts. Even a defensive Grass-type like Tangrowth will give Gyarados a hard time if it does not have Bounce, as +2 Ice Fang only does around 50% damage to Tangrowth, and it can inflict Gyarados with sleep. Having a Lum Berry helps with some of these threats, but they will typically stop a sweep if Gyarados does not have teammates to wear them down first. Too niche and not worth mentioning. A general rule of thumb to follow is that if a move or item isn't listed on the main set and is instead just a moves or OO mention, then it shouldn't be brought up in other places of the analyses like here.

I honestly think this entire section should be reformatted. You can make a general statement about physical walls giving it a hard time but tying Skarmory in with the general mention is weird considering it's a lot more cohesive to just give it its own specific mention. The way I'd like you to go about phrasing this is as follows:

General statement about physical walls giving Gyarados a tough time/being able to punish it with status -> Skarmory being brought up as an example -> Steela being another example -> Rocky Helmet Tangrowth being a challenge if it isn't running Bounce since +1 Ice Fang doesn't 2HKO.

**Choice Scarf Users**: Gyarados is slow, so nearly any Choice Scarf user is going to outspeed it at +1 Speed. A Choice Scarf Krookodile can also do significant damage with Stone Edge, and Intimidate cuts Gyarados's Attack out of range of OHKOing Krookodile back. Jirachi with Choice Scarf and Thunder Punch can also outspeed Gyarados at +1 Speed and OHKO it. However, if Gyarados is able to boost itself to +2 Speed, it will be able to overcome these threats and sweep more easily.
This is another section I think just needs to be scrapped and reformatted. Latias and Rotom-W don't commonly run Choice Scarf and Thunder Punch on scarfed Jirachi isn't nearly relevant enough at this point to bring up. Krookodile, Victini, and Zarude are all the main Pokemon I'd mention being capable of outrunning it at +1 and dealing heavy damage either with coverage or powerful STAB moves, though I don't think they each warrant their own sentence.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[BigFatMantis, 507497]]
- Quality checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2], [username3, userid3]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]
Click to expand...
Tag me when you've implemented this then I'll give it a second look, both because there's some stuff I'd like you too reformat and polish up, but also because I'm going to go over QC just to be sure item/move slashes are how we'd like them to look.
 
:ss/Gyarados:

[OVERVIEW]

- Gyarados is one of the most powerful set up sweepers in UU. This is vague and really should have the reason followed up immediately. For example state, this is because of its great coverage, notably unresisted, and Moxie + DD letting it snowball/run through teams. Aka move some of your other points into this sentence.
- The combination of Dragon Dance and Moxie allows it to muscle through almost everything in the tier. Merge with above.
- Intimidate is also an option that allows Gyarados to set up more easily against physical foes.
- Great coverage moves like Power Whip and Ice Fang help it break through typically bulky foes like Slowking and Amoonguss. I would also note how it is one of the few physical set up sweepers that can't be stopped by Unaware walls like Quagsire and Pyukumuku thanks to Power Whip.
- It has good HP and respectable bulk, allowing it to withstand attacks while setting up.
- Its only Flying-type STAB move is Bounce, which has low accuracy and is exploitable because it requires two turns to use. Unless using Power Herb
- Gyarados is quite slow, and unboosted it is outsped by many common threats such as Zeraora and Kyurem. Even at +1 Speed it will still get outspeed by enemy Choice Scarf users like Krookodile, Victini, and Zarude.
- Gyarados struggles against heavily defensive Pokemon like Skarmory, and it does not have coverage options to easily power through other foes with respectable bulk like Celesteela and Kyurem.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance Sweeper
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Fang / Bounce
move 4: Power Whip
item: Heavy Duty Boots / Power Herb
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Att / 252 Spe / 4 SpD 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe formatting

[SET COMMENTS]

Paragraph 1
- Ice Fang is used to hit most things that resist Waterfall, such as Dragon-types like Salamence and Latias, or Grass-types such as Tapu Bulu. However, Ice Fang requires multiple boosts to reliably KO bulky Grass-types like Tangrowth and Amoonguss
- Bounce can be used over Ice Fang, as it provides an additional STAB move for Gyarados and can more reliably KO a chipped Amoonguss with just one boost. Since Bounce requires two turns to use, it can be easy to exploit with Protect, Substitute, or a planned switch-out.
- Power Whip offers essential coverage against bulky water types Water-types like Slowking and Rotom-W, which Gyarados would otherwise be unable to damage effectively. It also allows Gyarados to break through Unaware Pokemon like Quagsire that would otherwise wall it entirely.
- Moxie is the preferred ability, as it enables Gyarados to snowball through a team after one or two KOs kills. Intimidate can still be used on a more balance oriented team to allow Gyarados to set up more freely against physical enemies, but it notably lessens Gyarados's sweeping potential.
- Heavy Duty Boots is required to prevent Stealth Rock damage, allowing Gyarados to switch in more frequently.
- On a pure hyper offensive team though, the 25% damage from Stealth Rock is not as big a deal, as you are typically not switching out Gyarados once it is in. As such, Power Herb can be used in combination with Bounce to get an immediate STAB boosted hit. Lum Berry can also be used to prevent Status status one time and allow you to freely set up an additional Dragon Dance against foes like Amoonguss and Chansey.
- Jolly nature is required to outspeed Zeraora after one Dragon Dance. Adamant can be used for additional breaking power, but you will need to achieve +2 Speed before you can comfortably sweep entire teams. Given most Zeraora are Adamant you are faster than Zeraora at +1 with an Adamant nature. The main appeal of a Jolly nature is to be faster than base 80s like Mamoswine and Chandelure unboosted. Also even if you are a Jolly nature you are slower than most common Choice Scarf users so this applies to Gyarados regardless of the nature.

Paragraph 2
- Gyarados is best used on hyper offense teams, as these teams have optimal support options, such as setting screens, that allow Gyarados to set up more easily.
- Gyarados can also be used on balanced offense teams due to the offensive pressure it offers, but can be a bit harder to directly support.
- Gyarados has decent bulk, and a screen setter like Alolan Ninetales or Grimmsnarl allows it to set up with Dragon Dance while taking minimal damage from neutral or resisted attacks.
- Gyarados is primarily used as a late game cleaner, but it struggles against defensive Pokemon like Chansey and Tangrowth. As such, a teammate that offers hazard support helps wear these foes down to be within range of Gyarados breaking through them. Mew can be used to lay down Spikes, while Jirachi can be used to set up Stealth Rock and also offer Healing Wish support for Gyarados if needed.
- Skarmory gives Gyarados a very hard time, as it can take multiple boosted hits from Gyarados and can Whirlwind it away. Having a teammate like Magnezone to trap and kill Skarmory allows Gyarados to sweep the rest of the team more easily. Victini can also help against Skarmory, as well as against Chansey and Tangrowth by hitting them for big damage with V-Create.
- Water / Flying typing carries a highly exploitable Electric weakness. As such, Gyarados will need teammates like Zeraora or Thundurus-T to absorb Electric attacks. Krookodile also offers an Electric immunity, and can also set up Stealth Rock. Bulky Grass-types like Tangrowth and Amoonguss can also help pivot into Zeraora reliably, while also offering Knock Off and Spore support for Gyarados.
- Having a pivot Pivot, such as Scizor or Victini, can help bring Gyarados into play more cleanly and allow it to set up with Dragon Dance on a favorable matchup.

You can tie Diggersby in somewhere because it actually forces a lot of damage onto Celesteela and Skarmory. You have plenty of points where you could slide this example into.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

- A bulkier set with Substitute and Leftovers can help break through defensive oriented teams, as Substitute blocks status and Gyarados can boost multiple times more easily. Since this set only has Waterfall and Bounce for attacking moves, it cannot break through entire teams without support from teammates to take down foes like Rotom-W, Quagsire, and Skarmory first. Additionally, the extra investment in bulk makes it even slower, and foes like Zeraora can usually freely switch in and Volt Switch out to break the sub immediately. Sub sets don't have to run bulk
- Earthquake is a coverage option to allow Gyarados to OHKO most Electric-types at +1 Attack, as well KO Tentacruel and Jirachi. However, dropping Power Whip will leave Gyarados without a tool to damage bulky water types, and Earthquake is generally not needed anyways for Gyarados to power through most matchups.
- Life Orb can be used for more breaking power, as a +1 Waterfall with Life Orb has a high chance to OHKO Zeraora. However, the damage from Life Orb will wear down Gyarados quickly, especially since it will likely already be damaged during the turn used to set up Dragon Dance. This + SR racks up a lot

Checks and Counters
===================

**Electric-types**: Electric-type Pokemon like Zeraora, Thundurus, and Rotom-W are all faster than Gyarados and will OHKO it easily. While all of these can also withstand a hit from an unboosted Gyarados, Rotom-W loses to a boosted Power Whip, while Zeraora and Thundurus cannot consistently tank multiple hits. Magnezone is slower than Gyarados, but Gyarados will be unable to KO it without Earthquake or multiple boosts, and Magnezone will OHKO it back.

**Physical Walls**: Highly defensive Pokemon can be challenging for Gyarados, as it requires multiple boosts to KO them. Skarmory can safely switch in to Gyarados as it can withstand multiple hits and use Whirlwind to remove any boosts. Celesteela is also bulky and can withstand a Waterfall after several boosts. Rocky Helmet Tangrowth can give Gyarados problems if it does not have Bounce, as a +1 Ice Fang still does not 2HKO. Chansey can also withstand several boosted hits and inflict Gyarados with Toxic or paralysis.

**Choice Scarf Users**: Gyarados is slow, and many choice scarf users like Victini, Krookodile, and Zarude will outspeed it at +1 Speed and deal heavy damage with STAB or coverage moves. Gyarados would need to boost to +2 Speed to be able to overcome these threats.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[BigFatMantis, 507497]]
- Quality checked by: [[Hilomilo, 313384], [username2, userid2], [username3, userid3]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]
2/3

remove add comments
 
BigFatMantis said:
:ss/Gyarados:

[OVERVIEW]

Gyarados is one of the most powerful set up sweepers in UU due to its fantastic coverage and the combination of Dragon Dance and Moxie which allows it to muscle through almost everything in the tier. Intimidate is also an option that allows Gyarados to set up more easily against physical foes. move the intimidate comment after you go through coverage options imo Great coverage moves like Ice Fang help it break through typically bulky foes like Amoonguss and Salamence, and Power Whip allows it to hit Slowking and break through standard Unaware walls like Quagsire and Pyukumuku note that it's one of few physical attackers to do so. It has good HP and respectable bulk, allowing it to withstand attacks while setting up. add some kind of transition from pros -> cons Its only Flying-type STAB move is Bounce, which has low accuracy and is exploitable because it requires two turns to use unless it is using Power Herb. Gyarados is quite slow, and unboosted it is outsped by many common threats such as Zeraora and Kyurem kyurem has the bulk to eat +1 hits anyway, use like Terrakion here. Even at +1 Speed it will still get outsped by enemy Choice Scarf users like Krookodile, Victini, and Zarude. Gyarados struggles against heavily ? defensive Pokemon like Skarmory, and it does not have coverage options to easily power through other foes with respectable bulk like Celesteela and Kyurem.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance Sweeper
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Fang / Bounce
move 4: Power Whip
item: Heavy Duty Boots / Power Herb
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Paragraph 1
Ice Fang is used to hit most things that resist Waterfall, such as Dragon-types like Salamence and Latias, or Grass-types such as Tapu Bulu. However, Ice Fang requires multiple boosts to reliably KO bulky Grass-types like Tangrowth and Amoonguss. Bounce can be used over Ice Fang, as it provides an additional STAB move for Gyarados and can more reliably KO a chipped Amoonguss with just one boost. Since Bounce requires two turns to use, it can be easy to exploit with Protect, Substitute, or a planned switch-out. Power Whip offers essential coverage against bulky Water-types like Slowking and Rotom-W, which Gyarados would otherwise be unable to damage effectively second bit sounds like fluff. It also allows Gyarados to break through Unaware Pokemon like Quagsire and Pyukumuku that would otherwise wall it entirely. Moxie is the preferred ability, as it enables Gyarados to snowball through a team after one or two kills. Intimidate can still be used on a more balance oriented team to allow Gyarados to set up more freely against physical enemies, but it notably lessens Gyarados's sweeping potential. Heavy Duty Boots is required to prevent Stealth Rock damage, allowing Gyarados to switch in more frequently. On a pure hyper offensive team though, the 25% damage from Stealth Rock is not as big a deal, as you are typically not switching out Gyarados once it is in i don't think this needs to be explained. As such, Power Herb can be used in combination with Bounce to get an immediate STAB boosted hit. Lum Berry can also be used to prevent status one time and allow you to freely set up an additional Dragon Dance against foes like Amoonguss and Chansey. Jolly nature is required to outspeed Pokemon like Mamoswine, Chandelure, and Nidoqueen unboosted replace mamo or nidoq w bulu since the grounds are always running ada n modest anyway, as well as Jolly Zeraora after one Dragon Dance. Adamant can be used for additional breaking power, but makes Gyarados vulnerable to the aforementioned Pokemon unless its Speed is sufficiently boosted. what does ada help against specifically?

Paragraph 2
Gyarados is best used on hyper offense teams, as these teams have optimal support options, such as setting screens, that allow Gyarados to set up more easily. Gyarados can also be used on balanced offense meant bulky? teams due to the offensive pressure it offers, but can be a bit harder to directly support. Gyarados has decent bulk, and a screen setter like Alolan Ninetales or Grimmsnarl allows it to set up with Dragon Dance while taking minimal damage from neutral or resisted attacks. Gyarados is primarily used as a late game cleaner, but it struggles against defensive Pokemon like Chansey and Tangrowth. As such, a teammate that offers hazard support helps wear these foes down to be within range of Gyarados breaking through them. Mew can be used to lay down Spikes, while Jirachi can be used to set up Stealth Rock and also offer Healing Wish support for Gyarados if needed include more offensive hazard setters like rak imo. Skarmory gives Gyarados a very hard time, as it can take multiple boosted hits from Gyarados and can Whirlwind it away. Having a teammate like Magnezone to trap and kill Skarmory allows Gyarados to sweep the rest of the team more easily. Victini can also help against Skarmory, as well as against Chansey and Tangrowth by hitting them for big damage with V-Create. Diggersby also forces a lot of damage onto Celesteela, Skarmory, and Chansey, allowing Gyarados to clean these typically bulky threats more easily. Water / Flying typing carries a highly exploitable Electric weakness. As such, Gyarados will need teammates like Zeraora or Thundurus-T thundy t is really shaky, put Rhyp or nidoq instead to absorb Electric attacks. Krookodile also offers an Electric immunity, and can also set up Stealth Rock. Bulky Grass-types like Tangrowth and Amoonguss can also help pivot into Zeraora reliably, while also offering Knock Off and Spore support for Gyarados. Having a pivot, such as Scizor or Victini, can help bring Gyarados into play more cleanly and allow it to set up with Dragon Dance on a favorable matchup. what can they pivot on that gives gyara set up?

mention getting revenged by priority somewhere
what can Gyarados set up on?

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

A set with Substitute and Leftovers can help break through defensive oriented teams, as Substitute blocks status and Gyarados can boost multiple times more easily what does sub help set up on?. Since this set only has Waterfall and Bounce for attacking moves should prob rephrase to have mentioned at start w sub, it cannot break through entire teams without support from teammates to take down foes like Rotom-W, Quagsire, and Skarmory first. Earthquake is a coverage option to allow Gyarados to OHKO most Electric-types at +1 Attack most of our electrics are immune to ground, just say zeraora and zone, as well KO Tentacruel and Jirachi. However, dropping Power Whip will leave Gyarados without a tool to damage bulky water types, and Earthquake is generally not needed anyways for Gyarados to power through most matchups i'd reword this part to have EQ unnecessary -> whip good. Life Orb can be used for more breaking power, as a +1 Waterfall with Life Orb has a high chance to OHKO Zeraora. However, the damage from Life Orb will wear down Gyarados, especially since it will likely already be damaged during the turn used to set up Dragon Dance. Additionally, without Heavy Duty Boots, the damage from Stealth Rock plus Life Orb will add up very quickly.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Electric-types**: Electric-type Pokemon like Zeraora, Thundurus, and Rotom-W are all faster than Gyarados and will OHKO it easily. While all of these can also withstand a hit from an unboosted Gyarados, Rotom-W loses to a boosted Power Whip, while Zeraora and Thundurus cannot consistently tank multiple hits. Magnezone is slower than Gyarados, but Gyarados will be unable to KO it without Earthquake or multiple boosts, and Magnezone will OHKO it back. note potential scarf rotom either here or with the other scarfers

**Physical Walls**: Highly defensive Pokemon can be challenging for Gyarados, as it requires multiple boosts to KO them. Skarmory can safely switch in to Gyarados as it can withstand multiple hits and use Whirlwind to remove any boosts. Celesteela is also bulky and can withstand a Waterfall after several boosts. Rocky Helmet Tangrowth can give Gyarados problems if it does not have Bounce, as a +1 Ice Fang still does not 2HKO. Chansey can also withstand several boosted hits and inflict Gyarados with Toxic or paralysis.

**Choice Scarf Users**: Gyarados is slow, and many choice scarf users like Victini, Krookodile, and Zarude will outspeed it at +1 Speed and deal heavy damage with STAB or coverage moves. Gyarados would need to boost to +2 Speed to be able to overcome these threats.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[BigFatMantis, 507497]]
- Quality checked by: [[Hilomilo, 313384], [Twilight, 344575], [username3, userid3]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]
Click to expand...
add comment remove
3/3
avarice-qc-gif.283200
 
Last edited:
amcheck
add remove comment
[OVERVIEW]

Gyarados is one of the most powerful set up setup sweepers in UU due to its fantastic coverage and the combination of Dragon Dance and Moxie,(AC) which allows it to muscle through almost everything in the tier. Great coverage moves like Ice Fang help it break through typically bulky foes like Amoonguss and Salamence, and Power Whip allows it to hit Slowking and break through standard Unaware walls like Quagsire and Pyukumuku,(AC) which many other physical attackers like Azumarill fail to do. Intimidate can be used is (shortened a bit cuz too wordy) as an option that allows Gyarados to set up more easily against physical foes attackers. It has good HP and respectable bulk, allowing it to withstand attacks while setting up. Unfortunately, its only Flying-type STAB move is Bounce, which has low accuracy and is exploitable because it requires two turns to use unless it is using Power Herb. Gyarados is quite slow, and unboosted it is outsped by many common threats such as Zeraora and Terrakion. Even at +1 Speed it will still get outsped by enemy Choice Scarf users like Krookodile, Victini, and Zarude. Gyarados struggles against defensive Pokemon like Skarmory, and it does not have coverage options to easily power through other foes with respectable bulk like Celesteela and Kyurem.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance Sweeper
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Fang / Bounce
move 4: Power Whip
item: Heavy Duty Boots / Power Herb
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Paragraph 1
Ice Fang is used to hit most things Pokemon that resist Waterfall, such as Dragon-types like Salamence and Latias, or Grass-types such as Tapu Bulu. However, Ice Fang Gyarados requires multiple boosts to reliably KO bulky Grass-types like Tangrowth and Amoonguss with it. Bounce can be used over Ice Fang, as it provides an additional STAB move for Gyarados and can more reliably KO a chipped Amoonguss with just one boost. Since Bounce requires two turns to use though, it can be easy to exploit with Protect, Substitute, or switch-out switching. Power Whip offers essential coverage against bulky Water-types like Slowking and Rotom-W. It also allows Gyarados to break through Unaware Pokemon like Quagsire and Pyukumuku. Moxie is the preferred ability, as it enables Gyarados to snowball through a team after one or two kills boosts. Intimidate can still be used on a more balance-(add hyphen)oriented team to allow Gyarados to set up more freely against physical enemies, but it notably lessens Gyarados's sweeping potential. Heavy-(add hyphen)Duty Boots is required to prevent Stealth Rock damage, allowing Gyarados to switch in more frequently. On a pure hyper offensive hyper offense team though, Stealth Rock damage is not as big of a concern, and you can use a different item like Power Herb in combination with Bounce to get an immediate STAB boosted hit. Lum Berry can also be used to allow you Gyarados to freely set up an additional Dragon Dance against foes like Amoonguss and Chansey. Adamant can be used for additional breaking power, as it guarantees a to OHKO on Azumarill unboosted with Power Whip, as well as Thundurus with Ice Fang at +1 Attack. However, Jolly is the preferred nature as it is required to outspeed Pokemon like Mamoswine, Chandelure, and Tapu Bulu unboosted,(RC) as well as and Jolly Zeraora after one Dragon Dance.

Paragraph 2
Gyarados is best used on hyper offense teams, as these teams have optimal support options,(RC) such as setting dual screens, that allow Gyarados to set up more easily. Gyarados can also be used on bulky offense teams due to the offensive pressure it offers, but can be a bit harder to directly support. Gyarados has decent bulk, and a screen setter like Alolan Ninetales or Grimmsnarl allows it to set up with Dragon Dance while taking minimal less (minimal seems too extreme) damage from neutral or resisted attacks. Gyarados is primarily used as a late-(add hyphen)game cleaner, but it struggles against defensive Pokemon like Chansey and Tangrowth. As such, a teammate that offers hazard support helps wear these foes down to be within range of Gyarados breaking enough for Gyarados to break through them. Mew can be used to lay down Spikes, while Jirachi can be used to set up Stealth Rock and also offers Healing Wish support for Gyarados if needed. Terrakion is a great offensive partner that can also set up Stealth Rock and pressure foes like Chansey. Skarmory gives Gyarados a very hard time, as it can take multiple boosted hits from Gyarados it and can Whirlwind it away. Having a teammate like Magnezone to trap and kill remove Skarmory allows Gyarados to sweep the rest of the team more easily. Victini can also help against Skarmory, as well as against Chansey and Tangrowth Skarmory, Chansey, and Tangrowth by hitting them for big damage with V-Create. Diggersby also (avoid repeating "also" in every sentence) forces a lot of damage onto Celesteela, Skarmory, and Chansey, allowing Gyarados to clean these typically bulky threats more easily. Water / Flying typing carries a highly exploitable Electric weakness. As such, Gyarados will need teammates like Zeraora or Rhyperior to absorb Electric-type attacks. Krookodile also offers an Electric immunity,(RC) and can also set up Stealth Rock. Gyarados is also in danger of being revenge KO'd killed by priority users, especially Lycanroc-D, so Rhyperior and Krookodile can help check these foes as well. Bulky Grass-types like Tangrowth and Amoonguss can also help pivot into Zeraora reliably,(RC) reliably pivot into Zeraora while also offering Knock Off and Spore support,(AC) respectively. Gyarados most easily sets up on foes like Keldeo that cannot heavily damage it can easily set up on foes that cannot heavily damage it,(AC) like Keldeo, so having a pivot such as Scizor or and Victini can help bring Gyarados into play more cleanly safely and allow it to set up with Dragon Dance on these favorable matchups.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

A Substitute set with Waterfall, Bounce, and Leftovers as an item can help Gyarados break through defensive oriented teams, as Substitute blocks status and Gyarados can easily boost multiple times more easily against foes like Celesteela. However, the lack of coverage causes it to struggle with foes like Rotom-W and Quagsire. Earthquake is a coverage option to allow Gyarados to OHKO Electric-types like Magnezone and Zeraora, as well as KO Tentacruel and Jirachi. However, Earthquake is generally not needed for Gyarados to power through most matchups, and dropping Power Whip will leave Gyarados without a tool to damage bulky water types Water-types.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Electric-types**: Electric-types Pokemon like Zeraora, Thundurus, and Rotom-W are all faster than Gyarados and will OHKO it easily. While all of these can also withstand a hit from an unboosted Gyarados an unboosted hit, Rotom-W loses to a boosted Power Whip, while Zeraora and Thundurus cannot consistently tank multiple hits. Magnezone is slower than Gyarados, but Gyarados will be unable to KO it without Earthquake or multiple boosts, and Magnezone will OHKO it back.

**Physical Walls**: Highly defensive Pokemon Walls can be challenging for Gyarados, as it requires multiple boosts to KO them. Skarmory can safely switch in to on Gyarados as it can withstand multiple hits and use Whirlwind to remove any boosts Gyarados from the field. Celesteela is also bulky and can withstand a Waterfall after several boosts. Rocky Helmet Tangrowth can give Gyarados problems if it does not have Bounce, as a +1 Ice Fang still does not 2HKO. Chansey can also withstand several boosted hits and inflict Gyarados with Toxic or paralysis status on Gyarados with Toxic and Thunder Wave.

**Choice Scarf Users**: Gyarados is slow, and many choice scarf Choice Scarf users like Victini, Krookodile, and Zarude will outspeed it at +1 Speed and deal heavy damage with STAB or coverage moves. Choice Scarf Rotom-W with a scarf will also outspeeds Gyarados at +1 and threatens to OHKO it with Volt Switch. Gyarados would need to boost to +2 Speed to be able to overcome these threats.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[BigFatMantis, 507497]]
- Quality checked by: [[Hilomilo, 313384], [Twilight, 344575], [avarice, 346653]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]
 
GP 1/2
[OVERVIEW]

Gyarados is one of the most powerful setup sweepers in UU due to its fantastic coverage and the combination of Dragon Dance and Moxie, which allow it to muscle through almost everything in the tier. Great coverage moves like Ice Fang help it break through typically bulky foes like Amoonguss and Salamence, and Power Whip allows it to hit Slowking and break through beat standard Unaware walls like Quagsire and Pyukumuku, which unlike many other physical attackers sweepers like Azumarill fail to do. Intimidate is an option that allows Gyarados to set up more easily against physical attackers. It has good HP and respectable bulk, allowing it to withstand attacks while setting up. Unfortunately, its only Flying-type STAB move is Bounce, which has low accuracy and is exploitable because it requires two turns to use unless it is using without Power Herb. Gyarados is quite slow, and unboosted it Unboosted Gyarados is outsped by many common threats such as Zeraora and Terrakion. Even at +1 Speed, (comma) it will still get outsped by Choice Scarf users like Krookodile, Victini, and Zarude. Gyarados struggles against defensive Pokemon like Skarmory, and it does not have coverage options to easily power through other foes with respectable bulk like Celesteela and Kyurem.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance Sweeper
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Fang / Bounce
move 4: Power Whip
item: Heavy Duty Boots / Power Herb
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Ice Fang is used to hit most Pokemon that resist Waterfall, such as Dragon-types like Salamence and Kommo-o, or Grass-types such as Tapu Bulu hits Dragon- and Grass-types like Salamence, Kommo-o, and Tapu Bulu. However, Gyarados requires multiple boosts to reliably KO bulky Grass-types like Tangrowth and Amoonguss with it. Bounce can be used over Ice Fang, as it provides an additional STAB move and can more reliably KO a chipped Amoonguss with just one boost. Since Bounce requires two turns to use, (comma) though, it can be easy to exploit with Protect, Substitute, or switching. Power Whip offers essential coverage against bulky Water-types like Slowking and Rotom-W. It also allows Gyarados to break through the Unaware Pokemon like Quagsire and Pyukumuku. Moxie is the preferred ability, as it enables Gyarados to snowball through a team after one or two boosts. Intimidate can still be used on a more balance-oriented team to allow Gyarados to set up more freely against physical enemies foes, but it notably lessens Gyarados's sweeping potential. Heavy-Duty Boots is required to prevent Stealth Rock damage, allowing Gyarados to switch in more frequently. On a hyper offense team though, Stealth Rock damage is not as big of a concern, and so you can use a different item like Power Herb in combination with Bounce to get an immediate STAB hit with Bounce. Lum Berry can also be used to allow Gyarados to freely set up an additional Dragon Dance twice against foes like Amoonguss and Chansey. An Adamant nature can be used for additional wallbreaking power, as it guarantees to OHKOing Azumarill with unboosted with Power Whip, (comma) as well as Thundurus with +1 Ice Fang at +1 Attack. However, Jolly is the preferred nature as it is required to outspeed Pokemon like Mamoswine, Chandelure, and Tapu Bulu unboosted and Jolly Zeraora after one Dragon Dance.

Gyarados is best used on hyper offense teams, as these teams which have optimal support options, (comma) such as like dual screens, (comma) that to allow Gyarados to set up more easily. Gyarados can also be used on bulky offense teams due to the offensive pressure it offers, but can be a bit harder to directly support. Gyarados has decent bulk, and a screen setter like Alolan Ninetales or Grimmsnarl allows it to set up with Dragon Dance while taking less damage from neutral or resisted attacks. Gyarados is primarily used as a late-game cleaner, but it struggles against defensive Pokemon like Chansey and Tangrowth. As such, A teammate that offers entry hazard support helps wear these foes down enough for Gyarados to break through them. Mew can lay down set Spikes, while Jirachi can set up Stealth Rock and also offers Healing Wish support for Gyarados if needed. Terrakion is a great offensive partner that can also set up Stealth Rock and pressure foes like Chansey. Skarmory gives Gyarados a very hard time, as it can take multiple boosted hits from it and can use Whirlwind it away. Having a teammate like Magnezone to trap and remove Skarmory allows Gyarados to sweep more easily. Victini can also help against Skarmory, Chansey, and Tangrowth by hitting them for big damage with V-Create. Diggersby forces a lot of damage onto Celesteela, Skarmory, and Chansey, allowing Gyarados to clean these typically bulky threats up more easily. Water / Flying typing carries a highly exploitable Electric weakness. As such, Gyarados will need teammates like Zeraora or and Rhyperior to absorb Electric-type attacks. Krookodile offers an Electric immunity, (comma) and can set up Stealth Rock. Gyarados is also in danger of being revenge killed by priority users, especially Lycanroc-D, so Rhyperior and Krookodile can help check these foes as well. Bulky Grass-types like Tangrowth and Amoonguss can reliably pivot into Zeraora while also offering Knock Off and or Spore support, respectively. Gyarados can easily set up on foes that cannot heavily damage it, like Keldeo, so having a pivot such as Scizor and Victini can help bring Gyarados into play more safely and allow it to set up with Dragon Dance on these favorable matchups.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

A Substitute set with Waterfall, Bounce, and Leftovers as an item can help Gyarados break through defensive teams, as Substitute blocks status and Gyarados can easily boost multiple times against foes like Celesteela. However, the lack of coverage causes it to struggle with foes like Rotom-W and Quagsire. Earthquake is a coverage option to allow Gyarados to OHKO Electric-types like Magnezone and Zeraora, (comma) as well as KO Tentacruel and Jirachi. However, Earthquake is generally not needed for Gyarados to power through most matchups, and dropping Power Whip will leave Gyarados without a tool to damage bulky Water-types.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Electric-types**: Electric-types like Zeraora, Thundurus, and Rotom-W are all faster than Gyarados and will OHKO it easily reliably outspeed and KO Gyarados. While all of these they can also withstand an unboosted hit, Rotom-W loses to a boosted Power Whip, while Zeraora and Thundurus cannot consistently tank multiple hits. Magnezone is slower than Gyarados, but Gyarados will be unable to KO it without Earthquake or multiple boosts, and Magnezone will OHKO it back.

**Physical Walls**: Defensive Walls can be challenging for Gyarados, as it requires multiple boosts to KO them. Skarmory can safely switch in on Gyarados as it can withstand multiple hits and use Whirlwind to remove Gyarados from the field. Celesteela can also withstand a Waterfall after several boosts. Rocky Helmet Tangrowth can give Gyarados problems if it does not have Bounce, as a +1 Ice Fang still does not 2HKO. Chansey can also withstand several boosted hits and inflict status on Gyarados with Toxic and Thunder Wave.

**Choice Scarf Users**: Gyarados is slow, and many Choice Scarf users like Victini, Krookodile, and Zarude will outspeed it at +1 Speed and deal heavy damage with STAB or coverage moves. Choice Scarf Rotom-W also outspeeds Gyarados at +1 and threatens to OHKO it with Volt Switch. Gyarados would need needs to boost to +2 Speed to be able to overcome these threats.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[BigFatMantis, 507497]]
- Quality checked by: [[Hilomilo, 313384], [Twilight, 344575], [avarice, 346653]]
- Grammar checked by: [[username1, userid1], [username2, userid2]]
 
Add Remove Comment
[OVERVIEW]

Gyarados is one of the most powerful setup sweepers in UU due to its fantastic coverage and combination of Dragon Dance and Moxie, which allow it to muscle through almost everything in the tier. Great coverage moves like Ice Fang help it break through bulky foes like Amoonguss and Salamence, and Power Whip allows it to hit Slowking and beat standard Unaware walls like Quagsire and Pyukumuku, unlike many other physical sweepers like Azumarill. It has good HP and respectable bulk, allowing it to withstand attacks while setting up. Unfortunately, its only Flying-type STAB move is Bounce, which has low accuracy and is exploitable because it requires two turns to use without Power Herb. Unboosted Gyarados is outsped by many common threats such as Zeraora and Terrakion. Even at +1 Speed, it will still get outsped by Choice Scarf users like Krookodile, Victini, and Zarude. Gyarados struggles against defensive Pokemon like Skarmory, and it does not have coverage options to easily power through other foes with respectable bulk like Celesteela and Kyurem.

[SET]
name: Dragon Dance Sweeper
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Ice Fang / Bounce
move 4: Power Whip
item: Heavy Duty Boots / Power Herb
ability: Moxie
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

Ice Fang hits Dragon- and Grass-types like Salamence, Kommo-o, and Tapu Bulu. However, Gyarados requires multiple boosts to reliably KO bulky Grass-types like Tangrowth and Amoonguss with it. Bounce can be used over Ice Fang, either with Power Herb on hyper offense teams or with Heavy-Duty Boots otherwise, (is this what you meant? if not, could you clarify whether eg power herb is usable outside of HO) as it provides an additional STAB move and can more reliably KO a chipped Amoonguss with just one boost. Since Bounce requires two turns to use, though, it can be Not running Power Herb, though, makes Bounce easy to exploit with Protect, Substitute, or switching. Power Whip offers essential coverage against bulky Water-types like Slowking and Rotom-W. It also allows Gyarados to break through the Unaware Pokemon Quagsire and Pyukumuku. Moxie is the preferred ability, as it enables Gyarados to snowball through a team after one or two boosts. Intimidate can be used on a more balance-oriented team to set up more freely against physical foes, but it notably lessens Gyarados's sweeping potential. Heavy-Duty Boots is required to prevent Stealth Rock damage, allowing Gyarados to switch in more frequently. On a hyper offense team, Stealth Rock damage is not as big of a concern, so you can use Power Herb to get an immediate hit with Bounce. Lum Berry can also be used to freely set up twice against foes like Amoonguss and Chansey. An Adamant nature can be used for additional wallbreaking power, as it guarantees OHKOing Azumarill with unboosted Power Whip as well as Thundurus with +1 Ice Fang. However, Jolly is the preferred nature to outspeed Pokemon like Mamoswine, Chandelure, and Tapu Bulu unboosted and Jolly Zeraora after Dragon Dance.

Gyarados is best used on hyper offense teams, which have support options like dual screens to allow Gyarados to set up more easily. Gyarados It can also be used on bulky offense teams due to the offensive pressure it offers, but can be these teams make it a bit harder to directly support. Gyarados has decent bulk, and to set up with Dragon Dance, which can be further bolstered with a screen setter like Alolan Ninetales or Grimmsnarl allows it to set up with Dragon Dance while taking less damage. Gyarados is primarily used as a late-game cleaner, but it struggles against defensive Pokemon like Chansey and Tangrowth. A teammate that offers entry hazard support helps wear these foes down enough for Gyarados to break through them. Mew can set Spikes, while Jirachi can set up Stealth Rock and offers Healing Wish support for Gyarados if needed. Terrakion is a great offensive partner that can also set up Stealth Rock and pressure foes like Chansey. Skarmory gives Gyarados a very hard time, as it can take multiple boosted hits from it and use Whirlwind. Having Magnezone to trap and remove Skarmory allows Gyarados to sweep more easily. Victini can also help against Skarmory, Chansey, and Tangrowth by hitting them for big damage with V-Create. Diggersby forces a lot of damage onto Celesteela, Skarmory, and Chansey, allowing Gyarados to clean these typically bulky threats up more easily. Gyarados will need teammates like Zeraora and Rhyperior to absorb Electric-type attacks. Krookodile offers an Electric immunity and can set up Stealth Rock. Gyarados is also in danger of being revenge killed by priority users, especially Lycanroc-D, so Rhyperior and Krookodile can help check these foes as well. Bulky Grass-types like Tangrowth and Amoonguss can reliably pivot into Zeraora while also offering Knock Off or Spore support. Gyarados can easily set up on foes that cannot heavily damage it, like Keldeo, so having a pivot such as Scizor and Victini can help bring Gyarados into play more safely and allow it to set up with Dragon Dance on these favorable matchups.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

A Substitute set with Waterfall, Bounce, and Leftovers as an item can help Gyarados break through defensive teams, as Substitute blocks status and Gyarados can easily boost multiple times against foes like Celesteela. However, the lack of coverage causes it to struggle with foes like Rotom-W and Quagsire. Earthquake is a coverage option to allow Gyarados to OHKO Electric-types like Magnezone and Zeraora as well as KO Tentacruel and Jirachi. However, Earthquake is generally not needed for Gyarados to power through most matchups, and dropping Power Whip will leave Gyarados without a tool to damage bulky Water-types.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Electric-types**: Electric-types like Zeraora, Thundurus, and Rotom-W reliably outspeed and KO Gyarados. While they can also withstand an unboosted hit, Rotom-W loses to boosted Power Whip, while Zeraora and Thundurus cannot consistently tank multiple hits. Magnezone is slower than Gyarados, but Gyarados will be unable to KO it without Earthquake or multiple boosts, and Magnezone will OHKO it back.

**Physical Walls**: Walls can be challenging for Gyarados, as it requires multiple boosts to KO them. Skarmory can safely switch in on Gyarados and use Whirlwind to remove Gyarados from the field its boosts. Celesteela can also withstand Waterfall after several boosts. (Celesteela is in "walls" here, but you say in overview it is just a "other foe with respectable bulk" in contrast to "defensive Pokemon" like Skarmory; you should either consistently say celesteela is a wall/defensive pokemon or that it's not) Rocky Helmet Tangrowth can give Gyarados problems if it does not have Bounce, as +1 Ice Fang does not 2HKO. Chansey can also withstand several boosted hits and inflict status on cripple Gyarados with Toxic and Thunder Wave.

**Choice Scarf Users**: Gyarados is slow, and many Choice Scarf users like Victini, Krookodile, and Zarude will outspeed it at +1 and deal heavy damage with STAB or coverage moves. Choice Scarf Rotom-W also outspeeds Gyarados at +1 and threatens to OHKO it with Volt Switch. Gyarados needs to boost to +2 Speed to overcome these threats.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[BigFatMantis, 507497]]
- Quality checked by: [[Hilomilo, 313384], [Twilight, 344575], [avarice, 346653]]
- Grammar checked by: [[CryoGyro, 331519], [Finland, 517429]]

i'll stamp once you address my (minor) comments
 
for celesteela it's good, but for bounce i want you to explicitly say whether bounce can be used without power herb on the listed set, or whether its w/ power herb only
 
[SET COMMENTS]

Ice Fang hits Dragon- and Grass-types like Salamence, Kommo-o, and Tapu Bulu. However, Gyarados requires multiple boosts to reliably KO bulky Grass-types like Tangrowth and Amoonguss with it. Bounce can be used over Ice Fang, (AC) as it provides an additional STAB move and can more reliably KO a chipped Amoonguss with just one boost. While Bounce can be used without Power Herb on both hyper offensive and balanced teams, not running Power Herb makes Bounce easy to exploit with Protect, Substitute, or switching, and Power Herb can only feasibly be used on a hyper offensive team. hyper offense.
finland-GP.gif
2/2
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top