• Our software update is now concluded. You will need to reset your password to log in. In order to do this, you will have to click "Log in" in the top right corner and then "Forgot your password?".
  • Welcome to PokéCommunity! Register now and join one of the best fan communities on the 'net to talk Pokémon and more! We are not affiliated with The Pokémon Company or Nintendo.

Mega Gyarados team

84
Posts
11
Years
  • I came up with an idea to build a team around Mega Gyarados because I like him - he's cool, he's bad ass, and he can hit hard. Along the way, as I began choosing my teammates, my team just kind of naturally evolved into a grass/fire/water core, which is never a bad choice. Now I need some help filling out the rest of my team. Here are my ideas, with annotations about each member's function.

    Gyarados @ Gyaradosite
    Ability: Intimidate/Mold Breaker
    Nature: Adamant
    EVs: 252 Atk, 4 Def, 252 Spe
    Moves:
    - Dragon Dance
    - Waterfall
    - Earthquake
    - Ice Fang

    Gyarados will serve as a physical sweeper. Dragon Dance raises his Atk and Spe to threatening levels. Waterfall gets STAB, hits hard, has perfect accuracy, and has a nice flinch rate. Earthquake and Ice Fang are for coverage, and because of Mega Gyarados' Mold Breaker, they can hit through Gengar and Rotom's Levitate, Dragonite's Multiscale, and Mega Venusaur's Thick Fat. I am divided on whether to use an Adamant or Jolly nature on Gyarados, as both have advantages and drawbacks and both can be compensated for with Dragon Dance and boosts from Blaziken.

    Blaziken @ Focus Sash
    Ability: Speed Boost
    Nature: Jolly
    EVs: 252 Atk, 4 Def, 252 Spe
    Moves:
    - Protect
    - Swords Dance
    - Baton Pass
    - Flare Blitz

    Blaziken's primary function is to boost Mega Gyarados' Spe and Atk. However, his Flare Blitz is valuable in its own right, providing coverage against Grass and Steel types. The Focus Sash is to make sure Blaziken can get in a Swords Dance, and the Jolly nature is to maximize his speed.

    Ferrothorn @ Rocky Helmet
    Ability: Iron Barbs
    Nature: Relaxed
    EVs: 252 HP, 88 Def, 168 SpD
    Moves:
    - Stealth Rock
    - Leech Seed
    - Power Whip
    - Gyro Ball

    Ferrothorn is for utility. He can set up Stealth Rock and Leech Seed to chip away at the opponent's health to make sweeping easier, and Leech Seed also provides valuable recovery. Power Whip is for Water types, and Gyro Ball - whose power is maximized by a Relaxed nature and a 0 Spe IV - is for smashing Fairy types on their much more vulnerable physical defense. Iron Barbs, compounded with a Rocky Helmet, will punish physical attackers considerably, and along with damage from Stealth Rock and Leech Seed will make it easier for my team to sweep.

    Sylveon @ Leftovers
    Ability: Pixilate
    Nature: Bold
    EVs: 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 SpA
    Moves:
    - Wish
    - Protect
    - Calm Mind
    - Hyper Voice

    Sylveon's purpose is to serve as a special attacker. I expect that someone, immediately upon examining my set, will recommend a Choice Specs set to fulfill this role (see Smogon). Let me explain my reasoning for this set.

    1. Leftovers provides valuable recovery
    2. Pixilate boosts Sylveon's Hyper Voice and transforms it into a STAB Fairy type move
    3. A Bold nature, 252 EVs in HP, and 252 EVs in Def patches up Sylveon's physical defense to allow it to serve as a mixed tank
    4. Calm Mind boosts Sylveon's moderate SpA and boosts its SpD to ridiculous levels
    5. A Calm Mind-boosted Hyper Voice smashes through everything that does not resist it, and it even penetrates Substitutes
    6. Wish/Protect keep Sylveon healthy, allow it to scout for moves, and to pass recovery to teammates

    I am aware of the drawbacks of this set, too. Sylveon has no Spe investment, which means it will almost always be moving second. Also, by having only Hyper Voice, Sylveon can be walled by Steel, Poison, and some Fire types, especially Heatran. I plan to test this set as well as a Choice Specs set to see which one generally performs better.

    Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
    Ability: Poison Heal
    Nature: Impish
    EVs: 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 Spe
    Moves:
    - Taunt
    - Knock Off
    - Toxic
    - Roost

    Gliscor is one of those Pokemon who has so many functions it is difficult to decide how to use him. I want to use him to absorb status, to protect my team (especially Gyarados) from Electric attacks, to tank physical hits, and to cripple stalls and sweepers with Taunt and Toxic, respectively. That's a tall order! Another set I was considering was investing more in SpD and Spe and giving him Earthquake, Taunt, Toxic, and Protect, the last of which would guarantee the activation of Poison Heal. But this set is to make him as tanky as possible. Even without Spe investment, Gliscor outspeeds most stalls, and Knock Off is to remove items from Pokemon that switch in. Toxic is never a bad choice, and Roost gives Gliscor ridiculous longevity while also allowing him to PP stall opponents.

    The real goal of all this is to help Mega Gyarados and/or Sylveon sweep by providing boosts (Blaziken) and by chipping away at opponent's health/PP (Ferrothorn, Gliscor). As you can see, I need a final teammate to round out my team. What do you recommend? Also, in terms of the team overall, what weaknesses do you see? What could I do better? What coverage do I need?

    Thanks for the help!
     
    11
    Posts
    9
    Years
    • Seen Oct 24, 2015
    I'm no expert, but you can't go wrong with Mega Blaziken. ;)

    There's always a reason why he's in Ubers, though... Ah, the pain. One of my favorite fire types trapped in the mire of overusage.
     

    PlatinumDude

    Nyeh?
    12,964
    Posts
    13
    Years
  • Mega Gyarados gained Crunch in OR/AS as a Dark STAB. It should be using it. Ice Fang only barely outdamages Crunch vs. Grass Pokemon; it's only good for hitting Pokemon that are 4x weak to it. It's an expendable move in this case.:
    -Dragon Dance
    -Waterfall/Earthquake
    -Crunch
    -Earthquake/Ice Fang/Substitute
    Nature: Jolly/Adamant
    EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
    Item: Gyaradosite
    Ability: Intimidate

    Gyarados is already boosting its Attack and Speed with Dragon Dance; hell, it even has excellent overall bulk to make setting up easier. This makes Baton Passing from Blaziken unnecessary and redundant. For Wi-Fi purposes, it should focus on all-out attacking:
    -Flare Blitz
    -High Jump Kick
    -Stone Edge/Knock Off/Swords Dance
    -Protect/Swords Dance
    Nature: Adamant
    EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spe
    Item: Life Orb
    Ability: Speed Boost

    Gliscor is better off using specially defensive spreads nowadays so it has an easier time vs. things like Therian Tornadus or non-Hex Gengar. To elaborate, 244 HP/8 Def/200 SDef/56 Spe with a Careful nature allows Gliscor to tank these hits (and avoid the OHKO from Bisharp's Life Orb Sucker Punch). It even allows Gliscor to avoid the OHKO from Latios' Draco Meteor.
     
    Last edited:
    84
    Posts
    11
    Years
  • Thanks for the insights, especially about Gliscor. Two questions. What do you think about my use of Sylveon? And do you have a recommendation for my 6th team member, one that will have synergy with the rest of the team?
     
    Back
    Top