[OVERVIEW]
Access to Sheer Force and Life Orb in conjunction with Dragon Dance makes Feraligatr a strong wallbreaker. Thanks to Feraligatr's decent bulk, it can survive some hits from common faster Pokemon such as Mega Beedrill, Cobalion, Mega Aerodactyl, and Krookodile to set up a Dragon Dance. It also has a number of useful resistances, which gives it setup opportunities against Pokemon that can't hit it super effectively like Mega Aggron, Mega Steelix, and Infernape. Feraligatr threatens a lot of balance archetypes well because of its ability to easily break through their defensive backbone. Unfortunately, Feraligatr faces competition from Pokemon such as Crawdaunt, Primarina, and Mega Blastoise; the former two are way more threatening due to their secondary typing, while the latter has access to Rapid Spin to support its team. Crawdaunt can also viably use a Z-Move, unlike Feraligatr. A lacking Speed stat means Feraligatr can still get outsped by common Choice Scarf users such as Hydreigon and Latias, and it also gets outsped by Mega Sceptile, Mega Beedrill, and Mega Manectric even at +1.
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Liquidation
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Crunch
item: Life Orb
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Dragon Dance boosts Feraligatr's Attack and Speed stat by one stage, which makes it a threat that can easily sweep once its checks are weakened. Liquidation is Feraligatr's best STAB move and gets boosted by Sheer Force. Aqua Jet is an option on Feraligatr, though, as it can ensure the OHKO on Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Beedrill when boosted. Ice Punch hits Pokemon such as Mega Altaria, Hydreigon, and Amoonguss, which can tank both Liquidation and Crunch. Crunch is used to hit Water-types that resist both Ice Punch and Liquidation such as Rotom-W, Alomomola, and Jellicent; it also gives good neutral coverage.
Set Details
========
252 Attack EVs allow Feraligatr to hit as hard as possible. A Jolly nature with 252 Speed EVs lets Feraligatr outspeed threats such as Crobat and Krookodile when boosted. However, an Adamant nature lets it inflict much more damage as a whole. Sheer Force in conjunction with Life Orb heavily increases the power of Liquidation, Ice Punch, and Crunch with a 1.69x boost, and Life Orb's recoil is negated on all of Feraligatr's attacks except for Aqua Jet.
Usage Tips
========
Feraligatr doesn't want to be chipped, so avoid unnecessarily bringing it in on attacks so it can stay as healthy as possible to set up and sweep late-game. If Feraligatr can be brought in early- to mid-game while preserving as much HP as possible, it's better to fire off an attack and then set up later in the game. Don't try to set up with Feraligatr as long as its checks such as Alomomola, Rotom-W, and Suicune are still healthy, unless this is more beneficial for its team. Try to get Feraligatr in on a free switch in or via a pivot like Rotom-W and Mega Beedril to set up or just fire off a powerful attack. Pokemon that can outspeed Feraligatr when boosted such as Mega Beedrill and Mega Sceptile should be removed before trying to set up and sweep.
Team Options
========
Feraligatr should be used on offensively oriented teams as a late-game cleaner. Dragon-types like Choice Scarf Latias and Mega Altaria can threaten some of Feraligatr's checks like Choice Scarf Hydreigon and bulky Water-types. Pokemon that can set up Stealth Rock such as Cobalion, Terrakion, Mamoswine, and Krookodile make for good teammates, as they can also wear down many of Feraligatr's checks through residual damage. Klefki can switch in on many of Feraligatr's checks such as Mega Sceptile, Serperior, and Mega Sharpedo and provides Spikes support to wear down its grounded checks. Pokemon that can break bulky Grass- and Water-types, such as Mega Manectric, Kyurem, and Nidoking, make for great teammates because they can get rid of Feraligatr's checks so it can clean up late-game.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Swords Dance can be used for extra power to break through checks like Rotom-W, Alomomola, and Seismitoad. Superpower and Earthquake can OHKO Pokemon such as Mega Manectric, Kyurem, and Empoleon, respectively, but the coverage that Liquidation, Ice Punch, and Crunch provide is generally better. Substitute lets Feraligatr avoid status ailments like burn and paralysis from Pokemon like Rotom-W and Klefki, but if Feraligatr does opt to run it, (AC) it will lose out on crucial coverage.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Rotom-W, Alomomola, and Jellicent are three of the best checks to Feraligatr, as they can chew on Ice Punch and Liquidation. However, they have to be wary of a +1 Crunch, which can 2HKO Rotom-W, 3HKO Alomomola, and almost always OHKO Jellicent. Primarina and Mega Sharpedo resist Feraligatr's STAB and coverage moves; however, both have to be wary of getting OHKOed by a +2 Liquidation after Stealth Rock damage.
**Faster Pokemon**: At +1 Speed, Feraligatr still fails to KO some faster Pokemon, which means common Choice Scarf users such as Hydreigon and Latias can easily threaten it out with their STAB moves. Other faster Pokemon such as Mega Sceptile, Mega Manectric, Mega Beedrill, and Mega Aerodactyl outspeed a boosted Feraligatr and can threaten it with their respective STAB moves.
**Electric-types**: Electric-types such as Rotom-W, Mega Manectric, Raikou, and Rotom-C all outspeed an unboosted Feraligatr and threaten it with their STAB moves. However, they can't switch in on Feraligatr, as they will take massive damage from Liquidation or Crunch.
**Quagsire**: Quagsire has access to Unaware, which ignores Feraligatr’s boosts, but Quagsire has to be at full health to properly check Feraligatr, as it takes nearly half from Liquidation.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Amoonguss and Serperior can easily check Feraligatr, as they can take even a +1 Ice Punch and retaliate with a Giga Drain or Leaf Storm, respectively. Mega Sceptile is another good check, as it can outspeed a +1 Feraligatr.
Access to Sheer Force and Life Orb in conjunction with Dragon Dance makes Feraligatr a strong wallbreaker. Thanks to Feraligatr's decent bulk, it can survive some hits from common faster Pokemon such as Mega Beedrill, Cobalion, Mega Aerodactyl, and Krookodile to set up a Dragon Dance. It also has a number of useful resistances, which gives it setup opportunities against Pokemon that can't hit it super effectively like Mega Aggron, Mega Steelix, and Infernape. Feraligatr threatens a lot of balance archetypes well because of its ability to easily break through their defensive backbone. Unfortunately, Feraligatr faces competition from Pokemon such as Crawdaunt, Primarina, and Mega Blastoise; the former two are way more threatening due to their secondary typing, while the latter has access to Rapid Spin to support its team. Crawdaunt can also viably use a Z-Move, unlike Feraligatr. A lacking Speed stat means Feraligatr can still get outsped by common Choice Scarf users such as Hydreigon and Latias, and it also gets outsped by Mega Sceptile, Mega Beedrill, and Mega Manectric even at +1.
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Liquidation
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Crunch
item: Life Orb
ability: Sheer Force
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Dragon Dance boosts Feraligatr's Attack and Speed stat by one stage, which makes it a threat that can easily sweep once its checks are weakened. Liquidation is Feraligatr's best STAB move and gets boosted by Sheer Force. Aqua Jet is an option on Feraligatr, though, as it can ensure the OHKO on Mega Aerodactyl and Mega Beedrill when boosted. Ice Punch hits Pokemon such as Mega Altaria, Hydreigon, and Amoonguss, which can tank both Liquidation and Crunch. Crunch is used to hit Water-types that resist both Ice Punch and Liquidation such as Rotom-W, Alomomola, and Jellicent; it also gives good neutral coverage.
Set Details
========
252 Attack EVs allow Feraligatr to hit as hard as possible. A Jolly nature with 252 Speed EVs lets Feraligatr outspeed threats such as Crobat and Krookodile when boosted. However, an Adamant nature lets it inflict much more damage as a whole. Sheer Force in conjunction with Life Orb heavily increases the power of Liquidation, Ice Punch, and Crunch with a 1.69x boost, and Life Orb's recoil is negated on all of Feraligatr's attacks except for Aqua Jet.
Usage Tips
========
Feraligatr doesn't want to be chipped, so avoid unnecessarily bringing it in on attacks so it can stay as healthy as possible to set up and sweep late-game. If Feraligatr can be brought in early- to mid-game while preserving as much HP as possible, it's better to fire off an attack and then set up later in the game. Don't try to set up with Feraligatr as long as its checks such as Alomomola, Rotom-W, and Suicune are still healthy, unless this is more beneficial for its team. Try to get Feraligatr in on a free switch in or via a pivot like Rotom-W and Mega Beedril to set up or just fire off a powerful attack. Pokemon that can outspeed Feraligatr when boosted such as Mega Beedrill and Mega Sceptile should be removed before trying to set up and sweep.
Team Options
========
Feraligatr should be used on offensively oriented teams as a late-game cleaner. Dragon-types like Choice Scarf Latias and Mega Altaria can threaten some of Feraligatr's checks like Choice Scarf Hydreigon and bulky Water-types. Pokemon that can set up Stealth Rock such as Cobalion, Terrakion, Mamoswine, and Krookodile make for good teammates, as they can also wear down many of Feraligatr's checks through residual damage. Klefki can switch in on many of Feraligatr's checks such as Mega Sceptile, Serperior, and Mega Sharpedo and provides Spikes support to wear down its grounded checks. Pokemon that can break bulky Grass- and Water-types, such as Mega Manectric, Kyurem, and Nidoking, make for great teammates because they can get rid of Feraligatr's checks so it can clean up late-game.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Swords Dance can be used for extra power to break through checks like Rotom-W, Alomomola, and Seismitoad. Superpower and Earthquake can OHKO Pokemon such as Mega Manectric, Kyurem, and Empoleon, respectively, but the coverage that Liquidation, Ice Punch, and Crunch provide is generally better. Substitute lets Feraligatr avoid status ailments like burn and paralysis from Pokemon like Rotom-W and Klefki, but if Feraligatr does opt to run it, (AC) it will lose out on crucial coverage.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Water-types**: Rotom-W, Alomomola, and Jellicent are three of the best checks to Feraligatr, as they can chew on Ice Punch and Liquidation. However, they have to be wary of a +1 Crunch, which can 2HKO Rotom-W, 3HKO Alomomola, and almost always OHKO Jellicent. Primarina and Mega Sharpedo resist Feraligatr's STAB and coverage moves; however, both have to be wary of getting OHKOed by a +2 Liquidation after Stealth Rock damage.
**Faster Pokemon**: At +1 Speed, Feraligatr still fails to KO some faster Pokemon, which means common Choice Scarf users such as Hydreigon and Latias can easily threaten it out with their STAB moves. Other faster Pokemon such as Mega Sceptile, Mega Manectric, Mega Beedrill, and Mega Aerodactyl outspeed a boosted Feraligatr and can threaten it with their respective STAB moves.
**Electric-types**: Electric-types such as Rotom-W, Mega Manectric, Raikou, and Rotom-C all outspeed an unboosted Feraligatr and threaten it with their STAB moves. However, they can't switch in on Feraligatr, as they will take massive damage from Liquidation or Crunch.
**Quagsire**: Quagsire has access to Unaware, which ignores Feraligatr’s boosts, but Quagsire has to be at full health to properly check Feraligatr, as it takes nearly half from Liquidation.
**Grass-types**: Grass-types such as Amoonguss and Serperior can easily check Feraligatr, as they can take even a +1 Ice Punch and retaliate with a Giga Drain or Leaf Storm, respectively. Mega Sceptile is another good check, as it can outspeed a +1 Feraligatr.
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