Richard's Reasoning - Gyarados

Welcome to the sixth installment of Richard's Reasoning, where we discuss Pokemon in Crystal Clear's unique metagame. This time we'll be talking about another one of the Pokemon that received a significant buff in the latest patch. We're going to be discussing Gyarados.

Base Stats: 95 HP / 125 Attack / 79 Defense / 60 Sp. Attack / 100 Sp. Defense / 81 Speed

The newest patch buffed Gyarados with a move it could have only dreamed of having, especially in gen 2 where Gyarados is probably at its weakest in the main series games. It has been blessed with Aeroblast, a 100 base power, 95% accurate move that has a 25% chance to score a Critical Hit. With this tool, Gyarados finally has a suitable STAB option that allows it to not only compete, but threaten many Pokemon in the tier. Let's get into it.

-Lethal Leviathan-

Gyarados@ Scope Lens / MiracleBerry / PrzCureBerry / Leftovers
Aeroblast
Earthquake
Thunder / Fire Blast / Hydro Pump / Surf / Substitute / Toxic / Zap Cannon
Thunder / Fire Blast / Hydro Pump / Surf / Substitute / Toxic / Zap Cannon

When Gyarados hits the field, the opponent needs an immediate answer. Aeroblast is a powerful attack that is difficult to switch into. I've recently been made aware that Scope Lens stacks with high-crit moves to boost them to a 33% chance to crit in gen 2, meaning that 1/3rd of the time, Gyarados will fire off an absolutely devastating Aeroblast that will cleave through most things. It is one of the most spamable attacks in our metagame.

Earthquake pairs well with it, allowing Gyarados good coverage for predicted Electric-type switches. Not much to say here, but most Electric types will beat Gyarados one-on-one so it's mostly used to either predict switches or finish off a weakened Lanturn (Earthquake deals 53-63% to Lanturn).

Thunder is my best recommendation for a coverage option, for a few reasons. It deals the most damage to Slowbro if Aeroblast doesn't crit, dealing 38-45%. It won't 2HKO, but if Slowbro is weakened it's your most damaging option. It's 30% miss chance compared to 33% crit chance + 5% miss chance, so it becomes a matter of what you prefer. But the biggest reason to use it is for Skarmory, who has a 70% chance to be 2HKO'd by Thunder after Leftovers, assuming both of them hit. It also helps Gyarados in the mirror match if it lands, and the 30% chance to Paralyze is nice, but the accuracy really hurts Gyarados's consistency. If you want to focus on beating Skarmory more consistently Fire Blast does the same amount of damage with 15% more accuracy than Thunder, which is a much better option for it specifically. Hydro Pump gives you a secondary STAB, and despite it coming off Gyarados's low Sp. Attack, it has some legitimately good uses. It is Gyarados's strongest option against Steelix, dealing a massive 73-86% compared to Earthquake's modest 29-35%. It also OHKO's Rhydon easily, and still deals 36-43% to Skarmory, guaranteeing a 3HKO against it assuming every hit lands. Surf is an option here as well, and while it is weaker than Hydro Pump, it still 2HKOs most of the same things Hydro Pump does. It's less pressure overall, and can make switching around Gyarados easier, though. It comes down to reliability vs. mounting pressure against the opponent.

Substitute blocks status, which is really important if you're running Scope Lens. It also means that reading what your opponent will switch into isn't strictly necessary as long as you know they're switching, since you can just hide behind a Sub and target the switch-in on the next turn as they're forced to break the Sub. Toxic is a good option early in the match to punish many common Gyarados switch-ins like Porygon2, Slowbro and Lanturn. Likewise Zap Cannon can cripple faster Pokemon, and it's less risky to do so behind a Substitute, where the accuracy won't get you punished as badly.

The choice of item really depends on what you value. Scope Lens, as stated, buffs Aeroblast from 25% crit chance to 33%, as well as a smaller buff in crit chance to everything else. PrzCureBerry and MiracleBerry protect Gyarados from status, though, and that can be very beneficial in fighting many different kinds of Pokemon. Finally, Leftovers helps keep Gyarados alive. It pairs well with Substitute, and Gyarados has surprisingly good defenses. Giving it more longevity can make it more difficult for the opponent to repeatedly switch into it.

Gyarados has a few other options, but the only one really worth mentioning is Rock Slide. It's a good coverage move, and alongside Earthquake provides perfect coverage. It can be used over Thunder, but you end up a little less consistent against Slowbro, and Skarmory really just hard walls you.

-My Opinion-

Gyarados is cool as hell, and gen 2 was by far his worst competitive generation, which is really a shame considering he was featured pretty prominently in marketing with the Lake of Rage Gyarados. The way it has been depicted in all forms of Pokemon media establish it as one of the scariest creatures in this world, and I'm glad it's finally getting to live up to that reputation in Crystal Clear.