Countering Gyarados SF

Is Gyarados a Pokemon that can be stopped before it's set up?


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Serperior

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Yes. One of the most powerful and most successful Pokemon cards in the game makes its debut in Stormfront. Although people have been glorifying and using Gyarados extensively, I'm trying to find new ways to bring Gyarados down.

There are three things that are special about Gyarados:

1.) MASSIVE HP for a Stage One Pokemon.
2.) An abusive attack that can do up to 90 damage for no Energy.
3.) Speed. You can set Gyarados up for the win in two or three turns.

However, there are still cards that can pose a threat to Gyarados:

1.) Devoluter LA.
Yup. Devoluter. It's simple. It requires no Energy. And you can make a 130 HP Pokemon drop to 30 HP in one turn. Not only this, but if your opponent threw all his Magikarp into the discard pile, how is Gyarados going to attack? That's right. He can't.

2.) Omastar MD.
I love this card. It's a universal Devoluter, and you can kiss Gyarados good-bye. It's quick, and it works just like Devoluter. Your opponent is less than likely playing any SP Pokemon in his or her Gyarados deck, so that ruins the possibility of a Power Spray. You're set with Omastar MD.

3.) Spiritomb PA.
Actually, this really isn't a counter. This is a follow-up card to Devoluter or Omastar MD. This locks your opponent from playing Night Maintenance in an attempt to bring any Magikarp or Gyarados back, or Super Scooping his Gyarados before you play the Devoluter.

4.) Skarmory FB SV.
Wow. I thought this card was terrible. But looking deeper, Skarmory FB can hold his own against Gyarados. Unfortunately, it's not very good late game: your opponent is set up, and he's probably done playing Magikarp so Silver Feather isn't very helpful. Early game, Skarmory FB is perfect. He drops two damage counters on every Basic Pokemon your opponent plays, leaving a Magikarp with 10 HP. Now, just do 10 more damage, and Devolute.
~Thanks to #1weavile with the counter.

5.) Miasma Valley PT.
One of the better counters against Gyarados. If you play Miasma Valley from the get-go, you start layering down damage on your opponent's Benched Pokemon like there's no tomorrow. All the more damage to Devolute and KO. However, Miasma Valley PT is easily countered with a BTS in a Gyarados deck.
~Thanks to #1weavile with the counter.

6.) Mr. Mime MT.
Although this guy sits and stalls, he can prevent Gyarados from abusing you with Tail Revenge, he makes sure that your opponent uses the four to six Energy most Gyarados decks run. ...that's about as good as it's gonna get with Mr. Mime.
~Thanks to half the PokeBeach community with the counter.




These cards can put Gyarados to an end, because of ditching Gyarados and putting up the lone Magikarp that is much easier to Knock Out. Overall, Gyarados is a threat that can be stopped. Those three cards aren't the only resistance you have against Gyarados, but probably the ones I would use.

Please discuss, and if you have any more cards you know that can take down Gyarados, post!
 
miasma valley and skarmory FB counter him nicely. You will get a prize card when they put a 'karp down. It isn't the best, but it works. I would suggest electrode SW and spiritomb PA. Blow up electrode and bring up Spiritomb PA and trainer lock.
 
a fun little counter to that annoyance of a Gyarados is the Mr. Mime with airy wall which forces the opponent to attach energies to the Gyarados to even think about attacking when the Mr. Mime has the chance to do up to 100 damage with its quite risky attack (assuming that I remember the effects of the Mr. Mime Correctly)
 
You would never ATTACK w/ Mr. Mime, just stall. Actually, both Mr. Mimes could stall. One of them would just keep reviving itself, and doing 60 a turn, and the other just sits there.
 
I like the Devoluter idea the best. What better way than to Devolute the pokemon with 3 Plus Powers attached? If I remember correctly, Gyrados doesn't usually run much in the way of Pokemon recovery.

By the way, just because I finally read it and noticed, make sure that people in your area play Regimove correctly. After paying attention, I noticed that there's a switch effect that I've never seen anyone in my area completely use EVER. Just sayin', this can cause a huge screw up in their plans, especially because you get to choose the benched pokemon that comes up. I think of this in reference to Spiritomb or Mr. Mime getting swapped up in exchange for whatever active you have, or a sacrifice to start your Upper Energies going.
 
pvtGramps said:
I like the Devoluter idea the best. What better way than to Devolute the pokemon with 3 Plus Powers attached? If I remember correctly, Gyrados doesn't usually run much in the way of Pokemon recovery.

Actually, PlusPower doesn't add damage to Devoluter. PlusPower only increases the amount of damage done by 10 if actual damage is being done. Devoluter doesn't do any damage, so PlusPower doesn't give a boost. And, Gyarados has massive recovery. Being able to Pokemon Rescue/TSD a KO'ed Gyarados/Magikarp on the next turn is good recovery to me. Add BTS, then he'll just keep going.

Glistomb+Mr. Mime tech is easily a solid counter. By getting a Spiritomb start, you can start to lock any Trainers they run (although Gyarados would start with Sableye.) Once Gliscor Lv.X gets going, Shoot Poison+Night Slash/Burning Poison and the switch to Spiritomb/Mr. Mime hurts the real bad. And if Gyarados does get KO'ed, you can bring up Spiritomb to lock Pokemon Rescue/TSD.
 
I LOVE the Miasma Valley counter! That's one of the best counters I've heard of! I'll add that.

I don't know much about Glistomb. Is that just Special Conditions while locking your opponent's set up?

Gliscor: Gyarados doesn't need Trainers all the time, as you said. Sableye pulls the Felicity's from the deck and your opponent discards 2 Magikarp from his or her hand. All they need to do from here is to simply BTS or Candy and up goes the Gyarados. Isn't Gyarados Resistant to Gliscor? And can't Gyarados do double damage to Gliscor? That puts you at a disadvantage.
 
How could you guys have missed this?
MR.MIME FROM MYSTERIOUS TREASURES-
The easiest way to stop Gyarados, they will never have 3 energy attached, granted Mr.Mime can't really attack it but it might be able to cause a deckout or at least give you time to find a way to beat it.
 
CFOURCOLTSFAN said:
How could you guys have missed this?
MR.MIME FROM MYSTERIOUS TREASURES-
The easiest way to stop Gyarados, they will never have 3 energy attached, granted Mr.Mime can't really attack it but it might be able to cause a deckout or at least give you time to find a way to beat it.

Seriously? Most gyarados decks run AT LEAST 6 energy. How will they "never" have 3 on them?
 
Because they're all special and they just never attach them to Gyarados, usually they attach them to techs and if you give them three turns where they can attach energy to Gyarados you phail.
 
CFOURCOLTSFAN said:
Because they're all special and they just never attach them to Gyarados, usually they attach them to techs and if you give them three turns where they can attach energy to Gyarados you phail.

I run special and basic energy in my deck just for Mr.Mime and whenever I need to retreat. I can just search them out. It also helps get a couple easy KO's with sableye, if you run basic dark. What is stopping gyarados from running regice and regimoving or luxray GL X and bringing up another pokemon?
 
I run 2 Mime so usually I'm okay and while Luxray X is problem it does make the list kinda clunky especially since I'm going to be running DGX in my Gyara(for mime etc). So I can see your point, I run no basic in my deck, I might run a metal now but usually i run 4 call, 2 cyclone. Also considering a dark too.
 
The Luxray PA is a huge threat to Gyrados even though not very many people are going to play it.....
 
glistomb counters cuz after you kill them they can't get magicarp/gyara back cuz no TSD/NM/poke rescue/ect.
 
elekid957 said:
glistomb counters cuz after you kill them they can't get magicarp/gyara back cuz no TSD/NM/poke rescue/etc.

They can still play palmers but gyarados will run out. :(

EDIT: and suicune
 
If you set up the lock correctly they will never get a turn to attak or retreat [unless they play warp energy or something like that]
 
I see Mr. Mime MT as a tech, but he's very situational. He takes up some Deck space, and as most of you have said, isn't very good either than sitting there and stalling. I'll add it anyway.
 
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