Ah, Feraligatr, the Pokemon whose actual name is so long it won't fit in 12 characters. He was our first starter, and a key member of our team early on. However, for the past generations Feraligatr somewhat suffered by having a huge Attack stat but no STAB to take advantage of it. As such, 4th Gen's biggest gift to it was the physical-special split, giving the Pokemon some physical Water attacks to work off of, and become a truly threatening force. In a way, Feraligatr resembles Gyarados, though it's not quite as beastly as that behemoth. It's still quite powerful, though.
Capture/Training
Starter, pick or trade, soft-reset if you want, yada-yada.
Actually, training a Totodile might be a bit difficult, as it doesn't really learn any physical Water attacks until pretty late. That's not to say it doesn't get any physical attacks at all, and between Bite/Crunch, Ice Fang, Slash, and assorted other moves it can learn, it can manage fine as a Water-typed general physical attacker. However, you will likely have to wait until late-game, upon acquiring Waterfall, for this Pokemon to really gain some power.
Other than that, there aren't any real big tricks. Totodile evolves into Croconaw at Lv. 18, then into Feraligatr at Lv. 30. Delaying that final evolution 21 levels to learn Superpower 12 levels earlier is an option. That's all.
Stats
85 HP, 105 Atk, 100 Def, 79 Sp. Atk, 83 Sp. Def, 78 Spd
Decently bulky, and good strength.
For the most part, re-focus EVs out of Special Attack. More Attack and Speed is good.
Abilities
Torrent is the Water-starter standard. It boosts Water attacks by 50% at Feraligatr's last third. This can either be a nice bonus or part of an intentional strategy to become a truly threatening sweeper.
Moves
Feraligatr is a physically-oriented Pokemon, and one of the best things it could ask for in the generation shift was physical Water attacks. Waterfall is great in this regard; decent power plus the ability to Flinch opponents is perfect for a primary physical attack. Aqua Tail is another option, but its accuracy and lack of secondary effect keep it from being the best choice. Aqua Jet strikes first and is a great addition to any moveset. A novelty Feraligatr might use Surf or Hydro Pump to surprise special-defense-weak physical walls.
Feraligatr also has a beautiful list of secondary physical attacks. Return combines well with Water in general, as the combination is resisted by few Pokemon at the moment. Flail is an alternate Normal attack, and works well with moves like Substitute. Crunch hits Ghosts and Psychics hard, while Superpower is a unique move that can hurt badly, though the drop in Attack and Defense afterwards isn't that nice. Focus Punch can find its way onto Substitute-based sets. Low Kick is an alternate Fighting-type attack that can trip up heavier foes. Earthquake is a classic, as always. Rock Slide also has a nice flinch rate. Water and Ice always go well together, so it goes without saying that Ice Punch is a solid choice. Dragon Claw and Outrage hit Dragons if you don't want an Ice attack.
If you really want some special attacks, in addition to a Water attack, you have Ice Beam, Dragon Pulse, Focus Blast, and Ancientpower (for the six-stat boost).
A great way to kick up the power of Feraligatr's attacks is with some power-boosting moves. Swords Dance is a straight kick to Attack, while Dragon Dance takes advantage of Feraligatr's decent bulk to build up Attack and Speed, making it something similar to Gyarados.
All things considered, Feraligatr is a very straightforward Pokemon. It has other support moves, but for the most part anything that does not contribute directly to its offense can be ignored. As such, the last move of note is Substitute, which combines well with its ability as well as giving it some protection from status and a shield to hide behind as it Dances up.
Moveset 1: SubDance
- Substitute
- Dragon Dance/Swords Dance
- Waterfall/Aqua Jet
- Return/Flail
Sub, do some dancing behind the Sub, then attack. Water+Normal provide great coverage in this regard. For best effects, use a pinch-berry. Salac works well with Swords Dance for an extra boost of Speed, while Liechi works with Dragon Dance for an extra Attack kick.
General Moveset
- (primary Water attack)
- (secondary attack)
- (secondary attack)
- (boosting move)/(secondary attack)
Earthquake and Ice Punch are two good choices for secondary attacks; alternately, one could use Return and Aqua Jet, as Water and Normal have great neutral coverage. Throw in either Dragon Dance or Swords Dance, and start sweeping! Or throw on a Choice Band and a fourth move.
Items
Aside from those already mentioned, Life Orb works well to power moves and lower Feraligatr's HP into Torrent range. Leftovers is good if Feraligatr plans on staying in for a while. A Salac Berry can also be mixed with Swords Dance for extra Speed.
Effective Movesets
1. Dragon Dance
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
2. Swords Dance
- Swords Dance
- Waterfall
- Return
- Aqua Jet
3. SubDD
- Substitute
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Return
4. Choice
- Waterfall
- Ice Punch
- Crunch
- Earthquake
5. SubLiechi
- Substitute
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Flail
Future Sight
Feraligatr got little in the way of new moves, but it got a cool Dream World ability. Encourage boosts the power of any move with a beneficial secondary effect by 30%, in exchange for dropping said secondary effect. To put this in perspective, Waterfall is now a base 104-power physical Water attack with STAB and perfect accuracy (albeit no longer with a Flinch chance). Yes, it is more powerful than Surf, Earthquake, and Return. Other moves, like Crunch and Ice Fang (maybe Ice Punch depending on future developments), also get this nifty boost. As an additional bonus, Life Orb recoil is also negated if such moves are chosen... while the Life Orb boost remains...
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