 |
| The very first ferry-type Pokemon |
Lapras is a beastly boat of a Pokemon capable of scaring off would-be attackers and taking down defending Dragonites. Its massive Stamina coupled with great Defence and solid Attack make Lapras a truly elite Pokemon in the current Pokemon GO metagame. Its rarity makes it a prized posession, and any Lapras is worth racing for, if nothing more, for the candies. For those lucky enough to posess a Lapras, hopefully this article can help you make the most of your ferry Pokemon.
Recommended movesets
 |
| I like to think Pikachu is controlling this Lapras like a fire hose |
Frost Breath + Blizzard (beware the lag)
Lapras' Frost Breath has a faster cooldown and higher DPS than Ice Shard, which both allows you to deal more damage and dodge more readily. Which attack is better is really a no-brainer. Blizzard is another no-brainer in terms of DPS, but as mentioned in the Dewgong article, some phones can have trouble processing Blizzard's damage. This can make attacking with Lapras awkward, as you wait up to 5 seconds for your Blizzard to register and KO the opposing Pokemon.
Defending
Ice Shard + Blizzard
Ice Shard's higher base damage coupled with the computer AI makes it the better defending move. Blizzard is still most recommended both because it has the best potential to increase DPS (as Ice Shard is already fairly strong), and because its animation and lag makes it difficult to dodge. Ice Beam is also a strong option, and honestly, Lapras is so strong that any move works fine to defend a gym. I've had many a frustrating battle against an opposing Lapras firing off multiple Ice Beams in a row near the end of a battle, due to the increased charge rate the more damaged the defender is.
Base stats
 |
| Lapras is literally a boat. When it attacks, it's like slamming a boat into something. Pacific Rim taught me how effective that is. |
Attack: 186
Defence: 190
Stamina: 260
Lapras' base stats are fantastic. Consider this: Vaporeon has the same Attack and Stamina as Lapras. The only difference between these Pokemon is that Lapras has 22 MORE defence than Vaporeon. Another consideration: Poliwrath's attack stat is extremely solid, and Poliwrath has great stats that allow it to sit amongst the top defenders in the metagame. Lapras, whose weakest stat is its Attack, has a stronger attack stat than Poliwrath.
In short, Lapras is amazing.
Popular Pokemon Lapras deals with
The number one counter to Dragonite, Lapras get to hit Dragonite where it hurts, with the dragon/flying type being doubly-weak to ice. But Lapras is so absurdly strong that you can really use it to wing against any number of ice-weak Pokemon, including the various grass types in the metagame. Lapras really gets to hammer them if they don't have grass moves as part of their moveset, and should beat them even if they do. Ground types like Rhydon and Nidoqueen are also smashed by Lapras, though any that have rock moves can hit hard if allowed to.
 |
| Readily available and immensely powerful, Arcanine can... manage to take down a Lapras without dying. Good job Arcanine, nice balance Niantic. |
Lapras is so stupidly strong, nothing really counters it, but things that can deal well with Lapras are Snorlax, and Arcanine. Both of these Pokemon get to attack Lapras neutrally, and just trade reasonably well in terms of damage. I've also had decent success in using Vaporeon to deal with Lapras, simply because Vaporeon gets to out-damage Lapras and try to dodge its charge moves to get ahead in the lengthy damage trade. Omastar is a unique user that gets to deal super-effective damage to Lapras using Rock Slide, and can be useful if placed in a gym's defence lineup after a Dragonite to defeat Lapras users after they take down Dragonite.
Also, no... Flareon is not an appropriate substitute for Arcanine. I've used a Charizard to great effect in helping take down Lapras, but Flareon's frail defences are too weak to matter in the face of Ice Shard and Blizzard. If you have nothing better, my advice is not to use Flareon anyways... it's to find another gym that will be more potion-efficient for you to tackle.
Final say
Lapras is one of the Pokemon that rightly sits atop gyms. With its high maximum CP, strong move options in Frost Breath and Ice Shard, and its impressive base stats, Lapras makes for the envy of all trainers. But you all already knew that, that's why you clicked on this article. Hopefully what this article has done is highlight a few Pokemon that you can use to deal with Lapras, though there really is no Pokemon that measures up to Loch Ness' favourite tourist attraction.
Lapras' high base Stamina makes it a huge pain to take down as a defender, as defenders get that Stamina boost. It's just... it's so great. I want more, I've only had the good fortune to catch two, and I was being super try-hard for weeks; one of those two a friend told me about with just enough time for me to rush out and catch it. If you're lucky, you'll hatch one from a 10km egg and get a near-perfect Lapras with loads of candies included.
Cheers,
Let's GO!
No comments:
Post a Comment