Why is Lapras in PU?

Question

Lapras deserves to be in a higher tier!

Here is what it can do:
-Rain Dance Setup, for Hydration
-Hydro Pump/Surf with Freeze Dry has no weaknesses
-Counters Rotom W, and a whole bunch of others in OU
-Low Health? Use REST!
-Did you get statused? Guess what! Burn, Poison, Freeze, all of those will end at the end of the turn, WITH NO DAMAGE BY THEM!
-Rotom W gonna Will-O-Wisp? It's K, Rotom W gonna Volt Switch? Use Rest :D
Lapras sounds so evil, right? Counters Slowbro.
-Gyarados thinks he can take an Ice Beam? Freeze Dry is X4 EFFECTIVE!
-Kingdra critting all over the place? Lapras counters that too!
Here's the set I use:
LOLLL (Lapras) (M) @ Damp Rock
Ability: Hydration
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 116 HP / 128 Def / 252 SpA / 8 SpD / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Rain Dance
- Hydro Pump
- Freeze-Dry
- Rest

Comments

To be honest, it just doesn't have the necessary defenses to be a good rain tank.
It also has weaknesses to Fighting and Rock, which are now two common type moves (ex. Close Combat, Rock Slide, Stone Edge, Brick Break, etc). It also takes a supereffective Volt Switch, which is also quite common.
Outside of being a rain tank, it has limited potential.
However, it still is great in NU and maybe RU.

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*cough Lapras cough*
Lapras is weak. Has possibly the worst typing ever, with practically no resistance while bearing weakness to common Stealth Rock, Stone Edge, Grass-, Fighting- and Electric-type attacks. Has practically no stats barring highly above-average 130 HP.
And so on...

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I'm tempted to say, "Dude looooooook. They used to say that about Pikachu some years ago." I don't even know where it stands today.

Answer 1

Ok, here we go:

1. Its typing.
   Water+Ice is one of the worst types defensively, with 4 weaknesses and only 2 resistances. This means it will have a hard time doing any sort of stalling, or switching in at all. At the same time it isn't ideal offensively either, as it lacks coverage over a lot of big names in the higher tiers. Had it been a pure Water type it could have made a decent wall and if it had been a pure Ice type it could have made a decent tank/wall but as it stands its typing hinders it from shining.

2. Its stats
   As time have passed Lapras stats haven't been updated. Bar the 130 HP none of the stats shine, and it sufferes from a very even distribution of stats. Its not bulky enough to wall but it lacks the raw power to tank or sweep. Had the stats been more specialized it could have worked but in this day and age the stats are simply bad.

3. Its moves.
   Bar Freeze Dry Lapras movepool is barren. It have plenty of offensive moves but as we have already seen it lacks the typing or stats to utilize these, and at the same time it lacks any usable defensive moves to distinguish itself. Rest is decent but its far from reliable, and a single decent move can't save this Pokemon.

4. Its competition.
   All the flaws I have discussed earlier have an additional drawback. Anything Lapras can do, something else can do better. Abomasnow, Swampert, Milotic, Slowbro, Slowking, Vaporeon, Gyarados, Blastoise, Suicune, Tentacruel, Jellicent, Alomomola and Quagsire (to name the best) are far better walls with better typing, moves and stats, simply outclassing it.
   And Cloyster, Azumarill, Froslass, Kyurem-B, Mamoswine Rotom-W, Keldeo, Sharpedo, Starmie, Feraligatr and Crawdunt all outclass Lapras offensively.
   As for a counter to Rotom-W and Gyarados Venusaur or any Electric type can accomplish that, or enough azards or wearing down.
   All Pokemon get Rest, or nearly at least, Lapras having it dosnt give it any edge over anything.
   Simply putting it, whatever Lapras can do something else can do better, with more options.

5. Its counters:
   Lastly, due to its poor stats and moves Lapras is easily countered. Conkeldurr, Bisharp, Charizard, Gallade, Heracross, Magnezone, Rotom.W, Scizor, Skarmory, Terrakion and Zapdos easily OHKO it, and the rest of the OU tier can more or less do it in two or three hits. Overall Lapras is just to weak to switch in, set up or stall.

So that are the reasons Lapras doesn't see enough usage to be OU. It is simply to weak and to outclassed.

Comments

KK thx...but how Bisharp? And that High HP...is awesome!

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Lapras cant do anything against it, and it 2HKO it with any of its common STAB moves. And whilst the HP is good its all for naught as its Def/SpDef are so average and its typing is so poor.

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Hmm...How about whirlpool? With Binding Band? Trust me, try using Lapras on OU, nobody prepares for it