Feraligatr has always been in Gyarados's shadow in the OU environment. Feraligatr has Swords Dance to boost its Attack twice as fast as Gyarados, though, and priority Aqua Jet to hit faster foes. Feraligatr easily OHKOes defensive Rotom-A, who has next to no chance of OHKOing back with Thunderbolt, even after Stealth Rock damage. Even if Rotom-A tries to burn Feraligatr with Will-O-Wisp, Lum Berry is there to remedy the status. Return complements Feraligatr's Water-type STAB, hitting every Pokemon in the OU metagame for neutral damage, with the exception of Empoleon. Furthermore, Vaporeon and Suicune cannot do enough damage to Feraligatr before being forced to recover; Vaporeon is likely to be 2HKOed by Return, while defensive Suicune is 3HKOed. An unboosted Hidden Power Electric from either of them is only a 3HKO, allowing Feraligatr to get another Swords Dance under its belt. Aqua Jet is Feraligatr's weapon against faster Pokemon such as Heatran, Gengar, Jolteon, and Choice Scarf Tyranitar; however, you will need residual damage to guarantee the OHKOs on said Pokemon.

Because of Feraligatr's pure Water typing, Electric-type attacks do not completely mutilate it like they do Gyarados. For instance, common revenge killers such as Choice Scarf Jirachi and even Life Orb Starmie cannot reliably OHKO Feraligatr. Another big selling point for Feraligatr is its ability, Torrent. Because of its natural bulk, many attacks can't do enough damage to Feraligatr to OHKO it, usually leaving Feraligatr with just enough HP to activate Torrent.

Aqua Tail is a viable alternative to Waterfall; with it, Feraligatr can OHKO Rotom-A after Stealth Rock damage and 2HKO Skarmory. However, if you use Aqua Tail for its added power, you will have to forgo Waterfall's perfect accuracy and the possibility of a flinch. Lum Berry is a good item, but it won't always help your sweep. Mystic Water is a useful alternative if you'd like a slightly smaller power boost to Feraligatr's STAB moves without the recoil of Life Orb. Life Orb gives you a lot of extra power, but sacrifices Feraligatr's natural bulk. A Jolly nature allows Feraligatr to outpace Naive Heatran, Adamant Lucario, and Adamant Gyarados. An Adamant nature is perfectly viable, however, as Feraligatr could use the slight boost in power against bulky Water-types. There is no need to max Speed with an Adamant nature, as Feraligatr is usually naturally faster or slower than the Pokemon in its speed tier. Pokemon such as Skarmory, Metagross, and Breloom rarely maximize their Speed, so Feraligatr only needs enough to beat defensive Rotom-A.

Entry hazards are extremely helpful for Feraligatr, as they guarantee some vital KOs, especially those with Aqua Jet. With a layer or two of Spikes, Aqua Jet will have no problem OHKOing Heatran and Mamoswine after a Swords Dance. Skarmory and Forretress are recommended as partners for Feraligatr as they are reliable at setting up Spikes, but beware Skarmory's shared weakness to Electric-type attacks. Forretress can also set up Toxic Spikes to deter Celebi and Vaporeon, who can cause problems for Feraligatr. A Pursuit user will be extremely helpful, as Starmie is a big threat to Feraligatr; it is faster, can survive a +2 Aqua Jet, and can KO with Thunderbolt after some residual damage. Tyranitar brings in an unwanted Sandstorm, but if you don't mind that, it is a great choice since it can also counter the troublesome Zapdos and Rotom-A. Scizor is a decent check to Gengar and Starmie and can weaken enemy walls with U-turn. Gliscor can set up Stealth Rock, counter Lucario, and even lure in Pokemon whom Feraligatr can set up on, such as Gyarados, Suicune, and Vaporeon. If Gliscor uses U-turn as they switch in, you can get Feraligatr in completely unharmed and proceed to set up.

Feraligatr can work well as a lure for defensive Pokemon so other sweepers will have an easier time sweeping. Gyarados often has trouble with Rotom-A, Suicune, and Vaporeon, but if you can weaken them with Feraligatr, Gyarados can then finish off the enemy team. A Pursuit user such as Tyranitar will be all to prevent both sweepers from succumbing to revenge killers. Choice Scarf Flygon would be most helpful as a revenge killer, absorbing Thunderbolts and checking Dragon Dance Dragonite. Heatran can be used as an additional lure, further weakening Water-type switch-ins with Hidden Power Grass while handily checking most Jirachi.