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Gyarados

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Table of Contents

Click for Shadow Gyarados
Click for Mega Gyarados
How Shiny is Acquired
Evolution
  • Original
  • Shiny
  • Variations

Pokemon Ratings

Attacker Tier List See all C
Great League PVP Rating See all 1.5 / 5
Ultra League PVP Rating See all 4 / 5
Master League PVP Rating See all 3.5 / 5

Pokemon Stats

Unlock Energy Cost
300 60
Type
235.00 kg Weight
6.50 m Height
Pokemon Max CP
Level 50: 3,834
Level 40: 3,391
Level 25: 2,422 (Raid + Weather)
Level 20: 1,937 (Raid)
Level 15: 1,453 (Research Tasks)
ATK 237
DEF 186
STA 216

Pokemon Family

PVE Movesets Grades

Quick Charge ATK DEF
Waterfall
Hydro Pump
A
A
Dragon Tail*
Outrage
B-
B
Dragon Tail*
Hydro Pump
B-
A-
Dragon Breath
Hydro Pump
B-
X
Bite
Hydro Pump
B
X
Dragon Tail*
Crunch
X
A-
Waterfall
Crunch
C
A
Waterfall
Outrage
C
A-
Waterfall
Dragon Pulse*
X
B
Waterfall
Twister
X
B
Waterfall
Return
X
B
Waterfall
Aqua Tail*
A-
B
Show Suboptimal/Unranked Movesets

PVE Offensive Moves Explanation

  • Waterfall is better than all other fast moves due to its wide coverage and STAB.
  • Bite, Dragon Tail*, and Dragon Breath have advantages in super effective matchups, especially when paired with same-typed charge moves to maximize weather bonuses.
  • Hydro Pump is the charge move of choice, often equaling the other charge moves in power, even when they have super effective matchups or weather bonus.
  • Aqua Tail is less useful than Hydro Pump, but can be beneficial in mitigating Gyarados's energy loss.
  • Crunch has an advantage against Psychic and Dark-type opponents, offering the advantage of being a multi-bar charge move and the same typing as Bite.
  • Outrage offers a niche advantage over Dragon-type Pokemon, should you fight one.
  • Dragon Pulse* and Twister are inferior to Outrage.
  • Return has no use on an offensive Gyarados.

PVE Defensive Moves Explanation

  • Waterfall is slightly better than Dragon Tail* on defense, the former offering better damage against Electric-type counters and the latter against Dragon-type counters.
  • Aqua Tail* and Crunch are the Charged Moves of choice for defense, as they come out frequently and have great neutral coverage.
  • All other charge moves offer niche situational advantages on defense.

PVE Overview

The very embodiment of patience and its payoff, behold the fruit of 400 Magikarp candies. Gyarados's stats definitely help it stand out, boasting great Atk and decent bulk to boot. Historically, Gyarados has been a bit of a sad tale. At its introduction, it had no Water Type fast move, leaving it in a very obscure place in the game; high potential, but no real viability. After about 17 months, it was finally given Waterfall and rose to obtain the title that it had always dreamed about; top Water Type in the game. Then, not long after that, Kyogre appeared and kicked Gyarados off of its throne.

While it's outclassed at this point, Gyarados is still viable, and even optimal in some raids thanks to its Flying sub-typing. It also has a Water/Dark Type Mega Evolution which can bring some great utility for its cost, but even it falls short as an attacker with both of its types. Poor Gyarados is just a sad case at this point....

PVP Movesets Grades

Quick Charge ATK
Dragon Breath
Aqua Tail*
Crunch
A
Dragon Breath
Aqua Tail*
Outrage
B
Waterfall
Aqua Tail*
Crunch
B

PvP Moveset Explanation

Dragon Breath or Waterfall + Aqua Tail* and Crunch or Outrage

Dragon Breath is a blessing to virtually anything that has it, and Gyarados is definitely no exception. It sports 4 DPT (Damage Per Turn) and 3 EPT (Energy Per Turn), which makes it Gyarados' objectively best quick move despite lacking stab. 

Aqua Tail (50 Power/35 Energy) is an incredibly cheap move that can provide frequent shield pressure. Hydro Pump (130 Power/75 Energy) can threaten KOs when not shielded, but its high energy cost makes it a less consistent option. Crunch (70 Power/45 Energy) provides good overall coverage, decent damage, and a reasonable energy cost, while Outrage (110 Power/60 Energy) is very powerful at a fair cost. This set provides Gyarados with a powerful catch-all playstyle that's hard to come into, and is likely to deal meaningful damage even to Gyarados' counters, while also allowing it to act on opposing dragons while not being hindered by a dragon weakness itself if packing Outrage. Return can be used as a coverage move against Primarina.

You could also go for Bite, with 4 DPT and 2 EPT, making Gyarados an aggressive Dark attacker. It is worse against Giratina, however, and with it Gyarados becomes even slower. Waterfall is also not a bad move, and is better against Steel and Fairy Pokemon, but there are generally many superior Water-type attackers to choose from.

PvP Rating Explanation

Great League: 1.5 / 5

Gyarados is a great Pokemon, but the Great League's CP restrictions really limit it. It's possible to leverage its typing and good moveset against select counters, but it's probably better to level it up to a higher CP and use it in another league.

Ultra League: 4 / 5

Gyarados starts to shine in the Ultra League as the restrictions to its high CP begin to loosen. Here, Gyarados's single strongest niche has to be its ability to take down Giratina and wall Registeel. It can also remove the threats from Dragonite, Swampert, and Charizard. Gyarados' has access to great moves of Water, Dark, and Dragon type, all of which have very good coverage that is narrowly resisted when brought together.

Master League: 3 / 5

In the open Master League, Gyarados functions as a generalist due to its versatile moveset and its Water/Flying typing. However, it struggles to actually stand out compared to the plethora of other Dragon-type Legendary options as Gyarados lacks their sheer strength. Gyarados has a tough time standing out when Lugia, Dialga, and Palkia exist. Its only real niche comes from its accessibility, and it can be useful for newer players to pick up due to its decent matchup spread.Gyarados is more potent in formats with restricted rulesets, as its general coverage can be valuable when it has less competition.

Such example of a format is Premier Cup, where Legendaries and Mythicals are banned. Gyarados's versatile coverage, strong typing, and good stats allow it to rise to the top of the metagame.

Fast Moves

6
Bite
More Info

Dark

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS EPU DPS DPS w/STAB True DPS
0.50
0.20
8.00
12.00
15.00
16
Waterfall
More Info

Water

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS EPU DPS DPS w/STAB True DPS
1.20
0.15
6.67
13.33
16.67
6
Dragon Breath
More Info

Dragon

1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.51x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS EPU DPS DPS w/STAB True DPS
0.50
0.20
8.00
12.00
15.00

Elite Fast Moves

15
Dragon Tail
More Info

Dragon

1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.51x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS EPU DPS DPS w/STAB True DPS
1.10
0.20
8.18
13.64
17.05

Charge Moves

70
Crunch
More Info

Dark

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
3.20
1.70
0.00
 2.12
21.88
27.34
 46.40
130
Hydro Pump
More Info

Water

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
3.30
2.10
0.00
 1.30
39.39
49.24
 51.21
110
Outrage
More Info

Dragon

1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.51x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
3.90
1.20
0.00
 2.20
28.21
35.26
 62.05
45
Twister
More Info

Dragon

1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.51x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
2.80
1.65
0.00
 1.36
16.07
20.09
 21.92

Elite Charge Moves

90
Dragon Pulse
More Info

Dragon

1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.51x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
3.60
1.15
0.00
 1.80
25.00
31.25
 45.00
50
Aqua Tail
More Info

Water

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
1.90
0.45
0.00
 1.52
26.32
32.89
 39.87

Purified Charge Moves

35
Return
More Info

Normal

.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.51x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
0.70
0.25
0.00
 1.06
50.00
62.50
 53.03

Secondary Charge Move Unlock Cost

Candy 25
Stardust 10,000

Purification Cost

Candy 1
Stardust 1000

Other

Female Ratio 50.0 %
Male Ratio 50.0 %
Flee Rate 7.0 %
Buddy Distance 1 km
Capture Rate10.0 %

Pokemon Type Chart

Vulnerable

256% damage
160% damage

Resistant

62.5% damage
62.5% damage
62.5% damage
39.1% damage
62.5% damage
62.5% damage

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History of Water Types in Pokemon GO

Pokemon Min/Max CP Values

How to use: You need to know your Pokemon's exact level. To find exactly what level your Pokémon is, power up your Pokémon following this chart until you're certain of your level from Stardust cost changes.

A Pokémon's minimum level is 1.

Every time you power up, your Pokémon gains half a level.

StardustLevelMin CPMax CP
20014147
2001.58699
2002131150
2002.5176201
4003221252
4003.5265303
4004310355
4004.5355406
6005400457
6005.5444508
6006489559
6006.5534611
8007579662
8007.5624713
8008668764
8008.5713815
10009758866
10009.5803918
100010847969
100010.58901017
1300119321066
130011.59751114
13001210171163
130012.510591211
16001311021259
160013.511441308
16001411861356
160014.512291405
19001512711453
190015.513141502
19001613561550
190016.513981598
22001714411647
220017.514831695
22001815251744
220018.515681792
25001916101841
250019.516521889
25002016951937
250020.517371986
30002117802034
300021.518222083
30002218642131
300022.519072180
35002319492228
350023.519922277
35002420342325
350024.520762374
40002521192422
400025.521612471
40002622042519
400026.522462567
45002722882616
450027.523312664
45002823732713
450028.524162761
50002924582810
500029.525002858
50003025432907
500030.525642931
60003125852955
600031.526062979
60003226283004
600032.526493028
70003326703052
700033.526913076
70003427123100
700034.527333125
80003527553149
800035.527763173
80003627973197
800036.528183221
90003728393246
900037.528613270
90003828823294
900038.529033318
100003929243343
1000039.529453367
100004029663391
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