Is Gyarados Good in Black 2 & White 2 Playthrough?
Magikarp evolves at level 20. Water/Flying with AbilityIntimidate. AbilityIntimidate lowers Attack on every switch-in, and the physical stats carry through Clay, Drayden, and the E4. Handles Ghetsis's Seismitoad and Toxicroak. One of the best Pokemon in BW2.
Cheren's Pokemon outpace and outclass Magikarp here.
Roxie's typing presses Magikarp's defenses.
Burgh's team hits Magikarp's weaknesses hard.
Elesa's team hits Magikarp's weaknesses hard.
Clay's typing presses Magikarp's defenses.
Skyla's Pokemon outpace and outclass Magikarp here.
Drayden's Pokemon outpace and outclass Magikarp here.
Marlon's Pokemon outpace and outclass Magikarp here.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Shauntal's team.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Grimsley's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Caitlin's team.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Marshal's team.
Iris's team hits Gyarados's weaknesses hard.
Catch Gyarados on Nature Preserve (rippling water fishing, Lv 1-100, uncommon). Shaking/Bubbling spots.
How to Get Gyarados in Black 2 & White 2
Gyarados's scattered across 4 spots in early-game routes with high spawn rates. Check the list below for the closest location to wherever you are in the game. This one's quick.
Where To Catch Gyarados in B2W2
The path to Gyarados starts with Magikarp at Lv. 1-100 via fishing and walking encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Catch MagikarpNature PreserveLv.1-100Super RodRate 70%AnyNature SanctuaryLv.1-100Super RodRate 70%Any- Step 2Gyarados ✓Nature PreserveLv.1-100Rippling Water FishRate 100%AnyShaking spotNature SanctuaryLv.1-100Rippling Water FishRate 100%AnyShaking spotor evolve from Magikarp (Step 1)
Gyarados Weakness
Type-wise, Gyarados takes extra damage from Electric and Rock. Watch out for Electric attacks, those deal 4x damage. Ground moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. 5 resistances help offset the weaknesses. With 95 HP and balanced defenses, Gyarados can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Electric |
| 2x (Weak) | Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Fighting, Bug, Steel |
| 0x (Immune) | Ground |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Gyarados Weak Against
ExcellentBest Pokemon Against Gyarados
 Flaaffy Electric | C | |
 Magnemite ElectricSteel | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Magnemite builds →Thunder Shock 4x60-72% | ||
Flaaffy Electric | C | |
Magnemite ElectricSteel | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Magnemite builds →Thunder Shock 4x59-69% | ||
 Magnezone ElectricSteel | A | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Magnezone builds →Thunder Shock 4x72-85% | ||
 Ampharos Electric | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Ampharos builds →Thunder Punch 4x106-125%KO | ||
 Dwebble BugRock | C | |
Magnezone ElectricSteel | A | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Magnezone builds →Thunder Shock 4x68-81% | ||
Ampharos Electric | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Ampharos builds →Thunder Punch 4x98-116%KO | ||
 Emolga Electric | C | |
Dwebble BugRock | C | |
 Jolteon Electric | B | |
 Zebstrika Electric | C | |
Magnezone ElectricSteel | A | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Magnezone builds →Thunder Shock 4x67-80% | ||
Ampharos Electric | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Ampharos builds →Thunder Punch 4x98-116%KO Power Gem 2x35-41% | ||
 Galvantula BugElectric | C | |
Magnezone ElectricSteel | A | |
Ampharos Electric | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Ampharos builds →Thunder 4x180-212%KO Power Gem 2x36-43% | ||
 Eelektross Electric | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Eelektross builds →Thunder 4x168-198%KO Rock Slide 2x46-55% | ||
Zebstrika Electric | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Zebstrika builds →Wild Charge 4x146-172%KO | ||
Jolteon Electric | B | |
Magnezone ElectricSteel | A | |
Ampharos Electric | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Ampharos builds →Thunder 4x180-212%KO Power Gem 2x35-42% | ||
 Lanturn WaterElectric | C | |
Jolteon Electric | B | |
Zebstrika Electric | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Zebstrika builds →Wild Charge 4x144-170%KO | ||
Eelektross Electric | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Eelektross builds →Wild Charge 4x162-190%KO Rock Slide 2x45-53% | ||
Jolteon Electric | B | |
Magnezone ElectricSteel | A | |
 Rampardos Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Cranidos (Nacrene City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Rampardos builds →Head Smash 2x184-217%KO Thunderbolt 4x60-70% | ||
Lanturn WaterElectric | C | |
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilityFlame Body ItemLum Berry NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Volcarona builds →Giga Drain26-30% Fire Blast18-22% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySturdy ItemLeftovers NatureImpish Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Donphan builds →Rapid Spin15-18% Ice Shard12-15% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySand Stream ItemLeftovers NatureCareful Moves View Hippowdon builds →
| ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityRaindish ItemBlack Sludge NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Tentacruel builds →Rapid Spin9-11% Scald7-8% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityDrought ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Gyarados View Ninetales builds →Fire Blast13-15% Flamethrower11-13% | ||
Gyarados Evolutions
Evolved from Magikarp. Gyarados is the final form in this two-stage line. A decent partner pool for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are hatches fast. Attack grew the most through evolution (+115 over Magikarp), and Gyarados peaks at 540 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
B2W2 Gyarados Best Moveset
Each KO fuels the next through AbilityMoxie gaining +1 Attack on every elimination. MoveDragon Dance boosts Attack and Speed in one turn, and the moveset steamrolls through weakened teams once the first target falls. AbilityIntimidate drops physical damage as the defensive alternative. 125 Attack behind Water/Flying TermStab.
Best Build
Gyarados best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Waterfall
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Hard to wall, honestly. Gyarados threatens 10 types beyond its own STAB, with Normal and Dark standing out. Pair that with Hydro Pump and Aqua Tail and switchins need to think twice.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
Once it begins to rampage, a Gyarados will burn everything down, even in a harsh storm.
Gyarados Black 2 & White 2 Guide
In Black 2 & White 2, Intimidate changes the entire equation for Gyarados. The 540 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked B-Tier as a wallbreaker. Waterfall with Leftovers is the standard set.
Mega Evolution isn't available in Black 2 & White 2, but Gyarados does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Gyarados hits 640 BST.
Intimidate is what you want on Gyarados. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Moxie) work on paper but Intimidate is what makes Gyarados worth using. Intimidate synergizes with Gyarados's base 100 Sp.Def, letting it soak special attacks as a pivot.
Base 81 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Gyarados is a physical attacker with base 125 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a wallbreaker.
Game Availability
Since debuting in Red & Blue, Gyarados has appeared in 22 titles over 10 generations. Along the way, it received a Mega form in Generation 6, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORASMega
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves