Ground moves don't affect Gyarados at all — that's the advantage of Water/Flying typing. Intimidate lowers the opponent's Attack on switch-in. An original Gen 1 pick. It needs some investment to avoid getting outsped.
Attack and Sp. Def carry most of Gyarados's stat budget. Sp. Atk's the obvious dump stat. Tough to catch and yields 2 Attack EVs. Follows a slow 1.25M XP grind.
Once it appears, it goes on a rampage. It remains enraged until it demolishes everything around it.
It appears whenever there is world conflict, burning down any place it travels through.
Gyarados Weakness
ExcellentType-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.
Evolved from Magikarp. Gyarados is the final form in this two-stage line. No compatible partners 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.
How to Evolve
Breed with Gyarados to get Magikarp eggs easily from the Dragon and Water2 egg groups.
Find one free turn for Dragon Dance and Gyarados can run through teams. Adamant nature leans physical, Intimidate supports the sweep, and Ground coverage stops anything from walling it cleanly.
Best Build
Best Gyarados Moveset
- Waterfall
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Thunder Wave
Recommended Teammates
TMs carry this one. Gyarados learns Hurricane and Hydro Pump naturally for STAB, but the offensive range comes almost entirely from technical machines. Normal and Dragon and beyond give it real matchup play.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Intimidate changes the entire equation for Gyarados. The 540 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked A-Tier as a wallbreaker.
Magikarp evolves into Gyarados at level 20. Gyarados is the fully evolved form. At 540 BST, it's got solid stats to work with.
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.
Gyarados appears in 22 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.
Since debuting in Red & Blue, Gyarados has appeared in 22 titles over 9 generations. Along the way, it received a Mega form in Generation 7, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen IIGS
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORASMega
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A