What does Magikarp evolve into?

Get Magikarp to Gyarados at level 20. At 200 BST, Magikarp is just the starting point.

At what level does Magikarp evolve?

Level 20 gets you Gyarados . Quick enough that Magikarp barely slows you down.

Should I use Magikarp?

In Emerald, Magikarp does the job early-game if you need a Water type on your team. Evolve it into Gyarados before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.

Where can you catch Magikarp?

You can find Magikarp in Emerald. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 21 other games across the series.

Magikarp - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Special

Balanced

DTier

80Speed · Above Avg

Stats & Training

Magikarp's spread isn't flashy. Speed leads, Attack trails, 1 stats clear the bar. Easy to catch and worth 1 Speed EV, on a slow 1.25M XP grind.

Base Stats

Below

HP20

Attack10

Defense55

Sp. Atk15

Sp. Def20

Speed80

Total200

Details

Catch Rate

Guaranteed255 / 255

Growth Rate

Slow1.25M XP

Height0.9 m

Weight10.0 kg

Base XP40

Abilities

Swift Swim

Doubles Speed during rain.

RattledHANot in game

Raises Speed one stage upon being hit by a dark, ghost, or bug move.

EV Yield

HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+1

Speed training source

Pokedex Entries

Its swimming muscles are weak, so it is easily washed away by currents. In places where water pools, you can see many MAGIKARP deposited there by the flow.

Emerald

Magikarp Weakness

Electric and Grass moves hit Magikarp for super-effective damage. It resists 4 types, giving it decent defensive coverage. Magikarp's physical bulk (base 55 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Magikarp Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Electric, Grass
0.5x (Resist)	Fire, Water, Ice, Steel

Type ChartGood

2Weak

4Resist

0Immune

Score0

Gen III Type Chart

Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Electric Grass

½xResist

Fire Water Ice Steel

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

None

STAB (3)

Fire Ground Rock

How to Beat Magikarp in Emerald (Best Counters)

Tropius GrassFlying	C
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Magical LeafLv. 31 Razor LeafLv. 11 Damage vs Magikarp Solar Beam 2x 327-385%KO Giga Drain 2x 205-242%KO Magical Leaf 2x 167-196%KO Razor Leaf 2x 153-181%KO View Tropius builds →
Gloom GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Solar Beam 2x 369-435%KO Giga Drain 2x 232-273%KO Bullet Seed 2x 81-96% Absorb 2x 65-77% View Gloom builds →
Lileep RockGrass	D
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Magikarp Solar Beam 2x 287-338%KO Giga Drain 2x 182-215%KO Bullet Seed 2x 65-77% View Lileep builds →
Lombre WaterGrass	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 7 Damage vs Magikarp Solar Beam 2x 283-335%KO Giga Drain 2x 179-212%KO Bullet Seed 2x 62-73% Absorb 2x 51-62% View Lombre builds →
Nuzleaf GrassDark	D
Available Moves Moves Solar BeamTM22 Giga DrainTM19 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Magikarp Solar Beam 2x 283-335%KO Giga Drain 2x 179-212%KO Bullet Seed 2x 62-73% View Nuzleaf builds →

Emerald Evolution

Magikarp evolves into Gyarados. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A decent partner pool for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are hatches fast. The evolved forms gain up to 340 total stats over Magikarp. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms

#129Magikarp

Level 20

#130Gyarados

Stat Comparison 2 Stages

Magikarp

Water

Gyarados

WaterFlying

95+75

ATK

125+115

DEF

79+24

SP.ATK

60+45

SP.DEF

100+80

SPE

81+1

BST

200D-Tier

540A-Tier+340

ROLE

Balanced

Wallbreaker

TYPE

Utility

Physical

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed Magikarp easily with 27 breeding partners from the Dragon and Water2 egg groups.

Egg Groups

DragonWater2

Gender

♂50.0%♀50.0%

Hatch Time

5 cycles·1,285 steps

Fast~1 min with Flame Body

Breed With (best first)

Emerald Magikarp Best Moveset

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 3.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Moves

Magikarp's options are limited here. You've got Water STAB for STAB damage, but there isn't much beyond Water hitting power. TMs help fill gaps, though the kit stays tight.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Splash

———40Normal

Lv 15

Tackle

—409535Normal

Lv 30

Flail

D—10015Normal

TM Moves

Magikarp can't learn any TM moves

Egg Moves

Magikarp doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Magikarp can't learn any Tutor moves

Emerald Magikarp Locations

Easy grab on Magikarp with high spawn rates across 109 locations in early-game fishing spots. Two different catch methods are in play here. The sorted list below shows the full spread so you can pick the most convenient spot.

Best Locations to Catch Magikarp in Emerald

Magikarp shows up in 109 fishing and surfing spots from Lv. 5-45. Plenty of options, and the list is sorted so the highest-rate locations at each progression stage come first.

Route 104

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

100%Early

Sootopolis City

Old Rod Lv.5-10 City

100%Early

Sootopolis City

Surfing on water Lv.5-35 City

100%Early

Route 104

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

100%Early

Sootopolis City

Good Rod Lv.10-30 City

100%Early

Abandoned Ship - B1F

Old Rod Lv.5-10

70%Early

Abandoned Ship - B2F

Old Rod Lv.5-10

70%Early

Dewford Town

Old Rod Lv.5-10 City

70%Early

Ever Grande City

Old Rod Lv.5-10 City

70%Early

Lilycove City

Old Rod Lv.5-10 City

70%Early

Meteor Falls - 1F Room 1

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Water

70%Early

Meteor Falls - 1F Room 2

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Water

70%Early

Meteor Falls - B1F Room 1

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Water

70%Early

Meteor Falls - B1F Room 2

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Water

70%Early

Mossdeep City

Old Rod Lv.5-10 City

70%Early

Pacifidlog Town

Old Rod Lv.5-10 City

70%Early

Petalburg City

Old Rod Lv.5-10 City

70%Early

Route 102

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 103

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 105 - Outside

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 106

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 107

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 108

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 109

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 110

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 111 - South

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 114

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 115

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 117

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 118

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 119

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 120

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 121

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 122

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 123

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 124

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 125

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 126

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 127

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 128

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 129

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 130

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 131

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 132

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 133

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Route 134

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Route

70%Early

Safari Zone - Northwest

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Facility

70%Early

Safari Zone - Southwest

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Facility

70%Early

Seafloor Cavern - Entrance

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Cave

70%Early

Seafloor Cavern - Room 6

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Cave

70%Early

Seafloor Cavern - Room 7

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Cave

70%Early

Shoal Cave - 1F Room 1, High Tide

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Cave

70%Early

Shoal Cave - 1F Room 2, High Tide

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Cave

70%Early

Slateport City

Old Rod Lv.5-10 City

70%Early

Victory Road - B2F

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Cave

70%Early

Abandoned Ship - B1F

Good Rod Lv.10-30

60%Early

Abandoned Ship - B2F

Good Rod Lv.10-30

60%Early

Dewford Town

Good Rod Lv.10-30 City

60%Early

Ever Grande City

Good Rod Lv.10-30 City

60%Early

Lilycove City

Good Rod Lv.10-30 City

60%Early

Meteor Falls - 1F Room 1

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Water

60%Early

Meteor Falls - 1F Room 2

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Water

60%Early

Meteor Falls - B1F Room 1

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Water

60%Early

Meteor Falls - B1F Room 2

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Water

60%Early

Mossdeep City

Good Rod Lv.10-30 City

60%Early

Pacifidlog Town

Good Rod Lv.10-30 City

60%Early

Petalburg City

Good Rod Lv.10-30 City

60%Early

Route 102

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 103

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 105 - Outside

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 106

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 107

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 108

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 109

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 110

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 111 - South

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 114

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 115

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 117

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 118

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 119

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 120

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 121

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 122

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 123

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 124

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 125

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 126

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 127

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 128

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 129

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 130

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 131

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 132

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 133

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Route 134

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Route

60%Early

Safari Zone - Northwest

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Facility

60%Early

Safari Zone - Southwest

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Facility

60%Early

Seafloor Cavern - Entrance

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Cave

60%Early

Seafloor Cavern - Room 6

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Cave

60%Early

Seafloor Cavern - Room 7

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Cave

60%Early

Shoal Cave - 1F Room 1, High Tide

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Cave

60%Early

Shoal Cave - 1F Room 2, High Tide

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Cave

60%Early

Slateport City

Good Rod Lv.10-30 City

60%Early

Victory Road - B2F

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Cave

60%Early

Safari Zone - South Extension

Old Rod Lv.5-10 Facility

CommonEarly

Safari Zone - South Extension

Good Rod Lv.10-30 Facility

CommonEarly

Route 104

Super Rod Lv.20-45 Route

100%Mid

Sootopolis City

Super Rod Lv.30-35 City

80%Mid

Magikarp Guide

Get Magikarp to Gyarados at level 20. At 200 BST, Magikarp is just the starting point.
Level 20 gets you Gyarados. Quick enough that Magikarp barely slows you down.
In Emerald, Magikarp does the job early-game if you need a Water type on your team. Evolve it into Gyarados before the later gyms and it holds up fine through the story.
You can find Magikarp in Emerald. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 21 other games across the series.

Game Availability

Magikarp has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 22 titles across all 10 generations. As a Gen 1 original, it's one of the most consistently available Pokemon in the franchise.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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Lileep RockGrass	D
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift TM Move Moves Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 63-77% View Lileep builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodLittleroot Town Gift Available Moves Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Magikarp Razor Leaf 2x 114-137%KO Bullet Seed 2x 57-69% View Chikorita builds →
Treecko Grass	D
Obtain MethodRoute 101 Gift Available Moves Moves Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 6 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 63-77% Absorb 2x 57-69% View Treecko builds →
Shroomish Grass	D
Available Moves Moves Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 49-60% Absorb 2x 43-51% View Shroomish builds →
Lotad WaterGrass	D
Available Moves Moves Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 7 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 49-60% Absorb 2x 43-51% View Lotad builds →

Lileep RockGrass	D
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift TM Move Moves Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 60-71% View Lileep builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodLittleroot Town Gift Available Moves Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Magikarp Razor Leaf 2x 102-121%KO Bullet Seed 2x 52-64% View Chikorita builds →
Treecko Grass	D
Obtain MethodRoute 101 Gift Available Moves Moves Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 6 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 60-71% Absorb 2x 52-64% View Treecko builds →
Shroomish Grass	D
Available Moves Moves Mega DrainLv. 16 Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Mega Drain 2x 71-86% Bullet Seed 2x 48-57% Absorb 2x 40-50% View Shroomish builds →
Lotad WaterGrass	D
Available Moves Moves Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 7 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 48-57% Absorb 2x 40-50% View Lotad builds →

Lileep RockGrass	D
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift TM Move Moves Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 59-71% View Lileep builds →
Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 69-82% Absorb 2x 55-65% View Oddish builds →
Chikorita Grass	D
Obtain MethodLittleroot Town Gift Available Moves Moves Razor LeafLv. 8 Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Magikarp Razor Leaf 2x 104-124%KO Bullet Seed 2x 49-59% View Chikorita builds →
Treecko Grass	D
Obtain MethodRoute 101 Gift Available Moves Moves Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 6 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 59-71% Absorb 2x 49-59% View Treecko builds →
Shroomish Grass	D
Available Moves Moves Mega DrainLv. 16 Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Mega Drain 2x 69-82% Bullet Seed 2x 43-53% Absorb 2x 39-47% View Shroomish builds →

Lileep RockGrass	D
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift TM Move Moves Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 59-71% View Lileep builds →
Lombre WaterGrass	D
Available Moves Moves Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 7 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 59-71% Absorb 2x 47-56% View Lombre builds →
Nuzleaf GrassDark	D
TM Move Moves Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 59-71% View Nuzleaf builds →
Cacnea Grass	D
Available Moves Moves Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 5 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 76-92% Absorb 2x 64-76% View Cacnea builds →
Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 68-81% Absorb 2x 56-66% View Oddish builds →

Lileep RockGrass	D
Obtain MethodRustboro City Gift TM Move Moves Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 60-71% View Lileep builds →
Lombre WaterGrass	D
Available Moves Moves Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 7 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 60-71% Absorb 2x 48-57% View Lombre builds →
Nuzleaf GrassDark	D
TM Move Moves Bullet SeedTM09 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 60-71% View Nuzleaf builds →
Cacnea Grass	D
Available Moves Moves Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 5 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 76-90% Absorb 2x 60-71% View Cacnea builds →
Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Moves Moves Bullet SeedTM09 AbsorbLv. 1 Damage vs Magikarp Bullet Seed 2x 68-81% Absorb 2x 56-67% View Oddish builds →

Breloom GrassFighting	B
Recommended Build AbilityEffect Spore ItemLeftovers NatureJolly Moves SporeUtility Focus Punch Mach Punch Sky Uppercut Damage vs Magikarp Mach Punch 59-70% View Breloom builds →
Raikou Electric	B
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves ThunderboltSTAB Calm Mind Hidden Power Grass SubstituteUtility Damage vs Magikarp Thunderbolt 2x 463-545%KO View Raikou builds →