Is Magikarp Good in Gold & Silver Playthrough?
Buy one from the salesman outside the Lake of Rage, or fish almost anywhere. Level 20 Gyarados is still one of the best investments in Pokemon. The Red Gyarados at the Lake of Rage is free, but catching your own Magikarp and evolving it works too.
Falkner's Pokemon outpace and outclass Magikarp here.
Bugsy's Pokemon outpace and outclass Magikarp here.
Whitney's typing presses Magikarp's defenses.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Morty's team.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Chuck's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Jasmine's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Pryce's team.
Clair's team hits Gyarados's weaknesses hard.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Erika's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Janine's team.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Gyarados resists most of Brock's coverage and hits back hard.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Will's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Gyarados has the type edge here and should clean up Karen's team.
Gyarados trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Catchable
Catch Magikarp in New Bark Town (Old Rod fishing, Lv 10, common).
Recommended Moves
- LV 15NormalTacklePower 35Accuracy 95%PP 35
Evolve Magikarp to Gyarados
Magikarp evolves into Gyarados at Level 20. Your Magikarp should hit Level 20 before you reach Morty, at typical leveling pace.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 20)
- LV 20NormalThrashPower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Bugsy
- TM14IceBlizzardPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 120Accuracy 85%PP 5Goldenrod Game Corner
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 10Goldenrod Game Corner
- After Whitney
- HM03WaterSurfPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Ecruteak City
- After Pryce
- HM07WaterWaterfallPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Ice Path
- LV 40WaterHydro PumpPower 180Accuracy 80%PP 5
- LV 50NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5
How to Get Magikarp in Gold & Silver
The single most fished Pokemon in the game. 360 Magikarp encounters cover 55 locations, every rod and surfing alike, common everywhere. Drop a line in practically any water and you will reel one in.
51 locations to catch Magikarp
Encountered via fishing with a Rod, Surfing
Badge 1
Badge 2
Badge 3
Badge 4
Badge 5
Badge 6
Badge 7
Badge 8Where To Catch Magikarp in GS
Magikarp is where the line starts, caught through fishing and surfing encounters at Lv. 5-40. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
- Step 1Magikarp ✓Blackthorn CityLv.5-19Surfing on waterRate 100%Dark Cave - EastLv.5-19Surfing on waterRate 100%Dark Cave - WestLv.5-19Surfing on waterRate 100%Route 45Lv.5-24Surfing on waterRate 100%Dragon's Den - B1FLv.10Old RodRate 100%Lake of RageLv.10Old RodRate 100%Route 43Lv.10-24Surfing on waterRate 100%Route 45Lv.10Old RodRate 100%Fuchsia CityLv.10Old RodRate 100%Fuchsia CityLv.10-24Surfing on waterRate 100%Dragon's Den - B1FLv.10-19Surfing on waterRate 90%Lake of RageLv.10-19Surfing on waterRate 90%Route 45Lv.10Good RodRate 90%Route 32Lv.5Old RodRate 85%the Qwilfish swarm on Route 32 that Fisher RalphBlackthorn CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Cherrygrove CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Cianwood CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Dark Cave - EastLv.10Old RodRate 85%Dark Cave - WestLv.10Old RodRate 85%Ecruteak CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Goldenrod CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Ilex ForestLv.10Old RodRate 85%Mt. Mortar - 1F EntranceLv.10Old RodRate 85%Mt. Mortar - 2FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Mt. Mortar - B1FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Mt. Silver - 2FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Mt. Silver - OutsideLv.10Old RodRate 85%New Bark TownLv.10Old RodRate 85%Olivine CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Olivine City - HarborLv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 30Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 31Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 32Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 34Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 35Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 40Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 41Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 42Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 43Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 44Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 44Lv.10Old RodRate 85%the Remoraid swarm on Route 44 that Fisher WiltonRuins of Alph - OutsideLv.10Old RodRate 85%Slowpoke Well - B1FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Slowpoke Well - B2FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Union Cave - 1FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Union Cave - B1FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Union Cave - B2FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Violet CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Whirl Islands - B2FLv.10Old RodRate 85%Whirl Islands - B2F Inner CaveLv.10Old RodRate 85%Whirl Islands - SELv.10Old RodRate 85%Whirl Islands - SWLv.10Old RodRate 85%Cerulean CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Cerulean GymLv.10Old RodRate 85%Cinnabar IslandLv.10Old RodRate 85%Pallet TownLv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 10Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 12Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 13Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 14Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 19Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 20Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 21Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 22Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 24Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 25Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 26Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 27Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 28Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 6Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 9Lv.10Old RodRate 85%Tohjo FallsLv.10Old RodRate 85%Vermilion City - CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Vermilion City - HarborLv.10Old RodRate 85%Viridian CityLv.10Old RodRate 85%Route 45Lv.10Super RodRate 60%Dragon's Den - B1FLv.20Good RodRate 90%Lake of RageLv.20Good RodRate 90%Fuchsia CityLv.20Good RodRate 90%Blackthorn CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Cherrygrove CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Cianwood CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Dark Cave - EastLv.20Good RodRate 35%Dark Cave - WestLv.20Good RodRate 35%Ecruteak CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Goldenrod CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Ilex ForestLv.20Good RodRate 35%Mt. Mortar - 1F EntranceLv.20Good RodRate 35%Mt. Mortar - 2FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Mt. Mortar - B1FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Mt. Silver - 2FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Mt. Silver - OutsideLv.20Good RodRate 35%New Bark TownLv.20Good RodRate 35%Olivine CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Olivine City - HarborLv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 30Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 31Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 32Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 32Lv.20Good RodRate 35%the Qwilfish swarm on Route 32 that Fisher RalphRoute 34Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 35Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 40Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 41Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 42Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 43Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 44Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 44Lv.20Good RodRate 35%the Remoraid swarm on Route 44 that Fisher WiltonRuins of Alph - OutsideLv.20Good RodRate 35%Slowpoke Well - B1FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Slowpoke Well - B2FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Union Cave - 1FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Union Cave - B1FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Union Cave - B2FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Violet CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Whirl Islands - B2FLv.20Good RodRate 35%Whirl Islands - B2F Inner CaveLv.20Good RodRate 35%Whirl Islands - SELv.20Good RodRate 35%Whirl Islands - SWLv.20Good RodRate 35%Cerulean CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Cerulean GymLv.20Good RodRate 35%Cinnabar IslandLv.20Good RodRate 35%Pallet TownLv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 10Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 12Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 13Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 14Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 19Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 20Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 21Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 22Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 24Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 25Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 26Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 27Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 28Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 6Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Route 9Lv.20Good RodRate 35%Tohjo FallsLv.20Good RodRate 35%Vermilion City - CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Vermilion City - HarborLv.20Good RodRate 35%Viridian CityLv.20Good RodRate 35%Lake of RageLv.40Super RodRate 70%Fuchsia CityLv.40Super RodRate 70%Dragon's Den - B1FLv.40Super RodRate 60%Blackthorn CityLv.40Super RodRate 20%Dark Cave - EastLv.40Super RodRate 20%Dark Cave - WestLv.40Super RodRate 20%Ecruteak CityLv.40Super RodRate 20%Ilex ForestLv.40Super RodRate 20%Mt. Mortar - 1F EntranceLv.40Super RodRate 20%Mt. Mortar - 2FLv.40Super RodRate 20%Mt. Mortar - B1FLv.40Super RodRate 20%Mt. Silver - 2FLv.40Super RodRate 20%Mt. Silver - OutsideLv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 30Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 31Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 32Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 35Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 42Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 43Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 44Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Ruins of Alph - OutsideLv.40Super RodRate 20%Slowpoke Well - B1FLv.40Super RodRate 20%Slowpoke Well - B2FLv.40Super RodRate 20%Union Cave - 1FLv.40Super RodRate 20%Union Cave - B1FLv.40Super RodRate 20%Violet CityLv.40Super RodRate 20%Cerulean CityLv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 10Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 12Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 13Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 22Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 24Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 25Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 28Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 6Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Route 9Lv.40Super RodRate 20%Tohjo FallsLv.40Super RodRate 20%Viridian CityLv.40Super RodRate 20%
- Step 2Catch or Evolve into GyaradosLake of RageLv.15-19Surfing on waterRate 10%Lake of RageLv.20Good RodRate 10%Fuchsia CityLv.20Good RodRate 10%Lake of RageLv.30Interact with PokemonLimitedor evolve from Magikarp (Step 1)
Not landing the catch? Calculate Magikarp catch rates for Gold & Silver by ball, status, and HP.
How to Get Shiny Magikarp in Gold & Silver
Magikarp bites on any hook and floods the shallows off Blackthorn City, Cherrygrove City, and Cianwood City, so the shiny grind churns through encounters faster than most water hunts. Compare Shiny Magikarp odds across every game
Gold & Silver Shiny Magikarp Calculator
2 MethodsThe best route is Breed w/ Shiny Parent, about 1 in 64 on each try.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
Breed w/ Shiny Parent: Eggs inherit stats from a shiny parent, so about 1 in 64 hatch shiny. A shiny Ditto helps every egg, and any other shiny parent (the red Gyarados works) helps only eggs of the opposite gender.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 7-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 19-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 45-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 147-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Want exact numbers for your session? Calculate your shiny odds in Gold & Silver with Magikarp preloaded.
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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Grass |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice, Steel |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
- Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
What is Magikarp Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Magikarp
 Magneton ElectricSteel | C | |
 Raikou Electric | S | |
 Ampharos Electric | C | |
 Electrode Electric | B | |
Obtain MethodTeam Rocket Hq Interact Encounter | ||
 Sunflora Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Magikarp View Sunflora builds →Petal Dance 2x258-304%KO | ||
 Bellossom Grass | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Magikarp View Bellossom builds →Petal Dance 2x224-265%KO | ||
 Parasect BugGrass | C | |
 Meganium Grass | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chikorita (New Bark Town Gift) | ||
 Tangela Grass | C | |
 Bellsprout GrassPoison | D | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Magikarp View Bellsprout builds →Razor Leaf 2x146-173%KO | ||
 Skiploom Grass | C | |
Magikarp Evolutions
Magikarp evolves into Gyarados. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A small partner pool for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs hatch fast. The evolved forms gain up to 340 total stats over Magikarp. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Magikarp easily with 13 breeding partners from the Dragon and Water 2 egg groups.
GS Magikarp Best Moveset
MoveSplash does nothing. 10 Attack does nothing. Gyarados at level 20 is the only reason this exists, and surviving to get there requires help.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Tackle
- Flail
- Splash
Moves List
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.
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.
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
Base Stats
An underpowered, pathetic POKéMON. It may jump high on rare occasions, but never more than seven feet.
For no reason, it jumps and splashes about, making it easy for predators like PIDGEOTTO to catch it mid-jump.
Magikarp Gold & Silver Guide
In Gold & Silver, 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.
Game Availability
Magikarp has been part of the series since Red & Blue, appearing in 22 titles across all 9 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
- 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 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
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
Explore
Where to go next after Magikarp.
Keep playing · Gold & SilverGold & Silver Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Gold & Silver Tier List