Is Gyarados good in Pokémon Go?

Gyarados is one of those Pokémon you can use in Pokémon Go that competes fairly well in two categories. You can use it in the Ultra and Master Leagues. The Master League is much harder to compete in, given the legendary and powerful Pokémon you can use here. However, Gyarado’s extraordinary moveset and various stats make it a standout choice that makes it a flexible pick in your roster.

Gyarados is a Flying and Water-type Pokémon. Because of this combination, it is fragile to Electric-type attacks and Rock-type moves. However, it is resistant to Bug, Fighting, Fire, Ground, Steel, and Water-type moves. Gyarados has twice as many resistances as it does weaknesses. You need to worry about making sure your team protects against an Electric-type Pokémon or one that can utilize those attacks.

For PvP, Gyarados has a maximum CP of 3,391, an attack of 199, a defense of 158, and a stamina of 182. When you use it in PvE raids, you’re looking at 237 attack, 186 defense, and 216 stamina. When it comes to looking at Gyarados’ raw stats, it doesn’t appear to stand out from the crowd. Where Gyarados truly shines is its moveset, and the one it earned from its Community Day, the charged move aqua tail, bumped it up quite a bit.

Gyarados’ best moveset can use in the Ultra and Master leagues consist of dragon breath for its fast move and then aqua tail and crunch for its charged moves. These attacks all vary in types, giving it a wide range of use, and they’re pretty strong. Dragon breath can do four damage a turn, and it generates three energy for each attack. Aqua tail only costs 35 energy, and crunch only costs 45. Those are both low-energy attacks, and using both of them enables Gyarados to melt shields and do plenty of damage.

It’s a highly recommended choice in PvP. While it is not a legendary Pokémon, it’s still strong. It also has a pretty hefty amount of CP, but it’s not going to be the strongest around. Regardless, you can catch Magikarp far more often than you can other legendaries, making Gyarados a little easier to power up.

About the author

Zack Palm

Zack Palm is the Senior Writer of Gamepur and has spent over five years covering video games, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Oregon State University. He spends his free time biking, running tabletop campaigns, and listening to heavy metal. His primary game beats are Pokémon Go, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and any newly released title, and he finds it difficult to pull away from any Star Wars game.

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