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Getting your very own Gyarados in Pokemon Go is a major milestone for any trainer. This powerful Water/Flying-type Pokémon is a beast in raids and PvP, but earning it requires a good deal of effort. The most common way to get Gyarados is by evolving its tiny, splashing predecessor, Magikarp. Here’s a complete guide on how to do it.
How to obtain Gyarados in Pokemon GO
Gyarados is an excellent Pokémon to have in Pokémon GO. Its high Attack and Stamina stats make it a versatile choice for many different situations. It excels in both player-versus-environment (PvE) content like raids and gyms and in player-versus-player (PvP) battles.
You can occasionally find Gyarados in the wild, but the most reliable way to obtain it is by evolving its pre-evolution, Magikarp. This is a well-known grind among Pokémon GO players, and for good reason. Magikarp requires a whopping 400 Candy to evolve into Gyarados.
Here are the best ways to collect Magikarp Candy:
- Catch every Magikarp you see: This is the most straightforward method. Use Pinap Berries to double the Candy you get from each catch, turning 3 Candy into 6.
- Use Magikarp as your Buddy: Walk with Magikarp to earn Candy. It takes 1 km to earn 1 Candy, so while it’s a slow process, it adds up over time.
- Hatch Magikarp from eggs: Magikarp can sometimes hatch from 2 km eggs, providing a good amount of Candy.
- Complete research tasks: Look for field or special research tasks that offer Magikarp encounters or Candy as rewards.
Where Can You Find Gyarados in the Wild?
Finding Gyarados in the wild is extremely rare. Your best bet is to look for it near large bodies of water, like rivers, lakes, or coastal areas. However, even in these locations, it’s a very uncommon spawn. The most reliable method remains evolving a Magikarp.
Tips To Help Find Gyarados
Sometimes, finding Magikarp can be a real challenge, especially if you live in an area without a lot of water. This is where a location spoofer can be a game-changer. By using a tool like iFoneTool MapGo location changer, you can safely and easily change your GPS location in Pokémon GO to a place known for spawning water-type Pokémon.

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This allows you to access areas with higher spawn rates for Magikarp without having to physically travel there, making the grind for those 400 candies much faster. MapGo is a reliable option for this purpose, offering features that make location spoofing simple while helping you avoid getting soft-banned.
Gyarados Best Movesets
Once you have your Gyarados, you’ll want to give it the best moveset to maximize its potential.
- For Raids (PvE): The best moveset is Waterfall (Fast Attack) and Aqua Tail (Charged Attack) for its solid Water-type damage.
- For Trainer Battles (PvP): A powerful moveset for PvP is Dragon Breath or Waterfall (Fast Attack), paired with Aqua Tail and Crunch (Charged Attacks).
Fast and Charged attack of Gyarados in Pokemon GO
Gyarados can learn six Charged moves and four Fast moves in PvP battle, here is the list of all movesets:
Fast Moves
- Waterfall is a water-type move
- Dragon Tail is a dragon-type move
- Dragon Breath is a dragon-type move
- Bite a dark-type move
Charged Moves
- Twister a dragon-type
- Outrage a dragon-type move
- Hydro Pump a water-type move
- Dragon Pulse is a dragon-type move
- Crunch a dark-type move
- Aqua Tail is a water-type move
Best PvE and PvP Moves for Gyarados
Gyarados in Raids and Gyms (PvE)
Gyarados is a solid attacker in raids, especially against Pokémon weak to Water or Dragon-type moves. While it’s not the absolute top-tier choice for every situation, its ease of access and reliable performance make it a great asset for many trainers.
Its best PvE moveset is Dragon Tail (Fast Attack) and Aqua Tail or Hydro Pump (Charged Attack). For a pure Water-type moveset, Waterfall and Hydro Pump are fantastic.
Gyarados in PvP Battles
Gyarados is a popular and effective choice in all three major PvP leagues: Great League, Ultra League, and Master League. Its bulk and strong moveset make it a formidable opponent.
In PvP, its best moveset is Dragon Breath (Fast Attack) and Aqua Tail and Hydro Pump (Charged Attacks). The combination of Dragon Breath’s fast energy generation and the low-cost Aqua Tail allows Gyarados to pressure opponents quickly, while Hydro Pump can deliver a powerful finishing blow.
Red Gyarados in Pokemon GO
The Red Gyarados is a Shiny version of Gyarados. In Pokémon GO, you can get a Shiny Gyarados by evolving a Shiny Magikarp, which is a rare, gold-colored version of the Pokémon. The chance of finding a Shiny Magikarp is about 1 in 500, though this can increase during special events like Community Days. You can evolve as many Shiny Magikarp as you can find; there’s no limit to how many Shiny Gyarados you can obtain.
Fast and Charged attack of Mega Gyarados in Pokemon GO
Gyarados can evolve into Mega Gyarados in Pokemon GO, which gives a streak of red and black to its looks. To Mega Evolve Gyarados, you need Mega Energy, which you can earn by defeating Mega Gyarados in Mega Raids. The Max CP of Mega Gyarados is 5332, which means that it can take 160% damage from Grass, Fighting, Fairy, Electric, and Bug-type moves. In defense moves like Ghost, Fire, Dark; and Mega Gyarados can take 62.5% damage, and against Psychic-type moves they can take damage up to 39.1%.
About offensive skills, the best Fast Attack of Mega Gyarados is Bite but it’s not as strong as Waterfall, but it is faster in the generation of energy for Charged Attacks. For Mega Gyarados Hydro Pump is the best Charged Attack, same reasons as Gyarados, it can charge quickly.
Best Rare Counters for Mega Gyarados
We have listed a rare-counters for Mega Gyarados in Pokemon:
- Razor Leaf and Leaf Blade are the best rare counters against Kartana
- Double Kick and Scared Swords can be used against Terrakion
- Thunder Shock and Wild Charge are the best moves for Shadow Raikou
- Counter and Dynamic Punch as fast and charged moves are best against Shadow Machamp
- Thunder Fang and Wild Charge are counters for Mega Manectric Thunder Shock and Discharge can be used while battling Xurkitree
- Counter and Dazzling Gleam are best against Mega Alakazam
- Spark and Wild Charge as fast and charged moves are rare counters for Shadow Magnezone
Best Normal Counters for Mega Gyarados
- Counter and Aura Sphere as fast and charged counters can be used for Lucario Counter and Dynamic Punch can be used against Conkeldurr
- Karate Chop and Dynamic Punch are the moveset for Machamp and also for Breloom
- Spark and Wild Charge are the best normal counters for Magnezone
- Fury Cutter and Frenzy Planet are the counters for Septile
Mega Gyarados Weaknesses
Gyarados flying and water-type changes to water and dark-type as it evolves into Mega, which gives it a different set of weaknesses. There are a few things like Bug, Electric, Fighting, and Grass to which Mega Gyarados is vulnerable, so you need to stack your team with Pokemon with these types to win the battle.
Conclusion
Gyarados remains one of the most iconic and powerful Pokémon in Pokémon GO. Whether you evolve a Magikarp, catch one from raids, or power up a shiny red Gyarados, this Pokémon can dominate in PvP, Raids, and Gyms. With the option to Mega Evolve, its strength only increases, making it a must-have for any Trainer in 2025.
How to get a red Gyarados Pokemon?
Is Shiny Gyarados Is a red Gyarados?
Where can I find Gyarados?
Is Gyarados stands In Legendary Pokemon list?
Which Pokemon evolve into Gyarados?

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Unlock new adventures in GPS-based games like Pokémon Go and Soundmap! Change your location without leaving home.