Gyarados - Moveset & Best Build | Pokemon Sword Shield

Find out how to breed Gyarados in Pokemon Sword and Shield! Learn about Gyarados's best competitive movesets, best builds, best nature, counters & the breeding process!!!

Table of Contents

Pro Player Recommended Build NEW!
Movesets & Best Builds
Best Items
Best Nature & EVs
Counters
Competitive Breeding Process

Gyarados Related Articles

Location & Stats

Competitive Build

Pro Player Recommended Build

The following is a part of our upcoming series of builds provided by Japanese Pro players! This guide is provided by Konoe!!!

Dynamax Ace Build

Best Nature	Best Item
Adamant (Atk ↑ / Sp.Atk ↓) or Jolly (Speed ↑ / Sp.Atk ↓)	Life Orb or Lum Berry
Best Ability
Moxie Boosts the Attack stat after knocking out any Pokémon.
Best EV Spread
Atk 252, Speed 252, HP 4

Gyarados Overview

With a high base stat of 540, Gyarados is quite the menace, especially with its high Attack and Sp. Defense stats. Its Defense is somewhat low, however, but this can be offset by using the ability Intimidate, as well as by its superior stat typing. With just a one stage speed increase, it can act as a formidable physical attacker for your team.

Best Moves

Recommended	・Waterfall ・Bounce ・Power Whip ・Earthquake
Optional	・Dragon Dance ・Taunt

Role And How To Use

Boost Attack And Speed

This Dynamax Ace build focuses on increasing your Attack stat via activating Moxie, and your Speed stat by using Max Airstream. By doing this, you'll easily get to a stage where you can easily sweep your opponent's entire team.

Taunt And Dragon Dance Are Viable Too

This Dynamax Ace build should try to maximize its move variety, as it is specialized in being offensive. In order to get past several tank Pokemon common in the current meta, however, it might also be a good idea to teach it Taunt. Dragon Dance is also a good option for buffing yourself up even when you're not able to get Dynamax off.

Run Lum Berry To Deal With Burns

In general you should run a Life Orb, but if you're finding you get burned by Will-o-Wisp a lot, a Lum Berry is recommended. If you want to further improve your offensive ability, go for the Life Orb, and if you want something a bit safer, get the Lum Berry.

How To Counter This Build

How To Counter The Dynamax Ace Build

Tank Hits With Bulky Pokemon
Use Electric Moves

Tank Hits With Bulky Pokemon

Dealing with the Dynamax Ace build is best done using Pokemon that have natural resistances to Gyarados's attacks. Ferrothorn in particular is ideal here!

Recommended Pokemon

Pokemon	Explanation
Ferrothorn	・Good type matchup ・High defenses ・Resists Waterfall easily
Galarian Corsola	・Incredible at taking physical hits ・Can stop Gyarados with Will-o-Wisp ・Can weaken Gyarados with Strength Sap ・Might get set up on if Gyarados runs Taunt
Corviknight	・Can take hits easily after Iron Defense ・Might get set up on if Gyarados runs Taunt
Quagsire	・Immune to Water Attacks with Water Absorb ・Immune to opponent's stat buffs with Unaware ・Loses easily to Power Whip

Use Electric Moves

Gyarados has a serious 4x weakness to Electric moves, making them an obvious method of dealing with it. If the opponent's team composition seems to lean towards their Gyarados, try to send in Pokemon that know Electric moves!

Might Survive An Electric Attack While Dynamaxed

It's important to note that a Dynamax Gyarados will have a substantial pool of HP that might let it survive a non-STAB Electric attack. Don't expect to be able to one-shot it in all instances - try to deal some damage to it ahead of time.

Recommended Pokemon

Pokemon	Explanation
Wash Rotom	・Scarf max speed builds can outspeed Gyarados ・Has STAB Electric attacks
Duraludon	・Max speed builds can outspeed Gyarados ・Can learn Thunderbolt ・Resists most of Gyarados's attacks
Dragapult	・Easily outspeeds Gyarados ・Can learn Electric moves

All of the information above, including EV distribution, counters, and moves, has been provided to us by the Japanese Pro Player Konoe.

Source: Konoe!!!

Gyarados Moveset & Best Build

Total Base Stats	540
Type

Press the buttons below to toggle between different builds!

Moxie Lum Berry Build Intimidate Bulky Build

Moxie Lum Berry Build

Best Nature	Best Item
Jolly (Spd↑ / Sp.Atk↓)	Lum Berry
Best Ability
Moxie Boosts the Attack stat after knocking out any Pokémon
Best Moveset
Waterfall / Dragon Dance / Earthquake / Bounce ▼Check Move Info Here
Best EV Spread
Attack 252, Speed 252, Defense 4

Gyarados Strengths

Gyarados is particularly great at sweeping teams due to a high attack stat of 125, & access to the move Dragon Dance (boosts Attack & Speed).

Max Airstream Speed Buff

By bringing Bounce, Gyarados can use Max Airstream while Dynamaxed. This is key because it boosts speed in addition to being a powerful STAB move. Combined with Moxie, it can make Gyarados an unstoppable force.

Buy Time With Bounce

Use Bounce to get up in the air, making your opponent miss an attack and waste one turn while Dynamaxed (if you yourself aren't already Dynamaxed, that is).

Freedom With Your Item

We've chosen the Lum Berry here as it deals well with status conditions like Burns, but in reality you can choose almost anything. Consider a Wacan Berry to reduce the effects of Electric-type moves.

Optional: Run Taunt To Set Up On Tanks

You can drop one offensive move in favor of Taunt to specialize in setting up Dragon Dance vs Tanks. This build works particularly well against the likes of Hippowdon, or other tanks that rely on status/recovery moves.

Recommended Moves

Move/Type	Reason
Waterfall	80 Power, reliable STAB move is a must on all builds.
Dragon Dance	Boosts speed and attack, excellent for sweeping. Can work well with Moxie/Max Airstream.
Earthquake	100 Power, incredible damage and type coverage for Poison, Steel, and Electric Pokemon.
Bounce	Mainly to be used while Dynamaxed for Max Airstream. Works well with Moxie.

Other Viable Moves

Move/Type	Reason
Power Whip	Great coverage move to take care of pesky Water Absorb users.
Crunch	Good type coverage against Ghost threats like Dragapult.
Taunt	Prevents opponents from using non-attacking moves. Good for locking down tanks or other buffers.

Intimidate Bulky Build

Best Nature	Best Item
Jolly (Spd↑ / Sp.Atk↓)	Sitrus Berry
Best Ability
Intimidate Lowers the attack stat of opposing Pokemon when entering battle.
Best Moveset
Waterfall / Crunch / Dragon Dance / Taunt ▼Check Move Info Here
Best EV Spread
HP 252, Defense 252, Speed 4

An Intimidating Tank

Gyarados can be a strong physical tank, as it cuts the opponent's Attack with its ability Intimidate. Its Flying type also allows it to dodge Ground-moves and it resists Fighting-moves, both of which are common coverage moves in the meta. Gyarados can also learn Thunder Wave to set up an advantageous playing field for your next Pokemon.

Recommended Moves

Move/Type	Reason
Waterfall	80 Power, reliable STAB move is a must on all builds.
Crunch	Good type coverage against Ghost threats like Dragapult.
Earthquake	100 Power, incredible damage and type coverage for Poison, Steel, and Electric Pokemon.
Taunt	Prevents opponents from using non-attacking moves. Good for locking down tanks or other buffers.

Other Viable Moves

Move/Type	Reason
Thunder Wave	Stops fast sweepers in their tracks. Recommended for a tanky build only.
Power Whip	Great coverage move to take care of pesky Water Absorb users.
Dragon Dance	Boosts speed and attack, excellent for sweeping. Can work well with Moxie/Max Airstream.

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Articles You Might Be Interested In

Competitive Builds List	Fastest Pokemon
Single Battle Tier List	Double Battle Tier List

Gyarados - Best Item to Hold

Item	Traits
Lum Berry	Cures a status condition. Useful for preventing others from stopping your sweep with a Burn or Paralysis.
Sitrus Berry	Recovers health when dropping to low health. Useful to help continue your sweep.
Wacan Berry	Reduces the effect of Electric moves. Helps Gyarados survive an otherwise lethal shot.
Life Orb	Boosts Move Power by 130% but uses 10% of health per use. Can boost damage output while still leaving move variety - slightly risky, but allows you to make use of Dragon Dance.
Rocky Helmet	Causes Pokemon that hit the wearer with a contact move to take damage. Recommended for a bulky Gyarados.

Click To Learn Where To Find Items For Battle

Gyarados - Best Nature & EVs

Gyarados - Recommended Natures

Nature	Traits
Jolly	Spd↑ / Sp.Atk↓ Gyarados has 81 Speed, which is often not enough to go first. Supplementation is necessary!
Adamant	Atk↑ / Sp.Atk↓ The extra 10% Attack could come in handy to ensure one-hit KOs on certain targets.
Impish	Def↑ / Sp.Atk↓ For tank Gyarados, Impish is best. Give it Thunder Wave and Taunt to make it stop Pokemon from setting up.

Which Nature Would You Recommend?

Recommended Base Point (EV) Allocation

Physical Attacker Gyarados

Stat	Base Point
Attack	252 points (max)
Speed	252 points (max)
Defense	4 points

Boosting Speed and Attack with the Base Point is recommended for an offensive Gyarados. The Speed EVs are particularly important in supplementing its mediocre Speed stat.

Defensive Gyarados

Stat	Base Point
Defense	252 points (max)
HP	252 points (max)
Speed	4 points

For a Defensive Gyarados, HP & Defense will be key. You'll want to send this out against physical threats.

Check Out The EV (Base Point) Guide Here!

Gyarados Counters

Recommended Pokemon To Counter Gyarados

Pokemon	Explanation
Wash Rotom	Pros - Can one shot with almost any electric move - Can hit first when using Speed build - Can still out-speed after Dragon Dance if equipped with Choice Scarf Cons - Can be difficult if Gyarados uses a Wacan Berry - Power Whip is Super Effective on Wash Rotom
Ferrothorn	Pros - Great physical tank that works against most common builds - Can handle most attacks Cons - Although uncommon, Gyarados can learn Fire Blast
Galarian Corsola	Pros - Great physical tank that works against most common builds - Strength Sap is extremely powerful vs. buffed opponents Cons
Dragapult	Pros - Wins on speed - Sp.Atk build Thunderbolt one shots - Clear Body Ability negates Intimidate Cons - Can be one shot by Crunch (after attack boosts)

How To Play Against Gyarados

Use Physical Tanks

Gyarados has multiple ways to further boost its abilities through Moxie or Dragon Dance. Use tank Pokemon such as Ferrothorn and Galarian Corsola to make sure its ability does not trigger

Use Dynamax to Withstand Attacks

Using Max Guard to bypass its attack rush is also a viable tactic. Dynamaxing will also boost your HP, giving you a cushion to survive.

Watch Out For Sweeps

In the current meta, Dynamaxing and sweeping with Moxie and Max Airstrike is a common strategy, so make sure you are prepared to deal with it when it happens.

Gyarados - Competitive Breeding Process

Breeding Process Flow Chart

1	Catch a Magikarp by fishing at the Lake on Route 2
2	Hatch Eggs until you get a High IV Magikarp
3	Breed that Magikarp until you get one with a Jolly Nature
4	Put 252 EVs in Attack and Speed
5	Max out its Dynamax Level
6	Level to Lv. 20 to evolve to Gyarados
7	Teach it Volt Switch, Waterfall, Waterfall, and Power Whip
8	Equip a Lum Berry

>> Check Out Our Breeding Guide For More Info!

How To Get Magikarp

The first step to Breeding Gyarados will be to catch either a wild Magikarp. Luckily, this Pokemon is very easy to capture and is found on Route 2, Route 4, Route 5, and Route 6. You can also just catch a Gyarados directly in the Lake Of Outrage (Wild Area).