Is Gyarados good in Pokemon GO?

Yes. Gyarados is A-tier for Master League and has 6 other ranked roles.

What are the best Gyarados IVs for Great League?

The rank-1 Great League spread is 4/14/7 (Attack/Defense/HP), which reaches the 1500 CP cap at level 16.5. Low Attack with high Defense and HP wins in capped leagues. Use the IV checker on this page to rank your own copy among all 4,096 spreads.

What are the best Gyarados IVs for Ultra League?

The rank-1 Ultra League spread is 5/13/15 (Attack/Defense/HP), which reaches the 2500 CP cap at level 27. Low Attack with high Defense and HP wins in capped leagues. Use the IV checker on this page to rank your own copy among all 4,096 spreads.

Is Gyarados a good raid attacker?

Gyarados ranks #51 of 283 water attackers with 12.2 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.

Can Gyarados be shiny in Pokemon GO?

Yes. Shiny Gyarados is available from evolution, photobomb, raid, research, wild. A shiny is worth keeping for the collection no matter its IVs.

Is Shadow Gyarados worth keeping?

Shadow Gyarados hits 20% harder and takes 20% more damage. The Shadow form is A-tier for Master League, so keep it.

#130 · Generation 1

Gyarados

water flying

Forms & variants

Max CP (L40 / L50): 3,391 / 3,834
Raid catch CP (L20 / L25): 1,937 / 2,422
Research CP (L15): 1,453
Buddy distance: 1 km
2nd charged move: 10,000 dust · 25 candy

Shiny
Shadow
Tradable
Mega
Dynamax

Keep

Gyarados earns its spot: A-tier Master League (Shadow).

Battle roles

A
Master Leagueshadow#32 of 409 · score 87.5
The Shadow version is ranked #32 in Master League on PvPoke with Dragon Breath / Aqua Tail / Twister.
B
Ultra Leagueshadow#69 of 851 · score 87.5
The Shadow version is ranked #69 in Ultra League on PvPoke with Dragon Breath / Aqua Tail / Twister.
B
Max Battle attackerdynamax#6 Water · 233 per Max Move
Dynamax Gyarados ranks #6 of 27 Water-type Max attackers: 233 damage per Max Geyser at level 40 (fast move Waterfall). Only a copy caught in a Max Battle can use it.
C
Great Leagueshadow#260 of 1154 · score 80.8
The Shadow version is ranked #260 in Great League on PvPoke with Dragon Breath / Aqua Tail / Twister.
C
Water raid attackershadow#27 Water · 14.3 DPS
As a Shadow it ranks #27 of 283 Water-type attackers with Waterfall / Hydro Pump.
C
Max Battle tankdynamax#31 of 157 tanks
C-tier Max Battle tank (#31 of 157 by Defence × HP): it takes the boss's hits and shields the party with Max Guard.
C
Max Battle healerdynamax#26 of 157 healers
C-tier Max Battle healer (heals 29 HP per Max Spirit, #26 of 157): Max Spirit heals a share of its own HP to every ally.

Worth evolving into

Mega Gyarados
A Water raid attacker (mega)B Dark raid attacker (mega)

Collection value

Can Mega Evolve: keep your highest-Attack copy for raid days.
Can Dynamax: only copies caught in Max Battles can Dynamax, so keep at least one Max copy.
Shadow version exists: Shadows hit 20% harder and are worth a raid slot even with low IVs.

Tiers: S = meta-defining, A = strong, B = playable, C = niche. PvP from PvPoke overall rankings; raids from computed DPS/TDO within each attacking type; Max Battles from GO Hub tier lists.

Base stats

Attack237

Defense186

Stamina216

Base stats. Bars are scaled to the strongest Pokemon in the game.

Weak to

electric×2.56
rock×1.6

Resists

ground×0.391
bug×0.625
fighting×0.625
fire×0.625
steel×0.625
water×0.625

Evolution line

Magikarp
→400 candyGyarados

Check your Pokemon's IVs

Ranks all 4,096 spreads for each league

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PvP rankings (GO Battle League)

League	Tier	Rank	Score	Recommended moves	Typical build
Great League	C	#279 / 1154	80.3	Dragon Breath · Aqua Tail · Twister	L16.5 · 4/14/7
Great LeagueShadow	C	#260 / 1154	80.8	Dragon Breath · Aqua Tail · Twister	L16.5 · 4/14/7
Ultra League	B	#78 / 851	87.1	Dragon Breath · Aqua Tail · Twister	L27 · 5/13/15
Ultra LeagueShadow	B	#69 / 851	87.5	Dragon Breath · Aqua Tail · Twister	L27 · 5/13/15
Master League	B	#58 / 409	81.8	Dragon Breath · Aqua Tail · Crunch	L50 · 15/15/15
Master LeagueShadow	A	#32 / 409	87.5	Dragon Breath · Aqua Tail · Twister	L50 · 15/15/15
Ultra Premier	B	#72 / 689	89.7	Dragon Breath · Aqua Tail · Crunch
Ultra PremierShadow	B	#75 / 689	89.6	Dragon Breath · Aqua Tail · Crunch
Master Premier	S	#7 / 274	92.3	Dragon Breath · Aqua Tail · Crunch	L50 · 15/15/15
Master PremierShadow	A	#9 / 274	90.7	Dragon Breath · Aqua Tail · Crunch	L50 · 15/15/15

Source: PvPoke overall rankings. Score is relative to the league meta (100 = best). Typical build is the IV spread PvPoke assumes.

Max Battles (Dynamax & Gigantamax)

Gyarados can Dynamax. Only copies caught in Max Battles (or from Max research) can enter Power Spot battles.

Max Moves

darkMax Darknessfrom Bite250 / 300 / 350 power
waterMax Geyserfrom Waterfall250 / 300 / 350 power
dragonMax Wyrmwindfrom Dragon Breath250 / 300 / 350 power
Max Guard+20 / +40 / +60 HP shield
Max Spiritheals 8 / 12 / 16% HP

Max Battle roles

AttackerB Dynamax
Tank (Max Guard)C Dynamax
Healer (Max Spirit)C Dynamax

Max Move power is per level 1 / 2 / 3; levels are unlocked with Max Particles and Candy. Tiers are computed from level-3 Max Move damage, Defence × HP and HP at level 40; thresholds on the guide page.

Raid attacker rankings

Attacking type	Tier	Rank	DPS	TDO	Best moves
waterShadow	C	#27 / 283	14.3	258	Waterfall · Hydro Pump
darkShadow	–	#49 / 363	12.6	227	Waterfall · Crunch
water	–	#51 / 283	12.2	264	Waterfall · Hydro Pump
dragonShadow	–	#51 / 168	13.9	251	Waterfall · Outrage
dragon	–	#79 / 168	11.7	253	Waterfall · Outrage
dark	–	#88 / 363	10.6	228	Waterfall · Crunch

Level 40, 15/15/15, neutral target. DPS = damage per second, TDO = total damage output before fainting. Rank is among every Pokemon using that attacking type.

Moves

Fast move	Type	Raid power	Energy	Duration	DPS	PvP power	PvP energy	Speed
Bite	dark	6	+4	0.5s	12.0	2	+4	1 turn
WaterfallSTAB	water	13	+7	1.0s	13.0	11	+10	3 turns
Dragon Breath	dragon	6	+4	0.5s	12.0	3	+4	1 turn
Dragon TailElite TM	dragon	14	+8	1.0s	14.0	9	+12	3 turns

Charged move	Type	Raid power	Energy	Duration	Dmg/energy	PvP power	PvP energy	Effects
Hydro PumpSTAB	water	135	-100	3.5s	1.35	130	-75
Crunch	dark	65	-33	3.0s	1.97	70	-45	20% chance: -1 foe Def
Outrage	dragon	110	-50	4.0s	2.20	110	-60
Twister	dragon	50	-33	3.0s	1.52	70	-40
Dragon PulseElite TM	dragon	90	-50	3.5s	1.80	90	-55
Aqua TailElite TMSTAB	water	50	-33	2.0s	1.52	55	-35

Questions people ask

Is Gyarados good in Pokemon GO?: Yes. Gyarados is A-tier for Master League and has 6 other ranked roles.
Should I keep or transfer Gyarados?: Gyarados earns its spot: A-tier Master League (Shadow).
What are the best Gyarados IVs for Great League?: The rank-1 Great League spread is 4/14/7 (Attack/Defense/HP), which reaches the 1500 CP cap at level 16.5. Low Attack with high Defense and HP wins in capped leagues. Use the IV checker on this page to rank your own copy among all 4,096 spreads.
What are the best Gyarados IVs for Ultra League?: The rank-1 Ultra League spread is 5/13/15 (Attack/Defense/HP), which reaches the 2500 CP cap at level 27. Low Attack with high Defense and HP wins in capped leagues. Use the IV checker on this page to rank your own copy among all 4,096 spreads.
Is Gyarados a good raid attacker?: Gyarados ranks #51 of 283 water attackers with 12.2 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.
Can Gyarados be shiny in Pokemon GO?: Yes. Shiny Gyarados is available from evolution, photobomb, raid, research, wild. A shiny is worth keeping for the collection no matter its IVs.
Is Shadow Gyarados worth keeping?: Shadow Gyarados hits 20% harder and takes 20% more damage. The Shadow form is A-tier for Master League, so keep it.

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Verdict: Keep