Competitive Information for Gyarados [Sword/Shield]
Water / Flying
Abilities:
On switch-in, this Pokemon lowers the Attack of opponents by 1 stage.
This Pokemon's Attack is raised by 1 stage if it attacks and KOes another Pokemon.
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Movesets for Singles
Looking for a competitive moveset for Gyarados? These builds are optimized for Sword/Shield Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the Sword/Shield metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Unveil the power of Gyarados, a stunning Pokémon known for its Water and Flying typing! It's to see Gyarados show up as a Sword/Shield opponent. Its only type-related weaknesses are Electric and Rock. Want to master Gyarados's movesets? Dive into our detailed strategies below!
Item: Lum Berry / Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 164 Hp / 44 Atk / 4 Def / 124 SpD / 172 Spe
Moveset:
- Bounce
- Waterfall
- Dragon Dance
- Protect
Gyarados thrives as a terrific Special Wall perfect for single battles. The purpose of this moveset is to take a substantial amount of hits from special attacks while dealing some decent damage. Life Orb boosts the power of Gyarados's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Intimidate, on switch-in Gyarados lowers the attack of opponents by 1 stage. With a Lum Berry equipped to it, Gyarados cures itself if it has a non-volatile status or is confused then the Lum Berry gets consumed.
◆ Waterfall is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (20% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Dragon Dance is a status move (raises your Gyarados's attack and speed by 1 stage).
◆ Protect is a status move (prevents moves from affecting your Gyarados this turn).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/maa82
Item: Wacan Berry / Shell Bell
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Aqua Tail / Waterfall
- Double-Edge / Body Slam
- Outrage
- Earthquake
Ready for single battles? Gyarados is a terrific Physical Sweeper. It is designed to take down the opponent's team with brute physical power. The Shell Bell item option is to help Gyarados recover from the recoil damage it may take from Double-Edge. With Intimidate, on switch-in Gyarados lowers the attack of opponents by 1 stage. With a Wacan Berry equipped to it, halves damage taken from a supereffective electric-type attack then the Wacan Berry gets consumed.
◆ Waterfall is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (20% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
◆ Body Slam is a physical 85-base power Normal-type move (30% chance to paralyze the target).
◆ Outrage is a physical 120-base power Dragon-type move (lasts 2-3 turns. Confuses your Gyarados afterwards).
◆ Earthquake is a physical 100-base power Ground-type move (hits adjacent pokemon).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mba82
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Moxie
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
Prepare for single battles with Gyarados as a phenomenal Physical Sweeper. This approach seeks to take down the opponent's team with forceful physical moves. Life Orb boosts the power of Gyarados's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Moxie, Gyarados's attack is raised by 1 stage if it attacks and koes another pokemon.
◆ Dragon Dance is a status move (raises your Gyarados's attack and speed by 1 stage).
◆ Waterfall is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (20% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Earthquake is a physical 100-base power Ground-type move (hits adjacent pokemon).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mca82
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Moxie
Nature: Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Stone Edge / Earthquake
- Dragon Dance
- Bounce
- Waterfall
In single battles, Gyarados's Physical Sweeper role is a distinguished. The objective of this moveset is to take down the opponent's team with forceful physical attacks. Life Orb boosts the power of Gyarados's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Moxie, Gyarados's attack is raised by 1 stage if it attacks and koes another pokemon. Awesome companion for a Rain Team. After just one Dragon Dance, Gyarados can pretty much outspeed the entire unboosted OU tier!
◆ Earthquake is a physical 100-base power Ground-type move (hits adjacent pokemon).
◆ Dragon Dance is a status move (raises your Gyarados's attack and speed by 1 stage).
◆ Bounce is a physical STAB-boosted 85-base power Flying-type move (bounces turn 1. Hits turn 2. 30% paralyze).
◆ Waterfall is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (20% chance to make the target flinch).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mda82
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Gyarados? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive Sword/Shield Double Battles. The VGC is the ultimate test of strategy and skill, and these movesets and EVs are designed to excel against multiple opponents at once while providing essential support to your team. Dominate the Sword/Shield metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: Sitrus Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Impish (+Def, -SpA)
EVs: 252 Hp / 4 Atk / 4 Def / 180 SpD / 68 Spe
Moveset:
- Protect
- Waterfall
- Ice Fang
- Thunder Wave
Gyarados thrives as a top-notch Special Wall perfect for double battles. In earlier tournaments, this build was a go-to choice. It is meant to handle special hits and respond with decent damage. The Sitrus Berry will restore 1/4th of Gyarados's max HP when it reaches below half health and gets consumed. With Intimidate, on switch-in Gyarados lowers the attack of opponents by 1 stage.
◆ Waterfall is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (20% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Ice Fang is a physical 65-base power Ice-type move (10% chance to freeze. 10% chance to flinch).
◆ Thunder Wave is a status move (paralyzes the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/naa82
Item: Wacan Berry / Shell Bell
Ability: Intimidate
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Earthquake / Bulldoze
- Aqua Tail / Waterfall
- Outrage
- Double-Edge / Body Slam
Gyarados is a stupendous Physical Sweeper to use for double battles. This moveset is formulated to crush rivals using heavy-hitting physical power. The Shell Bell item option is to help Gyarados recover from the recoil damage it may take from Double-Edge. With Intimidate, on switch-in Gyarados lowers the attack of opponents by 1 stage. With a Wacan Berry equipped to it, halves damage taken from a supereffective electric-type attack then the Wacan Berry gets consumed.
◆ Bulldoze is a physical 60-base power Ground-type move (100% chance lower adjacent Pokemon speed by 1 stage).
◆ Aqua Tail is a physical STAB-boosted 90-base power Water-type move that deals a hefty amount of damage.
◆ Waterfall is a physical STAB-boosted 80-base power Water-type move (20% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Outrage is a physical 120-base power Dragon-type move (lasts 2-3 turns. Confuses your Gyarados afterwards).
◆ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
◆ Body Slam is a physical 85-base power Normal-type move (30% chance to paralyze the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/nba82
Movepool
Want to know what moves Gyarados can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon Sword/Shield generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by type, category, accuracy, and power. Moves in bold get the same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Gyarados.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Gyarados can perform in Sword/Shield. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive SS Move and Ability Combos for Gyarados
- Moves: Rain dance + Thunder
- Moves: Endure + Flail
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Moves: Thunderbolt + Ice beam
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Item: Blunder Policy + Move: Zap Cannon
- Moves with Priority: Endure, Protect
- Moves that inflict status: Scald, Thunder Wave, Toxic
Moves that boost Gyarados's stats
- Curse
- Dragon Dance
- Scale Shot
- Skull Bash
Most notable and possible best moves for Gyarados
- Avalanche
- Bounce
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Iron Head
- Power Whip
- Protect
- Reflect
- Rest
- Scald
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Waterfall
Common Effort Values for Gyarados in Sword and Shield
- Adamant Nature ( 164/44/4/0/124/172 )
- Adamant Nature ( 156/164/0/0/0/188 )
- Optimize Gyarados's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon Sword and Shield
Usage Data
Explore the latest analytical usage data for this Pokémon from various VGC and online competitions. We use this data to develop our strategies and movesets. The data is categorized by competition and skill level: top-ranking trainers, mid-level players, and entry-level players.
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Here are the best movesets for Gyarados. Top rated Gyarados Sword/Shield movesets. You can find Gyarados builds Sword/Shield. Gyarados movesets Sword/Shield are listed here. VGC Gyarados Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Gyarados in Sword/Shield along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for evolution