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Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (BDSP)
Gyarados Best Moveset and Build
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Gyarados' great typing, ease of setting up with Dragon Dance, and versatility makes it one of the most used Pokemon in the competitive battling scene. Read on to find out the best build, the best moveset, basic information, stats and recommended partners for Gyarados in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (BDSP).
| Gyarados - Related Guides | |
|---|---|
| Evolution and Learnset | Build for Ranked Battle |
List of Contents
Gyarados Best Build and Moveset
Dragon Dance Gyarados
| Pokemon | Ability | Item | Attacks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gyarados
|
Intimidate | Sitrus Berry | ・Waterfall ・Ice Fang ・Crunch ・Dragon Dance |
||
| Nature / EVs | Jolly 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe | ||||
| Final Stats | 171 HP / 177 Atk / 99 Def / 120 SpD / 146 Spe | ||||
Using Gyarados
Because Gyarados is a Water and Flying type, it has an advantage against Fire and Ground types. Use Dragon Dance, a move that boosts its Attack and Speed stats, if Gyarados has a type advantage, and sweep your opponent's active Pokemon as well as their remaining Pokemon.
Using Gyarados as an attacker after successfully setting up Dragon Dance will help you sweep through your opponent's entire team.
Gyarados has reasonable bulk, and with its Intimidate Ability, it can set up Dragon Dance against most Physical attacking Pokemon.
Equipping Gyarados with Wacan Berry gives it a little more survivability against Electric-type Moves.
Other Viable Moves
| Earthquake | Can threaten Magnezone and other Electric-types. |
|---|---|
| Stone Edge | Effective against Zapdos and opposing Gyarados. |
| Taunt | Can stop defensive Pokemon from using their support moves. |
| Substitute | You can nullify status conditions with Substitute. |
Gyarados Basic Information
Gyarados - Type
| Gyarados Atrocious Pokemon |
|
|---|---|
|
|
| Type 1 | Type 2 |
|
|
Gyarados Weaknesses and Resistances
| Type | |
|---|---|
| Takes 4x damage |
|
| Takes 2x damage |
|
| Takes 0.5x damage |
|
| Takes 1/4x damage |
-
|
| Takes 0x damage |
|
Gyarados Abilities
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Intimidate | Lowers the foe's Attack stat. |
Gyarados Hidden Ability
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Moxie | Boosts Attack after knocking out any Pokemon. |
Gyarados Base Stats
| HP | 95 |
|
| Atk | 125 |
|
| Def | 79 |
|
| Sp. Atk | 60 |
|
| Sp. Def | 100 |
|
| Speed | 81 |
|
| Total Base Stats | 540 |
|
Gyarados' Strengths and Weaknesses
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| ✔︎ Has naturally high Attack and Speed Stats ✔︎ Movepool has good type coverage |
✖︎ Very weak to Electric type attacks ✖︎ Is walled by bulky Water Pokemon |
Easy to Set Up Thanks to Intimidate
Gyarados' Intimidate Ability reduces opposing Pokemon's Attack stats. This puts Gyarados at an advantage against Physical attacking Pokemon, letting you set up Dragon Dance reliably and giving you momentum to sweep and win the game.
Dragon Dance Boosts Gyarados' Offensive Power
Gyarados naturally learns Dragon Dance through leveling up. It is a very powerful stat boosting move that makes Gyarados very difficult to stop once it is set up.
A Great Pokemon to Use in the Battle Tower
While Gyarados is a strong Pokemon to use in battles against friends, it is also a very good Pokemon to bring to the Battle Tower. It is definitely a Pokemon worth raising either way.
Battle Tower Strategy and Recommended Pokemon
Counter with Electric Pokemon
Electric-type moves are 4x effective on Gyarados, so this is of course a very simple way to deal with Gyarados. However, be aware that a Gyarados with very high Speed may still be able to turn the tables on an Electric-type Pokemon.
| Pokemon | Description |
|---|---|
 Zapdos
|
Ranking：★★★★★ ・Faster than Gyarados, which is very important in this matchup. ・Can receive physical attacks and easily regain lost HP by using Roost. |
 Wash Rotom
|
Ranking：★★★★★ ・Holding Choice Scarf will boost its Speed enough for it to attack before Gyarados. |
 Jolteon
|
Ranking：★★★★ ・Extremely high Speed Electric-type attacker. |
Best Natures for Gyarados
| Best Natures | |
|---|---|
| Jolly (Speed↑ Sp. Atk↓) |
Adamant (Atk↑Sp. Atk↓) |
Best Partners for Gyarados
| Pokemon | Ability | Item | Attacks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Scizor
|
Technician | Lum Berry | ・Bullet Punch ・U-Turn ・Swords Dance ・Roost |
||
| Nature / EVs | Adamant 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD | ||||
| Final Stats | 177 HP / 200 Atk / 120 Def / 101 SpD / 85 Spe | ||||
Gyarados' Intimidate Ability reduces opposing Pokemon's Attack stats, giving a Scizor on your team the chance to switch in and set up a Swords Dance. Scizor's Fire weakness is also covered by Gyarados', as it is able to threaten knock outs on opposing Fire Pokemon.
| Pokemon | Ability | Item | Attacks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Raichu
|
Lightning Rod | Focus Sash | ・Thunderbolt ・Nuzzle ・Grass Knot ・Volt Switch |
||
| Nature / EVs | Timid 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe | ||||
| Final Stats | 136 HP / 99 Atk / 75 Def / 142 SpA / 100 SpD / 178 Spe | ||||
Raichu can switch into Electric-type moves to protect Gyarados and pivot out with Volt Switch. It can paralyze opposing Pokemon that are faster than Gyarados with its Nuzzle attack. Grass Knot can damage opposing Gastrodon or Swampert that Gyarados can't touch. Raichu can also take care of opposing Starmie.
Pokemon BDSP Related Guides
Tier List and Movesets for Competitive Battle
Strategies for Individual Pokemon
| Competitive Pokemon Builds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Gyarados |
 Breloom |
 Gliscor |
| Scizor |
 Suicune |
 Latios |
 Garchomp |
 Gengar |
 Azumarill |
 Hippowdon |
 Mamoswine |
 Latias |
 Heatran |
 Blaziken |
 Wash Rotom |
 Metagross |
 Tyranitar |
 Dragonite |
 Togekiss |
 Cloyster |
 Salamence |
 Cresselia |
||
Author
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (BDSP) Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Gyarados Best Moveset and Build
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