What is a good moveset for Gyarados?

Question

If you have a good competitive moveset for Gyarados, post an answer below and upvote the best ones. Movesets for any of its pre-evolutions can also be shared on this thread.

Be sure to include full set details in your post, e.g. items, abilities, natures and EVs. Some detail, including the intended game mode for your set, is also appreciated. Access the full list of guidelines here.

Gyarados Pokédex and learnset for reference.

Answer 1

You've probably been swept by this before.

Gen V
Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Ice Fang

Set up a Dragon dance, then sweep the foe. You'll become more and more powerful thanks to Moxie. This guy has gotten me more 6-0 wins than any other Pokemon, even Charizard. Once he's got started, he's hard to stop. Waterfall provides STAB. Earthquake and Ice Fang are type coverage. Sweeper EVs, and Leftovers prevent residual damage from bringing you down. As it says, you've probably been swept by this before.

Comments

i have the exact moveset myself, works out great

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is the nature incorrect jolly increases speed, not special defense.   Do you really mean jolly or careful

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^lol such derp there
its propally Spd as in Speed
not SpDef

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Probably naive as well since it boosts speed as well

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Nice, but what I would like to say is that Earthquake takes out its weaknesses (Electric and Ground).  So maybe Ice Fang is not needed? Maybe you could replace it with Rain Dance? It would boost the attack and so would Dragon Dance. If you add a  Life Orb and use an Adamant nature that would be awesome. :D

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@MysticPepsi Don't you mean Electric and Rock? (not Ground). Ice Fang is for coverage against pesky Grass and Dragon types, that's why that move is there, or else Gyarados could get OHKO'ed by some Grass dude that uses Electric-type moves.

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Is this a singles or doubles set?

Answer 2

Okay, I needed to inform you guys of a Gyarados Moveset I battled today, and is one of the most annoying Gyarados I faced. Because of this, The battle with the behemoth lasted longer than usual. So, here it is:

Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Thunder Wave
- Dragon Tail

Thunder Wave is the crux of the Moveset, allowing it to outspeed so it can utilize ResTalk efficiently. Why use this over Dragonite you ask? Intimidate is the answer. With that, it makes Gyarados real Bulky, more than Dragonite in the long run. ResTalk allows to be rid of Toxic on Gyarados, and allows for +0 priority swift Dragon Tail to shuffle and annoy the opponent. Use this set to your advantage.

Comments

Nice one, Mike.

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Go! Jolteon!
:D

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Gyarados used Dragon Tail! Pointed stones dug into Jolteon! Jolteon was hurt by spikes! Jolteon fainted! umadbro?

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Not really.
Go! Forretress! Use Rapid Spin! And Volt Switch with 252 SAtk Modest!

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Do you really need to list counters for 1 moveset? No Poke is perfect, know that before doing ^.

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We know :D
We're just fooling around rofl.

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lol, nice set :P

Answer 3

Here is my Bulky, Lead Gyara:

Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 152 HP / 176 Atk / 36 Def / 144 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
- Taunt
- Dragon Dance

Sets up with D-Dance, Taunts other leads trying to stealth rock, etc. Taunt can sometimes force a switch, allowing for a free Dance. EQ and Waterfall are decent coverage, EQ has a five type coverage and hits both of Gyara's weaknesses (Rock, Electric) for SE damage, while Waterfall is Physical Stab and has a semi-useless flinch chance.
EVs are a neat distribution, the HP and defensive EVs are an add to bulkiness and work with Intimidate, Atk and Speed allow for an easy sweep of an unprepared team. This set can easily sweep an entire team 6-0 if allowed to set up, and it isn't easily KO'd, usually absorbing 2-3 successive attacks, this is hard to do against something with as much offensive ability as Gyarados.

Comments

As a lead, I think this would get screwed by a lead Rotom. Levitate makes earthquake useless, and there's a 100 to 1 chance they have an electric move.

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Or mega evolve it to gain mold breaker ability. Trololo

Answer 4

Role: Physical Sweeper

Gyarados (M) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

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Lum berry Prevents yourself being Confused and most importantly Burned ( I hate that )

And Moxie boosts are very helpfull, along with an Adamant nature for the hardest freaking hits you can give away.

Dragon Dance to set up with, and then Waterfall for STAB, Earthquake for Coverage, Stone Edge for Other Gyarados's and other coverage.

Answer 5

This is something I came up with today, the title is based off what someone said on showdown when it nailed Skarmory on the switch

Gyarados (M) @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 236 Atk / 24 SpA / 248 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Waterfall
- Ice Fang

248 Speed EVs outspeed max speed Adamant Dragonite, 24 SpA EVs 2HKO the most common variants of Ferrothorn and Skarmory with Fire Blast, rest goes into attack for max power.

Comments

don't waste EVs on a single special move that doesn't even cover anything it's weak to.

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Uh, Skarmory and Ferrothorn wall this set due to physical bulk without Fire Blast? And Grass is super effective against Mega Gyarados, so yes it covers something its weak to, as well as Bug.

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i find it ridiculous that a flying water snake can learn grass and fire type moves, but nonetheless, this set is fine besides the fire blast, gyarados has pitiful special attack, replace it with a physical move. And why naughty nature, please replace it with an adamant nature or even a modest nature if you really want to run a special gyarados.

Answer 6

Any format Explosion tanker: Gen 1 only
Magikrap (Magikarp)
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
- Dragon Rage
- Splash
- Tackle
Switch into predicted Explosions and watch it faint. Dragon Rage is your best move, and it still is terrible. But hey, 40 free damage! Tackle is, well what else are you going to use? Splash is useless.

Comments

This is the 2nd best moveset answer I've ever seen. Its honestly a shame that this hadnt been upvoted before.

Answer 7

Gen 9 NU Dragon Dance

Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Flying / Electric / Dark / Ground
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute / Taunt
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Tera Blast / Crunch / Earthquake

A Dragon Dance set Gyarados can use in Previous Gen OU, I mean, Gen 9 NU. Yes, that's right: Gyarados, a Pokemon who was usually OU/UU for most of its career, is now in NU at the time of this post. Use this set while you still can in Gen 9 NU, as Gyarados is most likely not going to be staying NU forever. (As in it will get banned at some point) Use either Substitute or Taunt to help screw Pokemon over. Substitute lets Gyarados dodge status moves and scout opposing Pokemon, letting it setup more easily. Taunt also works to stop defensive Pokemon from screwing it over, specifically screwing over the bulky Water-types that dropped to NU such as Suicine, Vaporeon, and Milotic. Dragon Dance lets Gyarados boost its Attack and Speed stats, making it a very scary sweeper that becomes hard to stop. Waterfall is used for the Water STAB since it is consistent and has a chance to flinch opposing Pokemon. The last move you'll usually see is Tera Blast Flying, as it gives Gyarados a reliable Flying STAB since Gyarados doesn't have access to Bounce in Gen 9. Tera Blast Flying also gets a x2 STAB boost, which is pretty neat. Leftovers is used to give Gyarados a little HP recovery. Intimidate is used to lower the attack stat of physical wallbreakers, letting Gyarados have more setup opportunites.

Gyarados' last slot and Tera type is really versatile in NU. These variants can screw over defensive counterplay to the standard Tera Blast Flying set. You can use Tera Electric with Tera Blast to hit Bulky Water-types such as Milotic super effectively. Tera Dark is used with Crunch to allow Gyarados to beat down Slowbro while providing decent coverage. Tera Dark also allows Gyarados to become immune to Prankster and resist Foul Play, which is useful when facing Klefki. Tera Ground with Earthquake allows Gyarados to screw over Bellibolt while providing decent coverage. Tera Ground also lets Gyarados be immune to Prankster Thunder Wave shenanigans.

Soo, yeah. Gyarados is a really scary threat to use in NU while you still can use it. Have fun destroying the NU ladder!

Answer 8

Bulky Mon
Gyarados
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def or 252 SpD (depends on nature) / 4 Spe
Impish Nature / Careful Nature

• Taunt
• Thunder Wave
• Dragon Tail
• Waterfall

Taunt: Stops opposing Pokemon from setting up on your, can force switches.
Thunder Wave: Paralyses opposing Pokemon, halves speed, can force switches.
Dragon Tail: Switches out Pokemon, works well with your own entry hazards.
Waterfall: STAB move, can flinch, still it hits despite no attack EVs or attacking boosting nature.

Answer 9

Ah, I wish this guy could have Moxie and Outrage at the same time... >_< This is one of the next best things:

Gyarados (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Outrage

Earthquake is power, and covers his two weaknesses, Electric and Rock. Waterfall is STAB, covers Rock, can flinch the opponent, and in my opinion, is the best Physical Water move. Stone Edge is powerful in general. Outrage is devastating to the opponent, even without the Band. Now you see why no Moxie+Outrage is mean to me!

Comments

I know this answer is dated but YAY now outrage is a tr so you can get a Moxie Gyarados and transfer it to Gen 5 I think.... (I don’t know what Gen this was answered in)

Answer 10

Double/Triple Battle

Gyarados (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Bounce
- Stone Edge

Moxie really boosts your Attack if you can take down multiple foes at once with Earthquake. Stone Edge is coverage. Waterfall is STAB. Bounce is a good move in Triple battles. It gets STAB, it hits any foe, it has a nice chance of paralysis, it evades teammates multiple hitting attacks, and the foe does not know who you are going to attack. It also doesn't seem like the kind of move used with a Choice item, so that can cause your foe some grief.

Comments

I would replace Bounce with ice fang

Answer 11

Gyarados (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 128 HP / 252 Atk / 128 Spe
Jolly Nature (+Spe, -SpA)
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge / Earthquake
- Dragon Dance
- Taunt

Waterfall for STAB.
Stone Edge or Earthquake for coverage.
Dragon Dance for Boosting to incredible power.
Taunt for nice crippling.

The reason I chose Intimidate over Earthquake Spiral is because the attack drop can actually really come in handy in competitive.

Works well as a lead to catch your opponent off guard.

Answer 12

Gyarados @ Damp Rock
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Thunder
- Hydro Pump
- Rain Dance
- Thunder Wave

• Thunder (infinite accuracy when Rain Dance is used)
• Hydro Pump (50% boost with Rain Dance and STAB)
• Rain Dance (you see how you can use it)
• Thunder Wave (Slowing down faster Pokemon)

It's done against electric Pokemon but you will probably have a ground type.

Comments

A physical set would be much, much more efficient on Gyarados because his base Attack is over double his Sp. Atk.   I recommend swapping Hydro Pump for Aqua Tail or Waterfall, and maybe changing Thunder to Earthquake to kill Electric-types and get other good type coverage.

Answer 13

Gyarados
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 HP / 6 Spe
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SpA)

• Dragon Dance
• Thunder Wave
• Waterfall
• Earthquake

Switching in before Mega Evolution, the opponent's Attack is decreased by 1 stage due to Intimidate, adding to 252 HP's buffer for two status moves. Earthquake for Electric-types and great type coverage and Waterfall for STAB are both beefed up by Dragon Dance. Thunder Wave annoys the opponent (psychological warfare here!) and pretty much fixes your slightly disappointing Speed.

Answer 14

This is an interesting bulky set:
dat shrimp tho (Gyarados) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD.
Impish Nature

• Rest
• Sleep Talk
• Substitute
• Taunt

This is a PP staller....... that is all I have to say......

Answer 15

Gyarados @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Waterfall
- Substitute
- Protect
- Toxic

I swear Special Wall Gyarados works. I used this once and it took out like 3 opposing Pokémon. I just wish he had a more reliable form of recovery than just Lefties and Protect.

Comments

you should give it a *wink* assault vest
just kidding, i like it, good set

Answer 16

Sometimes I use this set and it works pretty well,

Gyarados @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake
- Waterfall

Comments

Mega gyarados doesn't have intimidate it has mold breaker

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Before it mega evolves he means, this is the showdown importable format

Answer 17

ORAS Mega Gyarados

Gyarados @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate / Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Earthquake

Dragon Dance is one of best setup moves in the game and raises Attack and Speed by one stage.
Waterfall is one of two STAB moves that hits hard and can flinch. Smashes Fire, Ground and Rock types.
Crunch is the new STAB move Mega Gyarados gets from ORAS via level up. Can lower defences occasionally and hurts Psychic and Ghost types.
Earthquake is a great move and has good coverage with the other two moves. Hurts Electric, Steel and Poison types.

Answer 18

Rest + Chesto Berry

Gyarados @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Rest
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
- Dragon Dance

Dragon Dance sets you up, Rest heals you up, Chesto Berry wakes you up.

Waterfall is STAB and Earthquake is coverage.

Answer 19

RestoChesto Gyarados:Gen 3

Gyarados @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 HP
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Earthquake
- Rest

Dragon Dance up, then RestoChesto and sweep.

Answer 20

You get an Assault Vest! And you get an Assault Vest!

Gen IX

Gyarados @ Assault Vest
Ability: Moxie
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful/Adamant Nature
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge

Never seen this before, have you? An Assault Vest Gyarados? Maybe I should see a doctor with how many Assault Vest sets that I have been using. Anyways, you can use Careful if you want to be a little more bulk, or Adamant if you want yet more sweeping power. Tera Ground boosts its Earthquakes and removes all of its original weaknesses.

I need to stop giving Assault Vests to all of my physical attackers.

Feel free to destroy me in the comments.

MrKensa

Comments

A bulky Gyarados? I like it, but a STAB Thunderbolt will still kill it instantly.

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That tends to happen with any Gyarados. Also, you can Tera Ground to avoid said Thunderbolts.

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Oops, didn’t notice the Tera. Love it!