Pokemon Unite Gyarados: Best movesets, builds, items, and more

A complete guide for Gyarados in Pokemon Unite (Image via The Pokemon Company)
A complete guide for Gyarados in Pokemon Unite (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Gyarados makes its debut in Pokemon Unite on January 25, 2024. The ever-evolving world of Aeos Islands welcomes this majestic Kanto favorite to its roster, and the quest for optimal strategies begins. In this detailed guide, we'll delve into the intricacies of Gyarados, exploring the best builds, Held Items, and movesets to maximize its potential on the title's battlefield.

Whether you're a new or a seasoned player, this comprehensive overview will uncover everything you need to know, discovering the most effective ways to harness the power of this iconic Water/Flying-type Pokemon.


Pokemon Unite Gyarados complete movesets guide

Magikarp using Splash in Pokemon Unite. (Image via The Pokemon Company)
Magikarp using Splash in Pokemon Unite. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Magikarp's effort gauge and passive ability are intertwined. The passive ability features a unique mechanic where it gains extra movement speed every time it's struck by an enemy Pokemon, stacking up to five times.

Magikarp's two moves, Splash and Flail, offer distinct strategies. Splash is a maneuver where a Magikarp jumps in a designated direction, with three uses. Notably, Splash can trigger your Razor Claw, allowing for additional damage with your Auto attacks. This tactic might be employed to secure sneaky KOs or last hits on wild Pokemon.

On the other hand, Flail is a more potent move, a short-range attack dealing more damage as your HP decreases.

In the early game, Magikarp only needs to focus on scoring points, stacking assists, and acquiring KOs to efficiently fill the Effort Gauge and evolve into its final form.

Upon evolution, the Water/Flying-type gains a passive ability called Moxie, providing a 30% cooldown reduction on all moves after getting an assist or a KO. This evolution also sees a 12% boost in Max HP, +100 attack stats, and a +40% attack speed.

Evolution also lets the creature immediately gain access to both sets of moves, eliminating the need for further leveling up to unlock the second move set.

Gyarados using Aqua Tail in Pokemon Unite. (Image via The Pokemon Company)
Gyarados using Aqua Tail in Pokemon Unite. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Moving on to Gyarados' moves, Dragon Breath and Aqua Tail are the two first options. Dragon Breath serves as an attack speed steroid, paralyzing opponents and boosting basic attack damage based on the number of enemies hit.

Aqua Tail, on the other hand, involves being a stationary move where the serpent swings its tail, charging up for a powerful swipe. This move can deal substantial damage in a wide area but requires careful positioning as it can be interrupted.

Gyarados' mobility moves include Waterfall and Bounce. Waterfall is a dash move that lets you position yourself thrice with an added bonus, first offering damage, second a shield, and third a knock-up effect.

Bounce, after receiving buffs, provides a sizable shield when charged, allowing for strategic jumps to engage opponents. Both dash moves suggest that Razor Claw could be a valuable item for this All-rounder.

Gyarados using its Unite Move (Image via The Pokemon Company)
Gyarados using its Unite Move (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The Unite Move, Dragon Current, showcases the critter diving underwater, becoming untargetable, and unleashing a powerful attack upon resurfacing. The longer the move is charged, the more potent the effect, including a Whirlpool that slows opponents or a water typhoon that knocks them into the air for a second. Gyarados's Unite Move is a standout feature reminiscent of Gengar's.


Pokemon Unite: How to evolve Magikarp with Effort Points?

Magikarp's journey in Pokemon Unite is, admittedly, a challenging one. Unveiling the path to evolve into the mighty Gyarados involves navigating through Magikarp's less-than-impressive abilities.

The primary objective when playing as a Magikarp is to swiftly fill your effort gauge, visible beneath your health bar, by actively contributing to various tasks and engaging in early-game activities.

The crux of Magikarp's evolution lies in understanding how to fill the effort gauge effectively. Notably, no bonus is granted for securing the last hits on wild Pokemon. The evolution mechanism forces Magikarp's evolution at level 7. This means that even if one falls behind and struggles to fill the effort gauge, evolution into Gyarados is enforced at level 7.

Gyarados using Dragon Breath in Pokemon Unite (Image via The Pokemon Company)
Gyarados using Dragon Breath in Pokemon Unite (Image via The Pokemon Company)

For those aspiring to evolve before level 7, a substantial 10,000 effort points is required. Following is the breakdown for effort points that will help you evolve quickly:

Type of actions done by Magikarp Effort Points gained
Auto Attacks on neutral Pokemon20
Auto Attacks on opponents100
Using Splash 50
Using Flail on neutral Pokemon50
Using Flail on opponents 150
Scoring less than 10 points 400
Scoring more than 10 points 1500
Getting an Assist2000
Getting a Kill 4000

The strategy involves capitalizing on small bonuses from actions like assists on KOs, early KOs, and notably, scoring goals worth 10 points or more. The impending release of this creature emphasizes the significance of lane allies, Exp share, and strategic goal-scoring to expedite the evolution process.


Gyarados in Pokemon Unite: Best Held Items and Emblem setup

Gyarados character spotlight (Image via The Pokemon Company)
Gyarados character spotlight (Image via The Pokemon Company)

In terms of Held Items in Pokemon Unite, the choice between Dragon Breath and Aqua Tail influences the selection. For Dragon Breath, items like Rapid Fire Scarf, Muscle Band, Scope Lens, Attack Weight, and Weakness Policy enhance its effectiveness. For Aqua Tail, prioritizing attack-stacking items like Focus Band, Razor Claw, Weakness Policy, and Attack Weight proves advantageous.

What's intriguing about this serpent is that the shielding from its two dash moves relies on Max HP. This opens up the possibility of double stacking HP items for significant advantages. It might lead to a strategy of aiming for early goals with Magikarp while stacking Attack Weight and Aoes Cookie for substantial shields, enhancing survivability in battles.

Emblem-wise, a 6 Brown, 6 White setup, especially with Aerodactyl and Ho-oh, emerges as the preferred choice for maximizing damage and survivability. As the Pokemon Unite community welcomes Gyarados' arrival, the anticipation for exciting strategies and gameplay experiences continues to grow.

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