Requires specific high level counters or weather boost
| HP | 15,000 | ATK | 230.80 | DEF | 195.20 |
|---|
| CP Range | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lvl 20 | 2597 - 2695 | Lvl 25 | 3247 - 3369 |
Notable Weather
Fast Move Difficulty
| Move | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Bite | Easy |
| Dragon Breath | Easy |
| Waterfall | Challenging |
Charge Move Difficulty
| Move | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Crunch | Challenging |
| Outrage | Challenging |
| Twister | Easy |
| Hydro Pump | Intermediate |
Overview
Mega Gyarados may have fallen through the cracks to a certain degree in terms of viability when compared to its competition, but it's still going to make you feel pain when trying to farm down its Mega Energy! Mega Gyarados has the highest defense stat among all of the Water Type Mega Evolutions, and while it has the second highest defense of all Dark Type Mega Evolutions, it has no double weakness to exploit. This fact, when combined with a high attack stat and a few attacks that are just downright mean to face on a raid boss, makes Mega Gyarados a fairly challenging prospect! When aiming for the trio, TDO is going to be the main problem. Many of Mega Gyarados' attacks are not resisted by its counters, meaning it can wipe teams fairly quickly. But by prioritizing dodging, staggering team wipes so that it can't recover HP from a full-wipe, and throwing in an anchor or two to stay in the fight for as long as possible, it's definitely doable with 3 trainers.
Note that a 2-person run is possible given Weather, Mega, and/or Friendship boosts, but it is more difficult.
Approach
Team composition
-
Front-load DPS options
-
The best teams for the short-man run strive for a mix of DPS and TDO.
-
Weather, Mega, and/or Friendship boosts can make a huge difference in total performance, and teams should be built around them.
-
Mega Venusaur is the best overall Mega Evolution, and should be prioritized for most players.
-
Try to stagger Mega Evolutions between all players so that the resulting boosts stay active for as long as possible.
Battling strategy
-
Re-entering will be necessary in the trio without boosts. Immaculate dodging may be able to avoid this.
-
Dodging is genuinely recommended.
-
It might be wise to have one player back out, heal up, and then quickly re-enter after their 3rd Pokemon faints. This will help prevent an all-trainer wipe that will allow Mega Gyarados to recover HP.
Note: "Good" movesets are not necessarily viable at the level indicated.
Best Raid Boss Counters
Mega Evolution Counters
Mega Venusaur
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Vine Whip | Frenzy Plant | Best |
Pros:
- The strongest overall counter to Mega Gyarados. Sports unrivaled TDO and very solid DPS
- Resists Water Type movesets
- Mega Evolution, provides boosts to overall damage and Grass Type damage for itself and the entire team
Cons:
- Mega Evolution, costs Mega Energy to use
- Best moveset is Elite
Mega Ampharos
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Volt Switch | Zap Cannon | Best |
| Charge Beam | Zap Cannon | Best |
Pros:
- Provides Electric Type boosts to all of the highest DPS counters for this raid
- Resists Water Type movesets
- Mega Evolution, provides boosts to overall damage and Electric Type damage for itself and the entire team
Cons:
- Mega Evolution, costs Mega Energy to use
- Weak to Dragon Type movesets
Mega Beedrill
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Infestation | X-Scissor | Good |
Pros:
- Lowest cost Mega Counter to Mega Gyarados, great budget Mega
- Mega Evolution, provides boosts to overall damage and Bug Type damage for itself and the entire team
Cons:
- Mega Evolution, costs Mega Energy to use
- Best moveset is Elite
- Frail, appreciates dodging
- Bug Type counters are fairly poor due to weak moves. More viable when it's raining, but rain also boosts Electric Type counters.
Counters Viable at Lv.35
Shadow Electivire
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Thunder Shock | Wild Charge | Best |
Pros:
- Highest DPS counter to Mega Gyarados, good for getting ahead of the clock
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and requires an event to remove Frustration
- Frail, appreciates dodging
Zekrom
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Charge Beam | Wild Charge | Best |
Pros:
- Great overall performer, sporting a strong mix of DPS and TDO
- Resists Water Type moves
Cons:
- Legendary Pokemon, candy can be difficult to obtain
- Weak to Dragon Type moves
Shadow Magnezone
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Spark | Wild Charge | Best |
Pros:
- Great mix of DPS and TDO
- Resists Dragon Type movesets
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and requires an event to remove Frustration
Shadow Raikou
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Thunder Shock | Wild Charge | Best |
Pros:
- Second highest DPS option, with solid TDO to back it up
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and requires an event to remove Frustration
- Legendary Pokemon, candy can be difficult to obtain
Conkeldurr
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Counter | Dynamic Punch | Best |
Pros:
- Arguably the overall best non-Shadow/non-Legendary/non-Mega Pokemon for this raid. Solid TDO is backed up by decent DPS.
- Resists Dark Type movesets
Lucario
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Counter | Aura Sphere | Best |
Pros:
- Solid DPS backed up by solid TDO thanks to its list of resistances
- Resists Dark and Dragon Type movesets
Shadow Gardevoir
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Charm | Dazzling Gleam | Best |
Pros:
- Double-resists Dragon Type movesets
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and requires an event to remove Frustration
- Somewhat frail Vs. non-Dragon movesets, appreciates dodging
Shadow Machamp
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Counter | Dynamic Punch | Best |
Pros:
- Resists Dark Type movesets
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and requires an event to remove Frustration
Shadow Zapdos
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Thunder Shock | Thunderbolt | Best |
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and requires an event to remove Frustration
- Legendary Pokemon, candy can be difficult to obtain
- Best moveset is Elite
Shadow Venusaur
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Vine Whip | Frenzy Plant | Best |
Pros:
- Strongest non-Mega Grass Type counter
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and requires an event to remove Frustration
- Best moveset is Elite
Shadow Torterra
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Razor Leaf | Frenzy Plant | Best |
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and requires an event to remove Frustration
- Best moveset is Elite
- Does not resist Water Type moves despite Grass Typing
Machamp
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Counter | Dynamic Punch | Best |
Pros:
- Old reliable
- Resists Dark Type movesets
Counters Viable at Lv.40
Sceptile
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Fury Cutter | Frenzy Plant | Best |
| Bullet Seed | Frenzy Plant | Good |
Pros:
- Resists Water Type movesets
Cons:
- Best moveset is Elite
Shadow Scyther
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Fury Cutter | X-Scissor | Best |
Pros:
- Resists Dragon Type movesets
Cons:
- Shadow Pokemon, expensive to raise and requires an event to remove Frustration
Togekiss
| Fast Move | Charge Move | Rating |
|---|
| Charm | Dazzling Gleam | Best |
Pros:
- Best tank counter not named Mega Venusaur, fantastic option for anchoring raids
- Resists Dark Type movesets, double resists Dragon Type movesets
Cons:
- Sub-par DPS, but still viable for the Trio
