【Pokédex】 #0130 Gyarados Water Flying / ギャラドス | The おーぱーつ

1. Gyarados Defense Type Effectiveness Summary (Pokémon GO Specs)
In the world of Pokémon GO, "Immunity" does not exist, and unique damage multipliers are applied. The defensive characteristics of Gyarados (Base Form: Water/Flying) are as follows:

⚠️ Warning

[Double Weakness] Electric (x2.56): Highest priority alert. Can cause fatal damage in a single hit.

[Weakness] Rock (x1.6): Caution is required against incoming attacks like Rock Slide and Stone Edge.

🟢 Advantage

[Double Resistance] Ground (x0.391): Significantly reduces Ground-type attacks.

[Resistance] Fire, Water, Bug, Fighting, Steel (x0.625): Can take hits from many major types as "not very effective."

2. ⚔️ Defensive Utility and Strengths in Raid Battles
In Raid Battles, Gyarados possesses clear defensive strengths: "Excellent staying power (high durability) utilizing its great resistances," and during Mega Evolution, "maintaining a Mega Boost for a long duration by taking advantage of its type changes."

① Staying Power as a Water-type (Common to Regular & Mega)
Target Bosses: Groudon, Heatran, Reshiram, Entei, etc.

Defensive Strengths: It can safely shrug off the boss's primary attacks, such as Fire-type moves (Resisted) and Ground-type moves (Double Resisted). Since it is resilient against the boss's powerful charged moves, it serves excellently as a party-wide wipe prevention tool or a highly durable cushion that saves recovery items.

② Support Contribution via Mega Gyarados (Water/Dark) Type Changes
Upon Mega Evolving, its type changes to Water/Dark, significantly boosting its defensive stats and completely shifting its weaknesses and resistances.

Selection for Psychic/Ghost Raids: Raids such as Mewtwo, Giratina, and Metagross.

Defensive Strengths: Mega Evolution removes its Flying type and adds the Dark type, allowing it to take Psychic-type moves with a Double Resistance (x0.391) and Ghost-type moves with a Resistance (x0.625). By minimizing incoming damage from the boss and staying on the field for an extended period, it fulfills a crucial defensive role by maintaining and providing the "Mega Boost effect" that raises allies' attack power for a long time.

3. In-Depth Analysis: Fire-Type Resistance and Shield Strategy Against Ho-Oh
As shown in the table above, Gyarados resists Fire-type moves (x0.625), giving it a defensive advantage against Reshiram and Heatran in Raids, as well as Fire-types in general within PvP.

However, when facing Ho-Oh, a top-tier Fire/Flying-type, the situation reverses, triggering the most tense defensive mind games (especially regarding PvP matchups and the boss's movepool in Raids).

4. ⚠️ The 2 High-Alert Moves in Ho-Oh Battles (Points of Caution for Incoming Damage)
① Neutral Heavy Damage from "Brave Bird"
Flying-type moves deal neutral damage (x1.0) to Gyarados. Ho-Oh's Brave Bird possesses immense raw power; overconfidence in your resistances can result in a direct hit that instantly chunks your HP, causing fatal damage.

② One-Hit KO "Solar Beam" (Grass-type Weakness)
Solar Beam, which Ho-Oh may carry as a coverage move, hits the Weakness (x1.6) of Gyarados's Water typing. If this connects directly, you risk being completely turned around and one-shotted, regardless of how much HP you have left.

💡 Shield Management Against Ho-Oh (PvP)
Always stay mindful of how much energy the opponent's Ho-Oh has pooled (energy management). While you don't need to shield Sacred Fire since it's resisted, you must absolutely shield if there's a possibility of Brave Bird or Solar Beam. This psychological tug-of-war of turning shields on and off heavily dictates victory or defeat.

5. Defensive Points of Caution Against Other Types
① Ground and Rock Types in General (Groudon, Rhyperior, etc.)
Groudon (Raid/PvP): It can heavily shut down Ground-type moves with a Double Resistance (x0.391), making it incredibly sturdy even against its strongest move, Precipice Blades, allowing Gyarados to stably remain on the field.

Rhyperior (Raid): Gyarados itself is Weak to Rock-type moves (x1.6). Taking a direct hit from moves like Rock Wrecker or Stone Edge will cause fatal damage, so reading the situation, using evasion maneuvers in Raids, or trying to brute-force without shields in PvP is strictly forbidden.

② Psychic and Ghost Types (Mewtwo, Giratina, etc.)
Mewtwo (PvP): In its base form, Gyarados lacks a Psychic resistance. Furthermore, if it takes a surprise Thunderbolt (Double Weakness: x2.56) that Mewtwo might carry as a coverage move, it will suffer near-instant-KO level damage. Therefore, shield mind games are absolutely mandatory here as well.

Giratina (PvP): Gyarados will take incoming Ghost- and Dragon-type moves for neutral damage. Since it won't be struck by weaknesses that cause instant death (like Electric or Rock), it is capable of dragging the opponent into a relatively stable match of attrition.