It is worth developing Magikarp because you will get the powerful evolution Gyarados. Magikarp has no attack abilities and therefore has to be trained passively.
Developing Magikarp – these are the requirements
Fortunately, to evolve Magikarp, you don't need an item, nor do you have to spin in circles at a specific time of day, as is required for the Pokémon Hokumil.
- No matter which edition you are playing, Magikarp evolves into Gyarados at level 20. You can usually find the Pokémon in bodies of water, for example by fishing or swimming in them. If you have caught a Magikarp that has already reached level 20 or higher, you only need to level it up once for it to evolve.
- The special thing about Magikarp is that it can't really attack for the first 15 levels. This is because up to level 15 it only knows the move Splash and this has no effect on the opponent, let alone causes any damage.
- In most editions, Pokémon receive experience points (XP) by participating in battles. If you have Magikarp at the top of your team lineup, it will always be sent into the battle at the start of the battle. If you immediately switch Pokémon to a stronger one and defeat the opponent with it, Magikarp will still receive a certain amount of XP, even though it did not actively participate in the battle.
- If you feed your Magikarp the item “Rare Candy”, you increase its level. For each Rare Candy, Magikarp goes up a level. Since these are not always easy to find, you should think carefully about whether you want to use them for lower levels. In Pokémon Purple and Crimson, there are also EP candies in different sizes that only give a certain EP value instead of a whole level.
- Also depending on the edition you are playing is the existence of the Pokémon Daycare. This service allows you to give a certain number of Pokémon into the care of the Daycare, where they will continuously gain experience points even though they are not part of your team.
- In most editions, there is either an item or a feature in the settings that allows you to share experience points you gain between your Pokémon. In the newest games, Crimson and Purple, for example, the feature is permanently enabled.
- Once your Magikarp reaches level 20, it automatically evolves into the much stronger Gyarados and learns more powerful attack moves. In addition to its Flying/Water duo type, it is also able to learn Dragon-type attacks – both through regular leveling and through the use of TMs.
These weak Pokémon also have powerful evolutions
Magikarp is not the only Pokémon known for only becoming a capable Pokémon when it is evolved. While there is no Pokémon that is truly as useless as the helplessly splashing around Fishmon, there are certain Pokémon whose evolutions are much stronger in comparison.
- One of the most famous evolutionary series in this context is that of the Pokémon Larvitar. It evolves late, at level 30, for the first time into Pupitar, a metal cocoon, and at level 55 into the powerhouse Tyranitar. Tyranitar's total base value of 600 is twice as high as that of Larvitar and it was long considered one of the most powerful Pokémon in the competitive scene.
- The situation is similar with Tanhel, the Steel/Psychic Pokémon from the third Pokémon generation. It develops into Metang at level 20, but until then it doesn't learn any attacks other than the Tackle it already learned at level 1. At level 45, Metang becomes Metagross, which, like Tyranitar, has a total base value of 600 and is therefore twice as strong as Tanhel.
- Like Magikarp, the Pokémon Abra, which has been around since the first generation, is very helpless. If you come across Abra in the wild, you have to hurry, as the psychic Pokémon only has the ability Teleport, which causes it to flee from battle immediately. It only learns new attacks at level 16, when it evolves into Kadabra. Kadabra only evolves into Alakazam when it is traded with another player.
- Bonus: The tables are turned with the development of the Pokémon Nincada. The bug Pokémon develops into Ninjask at level 20. If you have at least one Pokéball in your inventory at this point, you also receive the Pokémon Ninjatom. While Ninjask is stronger than Nincada, Ninjatom, which is the discarded shell of the newly hatched Pokémon, is weaker than the basic Pokémon.
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