- Starts
- at Local Time
- Ends
- at Local Time
Pokémon Spotlight Hour will feature a different Pokémon and a special bonus for one hour at 6:00 p.m. local time on Thursday during the month of August. Magikarp Spotlight Hour takes place on August 20th, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm local time, with a bonus of 2x XP for catching Pokémon.
This Spotlight Hour is the second August 2026 Pokémon spotlight.
Trainers who plan to participate should be prepared with a Mega Pokémon to maximise candy gains per Pokémon caught. Here’s everything you need to know!
- If you want further information about Spotlight Hours, check out our comprehensive guide.
Magikarp Spotlight Hour
Bonuses
You will get 2x XP for Catching Pokémon
Shiny Magikarp and its evolution is available in Pokémon GO
Note on XP Bonus
If you do not want to catch the featured Pokémon, you can make use of the 2x catch XP bonus by catching any saved Scatterbug, or opening a Mystery Box or Coin Bag! Remember to stack 2 Lucky Eggs if you’re out for the duration of Spotlight Hour, or make use of Roar of Time to pause your timers.
Magikarp
Magikarp is a Water-type Pokémon in Pokémon GO. As a Water-type Pokémon, Magikarp is weak to Electric and Grass-type moves.
Magikarp’s maximum Combat Power stat is 310 CP, and its recommended Pokémon GO moveset is Splash / Struggle. Magikarp encounters are boosted during Rain weather. Shiny Magikarp is available! ✨
|
Magikarp
|
400 Magikarp Candy |
Gyarados
|
|
Gyarados
|
300/60 Mega Energy |
Mega Gyarados
|
For all the completionists out there, there is a small difference between the male and female Magikarp and Gyarados. For both of these Pokémon, the females have different colour tendrils!
If you’re shiny hunting during this spotlight, this is a subtle one to spot! The usual orange on Magikarp turns into a gold colour!
| Regular Sprite | Shiny Sprite | |
| Magikarp (M) |
Magikarp
|
Magikarp
|
| Magikarp (F) |
Magikarp
|
Magikarp
|
| Gyarados (M) |
Gyarados
|
Gyarados
|
| Gyarados (F) |
Gyarados
|
Gyarados
|
| Mega Gyarados |
Mega Gyarados
|
Mega Gyarados
|
| LVL | Max CP | LVL | Max CP | LVL | Max CP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 CP | 2 | 12 CP | 3 | 20 CP |
| 4 | 28 CP | 5 | 37 CP | 6 | 45 CP |
| 7 | 53 CP | 8 | 61 CP | 9 | 70 CP |
| 10 | 78 CP | 11 | 86 CP | 12 | 94 CP |
| 13 | 102 CP | 14 | 109 CP | 15 | 117 CP |
| 16 | 125 CP | 17 | 133 CP | 18 | 141 CP |
| 19 | 149 CP | 20 | 157 CP | 21 | 164 CP |
| 22 | 172 CP | 23 | 180 CP | 24 | 188 CP |
| 25 | 196 CP | 26 | 204 CP | 27 | 212 CP |
| 28 | 219 CP | 29 | 227 CP | 30 | 235 CP |
| 31 | 239 CP | 32 | 243 CP | 33 | 247 CP |
| 34 | 251 CP | 35 | 255 CP | 36 | 259 CP |
| 37 | 263 CP | 38 | 266 CP | 39 | 270 CP |
| 40 | 274 CP | 41 | 278 CP | 42 | 281 CP |
| 43 | 285 CP | 44 | 288 CP | 45 | 292 CP |
| 46 | 296 CP | 47 | 299 CP | 48 | 303 CP |
| 49 | 306 CP | 50 | 310 CP |
The following Pokémon will grant you extra bonuses when catching Magikarp if they are Mega evolved.
Mega Catch Bonus
While a Pokémon is Mega-Evolved, additional XP and Candy is granted when catching a Pokémon that shares a type with it, or for any raid boss caught. These do not stack with each other. Additionally, High and Max Level Mega-Evolved Pokémon grant an increased chance to obtain Candy XL when catching a Pokémon that shares a type with it.
PVE
The iconic Gyarados is worth the 400 Candy grind! By virtue of its Water and Flying-type combo, it is an ace against Ground Pokémon. 🌊
Aside from being a dependable harbinger of Water-type damage, it can also masquerade as a Pseudo Dragon Pokémon with its wide array of Dragon-type moves. 🐲
To sum it up, it’s not among the best Water Pokémon, but it’s undoubtedly an asset to your team. 💙
⚔️ Raids
Gyarados falls behind several of its peers (including its own Mega Evolution) for DPS, but against Ground Raid bosses, it can often last longer. ⏳
🛡️ Gyms
Gyarados is weak only to Electric and Rock-type damage. However, its double weakness to Electric means it can be easily taken down with a single Electric-type Charge attack. ⚡
It does counter Rock Pokémon with its Water-type moves, so that’s a plus. This makes it a double-edged sword in Gym defense and a generally viable choice. 🎖️
PVP
Legendary Pokémon like Kyogre, Palkia Origin Forme, and Palkia are all better Water Pokémon than Gyarados in PvP. However, our serpentine fish has one thing they don’t: the ability to counter Dragon Pokémon while not taking super-effective damage in return. 😁
Dragon Breath, Aqua Tail, and Crunch turn Gyarados into a multifaceted beast that can stand its ground against some formidable opponents. Most importantly, it excels at cutting down Dragons, especially when shields are in play. 🐉
On the other hand, Waterfall—wait, Gary doesn’t have hands 😳—well, anyway, Waterfall boasts high STAB damage and is fantastic for tormenting Steel and Fairy Pokémon, which the Dragon Breath variant may struggle against. ⛲
🔵 Great League
Gyarados’ offense-oriented stats are not built for optimal performance in Great League. It isn’t able to unlock its full potential in this format, so it’s best reserved for higher GBL metas. 🙂
🟡 Ultra League
Gyarados shines in Ultra League thanks to its Dragon coverage, versatile moveset, and solid resistance to Ground moves. 🙌
With these qualities, it’s an excellent choice to handle threats like Dragonite, Mud Bois such as Swampert and Gastrodon, Charizard, Registeel, and even Giratina. Awesome, right? 😍
🟣 Master League
Ah, Gyarados. You’re not a top pick for Master League, and you can’t quite compare to the overpowered Water-type Legendaries. But hey! Dragons, Fairies, Psychics, and Steels—they all fear you! 😳
That’s Gyarados in Master League in a nutshell. Not the best, but it can beat the best. 🥳
