Golduck
Water
Best attacking moveset: Water Gun and Hydro Pump, worth 9.9 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Golduck can learn 14 combinations. Water Gun with Hydro Pump does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Confusion | Psychic | 19 | 1.5s | +14 |
| Water Gun | Water | 5 | 0.5s | +5 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubble Beam | Water | 45 | 2.0s | -33 |
| Cross Chop | Fighting | 50 | 1.5s | -50 |
| Hydro Pump | Water | 135 | 3.5s | -100 |
| Ice Beam | Ice | 95 | 3.5s | -50 |
| Liquidation | Water | 70 | 3.0s | -33 |
| Psychic | Psychic | 95 | 3.0s | -50 |
| Synchronoise | Psychic | 80 | 2.5s | -50 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Golduck has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, evolution, photobomb.
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 2,770 at level 50, 2,450 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 1,400 CP at level 20, or 1,750 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 1,330 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 191 attack · 162 defense · 190 stamina |
What it costs
| Second charged move | 50,000 Stardust and 50 Candy |
|---|---|
| Buddy distance | 3 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 3,000 Stardust and 3 Candy |
| Size | 1.7 m and 76.6 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Golduck does not have one best moveset, it has 5. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Ground, Rock, Fire.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Ground | Water Gun + Hydro Pump | 16.1 |
| Rock | Water Gun + Hydro Pump | 16.1 |
| Fire | Water Gun + Hydro Pump | 16.1 |
| Fighting | Confusion + Psychic | 14.2 |
| Poison | Confusion + Psychic | 14.2 |
| Water Gun + Ice Beam | 11.6 | |
| Grass | Confusion + Ice Beam | 11.4 |
| Dragon | Confusion + Ice Beam | 11.4 |
| Normal | Water Gun + Cross Chop | 10.3 |
| Steel | Water Gun + Cross Chop | 10.3 |
| Ice | Water Gun + Cross Chop | 10.3 |
| Dark | Water Gun + Cross Chop | 10.3 |
| Bug | Water Gun + Hydro Pump | 9.9 |
| Ghost | Water Gun + Hydro Pump | 9.9 |
| Electric | Water Gun + Hydro Pump | 9.9 |
| Psychic | Water Gun + Hydro Pump | 9.9 |
| Fairy | Water Gun + Hydro Pump | 9.9 |
| Water | Confusion + Psychic | 9.0 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Golduck is actually for.
Counters: what beats Golduck
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Regieleki | Electric | Lock On + Thunder Cage Legacy | 39.0 |
 Zeraora | Electric | Volt Switch + Plasma Fists | 33.5 |
 Kartana | GrassSteel | Razor Leaf + Leaf Blade | 33.4 |
 Zekrom | DragonElectric | Charge Beam + Fusion Bolt Legacy | 32.7 |
 Xurkitree | Electric | Thunder Shock + Discharge | 32.3 |
 Roserade | GrassPoison | Magical Leaf + Leaf Storm | 28.4 |
 Eternatus | PoisonDragon | Poison Jab + Dynamax Cannon Legacy | 28.3 |
 Deoxys | Psychic | Charge Beam + Thunderbolt | 28.1 |
 Electivire | Electric | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 28.0 |
 Zarude | DarkGrass | Vine Whip + Power Whip | 27.9 |
Ranked by damage per second against Golduck's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.