Pokemon Magikarp Jump tips and tricks
How to get ahead in the latest Pokemon mobile game
Introduction
Update: Magikarp Jump has received a new update that brings in new items, a new league, new Magikarp patterns, new support Pokemon and new training options. It's a lot! Read on to find out more about these additions and how you can use them to help you.
Original article continues below...
Magikarp Jump is the new Pokémon mobile game that is taking both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store by storm.
You can download and play Pokémon Magikarp Jump for free - there are micropayments, but you don't have to use them - right now around the world.
We've put together a series of Pokémon Magikarp Jump cheats, tips and tricks so you can read up on how to get ahead in the strange new Pokémon mobile game.
Click on through for some of the best ways to improve your jumping performance with your Magikarp.
You'll want to use the skip button
Much like traditional Pokémon games, Magikarp Jump is full of dialogue as trainers, competitors and even the Pokémon themselves talk to you.
The problem in Magikarp Jump is how repetitive it can get. You'll always get the same instructions, but there is a skip button to help speed up these events and we'd recommend tapping that quite often.
You'll find yourself hitting that button a lot once you've played specific elements of the game a few times and you realize how often the same instructions appear.
A recent update to the game has even added a skip button to the Training sessions so things are faster than ever.
It’s all about your trainer rank
Your trainer rank is one of the most important elements of Magikarp Jump and is arguably more important than each individual Magikarp's score. A recent update has raised the maximum trainer rank to 79 so if you thought you'd gone as high as you could go, we're afraid you have to keep jumping.
You're going to lose Magikarp along the way, so you should also keep an eye on your trainer rank while you play. It'll allow you to catch and train higher level Magikarp when you have to head back to the pond to collect a new Pokémon.
You'll up your trainer rank naturally, but it's just worth keeping an eye on while you play.
Cheering Pokémon are useful
Other Pokémon appear in the game to help out your Magikarp by cheering them on, providing items, or restoring ability points. These Pokemon are limited in number and require time to recharge, but you'll be joined by Pikachu pretty early on in the game.
You can use diamonds to buy some such as Charizard or Snorlax, or you'll earn others such as Bulbasaur and Meowth by completing the story of the game.
A recent update has seen the introduction of Mudkip and Eevee as support Pokemon. Eevee is unlocked through the in-game store with 500 diamonds while you'll receive Mudkip for completing the new Ultra League.
These won't give you a major boost, but the extra JP that the Pokémon will give you at your pond or if they follow to cheer you on in the game can sometimes mean the difference between winning and losing.
Maximize your training
Every half an hour in real life you'll get an extra training point. If you're serious at playing Magikarp Jump, you should try and maximize your training points and use them as soon as possible.
It may mean you'll be playing the game a lot, but if you want to get the best score you possibly can you may think it's worth it. Luckily your phone will notify you when you've got a new training point to use, as long as you have notifications turned on.
There are several kinds of training sessions, some of which offer more points than others. Unfortunately, you don't get to pick which training sessions you do.
Food Fever is important
Food Fever is when Manaphy - pictured above - passes by the screen and offers you a chance to gorge on those glorious jump points.
If you tap the floating Pokémon in time, you'll be greeted with a screen full of food so you'll have to tap like mad to be able to pick it all up in time. If you're close to leveling up, this may be the way you're going to do it.
Claim your rewards
This is a hidden feature, but you sometimes get rewards for hitting achievements in Pokémon Magikarp Jump.
To claim these, head into the menu at the top right of your Magikarp tank and then press achievements. You'll have a list of all the milestones you've reached so far and from there you can press 'Get Reward.'
It means you'll have lots more diamonds to spend on things that are very important in the game and you'll be one step closer to having that Charizard by your side.
You can see the whole tank
Some Magikarp Jump players are yet to realize, but if you pinch the screen and drag out you'll be able to see the entire tank in one easy to see view.
It means you'll be able to spot all the food you want to collect without having to zoom around the screen. It's a simple tip, but it'll mean playing the game is much easier than when it's zoomed in close to your Magikarp.
Not all random events are good
Magikarp Jump isn't afraid to kill your Pokémon. Some of our Magikarp have been eaten and electrocuted, so you need to be careful in the random events of which there are 40 in total.
Most of the time, random events can be avoided. For example, one event allows you to jump into a tree to collect some fruit. This is when a Pidgeotto swung down and took our Magikarp away, but there was an option not to even jump at all and that would have been a much safer idea.
Upgrade training plans
If you want to maximize your training, one of our best Magikarp Jump cheats is to upgrade all of your available training plans as soon as possible.
It means each training exercise will be as powerful as the Jump Counter option, so you'll be able to get the most JP out of each time you spend a training point
Get a Gyarados
Even though Magikarp Jump is all about empowering Magikarp, you can still get your hands on a Gyarados.
In your items you'll notice that there's an Everstone, which is a special stone used to stop your Magikarp evolving. To get rid of this, continuously tap on your Magikarp in the tank and you'll get a notification that its Everstone has broken.
After this, all you have to do is get your Magikarp up to level 20 and it'll evolve into Gyarados. Be aware that once you've done this, Gyarados will immediately be retired since it can't compete in Magikarp competitions. It does, however unlock event number 36, 'Adios Gyarados' which should get you some nice rewards.
James is the Editor-in-Chief at Android Police. Previously, he was Senior Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones and the mobile space for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones and other portable gadgets. James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more. He once fell over.