This list features the most powerful moves trainers can teach their Pokemon. That means some obviously powerful moves are not going to be listed because some are only for Legendaries and cannot be learned.
Updated on May 29, 2022, by Kirkland Fortner:There are tons of different aspects to take into consideration when building a great Pokemon team. Which Pokemon to include (or exclude) often comes down to the particular moves that particular creature can learn. Originally this list only stopped at the top 10 most powerful moves, but it has now been expanded in order to give the player even more powerful options to consider.
15 Explosion
If trainers want the strongest move that deals Normal-type damage, this is it. The move has been around since the first generation. Strong Pokemon that can naturally learn this move by leveling up include Golem, Forretress, Drifblim, Turtonator, Ferrothorn, and Claydol. As a TM though, it can be learned by other Pokemon such as Gengar, Steelix, Metagross, and Camerupt.
While the move does kill the user, it deals a ton of damage to those around it. Just do not try it on any Ghost-types though! It won’t affect them!
14 Earthquake
This popular move deals Ground-type damage to any Pokemon as long as it’s not a Flying-type or has the ability Levitate. It has also been around since the first generation games. Like Explosion, part of what makes Earthquake so good is that it affects every Pokemon on the field. Unlike Explosion, the user also does not take any damage. This move is especially good if the enemy Pokemon uses Dig.
Pokemon that can naturally learn this move by leveling up include Mudsdale, Golurk, Krookodile, Mamoswine, and Flygon. As a TM, a lot more Pokemon can learn the move such as Charizard, Blissey, Wailord, Salamence, Gallade, and more.
13 Thunder
This Electric-type move is the Flying-type killer. It has also been around since the first games. Not only does it deal a ton of damage, but it has a chance of paralyzing the opponent. The PP is only ten, but it can easily be increased with a PP up. A major weakness this move has is that it can easily miss. So if accuracy goes down, then Thunder can be very difficult to use.
Pokemon that can learn this move by leveling up include Pikachu, Ampharos, Jolteon, and more. As a TM, it can be taught to Lapras, Dragonite, Aggron, and others.
12 Boomburst
Boomburst, like Explosion, is a Normal-type move that deals a ton of damage to everyone around it. Since it is Normal-type, it won’t affect Ghost-types. The only other Pokemon immune to the move are ones that have the ability Soundproof since it is a sound-based move.
Out of the moves on this list, this one has the fewest that can learn it. No TM of it exists yet. Those that can learn it by leveling up are only Exploud, Vibrava, and Noivern. If trainers are talented breeders though, they can breed Chatot, Pikipek, and Taillow to learn the move. The reason so few can learn this move may partly be due to the fact that this move has only existed since Pokemon X and Y.
11 Hydro Cannon
This move has become known as the most powerful Water-type move. It was introduced in generation three and can only be learned by a fully evolved Water-type Pokemon. While it deals a ton of damage, it does have the setback of having to skip the next turn. Many players, however, find the skipped turn worth the damage output.
What sets this move apart from many others is that it has yet to ever be learned naturally. For trainers to teach their Pokemon this move, they need to find a Move Tutor. He also will only teach this move to fully evolved Water-type starters such as Primarina, Blastoise, Feraligatr, Swampert, and others.
10 Foul Play
Foul Play was introduced in Pokemon Black and White and became known as one of the best Dark-type moves. The Pokemon that can naturally learn this move are primarily Dark-types such as Zoroark, Houndoom, Honchkrow, and others. The only ones that are not Dark-type and can learn it by leveling are Klefki and Oranguru.
Through a TM or Move Tutor though, a lot more Pokemon from other types can learn Foul Play.
9 Focus Punch
Introduced in the third generation of games, Focus Punch is known to be one of the strongest Fighting-type moves. What makes using the move a bit tricky though is that one’s Pokemon has to give up a turn to focus.
If a player’s Pokemon is hit while it focuses, it loses focus and cannot use Focus Punch. Trainers have figured out how to avoid that from happening though with moves that make the opponent sleep or get paralyzed and so on.
8 Scald
What a lot of trainers love about this move is that it is Water-type, but there’s a 30 percent chance that it can inflict a burn on its target. But it is important to note that if the target is frozen Scald will thaw them free.
Scald was introduced in Pokemon Black and White and can be learned by practically every Water-type Pokemon there is. Even better, it is a Water-type move that some Fire-type Pokemon can learn.
7 Moonblast
This Fairy-type move was introduced at the same time Fairy-types came to be in Pokemon X and Y. Like Boomburst, players were mind-blown by how powerful the new move was. Not only does it deal a lot of damage, but it has a 30 percent chance of lowering the opponents’ Special Attack stat by one stage.
While it can naturally be learned by a lot of Fairy-types, other types can naturally learn it such as Gloom, Noctowl, Altaria, and Lunatone.
6 Sky Attack
Around since generation one, Sky Attack is one of those powerful moves that take up two turns. Besides dealing a great amount of damage, it has a 30 percent chance to make the opponent flinch. It is even more powerful in the Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee games, boosting its power from 140 to 200!
Pokemon that can naturally learn these moves include Togekiss, Fearow, Noctowl, and some other Flying-types.
5 Poltergeist
Poltergeist is a Physical Ghost-type move with 110 base Power and 90% Accuracy. Poltergeist is unique in that it is the only move that requires an opponent to be holding an item for it to work, as the user attacks the target with the item. There are a lot of things that make this move so strong. For one, it’s a Ghost-type move, which is already a big plus, as the only 2 types that can resist Ghost are Dark and Normal. Ghost hits most types neutrally at worst. 110 base Power is incredibly solid for its extremely easy-to-work-around drawback, especially in competitive play, where every Pokemon fought will have a held item of some kind.
A good selection of Ghost-type Pokemon can learn this move, but the ones that see the most benefit from it are Marowak, Dusknoir, Golurk, Trevenant, Dhelmise, and Runerigus. This move can be learned on the Isle of Armor as a Move Tutor.
4 Eruption
Eruption is a Special Fire-type move with 150 base Power and 100% Accuracy. Eruption uses a rather interesting formula for determining damage, its damage is entirely dependent on the user’s HP, meaning the more health the user has, the more damage Eruption does. The offensive output this move has is absurd, as 150 base Power moves with such a simple drawback are incredibly rare. Even in Doubles, where moves that hit multiple Pokemon get a 25% Power reduction, Eruption still hurts like crazy. When used at the correct time, it can shred through enemy teams like it’s nothing.
However, Game Freak is fully aware of how strong this move is and as such, has given it to very few Pokemon. The only Pokemon that can learn this move are Typhlosion, Entei, Camerupt, Torkoal, and Groudon, all gotten by level up. Of these five, only Typhlosion, Camerupt, and Torkoal can use it that well.
3 Outrage
Outrage is a Physical Dragon-type move with 120 base Power and 100% Accuracy. Outrage has incredible damage output and also sees big benefit from being a Dragon-type move as much as with Ghost, only 2 types (Steel and Fairy) can resist Dragon. The move does come with 2 big drawbacks, however. 1. When Outrage is used, the user cannot select any other moves for the next 2/3 turns. Switching is still allowed, however. 2. After Outrage ends, the user becomes Confused.
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These aren’t actually too bad, though. In certain instances, being locked into Outrage can actually be a positive. If the user was going to click Outrage next turn anyway, this saves them the time of having to select it again. The Confusion effect can also be negated by giving the Pokemon intending to use it the Lum Berry or Persim Berry items, which will cure the Confusion as soon as it activates, essentially giving the user a no drawback Outrage. Alternatively, Outrage could just be selected at a smart time to switch out the user, as switching removes Confusion.
The best Outrage users are Salamence, Garchomp, and Haxorus. The move can be gotten through level up, TMs/TRs, breeding, and tutoring.
2 Head Smash
Head Smash is a Physical Rock-type move with 150 base Power and 80% Accuracy. Head Smash’s biggest drawback is that it has massive recoil. The user will lose health equal to one-half of the damage done to the opponent.
The absolute best Head Smash users are Sudowoodo, Relicanth, Aggron, and Tyrantrum, because they have access to the ludicrous combination that is STAB Head Smash with the Rock Head Ability.Rock Head has a very simple effect, it removes recoil damage from all of the user’s moves, meaning that the only drawback these Pokemon see from using this move is its imperfect Accuracy. They all get it by level up too, (minus Aggron, who gets it from breeding) so the move isn’t even difficult to obtain.
1 Acrobatics
Acrobatics is a Physical Flying-type move with 55 base Power and 100% Accuracy. This move doesn’t appear to be that powerful at first glance, but there are 2 things about it that make it extremely potent. It’s a Flying-type move, and Flying is only resisted by Electric, Rock, and Steel, making it a very safe pick when attacking with it. The bigger one however is that Acrobatics only has 55 Power if the user is holding an item, if they don’t have an item, its base Power is instead 110.
This is a laughably easy drawback to work around for a Move with such high Power and consistency. Even if the user wants to have this move and an item at the same time, they can just hold an easily consumable item like a Berry or the White Herb, giving them both the effects of the item and the Power boost from Acrobatics.
This is such a strong and easily clickable move that basically any Physical Flying-type (or even non-Flying Pokemon) can see major use of it. This move can be gotten by level up or TM.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available now on Nintendo Switch.
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