Certain moves are so strong they shape the entire metagame. Here are the 20 best moves in Pokemon, ranked by competitive impact, damage output, and utility.
Offensive Legends
- Earthquake — 100 BP, perfect accuracy, hits most of the game neutrally.
- Close Combat — 120 BP, but drops Defense/Sp.Def after use.
- Draco Meteor — 130 BP, drops Sp.Atk by 2 stages.
- Hurricane — 110 BP, 30% confuse, 100% accurate in rain.
- Ice Beam — 90 BP, perfect accuracy, 10% freeze chance.
- Thunderbolt — 90 BP, 10% paralysis chance.
- Flamethrower — 90 BP, 10% burn chance.
- Moonblast — 95 BP Fairy, 30% Sp.Atk drop.
- Psychic / Psyshock — Psychic STAB staples.
- Dark Pulse — 80 BP, 20% flinch chance.
Priority Moves
- Extreme Speed — +2 priority, 80 BP Normal.
- Aqua Jet — +1 priority, 40 BP Water.
- Bullet Punch — +1 priority, 40 BP Steel (boosted by Technician).
- Sucker Punch — +1 priority Dark, only if target is attacking.
Utility Moves
- Knock Off — 65 BP + removes opponent\'s item (97.5 BP if held).
- U-turn / Volt Switch — Attack and switch in one turn.
- Will-O-Wisp — burn, halves opposing Attack.
- Toxic — escalating poison damage.
- Stealth Rock — entry hazards that punish switches.
- Spikes — physical entry hazard, stacks three times.
The Most Impactful Move
If forced to pick one, Knock Off is arguably the most impactful move in the game. It deals decent damage and removes the opponent\'s held item permanently — hurting them for the rest of the match. Every competitive team runs at least one Knock Off user.