The Pokemon franchise provides players with a substantial degree of freedom when it comes to playing how a specific player wants to play and letting one express themselves. Not only can a player create compose a team of any of their favorite Pokemon from nearly one thousand to chose, but players are also able to make their individual Pokemon distinct through their choice of moves.
While there are several iconic moves in the series that are popular for their abilities to dish out serious damage, there are plenty of incredibly powerful moves that plenty of players tend to sleep on. So today, we're going to examine ten underrated moves in Pokemon that players frequently overlook.
10 Growth
When it comes to stat-raising moves, moves such as Swords Dance and Nasty Plot are often the first to come to player's minds, sharply increasing a Pokemon's attack and special attack respectively. Growth is a grass-type move that normally increases a Pokemon's attack and special attack each by one tier. However, in harsh sunlight provided by Sunny Day, the effects of this move are doubled, increasing each of these stats by two tiers! This can make it an incredibly useful means of bolstering one's offense in teams that aim to make use of Sunny Day.
9 Psyshock
Pshshock is a unique offensive Pschich-type move with 80 power. While this move has less power than a move like Psychic, despite being a special attack move, Psyshock deals its damage against an opposing Pokemon's defense rather than their special defense.
This allows a strong Psychic-type pokemon to serve as a mixed attacker while only requiring them to have high special attack.
8 Leech Seed
A grass-type move that has been part of Pokemon since the very first generation, Leech Seed plants seeds into an opposing Pokemon, gradually draining them of their health over the course of a battle. While it doesn't deal a great deal of damage at once, over time, this damage can really add up, gaining health for its user. This makes it a stellar move for a defensive wall that is aiming to stall an opponent for as long as possible.
7 Knock Off
As is the case with Psyshock, while there are more highly damaging offensive options than the dark-type move, Knock Off, it provides excellent utility that can throw a wrench into an opponent's plans.
With 60 power and 100 accuracy, a Pokemon that is hit by knock off looses all of the benefits of its held item for the remainder of a battle. As many strategies aim to make the most out of their held items, Knock Off is a gear move for disrupting another player's plans.
6 Wish
Some of the most popular health recovery moves in Pokemon tend to be the likes of Recover, Softboiled, and Roost, moves that can instantly recover its user's health. Conversely, Wish is a move with a similar effect, but with a delay, not gaining a Pokemon its health until the end of the next turn. However, this delay can be used as a positive, allowing a player to potentially heal their other Pokemon through switching out and using the next move on our list.
5 U-Turn
Though it lacks in the damage department, U-Turn is among the best Bug-type moves in the entirety of Pokemon, though it is iften skipped over by new players. A physical attack move with 70 power and 100 accuracy, after a Pokemon uses this move, a player is automatically allowed to switch to another of their Pokemon. As switching out is something that is done quite regularly, a move that allows this to be done while still dealing damage is a great deal that shouldn't be undervalued.
4 Skill Swap
As the name would imply, Skill Swap is a Psychic type move that allows its user to exchange its ability with another Pokemon. As there are over 300 abilities currently in Pokemon, this move opens up significant potential for a player's strategy and synergies. While the move can be used in order to steal an opposing Pokemon's useful ability, it can also be used to removing a hindering ability from an otherwise powerful Pokemon such as Slaking or Regigigas.
3 Power Split
Power Split is a move that as the name would suggest, equally distributes the attack of the two active Pokemon. While it may not seem like much as first, when used by a Pokemon such as Shuckle that has abysmal offensive stats, this move can cause major problem's for an opposing Pokemon as their offensive capabilities and significantly hindered.
2 Encore
Few moves can be as annoying for one's opponent as a well-timed Encore. After being used, an opposing Pokemon must repeatedly use the move it had used most recently. Encore can be used to lock another Pokemon into repeatedly using a status move more than is necessary, essentially rendering them useless and open for attacks.
1 Taunt
Taunt is a move that essentially has the opposite application as Encore, goading an opposing Pokemon into only being able to use offensive moves. When used against an opposing utility Pokemon or a wall, this move can prevent an opponent's Pokemon from doing anything notably worthwhile, usually forcing a switch.