Playing Pokémon games effectively and being a great Pokémon master requires you to put some thought into the moves you use during fights. With the threat of enemy Pokémon, the factors of elemental effects, and the limitations of PP in battle, it's crucial to hang onto and bust out moves that can take out your opponents quickly and effectively.
But with such an absurdly long list of moves, and the restrictions put on the number of abilities each Pokémon can equip, prioritizing the best moves can be a difficult task.
But never fear! With this list, we'll help you pinpoint 10 of the absolute best moves that you won't want to get rid of. These will emphasize raw power, but will also factor in other effects, stats, and circumstances like accuracy and elemental status conditions.
10 Aura Sphere
This is a very handy and effective tool for fighting types to unleash for a number of reasons. Aside from accuracy not been a factor for this blast of aura power, it also does not make physical contact with its target, mitigating any worry of nasty results like Flame Body or Effect Spore. As of Gen VI, its power stands at an admirable 80, but it was even more potent prior to those games, as its power sat at 90. It's also useful as this Fighting-type move will be super effective against a whopping 5 other elemental types (normal, ice, rock, dark, steel).
This is really a versatile, powerhouse move that can work wonders in saving you in a heated battle.
9 Water Spout
Pound for pound, Water spout blasts to the surface as one of the single most effective and impactful Water-type moves in Pokémon. This special attack, introduced in Gen III, packs a tremendous amount of power - 150 to be exact - only costs 5 PP, and sports a 100% accuracy. They'll also knock out stalagmites in the background of battles, which will enable players to snag Berries at the end of a fight.
The move will even hit opponents adjacent to the target Pokémon if present, and are particularly useful when the user's current HP is high - as this stat is factored into its overall power. This makes for an excellent go-to move for players who know what they're doing and utilize the unique attributes of Water Spout effectively.
8 Thunderbolt
Assuming you're steering clear of those pesky Ground-type Pokémon, it's tough not to count Thunderbolt among one of the strongest, most useful moves that you'll want to hang onto.
This special move does not make contact, boasts 90 power, and has a surefire 100% accuracy each time it's used. As of Gen VI, this devastating ability also has a chance to paralyze an opponent (aside from fellow Electric-types), rendering your opponent both critically wounded and vulnerable as they're restricted from responding. Though unleashing Thunder on a Water or Flying-type presents a good chance your opponent won't be around long enough to even be paralyzed in the first place.
7 Flare Blitz
About the only thing that can be considered a detriment to this otherwise beast of an attack is its bothersome recoil damage it inflicts on the user, striking you with 1/3rd the damage done to your target. Still, it's easy to disregard this little setback considering how insanely powerful it is.
At 100% accuracy, a 10% chance to inflict a damage-over-time Burn, and sports a whopping 120 power, Flare Blitz should make quite an impact in battle. You'll definitely want to hang onto this one provided you've got a Fire-type from Generation IV and beyond that can learn it. It can prove particularly useful if you're looking to take on an ominous grass, ice, bug, or steel type Pokémon and swiftly weaken them to make them a catchable target.
6 Stealth Rock
Taking its place as the one move on our list that does not directly inflict damage, Stealth Rock is nonetheless a very effective and useful tool for users playing a longer, more strategic game.
What this move does is restrict an opponent's ability to get trigger-happy with swapping out Pokémon, as doing so will deal a proportional amount of damage based on the maximum HP of a monster entering the fray. It'll also dissuade them from countering your monsters with more effective ones or pulling super-weak ones.
This can really eat away at the potency of an opponent with multiple Pokémon during the course of a battle, especially against Fire, Ice, Flying, and Bug-types; most of which are pretty common elements. This "entry hazard" is particularly useful in competitive battles in which you're facing a real opponent equipped with a party full of Pokémon.
5 Prismatic Laser
Psychic-types can be quite fun to use in battle, given their impressive skillset, unique moves, and ability to put targets to sleep. The beastly special attack known as Prismatic Laser further establishes the impact this hypnotic breed of Pokémon can have.
While the move does sport a bothersome recharge, this at least gets negated if the user happens to be protected from the attack. It also has a 100% accuracy rating, costs just 10 PP, and comes equipped with a massive 160 power! Basically, this is one of the most deadly moves you can get your hands on in Generation VII Pokémon.
4 Hyperspace Fury
If you can get past the fact that this Dark-type move will only be super-effective against a couple of elements (Psychic, Ghost), Hyperspace Fury shines through as one of the coolest, most impactful attacks in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. It is the signature move of the Mythical Pokémon Hoopa. This beast does not make contact and not miss - even if a target is protected by defensive moves like Spiky Shield or Baneful Bunker; and it even wipes the effects of those abilities.
At the cost of 5 PP and a power of 100, Hyperspace Fury is a move you'll want to exploit as much as possible if you're using the always awesome Hoopa Unbound.
3 Earthquake
Reverting back to a far more obtainable - yet nonetheless powerful - move, we have Earthquake, a Ground-type that's been with us since the good ol' days of Red/Blue.
This literal ground-breaking attack will strike all adjacent Pokémon, hits at 100% accuracy, and only costs 10 PP in the process. Not only this, but it packs a punch of 100 power, which is particularly useful when you consider there are 5 different elemental types that are weak against Ground - Fire, Electric, Poison, Rock, and Steel. Basically you'll want to hang onto this one for the long-haul.
2 Roar Of Time
It's no secret that Dragon-type Pokémon can make for some pretty dangerous fighters, and this insane move called Roar of Time just reestablishes that fact.
One of the strongest special attacks in the game, Roar of Time is a dazzling, super-satisfying Dragon-type beam that can melt opponents rather quickly. Its stats are absolutely stacked, as it uses up just 5 PP, packs 150 power, and has a more-than-sufficient 90% accuracy. You'll have to wait an extra turn for this beast to recharge, but given its potency in battle, it's very much worth the wait to unleash.
1 Boomburst
Who says that Normal-types can't be as glamorous or as fun to use as its elemental brethren?
Boomburst is sort of like an improved version of the already devastating Hyper Beam attack. While its power is a smidgen lower than that move (140 vs 150) and isn't super effective against anything, it more than makes up for this tiny setback in most other areas with its versatility and solid stats across the board. With a 100% accuracy rating, a reliable area-of-effect hit, and the lack of a recharge which wastes a turn, this is the Hyper Beam on roids.