The Best Pokemon Moves in Every Generation 

What move do you think changed Pokemon the most?

You forgot to mention that Leech Life is an actually good move now

Hold Hands is *obviously* the most important move in the entire franchise, where would the competitive scene be without it?

I only recently learned that Close Combat wasn't added until Gen 4 and suddenly Fighting Types struggling in Gens 1-3 makes a whole lot more sense. Most Fighting Type Pokemon didn't have a 100% accurate STAB or were using STAB lacking in damage.

For gen 5, I think an honorable mention should go to Psyshock, letting some special attackers hit those special walls hard.

Body Press from Gen 8 was a pretty damn good move giving defensive Mons some good damage

Baton Pass should be mentioned in the gen 2 because how much trouble it leaved in singles. Also, even it's spiritual sucessor - shed tail - make quite a mess too.

Imagine talking about the buffed Knock Off but not the buffed Defog. In Gens 4-5, only lowers evasiveness of the opponent by one stage. But Gen 6 onwards, it gets rid of entry hazards like Stealth Rocks and Spikes

RIP Scald. Going from the best generic water type move to the signature move of Volcanion, who doesn’t need it cause it has steam eruption

Don't think I saw Fake Out being mentioned, wich became a huge move for VGC during next generations

Close Combat really said: I’m gonna be the representative for all fighting types and there’s nothing you can do about it

Can't believe you didn't mention Power Up Punch, was so busted on Mega Kangaskhan, popular with Assault vest users and was quickly taken off the TM list despite having such a large amount of pokemon who can learn it. Honestly I wonder how many Pokemon from gens 7-9 would have been better with this move.

It's funny that you mention Shed Tail, considering the Smogon Singles format has recently banned the move, and I heard they are also going to be banning Last Respects too once the Home update is going to drop next week as this move can be bred onto basculegion

Generation 5 has the moves like Jagger. Generation 3 has the move It Move It

Knock off being bad before it’s gen 6 buff is a common misconception. It saw a decent amount of use just because the item removing effect is so powerful, especially in the contexts of gen 3, 4, and 5 specifically where sand was very prevalent so being able to remove a mon’s leftovers, forcing them to take the sand chip, was huge progress. I think that knock off in it’s current state is very over tuned. It does big damage with a game-changing effect that no one, not even resists, wants to switch in on. Somewhat like u-turn, it’s literally never the wrong move.

The way they removed Pursuit is the reason why Ghost type is the probably the best type in ths current meta.

Removing pursuit really opened competitive meta a lot for psychic types and Ghost types. Was just too easy to set up sometimes.

Surprised you didn't mention Bullet Punch in Gen IV. It almost singlehandedly (not completely singlehandedly, because paired with Technician) elevated Scizor from crap to the most popular Pokemon in competitive back then, and Scizor continues to be good to this day because of it. Also Pokemon like Lucario and Metagross get Bullet Punch, Mega evolution on top of that - *chef's kiss*. And it's worth noting that many Fighting type Pokemon have access to it, giving them priority and coverage against Fairy types.

It is important to note Assist can pick Revival Blessing, which leads to the hilariously broken Revival Cats teams

Nice video. I think leech life should be an honorable mention as a move that got a major buff in Gen 7.

I've always wanted an analysis of the buffs and nerfs of Metronome through the generations!

Encore and Baton Pass for Gen 2, Taunt and Tailwind for Gen 4 would be some other moves worth a mention.

My guess on why Pursuit was removed was because it required its own function/check to use. Most of the moves that were removed seemed to fall into that category. Pursuit, Return, Hidden Power, Wring Out, Trump Card, Smelling Salts, Snatch, Foresight, etc. It's not like their isn't moves that don't require similar things but they either didn't want to or couldn't have so many different moves all requiring unique functions.

My theory on pursuit is that it negated two whole types. I seldom saw psychic or ghost types in competitive because of pursuit

Bug type had it rough in gen 1 as the only attacking moves were Twinneedle, Leech Life, and Pin Missile, all of which are weak. Thankfully, Bug got a huge buff in Megahorn when gen 2 came around. Fighting also had it rough because they didn't have a move that could bypass evasion until gen 4 with Aura Sphere and didn't have moves that had 100% accuracy until gen 3 with Focus Punch and Brick Break could now destroy Reflect and Light Screen

Gen 1 psychic had a 33% chance to drop special (which was special offense & defense in one stat). 90 bp & 100 accuracy. One of the best in that game

A couple I think deserve a mention- Baton Pass- Being able to pass stat boosts around has been so inherently busted that it’s either heavily regulated or straight out banned most gens. Ninjask in any gen comes to mind. Body Press- Giving pure walls a way to do damage(uses Def as Atk in damage calc) has been critical for Pokémon like Corvinight and Ferro in comp play. Allows for these defensive Pokémon to act as walls and attacking threats. Calm Mind/Nasty Plot- Both insane setup moves akin to DDance, but for special attackers. QD may be the best overall, but Calm Mind has such insane distribution it’s kinda scary. Defog- While this was a plain ol’ buffed move in gen 6, it redefined hazard removal, and gave Bisharp an entire OU niche as a Defog abuser. If it kept the same distribution today, it’d still be common to see where Rapid Spin couldn’t fit. Explosion/SD- Boom had a massive place as a pure wall removal strategy before its damage calc removed the halved defense. Metagross seriously ran it, as did many others. Protect- I think Protect goes overlooked, but I mean, come on, it’s Protect. Every VGC mon HAS to have it. It’s THE defensive move. Don’t want to get hurt this turn? Use protect. That’s all. It’s on almost everything, too. Every mon can just say “I’m not taking damage this turn” and that be that. Substitute- Stuff taking damage for you. Protects from status, allows for free Focus Punch. Has been abused endlessly throughout the gens. Trick/Switcheroo- I think this one’s also underrated. Goes SO well with choice items, it’s almost not even funny. Switching items around always messes up strategy, and it’s always had its place in every gen it’s been in. T-Wave- I feel like T-Wave is more obnoxious than burn. People like the burn damage off scald not always because it halved attack, but because it does stuff like negate leftovers, and out mon without Lefties on a set timer. Sort of like gen 3 sandstorm. Halving speed can be so much more universally annoying to any offensive mon, however. And not moving randomly is SO much more annoying than burn. A free turn is super crucial in Pokémon, especially in crucial situations. Wish- The prime healing move. Period. Recover is good, but Wish heals EVERYONE when switching is involved. Gen 8 teleport spam enabled this so much it wasn’t even funny.

Video Idea: Pokémon Moves that get very little Recognition

Knock off was one of the most used moves back in Gen 6 and 7. It was on sooooo many mons on showdown. Getting rid of an item is ridiculously strong

Maybe for a next video "best Abilities" from every Gen

I just want to say, great video and I loved that you used Kingdom of Uraya so so much

I think Stealth Rock goes rather understated here. Yeah, it's mentioned, but almost in passing, like "yeah this exists too moving on". Stealth Rock has single-handedly overhauled the meta based specifically around "I hope you're not weak to stealth rock" ever since its introduction. It is the move that has had, IMO, the single most _devastating_ effect on the meta in the franchise's entire history. And I hate it.

I’d like to add that gen 3 had a lot of moves very relevant to vgc like the helping hands, follow me, fake out, and yawn

I know that it should be common knowledge, but the new attacking moves introduced in gen 4 deserve more than a passing mention. Pretty much all of them have become the bread and butter of casual playthroughs.

Love the fmab reference, and an accurate one at that

The Knock Off buff is honestly one of the biggest mistakes Game Freak has ever made.

i have never and i repeat never not been burned by scald. every single time it's been used on me in the unova games i'm burnt. that 30% is apparently 100% on my cartridges lol

6:18 there was already a tool to stop dragon dance spam, it's called Ice Beam

An honorable mention for Gen 5 mostly in that it was, like Sleep Talk in Gen 2, only a major player in its debut generation, should be Acrobatics. While it still sees some use on Unburden Pokémon as those are among the ones most likely to be using a consumable item, Flying Gem-boosted Acrobatics in Gen 5 was basically a Z-Move before there were Z-Moves, hitting 165 base power even before STAB and type effectiveness were taken into account.

Expanding Force is arguably way more broken of a terrain move. 80 base power + 1.5x if Psy. Terrain is up + ANOTHER 1.3x for being a Psychic move with Psy. Terrain up. And if it does get that boost then it hits both opponents. This is effectively a 157 power move (before spread reduction). Currently, Armarouge is the only Pokemon that gets it, and I still get completely swept by it if I’m not careful.

No mentions of defog, sucker punch or sticky web... Also a correction. Knock Off is one of the most important moves from gen 3 and 4 stall teams. And gen 5 uses knock off in every team.

You forgot about the defog buff in gen 6 and protect

I can that Battle Revolution music when you started talking about gen 3!

Awesome video Curious why Baton Pass wasn't mentioned? Will you do best Held Items of each Gen video too?

I just want to add that using the battle revolution battle themes sounds just so smoooooth. Omg baton Pass in gen2. Seriously, in singles this move is impossible to balance out, passing stats is way too good in a singles metagame.

Knock off was used pre-Gen 6 (obviously not to the same degree as it was on support mons whereas later it was used on both support and offensive mons). Hariyama, Tentacruel, Cofagrigus, Clefable, and others used it. Also, it got better distribution as the generations went on.

To answer the gen 2 question, Pursuit was taken out because it "wasnt fun." Even casually.

Was that a Swagni voice line for make it rain? Never thought I'd hear that in a pokemon video, awesome!

Awesome video, you have a new subscriber 👍🏻

Maybe now the competitives can be layered on by the above perhaps accompanied by a Frostbite equivalent of Scald souls that status ever come back and/or if Scald did beyond Vocanion?

What background tracks did you use for this video? Just got a new sub of that , awesome content

Last Respects is only kind of a signature move. Basculegion also gets it when it's released on home, and it's probably an even better abuser of the move than Houndstone, especially since rain is already extremely strong. I expect this move to get banned pretty quick after Home.

I wanted to go over all the gens and add some honorable mentions on top of the ones already mentioned: Gen 1: - Body Slam needs to be mentioned for being one of the most spammed moves of gen 1 competitive. It has fallen off significantly due to Normal not nearly being as good an offensive type anymore, but Body Slam was arguably a top 5 move in gen 1. - Similarly, Psychic deserves a special mention among the 'good STABs for the cost' list bc Psychic types were broken. - I've seen Leech Life being mentioned in the comments as one of the best buffed moves of gen 1, but may I propose LGPE's buff to Teleport? Pivot moves are powerful and a negative priority one to give a free switch to any Pokémon is even more so, becoming a staple in the Sw/Sh meta. - Substitute is a great support move in both singles and doubles and deserves at least the smallest honorable mention. - Finally, Explosion pre-nerf was a nuke (pun slightly intended) of a move, unrivaled to this day by all but an overbuffed stored power or last respects. Gen 2: Offensively, there's not a lot more to mention. Outrage maybe, but it has since fallen off. Defensively though, three moves come to mind: - Baton Pass, the broken strategy in singles - Protect, the most mandatory move in doubles, and - Belly Drum, Knocked off its throne as the number 1 scariest by now (Shell Smash), but still one of the most dangerous setup moves. Gen 3: - Fake Out, arguably one of the strongest moves in doubles. - Defensively, nothing really comes close to DDance, Taunt or WoW in terms of impact, but I do think Wish deserves minor mention. - Gen 4: - Follow Me (and Gen 5's rage powder) are similalry one of the strongest doubles moves ever. Redirection is often a large deal to the point where several mons see use almost solely for their ability to redirect, like Chansey and our lord Pachirisu. - Already often mentioned, but Defog redefined singles after its buff and if you mention Knock Off, you really should mention Defog. Gen 5: Nothing to add here tbh, Hurricane, Foul Play and Psyshock deserve a little credit, but nothing too spectecular. Gen 6: Boomburst. Thinly spread as it is, it's the strongest move with no downside and it's not even close. Gen 7: Strength Sap is an insane move in its healing and support, and deserves a minor mention. But yeah, sig moves galore. Gen 8: again, sig moves galore. Gen 9: If we have to mention sig moves, Rage Fist is also high on the list of very powerful moves. Not much beyond that.

Baton Pass not getting mentioned is a crime.

yoooo Thatsaplusone made it to the video! I think you forgetting about shadow ball how it is still one of the best ghost moves to this day and crazy how it first appeared in the anime with mewtwo but became available in gen 2!

Videos about best and worst Abilities, in case you haven't done them already (can't remember)?

Knock off is another huge one, brave bird and flare Blitz are also some heavy hitters

…. So gen 2-3 we just skipping baton pass that move was so broken that it was banned repeatedly banned

You forgot to mention the at the time newly buffed Defog in Gen 6 and Leech Life in Gen 7 respectively EDIT: and Baton Pass, how can you not mention Baton Pass in Gen 2 when it caused so much trouble in Singles for so many gens

Gen 1: Swords Dance Gen 2: Spikes Gen 3: unsure Gen 4: Stealth Rocks

Whoever edited agni bomb voice line during “make it rain” is my goat

3:50 Well Hidden Power is still a move, just got changed and locked for Unown. Tera Blast replacing it as great alternative.

Can't believe Protect wasn't mentioned. It first came out in Gen 2, but it's the most used move in Doubles, and has been since forever.

4:00 I lost my 5 leveled flareon because of a pursuit from wild sparrow yesterday. It's so pissed me off! Nuzlock's random encounters so deadly!

I’m a 27 year old Pokémon fan, got a wife and kids, I love that you speak to your audience like they’re your peers. Keep up the great work, I look forward to your vids.

Bro won't make a wine joke but drops the FMAB horror scene 😂

I like that Pokemon Battle Revolution music.

I'm probably one of 5 people who noticed but I truly appreciate the little Swagni make it rain voice line at Gholdengo's move. Iykyk

Bro went the entire video without mentioning Baton Pass once 💀 (and no, him bringing it up alongside Shed Tail doesn’t count)

Pretty sure Will-o-wisp was in gen 2 as an exclusive move for Misdreavus if memory serves

No fake out??? That move is BROKEN for stalling out reflect/other lasting effects, getting chip damage to break sash and sturdy, and just shut down Pokémon entirely in doubles

Apparently they've given Last Respects to Basculegion... who has Adaptability

@6:02 well akchually it's episode 4 of Brotherhood, though it is chapter 5 of the manga

Surprised you didn't mention Gigaton Hammer. Yes, I do understand it is early in the generation so for now it is the signature move of Tinkaton, who has an ABYSMAL attack stat (and it will likely always be this way), but it's till worth talking about... to think how bad it'd be if it was given to a better mon. Mind you, a mon still with Steel STAB (very common insane defensive type btw). At 160 base power at 100 accuracy it's nothing to laugh at. And the only drawback is you can't use it twice... Which is perfectly solved by using Protect every other turn. Insane for Singles and still decent for Doubles I think. Loved the vid btw Edit: to clarify I just meant at least a mention since it is a hypothetical. It's obviously not the best.

You got the Brothehood episode half wrong. I'd say 4 and 5, given what we first witness and the learn next episode. Though I remember it as a different set of episodes. Mostly because I saw the original series.

Surprised at no mention of return, its gone now of course but 102 power with no drawback meant that no physical normal move other than facade and occasionally double edge was worth a slot, and EVERYTHING learned it.

To note, Superpower is even more powerful on Pokemon that have the ability Contrary, which causes stats to go up, like with Malamar.

No mention of Quiver Dance in gen 5? It's a special attacker version of Dragon Dance with added defensive value. It made _Venomoth_ a solid Pokemon.

To put Gen 1 Amnesia in modern context: when Xerneas gots its signature status move in Gen 6, which raised both its Sp. Attack and Sp. Defense two stages, it required a charging turn (or use of Power Herb). Gen 1 Amnesia did the same thing without the charge.

Please, Scald. Never come back the way it was. It is good as it its now.

New banger video dropped 🔥

Holy crap I haven't heard that Sw-Agni "Make it Rain!" In so long it almost made me wanna play smite

i think the best move from gen 2 was Protect. even today you never see a team without it.

crunch from gen 2? did you forget, a staple dark type stab move, rage in gen 2 is like rage fist

Day One of Asking; Best and Worst MOVIE of each generation? (Or Special like the Pikachu adventures or holiday specials!)

how did you forgot shadow ball and sludge bomb in gen 2 those are literally _the_ staple ghost and poison moves

In my brilliant diamond playthrough, 2 volt switch luxrays carried me to victory in the water gym.

Tackle for the win

Protect, trick room, toxic, old version explosion, old hypnosis accuracy, tailwind, waterspout.

I managed to add Close Combat (and Dragon Ascent; mega not included) to my FireRed decompilation hack and I'm super proud of it. Sure, all I did was modify the code of Superpower to make it lower Special Defence instead of Attack, but that's besides the point.

Oooo so close, it’s episode 4 but ya get the point

12:27 you did not just use a swagni voice line LMFAO

Maybe I'm crazy, but wasn't D-Dance gen 2? I'm certain I have memories of Claire's Kingdra using it in Crystal. Also, while we're on gen 2, I feel like you gotta give a shout out to protect!

im suprised you didnt mention self-destruct/explosion and reflect/light screen

Earthquake in general hands down is probably the best move ever.

Last Respects will not be a signature move for Houndstone anymore with Pokémon Home, allowing for Scarlet and Violet transfers and Basculegion can learn Last Respects via... Egg move?

While they weren't super important in Gen 2 itself, Shadow Ball, Giga Drain and Sludge Bomb are still some of the more solid coverage options for their types to this day.

Encore, defog and moonblast are notable tbh

9:36 We gonna talk about that Ferrothorn named S3x Toy? Or nah?

I am surprised you didn't mention fake out Fake out single handedly changed the landscape of VGC doubles A mon's viability instantly increases if it has fake out Incineroar is a demon in VGC for a reason