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Pokemon Go moves: best movesets, move lists, the best and most powerful moves ranked

Alex Donaldson avatar
Guide by Alex Donaldson Assistant Editor
Published on

Learn what moves will enable you to take down gyms easily.

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As well as Pokemon having elemental types, hidden stats and other in-depth details that determine their fighting strength, battles in Pokemon Go are also determined by one other major factor: the moves and moves sets that your Pokemon have at their disposal.

Now that Pokemon Go's raid battles have launched moves are more important than ever. While some were bored with the old gym metagame, there's now a very solid reason to get stuck in to Pokemon Go combat thanks to the new raid battle system.

Moves are much like Pokemon themselves: All moves in the world of Pokemon Go are of a specific type, and that factors into the type strengths and weaknesses we've detailed in-depth elsewhere in our guide - a water move will do more damage against a fire Pokemon and so on and so forth.

But there's more to Pokemon moves in Pokemon Go than type however, as has been discovered by the very dedicated crew behind the Silph Road reddit group and website.

Here's the basis behind their impressive science and calculations: Moves in Pokemon Go have a duration, which is of course how long they take to execute. Moves also have a damage window, which is how long the period of time where they can do damage is. The upside of the duration is that long moves mean you have to wait longer before you can do your next move, while the damage window stat detail is that longer ones are theoretically better, as moves that are potentially damaging for longer are harder to dodge.

On top of these are two equally crucial stats - move power, which determines just how strong the move is at its base, and for Charge Moves (the second move on any Pokemon) what chance it has to deal out a critical hit and do more damage.

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Throw these factors together and what you're able to work out is an average DPS - damage per second - for each move in the game.

DPS is a good way of measuring a move's potential. The grass-type move Power Whip is 50% more powerful than the dragon-type move Dragon Claw, but thanks to Dragon Claw being a far faster move you can execute Dragon Claw more frequently. On balance Dragon Claw is thus the more damaging move, and it also has a far higher critical hit chance.

Each Pokemon has a pool of moves it can use, and the ones it actually gets from that pool are determined at random. If you want a Charmeleon with a specific move-set, for instance, you simply have to keep hatching, catching or evolving them until you get the desired move set. You have one other option to get the moves you want, which is to grind raid battles until a Pokemon TM drops - TMs can be used to teach Pokemon a new charged or fast move at random from their move pool.

With all that explained, we've listed the best 15 moves in both the standard move and charge move categories below along with type, DPS and the Pokemon that can have it. You can find the full move list complete with all their stats over on The Silph Road's website.

This page was updated on April 4, 2017 to bring it up-to-date with the latest Pokemon Go balance patches and changes.

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The best Quick (Normal) Moves in Pokemon Go

  1. Steel Wing (Steel / 13.75 DPS)
    Available to Pidgeotto, Pidgeot, Fearow, Dodrio, Scyther, Aerodactyl, Dragonite, Togetic, Skamory, Ho-oh
  2. Iron Tail (Steel / 13.64 DPS)
    Available to Nidoking, Dewgong, Dratini, Dragonair, Steelix, Tyranitar
  3. Dragon Tail (Dragon / 13.64 DPS)
    Available to Gyarados, Dragonite, Steelix, Lugia
  4. Rock Throw (Rock / 13.33 DPS)
    Available to Geodude, Graveler, Golem, Onix, Omastar, Sudowoodo, Shuckle, Slugma, Magcargo
  5. Counter (Fighting / 13.33 DPS)
    Available to Mankey, Machamp, Hitmonchan, Sudowoodo, Wobuffet, Heracross, Ursaring, Donphan, Hitmontop
  6. Razor Leaf (Grass / 13 DPS)
    Available to Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, Venusaur, Oddish, Gloom, Vileplume, Weepinbell, Victreebel, Bayleef, Meganium, Bellossom, Sunkern, Sunflora
  7. Shadow Claw (Ghost / 12.86 DPS)
    Available to Haunter, Gengar, Typhlosion
  8. Fire Spin (Fire / 12.73 DPS)
    Available to Charizard, Ninetales, Rapidash, Flareon, Moltres, Entei
  9. Confusion (Normal / 12.5 DPS)
    Available to Butterfree, Venonat, Venomoth, Golduck, Kadabra, Alakazam, Slowpoke, Slowbro, Drowzee, Hypno, Exeggcute, Exeggcutor, Mr. Mime, Jynx, Mewtwo, Espeon, Slowking, Girafarig, Celebi
  10. Poison Jab (Poison / 12.5 DPS)
    Available to Beedrill, Nidoqueen, Nidorino, Nidoking, Tentacruel, Grimer, Muk, Seaking
  11. Fire Fang (Fire / 12.22 DPS)
    Available to Charizard, Arcanine, Houndoom, Entei
  12. Dragon Breath (Dragon / 12 DPS)
    Available to Seadra, Gyarados, Dratini, Dragonair, Dragonite, Kingdra
  13. Scratch (Normal / 12 DPS)
    Available to Charmander, Charmeleon, Sandshrew, Paras, Diglett, Meowth, Persian, Mankey, Kabuto, Totodile, Sentret, Aipom, Teddiursa
  14. Bite (Dark / 12 DPS)
    Available to Wartortle, Blastoise, Raticate, Abrok, Nidoran F, Nidorina, Nidoqueen, Zubat, Golbat, Meowth, Growlithe, Arcanine, Gyarados, Aerodactyl, Feraligatr, Crobat, Dunsparce, Snubbull, Granbull, Larvitar, Pupitar, Tyranitar
  15. Vine Whip (Normal / 11.67 DPS)
    Available to Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, Venusaur, Bellsprout, Tangela, Chikorita, Meganium

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The best Charge (Special) Moves in Pokemon Go

  1. Brave Bird (Flying / 45 DPS)
    Available to: Pidgeot, Doduo, Dodrio, Skamory, Ho-oh
  2. Future Sight (Psychic / 44.44 DPS)
    Available to: Alakazam, Hypno, Xatu, Espeon, Lugia
  3. Close Combat (Fighting / 43.48 DPS)
    Available to: Primeape, Machamp, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Pinsir, Granbull, Heracross, Ursaring, Hitmontop
  4. Stone Edge (Rock / 43.48 DPS)
    Available to Nidoqueen, Dugtrio, Machamp, Graveler, Golem, Onyx, Hitmonlee, Rhydon, Kabutops, Sudowoodo, Quagsire, Shuckle, Magcargo, Piloswine, Hitmontop, Tyranitar
  5. Petal Blizzard (Grass / 42.31 DPS)
    Available to Venusaur, Gloom, Vileplume, Meganium, Bellossom, Sunflora
  6. Blizzard (Ice / 41.94 DPS)
    Available to Tentacruel, Dewgong, Cloyster, Seadra, Lapras, Articuno, Mew, Pilitoed, Slowking, Kingdra
  7. Gunk Shot (Poison / 41.94 DPS)
    Available to Ekans, Abrok, Muk, Octillery
  8. Thunder (Electric / 41.67 DPS)
    Available to Pikachu, Raichu, Electabuzz, Jolteon, Zapdos, Mew, Lanturn, Ampharos, Raikou
  9. Megahorn (Bug / 40.91 DPS)
    Available to Nidoking, Rhydon, Seaking, Ariados, Heracross, Stantler
  10. Hurricane (Flying / 40.74 DPS)
    Available to Pidgeot, Dragonite, Mew
  11. Focus Blast (Fighting / 40 DPS)
    Available to Alakazam, Gengar, Hypno, Mewtwo, Mew, Ampharos
  12. Overheat (Fire / 40 DPS)
    Available to Charizard, Ninetales, Flareon, Moltres, Typhlosion, Macargo, Entei
  13. Hyper Beam (Normal / 39.47 DPS)
    Available to Raticate, Wigglytuff, Electrode, Lickitung, Aerodactyl, Snorlax, Dragonite, Mewtwo, Mew, Furret, Ursaring, Porygon2, Blissey, Celebi
  14. Hydro Pump (Water / 39.39 DPS)
    Available to Wartortle, Blastoise, Golduck, Poliwrath, Tentacruel, Cloyster, Seadra, Starmie, Gyarados, Vaporeon, Omastar, Feraligatr, Lanturn, Azumarill, Politoed, Kingdra, Suicune, Lugia
  15. Zap Cannon (Electric / 37.84DPS)
    Available to Magneton, Porygon, Zapdos, Ampharos, Porygon2

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