Pokemon Sword and Shield is here and if you are interested in getting through the fights quickly with success then you might be interested in learning about the best Pokemon moves in the game. In this guide, we are going to go over all of them. We are going to include the best Physical Damage, Special Damage and Non-Damaging Pokemon moves in Pokemon Sword and Shield.
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Pokemon Sword And Shield Best Pokemon Moves
The following are the best Pokemon moves in Pokemon Sword And Shield:
Physical Damage Pokemon Moves
The following are the best physical damage Pokemon moves in Pokemon Sword And Shield:
| Name | Location | Base Power | Effect |
| Giga Impact | Wyndon (Pokemon Center Mart) | 150 | Skips next turn |
| Solar Blade | Wyndon (Pokemon Center Mart) | 125 | Takes two turns to fire, one turn in Harsh Sunlight |
| Rock Slide | Route 9 (Requires Surf Upgrade – South West) | 75 | Strikes all opponents, 30% flinch chance |
| Stone Edge | Random Drop (Rock Max Raids) | 100 | Can critical more easily |
| Gunk Shot | Random Drop (Poison Max Raids) | 120 | Can poison the target |
| Close Combat | Random Drop (Fighting Max Raids) | 120 | Lowers user’s Defense and Special Defense |
| Leaf Blade | Random Drop (Grass Max Raids) | 90 | Can critical more easily |
| Blaze Kick | Random Drop (Fire Max Raids) | 85 | Can critical more easily. Chance to burn |
| Leech Life | Random Drop (Bug Max Raids) | 80 | Restores HP equal to 50% of damage dealt |
| Breaking Swipe | Hammerlocke (Defeat Gym Leader) | 60 | Strikes all enemies, lowers their Attack |
| Smart Strike | Route 8 (West Side) | 70 | Attack never misses |
| Phantom Force | Slumbering Weald (Far North near exit to Shrine) | 90 | Invulnerable first turn, damage second turn. Strikes through Protect. |
| Razor Shell | Battle Tower (TM Shop) | 75 | Chance to lower target’s Defense |
| U-Turn | Glimwood Tangle (Left Side) | 70 | Deals damage, then swaps to different party Pokemon |
| Bounce | Battle Tower (TM Shop) | 85 | Invulnerable first turn, damage second turn. Chance to paralyze |
| Brick Break | Route 8 (Left of the North Exit) | 75 | Breaks barriers like Reflect and Light Screen. |
Special Damage Pokemon Moves
The following are the best special damage Pokemon moves in Pokemon Sword And Shield:
| Moves | Location | Base Power | Effect |
| Hyper Beam | Wyndon (Pokemon Center Mart) | 150 | Skips next turn |
| Solar Beam | Turffield (River on the right — requires Surf Upgrade) | 120 | Takes two turns to fire, one turn in Harsh Sunlight |
| Giga Drain | Battle Tower (TM Shop) | 75 | Restores HP equal to 50% of damage dealt |
| Weather Ball | Hammerlocke (Eastern Pokemon Center Shop) | 50 | Power doubles to 100 and changes type based on weather — Fire (Sunny), Water (Rain), Ice (Hail), Rock (Sandstorm) |
| Pollen Puff | Random Drop (Bug Max Raids) | 90 | Deals damage to enemies, heals allies |
| Scald | Random Drop (Water Max Raids) | 80 | May Burn the target |
| Electro Ball | Random Drop (Poison Max Raids) | Base Power based on speed difference | The faster the user is than the target, the more damage it deals |
| Sludge Wave | Random Drop (Poison Max Raids) | 95 | Strikes all other targets, may poison |
| Earth Power | Random Drop (Ground Max Raids) | 90 | May lower target’s Special Defense |
| Bug Buzz | Random Drop (Bug Max Raids) | 90 | May lower target’s Special Defense |
| Dark Pulse | Random Drop (Dark Max Raids) | 80 | Chance to flinch opponent |
| Muddy Water | Random Drop (Water Max Raids) | 90 | Strikes all opponents, may lower accuracy |
| Overheat | Random Drop (Fire Max Raids) | 130 | Lower’s user’s Special Attack harshly |
| Air Slash | Wild Area (Axew’s Eye) | 75 | Chance to flinch opponent |
| Mystical Fire | Battle Tower (TM Shop) | 75 | Also lowers target’s Special Attack |
| Volt Switch | Wild Area (20,000 Points in Rotom Rally) | 70 | Deals damage, then swaps to different party Pokemon |
| Hex | Ballonlea (Second House) | 65 | Power doubles to 130 if target is afflicted with Burn, Freeze, Paralysis, Poison, or Sleep |
Non-Damaging Pokemon Moves
The following are the best non-damaging Pokemon moves in Pokemon Sword And Shield:
| Moves | Location | Effect |
| Thunder Wave | Wild Area (Rotom Rally) | Paralyzes the target |
| Light Screen | Motostoke (Pokemon Center) | Creates a barrier that reduces damage from Special attacks by 50%. |
| Reflect | Motostoke (Pokemon Center) | Creates a barrier that reduces damage from Physical attacks by 50%. |
| Stealth Rock | Random Drop (Rock Max Raids) | Deals damage to Pokemon upon entry to battle. Based on type weaknesses (1x = 12.5%, 2x = 25%, 4x = 50%) |
| Toxic Spikes | Random Drop (Poison Max Raids) | Layers Toxic Spikes to poison Pokemon upon entry to battle. 1 layer = Poison, 2 layers = Toxic |
| Trick | Random Drop (Psychic Max Raids) | Swaps held items with target Pokemon |
| Taunt | Random Drop (Dark Max Raids) | Target may only use attack moves for 3 turns |
| Baton Pass | Random Drop (Normal Max Raids) | Swaps with a party Pokemon, passing along any stat boosts |
| Spikes | Random Drop (Normal Max Raids) | Layers Spikes to deal damage to Pokemon upon entry into battle. 1 layer = 12.5% HP, 2 layers = 16.67% HP, 3 layers = 25%. |
| Substitute | Random Drop (Normal Max Raids) | Sacrifices 25% HP for a decoy. Decoy health is equal to HP sacrificed. |
| Swords Dance | Random Drop (Normal Max Raids) | Boosts users Attack sharply |
| Psychic Terrain | Hammerlocke (Eastern Pokemon Center) | Boosts Psychic-type attacks by 50%, prevents moves with Priority (Quick Attack, for example) from working for 5 turns. |
| Electric Terrain | Hammerlocke (Eastern Pokemon Center) | Boosts Electric-type attacks by 50%, prevents Pokemon from falling asleep for 5 turns. |
| Misty Terrain | Hammerlocke (Eastern Pokemon Center) | Reduces Dragon-type damage by 50%, prevents status conditions for 5 turns. |
| Grassy Terrain | Hammerlocke (Eastern Pokemon Center) | Boosts Grass-type attacks by 50%, heals all Pokemon touching the ground by 1/16th their HP every turn for 5 turns |
| Trick Room | Battle Tower (TM Shop) | Slower Pokemon move first, faster Pokemon move second for 5 turns |
| Will-O-Wisp | Motostoke (Pokemon Center) | Burns the target |
| Weather Generators | Hammerlocke (Western Pokemon Center) | Creates Harsh Sunlight, Rain, Hail, or a Sandstorm for 2 to 5 turns. |
| Protect | Motostoke (Pokemon Center) | Nullifies all damage and effects for one turn. Reduces damage from a Dynamax’d attack to 25%. |
That is all for our Pokemon Sword And Shield Best Pokemon Moves guide. If you are interested in learning more about the game then you can check out our guided explaining what “You Can’t Throw a Poke Ball, It Won’t Let It’s Guard Down” means. You can also check out our guide on Mr. Rime & Kanto Mr. Mime.