And in the world of Pokémon, this is possible. Moves can be passed between different Pokémon by breeding. And while it may be a pain in the butt, it becomes absolutely necessary in building powerful competitive Pokémon. These are called “egg moves” because the Pokémon knows these as soon as it’s hatched. But which egg moves are worth your time? Let’s take a look.
15. Feraligatr – Dragon Dance
We’re starting off this list with one that isn’t possible in Sword and Shield because a) it’s now a Technical Record, and b) Feraligatr isn’t in the Galarian Pokedex. However, if you want to build the best Feraligatr possible in other gens, you better have bred Dragon Dance onto it. This is an incredible boosting move that increases your attack and speed by one stage. It makes Feraligatr’s good attack and average speed even better, while also taking advantage of Feraligatr’s ability Sheer Force. Sheer Force increases a move’s base power by 50% if it has a secondary effect. That means moves like Liquidation and Ice Punch are going to be extra powerful on this Johto starter. Boost that even more with Dragon Dance and you’re looking at a dangerous physical sweeper.
14. Staraptor – Double Edge
Here’s another egg move that doesn’t exist anymore, but it is worth it, I promise. Staraptor is probably the best early route Flying-type of all time. This is because of its ability Reckless that increases the base power of moves that damage the user. Staraptor is able to take advantage of this with its great 120 base attack stat and Normal/Flying typing. This means that it gets STAB for both of the strongest recoil moves in the game: Brave Bird and Double Edge. And Double Edge is the one it can’t learn by level up. Fortunately, the Diamond and Pearl remakes mean Staraptor is back to terrorize the competition once again! Ok, I promise that this is the last egg move that’s no longer an egg move in current gens. On with the list!
13. Gallade – Shadow Sneak
Gallade is a great physical attacker with an interesting Psychic/Fighting-type combination. But while its typings balance each other out, it still faces a massive weakness to Ghost Pokémon. That’s where Shadow Sneak comes in. Shadow Sneak is a Ghost-type priority move that only has 40 base power. However, that’s more than enough to threaten the speedy Ghost Pokémon that once threatened Gallade. But this doesn’t just hurt Ghost-types. Now Gallade has a move that it can use to pick off just about anything that has been weakened. Gallade has become the cleaner, and its weakened opponents are the trash.
12. Togekiss – Nasty Plot
Togekiss is one of the most annoying Pokémon of all time to fight, due to its ability Serene Grace. Serene Grace doubles the chance that a move’s secondary ability will occur. That means that it will use Air Slash to flinch you for all of eternity. Combine this with Thunder Wave and you have a Pokémon that will make your opponents hate you. But how can you make this even more threatening? Easy: make it stronger. Nasty Plot boosts a Pokémon’s special attack by 2 stages. That means opponents will be getting hit twice as hard, possibly making that paralysis from Thunder Wave totally unnecessary. Togekiss may be based off of an angel, but it is anything but that. Enjoy tearing your hair out as you go against this irritating creature. Or enjoy your victory if you actually breed one like this.
11. Charizard – Belly Drum
Long ago, even before Mega Charizard X, Charizard used to run physical sets. But the best way to utilize this terrifying creature was not Dragon Dance. No, it was a move called Belly Drum. Belly Drum cuts half of your Pokémon’s HP to completely max out its attack stat. And while this was an old strategy from generation 3, it’s still effective today. Add on a berry to heal, or a Salac berry to increase your speed, and you have a terrifying physical sweeper, especially with Flare Blitz. Plus if you’re feeling lucky, you can combine this with Roost to fill that HP all the way up. This is all incredibly risky, but can be incredibly rewarding.
10. Torkoal – Yawn
Torkoal is one of the more surprising support Pokémon to rise to the top in recent years. Because of its high defense and low speed, it has become one of the best sun setters in the game. But a support Pokémon needs more than a decent ability, and Torkoal has that with its moves. While Stealth Rocks and Rapid Spin are great, Yawn is an underrated gem. This move makes a Pokemon drowsy and puts it to sleep at the end of the next turn. While this may seem ineffective, it’s great for forcing Pokémon out. Having a Pokémon asleep is dangerous. And if you can prevent that, you will. This gives Torkoal even more time to set up rocks, spin hazards away, or spread burns with Lava Plume. Yawn is a great move that shouldn’t be slept on.
9. Mamoswine – Icicle Crash
Mamoswine is an absolute beast with a huge attack stat and decent bulk due to its Thick Fat ability. While it can learn the all-powerful Earthquake, the only physical Ice move it learns by level up is the weak Ice Shard. You know what that means! Icicle Crash is a physical Ice-type attack that can be bred onto Mamoswine. It has an 85 base power and a chance to flinch, taking perfect advantage of the previously mentioned attack and decent speed. But still keep Ice Shard anyways. Having both creates an awesome STAB synergy where Mamoswine can pick off weak Pokemon when it wants to.
8. Swampert – Wide Guard
As I’ve mentioned on previous lists, if I can find a way to work Swampert onto a list, I will do it. But this time, it’s for a utility purpose. While Swampert is best known for its decent attack stat and awesome typing, it can also serve as a great utility Pokémon. With moves like Scald and Icy Wind, Swampert can weaken and slow down the competition. However, its best support move is Wide Guard. Wide Guard blocks all attacks that spread and hit multiple targets. This is incredibly useful in double battles, and can protect your team from moves such as Surf, Earthquake, and Rock Slide, to name a few.
7. Seismitoad – Toxic
More people should really be using Seismitoad. It has decent defenses, a good typing, and a decent support move pool. And if you breed it just right, this thing can learn Toxic. Toxic (combined with Protect) makes Seismitoad a great stalling Pokémon. Its Water Absorb ability and typing allows it to swap in very easily, and threaten whatever Pokémon is coming in next. With Toxic and Scald, it has nothing to fear, and can whittle down even the scariest of threats. Combine all of this with Stealth Rocks and Leftovers and you have a bulky supporter that will be sticking around for a long time. As long as no Grass-types show up, of course.
6. Azumarill – Aqua Jet
Look at that face! How can a cute, smiling rabbit-egg-thing be dangerous? I’ll tell you how: Huge Power and Belly Drum. I’ve already mentioned Belly Drum’s attack boosting goodness, but the ability Huge Power takes it even further by doubling a Pokémon’s base attack stat. And Azumarill is able to completely take advantage of these boosts with an awesome move pool including Waterfall, Play Rough, and Aqua jet. As I mentioned with Gallade, priority moves are awesome and necessary for threatening weaker Pokemon. Well, with Belly Drum and Huge Power, Azumarill doesn’t have to wait for Pokémon to get weaker. It can destroy them almost immediately. Azumarill may seem cute with its dopey smile. But underneath that charming exterior is a monster waiting to be unleashed upon the world.
5. Ferrothorn – Leech Seed
Ferrothorn is probably the greatest defensive Pokémon to ever exist. It resists a ton of different types, and is only weak to two of them. Plus, its Iron Barbs ability punishes any physical attacker that makes contact with it. The only downside is that it doesn’t have any reliable recovery. That is, until you breed Leech Seed onto it. Leech Seed drains health from an opposing Pokémon little by little every turn. Combine this with Protect, and in two turns Ferrothorn can easily recover a quarter of its HP. This gives plenty of time for Ferrothorn to do what it does best: set up hazards, and/or torment the opponent with Thunder Wave or Power Whip. All Ferrothorn needs to be a real threat, is time. Leech Seed is the perfect move to help with that.
4. Incineroar – Parting Shot
Incineroar is the most common Pokémon seen in competitive play, due to the combination of an awesome typing, great defensive stats, and an awesome ability in Intimidate. Intimidate causes every Pokémon’s attack stat on the opposite side of the field to drop. And Parting Shot just gets to spread that around. This move lowers an opposing Pokémon’s attack and special attack, while switching the user out. This allows Incineroar to keep cycling in and out of combat while lowering all of your opponent’s offensive capabilities. Combine this with Fake Out and it’s no wonder that Incineroar is the most common Pokémon in VGC.
3. Corviknight/Skarmory – Roost
Corviknight and Skarmory are two of the best defensive Pokémon in the game. They have an incredible defensive typing, and plenty of moves that support the entire team. But the thing that really sets them apart is that they have some reliable recovery in Roost. This move restores half of a Pokémon’s HP, but removes its Flying-type for a single turn. It’s a worthy sacrifice given that both Corviknight and Skarmory have such high defense. Roost also prevents these birds from getting worn down with burns and leech seed. Basically, Roost takes two really good Pokémon and makes them absolute nightmares (for your opponents, of course).
2. Bisharp – Sucker Punch
Bisharp is a cool Pokémon. It has an interesting type, a great attack stat, and an awesome ability in Defiant. With STAB moves like Iron Head and Knock Off, you have a really terrifying wall breaker. The only real issue is its mediocre base 70 speed, meaning faster Psychic-types can take it out with Mystical Fire or Focus Blast. But that, my fair readers, is where Sucker Punch comes in. Sucker Punch is a 70 base power Dark-type move that has +1 priority, as long as the Pokémon is attacking Bisharp. This means that speed is no longer an issue. Alakazam will now be terrified to get anywhere near this thing. Bisharp is no longer a slow, methodical automaton waiting to be picked off. This robot can fight back.
1. Cinderace – High Jump Kick
Cinderace is one of the most surprising Pokémon introduced in Sword and Shield. This is mostly due to its amazing ability Libero. Libero changes Cinderace’s type based off of the move it’s attacking with. This means it gets STAB with everything. And do you know what one of the best attacking types is? That’s right: Fighting. High Jump Kick is an exceptional Fighting-type move that has 130 base power, at the cost of dealing damage to the user if it misses. But it is absolute worth it, especially with Cinderace’s awesome 116 attack stat. This helps even more if Cinderace Dynamaxes because it becomes Max Knuckle, boosting Cinderace’s attack stat every time it hits. High Jump Kick takes Cinderace from being amazing to being broken. And that’s why it’s gotta be the best move to learn through breeding.
