The Strongest Pokemon That Rely On Only One Move

Many Pokémon have become well-known in competitive battling thanks to their strengths, such as type matchups, abilities, and stats. However, some Pokémon are only successful because of one powerful move – they don’t have much versatility beyond that.

Many Pokémon have become well-known for depending heavily on just one move. When that move is taken away or weakened in newer games, they often become unusable in battle. This has happened several times throughout the Pokémon series, and the following Pokémon are the most famous examples of this interesting trend.

Ditto

Relies On Transform

Type: Normal
Category: Status
Power: –
Debut: Generation One
Effect: Allows its user to copy the target and its move set.

No Pokémon is more well-known for using just one move than Ditto, the Transform Pokémon from the very first games. As its name suggests, Ditto can only learn and use the move Transform, which lets it change its appearance to match its opponent and then copy their moves.

Ditto’s unique ability to transform has made it memorable for nearly three decades, but it’s also a gamble. If Ditto is defeated before it can transform, or if something prevents the transformation, it’s left with no other moves. This weakness was partially addressed with the introduction of the Imposter ability in Generation Five, which allows Ditto to automatically transform into its opponent as soon as the battle begins.

Breloom

Relies On Spore

Type: Grass
Category: Status
Power: –
Debut: Generation One
Effect: The user scatters spores that put opponents to sleep.

All Pokémon inspired by mushrooms can learn the move Spore, which reliably puts opponents to sleep without major downsides. While Pokémon like Amoonguss and Toedscruel are tough and versatile, able to do more than just cause sleep, Breloom heavily relies on Spore to be effective.

Breloom’s battle strategy is straightforward: put opponents to sleep with Spore, then relentlessly attack with its powerful Grass and Fighting moves until they’re defeated. However, Breloom struggles when Spore isn’t available, as its slow speed and weakness to Flying-type attacks leave it very vulnerable.

Rayquaza

Relies On Dragon Ascent

Type: Flying
Category: Physical
Power: 120
Debut: Generation Six
Effect: Attacks the target and lowers the user’s Defense and Special Defense.

Rayquaza is a remarkably strong Legendary Pokémon known for its diverse range of powerful attacks. However, it became even more formidable with the introduction of its new signature move, Dragon Ascent, in the Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire games.

Dragon Ascent is a strong attack for Rayquaza, and its only real downside is that Rayquaza isn’t known for being particularly durable. Plus, it allows Rayquaza to Mega Evolve. Because nearly every Rayquaza learns Dragon Ascent – even in games where Mega Evolution isn’t available – it’s become very predictable for competitive players, making it easier to anticipate their opponent’s next move.

Darkrai

Relies On Dark Void

Type: Dark
Category: Status
Power: –
Debut: Generation Four
Effect: Puts all the opposing Pokemon to sleep.

It’s rare to find a Pokémon that can reliably put opponents to sleep without sacrificing its overall strength, which is why Darkrai was so influential when it first appeared in competitive battling. Fitting its spooky, nightmare-themed design, Darkrai’s special move, Dark Void, can put all opposing Pokémon to sleep simultaneously.

This move was incredibly effective, with an 80% chance of working, particularly in Double or Triple battles. However, later versions of the game significantly weakened it, reducing its accuracy to just 50%, making it less dependable than similar moves like Hypnosis. This change essentially removed Darkrai as a competitive threat. Ironically, the reason for this weakening was another Pokémon, Smeargle, who could easily learn and use the move thanks to its special ability.

Xerneas

Relies On Geomancy

Type: Fairy
Category: Status
Power: –
Debut: Generation Six
Effect: It sharply boosts the user’s Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed after waiting for one turn.

Xerneas is well-known as one of the strongest Pokémon in the series, largely due to its powerful move, Geomancy. While Geomancy normally takes a turn to set up and boosts three stats significantly, this delay can be avoided entirely by giving Xerneas a Power Herb.

When Xerneas activates its ability, Geomancy, it becomes a remarkably strong special attacker. Most trainers who battle with Xerneas choose to teach it its signature move. However, like Rayquaza, Xerneas is a powerful Legendary Pokémon capable of learning a variety of effective moves, but Geomancy’s strength makes its battle strategy somewhat predictable for competitive players.

Rillaboom

Relies On Grassy Glide

Type: Grass
Category: Physical
Power: 70 (55 in Generation Nine)
Debut: Generation Eight
Effect: It always goes first on Grassy Terrain.

Initially, Rillaboom appeared to be the least competitive of the Kalos starter Pokémon when compared to Cinderace and Inteleon. But surprisingly, it ended up being very strong, thanks to the powerful combination of the abilities Grassy Surge and Grassy Glide.

Rillaboom, a Grass-type Pokémon known for its high Attack, used to have a powerful combination of moves. When Rillaboom entered battle, its hidden ability, Grassy Surge, would create Grassy Terrain. This terrain allowed Rillaboom to use Grassy Glide, a fast-hitting physical attack that was stronger than moves like Quick Attack. Because Rillaboom’s Speed was relatively low, this ability-move combo was a smart way to overcome that weakness and deal significant damage. However, it was so effective that in Generation Nine, the power of Grassy Glide was reduced to 55 to balance the game.

Dracovish

Relies On Fishious Rend

Type: Water
Category: Physical
Power: 85
Debut: Generation Eight
Effect: A biting move whose power is doubled if the user moves before the target.

Dracovish might look unusual, but it’s become a surprisingly popular choice in competitive Pokémon battles. Its success comes down to its powerful move, Fishious Rend. This strong physical attack has a base power of 85, but can reach an impressive 170 if Dracovish attacks first or if the opponent switches Pokémon during the same turn.

Dracovish is a particularly strong Pokémon thanks to its move, Fishious Rend. This move becomes even more powerful when combined with Dracovish’s Strong Jaw ability, which boosts the power of biting attacks. While this combination makes Dracovish a fun and effective fighter, it also means the Pokémon heavily relies on these two things to be successful and struggles when it can’t use them.

Houndstone

Relies On Last Respects

Type: Ghost
Category: Physical
Power: 50
Debut: Generation Nine
Effect: A physical attack that gets stronger the more defeated allies are in the user’s party.

The move Last Respects, unique to Houndstone, is a strong ability, but Houndstone itself isn’t a particularly powerful Pokémon. Last Respects works well with Houndstone’s spooky, graveyard-themed design – it becomes more effective as the opponent’s Pokémon are defeated. In fact, it’s almost the sole reason Houndstone has been seen in competitive battles in *Pokémon Scarlet* and *Violet*.

Pokemon battles often involve several Pokemon getting defeated. Because of this, using Houndstone as a last-resort Pokemon can make its ‘Last Respects’ move incredibly powerful – up to 250 power – and able to defeat most opponents weak to the move. Without ‘Last Respects’, Houndstone wouldn’t be a popular choice for competitive players, which is why Basculegion is often preferred, as it’s the only other Pokemon capable of learning the move.

2025-10-08 06:06