Move Best Moves in the OU Metagame

[Arcanine is Regal]

I think it might be interesting to discuss some of the best moves in OU, like what they are, what they do, why they're good etc... I am going to list the five I feel are best and write a description for each one. I encourage you all to add to this list and maybe promote some under rated moves, because I will be doing the best of the best moves(imo). I would also like to consider the moves distribution factoring in to what makes the move so good. For example sacred fire is seriously one of the best attacks in the game but OU only has 1 pokemon with access to it, so it doesn't make my list.(but it could make yours I suppose)

In no particular order(because I don't want to cause a riot)

Stealth Rock: Easily the most used hazard and for good reason, throughout the course of the match stealth rocks are breaking sashes, deterring switches, and turning 3hkos into 2hkos. On any given match using Stealth rock could be the equivalent of dealing over 100% of damage to your opponents team. It has a very wide distribution and can even be put on pokes that take the opponent by surprise, thus giving you offensive momentum as your opponent tries to get the rocks off the field, while not switching around too much. Stealth Rock can deal anywhere from 3% -50%, greatly limiting the viability of a pokemon entirely, and all this can be done with a single move.

Substitute: This one might surprise you guys, but let me explain. Sub can is useful in many situations and serves as a higher reward version of protect(if you are faster), in that it allows you to scout your opponents move and can give you a free turn to deal damage to a poke you otherwise would have had to switch out on. I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure just about every pokemon gets substitute, so any pokemon could catch you by surprise. To name a few that use sub really well, kyurem-b(destroys stall all because sub), keldeo(has seen an increase in usage and is a very competent sub cm, and its fast enough to use sub as an effective scouting tool), well to be honest any fast pokemon with calm mind or bulk up is a deadly sub user. Sub allows you to prosper greatly against stall and immediately puts them at a disadvantage, and deters them from using status moves and the like. So yeah sub pretty much allows you great advantages verse a very popular playstyle and destroys offensive teams if you make a good prediction on a switch or something, pretty much forcing them to sack a mon.

Scald: This is move is too spammable in my opinion, and literally buffed the entire water type. Scald turns some pokemon into absolute monsters, namely defensive water types like suicune, alomomola, slowbro, manaphy etc...., there is almost never a reason not to use scald if you have a water pokemon on the field. The only pokemon that are immune to burn this gen are fire types...which scald hits super effectively, which means the only offensive mon that can switch into scald is bulky charizard x, and thats it, lmk if I'm wrong on that.aim v. Alf' This game is in the World Cup of Pokemon, and scald singlehandedly, imo, won Pokeaim this game, if scald wasnt a move or didnt have the burn chance he would've lost. I encourage you all to think of a pokemon that can switch into scald, its a small one and its the reason scald is one of the best moves in the game.

Knock Off: Knock Off received a huge buff this gen as its base power was raised to 65(without an item). This is on the list for the same reason as scald, it is so spammable. At least in the beginning of the matches, the only pokemon immune to this are sticky hold(unexistent in OU) and mega pokemon. Knock off has a very nice distribution and is just a very hard move to switch into in general. Even pokemon who resist the attack have to deal with losing their item, which can result in a lack of passive recovery throughout the match, or makes them lose a significant amount of power. Knock Off has so much utility that if a pokemon has accesss to it, it will always be considered as a move. Think of pokemon like thundurus, who turned into an absolute monster of a mixed attacker, as it can now OHKO latios, and other specially defensive psychics that gave him trouble in the past. I can't even begin to name all the pokes that benefit from knock off.

Defog: Defog also got a buff this gen and is pretty self explanatory, because of how powerful hazards are defog is an incredible move. It has a decent distribution in OU, and cannot be blocked so pokemon like the latis, can usualy guarentee that no hazards are on the field. The only slight downside is it also removes your own hazards, but if you have a fire-flying, you dont mind that one bit. Nothing else to really say about this one...so yeah.

Now its your turn, feel free to discuss the moves I mentioned, whether you agree or not, or lets us know what you think is the best move and why. I personally would like to hear your thoughts on scald, I think that move is just a touch too good, especially because it definitely has a higher burn chance than 30% lol.

 

[Vxy]

I don't know how many Pokemon can use Boomburst, but Noivern comes to mind. Boomburst is probably the safest attack in OU, and for a good reason. It has high power, no drawbacks (no stat decreases or anything of that sort), and it can hit through Substitute because it is a sound move. In my opinion, it has fairly decent neutral coverage, hitting a lot of the tier for neutral damage but even some Pokemon that resist it can be dented if it's coming off of a high Special Attack (Specs Noivern/Exploud, for example).

Yeah, just found out only four Pokemon can actually use it. Not many, but for the Pokemon who would probably use it most (Noivern), it is one of the best moves.

 

[Durant]

Wow making a best moves in the OU metagame thread without mentioning Earthquake?

 

[Eievui-Nymphia]

Various moves that have in my mind:
Taunt. It stops the gtarget to use any status moves and forces to use an attack. With this attack, you are sure that said opponent won't set-up, statyus, put hazards, screens, or even opoosing Taunt. With this move, you can cripple many pokemon heavily, if not completely.

Earthquake: This move is as good as ever. 100 BP power, no drawbacks except having many immunities makes this move one of the most used moves of all the metagame, (if not the most used one). Very few physically oriented pokemon don't run Eaerthquake if given the chances.

Thunder Wave: With the exceptions of TR teams, Aegislash and Gyro Ball users, paralysis is not a good thing. Pokemon like Greninja hates being paralysed. Even with the nerf in gen VI, parlaysis is one of the most effective status around.

This is what i give for now. There's a lot of moves who are very effective, like:
Will-o-Wisp, Spore/Dark void/Sleep Powder, Roar/Whirlwind, Baton pass, Encore, Special Fire moves, Thunderbolt, Stone Edge, strong physical fighting attacks, Moonblast, Rapid Spin, Roost, Recover and family, priority moves.

 

[Logic]

Volt Switch/U-Turn: I believe these two moves are great because they open up many choices. You either are able to take a hit and then switch into a mon for free without damage OR you are able to switch into a mon that is able to put you in a better position. The chip damage of using these moves can also come in handy for some 50/50 rolls later on in the game. There is even a playstyle, "Volt-Turn", based around the use of these two moves. Volt Switch and U-Turn are very effective if you predict right and know what you're going to do next. Some notable users are Rotom-Wash, Landorus-Theiran, Mega-Manectric, Scizor, Tornadus-Theiran, and Thundurus-Theiran.

 

[I AM THE JAMAICAN BOBSLED TEAM]

Dragon Dance: some of the largest threats in OU (Mega TTar, Mega Zard X, Mega Gyarados, etc.) are big threats BECAUSE of Dragon Dance(wisp can be argued for zard). Mega Gyarados wouldnt be where it is today if not for Dragon Dance, Mega TTar would be outclassed by base form if not for Dragon Dance, and Mega Zard X wouldnt be the offensive behemoth it is today if not for Dragon Dance. Dragon Dance is a very influential move on the meta, and the list of top threats explains exactly why.

 

[Albacore]

Healing Wish : Healing Wish is basically the only reason I always end up using Latias over Latios, Sure the added bulk is nice. But it's even nicer to be able to fully heal a weakened teammate when Latias is no longer useful. Healing Wish basically enables a Pokemon which would otherwise be death fodder to pretty much duplicate a win condition. After all, a Pokemon that is particularly valuable in a given match will be used often and therefore weakened very easily, so Healing Wish can heal up said Pokemon in mid-game and give it the chance to put in as much work late-game as it did early-game. The fact that it's unaffected by Sucker Punch is just the icing on the cake. It is also a fantastic way for offensive teams to conserve offensive momentum upon which they thrive. It is particularly good on Weather teams, which can't really afford to waste a single turn.

Good Healing Wish recipients include Sash leads like Breloom and Diggersby, who can deal good damage in the first few turns of the match, then come back later and have their health fully restored in order to take a couple of necessary hits or switch into rocks, which they couldn't have if they still has only 1 HP. Assault Vest users are also great Healing Wish recipients, particularly Azumarill, since it somewhat fixes their lack of recovery and enables then to abuse their bulk. Other good Healing Wish receivers include, Landorus, Keldeo, Mega Gyarados, Greneinja... basically anything offensive without recovery which gets worn down easily.

Unfortunately, Healing Wish has very few viable users in OU. Latias is the most common and obvious one by far, mostly because its speed makes it a great user of the move. Other notable users include Cresselia, who uses it on Trick Room teams and abuses the "speed" given by Trick Room to bring something in safely and fast, and Jirachi.

 

[Rhaegar]

Something that is powerful enough to have been missed on the initial list is Sucker Punch. Bisharp and Mawile make it way more powerful than any priority should have the right to be. I can't really do a write-up right now but it'd be nice if someone else did. Will-O-Wisp and Spore also probably deserve mentions.

 

[TheInsanity]

Taunt: Shutdown a wall, a screen/hazards setters means ruin the opponent's strategy. Is a real counter to wallstall, one of the most used teams on high ladder. Instead of "wasting" a slot using a stallbreaker only for wallstall, u can simply use one move to counter a playstyle.

After a Taunt the opponent's pokemon cannot use status moves for 3 turns, so even without do damages can force a switch. Taunt is helpful even forstop who try to use a set up move (Swords Dance, Calm Mind, DragonDance etc.). The only 3 ability that can counter this move are Oblivious (and only for Mamoswine is a good ability in OU), Magic Bounce (Espeon) and Aroma Veil, even if Aromatisse isn't good for OU. Another to counter Taunt is with the strument Mental Herb, even if works only time.


The best users of this moves are Mew (and for XY OU meta Mew is called stallbreaker Mew, even if the set is more a utility set), Deo Bros (probably i should delete this part after the suspect test) Mandibuzz and Skarmory (both physical wall, but with a good base speed) Gyarados (normal form, mostly used with Intimidate ability). Other "hipster" users are Greninja and Talonflame, even if 90% of players prefer an aggressive set.
The only 2 users able to use a priority Taunt are Sableye and Thundurus. The only pokemon able to ignore the 3 ability that counter Taunt is Haxorus, due to Mold Breaker.

 

[Ninja Charizard]

Shadow Ball: This move is one of the main things that make Aegislash the king of OU. Being only resisted by two types (dark and normal), with the second one not being common at all (only Chansey in OU), this is a move that is very hard to switch into, and a strong contender for the title of most spammable move in the metagame. There is no secret about it: bring your Aegislash/Gengar into something that loses against it, and start clicking Shadow Ball, as your opponent will have the burden of figuring out how the hell to survive against it. It also forms an incredibly deadly combo with fighting moves (such as Sacred Sword and Focus Blast), which deal super-effective damage to everything that resists Shadow Ball. This move can also be a useful coverage option for psychic pokemon such as Gardevoir, Alakazam and Meloetta.

 

[Reverb]

Stealth Rock is the best move in the OU Metagame, easily. It is the only move that a player must include on their team in order for it to be competitively viable. Without SR, your opponent more of less can switch for free (Spikes isn't nearly as useful as SR). SR allows you to "tax" your opponent's switches and wear them down with offensive pressure. The fact that virtually every team runs Defog or Rapid Spin is a testament to the preeminence of SR. Every other move has many competitively viable teams that exclude said move; Stealth Rock does not.

 

[Areos]

Will-O-Wisp: A very splashable move that hampers the effectiveness of a vast majority of Pokemon across all meta games. Will-o-Wisp can completely neuter the threat of a Physical sweeper setting up, apply additional pressure to a defensive wall and pretty much ruins the day of many Pokemon when struck by it, even many Special sweepers who aren't affected by the reduction in Physical attacking power. Will-o-Wisp carves its role over Toxic due to the fact that it affects the ever-present Steel-type Pokemon that commonly act as setup sweepers, offensive/defensive pivots and walls. Will-o-Wisp exists on many Pokemon commonly used in OverUsed/UnderUsed tiers, such as Rotom-Wash, Heatran, Charizard-X, Talonflame, Sableye, Jellicent, Trevenant and Rotom-Heat, which means you don't have to go much out of your way to invest in a Will-o-Wisp user for your competitive team.

However, Will-o-Wisp does have its counters, most notably in the form of Fire-type Pokemon (such as powerhouses like Charizard-X, Talonflame and Heatran, or the less-used but still threatening Victini, Volcarona, Entei or Rotom-Heat), Guts users (most notably Conkeldurr), Flash Fire users, (Heatran, Chandelure, Entei and Arcanine) Magic Guard users, (mainly Clefable, but also including non-mega Alakazam and Sigilyph), Pokemon with status-removing moves, abilities or items (Natural Cure users like Chansey and Starmie, Heal Bell/Aromatherapy users like Sylveon and Togekiss, known Rest abusers, Pokemon who carry anti-status berries like Dragonite), Magic Bounce users (Espeon, Mega-Absol and, to a lesser extent, Xatu) or Pokemon who are made immune to status application due to a status-inflicting item they're already holding. (Gliscor and Breloom, whom both hold Toxic Orbs to abuse Poison Heal) These Pokemon are either completely immune to the effects of a burn or actually benefit from its application, which makes them common swap-ins to a predicted Will-o-Wisp user. One must also be weary of Pokemon with moves like Facade, Magic Coat and Psycho Shift, or abilities like Flare Boost, Shed Skin, Synchronize, Hydration, Leaf Guard and Water Veil, moves and abilities of which are less common but still provide immunity or benefits to receiving a burn. Any other moves or abilities that act against burns or status effects in general are negligible due to their ineffectiveness or rarity.

Will-o-Wisp can find its own spot on almost any team archetype due to its splashability, ease of use and universal effectiveness on many different Pokemon across the meta game. Always remember to take out any potential Will-o-Wisp users who can threaten to halt your Physical sweep before an attempted sweep. Also try to squeeze a Pokemon onto your team who is immune or benefits from a burn; although not necessary for some team archetypes, a burn is never a fun thing to deal with, and nothing can be more irritating than a Pokemon spamming Will-o-Wisp without care of repercussions.

 

[Rotosect]

Can we expand this idea and make a "move ranking list"? In the past there was such a topic for abilities.
I mean it's rather obvious that moves like Stealth Rock and Knock Off are "S rank", while others like Parting Shot, despite having insane potential, are hurt by their distribution and therefore can't be considered "S rank".
Likewise the viability of a move depends on the tier it's used: Water Spout could be considered an A- or even S-rank move in ubers, but there are no viable users in OU.

 

[Sun King]

I agree with all of this, and I just wanted to say that the ubiquity of Stealth Rocks is pretty much all that needs to be said about how good it is.

I also think that Thunder Wave and Will O Wisp are two amazing moves.

Thunder Wave not only cripples anything moderately offensive that isn't Electric or Ground, it's 100% accurate (WTF GF, seriously?).

Will O Wisp, on the other hand, cripples anything physical that isn't Fire-type, and is a reliable way for Stall teams to wear things down.

EDIT: WOW I got ninja'd…that's what you get for leaving for a few hours halfway through your post.

Also, Shell Smash is another fantastic move--every poke that learns it is measured by their ability to take advantage of it. It's arguably the best boosting move in the game; used correctly, +2 Attack +2 Special Attack and+2 Speed can win matches. Also, if not for its poor distribution, it would likely define the metagame.

 

[Ajwf]

We've all decided to neglect King's Shield?

Alright, let's face it: You could say this move has the worst distribution of any move in the game (tied with whatever other signature moves). However, the only mon that can use it uses it so damn well you could see this move every match! Dropping an opponent's attack 2 stages, putting aegi back to 150/150 defenses and giving you a turn for protect/leftovers makes this move incredibly good. The only issue is it doesn't block statuses, but besides physical aegi minding the burn, most statuses aren't going to bother aegi too much.

This move "forces 50/50s" every turn with physical mons, making sure that on any attack, they could become setup fodder or be next to worthless against aegi. As far as moves go, just imagine if their were more mons to have this... This move is perhaps the second or third best move in the game due to its effects and the mon it's on.

 

[Rotosect]

I'm going to mention Baton Pass, which was deemed so powerful to the point a complex ban had to be issued in order to balance it.
First and foremost Baton Pass lets you switch out after the opponent has done so (unless they're using a slower switch-out move), making this move an excellent momentum grabber.
But of course the main appeal of Baton Pass is transfering stat boosts, Substitutes and other bonuses such as Ingrain to team mates, potentially turning them into unstoppable killing machines.
As a bonus, Baton Pass can be used to avoid death by Pursuit trapping, something Espeon and Celebi make good use of.
Notable users include the dreaded Smeargle/Espeon/Scolipede trio, who define the Baton Pass style. Other users, who are not necessarily found in dedicate Baton Pass teams include Gliscor, Celebi, Scizor and Mew.

 

[michaeloche]

I'm going to bring up possibly the most annoying attack move in the meta, and that is Scald. It turns pretty much any Water type worth its salt (and a few random non-Water types) into pseudo-walls that are more difficult to take down from the physical side than before. Due to Water's decent coverage, many bulky (and some not as bulky) Water types can use it as their only attack, with good power even for attackers, perfect accuracy, and a 30% burn chance. Not even special attackers will enjoy being worn down by burn damage, and obviously many physical attackers are neutralized.

 

[Arcanine is Regal]

Good job guys these are good.

Can we expand this idea and make a "move ranking list"? In the past there was such a topic for abilities.
I mean it's rather obvious that moves like Stealth Rock and Knock Off are "S rank", while others like Parting Shot, despite having insane potential, are hurt by their distribution and therefore can't be considered "S rank".
Likewise the viability of a move depends on the tier it's used: Water Spout could be considered an A- or even S-rank move in ubers, but there are no viable users in OU.

I thought about this, but I dont really see a demand for it. It might be cool to see and look at, but I dont see it helping anybody. I think defining the best moves in OU is just as heloful because no one really needs to read an analysis on dragon claw or ice beam. Because pretty much every move below A-A+ would be kind of a waste as far as having helpful analysis of them.
That being said, if there is a demand for it I would consider doing it for maybe the top 20-25 moves in OU and rank them accordingly. But we will just see how this thread progresses and go from there.

 

[I AM THE JAMAICAN BOBSLED TEAM]

oh cool, ill make a list if you decide to use it (only S-A ranks so far)
Broken Rank:
Baton Pass
S rank:
Knock Off
Stealth Rock
Defog(may be A+)
King's Shield(may be A+ or A, its only user is the best in the OU meta tho)
A+ rank:
Dragon Dance
Scald
Rapid Spin
Earthquake
Shadow Ball
Thunder Wave
A rank:
Will-O-Wisp
Substitute
Taunt
Volt Switch/U-Turn
A- rank:
Healing Wish
Spikes
Spore


Feel free to edit MegaScizor

 

[MilkyWay]

oh cool, ill make a list if you decide to use it (only S-A ranks so far)
Broken Rank:
Baton Pass
S rank:
Knock Off
Stealth Rock
Defog(may be A+)
King's Shield(may be A+ or A, its only user is the best in the OU meta tho)
A+ rank:
Dragon Dance
Scald
Rapid Spin
Earthquake
Shadow Ball
Thunder Wave
A rank:
Will-O-Wisp
Substitute
Taunt
Volt Switch/U-Turn
A- rank:
Healing Wish
Spikes




Feel free to edit MegaScizor

How about Spore? Sleep is arguably the best status in the game and Spore is 100% accurate. Putting a pokemon to sleep pretty much enables it useless for most if not all of the match

 

[I AM THE JAMAICAN BOBSLED TEAM]

How about Spore? Sleep is arguably the best status in the game and Spore is 100% accurate. Putting a pokemon to sleep pretty much enables it useless for most if not all of the match

Hmm, where do you reckon I put it? I say like A or A-

 

[MilkyWay]

Hmm, where do you reckon I put it? I say like A or A-

Probably A- because only Smeargle, Amoongus, and Breloom get it and are viable in ou but either is fine

 

[Always!]

Sticky Web is Sticky Web, and despite the bad distribution, is an epic hazard that slows down any grounded opponents, and that opens up so many sweeping capabilities with Slower pokemon.

 

[StairFall]

Sticky Web is Sticky Web, and despite the bad distribution, is an epic hazard that slows down any grounded opponents, and that opens up so many sweeping capabilities with Slower pokemon.

This brings us to a question, are we to judge a move on its merits alone, or are contexts such as distribution a deciding factor? Sticky web for instance is an awesome move. But to run it at all you have to include one of several pokemon from a very small pool that learns it, all of them woefully mediocre. The fact that there are no sticky web users in OU despite the fact that exclusive access to powerful moves or abilities has allowed seemingly mediocre pokemon to rise up to OU before speaks volumes about its true importance or influence.

 

[Always!]

This brings us to a question, are we to judge a move on its merits alone, or are contexts such as distribution a deciding factor? Sticky web for instance is an awesome move. But to run it at all you have to include one of several pokemon from a very small pool that learns it, all of them woefully mediocre. The fact that there are no sticky web users in OU despite the fact that exclusive access to powerful moves or abilities has allowed seemingly mediocre pokemon to rise up to OU before speaks volumes about its true importance or influence.

Very good point, though I feel that Sticky Web deserves to be decently high on the list, due to how it essentially created a team type for itself. Nevertheless, it is still a good move regardless, and arguably one of the much better ones in OU, despite the smaller distribution size.