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198 votes
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I breed Pokemon in the game and am pretty good at IVs and EVs and such. I have thought of a few good tactics, such as

  • Safe Guard and Outrage/Petal Dance/Thrash (avoids confusion ailment)
  • Mimic and Imprison (permanent Disables last move)
  • Swagger/Flatter and Psych Up/Haze (either gives you upped stats or resets theirs)
  • Defense Curl followed by Roll Out (makes roll out stronger)
  • Rain Dance and Thunder (Thunder never misses)
  • Belly Drum and Rest (works best with a chesto berry. Maximizes attack)
  • Sunny Day and Solar Beam (solar beam no longer needs to charge)
  • Endure and Flail/Reversal (makes the attack moves really strong compared to normal)

What are some of the best move combos that you have found so far? :D
Explain your choices, and why they make good combos.

Please read all the answers before posting, to avoid duplicate answers. Yes, all 200+ of them.

And no full on movesets either, there are separate questions for that :-)

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210 Answers

2 votes

Okay. I did not find this one.

Step 1 : Set up hazards (Spikes/ T-spikes/ S-Rock/ Leech Seed? etc)
Step 2: Switch into ghost type.

Okay foe. Good bye.


For those who did not understand it, the main idea is to prevent the use of Rapid Spin, which removes all the hazards. This works because Rapid Spin is a Normal type move, so it will not hit the ghost Pokemon. Because that happens, any added effect (i.e. in this case, removal of the hazards) will also not occur.

P.S. Beware of ForeSight.

P.P.S. I know it'll not work all the time. Use a Pokemon like gengar to sweep, and have additional ghost types for back up.

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It's called Spinblocking
It's actually quite common
i see. I have not yet been fortunate( or is that "i'm lucky" ? )enough to encounter it...
Giratina works great here, with dragontail and roar
In comes a Hitmontop with Foresight XD
There"s a Flying type move called Defog, that takes away all hazards, and is common on Mandibuzz sets
2 votes

This one is very annoying.

If you have a Pokemon like Alakazam, teach it Trick and Torment. Then give it a Choice Item. Trick will give the foe the Choice Item, meaning it can only use one move. Then use Torment, which prevents using the same move twice in a row, resulting in the opponent using Struggle until it faints!

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Nope. If they have a Choice item, Torment won't work.
Oh. Thanks! I didn't know that.
Torment works on choiced pokemon...
2 votes

Haley told me about this one. Doubles only.

Volt Absorb Lanturn with Surf. Scarfed.

Water Absorb Lanturn with Discharge. Specs.

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edited by
Banded Lanturn?
2 votes

Swellow with a toxic orb and facade also ursaring with the same stuff and some so basically Pokemon with guts that can learn facade also some Pokemon
can do this do not know all of them but fake out and last resort.

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2 votes

I like using rest with Houndoom, with early bird it becomes hilarious. Houndoom keeps waking up after 1 turn, and gets full health. It would be best if Houndoom is bulky.

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2 votes

Ok I didn't see this one anywhere so here it is.

Drapion. With his speed you can set up a toxic spike, with his one weakness you probably won't have him be OHKO. So you can set up another toxic spikes.
You have achieved badly poisoned.

Then send out a Pokemon who knows venoshock. Mine is Weezing but it can be anyone.
Use Venoshock for a startling 120 base power.

This strategy DOES NOT work against steel, flying, poison or Pokemon with levitate.
I would teach the venoshock Pokemon toxic so that you can deal with flying and levitate.

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2 votes

I haven't see this one, so I'll post it:
1. Use a Linnone with either silk scarf or life orb
2. Belly drum, this will max this Pokemon's attack
3. Extreme speed, this attack make any other Pokemon couldn't attack him with a very powerful strike
4. Repeat step 4 until either extreme speed have lost all its pp, life orb eat all his hp, or the enemy use ghost-type

Hope this help

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if the opponent plans on attacking you after you used belly drum you're screwed
Well, you can end the weakness of this one with the sitrus berry or leftovers, its a risky tech, but can beat a lot of enemy with it
use figy berry on a glutteny linnone max attack at 86% of your health
2 votes

a snorlax that has very good defence and SP def can be used with this.

snorlax starts off using curse (snorlax no matter what will be out sped.)
after using curse sevral times use rockslide! I myself have had this used on me and my FIGHTING types could do NOTHING. and when health gets low (this is optional) make it know rest and hold lum berry. and the last move should be ANYTHING you want! I dont know if this is possible but make it learn a move that can switch it out incase things get bad.

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Though curse lax is a good strategy there are a few problems with this answer :( a.curselax is well known b.common sense c.not really a move combo. Otherwise I could just post volcorona with max def and quiver dance.
srry. i just thought it was great. but you dont need to tell me thaat =P
2 votes

I thought of a pretty good one for an atk/def ev trained snorlax:
Try having:
Rest
Sleep Talk
Hyper beam
Any other overpowered move.....for hyper beam an your other op move, scope/zoom lens would be a pretty good thing to add just in case.

Only downside to this combo it that sleep talk has a chance to use rest again which would be useless.lol

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Giga Impact is better since Snorlax has higher Attack than Sp. Atk.
2 votes

Well I LOVE this set with a Pokemon with like Weavile or something
Moveset is Swagger, Psych Up, Punishment, and a plain solid attacking move like Slash or Ice Punch. First, use Swagger, Then use either Swagger Again or use Psych up, Third use Psych Up if you used Swagger Last turn or go with Punishment makes it DEADLY on a Pokemon
like Weavile lots of Pokemon can use it which makes it nice so yeah

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2 votes

Magnet Rise (Ground Immunity) - Earthquake
Reflect Type (If you have a certain type that can reduce the damage of "everyone get's hit" attacks - Any move that can hit all opponents in play depending on their position (e.g., Discharge, Earthquake, etc.)

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2 votes

Pokemon: Vanniluxe & Tauros
Stats: Vanilluxe -SP Attack Nature Tauros +Attack Nature
EV's: Vanniluxe None Tauros Attack and SP Def
Type of Battle: Double
Strategy: Have Vannilluxe use Frost Breath on Tauros, have Tauros know the ability Anger Point, then you have a Max attacking DEADLY Tauros along with the SP Def EV's Frost Breath shouldn't do that much. Hope ya like it! Toodles!!!

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Taurus is a brute :P
huh? what do u mean?
I mean he is powerful. Strong, like a Minotaur.
2 votes

Best combo EVER!
durant @ focus sash
Durant
ability: truant
evs: 252 spd
nature: jolly
entrainment
any moves you want

dugtrio @ focus sash
Dugtrio
ability: arena trap
evs: 252 atk 252 spd 4 def
nature: jolly
earthquake
stone edge
hone claws
protect

so the idea with this is you use entrainment with durant than if your opponent is faster stay in one more turn than switch if you were faster than switch right away. your opponent can't switch from arena trap. than alternate between hone claws and protect till maxed out he will be faster than most opponents so you can just sweep.

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Why Truant?
this can be done better by shadow tag calm mind gothitelle
2 votes

best for me Pokemon with surf and one with water absorb double battle deadly ;)
also lava plume and a flash fire
discharge lightningrod
krokoodile swagger than foul play :D
for baton passers haze is a way to waste their turns and walls
explosion protect...
rararaaa those ar some

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2 votes

Unfortunately, the best version of this takes up all 4 moves and the moveset can only be learned by Meowth, but it would be very beneficial for trainer battles. Also, you could just use 2 Pokemon (steps 1 and 2 for one Pokemon and steps three and four for the other, unless in double where you could use hypnosis and swagger on the same turn)

  1. Hypnosis/Thunder Wave
  2. Swagger x3
  3. Psych Up
  4. Punishment

The first keeps the opponent from acting with high attack from swagger. The second sets up steps 3 and 4. Psyche up allows you to get the stat boosts from the opponent without getting confused. Punishment does immense damage to the opponent.

Ont he hit with punishment, you will have a base power of 240 + 6 levels of attack increase. Better yet, they the plus 6 attack will stay with you through the rest of the battle, which will allow you to pretty much KO any Pokemon you come up against.

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Meowth is the only one who can use the hypnosis version, but Jigglypuff (and evs), Miltank, Lugia, Ho-oh, Absol, and Arceus can learn the thunder wave variation.
2 votes

Another combo for double battles:

You will need three Pokemon. A shedinja, a Spiritomb/Sableye, and a Pokemon with Skill Swap.

Start with the Shedinja and Skill Swap Pokemon. Use Skill Swap on Shedinja. Then, switch out Shedinja for Sableye/Spiritomb and use skill swap on them. The Sableye/Spiritomb is now invincible until someone uses a move that allows fighting moves to hit ghost types.

Note: A variation can be made where more Pokemon can be used if storm drain or lightning rod are in affect.

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Um, I've seen somewhere that it is FORBIDDEN to switch, suppress or change the following abilities:

Truant
Multitype
Wonder Guard

But you can make them being copied, like Entertainment Durant.  (Truant)
How the hell did this get upvoted???
2 votes

double battle, gliscor, and something else with follow me. the trick is, the follow me poke probably wants focus sash and gliscor 2. following the other Pokemon could mean gliscor gets time to hone claws and gullioitine. also, walrein with the item that increases accuracy if slower (i believe zoom lens) and the move set of rest, sleep talk, fissure, sheer cold. considering walrein's speed, it will be more likly the auto ko moves will be more likly to hit, and can gain hp do it over and over again.

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One hit moves are banneded for competetive use and why would you want a focus sash gliscor?
2 votes

You can have a drifblim with the ability unburden and have recycle with a sitrus berry or a item that disaperes. When you use the sitrus berry your speed will go up and then you can use recycle to get it back and use the sitrus berry again to gain more speed while gaining more HP.

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2 votes

well, this one might be considered a gimmick. but I have tried it, and it worked quite well actually. anyway, this strategy is really good to counter annoying defoggers . especially this **** named mandibuzz

send a hazard setter in on a defogger and use Spikes/SR/etc. one time. SR or web is recommended as the defogger might usually want to remove hazard until all the layers of that specific hazard is set up. when you know a defog is coming, switch to a fast Pokemon with defiant (Braviary or Bisharp). your attack will now be doubled because of the evasion drop combined with defiant.

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That is not a move combo. That is a strategy. And it works well, it is not a gimmick. Braviary itself is a gimmick without Sheer Force, anyway, so Bisharp and Competitive Milotic are the best users of that strategy.
Milotic is pretty weak. It seems great on paper but is outclassed by pretty much every other defensive Water-type and offensively, there are better Pokémon so Defiant Bisharp is your best bet.
tbh, bravery with sheer force is pretty terrible as the only real move it can abuse with sheer force is rock slide which isn't good on it anyway. bravery can be used in the coming ten 6 NU against golbat, but anyway. whats the difference between strategy and move combo?
The spelling
2 votes

Natural Gift + Recycle

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I'm not sure if Natural Gift consumes the berry.