Maybe it was the little rebel in me rather than any personal preference, but when everyone went Charizard, I went Venusaur (I actually went Blastoise, but after that I always went with the grass starters.) Nobody else seems to like grass types like I do. And that’s a shame. Because the grass archetype has some seriously powerful moves. This roster of moves isn’t only more extensive than most of the other types, but there’s an ongoing theme of powerful moves with drawbacks – turning grass into possibly the hardest on-paper hitters in the entire Pokédex. Don’t believe me? Well here’s a few moves to check out:
20. Worry Seed
There’s absolutely no point in using Worry Seed outside of competitive. Once you’re in the PvP arena, however, it does have some very powerful usage. It’s a niche move. But it can completely nullify your opponent’s strategy if you use it right. For those that are unaware, this changes the target Pokémon’s ability to insomnia. The point isn’t that you’re preventing it from falling asleep, though. It’s that you’re removing whatever ability that Pokémon had before. This can completely throw your opponent’s game plan out the window, although only with particular team builds.
19. Grassy Terrain
I’m going to be honest: I don’t like the whole terrain system that was introduced in X and Y. The fact that Dynamax moves also cause it now just makes it even worse. Arena conditions were fine with being limited to the weather. I don’t see the need to have a specific change for each Pokémon type. It’s lazy and uninspired. That being said, we’re stuck with it, meaning Grassy Terrain is actually a somewhat powerful move. Using it changes the terrain to grassy. Shocker, I know. During the five turns that it lasts, it restores HP to any Pokémon that’s grounded on the field, and boosts the power of grass type attacks by 50%.
18. Grav Apple
Grav Apple is a move that is entirely exclusive to Flapple, and it doesn’t do all that much. It’s a physical attack with 100 accuracy and 80 power that’s guaranteed to lower the target’s defense by one stage. That’s a good move worthy of a spot by itself. But what sells Grav Apple for me is the fact that it’s a goddamn easter egg reference to Isaac Newton. That’s such a random thing for Game Freak to add in, but I absolutely love it.
17. Synthesis
Synthesis is another very powerful grass move that often sees play at the very top of competitive. It’s got a simple effect: recovering some HP for the user. However, the reason I’ve ranked it so low down is because that HP gain is based on the active weather conditions. The move requires more setup than a lot of other recovery options, too. So it’s only getting this spot on my list despite being such a popular competitive move.
16. Sleep Powder
You know about this move, and you hate this move. And yes, it’s probably one of the best to be using against something – but to come back from it… what a pain.
15. Stun Spore
Stun Spore is the slightly less annoying version of Sleep Power. Rather than being a 75 accuracy move that induces sleep, Stun Spore only paralyzes. That’s way better than getting your Pokémon put to sleep, in my experience. However, the reason I’m ranking it higher than Sleep Power is because in competitive, being paralyzed decreases your speed – which can stop your Pokémon dead in its tracks. Sleep, on the other hand, can be maneuvered around with moves like Sleep Talk and Snore.
14. Solar Beam
Solar Beam is one of the oldest moves in the book. So I doubt I have to explain what it is, right? For old time’s sake, though, I’m still going to cover it: Solar Beam is a move that takes one turn to power up, and one turn to actually hit. It’s a special move with 120 strength and 100 accuracy. That’s all fine and dandy. However, what pushes Solar Beam over the edge is the fact that it powers up in one turn during sunlight. Essentially, if you have a sunlight-built weather team, you get access to a 100 accuracy 120 power move with absolutely no drawbacks whatsoever.
13. Solar Blade
Solar Blade is Solar Beam, except it’s physical and does five more damage. Oh, and it has a way cooler name. So if you had to pick between the two, I’d probably go Solar Blade. But check your Pokémon’s stats to see what makes more sense.
12. Magical Leaf
Magical Leaf has always been a favorite of mine. It’s not really good enough to be in this spot as a whole, but in certain games, it definitely dish out some damage. It’s a 60 damage special move that doesn’t miss. No misses! Granted that’s not all that great, but it also has a really awesome-looking animation that I remember very fondly from my Gen IV days.
11. Petal Dance
Petal Dance is another grass type move that I have very fond memories of. Unlike Magical Leaf, however, this move actually deserves a relatively high spot on this list. It doesn’t see too much competitive play, I’ll admit. However, it’s a killer move to use during any main game – which is what most of us are playing these days. The move itself is a 120 damage 100 accuracy special attack that lasts two to three turns. You can’t switch your Pokémon out during these turns. Once those two or three turns have passed, your Pokémon becomes confused. That’s a fantastic tradeoff for what could be upwards of 360 damage in three turns. At least, it is in my opinion.
10. Leaf Storm
Now Leaf Storm is another powerful grass-type attack that has some drawbacks for the user. Rather than being confused, though, Leaf Storm decreases the user’s special attack by two stages after you use it. For that cost, you’re getting a special move that deals 130 damage with 90 accuracy. If you play your cards right and have the right build, you could potentially sweep your opponent’s entire team with Leaf Storm. I’d say that’s a clear example of a powerful move.
9. Frenzy Plant
There’s this weird trend of grass being the type with powerful moves that all cost something in return. But rather than confusing you or decreasing your attack, though, Frenzy Plant requires you to recharge next turn. And you get a 150 power special attack for that, which is more than worth it nine times out of ten. It’s essentially a more powerful Solar Beam that can’t be insta-charged. Having said that, only the grass starters can learn this move. Which severely limits its use in competitive play.
8. Giga Drain
You should know what this move does. If you don’t, I need to ask what game series you’ve been playing all these years? But just for the newbies, Giga Drain has a power of 75 as a special move with 100 accuracy. And like the name implies, it drains your opponent’s health, healing you for 50% of the damage dealt. Giga Drain is one of those rare moves that both sees some competitive play, as well as being really useful in the story of almost any mainline generation title.
7. Energy Ball
Out of all the attacking grass type moves on this list, Energy Ball is easily among the most popular competitive moves. It’s a 100 accuracy 90 damage special move. This alone is enough to compete with all the other big moves out on the circuit. It also has the added benefit of having a 10% chance to lower the target’s special defense by one stage. It’s the de facto competitive grass type move. The same way Scald is the go-to water type move. However, just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it’s the best. Just look at me in High School.
6. Leaf Blade
Leaf Blade is my personal favorite grass type move out there. It’s also one of the very few moves on this list that actually deals physical damage rather than special. It has a base power of 90 with 100 accuracy, and has a significantly increased critical hit ratio. Not to mention it’s been around since Gen 1. Needless to say, this makes it the only real choice for any physical grass attackers. However, Leaf Blade is also the only way I was able to evolve my Galarian Farfetech’d. For that, it earns my eternal gratitude, as well as this spot on my list.
5. Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is an incredibly unique move in the world of Pokémon. It’s one of the few moves that actually impacts the Pokémon that are currently in your party, but not out on the field. In this case, it heals all of the status conditions from all of your party members. This move can literally be the difference between winning and losing a championship. That being said, it does rely on your opponent actively inflicting status conditions on you. Meaning you only get to use it as a response, rather than in general like Leaf Blade or Energy Ball.
4. Spore
You thought Sleep Powder was bad? Oh boy, are you in for a shock. The whole point of Sleep Powder is that despite it being incredibly annoying, it’s balanced. A 75 accuracy means that it’s regularly going to miss, making it a risky move to use. Spore has an accuracy of 100. Yeah. I don’t know what Game Freak was thinking with this move, but pray to God that you never come up against a Spore-build Breloom. Trust me, I’ve been on both sides of that situation.
3. Leech Seed
Spoiler alert: the final entries on this list are legendary signature moves. So if we’re realistic about the situation, Leech Seed is the best grass type move of all time, generally speaking. It’s possibly the biggest example of a move being useless in single-player, but yet being unbelievably dominant competitively. The effect of Leech Seed is simple: It drains 1/8 of your opponent’s maximum HP every turn. Like Giga Drain, it restores this HP to your Pokémon, except this time you get all the healing points based on 100% of the damage you dealt. That’s not where Leech Seed’s effects end, though. If you Leech Seed your opponent and then switch out, your new Pokémon still gets the health restoration, making it just as valuable as the likes of Stealth Rocks or Spikes.
2. Seed Flare
I’ve never had a Shaymin. And that’s something that annoys me every single day. It’s arguably the cutest and most adorable legendary of all time. So the fact that I don’t own one hurts. It also just so happens that its legendary move is one of the most powerful grass type moves of all time. How something so small could be so ferocious is beyond me. But then again, my girlfriend is 5’4, and yeah… so I suppose strength can come in small packages. Anyway, Seed Flare is a special attack that does 120 damage with an accuracy of 85. What really sets the move apart, though, is the 40% chance to decrease the target’s special defense. It’s not just by one stage, either. It’s a full two-stage debuff. That’s a massive effect that takes this move from being middle-of-the-pack, to being one of the strongest moves that the grass type has to offer.
1. Jungle Healing
And right at the top is Jungle Healing, the most recently-created move on this list (as of this writing). It’s also the most powerful one listed here. It’s the signature move of Zarude, which is a mythical Pokémon that I still don’t know how to feel about. But regardless of my feelings there, there’s no denying how strong this move is. It’s essentially Aromatherapy, but way better. That’s because as well as healing your party’s status ailments, it also heals 25% of everyone’s HP. If you make a point of not letting your team members faint, then you can use this move to more or less give yourself a party-wide full heal – provided your Zarude stays alive long enough.
