WhilePokemonis a series that is often talked about due to the massive amount of creatures that players can catch and battle with, there are nearly just as many moves that Pokemon can learn. While the Pokemon in one’s team are essential and iconic, they can’t do anything without their moves in battle.
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Moves come in a variety of forms, dealing damage, causing status effects, and providing a vast array of benefits. While players love to focus on the flashiest and highest damaging moves their Pokemon can use, there are several incredible moves that don’t deal any damage at all.
Updated July 31, 2025, by Ben Painter:Pokemon have many different moves to use in battle, and they come in three different categories: physical, special, and non-damaging. A great strategy to use in the game is using certain non-damaging moves to help gain an edge in battle. WithPokemon Scarlet & Violetnow out for over a month, gamers have had time to learn the new moves added, including non-damaging ones, and put them to use inside the many ways to battle in the Generation 9 games. Included in these, is a superb new move by a new Pokemon for Generation 9, as well as the return of moves from older games. Discover these moves and more across Paldea inPokemon Scarlet & Violet.
15Protect
First appearing in Pokemon’s second generation, Protect is amongthe strongest defensive movesin the entire series. Among the most straightforward moves on this list, Protect prevents all damage its user would take from damaging moves (aside from a few moves that get around its defense).
Though it can hypothetically be used in succession, doing so raises the chance of the move failing. Protect is the ideal move for teams that are looking to stall an opponent as they suffer from statuses such as poison.
14Recover, Roost, and Softboiled
Recover, Roost, and Softboiled are each incredible moves that share nearly identical effects, but can each be learned by different Pokemon. When any of these moves are used,their user replenishes 50% of their maximum HP.This means that when used in conjunction with a notably defensive Pokemon or one with a massive HP pool such as Blissey, these moves can make it an arduous task to take that Pokemon down.
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Like Protect, these moves are excellent inclusions for teams that are hoping to slowly stall rather than aggressively attack an opponent.
13Will-o-Wisp
Will-o-Wisp is an excellent Fire-type status move that canBurn an opposing Pokemon. With an accuracy of 85, Will-o-Wisp can nerf an opposing Pokemon quite reliably.
As being burned reduces the amount of physical damage a Pokemon can deal, Will-o-Wisp can be used to target the most offensively oriented Pokemon on an opponent’s team. When used by a Pokemon with the Prankster ability, this can be done with priority.
12Belly Drum
One of the key means of reliably sweeping an opponent’s team is to utilize moves that increase a Pokemon’s offensive stats. Belly Drum is a move that puts the pedal to the metal when it comes to increasing a Pokemon’s strength, maximizing its attack stat at the expense of half of its HP.
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While this move requires some support and setup to use safely and reliably, if a quick or resilient enough Pokemon makes it to their next turn after using Belly Drum, the results can be disastrous for an opponent.
11Baton Pass
Baton Pass is an incredible move that was first introduced in Generation 2. Upon using Baton Pass, a player is able to switch to any of their other Pokemon. However, unlike a normal switch, this causes all increased (and decreased) stats to be transferred to the next Pokemon.
When used in conjunction with moves like Calm Mind, Swords Dance, Nasty Plot, or the previously mentioned Belly Drum, a potential sweep can be set up instantaneously.
10Perish Song
ThoughPerish Song does not technically deal damage, it is among the most deadly moves in all ofPokemon. Upon being used, Perish Song starts a three-turn countdown that once finished, results in both active Pokemon being KO’d.
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While an opponent can theoretically switch out their Pokemon to avoid this effect, this move is often paired with a Pokemon that has the Shadow Tag ability, preventing a potential escape. This provides Perish Song with the ability to take out nearly every Pokemon in the series.
9Trick Room
Few moves are able to spawn entire team archetypes quite likeTrick Room. While the priority of turns in Pokemon is based around the speed stat, with the quickest Pokemon attacking first, Trick Room reverses the turn order in a battle.
This allows a player to make a team of slow Pokemon that have otherwise stellar stats that would normally only be hindered by low speed. With an active Trick Room, these slow Pokemon can move with unparalleled speed, disrupting the strategy of a traditionally fast Pokemon.
8Spore
Though only learned by a small handful of fungus-based Pokemon,Spore is the most consistent status move in all ofPokemon.With 100 accuracy, Spore automatically puts a target to sleep. It is used solely by mushroom-based Pokemon like Breloom, Amoongus and the new Toedscruel.
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An absolutely stellar effect with a guarantee of succeeding, the only thing that holds Spore back is the very limited amount of Pokemon that are able to utilize it.
7Substitute
Introduced in the very first generation ofPokemongames, Substitute is an excellent move that has been part of the Pokemon franchise since the very beginning. Dealing damage to its user, this move creates a substitute that takes the place of its user.
While that active Pokemon is still able to use its moves, the Substitute takes all attack damage. This substitute has 1HP and is perfect for stalling or setting up a variety of strategies that require numerous turns.
6Sketch
Sketch is a move that can be defined by one word: potential.The signature move of Smeargle, once Sketch is used, it is permanently replaced with the last move used by its target. This allows Smeargle to have the potential to learn any move in the entire game.
While Sketch has little to no value in a vacuum, it provides Smeargle with the ability to have the exact move set its trainer would want, opening the door to an unparalleled amount of possibilities.
