In the world of Pokemon, Rock-types are best known for the🎃ir sturdy physical defense and natural bulk. They can also make great physical attackers who pack a punch, but the pool of Rock-type attacks is actually quite small compared to more prolific types, like Water and Normal.

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That being said, there are still a fair enough number of moves for Rock Pokemon to take advantage of that ever-glorious Same-Type Attack Bonus (STAB). Certain Rock moves are even considered essential for non-Rock Pokemon to carry on their move sets due to how perennially effective they've proven to be in competitive battling.

Updated January 13, 2023 by Jeremy Hanna: It can't be overstated that Rock-type moves are some of the most important moves in the game, both casually and competitively. They can be powerful like Rock Wrecker and Stone Edge, supportive like Stealth Rock and Wide Guard, and even help balance a Pokemon's coverage like Power Gem or Rock Blast. With the release of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Scarlet & Violet, it's time to take a look at new moves and reassess the old ones in order to see which Rock-type moves will be the most helpful on your Pokemon journey, wherever it may take you.

18 Sandstorm

Tyranitar with its arms stretched out in the Pokemon anime

Ever since its introduction, weather has been a big part of Pokemon. Every kind of Weather Condition has a team that goes with it, and sand is among the most prolific of them all. Sandstorm is the move that sets up, as the name implies, the Sandstorm Weather C🌌ondition.

Is Sandstorm a good move? Spending a turn on setup can be risky. But while Sandstorm is happening, all Pokemon lose a 16th of their health at the end of every turn (with exceptions made for Rock, Ground, and Steel-type Pokemon). It also boosts the Special Defense of all Rock-Type Pokemon. Plenty of Pokemon ha💦ve Abilities that get boosts during Sandstorm as well, making it all the better. However, there are also Pokemon with abilities that summon 𒊎Sandstorm, so that is probably more useful.

17 Salt Cure

Garganacl standing in the sand in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet.

Introduced in Scarlet & Violet, Salt Cure is the signature move of the Garganacl line and it's pretty interesting! It only has 40 base power, but that's okay, because it deals damage over time. On top of this, it deals extra damage to Water and Steel-type Pokemon that would otherwise have an advantage against Garganacl.

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The downside is that unlike simlar moves like Fire Spin and Infestation, Salt Cure doesn't trap the Pokemon. Therefore, the opponent can easily switch out if they find themselves taking too much damage. Despite this, it's still a fun option for Garganacl to take advantage of its bulk.

16 Wide Guard 🦂

crustle in the anime

Wide Guard is a fantastic support move. It doesn't really work in Single Battles, but Wide Guard shows off its true power is in Double Battles (and even Triple Battles).

Wide Guard will protect all Pokemon on the field from moves that hit more than one target. In Doubles (and Triples), these kinds of moves are quite common, with Earthquake being one of the best and most common moves in the game. Having protection to moves like this is fantastic due to its power to essentially negate an opposing Pokemon's attack.

15 Anci♍entꦆ Power

Tirtouga using Ancient Power in a green energy current

There are precious few special-based Rock-type moves in Pokemon. That alone puts Ancient Power in the "notewort❀hy" pile, but its slim chance to score some terrific perks puts it on the list regardless.

Ancient Power's base power is only 60, but it can come in clutch if its effect comes into play on a ten percent chance. That effect will raise all the user's stats by one stage, which may be more beneficial than the actual damage it puts out.

14 Rock Tomb

Onix flying remarkably high to use Rock Tomb in the Pokémon anime

Rock🌊 Tomb is a decent Rock-type move with a solid accuracy of 95 and a passable base power of 60. Luckily, plenty of Rock-type Pokemon have a high Attack statඣ to turn that iffy 60 into something deceptively good.

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While the power behind Rock Tomb is nothing to write home about, it has the bonus effect of lowering the opposing Pokemon's Speed in the process. Not only is Speed a pivotal aspect of battling on its own, but since most Rock-types aren't exactly swift by design, a single successful application of Rock Tomb can help even the odds.

13 ܫ Accelerock ෴

Lycanroc's midday form uses Accelerock in the in the Pokémon anime

Accelerock has a rather low base power of only 40, and yet it's still one of the best Rock-type moves. Plenty of Pokemon would love to have Accelerock, however, only two Pokemon in the game can learn it: Lycanroc's Midday and Dusk Forms.

What makes Accelerock so good is that it's a Priority Move. Priority Moves are always guaranteed to go first (unless it goes up against another Priority Move, in which case it's calculated as normal). This makes Acceleorck great for closing out battles before the opposing Pokemon can turn the tables, especially when you're going up against an opponent with attacks your Rock-type friend is weak against.

12 Rock Wrecker ✃

Rhyperior using Rock Wrecker on an orange background

Rock Wrecker💖 has one of the highest base powers of Rock-type moves at 150. It acts as the Rock-type version of the classic Hyper Beam.

This means that, while Rock Wrecker's damage output is very high, the user will unfortunately have to waste a turn to recharge before moving again. That leaves the user extremely vulnerable, which is why Rock Wrecker is not commonly used in competitive battling. In the main campaigns, however, it more than earns its name.

11 🃏 Meteo🎐r Beam

A Pokemon being hit with Meteor Beam

Rock-type moves are generally more focused on physical attacks, but Meteor Beam is one of the strongest special-basedꦦ Rock-type moves in the game. The big, obvious downside for Meteor Beam is that it takes a turn to charge up.

However, on the first turn, unlike other two-turn moves, it grants the user a boost to their Special Attack stat. The next turn, it will deal a devastating 120 base power, ramped up courtesy of the 🐷previous turn. Under the right conditions, like combining this with the Powꦛer Herb item, it can lead to a full team sweep.

10 Rollout

Whirlipede using rollout near a cliff in a forest

Rollout may come off as a weak move with🍒 a listed base power of only 30. Ho🦹wever, it has the potential to be one of the strongest moves around thanks to its unique effect.

When a Pokemon uses Rollout, they will be locked into it for five turns unless it is interrupted. Each time it hits, its power is doubled. By its third hit, Rollout will already be a threat for which to watch out. Additionally, the power of Rollout can be increa𝓡sed further with the help of Defense Curl.

9 ✱ Rock Polish ꦅ

Golem holds its arms out in the Pokemon Anime

Speed isn't what Rock Pokemon tend to be known for, and on the surface, it might seem silly to waste a turn attempting to amend that. Stick to your strengths and all. But Rock Polish can be worth the wait.

If your opponent needs a turn to set up their own strategy, or (better yet) they start the fight with something weak to Rock-types and need to switch out posthaste, they've effectively allowed you to shore up Rock's greatest weakness. That kind of turnabout is fair play, transforming Pokemon like Golem into rapid sweepers from thereon out.