Just♕ like the mega evolutions of X & Y, and the Gigantimax forms of the recent Pokémon Sword & Shield, the newest way to battle in Pokémon Sun & Moon were Z-Moves. These powerful attacks, activated with unique one-of-a-kind Z-Crystals, were a power that any Pokemon could use once per-battle with a brief dramatic cutscene and massive power boost.
With Z-Moves being 🍒a thing of the past due to their absence in Sword & Shield, one question remains of this now-retired way of battling: which of these numerous moves were the most powerful? These Z-Moves undoubtedly stand the strongest among their peers.
Updated July 5, 2021 by Paul DiSalvo: In addition to the over-the-top and cinematic Z-moves we know and love, the use of Z-Crystals also allows for non꧂-damaging moves to be powered up. Depending on the move that is chosen when activating a Z-Crystal, the move’s effectiveness is increased, sometimes even providing an additional effect. While they don’t provide nearly as much instant gratification, these improved move variants that are enabled by Z-Crystals can provide some truly potent effects.
20 Z-Toxic An♔d Z-🉐Stealth Rock
Toxic and Stealth Rock are two of the best indirect damage moves in all of Pokemon. Inflicting an opposing Pokemon with poison and laying down hazardous rocks that damage entering Pokemon respectively, they can ease deal significantꦅ damage over the course of a battle. However, the Pokemon that use these moves are often sturdy walls that benefit from high defense. When powered up by Z-Crystals, in addition to providing these moves normal effect, these enhanced versions also provide a Pokemon with a defense buff, allowing them to more reliably take hits.
19 ಞ Z-Swords Dance And Z-Nasty Plot 𝔍
Swords Dance and Nasty Plot are already incredible moves in their own right, raising a Pokemon’s Attack and Special attack by two stages respectivel𒁏y. When powering up these moves via a Z-Crystal, they can provide a sweeper with additional insurance as they prepare their attack. While one way an opponent can deal with a potential sweeper is to nerf its stats as its offensive buffs are prepared, when using the Z variants of these moves, all loꦦwered stats of the moves user are reset!
18 ও Z-Ra🐼in Dance And Z-Sunny Day
Rain and Sun teams are quite popular due to their ability to rush an opponent with incredible speed of Pokemon with the Swift Swim and Chlorophyl abilities. While one downside of these types of teams is the necessity to set up a ꦦweather condition to get the ball rolling, using Z-Rain Dance or Z-Sunny Day can help to ensure a player gets the speed they need. This is because on top of the speed benefits from the aforementioned weather-based abilities these Z-moves cause their user’s speed to raise in addition to their weather generating effects.
17 Z-Conver🦄sion
Conversion is an incredibly unique move that is only learnable by the Porygon family, changing its user’s type to become that of the first move they know. This move can𒀰 be used to create many interesting and unexpected builds that can catch an opponent off guard. Z-Conversion really provides incentive to make use of a Porygon-Z, as in addition to altering its users type, it raises every single one of its user’s stats, making it a much more notable thꦿreat for an opponent.
16 🐬 Z-Belly Drum
Since it was first introduced in Generation II, Belly Drum has always been a high risk, high reward move. At the cost of half of its user’s HP, the move raises the Pokemon’s attack to its maximum possible level. While thi💃s move is ideally used to set up sweeps, it can leave it’s user open to getting KO’s or even fail entirely if they don’t have enough HP. Z-Belly Drum mitigates a great deal of this risk, immediately healing its user to full HP before the traditional HP reduction. This helps make sweeping via Belly Drum as significantly more consistent gameplan with Pokemon like a Huge Power Azumarill.
15 ღ Hydro Vortex 🍎
Hydro Vortex is the default Water-type Z-Move that powers up whatever water type move that is boosting it. This gives Hydro Vortex access to the Water-type Hyper Beam equivalent, Hydro Cannon. There is also the HP-tied Water-type move, Water Spout. To add to this𝔉, Water-type Pokemon are good offensive sweepers on average.
Even a powerful yet inaccurate move like Hydro Pump could benefit from a Z-Move glow-up. That said, it's hard to argue with reserving the Waterium Z for a Water starter like Swampert or Blastoise and unleashing a powered-up Hydro Cannon.
14 ꦐ Continental Crush 🍒
Continental Crush is the Rock-type Z-Move, and it's quite powerful for the reason that many Rock-type moves are either inaccurate or come with a massive drawback.
Rock Wrecker is the Rock-type Giga Impact counterpart reserved for Rhyperior and Crustle, so it's strong but comes with a cooldown turn. Head Smash is another impressive Rock-type move available to a wide variety of Rock-type Pokemon but was originally the signature move of Rampardos. It hits hard but has massive recoil damage. Stone Edge is another good candidate for Continental Crush, but that high critical-hit ratio may discourage you from turning it into a Z-Move.
13 Inferno Overdrive ༺
Inferno Overdrive is the default Fire-type Z-Move, and it's quite good for reasons similar to Continental Crush. Fire-type Pokemon are generally great offensive sweepers, and Inferno Overdrive only improves on their attacking capabilities.
Like Continental Crush, Inferno Overdrive has a large pool of powerful-yet-detrimental Fire-type moves to draw from such as Blast Burn, Flare Blitz, and Overheat. On top of that, the Fire-type 🅰has its own heavy-hitt𒀰ing HP-tied move in Eruption.
12 𒀰 Catastropika ꦆ
Catastropika is the Pikachu-specific power-up to the iconic Volt Tackle move which comes with heavy recoil damage. It's a powerhouse of a move that comes with a base power of 210, which is even stronger than 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt--though that move is a Special Attack move that plays to Pikachu's strengths.
That said, if you have a physical Attack💫-based Pikachu with the need of an additional bit of zip, Pikanium Z and Catastropi☂ka will give it another powerful weapon its arsenal.
11 𝓰 Devastating Drake 💃
Devastating Drake is the Z-Move that corresponds to the powerful Dragon-type, and like the Fire and Rock-types before it, Devastating Drake has plenty of powerful moves with drawbacks to turn into a turb🌳o-charged draconic smackdown.
Ou💫trage, Draco Meteor, and Dragon Rush make for a great Devastating Drake. If you have a Dialga at your disposal, Roar 🤡of Time could make for an extra spicy Z-Move in this instance. All of this is further supported by how generally powerful Dragon-type Pokemon are, so Devastating Drake gets a boost strictly from the type of Pokemon it corresponds with.