Best Psychic Moves In Pokemon

Summary

• Psychic moves are reliable with good accuracy; they vary from status effects to stat changes and unique abilities.
• Over time, Psychic moves evolved with Dark and Ghost-types countering them; moves like Trick Room and Light Screen are still relevant today.
• Psychic moves like Lunar Blessing and Psycho Boost offer unique benefits and drawbacks, balancing power and strategy for players.

Psychic moves in the Pokemon games have always been wild cards to some degree. For the most part, the damaging Psychic moves all have fairly good accuracy ratings, making them very reliable. There are many non-damaging psychic moves, and they are quite varied in how they affect the game/opponents. Most inflict a status effect on the enemy, raise the user’s stats, lower the opponent’s stats, or have a unique ability like swapping stats or items with the opponent.

In the earlier Pokemon games, Psychic moves were very popular. This was due to only Bug Pokemon being strong against Psychic-type Pokemon, and they did not have very powerful attacks. The more recent Pokemon games have corrected this by also making Psychic Pokemon weak against Dark and Ghost-types and by giving the Bug-type some more damaging attacks.

Updated on January 8th, 2025, by Ben Painter: Dating back to Generation 1, Psychic types were the real powerhouse of the Pokemon franchise; Mewtwo was comfortably the strongest Pokemon in the game. However, this changed in Generation 2 with the introduction of the Dark type, and Psychic types slowly became less overpowered over the years. However, the type is still awesome, with some really powerful (mainly Special) moves that can devastate opponents. There are also some really tricky status moves that gamers can use to boost their Pokemon and cause some chaos in battle. This update adds five more of the best Psychic-type moves.

30

Skill Swap

The User Swaps Abilities With The Target

• Category: Status
• PP: 30
• Power: N/A
• Accuracy: N/A

Status moves are useful in battle as they will give the user an edge. Some have more uses than others, though. Skill Swap can be used to swap the user’s ability with the enemy Pokemon’s; if they have an insane ability such as Moxie or Intimidate, then it can come in very handy in the heat of battle.

However, this will most likely not amount to anything — and it might even hinder the Pokemon. Gamers will have to read up on Pokemon’s abilities to make Skill Swap a viable strategy. A perk of this move is that a lot of different ‘mons can learn it, and this includes non-Psychic-type Pokemon too.

29

Trick Room

Speed Is Reversed

• Category: Status
• PP: 5
• Power: N/A
• Accuracy: N/A

If the player is coming up against a Pokemon with a high Speed stat, Trick Room may be the best option to get a quick change of pace. It may be what turns the tide of the battle.

There aren’t too many Pokemon who learn this move by level-up only: Galarian Articuno, Porygon-Z, Diancie, Hoopa, and Oranguru are the sole members of the list (although pretty much every Psychic-type Pokemon can be taught Trick Room by TM). Speed is crucial for battle, and going first is vital when up against heavy hitters. Trick Room can be a decent strategy.

28

Light Screen

Status Move That Doubles The Special Defense

• Category: Status
• PP: 30
• Power: N/A
• Accuracy: N/A

This move has been around since the early days of the Pokemon series, and it’s still managed to remain relevant with the power creep that has affected the newer moves. Light Screen reduces the damage taken from Special moves by half. This is invaluable, as some of the most damaging attack moves in the series are Special moves.

Light Screen also protects any Pokemon on the user’s side during multi-Pokemon battles. The only two moves that can take down (or bypass) Light Screen are Brick Break and Infiltrator, which is ideal since they are unlikely to be known by opponents.

27

Reflect

Status Move That Doubles The Defense Stat

• Category: Status
• PP: 20
• Power: N/A
• Accuracy: N/A

The partner to Light Screen is Reflect, which doubles the user’s Defense against Physical moves for five turns. Combining both screens together can create a monster of a Pokemon, and it is a common strategy used in competitive Pokemon battling to boost the Defense stats.

Gamers may want to look out for moves like Brick Break, Defog, Psychic Fangs, and Raging Bull as they ignore the effects of Reflect, and the damage done will be as normal. Another useful bit of information is if the Pokemon using the move is holding the Light Clay item, then Reflect will last for eight turns instead of five — this can make a huge different in a prolonged battle.

26

Lumina Crash

An Awesome Psychic Move, But Only One Can Learn It

• Category: Special
• PP: 10
• Power: 80
• Accuracy: 100

Despite its offensive-sounding name, Lumina Crash isn’t an attack move. No, this move harshly lowers the target’s Special Defense. “Harshly” lowering a stat means it is lowered by two stages as opposed to “severely,” which lowers a stat by three stages.

Most Psychic-type moves are Special Attacks, and Lumina Crash ensures that the target will take absurd amounts of damage against Special Attacks. This creates an opportunity for an incredibly powerful two-move combo for Psychic types. However, there is a limit to how much a stat can be lowered, so players should only use Lumina Crash once against a Pokemon.

25

Agility

Boosting Speed Is Key

• Category: Status
• PP: 30
• Power: N/A
• Accuracy: N/A

Sometimes, in the heat of battle, whoever has the fastest Pokemon will determine the outcome of the battle. This is why increasing one’s speed can be so helpful, and many choose to do it using the Psychic-type move, Agility. This is a move that is not exclusive to Psychic-type Pokemon, as many Flying and Bug types can go fast by using Agility.

Nobody wants to end up in a battle with a faster Pokemon that can take out most threats in a single hit, especially since it makes trainers feel powerless to stop the carnage of their carefully raised team of Pokemon. Luckily, Agility goes both ways, so may the fastest Pokemon win.

24

Photon Geyser

A Signature Move Of Necrozma That Can Switch Between Special & Physical

• Category: Special
• PP: 5
• Power: 100
• Accuracy: 100

Photon Geyser is an interesting move and one that not every Pokemon can use to its fullest. This move uses whichever stat is the higher between Attack and Special Attack. Most Pokemon do not have similar Attack and Special Attack stats; one is typically quite a bit higher than the other.

Photon Geyser comes in handy if playing against Pokemon that lower either Attack or Special Attack with their moves. It ensures the damage will not be as affected as the other moves known to the user. Granted, only Necrozma can learn this move via leveling-up, but future Pokemon games might include it on their TR (TM) list.

23

Dream Eater

A Move That Only Works If The Enemy Is Asleep

• Category: Special
• PP: 15
• Power: 100
• Accuracy: 100

Healing moves have become a little more prevalent with each subsequent Pokemon game, but they are still far from common. There are only two healing Psychic-type moves. Healing Wish heals one Pokemon fully at the cost of making the user faint; the other healing Psychic move is Dream Eater.

Dream Eater has a power and accuracy of 100 and a PP count of 15. When used on a sleeping Pokemon, Dream Eater will heal the user by 50% of the damage dealt. The drawback is that this move only does damage to sleeping Pokemon.

22

Hypnosis

The Go-To Move To Make The Enemy Sleep

• Category: Status
• PP: 20
• Power: N/A
• Accuracy: 60

Hypnosis can be a battle-winning ability, but only if it hits. It puts an opposing Pokemon to sleep for one to three turns; while asleep, Pokemon are unable to perform any of their moves, with very few exceptions. The accuracy rating for Hypnosis is 60, but at least this gives a better chance than not working.

Along with simply being a sound strategic option in battle, Hypnosis combines well with Dream Eater and Nightmare, the Ghost-type move.

21

Esper Wing

A Solid Psychic Move, But Only One Pokemon Can Learn It

• Category: Special
• PP: 10
• Power: 80
• Accuracy: 100

Esper Wing was so good that it was quickly nerfed. Even so, it’s still one of the best Psychic-type moves in the game. Originally, this move had a power of 80, an accuracy of 100, and a PP count of 10. In Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Esper Wing has a power of 75 and an accuracy of 90.

Time will tell if this drop in power and accuracy will remain in future Pokemon games, but if history is a guide, the changes are probably permanent. Esper Wing also raises the user’s speed and has a higher chance of landing a critical hit.

20

Zen Headbutt

One Of The Only Physical Psychic Moves

• Category: Physical
• PP: 15
• Power: 80
• Accuracy: 90

Zen Headbutt is a very reliable Psychic attack move. It has a power of 80, which is average – the upper end of the average for Psychic moves anyway. It also has an accuracy of 90; missing with this move isn’t likely, but it will happen from time to time.

Some people might be asking themselves why Zen Headbutt makes the cut when its stats are similar to so many other Psychic-type moves. The answer is that Zen Headbutt can cause the opponent to flinch; every use has a 20% chance of making the target lose their next turn. This only works if a Pokemon goes first in a round.

19

Teleport

It Allows The User To Leave Wild Battles Without Fail

• Category: Status
• PP: 20
• Power: N/A
• Accuracy: N/A

This is a useful move that has two effects. One of these effects is used in battle; the other is used while exploring the world. Teleport’s effect in battle is to essentially run away; however, Teleport is always successful, unlike the risky proposition of making a normal attempt to flee. That said, it’s important to note that this effect does not work when fighting another trainer; it only works when fighting wild Pokemon.

The other effect of Teleport is that it can transport the trainer back to the last Pokemon Center they visited. This move fails if it is used while underground or in a building. All in all, Teleport will save the player quite a bit of time, both real and in-game.

18

Synchronoise

A Strong Attack, But It Only Works Against Certain Pokemon

• Category: Special
• PP: 10
• Power: 120
• Accuracy: 100

Synchronoise was introduced in Generation 5 of the Unova games on the Nintendo DS. This generation included new battle modes allowing for battles with teams of up to three Pokemon. This new battle system allowed for some interesting new moves and strategies.

Synchronoise allows the user to hit all Pokemon in the opposing group that share a type. This includes multi-type Pokemon, so a Psychic-type Pokemon would hit a grass/Psychic Pokemon in the opposing group. Synchronoise has a respectable power rating of 120, an accuracy rating of 100, and a PP count of 15.

A Weaker Psychic

• Category: Special
• PP: 20
• Power: 80
• Accuracy: 100

Extrasensory is a fantastic standard Psychic attack that can be used to weaken an opposing Pokemon for a follow-up coup de grace move. This move has a power rating of 80, an accuracy rating of 100, and a PP count of 20. Additionally, Extrasensory has a 10% chance of making the opposing Pokemon flinch.

Extrasensory, like many Psychic attacks, becomes devastating when the user is holding Psychium Z, at which point it is called Shattered Psyche and has a power of 160.

16

Telekinesis

Ensures That Every Move Hits

• Category: Status
• PP: 15
• Power: N/A
• Accuracy: N/A

Telekinesis lifts the opposing Pokemon into the air, with the main benefit being that every subsequent move performed against it always hits, regardless of any modifiers. Suddenly, moves that are very powerful/useful but have a low accuracy rating are guaranteed to work. Hypnosis (followed by Dream Eater) is a good example of how effective this combo can be.

The only drawback to lifting the opponent into the air is that ground-based attacks, like Dig, will automatically miss. The lifting effect has a duration of three turns and is best used at the outset of a battle. Telekinesis has a PP count of 15.

15

Lunar Blessing

A Built-In Pokemon Center

• Category: Status
• PP: 5
• Power: N/A
• Accuracy: N/A

Lunar Blessing is possibly the best healing move in the series. It restores the user’s hit points and removes any status ailments the targeted Pokemon has been subjected to. As if this wasn’t enough, Lunar Blessing also makes future attacks against the user, in the same encounter, more likely to miss.

The only negative to this move is that its PP count of 5, though it can be raised to 8. This isn’t a TR, and only one Pokemon, Cresselia, learns it via leveling up. Cresselia doesn’t learn this move until reaching level 72, along with Lunar Dance – so players should attempt to catch this Pokemon as early as possible.

14

Psycho Cut

A Strong Physical Psychic Move

• Category: Physical
• PP: 20
• Power: 70
• Accuracy: 100

Psycho Cut is possibly the best Psychic-type move for a Pokemon’s standard attack. It is one of the few Psychic attacks that is Physical, rather than Special, so it uses the opponent’s Defense instead of Special Defense. Psycho Cut has a power of 70, an accuracy of 100, and a PP count of 20.

Psycho Cut’s special ability is that it has an increased chance to score a critical hit. Normally, attack moves have a 1 in 20 chance of being a critical hit; Psycho Cut has a critical hit ratio of 1 in 8. Critical hits do approximately double damage, so 1 in 8 uses of Psycho Cut has a chance of reaching 140 power instead of 70.

13

Freezing Glare

The Signature Move Of Galarian Articuno

• Category: Special
• PP: 10
• Power: 90
• Accuracy: 100

Freezing Glare is a rare Psychic-type move. It was introduced in Sword & Shield, and only one Pokemon, Articuno, can add it to its move-set. Freezing Glare has a power of 90, an accuracy of 100, and a PP count of 10.

The main reason this is considered one of the best Psychic moves is that it has a 10% chance of freezing the opponent. This may not seem like much, but there is a reason the freezing status ailment is one of the least seen – it is probably the most powerful. Frozen opponents cannot move, and must skip their turn in battle. Freezing is similar to putting an opponent to sleep, but opponents have a lower chance of thawing than waking up.

12

Psycho Boost

A Really Powerful Move But Lacks PP & Accuracy

• Category: Special
• PP: 5
• Power: 140
• Accuracy: 90

Psycho Boost is the most powerful Psychic move that doesn’t require a condition to be met or the user to sacrifice a turn. It has a power rating of 140, an accuracy rating of 90, and a PP count of 5. The PP count of only 5 is overly restrictive, considering the negative effect of using Psycho Boost, but the PP count can be increased to 8 with certain items.

The negative of having such a high power is that every use of Psycho Boost lowers the user’s special attack by two stages to a minimum of -6. This makes the move better suited to being used exclusively as a “finishing move”.

11

Psystrike

A Really Solid All-Around Move

• Category: Special
• PP: 10
• Power: 100
• Accuracy: 100

Psystrike is an all-around reliable attack for Psychic-type Pokemon. This move has a power of 100; this is high, but not high enough that the move suffers from a lowered PP count (it has a PP of 10). It also has an accuracy of 100, so unless the Pokemon’s accuracy has been lowered, Psystrike isn’t going to miss.

What sets Psystrike apart from other Psychic-type moves with similar stats is that it uses the opponent’s Defense rating, rather than Special Defense when determining damage. This is quite useful since most Psychic attack moves are Special attacks rather than Physical ones. When taken along with a powerful Special attack (like Psybeam), it makes a Psychic-type Pokemon formidable against nearly any opponent.