In Pokémon Go, the term “Movesets” refers to the available attacks each monster can learn. These movesets directly impact how useful that Pokémon will be in the meta game. The goal of a moveset is to optimize a Pokémon’s Damage per Second (DPS) for its dedicated purpose, be it attacking rival gyms, defending gyms for the glory of your respective team, or defeating the fierce raid bosses! That being said, movesets break down into two parts: Fast Attacks and Charge Attacks.
Fast Attacks
The most common attack a Pokémon will use is its Fast Attack. The purpose of this skill is to deal consistent damage to a defender while generating energy quickly to deliver devastating blows with its Charge Attacks. A Pokémon’s Fast Attack can be changed by using a Fast TM item. These attacks can be found in game on a Pokémon’s info page as the first attack from the top.
There are a couple things to keep in mind when selecting a Fast Attack for a Pokémon:
Damage Per Second (DPS)
The formula for calculating this in Pokémon Go is Floor(1/2 * Power *Atk/Def * Effective) +1 (see more at Damage Mechanics in Pokemon GO)
Energy Gain Per Second (EPS)
The formula for calculating this in Pokémon Go is Energy Gain = Energy of attack / Time (in seconds)
These calculations allow Trainers to determine which Fast Attacks do the most damage and generate the most energy the quickest.
 Sceptile |
Damage | Cast Time | DPS | Energy | EPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet Seed Grass | 8 | 1.10s | 8.7 | 14 | 12.7 |
| Fury Cutter Bug | 3 | 0.40s | 7.5 | 6 | 15 |
We can see in the above example that Sceptile has two viable Fast Attack options with Bullet Seed and Fury Cutter, and though they are very close in overall DPS, Fury Cutter generates more EPS which makes it the better option for this Pokémon.
Charge Attacks
Charge Attacks are swift and powerful spike damage attack available once a Pokémon has generated energy from its Fast Attacks. Although, these attacks are used less often than your Fast Attacks, they play a huge factor in how successful your Pokémon will be in battle. A Pokémon’s Charge Attack can be changed by using a Charge TM item. These attacks can be found in game on a Pokémon’s info page below the Fast Attacks; these will have charge meters underneath them as well.
There are a few calculations that assist Trainers to determine the optimal Charge Attack for a Pokémon:
Damage Per Second (DPS)
The formula for calculating this in Pokémon Go is Floor(1/2 * Power *Atk/Def * Effective) +1 (see more at Damage Mechanics in Pokemon GO)
Damage Per Energy (DPE)
The formula for calculating this in Pokémon Go is Damage * Number of Charge uses / 100
Casting Time
The formula for calculating this in Pokémon Go is Animation Time (in seconds) * Number of Charge Uses
Taking these calculations into account, we can now look at our example of Sceptile once again:
| Sceptile |
Damage | Cast Time | DPS | Energy | DPE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaf Blade Grass | 70 | 2.40s | 35 | -33 | 2.1 |
| Earthquake Ground | 120 | 3.60s | 33 | -100 | 1.2 |
| Aerial Ace | 55 | 2.40s | 22.9 | -33 | 1.65 |
Sceptile has access to three very different Charge Attacks that can be used for different purposes, however, the highest DPS option is Leaf Blade. Although the use of all three of the Leaf Blade Charge Attacks takes a total 7.20 seconds, a single strike does comparable damage to Earthquake while benefitting from Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB), and uses substantially less energy.
Defending Movesets/Type Coverage:
Some Pokémon have found their place in the meta game as dedicated Gym Defenders. These Pokémon typically have dedicated movesets using the DPS formula with a focus on taking down the specific types to which they are weak. Blissey Normal, for example, is currently the best gym defender in the game. It has amazing stats and access to both a Fast and Charge Attack that are Super Effective against its only weakness, Fighting.
By becoming familiar with your Gym Defenders and their weaknesses you can optimize their movesets based on their available attacks.
Related reading: Type Effectiveness
Versatility
In some cases, selecting a moveset is based specifically on the attacks available and the potential use of that Pokémon. A great example is Kyorge with access to Thunder Electric, it is a decent option for battling against other Water type Pokémon.
By balancing a Pokémon’s typing with its attack options, you can create interesting movesets that take reduced damage from its target while dealing Super Effective damage at the same time.
Legacy Movesets in Pokémon GO
With meta changes, some Pokémon lost the ability to learn a particular moveset. These are called legacy moveset. For many Pokémon, these were the best movesets available for them to date. If you are lucky enough to have a Pokémon with one of these movesets, you may want to think twice before changing it a TM.
| Pokémon | Fast Attack | Charge Attack |
|---|---|---|
 Alakazam |
Dazzling Gleam Psychic |
|
 Arcanine |
Bite | Bulldoze Flamethrower |
 Beedrill |
Bug Bite | |
 Blaziken |
Stone Edge | |
 Butterfree |
Bug Bite | |
 Chansey |
Psybeam | |
 Charizard |
Ember Wing Attack |
Flamethrower |
 Charmeleon |
Scratch | |
 Clefable |
Pound | |
 Cleffa |
Psychic Body Slam |
|
 Cloyster |
Blizzard Icy Wind |
|
 Dewgong |
Ice Shard | |
 Diglett |
Mud Shot | |
 Dodrio |
Air Cutter | |
 Doduo |
Swift | |
 Dragonite |
Dragon Breath | Dragon Claw Dragon Pulse |
 Dugtrio |
Mud Shot | |
 Eevee |
Body Slam | |
 Ekans |
Gunk Shot | |
 Electrode |
Tackle | |
 Elekid |
Thunderbolt | |
 Exeggutor |
Confusion
Zen Headbutt |
|
 Farfetch’d |
Cut | |
 Fearow |
Twister | |
 Feraligatr |
Water Gun | |
 Flareon |
Heat Wave | |
 Gastly |
Sucker Punch | Ominous Wind |
 Gengar |
Shadow Claw | Sludge Wave Dark Pulse |
 Golbat |
Ominous Wind | |
 Golem |
Mud Shot | Ancient Power |
 Graveler |
Mud Shot | |
 Grimer |
Acid | |
 Gyarados |
Dragon Breath Dragon Tail |
Dragon Pulse Twister |
 Haunter |
Lick | Shadow Ball |
 Hitmonchan |
Rock Smash | Brick Break |
 Hitmonlee |
Stomp Brick Break |
|
 Hypno |
Psyshock Shadow Ball |
|
 Igglybuff |
Body Slam | |
 Jigglypuff |
Play Rough Body Slam |
|
 Jynx |
Pound | Ice Punch |
 Kabutops |
Fury Cutter | |
 Kangaskhan |
Brick Break Stomp |
|
 Kingdra |
Water Gun | |
 Kingler |
Mud Shot | |
 Koffing |
Acid | |
 Kyogre |
Dragon Tail | |
 Lapras |
Ice Shard | Dragon Pulse Ice Beam |
 Loudred |
Crunch | |
 Machamp |
Karate Chop | Cross Chop Stone Edge Submission |
 Machoke |
Cross Chop | |
 Machop |
Low Kick | |
 Magby |
Flamethrower | |
 Magneton |
Thunder Shock | Discharge |
 Meowth |
Body Slam | |
 Mew |
Hurricane Dragon Pulse |
|
 Milotic |
Water Gun | |
 Moltres |
Ember | |
 Omanyte |
Rock Tomb Brine |
|
 Omastar |
Rock Throw | Rock Slide |
 Onix |
Iron Head Rock Slide |
|
 Parasect |
Bug Bite | |
 Persian |
Night Slash | |
 Pichu |
Quick Attack | |
 Pidgeot |
Wing Attack | Air Cutter |
 Pikachu |
Thunder | |
 Pinsir |
Fury Cutter | Submission |
 Politoed |
Earthquake | |
 Poliwhirl |
Scald | |
 Poliwrath |
Mud Shot | Submission |
 Ponyta |
Fire Blast | |
 Porygon |
Quick Attack Tackle Zen Headbutt |
Discharge Psybeam Signal Beam |
 Primeape |
Karate Chop | Cross Chop |
 Raichu |
Thunder Shock | Thunder |
 Rapidash |
Ember | |
 Rhydon |
Megahorn | |
 Sandshrew |
Rock Tomb | |
 Scyther |
Steel Wing | Bug Buzz |
 Seadra |
Blizzard | |
 Seaking |
Poison Jab | Ice Wind Drill Run |
 Seel |
Water Gun | Aqua Jet |
 Smoochum |
Frost Breath | |
 Snorlax |
Body Slam | |
 Spearow |
Twister | |
 Starmie |
Quick Attack Tackle |
Psybeam |
 Staryu |
Quick Attack | |
 Suicune |
Hidden Power | |
 Tangela |
Power Whip | |
 Togepi |
Zen Headbutt | |
 Togetic |
Steel Wing Zen Headbutt |
|
 Venomoth |
Bug Bite | Poison Fang |
 Voltorb |
Signal Beam | |
 Weepinbell |
Razor Leaf | |
 Weezing |
Acid | |
 Zapdos |
Thunder Shock | Discharge |
 Zubat |
Sludge Bomb |