In the Pokemon universe, Grass-types seem to forever be seen as the most harmless of the Pokemon. Many of them are flowers, or mushrooms, or just a tangle of vines. Also, the power of Grass-type attacks is rather low on average. However, with each new generation of Pokemon games, the Grass typing has gotten new attacks added to its repertoire. After eight generations, Grass-types now have some incredibly strong moves.

The Grass arsenal features many moves that manipulate stats (mostly attack and defense), or add negative status ailments to the opponent and/or positive status effects to the user. The Grass-type is best known for its leeching attacks – attacks that harm the enemy and heal the user simultaneously.

Updated on September 28, 2021, by Jeff Drake: There are actually quite a few Grass-type moves in the main Pokemon games - 52 in total from Pokemon Red & Blue to Sword & Shield. Most of these moves are awful, and some of the Grass moves are the absolute worst in the game.

There are also some really strong Grass-type attack moves; though, it seems like the best Grass-type moves have lower power ratings and much worse penalties than other comparable moves. This second update will add five additional entries, bringing the total to twenty. In other words, this list has nearly all of the Grass-type moves worth putting in players' favorite Grass-type Pokemon's move-set.

20/20 Cotton Guard

Cotton Guard being used to increase defense in Pokemon

There are a ton of defensive moves in Pokemon. Many of them aren't that popular. Why? Here's a familiar scenario: The fight starts and players use a move that raises their Pokemon's Defense rating. Then the opponent hits their Pokemon and takes away about half its hit points. The boost to the Defense rating isn't going to help much at this point. While players can heal their Pokemon, they are probably just going to get hit again next turn.

Cotton Guard is one of the few defensive moves worth taking. It sharply raises the user's Defense. After one use the damage taken from Physical attacks is reduced by half (approximately); after two uses damage is reduced to 1/4.

19/20 Strength Sap

The Grass type move Strength Sap being used in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Strength Sap has two effects when it is used in battle – both of them are extremely beneficial for the user. The first effect is that the Pokemon using Strength Sap is healed by an amount equal to the opposing Pokemon's attack rating. In other words, the stronger the opponent the more Strength Sap heals.

The secondary effect is that it lowers the opposing Pokemon's attack rating. This will cause subsequent uses of this move to heal less, but the opponent's physical attacks will deal less damage. This would have made a great TM (perhaps in the place of a bad one like Nature Power), but sadly, it's a rare move. It was Morelull and Shiinotic's signature move before the current generation, but now a select few Pokemon (such as Polteageist) can also learn it.

18/20 Leaf Storm

Leaf Storm flooding the battle area with damaging leaves

This is the second most damaging Grass attack through Generation 7. Leaf Storm has a power rating of 130, an accuracy rating of 90, and a PP count of 5.

There is almost always a penalty in the Pokemon games to using a move with such a high power rating and Leaf Storm is no different – every use lowers the user's Special Attack by 2 stages, to a minimum of -6 (this is also the case with several other powerful moves, such as Draco Meteor). This penalty prohibits Leaf Storm from really being used much (except in the case of Contrary Serperior), but the PP count doesn't allow for many uses anyway. Moves like this are best used for finishing a battle.

17/20 Grassy Glide

Pokemon Rillaboom using Grassy Glide in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Now, this is where Grass-types really get serious. Grassy Glide doesn't look particularly impressive with its modest 70 Base Power, but don't be fooled.

The crucial thing here is Grassy Terrain. While this Terrain is on the field, Grassy Glide is boosted by said grass and has +1 priority. Grassy Surge and Grassy Glide alone make Rillaboom an absolute terror. Other Grass-types can make excellent use of Grassy Glide as well, as the priority and 1.3x damage boost combined makes it very oppressive.

16/20 Petal Blizzard

Bulbasaur using Petal Blizzard in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Petal Blizzard was introduced in Generation 6, so its effect is tailored for the multi-Pokemon battles introduced in Generation 5 (and doubles matches introduced in Generation 3). This attack has a power rating of 90, an accuracy rating of 100, and a PP count of 15. In the multi-Pokemon battles, Petal Blizzard also hits all of the Pokemon adjacent to the target, including the player's Pokemon.

The power rating for this move is fairly high for an attack that damages multiple Pokemon in a formation. An excellent combo with Petal Blizzard is the Sap Sipper ability, which makes a Pokemon's attack increase when hit by a grass attack (which also does no damage).

15/20 Bullet Seed

Bullet Seed being shot at the opponent

This can be one of the best standard attacks in the Pokemon series - if players are lucky. Bullet Seed has a power rating of 25, an accuracy rating of 100, and a PP count of 30. This attack always hits at least twice, but it can hit up to five times. Since it always hits twice the base minimum power is 50; if five seeds are launched this has a combined power of 125.

This makes Bullet Seed potentially more powerful than a Fire Blast. Each of these is treated as a separate attack – so each seed has a chance for a critical hit. Couple this with Breloom (which has the Technician Ability to boost the power of each hit) or Toucannon (which has the Skill Link Ability to ensure five hits each time) and the true damaging potential of the move is unlocked.

14/20 Energy Ball

The Grass type move Energy Ball in in Pokemon

Energy Ball was introduced in Generation 4, and it's still one of the best Grass-type attack moves in the series. It has a power of 90, an accuracy of 100, and a PP count of 10. A power of 90 is no joke, and its accuracy of 100 means it should always hit. The PP count is a bit low for a move with a 90 power, but 10 isn't bad and is the move's only real negative aspect.

This move also has a 10% chance of reducing the target's Special Defense by one stage. A 10% chance is better than not having a secondary effect at all - 10% better, in fact. This move can be learned by a lot of Pokemon and is also a TM (#53). This is actually a pretty good TM to give to weaker Grass-types.

13/20 Grav Apple

Grav Apple being used by Flapple in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Grav Apple is new to the Pokemon series, having been released in Pokemon: Sword & Shield. This move is a good example of power-creep in gaming. This move is exclusive to Flapple, so the developers made it a little stronger than the average move. In future Pokemon games, this move will almost certainly be made available to other Pokemon as new, stronger, Pokemon exclusive, moves are introduced.

Grav Apple has a power of 80, an accuracy of 100, and a PP count of 10. In addition to these great stats, Grav Apple also lowers the target's Defense rating by one stage. This is a Physical attack - that means every use of Grav Apple will cause the next use to do more damage.

12/20 Wood Hammer

Pokemon Abomasnow using Wood Hammer in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Generally speaking, recoil moves are some of the strongest in the games. It's only fair, after all, as the user takes some of the damage dealt as recoil afterward.

Wood Hammer has 120 Base Power, as do other recoil moves like Double Edge (Normal) and the deadly Flying-type attack Brave Bird. Exchanging HP for raw damage output isn't always the best idea, so Wood Hammer might be knocked down a peg or two for that, but it's very, very strong.

11/20 Synthesis

Pokémon Eldegoss move Synthesis

Synthesis is a very different kind of Grass move. Status moves can be a bit of a mixed bag, but this one will be a perfect fit for the array of bulky Grass-types in the series.

Like Recover, Roost, and other similar moves, Synthesis restores the user's HP by half. There's an additional complicating factor, though. In harsh sunlight, this move instead restores two-thirds of the user's HP, while other weather conditions cut the healing to one quarter. It's situational and it won't suit every Grass-type, but Synthesis is still a fantastic asset.

10/20 Solar Beam

Solar Beam is still one of the best Grass type moves in Pokemon

Solar Beam has been around since Generation 1. It is an extremely potent attack - with one serious drawback. It has a power of 120, an accuracy of 100, and a PP count of 10. Ten is a lot of uses for a move with power over 100 and an accuracy of 100.

Now the drawback - this move requires powering up on the first turn. A lot can happen in one turn in the Pokemon games. The player's Pokemon might be put to sleep, confused, paralyzed, frozen, or faint before it can unleash the Solar Beam. This wait can be avoided if the move Sunny Day is used in battle first.

9/20 Spore

The grass type move Sleep Spore being used in Pokemon

This is another of the most useful non-attacking moves for Grass Pokemon. Spore only has one power – it puts the opposing Pokemon to sleep. There isn't a chance of missing either; barring extenuating circumstances Spore is going to work. The opposing Pokemon is put to sleep for 1-3 turns.

During this time, the player can continue to attack unimpeded, heal wounded Pokemon without the active one being attacked, or switch to a different Pokemon without retaliation. If a Pokemon knows Spore, they are great choices for the Dream Eater TM (#85). It's certainly not one of the most practical TMs in series history (there are other TMs that are far better), but Dream Eater has a high (100) power and heals the user by an amount equal to half the damage dealt.

8/20 Giga Drain

Giga Drain hurts the opponent while healing the user in Pokemon

The secondary effect of this move makes it superb for come-from-behind victories. Giga Drain has a power rating of 75, an accuracy rating of 100, and a PP count of 10. The secondary effect is that the user is healed by an amount equal to half the damage dealt.

Unless the opponent uses extremely damaging moves, Giga Drain will allow a Pokemon to be victorious without much damage being taken in return. If the Pokemon using this move is holding the Big Root item, the amount of draining increases from 50% to 65%. As a result of the healing effect, this makes an excellent finishing move.

7/20 Seed Flare

Seed Flare hitting a Mew in Pokemon

Seed Flare is easily one of the best Grass-type attack moves. It has a power of 120, an accuracy of 85, and a PP count of 5. The accuracy isn't low enough that the user is going to be missing all the time, and the damage is high enough that it can cause a one-turn faint - or at the least drop the opponent's hit points to critically low values.

This move also has a 40% chance of lowering the target's Special Defense by two stages. A move this powerful almost always has a negative side effect when used. Seed Flare's only negative is its 85 accuracy. Players will want to raise the PP count though so they don't have to ration its use.

6/20 Power Whip

Pokemon Grass type move Power Whip in Pokemon Sword and Shield

Power Whip is an excellent high-damage Grass move with only a minor consequence to its use. This move has a power rating of 120, an accuracy rating of 85, and a PP count of 10. The accuracy rating of 85 is the only real negative to Power Whip; the base 15% chance to miss is enough to be a bit of a nuisance at times.

A PP count of 10 for an attack with a power of 120+ is fairly uncommon, as most similar moves have a PP count of 5. Power Whip doesn't have a secondary effect, but ultimately battles are won by dealing more damage than the opponent.

5/20 Leech Seed

Leech Seed drains life from the opponent every round in Pokemon

Leech Seed was introduced in Generation 1 as one of the mighty Bulbasaur's moves (among a few other Pokemon) and is still one of the best Grass moves. This move leeches away 1/8 of the maximum hit points from the opposing Pokemon and heals the user an equal amount - each round.

While the damage per turn seems small, it adds up very quickly in protracted battles. This move should be used at the start of every fight to get the most out of the leeching/healing. It works very well with Giga Drain too.

4/20 Frenzy Plant

The Grass type move Frenzy Plant being used in Pokemon

Frenzy Plant is the most damaging move in the Grass-type move-set. This move has a power rating of 150, an accuracy rating of 90, and a PP count of 5. The only negative to using this move is that the user must recharge, so it cannot move in the following round.

This is a substantial penalty. However, in normal circumstances, it is better to have a recharge following a move than to have to waste a turn while the move powers up – like Solar Beam. Use this as a finishing move, which will allow the user to avoid the recharge penalty.

3/20 Leaf Blade

Sceptile using the powerful Leaf Blade move in Pokemon

Leaf Blade is among the best standard Grass attacks, having a high power rating of 90, an accuracy rating of 100, and a PP count of 15. The 15 PP count is high considering this move's power-to-accuracy ratio. The high PP count of Leaf Blade also allows the player to use items that increase a move's PP count for other moves that need the increase more.

Leaf Blade has an increased chance to score a critical hit on the opponent. Critical hits aren't as damaging as they used to be (their power has been reduced from double to 1.5 times), but this move has all the advantages and none of the drawbacks of some other top Grass moves (raw base power aside). It's not quite at the very top, though.

2/20 Sappy Seed

Eevee using Sappy Seed to drop explosive seeds on the opponent in Pokemon

Those who have played Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee will know that Pikachu and Eevee have a range of fantastic moves available to them from across the type chart. These signature moves are exclusive to these spin-offs, which is probably for the best as they're absurdly good.

Sappy Seed, for instance, is a huge direct upgrade of the already excellent Leech Seed, hitting for 90 base power and setting the HP-sapping seed afterward. There's a reason why this move doesn't exist in the base games, but the very best Grass move (arguably) just beats it out.

1/20 G-Max Vine Lash

Pokémon Gigantamax Venusaur G-Max Vine Lash

Finally, it's the exclusive G-Max move of Gigantamax Venusaur. Often, this formidable attack is paired with Frenzy Plant to get the maximum damage potential from it. The two moves share the same base power, 150, but G-Max Vine Lash is another direct upgrade.

There's no need to skip a turn here, unlike Frenzy Plant. The secondary effect of this move deals damage to the opponent(s) equal to one-sixth of their max HP at the end of the turn, for four turns. In doubles matches, in particular, this is a tremendous "damage value." Gigantamax Charizard's G-Max Wildfire and Gigantamax Blastoise's G-Max Cannonade share this effect, helping make these forms of the Kanto starters (introduced in Sword & Shield's Isle of Armor expansion) popular picks.

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