Back in the day, trying to IV breed and EV train Pokémon was an arduous task that could take weeks, if not months to complete. Everything from abilities and natures to egg moves were more difficult to navigate – and in this article we’ll be focusing on those crazy egg moves. Let’s check out some of the best learnable egg moves in Pokémon Emerald, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire. There’s a healthy mix of both the OG and the remakes here, so there’s bound to be some useful information for everybody.
5. Focus Punch (Shroomish) (ORAS)
Starting off, we’ve got Focus Punch. Specifically, Focus Punch when it’s put onto Shroomish. I’ll preface this entry by saying I’m a massive Shroomish and Breloom fan. It’s the first Pokémon I ever built competitively, which honestly says a lot about my personality. I say that because Breloom, and by extension Shroomish, is one of the most annoying stall Pokémon you’ll ever face. The combination of being able to heal from poison, with access to moves like Substitute and Leech Seed, makes it a nightmare to KO. Add a powerful coverage attack like Focus Punch to balance your setup, and you have one super toxic competitive Pokémon.
4. Thunder Punch (Chimchar) (ORAS)
Thunder Punch might seem like a weird choice for Chimchar. You’d assume that something like Fire Punch would be a better option due to STAB bonuses. Well, Fire Punch is useless on Chimchar because it’s outclassed by moves like Flare Blitz. Thunder Punch, on the other hand, has a place as a coverage move that can be used to counter any water-type Pokémon that your opponent might throw at your Infernape. Sure, you might not be getting that damage bonus. But it gives you the element of surprise against unsuspecting opponents. No one is going to expect you to keep your fire-type out against a water-type, let alone to hit it with an electric-type move.
3. Signal Beam (Bug Types) (Emerald)
Now we’re getting into Pokémon Emerald/RSE territory. This move hasn’t aged as well compared to other moves in this list, but it’s important to include considering its significance back in the day. You see, during Gen III, bug types didn’t get much love at all. I mean, they still don’t… but it used to be even worse. Not only was there a distinct lack of good bug-type moves, but almost none of them were worth using. The only exception to this was Signal Beam. However, Volbeat was the only Pokémon capable of learning it. Signal Beam is a base 75 bug type attack. Meaning with STAB, you can output some serious damage – making it the best (and only good) bug type move in Generation III.
2. Hydro Pump (Bagon) (Emerald)
These last two moves are both really for the same Pokémon. The fact of the matter is that Bagon is the strongest non-legendary Pokémon to come out of Gen III. Well, Salamence is. So if there’s any way to make this evolutionary line stronger, it’s gonna make this list And what I’m looking at here is Hydro Pump. Needless to say, Hydro Pump is the strongest casual water type move in all of Pokémon. It might get beat out competitively by moves like Muddy Water. But for single player, it’s a must-have. While it doesn’t have the same use case as Thunder Punch on Infernape, it’s still an incredible coverage move that helps to round out what is already a world-beating move pool.
1. Dragon Dance (Bagon) (Emerald)
And last but not least, we have Dragon Dance. While you can make a case for not teaching your Bagon Hydro Pump, Dragon Dance is a must-have for both casual and competitive play. For those not in the know, Dragon Dance increases the user’s speed and attack by one stage each. It’s like a more well-rounded version of Swords Dance. Given that Salamence typically finds itself being an offensive pillar of many competitive teams, Dragon Dance is necessary to give it the boost needed to OHKO its way through other popular meta Pokémon.
