Best Battle Gimmicks In The Pokemon Games

The Pokemon franchise of video games is rapidly approaching its thirtieth birthday. The initial formula of having players catch and battle with a team of wild Pokemon of their choosing has stood the test of time. However, the developers of these games have continued to add new concepts and Pokemon with every new release, in order to keep things fresh. Sometimes, these new concepts come in the form of a battle gimmick.

A battle gimmick is a new feature that a player can use in a fight with another trainer to either temporarily boost a Pokemon's power, change their type, or help to deliver the final blow. All of these battle gimmicks have been received positively by fans so far, but some are more popular than others. Here's how they stack up.

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5 Rotation Battles

Pokemon Black & White

The rotation battle concept was first introduced in the fifth generation of Pokemon, but the gimmick featured more in Pokemon Black than in the White version. The idea behind this gimmick is, as its name would suggest, players release three Pokemon at a time onto the field. However, only one takes the center spot. As such, the Pokemon in the center will be the one making attacks and taking damage from the opponent. Players can change the Pokemon in the center for one of the other two Pokemon on the field during the next turn.

Using three Pokemon at a time in battle makes players think hard about the moves they are using, and which team member is going to take a hit at the right time. Unfortunately, most fans of the series found this gimmick overly complicated, and thus it has not returned since. Plus, it was used as a way to introduce the three elemental monkey Pokemon from Unova, which are not fan favorite designs at all.

4 Z Moves

Pokemon Sun & Moon

Z Moves are a unique Pokemon battle gimmick introduced in Gen 7. This power boosts a single move of a Pokemon, instead of boosting their stats or giving them another form. To use one of these powerful moves in battle, the player must first find Z crystals around the Alola region. There is a Z crystal for Pokemon every type, and players must select a move of that type to make it a Z move. For example, players can use the Steelanium Z crystal to have a Steel-Type Pokemon use Corkscrew Crash. The player character will perform a dance, and a new animation for that move will play.

As exciting as the animations look at first, using Z Moves again and again can be time-consuming for some players. Plus, only specific moves get boosted, making this mechanic less useful than some more powerful battle gimmicks. Again, Z Moves have yet to return as a feature in the franchise.

3 Dyanamax / Gigantamax

Pokemon Sword & Shield

In terms of appearance, Dynamaxing a Pokemon will make that Pokemon grow larger for a maximum of three turns in battle. The developers at Nintendo brought this battle gimmick into the eighth generation of games, because the Switch could render these larger forms on a TV. Any Pokemon can Dynamax in a battle, but once the feature has been used, players cannot Dynamax their Pokemon again until the battle ends. Some Pokemon have alternative Gigantamax forms, which occur exactly like the Dynamax forms in battle. The difference is that these Pokemon receive a slightly new appearance during this stage of the battle.

When battling in a Dynamax or Gigantamax form, the Pokemon will receive an HP boost relative to their Dynamax level. This level can be increased by giving the Pokemon a Bynamax candy.Iit can be increased to a maximum level of 10, at which the Pokemon's HP will be doubled. A Dynamaxed Pokemon's moves also change into a Dynamax form, and do more damage based on their Dynamax level. This battle gimmick does add some more strategy options, but the three-turn limit makes the power boost easy to stall out.

2 Terastallizing

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

The latest battle gimmick to be introduced into the Pokemon franchise is terastallization from Gen 9. This feature is first unlocked when the player receives the Tera Orb from Nemona during the main story. This orb allows one Pokemon on the team to become encased in crystal, and their moves will increase in power for the remainder of the battle.

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All Pokemon in the game can terastallize into their own type, but a Pokemon's Tera type can be changed if players have access to that type's Tera Shard. Terastalization lasts until the Pokemon faints, and is a great way to avoid weaknesses in battle. For instance, the third gym leader in Paldea, Iono, terastallizes her Mismagius into the Electric type. Doing so gives the Pokemon no weaknesses, as Mismagius' ' Levitate ability makes it immune to Ground-type moves, which are usually super effective against Electric-type Pokemon.

1 Mega Evolution

Pokemon X & Y

Mega Evolution is by far the most popular battle gimmick in the Pokemon franchise. It has been talked about ever since its introduction in Gen 6, and fans are overjoyed that Mega Evolution is returning to Pokemon Legends Z-A. This gimmick is used to give third-evolution Pokemon a temporary fourth evolution stage, one that changes the creature's design (and sometimes its typing), and increases its base stat total by 100 points.

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As a result, Mega Evolution has breathed new life into some older Pokemon, and made them competitively viable once again. Only one Pokemon on a team can Mega Evolve in a battle, and it will stay in this form until it is knocked out. With this new power increase added to the game, fans can only hope that their favorite Pokemon gets a new Mega form in the future.