One of the most vital parts of your partners in the Pokémon series is their Attack stat, which determines how much damage they deal with physical moves, and raising it in battle can make certain Pokémon unstoppable. One of the best ways to do this is through the game’s wide variety of stat-raising moves.
Many moves related to the Attack stat have returned in Pokémon Sword & Shield, each with additional and unusual effects that set them apart from one another. Whether you’re a casual trainer or competitive battler, nearly every Pokémon has tons of options for raising their Attack.
15 Howl & Meditate
Two of the earliest and simplest moves to raise Attack are essentially identical, those being Howl and Meditate. These moves each raise the stat by one stage, essentially granting future physical moves fifty percent more power.
These moves will do a mildly sufficient job, but are far from vital tools for competitive play. Howl is usually learned by Normal and Dark-type Pokémon through leveling up, while Meditate is quite common among Fighting and Psychic-types.
14 Work Up & Growth
Another pair of identical stat moves are Growth and Work Up, but these moves are infinitely more useful than Howl and Meditate. These will not only raise the user’s Attack by one stage, but also raises Special Attack by just as much.
It’s rare for both stat increases to be helpful in the same battle, but their versatility makes it a great budget option when stronger status moves aren’t available. Many Grass-types learn Growth through leveling up, while Work Up can be learned by nearly any Pokémon through a TR sold by Watt Traders.
13 Ancient Power
Attack stats are rarely raised alone, but Ancient Power takes this one step further. This special move will deal non-physical damage with normal accuracy, and has a ten percent chance of increasing all the user’s stats by one stage.
This effect may seem powerful for being attached to damage, but the odds of this stat boost are low enough that it’s rarely worth using them over another stat move. If you need your stats raised, if usually better to go for a status move.
12 Clangorous Soul & No Retreat
Rather than leaving it up to chance, Clangorous Soul & No Retreat raises all the user’s stats for a much flatter cost. Clangorous Soul, exclusive to the Dragon-type Kommo-o, grants this by sacrificing a third of its overall health.
Falinks, meanwhile, can also get this wide boost from its exclusive move No Retreat, which prevents it from being switched out of battle until it faints. Since it would lose the stat boosts upon switching out anyway, this isn’t nearly as large a setback.
11 Curse
This awkward health-costing move might put a damaging curse on opponents when used by Ghost-types, but this move can be learned by Pokémon of all sorts. When the user isn’t a Ghost-type, this move will decrease the user’s Speed, while also raising its Attack and Defense stats.
The loss of Speed might seem like a downside, but Pokémon that are already quite slow will hardly notice this setback. The usual way other types is to get this attack is through breeding with Ghost-types, as it’s a very common Egg Move.
10 Coil & Hone Claws
Much rarer than many other moves on this list, Coil is reserved mostly for snake and serpent Pokémon like Milotic and Sandaconda. This will raise three stats at no cost in an odd combination, being Attack, Defense, and Accuracy.
Similar to this is the more common Hone Claws, which simply raises Attack and Accuracy without the defensive boost. Very few moves can increase Accuracy in Pokémon Sword & Shield, so these moves are a great way to make attacks like Stone Edge and Hypnosis more usable.
9 Swords Dance
Swords Dance is likely the most powerful and efficient way to increase your Attack stat. This classic status move raises the user’s stat by two stages, essentially doubling it with its first use.
This move is learnable by all sorts of Pokémon, but greatest with physical attackers that can survive a hit. You can get TRs of it in Max Raid Battles against many Normal-types in the Wild Area.
8 Shell Smash
The last of the mass stat moves, Shell Smash, is another incredibly powerful utility. This will raise the user’s Speed, Attack, and Special Attack by two stages while decreasing their defensive stats in return.
This rare move can be weakening, but defensive Pokémon like Cloyster and Blastoise can often survive hits thanks to their naturally high stats. Using a White Herb held item will also reset decreased stats, fully eliminating this downside.
7 Power-Up Punch & Fell Stinger
Most of the typical ways to raise stats consistently are through status moves, but some damage attacks do the job just as well. One of these is the uncommon Fighting-type move Power-Up Punch, which deals minor physical damage before raising the stat by one stage.
The other is Fell Stinger, a Bug-type move that’s much harder to use. Defeating an opponent with it will raise the user’s stat by two stages, but because of its low base power, it’s often quite hard for Pokémon to trigger this ability without prior stat boosts.
6 Belly Drum
Belly Drum is much like Clangorous Soul, raising stats at the cost of health. Rather than all stats raised for a third, however, Belly Drum is far more drastic by raising the Attack stat six stages in exchange for half the user’s health.
Very few Pokémon can utilize this move, but having high enough defenses and a good Double Battle partner can usually mitigate the risk. Some of the best users include Azumarill and the Gigantamax-capable Snorlax, both of which have a low number of weaknesses.
5 Bulk Up & Coaching
Bulk Up is a great classic status move from Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire, raising the user’s Attack and Defense stats by one stage. Much like Curse, it helps many Pokémon remain defensive while growing more powerful, but without Curse’s additional stat decrease.
However, most Pokémon are better off learning Coaching from the new move tutor on the Isle of Armor. This attack has an identical effect, but will raise the stats of both the user and its ally in Double Battles, making it infinitely more powerful than its older sibling.
4 Metal Claw & Meteor Mash
On the more variable side of Attack boosts are Metal Claw & Meteor Mash, two Steel-type moves that are primarily about dealing physical damage. Metal Claw is the more common one, dealing a moderate amount of damage with a ten percent chance of raising the user’s Attack stat.
Meteor Mash is much rarer, but deals greater damage and has a much higher twenty percent chance of a stat raise. Neither of these is greatly consistent, but a lucky boost can sometimes carry certain Pokémon to an unexpected victory.
3 Dragon Dance
While not the highest stat raise of these moves, Dragon Dance is likely the greatest way to raise a Pokémon’s Attack stat, as it also raises the user’s Speed stat. Not only will it give a slight damage boost, but this will let Pokémon with moderate speed become alarmingly swift.
This attack used to be mostly exclusive to Dragon-types, but now appears as a TR that most Pokémon can use. Much like Swords Dance, it can only be found in Max Raid Battles, usually against Dragon-types.
2 Shift Gear & Gear Up
There are two other Steel-type moves centered on raising Attack stats, but they’re significantly more different than their names would suggest. Shift Gear is a rare and efficient one, raising the user’s Attack by one stage and Speed by two stages.
Gear Up is significantly worse, functioning more like Work Up by raising an ally’s Attack and Special Attack stats in Double Battles if they have the Plus or Minus ability. Given how rare these abilities are, this move is likely the least efficient way to achieve this effect.
1 Max Knuckle
The last move that raises Attack is usable by any Pokémon with a Fighting-type damage move, as Max Knuckle will replace it when a Pokémon enters Dynamax. Landing a hit with this move will raise the user’s Attack stat by one stage, as well as its ally in Double Battles, making for an extremely efficient way to gain such a boost.
NEXT: Pokémon Sword & Shield: Every Move, Item, & Ability That Affects Evasion
