In a Pokemon battle, having any slight edge over one’s opponent can mean the difference between sweet victory and bitter defeat. Ignoring the vast amount of uncontrollable factors that can spell tragedy, there is a long list of factors within a trainer’s control that they must take into account when building the ultimate team. Some of these factors include EVs, IVs, and movesets, but none are more interesting than choosing which item your Pokemon should hold.
As mysterious as items can be in the Pokemon world, their use is undeniable, whether it be for competitive battle or pushing through the main storyline. Many Pokemon fans have agreed that some items are clearly better than others, however, so this article will be counting down the items that have received a shiny seal of approval.
Updated March 24th, 2021 by Hayley Mullen: Pokemon appears to be an evergreen series, selling successfully ever since the first games’ initial release. It makes sense then, that the games continue to innovate and add new features to help said evergreen nature along. One notable addition over the years is items, with new items being added into almost every new entry into the main series. This makes the list of best handheld items for battle change over time, so we’ve added new entries accordingly.
15 Zoom Lens
There is more than one lens item in the Pokemon series; more if you count glasses in general. The Zoom Lens was introduced in Generation IV, obtainable at the Veilstone City Game Corner for 1,000 coins (Fun fact: Veilstone’s Game Corner is one of the last instances of slot gambling in Pokemon games).
This item will boost the holder’s accuracy by 20% against targets that have already performed their action that turn. This means that the Zoom Lens benefits slower Pokemon the most, such as heavy hitters who can take a hit themselves. Stronger attacks that have worse accuracy such as Blizzard will have a better chance of hitting.
14 Air Balloon
This useful item was introduced in Generation V and is usually a post-game item that requires Battle Points (BP) to obtain. It makes the Pokemon float in the air and become ungrounded, a very useful item along with the right strategy. It’s often paired with Pokemon with a very vulnerable weakness to Ground-type attacks, such as Electric-type Pokemon, to make it invulnerable to Ground-type attacks until it is hit by damaging move which pops the balloon.
Though it may not last long (like a real-life balloon), it can be the key to taking the opponent by surprise and surviving that crucial extra turn in order to strike back.
13 Healing Berries
Pokemon battles can be very unpredictable, for better or for worse, but it’s this exciting unknown that keeps players coming back for more. There are five berries in Pokemon that will heal a 50% of a Pokemon’s HP if it reaches below 25%. Having an item that can compensate for a big hit is invaluable, but it comes with a small catch. The player will have to know their Pokemon inside and out, including what kind of food flavor they prefer, and which ones they dislike.
If a Pokemon has a Modest, Timid, Calm, or Bold nature, then eating a Figy berry will cause confusion, as they dislike the Spicy flavor. A total of 20 natures will be affected by eating one of the 5 berries (Figy, Wiki, Mago, Aguav, and Iapapa). The only natures completely unaffected are ones that have no stat-changing qualities at all: Hardy, Docile, Serious, Bashful, and Quirky.
12 Elemental Gems
Not all items can be gems, but these certainly are. Initially introduced in Generation V, Gems are a one-time item that boost the damaging power of whatever type it is. There are 18 different Gems, one for each type. Holding a Water Gem, for example, will increase the damage of Hydro Pump once. After that, the Gem is used up (unless used in the Battle Frontier or online battling).
These gems have a catch, however, but not one for in-battle: After Gen VI, only the Normal Gem is obtainable in the main series games, leaving acquisition of all gems to only the Gen V games. More surprisingly is the Fairy Gem, which was introduced in Gen VI but never made obtainable in any way.
11 Sitrus Berry
This classic berry could be considered the “nectar of life,” or an upgraded Oran Berry, at least. The Sitrus Berry has been a part of the Pokemon games since Generation III, when the berry system got a major overhaul (as did many other aspects of the Pokemon games). Similar to Generation II’s Gold Berry, the Sitrus berry would restore 30 HP when a Pokemon’s health went below 50% without fainting. As of Generation IV, the Sitrus Berry now heals 25% of a Pokemon’s max HP upon reaching 50% or lower.
10 Scope Lens
The Scope Lens has been around for quite a long time, introduced way back in Generation II but only obtainable through Mystery Gift. Later games have the Scope Lens only available through completing challenges and spending their Battle Points.
This item has one benefit and no drawbacks: If held, it will raise the holder’s critical-hit ratio by one stage. This can an absolutely life-saving item since critical-hits can change the outcome of a battle on a dime. For Pokemon that evolve through several critical-hits in a single battle like Galarian Farfetch’d, this item is super useful.
9 Expert Belt
The Expert Belt, unlike other items on this list, has no drawbacks whatsoever. Its only effect is boosting the power of the user’s super effective moves by 20%. If only we could all have an item that boosts our effectiveness by 20%!
This item was introduced in Generation IV, and first obtainable in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. The player could go to an elderly man’s house on Route 221, where said man would call out a random number between 1 and 100. If the player shows him a Pokemon the same level as that number, he would reward them either a Black Belt, Expert Belt, or Focus Sash.
8 Focus Sash
To succeed in any avenue, one must have focus in their goal. Luckily, in the Pokemon world, there’s a specific item to help with that task. The Focus Sash was introduced in Generation IV and prevents Pokemon from being knocked out in one hit. This means that if the holder’s HP is full, they will hang on to life by one HP after a move that would have certainly caused them to faint.
The Focus Sash is great for those glass cannon Pokemon or anyone up against a type-disadvantage. It allows for a Pokemon to get its 15 seconds of fame and (hopefully) not die in vain. The item disappears after use, which implies that the Pokemon focused so hard it destroyed the belt in the process. Fascinating!
7 Assault Vest
This practical vest lives up to its name, offering a 50% increase to the wearer’s Special Defense to protect them from deadly attacks. The drawback of an Assault Vest is that it prevents the Pokemon holding it from choosing status moves such as Toxic or Thunder Wave.
This makes the Assault Vest the perfect item for sweepers and heavy hitters such as the above Tyranitar, Azumarill, or even Suicune. The best way to use items that come with drawbacks is to pair the item with a Pokemon that is scarcely impacted by the negative effect.
6 Eviolite
The Eviolite is an item introduced in Generation V that raises a Pokemon’s Defense and Special Defense by 50%, but only if they have not fully evolved. The Eviolite would, therefore, increase the stats of Ivysaur, but not of Venusaur. If a Chansey were to hold an Eviolite, it would outclass its very own evolution, Blissey.
The Eviolite is excellent for competitive battling that specifically prioritizes unevolved Pokemon, or Pokemon considered to be of a “lower tier,” and is also great for playing through the main storyline. Players of the Generation V games can find an Eviolite as early as Castelia City, making it extremely helpful.
5 Leftovers
Leftovers is such a useful item in battle (perhaps too useful, in some players’ eyes). Introduced in Generation II, Leftovers was both obtainable from wild Snorlax and the Celadon City Restaurant and restores the holder’s HP by 1/16th at the end of each turn in battle. This effect is useful in tons of different situations, from helping a sweeper survive a second hit to keeping a tank bulky and untouchable.
Considering its effects are determined via factor and not a solid number, it helps each Pokemon the same, though it would do better on Pokemon with lots of HP, such as Wigglytuff or Wailord. We’ll never complain again about leftovers for dinner!
4 Life Orb
The Life Orb is one of the series’ bigger gambles that can have a big payoff if used right. Holding this item will increase the Pokemon’s attacks by about 30%, but will also cause the holder to take damage equal to 10% of its maximum HP each turn. This item allows more overall power than the Expert Belt and works on moves regardless of their super effectiveness, but comes at the cost of constant, self-inflicted damage.
The Life Orb was introduced in Generation IV, found both in Stark Mountain and the Ruins of Alph. In most subsequent games, the player can only obtain the Life Orb through spending Battle Points (BP) at certain battle challenges.
3 Choice Scarf
The Choice Scarf is part of a trio of amazing items that get used constantly in competitive battling, and for good reason. The holder’s Speed will increase by 50% when held, but they will only be permitted to use the first move they select until switched out.
All three “choice” items were introduced in Generation III, the same Generation that brought Abilities, Hoenn Pokemon, and Double Battles. For Pokemon who need that extra boost of Speed in order to dominate on the battlefield, the Choice Scarf is the perfect item for them. Garchomp is a very popular choice to pair this item with, considering its 130 base Attack and 102 base Speed.
2 Choice Specs
If variety is the spice of life, then choice is the hand that sprinkles it. Both the Choice Specs and the Choice Band function identically, with the only difference being the stat they impact. The Choice Specs will boost the holding Pokemon’s Special Attack stat by 50%, but will only permit the use of the first move selected until the Pokémon faints or is withdrawn. This is the sacrifice one must make for such ultimate power, otherwise the Specs would simply be too powerful to ever be fair.
1 Choice Band
The Choice Band has the same drawback as the previous entry while increasing the user’s Attack stat by 50%. In this instance, your first choice is very important. Pokemon with big advantages in Attack (such as Azumarill with Huge Power) can utilize the Choice Band to sweep entire teams who aren’t prepared.
Out of every type in the Pokemon game, the most common highest stat for a type is Attack. The Fighting, Poison, Ground, Bug, Grass, Ice, Dragon, and Dark types all have Attack as their highest stat on average, making Choice Band perhaps the most important held item there is to hold.
NEXT: 10 Things That Make Absolutely No Sense About Pokémon Battles
