Flight ranks among the more popular types to use offensively in the competitive scene of Pokemon Sword & Shield. These airborne Pokemon are known for being quick, agile, and powerful. They take immunity to Basis-blazon moves and country-locked hazards, which makes them a fantastic defensive choice confronting popular moves like Earthquake and Spikes.

Flight-type moves are super constructive confronting Grass-, Problems-, and Fighting-types, the last of which is particularly common, giving Flying lots of utility. On the flip side, weaknesses include Ice-, Electrical-, and Rock-type Pokemon moves. Flying-type Pokemon are near always paired with a secondary type, which lends an air of unpredictability to the encounter. If you're feasting for some fliers, consider these powerful Flying-type moves.

Updated on January 23rd, 2022 by Quinton O'Connor: While it tin be argued that this holds true of every blazon, Flying is often underestimated non just during the single-player journeying just Sword & Shield's e'er-rotating meta every bit well. Information technology doesn't necessarily call to mind immediate thoughts of woe, but with moves like these, it doesn't need to. Hither'southward the current best batch of Flying-type moves for your research pleasure.

10 Fly

fly pokemon hm
  • Ability: 90
  • Accuracy: 95

Perhaps the most iconic Flying-type move is the titular Fly itself. Most players probably know this move for its HM purposes, carting you around the region with ease courtesy of your honey winged allies. This was an invaluable part of whatsoever player'due south lineup for the first six generations before existence replaced with Poke Ride Charizard Glide in Generation VII, Hush-hush Technique Sky Dash in Let's Go Pikachu & Let's Go Eevee, and Flight Taxi in Sword & Shield.

And yet, it'southward been five years and counting since Sun & Moon switched things up and nigh fans still think of these modern adjustments every bit the exception, not the rule. That's the staying ability of an iconic HM.

But Fly has plenty of promise when it comes to battles as well. Fly takes up non one plough, but two. On the first, the Pokemon befittingly soars into the sky. Upwardly here, it's invulnerable to most moves. (Watch out for powerful exceptions such as Hurricane and Zygarde'due south K Arrows.) On the second plow, the attack will country. Information technology has 90 power and 95 percent accuracy, which is nothing to belittle at.

ix Feather Trip the light fantastic

fletching using feather dance in the pokemon anime
  • Power: N/A
  • Accuracy: 100

Once the signature move of the Pidgey family unit, Feather Trip the light fantastic was introduced in Generation III. It is a non-dissentious move that targets the opponent. It will lower their Assault stat by two stages. Two stages is pretty significant — information technology's the divergence betwixt, say, Tail Whip reducing Defense force past 1 stage and Screech doing the same but by 2. There's a reason the one-time is never seen in competitive play while the latter has its uses.

Plume Dance volition effectively reverse the always-pop Swords Dance. With an accuracy rating of 100 percent, you tin can safely tame some physically powerful beasts in short social club with this matter.

8 Roost

the player receiving the tm for roost in pokemon let's go eevee
  • Power: North/A
  • Accuracy: Northward/A

Roost will restore half of your Pokemon's max HP. It volition likewise cause the Pokemon's Flying-type denomination to be ignored by whatsoever other moves used until the end of the turn, making it that much more special if timed properly. That last function'due south an interesting twist that many players don't know about, seeing as the opportunity to revitalize a weakened partner is the more prominent bending. Roost might not be necessary in the master game, where items like Full Restore are yours for the using, merely the online scene offers no such luxuries.

The not-Flying switch-upward tin be a contraction at times rather than a boon, as it volition allow the Pokemon to be hit by moves to which Flight Pokemon are usually allowed. But, it can be beneficial too, preventing your recovering pal from getting struck past super effective moves during their balance period.

7 Aerial Ace

Greninja using aeriform ace on a mega charizard x in the pokemon anime
  • Power: lx
  • Accuracy: Never misses

Aerial Ace is superb against Pokemon that love to use evasion-raising moves. This move, like Swift and other variants of it, volition almost never miss. (And when it does miss, it's not because of those same evasion-boosters; rather, it pertains to unique abilities and the like.) In the solo campaign, opponents who spam Double Team and Minimize are existent nuisances. Online, they can exist downright deadly. Information technology's a common strategy to reduce a foe'south chances to striking a concrete or special sweeper to null before unleashing devastating damage.

Advantageously, Aeriform Ace isn't especially common in many competitive lineups, either. Savour showing upward your tactically-minded rivals with an aggressive display of your own strategic prowess.

6 Defog

a honchkrow using defog in the pokemon anime
  • Power: North/A
  • Accuracy: N/A

If Aerial Ace just isn't cutting it when you're trying to take down evasive enemies, Defog ought to help practise the trick. This move will lower the target'due south evasion by a unmarried stage. As with Aerial Ace, but rarely will the opponent accept something up their sleeve preventing Defog from landing. As a bonus, those conditions don't overlap, making Defog a nifty backup programme.

What makes this movement even amend is its new effects in contempo generations. As of Generation VI, it will remove Spikes, Stealth Stone, and other hazards. In Generation 8, information technology will also remove special terrains. Given the prevalence of both hazards and terrains these days, information technology's tough to argue with Defog'south special place on cunning teams.

5 Drill Peck

an empoleon using drill peck in the pokemon anime
  • Power: eighty
  • Accuracy: 100

Sure, it looks downright bizarre when many Pokemon use information technology. (Looking at yous right now, Empoleon.) That bated? Drill Peck is a great move. Introduced all the way back in Generation I, it'south been a staple for Flight-types ever since. As the name implies, the Pokemon drills its beak directly into the opponent to inflict a decent amount of damage. 80 base of operations power with 100 percent accurateness is a mighty fine mixture.

While it admittedly has zero begetting on competitive contesting, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention that Drill Peck can boost the user's entreatment points in Contests past upwardly to four points. Conspicuously, audiences are amused by brutal antics more befitting a Roman coliseum than the cuteness Contests are allegedly known for.

4 Hurricane

the move hurricane being used in the pokemon anime
  • Ability: 110
  • Accuracy: seventy

Among Flying-type moves, Hurricane is often considered one-third of a trio with Thunder and Blizzard. Each is an elemental strength of nature, and they all take the aforementioned ability and accuracy ratings. Serious damage-dishing potential, offset by less-than-stellar accuracy — that'south their whole vibe.

At that place are ways to mitigate this downside. In Blizzard'due south instance, the weather effect Hail ups its accurateness to a full 100 per centum. For Hurricane and Thunder, the weather result Rain is your best bet instead. If yous can fix things up in your favor with a movement like Rain Trip the light fantastic toe, your Flying-type friendo can dish out some classic Floridian carnage.

Toss in a pair of perks and it'due south like shooting fish in a barrel to see why Hurricane'south and so great: non only can it hit Pokemon in the first phase of Sky Driblet, Fly, and Bounce, but in that location's a not-inconsiderable 30 per centum chance of confusing the target. Imagine striking an enemy flier while they're midair, inflicting Confuse condition, and then watching them drib only to hit themselves instead of you. That's morbidly satisfying.

3 Air Slash

tornadus using air slash in the pokemon anime
  • Power: 75
  • Accuracy: 95

Beingness able to brand the opponent blanch can be a very powerful strategy. This flinching ways they won't be able to movement that turn, which can exist life or death in some situations. Air Slash is a move that can cause flinching, with a 30 percentage take chances of it working. Regardless, Air Slash has a power of 75 and 95 percent accuracy, which makes it enough feasible with or without the side effect.

The all-time thing Air Slash has going for information technology is that a ton of Pokemon can learn information technology, including a surprising number who don't even belong to the Flying blazon in the beginning place. If your party isn't packing a drill-pecking pal, yous've still got capable coverage.

2 Sky Attack

a honchkrow using sky attack in the pokemon anime
  • Power: 140
  • Accuracy: 90

With a Japanese name that translates to "God Bird," you can count on Sky Assault to serve yous well. Introduced in Generation I, Sky Attack is 1 of the earliest Flying-type moves, and boasts a power of 140 and 90 pct accuracy. Information technology takes ii turns to work, as the user will have to accuse up the first turn. From Generation III onward, it as well has a thirty percent chance to make the opponent flinch and an increased chance of landing as a critical hit.

140 base power is already the highest of any Flight-type move, just there was a cursory window in which the special Sky Attack went from massive to monstrous. In Let's Go Pikachu & Permit's Become Eevee, the developers decided to boost that 140 to 200. Forget corpses; that Rattata is dead.

1 Tailwind

tailwind being used in a battle between a vikavolt and a braviary
  • Power: N/A
  • Accuracy: N/A

The top spot on this list is taken not by a damaging move, only by a stat increaser. Tailwind is an incredible assistance; doubling the Speed stat of all Pokemon on your side for a whopping four turns borders on overpowered. (Ask some players, and the border vanishes outright.)

Speed increases often turn the tide of battles, simply they're almost e'er locked to i or ii stages. Doubling, on the other hand, can be calculated to equally loftier equally iv or five stages instead. Pair Tailwind with pretty much any of the other moves yous've read about hither and you've proven the value of Flight-type Pokemon full stop.

NEXT: The Hardest Sinnoh Pokemon To Catch, Ranked

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