Pokémon Go Legacy Moves explained, with all current, former, event and legacy Event Moves listed

What are Legacy Moves in Pokémon Go?

Legacy Moves fit into three broad categories: legacy Legacy Moves, Community Day Moves and Event Moves. While there is some overlap, they aren’t quite the same thing.

First, we have the reason why they’re called Legacy Moves. Each move has two attack values, which you’ll see when you inspect a Pokémon in your Storage. Sometimes these are the same — Psystrike has a base attack of 90 in both the 'Gyms & Raids' and 'Trainer Battles' tab. However, Confusion only deals 16 damage in PVP, while it does a more impressive 20 in Raids.

Back in 2016, before PVP battling and Go Battle League were added to the game, this split didn’t matter. However, in trying to balance the game, certain attacks that were deemed too powerful had to be either watered down or effectively removed from the game. Instead of simply removing the move and replacing it with something else, Niantic decided to remove these moves from the 'move pool' – the list of moves that a Wild Pokémon can learn, and learn using a TM.

And thus 'Legacy Moves' were born.

Community Day Moves, form the other side of the coin, in that they provide an opportunity to aqcuire a move that isn’t normally part of the move pool. You can’t get them with a Charged TM or Fast TM, so they function in the same way as a legacy Legacy Move. The key difference is that Niantic can effectively make new Legacy Moves this way, and we get a new one (almost every month) — so while they're not legacy with a lower-case 'l', they’re basically the same thing.

Event Moves, are similar to Community Day Moves, but apply to events outside of Community Day. This is an important distinction only in that Community Day Moves are added when you evolve a Pokémon to its final stage — Event Moves can be learned simply by catching the Pokémon in the wild or after a raid!

The Max Out Season is here and includes a new global event, Wild Area. Currently, the Simply Groundbreaking event is running. You can now catch Dynamax Pokémon through Max Battles. First, however, you need to visit Power Spots to collect Max Particles and complete the To the Max! quest. Don't forget to try out Routes, Gift Exchange and Party Play while you're hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.

How to find Legacy Move Pokémon in your Pokémon Storage in Pokémon Go

Have you ever spent a dozen TMs, trying desperately to find a move that simply doesn’t want to be found? If so, there’s a good chance it’s a Legacy Move you were looking for.

There’s no way to filter your entire storage by Legacy Moves; however, there is a way to find which Pokémon know a certain Legacy Move, which is incredibly useful when trying to build a Pokémon for PVP.

First need to know which move you’re looking for. Taking Psystrike Mewtwo as an example again, Psystrike isn’t part of the normal move pool, which means you can’t learn it with the average Charged TM. So, rather than searching Mewtwo and then manually checking each Pokémon, you can simply search for the move.

To search for a move in Pokémon Go, simply type @[move name] into the search bar, replacing the [box brackets] and everything within them with the move you’re looking for. @[psystrike] will show you all of the Pokémon that know that move!

You can combine search terms using an ampersand, so if you’re looking for a Seaking that knows Poison Jab, Drill Run and Icy Wind – all three of which are Legacy Moves – you would search for: seaking&poison jab&drill runи wind. You can add spacs around the ampersands if you want, but make sure there’s no space after the @ symbol or this won’t work!

How to learn Legacy Moves in Pokémon Go

So, what if you only just started playing Pokémon Go, and don’t have a time machine to go back and catch an ultra-rare Mewtwo with both Psystrike and Shadow Ball for Master League? Elite TMs are the way forward.

These special TMs were added to Pokémon Go as a way to gain access to the full move pool, with all of the Legacy Moves that a Pokémon could learn. The bonus is that while regular TMs work on RNG, Elite TMs actually let you pick which move you want to learn, meaning that each Elite TM is a guaranteed Legacy Move, if you use them properly.

The issue, of course, is that these items are relatively rare, and aren’t always available.

Elite TMs can either be bought as part of a box of goodies in the store, or earned as part of Special Research — usually during Community Day. It’s important to note, however, that this tends to be paywalled behind the event ticket and aren’t always included as one of the rewards. If you have an Elite TM, make sure you use it wisely!

All Legacy Moves in Pokémon Go

Here is a list of all of the Legacy Moves in Pokémon Go, as of February 2023:

Pokémon	Image	Fast Attack	Charged Attack
Venusaur			Frenzy Plant
Charmeleon		Scratch
Charizard		Dragon Breath Ember Wing Attack	Blast Burn Flamethrower
Blastoise			Hydro Cannon
Butterfree		Bug Bite
Beedrill		Bug Bite	Drill Run
Pidgeot		Gust Wing Attack	Air Cutter
Spearow			Twister
Fearow			Twister
Ekans			Gunk Shot
Pikachu		Present	Surf Thunder
Raichu			Thunder
Sandshrew			Rock Tomb
Sandslash			Night Slash
Alolan Sandslash		Shadow Claw
Nidoking		Fury Cutter
Clefable		Pound
Ninetales		Ember	Fire Blast Flamethrower
Jigglypuff			Body Slam Play Rough
Zubat			Sludge Bomb
Golbat			Ominous Wind
Parasect		Bug Bite
Venomoth		Bug Bite
Diglett		Mud Shot
Dugtrio		Mud Shot
Meowth			Body Slam
Persian			Night Slash
Primeape		Karate Chop	Cross Chop
Arcanine		Bite	Bulldoze
Poliwhirl			Scald
Poliwrath			Submission
Alakazam		Counter	Dazzling Gleam Psychic
Machop		Low Kick
Machoke			Cross Chop
Machamp		Karate Chop	Payback Stone Edge Submission
Weepinbell		Razor Leaf
Graveler		Mud Shot	Rock Slide
Golem		Mud Shot
Alolan Golem		Rollout
Ponyta			Fire Blast
Rapidash		Ember
Farfetch'd		Cut
Doduo			Swift
Dodrio			Air Cutter
Seel		Water Gun	Aqua Jet
Dewgong		Ice Shard	Aqua Jet Icy Wind
Grimer		Acid
Muk		Acid Lick
Cloyster			Blizzard
Gastly		Sucker Punch	Ominous Wind
Haunter		Lick
Gengar		Lick	Dark Pulse Psychic Shadow Punch Sludge Wave
Onix			Iron Head Rock Slide
Hypno			Psyshock
Kingler		Mud Shot
Voltorb			Signal Beam
Electrode		Tackle
Exeggutor		Zen Headbutt
Alolan Marowak			Shadow Bone
Hitmonlee			Brick Break Stomp
Hitmonchan		Rock Smash	Brick Break
Lickitung			Body Slam
Koffing		Acid
Weezing		Acid
Rhydon			Megahorn
Chansey			Psybeam
Tangela			Power Whip
Kangaskhan			Brick Break Stomp
Seadra			Blizzard
Seaking		Poison Jab	Drill Run Icy Wind
Staryu		Quick Attack
Starmie		Quick Attack Tackle	Psybeam
Scyther		Steel Wing	Bug Buzz
Jynx		Pound	Ice Punch
Pinsir			Submission
Gyarados		Dragon Tail	Aqua Tail Dragon Pulse
Lapras		Ice Shard	Dragon Pulse Ice Beam
Eevee			Body Slam Last Resort
Vaporeon			Last Resort Scald
Jolteon			Last Resort Zap Cannon
Flareon			Last Resort Heat Wave Superpower
Porygon		Quick Attack Tackle Zen Headbutt	Discharge Psybeam Signal Beam
Omanyte			Brine Rock Tomb
Omastar		Rock Throw	Rock Slide
Kabutops		Fury Cutter
Snorlax		Yawn
Articuno			Hurricane
Zapdos		Thunder Shock
Moltres			Sky Attack
Dragonite			Draco Meteor Dragon Pulse
Mewtwo			Hyper Beam Psystrike Shadow Ball
Armored Mewtwo			Psystrike
Meganium			Frenzy Plant
Typhlosion			Blast Burn
Feraligatr		Water Gun	Hydro Cannon
Pichu		Quick Attack
Cleffa			Body Slam Psychic
Igglybuff			Body Slam
Togepi		Zen Headbutt
Togetic		Steel Wing Zen Headbutt
Ampharos			Dragon Pulse
Politoed			Earthquake
Jumpluff			Acrobatics
Espeon			Last Resort Shadow Ball
Umbreon			Last Resort Psychic
Kingdra		Water Gun
Smoochum		Frost Breath
Elekid			Thunderbolt
Magby			Flamethrower
Suicune		Hidden Power
Tyranitar		Smack Down
Lugia			Aeroblast
Ho-Oh			Earthquake Sacred Fire
Sceptile			Frenzy Plant
Blaziken			Blast Burn Stone Edge
Swampert			Hydro Cannon
Shiftry		Bullet Seed
Kirlia			Draining Kiss
Gardevoir			Synchronoise
Breloom			Grass Knot
Slaking			Body Slam
Shedinja		Struggle Bug Bite
Flygon			Earth Power
Altaria			Moonblast
Lileep		Bullet Seed
Walrein		Powder Snow	Icicle Spear
Salamence			Outrage
Metagross			Meteor Mash
Regirock			Earthquake
Regice			Thunder
Registeel			Zap Cannon
Latias			Mist Ball
Latios			Luster Purge
Groudon			Fire Punch
Rayquaza			Hurricane
Torterra			Frenzy Plant
Infernape			Blast Burn
Empoleon			Hydro Cannon
Staraptor		Gust
Bidoof			Ice Beam Shadow Ball Superpower Thunderbolt
Luxray			Psychic Fangs
Roserade		Bullet Seed	Fire Weather Ball
Gastrodon			Earthquake
Garchomp			Earth Power
Lickilicky			Body Slam
Rhyperior			Rock Wrecker
Electivire			Flamethrower
Magmortar			Thunderbolt
Leafeon		Bullet Seed	Last Resort
Glaceon			Last Resort Water Pulse
Mamoswine			Ancient Power
Porygon-Z			Tri Attack
Gallade			Synchronoise
Dusknoir			Shadow Ball
Giratina (Altered)			Shadow Force
Giratina (Origin)			Shadow Force
Cresselia			Grass Knot
Darkrai			Sludge Bomb
Serperior			Frenzy Plant
Emboar			Blast Burn
Samurott			Hydro Cannon
Gigalith			Meteor Beam
Chandelure			Poltergeist
Hydreigon			Brutal Swing
Cobalion			Sacred Sword
Terrakion			Sacred Sword
Virizion			Sacred Sword
Reshiram			Fusion Flare
Zekrom			Fusion Bolt
Kyurem			Glaciate
Genesect			Techno Blast
Chesnaught			Frenzy Plant
Talonflame		Incinerate
Sylveon			Last Resort Psyshock
Noivern			Boomburst
Bewear			Drain Punch
Obstagoon			Obstruct
Ursaluna			High Horsepower

Good luck collecting the Legacy moves!