All Pokemon Battle Gimmicks, ranked

The Pokemon franchise has had its fair share of new additions to its battle system in an effort to freshen up the experience for the fans. However, a lot of these gimmicks have been either completely taken away from the franchise or have become main-stay staples in the franchise's battle system going forward.

With the upcoming Pokemon Legends: Z-A game announced for 2025, bringing back Mega Evolution, fans have been reflecting on the many different battle gimmicks introduced throughout the franchise's history. Here are all the franchise's gimmicks introduced to its battle system throughout the years, ranked from worst to best.

NOTE: This article is subjective and reflects the views of the writer.

Every Pokemon Battle Gimmick ranked from worst to best

7) Rotation and Triple Battles

Triple Battles and Rotation Battles were rarely present in the three games they were in and have never come back since. (Image via The Pokémon Company)

Rotation and Triple Battles were originally introduced in the fifth generation and featured three creatures present on each side of the field rather than one or two.

Triple Battles were a bit tricky for most players since every Pokemon could only hit adjacent monsters, making the traditional battle system much more complicated. Rotation Battles were fairly enjoyable, featuring each battling monster rotating around the field when the player commands.

6) Dynamax

Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing were some of the worst-received battle gimmicks by the community. (Image via The Pokémon Company)

Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing were some of the most broken mechanics in the competitive scene. With each move having field-altering effects or free stat boosts for any side of the field, this mechanic led to some of the most unbalanced and uninteresting matches in the competitive scene's history. Most Gigantamax Pokemon were banned from competitive play for being too overpowered.

5) Z-Moves

While much more balanced than Dynamaxing, Z-Moves had their fair share of cheese strategies and low moments. (Image via The Pokémon Company)

Z-Moves were the gimmick introduced in the Alola titles, having ties to the Z-Crystals found on the region's many islands. These crystals power up a move used by the held Pokemon that matches the element the item represents.

For damaging moves, they become powerful nukes capable of wiping out most weak Pokemon. For status moves, these upgrades often offered stat boosts for the user or debuffs for their opponents.

4) Held Items

Held items were introduced in the second generation and gave battles a whole new level of strategy and even brought some new evolutions for older creatures. (Image via The Pokémon Company)

Held Items were originally brought in during the release of Pokemon Gold and Silver. This is also one of the few battle gimmicks to remain a consistent part of the franchise after their debut.

Not only can players give their creatures special items like Berries or Leftovers to recover their health in battle, but there are also items like the Upgrade and Metal Coat, which can be used to evolve their creatures as well.

3) Terastallization

Though many players were unsure of the feature when it was revealed, it has made for some pretty exciting moments at the World Championships. (Image via The Pokémon Company)

Terastallization is a very simple feature. It allows players to change the type of their active Pokemon in the middle of a fight. This has added a layer of counterplay to the competitive scene that has never been fathomed by the community until it was released. This feature was made all the better with the release of Ogerpon and Terapagos, two new Legendaries with forms tied to the new mechanic.

2) Double Battles

Double Battles have become such a staple in the franchise that it is the official battle format used at VGC Tournaments. (Image via The Pokémon Company)

Double Battles were originally introduced in the third generation of the franchise, followed by a big push for the new battle format in every other game released during that era. Featuring two monsters on the field instead of the standard one at the time, these formats perfectly balance basic Pokemon gameplay with strategy, perfecting the competitive battling format for many fans.

1) Mega Evolution

Mega Evolution is one of the most beloved features to ever be introduced into a Pokemon game. (Image via The Pokémon Company)

Mega Evolution is the most beloved battle mechanic by the franchise's fanbase. With the reveal of its return in the upcoming Legends side game, many fans are celebrating, saying that this game has the potential to be the best in the franchise. This mechanic gave certain monsters temporary forms that greatly increased their stats and often gave them new, battle-changing abilities.