The next major Pokémon GO move update was revealed at the end of the 2026 Pokémon World Championships stream. The changes will arrive with the Twilight Trails Season, which begins on September 8, 2026.
Several underused attacks are receiving significant buffs, including Take Down, Infestation, Brine, Bulldoze, and Draining Kiss. Bite, Shadow Ball, Rage Fist, and several other established moves are being adjusted.
More than 30 Pokémon will also gain access to new attacks. Notable additions include Volt Tackle for Raichu and Alolan Raichu, Sacred Sword for Gallade, Drill Run for Skarmory, and Earth Power for Lugia.
Exact energy values were not provided for every change during the presentation. These are listed simply as increases or decreases for now.
Attack Changes
The following attacks will be updated during the Twilight Trails Season:
Attack Availability Updates
The following Pokémon will gain access to new moves during the Twilight Trails Season:
The updated attacks and expanded move pools are expected to have an immediate effect on the GO Battle League meta. Take Down receives the largest raw power increase, while Draining Kiss becomes considerably stronger with its guaranteed Defense boost. Skarmory gaining Drill Run, Gallade gaining Sacred Sword, and Lugia gaining Earth Power are also among the additions worth watching when the new season begins.
Early Thoughts
Darkrai gaining Sucker Punch could be huge for raids. Its high Attack stat already makes it one of the strongest Dark-type attackers in Pokémon GO, and access to a better Dark-type Fast Attack could push its raid performance even further.
Raichu and Alolan Raichu getting Volt Tackle is another exciting addition, although much will depend on how good Volt Tackle actually is.
Skarmory gaining Drill Run gives it direct coverage against the Electric, Steel, and Rock types that would normally threaten it. As if battling Skarmory was not frustrating enough already.
Lickilicky has been hit particularly hard by these changes. Body Slam is becoming more expensive and Shadow Ball is losing power, weakening both of its main Charged Attacks. RIP Lickilicky.
Psycho Boost is effectively becoming a Mind Blown clone in Gyms and raids. The change technically gives Deoxys higher Psychic-type DPS than Mewtwo, which is a hilarious sentence to write. Its paper-thin defenses will probably make that impractical in most raids, but the damage potential is there.
Lugia is also finally getting a proper coverage move. Earth Power gives it an option against Electric, Rock, and Steel-type opponents, all of which resist or threaten parts of Lugia’s usual moveset.
