how to get egg moves

Egg moves are a cornerstone of competitive Pokémon breeding, offering a method to obtain powerful and often exclusive moves that a Pokémon would not normally learn through leveling up, TMs, or TRs. Mastering this mechanic allows trainers to create uniquely powerful partners, optimizing them for both in-game challenges and player-versus-player battles. This guide will detail the processes, strategies, and nuances of acquiring egg moves.

Table of Contents

Understanding Egg Moves
The Core Breeding Mechanics
Method 1: Direct Inheritance from Parents
Method 2: The Nursery Mirroring Technique
Special Cases and Compatibility
Advanced Breeding Strategies
Practical Applications and Team Building

Understanding Egg Moves

Egg moves are specific techniques passed down from a parent Pokémon to its offspring. These moves are typically outside the offspring's standard learnset, providing access to enhanced coverage, powerful status effects, or crucial stat-boosting options. For instance, a Lucario cannot naturally learn the devastating Fighting-type move High Jump Kick, but a Riolu hatched from an egg can inherit it if bred correctly. This system adds a deep layer of customization and strategy to team preparation, rewarding trainers who invest time in understanding pedigree and move compatibility.

The existence of egg moves encourages exploration of the Pokédex, as obtaining a desired move often requires locating specific species in different areas or even game versions. It transforms breeding from a simple means of obtaining a Pokémon into a deliberate craft aimed at constructing a perfect battle-ready specimen. The goal is not merely to hatch an egg but to engineer an heir with a superior genetic—or rather, technical—legacy.

The Core Breeding Mechanics

Successful egg move acquisition hinges on the Pokémon Nursery or Day Care. When two compatible Pokémon are placed there, they may produce an egg. The species of the offspring is always the same as the female parent, or the non-Ditto parent if breeding with a Ditto. For egg moves to be passed down, at least one parent must know the desired move when the egg is created. It is not enough for the parent to have known the move at some point; it must currently have the move in its active move set.

Breeding compatibility is primarily determined by Egg Groups, categories that classify which species can breed with each other. A Pokémon can belong to one or two Egg Groups. For example, Pikachu is in the Field and Fairy groups, allowing it to breed with a wide variety of other Pokémon. If two Pokémon share at least one common Egg Group and are of opposite genders (or one is paired with a Ditto), they are compatible. This interconnected web of groups is the highway along which egg moves travel between species.

Method 1: Direct Inheritance from Parents

The traditional and most straightforward method involves breeding two Pokémon where one directly knows the egg move. If a male Pokémon of Species A knows a particular egg move and is bred with a female of Species B (where both share an Egg Group), the resulting offspring of Species B will hatch knowing that move. Historically, egg moves could only be inherited from the father, but modern games have introduced more flexibility.

In recent generations, either parent can pass down an egg move if it is compatible. This is particularly useful when using a Ditto, which can take the place of either gender. If you have a male Scorbunny with High Jump Kick and breed it with a Ditto, the resulting Scorbunny offspring can inherit the move. This method requires obtaining the initial parent with the egg move, which may involve prior breeding chains, catching Pokémon in specific locations, or transferring from previous games.

Method 2: The Nursery Mirroring Technique

Introduced in Pokémon Sword and Shield and refined in later titles, this method allows you to teach an egg move to a Pokémon you have already raised and trained, without needing to breed a new one from scratch. If you have two Pokémon of the exact same species in the Nursery—one that knows the desired egg move and one that does not but has an empty move slot—the one without the move can learn it via "mirroring."

For this to work, place both Pokémon (for example, two Lucario) in the Nursery together. The target Lucario must have three or fewer moves in its set, leaving an empty slot. After a short period of walking around, check on them; the Lucario lacking the egg move will have learned it from its companion. This technique is invaluable for correcting movesets on already-perfected Pokémon with ideal Individual Values (IVs), Natures, and Shiny status, preserving your investment while expanding its capabilities.

Special Cases and Compatibility

Some moves have long and complex inheritance chains. A Pokémon may need to inherit a move from a father of a different species, which itself inherited the move from another father, and so on. Charting these "breeding chains" is a key part of advanced breeding projects. Furthermore, certain moves are classified as "level-up" moves for one species but are egg moves for another, which can simplify the process if you identify the right donor.

Genderless Pokémon, like Magnemite or Beldum, can only breed with Ditto. In these cases, the non-Ditto parent must know the egg move for it to be passed down. Baby Pokémon, such as Pichu or Munchlax, cannot breed at all, so their evolved forms must be used as parents. Understanding these exceptions prevents frustration and guides efficient planning.

Advanced Breeding Strategies

Egg move breeding is rarely done in isolation. Competitive breeders combine it with efforts to secure optimal Natures, IVs, and Abilities. Using an Everstone on a parent guarantees the passage of its Nature, while a Destiny Knot ensures five IVs are inherited from the combined pool of both parents. Integrating egg move acquisition into this process requires careful sequencing.

A common strategy is to first secure the desired egg move on a parent, even if its IVs are poor. Then, through successive generations, breed that parent with others that possess superior IVs, ensuring the egg move is retained each time. The mirroring technique has simplified this dramatically, allowing trainers to perfect a Pokémon's stats first and then graft the egg moves onto it afterward, effectively decoupling two previously intertwined processes.

Practical Applications and Team Building

The true value of egg moves is realized in battle. A Toxapex without Haze can be overwhelmed by stat-boosting opponents, but with this egg move, it becomes a formidable defensive wall. A Dragonite with the egg move Extreme Speed gains a powerful priority attack it cannot learn otherwise, changing its role in a team. These moves fill critical gaps in a Pokémon's arsenal.

When constructing a team, analyzing a Pokémon's egg move list is as important as reviewing its base stats and standard learnset. It opens avenues for creative and unexpected sets that can surprise opponents. The process of obtaining egg moves, while sometimes time-consuming, fosters a deeper connection with your Pokémon team. Each hatched Pokémon becomes a product of specific planning and effort, carrying a legacy of moves that tell the story of its breeding history and its intended purpose on the battlefield.

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