Highest dps moves or multiple bar moves when NOT dodging?
I just caught my first Raikou and it's charge move is thunder, which when you look up the dps of moves is the highest dps (I know highest dps != best move). Yet I see people say that wild charge is by far the better move. I was wondering if that's because it's much easier to dodge with wild charge, so if you don't dodge (like me because my phone sucks) is it better to just keep Thunder? I know there is also the factor of charge being wasted by fainting just before fully charging the move but what do you think is the optimal move for someone who doesn't dodge? Also same question with dynamic punch/close combat on machamp. Thanks!
Answers
Wild charge, it has nothing to do with dodging. Wild charge will do more damage than thunder when considering it uses 50% less energy and produce only 10% less damage per charge. A more accurate way to measure charge moves is weave dps which measure the dps for the entire cycle of charging the bar with quick move and using a charge move. Under this measure TS/WC dps is 18.38 and TS/T is 16.17.
When not dodging, you want the charge moves that can output the most damage. So you should look at weave damage, which accounts for an entire cycle of using fast moves, charged up, firing off charge moves.
As you said, the pure DPS of a move itself is a terrible measurement. This is the reason Wild Charge is much better than Thunder, and Dynamic Punch is better than Close Combat, despite Thunder and Close Combat have some of the highest charge move pure DPS in game.
Check this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/comments/51magh/dps_weave_damage_and_move_sets_explained_a/ :)
Before the Gen2 update, some charge moves were so abysmal for attacking that using them would provide less damage than just spamming your fast move. The moveset comparison spreadsheets thus used two columns to compare "no weave" where you just spam fast attacks and "weave" where you weave together fast attacks and charge attacks as soon as the energy is available.
After the Gen2 update, charge moves have been suficiently improved and the strongest fast moves have been suficiently nerfed such that, even with the best fast move and the worst charge move, weave damage is now always higher than just spamming fast attacks.
Ignoring overcharging and wasting energy, there are some types that the charge move that deals the most damage over the full time required to charge 100 energy and use all that energy (cycle DPS) is a one bar move. Solar Beam, Overheat, and Hydro Pump are prime examples of this.
However, there are other types where the charge move with the best cycle DPS is a multibar move. Dynamic Punch is the prime example, out pacing Close Combat for damage. The benefits of being a multibar move (usable sooner, less chance for overfilling energy, less wasted energy when you faint) is all extra on top of the better cycle DPS.
Thunderbolt is much better than Thunder.
Thunderbolt is about even with Zap Cannon. (I think the best might vary slightly for some pokemon depending on which fast moves are available.)
Wild Charge is much better than Thunderbolt.
