Ghost-type Pokémon moves are known for being hard-hitting Special Attacks, inflicting status ailments, stat boosts, and other clever gimmicks that make their opponents struggle to land an attack of their own. The typing's combat prowess has come a long way since the shallow days of generation one on the original Game Boy.
Over the course of the following seven generations of mainline Pokémon games, they've become versatile and offensive powerhouses to use in battle. That's thanks to widening move pools and more creativity in dual-type combinations, but it's also given non-Ghost species more accessibility to some powerful moves for coverage.
10 Poltergeist
Sword and Shield brought the franchise new Ghost-type Pokémon, as well as some new moves. One of those moves is Poltergeist; a high-risk, high-reward offensive move that packs a heavy punch. It has a daunting Base Power stat of 110 with an Accuracy of 90 percent.
While it has phenomenal stats, the gimmick attached to it might be off-putting, as it only connects if the target is holding an item (otherwise the move will fail). It would also not work if Magic Room is in play or the opponent's ability is Klutz. It can be a niche attack, but it's still worth using if used smartly in specific competitive situations.
9 Curse
Despite being introduced in the second generation Johto games, Curse only became a Ghost-type move in gen five for Unova. Before that, it was categorized as "???." It's an interesting move, as its effect depends on whether the user is a Ghost-type or not. If it is, the user loses half its max HP and curses the target into losing a quarter of its max HP every turn.
If the user is a defensively beefy one, it could be worth using to pressure the opponent. However, if it's non-Ghost, Curse can be used as a stat-boosting move for certain Pokémon, with Speed dropping by a stage and raising its Physical Attack and Defense by one. Curse is definitely a versatile move to have at the ready, but maybe not for Pokémon that are already defensively frailer.
8 Confuse Ray
Going back to a classic, Confuse Ray is a solid non-damaging Ghost move. It inflicts Confusion, causing the afflicted target to possibly hit itself during a random period of 2-5 turns. The potential Confusion-induced damage is calculated as being a typeless, 40 BP attack, but it's solid enough as is considering it has a 100 percent Accuracy stat.
What's particularly nice about Confuse Ray is that Confusion is a volatile status effect that can be stacked with others. Being able to pair this with something that inflicts Paralysis, Burn, or Poison would prove a nasty duo against the opponent, making this a flexible and reliable move.
7 Shadow Punch
Ghost-type Pokémon are typically Special Attack hitters, but there's an occasional attacker that can benefit from some more variety with Physical Ghost moves. Although Shadow Punch might not be the strongest of offensive moves it does provide respectable damage output, coupled with added bonuses.
It has a BP of 60 but is a guaranteed hit as long as the target isn't using semi-invulnerable moves like Dig or Fly. Put this on a Pokémon like Dusknoir (who has a Physical Attack of 100) and it could hit targets like a truck, along with STAB. It's also particularly great against nuisances like some Minimize and Double Team users.
6 Ominous Wind
Ominous Wind is a bit of a technicality, as this offensive move was removed in Sword and Shield. That being said, this offers something similar, but perhaps somewhat more of an attractive option in certain respects compared to Shadow Punch.
It's a Special move, which should slot in nicely with many Ghost species, and has a 100 percent Accuracy stat alongside a 60 BP. A nice bonus to give this an edge in battle is that there's a 10 percent shot at raising virtually all the user's stats (Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, Speed) by a stage each. A great proposition for a move that already supplies reliable damage.
5 Hex
This is definitely one of the most accessible Ghost-type attacking moves that have the potential to hit incredibly hard. Its BP got a bit of a boost as of gen six, with it going from 50 to 65. However, the kicker of this attack is that it can have its damage output doubled to a massive 130.
Packing this kind of punch with Hex is done if the target is currently afflicted with a non-volatile (Burn, Freeze, Sleep Paralysis, Poison/Badly Poisoned) status ailment. It's a huge boon to have and having something like a Gengar use Toxic or Hypnosis, and then subsequently use Hex, is an example of how devastating this can be.
4 Trick-Or-Treat
Though it's a signature move exclusive to Pumpkaboo and its evolution Gourgeist, Trick-or-Treat is still worth a mention given its usefulness and the fact that it's not locked behind any Legendary species. This non-damaging move adds the Ghost typing to the target, even if it is a dual-type already.
The reason this is useful is that Ghost-type Pokémon deal super-effective damage to each other. Having Gourgeist use Trick-or-Treat to slap the Ghost typing to its opponent opens up the opportunity for its other Ghost attacks to deal double the damage. Its benefits are somewhat similar to Greninja's Protean ability.
3 Shadow Claw
Shadow Claw is essentially a direct upgrade to what Shadow Punch offers. It's also a Physical Ghost attack but is a bit more powerful in raw damage. Shadow Claw's BP is 70, has 100 percent Accuracy, and has a solid potential bonus effect to it. It's nothing huge in the way of afflictions or stat buffs/nerfs, but an increased critical hit ratio is welcomed regardless.
Dusknoir, ironically enough, can't learn Shadow Claw. However, other Ghost types with a respectable Physical Attack stat can make use of this steady-hitter along with STAB bonuses. This move is also quite accessible to non-Ghosts.
2 Phantom Force
Shadow Force is certainly the stronger version of this, but it's a signature move locked to Giratina only. Nevertheless, Phantom Force is a great alternative for sake of accessibility even if it's scaled down from the former move. Like Fly and Dig, this attack is a two-turn move that grants the user semi-invulnerability, with damage being dealt with the following turn.
It's a fantastic Physical move, with a BP of 90 and 100 Accuracy. In more competitive settings, of course, the player will need to time it carefully, as taking a turn to ready Phantom Force could allow for tactical switch-ins by the opponent.
1 Shadow Ball
Perhaps one of the most synonymous moves to the Ghost typing, Shadow Ball is another classic and ever-reliable attack that has great range in the types of Pokémon that can learn it by level-up, TM, etc. It's a Special move with a weighty 80 BP and 100 percent Accuracy.
Shadow Ball is fantastic as a mainstay attack in a team member's moveset. A safe move to have around, and it also has the added bonus of having a 20 percent chance of lowering the target's Special Defense by a stage, which makes this good for repeated hits to give Shadow Ball extra firepower. Likewise, it's also great for glass cannon Ghost Pokémon like Gengar.
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