Unlike most other games, Pokemon isn't always about gaining and using the most powerful abilities to defeat your opponents. Since you often want to capture the Pokemon you're battling against, there's a bit more strategy involved than just getting their HP to zero.
Without a plan, you might take too long or find your Pokemon accidentally making their opponent faint instead of getting their HP just low enough to catch. Luckily, there are a bunch of moves that make the capturing process a lot easier. It's definitely worth considering having at least a couple of them on your Pokemon at all times.
7 Mean Look
Sometimes, the problem isn't with accidentally making wild Pokemon faint but with them escaping before you even get the chance to try catching them. Using Mean Look prevents your desired Pokemon from escaping, except in certain conditions, such as the Pokemon who used the move being switched out during the battle.
The conditions vary from generation to generation, but generally, Mean Look helps a lot if the Pokemon you're trying to capture is prone to fleeing the scene. Keeping it in battle is the first step, after all. However, from generation six on, Mean Look doesn't affect Ghost-type Pokemon, so don't waste your turn using it on them.
6 Spore
There are multiple moves that put the target to sleep, which will make your attempts to catch it much easier. But Spore is usually the recommended move because of its 100 percent accuracy and immediate effect. Putting a Pokemon to sleep means it won't be able to do anything while asleep. This includes escaping and using any moves.
The chances of a successful capture when you try to catch a sleeping Pokemon are higher than on one awake or afflicted with most other status conditions. So if you're not sure which status condition to go for, Sleep is a solid choice. Just take note that it can't affect Grass types.
5 Thunder Wave
Aside from Sleep, Paralysis can also be useful. Pokemon that are paralyzed have their speed lowered by 50 to 75 percent (depending on the game you're playing). There's also a chance they won't be able to act during their turn. Thunder Wave focuses on paralyzing the Pokemon rather than hurting it, so it does no damage and has a 90 to 100 percent chance of hitting.
However, remember that Thunder Wave is an Electric-type move, so it can't affect Ground-type or Electric-type Pokemon. The upside is that it does affect Grass-type Pokemon, so it's a good replacement for Spore in some cases.
4 Soak
Keeping multiple moves because they each affect some types and not others can be a headache. Having Soak on you takes a lot of that burden off your shoulders. Using it changes a Pokemon's type to Water, allowing them to be affected by moves that they were previously immune to.
So, if you only have Mean Look, Spore, or Thunderwave, but the Pokemon you're trying to capture is frustratingly immune to them, you can use Soak beforehand to offset the immunity. It can be a good alternative to having more than two moves solely used to keep opponents in place.
3 False Swipe And Hold Back
False Swipe and Hold Back are literally the exact same move, so take your pick on which one to use. They're extremely useful if your Pokemon are a bit overpowered compared to the Pokemon you want to catch. Instead of one-shotting the Pokemon, False Swipe and Hold Back will leave its HP at one.
The lower the Pokemon's HP, the easier it is to catch, so these moves make it as simple to capture as possible without using any status conditions. However, being a Normal-type attack, Ghost-types are immune to it. Using Soak on them beforehand solves that problem, though.
2 Super Fang
Super Fang is a good alternative to False Swipe or Hold Back, and sometimes it's even better. Instead of putting an opponent's HP at one, Super Fang cuts their HP in half. This might not sound as useful as False Swipe or Hold Back, but it's essential when dealing with Pokemon who use moves that recoil.
A Pokemon whose moves recoil on them while they're at one HP will make themselves faint, giving you no chance to catch them. With Super Fang, their HP is already at 50 percent, and if they hurt themselves from recoil, it just makes it easier to capture them without the risk of them fainting. Again, though, it won't work on Ghost-types.
1 Ice-type Moves
Next to Sleep, Freeze is the best status condition to inflict on other Pokemon if you want to capture them. When frozen, they won't be able to move at all, and the chances of them thawing out by themselves are low unless they're a Fire-type. Though it's quite useful, Freeze isn't easy to inflict.
Unlike other status conditions, it doesn't have any moves solely to freeze opponents. So, your best bet is using Ice-type moves that do damage, such as Ice Beam, Ice Fang, Ice Punch, Powder Snow, and Blizzard. It's wise to only use them if you want to lower the HP of your desired Pokemon because the probability of inflicting Freeze with these moves is only 10 percent, and they all do damage. Still, it's worth it, as managing to get a Pokemon frozen makes capturing them much easier. But beware: Ice-types are immune to Freeze.