• Check out the relaunch of our general collection, with classic designs and new ones by our very own Pissog!

Pokémon Movepool Oddities & Explanations

I never really got the distinction between those moves in terms of what can learn either.

Sure, Rock Slide feels less like a precision move (in that it's just hurling a load of boulders at the foe) but Stone Edge is described as "stabbing the target from below with sharpened stones". That suggests an additional degree of precision, but... they're rocks. Hell, I could pick up a handful of rocks right now and a couple of them would probably be sufficiently sharp enough to stab with. And it's not as if most of the Pokemon which get Stone Edge are specifically noted for being precision warriors (I'm thinking of Gallade or Throh or Sawk here) - Gigalith, Nidoking, Golem, Coalossal, Steelix, Muk, Darmanitan, Quagsire, Tauros, and even Shuckle learn it.
 
Ampharos can't learn Tail Glow, even though its tail can light up brightly. Manaphy and Xurkitree (only in Gen 7, the move was removed in Gen 8) can learn the move, so why can't Ampharos?
It's the Light Pokemon, and GSC involves a segment where you would have to cure a sick Ampharos so it can light the lighthouse in Olivine City.

I don't think it would be overpowered on Ampharos, given its low speed and lack of secondary STAB. It would kinda be a mini Xurkitree.
 
Omastar68 said:
I saw fell stinger togedemaru. In 8, and why sobble? IDK these weird ones
Click to expand...
Inteleon has a knife at the end of its tail, something only mentioned in, like, the official website and nowhere else.
Inteleon’s rail-thin body hides a variety of surprising tricks within it. For example, its fingertips can fire out water that has been compressed within its body—shooting it out at a speed of Mach 3—to hit opponents where they’re weakest. Inteleon also has special lenses in its eyes and a sharp knife hidden in its tail. These hidden tricks allow it to adapt to any situation!
Click to expand...
It does have an animation of it making a bunch of frills shoot out along its tail, though that doesn't feel quite the same. Maybe something that got a bit lost in translation (or development).

Togedemaru is a spiky ball; there's a question of why they dont give it to EVERY spiky or sharp pokemon, but that's what they're going for. Perhaps the central "tail" was considered especially stinger-like.
 
Krockodile said:
Ampharos can't learn Tail Glow, even though its tail can light up brightly. Manaphy and Xurkitree (only in Gen 7, the move was removed in Gen 8) can learn the move, so why can't Ampharos?
It's the Light Pokemon, and GSC involves a segment where you would have to cure a sick Ampharos so it can light the lighthouse in Olivine City.

I don't think it would be overpowered on Ampharos, given its low speed and lack of secondary STAB. It would kinda be a mini Xurkitree.
Click to expand...
It's because the Japanese name of the move translates to "Firefly Glow". Manaphy gets its because it's based on a sea angel (slight stretch but it works I guess) while Xurkitree gets its because. Uh. It's an Ultra Beast and weird? Point is, doesn't fit for Ampharos.
 
Karxrida said:
It's because the Japanese name of the move translates to "Firefly Glow". Manaphy gets its because it's based on a sea angel (slight stretch but it works I guess) while Xurkitree gets its because. Uh. It's an Ultra Beast and weird? Point is, doesn't fit for Ampharos.
Click to expand...

Whilst the move is translated to "Firefly Glow", a mon does not necessarily need to be a Firefly or related to one just so it can learn the move. Pokemon learning moves aren't strictly themed: Primeape learning Overheat because its always angry or Aggron learning Surf and Thunderbolt because it's based on a Kaiju. Both are based on the themes of the Pokemon based on lore.

Considering that Manaphy and Xuritree can learn Tail Glow, it can likely imply that GF favours the move more towards mons that just flash their light brightly, like Ampharos.

Plus Manaphy is a sea angel that can learn Tail Glow (which don't glow as bright as fireflies), so Ampharos should be able to learn it.
 
The fact the move was at one point on 3 pokemon, two of which were not fireflies and you have to stretch to fit in the box, really just means the box is a lot less strict than it seems and yeah honestly Ampharos could have gotten it. The description of the move is even more vague "it flashes a light" and "looks at a flashing light to sharpen the mind" so it kind of feels like they left it open.
But even if you want to be cute and say its just more minor, flashing bioluminescence that Ampharos doesn't count for, you can probably make the case for other Pokemon getting the move. Lumineon, perhaps. I think they just didn't want to hand it out to a bunch of Pokemon, with the 2 legends/mythics getting preferential treatment. And even then who knows if Xurkitree ever gets it back, like how Magearna lost Heart Swap.

I commented on this in the Z-A thread when it came to huge power but sometimes I think we can be a bit too literal on ~*japanese names*~. Sure it's something to consider but just....Like, Quiver Dance is "Butterfly Dance" & sure enough primarily goes to Butterflies and Moths. Clearly they want that connection to be the primary way you look at it. But they still gave it to two flower people, a roach & Oricorio finally got the move in SV even. Definitely leaves open something like Ludicolo getting it. Or Lumineon, perhaps. Maybe one day they will, who knows, they can go a while without giving those moves out but I don't think the reason they (or other candidates) didn't get the move is because of a lack of butterfly motif, dancing &/or plant.
 
Karxrida said:
It's because the Japanese name of the move translates to "Firefly Glow". Manaphy gets its because it's based on a sea angel (slight stretch but it works I guess) while Xurkitree gets its because. Uh. It's an Ultra Beast and weird? Point is, doesn't fit for Ampharos.
Click to expand...
I still do not understand why Lanturn doesn't get Tail Glow, technically its not a tail but like, its way closer to what Manaphy does.
 
Not to mention an even weirder thing about that particular move:

So in Gen III it was Volbeat's signature attack, and the description was

Flashes a light that sharply raises Sp. Atk.

K, sure, whatever, bit vague but never mind. Then a couple of generations later after Manaphy got it too, the move's description got updated to

The user stares at flashing lights to focus its mind, drastically raising its Sp. Atk stat.

Oh so it actually has to look at its own tail? I see. Wait but Manaphy doesn't have a tail ...but it has that long antannae, so that's what it looks at instead.

...okay but how tf is that little chubster Volbeat looking at its own tail exactly. I'd have a better chance of licking my own elbow.

1763239334624.png
 
QuentinQuonce said:
Not to mention an even weirder thing about that particular move:

So in Gen III it was Volbeat's signature attack, and the description was

Flashes a light that sharply raises Sp. Atk.

K, sure, whatever, bit vague but never mind. Then a couple of generations later after Manaphy got it too, the move's description got updated to

The user stares at flashing lights to focus its mind, drastically raising its Sp. Atk stat.

Oh so it actually has to look at its own tail? I see. Wait but Manaphy doesn't have a tail ...but it has that long antannae, so that's what it looks at instead.

...okay but how tf is that little chubster Volbeat looking at its own tail exactly. I'd have a better chance of licking my own elbow.

View attachment 786611
Click to expand...
Game theory time: volbeat has an extendable neck like drednaw does and it uses sheer willpower to look at its own tail.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top