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pokemon attacks you didn't know existed until you went on serebii for one thing but found them instead
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Has anyone heard of Buneary and Lopunny's signature moves? Buneary's is the less obscure of the two, being learned at level 13 and also being available during a Seedot swarm, but Lopunny's is much harder to obtain considering it also has to evolve at or before level 13 specifically, only a couple levels from when you get Buneary in Gen 4 and already past that point in Gen 5, and that's before having to deal with going from 0 to 220 happiness. It was only until Gen 7 when it became an evolution move. The other ways to obtain a pokemon with this move are through the starter Espeon in Pokemon Colosseum and the Mew gift from My Pokemon Ranch. Considering they were removed in Gen 8, I think a lot of people will have never seen these moves before. They even have unique animations in Gen 3!
You mean frustation and return?yeah only buneary/loppuny learn then from evolution/level up but the others learn it from tm,it's a pretty good stab to normal types before gen 8
wait till you get freeze shocked in sm ou by kyub >:))))
NuttyRabbit
Banned deucer.
Be honest, when was the last time you remembered/thought about Fire/Water/Grass Pledge, much less used them?
triples hackmons cup
i saw 80% of the moves in this thread there
Some Silvally forms use grass pledge in rands, although it's usually too weak to bother with outside of that (in singles anyway)
I didn’t remember Triple Kick existed.
nah you can definetly recognize land’s wrath
primarily because of the absolute bullshit that is dynamax adventures zygarde-c
because 216 HP + Dynamax = big boi (literally unkillable)
A handful of others:
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Grudge_(move)
Grudge: Deletes the PP of a direct attack that kills the user. Basically a worse Destiny Bond.
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Steamroller_(move)
Steamroller: A bug-type move with a high flinch chance that is more powerful if the target has used Minimize. Learned by one bug (Venipede line), Golem, and Guzzlord.
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Trump_Card_(move)
Trump Card: More power the less PP it has. Apparently there was an event Eevee for this in like 2010.
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Grudge_(move)
Grudge: Deletes the PP of a direct attack that kills the user. Basically a worse Destiny Bond.
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Steamroller_(move)
Steamroller: A bug-type move with a high flinch chance that is more powerful if the target has used Minimize. Learned by one bug (Venipede line), Golem, and Guzzlord.
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Trump_Card_(move)
Trump Card: More power the less PP it has. Apparently there was an event Eevee for this in like 2010.
Grudge in Mystery Dungeon is OP if used by an enemy Pokemon. I have enough bad memories of Grudge in that game (or external traps causing Grudge)
same :cool:
Wasn’t Extrasensory only useful on those few things that didn’t have any better Psychic move? (IIRC most things that got it also got Psychic)
greninja yeah
i like how many moves have a "fuck minimize in PARTICULAR" secondary effect lmao
i remember using steamroller on scolipede in my black2 run though mainly because my rng was bad enough to the point where i swear i was missing 100% accurate moves on things that didnt have bright powder so it very much helped to have a reliable stab option that didnt rely on something that translated to a 40% chance to hit with my luck
I think about them a lot, mostly because the fire field effect is insanely good and it’s a massive shame that it’s limited to the (iirc) fire+water pledge combo in doubles and the Zard GMax move
the funny part is i think centiskorchs gmax move is useful in more situations
Jaw Lock is a big one for me.
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Jaw_Lock_(move)
Hell, I didn’t even know this move existed until some random guy used it against me in an online battle. Perhaps this is one move that would’ve worked better as a tutor move…
https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Jaw_Lock_(move)
Hell, I didn’t even know this move existed until some random guy used it against me in an online battle. Perhaps this is one move that would’ve worked better as a tutor move…
tbh though i still dont get why its a dark type move lol.bulbapedia said:
I decided to put some serious thought into this and decided to go in another direction and talk about some moves that I know exist, but never actually end up using for some reason or another. Technically these aren't obscure but I doubt people really think about them often.
EDIT: Added bbcode.
#1: Mud-Slap. A 20 base power Ground move that lowers accuracy, basically the Nuzzle version of Sand-Attack. A lot of pokemon actually learn this move compared to Sand-Attack, but in practice Sand-Attack is on a lot of early-game mons where it's most useful, while Mud-Slap is most widely distributed through postgame move tutors in Gen 3 and 4. For some reason this is a special move, but it's so weak it doesn't even matter. It also has a low 10 PP which is the same as Earthquake. This move is never really a viable choice over just attacking and killing things.
#2: Fury Cutter. This move gets stronger as you use it more times in a row, capping out at 160 power. Unfortunately you can usually just use a different move to achieve the same results, though the multiplier effect can be effective in niche earlygame situations. Originally this move only had 10 base power and was buffed twice over the generations to actually be usable. Interestingly enough, in Gen 2's development days, originally Fury Cutter would cap out at 255 BP, then nerfed to 5 boosts at 240 (with 15 BP as a base), then nerfed down to the 10 BP of vanilla Gen 2. There's a similar concept in Rollout, but Rollout has the better Rock-typing and doesn't cap out, even being buffed by Defense Curl. Also, Rollout has a much scarier reputation thanks to Whitney's Miltank. I think it's more that the AI is locked into the move and can't mess up, while the AI probably doesn't even know how to use Fury Cutter properly. Even the Metronome item exists as a weaker effect, but you can use with on a good move instead.
#3: Attract. Now everyone probably knows about the word Attract and almost every Pokemon learns this by TM, but ironically I would bet almost nobody has seriously kept this move ingame or competitively. On the plus side it's a 50% action blocker that never wears off, but why use a moveslot on a niche move that you can't plan around when you can just attack instead? It gets worse in competitive where there are more genderless legendaries around, and on a related note the most attention it ever gets is memes about genderless pokemon learning it. Even gamefreak has moved on from trying to make Attract a thing, with specific infatuation interactions like Oblivious and Destiny Knot being reworked into other mechanics instead. Even every mon with Cute Charm has a much better ability to use.
#4: ViceGrip/Vice Grip/Vise Grip. This is a generic normal type move that is probably most known for getting its name changed 3 times and I don't think I have ever seen it ingame.
#5: DynamicPunch. This move isn't technically obscure, but has lost its individual identity in my opinion. Nobody remembers DynamicPunch as a 50% accurate fighting move that a lot of pokemon learn, because the majority of its 150~ potential users don't care about this move and I don't even know who any of them are. When I think of DynamicPunch I think more of its (ab)users like No Guard Machamp or even Golurk, when it's not even a signature move. There are clones with lesser distibution like Zap Cannon and Inferno, but it's a bit sad that DynamicPunch is only known today because they had to make an ability in Gen 4 to make it usable with on one pokemon.
#6: Iron Tail. This is a pretty bad move all around, being from Gen 2 where all steel moves were named after a steel synonym and body part. 100 base power is okay, but 75% accuracy really hurts its damage output and being Steel-type does it no favours. Not even that many Steel-types learn the move, so it's just bad coverage, and apparently Pikachu has it in the anime. Do not use this move.
#7: Icy Wind. Again this is another move that there just is no point to using practically. 55 power with 95% accuracy and only a Speed debuff to make up for being worse than Aurora Beam. This move is just very weak and you probably have access to much better Ice-type moves if you even learn this, and if not it's so weak it's not even worth the coverage.
#8: DragonBreath. This move is actually pretty okay, but is stuck in the role of an earlygame Dragon-type move. In competitive you'll usually be using the strongest moves like Dragon Pulse or Outrage, while ingame you probably won't even have a dragon early enough to use this with, and it's just not that good coverage-wise or accessibility-wise.
EDIT: Added bbcode.
#1: Mud-Slap. A 20 base power Ground move that lowers accuracy, basically the Nuzzle version of Sand-Attack. A lot of pokemon actually learn this move compared to Sand-Attack, but in practice Sand-Attack is on a lot of early-game mons where it's most useful, while Mud-Slap is most widely distributed through postgame move tutors in Gen 3 and 4. For some reason this is a special move, but it's so weak it doesn't even matter. It also has a low 10 PP which is the same as Earthquake. This move is never really a viable choice over just attacking and killing things.
#2: Fury Cutter. This move gets stronger as you use it more times in a row, capping out at 160 power. Unfortunately you can usually just use a different move to achieve the same results, though the multiplier effect can be effective in niche earlygame situations. Originally this move only had 10 base power and was buffed twice over the generations to actually be usable. Interestingly enough, in Gen 2's development days, originally Fury Cutter would cap out at 255 BP, then nerfed to 5 boosts at 240 (with 15 BP as a base), then nerfed down to the 10 BP of vanilla Gen 2. There's a similar concept in Rollout, but Rollout has the better Rock-typing and doesn't cap out, even being buffed by Defense Curl. Also, Rollout has a much scarier reputation thanks to Whitney's Miltank. I think it's more that the AI is locked into the move and can't mess up, while the AI probably doesn't even know how to use Fury Cutter properly. Even the Metronome item exists as a weaker effect, but you can use with on a good move instead.
#3: Attract. Now everyone probably knows about the word Attract and almost every Pokemon learns this by TM, but ironically I would bet almost nobody has seriously kept this move ingame or competitively. On the plus side it's a 50% action blocker that never wears off, but why use a moveslot on a niche move that you can't plan around when you can just attack instead? It gets worse in competitive where there are more genderless legendaries around, and on a related note the most attention it ever gets is memes about genderless pokemon learning it. Even gamefreak has moved on from trying to make Attract a thing, with specific infatuation interactions like Oblivious and Destiny Knot being reworked into other mechanics instead. Even every mon with Cute Charm has a much better ability to use.
#4: ViceGrip/Vice Grip/Vise Grip. This is a generic normal type move that is probably most known for getting its name changed 3 times and I don't think I have ever seen it ingame.
#5: DynamicPunch. This move isn't technically obscure, but has lost its individual identity in my opinion. Nobody remembers DynamicPunch as a 50% accurate fighting move that a lot of pokemon learn, because the majority of its 150~ potential users don't care about this move and I don't even know who any of them are. When I think of DynamicPunch I think more of its (ab)users like No Guard Machamp or even Golurk, when it's not even a signature move. There are clones with lesser distibution like Zap Cannon and Inferno, but it's a bit sad that DynamicPunch is only known today because they had to make an ability in Gen 4 to make it usable with on one pokemon.
#6: Iron Tail. This is a pretty bad move all around, being from Gen 2 where all steel moves were named after a steel synonym and body part. 100 base power is okay, but 75% accuracy really hurts its damage output and being Steel-type does it no favours. Not even that many Steel-types learn the move, so it's just bad coverage, and apparently Pikachu has it in the anime. Do not use this move.
#7: Icy Wind. Again this is another move that there just is no point to using practically. 55 power with 95% accuracy and only a Speed debuff to make up for being worse than Aurora Beam. This move is just very weak and you probably have access to much better Ice-type moves if you even learn this, and if not it's so weak it's not even worth the coverage.
#8: DragonBreath. This move is actually pretty okay, but is stuck in the role of an earlygame Dragon-type move. In competitive you'll usually be using the strongest moves like Dragon Pulse or Outrage, while ingame you probably won't even have a dragon early enough to use this with, and it's just not that good coverage-wise or accessibility-wise.
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Icy Wind: A bunch of old sets use Icy Wind because its HP Ice but worse except you get a speed drop. Mons like ORAS Keldeo or BW Jirachi used it.
Iron Tail: Every Zygarde-50% (yes, with Power Construct) in FFA Randbats ran this instead of Tarrows. Shame. On the other hand, Zygarde-10% actually ran Tarrows. Strange. Idk if they changed it. This is how I remember Iron Tail.
Dynamic Punch: If you play BH you're bound to run into some No Guard crap with this. I also experimented with Golurk (yes, that post mentioning CB Golurk was serious) and used this as an option.
Icy wind is also common in doubles, as a speed drop that hits both opponents and also provides chip damage (or meaningful damage against weak targets).
I've actually been using Mud-slap as a part of my (admittedly not great) attempt at a pure cheese team for the Emerald Battle Arena. See, the arena punishes you for not using a damaging move, and also carries a penalty for missed attacks. Mud-slap is technically an attack since it has an assigned power, while still providing a guaranteed Accuracy drop to force your opponent (that can't switch even if the AI was smart enough to do so) to lose points for missing.
I've actually been using Mud-slap as a part of my (admittedly not great) attempt at a pure cheese team for the Emerald Battle Arena. See, the arena punishes you for not using a damaging move, and also carries a penalty for missed attacks. Mud-slap is technically an attack since it has an assigned power, while still providing a guaranteed Accuracy drop to force your opponent (that can't switch even if the AI was smart enough to do so) to lose points for missing.