Adam Levine
[color=#ffffff][font="Century Gothic"]I have tried
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- Seen Feb 27, 2024
You read the title, and I assume you're thinking the same with a specific Pokémon in mind. Sometimes moveset distributions can be a little bizarre with what's in them and what isn't in them.
Here are some examples I thought of for the former:
Zarude's signature move, Jungle Healing, has always weirded me out. Nothing about Zarude's design screams "healer" to me, and its stats and typing clearly want it to be an attacker instead of a supporter instead. I suppose there is some lore behind it, but Jungle Healing doesn't seem to synergize well with the Pokémon it's designed for, especially when VGC, the official doubles format, doesn't allow mythical Pokémon like Zarude.
Spidops is hilarious because it's got awful stats but somehow finds the smallest of competitive niches due to its unique and varied movepool, with access to Sticky Web, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, Circle Throw (a move exclusive to Spidops in SV atm), First Impression, and an inherently better Protect in Silk Trap. Maybe this is Game Freak trying to tell us that stats don't always make or break a Pokémon, but I think we've learned that since 2000 when Smeargle was around.
Toedscool and Toedscruel were given some really nutty moves. Obviously as mushroom Pokémon they have access to Spore and Rage Powder, but then you take a closer look at their learnset: Taunt??? Knock Off??? Trick Room??? Reflect??? Light Screen??? Spikes and Toxic Spikes??? They really wanted these guys to be the support Pokémon to end all support Pokémon.
While not in a mainline game specifically, I scrolled through Charizard's move list in Smash Bros. Ultimate out of random and found out that its forward smash has the exact same name as "Headlong Rush" in Japanese, and is thus translated accordingly. Since Charizard had this exact same forward smash in Smash 4, it got me thinking about whether Charizard learned this move about eight years before its official debut as a Pokémon move. In Ultimate, Incineroar's down smash is also named "Body Press," a move that wouldn't be officially introduced in the games until about a year later. Neither of these Pokémon can learn these respective moves in the actual Pokémon games, but it's not like Smash has stuck so rigidly with movesets before.
For the latter:
I always wondered why Sneasel didn't learn any good Dark-type attacks beyond Beat Up since using one in Black 2. It doesn't even get Night Slash until you evolve it into a Weavile, which is particularly strange to me. Heck, Hisuian Sneasel gets to learn it as an Egg Move (granted, you shouldn't be getting this SV yet), but I want to emphasize that they gave specifically the non-Dark-type Sneasel the ability to learn Night Slash.
I've heard people bemoan that Klinklang can't learn High Horsepower because it needs coverage and it's a pun too good to pass up. The joke would even work in Japanese, in case you're worried about that.
Regieleki, a being whose entire body is made of electrical energy, can't learn Energy Ball. Yes, we don't want such an annoyingly good Pokémon to be even better, and Energy Ball might require energy that Regieleki specifically can't draw from, but I want them to commit to it, dagnabbit! Throw Regidrago the same bone too while we're at it.
Revavroom, a Pokémon based on automobiles, can't learn U-Turn. I think this discrepancy speaks for itself.
It might seem counter-intuitive to give this move to a Pokémon whose ability lowers opponents' physical attack, but not giving Strength Sap to Wo-Chien feels like a massively missed opportunity.
You could argue Kingambit not learning Final Gambit is weird, but on the other hand the idea of sacrificing your king in chess is the worst possible move you could make.
Here are some examples I thought of for the former:
Zarude's signature move, Jungle Healing, has always weirded me out. Nothing about Zarude's design screams "healer" to me, and its stats and typing clearly want it to be an attacker instead of a supporter instead. I suppose there is some lore behind it, but Jungle Healing doesn't seem to synergize well with the Pokémon it's designed for, especially when VGC, the official doubles format, doesn't allow mythical Pokémon like Zarude.
Spidops is hilarious because it's got awful stats but somehow finds the smallest of competitive niches due to its unique and varied movepool, with access to Sticky Web, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, Circle Throw (a move exclusive to Spidops in SV atm), First Impression, and an inherently better Protect in Silk Trap. Maybe this is Game Freak trying to tell us that stats don't always make or break a Pokémon, but I think we've learned that since 2000 when Smeargle was around.
Toedscool and Toedscruel were given some really nutty moves. Obviously as mushroom Pokémon they have access to Spore and Rage Powder, but then you take a closer look at their learnset: Taunt??? Knock Off??? Trick Room??? Reflect??? Light Screen??? Spikes and Toxic Spikes??? They really wanted these guys to be the support Pokémon to end all support Pokémon.
While not in a mainline game specifically, I scrolled through Charizard's move list in Smash Bros. Ultimate out of random and found out that its forward smash has the exact same name as "Headlong Rush" in Japanese, and is thus translated accordingly. Since Charizard had this exact same forward smash in Smash 4, it got me thinking about whether Charizard learned this move about eight years before its official debut as a Pokémon move. In Ultimate, Incineroar's down smash is also named "Body Press," a move that wouldn't be officially introduced in the games until about a year later. Neither of these Pokémon can learn these respective moves in the actual Pokémon games, but it's not like Smash has stuck so rigidly with movesets before.
For the latter:
I always wondered why Sneasel didn't learn any good Dark-type attacks beyond Beat Up since using one in Black 2. It doesn't even get Night Slash until you evolve it into a Weavile, which is particularly strange to me. Heck, Hisuian Sneasel gets to learn it as an Egg Move (granted, you shouldn't be getting this SV yet), but I want to emphasize that they gave specifically the non-Dark-type Sneasel the ability to learn Night Slash.
I've heard people bemoan that Klinklang can't learn High Horsepower because it needs coverage and it's a pun too good to pass up. The joke would even work in Japanese, in case you're worried about that.
Regieleki, a being whose entire body is made of electrical energy, can't learn Energy Ball. Yes, we don't want such an annoyingly good Pokémon to be even better, and Energy Ball might require energy that Regieleki specifically can't draw from, but I want them to commit to it, dagnabbit! Throw Regidrago the same bone too while we're at it.
Revavroom, a Pokémon based on automobiles, can't learn U-Turn. I think this discrepancy speaks for itself.
It might seem counter-intuitive to give this move to a Pokémon whose ability lowers opponents' physical attack, but not giving Strength Sap to Wo-Chien feels like a massively missed opportunity.
You could argue Kingambit not learning Final Gambit is weird, but on the other hand the idea of sacrificing your king in chess is the worst possible move you could make.
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