Pokémon Movepool Oddities & Explanations

Also, *they, *an attacking
correcting other people's grammar when they didn't ask for it is a little improper, just saying

anyway on topic: re: play rough/frolic: ok but the general idea of the move is that the pokemon using it is like supposed to be frolicking with the other pokemon but they're too strong for their own good or something? like that would explain pokemon like granbull, poochyena etc getting it. that does NOT explain marill, skitty, volbeat/illumise, and bounsweet lol
I know marill is because we want play rough azumarill for competitive but the others dont really need have the same excuse lol

and then im sure theres a shitton of pokemon that DONT get it who totally should based on what we know about them like, idk, aipom comes to mind but i'm sure there's others. Also the tapus, especially tapu koko, who is specifically said to be a playful being and also a fairy

I know everyone and their mom has already brought this up but it's on my mind now because this thread is about play rough at the moment lol
 
correcting other people's grammar when they didn't ask for it is a little improper, just saying
Ehh. Correcting someone else's typo, as that person did, is just goddamn sad though.

Whether correcting grammar is good or not mostly depends on whether you're punching up or down in doing it. You find tons of people on the internet who are trying too hard to sound smart -- the people who go out of their way to use "whom" but think it's just a replacement for "who," people who use semicolons everywhere because they think it means they're smart, people who say things like "whilst" and "thusly," etc. -- and it's important to correct them to keep them from congratulating themselves too much.
 
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Pikachu315111

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correcting other people's grammar when they didn't ask for it is a little improper, just saying
Ehh. Correcting someone else's typo, as that person did, is just goddamn sad though.

Whether correcting grammar is good or not mostly depends on whether you're punching up or down in doing it. You find tons of people on the internet who are trying too hard to sound smart -- the people who go out of their way to use "whom" but think it's just a replacement for "who," people who use semicolons everywhere because they think it means they're smart, people who say things like "whilst" and "thusly," etc. -- and it's important to correct them to keep them from congratulating themselves too much.
Let's not get into this. It wasn't a big deal, I just made some spelling mistakes and Tazonite corrected them. Whatever. I don't think he does this often, I guess making two mistakes in one sentence (one a type (forgetting the "e" in "they"), one a grammar (the indefinite article "a" becomes "an" when in front of a word beginning with a vowel)) just annoyed him.

anyway on topic: re: play rough/frolic: ok but the general idea of the move is that the pokemon using it is like supposed to be frolicking with the other pokemon but they're too strong for their own good or something? like that would explain pokemon like granbull, poochyena etc getting it. that does NOT explain marill, skitty, volbeat/illumise, and bounsweet lol
I know marill is because we want play rough azumarill for competitive but the others dont really need have the same excuse lol

and then im sure theres a shitton of pokemon that DONT get it who totally should based on what we know about them like, idk, aipom comes to mind but i'm sure there's others. Also the tapus, especially tapu koko, who is specifically said to be a playful being and also a fairy

I know everyone and their mom has already brought this up but it's on my mind now because this thread is about play rough at the moment lol
Being Pokemon are elemental monsters it's probably not too difficult for them to hurt another when playing around, no matter how small or weak looking they are (they all learn other attacks with high power so they have some strength behind them).

There does seem like a lot more Pokemon that sound like they should get Play Rough, Xerneas comes to my mind (it's a graceful fairy deer, it doesn't know how to frolic?). Though that said it's probably also why Pokemon like the Tapu don't get it. When you hear the word "frolic", you probably think of this:


"Super Smash Bros.?"
NO! Skipping along happily in a field! Here's one of a lamb/baby goat (can't quite tell) in mid-skip if you want a non-funny (but cute) image.


Frolic is a rather limiting name as, even if the Pokemon is a Fairy-type, there is some you have a hard time imagining doing the usual image conjured up when you hear something is "frolicking". Play Rough is a much more rounded name, still has the idea of "playfulness" but the rough of tumble kind of playing (not to mention frolic's animation is of a cartoony dust cloud rumble). But, since move's distribution is based on the Japanese name that means squat.

And that is actually a problem as Play Rough is the only Physical Fairy-type move (infact if you want a Physical "Twinkle Tackle" that's the only way to do it). Not even Gen VII introduced a new one (actually the only non-Z-Move Fairy-type move they introduced was Nature's Madness and Floral Healing. No wonder Mina was cut out of the main game). While all the com mon Physical Fairy-types get it, not the Legendary ones. Xerneas, Diancie, Tapu Koko, & Tapu Bulu don't get it as I guess GF has a hard time seeing them as a frolicking type (makes sense for the Tapu, not quite for graceful deer and frilly princess).
 
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breh

強いだね
Original Japanese means more like "to be playful" / "to mess around" than "frolic"... it's like something you'd expect a child or a puppy to do or something. the connection between "play rough" and "play nice" is entirely manufactured in english, too; "play nice" is more like "get along nicely with somebody else" in Japanese but the connection made between the two has good flavor.

I can see how gf might have thought that the flavor of putting that on a legendary pokemon was bad, but I'm more confident that they just did that mostly for balance reasons lol
 
Kingler not learning Waterfall is really weird, since Crawdaunt learns it and otherwise has a pretty similar movepool (it should also learn Razor Shell for the same reason). Also really annoying from an in-game standpoint.

Also Shiftry should really learn Night Slash, but doesn't.
It's from a TM, so it is odd to have to wait that long on a move like that for most and even weirder to be absent on one of the oldest Physical water types.

Two I don't get in regards to Genesect. Shift Gear being event only is odd to me, considering it can learn Rock Polish (Rock Cut in Japanese) despite being made more of high technology than any kind of unrefined ore. Shift Gear is and odd one to be missing, considering all the cybernetics it was fitted with in the lore.

The other, slightly more nitpicky one, is in regards to Techno Blast. The idea I got from it was that it allowed Genesect to use these elements with the aid of the drives, obviously to make it a more versatile weapon, and yet it has access to three of these four types in its natural movepool without the drives. The only one it's missing is Water, which can potentially be explained as it's the only one that relies on matter rather than just energy conversion, but it's an odd note for me, because it almost makes either Techno Blast or the corresponding Elemental moves seem redundant to it depending on if you're thinking competitive or lore, respectively.
 
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Kingler not learning Waterfall is really weird, since Crawdaunt learns it and otherwise has a pretty similar movepool (it should also learn Razor Shell for the same reason). Also really annoying from an in-game standpoint.
The majority of Crabs, unlike lobsters, cannot swim to save their lives, though. Same reason why it can't learn Dive either: it could take you down there, but never back up. This is one of those things that actually do make sense for a change.
 
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The majority of Crabs, unlike lobsters, cannot swim to save their lives, though. Same reason why it can't learn Dive either: it could take you down there, but never back up. This is one of those things that actually do make sense for a change.
Kingler does learn Dive, though (also Surf). That's what makes the inability to learn Waterfall so strange.

(btw, swimming crabs are also a thing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portunidae)
 
Kingler does learn Dive, though (also Surf). That's what makes the inability to learn Waterfall so strange.

(btw, swimming crabs are also a thing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portunidae)
As of gen7, it no longer learns Dive. It's a transfer-only move now. And yeah, I'm aware of that, however all of the species Kingler's based off are crawlers rather than swimmers which actually makes its ability to learn Surf the odd thing about it, not the other way around. I wouldn't mind if it learned all those moves, but I don't mind the fact that it doesn't either because it sorta makes sense imo.

Anyway, it's not as weird as Alola-Raichu not learning PsyWAVE ( "Surfing" by using its psychic power and all ).
 
Dunno if this was brought up already, but it's pretty weird to me that Weezing learns multiple fire type moves. Wouldn't he... like, explode? I guess GF's logic is that the fact that weezing's body is made of gas is precisely the reason why it gets moves like flamethrower (Skuntank gets flamethrower for the same reason) but then pokemon like Gengar and Garbodor should get flamethrower too, but they don't.
 
Dunno if this was brought up already, but it's pretty weird to me that Weezing learns multiple fire type moves. Wouldn't he... like, explode? I guess GF's logic is that the fact that weezing's body is made of gas is precisely the reason why it gets moves like flamethrower (Skuntank gets flamethrower for the same reason) but then pokemon like Gengar and Garbodor should get flamethrower too, but they don't.
Because Weezing's gases burn easily. Gengar is gas that doesn't burn easily.
 

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As of gen7, it no longer learns Dive. It's a transfer-only move now. And yeah, I'm aware of that, however all of the species Kingler's based off are crawlers rather than swimmers which actually makes its ability to learn Surf the odd thing about it, not the other way around. I wouldn't mind if it learned all those moves, but I don't mind the fact that it doesn't either because it sorta makes sense imo.

Anyway, it's not as weird as Alola-Raichu not learning PsyWAVE ( "Surfing" by using its psychic power and all ).
Eh, I wouldn't mind if Kingler didn't learn Waterfall if they give it and a bunch of other physical Water-types Liquidation (seriously, why such a limited distribution?).

And the movepools for all Regional Variants are pretty limited, even for ones which completely change type. They just swap out a few moves here and there, let it learn some additional TMs, and pushes it out the door. Not they do at least give it moves it probably would need the most, but at the same time that is pretty much all their getting.

Dunno if this was brought up already, but it's pretty weird to me that Weezing learns multiple fire type moves. Wouldn't he... like, explode? I guess GF's logic is that the fact that weezing's body is made of gas is precisely the reason why it gets moves like flamethrower (Skuntank gets flamethrower for the same reason) but then pokemon like Gengar and Garbodor should get flamethrower too, but they don't.
I think the difference is that Weezing and Skutank use gas to attack while Gengar and Garbodor contain gas but doesn't really use it to fight.
 
Ehh. Correcting someone else's typo, as that person did, is just goddamn sad though.

Whether correcting grammar is good or not mostly depends on whether you're punching up or down in doing it. You find tons of people on the internet who are trying too hard to sound smart -- the people who go out of their way to use "whom" but think it's just a replacement for "who," people who use semicolons everywhere because they think it means they're smart, people who say things like "whilst" and "thusly," etc. -- and it's important to correct them to keep them from congratulating themselves too much.
I remember being in a troubled mood the day I posted that.

I'd also like to ask-
What exactly is Earthquake?

Sometimes I see it portrayed as a stomp that rattles the ground and does damage to whatever's standing on it.
But then how would something like Arbok do it? Or Blissey? Sometimes I could guess Earthquake involves some intense digging that shifts the ground on Ground types that naturally get it. But some Mons make more sense having Earthquake than others.

So what about whatever the move actually requires you to do to perform it that gets it such wide distribution, aside from being a TM?
 
Dunno if this was brought up already, but it's pretty weird to me that Weezing learns multiple fire type moves. Wouldn't he... like, explode? I guess GF's logic is that the fact that weezing's body is made of gas is precisely the reason why it gets moves like flamethrower (Skuntank gets flamethrower for the same reason) but then pokemon like Gengar and Garbodor should get flamethrower too, but they don't.
Not all gases are flammable, simple as that.
Because Weezing's gases burn easily. Gengar is gas that doesn't burn easily.
Basically this, yeah.
 

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I'd also like to ask-
What exactly is Earthquake?

Sometimes I see it portrayed as a stomp that rattles the ground and does damage to whatever's standing on it.
But then how would something like Arbok do it? Or Blissey? Sometimes I could guess Earthquake involves some intense digging that shifts the ground on Ground types that naturally get it. But some Mons make more sense having Earthquake than others.

So what about whatever the move actually requires you to do to perform it that gets it such wide distribution, aside from being a TM?
It's description is: "The user sets off an earthquake that strikes every Pokémon around it."

I always just thought the user hit the ground (a stomp, a punch, slamming its tail) that cause the ground to quake and tear under and around the target(s).
 
As of gen7, it no longer learns Dive. It's a transfer-only move now.
Ah, right, forgot about that. Been replaying Gen VI games and using Pokemon I've never used before, etc.

And yeah, I'm aware of that, however all of the species Kingler's based off are crawlers rather than swimmers which actually makes its ability to learn Surf the odd thing about it, not the other way around. I wouldn't mind if it learned all those moves, but I don't mind the fact that it doesn't either because it sorta makes sense imo.
Makes more sense than a good number of things that learn Surf, some of which weigh a quarter ton and are actually weak to Water.
 
Ah, right, forgot about that. Been replaying Gen VI games and using Pokemon I've never used before, etc.


Makes more sense than a good number of things that learn Surf, some of which weigh a quarter ton and are actually weak to Water.
Pokémon like Tyranitar learn Surf as a reference to kaju movies, where the monster ofter rose from the sea. The rest is all based on animals capable to swim.
 

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Some Fossil fun:

Aerodactyl said:
X: It was regenerated from a dinosaur's genetic matter that was found in amber. It flies with high-pitched cries.
Y: This vicious Pokemon is said to have flown in ancient skies while shrieking high-pitched cries.
Doesn't learn Screech.

Cradily said:
Omega Ruby: Cradily roams around the ocean floor in search of food. This Pokemon freely extends its tree trunk-like neck and captures unwary prey using its eight tentacles.
X: It lives in the shallows of warm seas. When the tide goes out, it digs up prey from beaches.
Since its neck is trunk-like maybe it could have learn Wood Hammer. Maybe also Coil.
Doesn't learn Dig.

Armaldo said:
X: Its enormous, retractable claws can cut through most anything. Its entire body is clad in sturdy plates.
Y: Protected by a hard shell, its body is very sturdy. It skewers prey with its claws to feed.
Omega Ruby: Armaldo’s tough armor makes all attacks bounce off. This Pokemon’s two enormous claws can be freely extended or contracted. They have the power to punch right through a steel slab.
While it does learn plenty of scratching/slashing moves, it oddly doesn't have Night Slash or Shadow Claw. I also think it could get Poison Jab and maybe Fell Stinger.
Doesn't learn any punching moves.
Doesn't learn Shell Smash.

Rampardos said:
X/Omega Ruby: Its skull withstands impacts of any magnitude. As a result, its brain never gets the chance to grow.
Y/Alpha Sapphire: Its skull is as hard as iron. It is a brute that tears down jungle trees while catching prey.
Doesn't get the ability Rock Head.
Doesn't learn Iron Head naturally, but does as an Egg Move.

Bastiodon:
You'd think it would get the ability Bulletproof.

Archeops said:
Sun: Although apparently able to fly, they tended to run along the ground, averaging speeds of roughly 25 mph.
While it learns some speed moves, probably could also get Extreme Speed.

Tyrunt said:
X/Omega Ruby: This Pokemon was restored from a fossil. If something happens that it doesn't like, it throws a tantrum and runs wild.
Doesn't learn Stomping Tantrum.

Aurorus:
Y u no lern Power Gem?
 

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I presume you can talk about abilities as well as movepools?

Anyway, here's the thing about Weavile.

Diamond: They live in cold regions, forming groups of four or five that hunt prey with impressive coordination.

Well, I'm surprised given that they have impressive coordination doesn't translate to the fact they have the ability Keen Eye.
Also, if it learns Bite, why can't it learn Crunch as well?
Eh, Keen Eye is more for Pokemon with good eyesight, not a sense of coordination. Weavile may like Tough Claws or Super Luck more, because it's all about its claws and it gets several of the Slash moves which has increased Critical Hit Ratios.

Which then goes to why it doesn't learn Crunch. Bite is sort of like a basic biting move anyone can do, but Crunch is more for Pokemon that have one of their main way of fighting is with their mouth and teeth. Weavile prefers its claws so it gets Night Slash for its main Dark STAB (now if they made an Ice-type Slash for it to have you wouldn't need to settle for Ice Shard or breed one for Icicle Crash).
 

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Gorebyss:
Ruby/Omega Ruby: Gorebyss lives in the southern seas at extreme depths. Its body is built to withstand the enormous pressure of water at incredible depths. Because of this, this Pokémon's body is unharmed by ordinary attacks.
What?
Sapphire/Alpha Sapphire: Although Gorebyss is the very picture of elegance and beauty while swimming, it is also cruel. When it spots prey, this Pokémon inserts its thin mouth into the prey's body and drains the prey of its body fluids.
Emerald: A Gorebyss siphons the body fluids of prey through its thin, tubular mouth. Its light pink body color turns vivid when it finishes feeding.
DPPl/BW&2/X: It lives at the bottom of the sea. In the springtime, its pink body turns more vivid for some reason.
HGSS: Its pink body becomes more vivid with the rise of water temperatures in the springtime.
1. Doesn't learn Absorb/Mega Drain/Giga Drain. Infact it wasn't until Gen VI did they give it a draining move in Draining Kiss.
2. Sounds like it could be given the Dazzling (called Vivid Body in Japan) Ability.

Huntail:
Emerald: To withstand the crushing pressure of water deep under the sea, its spine is very thick and sturdy. Its tail, which is shaped like a small fish, has eyes that light up.
FRLG/X: It lives deep in the sea where no light ever filters down. It lights up its small fish-like tail to attract prey.
Doesn't get Sturdy nor Illuminate as Abilities.

Clamperl:
Sapphire/Alpha Sapphire: Clamperl grows while being protected by its rock-hard shell. When its body becomes too large to fit inside the shell, it is sure evidence that this Pokémon is getting close to evolution.
But, it evolves via being traded while holding a specific item.
 
Out of curiosity, I was looking at some Pokemon that could get access to Defog were Gen IV remakes released, and I noticed two Pokemon that should have already got access to Defog, but don't.

Suicune is the most significant one. It has a rather significant wind theme even though it's a pure Water-type Pokemon, and can learn a lot of wind moves, yet cannot learn Defog not even through the HM. And by the way, it cannot learn Heat Wave either, which is also a wind move.

Meanwhile, there's Tapu Fini, which can learn Defog yet is stated it can CREATE fog (and clean impurities, but so can Suicune).

Tornadus, being the cyclone Pokemon, cannot learn Defog as well, though it at least can learn Heat Wave.
 

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