These Are The Absolute Worst Attack Moves In Pokemon Games
The Pokemon franchise is undeniably popular, even after over two decades of existence. In the quest to become a Pokemon master, gamers have taken great pride in finding and training as many of the lovable monsters as possible. After all, different Pokemon species bring different abilities to the table, with some specific Pokemon capable of performing moves that are unique to them.
However, uniqueness doesn't always equal effectiveness. For every indispensable Pokemon attack, there are several that are just plain terrible. Some of the various moves in the Pokemon series feel like they sprang from a confusing place, leaving you wondering what the developers were even thinking. A ton of content has been cut from Pokemon games over the years, and it's hard not to wonder why some of the sillier attacks couldn't have been left out, too. It's time to take a look at a few of the worst Pokemon moves of all time, and why they should be avoided at all costs.
Present
Present is the signature move of the Pokemon Delibird, and it's one of the more frustratingly inconsistent moves in the series. Present has the potential to be a good attack, but the probability of dealing any decent damage is so low that it's almost not worth trying. When performing Present, Delibird has a 10% chance to deal 120 base damage. Unfortunately, it also has a 30% chance to deliver 80 damage points and a 40% chance to deal 40 damage.
While not exactly great when compared to other attacks, those odds aren't necessarily terrible. Part of the fun of playing a Pokemon game is the suspense that comes from waiting to see if your next attack will land the way it's supposed to. No, the very worst thing about Present is that it also has a 20% chance of healing 1/4 of the opponent's HP. If you manage to get close to the end of a long battle and then accidentally heal your enemy instead of doing 120 damage, no one would blame you for rage-quitting.
Self-Destruct/Explosion
Normally utilized by Pokemon like Electrode or Weezing, Self-Destruct and Explosion are two bizarre moves that have been around since the first generation of Pokemon games. The first thing to note about these attacks is just how effective they actually are. Self-Destruct has a base power of 200, while Explosion's base power is 250 damage points. Both moves are kind of incredible. Unfortunately, performing either one of these attacks immediately knocks out the Pokemon that used them.
For a franchise that has built itself around becoming close allies with the Pokemon that you have caught, it feels oddly dark and malevolent to command them to blow themselves up. There is already ample evidence to suggest that it would suck to live in the Pokemon world, even without the adorable creatures detonating at random. Sometimes it's satisfying to take the opponent down with you, but these moves feel super counter-productive for the most part. Sure, your team will deal some substantial damage, but at what cost?
Metronome
Metronome is another move that sounds pretty cool in concept. The in-universe explanation is that the Pokemon performing Metronome will hypnotize itself into performing a move that is buried in its subconscious. That's an interesting idea for a move, but it also results in battles that are entirely too unpredictable.
Sure, your Pokemon could use Metronome and end up sapping its opponent's energy with Giga Drain or blasting them with a Hyper Beam. On the other hand, Metronome could result in the attacking Pokemon using a move that doesn't effect the opponent, or even knocking outself out by suddenly learning Self-Destruct. In any important battle, the risk of using Metronome is almost always greater than the reward.
It's also worth noting that Metronome is commonly associated with Clefairy and Clefable. That fact makes it even more baffling to think that fans almost got a Pokemon Yellow companion game starring Clefairy. It's maddening to imagine how many battles could have been left up to chance in a game like that.
Splash
Splash is pretty much the ultimate bad joke of the Pokemon franchise. Essentially, Splash is an attack in which the Pokemon performing it just kind of flops around aimlessly. The "attack" has no effect on enemies whatsoever.
Splash is most commonly associated with Magikarp, to the point where Magikarp even got its own splashy spin-off game for mobile devices. Magikarp only knows Splash until Level 15, which makes training and leveling the Pokemon up even more of a chore. Sure, Magikarp will eventually evolve into a Gyrados and its stats will go through the roof, but that takes a herculean effort on the part of its trainer. The existence of the Splash attack seems to be the developer's way of telling players, "Just give up; this Pokemon is as useless as its attacks."
Over the years, Splash has also been used by other Pokemon, including Hoppip and Wynaut. Unfortunately, it doesn't become more powerful in the hands of any other species of Pokemon. Instead, the uselessness of the move continues to mock longtime players and confuse people who are brand new to the franchise.