Due to the sheer number of moves that Normal-types have, covering one move per family isn’t enough to cover every move. In fact, it’s less than a third covered! This article seeks to cover a few other moves worth mentioning, because there are that many interesting or good Normal-type moves! To see the other moves that are mentioned, please continue reading this article.
Attract
One of the things that were introduced alongside genders in Generation 2 is a move that takes into account the gender of both the user and the target. This move, Attract, is quite universal that it can be learned by just about any Pokémon, by they need to have gender, with some odd exceptions.
Attract’s effect is unique in which it can induce infatuation. Basically, infatuation renders the opposing Pokémon unable to move half the time, and this effect lingers until they switch out. This also only affects the Pokémon of the opposite gender from the user, so its effect won’t work with just about any Pokémon you encounter, reducing this move’s reliability. However, if you activate its effect, then the opponent will be in for a hard time. Interestingly, trainers in-game tend to have Pokémon with the same gender as them, so a male Pokémon with Attract will be beneficial for a female trainer and vice versa. Due to this, Attract has some use in-game.
Some of the Pokémon that can learn this move despite being genderless are Mew and Cryogonal. For the former, it can learn every teachable move, so it’s pretty much required. For Cryogonal, perhaps it used to have gender, but the designers forgotten to remove this move from its TM list. In case you don’t know, if the user doesn’t have gender, this move will always fail no matter what the gender the opposing Pokémon is.
Attract is one way to identify the gender of a Pokémon in the anime, because there is no indication on what gender the Pokémon is, so it’s a way to educate the viewers on their gender. This is more readily used in the Unova portion of the anime. Of course, Attract is also weaponised by rendering the opponent immobile.
Overall, Attract’s infatuation is very useful, but its effect is difficult to activate.
Explosion
Judging by base power, Explosion is the strongest move in the game. Of course, such a strong move must come with a drawback, right? Yep, that is the case. For Explosion, the user will immediately faint after using this move, but since it does heavy damage to its surroundings, it is best used when it is absolutely necessary to gain a battle advantage.
Initially, Explosion’s power isn’t what it seems. It is stated as 250 BP, which is strong, but what makes it stronger is that it effectively halves the Defence of the target, so it’s essentially a 500 BP move. This might have been a response to how the 8-bit binary number cannot exceed 255, making 250 the highest possible number to be achieved before requiring an external factor to make it even more powerful. In Generation 5, the Defence reduction didn’t come into play, severely limiting this move’s power, but at the same time, the Explosion tactic in Doubles is discouraged, creating more breathing room for everybody.
Although Explosion is a Normal-type attack, very few Normal-type Pokémon learns this move. The only Normal-type Pokémon that learns this move (not counting Smeargle) is Lickilicky, which makes it the only Pokémon to get STAB on Explosion, making it even more powerful. That is, until we have Mega Glalie with Refrigerate, which gives a power boost thanks to it being a Normal-type attack and providing STAB to Explosion after it becomes an Ice-type attack, thereby making its Explosion the strongest in the game.
All in all, Explosion is a high-risk, high-reward attack that might have been too rewarding in Doubles to require a revision on its power level in later Generations.
False Swipe
Unlike every move we have touched on, False Swipe is not used for a serious battle because of the way this move works. Before we touch on what this move does, the fundamentals of this attack is that it strikes the target with the “back of the sword”, which is a way of saying that this strike isn’t fatal as to knock the target out, just as the back of the sword is a non-lethal part compared to the blade of the sword. In a way, you are holding back to provide the opponent mercy. Incidentally, there is an event-only move called Hold Back that does the same thing as False Swipe.
The power of False Swipe is indeed quite low, and even with low power, it will never KO a target. Why? Because the move will always makes the target have 1 HP, even against Pokémon with a way lower level than you. As I have said before, serious battles won’t be the way to go with this move, but it’s very useful for catching Pokémon because at 1 HP, they have the highest chance of being captured. This is very helpful against low-leveled Pokémon that will be KO’ed easily with any other attack. If that target is Ghost-type, then you need ways to circumvent the immunity to use it.
In essence, this attack is mainly useful for capturing Pokémon, and is best not used in a serious battle.
Growl
Also known as “Cry”, this move makes the user unleash their inner cuteness to subdue their foes, hoping that they give an easier time to them. In fact, this is a move that is learned by many young Pokémon who is starting, and even some of the starters learn this move.
At first glance, this move’s effect in reducing the opponent’s Attack seems like it’s not enough, but if you look further, you will notice that this move is a multi-targeting move in Doubles or Triples, meaning it has some use in reducing every one of the opponent’s Physical attack, which could be useful.
This move has an Ability equivalent called Initimidate. The difference is that Intimidate relies on scaring the opponent to subdue them, whereas Growl uses cuteness. Both this move and ability reduces the opponent’s Attack, but Intimidate is generally more useful because it activates on the switch-in.
Overall, Growl is a good starting move, but it could find use in some ways even if it is generally a move done better by others (such as Charm).
Hidden Power
This move is about the latent powers within a Pokémon, and Hidden Power helps to unleash it. Oftentimes, it could simulate an attacking type a Pokémon doesn’t normally get, which is why Hidden Power is a great choice for Special attackers and finds use on Physical attackers in Generation 2 and 3 since some attacking types were Physical. Although Hidden Power is a Normal-type attack, it can never actually be a Normal-type attack.
What is special about Hidden Power is that the user’s Hidden Power type is not necessarily the same as another Pokémon with Hidden Power. This is because Hidden Power’s type is based on the Individual Values of the user, and before Generation 6, its power is also different. Despite the introduction of the Fairy-type in Generation 6, Hidden Power’s mechanics didn’t change, so it’s not possible to call a Fairy-type Hidden Power.
Hidden Power’s BP is relatively low, standing at 60 BP in Generation 6 and between 30 and 70 BP in Generation 5 and earlier. This move isn’t meant to be a main attack, but as coverage. For example, a Ghost-type would prefer a Fighting-type Hidden Power to cover the Normal- and Dark-types that resist its STAB. The fixed 60 BP is sometimes useful because it saves effort in getting the most powerful Hidden Power, and also because it is compatible with Technician, especially for Special attackers.
Unown is a Pokémon that is often known to be instrumental as a mythical Pokémon, but they are very limited in battling capacity because they know only Hidden Power. Since Hidden Power is a TM, almost every Pokémon learns it, making Unown largely overshadowed, not helped by its overall low stats.
Overall, Hidden Power’s potential to be any type is what makes this move useful even though it’s not a powerful attack.
Hyper Beam
This move is coined as the ultimate and powerful move, and it’s not hard to see why. It has high power and reasonable accuracy, and it is able to be learned by almost every fully-evolved Pokémon, including some that were fully-evolved before new evolutions were introduced (Golbat, Tangela, Piloswine). This move, however, has a crippling drawback: it forces the user to do nothing on the turn after that, because they need to recharge.
Since this attack has a negative side-effect, it’s not a wise move to just put on any Pokémon and use it. This also applies to other Hyper Beam variants even though there is a STAB bonus tied to that Pokémon. Not even Slaking’s truancy could salvage this effect, because at least with other moves, the trainer could switch Slaking out.
It does have a use in Generation 1 because it doesn’t force the user to recharge if that move knocks out a Pokémon after attacking. That made Hyper Beam a risky but ultimately rewarding move if the timing is right. It made certain Normal-types a force to reckon with, and made Rock- and Ghost-types useful in taking on Hyper Beams.
All in all, Hyper Beam is a powerful attack that is ultimately not as useful as it could be because its side-effect is easy to take advantage of.
Last Resort
Last Resort is another powerful Normal attack, and by now, you should expect it to have some drawbacks or requirements. Fortunately, Last Resort’s requirements are more bearable to meet, even if it takes some turns to do so.
If Last Resort were to activate, it requires that the user use every other move at least once. For example, if the user has this move and three other moves, they need to use the three other moves first before it works. Fortunately, once that is done, it will always work, but if the user switches out, they need to undertake the process again.
It should be noted that the user can have one other move (making it two moves total) and it will still activate. So if the user has, say, Fake Out and Last Resort, then after using the former, then they can immediately use Last Resort for all they care. Before you ask, Last Resort cannot work if it’s the only move the user knows, so don’t think about using Choice Band with this move for a sweep.
Overall, Last Resort is one of the more easily useable powerful Normal-type attacks, but it requires a special setup for it to be most effective.
Metronome
If you are feeling lucky, Metronome is a move that might just be for you. What Metronome basically does is to call another move that exists, even certain signature moves that legendaries only learn! Due to its unpredictability, it is always fun to see what move gets used, and if the move is suitable for the situation, even better for you!
This move would normally be attributed to the Clefairy family because of the magical abilities and also because they are the ones that learn this move naturally right from the beginning. However, the Clefairy family’s status as a Fairy-type meant that this move can only be represented in this article.
As with metronomes, the user will waggle their finger to use this move. However, this motion is magical, because the user basically taps into unknown forces and use a technique not necessarily known by them. The force won’t call a select few moves, probably because their effects are tricky to execute with this move, such as Sleep Talk never being able to activate or Mimic’s effect in replacing itself with another move.
This move is unreliable in an actual battle, though. Since the user doesn’t know what move is going to be called, it usually doesn’t save the user from whatever predicament they’re facing. Couple that with the possibility that it might call a move that makes things worse, Metronome is not for use in a serious battle, unless you’re a really lucky person who can call the right moves at the right moment.
Overall, Metronome is a fun move to use because it’s always fun to see what kind of random move gets called to enjoy and laugh at the results.
Protect
Sometimes, you would wish the opponent can’t hit you because you can’t stand that attack. If you are lucky, some moves have a chance to miss, but there are also several moves that always hit. With Protect, even the most accurate moves will fail to affect the user, giving them some breathing room.
Protect is an immensely useful move due to its very defensive effect. If you use it, you are guaranteed to be protected from any attack the opponent uses, unless they use a move that is made to bypass Protect’s effect. This will allow the user to protect against some very powerful moves. Its stalling effect is even beneficial making the opponent take status damage while you are safe, or recovering a little HP from Leftovers.
Of course, if the opponent knows you are using Protect, then they could use a turn to setup, so it’s not always a go-to move. It is also not a move you can use all the time because after every use of Protect, the chances of it working will be halved, and you will be punished for it by losing a turn eventually if you keep using it. Even with the deteriorating effect, sometimes you might want to risk using this move again if it means the difference between life and death, so do that sparingly.
All in all, Protect is a great move because it offers survivability to the user, but it’s not broken either, thanks to the punishment that is inherent to continuous usage of stalling.
Round
Even though Round sounds like a circular shape, this move is not related to circles in any way. Instead, it is a music-related move. With this move, a Pokémon sings a song that hurts the opponent. It is also a TM that almost every Pokémon can learn, so virtually anyone will be able to sing along.
What makes Round special is its effect. Instead of being a normal attack, it also affects every Pokémon that uses this move, because once the first Pokémon used this attack, any allies that also use Round that turn will attack next, even if their opponents are faster than them. That’s not all, because Round also doubles its power if the allies use this attack. This will of course be a great deal if the next in line is very powerful.
Though the move’s concept is geared towards cooperation, it isn’t enough to become a must-have. This is because there are cases where using conventional moves will yield more damage, such as if both Pokémon used a base 100 attack each. This move might see more use if it is not affected by type resistance and protection, which will make this move deadly even though every Pokémon needs to carry this move.
Overall, Round is great for sing-alongs, but as an offensive move, it is a little lacklustre because its reward for using it is not quite enough despite encouraging teamwork.
Shell Smash
When it comes to boosting moves, there is none other move that makes boosting such an accomplishment compared to Shell Smash. It will sharply raise the user’s Attack, Special Attack and Speed, but as a compromise, Defence and Special Defence are reduced. Essentially, the user trades a bit of survivability for immediate power, unless White Herb is used to restore stat reductions.
Even though this is a Normal-type move, no Normal-type Pokémon can learn it (if you don’t count Smeargle’s access to every move). Instead, Water-types and Rock-types are the main learners (Torkoal is the only learner that is neither of those types), since this move is found on Pokémon with shells, and it just so happens that a few of them are from one of those types.
For every Pokémon who learns this move, they will be quite deadly when they get to setup for a sweep, even for those that are normally slow. For example, Crustle’s Speed may be low, but one use of Shell Smash later, it is ready to put offensive pressure on the opponent. This move works great with Sturdy, because it gives the user one chance to live, and with Weakness Policy, they get to have even more power boosts (provided the opponent fell for it). Probably the only Pokémon who cannot use it well offensively is Shuckle, with its low Speed and attack stats, but it can use it with Contrary to instead boost its defence stats.
Overall, Shell Smash is a fearsome setup move, so if a Pokémon can learn this move, you need to beware of them, and hopefully you prepare for them. The same goes to the user, who needs to be wary of any threats that might hinder their sweep by taking advantage of their reduced defences or their slowness even after a boost.
Splash
Not every move is created to do something meaningful, and Splash is testament to this. Basically, this move does nothing, so it’s a waste of a turn no matter how you look at it. It does have use in Contests, but that’s as far as this move can go in terms of usability.
Normally, when you hear of Splash, you would think it’s a Water move because splashing is done in water. But it’s a Normal move. Why? This is called “Hop” in Japanese, which basically means the user does something that is not productive. This is why it’s not limited to Water-types. Perhaps Splash is called as such to tie into Magikarp, who basically only have this move for a long time, and what do helpless fish normally do? Splash! Of course, they also hop, but this translation might have been used because it conveys the message of a fish splashing helplessly. Because this name stuck, some other hopping Pokémon like Hoppip, Buneary and Spoink can “splash”, even though they don’t necessarily have swimming abilities.
All in all, Splash has no use, but one can’t help but be amused by the fact that such a useless move could exist in the first place.
Strength
Strength is one of the Hidden Machines (HM) that is available for Pokémon to learn in order to overcome any obstacles in a quest. Unlike Flash, Strength managed to last for six Generations as a move that allows users to overcome block (or rock) puzzles.
In the early Generations, Strength can push moveable rocks out of the way or form blocks to prevent the water from flowing (to get to Articuno). The problem is, the rock arrangements will reset if you leave the area, which is troublesome, but at least you can redo a puzzle if you messed up.
In later Generations, Strength can still push rocks, but the rocks are mainly used as shortcuts once you gone through an entire area, which will save you time if you want to access an important area more quickly. Because of the change of purpose from obstacles to shortcuts, the rocks will stay in place once they are pushed into a hole that a player can pass through.
As an attacking move, it is an OK move to use in-game because it has decent power while allowing the user to conveniently push rocks out of the way. Of course Return is more powerful, but if you don’t happen to acquire it, Strength makes for a good substitute. If Strength were to be viable competitively, it needs to have a unique effect. Since Strength has a sort of fighting theme in it, it should do simultaneous Normal and Fighting damage, or perhaps have a chance of boosting Attack to bring home Strength’s ability to bring out the user’s power to deal with heavy things.
All in all, Strength is an essential move to have in your quest to be a champion or save time, but it could do with a unique effect to make it more worthwhile.
Wish
Usually, healing moves only benefit the user such as Milk Drink, Slack Off, Recover and Morning Sun, so it’s always nice to have a move that also helps out teammates too. Wish, despite being called that, isn’t able to grant wishes like a fairy, demon, angel or genie would, but its ability to heal others is something any teammate will appreciate.
Wish doesn’t immediately heal. Instead, once it used, it will not do anything yet. At the end of the next turn after Wish is used, the current active Pokémon recovers. It is evident that the move works this way because this is enough time for the user to switch out to a teammate to heal them. Of course, the user can heal itself, but to ensure the healing goes through, they need some protection or survivability. One warning to remember is that if the active Pokémon faints during the turn Wish activates, it will not heal anybody, leading to a waste of a perfectly good move.
Initially, it heals the recipient for half of their HP, but now it recovers HP equals to half of the user’s HP. This change benefits those with high HP and hinders those with less, so normally Chansey or Blissey would make the best users. However, they get this move through Event, so it’s not a common move for them. The next best user is Alomomola, who also has Regenerator to allow it to heal its team throughout the match while also keeping itself healthy.
Overall, Wish is a great support move because it keeps any essential members of a team healthy by providing a much-appreciated HP recovery.
I believe we covered enough moves already, even though that are still a lot of Normal-type moves that are worth looking at. Do you have a favourite Normal-type move? If yes, what are they? I would love to know! I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I have writing it.
Next Article: Improvements for 10 Pokémon
