Pokémon's "Secret" Moves Have Special Effects You’ve Probably Never Seen

Summary Some Pokémon moves, like Dig or Fly, grant semi-invulnerability but can be bypassed by specific moves like Twister or Earthquake.

Conditionally doubled damage moves specifically target Dig and Dive users, making them powerful in battles.

Understanding hidden move potential in battles can counter semi-invulnerability and prove valuable strategically in Pokémon battles.

Some moves in Pokémon actually come with additional effects that are not widely noted in the games, knowledge of which can have an impressive impact on a person’s battling skills and strategy. Battling in Pokémon games can be remarkably complex at times, with an incredible variety of factors to consider. Despite this, however, it is not always easy to discern all the relevant details, to the point that some features can actually be obscured by the design of the games.

Pokémon moves are broadly split into damaging and status moves, with the former category split further into physical and special moves. Status moves do not deal damage directly, but some can induce Status Conditions like being Burned to do so indirectly. The specific effects of each move are noted in their descriptions, with flavor text often describing in basic terms how a Pokémon performs the attack or technique. Of course, some Pokémon moves have been removed from the games as the franchise has progressed, and many more have also had their specific effects be adjusted between titles for balancing purposes.

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Invulnerability-Granting Pokémon Moves Aren’t As Unbeatable As They Appear

Certain moves, such as Dig or Fly, are particularly useful to know as they grant a Pokémon semi-invulnerability for a turn before the attack proper is unleashed on the next. This can help a Pokémon avoid taking a lot of damage, whilst the opposing Pokémon simply wastes its PP. However, there are some conditions in which this invulnerability can be negated, hence why it is only ‘semi’. For example, the Ability No Guard allows a Pokémon’s attacks to hit no matter the situation. Moreover, some moves not only ignore a Pokémon’s semi-invulnerability, but actually deal more damage when breaking it.

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These moves share a logical connection with the specific form of semi-invulnerability they break, making their effects a natural consequence rather than a confusing one. For example, Twister can hit Pokémon high in the air, a consequence of using Fly, Bounce, and Sky Drop (or even being affected by the latter). Furthermore, not only will Twister deal damage if it hits a Pokémon in this state, but it will deal double the normal amount of damage as a result.

There are a range of other moves that can also hit high-flying Pokémon, although not all of them are boosted in this way; Gust and Thunder are among the possibilities, but only the former hits the opponent harder in such a scenario. And, naturally, there are similar moves that can hit semi-invulnerable Pokémon using Dig or Dive. The user of the former can be affected by moves which also logically affect the ground; Earthquake, Magnitude and Fissure. Meanwhile, an underwater Dive-user can be hit by Surf and Whirlpool, which would obviously disturb the water it is using to shield itself.

The other moves which can specifically affect a Pokémon high in the sky are Hurricane, Smack Down, Sky Uppercut, and Thousand Arrows - none of which have their damage doubled as a result of hitting.

Conditionally Double Damage Can Be A Significant Boost In Pokémon Battles

All of the moves that can specifically target Dig and Dive users have their damage doubled when doing so, except for the one-hit KO move Fissure. This makes them, situationally, some remarkably powerful moves for a Pokémon to know. It is also worth noting that a glitch meant that Poison-types could hit a Semi-Invulnerable Pokémon by using Toxic in the Generation 6, 7, and 8 core games, although it was ultimately fixed in Pokémon Sword and Shield’s 1.3.1 version update. Generation One also had several more moves that could break through semi-invulnerability, including Bide and Swift.

This all proves that despite the use of moves like Dig and Fly initially seeming to be a perfect defense, nothing could be further from the truth. Not only can some moves still hit the user, but in such cases they can be even more damaging than they would otherwise be. The only moves with a semi-invulnerable period which do not have any specific counters are Phantom Force and Shadow Force, and even these can be hit through the use of Lock-On, Mind Reader, or No Guard.

It is appreciable that no defense is truly impenetrable in Pokémon, even if it can be very hard to break through some defensive strategies. semi-invulnerable states are an excellent example of this, coming with their own unique risk depending on the opposing Pokémon and its own moves. And even when there is no counter to them, it is worth noting that the user also effectively skips a turn, so that even in the best-case scenario it uses one attack and faces another over a two-turn period. Unless the opponent’s move has low PP, the advantages may even be negligible.

Breaking Through Semi-Invulnerable Pokémon Moves Relies On Logic

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The descriptions of moves like Twister and Earthquake do not mention that they can hit Pokémon in Semi-Invulnerable states. In fact, despite the many games most of these moves have appeared in, and the many opportunities for description alterations, this omission has remained very consistent. Instead, people are far more likely to discover such applications through trial and error, or even by receiving such an attack from an opponent. This could prove to be a dramatic shock for some, even though from an in-universe perspective the hidden attack potential of these moves is very logical.

A full understanding of how these moves work can be a valuable addition to anybody’s strategic understanding of Pokémon, even moreso if battling against an uninformed opponent. If somebody relies on Semi-Invulnerability to wear down an opponent, then these moves can prove to be a punishing counter to such a plan, especially if it is an attack that has its damage doubled. Naturally, this is unlikely to change in future Generations of Pokémon; if anything, it seems more likely for additional moves to be added to the list of options for attacking Pokémon that are seemingly beyond reach.

It is common knowledge that using a move like Dig prevents moves from hitting the user for a turn. The fact that there are exceptions to this rule is far less well known, with not even the games themselves calling attention to it. Nevertheless, there is a clear thread of logic supporting these attacks that always prevents them from appearing to be random bugs. Discovering the hidden utility of these moves can make some battles far less frustrating, whilst also exposing the flaws in relying on Semi-Invulnerability as a form of defense in Pokémon.