Since Generation Five (and in Generation Three), all of the starter Pokemon have received signature moves. Some of them stay unique to that Pokemon, while others become widely distributed in the very next generation. However, for at least one set of games, certain starters ❀can claim certain moves aꦺs theirs and theirs only.
What piques most competitive Pokemon battlers' interests is how viable they are to use in competitive play, and how they compare with other starter signature moves in that regard. Some of these moves have been hailed the best-of-the-best, either because they make their exclusive owners more viable, or have become commonly used since widespread distribution.
Updated February 8, 2023 by Kyle Laurel: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, as per usual, came with three new starters, and they were no different in that they got signature moves. Here's a look at how the signature moves of Quaquaval, Skeledirge, and Meowscarada stack up against some of the very best.
As long as a move has been the signature move of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:a starter Pokemon at any point, even if was just for a single set of games (i.e. signatures in X & Y but not in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire), it counts for this list. This list will not incl🤡ude Z-moves, G-Max moves, or signature moves of Partner Pikachu and Eevee, such as Zippy Zap or Veevee Volley.
13 Spik🀅y Shield, Chesnaught
Generation Six added quite a few new 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:signature protection moves, such as Aegislash's King Shield, Klefki's Crafty Shield, and Greninja's Mat Block. However, Chesnaught's Spiky Shield proves to be much more practical and viable than the very latter.
Spiky Shield, now a move with decently wide distribution among Grass-types, protects the user and harms any potential attackers that initiate contact to the tune of one-eighth of their HP. Of course, as all protection moves do, it has a higher chance of failing the more times it is used consecutively. It's great for surprising physical attackers and keeping them honest, as well as protection's usual purpose of stalling out turns.
12 Throat Chop, Incineroar ♐
Incineroar succeeds Greninja and precedes Cinderace as the one starter per generation to get two signature moves, a trend seemingly bucked in Gen Nine. This one of Incineroar's two is pretty niche, but can be extremely useful under the right circumstance.
The Dark-type Throat Chop deals 80 base power's worth of damage, while also preventing its target from using sound moves for two turns. This move is tailor-made to stop Pokemon like Loudred, Toxtricity, and even fellow Alolan starter Primarina, whose main methods of attack are usually sound-based moves. Since it's been widely distributed after its introduction as a Technical Record (TR), Pokemon like Barraskewda, Heracross, and Flamigo can rely on it for some Dark-type coverage.
11 Sparkling Aria, Primarina ꩲ
Primarina's signature move has remained so for the two generations it has existed, not experiencing the widespread distribution Incineroar's moves have gotten as TRs. Nonetheless, it's a very good move, being essentially a Surf clone with a few tweaks.
Sparkling Aria is a 90 base power move with 100 percent accuracy, which is exactly what Surf is. The differences are actually negative; it's a sound-based move, which makes Pokemon with Soundproof immune to it, and it heals any potential burns a target may have. These effects result in competitive players relying on Surf instead. Still, it's a solid move that is still useful under most circumstances.
10 Blaz🤡e Kick, 🎃Blaziken
Generation Three was the first generation to truly give its starters signature moves, with the Fire-type starter Blaziken getting Blaze Kick. While other Pokemon started to learn it via level-up and breeding the very next generation, it's only recently gotten widespread distribution in Generation Eight, also as a TR.
Blaziken's signature move is an 85 base power physical move. While that figure might be a bit disappointing, it also has a high critical hit ratio and a ten percent chance to burn its target. While it's not yet accessible in Gen Nine, it has worked pretty well in the past as a surprise coverage move for Pokemon like Mienshao, Zeraora, and Galarian Zapdos.
9 Mu🀅ddy Water, Swampert ꦉ
Tꦉhis move, introduced💞 in Generation Three, is another Surf clone like Sparkling Aria, but with a few more tweaks.
Muddy Water deals 90 base power damage, and while it's less accurate at 85 percent, it drops its targets' accuracy a stage 30 percent of the time. Much has been said about relying on accuracy drops as a strategy, but 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the Mudkip line's signature is certainly useful in a playthrough — if not in competitive battles if you're willing to sell your soul to the iron hand of RNG for a win. Most Water-types can learn it too, via TR or breeding, if not via level-up.
8 ꦯ Mystical Fire, Delphox 🎀
While Delphox is one of the more underwhelming starters competitively speaking, its signature move is an interesting one that works excellently for other Pokemon as a coverage move with a little somethin' to it.
Mystical Fire's 75 base power might not jump off the screen, but its guarantee to drop the target's Special Attack might cause some trouble. While you can't rely on it as a total offensive bomb, it can be an unexpected way to totally power down special attackers on the opposing team. Also, a lot of special Fairy-types, like Clefable, Hatterene, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:and Flutter Mane, learn it alongside the usual Fire-types, making it🙈 a decent option ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚto check unsuspecting Steel-types.
7 ꦚ Snipe Shot, Inteleon
This Generation Eight starter's signature move puts itself in the ring of special Water-type moves as the only one to provide a high critical hit ratio. Other than that, though, it's a fairly standard Water-type move, with 80 base power and 100 percent accuracy.
While the move isn't world-shaking in a vacuum, Snipe Shot is excellent for a Pokemon like Inteleon, which has Sniper as a hidden ability. Given a turn to use Focus Energy, a trainer could make Snipe Shot a deadly weapon, getting critical hits almost every time. That's more than enough to magnify the otherwise subpar 80 base power, and it works as a functioning competitive niche.
6 𒊎 Aqua Step, Quaquaval
The first of the starters' signature moves to appear here, Aqua Step brings a lot of benefits to Quaquaval despite its middle-of-the-road damage potential.
That 80 base power won't blow anyone out of the water, but alongside the 100 percent accuracy making it a sure thing, it also raises the user's Speed by a stage. That can snowball pretty quickly, making the user basically a lock to move first after a few consecutive Aqua Steps. That's great for Quaquaval, who has the excellent Attack stat (120) to make an 80 base power move deal significant damage, but could use that jolt of Speed.
5 Torch Song, Skeledirge 🦂
Fellow Scarlet & Violet starter Skeledirge has a similar signature move to Quaquaval, with even more snowballing potential. The two moves are basically identical, save for Torch Soಞng being Fire-type, special, and boosting Special Attack instead of Speed.
You can practically only snowball your Speed stat so far, but have your Skeledirge use a few Torch Songs in a row, and it could easily become the most dangerous Pokemon on the field. This move, along with its owner's typing and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:tank-fit stats, has made Skeled🔯irge an early popular choice for competitive ba☂ttles in Gen Nine.
4 Pyro Ball, Cinderace ⭕
Similarly to Greninja, Cinderace was given a bit of special treatment, having two signature moves while Rillaboom and Inteleon each only got 🐽one. In terms of pure power, Pyro Ball has pretty much e🧸very other starter signature move beat.
Pyro Ball is a massive 120 base power move, with 90 percent accuracy. Aside from a standard ten percent chance to burn the target, it doesn't really bring any secondary effects, aside from a few potential drawbacks of thawing frozen targets, not affecting Bulletproof Pokemon, and that ten percent chance to miss. Still, in terms of being a 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:straightforward damage grenade, Pyro Ball does its job excellently.