On PokeBase's msq moveset questions, you'll find selected answers containing sample sets for the most popular competitive battle formats. These are generated using a novel combination of usage stats and heuristics to ensure the quality of the movesets.
On this page, the process used to generate the movesets is explained. You can also discuss the moveset generation rules, suggest improvements, and report issues you see with the generated movesets!
How it works
Usage stats from the competitive battling simulator Pokemon Showdown! are published monthly by Smogon - see smogon.com/stats. Data is included for all popular battle formats, including both Smogon (the most popular singles ruleset) and Champions (the most popular doubles ruleset).
These usage stats can be leveraged to generate movesets, using the most popular item, four most popular moves, etc. The usage stats are also weighted based on the skill rating of the players using each Pokemon, meaning the data can be filtered onto the most skilled players on any given ladder. In a nutshell, this is what you see in the sample moveset answers.
Each answer is assembled such that it includes at least one singles moveset and doubles moveset (where possible, complicated by dexit). Additional sets are added for alternate forms, such as Mega Evolutions, and pre-evolutions.
Each answer also can also pick any of the Smogon tiers (Ubers, OU, UU etc) as the most appropriate for the Pokemon in question. Which tier is chosen depends on two rules:
- By default, the tier where the Pokemon has the most players is chosen. By sheer volume of numbers, this creates a bias towards OU, which is deliberate and reflective of OU's popularity compared to the other tiers.
- To prevent movesets being posted for OU and Ubers where the Pokemon in question isn't viable in those formats, a minimum usage threshold of 0.5% applies for OU and Ubers. This means that a majority of Pokemon get a moveset from a lower tier.
- To ensure the pertinence of the chosen format and quality of the source data, a format will not be chosen if it doesn't get at least 10,000 battles per month on average during the sampled time period. In practice, this doesn't affect current-generation Smogon tiers.
- Pokemon that didn't reach at least 100 players in any valid format during the sampled time period won't get any answer at all. None of these Pokemon have a competitive use.
Each answer can be automatically updated to use the most recent months, alter the rules above, or incorporate new filters (discussed below). The processing, filtering, and posting actions are all managed using a Python script that runs automatically.
Filters & heuristics
By default, a "dumb" moveset is generated for each Pokemon using its most popular moves, item, ability etc, within the format in question. The dumb moveset is then filtered using the rules below, which are intended to optimise the movesets, eliminante nonsense (Nasty Plot + Choice Scarf), and help align the moveset to one particular role where several may be viable.
| # | Name | Description |
|---|
| 1 | Move order | Moves are ordered: (1) stat-raising Status moves and field-effect moves, such as Trick Room; (2) STAB attacks; (3) coverage attacks; (4) pivot moves; (5) everything else. |
| 2 | Assault Vest compatibility | Status moves are forbidden if Assault Vest is present. |
| 3 | Choice-item compatibility | Status moves are forbidden if a Choice item is present, except: (1) Trick and Switcheroo; (2) field-effect moves; (3) moves that cause the user to faint. |
| 4 | Blank slot removal | In most circumstances, “Nothing” is rejected as a moveslot. |
| 5 | Trick Room -Spe | Trick Room is forbidden unless the selected nature lowers Speed. |
| 6 | Trick & Switcheroo | Trick and Switcheroo are forbidden unless the item could have a detrimental effect (Choice items, Flame Orb, Toxic Orb, Ring Target, Lagging Tail, Iron Ball, Black Sludge). |
| 7 | Reflect + Light Screen coupling | Reflect and Light Screen are required to appear together in the same moveset if one or the other has sufficient usage. |
| 8 | Protecting move grouping | For the purposes of move selection, usages for moves that protect the user (Protect, Detect, King’s Shield, etc) are summed, and the most used among the group is chosen if the sum is high enough. Protect can only be chosen if no other protecting move makes up at least 20% of usage within the group. No more than one protecting move may appear. |
| 9 | Pivot move grouping | For the purposes of move selection, usages for pivoting moves (U-turn, Volt Switch, etc) are summed, and the most used among the group is chosen if the sum is high enough. No more than one pivoting move may appear. |
| 10 | Fake Out + Last Resort | If Fake Out and Last Resort are in the top four moves by usage, the final two moveslots are truncated. |
| 11 | STAB enforcement | DISABLED: If the nature boosts an attacking stat and the moveset includes no STAB attacking moves, the lowest-usage attacking move is replaced with the highest-usage STAB attacking move. |
| 12 | Same-type duplicate resolution | In general, if two selected attacking moves share a type, one is removed based on their respective usages and the selected EV spread. Exceptions apply to (1) utility moves such as Knock Off; (2) priority moves; (3) moves that alter the type chart such as Freeze-Dry; (4) spread moves; (5) fixed-damage moves; (6) moves with very high usage. |
| 13 | Unused boosts | Moves that boost an attacking stat are forbidden if (a) they don’t boost any moves in the moveset and (b) they don’t boost any other stats to at least +2. |
| 14 | Moves not affected by boosts | If at least one move that boosts an attacking stat is present, then any moves which aren’t boosted by those boosting moves are forbidden. If a Speed-boosting move is present in the moveset, this filter doesn’t apply. |
| 15 | Pivoting v boosting moves | In general, pivoting moves cannot coexist with stat-boosting Status moves. Which move/s are dropped depends on their respective usages and the features of the moveset in question. If both moves have high usage, neither is removed. If the backfill move would be a Status move, neither is removed. Baton Pass is exempt. |
| 16 | Mixed attacker natures | If the moveset still has a mix of Physical and Special moves after rule #12, then natures which lower attacking stats are forbidden. The following moves are ignored when deciding if the moveset is mixed: (1) utility moves such as Knock Off; (2) priority moves; (3) pivoting moves; (4) moves that force the target to switch; (5) fixed-damage moves. |
| 17 | Multi-hit moves | Loaded Dice and Skill Link are forbidden if the moveset doesn’t have at least one multi-hit move. |
| 18 | Acrobatics | Itemless movesets are forbidden unless Acrobatics is present. If Acrobatics is present, there must either be (a) no item or (b) a controlled consumable item, such as Flying Gem or Grassy Seed. Acrobatics is forbidden if it has less than 50% usage. |
| 19 | Offensive Tera Type filter | If (a) the moveset’s EVs are not invested mostly in Attack, Special Attack and Speed, (b) the moveset doesn’t have an attacking move matching its Tera Type, (c) the Tera Type is Normal, Fire, Electric, Ice, Fighting, Psychic, Bug or Rock and (d) the Tera Type doesn’t have at least 55% usage, then the moveset’s Tera Type is forbidden. |
| 20 | Assault Vest optimisation | If Assault Vest is used and the moveset doesn’t invest substantial EVs in HP or Special Defense, then the EV spread is replaced with the next most used EV spread that is crossed with the chosen nature and invests substantially in HP or SpD. |
| 21 | Choice Scarf v priority | Priority moves under 80 base power are forbidden if Choice Scarf is the item, unless they have more than 70% usage. |
| 22 | STAB favouritism | If a STAB attack is less than 10% usage behind a non-STAB attack and doesn't appear the moveset, then the STAB attack will replace the non-STAB attack if (a) the STAB attack's type isn't already present on an attacking move in the moveset and (b) the non-STAB attack isn't a priority move, pivoting move, or utility move. |
| 23 | 0 Atk | 0 Atk IVs are added when EVs exceed 500 and no physical moves are selected. |
| 24 | 0 Spe | 0 Spe IVs are added when EVs exceed 500 and the chosen nature lowers Speed. |
When an item, move, etc gets eliminated by one of the rules, it gets backfilled by the option with the next highest usage that doesn't also get tripped by the rules.
Most of the filters are backed by data from @pkmn/dex to improve maintainability, but some things remain hard-coded. To litigate why a particular move was or wasn't included, I recommend cross-referencing with Gatrstats, which helps you see usage over a period of multiple months (and is also used the source of truth for set generation).
If you have suggestions for new rules or modifications to existing ones, please post an ANSWER below! As time goes on, it's likely that more errors and edge cases will be found, which we can fix with a new filter.
Reporting errors
You can also post an ANSWER below if you notice a sample moveset with an error. Errors can be fixed by editing the answer directly - or, if possible, using a new filter.
DO report:
- Features of the moveset that are nonsensical. For example, Assault Vest + Stealth Rock doesn't work.
- Strategy that appears to originate from a different moveset than the featured one. For example, Tera Normal is used on offensive Gliscor variants with Facade, but makes no sense on the standard defensive set. If the defensive set is featured, Tera Normal should be reported.
- Situations where a strategically-optimal move was missed or apparently filtered out, despite being supported by usage. This can inform exceptions to the filters. For example, standard Kingambit uses both Sucker Punch and Kowtow Cleave, so neither should get filtered out.
- Edge cases that apply to specific items and abilities. For example, Loaded Dice should be dropped if there are no multi-hit moves.
DON'T report:
- Changes that are best described as situational, interchangeable, or personal preference. In these cases, you should just post your own moveset. For example, you might believe strongly in Close Combat on Ceruledge, but objectively speaking, there is nothing inherently wrong with the standard set.
- Suggestions to use an entirely different moveset or an entirely different format. Again, post it yourself. The sample answers should remain predominantly data-driven.
All feedback is massively appreciated. Thanks everyone who has already helped improve the sample movesets!
