(Usually) Useless Moves

Summary

Highlights

• Submission, while often mocked, has its role in Pokémon battles. 🤔
• Tackle surprisingly helps Porygon outlast tough adversaries with its high PP. 💪
• Flash unexpectedly gains strategic importance in Gen 1 Ubers gameplay. ⚡
• Moves considered jokes actually contribute to serious strategies in battle. 😂
• Utility Umbrella, a bizarre item, provides unexpected defensive benefits. ☔

Key Takeaways

• Submission is hilariously criticized as one of the worst 'good' moves in Pokémon history. 🎮
• Moves like Tackle and Flash find ultimate utility in niche competitive scenarios. 📈
• Porygon and using moves strategically can outlast powerful opponents in unique ways. ⏳
• Seemingly useless moves can be game-changers with the right strategy and nostalgia value. 💡
• The intricacies of game mechanics can turn ridiculous moves into winning strategies. 🏆

Overview

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:00: Introduction and Submission Move Discussion The chapter titled 'Introduction and Submission Move Discussion' begins with a reference to a Miami-nominated video by Gen 1 mubers, where it's claimed that the move 'submission' is considered the worst good move in Pokémon history. The chapter explores the validity of this statement by delving into the characteristics and reputation of the move 'submission,' which is notoriously known for its poor performance.
• 01:00 - 03:00: Gen 1 Pokemon and Porygon's Niche The chapter discusses the role of Gen 1 Pokemon and Porygon, focusing on the move 'Focus Blast' which is disliked for its drawbacks. Despite its weaknesses, it still serves as a functional yet flawed option in gameplay. The chapter humorously critiques other moves that are considered ineffective or detrimental in the game.
• 03:00 - 06:00: Unusual Moves and Strategies Across Generations The chapter explores unconventional moves and strategies within the Pokemon metagame, focusing on scenarios beyond standard battles. It specifically highlights the use of certain moves when facing both typical opponents like bug keeper Bimmy and significant opponents like a knowledgeable friend familiar with competitive PVP gameplay.
• 06:00 - 09:00: Using Utility Moves in Competitive Play This chapter discusses the use of utility moves in competitive Pokémon play, focusing on the Pokémon Porygon. Despite being considered a poor trade deal, Porygon finds a niche in Generation 1 OverUsed (OU) play. Its ability to switch into any non-Amnesia Snorlax and repeatedly use the Recover move is highlighted. This is primarily because, in Generation 1, Normal types like Porygon cannot be paralyzed by Body Slam, allowing it to stall Snorlax effectively.
• 09:00 - 11:00: Conclusion and Musings on Useless Moves This chapter discusses the strategic value in seemingly 'useless' moves within games, specifically referencing a situation in Pokemon. It highlights how what might appear as a programming glitch is actually a memory-saving technique. The section humorously touches on the capabilities of Porygon, a Pokemon known for its mid-game prowess, which utilizes the move 'tackle'. The move is discussed as often underestimated, especially when considered in traditional gaming narratives or strategies.

(Usually) Useless Moves Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 so in Miami nominated gen 1 mubers video I said that submission was quote the worst good move in Pokemon history but I started wondering like is that true [Music] submission is a move that's kind of famous for how terrible it is
• 00:30 - 01:00 and in such a robust way too that you don't usually see oh you hate Focus blast so much oh you don't want to click Focus blast okay sure well what if it did about half as much damage and hurt you when you used it genuine submission has to be one of the worst moves ever that is still technically the best option you have to fulfill its function but what about moves that are just total dog [ __ ] what
• 01:00 - 01:30 about moves that you already don't want to use when you're on route to fighting bug keeper bimmy but that will be useful against the most important opponent of all your sweaty friend who also knows about the unofficial singles competitive PVP metagame for Pokemon [Music]
• 01:30 - 02:00 I think it's fairly common knowledge at this point that Porygon despite being the worst trade deal in history maybe ever does have a niche in gen 1 OU as a Pokemon that can switch into any non-amnesia Snorlax and click recover 24 times until Snorlax doesn't have any body slams left this is due to a Confluence of gen 1 [ __ ] but mostly just because Normal types can't be paralyzed by Body Slam in gen 1. which
• 02:00 - 02:30 is actually not a glitch it's some crafty programming to save memory so you don't need to call the gamer police on them this time okay it's cool it's fine hey wouldn't you know it the most threatening mid-game wall breaker in Ubers is also a Pokemon that likes to click body slam a lot but how can Porygon adapt to this new thread well obviously it's by using tackle a move that a more smooth-brained individual might think is outclassed the second Gary sends out his level 5
• 02:30 - 03:00 Charmander but one which a seasoned gamer might notice has a very useful trait it has more PP than a public pool after reflect a capped attack stat Mew earthquake does about 53 maximum to Porygon and about 62 percent with a crit and after the requisite Thunder Wave and recover tackle gives Porygon a button it can click 56 times which is kind of
• 03:00 - 03:30 astounding nothing else about the move matters although I suppose it does sort of force Mew to soft-boiled at semi-regular intervals what are you freaking doing that for you're just gonna die theoretically in Uber's trade bags Porygon gets access to barrier which it can use more than once compared to reflect but more importantly brings its PP total up to 168 good Lord as always
• 03:30 - 04:00 they can decide to just explode on you but if you get their Mew to explode on your [ __ ] Porygon then all that means is that those 999 coins didn't also cost you up to 152 turns and about an hour of your life yeah sorry Mom I don't think I'm gonna make it to People's Funeral I still gotta click this button 127 more
• 04:00 - 04:30 times there are also some truly damned Souls who have to use route one level moves for the thing that actually happens when you click them in gen 3 Choice band Flygon might as well run Gust in its last slide as a way to donk the earthquake resisting Heracross and gray Loom and I guess also option select Celebi by doing five more base power to it than a resisted earthquake yes Flygon does not learn aerial Ace but this guy does
• 04:30 - 05:00 [Music] similarly mamas wine and Gen 4 can run Peck to deal with Heracross especially before the Platinum move tutors win if you had Stealth Rock on something else already mamaswine literally did not learn four moves that you would rather use this was before icicle crash BT dubs so mamaswine's best no drawback neutral hit on Heracross was
• 05:00 - 05:30 returned and Peck 35 times 4 as 140 base power that's almost a neutral earthquake that's a good move [Music] so in the time between this ding dong getting skill Link in Gen 5 and then getting tail slap in gen 7 and hence getting [ __ ] banned from gen 7 little cup yo did somebody say gen 7 LC Uber's metagame analysis Aipom used Fury swipes as its main stab attack due to the
• 05:30 - 06:00 damage formula scaling in such a way at level 5 that it ends up doing way more damage than return and this is something that will really impress upon you the fact that they really gave Fury swipes 80 accuracy damn sure did that is better than gen 1 flash though a move that has all the downsides of a crappy hm but you don't even need it to beat the game flash is usually trash because thirty percent of the time it just does nothing
• 06:00 - 06:30 and then 67 of the remaining 70 it still does nothing and you can always just switch out anyway however flash suddenly gains a lot of utility in gen 1 Ubers a tier where it's not unreasonable for you and your opponent to just leave the same Pokemon in against each other for like 70 turns particularly flash can be useful in the Mewtwo ditto as a way to gain an advantage long term and also potentially
• 06:30 - 07:00 burn a lot more of their PP through switch stalling than you would by just clicking barrier or submission especially because both Amnesia and Flash will proc the paralysis stack glitch so suddenly they are paralyzed Mewtwo is slower than your paralyzed light screen Chansey it's just too bad there's not a permanent Uber's ladder so you can't show off this really cool strategy you play to win the game
• 07:00 - 07:30 what are you gonna do with some of these move pools ride on can look at Snorlax and Chansey real good as a way to force progress against reflect sets both of those Pokemon are about as likely to have ice beam as they are to not though so maybe don't the real spicy stuff comes from exploiting the paralysis stack glitch anyway power
• 07:30 - 08:00 Gamers know that you use Flareon tail whip on paralyzed Starmie making it slower than you even after it thunder waves you and setting it up to be epically ko'd by body slam into Hyper Beam [Music] you blew it a more well-known and actually practical application of this genre of move is miltank using growl Engine 2 OU as a way
• 08:00 - 08:30 to check curse Snorlax and of course checking curse Snorlax is just a gamer way of saying that curse has 16 PP and growl has 64 PP similarly miltank's pink pal Blissey can click confide a whole bunch of times against call mind Kyogre and geomancy Xerneas in Ubers this is in conjunction with not a usually useless move but a usually
• 08:30 - 09:00 useless item the utility umbrella an item that it's entirely reasonable that you've just never heard of before what does it do well that's the beauty of it it doesn't do anything oh my mistake it obviously gives you an equivalent special defense boost to assault vest against Kyogre using water attacks in rain how could I forget giving your opponent a one-stage debuff is great and all but did you know that you can achieve even more gamer Feels by giving yourself a
• 09:00 - 09:30 one stage buff Snorlax can become hard in gen 1 OU as a marginal side grade to reflect which can eventually boost your defense more than reflect wood and has more PP and can stack paralysis but comes with the pretty massive downside of giving your opponent twice as many turns to rip out your soul I'm just like the tightest I've ever been in my life Golem can also use
• 09:30 - 10:00 Harden I guess basically just to stack paralysis drops but Golem is immune to Thunder Wave anyway and also like the serotonin button is right there just click that in gen 3 Hardin also allows armaldo to chase some of miltang's clout letting it defeat curse Snorlax there with the help of knockoff and armaldo's ability battle armor making it immune to Critical Hits
• 10:00 - 10:30 Snorlax will never pierce the shell of this mighty warrior I really wish I could have found more instances of Hardin being useful because I really do think that Hardin is the funniest [ __ ] thing in the world howl is not the worst move in this video but it is the worst move that an Uber legendary has ever had to use in order to fulfill a function zamazunta loves to use the move that poochiana learns at level 5 so that it
• 10:30 - 11:00 can do slightly more damage over the course of four turns than if it had just clicked Behemoth bash four times and he's happy for his brother that he gets an equivalent boost just by bringing his little sword speaking of Swords apparently Garchomp uses Swords Dance sometimes why would you ever click this it doesn't even do damage