Emerald Move Database

Pokémon Emerald Moves

The definitive Gen 3 move pool. Battle Frontier tutors teach coverage moves you can not get anywhere else in the generation. The physical/special split is still type-based.

EMERALD MOVE LIST

Move Spotlight

Spore

—

#1 PickStatus

Spore

GrassStatus

Power—

Accuracy100%

PP15

Used by

Spore hit with 100% accuracy and guaranteed sleep for 1-5 turns. On Breloom, backed by 130 base Attack and Fighting-type moves, it was the most feared status move in all of Emerald. One free turn of sleep usually led to a knockout the opponent couldn't prevent.

Spore (Grass / Status)

Spore hit with 100% accuracy and guaranteed sleep for 1-5 turns. On Breloom, backed by 130 base Attack and Fighting-type moves, it was the most feared status move in all of Emerald. One free turn of sleep usually led to a knockout the opponent couldn't prevent.

Wish

—

#2 PickStatus

Wish

NormalStatus

Power—

Accuracy—

PP10

Used by

Wish from Jirachi and Blissey was the ultimate team support move in Emerald. It healed a teammate to half HP the following turn, letting defensive cores sustain themselves through long matches. Teams built around Wish-passing could outlast almost anything without running out of recovery.

Wish (Normal / Status)

Wish from Jirachi and Blissey was the ultimate team support move in Emerald. It healed a teammate to half HP the following turn, letting defensive cores sustain themselves through long matches. Teams built around Wish-passing could outlast almost anything without running out of recovery.

Pursuit

#3 PickPhysical

Pursuit

DarkPhysical

Power40

Accuracy100%

PP20

Used by

Tyranitar's Pursuit reshaped Emerald's competitive landscape. Gengar, Starmie, and Alakazam all feared switching out because Pursuit doubled to 80 base power on the switch. The threat alone forced opponents into bad plays, and Tyranitar's bulk meant it could afford to guess wrong sometimes.

Pursuit (Dark / Physical)

Tyranitar's Pursuit reshaped Emerald's competitive landscape. Gengar, Starmie, and Alakazam all feared switching out because Pursuit doubled to 80 base power on the switch. The threat alone forced opponents into bad plays, and Tyranitar's bulk meant it could afford to guess wrong sometimes.

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Game Rules

How Moves Work in Emerald

Punches for the special crowd

Fire Punch, Ice Punch, and Thunder Punch scale from Special Attack in Gen 3, because categories follow the move type. The Battle Frontier tutors sell all three, and the best buyers are special attackers like Alakazam, not the fighters the names suggest.

The Frontier grades your movesets

Battle Frontier facilities change the rules on you: one hands you rental Pokémon, others cap levels or restrict what you can bring. Each format stress-tests a different part of a moveset. Story-mode sets rarely survive unchanged.

Debuts

New in Emerald

100 moves introduced in Generation 3

Think of this as the Gen 3 yearbook, three games in. By Emerald the Hoenn newcomers had sorted themselves into legends, role players, and filler, and the ones worth your time are mostly the ones that survived every generation since.

Questions

Pokémon Moves: Frequently Asked

What move-related features are unique to Pokémon Emerald?

Emerald added extensive Move Tutors that teach competitive staples like Seismic Toss, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, and many others. These tutors are found throughout the Battle Frontier and require Battle Points to use.

Are the Battle Frontier Move Tutors reusable in Emerald?

Yes. Unlike the one-time Move Tutors in FRLG, the Battle Frontier tutors in Emerald can teach their moves as many times as you want, as long as you have enough Battle Points. This makes Emerald the best Gen 3 game for competitive movesets.

Does Emerald still use the type-based physical/special system?

Yes. Emerald uses the same Gen 3 physical/special system where all moves of a given type are either physical or special. That creates odd pairings: Ghost is a physical type here, so Shadow Ball runs off Attack, while Dark is special and Crunch scales from Special Attack no matter who learns it.

What are the best TMs to get early in Emerald?

Bulk Up (TM08) is available early from Brawly and is excellent for Fighting-types. Brick Break (TM31) and Aerial Ace (TM40) are strong coverage TMs. Secret Power (TM43) is given early and useful for the Secret Base feature.

What moves did Emerald change compared to Ruby and Sapphire?

Emerald did not add new moves, as it shares the same Gen 3 move pool as Ruby, Sapphire, and FRLG. The main improvement is better access to moves through the expanded Move Tutor system and updated learnsets for some Pokémon.