How can I tell if a move is special or physical?

Question

Special moves use Spc Atk, and Spc Def in their damage calculations.
Normal moves use Atk, and Def in their damage calculations.
How do I know which move is which?

Invader Skoodge · Accepted Answer · 2013-03-06T17:20:16.220

3

When you go to the move description, physical moves will have an orange and yellow "explosion" symbol, whereas special moves will have a purple "swirl" symbol in the same spot.

Physical:
Special:
Other:

Images courtesy of Serebii.

As for moves your opponents' pokemon are using against you, you'll either have to look it up in an online database or wait until one of your own pokemon learns the move. There is no way to check that.

edited Mar 06 '13 at 17:20

answered Mar 06 '13 at 17:11

Invader Skoodge

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Whats 'Other' for? Moves such as growl or leer? – Ender Mar 06 '13 at 18:45
@Ender Exactly. All moves that don't deal damage directly are "Other". – Invader Skoodge Mar 06 '13 at 19:02
1

They're usually called "Status" although that's not always an accurate term. – scenia Mar 04 '14 at 11:31

How can I tell if a move is special or physical?

1 Answers1