Pokemon Scarlet and Violet may be done with new content ahead of Pokemon Gen 10’s release, which according to rumors may occur in 2026 for the franchise’s 30th anniversary, but Gen 9 did showcase what the series needs in terms of new and existing critters. Some Pokemon from older generations were reintroduced in Gen 9 and found their time in the limelight thanks to changes to their move pools, for the most part, with new moves being added to their kits to make them more viable. Yet, there are other critters that are now mostly overshadowed by others thanks to their Abilities and overall kits, and a Gen 1 Pokemon move in particular stands out as outdated.
Not every single Pokemon needs to be competitively viable, and the same holds true for moves and Abilities, but some of them may need a little help to see regular play usage in the first place. For example, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet gave Sceptile Shed Tail, the signature move of Cyclizar, and that alone made for much more interesting gameplay for the Gen 3 starter. Still, the bigger issue is that there are some Pokemon moves that would need to be updated to current standards, and that includes Gen 1’s Hyper Beam and all of its “clones.”
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Why Pokemon’s Hyper Beam is One of The Worst Moves in The Game
Back in Gen 1 games, Hyper Beam was one of the strongest Pokemon moves thanks to its whopping 150 BP (or Base Power), which was capable of dishing out incredible damage. It does have drawbacks, though, namely the fact that it has 90% base accuracy and that the Pokemon using it can’t perform any actions on the next turn. The drawbacks are pretty severe, but it made sense to have some given the sheer power of the move and its clones, which include:
- Blast Burn
- Hydro Cannon
- Frenzy Plant
- Giga Impact
- Rock Wrecker
- Roar of Time
- Meteor Assault
The main problem with Hyper Beam in its current form is that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduced new moves that make it even more outdated than it already was. In the past, other moves came out with high Base Power and less severe drawbacks compared to Hyper Beam, but Gen 9 added Pokemon like Tinkaton and then Bloodmoon Ursaluna in The Teal Mask that each have a very powerful move that’s not as punishing as Hyper Beam. Namely, these moves are Tinkaton’s Gigaton Hammer and Bloodmoon Ursaluna’s Blood Moon.
How Pokemon Gen 10 Should Buff or Change Hyper Beam
As it stands, these are the signature moves of these two pocket monsters, but they set a precedent for Pokemon‘s Hyper Beam and its clones to be reworked. This is because both Gigaton Hammer and Blood Moon have minimal drawbacks compared to Hyper Beam, as they have 100% base accuracy and 160 BP or 140 BP respectively. More importantly, they don’t require the attacking Pokemon to miss a turn after the attack, but rather these two moves cannot be used two times in a row. This is arguably a much less imposing disadvantage, as the Pokemon can simply use a different move, be it a supporting move, a defensive move, or even an attack.
Fun facts: In Generations 1 through 3, Hyper Beam was a physical move, but it was later changed to special. More importantly, in Gen 1 Pokemon games, Hyper Beam didn’t require the user to wait a turn to recharge if it knocked out an opposing critter, making it much stronger than it is now.
What follows is that Pokemon Gen 10 games should improve Hyper Beam and similar moves to finally stop requiring the attacker to miss a turn, especially since their Base Power is no longer incredibly high, and they can even fail with 90% base accuracy. Bringing these moves in line with Gigaton Hammer and Blood Moon would only be fair, and it’s something Gen 10 should at least address with a buff or a tweak. Hyper Beam and similar moves may even remain in their current state, but if that is the case, their Base Power should be even higher and they shouldn’t be able to miss. Better yet, they could be made another form of “unavoidable” damage by making them bypass Protect.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Pokemon Scarlet & Pokemon Violet are the main entries in the series for Generation IX. They introduced over 100 new Pokemon and brought players to the Paldea region.
- Released
- November 18, 2022
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence
- How Long To Beat
- 31½ Hours
- Metascore
- 72
