ThePokémon Trading Card Gamehas had countless cards made over the years, with many of them havingunique attacks with very memorable names. Some of these attacks, however, have names that can sound rather silly or odd at first glance. However, many of these funny-sounding attacks are actually remarkably useful, and have proven to play a major role in helping players win difficult battles.
Many of the attack names in the TCG are either directly pulled from the mainline games, or areclever references to the Pokémon and their abilities. Although many of the more hilarious attack names have only been seen on older cards, some of them have made their return in much more recent sets, albeit on different Pokémon than before. Despite the fact that there are many very amusing attacks to choose from, there are some that clearly stand out from the rest due to either their power or simply how funny their names are.
10Bleh
Shuppet (Roaring Skies 30/108)
Shuppet is known to be a rather mischievous Ghost-type Pokémon that feeds off of negative emotions from humans, and its card from the 2015 setRoaring Skieshas a move that is a funny hint at its mischievous nature. Its only attack is simply called Bleh, which isan amusing word that immediately calls to mind the image of Shuppet appearing to scare unsuspecting people. This is helped by the fact that this specific card’s art does in fact depict one Shuppet in the group sticking its tongue out, making it a rather funny and adorable illustration.
Although Bleh does not deal any damage to the opponent,it does provide players with a useful way to hinder their foes. The move allows players to discard a special energy from one of their opponent’s Pokémon. Considering that there were multiple types of special energy in this set at the time, it was a very useful card to use that could also get a chuckle out of anyone who played with or against it.
9Slap Of Misfortune
Cofagrigus (Plasma Freeze 56/116)
Cofagrigus is an unnerving Ghost-type Pokémon whose design is a reference to the idea of curses from Egyptian tombs. It is said to be anactually evil Pokémonthat curses and traps anyone who dares to get too close to it. In thePokémon TCG,this Cofagrigus' second attack, Slap of Misfortune, is a reference to this concept of curses, though it is one with a rather amusing name.
Slap of Misfortune is able to deal a decent 70 points of damage, which is already decent, though its secondary effect is what truly makes this silly attack stand out. Whenever the opponent needs to make a coin flip during their next turn,Slap Of Misfortune forces them to treat the result as a tails, regardless of what the coin lands on. Considering the fact that nearly all moves that require coin flips need the result to be heads to execute, this means that many of the opponent’s attacks can be rendered useless for a turn.
8Eek, Eeek, & Eeeeeeek
Cleffa (Various Sets)
Cleffa is a baby Pokémon that has featured in numerous different cards, though some of them had certain moves that were very similar to each other. The three moves, Eek, Eeek, and Eeeeeeek, are all rather amusing, as they all say the exact same thing, but each one gets progressively longer. Considering the fact that these words are being said in a context that is anything but scary, it is quite easy for them to get a chuckle out of players.
All three of these moves allow the player to draw a specific number of cardsto add them to their hand. Eek and Eeek allow for only one or two cards to be drawn, but Eeeeeeek is primarily useful as it allows the player to shuffle their entire hand into their deck before drawing six cards. This means that these silly moves can allow the player to potentially draw the exact cards they need to win the battle.
7Hocus Pinkus
Wigglytuff (XY 89/146)
Back when Fairy-type cards were still viable in the game, Wigglytuff from theXYset had some rather unique moves, with Hocus Pinkus being a particularly notable one.It is a rather clever play on the words “Hocus Pocus,“while also referencing the magical powers of fairies as well as Wigglytuff’s adorable pink color.
There are multiple things that make Hocus Pinkus a rather useful move. For starters, it is able to deal a decent 60 points of damage, making it able to knock out most weak basic Pokémon or severely wound most stronger cards. The best part, however, is thatthe move makes the defending Pokémon unable to attackduring the next turn, thereby forcing the opponent to rethink their strategy.
6Nightmare Mambo
Honchkrow (Phantom Forces 52/119)
The Honchkrow card from thePhantom Forcesset contains a move with a rather strange yet amusing name called Nightmare Mambo. Although the word “Nightmare” brings about unsettling implications that match with Honchkrow’s Dark-type, the addition of the word Mambo is a little unusual consideringit is defined as being a type of dance. This is a strange decision considering that the Pokédex states that Honchkrow is known for being rather ruthless, but it conjures up an amusing image nonetheless.
The move itself is also rather helpful in battle, but only if used under the right conditions. Nightmare Mambo can deal a decent 60 points of damage when used normally, butit can double if the defending Pokémon is asleep. This, in turn, can allow the player to deal some devastating blows to their opponent if they manage to successfully inflict the status condition they need in time, as long as the opponent doesn’t manage to wake up.
5B Cancel
Spiritomb (Phantom Forces 55/119)
Spiritomb’s B Cancel attack might initially seem like a strange and random name for a move, but it is actually a very clever reference. In the mainlinePokémongames,pressing the B button while a Pokémon is evolving will stop its evolution from completing. This reference makes the attack name all the more amusing, but the name alone is not the only reference to this small aspect of the video games.
In thePokémon TCG, B Cancel has an effect thatprevents the opponent from evolving any of their Pokémonduring their next turn. This effect ties the reference into the actual gameplay in a rather ingenious way, while simultaneously giving players a very useful advantage. With the defending Pokémon unable to evolve, players then have the opportunity to knock them out much easier with their stronger attacks, allowing for them to get closer to victory much easier.
4Knuckle Sandwich
Slaking (Furious Fists 83/111) & Grimmsnarl (Stellar Crown 96/142)
Slaking is known to be a rather powerful yet lazy Pokémonthat often takes a long time to unleash its true strength. For its card in theFurious Fistsset, its second attack, Knuckle Sandwich, is a very amusing way to describe it throwing a punch, and it is a very strong punch that is able to deal a significant 120 damage to the defending Pokémon. This high amount of damage makes it very useful for knocking out most Pokémon, though it forces the player to discard energy from Slaking afterward, which serves as another clever reference to its Truant ability.
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Knuckle Sandwich eventually made its return inPokémon TCG’sStellar Crownset, this time being a part of Grimmsnarl’s card. It deals the exact same amount of damage, but requires the player to discard two energy instead of one. Although this move takes a while to build up to, many players will see it as useful due to its immense power, while also finding its name rather fun to say out loud.
3Barrage O’Clock
Exeggutor (Surging Sparks 3/191)
As one of the cards in the very recently releasedSurging Sparksset, Exeggutor has a move with a very amusing name that is also immensely powerful. Even with its wacky name,it gives off the impression that the opponent is about to get a massive beatdownthat is bound to hurt.
Barrage O’Clock is particularly notable for how much damage it can allow Exeggutor to unleash on the defending Pokémon. It has the player flip a coin for each energy that is attached to both Exeggutor and the defending active Pokémon, andit multiplies the number of heads by 60to get the total amount of damage. This means that if the player is up against an immensely powerful ex Pokémon that requires a lot of energy, there is a chance for Exeggutor to deal enough damage to knock it out in one hit if the attack is used at the right time.
2Offensive Bomb
Garbodor (BREAKpoint 57/122)
Garbodor is a massive Poison-type Pokémon known for its utterly foul smell due to it being a giant pile of garbage. Going along with its Pokédex entries, this card’s attack, Offensive Bomb, implies that its smell is horrid to an extreme degree, making itsound like more of an insult to Garbodor itselfas it fights to win the battle.
Despite its name, Offensive Bomb is actually a very useful attack both in terms of damage and how it can stall out the opponent. The move deals a decent 60 damage, butit also leaves the opponent both confused and poisonedon top of that. This means that the defending Pokémon takes multiple instances of damage every turn, and also cannot attack, leaving it vulnerable to more attacks from the player.
1Everyone Explode Now
Forretress (Undaunted 3/90) & Drifblim (Stellar Crown 61/142)
Originally featured on the Forretress card fromUndaunted, the move Everyone Explode Now is without a doubt the funniest attack name in thePokémon TCG. Its absurdity makes it a clear standout, but it is also very useful in terms of damaging opponents. The attack deals30 damage times the number of Pineco and Forretress cardsin play, potentially knocking out a powerful defending card in a single turn.
This attack eventually made its return in theStellar Crownset as part of the new Drifblim card. Instead of dealing 30 damage per Pokémon, the attack now deals 50 damage for every Drifloon and Drifblim the player has on the board. This ultimately makes it both a very powerful and absolutely hilarious attack thatPokémon Trading Card Gameplayers will no doubt enjoy using.
