New Attacks in Pokemon Sword and Shield

A list of the new Pokemon Moves in the Galar region so far.

It’s easy to get lost in all the new stuff that dropped in the latest Pokémon Sword and Shield trailer. The new Pokémon, rivals, regional forms, and all of it is fascinating. Something that did not directly get addressed was a series of new Pokémon moves.

There aren’t a lot of moves in the Galar region that we know of yet. So far we only have a few, and those few aren’t even in English yet. Serebii has a list of new attacks introduced in Pokémon Sword and Shield.

Aura Wheel

First, we have the Aura Wheel. This attack is a signature move for Morpeko, the hangry new electric mouse. This move changes type depending on what form Morpeko is – in Full Belly or Hangry. In Full Belly form, Aura Wheel is an Electric-type attack. In Hangry, it’s a Dark-type attack. This one premiered with the trailer on Aug. 7, 2019.

Branch Poke

We’ve known about Branch Poke for some time. The move arrived after the game appeared on Nintendo Direct. There isn’t a lot of information about it yet, such as what it does or detailed descriptions. We do know that the new Grass-type starter Pokémon, Grookey, can learn it.

Exhaustive Beam

Exhaustive Beam, another that we have known about for some time. The move was featured in the May 2019 CoroCoro issue, introducing a contest to name the move. Currently, Exhaustive Beam is the Japanese name for the move, and as of yet, there is no English name.

Obstruct

Finally, Obstruct is another move released with the Aug. 7, 2019 trailer. It’s a signature move of the new Pokémon Obstagoon, Linoone’s Galar-specific evolution. Information on Obstruct is somewhat limited for now. We know that Obstagoon taunts other Pokémon into attacking first, and then will meet the attack by crossing its arms with Obstruct. Serebii says the move “taunts the opponent.” Given Obstagoon’s description, Obstruct probably goads the opponent into attacking with taunts and reduces the incoming damage. If I had to guess, it’s going to be a Dark-type move.

So far those are the only four moves we’ve seen added to Pokémon Sword and Shield. The game launches on Nov. 15, 2019, and there will likely be more attacks teased in the upcoming months.