Sheer Cold (move)

The picture used in this article is unsatisfactory. Please feel free to replace it so it conforms to Bulbapedia conventions. Reason: Should be replaced with Generation VI images

---

Sheer Cold ぜったいれいど Absolute Zero

[[File:|center]]

Battles Type  Ice Category  Special PP  5 (max. 8) Power  — Accuracy  —% Priority  {{{priority}}} Does not make contact Affected by Protect Not affected by Magic Coat Not affected by Snatch Not affected by King's Rock

Target Foe Foe Foe Self Ally Ally May affect anyone adjacent to the user

Availability Introduced  Generation III Not a TM, TR, HM, or Move Tutor move.

Contests Condition  Beauty Appeal  2 ♥♥ Jam  1 ♥ Badly startles all Pokémon that made good appeals

Super Contests Condition  Beauty Appeal  0   Earn +15 if all the Pokémon choose the same Judge.

Contest Spectaculars Condition  Beauty Appeal  0   Jamming  0

On Smogon's Movedex: Generation III Generation IV Generation V Generation VI Generation VII Generation VIII Generation IX

Sheer Cold (Japanese: ぜったいれいど Absolute Zero) is an Ice-type one-hit knockout move introduced in Generation III.

Effect

If it hits, it will inflict damage equal to the opponent's current HP, therefore knocking out the target. It will fail if the target's level is higher than the user's level. The accuracy of Sheer Cold depends on the level of the user and the level of the target and is worked out with the formula: Accuracy = [(level of user-level of target) + 30]%. Sheer Cold ignores all changes to accuracy and evasion stats.

Mystery Dungeon

Sheer Cold will cause a Pokémon to instantly faint through "calamitous damage" (changed to "It's a one-hit KO!" in Gates to Infinity), regardless of level, but is prone to missing.

Description

Games Description RSE A chilling attack that causes fainting if it hits. FRLG The foe is attacked with ultimate cold that causes fainting if it hits. A chilling attack that causes fainting if it hits. PMDRB Defeats the target in one shot--if it hits. The foe is attacked with a blast of absolute-zero cold. The foe instantly faints if it hits. The target is attacked with a blast of absolute-zero cold. The target instantly faints if it hits. The target is attacked with a blast of absolute-zero cold. The target faints instantly if this attack hits.

Learnset

By leveling up

#	Pokémon		Type		Level
					I		II		III		IV		V		VI
087		Dewgong	Water	Ice	34			34				34			34
131		Lapras	Water	Ice	55			55				55			50
144		Articuno	Ice	Flying	85			78				78			--, 78
362		Glalie	Ice		Ice	61			59				59			--, 59
363		Spheal	Ice	Water	49			49				49			49
364		Sealeo	Ice	Water	55			55				55			55
365		Walrein	Ice	Water	61			65				65			65
382		Kyogre	Water		Water	60			60	75		75			75
459		Snover	Grass	Ice				46				46			46
460		Abomasnow	Grass	Ice				58				58			58
582		Vanillite	Ice		Ice								53			53
583		Vanillish	Ice		Ice								58			58
584		Vanilluxe	Ice		Ice								67			--, 67
613		Cubchoo	Ice		Ice								57			57
614		Beartic	Ice		Ice								66			--, 66
615		Cryogonal	Ice		Ice								61			--, 61
Bold indicates a Pokémon gains STAB from this move. Italics indicates a Pokémon whose evolution or alternate form receives STAB from this move. A dash (−) indicates a Pokémon cannot learn the move by the designated method. An empty cell indicates a Pokémon that is unavailable in that game/generation.

By event

Generation IV

#   Pokémon Type Obtained with 0245 Suicune Water 13th Movie Event GameStop Event English Winter 2011 Bold indicates a Pokémon which gets STAB from this move. Italic indicates a Pokémon whose evolution or alternate form gets STAB from this move.

In the anime

Vanillish Lapras Beartic Glalie
The foe is attacked with a blast of absolute-zero cold. The foe instantly faints if it hits.
Pokémon	Method
User	First Used In		Notes
	Lapras's body glows light blue and releases a wave of light blue energy, freezing anything around it.
Solidad's Lapras	May, We Harley Drew'd Ya!		Debut
	Abomasnow raises both of its arms in the air and multiple ice pillars shoot out from around it in a circle. A line of ice pillars then jut out straight at the opponent and hit it, or its body becomes surrounded in a light blue aura. It then opens its mouth and the inside of it starts to glow light blue; firing a white- blue beam towards the opponent.
A wild Abomasnow	Pikachu's Ice Adventure		None
Morana's Abomasnow	Survival of the Striaton Gym!		None
	Beartic's body becomes outlined in light blue aura and it pulls its head back and opens its mouth. When it does, a spinning orb of bright blue energy forms in front of it. Beartic then fires a powerful light blue beam of energy with light blue snowflake-shaped sparkles from the orb at the opponent.
Two wild Beartic	The Beartic Mountain Feud!		None
	Vanillish's body becomes surrounded in a light blue aura. It then opens its mouth and the inside of it starts to glow light blue. A spinning wind then comes out of Vanillish's mouth and it fires a powerful light blue beam of energy surrounded in light blue sparkles and wind from its mouth at the opponent. As the light blue beam travels at the opponent, large icy pillars jut out of the ground around the beam. The beam then disappears and multiple ice pillars continue to jut out of the ground at the opponent.
Cryogonal Man's Vanillish	The Mighty Accelguard to the Rescue!		None
	Glalie's body becomes surrounded by a blue aura and the inside of its mouth shines white. The ground around Glalie begins to freeze and any opponent standing in its wake are frozen and instantly knocked out.
Morana's Glalie	Survival of the Striaton Gym!		None
	Abomasnow freezes everything around itself.
An Unknown Trainer's Abomasnow	Mega Evolution Special I		None

In the manga

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Walrein Glalie
The user makes physical contact with the opponent and slowly starts to freeze its body.
Pokémon	Method
User	First Chapter Used In		Notes
	Walrein opens its mouth and releases a cold and powerful wind from its mouth at the opponent.
Archie's Walrein	The Beginning of the End with Kyogre & Groudon X		Debut
	Glalie takes a deep breath, sucking in bright energy from all around. It then fires a powerful beam of energy from its mouth at the opponent. If the opponent gets hit by the attack, it is automatically knocked out.
The Battle Factory's Glalie	VS. Glalie		None

In the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Ginji's Rescue Team manga

Articuno
The user causes a pillar of ice to form in front of it.
Pokémon	Method
User	First Chapter Used In		Notes
	Articuno flaps its wings and forms a pillar of ice in front of it.
A wild Articuno	Battle in a Bitter Cold Land!!		Debut

In other generations

Generation I	RBY	Generation I (Japanese)	Generation I (international)	Generation II	Generation II (Japanese)	Generation II (international)	Crystal	Generation III	Generation III (Japanese)	Generation III (international)	RS	FRLG	FRLGE	Generation IV	Generation IV (Japanese)	Generation IV (international)	PtHGSS	HGSS	Generation V	BW	B2W2	Generation V (Japanese)	Generation V (international)	Generation VI	XY	ORAS	Generation VII	SMUSUM	LGPE	Generation VIII	SwSh	BDSP	Legends: Arceus	Generation IX	Stadium (JP)	Stadium	Stadium 2	Colosseum	XD	Battle Revolution	Battrio	MD: Red and Blue	MD:Time, Darkness, andSky	MD: Blazing, Stormy, & Light Adventure Squad	MD: GTI	SMD	MD: RTDX	Rumble	Rumble Blast	Masters EX

Generation I	RBY	Generation I (Japanese)	Generation I (international)	Generation II	Generation II (Japanese)	Generation II (international)	Crystal	Generation III	Generation III (Japanese)	Generation III (international)	RS	FRLG	FRLGE	Generation IV	Generation IV (Japanese)	Generation IV (international)	PtHGSS	HGSS	Generation V	BW	B2W2	Generation V (Japanese)	Generation V (international)	Generation VI	XY	ORAS	Generation VII	SMUSUM	LGPE	Generation VIII	SwSh	BDSP	Legends: Arceus	Generation IX	Stadium (JP)	Stadium	Stadium 2	Colosseum	XD	Battle Revolution	Battrio	MD: Red and Blue	MD:Time, Darkness, andSky	MD: Blazing, Stormy, & Light Adventure Squad	MD: GTI	SMD	MD: RTDX	Rumble	Rumble Blast	Masters EX

Trivia

• Sheer Cold is the only OHKO move not introduced in Generation I, the only OHKO move that can affect all types, and the only special OHKO move.

In other languages

Language Title Mandarin Chinese 絕對零度 Juéduì Língdù Dutch IJskoud French Glaciation German Eiseskälte Greek Δριμύ Ψύχος Italian Purogelo Korean 절대영도 Jeoldae Yeongdo Polish Polarny Chłód Portuguese Brazil Frio Absoluto Portugal Frio Polar Serbian Potpuno Zamrzavanje Spanish Latin America Frío Extremo Spain Frío Polar

One-hit knockout moves
Guillotine • Horn Drill • Fissure Sheer Cold

This article is part of Project Moves and Abilities, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on two related aspects of the Pokémon games.