Sheer Cold (move)

Sheer Cold
ぜったいれいど Absolute Zero
Sheer Cold IX.png
Sheer Cold IX 2.png
Type  Ice
Category  Special
PP  5 (max. 8)
Power  —
Accuracy  30%
Priority  {{{priority}}}
  • Does not make contact
  • Affected by Protect
  • Not affected by Magic Coat
  • Not affected by Snatch
  • Not affected by Mirror Move
  • Not affected by King's Rock
Target
Foe Foe Foe
Self Ally Ally
May affect anyone adjacent to the user
Availability
Introduced  Generation III
Condition  Beauty
Appeal  2 ♥♥
Jam  1
Badly startles all Pokémon that made good appeals.
Condition  Beauty
Appeal  0  
Earn +15 if all the Pokémon choose the same Judge.
Condition  Beautiful
Appeal  2 ♥♥
Jamming  1
Badly startles all Pokémon that successfully showed their appeal.

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

Generations III to VI

If Sheer Cold hits, it will inflict damage equal to the target's current HP. Despite having an accuracy of 30% listed, Sheer Cold's chance of hitting a Pokémon is instead calculated using the following formula:

 

This formula means that the accuracy starts at 30% when the Pokémon have the same level, and is 1% more likely to hit for every level the user is higher than the target. If the user is at least 70 levels higher than the target, Sheer Cold will always hit. If the user is a lower level than the target, the move always fails.

This chance of hitting is not an accuracy: it is not affected by accuracy and evasion stats, nor is it affected by other accuracy modifiers such as Gravity, Wide Lens, and Compound Eyes. Additionally, Sheer Cold cannot hit a semi-invulnerable Pokémon. However, effects that guarantee moves to hit (such as No Guard and Lock-On) still affect Sheer Cold.

Sheer Cold can be used as part of a Contest Spectacular combination and will give an extra three appeal points if any of the moves Lock-On, Mind Reader and Miracle Eye was used in the prior turn.

Generation VII onwards

Ice-type Pokémon are now immune to Sheer Cold.

Additionally, the move's base chance of hitting is only 20% if the user is not an Ice-type Pokémon:

 

Under this formula, if the user is at least 80 levels higher than the target, Sheer Cold will always hit.

When used in a Max Raid Battle against a Dynamax Pokémon while it is under the effect of a mysterious barrier, Sheer Cold will deplete two bars of the barrier's strength if it hits. Otherwise, Sheer Cold will always fail against Dynamax Pokémon. Tera Raid bosses are unaffected by Sheer Cold.

Description

Games Description
RSEColo.XD A chilling attack that causes fainting if it hits.
FRLG The foe is attacked with ultimate cold that causes fainting if it hits.
DPPtHGSSPBR The foe is attacked with a blast of absolute-zero cold. The foe instantly faints if it hits.
BWB2W2 The target is attacked with a blast of absolute-zero cold. The target instantly faints if it hits.
XYORAS The target is attacked with a blast of absolute-zero cold. The target faints instantly if this attack hits.
SMUSUM
SwShBDSP
The target faints instantly. It's less likely to hit the target if it's used by Pokémon other than Ice types.
SV The target faints instantly. This move is less likely to hit the target if used by Pokémon other than Ice types.


Learnset

By leveling up

# Pokémon Types Egg Groups Level
0037  
Vulpix
Alolan Form
  Field Field 50 48
0038  
Ninetales
Alolan Form
 
 
Field Field 1
0087    
 
Water 1 Field 34 34 34 34 1, Evo. 1, Evo. Evo.
0131    
 
Monster Water 1 55 55 55 50 50 65 65 65
0144    
 
No Eggs Discovered No Eggs Discovered 85 78 78 1, 78 99 70 70 70
0245     No Eggs Discovered No Eggs Discovered 1 1 1 Rem.
0362     Fairy Mineral 61 59 59 1, 59XY
1, 61ORAS
1, 61 1 1 1
0363    
 
Water 1 Field 49 49 49 49XY
46ORAS
46 52 52
0364    
 
Water 1 Field 55 55 55 55XY
52ORAS
52 64 64
0365    
 
Water 1 Field 61 65 65 65XY
60ORAS
60 72 72
0382     No Eggs Discovered No Eggs Discovered 60 60DPPt
75HGSS
75 75XY
65ORAS
65 45 45 45
0459    
 
Monster Grass 46 46 46 46 50 50 50
0460    
 
Monster Grass 58 58 58 58 56 56 56
0582     Mineral Mineral 53 53 53 48
0583     Mineral Mineral 58 58 58 56
0584     Mineral Mineral 67 1, 67 1, 67 60
0613     Field Field 57 57 57 42 42
0614     Field Field 66 1, 66 1, 66 46 46
0615     Mineral Mineral 61 1, 61 1, 57 60 60
0646  
Kyurem
All forms
 
 
No Eggs Discovered No Eggs Discovered 88 88
1002    
 
No Eggs Discovered No Eggs Discovered 75
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 Types Egg Groups Obtained with
0245     No Eggs Discovered No Eggs Discovered Shiny Crown Suicune
Korean Crown Suicune
GameStop Suicune
Winter 2011 Suicune
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.


In other games

  This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: needs Pokemon Rumble

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

Sheer Cold defeats the target in one hit. Prior to Gates to Infinity, Sheer Cold knocks out the target by deaing "calamitous damage" (Japanese: とてつもない タメージ tremendous damage) which is internally treated as 9999 damage.

Game Base
Power
Max
Power
Base
PP
Max
PP
Base
Accuracy
Max
Accuracy
Range Target Cuts
corners
MDRB - - 12 - 35% - Front Enemy No
MDTDS - - 12 - 20% - Front Enemy No
BSL - - 12 - 20% - Front Enemy No
MDGtI - - 11 50 30% 50% Front Enemy No
SMD - - 11 30 30% 50% Front Enemy No
With some exceptions, Pokémon learnsets match those from the core series games:

Description

Games Description
MDRB Defeats the target in one shot--if it hits.
MDTDS Defeats the target in one shot if it hits successfully.
BSL てきポケモンを いちげきで たおしてしまうが めいちゅうしにくい
MDGtI
SMD
When the move hits, it knocks out an enemy in a single blow.*
The enemy will faint instantly if this attack hits, but it's hard to land this move.*


In the anime

 
Lapras
 
Beartic
 
Articuno
 
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
  Mega Abomasnow freezes everything around itself.
A Trainer's Abomasnow Mega Evolution Special I None
  A light blue field of energy forms around Primal Kyogre. The energy field then grows in size, freezing everything it touches; or, Kyogre freezes whatever it touches.
Kyogre (XY series) Mega Evolution Special III None
  Kyogre freezes everything around itself.
A wild Kyogre The One That Didn't Get Away! None
  Articuno's eyes shine light blue, and it releases a powerful blizzard from its body at the opponent, freezing them. The opponent is instantly knocked out if the move hits.
A wild Articuno Battling in the Freezing Raid! None


In the manga

Pokémon Adventures


Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Ginji's Rescue Team


In other generations

Core series games

Side series games

Spin-off series games

Trivia

  • Sheer Cold is the only OHKO move introduced outside of Generation I, and the only special OHKO move. Prior to Generation VII, it was the only OHKO move that no Pokémon had a type-based immunity to.
  • Sheer Cold is the only attack where a type-immunity can occur through the move’s property rather than by standard type matchups or Ability immunities. In this case, Ice-types are immune to the attack as of Generation VII.

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 絕對零度 Jyuhtdeui Lìhngdouh
Mandarin 絕對零度 / 绝对零度 Juéduì Língdù
  Dutch IJskoud
  French Glaciation
  German Eiseskälte
  Greek Δριμύ Ψύχος
  Italian Purogelo
  Korean 절대영도 Jeoldae Yeongdo
  Polish Polarny Chłód
Portuguese   Brazil Frio Extremo (Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon-present, TCG, manga)
Frio Absoluto
  Portugal Frio Polar
  Serbian Potpuno zamrzavanje
Spanish   Latin America Frío Extremo
  Spain Frío Polar
  Vietnamese 0 Độ Tuyệt Đối


One-hit knockout moves
  GuillotineHorn DrillFissure
  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.