New Signature Moves Datamined

It seems that Niantic has been busy, and as usual the absolute legends over at PokeMiners have a finger on the pulse of our potential future.

This time around, we've got some potential game-changers on the horizon. In particular, the data that PokeMiners have managed to dig up reveals that we've finally got reference to a number of very note-worthy Signature Moves in Pokemon Go's data. Here's the list, as well as what Pokemon they're connected to for those who don't follow the main series:

The Moves

Before we get into this, quick disclaimer: All of this information is datamined, meaning it's very much subject to change! It's worth noting that Dark Void was datamined back in October 2021 and it's still not a part of Darkrai's moveset. Moves can drop at any time, and any stats that we have now can change at any time. Take all of this with a grain of salt, because we don't know when these moves will drop, or what they will actually look like in their final incarnations.

In most cases, we don't really have much of an idea as to what these moves will be, as they don't have any data attached to them yet according to Pokeminers. However, we can definitely extrapolate a few ideas based on the fact that Signature Moves tend to be stronger than normal moveset offerings.

To start with, we have Water Shuriken. This move was released as the signature move of Greninja, and is pretty timely given the fact that everyone's favorite water-ninja-frog-Pokemon is due for its place in the spotlight with its own Community Day soon. Water Shuriken will probably be a general move pool addition, and will probably be to Greninja what Mystical Fire was to Delphox or Blaze Kick was to Blaziken. 

Next up is Spacial Rend, which is the Dragon Type Signature Move of Palkia. Palkia has always been a "good" Dragon, but it's been held back by Draco Meteor. if Spacial Rend is on a par with or better than Outrage, then Palkia could see a huge utility buff, especially when we inevitably get Shadow Palkia someday. It's also worth mentioning that Spacial Rend has an increased Critical Rate in the main series, meaning it will most likely have a shot to grant an Attack boost in PvP.

Oblivion Wing is next, and it has the potential to do a lot for Yveltal, who already has a great Flying Type Fast Move. On top of that, it also has a Healing effect in the main series, so  it will probably grant a Defense buff in PvP.

However, we do have one move that's likely to overshadow all of the above: Geomancy. Right now, Xerneas has one major issue; its lack of a good Fairy Type Fast move... and guess what?  Geomancy is currently marked as a Fast Move in the datamine. This is potentially tremendous for the original Fairy Legend, and could very well change where it stands on both the PvP and PvE sides.

That's speculation for 4 moves... but didn't we miss one?

Magma Storm: Heatran's Rise

While it's true that we don't have much information on the above moves right now, there is one move that we actually have hard information on: Magma Storm!

Heatran has long been a bit of a tragic Pokemon. Hyped up before its release for its sheer potential, most players hoped that it would be given access to Overheat, as that move would make it a great tank-counter against just about everything weak to Fire. Then it was released, and it was stuck with the painfully under-powered Fire Blast. That pretty much relegated Heatran to "dex filler" status until it was given Flamethrower, which made it... pretty good for the most part, but not outstanding.

And now we've got justice for Heatran at last! 

With Magma Storm, Heatran doesn't just meet the original expectation of Overheat, it surpasses that expectation. Magma Storm is an objectively great move, coming out hard and often to make Heatran not only stronger, but more flexible and better at dodging when needed. And don't let the TDO on the above data fool you; Heatran double-resists attacks from every type in the game that's weak to Fire, so its realistic TDO in raids will be substantially higher! 

And what about in PvP? Well, Magma Storm has a damage-per-energy ratio that's almost identical to Flamethrower, but with a cost of 40 energy instead of 55, meaning it will be able to keep up the damage while blasting out attacks substantially faster than before. All of these factors mean that Magma Storm is set to be Heatran's new go-to for Fire Type damage in PvP.