Sheer Cold (move)

Sheer Cold ぜったいれいど Absolute Zero

Battles Type  Ice Category  Special PP  5 (max. 8) Power  — Accuracy  30% Priority  0 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

Range Opponent Opponent Opponent Self Ally Ally Normal: 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  Beautiful Appeal  2 ♥♥ Jamming  1 ♥ Badly startles all Pokémon that successfully showed their appeal.

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

Generations III to VI

If Sheer Cold 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. Sheer Cold's chance of hitting is independent of accuracy and evasion stats; instead, it 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 can be used as part of a Pokémon Contest combination, with the user gaining an extra two appeal points if either Hail or Mind Reader was used in the prior turn. It is also 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

Sheer Cold's accuracy is now displayed as 30%.

Ice-type Pokémon are now immune to Sheer Cold. Additionally, the move's accuracy is lowered to 20% if the user is not an Ice-type Pokémon. The accuracy formula for non-Ice-types is shown below:

Accuracy = ((level of user - level of target) + 20)%.

Description

Games Description RSEColoXD 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 The target faints instantly. It's less likely to hit the target if it's used by Pokémon other than Ice types.

Learnset

By leveling up

#	Pokémon		Types	Egg Groups		Level
						I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	IX
037A		Vulpix Alola Form		Field		Field					50
0087		Dewgong		Water 1	Field	34	34	34	34	1, Evo.
0131		Lapras		Monster	Water 1	55	55	55	50	50
0144		Articuno		style="text-align:center; background:#Template:Undiscovered egg color;" width="140px" colspan="2" | Undiscovered	style="text-align:center; display:none; background:#Template:Undiscovered egg color;" | Undiscovered	85	78	78	1, 78	99
0245		Suicune		style="text-align:center; background:#Template:Undiscovered egg color;" width="140px" colspan="2" | Undiscovered	style="text-align:center; display:none; background:#Template:Undiscovered egg color;" | Undiscovered					1
0362		Glalie		Fairy	Mineral	61	59	59	1, 59XY 1, 61ORAS	1, 61
0363		Spheal		Water 1	Field	49	49	49	49XY 46ORAS	46
0364		Sealeo		Water 1	Field	55	55	55	55XY 52ORAS	52
0365		Walrein		Water 1	Field	61	65	65	65XY 60ORAS	60
0382		Kyogre		style="text-align:center; background:#Template:Undiscovered egg color;" width="140px" colspan="2" | Undiscovered	style="text-align:center; display:none; background:#Template:Undiscovered egg color;" | Undiscovered	60	60DPPt 75HGSS	75	75XY 65ORAS	65
0459		Snover		Monster	Grass		46	46	46	46
0460		Abomasnow		Monster	Grass		58	58	58	58
0582		Vanillite		Mineral		Mineral			53	53	53
0583		Vanillish		Mineral		Mineral			58	58	58
0584		Vanilluxe		Mineral		Mineral			67	1, 67	1, 67
0613		Cubchoo		Field		Field			57	57	57
0614		Beartic		Field		Field			66	1, 66	1, 66
0615		Cryogonal		Mineral		Mineral			61	1, 61	1, 57
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		Suicune		style="text-align:center; background:#Template:Undiscovered egg color;" width="140px" colspan="2" | Undiscovered	style="text-align:center; display:none; background:#Template:Undiscovered egg color;" | Undiscovered	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 article is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Pokemon Rumble

---

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

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 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 Vanillish 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 (anime)	Mega Evolution Special III		None
	Kyogre freezes everything around itself.
A wild Kyogre	SM120		None

In the manga

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Walrein Glalie
The user fires a blast of extremely cold air at the opponent, resulting in an instant knockout.
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. If the opponent is on a higher level than the user, the move will fail to work.
The Battle Factory's Glalie	Gotcha Where I Wantcha, 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

Core series games

																								File:Sheer Cold.png
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

Side series games

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

Spin-off series games

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 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.

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 Absoluto Frio Extremo (TCG) Portugal Frio Polar Serbian Potpuno zamrzavanje Spanish Latin America Frío Extremo Spain Frío Polar Vietnamese 0 Độ Tuyệt Đối

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.