Population Bomb is Maushold’s signature move: a Normal-type physical attack that hits between 1 and 10 times at 20 base power per hit. The number of hits depends on accuracy rolls — each hit after the first has to land independently.
Why the hit count matters
At full effectiveness (10 hits), Population Bomb is effectively a 200 BP move — among the strongest in the game. But each hit has to land, and base accuracy means a typical use lands ~5-7 hits.
There are two reliable ways to push it to 10 hits consistently:
- Wide Lens held item — boosts move accuracy by 10%, which compounds across each hit roll. Population Bomb with Wide Lens lands all 10 hits a much higher percentage of the time.
- Tidy UpTidy UpmoveRemoves all hazards and screens from the field, then boosts the user's Attack and Speed by one stage each. The setup move that powers Maushold's Population Bomb game plan.Click to read more → — Maushold’s signature setup move resets hazards and screens AND boosts Attack and Speed. After Tidy Up, Maushold’s accuracy on subsequent moves is boosted enough that Population Bomb tends to land 10/10.
Multi-hit interactions
Each individual hit triggers separately for game systems:
- Sturdy and Focus Sash break on the first hit, then hits 2-10 land normally.
- Multiscale (Dragonite) is consumed by hit 1 — hits 2-10 do full damage.
- Substitute breaks on hit 1, behind it the remaining hits chip the Pokémon.
Why Maushold runs this
Maushold itself isn’t particularly strong — but Population Bomb + Tidy Up + Wide Lens turns it into a credible threat. Tidy Up boosts both Attack and Speed (and resets opposing screens/hazards), and a 10-hit Population Bomb at +1 Attack rivals dedicated physical sweepers.
Counterplay
- Wide Guard blocks Population Bomb if it’s used as a single-target move that turns into spread. (Note: Population Bomb is single-target.)
- Ghost-type Pokémon are immune to Normal — Population Bomb does nothing to Aegislash or Gholdengo.
- Steel-types resist Normal and take half damage per hit.