Spore puts the target to sleep with 100% accuracy. That’s the entire move. No chance of missing, no drawback — if it hits, the target falls asleep.
A sleeping Pokémon cannot move until it wakes up. In VGC, sleep lasts 1–3 turns determined on the turn the target wakes. Every turn it stays asleep is a turn it contributes nothing to the game.
Why Spore is so powerful in doubles
Removing a Pokémon from the game for 1–3 turns is massive. In doubles, each player has 2 Pokémon active — putting one to sleep means they effectively have 1.5. The sleeping Pokémon can’t attack, can’t use ProtectProtectmoveA move that makes the user immune to all moves for one turn. Fails if used consecutively.Click to read more →, can’t redirect, can’t do anything.
Against Trick RoomTrick RoomstrategyFor 5 turns, slower Pokémon move first. Reverses the entire speed game — a strategy that builds teams around very slow attackers.Click to read more → teams, Spore on the setter prevents the field from ever getting reversed. Against setup sweepers, Spore on the sweeper ends the sweep attempt entirely. It’s one of the few moves that can completely neutralize any Pokémon in the game.
Spore in Reg M-A
No Pokémon currently in the Reg M-A roster runs Spore. The closest in-roster sleep move is Sleep Powder on Venusaur — same effect with 75% accuracy, miss-able. Amoonguss (the historical Spore king of doubles) is bucketed out of the current rotation; if the format rotates and brings it back, expect Spore to define matchup planning the moment it lands.
Counters
- Psychic TerrainTerrainmechanicField effects that last 5 turns and boost or protect grounded Pokémon — Grassy, Psychic, Electric, and Misty each do something different.Click to read more → — grounded Pokémon cannot be put to sleep while Psychic Terrain is active.
- Misty Terrain — same protection against all status conditions.
- Grass-type Pokémon — completely immune to Spore (it’s a Grass-type move).
- Overcoat ability — blocks powder/spore moves entirely.
- Safety Goggles item — blocks powder moves, including Spore.