【Pokémon GO】Smeargle Move Gacha Ranking【List of Moves Learned from Snapshots】

Caution

This article is a translation of the following article from our blog, done by AI. The original text is in Japanese. We apologize for any awkward expressions or readability issues.

Introduction

When asked which Pokémon has the deepest darkness in Pokémon GO battles,
well, several Pokémon might come to mind,

But about one-third of people might think of this face.

This article will introduce the darkness of Smeargle and recommend the moves you should teach it through move roulette.

What is Smeargle in Pokémon GO?

For those who don't know, here's an explanation.
If you're impatient and want to see the move roulette tier list right away,
please scroll down.

In the original game, Smeargle is a Pokémon that can learn almost any move using the move "Sketch."
This feature is somewhat replicated in Pokémon GO as well.

Photobomb and Smeargle

When you take a photo, Smeargle sometimes appears in the picture.

Then, Smeargle appears on the map.
This is called a "Photobomb."
And when you look at this Smeargle,
it has learned the exact same moves as the Pokémon you took a picture of.

This is the feature of Smeargle in Pokémon GO.
It learns the moves of the Pokémon you photographed.

What is Move Roulette?

If Smeargle learns the moves of the Pokémon you photographed, it means that only the move combinations that someone in Pokémon GO can learn will be realized.
This is the basic premise,

But there is a loophole.

There are moves that Smeargle cannot learn, such as "Frustration."

So, what happens if you photograph a Pokémon that only knows these moves?
You might have guessed it,

It will learn a random move from all the moves it can learn.

In other words?

The first move (the move written at the top) has a clearly defined best move: "Lock-On."
A move that charges the gauge very quickly.

If you combine this with the best second move (special attack), you can create the strongest Smeargle!

Keep trying the random move roulette to create the strongest Smeargle!

Things to prepare

A Pokémon that only knows the first move "Lock-On" and the second move "Frustration" or "Return"

The likely candidates are:

Shadow Regi family
Shadow Porygon family

Take a picture of this Pokémon.

Catch Smeargle.

Check the moves.
Psychic. Miss. Try again tomorrow.
That's it.

Friends

Remember the feature that "Smeargle learns the moves of the Pokémon you photographed."

So, if you photograph a Smeargle with the best move set, only Smeargle with the best move set will be born!

Yes, that's correct.

In other words, if you and your friends catch a lot of Smeargle, and one of you gets a Smeargle with a strong move set,
you can photograph it repeatedly and distribute it to your friends.

Pokémon GO is ultimately a game about friends.

GO's Smeargle is Trash!!

Too Strong

Q. What's the point of doing move roulette to this extent?

A. Because it's super strong.

In Pokémon GO, there is a rule called the "Little Cup" where only Pokémon with CP below 500 can participate.
You might be surprised to hear this, but in this Little Cup,
Smeargle is banned because its stats are too high.
(Pokémon GO's strength calculation system is strange and this is what happens)
To be precise, it's not the highest, but it has the best moves and decent stats, so it's banned.
It's as strong as a Nine Evolutions Mega Kangaskhan. Seriously.

High Requirements

Smeargle, with a maximum CP of 493.

Maximum means:

Perfect IVs (FFF)
Fully powered up
Level boost from Best Buddy ← This specification is also abnormal.

This is the individual that meets all these conditions.
Moreover, the only way to catch Smeargle is through the above-mentioned photobomb.
Once you get a strong move set, the moves are fixed,
but there's no guarantee for IVs, so you need to get the max from 16 cubed combinations.
A disaster.

Well, in reality, it's not that bad, and you can compromise with high IVs like AF. You won't get 1/4096.
My proud individual is like this. If you get something like this, it's a celebration. I celebrated.

XL Candy Requirement

The level of Pokémon can go up to Lv50, but to go beyond Lv40, you need "XL Candy" instead of regular "Candy."
This XL Candy, on average, you get about 0.5 per catch. Probably.
Other ways include walking 3km with your buddy to get one with about a 70% chance.
And you need almost 300 of them.
So, simply put,
"Walk 1286km"
"Catch 600 Pokémon"
to finally gather them.

Can Only Do Once a Day

IV selection and collecting XL Candy, well, if you do it enough times, it will eventually end.
But there's one hole.

Photobomb appearance is only once a day

Only one free roulette per day.
It's the worst.

Oh, by the way, during the current event (March 13th (Thu) to 17th (Mon), 2025), as a bonus,
you can do it 10 times a day.
That's why I'm writing this article~
Sorry for writing it in the middle of the event.

List of Winning Moves

I believe you now understand the dark side of Smeargle.

So, which moves for Smeargle are considered winning moves?

Note that this article is as of March 14, 2025.
There may be changes due to future move adjustments.
I will update it if I remember.

SSSR Tier

Flying Press

This is currently the most popular move for Smeargle.
If you get this move, it's a guaranteed win.
It is said to be the strongest move in the world.

By the way, if Aura Wheel were to appear, it would be ranked SSSSSSR, but according to reports, Smeargle can't learn it.
However, the most reliable document didn't mention that Smeargle can't learn it.