Clear Smog removes stat changes from the target, not from your own Pokémon

Clear Smog is a Poison-type move that wipes away all stat boosts and stat drops on the opponent's Pokémon. When your Pokémon uses Clear Smog, it deals damage and then erases every stat change the target has accumulated — whether those changes raised or lowered the target's attack, defense, speed, or any other stat. Your own Pokémon's stats are not affected.

The move is useful when you're facing an opponent who has spent several turns building up their Pokémon's stats. Instead of trying to out-damage a heavily boosted opponent, Clear Smog lets you reset the battle and start fresh. It's a way to undo your opponent's strategy rather than just trade damage back and forth.

Clear Smog deals a small amount of damage on its own — not enough to knock out most Pokémon in one hit — so it works best as a tactical tool rather than your main damage source. The real value is in the stat reset, which can turn a losing position into a winnable one.

Key Takeaways

  • Clear Smog removes all stat changes from the opponent's Pokémon, both positive and negative, in a single use.
  • The move deals Poison-type damage, but the damage output is modest compared to other attacking moves.
  • Clear Smog does not affect your own Pokémon's stats or your own stat changes in any way.
  • The move is most valuable against opponents who have used multiple turns to raise their Pokémon's attack, defense, or speed.

Which Pokémon can learn Clear Smog

Clear Smog is available to a limited set of Poison-type Pokémon and a few others with Poison-type connections. Koffing and Weezing are the most common users, learning the move at specific levels depending on which game you're playing. Grimer and Muk can also learn it, as can Trubbish and Garbodor in later generations.

Some Pokémon outside the Poison type can learn Clear Smog through breeding or through move tutors in certain games. The exact list changes between game generations — Pokémon Sword and Shield, Scarlet and Violet, and older titles each have slightly different rosters. If you want to know whether a specific Pokémon in your game can learn Clear Smog, check your game's Pokédex or a move database for that generation.

When to use Clear Smog instead of other moves

Clear Smog is a niche move, meaning it shines in specific situations rather than being useful all the time. Use it when your opponent has stacked multiple stat boosts on their Pokémon — for example, if they've used Swords Dance twice and Nasty Plot once, Clear Smog erases all three boosts at once. A single use of Clear Smog accomplishes what would otherwise take you several turns to overcome.

The move is less useful against opponents who haven't boosted their stats yet or who are using stat-lowering moves against you. If your opponent is trying to lower your Pokémon's stats, Clear Smog won't help because it only affects the opponent's stats. In those situations, a different move or a switch to a different Pokémon is usually better.

Clear Smog also works well in double battles or team formats where one opponent's Pokémon has been set up by a teammate. Resetting those boosts can disrupt a coordinated strategy before it becomes too powerful to stop.

How Clear Smog compares to similar moves

Haze is another stat-resetting move, but it clears stat changes for both your Pokémon and your opponent's Pokémon at the same time. If you've also been building up your own stats, Haze will undo your work too. Clear Smog only targets the opponent, so you keep your own boosts.

Clear Body and White Smoke are abilities that prevent stat drops, but they don't remove boosts your opponent already has. Unaware is an ability that lets a Pokémon ignore the opponent's stat changes entirely when calculating damage, but it doesn't actually remove those stats from the battle.

Spectral Thief is a Ghost-type move that does something similar but opposite — it steals the opponent's stat boosts and gives them to your own Pokémon instead of erasing them. If you want to benefit from the opponent's setup rather than just cancel it, Spectral Thief is the better choice.

Stat changes that Clear Smog removes

Clear Smog wipes away changes to all six stats: Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, Speed, and Accuracy. It doesn't matter whether the stat was raised or lowered — a single use of Clear Smog resets every one of them back to normal.

This includes stat changes from moves like Swords Dance (raises Attack), Dragon Dance (raises Attack and Speed), Nasty Plot (raises Special Attack), Iron Defense (raises Defense), or Calm Mind (raises Special Attack and Special Defense). It also removes stat drops from moves like Intimidate ability activations, Screech, or Unaware's effect.

Strategy tips for using Clear Smog effectively

The best time to use Clear Smog is after your opponent has invested two or more turns into stat boosts. If they've only used one boosting move, the damage from Clear Smog plus a follow-up attack might be less efficient than just attacking twice. But if they've stacked multiple boosts, resetting them all at once saves you turns in the long run.

Consider your Pokémon's speed stat when deciding whether to use Clear Smog. If your Pokémon is slower than your opponent's, and your opponent has already boosted their Speed, Clear Smog might not help you outspeed them — you'll still move second. In that case, switching to a faster Pokémon or using a priority move might be more effective.

Clear Smog is also useful as a defensive tool. If your opponent is setting up a Pokémon that will be difficult to stop once fully boosted, using Clear Smog early can prevent them from reaching that dangerous state. This is especially valuable in competitive formats where players often plan their stat-boosting sequences several turns in advance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Clear Smog remove ability effects like Intimidate?

No. Intimidate and similar abilities that lower stats happen when a Pokémon enters the battle, and they are not stored as stat changes that can be removed. Clear Smog only removes stat changes that occurred during the battle itself, such as those from moves. If Intimidate lowered your Pokémon's Attack, Clear Smog won't undo that.

Can Clear Smog remove stat changes from Pokémon with abilities that prevent stat drops?

Yes. Abilities like Clear Body, White Smoke, and Hyper Cutter prevent stat drops from moves and abilities, but they don't protect against Clear Smog. Clear Smog removes all stat changes regardless of ability, so these protective abilities won't stop it.

What happens if I use Clear Smog on a Pokémon that has no stat changes?

Clear Smog still deals its normal damage, but there are no stat changes to remove. You're essentially just using a Poison-type attack with lower power than other options. In that situation, using a different move would usually be more useful.

Does Clear Smog work in double battles?

Yes. In double battles, Clear Smog targets one opponent's Pokémon and removes all of that Pokémon's stat changes. It does not affect your partner's Pokémon or your own Pokémon's stats.