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Clear Smog removes lowered stats. More precisely, when the move successfully affects its target, it resets all of that Pokémon’s stat stages to zero. That means negative stages such as lowered Attack or Speed disappear, but positive boosts disappear too. Clear Smog is also a damaging, single-target Poison-type special move, so its reset effect depends on the attack actually affecting the target.
If the target is immune, protected, or hidden behind a Substitute so the attack does not affect it, Clear Smog does not perform the reset. The exact move availability and competitive implications can vary by game and ruleset, so check the specific generation or game before building a strategy around it.
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What does Clear Smog remove?
Clear Smog returns every stat stage on its target to neutral. It does not look only for penalties, and it does not remove only the stat that was lowered most recently.
For example, a target with lowered Attack and Speed has both changes cleared if Clear Smog affects it. A target with boosted Defense is also reset, losing that boost. If several stats have been changed, the move removes all of those stat-stage changes at once. The practical rule is simple: Clear Smog is an all-stat-stage reset, not a “remove debuffs” button.
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The move’s documented Scarlet and Violet description says: “The user attacks the target by throwing a clump of special mud. All stat changes are eliminated.” Bulbapedia reproduces that in-game description, and its move entry explains the same reset behavior across the relevant game data.
Does Clear Smog reset stat boosts as well as lowered stats?
Yes. A successful Clear Smog resets both negative and positive stages. If the target spent a turn increasing a stat, those increases are eliminated along with any penalties.
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This is the most important difference between the move’s name and its actual effect. “Clear Smog” can sound like a tool for clearing the opponent’s reductions, but the move does not distinguish between a boost that helps the target and a drop that hurts it. The target ends at neutral stages either way.
That makes timing important. Using it against a Pokémon that has invested several turns in stat boosts can erase valuable progress, but using it against a target with no meaningful changes still produces the move’s normal damage without a special reset benefit. If the intended target has both boosts and drops, all of those stages are cleared together.
How does Clear Smog work as an attack?
Clear Smog is not a field-wide status effect. Reference data lists it as a Poison-type special move with 50 base power, introduced in Generation V. It selects one target, attacks that target, and applies the stat-stage reset when the attack successfully affects it. Pokémon Database lists the move’s type, category and base power.
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That attack component explains two practical details:
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- It must affect the target. If the attack cannot affect the chosen Pokémon, the stat reset does not happen.
Clear Smog’s base power is only one part of the decision. The more consequential question is whether the target can be affected under the current battle conditions. A move that never connects cannot clear the target’s stages.
What happens if the target is immune, protected, or behind a Substitute?
When Clear Smog fails to affect its target, it does not reset that target’s stat stages. The move’s reset is therefore conditional on the attack connecting in the game’s mechanical sense, not merely on selecting a Pokémon.
The reference material identifies three important cases:
- Immunity: A target immune to the attack is not affected, so its lowered and boosted stages remain.
- Protection: If a protection effect prevents the attack from affecting the target, the reset is prevented as well.
- Substitute: If a Substitute means the attack does not affect the target itself, Clear Smog does not clear the target’s stages.
These are not minor exceptions. They are the reason a plan based on Clear Smog should include a fallback. If the target is protected or otherwise unreachable on the turn you select the move, the boosted or lowered stages are still present afterward.
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Type interactions matter because Clear Smog is a Poison-type attack. Before relying on it against a particular Pokémon, check whether that target can be affected in the specific game and ruleset you are playing. The general rule is safer than memorizing a single matchup: if Clear Smog does not affect the target, it does not perform the reset.
What is the difference between Clear Smog and Haze?
Both moves are associated with removing stat changes, but they solve different problems. Clear Smog targets one Pokémon and also deals damage. Haze resets stat changes across the field, making it the broader option when multiple Pokémon need to be returned to neutral.
| Mechanic | Clear Smog | Haze |
|---|---|---|
| Reset scope | One selected target | Stat changes across the field |
| Damage | Yes; Poison-type special attack with 50 base power | The cited move data here does not describe Haze as a damaging attack |
| Effect requirement | The attack must affect the target; immunity, protection or a Substitute can prevent the reset | Its field-wide reset is a different move mechanic |
| Type relevance | Poison typing makes type immunity relevant | Not evaluated by Clear Smog’s attack-type rules |
| Best fit | Remove one target’s stages while applying attack damage | Reset changes affecting more than one Pokémon |
Choose Clear Smog when one target is the priority and dealing damage is useful. Choose a field-wide reset when the problem is spread across several Pokémon and a single-target attack would leave other boosted targets untouched. Neither move is automatically superior; scope, damage and whether the intended target can be affected determine the better choice.
How should you use Clear Smog against a boosted Pokémon?
Use the following sequence whenever the reset is central to your turn:
- Identify the target’s relevant stages. Confirm that the Pokémon has boosts, drops, or both. Clear Smog removes all of them, so do not plan around preserving a beneficial boost on that target.
- Check the game and ruleset. Move availability and other details can vary between generations and titles. The move was introduced in Generation V, and reference pages include descriptions for later games such as Scarlet and Violet.
- Confirm that the attack can affect the target. Account for immunity, an active protection effect, or a Substitute. If one of these prevents the attack from affecting the target, the stages will not be reset.
- Account for the damage. Clear Smog is a 50-base-power special attack, not a purely administrative reset. The move’s damage and the reset occur within the same attack action when it successfully affects the target.
- Use a field-wide option when the problem is not single-target. If several Pokémon have accumulated changes, Clear Smog handles only the one target you select. A move such as Haze is designed around resetting changes across the field instead.
- Reassess after the turn. A successful target returns to neutral stat stages, while any target that was not affected keeps its existing changes.
This checklist prevents the most common tactical mistake: treating Clear Smog as though selecting the move guarantees a reset. Selection is not enough; the attack has to affect the target.
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Examples: when does the reset happen?
A target with lowered Attack and Speed
Clear Smog successfully affects the target. Both lowered stages return to zero. The move does not need to name Attack or Speed individually because its effect applies to all of the target’s stat stages.
A target with a Defense boost
Clear Smog successfully affects the target. The Defense boost is removed, even though it is beneficial to the target. The move is not limited to negative changes.
A boosted target behind a Substitute
The attack does not affect the target itself because the Substitute intervenes. The target keeps its existing boosts, so Clear Smog has not accomplished the intended reset.
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If the protection prevents Clear Smog from affecting the target, no stat stages are cleared. The next turn may present a new opportunity, but the failed attempt does not leave the target at neutral.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which game details should you verify before relying on Clear Smog?
The core mechanic is consistent in the cited references: a successful Clear Smog resets all stat changes on one target. However, move availability and surrounding battle rules are game-specific. A strategy guide for one title should not automatically assume that another title has identical learnsets, formats or interactions.
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Clear Smog was introduced in Generation V. The Scarlet and Violet wording quoted by Bulbapedia describes the same fundamental result, but a player should still consult the move data for the exact game being played. This is especially important in competitive formats, where the legal move pool and battle rules can change which Pokémon can use the move and which alternatives are available.
For a general mechanics question, the safest conclusion is therefore narrow and reliable: in a game where Clear Smog is available, a successful hit resets the selected target’s stat stages to zero. Broader advice about team construction requires the title and ruleset to be named first.
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Common misconceptions about Clear Smog
- “It only removes stat drops.”
- No. It removes positive boosts as well as negative stages. Every stat stage on the successfully affected target is returned to zero.
- “It always resets the target because it was selected.”
- No. Immunity, protection or a Substitute can stop the attack from affecting the target, and the reset fails in those cases.
- “It works like a field-wide reset.”
- No. Clear Smog is single-target. Haze is the move associated with resetting stat changes across the field.
- “It is a non-damaging utility move.”
- No. Clear Smog is a Poison-type special attack with 50 base power, so damage and type interactions are part of the decision.
- “The mechanic is identical in every Pokémon game.”
- The central reset behavior is documented across the cited references, but availability and version-specific details should be checked for the particular game and ruleset.
What is the short answer?
Yes: Clear Smog removes lowered stats, but it does more than that. When the attack successfully affects one target, it resets all of that target’s stat stages—including boosts—to zero. If immunity, protection or a Substitute prevents the attack from affecting the target, nothing is reset.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Clear Smog remove stat boosts too?
Yes. A successful hit removes beneficial boosts and harmful drops together, leaving every stat stage on that target at zero. It does not preserve a boost simply because the boost helps the target.
What happens when Clear Smog hits a Pokémon behind Substitute?
If the Substitute prevents the attack from affecting the target, Clear Smog does not clear the target’s stat stages. The existing boosts or drops remain in place.
Is Clear Smog better than Haze?
Neither is universally better. Clear Smog affects one target and deals damage, while Haze resets stat changes across the field; choose according to the number of targets and whether attacking matters.
Does Clear Smog work the same way in every Pokémon game?
The cited references describe the same all-stat-stage reset, but move availability and other rules can vary by title and generation. Verify the exact game and format before relying on a specific strategy.
