What moves cannot be Sketched by Smeargle?

Question

I caught a Smeargle today following a photo bomb with my Lock-On / Focus Blast Registeel. The Smeargle I caught, to my surprise, knew Astonish / Focus Blast, not Lock-On.

Why did Smeargle not Sketch Lock-On, and can this happen to any other moves - in other words, why does Smeargle not Sketch a move? My assumption at the moment is that it cannot learn moves introduced to Pokemon Go after Sketch such as Lock-On, and Transform. However, I couldn't find any information online to support or deny this, and I am somewhat surprised that Niantic didn't make moves introduced after Sketch like Lock-On learnable. It could be a bug.

Answer 1

_{Last updated 2021/09/19}

For convenience here is the list of moves Smeargle cannot sketch:

• Feather Dance
• Frustration
• Giga Drain
• Heart Stamp
• Hydro Pump Blastoise
• Leaf Storm
• Mega Drain
• Origin Pulse
• Parabolic Charge
• Precipice Blades
• Razor Shell
• Rest
• Return
• Scald Blastoise
• Transform Fast
• Water Gun Fast Blastoise
• Weather Ball Normal
• Weather Ball Rock
• Wrap Green
• Wrap Pink

I wrote the following Python script to find them from the GAME_MASTER.json file in Jerry's answer the GAME_MASTER.json provided by PokeMiners via MBorg.

import json


def get_templates(data, name):
    return [value["data"][name] for value in data if name in value.get("data", {})]


with open("GAME_MASTER.json") as f:
    templates = json.load(f)

moves = {m["uniqueId"]: m for m in get_templates(templates, "combatMove")}
smeargle_moves = get_templates(templates, "smeargleMovesSettings")[0]

for name, sm in smeargle_moves.items():
    print("removing category: {}".format(name))
    print(sm)
    for move in sm:
        moves.pop(move)

for move in sorted(moves):
    print("-   " + " ".join(map(str.title, move.split("_"))))

Answer 2

Well, the answer to "What moves can be sketched by Smeargle?" is found in the GAME MASTER file (from PokeMiners) - search for SMEARGLE_MOVES_SETTINGS.

Finding the moves that Smeargle cannot sketch involves accumulating the entire set of moves, then subtracting the set of moves found above.

Answer 3

To start compiling a list I took a quick glance at the game master files. Here's a list that can be added to as more moves are found to be missing from Smeargle's massive move pool.

Fast Moves:

• Lock-On

Charge Moves:

• Frustration
• Return