And I don't mean moves that are low-power or that actually do nothing, because they do serve a purpose. Like no one was clamouring for Leafage, but it's a perfectly serviceable early-game Grass-type attack for Pokémon whose designs don't lend themselves to learning Vine Whip or Absorb. Hold Hands famously does Actually Nothing, but it's cute and funny and that's all it's trying to be.

No I mean moves that you see in your Pokémon's moveset and you just think "Why?"

Mat Block. Specifically, I am thinking of Mat Block.

Mat Block is a protection move. For those who don't know, protection moves are moves that negate the damage or other effects of incoming moves. Most protection moves have priority, which means that they will always be used at the beginning of a turn, rather than being subject to each Pokémon's Speed stat determining move order, as it usually works. Makes sense right? A shield isn't much good if you can't get it up before an attack lands.

Guess what Mat Block's gimmick is.

That's right, Mat Block is the only protection move in the entire game that does not have increased priority. Instead, it has normal priority, meaning it will fail and its user will take damage if they are outsped. Technically, this is true for any other protection move as well, but the difference is that they're the fastest moves in the game. Even other increased priority moves happen after Protect. Meanwhile Mat Block takes the slow bus and tells you it'll get there when it gets there.

So you could use Protect, the industry standard, the evergreen, the golden child from which all other protection moves iterate, and block all effects of incoming attacks, guaranteed. Or. Or you could use Mat Block. And avoid damage just the same...maybe. If you're fast enough. Now, originally, the only Pokémon who could learn Mat Block was Greninja, who is quite fast. Very fast, actually, Speed is its highest stat at an outstanding 122. Again, for those not familiar with the games, 70-80 is typically the range for any given stat to be considered "average," and 100 is when one starts to be considered actually good. So 122 is very impressive. But, just because Greninja could make Mat Block work doesn't mean it's a good idea. Again, why run the risk of being outsped, which would be a rare occurrence but is still possible, when you could just run Protect instead and be safe every time? Oh and they did eventually let Mat Block be learned by another Pokémon. Just the one though. Throh. Who was a base Speed of 45. Forty-five. Guess that one's for all those Trick Room enjoyers.

Oh and also, unlike Protect and most other protection moves, Mat Block only works on damaging attacks. So you can have your stats dropped or be inflicted with a status condition right through it. Get Will-O-Wisped idiot.

Now, to be fair, Mat Block does have one unique advantage, which is that in double and triple battles, it protects all Pokémon on the user's side of the field, not just the user. So you don't need to worry about wasting a turn protecting while your opponent double teams your other Pokémon. You basically get a damage-free turn for your entire team. That's pretty good, right? You just need to predict whether your opponent will go for an attack or a status move to determine the right time to use it. Except it only works on the first turn its user enters battle. You get one chance to use it and then it's dead weight. Might as well be an empty move slot. You'll need to switch the Pokémon out before it can use Mat Block again. Or, y'know, you could just run Protect instead, which can be used anytime.