Pokemon Gold and Silver - Attack Explanations

This guide is a supplement and an integral part of the Gold/Silver attack list.

Definitions

The descriptions in the attack list are worded for both conciseness and accuracy. It therefore uses several phrases for common effects which are defined below. For other terms, see the glossary.

Stadium 2: Means "Pokemon Stadium Gold and Silver" in Japan and "Pokemon Stadium 2" in the rest of the world.
user: The user is the active Pokemon who began to use an attack. This can also refer to the Pokemon who takes the user's position and receives the effect of an attack if that effect doesn't end when the original user is switched.
opponent: The opponent is the active Pokemon other than the user.
two-turn attack: The user may be prevented from using this attack on the second turn, by flinching, confusion, or otherwise. If the user tries to use this attack with Mirror Move or Metronome, this attack fails if the user is asleep or frozen.
attack opponent last used: Several attacks rely on the attack the opponent had last used. The latter attack need not occur immediately before the former attack. For instance, the opponent may use an item or try to run away in between. This variable is reset when either Pokemon is replaced. It is not possible to work off of Selfdestruct or Explosion, since the fainting of its user unconditionally occurs; of Transform, Sketch, or Mimic; or of Mirror Move, Sleep Talk, or Metronome, or the attacks called by them. A two-turn attack is not considered the attack last used until the second turn.
weather: The weather moves (Sunny Day, Rain Dance, Sandstorm) can be used at any time, even during weather. When used, it resets the number of rounds of the effect to 5 (including the current round) and cancels any other weather effect. When one weather move is used, it will fail until its effect ends.
recover HP, return HP: To "recover" HP means to make a Pokemon gain HP, but up to no more than the Pokemon's total HP. To "return" HP means to make a Pokemon lose HP. When HP returned or recovered or the HP to be reduced is 0, it becomes 1. It is not possible, for example, to take zero recoil damage.
opponent is using Dig/Fly: Refers to the state during which the opponent is under the ground or airborne, and not in the turn when the opponent uses Fly or Dig to deal damage. In the case of Mimic, it can copy Dig or Fly after the opponent had used it to deal damage.

PP

No extra PP is spent when Thrash, Petal Dance, Outrage, Rollout, and Bide continue to be used during their effects, or at the second turn of a two-turn attack or Hyper Beam and equivalent moves. In these situations, the moves are still considered to be moves the user "chose for use", even though the user couldn't choose an attack as the round began. Moreover, the user doesn't choose these moves for use as their effect continues. Their effect continues even if the attack's PP is reduced to 0 due to an effect such as Spite.

PP Up increases the maximum PP of a move (up to 3 times). A move's maximum PP is equal to X+int(X*Y/5), where X is the move's original maximum PP and Y is the number of uses of PP Up on that move. PP Up won't have any effect if the move's maximum PP wouldn't be increased by at least 1 through a single use.

Fainting during the round

If a Pokémon faints at any time during its turn, including the end of its turn, no end-of-turn effects are applied to either that Pokémon or the new Pokémon, and if the Pokémon struck first, the opponent's turn is skipped. (If the opponent just used Hyper Beam, it "must recharge" on the next possible turn.)

If a Pokémon faints before the end of an opponent's turn, usually as the result of an attack, no end-of-turn effects are applied to the opponent.

Endure/Protect/Detect

For each consecutive use of any of these moves, the success rate (note: different from accuracy) of the attack is reduced to half every turn:

1 use -- Success rate: 255/256
2 uses -- Success rate: 127/256
3 uses -- Success rate: 63/256
4 uses -- Success rate: 31/256
5 uses -- Success rate: 15/256
6 uses -- Success rate: 7/256
7 uses -- Success rate: 3/256
8 uses -- Success rate: 1/256
9 uses -- Success rate: 0/256

The use count is reset to zero if neither Protect, Detect, nor Endure is chosen for use, or if these attacks fail (but are not prevented from being used). If the attack is prevented from being used, the use count does not reset or increase.

The use count resets even if Protect, Detect, or Endure is used by another move such as Sleep Talk.

These attacks are first-priority.

Multi-hit attacks

The multi-hit attacks are labeled "Multi-hit attack" and "Strikes twice" in the attack descriptions, as well as Triple Kick and Beat Up. For all multi-hit attacks, an accuracy check is performed only once, namely, before the attack hits the opponent multiple times.

When the target of a multi-hit attack faints, the attack stops.

Twineedle's additional effect occurs after all hits of the attack have resolved.

Descriptions of Common Effects

Common effects of attacks include status problems, confusion, and flinch. These effects are described below. A status problem is one of burn, poison, paralysis, sleep, or freeze. Status problems do not go away by replacing Pokemon, and they linger after battle. (However, a Pokémon's status problem will be cured when it's placed in a PC storage box.) The status monitor also indicates fainting (FNT), when a Pokemon runs out of HP. Because of this, fainting overwrites other status problems. A status problem cannot be inflicted on a Pokemon if it already has a status problem.

Poison (PSN)

If a Pokemon is poisoned, it loses 1/8 of total HP at the end of its turn. Poison types cannot be poisoned. Steel types can be poisoned by non-Poison type attacks. Outside of battle, a poisoned Pokemon loses 1 HP every four steps the player walks. (The effect of Toxic is similar to poison, see "Toxic".)

Paralysis (PAR)

When a Pokemon becomes paralyzed, its Speed is recalculated so that it is reduced to 25% (the "Speed reduction"). If a Pokemon is paralyzed, there is a 25% chance that it will lose its chance to attack. If a Pokemon is paralyzed when it becomes active, the Speed reduction will be imposed. Ground types can be paralyzed by non-Electric type attacks.

Normally, the reduced speed is used. If a paralyzed Pokemon is replaced using Baton Pass with a Pokemon that is also paralyzed, the behavior can be strange.

In Gold/Silver/Crystal, the Speed reduction will not be imposed on the new Pokemon until it gains a level or an effect increases or decreases its Attack, Defense, Speed, Special Attack, or Special Defense stat stage (which recalculates the Speed).
In Stadium 2, the new Pokemon's Speed is the reduced Speed if the last Speed stat stage modifier was an increaser, or the non-reduced Speed if the new Pokemon begins to use a Speed stat stage decreaser or increaser.

Rest removes the paralysis status and the Speed reduction.

Burn (PSN)

When a Pokemon becomes burned, its Attack is recalculated so that it is halved (the Attack reduction). If a Pokemon is burned, it loses 1/8 of total HP at the end of its turn. Fire types can be burned by non-Fire-type attacks.

Behavior regarding stat stage modifiers, Rest, and imposition of the Attack reduction are as in paralysis.

Sleep (SLP)

A sleeping Pokémon can't normally do its attack during its turn. When a Pokemon becomes asleep, it receives a count of 2 to 7. In Stadium 2, the sleep count is 2 to 4 instead. At a sleep check, this count is reduced by 1. If the count reaches zero, the Pokemon wakes up and can attack on the same turn. Snore and Sleep Talk can be used by a sleeping Pokemon. The game stores the current duration of a Pokemon who is asleep, in case the Pokemon leaves battle and becomes active in another one.

Frozen (FRZ)

A frozen Pokémon can't normally do its attack during its turn. The only moves that a frozen Pokémon can use are Flame Wheel and Sacred Fire, which will defrost it. If the Pokemon loses HP due to a fire-type attack (considering Hidden Power as Normal), it becomes defrosted. There is a 25/256 chance at the end of each round that a Pokemon will be defrosted. Ice types can be frozen by a non-Ice type attack.

Confusion

When a Pokemon becomes confused, it receives a count of 2 to 5. At the beginning of the Pokemon's turn, this count declines by 1, then if it is greater than 0, there is a 50% chance that the Pokemon will deal damage to itself rather than use an attack. The self-inflicted confusion attack is a physical attack, has a power of 40, has no type, cannot be a critical hit, and is not weighted with a random number. (Doesn't ignore the effect of Reflect.) Confusion is removed from the Pokemon when it is switched. If the Berserk Gene causes confusion in the Gold/Silver/Crystal version, its holder will receive a confusion count of 255.

Flinch

After another Pokemon uses a move that causes a Pokemon to flinch in the same round, it skips its attack this round. A Pokemon can't flinch if it is asleep or frozen.

Destiny Bond

The effect of Destiny Bond ends when the Bag command is used to use an item on the user or when the Run command is used and the user fails to flee.

Present

In Gold/Silver, when Present does damage to the opponent, several values are substituted in the damage calculation formula:

Attacker's Attack: 10 multiplied by the type effectiveness of the attack's type against the opponent's types.
Defender's Defense: A number that depends on the attacker's second type (for example, Charizard's second type is Flying, but Charmander's second type is Fire).
Attacker's level: A number that depends on the opponent's second type.
The numbers used in the modified Defense and level are as follows: Normal - 0; Fighting - 1; Flying - 2; Poison - 3; Ground - 4; Rock - 5; Bug - 7; Ghost - 8; Steel - 9; Fire - 20; Water - 21; Grass - 22; Electric - 23; Psychic - 24; Ice - 25; Dragon - 26; Dark - 27.
If a calculation would divide by 0, it divides by 1 instead.

This bug has been corrected in Crystal and Stadium 2.

Substitute

Substitute creates a copy of the user called a substitute; to make a substitute, the user loses 1/4 of its total HP. This attack fails if the HP reduced would faint the user or if the user already has a substitute. The substitute has life points equal to the HP lost this way. (The term "life points" is used here to differentiate it from HP, to avoid confusion when describing Substitute's effect.)

These are the main effects that happen while the user has a substitute:

While the user has a substitute, attacks and confusion damage can deal damage equal to or greater than the user's HP even if an effect prevents it from fainting (such as Focus Band).
Attacks by the opponent can't inflict status problems, confusion, or flinching against the user.
Attacks by the opponent can't reduce the user's stat stages.
If user would lose HP due to an attack by the opponent, the user's substitute loses that many life points instead.

When the substitute has no life points left, it fades and Substitute's effect ends.

Any other effects that affect the user's HP do not involve the substitute in any way. This applies to reductions of the user's HP from poison, Leech Seed, Sandstorm, recoil, and so on.; to effects that recover the user's HP; and to effects that need to know the user's HP (Super Fang, Reversal, Flail, False Swipe, and so on.). (This is why "life points" is used instead of HP to describe the substitute's vitality.)

The substitute will be removed when the user is switched or if the user faints before the substitute fades. If the user uses Baton Pass, the substitute retains its current life points.

Counter and Mirror Coat will miss when used by the user. The opponent can use these attacks normally.
Pain Split modifies the user's and opponent's HP and will work as normal for the user.
Damage due to confusion is given to the user.
The returned attack from Future Sight is directed to the substitute, since it's considered an "attack by its user".
Bide and Rage may be used by the user, but they will not be affected by damage intercepted by a substitute, except Rage will count damage causing the substitute to fade as a hit for its purposes. They will work as normal after the substitute fades.
The opponent is always given 1 HP of recoil damage when attacking a substitute with a recoil attack (because recoil damage is calculated from HP the attacker's opponent loses due to that attack; in this case the user doesn't lose any HP). Jump Kick and Hi Jump Kick, if they miss, cause the opponent to lose HP as normal (because this HP loss is based on hypothetical damage).
The user may use Selfdestruct or Explosion and faint, or faint due to Destiny Bond or Perish Song, even it it has a substitute.
The game checks whether a substitute fades after every hit of a multi-hit attack. The multi-hit attack will continue even after the substitute fades.
Absorb, Mega Drain, Leech Life, Giga Drain, and Dream Eater (the attack will miss), as well as Pain Split (will not affect user) will fail for the opponent. The user can use both types of attacks normally.
The secondary effect of multi-turn attacks will not occur when the opponent uses a multi-turn attack. The effect of such attacks will end when the user creates a substitute.
Endure, Protect, and Detect will fail for the user. The opponent can use these attacks normally.
Lock-on and Mind Reader (will not affect user) will fail for the opponent. The user can use these attacks normally.
Nightmare will fail for the opponent. If opponent's current type includes Ghost, Curse will fail for the opponent. The user can use Nightmare and Curse normally, whether or not user is of Ghost type.
Leech Seed (attack will be evaded) will fail for the opponent. The user can use Leech Seed normally.
The substitute will absorb damage from Pursuit if it attempts to switch normally.
If the opponent uses Swagger, the substitute will not develop confusion but will receive the Attack increase. (These effects are covered elsewhere.) The user can use Swagger normally.
Thief will damage the substitute but will not steal the item from the user. The user can use Thief normally.
Sketch will fail for the opponent. The user can use Sketch normally.
Mimic will work as normal for both user and opponent.
Transform will work as normal.

Following are attacks that Substitute cannot prevent:

Attacks which can be evaded by increasing evasion: Whirlwind, Roar, Disable, Encore, Spite, Foresight, Attract
Attacks which cannot be evaded: Haze, Destiny Bond, Spider Web, Mean Look, Spikes, Perish Song

Toxic

Toxic uses a value called T to calculate how much HP to remove from the opponent. When Toxic is used, T is set to 0. At the end of the opponent's turn every round, including the current one, T is increased by 1 and the opponent's HP is reduced by int(total HP/16)*T, as long as the opponent remains poisoned. The current value of T is retained when the opponent uses Baton Pass. It is not reset if the user uses another poison move such as Poisonpowder on the new Pokemon, and T will still increase if the new opponent becomes or is poisoned. T will stop increasing and the effect of Toxic will end when the battle ends or the opponent is switched, upon which all poisoning on the opponent's side reverts to normal poison. Curing the poison will, of course, also end the effect.

Toxic will fail if the opponent is already poisoned, by any means.

Rest removes the PSN status and ends the effect of Toxic.

Haze has no effect on T when used by either player.

Mind Reader/Lock-on

When the user uses either of these moves, the effect begins. Mind Reader and Lock-on guarantee a success on the next accuracy check for an attack by the user. If the user then uses Dream Eater when the opponent is not sleeping, or if the opponent had used Protect or Detect on the same round, the effect continues, because these two cases are handled before Mind Reader or Lock-on in the attack timing process. If the opponent is using Fly, the accuracy check for the user's attack will succeed, except if that attack is Earthquake, Fissure, and Magnitude (the effect will end either way).

The effect ends when the opponent is switched or after an accuracy check for an attack by the user is performed. The effect continues if the user is replaced. The user may use Mind Reader or Lock-on during the effect.

Transform

In Gold/Silver there are several bugs related to DVs and gender calculation. If Transform is used by the player's opponent, it calculates gender using the DVs of user before the transformation, but if used by the player, gender is not recalculated. When the player's opponent replaces a Pokemon under the effect of Transform, the new Pokemon receives the DVs of the old Pokemon and a recalculated gender, both of which are reverted to their original values when the new Pokemon is replaced.

If a wild Pokemon has the effect of Transform and it is caught, its species becomes Ditto, regardless of its original species. After it is caught, its stats and moves become those of a wild Ditto at the same level, except current HP.

Even if Transform is in effect for the user, its stats are recalculated according to its level and original DVs when it levels up.

In internal battles, the player's Pokemon gain Exp. Points based on the original species of the enemy Pokemon under Transform.

Disable

Disable causes the attack the opponent last used to be disabled, or prevented from being used or chosen. When Disable is used, the opponent receives a count of 2 to 8 (random). Every round, including the current round, during the effect, this count is reduced by 1 when the opponent begins to use an attack (before confusion check), except when it flinches. When the count is reduced to zero or the opponent is replaced , the opponent is no longer disabled. Disable will fail if the selected attack has zero PP. During the effect, Disable will fail for the user.

In the unusual case that the opponent has more than one copy of the attack, the first copy will be prevented from being chosen, and the other copies will be prevented from being used.

Rage

Rage in Gold and Silver does not increase the user's Attack by 1 stage, as was previously believed.

Rage adds an additional multiplier in damage calculation (called R), which is calculated after the type modifier, and before the damage weighting.

When Rage is successful and it isn't already in effect for the user, the effect begins and R is set to 1. The effect will continue as long as the user chose Rage for use as the round began, even if Rage is prevented from being used or misses. During the effect, whenever the user is hit by an attack by the opponent, if that attack tries to reduce the user's HP and isn't Pain Split, R increases by 1 (up to 255). The effect ends when the user is replaced. As soon as the effect ends, R is reset to 1.