Attack Explanations

This page is intended as a supplement to the attack list.

"Stadium 1"

"Stadium 1" as used in the attack list and these explanations, means "Pokemon Stadium 2" in Japan, and "Pokémon Stadium" in the rest of the world.

PP

PP is stored as a byte whose bottom 6 bits contain the base PP and the top 2 bits contain the number of PP Ups used. Maximum PP of a move equals (Base PP)+((Base PP)/5)*(PP Ups Used).

In certain situations when the game automatically uses a move, it is possible to use a move even if it has zero PP. In these cases, the game erroneously subtracts 0 by 1, ending with the result 0xFF, or 63 PP (bottom 6 bits) with three PP Ups applied (top 2 bits).

Except in Stadium 1, no PP is reduced from a move if an AI-controlled opponent uses it.

Badge levels

Maximum level of obedience for Pokémon not owned by their Trainer.

• No badges: Level 10
• Cascade Badge: Level 30
• Rainbow Badge: Level 50
• Marsh Badge: Level 70
• Earth Badge: Level 100

Explosion

The power for Explosion is effectively 170.

Blizzard

In Japanese language versions of Red, Green, Blue, or Yellow (other than in Colosseum Mode), Blizzard's chance of freezing the opponent is 77/256 instead.

Notes on items

• PokéFlute - Awakens both active Pokémon; outside of battle, awakens all Pokémon in party.
• Full Restore - Restores all HP and heals all status problems and confusion.
• Full Heal - Heals all status problems and confusion.

Additional Effects

Additional effects begin with the word "may" in the attack descriptions. For example, Psybeam's description reads "May confuse opponent (10.2% chance)." In the generation 1 games, if an additional effect causes a status problem, it can't occur against an opponent if it shares a type with the attack's type.

Fainting during the round

If a Pokémon faints at any time during its turn, including the end of its turn, any end-of-turn effects are applied to the Pokémon before it faints if the opponent hasn't fainted and the fainting by the Pokémon occurred before the end of its turn and did not occur as part of the use of Selfdestruct or Explosion (the end of turn effects are poison, burn, and Leech Seed); no end-of-turn effects are applied to 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.

Definitions of variables

Last damage dealt

The "last damage dealt" variable begins at zero. It is set whenever the attack process determines the HP to reduce to an opponent, usually by applying the damage formula. It is not reset by switching. If an attack cannot deal damage, this variable is set to zero. This variable is set before damage is passed to a substitute. Because each hit of a multi-hit attack deals damage separately, only the final hit of multi-hit attacks can count as the "last damage dealt" for the purposes of Bide and Counter. Recoil damage doesn't count as "damage dealt". Damage due to confusion, and HP loss due to a miss from Jump Kick and Hi Jump Kick can count as the "last damage dealt".

The "last damage dealt" variable is shared among all active Pokémon.

Damage dealt is adjusted to the opponent's current HP, but not when the target is a substitute.

When Metronome is used, the "last damage dealt" is reset.

In Stadium 1, this variable is reset when switching, being unable to move due to paralysis, or beginning to use a two-turn attack.

In the Gameboy games, this variable is not reset when a battle starts or ends, or when an item is used.

Last move chosen for use

The "last move chosen for use" changes when the player moves the cursor on the list of moves. The "last move chosen for use" is retained when a Pokémon is switched. Each active Pokémon has a different "last move chosen for use" variable.

In Stadium 1, players always get a chance to select a move, even when the Pokémon is asleep, frozen, and so on.

If a Pokémon was somehow forced not to choose a move for use in a round, (for instance, when a Pokémon is asleep), then it simply doesn't use any moves in that round.

Type of last move chosen for use

Changes with the "last move chosen for use" variable, except it is reset to zero (Normal) when the Pokémon is switched.

Last move used

Each active Pokémon has a "last move used", which is the last move that the Pokémon chose for use and was not prevented from being used. Mirror Move, for example, depends on the "last move opponent used." When a Pokémon is switched, the "last move opponent used" and "last move user used" are reset to zero.

Except in Stadium 1, for two-turn attacks, the move is considered the "last used" only when it is used on its second turn.

A disabled move can be successfully used by use of Mirror Move.

Switching

When a Pokémon is switched, the new Pokémon is considered not to have made a move; except in Stadium 1, any end-of-turn effects apply to this Pokémon when it is switched, following the rules of priority.

Stat stages

Stat stages refer to levels that increase or decrease stats during a battle. Each stat stage has 13 different levels.

Stat Stage	-6	-5	-4	-3	-2	-1	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
Stat Multiplier	0.25	0.28	0.33	0.4	0.5	0.66	1	1.5	2	2.5	3	3.5	4

That stat scale applies to the stat stages for Attack, Defense, Speed, and Special. At the start of a battle, each Pokemon's stat stages begin at 0. The stat stages for a Pokemon are reset to 0 when the Pokemon is switched.

To apply stat stages, multiply the stat by the stat multiplier for the corresponding stat stage.

The term "stat stages" refers to those for Attack, Defense, Speed, and Special, as well as those for evasiveness and Accuracy, which use a different scale shown below:

Stat Stage	-6	-5	-4	-3	-2	-1	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
Accuracy Multiplier	0.25	0.28	0.33	0.4	0.5	0.66	1	1.5	2	2.5	3	3.5	4
Evade Multiplier	4	3.5	3	2.5	2	1.5	1	0.66	0.5	0.4	0.33	0.28	0.25

An attack's accuracy is multiplied by its user's Accuracy multiplier, as shown in the table above, and multiplied by its opponent's Evade multiplier, as shown in the table above. If the accuracy is 0, it becomes 1. If it's greater than 255, it becomes 255. The attack will hit if a random number from 0 through 255 is less than its accuracy. The moves Bide and Swift, however, ignore accuracy checks and will always hit.

An effect that raises Attack, Defense, Speed, or Special will do nothing if the stat stage for the pertinent stat is +6, or if the pertinent stat is 999.

An effect that lowers Attack, Defense, Speed, or Special will do nothing if the stat stage for the pertinent stat is -6, or if the pertinent stat is 1.

When an effect reduces a Pokémon's Attack, Defense, Speed, Special, Evade, or Accuracy stat stage, the new value of the stat being reduced is the original stat modified by stat stages, badges, paralysis, and burns, but not less than 1 or greater than 999; and the new value of other stats is the current stat modified by badges, paralysis, and burns, but not less than 1 or greater than 999. (Evade and Accuracy are not stats.) When an effect raises a Pokémon's Attack, Defense, Speed, or Special stat stage, the new value of the stat being raised is the original stat modified by stat stages and badges, but not greater than 999; and other stats remain unchanged. When an effect paralyzes or burns the opponent, the current Speed or Attack, respectively, is reduced to 1/4 of its previous value, rounded down, but not less than 1, and other stats remain unchanged.

Using Haze (by either active Pokémon), using an item to cure a status problem, and gaining a level (after calculating new stats) each reset the stats to their original unmodified values. Using Rest does not recalculate stats.

Timing

Priority

All attacks are categorized in three priority levels. The attack chosen for use with the higher priority level strikes first. When two attacks are of the same priority level, the Pokémon with the higher Speed strikes first. If both Pokémon have the same Speed, the one who goes first is randomly determined.

Quick Attack -> All other attacks -> Counter

The attacks last chosen for use for both players determine the priority of attacks in a round. If a Pokémon becomes asleep or frozen, its "attack last chosen for use" will not be reset. It becomes reset when the Pokémon is switched.

Turn Process

Here are all the steps taken during a Pokémon's turn.

• Sleep check
• Freeze check
• Hyper Beam check
• Attack is executed
• Disable check
• Confusion check
• Paralysis check
• Attack succeeded in being used
• Deduct PP
• Did the attack miss?
• Damage calculation
• Perform effect of attack
• Substitute
• Critical hit/type effectiveness message
• Check if opponent faints
• Rage check
• End of turn
• HP loss due to poison/burn
• HP loss due to Leech Seed
• Flinch check (for opponent if attacker struck first)

If an "attack was executed" it means that its user did not flinch, did not need to skip a turn due to Hyper Beam, and was not asleep or frozen when it attempted to use an attack.

Twineedle

Twineedle's additional effect occurs after all hits of the attack have resolved. The additional effect can affect even Bug-type opponents.

Haze

If the last move the user used on the previous round is not set, Haze resets the last move chosen for use to the invalid 0xFF, which causes erroneous behavior if Hyper Beam was used immediately before it became frozen: the Pokémon can't make a move until it faints, even after being defrosted by the opponent's Haze.

Substitute

When the user uses Substitute, the user's HP is reduced by (total HP/4). This move will fail if the user has less than that (or in Stadium 1, less than or equal to that). The substitute's HP upon creation is (total HP/4)+1.

Damage due to confusion is erroneously directed to the opponent's substitute if it has one.

While the user has a substitute, confusion as a primary effect, paralysis as an additional effect, poison, freezing, flinching, burns, and effects that reduce the user's stat stages can't be inflicted by the opponent against the user. In addition, in Stadium 1, all effects of confusion, all effects of paralysis, as well as sleep, can't be inflicted by the opponent against the user. While the user has a substitute, if the user would lose HP due to a damaging attack by the opponent, the substitute loses that much HP instead.

Recoil damage from a user's recoil attack is given to the user. HP loss due to a miss from Jump Kick and Hi Jump Kick is also given to the user.

The user can use Bide and Counter normally; Substitute does not alter their use or effects. The opponent can use Leech Seed, Disable, and Transform normally. Damage from multi-turn attacks is given to the substitute, as the continuous attack is an attack by the opponent.

The opponent can use a recoil move and receives normal recoil damage, but does not receive recoil damage after breaking a substitute.

Pay Day has no additional effect if the attack breaks a substitute.

Super Fang calculates damage based on the HP of the user, and passes the damage to the substitute.

The effects of multi-hit attacks end after the attack breaks a substitute. If a Absorb, Mega Drain, Leech Life, or Dream Eater breaks a substitute, no HP is restored to its user.

Haze is unaffected by Substitute.

Except in Stadium 1, if the opponent uses Selfdestruct or Explosion to break the substitute, it will not faint.

In Stadium 1, Absorb, Mega Drain, Leech Life, Dream Eater, and Leech Seed will fail for the opponent while the user has a substitute.

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. This is also the amount of HP lost to the opponent due to the effect of Leech Seed. T will stop increasing and its effect 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 has no effect on T, except in Stadium 1.

Haze resets T to zero and ends the effect of Toxic.

Hyper Beam

After using Hyper Beam, if a Pokemon tries to use an attack, it "must recharge" instead. If a Pokémon becomes asleep or frozen, it flinches, or it comes under the effect of a multi-turn attack, these events end the effect of Hyper Beam.

After a successful use, on the second round, if the user strikes second and the opponent either uses a multi-turn attack and misses (except in Stadium 1); or defrosts the user with fire, the user will use Hyper Beam without recharging for the previous use, even if Hyper Beam now has zero PP. (This behavior is covered in the "Freeze" section, below.)

In Stadium 1, a "recharge" turn is required every time it is used.

Two-turn attacks

In two-turn attacks, the user prepares for the attack on the first turn, and hits the opponent on the next. During the effect, the user cannot switch or use items.

If a two-turn attack failed to be executed after effect began, the effect continues. Once this attack succeeds in being used on the second turn, PP is deducted from this attack, effect ends, and this attack is considered the "last move used" by the user. Effect ends if attack was executed, but was prevented from being used.

In Red/Blue, if the user cannot move due to paralysis after effect began, the effect of Dig or Fly will also continue. This is no longer the case in Yellow/Stadium 1.

In Stadium 1, Bide will miss when used when the user is using Dig or Fly.

In Stadium 1, a two-turn attack is considered the "last move used" by the user on the turn that the effect began.

Descriptions of Common Effects

Common effects of attacks include status problems, confusion, and flinching. 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 Pokémon, 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 Pokémon runs out of HP. Because of this, fainting overwrites other status problems. A status problem cannot be inflicted on a Pokémon if it already has a status problem.

Poison (PSN)

If a Pokémon is poisoned, it loses 1/16 of total HP at the end of its turn. Poison types cannot be poisoned, not even by Twineedle. Outside of battle, a poisoned Pokémon loses 1 HP every four steps the player walks. (The effect of Toxic is similar to poison, see "Toxic".)

Paralysis (PAR)

When a Pokémon becomes paralyzed, its Speed is recalculated so that it is reduced to 25% (the "Speed reduction"). If a Pokémon is paralyzed, there is a 25% chance that it will lose its chance to attack.

Rest removes the paralysis status. In Red/Blue/Yellow, Haze removes the paralysis status if used by the opponent. In Stadium 1, Haze removes the paralysis status and the Speed reduction when used by either Pokémon.

Burn (PSN)

When a Pokémon becomes burned, its Attack is recalculated so that it is halved (the Attack reduction). If a Pokémon is burned, it loses 1/16 of total HP at the end of its turn. Fire types cannot be burned.

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

Sleep (SLP)

A sleeping Pokémon can't choose any moves. When a Pokémon becomes asleep, it receives a count of 1 to 7. At a sleep check, this count is reduced by 1. If the count reaches zero, the Pokémon wakes up, but cannot attack on the same turn. In Stadium 1, the Pokémon receives a count of 1 to 3. The game stores the current duration of a Pokémon who is asleep, in case the Pokémon leaves battle and becomes active in another one.

Frozen (FRZ)

A frozen Pokémon can't choose any moves. Use of Haze or fire-type moves by the opponent will cure this status problem. Ice types cannot be frozen. If the Pokémon doesn't have the initiative and was defrosted by fire, it will use the last move chosen for use if possible, even if its current PP is zero.

In Stadium 1, it is possible to choose a move while the Pokémon is frozen.

Confusion

When a Pokémon becomes confused, it receives a count of 2 to 8. At the beginning of the Pokémon's turn, this count declines by 1, then if it is greater than 0, there is a 50% chance that the Pokémon 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, is not weighted by a random number, and ignores the effect of Reflect. Confusion is removed from the Pokémon when it is switched.

In Stadium 1, messages concerning confusion are displayed after the message concerning the move to be used.

Flinch

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

Changes in Stadium 1

Effect chance for Acid is 52/256. Effect chance for Aurora Beam is 77/256. Effect chance for Bubblebeam is 77/256.

Multi-turn attacks

In internal battles, the player's opponent chooses a move for use and will use it instead of the multi-turn attack if the player decides to switch before the effect ends.

On the last turn of the multi-turn attack's effect, if the user attacks, the effect ends at the end of the round (the opponent "can't move" during that round.) Otherwise (for example if the user uses an item), the effect ends before each Pokémon's turn begins.

Transform

If a wild Pokémon 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.

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

Disable

Disable causes a random attack of the opponent (with at least 1 PP) to be disabled, or prevented from being used or chosen. When Disable is used, the opponent receives a count of 1 to 8 (random). Every round, including the current round, during the effect, this count is reduced by 1 when the opponent has executed an attack (before confusion check). When the count is reduced to zero or the opponent is switched, the opponent is no longer disabled. During the effect, Disable will fail for the user. A disabled move effectively has zero PP. If the opponent uses Transform, the moves located where the disabled moves were become disabled until Disable's effect ends.

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.

Apparently using Disable against the opponent (even if in Red/Blue/Yellow it fails) counts as a hit for the purposes of Rage.

Trainer ID

A Pokémon's trainer ID and OT name must match those of the player in order to rename it with the Name Rater.

A Pokémon can disobey if, in addition to the player not having the appropriate badges, the Pokémon's 32-bit trainer ID is different from that of the player.

A Pokémon will gain extra Exp. Points (see the page "Experience") if its 32-bit trainer ID is different from that of the player.