Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire - Glossary
This glossary was created to explain terms used in the In-Depth Guides.
- Abilities
- An effect that causes a Pokemon to gain a new ability will last until that Pokemon is replaced (that is, until it's no longer active in battle).
- Accuracy
- Said of an attack, "accuracy" means the probability that an attack has of hitting an opponent. When a Pokémon's "Accuracy" is reduced or enhanced, the accuracy of attacks it uses is accordingly affected.
- Active Pokémon
- An active Pokémon is a Pokémon who is visible at a given time during a battle.
- Affected by type immunities
- See "Immune".
- Attack, Move
- The words "attack" and "move" are generally used interchangeably in the In-Depth Guides and generally have the same meaning, although the game uses the term "move". Where the words tend to differ is that "move" tends to refer to one of the techniques known by a particular Pokémon, while "attack" tends to refer to a single use of a move. The word "attack", in lower-case letters, is not to be confused with Attack, which is one of a Pokémon's stats.
- Base damage
- See "power".
- Base stats
- Base stats are values that specify the stat potential of all Pokémon of the same Pokémon species and distinguish that species's stat potential from those of other species. Each base stat can range from 0 through 255. (More recent versions of Pokémon use "base stats" to refer to effort values, as seen in the description of items such as Calcium and HP Up. This is not to be confused with the term as used in the in-depth guides.)
- Bearer
- An active Pokemon who has a particular ability. Other active Pokemon are "non-bearers", even though they may have the same ability.
- Cannot flee
- If a Pokémon "cannot flee", the Run command fails to make the Pokémon escape. (In the Gold/Silver generation, the Smoke Ball can't affect this.) During the effect of multi-turn attacks, Mean Look, and Spider Web, no turn is wasted if the player tries to run away from a wild Pokémon using the "Run" command.
- Cannot switch
- If a Pokémon "cannot switch", the "Pokémon" command will fail if that Pokémon tries to change to a different active Pokémon. Roar and Whirlwind will function normally against the Pokémon. If a description says that a Pokémon "can switch", the "Pokémon" command is unaffected.
- Choose for use
- To choose a move for use is to select a move from the list of moves as commands are chosen for a particular round. Choosing a move for use is different from using a move because of Mirror Move, Sleep Talk, Metronome, Nature Power, and so on. If the Pokémon somehow uses another move instead, the attack it would have used is still the one chosen for use. Some effects can restrict the moves that can be chosen for use. A move with zero PP can't be chosen for use. If a Pokémon can't choose a move for use at the beginning of a round, it chooses Struggle for use instead (with no target).
- Damage
- Damage is the amount of HP that a Pokémon is intended to lose due to a damaging attack. Pain Split doesn't cause damage since it has a power of 0, even though it can reduce a Pokémon's HP. Moreover, effects of attacks don't cause damage, such as the HP reductions at the end of each round due to Leech Seed, Bind, Wrap, and so on. Fainting as part of the use of an attack (for example, Explosion) does not cause damage. "Recoil damage" and "base damage" is not "damage." Unless noted otherwise, if a Pokémon would lose 0 HP due to an effect other than damage, it loses 1 HP instead.
- Damaging
- A damaging move is one with a power of at least 1. In the fourth generation, all physical and special moves are damaging moves.
- Disabled move
- A disabled move is one that is prevented from being selected on the menu of moves, as opposed to one that can be used but will always fail. If a move becomes disabled after all Pokémon chose their moves, its use is prevented. A move that can't be chosen for use is not necessarily a disabled move.
- Effectiveness
- Several effects modify an attack's effectiveness, or a multiplier to the final damage that an attack will deal. The most common is that of type; for example, if the opponent is a Grass type, the effectiveness of Fire-type attacks against that opponent is doubled. In the absence of such effects, attacks have a normal effectiveness.
- Effort value (EV)
- Effort values are values given to Pokémon for defeating other Pokémon species rich in the corresponding stat. In that sense, they are similar to experience points. For example, defeating a Golbat awards 2 EV points in Speed, since Golbat has a relatively high Speed. Effort values raise Pokémon stats. Some items can give EV points without battling. (More recent versions of Pokémon use "base stats" to refer to effort values, as seen in the description of items such as Calcium and HP Up. This is not to be confused with the term as used in the in-depth guides.)
- Evasiveness
- A Pokémon's evasiveness is one of the Pokémon's stat stages. Evasiveness affects the probability that the Pokémon will avoid attacks made by other Pokémon. Also known as "evasion" or "Evade". As used in these guides, this term refers only to the evasiveness stat stage and not to the opposite of accuracy. In generation 3 and later, the evasiveness stat stage reduces the attacker's Accuracy stat stage; it does not add an additional multiplier to the accuracy calculation.
- External Battle
- An external battle is a trainer battle that takes place outside the game or in an organized setting. External battles normally include link battles, battles in Pokémon Stadium 1 and 2, and trainer battles in the Battle Tower and the Battle Frontier. In Trainer Tower and Trainer Hill, items may be used.
- Gender
- the sex of a Pokémon. In the second-generation games, the gender is based on the Attack DV. Some Pokémon are genderless.
- Half, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, multiplied by 1.5
- If these or similar terms appear in the In-Depth Guides, the result of the relevant division or multiplication is rounded down unless noted otherwise.
- Hit a Pokémon with a damaging attack
- This means that the Pokémon is successfully affected by a damaging move by its user. The attack will usually reduce the Pokémon's HP, but in certain cases, it may fail to do so . An attack doesn't fail if an attack would deal 0 damage only because a Pokemon's HP is prevented from being reduced to 0 (for example, if the Pokémon used Endure or has the Focus Band attached, or if the attack is False Swipe). In all other cases, an attack will fail if it would deal 0 damage to a Pokemon (for example, if Bide, Counter, or Future Sight at the end of its effect would deal no damage).
- ID number
- a number that, on a Pokémon, identifies the ownership of the Pokémon and, on a trainer, identifies the trainer. The trainer's ID is randomly determined at the beginning of a new game. A wild Pokémon has the same ID as the trainer, and a traded Pokémon most likely has a different ID number. In Generation III and later, the ID number is 32 bits long. In previous versions, the ID number is 16 bits long.
- Individual value (IV)
- a value that decides a particular Pokémon's stat potential for a certain stat. Individual values can vary even within the same Pokémon species and are randomly generated. Individual values can't be changed. In Generation I and II, these values are called Deter Values (DV) and range from 0 to 15. In later generations, these values range from 0 to 31.
- Internal Battle
- An internal battle is any battle with a wild Pokémon (a wild battle), or with an in-game trainer (a trainer battle). In internal battles, the player's Pokémon gain experience for defeating enemy Pokémon. In wild battles in the Battle Pike or Battle Pyramid, no experience is gained.
- Immune
- Said of a Pokémon, "immune" means unable to be affected by an attack due to that attack's type. In general, this refers to type immunities, such as Ghost Pokémon being immune to Normal attacks. But some effects, such as Wonder Guard, can give a Pokémon additional immunities. If an attack is "affected by type immunities", the attack fails against an immune Pokémon, even though the attack may not usually deal damage calculated through the Damage Formula, or even any damage at all. Unless otherwise noted, attacks with a power of 0 are not affected by type immunities.
- Items
- At the end of external battles, items are restored to whoever owned them at the start of the battle, even if the item was used during the battle. In Battle Pike and Battle Pyramid battles, this does not occur.
- Lose HP due to an attack
- This term refers to HP actually lost by a Pokémon because of damage (see definition for "damage").
- Move
- See "Attack".
- Non-user
- A non-user is an active Pokémon other than the user.
- Opponent
- An opponent is a non-user who is a potential recipient of a move's effect. This definition can include the user's partner in double battles. The opponent can consist of more than one Pokémon, in which case the effect is applied to each opponent separately.
- Opposing Pokémon
- The one or two Pokémon currently active in the other player's party (not the user's).
- Party
- a group of Pokémon that a Trainer uses in a battle. Up to six Pokémon can be part of a party, and only a number of them can be active in battle at a time (in single battles, one; in double battles, normally two). Many people use the word "team" for this term. If two Trainers are on the same side, a party consists of all Pokémon in both Trainers' parties.
- Physical
- This term refers to attacks based on the Attack/Defense attribute. In the GBA and previous versions, physical attacks had the types Normal, Fighting, Flying, Poison, Ground, Rock, Bug, Ghost, and Steel.
- Poisoned
- Poisoned is a status problem. Unless noted otherwise, poison refers both to normal poison and "toxic" poison.
- Power
- Power is a number associated with an attack. The higher the number, the greater the damage it can inflict. Also known as "base damage" or "base power". The exact damage dealt is decided by a formula, but in general, if we assume equal Attack and Defense and no weaknesses or resistances, a level 100 Pokémon will deal about 85% of an attack's power in damage, a level 50 Pokémon will deal about 45%, and a level 10 Pokémon will deal about 13%. For some attacks, the power is calculated instead of fixed. These attacks are listed with a power of 1 in the Attack List.
- Prevented from being used
- Refers to any situation, such as confusion, love, flinching, and so on., that prevents a Pokémon from using an attack. Basically, if the message "X used Y!" is shown, the move was not prevented from being used.
- Rareness
- a value that decides how common a Pokémon species can be found in the wild. A species with a higher rareness is easier to catch.
- Replaced
- "Replaced" refers to any instance where an active Pokémon is no longer active. This includes cases where a Pokémon is changed from one to another, with the Pokémon command, Baton Pass, Roar, and Whirlwind, and also cases where a Pokémon faints. Of course, this also refers to the end of the battle, since most effects other than HP, PP, and status problems, will not linger after battle.
- Round
- A battle is divided into a number of rounds. As a round begins, commands are chosen, and then the Pokemon carry out those commands. Many effects occur at the end of the round; that is, after each Pokémon has made its attack.
- Special
- This term refers to attacks based on the Special Attack/Special Defense attribute. In the GBA and previous versions, special attacks had the types Fire, Water, Electric, Grass, Ice, Psychic, Dragon, and Dark.
- Species
- a kind of Pokémon. The term "species" as used in these guides means the National Pokedex number of a Pokemon, not the kind of Pokémon as shown in the Pokedex. All Ditto, for example, belong to one species, that is, National Pokedex number 132, not "Transform Pokémon". Multiple forms that share a National Pokedex number belong to the same species. Thus, Deoxys's Normal, Attack, Defense, and Speed Formes belong to the same species, number 386, not "DNA Pokémon". As a final example, Nidoran male and Nidoran female belong to different species because their National Pokedex numbers are different (29 and 32, respectively), even though they're both "Poison Pin Pokémon".
- Stat experience
- A value that shows how trained a particular Pokémon is in a certain stat, similar to Effort Values. Stat experience exists only in generations 1 and 2.
- Stat enhancer
- any item, such as Calcium, that increases Stat Exp or Effort Values.
- Stat stages
- "Stat stages" are those for Attack, Defense, Speed, Special Attack, Special Defense, evasiveness, and Accuracy. Stat stages refer to values that modify a Pokémon's stats during a battle. See Stat Stages for more information.
- Status problem
- A status problem is one of burn, freeze, paralysis, sleep, or poison. It does not include confusion, which is a status-related effect, or fainting, which appears on the status monitor. This is also the term used in the game to describe such ailments. Status problems do not go away by replacing Pokémon, and they linger after battle. A status problem cannot be inflicted on a Pokémon if it already has a status problem.
- Switched
- "Switched" refers to any instance of being replaced except those due to Baton Pass. (Not to be confused with the term "cannot switch").
- Turn
- A Pokémon's turn, part of a round, is the result of the commands made to that Pokemon at the beginning of the round. This usually involves the Pokémon's use of an attack. This doesn't include cases where a Pokemon is switched out.
- User
- The user is the active Pokémon who began to use an attack. This can also refer to the Pokémon 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.
- Wild Battle
- A wild battle is any battle with a wild Pokémon. All wild battles are internal battles.
Other Terminology
This section explains familiar terminology not used in the In-Depth Guides.
- A multi-turn attack (Whirlpool, Bind, Wrap, and so on.) is sometimes called a "partial trapping" move.
- Many sites use the term "vitamins" to refer to stat enhancers, or items that increase Stat Exp or Effort Values.
- An attack or move that is "super effective" has greater than normal effectiveness against its opponent's types.
- An attack or move that is "not very effective" has less than normal effectiveness against its opponent's types, but is not ineffective against that opponent.
- The "indeterminate" egg group is also known as the "amorphous" egg group.
- The In-Depth Guides always use the term "one-hit KO" to refer to moves such as Guillotine and Sheer Cold. It is never, as in other sites, abbreviated to "OHKO" nor is it used to mean "to cause the opponent to faint in one blow".
- The moves Mean Look, Block, and Spider Web are sometimes known as "full trapping" moves.
- Some sites use the term "residual damage" to mean HP loss from effects other than damage (as defined in this glossary).
- Many other sites use the term "ID number" or "trainer ID" to mean the portion of the number visible on the Trainer Card, even for Generation III and later versions, where the ID number is 32 bits long. The "ID number" term used by those sites is 16 bits long and take the lower 16 bits of the 32-bit ID number. These sites also use another term, "secret ID", which is the portion of the ID that isn't visible and consists of the high 16 bits of the 32-bit ID number.
- The 50% increase in an attack's effectiveness if it shares a type with its user's types is often called "Same Type Attack Bonus" or "STAB". This term is not used in the games and is mentioned only in passing in the In-Depth Guides.
- The effects of Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Stealth Rock, as well as the moves themselves, are sometimes known as "entry hazards." ("During effect, whenever an opposing Pokémon becomes active, that Pokémon...")
- Some sites that focus on so-called competitive Pokémon battling use the concept of
"tiers" to categorize Pokémon species.
The tiers are as follows:
- Uber - For Pokémon species that cause significant imbalance in the metagame due to their power. Many so-called "legendary Pokémon", as well as Wynaut and Wobbuffet, among others, belong to this tier.
- Overused - For Pokémon species that are found very often in the metagame. Most competitive battles allow only Pokémon species of this tier and below.
- Borderline - For Pokémon species that are found less often in the metagame but cause imbalance if they were placed in the Underused tier.
- Underused - For Pokémon species that are found less often in the metagame.
- Neverused - For Pokémon species that are practically never found in the metagame.
- Not Fully Evolved - For Pokémon species with a higher evolutionary form. This excludes species in the Underused tier and above.
