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January 2023

Pokémon Battling Basics: Everything you need to know… to know your Pokémon!

If you, like me, have spent the majority of your Pokémon game time playing as intended, then once you reached adolescence, the games became pretty easy (not necessarily less fun!). So, you probably didn’t learn how the game mechanics for battling actually work. And, let me tell you, when you impose these hard mode rules, all of these mechanics become so clear! It’s such a fantastic moment and makes me appreciate the game designers so much more. So, let’s go over the basics of how to assess your Pokémon and get better at battling.

Typing

If you are attempting a Nuzlocke, you should at least know this. Make sure to double-check any changes based on the version you are playing!

Moves, Damage, and Stat Stages

Attack Moves: A quick note that attack moves are either physical or special. In newer games there is an icon that visually shows the difference. All I need to say here is MAKE SURE YOUR MOVES ALIGN WITH YOUR STATS. A higher power special move (like Ice Beam at 90 power) on a physical attacker (like Gyarados) will do LESS damage than a lower power physical move (like Ice Fang 65) because of the stat distribution.

Stat Stages (move buffs and nerfs): During battle all non-HP stat stages begin at 0, however they can range in-battle from -6 to +6. When you use a move that effects the Stat Stage (i.e. Swords Dance), you will get a message like “[Pokémon’s] [stat] rose!” that’s +1 or “…. greatly rose” that’s +2 or “…. rose drastically!” that’s +3. On the flip side, fell is -1, greatly fell is -2, and severely fell is -3. These stat changes don’t directly translate to damage, but roughly effect the damage by 1/4x to 4x respectively.

Stat changes go away if the Pokemon is switch out or the battle ends (unless you use a move like Baton Pass). Some moves like Haze can reset all stat changes as well.

Critical Hit: Depending on the generation, ranges from 1.5x to 2x damage. This can be affected by stat stages and screens (like light screen) or status (like burn).

STAB: Same Type Attack Bonus. If the move shares a typing with your Pokémon, then the moves power receives a 1.5x boost in power. This is why a lower power STAB move can do more damage than a higher power non-STAB move in battle.

Stats

So, let’s talk about the Stats on the Pokémon and then how they can be manipulated during battle:

  • HP: Or “Hit Points”, this is the amount of damage your Pokémon can sustain before feinting. It’s that red bar with the numbers underneath it.
  • Attack: This is perhaps better known as physical attack. You will notice in the newer Pokémon games that there is a symbol for each attack that delineates whether a move is physical or special attack. This stat effects how much damage is done from a physical attack move.
  • Defense: Partially determines how much damage is sustained from physical attack moves.
  • Special Attack: This stat determines the amount of damage done by special attack moves.
  • Special Defense: Partially determines how much damage is sustained from special attack moves.
  • Speed: Helps determine which Pokémon moves first.

Each Pokemon has a set of “base” stats which are then improved upon with each subsequent level.

In-Battle Stats

  • Evasion: Likelihood of avoiding a Pokémon’s move. Stat begins at 100% at the start of battle.
  • Accuracy: Likelihood of hitting another Pokémon with your move. Stat begins at 100% at the start of battle.

Note that depending on the generation (Gen I only had one special stat for instance), these definitions can change, so make sure to double check.

A note on Speed: Every Pokémon move has a hidden “Priority” value rated from +5 to -7. The majority of moves are set to 0. So, in these cases, the faster Pokémon moves first. If both Pokemon are tied for Priority and Speed stat, then the selection is random. There are moves, abilities, and held items that can affect Priority. Such as Ice Shard (+1), Prankster (status moves), and Quick Claw.

Natures

Every time you catch a Pokémon, it roles a nature. This is recorded in the summary of the Pokemon. In early games, it wasn’t clear what these meant aside from some nice flavor text. However, in newer games (like Shining Pearl) there are visual cues such as up and down colored arrows.

So, why do natures’ matter?

Natures boost one of five stats and decrease another. By 10% to be precise. For example, the Mild nature will increase Special Attach and decrease Defense. Based on what you read above about base stats, you want a nature that plays into the natural strengths of your Pokémon. Let’s look at Gyarados as an example. Gyarados In Shining Pearl, Gyarados’ base stats are as follows:

  • HP 95
  • Attack 125
  • Defense 79
  • Special Attack 60
  • Special Defense 100
  • Speed 81

What we would want is to increase our physical Attack. Pokémon typically stick with one type of attack making the other useless, in this case Special Attack. In that case, we want an Adament nature because it will increase Attack and Decrease Special Attack. Or, a close second is Jolly, which increases Speed and decreases Special Attack!

The nice thing is that once you have a nature that works, you set it and forget it!

Abilities (Hidden and Visible)

Each Pokémon has an ability that is listed on the Pokémon Summary. Generation V and after (including some of the remakes and whatnot) introduced Hidden Abilities. Those are too complicated for a basics section, so don’t worry about them.

However, you should care about your Pokémon’s visible ability.

While abilities won’t be game altering, they will fundamentally change how your Pokémon works. Let’s take a look at the abilities of my Shining Pearl team:

  • Empoleon: Torrent (Powers up Water-type moves when the Pokémon’s HP is low )
  • Gyarados: Intimidate (lower the foes attack stat by one stage)
  • Lucario: Inner Focus (Protects the Pokémon from flinching)
  • Abomasnow: Snow Warning (Summons a Hailstorm when it enters battle)
  • Crobat: Inner Focus (Protects the Pokémon from flinching)
  • Staraptor: Intimidate (lower the foes attack stat by one stage)

When you are playing a Nuzlocke, the difference between one stage of an attack stat can mean surviving one more attack. Or, when you intentionally swap in a Pokémon with levitate when you know a ground move is coming. The ability becomes another tool for you to take into consideration while battling.

IVs and EVs

Individual Values, or IVs, can cause two of the same Pokémon to have different stats. Every stat has an IV range from 0 to 31. These cannot be changed, but in most games you can find an NPC who will hint at the IV ranges. Also, in some games, there is flavor text in the summary that reveals the highest IV stat. Basically, you can max them out with breeding and a lot of effort, but there really isn’t an incentive to control for IVs in a Nuzlocke, this is moslty for competitive PvP players. I really like this answer!

Effort Values, or EVs, are gained from battling. The type of EV you gain is dependent on the stat makeup of the Pokémon you battle (a Geodude will give defense EVs, whereas a Gengar will give Sp. Attack). So, to max out, you just have to keep battling. You can have a total of 510 EVs, but only 255 in one stat (4 points equals one stat point). Or you can eat your vitamins! Each vitamin provides 10 in a given EV stat (up to the first 100 points of an EV stat). More details here. Again, too much trouble and time for a Nuzlocke in my opinion. I do think this is important general knowledge because some difficult battles (like the Elite 4 in Shining Pearl) will have competitive EV and IV spreads, so you need to know this going in!

Status Effects & Problems

Okay, most people know what status effects and problems do, so I am just going to list some things I didn’t know as added effects.

  • Burn: Your physical attack halves!
  • Sleep: Lasts 2-5 turns.
  • Paralysis: 25% chance to be “fully paralyzed” and not attack. Your speed is also cut down to 25%.
  • Poison: There is a difference between poison inflicted by Toxic, which progressively gets worse over time.

Status Problems on the other hand go away once the Pokémon switches out of battle. Multiple Status Problems can be inflicted on one Pokémon, but only one Status Effect.

  • Confusion: 50% chance of hurting yourself. The damage inflicted is your own Attack against your own Defense stat. Lasts 2-5 turns.

Held Items

As you progress throughout the game you will acquire items that you can give to your Pokémon, each with varying effects and usefulness. You should never enter difficult fights without an item equipped. Some are better than others and some only work well (or at all) with some types of Pokemon. The most common held items are berries and permanent items. I will outline items that are thought of by most to be useful and why!

  • Leftovers: Heals 1/16th of your overall HP per turn. Easily the most common item in competitive play and always a welcome addition to almost and Pokémon. You can snatch these in most games from Munchlax! Shell Bell is the best substitute, though it is much worse as it only heals when you land an attack.
  • Lum Berry: Heals any Status Effect.
  • Chesto Berry: Heals the Sleep Status Effect. Great for Pokémon who use Rest.
  • Scope Lens: Increase Critical Hit probability. Pairing this with the right ability can get you to 50% crit chance per attack!
  • Quick Claw: 10% chance of going first.
  • Brightpowder: 20% chance of evading your opponent’s attack.
  • Choice Specs: Multiplies your Special Attack stat 1.5x. You can only use one move until you switch out.
  • Choice Band: Multiplies your Attack stat 1.5x. You can only use one move until you switch out.
  • Focus Sash: Essentially gives you the ability Sturdy, so you can’t be one-hit KO. Fun fact is that this is used in the infamous Ratatta strategy!

For my Nuzlocke, I used Choice Specs (on Empoleon), Poison Barb (on Crobat), Icy Rock (on Abomasnow), Fist Plate (on Lucario), Leftovers (on Gyarados), and Razor Claw (on Staraptor).

Makes you appreciate the depth of Pokémon mechanics a bit more now, doesn’t it? 🙂