Pokémon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire FAQ/Walkthrough

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Introduction

Hello, and welcome to my first 3DS FAQ in a good, long while (although I kept working on it and refining it regularly throughout the summer and fall). This FAQ covers the latest release in the mainstream Pokémon series, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire.

Pokémon OR/AS are remakes of the 2002/2003 releases Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire, released around 11 years ago for the GameBoy Advance, opening Generation III for the series as well. They are two particular games that I have a lot of emotion tied to. For one thing, Pokémon Sapphire was the first Pokémon game I ever owned. I played through it so many times back then as a mere elementary schooler. (For reference, I am now 18 and a senior in high school - I've been playing Pokémon for about ten years now.) It was even the first time I ended up completing the Pokédex, a feat I never recompleted without the aid of cheat devices until much later, when Pokémon X/Y was released. It was quite a time, too, especially when I expanded onto Pokémon XD and to - my favorite series (what, surprised? =P) - Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, the first game that ever truly made me bawl out from the emotional qualities of the storyline. I have a lot of attachment to the Pokémon series...

... and it all began here, with Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire some ten years ago. I have evolved, as you could say, from a child, ignorant of games beyond Final Fantasy and Mario, to one who has played (and FAQed!) all of the mainstream Pokémon games, and many side ones. Because of my playing of Pokémon Green (Pocket Monsters Midori), I was more mentally capable to expand into the Japan-only games I now write FAQs for on the GameBoy and NES and other consoles with a relative regularity. I was able to expand my mind even further beyond the "babyish" - trust me, I say that VERY sarcastically - Pokémon games to a variety of JRPGs like Shin Megami Tensei, the Tales of... games, and Romancing SaGa...

... and it all began here. I think you get the picture: I have a lot of attachment and thanks to give to the Pokémon series, all thanks to Ruby and Sapphire. Now, just 13 months after the release of Pokémon X/Y, we finally have another game to replay in stunning 3D! Sure, it may not be the best (HeartGold and SoulSilver still take that title), and I'm more than a bit skeptical of playing this after the blunder X/Y provided, but I am nonetheless more eager than ever before to write an FAQ for a game. With this FAQ, I hope to finally come out of my shell and pull all of the stops - not simply to navigate you through the game if you're a casual player, but to also be able to explain the more in-depth stuff like EVs and IVs and all sorts of competition-essential info if you plan on getting into a competitive state to provide that rarely-given "step up" that divides the amateurs from the pros. The best of both worlds, so to speak - no one here will be utilizing everything altogether, but everything here will be something someone looks at once!

All of my mindless babbling aside, I hope you enjoy my FAQ as you refamiliarize yourself with Hoenn!

Basics of the Game

A Must-Read Before the Basics

When you use the Basics section, keep in mind what it entails: there is a LOT on that Table of Contents, a lot of competitively-relevant info. I mostly chose to include a few of the following sections on the Controls and Save Data for the sake of their common usage: people tend to look these things up most often for whatever reason. That aside, most of the other stuff - like how to operate menus and the like - is in the game's e-manual.

What this section does is operate on a different level. These sections will mostly analyze the game from one of three aspects: the mechanical aspect (such as the formulas for damage), the competitive aspect (playing Pokémon very well against other well-versed players), and a mixture thereof. If you do not plan on playing against other people competitively or do not plan on playing in the Battle Maison for extended periods of time, do not bother using those sections. I have gotten complaints regarding the length of the Basics section on the whole, so I feel the need for you to remember that this section is not required reading unless you want to understand various mechanical/strategic aspects of the game (or view a little trivia). If you plan to play the game only to play the game, you'll be better off consulting the e-manual than this guide for the basic info.

I do, of course, provide a Walkthrough that will help walk you through the game's plot, step by step, without this mechanic info.

Controls

Note that some functions can be delegated to the Touch Screen or gyro sensors as well.

Save Data & Erasure

This section mostly concerns the use of the save file. As has been tradition in the Pokémon series - even to this day, for unconceivable reasons (especially when much older games allowed hundreds) - Pokémon OR/AS only have one save file per cartridge or eShop download. (The original reason from the Generation I releases was so as to be able to name any Pokémon you get, just as an FYI.) That file is saved whenever you choose to in the field, and only when you choose to (barring the end credits and a few other instances). Thus, first and foremost, the main thing is to save often: usually, every town suffices for non-post-game stuff. After all, you don't want to get stuck in a Gym battle as your 3DS/2DS hits a very low battery, and possibly dies, and you haven't saved, right...?

The main reason for this section, really, is for those buying used copies of the game, as I get a lot of questions regarding this some months after the game's release. (Yes, even though it is in the e-manual for the game. >_>) In older Pokémon games - Ruby, Sapphire, and the other GBA games going back - it would be a simple task to start a new game and save: simply save on the new file! However, some file protection has been made so that it doesn't happen as often by little kids playing games or people screwing with you or the like; Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are included in this.

To delete the current file (so that you may start and save a new game), hold Up, B, and X as the game starts up from the Home Menu. Directions will then appear on-screen.

Changes Since Ruby/Sapphire

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, as one could probably guess, are the remakes of the GBA games Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Versions, released some eleven or twelve years ago in 2002-2003, depending on whether you live in Japan or not. (The latter, since most of you likely don't.) Obviously, a number of changes have been made to the Pokémon formula since then. Since some of these may not be obvious to those having not played Pokémon since (or even as recent as Black/White), I feel the need to iterate some. Here ya go!

(If you've played Pokémon X/Y completely, most of these are already known to you, I'm sure, and you shouldn't need this for anything.)

• Mirage Spots: These are places you can reach up in the skies by Soaring on Latias or Latios. The exact details aren't known quite yet, but, in essence, you can be able to catch legendary Pokémon in these areas: so many that you'll be able to complete your legendary collection -- minus a few that aren't needed for the Pokédex diplomas, which means no event legendaries -- with just Pokémon X, Y, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire, and really just one of those if you can trade well!

• Soaring: This is a new method of travel in which the player rides on the back of Latias or Latios. It mimicks the use of the Bicycle in X/Y, since the gridular system of movement was removed (though you can use it with the D-Pad and the like: you can just also circumvent it if desired), but, y'know, it's cooler and lets you reach those aforementioned Mirage Places.

• Horde Trainer Battles: This is an expansion of the Horde Battle concept introduced in Pokémon X/Y. Like those, these battles are you versus five Pokémon, this time each Pokémon being owned by a Trainer. For the most part, the strategies and tactics remain the same: use widespreading moves, etc. The main significance of this addition is that it was expanded onto Trainers, that's about it. Still pretty cool.

• New Pokémon!: With the release of Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire, there were 386 Pokémon in the National Pokédex. In OR/AS, there are now 721 (719 of which were available by the release of this game), a whopping 335 (87%) more!

• New Formes!: Now it's not only Deoxys who can have multiple different Formes! Going as far back as Diamond/Pearl (2007), other Pokémon could have a number of different Formes that change their abilities and prowess. Some are merely superficial and used for differentiation - such as how female Pikachus have heart-shaped tails - and some are more critical - like the Deoxys or Rotom Formes. Getting up to speed on these may be helpful in deciding what you do when someone decides to Wonder Trade you one of those Pokémon, Rotom in particular. =P See this section for some of the details.

• A New Type: Fairy!: Every now and then, Game Freak decides to add a new type to the Pokémon formula to create some variety. With Gold/Silver around 1999 or so, they added Dark and Steel to the then-15 types to make 17. In X/Y in 2013, they added one more, Fairy. This type is weak to Poison and Steel, and is advantageous over Dark and Dragon. There are a number of new Fairy Pokémon - such as Florges, Sylveon, and Xerneas - though a few old favorites also became Fairy - such as Wigglytuff, Gardevoir, and Azumarill.

• Steel is Nerfed!: The type Steel also lost its resistances to Dark and Ghost with X/Y's release in 2013, lessening the defensive overpoweredness of the Steel type. This in particular affected the popular Metagross, who is now weak to Dark and Ghost.

• New Abilities!: Going as far back as the release of Pokémon Black/White (2011), Pokémon could have an additional "Hidden" Ability in most cases. In some cases, such as the Regi Pokémon in Hoenn, these are still unreleased but programmed in ... for some reason, don't ask me. In any case, this Hidden Ability often can only be brought out through particular Pokémon breeding techniques, but the benefits can be great. Speed Boost Blaziken, for example, is much better than Blaze Blaziken.

• New Items!: A number of new items have been added to the Pokémon formula since Ruby and Sapphire, particularly those added in Diamond/Pearl which were very relevant to the competitive Pokémon metagame (like Choice items and Focus Sashes). The Items Listings section has it all.

• TMs Have Changed!: They now can be used an infinite number of times! There's also 100 TMs, not 50!

• Mega Evolution!: The ability to Mega Evolve a Pokémon is as recent as the release of Pokémon X/Y (2013). It allows you to evolve a Pokémon mid-battle for only that battle; it must hold a species-specific item to Mega Evolve as well, and you must have the Mega Bracelet (in this game). The advantages to Mega Evolution always include stat boosts, and sometimes even changes types or abilities. This in turn can dramatically alter your battle strategy. Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, and plain ol' Charizard, for example, all require VERY different tactics to use successfully. =D There are nearly 50 Mega Evolutions, too, and about double those available in Pokémon X/Y.

• Primal Reversions!: A special kind of Mega Evolution, really, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are the first to allow Primal Reversions, which can only occur with two Pokémon, whose names I will not spoil ... at least in this section. Primal Reversions are counted as separate from Mega Evolutions, so you can have a Mega Pokémon in addition to a Primal Pokémon.

• New Battle Types!: In Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire, you could only do two types of battles: Single and Double Battles, as well as the four-person variant of Doubles known as Multi Battles. By the release of Black/White in 2011, we added two more types of battles: Triple Battles and Rotation Battles. Triple Battles are like Doubles, but now three Pokémon are active per side; Rotation is like Singles, but you can do an instant switch to one of your two other Pokémon on the field and also have them still move. These also created a number of new characteristics for moves, notably "Long Range". X/Y in 2013 also introduced Horde Battles, Sky Battles (Flying/floating Pokémon only), and Inverse Battles (reverse type resistances/weaknesses).

• Shiny Pokémon Rarity: A few of the lucky among you may have encountered a Shiny Pokémon on Pokémon R/S: it is a rare Pokémon who has a different-looking sprite. (For example, Shiny Treecko is cyan/red, and Shiny Torchic is largely gold, and Shiny Mudkip is pinkish.) These Pokémon are exceedingly rare, at least back then: the odds were 1 in 8,192. Now, they are 1 in 4,096 (doubled), and can be further increased through various methods. The change of rate was introduced as early as Pokémon X/Y.

• The Player Search System (PSS)!: The Player Search System, or PSS, is a more convenient method to the tedium of linking up and battling with other players. Wi-Fi interaction has been the standard since Diamond/Pearl (2007), but the PSS makes it convenient by gathering it all in one interface on the Touch Screen of the console that even allows you to, for example, access the GTS from anywhere, not just by going to certain buildings and the like. It's very convenient; check your manual for all of the neat functions!

• Super Training!: Competitive players will love this, and maybe even those of you beginning the game, too! Super Training is a convenient method of altering your EVs - Effort Value|EVs - EVs are like a "stat EXP." you can use to influence statistical growth! This kind of stuff is very critical to understand when desiring to compete against other people. Sure, Super Training is, in and of itself, not required to even touch for the main storyline, but at least it offers a number of nice rewards, like evolution stones! Check it out!

• Pokémon-Amie!: Pokémon-Amie is the third of the big interfacing changes made in X/Y: it allows interaction with your Pokémon. In over 99% of cases, this is purely for the fun of doing so: it's cute to be able to pet your Pokémon, isn't it? It creates a faux bond between you the Trainer and your Pokémon, something that would be necessary in the actual environ presented by the anime and manga. While not at all necessary in this game - unless you want to evolve Eevee into Sylveon *winks* - it's nonetheless cute. I love it. =D

• Graphics & Sound!: Needless to say, the graphics in OR/AS are now 3D and sometimes compatible with the 3DS's 3D stereoscopy (though you don't get the 3D effects on the 2DS, as usual). Even if you do have a 2DS, the graphics are still MUCH better than R/S. =P Same for the sound system, too.

• The Internal Calendar: Every Pokémon game since Gold/Silver on the GBC has used an internal clock in some way to measure the time. This has had a number of side-effects; for example, in G/S it affected Pokémon encounter rates and evolution, but in R/S it could also affect the tides in Shoal Cave. There is an internal calendar and clock in OR/AS: before playing, it would be best to fiddle your 3DS/2DS such that the date and time matches the real time, because fiddling with it later can cause annoying consequences since Game Freak does not like that. At all. It will be useful in keeping up with day-specific and time-specific events by being able to reference them to your real-world time.

• Mechanical Changes: The power of some moves has been nerfed to slightly lower standards now, such as Ice Beam and its like moves, once 95 Power, are now 90 Power; similarly, the more advanced and less accurate moves of those types (such as Blizzard) are now 110, not 120, Power. There have been some slight alterations in Pokémon stats, and there are also nerfs in the power of critical hits such that they deal 50% extra damage, not double.

• The Video Game Championships!: The Video Game Championships, or VGCs, of Pokémon is a traditional world tourney held once a year since the release of Pokémon Diamond/Pearl in 2007. There are hundreds of thousands of competitively versed trainers vying for the title of World Champion and the prizes it endows on the bearer of the title, the biggest of which is bragging rights for a whole year! There are even regional competitions already set in stone for the 2014-2015 OR/AS championships! (Check http://www.pokemon.com/ for details as they come out!) Much of the extraneous info in this FAQ/Walkthrough was even designed such that you would be able to be ready for the VGCs on some level: granted, some of it is definitely subjective, but nonetheless provides that nice step up to the competitive level from slaying the AI -- and it is a big step, trust me.

• Other Tournaments Online!: Don't want to travel a few hundred miles to a championship you don't feel you'll win? That's cool, we all understand that. There's also a number of tournaments Game Freak hosts through the Battle Spot on Pokémon OR/AS, so long as you have a good Wi-Fi broadband internet connection and a Trainer Club account (you can sign up for one at http://www.pokemon.com/, though you'll do the sign-ups for tourneys from the Pokémon Global Link, http://3ds.pokemon-gl.com). These tournaments can often be very fun and interesting; just before the release of OR/AS, for example, we had a tourney where you could only use Ghost types! (It was Halloween-themed. =P) While they rarely emulate the VGC environment, there are other Battle Spot options that let you compete against others, and even track your rankings in those on the PGL, so there are options there to at least get you ready.

I think that covers all of the major ones that aren't plot-motivated. I think you all are caught up to speed if you haven't played a recent Pokémon game, then, huh? Okay, then, let's get rolling.

Important Terms & Definitions

Pokémon is itself a very technical game. While we will get deeper into these technicalities in other sections of this conglomerate of "basics" and in the various appendices, it would be first be most prudent to give you, the readers, a quick list of what will be referred to throughout the guide. Those familiar with the competitive scene of Pokémon need no real introduction to most of these terms, and most having played Pokémon in general will only need to give this a quick glance at times; however, everyone else should give this section at least a decent read-over, especially those of you who are new to Pokémon. There are several definitions here some of you may find surprising and in themselves immensely helpful to understanding Pokémon in general, and by far much more in-depth than what the game will likely ever yield unto you. >_>

In any case, if you think something else should be added here, feel free to e-mail me.

• #HKO: Indicates a KO (defeat) in # hits. For example, 1HKO (sometimes OHKO) implies a one-hit win.

• Ability: Every Pokémon has 1 to 3 Abilities it may have, although only one is active at any given time. They are normally set-in from the time of encounter or hatching, although you can use Ability Capsules to change the non-Hidden Abilities of a Pokémon so long as it has two such Abilities. An Ability is a trait that a Pokémon has that gives it some kind of advantage or disadvantage in battle: some allow for extra damage, some reduce damage, some allow avoidance of attacks... The list goes on. Pokémon may also have a Hidden Ability (sometimes "HA") that can be brought about only in certain situations, most often specialized breeding The EVs section has details on every Ability, and the Pokémon Breeding section can tell you how to breed Pokémon for their Hidden Abilities.

• Accuracy: The preset hit rate each move has for itself that determines how likely it is to hit. In general, this can be seen as a percentage: for example, Stone Edge has 80 Accuracy so it could be seen as having an 80% hit rate. A move with a 100% hit rate is generally always going to hit. However, this is only when you assume that your accuracy has not been changed by certain moves or your foe's evasion. Certain moves - usually status moves, but a niche few others - will ignore accuracy and evasion entirely, and always hit.

• Affection: Affection is a statistic given to Pokémon during the usage of Pokémon-Amie. For the most part I wouldn't include it here, but there is one special confusion most people seem to have about this stat: AFFECTION IS NOT EQUIVALENT TO A POKEMON'S HAPPINESS. End of story. Affection denotes how affectionate they are towards you in regards to Pokémon-Amie, and Pokémon-Amie alone. This would normally seem insignifcant to note here, but misconceptions have occurred regarding it. If you mix up the definitions of Affection and Happiness, you'll notice a number of Pokémon evolutions not happening, a Footprint Ribbon never being earned as it should, and the damage of Return or Frustration being unusually low in either regard. Do not mix the two up. The only Pokémon that truly benefits from Pokémon-Amie in terms of evolution is Eevee when it is evolving into Sylveon.

• Attack (Atk.): Attack is one of the stats a Pokémon can have. Attack will affect the damage dealt by certain moves: that is, physical moves. Physical moves are those that are designated as such by the game: you can use the Move List - Battle Details section to check whether a move is Physical, Special, or Status in Class. Physical moves will use the user's Attack and the target's Defense in most cases to calculate damage.

• Base Stat (sometimes "BS" or "base"): Base stats are used to indicate the general prowess of a Pokémon in a particular stat. Base stats can range from 1 to 255 in a given stat. For most people, a base value of 110+ indicates that the Pokémon is good in that stat, though it all relates back to the Trainer's own strategy. In any case, the higher a base stat, the better for the user.

• Base Stat Total (BST): The total of a Pokémon's base stats, used to communicate its general prowess. Depending on the Pokémon, however, its actual strategic value may be skewed because of certain high base stats. For example, Shuckle's base 230 in Defense and Sp. Def. really skews it BST up somewhat higher than its actual strategic value would indicate (almost no one really uses it).

• Blue Pentagon: The term "blue pentagon" in reference to Pokémon refers to the blue pentagon found on some Pokémon's status screens. This blue pentagon indicates that this Pokémon was born on Pokémon X, Y, Omega Ruby, or Alpha Sapphire as of this writing. This, to the general player, is relative assurance that the Pokémon is not hacked, as hacking methods for Pokémon are MUCH more prevalent on prior games. That said, it does not mean the Pokémon is not hacked: methods for cheating in Pokémon are very much available even on modern entries, though the prevalence is little right now. Blue pentagon Pokémon are typically allowed into the various tourneys and the like on these games. Conversely to this definition, Pokémon without a blue pentagon are born on Pokémon Black/White 2 or earlier games, having been brought over by Pokémon Bank/Poké Transporter, and are usually not allowed in such tourneys or other official compeetition.

• Catch Rate: A hidden charateristic of all Pokémon that helps to determine how likely you are to catch it, ranging from 1 to 255 (where 255 is best for you). See the Pokémon Capture section for some more details.

• Class: Class is an attribute given to moves: it determines the move's own nature and what stats its damage is based on. There are three classes: Physical, Special, and Status. Physical moves usually are based on the user's Attack and the target's Defense; Special moves are usually based on the user's Sp. Atk. and the target's Sp. Def.; and Status moves use neither, but instead affect various other things.

• Contact: Contact is a characteristic of moves that will determine whether the user actually touches the target. This usually has no use. However, there are certain applications of it, such as contact attackers possibly being paralyzed by Pikachu's Static ability.

• Critical Hit (a.k.a. Critical or just Crit): An attack that does 50% more damage than normal. When an attack is critical, it will be openly declared as such by the game. Most moves have an initial critical-hit rate of 1/16 (6.25%), but this can be raised through various means. Also take note that critical hits will ignore the boosts in Defenses of the target and the decrements of the user's Attack (barring items/abilities/field conditions/Burn), and will also bypass Light Screen and Reflect.

• Defense (Def.): Defense is one of the stats a Pokémon can have. Defense will affect the damage dealt by certain moves: that is, physical moves. Physical moves are those that are designated as such by the game: you can use the Move List - Battle Details section to check whether a move is Physical, Special, or Status in Class. Physical moves will use the user's Attack and the target's Defense in most cases to calculate damage.

• Double Battle: A battle between two people in which each has two Pokémon out at the same time. Under typical online battle rules and certain other rulesets, you must use four Pokémon total per side. This isn't the case for most in-game battles, though.

• Effort Value (EV): Effort Values, or EVs, are much like EXP. for your stats: they can help determine stat growth in easy-to-understand manners. Each Pokémon will give off a predetermined, constant set of EVs to the wielder to one or more of its six stats when you defeat it in battle. It would be best to see the EVs - Effort Values section for the full thing.

• Entry Hazards: Entry hazards, or just "hazards", are moves that do not intend to inflict damage on the Pokémon immediately seen on the field, but those that come after it. Stealth Rocks and Spikes, for example, will deal damage to the Pokémon owned by the foe that switch in. This has very serious implications at times. See Entry Hazards for more.

• Event Pokémon: Event Pokémon are those only given out by Nintendo, Game Freak, or certain other third parties (in particular, GameStop and its subsidaries lately) in real life. Common Pokémon for this include special Shiny Pokémon (i.e. the Shiny Gengar given out in October 2014), those with otherwise illegal moves (i.e. the Pikachu that can Surf and Fly), those that just have special Formes (e.g. the Pokéball-Pattern and Fancy Pattern Vivillons from X/Y), Mew, Celebi, Jirachi, Deoxys, Shaymin, Darkrai, Arceus, Victini, Meloetta, Genesect, Diancie, Hoopa, and Volcanion: in general, these Pokémon cannot be obtained in the games at all, and must be obtained by getting it at those particular events or trading with someone who did get one from the same. There are other means for Event Pokémon to be distributed, too, such as the Pokémon Bank Celebi and the Black/White launch Victini, and it doesn't have to be restricted to these legendaries: other Pokémon with certain special characteristics are often distributed. Japan and Korea get most of these distributions, too. In any case, I would recommend checking Bulbanews (http://bulbanews.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Front_page) or Serebii (http://www.serebii.net/) regularly for details on these events.

• Evolution: When a Pokémon meets certain conditions - usually reaching a certain level, though the methods vary - the Pokémon will evolve. This is usually accompanied by stat boosts, a better set of moves to learn, and so on. The exact conditions for evolution for every Pokémon can be seen in the Pokémon Evolutions section.

• Experience Points (EXP.): When a Pokémon defeats another in battle, it will earn EXP. By earning enough EXP., the Pokémon will level up and become stronger.

• Forme (sometimes incorrectly as "Form"): Some Pokémon have two or more different Formes. The actual purpose of having different Formes can vary. For example, with Pikachu and Venusaur, it is merely a visual thing. However, with Rotom, Giratina, Aegislash, Arceus, and Mega Pokémon in general, the choice of one Forme over another can have drastic consequences on the flow of battle. Formes can cause changes in stats or abilities or even type, so be sure to experiment!

• Gender: Whether a Pokémon is male or female. If it is male, it will have a blue circle with an up-right-pointing arrow in its status screen. If female, it will have a pink circle and a down-pointing cross in its status screen. Pokémon without a gender (or an identified one) will have neither. This usually isn't important, except for breeding and certain Pokémon evolutions.

• Gym Badge: The mark that you have conquered a Pokémon Gym, these will allow you to use certain HMs in the field at times, but otherwise only serve a signatory purpose. Your goal is to collect all eight, one per Gym in the region.

• Hack: A term used to describe the process of cheating; in this context, so someone can get a Pokémon they otherwise cannot get, or at least get a Pokémon they are either too lazy to get or to get accurately. There are various means of doing this; typically, Action Replays and GameSharks in the past. Powersaves and Pokégen are the thing these last few years. (See: "legal", "legit", "illegal")

• Happiness: An unseen value measured from 0 to 255, it measures just how happy the Pokémon is and how friendly it is towards you. This is unimportant in most instances, except certain evolutions and the power of the moves Return and Frustration. This stat is slowly augmented as the Pokémon is in your party for an extended period of time, as you use items on them, and as you battle using them. The process is quickened with the holding of the Soothe Bell. But one important thing must be noted ... HAPPINESS IS NOT THE SAME AS THE AFFECTION STAT IN POKEMON-AMIE! Happiness is a completely unseen stat, only signified by you earning a Footprint Ribbon on the Pokémon when it has maxed Happiness. Affection is very visible, but - aside from a few in-game benefits and the evolution of Eevee to Sylveon - nigh useless and simply a symbolic stat if anything.

• Hidden Machine (HM): One a very few special TMs that can teach Pokémon moves that can also be used in the field, like Cut (to cut down trees) and Surf (to cross water). You will need most of these to progress through the game.

• Hit Points (HP): This refers to a Pokémon's health. HP can go down via a number of means, primarily attacks though certain weather conditions and ailments and even the Pokémon's own moves can also cause loss of HP. As HP is above 50%, the HP bar is green; from 50% to 25%, it is yellow; and from 25% down it is red. These colors indicate the danger the Pokémon's health is in: when it hits 0 HP, the Pokémon is fainted and cannot act, except for the use of HMs in the field. Be sure to keep Pokémon healed with Potions and the like!

• HM Slave: A Pokémon owned for the sole purpose - at least for the most part - of using HMs. By distributing all of your needed HM moves to a single Pokémon or two, you greatly diversify the main movepool of the others you do use, but at the same time it costs you in overall team variety. It's a give-and-take system; ideally, you'll learn to distribute HMs throughout the team, but it's more than manageable to slave some Pokémon. Common Pokémon in the past have included Zigzagoon and Bidoof's evolutionary chains.

• Hold Item: An item that is intended to be held by a Pokémon to derive its benefits. See the Items Listings section for more.

• Horde Battle: A type of battle introduced in Pokémon X/Y and furthered in Pokémon OR/AS. This is a battle in which you have one Pokémon out (though can use up to six total), which will be fighting five Pokémon at once! As compensation, these Pokémon usually are lower-leveled than your own or other Pokémon in the area by a significant amount; however, these Pokémon can still be a big threat seeing as how there are five of them and just one of you. Even if they're half-strength, five half-strength hits is still 250% damage. This was expanded on with Pokémon OR/AS where you can fight Horde Battles against Trainers: the logic is applied, but you will obviously get money for winning. The general strategies are to use multi-target moves - Heat Wave, Surf, Earthquake, Discharge, Sludge Wave, etc. - to hit multiple Pokémon and take them out faster. Some Pokémon Trainers will also use Horde Battles for quick EV-training.

• Illegal: A Pokémon who is described as having something it cannot normally, not even under known Nintendo Event distributions, have. This Pokémon has obviously been hacked in some way such that it has things it cannot have, which implies that the original trainer of the Pokémon is a cheater. There are various ways of checking whether a Pokémon is illegal or not via legitimacy checkers: I'd just Google "Pokémon legitimacy checker" if you're unsure.

• Individual Value (IV): Individual Values, or IVs, are like a DNA stat growth mechanic: once you have the IVs set on a Pokémon, they will not be changed. IVs help mostly to determine stat growth and the type of the move Hidden Power. If you see someone on a forum or PSS mentioning something about a "1V", "2V", "3V", "4V", "5V", or "6V" Pokémon, then they refer to the fact that the Pokémon has this-many IVs set at "perfect" values, or 31. (Also-used terms include "#-IV", "perfect IV" (IV at 31) and "perfect Pokémon" (same as 6V).) For more data on what these stats do, see IVs - Individual Values.

• Inverse Battle: An Inverse Battle is one in which the resistances and immunities of a Pokémon become its weaknesses, and its weaknesses become its resistances. For example, normally Water is super-effective to Fire, but now it is half-damage; normally Grass is half-damage against Fire, now it is double-damage. Inverse Battles tend to use a Singles Battle format, in which there is one player per side using one Pokémon at a time; tournaments and the like will usually restrict each player to three Pokémon as well.

• Item: An item in the Pokémon series has one of two uses, generally: to be used for an immediate effect, or to be held by a Pokémon for an in-battle use of some sort. See the Items Listings section for more.

• Legal / Legit: A term used to describe a Pokémon that is actually obtainable in the game under whatever circumstances are known about it. In other words, it has an Ability it can have, it has moves it can have, its EVs are not exceeding any limits, it has its proper stats, it was found in a place where it can be found (since the game stores location data)... The list goes on. Legitimacy checkers - typically those in Pokémon Bank - are very thorough in this checking to make sure a Pokémon is actually not hacked: because if it was hacked, then it would likely be different from these in some way. In all honesty, it's better not to cheat, or at least cheat very thoroughly. Using clearly-hacked Pokémon in the VGCs, for example, will boot you from the competition outright. More on this subject is in this section.

• Legendary Pokémon: A Pokémon whose in-game plot creates some kind of god-like aura about it. For example, Arceus is known as the Pokémon God because he created the universe, therefore he is a legendary Pokémon; Mew is known as the ancestor of most modern Pokémon and can learn any move desired, and therefore is a legendary Pokémon; Groudon is known as the one who rose the continents, and therefore is a legendary Pokémon. A Legendary Pokémon has a storyline behind it that often is the focus of a single game or of a special Nintendo Event, or sometimes even the subject of one of the Pokémon anime's movies. Many times, these Pokémon are strong -- however, do not confuse the label of Legendary Pokémon with strength or strategic validity! Mew, Celebi, and Jirachi, for example, are considered legendary, but they are not particularly strong: it's the plot behind them driving that "legendary" label. Strategic viability and stats usually determine how good a Pokémon is: I can easily beat Mew, Celebi, and Jirachi with non-legendary Pokémon, moreso than the other legends. Another example is how the site Smogon has classed Blaziken - a starter Pokémon - into its "Ubers" tier, a tier largely populated by legendary Pokémon, whereas those I just named are in the "UU" ("underused") tier, two tiers below.

• Level (originally "L", now "Lv."): The general level of a Pokémon's strength. It rises as EXP. is earned, and can range from 1 to 100, where 100 is the strongest that the Pokémon can get.

• Long Range: This is a characteristic of moves that applies only to Triple Battles: it determines whether the move can travel from one Pokémon at the far side to another at the far side. For example, if your Pokémon is at the far left and your move is Long Range, then you can hit the target at the far right (from your viewpoint).

• Mega Evolution: Mega Evolution of Pokémon is a characteristic that came about with the release of Pokémon X/Y in 2013. Essentially, only one Pokémon can Mega Evolve per Trainer per battle. The main intent of Mega Evolution is to take advantage of a Forme of a Pokémon that is stronger in some way and may also have a new Ability and type. Most Pokémon will gain stat boosts when Mega Evolving and Mega Evolution will occur - for all intents and purposes - at the start of the turn, meaning the user can make advantage of all these changes immediately. (Speed changes are the exception: for the turn on which on the Pokémon Mega Evolves, their Speed will be considered the same as pre-Mega.) Mega Evolution can only happen so long as you wield the Mega Bangle (or other such items that allow Mega Evolution, depending on the game) and the Pokémon you have on the field is holding its species's Mega Stone. Plus, that Mega Stone cannot be lifted off your Pokémon by your foe, so no need to worry about them stealing it. ;)

• Move: An attack a Pokémon can use. Most moves are used to deal damage in some way, and others can be used to boost stats or affect statuses, and many of both kinds have additional special affects. See the Move List - Battle Details for more regarding their usage in combat, and Move List - Contest Details for their usage in Pokémon Contests.

• Multi Battle: A battle between four people, two per team. Each person sends out one Pokémon, so that each team at the same time will normally have two Pokémon out on the field. Each person contributes two Pokémon to the battle, meaning each team has a total of four Pokémon. If a partner's Pokémon all are lost in a Multi Battle, and the other person still has their other Pokémon, they cannot control two Pokémon at the same time. (The numerical limitations are usually not used in in-game battles.)

• Nature: A Pokémon's Nature has one singular use, really: to determine stat growth. There are 25 Natures a Pokémon can have, most causing one stat to get a 10% boost and another to lose 10%. For more, see Natures.

• Original Trainer (OT): The original owner of a Pokémon, given by their selected in-game name. This isn't a particularly important characteristic, it's just a quick identifier for who gave you what Pokémon. The main issues someone finds in regards to "Is this my Pokémon or not" involves IDs. (See: "Trainer ID & Secret ID")

• Physical: A move Class that considers the user's Attack and the target's Defense to calculate damage.

• Pokémon (a.k.a. Pocket Monster): Pokémon are the creatures who live alongside us in the world of Pokémon: as partners, as pets, as friends, as family... Pokémon are the central creatures of all Pokémon games. By catching and training Pokémon, a Pokémon Trainer proves their might both in terms of raising Pokémon and in terms of strategy. It is every Pokémon Trainer's goal to one day beat all eight Pokémon Gyms in their region and then beat the Elite Four to become Pokémon League Champion. To do that, you must learn to understand your Pokémon in every possible way.

• Pokémon Gym: There are eight Pokémon Gyms across the region, and in each lies a Gym Leader who will give their Gym Badge to someone who defeats them in battle. Each Pokémon Gym specializes in a certain type of Pokémon, and each will normally have some kind of puzzle to overcome. Your goal is to beat all eight Pokémon Gyms, and then beat the Pokémon League.

• Pokémon League: The pinnacle of Pokémon Trainers -- at least for the in-game storyline. After obtaining all eight Gym Badges, your next task is to come here. Here will lie the Elite Four and the Pokémon League Champion, the top five trainers in the region, who you must beat all in succession; by beating these five, you will prove your might as the best Trainer in the region...

• Pokémon VGCs: The true pinnacle of Pokémon Training, the Pokémon Video Game Championships, or VGCs, are held yearly, first on the regional level and then the national and worldwide levels. Many thousands of Pokémon game players will come to these events, hoping to prove their might against each as the best Trainer in the world. Winning the VGCs is much different and infinitely more difficult and intricate than playing the actual game. Much of the info in this FAQ/Walkthrough was created for the sole purpose of aiding people understand the in-depth mechanics and general strategy of Pokémon just so you may be able to make that leap from battling the AI skillfully to winning championships against other people who know what they are doing. If you want to figure out info on the Pokémon VGCs, times, and locations, please go to the Pokémon official website, http://www.pokemon.com/.

• Power (a.k.a. "Base Power" or "BP"): This is the Power stat attributed to a move: the higher, the better for the user of the move. In online forums and such, the abbreviation "BP" is often used as a shorthand: this is not to be mixed-up with the currency BP! For the sake of ease, though, you'll never hear me say "BP" in reference to Base Power throughout this guide. Just be careful when elsewhere.

• Power Points (PP): PP are like currency for the use of a Pokémon's moves; think of them as the MP from other RPGs like Final Fantasy. By using a move, you will use up 1 PP for that move, or 2 PP if your foe has the ability Pressure. When a move has 0 PP, it cannot be used; if all of your moves hit 0 PP, then the Pokémon is forced to use the move Struggle, which is relatively weak and damages the user heavily. PP-restoring items are generally in limited quantities throughout the game, almost never being buyable or not in any exorbitant amount, so conservation of these Ethers and Elixirs will be very much important come the latter half of the game.

• Primal Reversion: For all intents and purposes, this is the same as a Mega Evolution: it just has a special plot connection with those that can use Primal Reversion (Kyogre and Groudon) because they are ancient and all that jazz. They nonetheless still need to hold a species-specific item (the Blue and Red Orbs, respectively). Other than these minor differences, the most important is that, while Primal Reversion is like Mega Evolution, Primal Reversions do not count towards the "only one Mega" counter. That is to say, you can use Primal Groudon and Mega Camerupt at the same time. In fact, you can have as many Primals as desired.

• Priority: Each move in the game has its own "Priority" stat. Most moves are of a Priority of 0, but some are below or above that number. Pokémon using higher Priority moves will go first before those using lower Priority moves; if two Pokémon use a move of the same Priority, then their Speed will determine who goes first. Priority will even defy the warped turn order that Trick Room provides! The Move Priority section contains more info.

• Rotation Battle: A battle between two people in which only one Pokémon is against another Pokémon: however, there are also two other Pokémon per side other than those fighting that each Trainer can instantly switch to per turn and still have them move. Under typical online battle rules and certain other rulesets, you must use four Pokémon total per side. This isn't the case for most in-game battles, though.

• Same-Type Attack Bonus (STAB): When a Pokémon uses a move that is the same type as itself, the damage of the move is by default increased to 50% higher than normal. For example, Pikachu (an Electric Pokémon) using the move Thunderbolt (an Electric move) will deal 50% extra damage. This is a very significant boost and especially critical in the choice of moves a Pokémon will have. For example a super-effective move might do 120 HP of damage, which will only KO weak Pokémon HP-wise, but with STAB that move can be boosted to 180 HP of damage, which KO's the average Pokémon in competitive play!

• Shiny: A Pokémon is Shiny if it just outright looks different from how it normally does. For example, Gyarados is blue but Shiny Gyarados is red; Sceptile is green but Shiny Sceptile is cyan; Kyogre is blue but Shiny Kyogre is pink. Shininess is exceedingly rare, usually a 1 in 4,096 chance in these games and it was 1 in 8,192 before the release of Pokémon X/Y in 2013. (There are exceptions.)

• Shiny-Locked: By definition as under HG/SS standards (2010), any Pokémon in the game can be Shiny and generally all have an equal chance of being Shiny except in set situations. This has changed slightly with a set few Pokémon (since Black/White in 2011) so that these Pokémon cannot be Shiny without actually hacking the game. There are certain Pokémon cannot ever be legitmately Shiny, in other words. These Pokémon will have a Shiny sprite coded into the game, though, which means hackers can find these sprites; they are left there as placeholders such that, if the Shiny-locking process actually failed, the game wouldn't glitch up on the off-chance you did get that Pokémon to be Shiny. (Though it won't fail, trust me.) The list of Shiny-Locked Pokémon is as follows: Celebi, Arceus, Victini, Reshiram (see below note!), Zekrom (see below note!), Keldeo, Meloetta, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, Diancie, Hoopa, and Volcanion. That's not to say a Shiny will not be removed from this list. Until a few months ago, Jirachi was also Shiny-Locked; however, Game Freak gave out Shiny Jirachis in Japan, which made Shiny Jirachi legal again, so long as it was from X/Y or from the Colosseum Bonus Disc. But, for all in-game purposes, unless the encounter was made possible by Game Freak through a download event of some sort that allows you somewhere else in the game, you will not be able to find these Pokémon as Shiny at all.

• Single Battle: A battle between two people in which each only has one Pokémon out at a time. Under typical online battle rules and certain other rulesets, you must use three Pokémon total per side. This isn't the case for most in-game battles, though.

• Special: A move Class that considers the user's Sp. Atk. and the target's Sp. Def. to calculate damage in most cases. The exceptions to this rule include various fixed-damage moves, Psyshock, and Psystrike, which will use the target's Defense.

• Special Attack (Sp. Atk.): Special Attack is one of the stats a Pokémon can have. Special Attack will affect the damage dealt by certain moves: that is, special moves. Special moves are those that are designated as such by the game: you can use the Move List - Battle Details section to check whether a move is Physical, Special, or Status in Class. Special moves will use the user's Sp. Atk. and the target's Sp. Def. in most cases to calculate damage.

• Special Defense (Sp. Def.): Special Defense is one of the stats a Pokémon can have. Special Defense will affect the damage dealt by certain moves: that is, special moves. Special moves are those that are designated as such by the game: you can use the Move List section to check whether a move is Physical, Special, or Status in Class. Special moves will use the user's Sp. Atk. and the target's Sp. Def. in most cases to calculate damage.

• Speed (sometimes "Spd" or "Spe"): The Speed stat is, in its own way, the most relevant stat to competitive battling. Speed determines turn order in a very simple fashion: whoever has higher Speed goes first, and, if there is a tie in Speed, the two Pokémon tied will have equal chances of moving first. For example, a Pokémon with 210 Speed will almost always move before a Pokémon with 200 Speed; if two Pokémon have 200 Speed, then they are 50% likely to move first. However, this assumes that they are using moves of the same Priority. (See: "Priority")

• Status (1): A move Class that does not deal direct damage. It instead says that the move will do something else, based on the move itself.

• Status (2): Refers to a status condition that often inhibits the afflicted Pokémon; also known as an ailment. You should see the Status Ailments list for full details.

• Switching In/Out: The act of choosing to switch out a Pokémon currently out with a different one in your party. Doing so has a number of consequences. When used, people usually do it one of several things. One is to eliminate stat changes, infatuation, and confusion, among a few other things from the Pokémon, which can be lethal if left unattended. Another is when the Pokémon is seen as likely to be attacked by a weakness-piercing attack and thus to switch to a Pokémon resisting that move rather than suffering death. For example, say you have Gyarados (Water/Flying) out versus Jolteon (Electric). Jolteon is fast and strong, and most importantly can learn Thunderbolt, which OHKO's Gyarados with ease due to the double-weakness to Electric plus STAB, resulting in 6x damage. By switching to a Ground Pokémon, however, you gain an important advantage and also avoid damage.

• Team Aqua & Team Magma: The main antagonist teams in the Hoenn region. Team Aqua seeks Kyogre, the legendary Pokémon of the sea, so that they can flood the world; and Team Magma seeks Groudon, the legendary Pokémon whose rose the continents, so that they can dry up the world. You will constantly battle these teams as you go throughout the game: you will mostly fight Team Aqua in Alpha Sapphire and Team Magma in Omega Ruby.

• Technical Machine (TM): An item you can use to teach a Pokémon the move contained on the TM, if the Pokémon can learn it. There are 100 in all, so collect 'em all!

• Tiers: Much like a number of other competitive games, Pokémon are divided into strategic tiers by a number of players. The most common system among Pokémon players is that set by Smogon (a Pokémon strategy website), which primarily runs out on a six-layer system, per the below. Keep in mind that all but Ubers and PU are based on the usage percentages of the Pokémon in question, and are not a statement as to strategic viability. Personally, some UU/RU Pokémon are actually really good (Porygon-Z comes to mind), but it's ultimately up to you. I honestly wouldn't include this tidbit myself - because the tiers are moreso about usage than strategy - but it's a big determinant for a number of people. Keep in mind that this bit is only up-to-date as of December 2014 and the tiers are likely to change in number, contents, or even name as time goes on.
• Ubers: The top tier of the Pokémon system, often containing legendaries and a few others.
• OU (Overused): Pokémon that are used a lot in the Pokémon metagame. Often very viable in strategy battles, but tend to use "cookie-cutter" strategies.
• UU (Underused): UU Pokémon are not used a lot in the competitive metagame, but still can be very good if the team works well with it.
• RU (Rarely Used): RU Pokémon are not used much, often due to a single detrimental stat (i.e. very low Speed) or extreme fragility in combination with a poor moveset. That's not to say they're not viable (again, usage percentages), but most are the kind you want to stay away from in the general metagame.
• NU (Never Used): NU Pokémon are used very infrequently, usually because of a combination of poor stats in certain areas (such as being both fragile and slow) or a very poor movepool. Many can serve niche purposes, however.
• PU: There's no official name for PU, but it's likely a wordplay on "pee-yew". PU Pokémon are the absolutely least used of all Pokémon (except non-fully-evolved Pokémon in most instances), often because of their extreme lack of strategic value that has its roots in a number of sources, particularly having a widespread set of counters in combination with poor stats to counteract these.

• Trainer ID & Secret ID: If you check any Pokémon you yourself caught or check your Trainer Card, you'll notice that you have an ID. Everyone has an ID number attached to them, and there are 65536 possible numbers (00000 - 65535). There is also a hidden or "secret" ID you cannot see. It is also randomized, is unlikely to be the same as your seen Trainer ID, and also ranges from 00000 to 65535. The use of two IDs helps to ward off hackers; it also helps to ensure that the odds of any two players getting the same two IDs (both Trainer and Secret) is 1 in 4,294,967,296 (one in about 4 (American) billion chances). The uses of IDs are mostly in terms of breeding and EXP. growth. When breeding Pokémon whose two IDs (both Trainer and Secret) differ, you are more likely to get Eggs; when using a Pokémon of a different ID than yourself, you get more EXP. Those are the main things.

• Trainer Shiny Value (TSV): Whenever you have an Egg in the Pokémon games, it is encoded with a specific, randomly-determined variable, usually referred to as a "Player Shiny Value" or "PSV". Each combination of a Trainer & Secret ID will also generate something different, called a "Trainer Shiny Value", or "TSV". When a player has an Egg whose PSV matches their own TSV, the Egg will hatch into a Shiny Pokémon. Some ways to abuse this over the years have arisen, though none are particularly active as of yet. The most recent is the Instacheck program, which was disabled a long time ago by an update to the game that was requisite for online play.

• Triple Battle: A battle between two people in which each has three Pokémon out at the same time. Under typical online battle rules and certain other rulesets, you must use six Pokémon total per side. This isn't the case for most in-game battles, though.

• Type: Every move in the game will have a type attached to it, and every Pokémon will have one or two types given to it simultaneously. Types are like elements in Pokémon: they determine what is super-effective or resistant to what. For example, you can see Fire moves doing lots of damage to Grass Pokémon, right? And also see how the same Fire-type move would likely deal less damage to a Water Pokémon? While not all type-effectiveness relationships are so simple, they are nonetheless important to learn! There are eighteen types in all: Normal, Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Ground, Bug, Dark, Psychic, Ghost, Flying, Rock, Ice, Dragon, Fighting, Poison, Steel, and Fairy.

• Vitamin: A particular type of used item. "Vitamins" is the general term for the items HP Up, Protein, Iron, Calcium, Zinc, and Carbos, which are items used on Pokémon to raise their EVs. (See: EVs, Effort Values)

• Weather: Weather is a meteorological event that can occur on the battlefield, and has a number of beneficial effects to the point that certain teams as a whole will try to use this to their advantage. For full details on the effects of all weather and weather-like conditions, see the Weather/Field Effects section.

How to Tell Legal From Hacked Pokémon

Why do I include this section? For many people, the morality of the integrity of the game, which comes into play during official competition or just competition in general, is a significant one. Many people put hours upon hours developing, breeding, training, and re-training their Pokémon teams in the effort of becoming the very best. It takes a lot of effort and dedication, an effort recognized by Game Freak, Nintendo, and the Pokémon Company when it comes to the competitions they delegate: they, like most people, despise cheating. But don't get me wrong: like me, they value strategy above all. Even if you were to make a Pokémon through hacking, they have no problems with it so long as it remains within legitimate bounds, so long as it has nothing abnormal ... not that they don't have a problem with it (cheating is cheating), but if you can remain within legitimate bounds, you can't really be booted.

"Wait, this is a section on how to cheat?"

Absolutely, unequivocally, no. Regardless of what you may think on the matter, I despise cheating: I am more than capable of spending the time and effort in developing a legitimate Pokémon team, you should be held to the same standard. I can understand the logic of simply being too lazy to not want to breed the right IVs/Nature, and merely frown upon it, but anything further really is out of bounds for me in terms of morality. But that's just me.

So, why include this, then, if I am against cheating? Because I am against cheating. It is well-known that you are booted from official competition if you use hacked Pokémon ... even if those Pokémon are not your own. Even if someone trades you a Pokémon that is hacked, you are booted. (After all, it is possible you own a second console and second game, and simply hacked them onto that game and traded them over: it's rarely the case, IMO, but the sweeping definition is the more important one since hacked is hacked.) This section is moreso the preventative than the catalyst: I am not trying to encourage cheating by the inclusion of this section, but rather to give you the means by which to check if your Pokémon is legal. Some things can be checked through a legitimacy checker, but others cannot.

Here are the means by which you can check all of the things below:

Legal Pokémon will always exhibit the following characteristics:

• Game of Origin: The game the Pokémon is born on determines much of the following and whether it is allowed. To some degree, it is possible to determine what game pair/trio/whatever the Pokémon was found on. If found after traveling across time and space, the Pokémon was in any game prior to Pokémon X/Y, with a note as to the region of origin. For the most part, the region alone will work fine as even the expansions rarely change little in terms of moves learned. In particular, keep in mind that if the location is vague and the Pokémon is breedable, it is still possible for the Pokémon to be born on the game in question via Egg even if it is otherwise illogical (i.e. Charizard from Sinnoh). Legendaries and other unbreedables are a different case: barring events and in-game captures/trading, the Pokémon simply cannot have been there.
• Hoenn: This is the one without an exact location. This is NOT Pokémon Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire, which will both specify a location and have a blue pentagon. This one refers to Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald on the GBA.
• Kanto: Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen Versions (GBA)
• Sinnoh: Pokémon Diamond/Pearl Versions (DS) and Pokémon Platinum Version (DS)
• Johto: Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilsver Versions (DS)
• Unova: Pokémon Black/White Versions (DS) or Pokémon Black/White Versions 2 (DS)

• Moves: Their moves are always those that the Pokémon can learn by one of any means: breeding, leveling-up, delaying evolution, TM, HM, Move Tutor, or Nintendo Event distribution, all based on when the Pokémon was obtained. For example, Pikachu with Surf and Volt Tackle from Route 101 in Pokémon Diamond/Pearl is illegal. Why? Firstly, the Surf distributions were mostly at VGC distributions and Pokémon Stadium, not within the context of Diamond/Pearl itself. Even if it was in an Egg at the time of hatching - the most common method of "masking" the illegitimacy of Pokémon - Surf is also not an Egg Move nor learned by level-up or other means, just Events. That itself means that it could not be "born": either just traded or directly earned, meaning it could not be hatched. Thus, then, otherwise-illegal moves from distributions cannot be earned alongside Egg Moves: that is why Surf and Volt Tackle both cannot exist on a Pikachu, as an example.

• Stats: The stats must fall within certain limits. While EVs, Nature, and the like can influence stats, direct alteration of the stats is also possible. Simply put, the stats must be within legal limits and also influenced correctly by the EVs, IVs, and Nature. Stat growth follows the formula [(2 * Base Stat) + (5 or 110) + (EVs / 4) + (IVs)] * (Nature Boost) * (LV/100). The whole "5 or 110" thing denotes a certain value: 110 is the value used when calculating HP, and 5 otherwise. The Nature boost is 0.9, 1.0, or 1.1 based on the Nature itself. Testing of the stats can be done by simply finding out each stat through research, calculation, and experimentation. In particular, you will want to test your known EVs, IVs, and Nature, and Level with the formula noted and the base stat of the Pokémon found through research. (Cut off the decimal value, if any.) If the values do not match up, the Pokémon has been altered in some way, or the game's very ROM data has been altered to mess with the base stat values of that particular Pokémon species. (Hey, it's possible.)

• EVs: Your EVs can only be between 0 and 252 in any given stat, though they can be hacked up as high as 255. 253-255 EVs in a single stat is not only inefficient, but illegal. You also are not allowed to have the sum of your EVs across all stats exceed 510, although hacking can make it possible to have all six stats maxed.

• IVs: IVs are limited between 0 and 31 in any given stats, but there's no limitation on them on the whole, unlike EVs. If any higher - again, as high as either 127 or 255 by hacking - then it's illegal.

• Levels: As you might expect, a Pokémon can only be between Levels 1 and 100, inclusive. Of course, the check is more than that. When checking level, you should also check that the Pokémon can learn all of its level-up moves that it has learned. For example, consider Mewtwo: if it is Level 43 and has Psystrike, then it is illegal since, even though it's between 1-100, it can only learn Psystrike at Level 100. Same is true for evolution: if you are below the level at which you can evolve, but have an evolved form (for example, Level 12 Blaziken), then it's hacked. And, of course, Levels can theoretically range between 0 and 127 (or 255), so anything out of the 1-100 range is obvious.

• EXP.: You'd be surprised, but this can also be checked. Every Pokémon has a pre-set amount of EXP. it has at each level, and a pre-set amount of the EXP. to the next level. If Blaziken, for example, is Level 100 and has 1,640,000 EXP. with no EXP. to the next level, it's hacked because it is in the wrong EXP. group. Interestingly, if you find such a Pokémon, it will be listed as having negative EXP. to the next level, remedied by even the attempt to gain EXP. (It's a programming thing, just trust me.) Similarly, you cannot be Level 100 with only 1 EXP. or Level 1 with 1,640,000 EXP. ... in other words, anything that simply doesn't match up. There are six EXP. groups; see the EXP. Earning Mechanics for some details.

• Gender: The problems with this one mostly come with gender-exclusive or genderless species. Simply put, if a species is, say, only male (like Hitmonlee), then it cannot ever be female, so if it is female it is hacked. Similarly, all-female Pokémon like Kangaskhan cannot ever be male. If it is a species with a gender, then it cannot be genderless. If it is a genderless species, then it cannot have a gender. You know, common-sense stuff.

• Location: Another common-sense thing: a Pokémon cannot be found where it cannot be found. In games from Generation V going back, you won't be able to see this info, though it is encoded into the game I believe. Of course, the ability for a Pokémon to be born from an Egg trumps this, as an Egg can be hatched anywhere, so long as it is a Pokémon that can be bred, which is a common method of masking hacks. Still, if you're unsure, best to get your own of the Pokémon.

• Ability: Another common-sense thing: a Pokémon cannot have an ability which it cannot have. Part of that's common-sense, anyhow. The harder part is dealing with Pokémon that cannot have their Hidden Abilities. For a Pokémon to have a Hidden Ability, or at least to be able to utilize it, a female of the Pokémon species or its evolutions must have been available in the Dream World of Pokémon Black/White, been in the Hidden Grottos in Pokémon Black/White 2, must have been made available in Pokémon X/Y's Friend Safari, be available in the wild in Pokémon OR/AS (you can find it through DexNav), or have been given out through Events. Standard wild encounters do not allow for Hidden Abilities, even those of legendary Pokémon: in fact, legendary Pokémon cannot be found in such a manner as to permit their Hidden Abilities since they are found through simple interaction, forcing their regular abilities even if Hidden ones are encoded (as with the Regis). Now, there are very few Pokémon that actually cannot have their Hidden Abilities: it's mostly just a few of the legendary Pokémon and some starter Pokémon as of now. Of course, the game of origin also has to be factored in: for example, Dragalge with its Hidden Ability (Adaptability) from Pokémon X/Y is illegal (without interaction from Pokémon OR/AS), though it's fine if from Pokémon OR/AS or from a Pokémon X/Y which interacted with Pokémon OR/AS to obtain Adaptability Skrelp/Dragalge. The precise details can be found here.

• Type: This isn't really hackable without the editing of the game's internal data, but, simply put, a Pokémon must have its specific type and none other. In the case of Forme changes that permit type change (as with Rotom and Arceus, for example), the Forme and type also must match.

• Event Pokémon & OT/ID: When you get a Pokémon that has been given out an Event, there are a number of things to look at. A Pokémon from an Event can be excepted from certain rules, usually only moves. You should be sure to check as to whether the event occurred with this specific Pokémon: the "event checking" process is the first thing that will occur after something triggers a note as to the Pokémon's illegality (i.e. Surf Pikachu): this is because the Event Pokémon are excepted slightly from the rules, but also will be within very specific criteria. Clues can be found in the Pokémon's OT and ID number: try Googling these, as they often will reference the event that the distribution occurred with. Sometimes even the Pokémon's location of origin will, too. For example, a Pokémon's OT may reference SUM2013, a 2013 giveaway of certain Pokémon. Of course, you should be sure of everything on the Pokémon checks out. For example, the OT is not the only thing to check. You should check its Ribbons, its Pokéball, its moves (and the moves it can remember from the Move Reminder), and its ID number which may be set in. Other things that are also noted as being set-in should also be checked.

• Shiny/Shiny-Locking: A Pokémon that cannot be Shiny in its game of origin is not allowed to be Shiny. Simple enough. At the moment, the list of completely-unallowed Shiny Pokémon (that is, Shiny-Locked) is Celebi, Victini, Meloetta, Keldeo, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, Diancie, Hoopa, and Volcanion. Additionally, Shiny Jirachi from before Pokémon X/Y is illegal (except in the case of the Pokémon Colosseum Bonus Disc), as is Shiny Reshiram and Zekrom before Pokémon OR/AS. And, of course, so is any Pokémon that is Shiny that cannot be obtained from the game in question (i.e. Shiny Mewtwo from Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire where Mewtwo does not exist) and any Pokémon that cannot be Shiny through the method is was given in (i.e. Shiny Arceus from the Toys 'R Distributions around 2010 was a direct download and thereby not Shiny). Ironically, not being Shiny in a Shiny-only distribution is just as in violation of the rules. A Pokémon, for the record, will have a red star on its Summary screen if Shiny and will have a special sparkle animation when entering battle. See this section for more precise details.

• Tradeability: This mostly comes in the case of Pokémon that cannot be traded (and only via GTS: direct trading in the PSS or importation via Pokémon Bank is allowed), which are those holding the Premier Ribbon or Classic Ribbon, IIRC. Obviously enough, you cannot have been given then in a trade if you cannot trade them. It mostly ties in back to the Event Pokémon thing. I think the only exception to this rule is with the means of getting Pokémon from older to newer generations (Pal Park, PokéTransfer, Poké Transporter). In any case, just for the sake of having everything.

• Pokérus: When a Pokémon no longer has Pokérus, it will have a pink smiley face on its Summary screen. This signified that the Pokémon can never become contagious with Pokérus ever again: they keep the "doubled EVs from battles" effect, but cannot spread the virus nor ever re-enter such a state. Therefore, if a Pokémon has that "had Pokérus" smiley face, yet has the "Pokérus" label in the Summary screen indicating the contagion is still active, the Pokémon has been hacked. ... IMO, it's pretty stupid to get caught for hacking by this, but that's maybe just me. >_>

• PID & Checksums: These stats are more or less the fail-safes in the hack-detection system, to make sure everything is within limits. I'm not 100% sure on how these are determined or used or their function, but they're the most common actual flaw in hacking since things in the Pokémon determine them. ... If you have any info to offer on this, feel free to drop me a line.

• Memories: In the Pokémon games, you can find certain NPCs that show you the memories a Pokémon had during a given timeframe, usually with its trainer or origin or something. In essence, you can verify that a Pokémon is hacked if it had memories that are odd: for example, usually the memories of a Pokémon that came through Poké Transporter are non-existent. Therefore, if a Pokémon has no memories, but has the "born on 3DS" blue pentagon, then it was hacked. Similarly, if the Pokémon comes from a person you know in real life, and the person originally had this Pokémon (hatched it, caught it, whatever, by themselves), if the Pokémon doesn't have the appropriate memories on their game, then either they're lying or it was hacked.

• Language: When you have a Pokémon from a region foreign to your own, the game notifies you of such by having "JPN" or something on the Pokémon's summary screen. There are several regions of relevance: "USA" (United States), "JPN" (Japan), "GER" (Germany), "ITA" (Italy), "KOR" (Korea), "FRE" (France), and "SPA" (Spain). Firstly, if a Pokémon is on a console from the U.S., for example, and the Pokémon's internal data references it is from Japan and is owned by the same person (their OT), then something's probably messed-up. You usually cannot see which is the actual language-region of origin, though. For the most part, if a Pokémon has a name that is normally has in Japanese, for example, but the game is the English language, and the player in question is its OT, then it'll be a hacked Pokémon since you cannot use Japanese characters on European/American games unless the language of choice is in the Japanese language, and the same goes for Korean. These exceptions are extremely rare, too, so ... yeah.

Unobtainable Shiny Pokémon & Hidden Abilities

In this game, there are quite a few Pokémon that you can get; we all know that. In fact, every Pokémon species thus far can be obtained either via in-game capture, trading, or Nintendo Event distributions. Despite that, certain Pokémon are still not available whatsoever, only being able to be obtained by hacking. There are two particular categories of this: unobtainable Shiny Pokémon and unreleased Hidden Abilities.

With unobtainable Shiny Pokémon, one must consider the concept of Shiny-Locking: in several past Pokémon games, it has been designed so that certain Pokémon could not be Shiny. The full list as of the release of Pokémon X/Y (the most expansive list) is below, with additional notations for Pokémon OR/AS.

There is also a list of Hidden Abilities that are currently locked. Most Pokémon species have a Hidden Ability they can wield through various breeding processes or sometimes through special encounters (as with the Cosplay Pikachu) or through Event distributions. Even though encoded into the game, these Hidden Abilities are unobtainable by all means for several reasons. For breeding HA's, you'll need a Pokémon of the desired species with its Hidden Ability. Thus, you need to either be given it via distributions or need to find it one of several places: the Dream World in Pokémon Black/White, Hidden Grottos in Pokémon Black/White 2, the Friend Safari in Pokémon X/Y, or in the wild in Pokémon OR/AS with the use of the DexNav. These Pokémon are on this list because you cannot find them in the wild in those situations and have not been given out with their Hidden Ability yet.

From the time of the release of Pokémon OR/AS until the time of my previous update, the following Pokémon were removed from this particular list by special events in which the Pokémon had their Hidden Abilities released via special distributions. The Pokémon made legal with their Hidden Abilities as a result of these distributions are as follows.

Keep in mind that these Pokémon will still be illegal if they originated on Pokémon Black/White 2 or any earlier game (i.e. they don't have the blue pentagon) - those with the blue pentagon are still possibly illegal by being bred from hacked ones, but it's far less certain at this time (about as uncertain as any other Pokémon, unless they were born from the events in question), so you have no reason to suddenly trash any HA version of these Pokémon with the blue pentagon without that whole "too good to be true" characteristic.

Compatibility with Other Games

The release of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, and in turn the lack of patching of it to compensate for new features, has caused an interesting dilemma regarding its ability to interact with other games in the series. Therefore, it is pertinent for me to document there here. For the sake of ease, I'll refer to these by their core series details in most instances.

The chart below is a quick summation of the series-wide compatibility. Specifics are below, and keep in mind that "directly" implies not only a relationship between the two specific games but also a back-and-forth, two-way relationship. If it is one-way, that is noted: those relationships are strictly from the lower to the higher generation.

Side-Series Games: Pretty much, for the most part, in regards to the Pokémon OR/AS pair, all side-series games can be ignored in regards to their ability to ultimately transmit Pokémon to these games. Australian Pokémon Channel games let you put a Jirachi on the GBA core series games. Pokémon Ranger can give you a Manaphy Egg for Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, and some Pokémon can be traded between Pokémon R/S/E/FR/LG and XD/Colosseum/Pokémon Box (Coloseeum also gives a possibly-Shiny Jirachi from its bonus disc), and others between D/P/Pt/HG/SS and Battle Revolution/My Pokémon Ranch.

Pokémon Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Gold, Silver, and Crystal: These GB and GBC games, marking Generations I and II, released between 1996 and 2000 depending on the region you live in, cannot be interacted with in any way. Pokémon on these games strictly remain on these games and certain Nintendo 64 games - such as Pokémon Stadium - that cannot interact with the GBA or DS or later consoles.

Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, LeafGreen, Colosseum, and XD: Gale of Darkness: These GBA and GameCube games were released between 2002 and 2004 and mark the main components of Generation III. These GBA games can send their Pokémon to the Generation IV games through Pal Park, but it's strictly one-way. The GameCube games can trade with the GBA ones so their Pokémon have to be traded to a GBA game first. The interaction between the GBA and DS requires an original-model DS or a DS Lite, which have the GBA slot needed. GBA/GC interaction requires the link cable for such.

Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver: These DS games marking Generation IV, released between 2007 and 2010, cannot be directly interacted with. You can send Pokémon from these games to the Generation V games through the PokéTransfer system, however. There is one limitation on that: you cannot send Spiky-Eared Pichu from HG/SS. You also cannot send items. The process is completely one-way. This method of interaction requires any two DS or 3DS consoles.

Pokémon Black, White, Black 2, and White 2: These DS games, released in 2011 and 2012, mark Generation V. These games can send their Pokémon to the Pokémon Bank through Poké Transporter, apps downloadable on the eShop. There are restrictions on this: you cannot send items or Pokémon perceived as illegal (hacked) ones. Certain Event Pokémon have inadvertently been unable to pass by this method as well. Items also will not pass through. Note that this process requires a 3DS, even in the transfer from B/W to the Bank.

Pokémon Bank: This one is simple enough. Once you download the v1.2 patch from the eShop, Pokémon OR/AS can interact with Pokémon Bank and any Pokémon stored on it. Once on the Bank, at least as of this release, Pokémon OR/AS will be able to use it so long as you have the Hoenn Pokédex. However, the opposite is not necessarily true with X/Y: X/Y's restrictions still apply when going through the Bank, so you cannot, for example, bring Pokémon with OR/AS-only moves to X/Y via this means nor trading directly. Cosplay Pikachu also is not allowed on the Bank at all.

Pokémon X and Y: This is where things get nastily complicated. First, Pokémon OR/AS can interact with these games through trading or battling: however, the interactions cannot concern OR/AS-exclusive things. These include the new Mega Stones and Hoopa Unbound for the most part. The following is the specific list of unallowed stuff when interacting with X/Y. There are other topics discussed below the list.

• Mega Stone: Altarianite
• Mega Stone: Audinite
• Mega Stone: Beedrillite
• Mega Stone: Cameruptite
• Mega Stone: Diancite (note, however, that while trading Diancie to OR/AS from X/Y yields this on the OR/AS file, you cannot get it on X/Y)
• Mega Stone: Galladite
• Mega Stone: Lopunnite
• Mega Stone: Metagrossite
• Mega Stone: Pidgeotite
• Mega Stone: Sablenite
• Mega Stone: Salamencite
• Mega Stone: Sceptilite
• Mega Stone: Sharpedonite
• Mega Stone: Slowbroite
• Mega Stone: Steelixite
• Mega Stone: Swampertite
• Primal Orb: Blue Orb
• Primal Orb: Jade Orb (though it's only a beta item)
• Primal Orb: Red Orb
• Moves: Origin Pulse
• Moves: Precipice Blades
• Moves: Dragon Ascent
• Moves: Hyperspace Fury
• Pokémon Formes: Hoopa's Confined Forme
• Pokémon Formes: Pikachu's various Cosplay Formes (if you battle on OR/AS with Cosplay Pikachu against X/Y, it will appear just as a Pikachu on X/Y's end)
• Pokémon Formes: Any Pokémon somehow in their Formes caused by the items named above
• Rating Battles: In online Rating Battles, Pokémon X/Y are separate from Pokémon OR/AS. Pokémon OR/AS will only interact with Pokémon OR/AS, and X/Y only with X/Y. Additionally, these "leagues" have their own rules: Pokémon OR/AS can only use Pokémon catchable in X/Y/OR/AS, while Pokémon X/Y has no real restrictions on this.
• Other Battles: If under any circumstance Pokémon OR/AS interacts with Pokémon X/Y for a battle, OR/AS will adapt the X/Y ruleset.
• Wonder Trade: X/Y can indeed interact with OR/AS. Pokémon with OR/AS-exclusive Formes or newly-introduced moves or holding new items will not be traded.

Version Exclusives

As with other paired Pokémon titles, there are certain things exclusive to each version of the game. Here they are, and they are limited solely to Pokémon. Some items are version-exclusive as to when they can be obtained (such as the version-respective Lati Mega Stones or Cameruptite/Sharpedonite), but they'll all be there by the end of it all.

Also note that, technically, Latios is exclusive to OR and Latias to AS, but this can be bypassed with the Eon Ticket Nintendo Event going on around the time of the game's launch. (Don't ask me for the details, I know nothing. Google it.)

Pokémon Capture

Capturing Pokémon is a simple process, albeit a sometimes annoying one in the cases of certain, rarer Pokémon - roaming Pokémon, for example. The game, by tradition, has poorly elaborated on what could be a more delicate process than most would think, especially with one-time-only scenarios. They usually delegate it to "Lower the Pokémon's HP and throw a Pokéball." It's a bit more complex than that, and understanding the mechanics herein will help you more effectively capture a Pokémon.

• HP Remaining: It's simple enough: lower HP means a higher ability to catch a Pokémon! To be able to lower a Pokémon's HP precisely, there are a number of ways. The Poison and Burn status ailments, for example, will do set amounts of damage (and also boost the catching rate further). There is an inherent danger in that, however, because there is generally a slight chance for the capture to fail, even under very ideal circumstances, and if you miss at 1/16 or 1/8 HP, you lose the Pokémon! A more preferred method is to use the move False Swipe - or, if you got the PokéBank event Celebi in X/Y, the move Hold Back. Both of these are Normal-type moves of 40 Power, which means they won't hurt Ghost Pokémon; in any case, these two moves will always leave a Pokémon with 1 HP, making it very easy to catch the Pokémon, relatively-speaking. (As a footnote, you can always attempt to one-hit-KO a Pokémon you believe to have the Sturdy ability, which will prevent it from being KO'ed, leaving it with just 1 HP. Or you can also try Tricking/Switcherooing/etc. a Focus Sash onto it for the same effect, but that's a bit costly to do. You could also use Entrainment or Skill Swap to give the Pokémon Sturdy, and then try to OHKO it.)

• Ailments: This refers to the "main" ailments a Pokémon can have only one of; and, in this instance, I specifically refer to Poison, Bad Poisoning, Burn, Sleep, Frozen, and Paralysis. Each ailment will somewhat increase the capture rate for a Pokémon.
• Burn and Poisoning of any kind will boost it by 50%. This is often done via the moves Will-O-Wisp and Toxic, since they don't cause any initial damage, although the statuses themselves could KO the Pokémon you're trying to capture. That is why I made these three ailments distinct from the next one: despite these boosting the rate the came, Burns and Poison will possibly screw you over by killing the Pokémon you're trying to catch: a fatal flaw if the Pokémon is one-time-only!
• Paralysis will also boost the catch rate by 50%. Paralysis is often done via Thunder Wave, since it does no initial damage; abuse of the Static ability may work on Pokémon that are Electric-type, as would Stun Spore. It won't work at all on Pokémon with the Limber ability, however. It is also the most popular of the statuses to use in Pokémon capture, since it does no damage to the Pokémon over time, preserving their HP, and it's generally permanent.
• Sleep and Frozen boost the catch rate by a whopping 100%, by themselves doubling your catch rate. Effectiveness-wise, they're the best. However, their main drawback is how temporal they are, rarely lasting more than 3 turns, and no more than 5. Sleep can be done by the Spore or Sleeping Powder moves, most often, which won't cause damage. Frozen absolutely cannot be induced without dealing damage to the target Pokémon, meaning you should not bother with it unless the target Pokémon is about the same level as you and resists it at least once (1/2 or 1/4 damage) so that you can be sure to not kill it.

• Catch Rate: All Pokémon have a value, from 3 to 255 (1 to 255 in theory) that determines how easy they are to catch. This will be the main reason why you could throw a Pokéball at a Caterpie and catch it without doing anything, but Paralyze Thundurus and reduce him to 1 HP and still have trouble with even nighttime Dusk Balls. (Man I hated that.) They will be used in a later-described formula; you can see the Pokémon's catch rate in this section.

• Critical Capture: Critical capture is a randomly-occuring element of the capture; when you see it happen, the Pokéball you throw will make a higher-pitched whistling noise (almost metallic) than usual. When the Pokémon is engulfed in the Pokéball, the Pokéball will only wiggle once in lieu of the usual three. While the Pokémon can still get out after that one wiggle, the catching rate is higher than normal, so it's rare to see a Pokémon still escape the Pokéball. There is no way to influence this beyond getting more Pokémon registered in the Pokédex; more Pokémon indicates a higher chance of this occuring. See the next section about formulas for specific details: but, in general, for every 150 Pokémon after 300 owned, you get 50% better catch rates.

• Pokéball: Finally, we come to the main characteristic of the capture itself. The Pokéball you use to capture a Pokémon will be very helpful in itself in deciding how much easier the Pokémon is to catch. Some Pokéballs are conditional in how they can be used to boost their catching potential, and will be a 1.0x catch rate if those conditions are not met.
• Poké Ball, Premier Ball: 1.0x catch rate - the baseline
• Cherish Ball: 1.0x catch rate - but it's not usable without hacking; it's just on (some) Event Pokémon
• Heal Ball: 1.0x catch rate - it fully heals the Pokémon, but will thus be useless if your party is full
• Luxury Ball: 1.0x catch rate - the Pokémon will be happier than normal upon capture, which is helpful with Pokémon evolving like that, such as Chansey, Eevee, and Riolu
• Timer Ball: 1.0x catch rate - but it increases by 0.1 every turn, up to 4.0x (30 turns)
• Great Ball: 1.5x catch rate
• Safari Ball: 1.5x catch rate - only found on Pokémon caught in the Safari Zones of Generations III & IV
• Ultra Ball: 2.0x catch rate
• Nest Ball: Catch rate is equal to 40 minus the opponent's level divided by 10, with 1.0x as the bottom bound, and thus can be 1.0x ~ 3.0x.
• Repeat Ball: 3.0x catch rate for Pokémon you've owned once before
• Net Ball: 3.0x catch rate on Bug- and Water-type Pokémon (no extra increase for Pokémon of both types)
• Dive Ball: 3.5x catch rate on Pokémon living underwater (e.g. you Surfed or Fished to find them)
• Dusk Ball: 3.5x catch rate at night-time (after 9:00 PM), in caves, or other dark areas
• Quick Ball: 4.0x catch rate for the first turn of battle, and 1.0x after
• Master Ball: 255.0x catch rate - effectively a certain capture
• Dream Ball: 255.0x catch rate - only found on Pokémon captured in the Dream World in Black/White, not found in the actual game

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There are specific formulas to determine the catching rate. First, the situation as is goes into the formula here:

   CATCH VALUE = {[(3 * MHP - 2 * CHP) * CR * BMOD] / (3 * MHP) * SMOD}
           MHP = Target's maximum HP
           CHP = Target's current HP
            CR = Target's "catch rate", a hidden variable determining how easy it is to capture (1-255)
          BMOD = The Pokéball's multiplier rate for capture
          SMOD = The modifier for status: 1.5 for Burn, Poison, Paralysis; 2.0 for Sleep and Frozen;
                 1.0 otherwise

With "CATCH VALUE" known, that value is next plugged into the following one.

   CATCH% = (2^20 - 2^4) / (2^24 - 2^16)^(1/4) / CATCH VALUE
   CATCH% = 1048560 / [(16711680 / CATCH VALUE)^(1/4)]       <-- simplified formula

The formula is the same either way; the second is just a simplified version for those not quite understanding the exponential mechanic of 2^X. (Note that X^(1/4) is essentially the square root of the square root, or the fourth root, of X.)

If Catch% is equal to or higher than 255, then the catch is assured; otherwise, the capture is random.

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Also remember that critical capture thing I noted earlier? There is a way to determine its rate, too!

   CRITCIAL CAPTURE RATE = X * Y
                       X = The lower of two values: 255, or the previous "CATCH%"
                       Y = The Pokédex completion multiplier

So, essentially, if your catch rate makes the capture unsuccessful, you'll deal with a rather low chance for critical capture. Similarly, if you're *too* successful (CATCH% > 255), you stick with 255 in this instance. The Pokédex completion multiplier will further increase the rate for critical capture, as so:

The higher the Critical Capture Rate, the more likely you can get a critical capture. The end result of this equation (ranging from 0 to 510) will then be taken as a percentage relative to 256 (not 100), and if it exceeds 100% (1), then the capture is assuredly critical.

Status Ailments

There are several ailments that can affect your Pokémon in this game, and many have unnamed effects, as below. Also note that Pokémon can only have one of the main ailments (Paralysis, Burn, Poison, Bad Poisoning, Sleep, KO/Faint) at one time, although the rest can accumulate as much as the person doing the damage allows - and, of course, KO overrides everything. The six ailments are listed first as Major Ailments for that reason. (Not that they're the worst or anything. It just helps to differentiate.) Several more of the Moderate Ailments are named so because they are still often used and often considered ailments, but not are the most threatening and they can stack. And, of course, these are extended to include pretty much anything that would be considered a status (a change to a single Pokémon) by Pokémon Showdown (a great battle sim) - most these would be considered Minor Ailments, which are mostly move- or item-caused with relatively unimportant effects or "duh" effects. Let me know if I forgot something.

Also, keep in mind that the cures are there for a reason. Yes, Flash Fire may not be a status you'd want to get off of your Pokémon, since it has nothing but benefits. But what if your opponent had the status? Remember, these go both ways, and not all statuses have to (or can) be cured with simple items that you'd be unable to use in normal competition, but also various moves. Switching out, for example, can be done via Roar to hit the opponent, or Parting Shot or U-turn or Volt Switch or more methods for yourself.

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Major Ailments

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Bad Poisoning

Cures: Pecha Berry (item); Lum Berry (item); Antidote (item); Full Heal (item); Casteliacone (item); Heal Powder (item); Lava Cookie (item); Lumiose Galette (item); Old Gateau (item); Full Restore (item); Heal Bell (move); Rest (move); Hydration (ability) in Rainy weather; Healer (ability) 30% of the time; Natural Cure (ability) when switching out

Immunizers: Being Poison- or Steel-typed; having the Immunity ability; having the Poison Heal ability; being Poisoned, Badly Poisoned, Frozen, Burned, Paralyzed, or KO'd when the ailment is given; using the Safeguard move; Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move; Shield Dust (ability) if done as a damaging move's side-effect

Details & Effects: This degree of Poisoning is executed via the move Toxic, double-layered Toxic Spikes, or the Toxic Orb, or a random chance from Poison Fang. The HP loss will actually increment on the afflicted Pokémon from 1/16 to 2/16 to 3/16 to 4/16 from there on out, causing death in about five turns without being hit or healed. Otherwise, the same as Poison.

Burn

Cures: Rawst Berry (item); Lum Berry (item); Burn Heal (item); Full Heal (item); Casteliacone (item); Heal Powder (item); Lava Cookie (item); Lumiose Galette (item); Old Gateau (item); Full Restore (item); Heal Bell (move); Refresh (move); Aromatherapy (move); Rest (move); Hydration (ability) in Rainy weather; Healer (ability) 30% of the time; Natural Cure (ability) when switching out

Immunizers: Being Fire-type; having the Water Veil ability; being Poisoned, Badly Poisoned, Frozen, Burned, Paralyzed, or KO'd when the ailment is given; using the Safeguard move; Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move; Shield Dust (ability) if done as a damaging move's side-effect

Details & Effects: The afflicted Pokémon will lose 12.5% (1/8) of their max HP per turn, essentially causing KO in eight turns for sure barring healing. Additionally, the Pokémon's physical Attack (Atk.) is halved, with all bonuses accounted for. Thus, this status is great for inhibiting strong physical attackers such as Groudon, Mega Mewtwo X, Deoxys, Scizor, Heracross, and Haxorus. However, note that Pokémon with the Guts ability and the like are able to ignore the Attack loss, which is why Guts-Flame Orb combos are somewhat common. Conkeldurr is a great example of the latter. It also works well on Pokémon with the Flare Boost ability (such as Drifblim) in a similar manner, as their Special Attack will be raised by 50%.

Frozen

Cures: Aspear Berry (item); Lum Berry (item); Ice Heal (item); Full Heal (item); Casteliacone (item); Heal Powder (item); Lava Cookie (item); Lumiose Galette (item); Old Gateau (item); Full Restore (item); Sacred Ash (item); Heal Bell (move); Refresh (move); Aromatherapy (move); Rest (move); Hydration (ability) in Rainy weather; Healer (ability) 30% of the time; Natural Cure (ability) when switching out; waiting several turns; being hit with a Fire-type move; attempting to use a Fire-type move; being hit by Scald; attempting to use Scald

Immunizers: Being Ice-typed; having the Magma Armor ability; being Poisoned, Badly Poisoned, Frozen, Burned, Paralyzed, or KO'd when the ailment is given; using the Safeguard move; Shield Dust (ability) if done as a damaging move's side-effect

Details & Effects: The afflicted Pokémon is absolutely and completely inactive for an indeterminate number of turns. Unlike Sleep, there's only a 20% for the Pokémon to be unfrozen at the start of their turn. When in battle, and they do not thaw out on a turn they attempt to take action in, they are completely left wide-open for damage, which is why this status can be very lethal - at the same time, though, Frozen is only induced via moves that have a 10% ~ 30% chance to do it as compensation. They will be thawed out after some time, when healed via an item, or hit with a Fire-type move of any sort - however, that Fire-type move will still damage them, so be careful if you're hitting your ally with one in a Double/Triple/Multi Battle. Using a Fire-type move will also thaw out the afflicted Pokémon, so attempting to freeze Fire-type Pokémon especially tends to be in vain.

KO/Faint

Cures: Revive (item); Max Revive (item); Sacred Ash (item); Revive Powder (item)

Immunizers: Sturdy (ability) and Focus Sash (item) prevent a KO move from working when the wielder is at full HP, leaving them with 1 HP; Endure (move) prevents KO's altogether, surviving with 1 HP, but only for that turn; Focus Band (item) prevents a KO move from KO'ing 10% of the time, with the wielder surviving at 1 HP; False Swipe (move) and Hold Back (move) are moves which will not KO their target, leaving them with just 1 HP at the least

Details & Effects: The Pokémon is absolutely unable to act in any way until revived from KO (such as by a Revive). This happens when the Pokémon hits 0 HP, so be sure to keep it high: if all Pokémon in your party hit zero HP, then you lose the battle and return to the last-used Pokémon Center. (The latter only really occurs in in-game battles: in multiplayer battles with other people, you simply lose.) Pokémon who are KO'ed, though, can still use their HM moves in the field.

Paralysis

Cures: Cheri Berry (item); Paralyze Heal (item); Lum Berry (item); Full Heal (item); Casteliacone (item); Heal Powder (item); Lava Cookie (item); Lumiose Galette (item); Old Gateau (item); Full Restore (item); Heal Bell (move); Refresh (move); Aromatherapy (move); Rest (move); Hydration (ability) in Rainy weather; Healer (ability) 30% of the time; Natural Cure (ability) when switching out; being hit with Smelling Salts (move)

Immunizers: Being Electric-type; having the Limber ability; being Poisoned, Badly Poisoned, Frozen, Burned, Paralyzed, or KO'd when the ailment is given; using the Safeguard move; Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move; Shield Dust (ability) if done as a damaging move's side-effect

Details & Effects: This ailment will, most notably, make it where the Pokémon has a 25% chance of doing nothing on a given turn. This will also halve their Speed (with all boosts accounted for), typically making them the last to move. However, that Speed loss will not affect the priority of their moves, just the order in which they move when there are conflicts in regards to priority. Pokémon with the Quick Feet ability will ignore that side-effect.

Poison

Cures: Pecha Berry (item); Antidote (item); Lum Berry (item); Full Heal (item); Casteliacone (item); Heal Powder (item); Lava Cookie (item); Lumiose Galette (item); Old Gateau (item); Full Restore (item); Heal Bell (move); Refresh (move); Aromatherapy (move); Rest (move); Hydration (ability) in Rainy weather; Healer (ability) 30% of the time; Natural Cure (ability) when switching out

Immunizers: Being Steel- or Poison-typed; having the Immunity ability; having the Poison Heal ability; being Poisoned, Badly Poisoned, Frozen, Burned, Paralyzed, or KO'd when the ailment is given; using the Safeguard move; Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move; Shield Dust (ability) if done as a damaging move's side-effect

Details & Effects: The afflicted Pokémon will lose 1/8 (12.5%) of its HP every turn. That's about it, really. Some Pokémon are able to use the Poison Heal ability to take advantage of this status for self-healing in the same manner (and often in conjunction with) the Leftovers item, and others like to use Facade or Guts as a counter for this.

Pokérus

Cures: Time, and time alone (24~48 hours out of the PC)

Immunizers: Having had Pokérus in the past

Details & Effects: This status (also known as the Pokémon Virus) will only be found by contagion with another Pokémon through wild battles or by infections in the active party - if you need to find it in the wild, don't bother: it's a 3 in 65,536 chance (about 4x rarer than a Shiny Pokémon). The Pokémon afflicted with this status will have their EV gains from wild and Trainer battles doubled while under this status. This doubling will only affect battles, however, and the Pokémon itself is still limited to 510 EVs for their stat total and 252 per stat. The status will wear off 24~48 hours (1~2 days) after the wielder is affected, and only then - however, the EV doubling works forever on that Pokémon. This time is frozen if the Pokémon is kept in the PC or GTS or other places that are essentially not in the active six-Pokémon party. During the time that the Pokémon is actively under this status, they will be marked with a pink "Pokérus" mark in the Summary and PC screens, and during that time other Pokémon in the party can also catch this as it is an infectious virus. (It is by no means "bad".) After the status goes away, the Pokémon will be marked with a pink smiley face to note that they are no longer contagious but, again, will continue to have their EV growth doubled. In other words: your EV gains are always doubled, the big pink "Pokérus" marks the contagious period of 1~2 days, and the pink smiley face denotes the "you can't spread it anymore but still have your EV gains from battles doubled" period.

Sleep

Cures: Awakening (item); Blue Flute (item); Chesto Berry (item); Lum Berry (item); Full Heal (item); Casteliacone (item); Heal Powder (item); Lava Cookie (item); Lumiose Galette (item); Old Gateau (item); Full Restore (item); Heal Bell (move); Refresh (move); Aromatherapy (move); Rest (move); Hydration (ability) in Rainy weather; Healer (ability) 30% of the time; waiting several turns; Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move; Natural Cure (ability) when switching out; Wake-Up Slap (move) against the one asleep

Immunizers: Having the Insomnia ability; having the Vital Spirit ability; having a partner of the Sweet Veil ability; having Electric Terrain active while groundbound; being Poisoned, Badly Poisoned, Frozen, Burned, Paralyzed, or KO'd when the ailment is given; using the Safeguard move; Shield Dust (ability) if done as a damaging move's side-effect

Details & Effects: The afflicted Pokémon will be unable to act. However, they can act in a manner by choosing the move Sleep Talk or Snore when their turn arises. The loss of action is temporal, but its length is random: it usually lasts around two or three turns, but can range from 1 to 7 - Pokémon with the Early Bird ability will wake up earlier, though. The only exception to that is Rest, which is two turns of Sleep. There is little advantage to this beyond Rest-Sleep Talk/Rest-Snore combos. An additional negative effect of Sleeping is that Dream Eater can be used on the Sleeping Pokémon (assuming they're not a Dark Pokémon) to damage them and absorb HP; Nightmare and Bad Dreams will also take effect.

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Moderate Ailments

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Attracted

Cures: It seems to go away when the Pokémon causing this is switched out or KO'ed, or the afflicted Pokémon is switched out; Mental Herbs (hold/use) or Blue Flutes (use) work, too

Immunizers: Having the Oblivious ability; being the same gender as the target; being genderless; using the Safeguard move; having already been infatuated; Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move; Shield Dust (ability) if done as a damaging move's side-effect

Details & Effects: The afflicted Pokémon - who will be of the opposite gender of the user of the move Attract - has a 50% chance to not be able to act on a given turn. From the competitive standpoint, it is only somewhat reliable since, while it's good at stopping big threats, you're screwed on the off-chance that that threat is not of your gender. Most people don't really bother to look for certain genders when breeding (except in the cases of certain Pokémon, such as Support Meowstic (thus, Prankster) or Combee (thus, Vespiquen)), so you can usually expect a 50%-50% ratio of Pokémon on their team, which is why it's unreliable.

Confused

Cures: Switching out, waiting several turns, Yellow Flute (item), Lum Berry (item), Persim Berry (item), Full Heal (item), Casteliacone (item), Heal Powder (item), Lava Cookie (item), Lumiose Galette (item), Old Gateau (item), Full Restore (item), Heal Bell (move), Refresh (move), Aromatherapy (move)

Immunizers: Having the Own Tempo ability; using the Safeguard move; having already been Confused; Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move; Shield Dust (ability) if done as a damaging move's side-effect

Details & Effects: The Pokémon has a chance of hitting itself on a given turn, thus doing damage to itself: the odds seem to be about 25% ~ 50%. This lasts for 1 to 4 turns. Additionally, the damage dealt upon hitting itself will be proportional to the Pokémon's Attack stat, stat boosts and items included, which is why the move Swagger (Confusion, Attack +2 stages) is so effective on physical attackers. Then again, Flatter (Confusion, Sp. Atk. +2 stages) helps to circumvent the chance of that confused Pokémon getting a phyiscal move in. Note that Pokémon with the Tangled Feet ability will benefit from an evasion boost of one stage when confused, though.

Cursed

Cures: Switching out; waiting several turns

Immunizers: Already being Cursed; Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move

Details & Effects: The move Curse has two different effects. If the user is not a Ghost-type, their Attack and Defense simply go up 1 stage while Speed goes down 1 stage. This set of notes is for Ghost Pokémon using it. The user of the move Curse - if a Ghost-type - will lose 1/2 (rounded up) of their HP. In doing so, they will inflict damage upon their target, equal to 1/4 of the afflicted Pokémon's HP, and this will be repeated across several turns. This is strategically used by bulky Ghost Pokémon to deal heavy damage to others, particularly those high in HP (since it's fractional), even though it is quite suicidal. This latter fact is somewhat remedied by the conjunctive use of Leftovers and Protect-like moves, Rest-Chesto Berry/Rest-(immune-to-Sleep) combos, or just outright good switching techniques. When afflicted, unless you're sure of a win, it's a good idea to switch out.

As a note of interest, using Trick-or-Treat on a non-Ghost Pokémon who uses the move Curse in an attempt to boost their stats is one particular use of the move (and pretty much the only real one in competitive play, maybe). It will force their Curse to act as if the user was indeed a Ghost, cutting their HP rather than boosting stats.

Flinch

Cures: None

Immunizers: Having the ability Inner Focus; already having flinched in the same turn; Shield Dust (ability) if done as a damaging move's side-effect

Details & Effects: Some moves - Fake Out, most prominently - have a chance to make the opponent Flinch and thus not act on the turn given. Some abilities - Inner Focus, for example - can prevent this. Such moves - whether 100% chance like Fake Out or 30% like Rock Slide - are common especially in Double and Triple Battles since they forcibly pacify the target into being unable to move that turn, which allow you to temporarily stop that Pokémon from threatening you until you take it out with someone slower or until you get rid of its partner in expectation of a combo. Flinching is more of a threat than most would think!

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Minor Ailments

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Air Balloon

Cures: Hitting the Pokémon with a damaging move

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: The Pokémon cannot be hit by Ground-type moves until they are hit with a damaging move, at which point the Air Balloon pops, making them vulnerable to Ground moves again. The wielder of the Air Balloon will then be considered to have no item on-hand.

Aqua Ring

Cures: Switching out

Immunizers: Already having Aqua Ring

Details & Effects: The afflicted Pokémon has used the move Aqua Ring and will regain 1/16 of its max HP at the end of every turn until it switches out.

Charging & Recharging

Cures: None, though Power Herb can circumvent the charging-up turns

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: The Pokémon is either charging up for a move (e.g. Solar Beam, Sky Attack) or is recovering from a move (e.g. Hyper Beam, Blast Burn). Thus, they will not act for one turn. Depending on the move, other effects may be attributed to this.

Crafty Shield

Cures: None

Immunizers: Already having used Crafty Shield

Details & Effects: The move Crafty Shield will immunize the user and its allies from all Status-class moves that turn, but only status moves, meaning non-status moves (such as anything that directly deals damage) will still work. This works well against Pokémon that tend to be status trolls, such as Sableye and some Prankster Meowstics, among others.

Destiny Bond

Cures: None - it evaporates upon the Pokémon using a different move

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: The Pokémon will be under this status for one turn. When it is killed whilst under this status, the attacker will also be KO'ed. That means, if it is slower than you, don't attack on the next turn, but rather switch out or attack an ally or forcibly miss or something, but don't attack. You know, unless it's their last Pokémon. (But, then, if you are also on your last Pokémon, don't attack since it counts as a loss for you - you killed the opponent, knowing (or could've known) that you would also die, That is the general basis for breaking ties in competitions with same-turn, last-Pokémon double-KOs.)

Disabled

Cures: Switching out, Mental Herbs, waiting several turns

Immunizers: Having already been disabled; Aroma Veil (ability); Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move

Details & Effects: This simply implies that, for some reason, one of the Pokémon's moves cannot be used: the last-used one. This isn't used often in official competition, and it's not too big of a problem unless the Pokémon is a Choice item wielder, in which case they should switch out immediately.

Diving & Digging

Cures: None

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: The Pokémon is using the moves Dive or Dig, and cannot be hit by most moves - however, Diving Pokémon can be hit with Surf, and Digging Pokémon with Earthquake or Magnitude, each for double the normal power. They will attack on the next turn.

Embargoed

Cures: Switching out, waiting it out

Immunizers: Having already been embargoed; having used Safeguard; Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move

Details & Effects: The afflicted Pokémon cannot use its hold item, nor can their Trainer use items on them. It can be quite effective in disabling a Pokémon whose strategy relies heavily on its use of items, such as Power Herb/Geomancy Xerneas or most Guts/Flame Orb Pokémon (if they actually attack on the first turn - most Protect).

Encore

Cures: Switching out, waiting it out, Mental Herb

Immunizers: Having already been encored; having used Safeguard; Aroma Veil (ability); Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move

Details & Effects: For several turns, the afflicted Pokémon must use the move it last used. This can be bad if they got you to use a bad move by forcing a switch or something. In any case, be careful, and also note that switching out may be your only option...

Endure

Cures: It ends at the start of the next turn

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: The Pokémon using this move, Endure, will not be able to be KO'ed on this turn, surviving with one HP. Typically, this only has niche uses. However, it can be well-used by fast Pokémon that use moves that rely on being at low HP for moves like Reversal and Flail, especially when used in a situation that is disadvantageous. It could also, in theory, be abused for moves such as Power-Up Punch that raise the user's stats - for example, your partner in a Double Battle uses this, and your Mega-Kangaskhan uses Power-Up Punch on your Enduring partner to boost your Attack twice while keeping your partner alive. It's theoretical, and pretty stupid IMO, but it's a possibility.

Flash Fire

Cures: Switching out

Immunizers: Having already been afflicted by Flash Fire (still prevents Fire moves, but no further boosts are made)

Details & Effects: The Pokémon with this ability has just been hit with a Fire-type move, and thus their own Fire-type moves are powered up.

Flying & Bouncing

Cures: None

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: The Pokémon is using the moves Fly or Bounce, and cannot be hit by most moves, barring Thunder, Gust, and Sky Uppercut. They will attack on the next turn.

Helping Hand

Cures: Evaporates at the end of the target's turn

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: The Pokémon has been "hit" with Helping Hand. Helping Hand is a Priority +4 move (+5 with Prankster) that is only really useful in Double, Triple, and Multi Battles; it allows the user to target an adjacent ally, and thereby make their move 50% stronger. This only affects attacking moves that deal non-set amounts of damage, and helps none in terms of status moves or the extra effects attributed to them. I may be wrong in this, but it also seems only one Helping Hand can be on the same Pokémon at once; if anything, it makes Pokémon Showdown glitch up. As one can guess, Helping Hand is an oft-underestimated aid in Doubles/Triples. Think about it: say I have a Mega Charizard Y using Fire Blast (Power: 110). STAB brings that to 165, Sunny weather brings that 247.5, and Helping Hand brings that up further to 371.25, 3.375x stronger than a plain Fire Blast and before any Sp. Atk. changes or weaknesses are accounted for; notice how Helping Hand is given the same weight as STAB-boosting or weather-boosting or even a Choice item's own boost!

Imprisoning/Imprisoned

Cures: Defeating the Pokémon doing the Imprisoning

Immunizers: Having already been imprisoned; Aroma Veil (ability); Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move

Details & Effects: The Pokémon being Imprisoned by the move of the same name cannot use any moves known by the Pokémon doing the Imprisoning.

King's Shield

Cures: None

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: The Pokémon will not be affected by Physical or Special moves this turn. Additionally, contact attackers will have their Attack lowered by 3 stages, which is quite a bit! (However, if the contact move would not affect the user, had King's Shield not been used, then the Attack reduction is ignored.) However, status moves will still hit. This has a chance of failing with consecutive use: 1/X, where X is the number of consecutive uses this use of the move will make. Feint, Hyperspace Hole, Phantom Force, and Shadow Force will ignore the use of this move, bypassing the target to still attack them.

Leech Seed

Cures: Switching out

Immunizers: Having already been hit with Leech Seed; being a Grass-typed Pokémon; Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move

Details & Effects: The Pokémon has been afflicted with Leech Seed, and will lose 1/16 of its max HP every turn, which will be used to heal the user of Leech Seed or whoever switches into his slot. In Double and Triple Battles, if at any point no Pokémon occupies the slot in which the user of Leech Seed was when it was used, then Leech Seed's damage will not take effect.

Lightened & Weightened

Cures: None but the opposite effect, and nothing makes you heavier by moves

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: The Pokémon's weight has changed, so as to influence weight-based moves such as Grass Knot.

Light Screen

Cures: Brick Break (move), Defog (move), waiting for 5 or 8 turns, the Infiltrator ability allows ignorance of this

Immunizers: Having already used Light Screen

Details & Effects: All damage from Special-class attacks is reduced for the afflicted party. Lasts several turns, but is broken by Brick Break or Defog; otherwise, the move lasts 5 turns, and 8 turns total if the holder holds Light Clay. The damage reduction is by 50% (to half) in Single Battles and Rotation Battles, and by 33% (to 2/3) in Double, Triple, and Multi Battles. However, critical hits will be able to go through Light Screen and Reflect, so beware of this.

Magic Coat

Cures: Ending the turn

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: All status moves used against the user of this move will have their effects brought back against the user. For example, if you use Will-O-Wisp against someone who's used Magic Coat this turn, then you will be hit with Will-O-Wisp. In the case of multitarget moves, such as is the case with Dark Void, it's like the Magic Coat Pokémon using the move themself.

Magnet Rise

Cures: Switching out, waiting several turns

Immunizers: Having already used this move

Details & Effects: The Pokémon is afflicted with the move Magnet Rise. This immunizes them from all Ground-type moves (aside from Thousand Waves and other such ignoring moves) that attempt to hit them.

Mat Block

Cures: None

Immunizers: Having already used Mat Block

Details & Effects: Mat Block is a move that will prevent all physical- and special-classed moves from doing damage to the user's party for the remainder of the turn, although status moves will still get through. This move can, however, only be used on the user's first turn on the field, and it has no priority unlike other Protect-like moves. The thing about the use of this move is that - at this time - it is exclusive to Greninja. For Greninja to use this move ably - as the move has no priority - he needs to use it against Pokémon you're sure won't use a priority attack, and those that he can outspeed, or he needs to use a Focus Sash and hope no one else attacks him in the same turn before he gets this off. That's why Talonflame was one of the big counters to this move in Double/Triple Battles - Gale Wings-boosted Brave Bird hits hard (180 Power with STAB), and hits before Greninja can get off the move. Other than priority moves and faster attackers, Feint, Hyperspace Hole, Phantom Force, and Shadow Force will ignore the use of this move, bypassing the shield to still attack them.

Nightmare

Cures: Waking up, switching out

Immunizers: Having already been put into a Nightmare; not being asleep; Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move

Details & Effects: The Pokémon is under the effects of the Sleep condition; however, they are also in a Nightmare per the use of the move of the same name. Therefore, they are losing 1/8 of their max HP at the end of every turn until they reawaken.

Perish Song

Cures: Switching out

Immunizers: Having already been hit with Perish; having the Soundproof ability

Details & Effects: All Pokémon on the field will faint in three turns from the use of this move. This will not work on Pokémon with the Soundproof ability or Pokémon who were not on the field at the time via any means. If the Pokémon switches out, then the fainting will not occur, either. This is mostly used in the last-ditch style in battles, when it's gotten to be 1v1 in Singles, 2v2 in doubles, or 3v3 in Triples, with no other Pokémon to back you up, meaning you can't switch; if that's not the case, it can be paired with the use of Shadow Tag or Mean Look or the like to prevent you from escaping, meaning certain death. Using this can be risky, though, especially if you can't switch or would be switching into a disadvantageous situation, but it can also be helpful in forcing a switch.

Phantom Force & Shadow Force

Cures: None

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: The Pokémon is using the moves Phantom Force or Shadow Force, and cannot be hit at all. They will attack on the next turn, and will ignore Protect-like moves. About the only way to counteract this is to switch to a Normal-type Pokémon (since these are Ghost moves).

Protect & Detect

Cures: None

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: The Pokémon will not be affected by any moves on the turn when this is used, except for Assurance, Feint, Hyperspace Hole, Imprison, Perish Song, Phantom Force, Play Nice, Psych Up, Shadow Force, and Transform. Pokémon with the No Guard ability also will get through Protect and Detect. This has a chance of failing with consecutive use: 1/X, where X is the number of consecutive uses this use of the move will make.

Quick Guard

Cures: None

Immunizers: Having already used Quick Guard

Details & Effects: The Pokémon and its party will not be affected by moves of a priority greater than zero (such as Quick Attack, Bullet Punch, or anything Gale Wings-boosted, among others); however, it won't stop status moves that are boosted by Prankster. This works every turn, unlike its function prior to X/Y.

Reflect

Cures: Brick Break (move), Defog (move), waiting for 5 or 8 turns, the Infiltrator ability allows ignorance of this

Immunizers: Having already used Reflect

Details & Effects: All damage from Physical-class attacks is reduced for the afflicted party. Lasts several turns, but is broken by Brick Break or Defog; otherwise, the move lasts 5 turns, and 8 turns total if the holder holds Light Clay.The damage reduction is by 50% (to half) in Single Battles and Rotation Battles, and by 33% (to 2/3) in Double, Triple, and Multi Battles. However, critical hits will be able to go through Light Screen and Reflect, so beware of this.

Repressed Ability

Cures: Switching out

Immunizers: Having already had your ability repressed; Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move

Details & Effects: The Pokémon has been hit with Gastro Acid. (Do not confuse this with the ability Mummy.) The Pokémon's ability is therefore not in effect at all. For example, repressing the Tough Claws ability of Mega Charizard X will stop it from gaining the 1/3 boost in damage from physical moves, and repressing the Gale Wings ability of Talonflame will prevent it from getting +1 priority on Flying moves.

Safeguard

Cures: Waiting it out (5 turns); the Infiltrator ability allows ignorance of this

Immunizers: Having already used Safeguard

Details & Effects: The Pokémon on the user's side of the field, for five turns, cannot be Burned, Paralyzed, Poisoned, put to Sleep, Frozen, Taunted, Tormented, Embargoed, Encored, Confused, Attracted, or made to Yawn.

Sky Drop

Cures: None

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: The Pokémon using the move Sky Drop and its target will rise up into the sky. They cannot be hit until the move is executed on the next turn to damage the target Pokémon - there are exceptions to this, however, with the moves Thunder, Gust, and Sky Uppercut. Additionally, the target Pokémon cannot act while in the sky. This is mostly used in Double/Triple Battles to remove a threatening Pokémon from the battlefield for one turn to prevent combos or the like while the other Pokémon batter on the others.

Slow Start

Cures: Waiting 5 turns; switched out

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: The Pokémon's Attack and Speed are halved for some turns. Pretty much the big reason Regigigas is not used often, or, if he is, he is often used with an Eject Button to quickly get rid of that annoying Slow Start.

Spiky Shield

Cures: None

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: The Pokémon will not be affected by Physical or Special moves this turn. Additionally, contact attackers will lose some HP. (However, if the contact move would not affect the user, had Spiky Shield not been used, then the HP reduction is ignored.) This has a chance of failing with consecutive use: 1/X, where X is the number of consecutive uses this use of the move will make. Feint, Hyperspace Hole, Phantom Force, and Shadow Force will ignore the use of this move, bypassing the shield to still attack them.

Stat Change

Cures: Switching out, or ways to induce the opposite effect (moves/items/etc.), some of which (Haze) remove them all by definition

Immunizers: Having used Safeguard; Hyper Cutter (ability) prevents Attack reductions; Big Pecks (ability) prevents non-recoil Defense reductions; Keen Eye (ability) prevents accuracy reductions; Clear Body (ability), White Smoke (ability), and Mist (move) prevents all reductions; Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move; Shield Dust (ability) if done as a damaging move's side-effect prevents any of them; certain moves ignore stat reductions/increments as well

Details & Effects: The Pokémon has had its statistics changed in some manner or another. The section Stat Changes In Battle is better at explaining this.

Substitute

Cures: Defeating the Substitute; the Infiltrator ability allows ignorance of this

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: Substitutes arise when the move Substitute is used; it will sacrifice 25% of the user's max HP to get out a doll that has the same amount of HP; thus, most Pokémon using this move are often EV-trained for their HP and Defenses, or HP at minimum. (For example, a Pokémon with 324/400 HP uses Substitute: their Substitute has 100 HP, which is 1/4 of 400.) When a Substitute is in play, the actual Pokémon will not be affected by Status-class moves aimed at it (except for Taunt/Encore), which makes this a very effective way of avoiding status-trolling Pokémon like Prankster Sableye. The real Pokémon behind the Substitute also won't be able to be hit by most moves except those from No Guard-wielding Pokémon or certain effects (e.g. Poison, Burn, Perish Song) in place before the Pokémon Substituted. Since the Substitute needs to be killed before the real Pokémon can be hurt, these Pokémon also will use Focus Punch sometimes, a particularly common tactic among Breloom, especially in Single Battles since the opponent's turn is wasted using the move that removes the Substitute. For the most part, the biggest counters to this include a pinpointed attack against the Sub-user in Double/Triple/Multi Battles and the use of supereffective moves. Having No Guard Pokémon or using multi-hit moves (since the Sub goes away the moment its own HP hits zero) also work well in Single Battles.

Some other important notes. Most status moves will not affect the target behind them. The more important one? Sound-based moves (such as Bug Buzz, Hyper Boice, and Boomburst) will also be able to go straight through the Substitute. The Sub remains unaffected from this.

Taunt

Cures: Switching out, waiting several turns, Mental Herb

Immunizers: Aroma Veil (ability); Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move; Oblivious (ability)

Details & Effects: The afflicted Pokémon absolutely cannot use status moves. This can be crippling to Pokémon that are set around crippling status moves - examples include Smeargle and Prankster Meowstics. In fact, if you're taunted and have nothing but status moves, then you MUST use Struggle, which will occur if you even attempt to open the Pokémon's attack menu.

Torment

Cures: Switching out, Mental Herb

Immunizers: Aroma Veil (ability); Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move

Details & Effects: The afflicted Pokémon cannot use the same move twice in a row. This isn't too bad with sweeper Pokémon or crippling-status Pokémon, but it has niche uses, especially in Monotype battles.

Transform

Cures: Switching out

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: Enacted by the move Transform or the Imposter ability, the Pokémon will become the same as the target. This means they copy stats (except HP) with level-based adjustments (in other words: Level 50 Ditto copies Level 100 Pokémon with 400 Attack, Ditto has 200), stat changes, moves (PP will become 5/5 for all moves, despite any PP UP'ing), and ability; pretty much the only things not copied are HP and item held. This is a bit gimmicky, but can work on Pokémon EV-trained for HP, and it's amazingly common for Blissey to be chosen for Imposter on Pokémon Showdown metagames that allow illegal ability/moveset changes (since Blissey has the highest HP of all, and then can copy awesome stats). It's also been seen to be used in Double Battles (at least by me =P) to clone Mega-Kangaskhan. However, Transform will disable/change some things. For example, the Pokémon's Forme will be copied, but it cannot be changed in the case of Aegislash (Stance Change ability), and the Forme will be the same as the Pokémon copied (Giratina's Origin Forme will be copied, even though the Transformer may not have the Griseous Orb). IIRC, Arceus Transformations will always be Normal unless the proper Plate is held, though.

Truant

Cures: None, except ways - Skill Swap, etc. - to remove the ability

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: The afflicted Pokémon has this ability and thus can only attack every other turn. Any move use will force the next turn to have the user do nothing (and you won't be able to switch them out); however, if the move, for whatever reason, has no effect or misses, then they effectively get a second chance. This is sometimes abused on Slaking since he can learn Giga Impact (which is super-powerful on him overall: 225 Power counting for STAB) and, in a way, circumvent the recharge time. Durant is also known to use Entrainment to give other Pokémon Truant, mostly as a means of (effectively, mind you) trolling.

Wide Guard

Cures: None

Immunizers: None

Details & Effects: The Pokémon and its party will not be affected by "widespread" moves that hit multiple Pokémon, such as Surf, Earthquake, or Explosion. This is especially useful in blocking you from damage from your allies, since it will block you from being damaged by their wide-spreading move. Several moves ignores this, though - Perish Song, Clear Smog, and Haze. This works every turn, unlike its function prior to X/Y.

Yawning

Cures: Switching out

Immunizers: Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move from foe; Insomnia (ability); Safeguard (move)

Details & Effects: This Pokémon has been afflicted with the move Yawn. This means that, at the end of the turn after this one, the afflicted Pokémon will fall to Sleep, unless switched out by some means.

Weather/Field Effects

There are a number of weather and weather-like conditions that affect the way the game is played. Details - including those not directly stated in the game - are listed below. Only one of the "true" weather conditions - Hail, Sandstorm, Rainy, and Sunny - will be active at once, however. In the following section, we will divide these up between that True Weather and other Field Effects that affect the entire battlefield at once. We will also cover some basics of weather right now.

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Basics of Weather

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Weather is a simple term that is used to affect the very dynamic of the Pokémon battle, and it is a factor many RPGs neglect. Many RPGs almost seem to posit a world where it never rains, it never snows, it never gets windy, it never is cloudy: everything is sunny all day long. Game Freak is among the scant few who are able to understand how weather can affect the battle environment of an RPG: would not Fire moves be weaker in the middle of a rainstorm? Would it not be easier for lightning bolts (i.e. Thunder) to even appear when it is storming compared to when it is a bright, Sunny Day? (lolwordplay)

There are several weather conditions in Pokémon. Most of the Pokémon series has seen several basic weather conditions: Clear, Rainy, Sunny, Hailing, and Sandstorming. The effects of each vary, and strategies utilizing these weather conditions to the best extent are often not reliant so much on the weather's effects in general - such as Hail's damage inductions - so much as they are reliant on a Pokémon's own moves and abilities. Many teams are even themed after certain weather events just to maximize efficiency and power. Several changes to the weather systems have come over the years because of these dynamic trend towards all-weather teams (those competing in the Black/White 2012 VGCs probably remember this), the most prominent of which came in Pokémon X/Y where Ability-caused weather was no longer infinite (while the Pokémon was on the field). Pokémon OR/AS has its own changes to the dynamic as well with several new abilities that induce new weather conditions. Understanding weather and its consequences are very important to the dynamic of a Pokémon team, regardless of whether or not the team itself is themed on weather.

Throughout the course of this section, we will discuss the exact ramifications of each of the weather types in the game, in addition to the non-traditional weather types (like Trick Room) which are still considered weather by the game's internal mechanics. For the most part, the basics of weather have been outlined above: by using a move or ability to set up a weather condition, teams can benefit from weather and its effects for a brief time. It's not that complicated. =P The only thing we really have left to discuss in this basics section is the nature of overriding weather, something that has become a bit more complex since the release of Primal Kyogre, Primal Groudon, and Mega Rayquaza.

On the general, be aware of the fact that only one "true weather" (that based on actual climate) can be in effect at once: you cannot have both Rainy and Sunny weather, or Strong Winds and Oppressively Rainy, for example. Only one will be in effect. If two effects are to come about in the same turn - for example, one Pokémon uses Rain Dance and the other uses Sandstorm, or one Pokémon with Sand Stream comes and another with Drizzle - the slower of those Pokémon will have their effect issued (well, the faster Pokémon's is issued, then the slower one), which is why, for example, most people will use Sand Stream Pokémon to set up weather as those Pokémon are quite slow. If multiple Pokémon become Mega on their turn, and their Mega Forme's ability affects weather, it is still the same, which is why waiting one turn in such situations may be most ideal. This is also true in the instances of Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, and Mega Rayquaza, so long as it's among these three Pokémon as their weather can only be overridden by the other's weather effects.

Such over-riding must also be considered. As far as is known, there are two "tiers" of weather effects. You have regular weather, such as Sunny and Rainy, and then you have the weather provided by the Primal Pokémon and Mega Rayquaza (Oppressively Rainy, etc.). Of these, it works like this when multiple weathers come into effect. For the of sake simplicity, consider the "regular weather" to be Tier 1 weather and the Primals'/Mega-Rayquaza's to be Tier 2.

Thus, the "Tier 1" weather (basic weather) can only override itself or a no-weather condition: "Tier 2" (extreme weather) weather cannot be overridden by that. "Tier 2" weather can override itself, however, and all other weather. And, just to clarify, the tiers:

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True Weather

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Clear

Details: Clear weather is the default weather of battle: it is the type of weather that will be in effect when most battles start, it will be in effect when timed weather ends, and it will be in effect when Air Lock from Rayquaza is brought into play. The Clear weather brought about by Mega Rayquaza's Delta Stream is an extreme version of Clear weather known more appropriately as Strong Winds, which is detailed elsewhere in this section. Clear weather in general has no particular effects on the player, good or bad. Anything with effects based on weather will have no such effect (as with the ability for Thunder/Hurricane to break Protect in Rain) or will use the basal version of the effect (as with Synthesis and Moonlight now healing 50% HP). Clear weather in and of itself is not particularly used for any strategy; rather, Air Lock is most often used to break strategies based on weather, such as switching in when Normal Kyogre is on the field to remove the effects of Rain, thus greatly lessening the effects of, say, Water Spout.

Hailing

Details: All Pokémon not of the Ice type will lose 1/16 of their HP per turn, and Blizzard will become no-miss, being able to even ignore Protect-like moves 1/4 of the time. The move Weather Ball will double in power and become Ice-type, too. The moves Synthesis, Morning Sun, and Moonlight will only recover 1/4 of the user's HP, not the usual 1/2. Of the main weather types, this is the least-used since the ways to benefit are narrow: for example, you need Abomasnow to get the Snow Warning in, pretty much, and only Ice-type Pokémon take any benefit from it. Still, it can work out well with a high-Speed team, really. Ice Body (like Leftovers) and Snow Cloak (20%-higher evasion) are common on Hail teams.

Intensely Sunny

Details: This level of intense sunlight is more extreme than that yielded by Drought and Sunny Day in the Sunny weather. This is only activated by Primal Groudon's ability Desolate Land. Many of the effects remain the same as simply Sunny weather. However, while Fire moves are stronger by 50%, Water moves are completely negated from causing any damage, which strategically is helpful to the Ground/Fire Primal Groudon. The other change in regards to this is how the weather will only last as long as Primal Groudon is on the field, not the standard 5 turns: the moment Primal Groudon leaves, the weather disappears. The weather also cannot be overriden: once this level of intense sunlight is in effect, it will not be removed by the moves Rain Dance, Sandstorm, and Hail, nor the abilities Drizzle, Sand Stream, or Snow Warning. These effects should be taken into account when attempting to counter a Primal Groudon, particularly the fact that it will only be weak to Ground now: switching in Primal Kyogre is probably best, to be honest.

Oppressively Rainy

Details: This level of rainfall is stronger than that basic Rainy weather given by the move Rain Dance or the ability Drizzle. This is only yielded by Primal Kyogre's ability Primordial Sea. Many of the effects are akin to basic Rainy weather, so it would be prudent to look those up; however, there are a few changes. For example, whereas Water is strengthened by 50%, Fire is not weakened by 50% but negated completely. There are a couple of other changes in regards to this weather. One is that it has no specific length of 5~8 turns like Rainy, but lasts for as long as Primal Kyogre is on the field, and it disappears the moment he does. That also means it cannot be overridden by any move (Sunny Day, Hail, Sandstorm) or ability (Drought, Snow Warning, Sand Stream): until Primal Kyogre is switched out or defeated, it will assuredly be so rainy (unless Mega Rayquaza or Primal Groudon come onto the field). The strategic effects of such on the dynamics of Primal Kyogre are not as beneficial as those of intense sunlight are on Primal Groudon. It does imply that Primal Kyogre can be best allied in Double or Triple Battles by Pokémon, such as Scizor and Forretress, who will now no longer fear Fire; Kyogre already resists Fire, so the nullificiation is irrelevant to Primal Kyogre beyond the 50% Water-power boost.

Rainy

Details: Water-type moves' power are boosted by 50% while Fire-type moves' are lowered by 50%. Weather Ball will double in power and be a Water-type move. Additionally, Thunder and Hurricane will always hit in this condition; these moves may even ignore Protect-like moves 1/4 of the time!! Solar Beam will require an extra turn to charge on addition to the one already in place, and Moonlight, Morning Sun, and Synthesis will only heal 1/4 of the user's HP. There are a variety of abilities, too, that allow certain Pokémon to make advantage of this weather. Typically, Politoed with the Drizzle ability is used to initiate the weather while other Pokémon help out some, too. Water Absorb/Surf combos in Double Battles work well, and Swift Swim on Kingdra is very common. The ability Rain Dish (like Leftovers for the rain) is often coupled with Leftovers and sometimes Aqua Ring on bulky Pokémon.

Sandstorm

Details: All Pokémon not of the Rock, Ground, or Steel types will lose 1/16 of their HP each turn, making this effective in getting rid of Focus Sash users, Multiscale Dragonite or Lugia, and, to some rare degree, anyone who Skill Swapped (or the like) Sturdy onto a non-Rock, non-Steel, and non-Ground type. Morning Sun, Synthesis, and Moonlight will also only heal 1/4 of the user's HP in lieu of the usual 1/2. The move Weather Ball will also double in power and become Rock-type. Additionally, all Pokémon of the Rock type get a 50% automatic boost in Special Defense, which is helpful as some of the most appealing Sandstorm team Pokémon (Rhyperior) are Rock-typed, but have horrible Sp. Def., which makes one concerned for moves like Surf. There's also the reduction of power in Solar Beam to 60, and several abilities that will be dependent on this weather as well, such as Sand Rush (doubled Speed in Sandstorm) or Sand Force (increased power on Ground, Rock, and Steel moves in Sandstorm). Of all the weather types, this is probably the one with the most advantage. Why? Unless you forcibly reduce the Speed of the Pokémon causing the weather or waste a turn using the appropriate move, then Tyranitar or Hippowdon (which have Sand Stream) tend to activate the Sandstorm first.

Strong Winds

Details: The Strong Winds weather condition is that brought about by Mega Rayquaza and his ability, Delta Stream. Like with his mythological partners in Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon, this ability is meant to last only as long as Mega Rayquaza is on the field, but it will last for that time regardless of length, unless Primal Groudon or Primal Kyogre come onto the field after Mega Rayquaza. Thus, the moves Rain Dance, Sunny Day, Hail, and Sandstorm, and the abilities Drizzle, Drought, Sand Stream, and Snow Warning will fail with Mega Rayquaza out, and will be overridden when Mega Rayquaza appears if they're already in use. What are the effects of Delta Stream? Delta Stream is mostly a defensive pandering to Flying-type Pokémon. As you well know, Flying Pokémon are weak to Electric, Rock, and Ice moves. If such a move is super-effective on a Flying Pokémon - in whole (Tornadus) or in part (every other Flying Pokémon) - it will now only do normal damage or double damage. For example, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, or Stone Edge on Tornadus or Staraptor normally does double-damage, and now does normal damage. As another example, Ice Beam will do quadruple damage normally to (Mega) Rayquaza, Dragonite, and Flygon; now it does double damage. Thus, Flying Pokémon teams will benefit greatly from this, especially those that are not very frail and have otherwise debilitating double weaknesses. The main problem, though? Most battles you'll see Mega Rayquaza appear in are Single Battles (at least for the in-game experience and Pokémon Showdown Ubers oftentimes): only Mega Rayquaza will benefit on your side, and you may even aid your foe! Delta Stream and Strong Winds are best used in Doubles or Triples teams that have many Flying Pokémon on them so multiple allies can benefit simultaneously. (You need to remember that the condition will go away the moment Mega Rayquaza leaves the field, which is the reason for this.) And, for the record, Stealth Rocks is not affected by Strong Winds: Mega Rayquaza (Dragon/Flying) will still take 1/4 damage from Stealth Rock.

Sunny

Details: Fire moves are stronger by 50% while Water moves are weaker by 50%. Additionally, Solar Beam needs no turn to charge up. Thunder and Hurricane are only 50% accurate. The moves Synthesis, Morning Sun, and Moonlight will heal 2/3 of the user's HP as well, more than normal. The move Weather Ball will also become a Fire move. There are some abilities, too, that help out with this, such as Chlorophyll (doubled Speed), Flower Gift (boosted offensive stats), Leaf Guard (cannot be ailed), and Solar Power (boosted Sp. Atk. for loss of HP). Teams that use this are dominated by Ninetales or Mega-Charizard Y, Fire-type move users, and Grass Pokémon with Chlorophyll, so you know.

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Field Effects

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Electric Terrain

Details & Effects: This affects all active Pokémon who do not Levitate, who are not Flying-type, who aren't holding an Air Balloon, have not used Magnet Rise, and have not be hit by Telekinesis. Those who are Flying or Bouncing or are affected by Sky Drop and still meet the previous conditions will glean these benefits upon those moves ending. Essentially, this affects Pokémon on the ground. This move prevents all ground-bound Pokémon from falling asleep. This can be used to prevent the Sleep side-effect of Rest, for example, or to counter Darkrai (who commonly uses Dark Void), or other Pokémon that rely on Sleep as part of their strategy.

Grassy Terrain

Details & Effects: This affects all active Pokémon who do not Levitate, who are not Flying-type, who aren't holding an Air Balloon, have not used Magnet Rise, and have not be hit by Telekinesis. Those who are Flying or Bouncing or are affected by Sky Drop and still meet the previous conditions will glean these benefits upon those moves ending. Essentially, this affects Pokémon on the ground. All such ground-bound Pokémon will have their HP restored by 1/16 per turn, and the move Nature Power becomes Energy Ball. Grass-type moves' power will also be boosted by 50% for everyone on the ground. The aforementioned healing accumulates in addition to other such curative effects, such as Leftovers-like item boosts or statuses like Aqua Ring. In fact, those two and this mean you regain 16.75% (3/16) of your HP per turn, which is a nice chunk.

Gravity

Details & Effects: All Pokémon of the Flying-type or with the Levitate ability will be vulnerable to Ground-type moves. This is mostly good for hurting Fire/Flying, Rock/Flying, Steel/Flying, or Electric/Flying Pokémon such as Moltres, Charizard, Talonflame, Aerodactyl, Archeops, Skarmory, Zapdos, and Emolga. In Double/Triple Battles, those Pokémon can even be paired Ground-type move users (especially Electric/Flying with a Ground-type for dual-synergy in Discharge) to help negate the ally-hitting effect of Earthquake. Granted, you'll still be hit by said Earthquake if you don't use it, and your opponent will probably only use it if one of your Pokémon are super-effectively hit by it, so Gravity is a bit niche, but it can work at times.

Magic Room

Details & Effects: Hold items take no effect for several turns. This can be extremely convenient in any situation, especially if you prefer to lack items (i.e. Acrobatics Talonflame). This is because items often favor heavily into strategies, and thus removing the items can be devasatating. For example, disable Focus Sash and you get to do OHKO's. Disable Choice Band/Choice Specs and you're suddenly taking 2/3 of the previous damage (although you open the opponent up to more moves). Disable a Berry and your opponent can't use it for its intended purpose. ... You get my point. This works well in combination with the Frisk ability, since that lets you know your opponent's hold items.

Misty Terrain

Details & Effects: This affects all active Pokémon who do not Levitate, who are not Flying-type, who aren't holding an Air Balloon, have not used Magnet Rise, and have not be hit by Telekinesis. Those who are Flying or Bouncing or are affected by Sky Drop and still meet the previous conditions will glean these benefits upon those moves ending. Essentially, this affects Pokémon on the ground. All such ground-bound Pokémon will not be able to get Poisoned, Burned, Frozen, or put to Sleep for five turns. Additionally, the move Nature Power becomes Moonblast, and Dragon-type moves are half as powerful. So, it's essentially a superior version of Electric Terrain when it comes to general competitive use. It works great for the same reasons as that, and it can also help counter Pokémon who rely on the Guts ability or simply to protect your own Pokémon, especially Pokémon that tend to be status-trollers like Prankster Sableye.

Trick Room

Details & Effects: The Pokémon's turn order is reversed. In other words, if you'd go first, you'll now go last. Another mathematical way of looking at it is to say that your Speed becomes the reciprocal of what it was (275 becomes 1/275; 300 becomes 1/300; 1/275 > 1/300, so 275 Speed goes first). This will not account for priority moves (Quick Attack, for example, still goes first), but the mechanics remain the same (+2 Priority > +1 Priority): and, if a priority conflict arises, the slower Pokémon moves first.)s Slowking is very common to initiate Trick Room (with Bronzong being a runner-up), and these teams are dominated by bulky Pokémon who have naturally low Speeds who thusly take advantage of this to go first on their turns; this is often furthered by the use of the Brave or Quiet natures, which boost Attack or Special Attack by 10%, but lower Speed by 10%. A good counter for this, in a way, is your own Trick Room or Prankster Encore: Trick Room during Trick Room completely negates it! Otherwise, there's not much of a counter for this team; however, since its conditions and suitable Pokémon are relatively narrow, generally being bulky yourself to outlast the Trick Room works. Alternatively, since Trick Room is a Priority -7 move - the lowest, assuring it goes last - you can predict if someone will use Trick Room and focus your best attacks on them or force a switch with a move like Roar or Dragon Tail that, while very low priority (Priority -6) will still hit before Trick Room activates. (This is barring the use of Prankster and then the Prankster Pokémon also being faster than the one forcing the switch.)

Wonder Room

Details & Effects: All Pokémon's Defense and Special Defense is swapped for several turns. ... The uses of this... I don't know. It is one way to get a Power Trick Shuckle to work against a physical-oriented team, though! =P

Entry Hazards

In this game, and going as far back as Diamond and Pearl, there are several moves that regarded as "entry hazards" - moves that have effects, not on the Pokémon currently out for the opposing side, but for those that switch in. In certain situations, they are absolutely destructive to the opposing team. This section is used to describe those effects. In general, the Pokémon most known for this are Ferrothorn and Forretress, though Skarmory is a bulky Pokémon with no double weaknesses that honestly should be preferred, IMO. At the same time, however, remember that to remove these hazards, you must use Defog or Rapid Spid in most instances; thus, many good Single Battle teams (as hazards are most effective in Single Battles since a Focus Sash user is virtually assured to get in at least one hazard if desired) include some Pokémon that can use one of those moves, and both moves can be used by a variety of Pokémon (especially since Defog was an HM move in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, so a good few Flying Pokémon can use that).

Spikes

Details & Effects: Spikes will be laid on the opposing side of the field, damaging all Pokémon that switch in; however, Pokémon that are Flying, Levitating, or otherwise not ground-bound will be unaffected. Rapid Spin will also get rid of this move's effects. Continual use of this move will make the layers pile up for additional damage - 1 layer removes 12.5% (1/8) of the opponent's HP; 2 layers removes 16.667% (1/6); and 3 or more layers removes 25% (1/4). This can be combined with Gravity to make sure enemy Pokémon are virtually guaranteed to get hurt pretty nastily.

Stealth Rock

Details & Effects: Stealth Rock will deal damage to Pokémon who switch in, and it will do so according to their type affinity to the Rock type. For example, Charizard (Fire/Flying) will take 4x damage from a Rock-type move, or Unfezant (Normal/Flying) will take 2x damage from Rock moves, or Metagross (Steel/Psychic) takes half-damage. According to the below list, the fractional damage dealt to the Pokémon switching in will change: the weaker they are to Rock, the more damage they take. From a strategical standpoint, this works well to counteract Pokémon teams heavy in Fire, Ice, Flying, or Bug Pokémon, and these types are often paired together! Note that Pokémon benefitting from Strong Winds will not have their damage reduced from Stealth Rock, and Stealth Rock damage is applied before the Primal Reversion of a Pokémon (only relevant with Groudon, in which case this is better for him, now 1/16 damage).

1/8 Effective (Triple-Resistance): 1.5625% of the max HP (1/64) -- triple-typing is not used often in the Pokémon experience, mostly via special simulators or through the addition of types (for example, Trick-or-Treat adds the type Ghost to a Pokémon's already-present types)

1/4 Effective (Double-Resistance): 3.125% of the max HP (1/32)

1/2 Effective (Single-Resistance): 6.25% of the max HP (1/16)

Regular Effectiveness (Not Resisted): 12.5% of the max HP (1/8)

Super Effective (Single Weakness): 25% of the max HP (1/4)

Super Effective (Double Weakness): 50% of the max HP (1/2)

Super Effective (Triple Weakness): Automatic KO, no matter what -- read the previous note under 1/8 Effective: again, triple-typing is extremely rare, but nonetheless possible under certain circumstances

Sticky Web

Details & Effects: Any Pokémon that switch in will have their Speed lowered by a single stage, but only if they are bound to the ground. (As in, they are not Flying or Levitating.) This can be useful in insuring that you are faster than the opponent, and even more useful when used alongside Gravity, since Flying Pokémon can also be pretty fast.

Toxic Spikes

Details & Effects: Toxic Spikes works in a manner akin to Spikes - it only affects Pokémon on the ground, not Flying-types or Levitators, among others, though Gravity counteracts this. It also, by definition in regards to the Poison ailment, will not affect Steel- or Poison-type Pokémon, those already Poisoned (which prevents Bad Poisoning), those with another major ailment, or those with the Immunity ability. A single layer of Toxic Spikes will just Poison the opponent, while two will induce Bad Poisoning. Poison Pokémon will remove the effects of Toxic Spikes when they switch in.

Special Move Mechanics

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Sectional Flowchart

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This section is designed to reveal the various details regarding some of the more ... special moves in the game, allowing you to fully abuse them. Just so you know.

• Chatter
• Eruption & Water Spout
• Fling
• Grass Knot & Low Kick
• Gyro Ball
• Heat Crash & Heavy Slam
• Hidden Power
• Magnitude
• Natural Gift
• Pledge Combos
• Punishment
• Return & Frustration
• Reversal & Flail
• Secret Power
• Stockpile
• Trump Card
• Wring Out & Crush Grip

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Move Mechanics

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Chatter

The move Chatter is a Flying type move with a base power of 60; however, it is only usable by Chatot, so it has 90 Power with STAB accounted for. The quirk regarding this move is the ability to induce Confusion on the opponent: the volume of the recording used for Chatter will determine the rate of Confusion. The louder the recording, the higher the chance of Confusion - it can go as high as 100%, as is assumed by Pokémon Showdown.

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Eruption & Water Spout

Eruption and Water Spout are two moves (of the Fire and Water types, respectively) that rely on the user's HP to deal what generally are heavy amounts of damage. They are often used as the user's first move, or after being healed, to make full use of the moves' power. Each move has a base PP of 5, 100% accuracy, and a power between 1 and 150, as per the below formula:

   POWER = (Current HP) / (Max HP) * 150

It is essentially the percentage of your HP remaining multiplied by 150. Since it's a percentage, it's wise to keep Pokémon that use these moves fast and powerful or bulky and powerful, depending on which fits your strategy and their stats.

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Fling

The move Fling is a Dark-type move, and its power is intended to vary depending on the item held by the user: for that is what the user does, throw their item at the target. It generally means it is a one-time use move (barring Recycle, Trick, or like moves). It has a power generally ranging from 10 to 130, or 15 to 195 if you account for STAB on a Dark Pokémon, which makes this move lethal, even if one-time. First, I will discuss the additional effects certain items give to the target when Flung, and then I will discuss the powers of the items in general. For the sake of completionism, the latter will also contain items you couldn't bring over via PokéBank, but you never know who will find this useful... =P

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Grass Knot & Low Kick

Grass Knot (Grass & Special) and Low Kick (Fighting & Physical) are two moves, in the same vein as Heat Crash & Heavy Slam, that rely on weight as the deciding factor for damage. In this instance, it is simply the weight of the target that matters, as per the below chart:

To take a look at the Pokémon listed in order of weight, see this section: it includes their Grass Knot/Low Kick damage class, as it were. If you're curious, here are the distributions of Pokémon across the weight classes:

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Gyro Ball

The move Gyro Ball is a Steel-type move, whose power is variable. This variability is a result of the mechanic surrounding it: it will deal more damage the larger the difference between the user's and the target's Speed, with all alterations to those included, such as stat changes. Thus, it works well when a very slow Pokémon uses it against a very fast Pokémon, and is rendered very useful in Trick Room situations (since Trick Room does not affect the stat itself, just turn order, and slower Pokémon then go first so...).

The formula to calculate the base power of the move is as follows:

   POWER = 25 * (TSpe / USpe)
    TSpe = The target's Speed
    USpe = The user's Speed

The power of the move can range between 1 and 150 inclusive; if it goes beyond those bounds (discounting STAB and other boosts), it will default to the highest bound. If you use basic algebra, then, the power of this move is most optimal when the opponent is six times faster or more than you, emphasizing the use of an Iron Ball (which by definition doubles this move's power, since it halves your Speed). It also works well as a Sticky Web counter, for example. And don't forget that Trick Room doesn't alter Speed itself, so Gyro Ball can be very nice to have on a Trick Room team for at least one Pokémon.

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Heat Crash & Heavy Slam

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Heavy Slam (a Steel move) and Heat Crash (a Fire move) are two moves that rely on the user's and the target's own weights to determine the damage it deals. It's a simple formula: what percent of the user's weight is the target's weight, or simply ''(Target's Weight / User's Weight). It works as follows to determine the base power:

Thusly, this move is better left to Pokémon that are very weighty, a common factor among Rock, Steel, and Ground Pokémon and even better among those with the Heavy Metal ability - ideally, you'll want to weight 5 times as much as the average Pokémon for the 120 Power, but that's going to be hard to manage outside of legendary Pokémon and a few others (when you throw in the restriction of also needing to know these moves): just try to be heavy.

If you want to see a list of Pokémon by weight, see this section.

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Hidden Power

Note that this section will assume you know what IVs are, and that you know your own IVs (at least, should you need to use this for finding your Hidden Power's type). The IV calculator at Serebii -- http://serebii.net/games/iv-calcxy.shtml -- works well.

Of all the "special" moves, Hidden Power is the most complex of them all. It is learnable by (almost) any Pokémon, but it varies significantly between almost any two Pokémon with almost complete certainty, there being a 1 in 256 chance of two Pokémon having the same Hidden Power at random. By definition, the move is Special-classed, the power is set at 60, the accuracy at 100%, and it has 15 PP normally. Its type will vary upon one of the most variable factors in the game, however - IVs. This variation allows a good Special-Attacking Pokémon to have additional move variety it wouldn't otherwise have, a critical elemental many use in Special Attackers lacking that one type (such as Porygon-Z).

Usually, experimentation can lead you to figure out the type of Hidden Power a Pokémon has, although someone is usually in the game, too, to determine the type. This latter method is preferable, since the type can be most any of the 17 available to the game upon its introduction in Ruby/Sapphire in 2003, and 18 after X/Y in 2013 - the only ones you cannot have is a Fairy-type or a Normal-type (ironic, as the game states that as its type) Hidden Power. Hidden Power is also subject to the Technician and Normalize abilities, although those won't be ideal on the Pokémon that have them under general VGC circumstances, since they tend to be better as physical-attackers.

If you prefer the math version to type determination, here we go...

Let us consider the following formula:

 VALUE = (H + A + D + SA + SD + SP) * 15 / 63
     H = Your HP IV, once adjusted
     A = Your Attack IV, once adjusted
     D = Your Defense IV, once adjusted
    SA = Your Sp. Atk. IV, once adjusted
    SD = Your Sp. Def. IV, once adjusted
    SP = Your Speed IV, once adjusted

If you want to determine the sum of the IVs' adjusted values required for a certain Hidden Power type, then you need to observe the below formula. Remember, it requires a sum of the adjusted values (the adjustment being soon described), so there can be multiple IV sets that would work, especially given that it's essentially an "even or odd" determination for adjustment.

 IV SUM = VALUE * 63 / 15
 IV SUM = (H + A + D + SA + SD + SP)
      H = Your HP IV, once adjusted
      A = Your Attack IV, once adjusted
      D = Your Defense IV, once adjusted
     SA = Your Sp. Atk. IV, once adjusted
     SD = Your Sp. Def. IV, once adjusted
     SP = Your Speed IV, once adjusted

In the above formulas, if any of the variables - H, A, D, SA, SD, or SP - are equal to any multiple of two, then it will be considered to be equal to zero for the purpose of this formula. Thus, a Pokémon with 30 in all six IVs has a "Value" of 0. If the IV is odd, then it will be a different value:

• 1 if it's HP
• 2 for Attack
• 4 for Defense
• 8 for Speed
• 16 for Sp. Atk.
• 32 for Sp. Def.

Once the proper values after the even/odd distribution have been substituted in, the sum is calculated. For example, a Pokémon with all six IVs perfect (31 in each) will have a Value of 63. Then this value is multiplied by 15 and divided by 63; in this case, you will then end up with 15. The result is then truncated (the decimal part removed so that you only have a whole integer). Similarly, Pokémon with all six IVs as perfect (31) will have a Value of "15", and thus a Dragon-type Hidden Power.

Depending on the end "Value", the type will vary. As you can see, Fairy- and Normal-type Hidden Powers are excluded from the set of 16.

If you know basic math and understand the fact that the end value of the calculations is truncated, you'll know that there are only 16 possible end Values one can get. Since there is truncation, we can only get integers, right? The function " * 15/63" will also do it such that no number can be higher than 15. Thus, we can only have integers of 15 or lower, and no lower than 0 given what is being added, which means we only have 16 Hidden Power types. Granted, that obviously excludes Fairy and Normal for reasons unknown, but, eh, take the good with the bad.

If anyone is curious, used to, the calculation of Hidden Power's own Power used to require another IV-considerant formula, but it's now just a flat 60, even if the Pokémon is from older generations.

If you are curious, it would be interesting to note that each of the combinations of even/odd for the IVs can result in specific sets of Types. For example, I can tell you, based on the type of Hidden Power you want, what 4 sets of even or odd IVs will work, for there are 64 combos (2^6) and 16 types. ... Of course, that's an on average instance: all types on average should occur in four sets, but some are simply impossible to replicate. Dragon, for example, requires 6 odd IVs: only one "even/odd" set can really give you that. However, other types can get multiple results since the result of the (IV SUM * 15 / 63) function is truncated, meaning that even if a decimal answer is achieved, the whole-number part alone will be considered, which is why Bug and Grass actually have 5 possible IV sets.

The below chart will be usable for determining what set of even-or-odd IVs you need in each stat to get a desired Hidden Power type, just for the curious. If you want an IV maxed, then Odd is 31 and Even is 30; if you want it minimized, then 0 is Even and 1 is Odd, at least under ideal circumstances. The number of "odds" in a row thus determine how many perfect IVs you can have in your stats and in which stats and then still get that desired Hidden Power. (Or evens if you consider 0 IVs to be perfect for your strategy.)

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Magnitude

Magnitude is a physical Ground-type move of variable power. When Magnitude is used, the game will state than one of 7 magnitudes of an earthquake has been caused by the user. Each magnitude has its own power and its own chance of occurring, as below.

Based on this data, one could derive several things regarding the usefulness of Magnitude. For example, on average (with the odds for each occurence accounted for), the Power of this move is 71 on average, which means it is a poor, luck-based substitute for Earthquake - while it will exceed Earthquake's Power of 100 15% of the time, it will also fall under that 85% of the time. Strategically, substituting the 100%-nature of the powerful Earthquake for a random 15% chance at a 110- or 150-Power move is not a good strategy.

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Natural Gift

Natural Gift is, at first glance, a "meh" move. Before I first began research into it, I thought that it would be a waste in general to use a slot for a good competitive item - such as a Choice item or Life Orb - to put a Berry in your hands. I was quite wrong ... to some extent. Natural Gift is essentially a move that gives a decent move variety to a Pokémon needing it, and the move in question will be of decent-to-great (80~100) power - 20 points more than before X/Y's release - which makes it very considerable to both have and to counter (as in via Incinerate or other means). However, Natural Gift is also a one-use move (it uses the Berry, and has a power of 1 with nothing), so be very wary about that - you can repeat its use via Recycle or Harvest as needed, though.

Below, you will find the Berries you can hold to affect this move, its power, and its type.

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Pledge Combos

There are three moves in the game known as the Fire Pledge, Water Pledge, and Grass Pledge. Each move is normally 80 Power, 100 Accuracy, and of the named type. Their true value comes out when used in Double, Triple, or Multi Battles when two allies use them together on the same turn. Based on the order in which the moves are used, the additional effects will be different.

Grass Pledge -> Fire Pledge: Your opponents will lose 1/8 of their HP across several turns at the end of the turn. This is not the same as a Burn, even though the damage is the same, the main distinction being the actual damage. This works well with stalling tactics: it can be lethal if the foes are Burned, Poisoned, or being Leech Seeded, or all of those. =P

Fire Pledge -> Water Pledge: Doubles the likelihood of other moves' extra effects for several turns, like Air Slash's Flinch chance. Works obscenely well in combination with Serene Grace, which has the same effect.

Water Pledge -> Grass Pledge: The Speed of your opponents is halved for several turns. Setting up Spider Web is probably better for this (granted, just 1/3 loss) since the ultimate result is often the same: your foe is slower, and Spider Web is actually more permanent.

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Punishment

Punishment is a Dark-type move whose power can vary, and is extremely lethal in certain situations, almost moreso than any other move. Punishment is a move that will consider the stat changes the opponent has made on their Pokémon. Initially with 60 Power, it will then have a power of ((20 * X) + 60), where X is the number of stat changes the opponent currently has in effect. Thus, it will never fall under 60, but can go further.

This can be extremely lethal on some Pokémon that specifically rely on boosting their own stats, such as physical Aegislash or bulky Dragon Dance Dragonite - it also works well in conjunction when the user of Punishment is allied by a Pokémon that uses moves that lower the target's stats, as Punishment doesn't seem to care about which way the stat changes go. There are eight stats in all that are augmented in this game - Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk., Sp. Def., Speed, Accuracy, Evasion, and your Critical-Hit Rate - and their stat changes can be augmented up to six changes in any direction. In theory, that would give it a maximum power of (20 * 8 * 6) or 960.

However, the game will cap its power at 200, or 10 changes. STAB and other self-boosts will still be factored in, so STAB brings it to a devastating 300. It's definitely a move worth considering, especially in conjunction with the entry hazard Sticky Web or status-trollers that seek to lower stats. Though keep in mind people usually won't use boosting moves more than twice, meaning you can rarely hope for more than a power of 140 without STAB if you're lucky - you might have to induce the changes yourself.

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Return & Frustration

Return and Frustration are the two moves that rely on the Pokémon's own Happiness to determine their base power. Happiness is a stat that grows via various means, though generally keeping the Pokémon with you long enough to EV train it and bring it to a competitive level is mostly enough to max it out at 255, if you're concerned. The power of Return and Frustration can both range between 1 and 102, and the moves are Normal-type; you'll thus see these often on Normal Pokémon (i.e. Mega-Kangaskhan) for the STAB boost to 1.5 to 153. The power of each is calculated according to the following formulae:

        RETURN POWER = (Happiness) * 2 / 5
   FRUSTRATION POWER = (255 - Happiness) * 2 / 5

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Reversal & Flail

Reversal and Flail are absolutely lethal moves under the right circumstance; in essence, they are the polar opposite of Eruption & Water Spout - by which I mean they rely on how little, not how much, HP you have remaining. (Plus, Reversal is Fighting-type, and Flail is Normal-type.) With the right strategy, these moves will hit most Pokémon lethally. When people intend to use this strategy, they make the Pokémon very fast and very strong physically, absolutely disregarding any notion of bulk. The Pokémon will also have a Focus Sash, Sturdy, or use Endure to bring their HP as close as possible - then, because you made them very fast, you can attack first with nearly-unsurpassed power on the next turn. Because these strategies are rarely used in general competition (I've not seen either in over 500 X/Y battles), countering them is not of particular worry, though any revenge killer or other priority-based attacker wouldn't have a problem slaying these Pokémon when they hit the low HP necessary to fully utilize these moves.

Below, you will find the ranges of HP considered for this move and their resultant powers - they are the same for both moves.

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Secret Power

Secret Power is a move more known for its use in the original Ruby/Sapphire, in which it was usable to create Secret Bases - it can also do this for Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire in the deluxe Super-Secret Bases. =D

Still, it has decent use as an attacking move, with uses beyond that mere trivial use. It is a physical Normal-type move of 90 Power (135 with STAB), whose main gimmick was that its side effects were altered based on where the move was used. This remains true in these games. Below, you will find a list of locations and the side effects associated with those areas.

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Stockpile

By itself, Stockpile is not a particular interesting move: it will mostly serve, at least initially, to boost the user's Defense and Special Defense one stage. Stockpile can be used up to three times consecutively. The main feature of Stockpile is its connection with two other moves, Spit Up and Swallow. These two moves are used to damage an enemy and heal the user, respectively, in respect to how much the user has Stockpiled. After the use, the user's Stockpile level returns to zero and your Defense and Special Defense will go down as many levels as it rose, back down to the initial levels you started with on the assumption that your stats were not otherwise altered by your opponent.

Personally, the problem with Stockpile and either Swallow or Spit Up are the correlations to the time it takes for them to be effective. It's essentially two turns for a 100-Power move or 1/4 healing, 3 turns for 200 power or 1/2 healing, or 4 to get 300 power or full healing. The maximized efficiency of this move in regards to Spit Up is really only 75-power (300 Power / 4 Turns), which is generally surpassed by a number of moves, and healing is generally just trolling the opponent and sucking their PP away until they catch on. While 300-power is almost an assured OHKO, the likelihood you'd survive that long, even with the Defense boosts, are minimal in general gameplay. In fact, you could be easily countered by a self-boosting Pokémon wearing a Focus Sash: Swords Dance Speed Boost Blaziken comes to mind: in four turns, he would have quadrupled Attack and tripled Speed, meaning he would certainly kill you barring priority attacks.

Below, I will discuss the damaging effects of Spit Up and the curative effects of Swallow.

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Trump Card

Trump Card is a simple-to-describe attack, and it's rather rare to see it in general competitive use because it relies on the user living long enough to use it. (Of those, you won't find many beyond the Eevee-lutions and Slowking surviving.) Trump Card is a move that will get power as it is used more; or, at least as far as the game is concerned, the more its PP goes down. (You could, for example, force-lower it via Spite.) Thus, it is pretty much the one move in the game that you do NOT want to boost with a PP Up due to the prolonged weakening of the move.

The base power of the move in relation to your PP is below:

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Wring Out & Crush Grip

Wring Out and Crush Grip are some of the more devastating moves in the game, albeit only in certain situations. These two moves rely on the target's HP to deal damage: the more HP the target has, the higher the move's Power. The Power can range from 1 to 110, which is pretty nasty. However, keep in mind that, as damage is dealt, the damage output from these two moves will by definition also decrease, meaning the move is most effective as your opener move and it's better to go to other means for the remainder of the fight.

Anyhow, the base power of this move is calculated with the following formula:

   BASE POWER = (Current HP / Max HP) * 110

In essence, the base power of the move is equal to the percentage of HP (as a decimal) the target has times 110. The percentage itself is easily estimatable from the gauge on-screen, so you don't need to know the target's exact HP to estimate the power of this move.

The "Minor" Details - EVs, IVs, and Nature

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Sectional Flowchart

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• Introduction to Dynamic Values & Natures
• EVs - Effort Values
• IVs - Individual Values
• Natures

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Introduction to Dynamic Values & Natures

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Most of you who'd probably bother to be looking at an FAQ have absolutely no idea what an EV is, or what the significance of six perfect IVs is, or what your Pokémon's Natures are intended to do. (I assume this since most people ready for official competition - and thus already know this stuff - generally don't read FAQs. Sorry if I'm being overly-presumptuous.) The former two are generally referred to as the Dynamic Values; before their mechanics and existence were revealed, these two values were often different between two Pokémon.

In fact, alongside Natures, these are the three reasons why two Pokémon - even of the same species, and even raised by the exact same person - could end up drastically different. They can be the difference between a Blaziken using a physical- or special-oriented moveset. They can be the difference between going with a speedy Dragonite or a bulky one that abuses Weakness Policies. They can be the reason behind an effective Pokémon that knows Transform. They can be the difference between choosing Mega-Mewtwo-Y or Mega-Mewtwo-X. When properly manipulated, many new strategies open up for your Pokémon, for you are more free in manipulating their statistics. With the proper knowledge, you can actually calculate the Pokémon's Level 100 stats before the Pokémon has even been hatched!

And so, you need to learn what these are, how they work, and how to manipulate them to your own advantages. Keep in mind that this section is absolutely by no means intended to be read by people who do not intend to battle against other, real-life people in a competitive setting. You will not need to know any of this stuff to get through the game at all.

Within the following sections, I will discuss what the nature of these stats and what they do, and more exactly how one can manipulate them in their own favor to help them make their Pokémon - for their strategy - completely and utterly flawless.

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EVs - Effort Values

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Commonly referred to as "Effort Values", EVs are sort of like an experience point system for your stats. By beating a Pokémon in battle, the participating Pokémon (and I think those who are affected by the EXP. Share) will earn EVs. EVs are attributable to any of your six stats: HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed. Each Pokémon - regardless of level, trainer, gender, or Forme (sometimes) - will yield a specific amount of EVs. The chart detailing such can be found in the Pokémon Stats (Misc.) section. Any given stat can have up to 252 EVs, and there can be a max total of 510 across all six stats put together.

(Note that, prior to the release of Pokémon X/Y in 2013, Pokémon from Black/White 2 going back could have up to 255 EVs in a single stat. When these Pokémon are brought over via Poké Transporter and Pokémon Bank, their 255 EVs in that single stat (or two) will be chopped down to 252. The significance of this is described soon....)

How do EVs work on your stats? It works like this... As you know, EVs can be attributed to any of the six stats, right? For any stat, if you remove the effects of EVs, IVs, and Nature, the stats will be at their absolute basest of levels (as far as calculations go - they can go lower). Under those situations, you will earn additional points in that stat equal to the number of EVs in that stat divided by four and then truncated. For example, 60 EVs = +15, 100 EVs = +25, and 201 EVs = +50.25 = +50. (Since they are truncated - and thus, the decimal part ignored - you can see the significance of changing the max-per-stat from 255 to 252: 3 more EVs that can be allocated elsewhere.) At the maximum levels, then, EVs can have an influence of 63 points ... by Level 100. That's the critical part here: EVs will only have that 4-for-1 effect by Level 100; the increase is proportional at lower levels. For example, you have 25 point increase at Level 50 with 200 EVs. (50/100 = 0.5; 200/4 = 50; 50 x 0.5 = 25)

So, how can you engineer these as you need to? Simple! You can either use Super Training, use EV-Changing Items, or simply beat specific Pokémon that gain you the specific EV boosts you need. (The latter method is the oldest, although it often was partially - and costily - boosted by the vitamins, since they work as well and also save time.) Super Training is by far the fastest method, making it usually take about an hour with the vitamins' boost; grinding is a bit longer and luck-based, usually taking 5~15 hours.

Also keep in mind that certain Berries are able to reduce the number of EVs you get. Below, to close this sub-section, is a summation of the items you can use - outside of Super Training - to augment your EVs. Keep in mind that the Vitamins - HP Up, Protein, Iron, Calcium, Zinc, and Carbos - will not take effect after 100 EVs, although they will work up to that point. The first of these listings is for the instantaneous effects, while the second is strictly battle-effected gains.

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IVs - Individual Values

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Individual Values, commonly referred to as "IVs", are not much like your EVs. Unlike EVs, these are not truly dynamic, but are simply set in from the time you get the Pokémon. (There are a few exceptions to this rule, mostly set encounters in some games or set give-aways - for example, Xerneas and Yveltal in X/Y were forced to have three perfect IVs.) If you want to change the IVs, you need to change the Pokémon, although you can manipulate that process via means to be soon detailed.

But what are these IVs? Like EVs, these are values attributed to each stat: the IVs of one stat will not affect another, and so there are IVs for all six stats that can be freely manipulated within their ranges. (The only exception about their independence is the case of Hidden Power, since they help to determine its type.) The IVs' values can range from 0 to 31 in each of the six stats, making 32 possible values for a single stat, and 1,073,741,824 combinations of values across all six for the general Pokémon. Now you're beginning to see why Pokémon tend to be different, eh? =P I mean, over a billion combos for just the IVs alone, and that's only furthered by EVs and Nature!

In any case, IVs will have their most obvious effect on your Level 100 stats. Disregarding the influence of EVs and Nature - so, again, basal levels - a stat will gain one point per IV in that stat by Level 100, and proportionate amounts at lower levels. For example, say you normally would have 300 Attack at Level 100, and thus 150 at Level 50. With 30 IVs in Attack, you would have 165 Attack at Level 50, and 330 Attack at Level 100. (Keep in mind that a "perfect" IV is a value of 31 in that stat. A single point can often be the difference between losing and winning, I kid you not.)

Ideally, a competitive player will want a Pokémon with 4 to 6 perfect IVs. (Generally, people will simply say that the Pokémon would then be a 4-IV ~ 6-IV Pokémon. The Japanese tend to use the terms 4V and 6V in those instances, notations that I've seen become much more popular recently.) This is because the Pokémon would then have an ideal offensive stat (Attack/Sp. Atk.) and the rest - the Defenses, HP, and Speed - being ideal at 31. Of course, this would depend on the strategy. For example, some people may want to combine the move Payback - which deals double damage when the target moves first - with an IV of 0 in Speed. So let "perfect" simply refer to an "as far as the strategy goes" perfect. 6-IVs is the most advantageous in some situations - although they're a SwagPlay tactic risk on those not physically attacking!! - and especially in breeding.

But enough sentimentality. How would one get perfect IVs, assuming they did not have them before? This all covered in the process of Pokémon Breeding and by making certain Pokémon that already have perfect IVs hold certain items when breeding. (You have a 1/32 chance of finding a wild or hatched Pokémon - in general - with a single perfect IV. Other ways have been found to get some with them, such as the Friend Safari for 2-IV Pokémon.)

To get the info you need, it would be best to read these three sections in particular, although the whole thing on Pokémon Breeding wouldn't be a bad idea:

• The technical details on Pokémon breeding...
• The items important to Pokémon breeders...
• A generalized process to attempt to max the IVs on your Pokémon via breeding...

Additionally, an IV calculator can be found at Serebii, which will be useful in finding out your own IVs, since it influences Hidden Power. IVs also influence characteristics, so give that section a read as well. The calculator can be found here -- http://serebii.net/games/iv-calcxy.shtml

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Natures

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Of the three stat-influencing ... stats, Natures are perhaps the simplest to describe. The general Pokémon player can often assume this to be some kind of individualistic aspect of Pokémon to make them somewhat different from one another - and, in that, they're right, but probably not in the way they expect. Natures actually have a HUGE effect on Pokémon stats, causing increments of up to 10% up and down. At Level 100 and maxed EVs/IVs, Nature alone could be a difference of 46 points in Attack/Special Attack on an Attack Forme Deoxys. That's huge, and can be the very edge on which balances a whole battle - I have more than enough proof on Pokémon Showdown when it comes to Timid or Modest Porygon-Z's.

When a Pokémon is caught, hatched, or otherwise obtained, the Pokémon's Nature - if it wasn't preset - is set. You will not be able to change it or its effects; thus, if the Nature is imperfect, the Pokémon as a whole is imperfect. To be able to manipulate a Nature, you must simply get another Pokémon. When you breed two Pokémon together, you can have the one with the Nature you want hold an Everstone to guarantee that the child Pokémon will have it. (Of course, this is all subject to the other breeding mechanics, too - see the Pokémon Breeding section for details!)

There are 25 Natures in all - 20 of them add 10% to one stat and subtract 10% from another, and 5 different ones all result in equal growth (Nature-wise, anyhow) across all stats.

The "Minor" Details - Pokémon Characteristics

When you view your Pokémon's Summary screen, you may have noticed that each Pokémon has some sort of special trait, like "Loves to eat" or "Proud of its power". Stuff like that. These are not just random junk! In fact, they can help you get insight to your Pokémon's IVs, and, in turn, Hidden Power and other things. To determine a Pokémon's characteristic, the game first looks at the IV in each stat: HP, Attack, and so on. Of those, it will select the one with the highest value; in the case of a tie, based on its personality value, as mentioned in the next section.

The value is the IV is divided by five and the remainder is looked at (the modulo operation); for example, if the IV is 23, the remainder (or 23 mod 5) is 3. Based on that modulo of that highest IV and what stat it was for, you get the following characteristics.

The "Minor" Details - Personality Values

Each Pokémon has an unsigned, 32-bit integer in hexadecimal that is set when you first find it in the wild, or when you get the Egg for it. This value can range, thus, from 0000000 to FFFFFFFF in hexadecimal, or simply 0 to 4,294,967,295 in standard decimal. This stat is usually looked at in chunks in binary, as such:

00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000

There are four chunks in this 32-number sequence of zeroes, which still ranges in the previously-noted range, with the max being at all 1's. In any case, this randomly-generated things determines several random characteristics of the Pokémon. Note that these are not the only things personality values have been used for, historically, but these are the only things for which they're utilized right now.

• Characteristic: When a Pokémon who is needing a characteristic has a tie in what is their highest IVs, the personality value is examined. By taking the value modulo 6 (or, in other words, the remainder of the value divided by six), we can see which IV will be considered. The values you get in this operation are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, which result in the winning of HP, Attack, Defense, Speed, Sp. Atk., and Sp. Def., respectively.

• Spinda Pattern: The personality value is looked at as a whole for this. Spinda have four spots: two on the face and two on the ears. Each 8-digit chunk determines the location of a spot. The first four digits give the horizontal position, and the last four the vertical position, of the spot's top-left corner. This hypothetically results in 4,294,967,296 combos, but since some spots are placed in undisplayable areas, the number is fewer.

• Wurmple Evolution: The first two chunks of the personality value are looked at; you can find this by taking the personality value, dividing by 65536, and rounding down. Once this is done, take the modulo of this value divided by 10. If 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4, it evolves into Silcoon; for 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, it evolves into Cascoon. (So it's a 50-50 shot.)

• Ability: Ability is determined by the final digit in the second chunk of data. If it's 0, the ability given is that in its first ability slot, and 1 yields the second. (Note that ALL Pokémon have three Ability slots, but just that some Pokémon have the same ability in multiple slots. For example, Blaziken has Blaze in its first two and Speed Boost in its third, HA slot.) A seperate determinant is used for Hidden Ability's, but, in that case, the digit is still 0. For the record, the digit is found by the personality value, divided by 65536, modulo 2, rounded down.

• Shininess: For this, the personality value is divided into two chunks again: the first two chunks of the four listed previously shall be dubbed P1, and the other two P2. (P1 = personality value divided by 65536, rounded down. P2 = personality value modulo 65536.) Your Secret and Trainer ID then come in with the bitwise-exclusive or operand, dubbed "(+)" here:

    Shiny Value = Trainer ID (+) Secret ID (+) P1 (+) P2

If this Shiny Value is less than 16 (8 prior to Gen. VI), the Pokémon is Shiny; thus, the 16 in 65536 chance to be Shiny. (Note: 16 = 2^4 and 65536 = 2^16, so it's really 1 in 2^12 or just 1 in 4096 as normal. See? Now it makes ... sense.)

• Gender: This concerns the fourth chunk of numbers, the personality value modulo 256 (that is, the remainder of the decimal form of the value divided by 256). Each Pokémon has a value, ranging from 0-255 (00-FF or 00000000-1111111 in hex or binary, respectively), in its base stats that is known as the gender threshold. Generally, if this last set of numbers is greater than the threshold, it is male, and female otherwise. 255 indicates genderlessness, 254 for female-exclusives, and 0 for male-exclusives. More generally, you can look at the table below. Note that the below percents are just approximations, because the operator concerned is "greater than or equal" the value. Thus, in the 50/50 margin, there's actually a 129/256 (~50.39%) chance to be male.

Misc. Game Mechanics

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Sectional Format

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• Stat Changes In Battle
• Move Priority
• Damage Calculation
• EXP. Earning Mechanics
• Statistical Growth

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Stat Changes In Battle

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In case you viewed any version of this guide prior to v1.40+, take note that the "Stat Change Conversions" section which equated stat changes across stats to each other was flawed and pointless. A change of +X in a stat equals -X in the other, always.

• Introduction and Basics - The basics of stat changing
• Stat Change Accumulations - What two changes in opposing stats (i.e. boosted Attack and lowered Defense) accumulates to!

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Introduction and Basics

An important thing to consider on your Pokémon, their moves, and their abilities - especially if they're intended to be self-boosters (bulky Scizor, Aegislash) or stat-lowerers (Prankster Pokémon) - are what those stage changes actually do. Some moves will raise or lower stats by a given number of "stages".

In the chart below, you will see the effects on certain stats based on the "net" change. The net change is the cumulative total of all stat changes done on the Pokémon throughout its time on the field. (Stat changes are negated when you switch out for whatever reason, barring Baton Pass.)

For example, say I use Swords Dance (Attack +2 stages) on my Aegislash, and do so twice. That is currently a net change of Attack +4 stages, since it has not been lowered, and thus my Attack is tripled. Now let's say I attack you with Shadow Sneak - a contact move - and your own Aegislash uses King's Shield. That has an effect of lowering my Attack 3 stages since I attacked with a contact move. Now my Aegislash has an Attack change of (+4 + -3), or +1, or a 50% boost: I'm still stronger than normal, but much less so than before. Now let's say I fall for it again. Now I have a boost of (+4 + -3 + -3), or -2, meaning my Attack is now 2/3 the norm. Then I switch out, you attack and kill my Magikarp, and I send out Aegislash. It now has its attack normalized (±0 stages).

In any case, that's about it. Stat changes will never go more than 6 stages in either direction. However, given that, keep in mind some things will still be able to stack. For example, Light Screen and Reflect still help you, even at +6 Defense/Sp.Def. (since they're a status), or Choice Bands still work at +6 Attack (since they're items), or that Guts still has a 30% boost in damage when ailed (since it's not stage-affecting).

Also note that your critical-hit rate works a bit differently: you cannot lower it, and it thus starts at 1/16. You can increase this rate by varying means, up to +4 stages to 100%. Critical hits, notably, only deal 50% extra damage (versus the old double), and 125% extra damage with Sniper.

If you prefer formulas, stat changes are determined like so:

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Stat Change Accumulations

Finally, we will discuss one topic that is moreso of interest than actual necessity: what happens when two stat changes are in effect at the same time, but for opposite stats on two Pokémon? Like, for example, your Attack being lowered 1 stage as well as your opponent's Defense? Will the damage necessarily equal out? Will I actually deal more damage!? This section will help to simplify that process. As demonstrated by the previous section, we cannot necessarily assume a "net change" (i.e. -1 Atk. and -1 Def. is equal damage to no changes at all), even though it's not exactly "net". In any case, remember this:

• Attack changes on you will oppose those of your opponent's Defense, and vice versa
• The same holds true for Sp. Atk. and Sp. Def., barring a few moves that consider Defense in lieu of Sp. Def. (thus, the first chart applies for both Physical and Special attacks)
• Accuracy changes on you will oppose those of your opponent's Evasion, and vice versa

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