Attack Conditions

Similar to status conditions, some attacks have their own conditions as well. Many conditions happen randomly, while others will occur every time a move is used.

Critical Hit

Critical hits can happen with any offensive Pokemon attack. Every so often, a Pokemon’s attack may cause more damage than usual. The game will say it was a “Critical Hit.” This means an attack does 100% (2x) extra damage after calculating the type match-up.

Most attacks have a 6.25% chance of landing a critical hit. Other variables can increase the chance all the way up to 50%! These variables can include specific moves that raise critical hit ratios such as Focus Energy, hold items such as the Scope Lens, stat boosting items such as Dire Hit, abilities like Super Luck, and certain attacks that already have higher critical hit ratios such as Slash.

Flinch

Some attacks have a condition that causes a Pokemon to flinch. All flinching does is force the Pokemon skip a turn, which can change the tide of battle. This condition can even cause attacks that hit multiple times throughout multiple turns to completely stop. Two examples of moves that hits multiple times through multiple turns are Uproar and Outrage. If a Pokemon uses one of these moves and causes their opponent to flinch, they won’t use their attack the next turn.

OHKO

In addition to all other damaging attacks, there are also instant kill attacks. Instant kill attacks, or One Hit Knock Out (OHKO) attacks, are a bit rare these days, but they do still exist. These moves have terrible accuracy and low PP, but will instantly kill almost any Pokemon if it connects. Certain abilities, such as Sturdy, will prevent any move from instantly killing that Pokemon.

• Fissure
• Guillotine
• Horn Drill

Multi-turn Attacks

There are some attacks that will trap a Pokemon for two to five turns. Once the move is completed, the trapped Pokemon will be freed. Moves that can trap a Pokemon over several turns include:

• Bind
• Clamp
• Fire Spin
• Whirlpool
• Wrap

Pokemon who are trapped can escape under certain conditions. These conditions include:

• The trapped Pokemon uses the move Baton Pass.
• The trapped Pokemon uses the move Rapid Spin. Only works on multi-turn attacks.
• The trapped Pokemon uses the move U-turn.
• The trapped Pokemon uses the move Volt Switch
• The trapped Pokemon is hit by the move Circle Throw.
• The trapped Pokemon is hit by the move Dragon Tail.
• The trapped Pokemon is hit by the move Roar.
• The trapped Pokemon is hit by the move Whirlwind.

Trapped

Some attacks out there will trap a Pokemon until the Pokemon who initiates the trapping is defeated or switched out. Trapping prevents a Pokemon from switching out in trainer battles or running away in wild battles. As of Generation 6, Ghost-type Pokemon are not affected by moves that will prevent them from fleeing from battle.

• Block
• Mean Look
• Spider Web

Recoil

Recoil is the damage a Pokemon receives after using certain damaging attacks. It’s basically a rebound effect tied to a handful of moves. If a Pokemon uses Take Down, they will cause damage to the target and to themselves. The damage to themselves (recoil) can cause 25-50% of the damage inflicted on the target, depending on the attack used.

The ability Rock Head prevents all damage from Recoil, with an exception from the move Struggle.