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Pokemon Gold and Silver - Attack Explanations

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This guide is intended as a supplement for the Gold/Silver attack list.

Definitions

The descriptions in the attack list are worded for both conciseness and accuracy. It therefore uses several phrases for common effects which are defined below. For other terms, see the glossary.

user: The user is the active Pokemon who began to use an attack. This can also refer to the Pokemon who takes the user's position and receives the effect of an attack if that effect doesn't end when the original user is switched.
opponent: The opponent is the active Pokemon other than the user.
two-turn attack: The user may be prevented from using this attack on the second turn, by flinching, confusion, or otherwise. If the user tries to use this attack with Mirror Move or Metronome, this attack fails if the user is asleep or frozen.
damage: Damage refers exclusively to damage calculated in the damage formula portion of the Attack Process. This damage is the amount of HP to be reduced from the opponent and is not the amount of HP the opponent will actually lose. All other forms of HP reduction (including "recoil damage") is not considered damage. The attack descriptions avoid using the stand-alone word "damage" whenever possible because it can have very different meanings.
attack opponent last used: Several attacks rely on the attack the opponent had last successfully used. The latter attack need not occur immediately before the former attack. For instance, the opponent may use an item or try to run away in between. The opponent must not be replaced with a new one, since the new Pokemon will not have made a move. It is not possible to work off of Selfdestruct or Explosion, since the fainting of its user unconditionally occurs; of Transform, Sketch, or Mimic; or of Mirror Move, Sleep Talk, or Metronome, or the attacks called by them. A two-turn attack is not considered successfully used until the second turn.
weather: The weather moves (Sunny Day, Rain Dance, Sandstorm) can be used at any time, even during weather. When used, it resets the number of rounds of the effect to 5 (including the current round) and cancels any other weather effect. When one weather move is used, it will fail until its effect ends.
recover HP, return HP: To "recover" HP means to make a Pokemon gain HP, but up to no more than the Pokemon's total HP. To "return" HP means to make a Pokemon lose HP. When HP returned or recovered or the HP to be reduced is 0, it becomes 1. It is not possible, for example, to take zero recoil damage.
Fainting by user: If the user faints at any time during its turn (including the end of its turn), no end-of-turn effects are applied to the new Pokemon when it is changed. Any end-of-round effects still occur, though. If the user struck first, the opponent's turn won't be executed. (If the opponent just used Hyper Beam, it "must recharge" on the next possible turn.)
opponent is using Dig/Fly: Refers to the state during which the opponent is under the ground or airborne, and not in the turn when the opponent uses Fly or Dig to deal damage. In the case of Mimic, it can copy Dig or Fly after the opponent had used it to deal damage.

Reversal/Flail

These attacks do not cause a critical hit. Damage weighting is not used in damage calculation.

N = (User's current HP * 48 / User's total HP)

Value of N	Base damage
33 or more	20
17 - 32	40
10 - 16	80
5 - 9	100
2 - 4	150
Less than 2	200

Endure/Protect/Detect

For each consecutive use of any of these moves, the success rate (note: different from accuracy) of the attack is reduced to half every turn:

No. of Uses	Success Rate
1	255/256
2	127
3	63
4	31
5	15
6	7
7	3
8	1
9	0

The use count is reset to zero if neither Protect, Detect, nor Endure is chosen for use, or if these attacks fail (but are not prevented from being used). If the attack is prevented from being used, the use count does not reset or increase.

These attacks are first-priority.

Descriptions of Common Effects

Common effects of attacks include status problems, confusion, and flinch. These effects are described below. A status problem is one of burn, poison, paralysis, sleep, or freeze. Status problems do not go away by replacing Pokemon, and they linger after battle. The status monitor also indicates fainting (FNT), when a Pokemon runs out of HP. Because of this, fainting overwrites other status problems. A status problem cannot be inflicted on a Pokemon if it already has a status problem.

Poison (PSN)

If a Pokemon is poisoned, it loses 1/8 of total HP at the end of its turn. Poison types cannot be poisoned. Steel types can be poisoned by non-poison type attacks. Outside of battle, a poisoned Pokemon loses 1 HP every four steps the player walks. (The effect of Toxic is similar to poison, see "Toxic".)

Paralysis (PAR)

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

Normally, the reduced speed is used. If a paralyzed Pokemon is replaced using Baton Pass with a Pokemon that is also paralyzed, the behavior can be strange.

In Gold/Silver/Crystal, the Speed reduction will not be imposed on the new Pokemon until a stat decreaser or increaser is used on it (which recalculates the Speed).
In Stadium 2, the receiver's Speed is the reduced Speed if the last Speed stage modifier was an increaser, or the non-reduced Speed if the receiver begins to use a Speed decreaser or increaser.

Rest removes the paralysis status and the Speed reduction.

Burn (PSN)

When a Pokemon becomes burned, its Attack is recalculated so that it is halved (the Attack reduction). If a Pokemon is burned, it loses 1/8 of total HP at the end of its turn. Fire types cannot be burned.

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

Sleep (SLP)

A sleeping Pokémon can't normally do its attack during its turn. When a Pokemon becomes asleep, it receives a count of 1 to 7. At a sleep check, this count is reduced by 1. If the count reaches zero, the Pokemon wakes up and can attack on the same turn. Snore and Sleep Talk can be used by a sleeping Pokemon. The game stores the current duration of a Pokemon who is asleep, in case the Pokemon leaves battle and becomes active in another one.

Freeze (FRZ)

A frozen Pokémon can't normally do its attack during its turn. The only moves that a frozen Pokémon can use are Flame Wheel and Sacred Fire, which will defrost it. If the Pokemon loses HP due to a fire-type attack, it becomes defrosted. There is a 9.8% chance at the end of each round that a Pokemon will be defrosted. Ice types can be frozen by a non-Ice type attack.

Confusion

When a Pokemon becomes confused, it receives a count of 2 to 5. At the beginning of the Pokemon's turn, this count declines by 1, then if it is greater than 0, there is a 50% chance that the Pokemon will deal damage to itself rather than use an attack. Damage due to confusion has a base damage of 40, has no type, is physical, and can never be a critical hit. Confusion is removed from the Pokemon when it is switched. If the Berserk Gene causes confusion, its holder will receive a confusion count of 255.

Flinch

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

Magnitude

Total is not 100% due to rounding.

Magnitude, Base damage, Random number, Probability
4, 10, 14/256, 5.5%
5, 30, 25/256, 9.8%
6, 50, 51/256, 19.9%
7, 70, 77/256, 30.1%
8, 90, 51/256, 19.9%
9, 110, 25/256, 9.8%
10, 150, 13/256, 5.0%

Present

In Gold/Silver, when Present does damage to the opponent, several values are substituted in the Damage Formula:

Attacker's Attack: 10
Defender's Defense: Attribute Number of attacker's secondary type
Attacker's level: Attribute Number of defender's secondary type
Type effectiveness: If defender's primary or secondary type is Rock or Steel, value is 0.25

When you must divide by 0, substitute with 1.

Attribute Numbers depend on the Pokémon's type:

Physical Type	Special Type
Normal - 0 Fighting - 1 Flying - 2 Poison - 3 Ground - 4 Rock - 5 Bug - 7 Ghost - 8 Steel - 9	Fire - 20 Water - 21 Grass - 22 Electric - 23 Psychic - 24 Ice - 25 Dragon - 26 Dark - 27

Use the Attribute Numbers of the Pokémon's secondary type. For instance, Charizard (Fire/Flying) has a secondary type of Flying. If a Pokémon doesn't have a secondary type, its primary type is used.

This bug has been corrected in Crystal and Pokémon Stadium 2.

Hidden Power

See the Hidden Power page.

Substitute

Substitute creates a decoy of the user; to make a decoy, the user loses 1/4 of its total HP. This attack fails if the HP reduced would faint the user or if the user already has a decoy. The decoy has life points equal to the HP lost this way. (The term "life points" is used here to differentiate it from HP, to avoid confusion when describing Substitute's effect.)

These are the main effects that happen while the user has a decoy:

Attacks by the opponent can't inflict status problems, confusion, or flinching against the user.
Attacks by the opponent can't reduce the user's stat stages.
If user would lose HP due to an attack by the opponent, the user's decoy loses that many life points instead.

When the decoy has no life points left, it breaks and Substitute's effect ends.

Any other effects that affect the user's HP do not involve the decoy in any way. This applies to reductions of the user's HP from poison, Leech Seed, Sandstorm, recoil, etc.; to effects that recover the user's HP; and to effects that need to know the user's HP (Super Fang, Reversal, Flail, False Swipe, etc.). (This is why "life points" is used instead of HP to describe the decoy's vitality.)

The decoy will be removed when the user is switched or if the user faints before the decoy breaks. If the user uses Baton Pass, the decoy retains its current life points.

Counter and Mirror Coat will miss when used by the user. The opponent can use these attacks normally.
Pain Split modifies the user's and opponent's HP and will work as normal for the user.
Damage due to confusion is given to the user.
Bide and Rage may be used by the user, but they will not be affected by damage intercepted by a decoy, except Rage will count damage causing the decoy to break as a hit for its purposes. They will work as normal after the decoy breaks.
The opponent is always given 1 HP of recoil damage when attacking a decoy with a recoil attack (because recoil damage is calculated from HP the attacker's opponent loses due to that attack; in this case the user doesn't lose any HP). Jump Kick and Hi Jump Kick, if they miss, cause the opponent to lose HP as normal (because this HP loss is based on hypothetical damage).
The user may use Selfdestruct or Explosion and faint, or faint due to Destiny Bond or Perish Song, even with a decoy out.
The game checks whether a decoy breaks after every hit of a multi-hit attack. The multi-hit attack will continue even after the decoy breaks.
Life-draining moves (the attack will miss) and Pain Split (will not affect user) will fail for the opponent. The user can use both types of attacks normally.
A successful one-hit KO on a decoy will simply destroy it; the user doesn't suffer any damage. (The Focus Band cannot make the decoy survive.)
The secondary effect of multi-turn attacks will not occur when the opponent uses a multi-turn attack. The effect of such attacks will end when the user creates a decoy.
Endure, Protect, and Detect will fail for the user. The opponent can use these attacks normally.
Lock-on and Mind Reader (will not affect user) will fail for the opponent. The user can use these attacks normally.
Nightmare will fail for the opponent. If opponent's current type includes Ghost, Curse will fail for the opponent. The user can use Nightmare and Curse normally, whether or not user is of Ghost type.
Leech Seed (attack will be evaded) will fail for the opponent. The user can use Leech Seed normally.
The decoy will absorb damage from Pursuit if it attempts to switch normally.
If the opponent uses Swagger, the decoy will not develop confusion but will receive the Attack increase. (These effects are covered elsewhere.) The user can use Swagger normally.
Thief will damage the decoy but will not steal the item from the user. The user can use Thief normally.
Sketch will fail for the opponent. The user can use Sketch normally. Mimic will work as normal for both user and opponent.
Transform will work as normal.

Following are attacks that Substitute cannot prevent:

Attacks which can be evaded by increasing evasion: Whirlwind, Roar, Disable, Encore, Spite, Foresight, Attract
Attacks which cannot be evaded: Haze, Destiny Bond, Spider Web, Mean Look, Spikes, Perish Song

Toxic

Toxic uses a value called T to calculate how much HP to remove from the opponent. When Toxic is used, T is set to 0. At the end of the opponent's turn every round, including the current one, T is increased by 1 and the opponent's HP is reduced by int(total HP/16)*T, as long as the opponent remains poisoned. The current value of T is retained when the opponent uses Baton Pass. It is not reset if the user uses another poison move such as Poisonpowder on the new Pokemon, and T will still increase if the new opponent becomes or is poisoned. T will stop increasing and the effect of Toxic will end when the battle ends or the opponent is switched, upon which all poisoning on the opponent's side reverts to normal poison. Curing the poison will, of course, also end the effect.

Toxic will fail if the opponent is already poisoned, by any means.

Rest removes the PSN status and ends the effect of Toxic.

Haze has no effect on T when used by either player.

Mind Reader/Lock-on

When the user uses either of these moves, the effect begins. Mind Reader and Lock-on guarantee a success on the next accuracy check for an attack by the user. If the user then uses Dream Eater when the opponent is not sleeping, or if the opponent had used Protect or Detect on the same round, the effect continues, because these two cases are handled before Mind Reader or Lock-on in the Attack Process. If the opponent is using Fly, the accuracy check for the user's attack will succeed, except if that attack is Earthquake, Fissure, and Magnitude (the effect will end either way).

The effect ends when the opponent is switched or after an accuracy check for an attack by the user is performed. The effect continues if the user is replaced. The user may use Mind Reader or Lock-on during the effect.

Transform

In Gold/Silver there are several bugs related to DVs and gender calculation. If Transform is used by the player's opponent, it calculates gender using the DVs of user before the transformation, but if used by the player, gender is not recalculated. When the player's opponent replaces a Pokemon under the effect of Transform, the new Pokemon receives the DVs of the old Pokemon and a recalculated gender, both of which are reverted to their original values when the new Pokemon is replaced.

If a wild Pokemon has the effect of Transform and it is caught, its species becomes Ditto, regardless of its original species. After it is caught, its stats and moves become those of a wild Ditto at the same level, except current HP.

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

Disable

Disable causes the attack the opponent last used to be disabled, or prevented from being used or chosen. When Disable is used, the opponent receives a count of 2 to 8 (random). Every round, including the current round, during the effect, this count is reduced by 1 when the opponent begins to use an attack (before confusion check), except when it flinches. When the count is reduced to zero or the opponent is replaced , the opponent is no longer disabled. Disable will fail if the selected attack has zero PP. During the effect, Disable will fail for the user.

Effects of an attack which don't involve the Attack Process, such as the effect of Reflect or the effect of Future Sight, are not prevented by Disable.

In the unusual case that the opponent has more than one copy of the attack, the first copy will be prevented from being chosen, and the other copies will be prevented from being used.

Rage

Rage in Gold and Silver does not increase the user's Attack by 1 stage, as was previously believed.

Rage adds an additional multiplier to the Damage Formula (called R), which is calculated after the type modifier, and before the damage weighting.

When the effect starts, R starts at 1. The effect will continue as long as the user finishes its turn by choosing Rage for use , even if Rage is prevented from being used or misses. During the effect, whenever the user is hit by an attack by the opponent, if that attack tries to reduce the user's HP and isn't Pain Split, R increases by 1. The effect ends when the user is replaced. As soon as the effect ends, R is reset to 1.

Baton Pass

In the following description, the "user" means the Pokémon using Baton Pass, and the "receiver" means the Pokémon that will replace the user.

Baton Pass switches Pokemon and transfers effects to the receiver. End-of-turn effects will affect the receiver.

Baton Pass transfers all stat stages, except those given by burns and paralysis.
The secondary effect of Defense Curl, which is the doubled effect of Rollout, is transferred.
The effect of Curse (the Ghost version) is transferred.
The effects of Mind Reader and Lock-on are transferred.
The receiver remains under the effect of Mean Look/Spider Web.
The secondary effect of Minimize is transferred.
The secondary effect of multi-turn attacks is not transferred.
The secondary effect of Defense Curl is transferred.
The receiver will inherit confusion of any kind.
The effects of Foresight, Mist, and Focus Energy will work as normal when the user switches using Baton Pass.
The effect of Nightmare can be transferred only if both the user and receiver are asleep.
The user's Perish Song count is maintained using Baton Pass.
The receiver inherits the effect of Leech Seed, even if the receiver's current type includes Grass.
Attract will not be transferred.
The receiver inherits the user's Substitute.
The form created by Transform will not be transferred.
The temporary type of Conversion/Conversion2 will not be transferred.