Pokémon Ruby Version, Sapphire Version, and Emerald Version - Attack Explanations

→ Pokémon Ruby Version, Sapphire Version, and Emerald Version - Attack Explanations

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Pokémon Ruby Version, Sapphire Version, and Emerald Version - Last move used

Whenever a Pokémon uses an attack, even if it fails, the game sets a variable to that move at the end of that Pokémon’s attack segment. This variable is called the "last move used" and each Pokémon has a "last move used". The "last move used" is set even on the first attack segment of a two-turn attack.

The "last move used" is set to an invalid identifier for a move if the move used is Mimic, Sketch, or Transform; if the move can’t be used because it has zero PP; or if the move is prevented from being used.

The "last move used" is set even on the first attack segment of a two-turn attack.

This variable doesn’t change when the Bag command is used to use an item, at the end of any turn in which the Pokémon leaves the battle with Baton Pass, or when the Run command is used and running is unsuccessful. If the attack is taken with Snatch, the variable is only set for the attack’s original user. If the attack is taken with Magic Coat, the variable is only set for Pokémon that actually use the attack. The variable is reset when the Pokémon leaves the battle,.

The use of Pursuit as a Pokémon is about to switch doesn’t count as the "last move used".

Sketch uses a different version of the "last move used". The differences are that this variable doesn’t change on the first attack segment of a two-turn attack or when a move is prevented from being used by a Pokémon; that at the end of any turn in which a Pokémon at that position leaves the battle using Baton Pass, the variable is set to the move that Pokémon chose for use that turn; and that the variable changes to a move even if it can’t be used because it has zero PP.

Pokémon Ruby Version, Sapphire Version, and Emerald Version - Last move called

Another version of the "last move used" is the "last move called", which each Pokémon has. Whenever a Pokémon uses a move, even if it fails, the game sets the "last move called" to that move at the end of that Pokémon’s attack segment. The variable is set even on the first attack segment of a two-turn attack, and the variable can even be set to Mimic, Sketch, or Transform, or to moves used by other moves, but not to a move that uses another move if it does use another move. This variable doesn’t change when the Bag command is used to use an item, at the end of any turn in which the Pokémon leaves the battle with Baton Pass, or when the Run command is used and running is unsuccessful. The variable is reset when the Pokémon leaves the battle,. The use of Pursuit as a Pokémon is about to switch doesn’t count as the "last move called". The "last move called" is set to an invalid identifier for a move if the move is prevented from being used or if it can’t be used because it has zero PP. If the attack is taken with Snatch, the variable is only set for the attack’s original user. If the attack is taken with Magic Coat, the variable is only set for Pokémon that actually use the attack.

Pokémon Ruby Version, Sapphire Version, and Emerald Version - Descriptions of Common Effects

Effects that are common to many attacks are described below. Of the effects listed here, a Pokémon will remain poisoned, burned, paralysis, frozen, and asleep even when the Pokémon leaves the battle, including when a battle ends. (However, a Pokémon will stop being poisoned, burned, paralyzed, frozen, and asleep, as well as have full HP and PP, when it’s taken to a Pokémon Center nurse or placed in a PC storage box.) An effect can’t cause poison, burn, paralysis, freezing, or sleep against a Pokémon if it already has one of these five conditions or if it has fainted.

Burn (BRN)

If a Pokémon is burned, the damage from physical attacks it uses is halved, and it loses 1/8 of its maximum HP (but not less than 1 HP) at the end of each turn. Fire-type Pokémon can’t become burned by any means.

Poison (PSN)

If a Pokémon is poisoned, it loses 1/8 of its maximum HP (but not less than 1 HP) at the end of each turn. Poison- and Steel-type Pokémon can’t become poisoned by any means . Outside of battle, a poisoned Pokémon loses 1 HP every four steps the player walks.

Being badly poisoned differs from normal poisoning in the HP loss method during battle. When a Pokémon becomes badly poisoned or a badly poisoned Pokémon enters the battle, a variable, T, is set to 0 for that Pokémon’s position. At the end of each turn, if the Pokémon is badly poisoned, T rises by 1 (up to a maximum of 15) and the Pokémon loses its maximum HP, divided by 16 and multiplied by T (but not less than 1 HP). (This HP loss happens instead of the HP loss for regular poisoning.) "Being badly poisoned doesn’t revert to normal poisoning by any means, even when a battle ends.

Unless otherwise noted, poison includes being normally poisoned and badly poisoned.

Paralysis (PAR)

If a Pokémon is paralyzed, its Speed is multiplied by 1/4 (see Priority ) and there is a 1/4 chance that it will be unable to attack during its attack segment. Ground-type Pokémon can’t become paralyzed by Electric type attacks, but can be paralyzed by all other means .

Sleep (SLP)

If a Pokémon is asleep, it can’t attack during its attack segment. When a Pokémon falls asleep, it receives a sleep count of 2 to 7. At the beginning of the Pokémon’s attack segment, its sleep count is reduced by 1, and then it wakes up if the sleep count is 0 or less. The game stores the current duration of a Pokémon that’s asleep, in case the Pokémon leaves battle and enters the battle in another one.

Frozen (FRZ)

If a Pokémon is frozen, it can’t attack during its attack segment. Ice-type Pokémon can’t become frozen by any means . At the beginning of the Pokémon’s attack segment, it will thaw out at a 20% chance. If the Pokémon loses HP because of a Fire-type attack (not just those that cause burns; Hidden Power is considered as Normal) , it thaws out.

Confusion

When a Pokémon becomes confused, it receives a count of 2 to 5. At the beginning of the Pokémon’s attack segment, this count is reduced by 1, then if it is greater than 0, there is a 50% chance that the Pokémon will deal damage to itself rather than use an attack. The self-inflicted confusion attack is a Normal-type physical attack, has a power of 40, can’t be a critical hit, and ignores the effects of Reflect and Helping Hand, and its damage isn’t affected by the Pokémon’s types. Confusion is removed from the Pokémon when it leaves the battle (except Baton Pass).

Flinch

After a Pokémon uses a move that makes the target flinch in the same turn, the target can flinch when the beginning of its attack segment comes and thus skip its attack this turn. Effects that cause a Pokémon to flinch set a flag on that Pokémon. If the flag is set as the Pokémon begins its attack segment, it will flinch. This flag is cleared at the beginning of a Pokémon’s attack segment and at the end of each turn.

Pokémon Ruby Version, Sapphire Version, and Emerald Version - Weather

The weather moves can be used at any time, even during weather. A weather move fails if the weather condition associated with that move is already in effect. For example, Rain Dance fails while the weather is rainy.

The effects of Hail, Rain Dance, Sandstorm, and Sunny Day are weather effects.

There can be only one weather condition at a time. If another weather condition comes in effect, the previous condition is canceled.

In some battles, a particular weather condition already comes in effect before the first turn of the battle. This condition lasts indefinitely. If a Pokémon has an ability that makes the weather change to a different condition, it then takes effect.

If two or more Pokémon with an ability that can change the weather enter the battle at the same time, their effects are resolved in turn order; that is, the ability of the Pokémon that would strike last in turn order will ultimately take place.

Pokémon Ruby Version, Sapphire Version, and Emerald Version - Terrain

For the purposes of Camouflage, Nature Power, and Secret Power, Phenac Stadium is treated as "underwater", Pyrite Colosseum is treated as "rocky ground", Deep Colosseum, Realgam Colosseum, the Under Colosseum, and Mt. Battle areas 1 through 30 and 61 through 99, are treated as "elsewhere", Orre Colosseum is treated as "sand", and Mt. Battle areas 100 and 31 through 60 are treated as "rocky ground."

Fishing is treated as "moving water" or "still water", depending on where the Pokémon was fished.

Pokémon Ruby Version, Sapphire Version, and Emerald Version - Stacking Effects

Generally, moves with the same effect code don’t stack with each other. For example, the moves Block, Mean Look, and Spider Web share the same effect. Once any of these moves is used, they will fail against the same target until the effect is removed. Multi-turn attacks such as Wrap and Whirlpool also share the same effect for a given target and don’t stack with the use of different kinds of multi-turn attacks.

Effects of the same move also don’t stack with each other unless noted otherwise. For example, Ingrain can’t be used multiple times on the same Pokémon. However, Stockpile and Spikes can be used multiple times for a bigger effect (Spikes says "Can be used up to three times", and Stockpile raises the user’s Stockpile count up to a maximum of 3).

Pokémon Ruby Version, Sapphire Version, and Emerald Version - Learning new moves

Sometimes, after a Pokémon levels up, it could learn new moves during a battle. If this happens, the new move is copied and replaces the old move that used to be there, unless Transform is in effect for the Pokémon or the current move is different from the Pokémon’s original move (in which cases the Pokémon’s original move is still changed to the newly learned move). When the Pokémon’s attack segment comes (if it hasn’t taken its attack segment already), the Pokémon will use the move located at the old move’s position.

Mimic and Sketch will take account of the target’s last move used even if the target no longer has that move. Also, if the move changes this way, this doesn’t stop any two-turn attack, Hyper Beam, Bide, Thrash, Rollout, Uproar, and equivalent moves in progress. Grudge and Pressure will reduce the PP of the newly used move as though that move were chosen for use.

Pokémon Ruby Version, Sapphire Version, and Emerald Version - Two-turn attacks

In a two-turn attack, the user prepares for the attack on the first attack segment, and hits target on the second attack segment. The user can’t take any action until the user finishes using the two-turn attack. On both attack segments, the user uses the two-turn attack. If the user is prevented from using the two-turn attack, the effect ends. PP is deducted on the first attack segment of the two-turn attack.

If the last move called by the user was a two-turn attack and the second attack segment of the attack wasn’t done yet, it uses that attack instead of the move it chose for use when the Pokémon’s attack segment comes.

A two-turn attack is not a multi-turn attack, and vice versa.

A two-turn attack remains a two-turn attack even if the attack would not take two turns.

For all two-turn attacks, on the first attack segment of the attack’s use, no accuracy check is done and no check is made to determine whether the attack will be ineffective against the target or otherwise be avoided by the target.

For the two-turn attacks Bounce, Dig, Dive, and Fly, all attacks other than the exceptions given in the attack descriptions, even those that "can’t be evaded" or that have an accuracy of 0, and even the returned attack from Future Sight and Doom Desire, will miss the user while it is using any one of these two-turn attacks, unless noted otherwise. Exceptions include Memento, Psych Up, and Sketch. The user of a two-turn attack just mentioned will also be affected by Helping Hand as normal.

Pokémon Ruby Version, Sapphire Version, and Emerald Version - Multi-hit attacks

The multi-hit attacks are labeled "Multi-hit attack" and "Attacks twice in a row" in the attack descriptions, as well as Triple Kick and Beat Up. For all multi-hit attacks except Triple Kick, an accuracy check is performed only once, namely, before the attack hits target multiple times. If the attack is ineffective against the target, no hits of the attack are done.

If the user is asleep when it would perform a hit of a multi-hit attack, the attack stops unless the multi-hit attack was used with Sleep Talk.

When the target of a multi-hit attack faints, the attack stops.

Unless noted otherwise, each hit of a multi-hit attack is treated as a separate attack.

Pokémon Ruby Version, Sapphire Version, and Emerald Version - Moves that use other moves

In Pokémon Ruby Version and Pokémon Sapphire Version, the moves Assist, Metronome, Mirror Move, Nature Power, and Sleep Talk can use other moves.

For all these moves, the move being used is not considered the "last move used" during the user’s attack segment; unless noted otherwise, the move being used can be used even if it can’t be used or chosen for use because of an effect. Moves used this way have "no particular target" (see "Targeting").

Pokémon Ruby Version, Sapphire Version, and Emerald Version - Notes for Specific Moves

Mirror Move

Mirror Move uses a variable X. X is set to the last move that was used and that targeted the user for which all of the following are true:

The move succeeded in affecting Mirror Move’s user (that is, it didn’t miss, fail, or be ineffective against it).
The move has a range of "single Pokémon except user", "all opposing Pokémon", "all Pokémon except user", "opposing Pokémon selected at random", or "no particular target".
The move has flag "e" in the List of Moves.

Special targeting cases:

A two-turn attack targets a Pokémon on both attack segments of use.
Snatch targets the opposing Pokémon closest to the Trainer’s left.

The variable X is set separately for each Pokémon and doesn’t change as turns end. When a Pokémon leaves the battle, its value for X is reset, as well as those of all of its opposing Pokémon.

For a move that uses another move, these variables are not modified during that move’s use even if the move being used meets the criteria.

If an effect changes an attack’s target (with Follow Me), Lightningrod, Magic Coat, or Snatch, the changed target is used instead of the old target for the purposes of whether an attack targets Mirror Move’s user.

Transform

After Transform is used, the user will have the same appearance according to the target’s species and the user’s Shiny status.

When a wild Pokémon using Transform is caught, the effect of Transform ends.

In battles in which Exp. Points can be gained, the player’s Pokémon gain Exp. Points based on the species that the enemy Pokémon was when it was defeated.

Even if Transform is in effect for the user, its stats are recalculated according to its level and original IVs when it levels up.

Substitute

Substitute creates a copy of the user called a substitute; to make a substitute, the user loses 1/4 of its maximum HP, but not less than 1 HP. This attack fails if the HP reduced would faint the user or if the user already has a substitute. The substitute 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.)

If an effect (such as a move, item, or ability) is absent in this description, it is assumed to work as normal both with and without Substitute’s effect.

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

Attacks by other Pokémon can’t cause poison, burn, paralysis, freezing, sleep, confusion, or flinching against the user. (Effects of attacks can still do so. If an item or an ability causes one of these effects, the description will say whether Substitute prevents it.) Additional effects of attacks by other Pokémon can’t inflict such effects if the user had a substitute as the attack began (for Twineedle, this applies only if the user had a substitute during the second hit of the attack).
Attacks and abilities by other Pokémon, other than Haze and Tickle, can’t lower the user’s stat stages. Additional effects of attacks by other Pokémon can’t do so if the user had a substitute as the attack began.
If user would lose HP because of an attack by another Pokémon, the user’s substitute loses that many life points instead.

Note that the last effect listed above is a replacement effect. If damage is intercepted to the substitute, Bide, Counter, Mirror Coat, and Rage are not affected by it.

When the substitute has no life points left, it fades and Substitute’s effect ends.

Any other effects that affect the user’s HP do not involve the substitute in any way. This applies to reductions of the user’s HP from poison, Leech Seed, Sandstorm, recoil, and so on; and to effects that cause the user to gain HP. Moreover, effects that need to know the user’s HP (Super Fang, Reversal, Flail, Eruption, and so on) won’t use the substitute’s life points in place of the user’s HP. (This is why "life points" is used instead of HP to describe the substitute’s vitality.)

The substitute will be removed, and Substitute’s effect will end, when the user leaves the battle (except Baton Pass) or if the user faints before the substitute fades. If the user uses Baton Pass, the substitute retains its current life points.

Other notes regarding Substitute are given below.

While the user has a substitute, attacks and confusion damage can deal damage equal to or greater than the user’s HP even if an effect prevents it from fainting (False Swipe, Endure, Focus Band).
The game checks whether a substitute fades after every hit of a multi-hit attack. The multi-hit attack will continue even after the substitute fades.
Damage from the user’s confusion is given to the user.
Attacks by other Pokémon that hit the user’s substitute can’t remove the user’s held item. (The user can use Trick normally.)
If a target misses when using Jump Kick or Hi Jump Kick, it loses HP as normal. (The HP loss from such moves ignores effects from Endure and Focus Band, because Substitute’s user doesn’t actually lose HP.)
If another Pokémon uses Pain Split or Dream Eater against the user, it will fail. The user can use these attacks normally.
The attack from Future Sight and Doom Desire is passed to the substitute instead of the user.
Swagger and Flatter will fail against the user.
Pay Day won’t cause the attacker to gain money from the attack if it hits the user’s substitute.
While user has a substitute, the damage from SmellingSalt against the user by other Pokémon doesn’t increase if the user is paralyzed, and won’t heal the user’s paralysis if the attack is successful.
Detect, Endure, and Protect work as normal for both the user and other Pokémon.
If the user has a substitute when another Pokémon begins to use a multi-turn attack against the user, the secondary effect of that attack won’t occur. The effect of multi-turn attacks against the user will end when the user creates a substitute.
Trick will fail against the user. The user can use Trick normally.
When a target uses Absorb, Mega Drain, Leech Life, Giga Drain, or a recoil attack against the user, it loses or gains HP according to the number of life points lost by the substitute. (For example, if the target uses Absorb on the user and the substitute loses 10 life points, the target gains 5 HP.)
Block, Mean Look, and Spider Web will fail against the user.
Lock-on and Mind Reader will fail against the user. The user can use these attacks normally.
Curse, if it’s used by another Pokémon and that Pokémon is a Ghost type, will fail for that Pokémon when used against the user.
Nightmare and Leech Seed will fail against the user.
Mimic and Sketch will fail against the user.
Yawn will fail against the user.
Grudge, Magic Coat, Taunt, and Transform will work as normal for both the user and other Pokémon in battle.
The substitute will absorb damage from Pursuit if the user attempts to switch.

Conversion 2

Conversion 2 takes into account the last move that targeted the user after the user’s last turn. This move is represented by a variable (separate for each Pokémon) that is reset at the end of that Pokémon’s attack segment and when that Pokémon leaves the battle,.

This variable is set if the attack was successful against a Pokémon, meaning it didn’t miss, fail, or be ineffective against it. If the variable is set to a move, the game also stores the type of that attack. (The determined types of Hidden Power and Weather Ball are used.) If the attack was used, but wasn’t successful against a Pokémon, the variable is set to 0xFFFF, an invalid identifier for a move, for that Pokémon.

Special targeting cases:

A two-turn attack targets a Pokémon on both attack segments of use.
Spikes and Snatch target the opposing Pokémon closest to the Trainer’s left.
Future Sight and Doom Desire target a Pokémon only when the attack is used.
Bide target a Po, Counter, and Mirror Coatkmon when an attack is returned.
Magic Coat doesn’t have a target.
Curse targets a Pokémon only in its "ghost" variant. (Its type stored will be "???".)
The variable will be set to any moves that a move uses, when appropriate.
Confusion damage is ignored.

To avoid misunderstandings, abilities of Pokémon are ignored when determining whether a type is "not very effective" or ineffective against another type. Furthermore, the effects of Foresight and Odor Sleuth are ignored in this determination.

If the attack was redirected with Follow Me, LightningRod, or Magic Coat, Conversion 2 takes the changed target into account. If the attack was taken with Snatch, Conversion 2 takes the original target into account.

Protect/Detect

As a bug, Pokémon Ruby Version , Pokémon Sapphire Version , and Pokémon Emerald Version don’t set a maximum for the number of consecutive uses of Endure, Protect, and Detect. Thus, in the rare case that more than four consecutive uses is achieved, the success rate can take on strange values as it accesses other data structures. For example, in Pokémon Ruby Version and Pokémon Sapphire Version , the chances when X is 4 and 5 are 118/65536 and 165/65536, respectively.

Of the moves that don’t target a target (Bide, Haze, Milk Drink, Wish, Hail, Grudge, Imprison), only Bide is affected by Protect and Detect, namely, when Bide returns an attack to a Pokémon.

Magic Coat

This explanation will clarify how Magic Coat works.

If only one Pokémon is targeted by an attack, Magic Coat’s effect bounces back the entire attack, making Magic Coat’s user the user of that attack and targeting the attack’s original user.

If only one Pokémon is targeted by an attack affected by Magic Coat and Soundproof (such as Supersonic), Soundproof’s effect overrides Magic Coat’s effect.

If more than one Pokémon is targeted by an attack, as can be the case with Leer and String Shot, for example, Magic Coat works differently depending on where the user is located. If the user is the one on the (Trainer’s) left, Magic Coat’s effect bounces back the entire attack, making Magic Coat’s user the user of that attack and affecting all opposing Pokémon in that way. (If one of the opposing Pokémon used Magic Coat, the attack’s effect on it will be bounced back -- that user of Magic Coat will then be treated as the user of that portion of the attack.) If the user is the one on the right, the attack executes as normal, the user’s partner is affected as normal, and the attack’s effect on the user is bounced back. (If Magic Coat is in effect for both the user and its partner the one on the left’s Magic Coat effect will be used against attacks like these.)

If both opposing Pokémon are targeted by an attack affected by Magic Coat and Soundproof (the only such attack is Growl) and the target on the left has Soundproof and had used Magic Coat, Soundproof will block the attack for the first target and the attack will move on to the target on the right as usual.

The attack’s target and user are changed before an accuracy check is made for the attack.