By Matt
You’ve seen these pesky moves: they add more to a Pokemon’s stats so they can be either easier to KO with or harder to defeat. So, what are these moves, and what do they do? These are a certain type of Status moves that change stats. This is known as stat modifications, and they have effects that are improving the more often you use them.
Let’s start with the basics: when you got a starter Pokemon, it had an attacking move and a status move. This would do something basic, like lower the opponent’s Attack or Defense. But what would it really do? Serebii has stat changes divided into thirteen stages, -6 to +6. There is a cap on how many times a particular stat can be lowered; this is 6. (This is why the game sometimes says that a Pokemon’s stat can’t go any higher or lower.) Moves that say they harshly lower or sharply boost a stat give two levels, as compared to most others that increase or decrease by one.
Back to the topic of that status move. If something like Tail Whip was used, it would lower the opponent’s Defense by one stage. Statistically, it would lower Defense by 1/3 (the formula is the Defense stat x 0.66). All stats (excluding HP) follow this formula, but for adding, it is different. Stage -6 makes stats Ľ of what they were, and Stage +6 makes them four times as useful. This is only for stats; evasion and accuracy have different values, but still have the same principle applied. These two are actually inverses of each other; when Accuracy is at its top, the Accuracy of a move is multiplied by three. When Evasion is maximized, moves are 1/3 as accurate as they used to be. The real question is when to use them. Most Trainers use them at the beginning, especially ones dealing with Accuracy, before you can deal serious damage. If they are lucky, most attacks will miss, and soon, when their Pokemon is very tough to hit, they can unleash damage. However, one or two moves that boost one’s own stats will be enough, unless they are very sturdy and can take multiple hits.
At Stage 2, an attacking stat can be doubled, which is what happens when moves like Swords Dance are used. When going up against higher-leveled Pokemon, using stat moves like these can increase your chances of knocking them out. If you’ve noticed, Gym Leaders always use stat moves to boost their Pokemon’s potential. It’s time to think like a Gym Leader in battle; when faced against a stalwart opponent, stat changes, mixed along with critical hits, can take them out easily. With enough thinking, love, and luck, battles can be won easier, and you can lose gracefully (how does that work?) by using some very noteworthy moves and plans. As Grimsley of the Elite Four says, a good Trainer doesn’t complain about the cards he or she is given.
Tags: Nintendo DS