Weather
Weather conditions are a feature that was implemented into the Pokémon games in Generation II, and expanded upon in Generations III and IV. During these games, weather depended upon where a battle took place, or even whether a Pokémon had used a specific move or ability.
In the second generation, when the first conditions were introduced, some moves came to have an advantage with them, notably, Solarbeam and Thunder, both of which would be nearly deadly with the right conditions.
During the third and fourth generations, many abilities also took advantage of a particular weather condition, some using them to heighten certain stats or to recover HP. Others still would activate the conditions themselves, with two of the three Hoenn-based weather legendaries activating battle-long sun and rain, and the third preventing all weather conditions with its ability.
Current weather conditions
Intense sunlight
- Effect: Powers up Fire-type moves, weakens Water-type moves, allows immediate firing of Solarbeam, lowers accuracy of Thunder to 50%. Activates the following abilities: Chlorophyll, Dry Skin, Flower Head, Leaf Guard, Sun Power. Changes Weather Ball to a Fire-type move, and Castform to its Fire-type form.
- Activating move: Sunny Day
- Activating ability: Drought
- Routes where it is encountered naturally: Eastern Hoenn Water routes (after Groudon is awakened, before it is captured) (Ruby/Emerald); Routes where Terra Cave appears (Emerald)
Heavy rain
- Effect: Powers up Water-type moves, weakens Fire-type moves, weakens the power of Solarbeam, raises accuracy of Thunder to 100%. Activates the following abilities: Dry Skin, Hydration, Rain Dish, Swift Swim. Changes Weather Ball to a Water-type move, and Castform to its Water-type form. Also prevents pokémon from exploding in Mystery Dungeon.
- Activating move: Rain Dance
- Activating ability: Drizzle
- Routes where it is encountered naturally: Route 119 (some days) (Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald); Route 120 (always) (Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald); Route 123 (some days) (Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald); eastern Hoenn Water routes (after Kyogre is awakened, before it is captured) (Sapphire/Emerald); Routes where Marine Cave appears (Emerald); Route 213 (sometimes) (Diamond/Pearl); 214 (south leg) (Diamond/Pearl); 215 (always) (Diamond/Pearl)
Sandstorm
- Effect: Damages Pokémon not of the Rock-, Ground-, or Steel-types, weakens Solarbeam, lowers the accuracy of Thunder to 50% and raises the Special Defense of all Rock-types by 1.5 times. Activates the following ability: Sand Veil. Changes Weather Ball to a Rock-type move, but does not change Castform's form.
- Activating move: Sandstorm
- Activating ability: Sand Stream
- Routes where it is encountered naturally: Route 111 (in the desert) (Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald), Route 228 (Diamond/Pearl)
Hailstorm
- Effect: Damages Pokémon not of the Ice-type. Raises accuracy of Blizzard to 100%. Activates the following abilities: Ice Body, Snow Cloak. Changes Weather Ball to an Ice-type move, and Castform to its Ice-type form.
- Activating move: Hail
- Activating ability: Snow Warning
- Routes where it is encountered naturally: Route 216, 217 (Diamond/Pearl).
Shadow Sky
- Effect: Damages all Pokémon that are not Shadow Pokémon. Changes Weather Ball to a Template:Type2 move, but does not change Castform's form.
- Activating move: Shadow Sky.
- Activating ability: None.
- Routes where it is encountered naturally: Not encountered naturally.
Fog
- Effect: Lowers accuracy of all Pokémon battling.
- Clearing move: HM05: Defog
- Activating ability: None so far.
- Routes where it is encountered naturally: Route 210 (north leg) (Diamond/Pearl); Victory Road (path to Route 224) (Diamond/Pearl); Turnback Cave (Diamond/Pearl)
- Sunny Field.png
The blindingly-hot sun shines down.
- Rainy Field.png
A gloomy day on Route 101.
- Sandstorm Field.png
A sandstorm rages.
- Fog.jpg
Fog looming ahead
History
Generation II
In the second-generation games, three moves were introduced that could change the weather during a battle to alter the playing field slightly. These moves were Sunny Day, which created five turns worth of intense sunlight and allowed a Pokémon to attack with Solarbeam without waiting a turn; Rain Dance, which gave five turns of heavy rain and increased Thunder's accuracy to 100%; and Sandstorm, which made a wild sandstorm that lasted for the same amount of turns. These three moves could change the course of a battle, with intense sun and heavy rain powering up Fire- and Water-type moves, and powering down the other, respectively, and a sandstorm slightly damaging any Pokémon not of the Rock-, Ground-, or Steel-types.
Generation III
In the third generation, the title Pokémon of the three Hoenn-based versions had weather-related abilities. Groudon's ability allowed for intense sunlight to fill the arena until the battle ended, or another weather effect took its place. Likewise, its counterpart, Kyogre's ability made heavy rain that lasted until the end of the battle or until another weather effect superceded it. Emerald Version's mascot, however, had a different way of affecting the playing field. While Rayquaza is battling, all effects of the weather are essentially negated, though the actual sunlight/rain/sandstorm/hail remains going.
Another Pokémon, one which was not available in Ruby or Sapphire without trading, also had a weather-based ability. Tyranitar, once fully evolved from a Larvitar captured in FireRed or LeafGreen, has the ability Sand Stream, which causes a sandstorm that lasts until the end of the battle or until another weather-changing move is made. This makes it almost useless for a Tyranitar to have the move Sandstorm itself, as the sandstorm is automatically activated as it comes into battle.
Ruby and Sapphire also debuted another weather-changing move, Hail, which, like Sunny Day, Rain Dance, and Sandstorm before it, changes the weather for five turns, this time to an icy hailstorm. However, this move, and weather effect, have more in common with Sandstorm than with the other two. For the five turns that it's hailing, all Pokémon who are not Ice-type are damaged. To many, this is quite useless, and often annoying, as it only allows for the safety of one type of Pokémon, as opposed to a sandstorm's guaranteeing safety for three, often more physically powerful, types.
Castform
Also in Generation III, one of the 135 Pokémon released was a quirky little Normal-type called Castform. When in a battle where no weather effects were present, Castform is quite unremarkable. However, when any of the effects besides a sandstorm are applied, Castform's type and shape change to match the weather, due to its ability, Forecast. Also, when it is leveled up, it learns a move called Weather Ball, which also changes type with the weather. Unlike Forecast, Weather Ball's type differs even in a sandstorm, becoming a Rock-type move.
Generation IV
Within the fourth generation, the weather effects seem to be going strong. At one point in Sinnoh, it is actually possible to travel on a route covered in snow. Also in Generation IV, a new ability was released that serves much like Drought, Drizzle, and Sand Stream, excepting the fact that it permanently activates a hailstorm instead of sunlight, rain, or sandstorm.
Another new weather condition introduced in Generation IV was the fog condition. Instead of having a move to activate it, however, there was a move introduced to clear it.
More interesting things introduced within Generation IV were other conditions that had nothing to do with the weather, but behaved similarly to the weather-activating moves. Like the weather conditions, these moves would affect all Pokémon on the field for five turns, and in various ways. For example, one move would rid Levitating Pokémon of their powers, and force both them and Template:Type2s to take damage from Template:Type2 moves, as well as disabling moves like Fly and Bounce, whereas another, Electrolevitate, makes the user invulnerable to ground type moves, again for five turns.
