Power
- If you were looking for the performance stat, see Performance.
Power is a property of damaging moves that determines how much damage they deal. It is seen primarily in the games, but it is touched upon in the Pokémon anime.
Overview
Moves with more power inflict more damage. Statistically, the more damage a move inflicts, the more likely it will either have a lower Accuracy, a negative effect for the user, such as recoil damage, or a lower PP (though some strong outliers exist, such as Extrasensory). How much power a move has can be seen in the Pokémon Status screen, in the move section, along with Accuracy.
Damage Modification
- Main article: Damage modification
Power can be altered by some degree by damage modification that depends on the current status of the battle.
Type effectiveness
- Main article: Type effectiveness
If a move is super effective, the base power is doubled. If it is not very effective, damage is halved. These can stack to ¼ or 4×. If a move doesn't affect an opponent's type, all that move's power is 0. For example, if a Butterfree used Shadow Ball on a Gallade, it would be super effective, because Gallade is Fighting (normal protection) and Psychic (weak protection) and would have a power of 160. However if Butterfree were to use the move Swift on a Gallade it would only be normally effective and would deal out 60 power.
Same-type attack bonus
- Main article: STAB
STAB also affects a move's power. If a Template:Type2 Pokémon used a Water-type move, it would gain STAB, which increases power by 50%. For example, if a Lapras used Waterfall, instead of 80 Power, it would be 120.
Abilities
- Main article: Ability
Some Abilities can increase a user's power as well. Pure Power is one example that boosts attack, thus indirectly boosting power. Abilities can also boost a specific type's power.
Items
Some hold items can also boost power. Stat-enhancing items can increase Attack or Special Attack, while Type-enhancing items and Plates increase moves of a certain type's Power. Incenses can increase power too, among other effects.
Critical Hits
- Main article: Critical Hit
Critical hits have a 6.25% chance of occuring under normal circumstances, and double a move's power for one hit. This can also stack with effectiveness and other modifiers.
Moves without Power
Moves that deal no damage, deal damage with varying power, deal fixed damage, or are OHKOs; in these cases, the power is indicated by "—".
Fixed damage
Moves that deal a fixed amount of damage do not display power, and are not modified by the above. SonicBoom, for example, has a power of "—" because it does 20 damage, regardless of opponents' Defense or Special Defense, or the Attack or Special Attack of the Pokémon itself.
Variable power
When a move varies in power, it will also have "—". Psywave is a prime example. It deals damage that increases with the user's level, and deals random damage every time it is used. The power can't be predicted, so is shown as "—".
These moves either apply STAB and effectiveness, or neither.
One-hit knockout moves
- Main article: One-hit knockout move
OHKO moves don't show power because, if they hit, they immediately knock out the opponent.
Range
The power of damaging moves currently ranges between 10 and 250, with many different amounts in between. The highest powered move in the games, as of Generation IV, is Explosion, with a permanent base power of 250. The lowest powered moves include Constrict and Fury Cutter*, with base powers of 10. However, in Generation I, there is a Glitch move with a base power 255, the highest possible.
However, the aforementioned variables can have higher powers than this. For example, Spit Up hase a base power of 300 when Stockpile is used three times beforehand.
Trivia
- In Generation I, there was no way to see a move's power on-screen. This was rectified in Generation II, though.
- In both Generations I and II, however, there was no way to see a move's power while in battle through the battle summary. This was fixed in Generation III.
