Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (SV)

Damage Explained: How is Damage Calculated?

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Pokemon knock each other out as a result of damaging each other with Physical and Special moves. Read on to find out how damage is calculated in Gen 9 and what factors go into how much damage a move deals in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (SV)!

How is Damage Calculated?

If we were to crunch the numbers, the total amount of damage being dealt to a Pokemon is calculated through the formula shown above.

Variable Meaning
Level The attacking Pokemon's level. Usually set to 50 on Ranked Battles
Power The Move's Base Power
Attack The Attacking Pokemon's Attack Stat. Can be interchanged with Special Attack if using a Special Attack
Defense The Defending Pokemon's Defense Stat. Can be interchanged with Special Defense if using a Special Attack
Targets 1.0x by default, but is 0.75x if using a Spread move
Weather 1.0x by default, but becomes 1.5x if the Attacker is using a Water-type move during Rain, or a Fire-type move during Sun. This becomes 0.5x when using a Fire-type move during Rain and vice versa.
Critical 1.0x by default but becomes 1.5x if the offensive move is a Critical Hit
Random A value between 0.85x to 1 determined by RNG that varies within a match.
STAB If the offensive Pokemon is using a move of the same type, the move will get a multiplier of 1.5x
(2.0x if the user has the Ability, Adaptability)
Type The offensive move's type effectiveness vs the defending Pokemon's type.
0.0x if the defending Pokemon is immune
0.25x if the defending Pokemon is x2 resistant
0.5x if the defending Pokemon is resistant
1.0x if the defending Pokemon is neutral
2.0x if the defending Pokemon is weak
4.0x if the defending Pokemon is x2 weak
Burn Only relevant for Physical attacks, this value is 1.0x by default, but will become 0.5x if inflicted with a Burn.
Other 1.0x by default but may change depending on variables such as Abilities or Items

Critical Hits

Attacking moves are defaultly set to stage 0 with a set critical hit chance. There are ways to increase these stages and increase the likelihood of critical hits by means of Items and Abilities. There are also moves with increased critical hit chances.

Stage Critical Hit Chance
0 4.17%
+1 12.5%
+2 50%
+3 100%

List of High-Critical Hit Moves

Multi-Hitting Moves

Moves such as Icicle Spear or Rock Blast will have damage calculated for each instance that the attack would connect.

List of Multi-Hit Moves

How Much Does Attack Increase/Decrease?

Stages

Attack, Defense, Special Attack and Special Defense increase and decrease like any other stat (excluding Accuracy and Evasion) in stages. Modifications to these stats will incur an additional multiplier.

Rise ↑ +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6
1.5x 2.0x 2.5x 3.0x 3.5x 4.0x
Drop ↓ -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6
0.666x 0.5x 0.4x 0.33x 0.285x 0.25x

In-Game Text

You may notice text onscreen when stat changes occur during battle. These lines of text can clue us in on how much a stat has increased or decreased. Alternatively, you can also check the Pokemon while battling.

Stat Change In-Game Text
+6 Pokemon maximized its stat! / Pokemon's stat can't go any higher!
+3 Pokemon's stat rose drastically!
+2 Pokemon's stat rose sharply!
+1 Pokemon's stat rose!
-1 Pokemon's stat fell!
-2 Pokemon's stat harshly fell!
+3 Pokemon's stat severely fell!
-6 Pokemon's stat can't go any lower!

Damage Calculation Applied

Using the equation shown above, we're able to manually calculate how much damage a fully EV'd in Special Attack Modest Zapdos' Thunderbolt will deal to an uninvested Kyogre: Approximately 79%.

Do note that the result will not consistently be 138.65, but will also be determined by the Random variable.
It is still advisable to check your calculations using Damage Calculators that are found online.

It is recommended to think of damage in terms of percentages because we will not always be able to quickly calculate for damage. Having lots of experience under your belt will help you estimate how much damage moves deal simply by seeing the moves deal damage often. Make sure to get lots of practice for Pokemon Battles!

Game8's Ranked Battle Damage Calculator

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Related Guides

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Game Mechanics Banner.png

All Game Mechanics

List of All Game Mechanics

Beginner Game Mechanics
Type Chart: All Matchups and Effectiveness All Status Conditions and Effects
How to Use STAB Effectively Nature Chart and How to Check Natures
Moves Explained Abilities Explained
Speed Explained: How Does Speed Work? Explanation of Pokemon Stats
Advanced Game Mechanics
EXP Growth Rates Explained Damage Explained: How is Damage Calculated?
EVs, IVs, and Natures Explained -
Move-Related Mechanics
List of Priority Moves High-Critical Hit Moves
Moves that Change Weather Moves that Change Terrain
Moves with Recoil Damage Moves that Set Entry Hazards
Trapping Moves Critical Hit Chance
List of Move and Ability Changes

Author

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