Battle Glossary (24 terms)
Terms that show up constantly in guides and in-battle talk, grouped into damage calculation, battle basics, team building, and in-battle strategy. Come back here whenever a term trips you up.
Damage Calculation
How many hits are needed to KO no matter what — regardless of the damage roll. A "guaranteed 2HKO" means two hits will always finish the job. See how damage calculation works.
The 85%–100%, 16-step random range applied to every hit. The same move against the same target still deals slightly different damage each time because of this roll.
A KO that only happens on a lucky roll — for example, "1HKO on 37.5% of rolls" means it's possible, but not guaranteed, to finish in fewer hits than the guaranteed KO count.
A ×1.5 power boost when a Pokémon uses a move that matches one of its own types. See type basics.
A ×2 or ×0.5 damage multiplier from type matchups. Some combinations are ×0 (no effect) entirely.
A special hit that deals extra damage. See how critical hits work for rate and counterplay.
Battle Basics
The 1-on-1 situation (or general compatibility) between two Pokémon currently on the field.
The overall approach to deciding who acts first. See the speed tier list to check where you stand.
A move that acts before the normal speed check, regardless of actual Speed stat. See priority moves and Speed.
A move that raises one of your own stat stages. See using stat-boosting moves.
An ongoing negative effect like poison, paralysis, burn, sleep, or freeze. Pairs with switching strategy for counterplay.
A field-wide effect. Weather covers sun/rain/sand/snow; Terrain covers Electric/Grassy/Psychic/Misty.
Team Building & Selection
Choosing which Pokémon from your roster to actually bring into a given battle. See how to pick a selection and the team select tool.
When the same type weakness runs through your whole team, so a single move threatens multiple Pokémon at once.
A Pokémon that reliably survives a specific threat or type. See the defensive pivot cycle.
The main damage-dealer a team is built around.
A Pokémon whose job is to set up weather, terrain, or hazards first.
A specific combination of moves, held item, and stat points that defines how a Pokémon is used. See building a moveset.
In-Battle Strategy
Comparing both sides' remaining HP and damage output to predict who wins a straight trade. See how to think about damage races.
A situation where no action available actually helps — the game is effectively already lost from this point. Avoiding this starts at team selection.
Forcing a bad trade, an unfavorable switch, or removing a check so a teammate can act freely afterward.
Anticipating that the opponent will switch out, and picking a move that punishes the incoming Pokémon instead.
Switching into a favorable matchup after seeing what the opponent does, rather than committing first.
A style built on repeated switching, gradually stacking hazard damage and chip damage to grind out an advantage.
See also the full guide list.