How Critical Hits Work — Rate & Countering Them
What actually happens on a critical hit, what raises the crit rate, and how to play around the risk of getting critted. (updated: 2026-07-23)
A crit means ×1.5 power, ignoring unfavorable stat stages
A critical hit multiplies the move's damage by ×1.5, which you can check yourself with the "Critical hit" box on the damage calculator. Just as important: a crit ignores unfavorable stat stage changes. Specifically, if the attacker's Attack stage is lowered, that penalty is ignored (treated as 0 or higher); if the defender's Defense stage is raised, that boost is ignored (treated as 0 or lower). The biggest thing to watch for is that a single crit can completely erase the defensive investment from stat-boosting moves.
Crit rate, and what raises it
The base critical-hit rate is low, but it rises in stages as these factors stack (if this follows the mainline series' mechanics, two stacked stages bring it to roughly 1 in 2, and three or more make a crit almost guaranteed).
- Scope Lens: raises the crit stage by 1
- Super Luck: makes the holder's own attacks more likely to crit
- Sniper: doesn't change the crit rate itself, but boosts the power of a crit further when it happens
- Frost Breath and Storm Throw: always crit
Defending against crits
There are ways to make yourself harder to crit, too. Pokémon with Battle Armor or Shell Armor are immune to critical hits entirely, so the Defense stage they've built up through stat-boosting moves can never be ignored by a crit — a strong fit for bulky team builds.
Playing around it
Crits are a matter of luck, but you can still know ahead of time which situations turn dangerous if one lands. Check the "Critical hit" box on the damage calculator to see the worst-case KO count. The more a team relies on stat-boosting to be bulky, the more it's worth having a backup plan (switching, or stacking a status condition) in case a single crit blows through that investment. On the flip side, if you're running a heavy-hitting attacker, Scope Lens or an always-crit move can work as insurance to shave one hit off a stubborn KO count.