How to Read Damage Calculations — Rolls, Hit Counts, and Crits Explained
What does 'guaranteed 2HKO' or '1HKO at X%' actually mean? A beginner-friendly explanation of damage rolls, hit counts, and critical hits. (updated: 2026-07-22)
Strength is measured in "hit counts"
You'll often hear phrases like "guaranteed 2HKO" or "possible 1HKO" in battle discussions. These describe the outcome of a damage calculation, and they're the shared language players use to judge who wins a matchup. Once you understand them, you can actually put the damage calculator's results to use strategically.
Damage always has some randomness
A Pokémon's damage isn't identical every time — it varies within roughly 85%–100% of the maximum (16 discrete damage rolls). The same move against the same target can differ by about 15% between its lowest and highest roll. So a move that "roughly halves" the target's HP might do more than half on a high roll, or less than half on a low roll.
How to read hit counts
- Guaranteed 2HKO: kills in 2 hits no matter how the damage rolls land. You can commit to the attack with confidence.
- Possible 1HKO (X%): a high roll can kill in one hit, but it isn't guaranteed. The higher the percentage in parentheses, the more reliably you can go for the 1HKO.
- You're a guaranteed 3HKO but they're a guaranteed 2HKO: the opponent kills you in fewer hits — that's an unfavorable matchup. Factor in Speed as well when judging this.
The reasoning behind our counter pages is based on exactly this kind of hit-count comparison, combined with speed matchups.
What changes the hit count
Even in the same matchup, the following factors can shift the hit count. You can test all of these directly in the calculator.
- Held items: items like Life Orb or Expert Belt boost power. Whether that flips a "2HKO" into a "1HKO" is exactly what determines a power item's value.
- Stat stage changes: boosting moves raise your Attack, or lower the opponent's Defense.
- Burn: halves damage from physical moves.
- Critical hits: a chance-based 1.5x multiplier that ignores the opponent's Defense boosts and your own Attack drops.
An example of using the calculator to decide
In an actual match, it's powerful to know ahead of time whether a given move can finish off the current opponent. For example, if you learn that "without an item this is a guaranteed 2HKO, but with Life Orb it becomes a possible 1HKO (70%)," the value of that item becomes obvious. Being able to decide with numbers instead of gut feeling is one of the advantages of Champions' fixed-IV rules — since everyone gets the same numbers, the math is exact.
Just get used to it first
To start, just check the hit counts your main attacker's key moves get against the opponents you face most often, using the damage calculator. Once you build up a feel for "this is a guaranteed 1HKO from the top" or "this Pokémon can just tank this," your team selection and in-battle play both get noticeably sharper.