In Pokemon, stats are numerical values that determine how a Pokemon will perform in battle. There are 6 permanent stats in total that are influenced by several factors such as IVs (Individual Values), EVs (Effort Values), and Nature. Stats include HP, Attack, Defense, Special (non-physical attacks), and Speed in the first Pokemon. From Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal onward, the Special stat was split into Special Attack and Special Defense.
Stats are lowered or raised in battle by stages from -6 to 6. The probability of landing a hit on an opponent is determined by a move's accuracy and a Pokemon's evasion. These are not permanent stats, meaning a Pokemon's IVs have no effect on whether or not the Pokemon's attack misses or not. Furthermore, any changes to accuracy and evasion will not be carried outside of battle.
About Accuracy
Each move's accuracy is measured on a scale of 1-100 and can be modified by the user or opponent only in battle. Moves that are marked with (—) mean they will always hit unless the enemy Pokemon uses a move like Protect, or a move that has a semi-invulnerable turn (Fly, Dig).
The moves with high accuracy can still miss the opponent if the attacking Pokemon's accuracy has been lowered. For example, the accuracy of Tackle (accuracy: 100%; stage: 6) will be lowered by 1 stage if the Pokemon is hit by the accuracy-decreasing move, Sand Attack.
Accuracy Moves
There aren't too many moves that can raise a Pokemon's accuracy. As of Pokemon's Generation 8, there are:
- Acupressure
- Coil
- Hone Claws
Acupressure will sharply raise any of the Pokemon's stats including accuracy or evasion. Unfortunately, whichever stat gets chosen is randomized. Moves like Coil and Hone Claws will raise Attack, Defense, and accuracy, and Attack and accuracy respectively.
On the other hand, there are a variety of moves that can lower accuracy. Some examples include:
- Flash
- Kinesis
- Night Daze
- Mud-Slap
- Sand Attack
- Smokescreen
Moves such as Night Daze and Mud-Slap do not have a 100% chance of lowering accuracy, but unlike Flash or Sand Attack, they inflict damage on the target.
About Evasion
As the counterpart to accuracy, evasion is what determines the probability of a Pokemon avoiding the attacking Pokemon's moves. This stat starts out at 100% and can be lowered or increased by moves.
In Pokemon Colosseum and Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, the Pre-Gym in Phenac City specialized in evasion-based battles. Opposing trainers would slowly build up their evasion in stages by spamming Double Team, making it difficult for the player to land a hit unless they were raising accuracy or using moves that bypassed accuracy (ex: Aerial Ace). The reward for beating Pre-Gym's leader, Justy, was TM 32 Double Team.
Increasing evasion by leaps and bounds is also a tactic used in Competitive Battling, making it a frustrating strategy to overcome if the player underestimates the importance of evasion and accuracy.
Evasion-Enhancing Moves
For evasion, there are fewer moves (both offensive and passive) for increasing and decreasing evasion compared to accuracy.
If the player wants to increase their evasion in battle, they can use one of the following:
- Acupressure
- Double Team
- Minimize
Double Team will increase evasion by 1 stage while Minimize will sharply increase evasion. Be warned that certain moves such as Body Slam will double their power if they manage to hit a Pokemon that has used Minimize.
Lowering evasion can be accomplished with these moves:
- Defog
- Sweet Scent
- Shadow Mist
- G-Max Tartness
G-Max Tartness is an exclusive G-Max move used by Gigantamax Flapple. Shadow Mist was a ???-type move used by Shadow Pokemon in Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, thus inaccessible in the main games.
This leaves Defog and Sweet Scent as the more accessible candidates for evasion-lowering.
Held Items and Battle Items
Certain items can be held by Pokemon that can increase a Pokemon's accuracy or invasion. For example, the Wide Lens increases the accuracy of the holder's moves. For evasion, there's the Lax Incense. This item is known for allowing Wobbuffett to breed Wynaut, but it can also reduce an attacking opponent's accuracy by 5%. BrightPowder has the same effect as the Lax Incense, but decreases the accuracy by 10% instead.
There are also Battle Items such as X-Accuracy. Unlike Held Items, the effects of Battle Items will diminish after battle. Meaning if players want consistent in-battle stats, they are better off sticking with Held Items.
The recent core game in the Pokemon series, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, is available now on Nintendo Switch.
