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Status Effects & Conditions

Master sleep, poison, paralysis, and strategic conditions

📖 15 min read🎯 Advanced Level⚔️ Battle Strategy

Major Status Conditions

Status conditions are temporary ailments that affect a Pokémon's performance in battle. Only one major status condition can affect a Pokémon at a time, making timing crucial.

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Sleep

Pokémon cannot move while asleep (lasts 1-3 turns in most games)

Strategic Uses:
  • • Setup opportunities
  • • Forcing switches
  • • Stall tactics
Counters:
  • • Chesto Berry
  • • Natural Cure ability
  • • Aromatherapy/Heal Bell
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Paralysis

25% chance to be fully paralyzed each turn + Speed reduced to 25%

Strategic Uses:
  • • Speed control
  • • Cripple fast sweepers
  • • Long-term disruption
Counters:
  • • Pecha Berry
  • • Guts ability (boosts Attack)
  • • Electric types immune
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Burn

Attack reduced to 50% + loses 1/16 HP each turn (1/8 in older games)

Strategic Uses:
  • • Cripple physical attackers
  • • Gradual damage over time
  • • Defensive stalling
Counters:
  • • Rawst Berry
  • • Guts ability
  • • Fire types immune
☠️

Poison

Loses 1/8 HP each turn (regular) or increasing damage each turn (badly poisoned)

Strategic Uses:
  • • Stall and residual damage
  • • Toxic spikes setup
  • • Poison Heal recovery
Counters:
  • • Pecha Berry
  • • Poison/Steel types immune
  • • Natural Cure ability
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Freeze

Cannot move until thawed (20% chance per turn or by Fire moves)

Strategic Uses:
  • • Complete immobilization
  • • RNG-dependent but powerful
  • • Forces switches
Counters:
  • • Fire moves thaw instantly
  • • Ice types immune
  • • Aspear Berry

Minor Status Conditions

😵 Confusion

Pokémon has a 50% chance to hurt itself instead of using a move (lasts 1-4 turns)

Strategic Note: Self-damage is calculated using the Pokémon's Attack stat against its own Defense, making high-attack Pokémon more vulnerable.

😍 Attract/Infatuation

50% chance to be immobilized by love (only works on opposite genders)

Competitive Impact: Rarely used in high-level play due to gender requirements and the prevalence of genderless Pokémon.

😰 Flinch

Prevents the Pokémon from moving that turn (only lasts one turn, requires going first)

Paraflinch Strategy: Combining paralysis with flinch moves (like Thunder Wave + Air Slash) can create devastating lock-down strategies.

Advanced Status Strategies

🛡️ Status as Defense

Will-O-Wisp Strategy

Burning physical attackers effectively doubles your physical bulk while dealing residual damage.

Thunder Wave Support

Paralysis support allows slower teammates to outspeed and revenge kill threats.

⚔️ Status as Offense

Toxic Stall: Use badly poisoned + recovery moves to slowly drain opponents
Sleep Powder Setup: Put opponents to sleep for free setup turns
Status Orb Strategies: Flame/Toxic Orb + Guts/Quick Feet for stat boosts

Team Integration

🏥 Status Support Moves

Team Healing

  • • Aromatherapy: Cures all status on your team
  • • Heal Bell: Same effect, different move
  • • Refresh: Self-cure for status

Prevention

  • • Safeguard: Prevents status for 5 turns
  • • Misty Terrain: Prevents status on grounded Pokémon
  • • Lum Berry: Auto-cure any status once

Next Steps

Master status conditions to add another layer of strategy to your battles:

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Competitive Team Building

Integrate status strategies into tournament-ready teams

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Move Selection Guide

Choose status moves and coverage for optimal movesets

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