RiverAura
Dragon of the Water
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- Feb 9, 2011
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Re: Question about stats
Yep, that's correct. I wouldn't worry too much about it, though. While it is possible to take advantage of these stat differences, keep in mind that the difference between 0 IV's and 31 IV's is 31 points in a stat at Lv. 100, divided by your defense. A randomly-generated value can cause a difference, but in most cases it would be fairly minor. Not to mention that most battlers would rather use a stronger Dark-type move against special attackers; Foul Play doesn't have much power on its own, so it'd likely be used against Delphox more for the type advantage than for the direct power.
Basically, while it would indeed be optimal to have 0 Attack IVs on Delphox, don't lose sleep over it!
Hi there!
I was wondering about the following: my Pokémon's Attack stat can be used against itself, for example when it's confused or with Foul Play. Can other stats be (mis)used like that too? Special Attack for example?
As of yet, not directly. Foul Play is the only move that scales off of the opponent's stats, and Confusion is the only status condition.
However, there are several roundabout ways to use opponent's stats to hurt them. Heart Swap, Guard Swap, Power Swap, and Psych Up all benefit the user if their opponent has been raising their stats (Snatch as well, but it has to be used on the turn the stat is raised). All of these except Psych Up also cause the opponent to lose their stat gains (provided you haven't also boosted your stats).
There are some other ways too, but are more enemy-dependent, such as the move Gyro Ball being more powerful against enemies who boost their speed. Some moves and conditions outright ignore certain stats as well. For example, Dragon Rage, Sonic Boom, Seismic Toss, and related moves always do a set amount of damage. Super Fang always cuts an opponent's current HP in half when it hits.
And the Poison, Burn, Leech Seed, and Badly Poisoned status conditions and Sandstorm/Hail weather conditions always take off a fraction of the opponent's maximum HP, making their HP, Def, and Sp. Def stats irrelevant.
Thank you for your elaborate answer! This actually gives physical attackers with high Attack IVs a bit of a disadvantage then, right? I was wondering about this, because I just got into IV-breeding. I'm trying to breed a Delphox, a special attacker that doesn't need its Attack stat. But it would be best if I could get one with five perfect IVs and an Attack IV of 0, to make sure confusion damage and Foul Play damage are kept to a minimum. I have already bred my first (almost) perfect Chesnaught, with five IVs. Since it doesn't need Special Attack, I didn't bother about the value of that IV, and since my opponent can't use it against me, there's really no reason to. Am I correct?
Yep, that's correct. I wouldn't worry too much about it, though. While it is possible to take advantage of these stat differences, keep in mind that the difference between 0 IV's and 31 IV's is 31 points in a stat at Lv. 100, divided by your defense. A randomly-generated value can cause a difference, but in most cases it would be fairly minor. Not to mention that most battlers would rather use a stronger Dark-type move against special attackers; Foul Play doesn't have much power on its own, so it'd likely be used against Delphox more for the type advantage than for the direct power.
Basically, while it would indeed be optimal to have 0 Attack IVs on Delphox, don't lose sleep over it!