Each Pokémon has six stats. HP tells you how much damage it can take before it faints. Attack and Sp. Atk (short for Special Attack) show how hard it hits with physical and special moves. Defense and Sp. Def (Special Defense) show how well it takes those hits. Speed decides who moves first.
A stat is a number that says how good a Pokémon is at one job. Every number on this page comes from the pokee.si Pokédex data. For the numbers that go with each Pokémon and how they turn into real stats, read Pokémon base stats explained.
The six stats in one line each
| Stat | What it does |
|---|---|
| HP | How much damage the Pokémon can take before it faints |
| Attack | How hard its physical moves hit |
| Defense | How well it takes physical moves |
| Sp. Atk | How hard its special moves hit |
| Sp. Def | How well it takes special moves |
| Speed | Who moves first |
A Pokémon's moves are physical, special or status. In our data there are 390 physical moves, 258 special moves and 271 status moves. Status moves, like Growl, don't do damage, so they don't use Attack or Sp. Atk. Learn more in the physical, special and status lesson.
Who has the highest and lowest of each stat?
This shows the average, the highest and the lowest base stats across all Pokémon:
| Stat | Average | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|
| HP | 70 | Blissey 255 | Shedinja 1 |
| Attack | 78 | Kartana 181 | Happiny, Chansey 5 |
| Defense | 73 | Shuckle 230 | Happiny, Chansey 5 |
| Sp. Atk | 70 | Xurkitree 173 | Bonsly, Feebas, Shuckle 10 |
| Sp. Def | 70 | Shuckle 230 | Stonjourner, Carvanha, Igglybuff 20 |
| Speed | 67 | Regieleki 200 | Pyukumuku, Munchlax, Shuckle 5 |
Six Pokémon share the lowest Sp. Def, 20: Caterpie, Weedle, Magikarp, Igglybuff, Carvanha and Stonjourner. Shuckle is a funny one: it tops Defense and Sp. Def, but it is very low in Attack, Sp. Atk and Speed.
HP
HP means Hit Points. Bulbapedia says it "determines how much damage a Pokémon can receive before fainting." It is the only stat with no stages, which you will meet below. Blissey's 255 is the highest of any Pokémon. Shedinja's HP is 1, the lowest possible.
Attack and Defense
Attack and Defense work together on physical moves. Earthquake and Close Combat are physical moves. A Pokémon with high Attack hits hard with these, and a Pokémon with high Defense takes them well. Kartana has the top Attack at 181. Shuckle has the top Defense at 230. For more, see the highest Attack list and the highest Defense list.
Sp. Atk and Sp. Def
These are the same idea for special moves, like Flamethrower. Xurkitree has the top Sp. Atk at 173, and Shuckle ties for the best Sp. Def with 230.
In the very first games, there was only one Special stat, and it did both jobs. In Generation 2 it was split into Sp. Atk and Sp. Def. That is why a Pokémon like Alakazam can have a big Sp. Atk (135) and a lower Sp. Def (95). Its Attack is only 50. Compare it with a strong physical hitter in Alakazam vs Machamp.
Speed
Speed decides who attacks first each turn. A fast Pokémon can knock out an enemy before it gets to move. Regieleki is the fastest at 200, and three Pokémon tie for the slowest with 5: Pyukumuku, Munchlax and Shuckle. Moves with priority, like Quick Attack, go first no matter what. See the fastest Pokémon and the speed tiers chart for more.
Accuracy and evasion
There are two more stats that only matter in battle. Accuracy is how likely a Pokémon is to hit with its moves. Evasion is how likely it is to dodge. Both start at 100% at the start of a battle. You can't see them on a Pokémon's stat card, but moves and items can change them.
Stat stages: raising and lowering stats in battle
Some moves raise or lower a stat during a battle. The change happens in steps called stages, from -6 up to +6. Each stage multiplies the stat:
| Stage | -6 | -4 | -2 | -1 | 0 | +1 | +2 | +4 | +6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, Speed | ×0.25 | ×0.33 | ×0.5 | ×0.67 | ×1 | ×1.5 | ×2 | ×3 | ×4 |
So +2 Attack doubles a Pokémon's Attack. HP has no stages. When a Pokémon switches out of battle, its stages are reset to zero.
Two ways a stat can change for good
Natures and effort values both change a Pokémon's stats for the long term. A Nature raises one stat by 10% and lowers another by 10%, and it never touches HP. Of the 25 Natures, 20 change a stat and 5 are neutral. Each of the five non-HP stats is raised by 4 Natures and lowered by 4. See the Natures chart.
Effort values are extra training points a Pokémon earns by defeating other Pokémon. Each species gives points in certain stats. In our data, 297 species give Attack points, 199 give Speed points, 197 give Sp. Atk points, 168 give Defense points, 131 give HP points and 128 give Sp. Def points. More in the stats, IVs, EVs and Natures guide.
Moves that break the rules
Most moves use the usual stats, but a few swap them around:
- Body Press is a physical Fighting move that uses the user's Defense as its Attack.
- Foul Play uses the target's Attack stat to work out the damage.
- Psyshock, Psystrike and Secret Sword are special moves, but they hit the target's Defense, not its Sp. Def.
- Gyro Ball gets stronger when the user is slower than its target, up to a power of 150.
- Electro Ball is the opposite: it gets stronger when the user is faster, up to 150.
Where to go next
- Open the Reading a stat card lesson.
- Play Stat Duel to guess which Pokémon has the higher stat.
- Put two Pokémon side by side on the compare page.