Critical hits and priority
How critical hits are rolled and boosted, and how turn order works, including the priority brackets from +5 to -7.
Two quiet rules decide a lot of battles: who gets to move first, and whether an attack lands as a critical hit. Both have simple rules that are worth knowing exactly.
Critical hits
A critical hit multiplies damage by 1.5 (it was 2 in Generations II to V). The game message is "A critical hit!". On a critical hit, the attacker ignores its own lowered stats, and the target's raised defensive stats and screens like Reflect, so it can be strong against a Pokémon that has been boosted. A burn's halving of Attack is not ignored, though.
The chances
Each attack has a critical-hit "stage", and the stage sets the chance. In Generation VII and later:
- Stage 0: 1 in 24 (about 4.2%) - Stage +1: 1 in 8 (12.5%) - Stage +2: 1 in 2 (50%) - Stage +3 and above: always (100%)
The chance was 1 in 16 in Generations III to VI. Moves like Slash, Stone Edge and Night Slash start at +1. Frost Breath, Storm Throw, Wicked Blow, Surging Strikes and Flower Trick always crit. The stage is also raised by Focus Energy and Dire Hit (+2), the Super Luck Ability (+1), a Scope Lens or Razor Claw (+1), and the Lansat Berry.
How to block crits
The Abilities Battle Armor and Shell Armor stop critical hits completely. Lucky Chant protects a whole side. The move Laser Focus guarantees that the user's next attack is a critical hit.
Priority
Every move has a hidden priority number, from +5 down to -7. The default is 0. A move with a higher priority always goes before any move with a lower one, whatever the Speed stats are. Speed only breaks ties inside the same priority bracket, and a tie in Speed is decided by chance.
Notable moves, by bracket:
- +5: Helping Hand - +4: Protect, Detect, Endure - +3: Fake Out, Wide Guard, Quick Guard - +2: Extreme Speed, Feint, First Impression, Follow Me - +1: Quick Attack, Aqua Jet, Mach Punch, Ice Shard, Sucker Punch, Bullet Punch - -3: Focus Punch, Beak Blast, Shell Trap - -4: Avalanche, Revenge - -5: Counter, Mirror Coat - -6: Roar, Whirlwind, Dragon Tail, Teleport - -7: Trick Room
Ways to bend turn order
Some Abilities add priority to certain moves: Prankster gives +1 to status moves, Gale Wings gives +1 to Flying moves at full HP, and Triage gives +3 to healing moves. Dark types are immune to Prankster-boosted moves.
Switching out, using items and fleeing happen before moves. Trick Room does not change priority, it only reverses the Speed order inside each bracket. Items can nudge things too: Quick Claw gives a 20% chance to go first in the bracket, and Lagging Tail or Full Incense make the holder move last.
Blocking priority moves
Psychic Terrain (for grounded Pokémon), the Abilities Armor Tail, Queenly Majesty and Dazzling, and the move Quick Guard all stop priority moves from hitting.