One-hit KOs
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Paralysis
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Sleep
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Paralysis has two major effects on the victim: (a) a drastic reduction
in Speed, and (b) the possibilty of full paralysis, making it impossible
to attack.
The short answer is that, when no other Speed modifications are in
effect, the PAR status change reduces the victim's Speed to
one-quarter of its normal value (1).
However, things get considerably more complex if Speed modifying
attacks (eg, Agility) are used on a
paralyzed Pokémon. For a full explanation, please read the Speed and Burns sections on the Statistic Modifiers page.
Each round that a Pokémon is afflicted with the PAR status change,
there is about a 25% chance that it will be fully paralyzed and
unable to attack (2).
Switching does not remove either the PAR status or the Speed
penalty.
Rest removes the PAR status and any chance
of full paralysis (even after the Resting Pokémon wakes up). However, it
does not remove the Speed penalty. Once the PAR status has been removed,
though, the penalty becomes like any other statistic change, and can be
removed by switching or by Haze.
Haze, when used by a paralyzed Pokémon's opponent, clears away both the
status change and the Speed penalty. When used by the paralyzed Pokémon,
Haze will remove the Speed penalty (but not, of course, the status
change). However, if the paralyzed Pokémon then switches away and returns,
the penalty will again be in effect.
Rest removes the PAR status and the Speed penalty.
Slowing the enemy down and preventing his attack 25% of the time may
not seem like a big deal, but paralysis is a serious contender for the 2nd
most debilitating status change, especially in Pokémon Stadium. FRZ is
clearly the most desirable: a frozen Pokémon is as good as fainted. PSN
and BRN are usually not even worth consideration. This leaves SLP and PAR.
In the Red, Blue, and Yellow games, sleep can incapacitate for up to 7
attack turns, a devastating advantage. In Stadium, however, maximum sleep
duration is only 3 attack turns: even if you successfully put your
opponent to SLP (a gamble for everyone except the
Paras series), there is a 1 in 3 chance
for an instant wake-up, making your effort a waste of time.
Paralysis, on the other hand, is permanent, barring the intervention of
Haze or Rest. The 25% chance for full paralysis is not terribly high, but
it definitely tips the odds in your favour.
The importance of the Speed penalty should not be overlooked. The first
time that both your Pokémon and its opponent are one hit away from
fainting serves as a powerful lesson about the importance of Speed in
combat.
Also, a number of attacks are most effective when the victim is slower
than the attacker. One-hit KOs, for example, will
have no effect unless the victim's Speed is equal to or less than the
attacker's. Attacks that have a chance of making the victim flinch will
only do so if the attacker is faster than the victim. Multi-turn attacks
like Wrap and Fire Spin are particularly effective (and
frustrating!) when used repeatedly by a Pokémon that wins the initiative
each time. Paralyzing the enemy makes these techniques possible for slower
Pokémon, but it serves a defensive function as well: the enemy will have
less success using these attacks on you.
Paralyzing attacks are not just for slow Pokémon, however:
Electrode can be invaluable to his
teammates by Thunder Waving as many of the enemy as possible before
fainting.
Glare, Stun Spore, and Thunder Wave
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No Pokémon that learns one of these moves can learn any of the others.
Glare affects Ghosts (despite being a Normal attack), so it and Stun Spore
are functionally identical. Whether to include either of these in your
Pokémon's moveset is a matter for your own judgement and experience to
decide. In general, it's not like the
Ekans series is overflowing with good
set-up attacks, and besides it's pretty cool (in a Rudyard Kipling sort of
way) for a big snake to hypnotize its opponent before striking.
However, every Pokémon that learns Stun Spore also learns the
equally-accurate Sleep Powder. One
factor that may help you decide here is whether you plan to do most of
your battling in Red, Blue, and Yellow (go with Sleep Powder), or in
Pokémon Stadium (Stun Spore may prove more useful).
Thunder Wave is the choice for paralyzing. It's nearly 100%
accurate, and can be learned by every Electric type, as well as several
Normals, Psychics, and even a few Water Pokémon. The only drawback is that
it has no effect on Ground Pokémon.
Body Slam and Lick have a 30% chance to paralyze, while all Electric
attacks (save Thunder Wave) have a 10% chance to paralyze. None of these
moves serve as a reliable means of producing paralyzation, though any
chance for a useful side effect adds to the value of an
attack.
Does the strangeness with Agility apply to Stadium as well?
Is there anything about Pokémon that determines their likelihood of
fully paralyzed rounds?
1. Paralysis multiplies Speed by one-quarter.
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The following tests were made of the hypothesis that paralysis
multiplies current Speed by one-quarter.
Pokémon1 Speed: 324 (x1/4 = 81)
Pokémon2 Speed: 82
After PAR, 2 was faster than 1
After a quick Shark adjustment...
Pokémon1 Speed: 324 (x1/4 = 81)
Pokémon2 Speed: 80
After PAR, 1 was faster than 2
Pokémon1 Speed: 80 (x1/4 = 20)
Pokémon2 Speed: 19
After PAR, 1 was faster than 2
After a quick Shark adjustment...
Pokémon1 Speed: 80 (x1/4 = 20)
Pokémon2 Speed: 21
After PAR, 2 was faster than 1
Pokémon1 Speed: 16 (x1/4 = 4)
Pokémon2 Speed: 3
After PAR, 1 was faster than 2
After a quick Shark adjustment...
Pokémon1 Speed: 16 (x1/4 = 4)
Pokémon2 Speed: 5
After PAR, 2 was faster than 1
2. Proportion of fully paralyzed rounds is ~25%.
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Nine samples of approximately 200 rounds each were observed for eight
different paralyzed Pokémon. Full paralysis occurred on 26.84% of the
total 1919 rounds. The lowest sample proportion was 21.2%; the highest was
33.0%.
To test the possibility that something about Pokémon determines their
proportion of fully paralyzed rounds, we examined a broad range of
characteristics that varied among the subject Pokémon, including: Level,
real statistics, base statistics, stat exp, Diversification Value (ie,
"genes"), and species. None was found to vary systematically with the
observed frequency of full paralysis.
We believe that the most likely explanation for the 11.8% range among
sample proportions is sampling error (ie, "pure chance"). Supporting this
view is the fact that one of the eight Pokémon was tested twice. In the
first sample of 203 rounds, full paralysis occurred on 21.2% of them. In
the second sample, the Pokémon was fully paralyzed on 28.25% of 223
rounds.
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DRINK COKE
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