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Pokémon: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire

Understanding Stats

By
Vincent Lau

Volcarona’s Sp. Attack is through the roof.

Looking at your Pokémon’s status screen and thinking ‘what?’ Wondering what the difference is between an Attack and a Sp. Attack? Well here are the facts as simple as can be told.

Key Stats

Statistic Affects What it Means
HP Health HP simply means Hit Points, this is the total health of your Pokémon.
Attack Physical Moves The higher the value the more damage your Pokémon will deal with physical moves.
Defense Physical Moves The higher the value the less damage your Pokémon will take from physical moves.
Sp. Attack Special Moves The higher the value the more damage your Pokémon will deal with special moves.
Sp. Defense Special Moves The higher the value the less damage your Pokémon will take from special moves.
Speed Move Priority in Battle The higher your Pokémon’s speed, the more likely it is to have the first move in each combat phase.

Physical or Special?

Left: Physical. Right: Special.

Okay, cool, but what’s a physical move or a special move exactly? Well, when you check a Pokemon’s move, either from their stat screen or by holding the L button before selecting a move during a battle, you’ll see one of three possible Category icons near a move

A red smash indicates the move is a physical move (and thus runs off the Attack stat), while a blue spiral indicates the move is a special move (and thus is determined by your Sp. Attack stat). Meanwhile a grey eye means the move is a status move and doesn’t do damage, not directly anyway.

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Pokemon Company International
  • Platforms,
    3DS
  • Genre
    RPG
  • Guide Release
    28 November 2014
  • Last Updated
    7 December 2020
  • Guide Author
    Vincent Lau

Share this free guide:

Relive your adventures in Hoenn or start a brand new journey with this re-imagining of a much-loved game. Collect and battle your way to the Pokemon League for the right to challenge the Elite Four. Hunt legendary Pokemon, breed them and become the best Pokemon Master you can be with the help of our guide!

  • A full walkthrough for all badges and the Pokemon League challenges.
  • Side quest information on legendary Pokemon and the different Routes and Caves.
  • Information on breeding, Pokemon Contests, the Battle Maison and much more!
  • Full-color screenshots throughout and useful tips to help you along the way.
  • Comparisons between the original game and remake.

Updates (Aug 2016):

  • Added Encounter Rates to Wild Pokémon table lists as well as general locations making it easier to find your favorite Pokémon.
  • Fixed some formatting issues and general editing.
  • Expanded Introduction with loads of new information.
  • Restructured Extra Activities section (at the end) for easier navigation and reading.

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