How to Tell Legal From Hacked Pokmon

Why do I include this section? For many people, the morality of the integrity of the game,
which comes into play during official competition or just competition in general, is a
significant one. Many people put hours upon hours developing, breeding, training, and
re-training their Pokmon teams in the effort of becoming the very best. It takes a lot of
effort and dedication, an effort recognized by Game Freak, Nintendo, and the Pokmon
Company when it comes to the competitions they delegate: they, like most people,
despise cheating. But don't get me wrong: like me, they value strategy above all. Even if
you were to make a Pokmon through hacking, they have no problems with it so long as
it remains within legitimate bounds, so long as it has nothing abnormal ... not that they
don't have a problem with it (cheating is cheating), but if you can remain within legitimate
bounds, you can't really be booted.

"Wait, this is a section on how to cheat?"

Absolutely, unequivocally, no. Regardless of what you may think on the matter, I
despise cheating: I am more than capable of spending the time and effort in developing
a legitimate Pokmon team, you should be held to the same standard. I can understand
the logic of simply being too lazy to not want to breed the right IVs/Nature, and merely
frown upon it, but anything further really is out of bounds for me in terms of morality. But
that's just me.

So, why include this, then, if I am against cheating? Because I am against cheating. It is
well-known that you are booted from official competition if you use hacked Pokmon ...
even if those Pokmon are not your own. Even if someone trades you a Pokmon that is
hacked, you are booted. (After all, it is possible you own a second console and second
game, and simply hacked them onto that game and traded them over: it's rarely the
case, IMO, but the sweeping definition is the more important one since hacked is
hacked.) This section is moreso the preventative than the catalyst: I am not trying to
encourage cheating by the inclusion of this section, but rather to give you the means by
which to check if your Pokmon is legal. Some things can be checked through a
legitimacy checker, but others cannot.

Here are the means by which you can check all of the things below:

Thing
How to Check
Checked

Game of This is the base thing that determines the legitimacy of many of the following
Origin things, as some Pokmon can get moves in older games but not newer ones;
for example, if a Charizard born on X/Y has Seismic Toss, it is illegal as that is
a Move Tutor move from FireRed/LeafGreen and not an Egg Move for it on
 X/Y.

Moves Summary screen & research.

Stats Summary screen & research.

EVs Graph in the summary screen.

Calculation. From the Pokmon's Summary screen stat, divide by the Nature
multiplier (0.9, 1.0, or 1.1), subtract the EV growth (EV growth = EVs/4),
subtract 5, subtract 2 times the base stat, and then multiply by 100 divided by
IVs
your level. Or, in other words, IVs = [(Total/Nature)-(EVs/4)-5-
(2*Base)]*(100/Lv). If the Level is not itself 100, then you only can get a
guess.

Level Summary screen & research.

EXP. Summary screen & research.

Gender Summary screen & research.

Location Summary screen & research.

Ability Summary screen & research.

Type Summary screen & research.

Event
Pokmon & Summary screen & research.
OT/ID

Shiny/Shiny-
Summary screen & research.
Locking

Tradeability Summary screen & research.

Pokrus Summary screen.

 PID &
???
Checksums

Memories Certain NPCs in the game.

Language Summary screen.

Legal Pokmon will always exhibit the following characteristics:

Game of Origin: The game the Pokmon is born on determines much of the following
and whether it is allowed. To some degree, it is possible to determine what game
pair/trio/whatever the Pokmon was found on. If found after traveling across time and
space, the Pokmon was in any game prior to Pokmon X/Y, with a note as to the
region of origin. For the most part, the region alone will work fine as even the
expansions rarely change little in terms of moves learned. In particular, keep in mind that
if the location is vague and the Pokmon is breedable, it is still possible for the Pokmon
to be born on the game in question via Egg even if it is otherwise illogical (i.e. Charizard
from Sinnoh). Legendaries and other unbreedables are a different case: barring events
and in-game captures/trading, the Pokmon simply cannot have been there.
Hoenn: This is the one without an exact location. This is NOT Pokmon Omega Ruby or
Alpha Sapphire, which will both specify a location and have a blue pentagon. This one
refers to Pokmon Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald on the GBA.
Kanto: Pokmon FireRed/LeafGreen Versions (GBA)
Sinnoh: Pokmon Diamond/Pearl Versions (DS) and Pokmon Platinum Version (DS)
Johto: Pokmon HeartGold/SoulSilsver Versions (DS)
Unova: Pokmon Black/White Versions (DS) or Pokmon Black/White Versions 2 (DS)

Moves: Their moves are always those that the Pokmon can learn by one of any
means: breeding, leveling-up, delaying evolution, TM, HM, Move Tutor, or Nintendo
Event distribution, all based on when the Pokmon was obtained. For example,
Pikachu with Surf and Volt Tackle from Route 101 in Pokmon Diamond/Pearl is illegal.
Why? Firstly, the Surf distributions were mostly at VGC distributions and Pokmon
Stadium, not within the context of Diamond/Pearl itself. Even if it was in an Egg at the
time of hatching - the most common method of "masking" the illegitimacy of Pokmon -
Surf is also not an Egg Move nor learned by level-up or other means, just Events. That
itself means that it could not be "born": either just traded or directly earned, meaning it
could not be hatched. Thus, then, otherwise-illegal moves from distributions cannot be
earned alongside Egg Moves: that is why Surf and Volt Tackle both cannot exist on a
Pikachu, as an example.

Stats: The stats must fall within certain limits. While EVs, Nature, and the like can
influence stats, direct alteration of the stats is also possible. Simply put, the stats must
be within legal limits and also influenced correctly by the EVs, IVs, and Nature. Stat
 growth follows the formula [(2 * Base Stat) + (5 or 110) + (EVs / 4) + (IVs)] * (Nature
Boost) * (LV/100). The whole "5 or 110" thing denotes a certain value: 110 is the value
used when calculating HP, and 5 otherwise. The Nature boost is 0.9, 1.0, or 1.1 based
on the Nature itself. Testing of the stats can be done by simply finding out each stat
through research, calculation, and experimentation. In particular, you will want to test
your known EVs, IVs, and Nature, and Level with the formula noted and the base stat of
the Pokmon found through research. (Cut off the decimal value, if any.) If the values do
not match up, the Pokmon has been altered in some way, or the game's very ROM
data has been altered to mess with the base stat values of that particular Pokmon
species. (Hey, it's possible.)

EVs: Your EVs can only be between 0 and 252 in any given stat, though they can be
hacked up as high as 255. 253-255 EVs in a single stat is not only inefficient, but illegal.
You also are not allowed to have the sum of your EVs across all stats exceed 510,
although hacking can make it possible to have all six stats maxed.

IVs: IVs are limited between 0 and 31 in any given stats, but there's no limitation on
them on the whole, unlike EVs. If any higher - again, as high as either 127 or 255 by
hacking - then it's illegal.

Levels: As you might expect, a Pokmon can only be between Levels 1 and 100,
inclusive. Of course, the check is more than that. When checking level, you should also
check that the Pokmon can learn all of its level-up moves that it has learned. For
example, consider Mewtwo: if it is Level 43 and has Psystrike, then it is illegal since,
even though it's between 1-100, it can only learn Psystrike at Level 100. Same is true for
evolution: if you are below the level at which you can evolve, but have an evolved form
(for example, Level 12 Blaziken), then it's hacked. And, of course, Levels can
theoretically range between 0 and 127 (or 255), so anything out of the 1-100 range is
obvious.

EXP.: You'd be surprised, but this can also be checked. Every Pokmon has a pre-set
amount of EXP. it has at each level, and a pre-set amount of the EXP. to the next level.
If Blaziken, for example, is Level 100 and has 1,640,000 EXP. with no EXP. to the next
level, it's hacked because it is in the wrong EXP. group. Interestingly, if you find such a
Pokmon, it will be listed as having negative EXP. to the next level, remedied by even
the attempt to gain EXP. (It's a programming thing, just trust me.) Similarly, you cannot
be Level 100 with only 1 EXP. or Level 1 with 1,640,000 EXP. ... in other words,
anything that simply doesn't match up. There are six EXP. groups; see the EXP.
Earning Mechanics for some details.

Gender: The problems with this one mostly come with gender-exclusive or genderless
species. Simply put, if a species is, say, only male (like Hitmonlee), then it cannot ever
be female, so if it is female it is hacked. Similarly, all-female Pokmon like Kangaskhan
 cannot ever be male. If it is a species with a gender, then it cannot be genderless. If it is
a genderless species, then it cannot have a gender. You know, common-sense stuff.

Location: Another common-sense thing: a Pokmon cannot be found where it cannot

be found. In games from Generation V going back, you won't be able to see this info,
though it is encoded into the game I believe. Of course, the ability for a Pokmon to be
born from an Egg trumps this, as an Egg can be hatched anywhere, so long as it is a
Pokmon that can be bred, which is a common method of masking hacks. Still, if you're
unsure, best to get your own of the Pokmon.

Ability: Another common-sense thing: a Pokmon cannot have an ability which it cannot
have. Part of that's common-sense, anyhow. The harder part is dealing with Pokmon
that cannot have their Hidden Abilities. For a Pokmon to have a Hidden Ability, or at
least to be able to utilize it, a female of the Pokmon species or its evolutions must have
been available in the Dream World of Pokmon Black/White, been in the Hidden Grottos
in Pokmon Black/White 2, must have been made available in Pokmon X/Y's Friend
Safari, be available in the wild in Pokmon OR/AS (you can find it through DexNav), or
have been given out through Events. Standard wild encounters do not allow for Hidden
Abilities, even those of legendary Pokmon: in fact, legendary Pokmon cannot be
found in such a manner as to permit their Hidden Abilities since they are found through
simple interaction, forcing their regular abilities even if Hidden ones are encoded (as with
the Regis). Now, there are very few Pokmon that actually cannot have their Hidden
Abilities: it's mostly just a few of the legendary Pokmon and some starter Pokmon as
of now. Of course, the game of origin also has to be factored in: for example, Dragalge
with its Hidden Ability (Adaptability) from Pokmon X/Y is illegal (without interaction from
Pokmon OR/AS), though it's fine if from Pokmon OR/AS or from a Pokmon X/Y
which interacted with Pokmon OR/AS to obtain Adaptability Skrelp/Dragalge. The
precise details can be found here.

Type: This isn't really hackable without the editing of the game's internal data, but,
simply put, a Pokmon must have its specific type and none other. In the case of Forme
changes that permit type change (as with Rotom and Arceus, for example), the Forme
and type also must match.

Event Pokmon & OT/ID: When you get a Pokmon that has been given out an Event,
there are a number of things to look at. A Pokmon from an Event can be excepted from
certain rules, usually only moves. You should be sure to check as to whether the event
occurred with this specific Pokmon: the "event checking" process is the first thing that
will occur after something triggers a note as to the Pokmon's illegality (i.e. Surf
Pikachu): this is because the Event Pokmon are excepted slightly from the rules, but
also will be within very specific criteria. Clues can be found in the Pokmon's OT and ID
number: try Googling these, as they often will reference the event that the distribution
occurred with. Sometimes even the Pokmon's location of origin will, too. For example, a
Pokmon's OT may reference SUM2013, a 2013 giveaway of certain Pokmon. Of
 course, you should be sure of everything on the Pokmon checks out. For example, the
OT is not the only thing to check. You should check its Ribbons, its Pokball, its moves
(and the moves it can remember from the Move Reminder), and its ID number which
may be set in. Other things that are also noted as being set-in should also be checked.

Shiny/Shiny-Locking: A Pokmon that cannot be Shiny in its game of origin is not

allowed to be Shiny. Simple enough. Ironically, not being Shiny in a Shiny-only
distribution is just as in violation of the rules. A Pokmon, for the record, will have a red
star on its Summary screen if Shiny and will have a special sparkle animation when
entering battle. See this section for more precise details.

Tradeability: This mostly comes in the case of Pokmon that cannot be traded (and
only via GTS: direct trading in the PSS or importation via Pokmon Bank is allowed),
which are those holding the Premier Ribbon or Classic Ribbon, IIRC. Obviously enough,
you cannot have been given then in a trade if you cannot trade them. It mostly ties in
back to the Event Pokmon thing. I think the only exception to this rule is with the means
of getting Pokmon from older to newer generations (Pal Park, PokTransfer, Pok
Transporter). In any case, just for the sake of having everything.

Pokrus: When a Pokmon no longer has Pokrus, it will have a pink smiley face on its
Summary screen. This signified that the Pokmon can never become contagious
with Pokrus ever again: they keep the "doubled EVs from battles" effect, but cannot
spread the virus nor ever re-enter such a state. Therefore, if a Pokmon has that "had
Pokrus" smiley face, yet has the "Pokrus" label in the Summary screen indicating the
contagion is still active, the Pokmon has been hacked. ... IMO, it's pretty stupid to get
caught for hacking by this, but that's maybe just me. >_>

PID & Checksums: These stats are more or less the fail-safes in the hack-detection
system, to make sure everything is within limits. I'm not 100% sure on how these are
determined or used or their function, but they're the most common actual flaw in hacking
since things in the Pokmon determine them. ... If you have any info to offer on this, feel
free to drop me a line.

Memories: In the Pokmon games, you can find certain NPCs that show you the
memories a Pokmon had during a given timeframe, usually with its trainer or origin or
something. In essence, you can verify that a Pokmon is hacked if it had memories that
are odd: for example, usually the memories of a Pokmon that came through Pok
Transporter are non-existent. Therefore, if a Pokmon has no memories, but has the
"born on 3DS" blue pentagon, then it was hacked. Similarly, if the Pokmon comes from
a person you know in real life, and the person originally had this Pokmon (hatched it,
caught it, whatever, by themselves), if the Pokmon doesn't have the appropriate
memories on their game, then either they're lying or it was hacked.
 Language: When you have a Pokmon from a region foreign to your own, the game
notifies you of such by having "JPN" or something on the Pokmon's summary screen.
There are several regions of relevance: "USA" (United States), "JPN" (Japan), "GER"
(Germany), "ITA" (Italy), "KOR" (Korea), "FRE" (France), and "SPA" (Spain). Firstly, if a
Pokmon is on a console from the U.S., for example, and the Pokmon's internal data
references it is from Japan and is owned by the same person (their OT), then
something's probably messed-up. You usually cannot see which is the actual language-
region of origin, though. For the most part, if a Pokmon has a name that is normally
has in Japanese, for example, but the game is the English language, and the player in
question is its OT, then it'll be a hacked Pokmon since you cannot use Japanese
characters on European/American games unless the language of choice is in the
Japanese language, and the same goes for Korean. These exceptions are extremely
rare, too, so ... yeah.

Unobtainable Shiny Pokmon & Hidden Abilities

In this game, there are quite a few Pokmon that you can get; we all know that. In fact,
every Pokmon species thus far can be obtained either via in-game capture, trading, or
Nintendo Event distributions. Despite that, certain Pokmon are still not available
whatsoever, only being able to be obtained by hacking. There are two particular
categories of this: unobtainable Shiny Pokmon and unreleased Hidden Abilities.

With unobtainable Shiny Pokmon, one must consider the concept of Shiny-Locking: in
several past Pokmon games, it has been designed so that certain Pokmon could not
be Shiny. The full list is below.

Pokmon Species Notes

Celebi Completely unallowed as a Shiny

Victini Completely unallowed as a Shiny

Keldeo Completely unallowed as a Shiny

Meloetta Completely unallowed as a Shiny

Zygarde Completely unallowed as a Shiny

Diancie Completely unallowed as a Shiny

 Hoopa Completely unallowed as a Shiny

Volcanion Completely unallowed as a Shiny

Solgaleo Completely unallowed as a Shiny

Lunala Completely unallowed as a Shiny

Magearna Completely unallowed as a Shiny

Marshadow Completely unallowed as a Shiny

There is also a list of Hidden Abilities that are currently locked. Most Pokmon species
have a Hidden Ability they can wield through various breeding processes or sometimes
through special encounters (as with the Cosplay Pikachu) or through Event distributions.
Even though encoded into the game, these Hidden Abilities are unobtainable by all
means for several reasons. For breeding HA's, you'll need a Pokmon of the desired
species with its Hidden Ability. Thus, you need to either be given it via distributions or
need to find it one of several places: the Dream World in Pokmon Black/White, Hidden
Grottos in Pokmon Black/White 2, the Friend Safari in Pokmon X/Y, or in the wild in
Pokmon OR/AS with the use of the DexNav. These Pokmon are on this list because
you cannot find them in the wild in those situations and have not been given out with
their Hidden Ability yet.

Pokmon Normal Ability #1 Normal Ability #2 Unreleased Hidden Ability

Raikou Pressure None Volt Absorb

Entei Pressure None Flash Fire

Suicune Pressure None Water Absorb

Heatran Flash Fire None Flame Body

Pokmon Capture
Capturing Pokmon is a simple process, albeit a sometimes annoying one in the cases
of certain, rarer Pokmon - roaming Pokmon, for example. The game, by tradition, has
 poorly elaborated on what could be a more delicate process than most would think,
especially with one-time-only scenarios. They usually delegate it to "Lower the
Pokmon's HP and throw a Pokball." It's a bit more complex than that, and
understanding the mechanics herein will help you more effectively capture a Pokmon.

HP Remaining: It's simple enough: lower HP means a higher ability to catch a

Pokmon! To be able to lower a Pokmon's HP precisely, there are a number of ways.
The Poison and Burn status ailments, for example, will do set amounts of damage (and
also boost the catching rate further). There is an inherent danger in that, however,
because there is generally a slight chance for the capture to fail, even under very ideal
circumstances, and if you miss at 1/16 or 1/8 HP, you lose the Pokmon! A more
preferred method is to use the move False Swipe - or, if you got the PokBank event
Celebi in X/Y, the move Hold Back. Both of these are Normal-type moves of 40 Power,
which means they won't hurt Ghost Pokmon; in any case, these two moves will always
leave a Pokmon with 1 HP, making it very easy to catch the Pokmon, relatively-
speaking. (As a footnote, you can always attempt to one-hit-KO a Pokmon you believe
to have the Sturdy ability, which will prevent it from being KO'ed, leaving it with just 1
HP. Or you can also try Tricking/Switcherooing/etc. a Focus Sash onto it for the same
effect, but that's a bit costly to do. You could also use Entrainment or Skill Swap to give
the Pokmon Sturdy, and then try to OHKO it.)

Ailments: This refers to the "main" ailments a Pokmon can have only one of; and, in
this instance, I specifically refer to Poison, Bad Poisoning, Burn, Sleep, Frozen,
and Paralysis. Each ailment will somewhat increase the capture rate for a Pokmon.
Burn and Poisoning of any kind will boost it by 50%. This is often done via the moves
Will-O-Wisp and Toxic, since they don't cause any initial damage, although the statuses
themselves could KO the Pokmon you're trying to capture. That is why I made these
three ailments distinct from the next one: despite these boosting the rate the came,
Burns and Poison will possibly screw you over by killing the Pokmon you're trying to
catch: a fatal flaw if the Pokmon is one-time-only!
Paralysis will also boost the catch rate by 50%. Paralysis is often done via Thunder
Wave, since it does no initial damage; abuse of the Static ability may work on Pokmon
that are Electric-type, as would Stun Spore. It won't work at all on Pokmon with the
Limber ability, however. It is also the most popular of the statuses to use in Pokmon
capture, since it does no damage to the Pokmon over time, preserving their HP, and it's
generally permanent.
Sleep and Frozen boost the catch rate by a whopping 100%, by themselves doubling
your catch rate. Effectiveness-wise, they're the best. However, their main drawback is
how temporal they are, rarely lasting more than 3 turns, and no more than 5. Sleep can
be done by the Spore or Sleeping Powder moves, most often, which won't cause
damage. Frozen absolutely cannot be induced without dealing damage to the target
Pokmon, meaning you should not bother with it unless the target Pokmon is about the
same level as you and resists it at least once (1/2 or 1/4 damage) so that you can be
sure to not kill it.
 Catch Rate: All Pokmon have a value, from 3 to 255 (1 to 255 in theory) that
determines how easy they are to catch. This will be the main reason why you could
throw a Pokball at a Caterpie and catch it without doing anything, but Paralyze
Thundurus and reduce him to 1 HP and still have trouble with even nighttime Dusk Balls.
(Man I hated that.) They will be used in a later-described formula; you can see the
Pokmon's catch rate in this section.

Critical Capture: Critical capture is a randomly-occuring element of the capture; when

you see it happen, the Pokball you throw will make a higher-pitched whistling noise
(almost metallic) than usual. When the Pokmon is engulfed in the Pokball, the
Pokball will only wiggle once in lieu of the usual three. While the Pokmon can still get
out after that one wiggle, the catching rate is higher than normal, so it's rare to see a
Pokmon still escape the Pokball. There is no way to influence this beyond getting
more Pokmon registered in the Pokdex; more Pokmon indicates a higher chance of
this occuring. See the next section about formulas for specific details: but, in general, for
every 150 Pokmon after 300 owned, you get 50% better catch rates.

Pokball: Finally, we come to the main characteristic of the capture itself. The Pokball
you use to capture a Pokmon will be very helpful in itself in deciding how much easier
the Pokmon is to catch. Some Pokballs are conditional in how they can be used to
boost their catching potential, and will be a 1.0x catch rate if those conditions are not
met.
Pok Ball, Premier Ball: 1.0x catch rate - the baseline
Cherish Ball: 1.0x catch rate - but it's not usable without hacking; it's just on (some)
Event Pokmon
Heal Ball: 1.0x catch rate - it fully heals the Pokmon upon capture (though it will be a
useless side-effect if you send it to the PC instead)
Luxury Ball: 1.0x catch rate - the Pokmon will be happier than normal upon capture,
which is helpful with Pokmon evolving like that, such as Chansey, Eevee, and Riolu
Timer Ball: 1.0x catch rate - but it increases by 0.1 every turn, up to 4.0x (30 turns)
Great Ball: 1.5x catch rate
Safari Ball: 1.5x catch rate - only found on Pokmon caught in the Safari Zones of
Generations III & IV
Ultra Ball: 2.0x catch rate
Nest Ball: Catch rate is equal to 40 minus the opponent's level divided by 10, with 1.0x
as the bottom bound, and thus can be 1.0x ~ 3.0x.
Repeat Ball: 3.0x catch rate for Pokmon you've owned once before
Net Ball: 3.0x catch rate on Bug- and Water-type Pokmon (no extra increase for
Pokmon of both types)
Dive Ball: 3.5x catch rate on Pokmon living underwater (e.g. you Surfed or Fished to
find them)
Dusk Ball: 3.5x catch rate at night-time (after 9:00 PM), in caves, or other dark areas
Quick Ball: 4.0x catch rate for the first turn of battle, and 1.0x after
Master Ball: 255.0x catch rate - effectively a certain capture
 Dream Ball: 255.0x catch rate - only found on Pokmon captured in the Dream World in
Black/White, not found in the actual game

There are specific formulas to determine the catching rate. First, the situation as is goes
into the formula here:

CATCH VALUE = {[(3 * MHP - 2 * CHP) * CR * BMOD] / (3 * MHP) *

SMOD}
MHP = Target's maximum HP
CHP = Target's current HP
CR = Target's "catch rate", a hidden variable
determining how easy it is to capture (1-255)
BMOD = The Pokball's multiplier rate for capture
SMOD = The modifier for status: 1.5 for Burn, Poison,
Paralysis; 2.0 for Sleep and Frozen;
1.0 otherwise
With "CATCH VALUE" known, that value is next plugged into the following one.

CATCH% = (2^20 - 2^4) / (2^24 - 2^16)^(1/4) / CATCH VALUE

CATCH% = 1048560 / [(16711680 / CATCH VALUE)^(1/4)] <--
simplified formula
The formula is the same either way; the second is just a simplified version for those not
quite understanding the exponential mechanic of 2^X. (Note that X^(1/4) is essentially
the square root of the square root, or the fourth root, of X.)

If Catch% is equal to or higher than 255, then the catch is assured; otherwise, the
capture is random.

Also remember that critical capture thing I noted earlier? There is a way to determine its
rate, too!

CRITCIAL CAPTURE RATE = X * Y

X = The lower of two values: 255, or the
previous "CATCH%"
Y = The Pokdex completion multiplier
So, essentially, if your catch rate makes the capture unsuccessful, you'll deal with a
rather low chance for critical capture. Similarly, if you're *too* successful (CATCH% >
255), you stick with 255 in this instance. The Pokdex completion multiplier will further
increase the rate for critical capture, though these details are not specifically known at
this time.

The higher the Critical Capture Rate, the more likely you can get a critical capture. The
end result of this equation (ranging from 0 to 510) will then be taken as a percentage
relative to 256 (not 100), and if it exceeds 100% (1), then the capture is assuredly
critical.
Status Ailments
There are several ailments that can affect your Pokmon in this game, and many have
unnamed effects, as below. Also note that Pokmon can only have one of the main
ailments (Paralysis, Burn, Poison, Bad Poisoning, Sleep, KO/Faint) at one time,
although the rest can accumulate as much as the person doing the damage allows -
and, of course, KO overrides everything. The six ailments are listed first as Major
Ailments for that reason. (Not that they're the worst or anything. It just helps to
differentiate.) Several more of the Moderate Ailments are named so because they are
still often used and often considered ailments, but not are the most threatening and they
can stack. And, of course, these are extended to include pretty much anything that
would be considered a status (a change to a single Pokmon) by Pokmon Showdown
(a great battle sim) - most these would be considered Minor Ailments, which are mostly
move- or item-caused with relatively unimportant effects or "duh" effects. Let me know if
I forgot something.

Also, keep in mind that the cures are there for a reason. Yes, Flash Fire may not be a
status you'd want to get off of your Pokmon, since it has nothing but benefits. But what
if your opponent had the status? Remember, these go both ways, and not all statuses
have to (or can) be cured with simple items that you'd be unable to use in normal
competition, but also various moves. Switching out, for example, can be done via Roar
to hit the opponent, or Parting Shot or U-turn or Volt Switch or more methods for
yourself.

Major Ailments

Bad Poisoning
Cures: Pecha Berry (item); Lum Berry (item); Antidote (item); Full Heal (item);
Casteliacone (item); Heal Powder (item); Lava Cookie (item); Lumiose Galette
(item); Old Gateau (item); Full Restore (item); Heal Bell (move); Rest (move);
Hydration (ability) in Rainy weather; Healer (ability) 30% of the time; Natural Cure
(ability) when switching out
Immunizers: Being Poison- or Steel-typed; having the Immunity ability; having
the Poison Heal ability; being Poisoned, Badly Poisoned, Frozen, Burned,
Paralyzed, or KO'd when the ailment is given; using the Safeguard move; Magic
Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move; Shield Dust (ability) if done as a
damaging move's side-effect
Details & Effects: This degree of Poisoning is executed via the move Toxic,
double-layered Toxic Spikes, or the Toxic Orb, or a random chance from Poison
Fang. The HP loss will actually increment on the afflicted Pokmon from 1/16 to
2/16 to 3/16 to 4/16 from there on out, causing death in about five turns without
being hit or healed. Otherwise, the same as Poison.
Burn
Cures: Rawst Berry (item); Lum Berry (item); Burn Heal (item); Full Heal
(item); Casteliacone (item); Heal Powder (item); Lava Cookie (item); Lumiose
Galette (item); Old Gateau (item); Full Restore (item); Heal Bell (move); Refresh
(move); Aromatherapy (move); Rest (move); being struck with Sparkling aria
(move); Hydration (ability) in Rainy weather; Healer (ability) 30% of the time;
Natural Cure (ability) when switching out
Immunizers: Being Fire-type; having the Water Veil ability; having the Water
Bubble ability; being Poisoned, Badly Poisoned, Frozen, Burned, Paralyzed, or
KO'd when the ailment is given; using the Safeguard move; Magic Bounce
(ability) if done via status-class move; Shield Dust (ability) if done as a damaging
move's side-effect
Details & Effects: The afflicted Pokmon will lose 6.25% (1/16) of their max
HP per turn, essentially causing KO in eight turns for sure barring healing.
Additionally, the Pokmon's physical Attack (Atk.) is halved, with all bonuses
accounted for. Thus, this status is great for inhibiting strong physical attackers
such as Groudon, Mega Mewtwo X, Deoxys, Scizor, Heracross, and Haxorus.
However, note that Pokmon with the Guts ability and the like are able
to ignore the Attack loss, which is why Guts-Flame Orb combos are somewhat
common. Conkeldurr is a great example of the latter. It also works well on
Pokmon with the Flare Boost ability (such as Drifblim) in a similar manner, as
their Special Attack will be raised by 50%.

Frozen
Cures: Aspear Berry (item); Lum Berry (item); Ice Heal (item); Full Heal (item);
Casteliacone (item); Heal Powder (item); Lava Cookie (item); Lumiose Galette
(item); Old Gateau (item); Full Restore (item); Sacred Ash (item); Heal Bell
(move); Refresh (move); Aromatherapy (move); Rest (move); Hydration (ability)
in Rainy weather; Healer (ability) 30% of the time; Natural Cure (ability) when
switching out; waiting several turns; being hit with a Fire-type move; attempting to
use a Fire-type move; being hit by Scald; attempting to use Scald
Immunizers: Being Ice-typed; having the Magma Armor ability; being
Poisoned, Badly Poisoned, Frozen, Burned, Paralyzed, or KO'd when the ailment
is given; using the Safeguard move; Shield Dust (ability) if done as a damaging
move's side-effect
Details & Effects: The afflicted Pokmon is absolutely and completely inactive
for an indeterminate number of turns. Unlike Sleep, there's only a 20% for the
Pokmon to be unfrozen at the start of their turn. When in battle, and they do not
thaw out on a turn they attempt to take action in, they are completely left wide-
open for damage, which is why this status can be very lethal - at the same time,
though, Frozen is only induced via moves that have a 10% ~ 30% chance to do it
as compensation. They will be thawed out after some time, when healed via an
item, or hit with a Fire-type move of any sort - however, that Fire-type move will
still damage them, so be careful if you're hitting your ally with one in a
Double/Triple/Multi Battle. Using a Fire-type move will also thaw out the afflicted
Pokmon, so attempting to freeze Fire-type Pokmon especially tends to be in
vain.
KO/Faint
Cures: Revive (item); Max Revive (item); Sacred Ash (item); Revive Powder
(item)
Immunizers: Sturdy (ability) and Focus Sash (item) prevent a KO move from
working when the wielder is at full HP, leaving them with 1 HP; Endure (move)
prevents KO's altogether, surviving with 1 HP, but only for that turn; Focus Band
(item) prevents a KO move from KO'ing 10% of the time, with the wielder
surviving at 1 HP; False Swipe (move) and Hold Back (move) are moves which
will not KO their target, leaving them with just 1 HP at the least
Details & Effects: The Pokmon is absolutely unable to act in any way until
revived from KO (such as by a Revive). This happens when the Pokmon hits 0
HP, so be sure to keep it high: if all Pokmon in your party hit zero HP, then you
lose the battle and return to the last-used Pokmon Center. (The latter only really
occurs in in-game battles: in multiplayer battles with other people, you simply
lose.) Pokmon who are KO'ed, though, can still use their HM moves in the field
in older games (they're not in Sun & Moon).

Paralysis
Cures: Cheri Berry (item); Paralyze Heal (item); Lum Berry (item); Full Heal
(item); Casteliacone (item); Heal Powder (item); Lava Cookie (item); Lumiose
Galette (item); Old Gateau (item); Full Restore (item); Heal Bell (move); Refresh
(move); Aromatherapy (move); Rest (move); Hydration (ability) in Rainy weather;
Healer (ability) 30% of the time; Natural Cure (ability) when switching out; being
hit with Smelling Salts (move)
Immunizers: Being Electric-type; having the Limber ability; being Poisoned,
Badly Poisoned, Frozen, Burned, Paralyzed, or KO'd when the ailment is given;
using the Safeguard move; Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move;
Shield Dust (ability) if done as a damaging move's side-effect
Details & Effects: This ailment will, most notably, make it where the Pokmon
has a 25% chance of doing nothing on a given turn. This will also halve their
Speed (with all boosts accounted for), typically making them the last to move.
However, that Speed loss will not affect the priority of their moves, just the order
in which they move when there are conflicts in regards to priority. Pokmon with
the Quick Feet ability will ignore that side-effect.

Poison
Cures: Pecha Berry (item); Antidote (item); Lum Berry (item); Full Heal (item);
Casteliacone (item); Heal Powder (item); Lava Cookie (item); Lumiose Galette
(item); Old Gateau (item); Full Restore (item); Heal Bell (move); Refresh (move);
Aromatherapy (move); Rest (move); Hydration (ability) in Rainy weather; Healer
(ability) 30% of the time; Natural Cure (ability) when switching out
Immunizers: Being Steel- or Poison-typed; having the Immunity ability; having
the Poison Heal ability; being Poisoned, Badly Poisoned, Frozen, Burned,
Paralyzed, or KO'd when the ailment is given; using the Safeguard move; Magic
Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move; Shield Dust (ability) if done as a
damaging move's side-effect
 Details & Effects: The afflicted Pokmon will lose 1/8 (12.5%) of its HP every
turn. That's about it, really. Some Pokmon are able to use the Poison Heal
ability to take advantage of this status for self-healing in the same manner (and
often in conjunction with) the Leftovers item, and others like to use Facade or
Guts as a counter for this.

Sleep
Cures: Awakening (item); Blue Flute (item); Chesto Berry (item); Lum Berry
(item); Full Heal (item); Casteliacone (item); Heal Powder (item); Lava Cookie
(item); Lumiose Galette (item); Old Gateau (item); Full Restore (item); Heal Bell
(move); Refresh (move); Aromatherapy (move); Hydration (ability) in Rainy
weather; Healer (ability) 30% of the time; waiting several turns; Magic Bounce
(ability) if done via status-class move; Natural Cure (ability) when switching out;
Wake-Up Slap (move) against the one asleep
Immunizers: Having the Insomnia ability; having the Vital Spirit ability; having
a partner of the Sweet Veil ability; having Electric Terrain active while
groundbound; being Poisoned, Badly Poisoned, Frozen, Burned, Paralyzed, or
KO'd when the ailment is given; using the Safeguard move; Shield Dust (ability) if
done as a damaging move's side-effect
Details & Effects: The afflicted Pokmon will be unable to act. However,
they can act in a manner by choosing the move Sleep Talk or Snore when their
turn arises. The loss of action is temporal, but its length is random: it usually lasts
around two or three turns, but can range from 1 to 7 - Pokmon with the Early
Bird ability will wake up earlier, though. The only exception to that is Rest, which
is two turns of Sleep. There is little advantage to this beyond Rest-Sleep
Talk/Rest-Snore combos. An additional negative effect of Sleeping is that Dream
Eater can be used on the Sleeping Pokmon (assuming they're not a Dark
Pokmon) to damage them and absorb HP; Nightmare and Bad Dreams will also
take effect.

Moderate Ailments

Attracted
Cures: It seems to go away when the Pokmon causing this is switched out or
KO'ed, or the afflicted Pokmon is switched out; Mental Herbs (hold/use) or Blue
Flutes (use) work, too
Immunizers: Having the Oblivious ability; being the same gender as the
target; being genderless; using the Safeguard move; having already been
infatuated; Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move; Shield Dust
(ability) if done as a damaging move's side-effect
Details & Effects: The afflicted Pokmon - who will be of the opposite gender
of the user of the move Attract - has a 50% chance to not be able to act on a
given turn. From the competitive standpoint, it is only somewhat reliable since,
while it's good at stopping big threats, you're screwed on the off-chance that that
threat is not of your gender. Most people don't really bother to look for certain
genders when breeding (except in the cases of certain Pokmon, such as
 Support Meowstic (thus, Prankster) or Combee (thus, Vespiquen)), so you can
usually expect a 50%-50% ratio of Pokmon on their team, which is why it's
unreliable.

Confused
Cures: Switching out, waiting several turns, Yellow Flute (item), Lum Berry
(item), Persim Berry (item), Full Heal (item), Casteliacone (item), Heal Powder
(item), Lava Cookie (item), Lumiose Galette (item), Old Gateau (item), Full
Restore (item), Heal Bell (move), Refresh (move), Aromatherapy (move)
Immunizers: Having the Own Tempo ability; using the Safeguard move;
having already been Confused; Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-class
move; Shield Dust (ability) if done as a damaging move's side-effect
Details & Effects: The Pokmon has a chance of hitting itself on a given turn,
thus doing damage to itself: the odds seem to be 30%. This lasts for 1 to 4 turns.
Additionally, the damage dealt upon hitting itself will be proportional to the
Pokmon's Attack stat, stat boosts and items included, which is why the move
Swagger (Confusion, Attack +2 stages) is so effective on physical attackers.
Then again, Flatter (Confusion, Sp. Atk. +2 stages) helps to circumvent the
chance of that confused Pokmon getting a phyiscal move in. Note that Pokmon
with the Tangled Feet ability will benefit from an evasion boost of one stage when
confused, though.

Cursed
Cures: Switching out; waiting several turns
Immunizers: Already being Cursed; Magic Bounce (ability) if done via status-
class move
Details & Effects: The move Curse has two different effects. If the user is not
a Ghost-type, their Attack and Defense simply go up 1 stage while Speed goes
down 1 stage. This set of notes is for Ghost Pokmon using it. The user of the
move Curse - if a Ghost-type - will lose 1/2 (rounded up) of their HP. In doing so,
they will inflict damage upon their target, equal to 1/4 of the afflicted Pokmon's
HP, and this will be repeated across several turns. This is strategically used by
bulky Ghost Pokmon to deal heavy damage to others, particularly those high in
HP (since it's fractional), even though it is quite suicidal. This latter fact is
somewhat remedied by the conjunctive use of Leftovers and Protect-like moves,
Rest-Chesto Berry/Rest-(immune-to-Sleep) combos, or just outright good
switching techniques. When afflicted, unless you're sure of a win, it's a good idea
to switch out.
As a note of interest, using Trick-or-Treat on a non-Ghost Pokmon who uses
the move Curse in an attempt to boost their stats is one particular use of the
move (and pretty much the only real one in competitive play, maybe). It will force
their Curse to act as if the user was indeed a Ghost, cutting their HP rather than
boosting stats.

Flinch
Cures: None
 Immunizers: Having the ability Inner Focus; already having flinched in the
same turn; Shield Dust (ability) if done as a damaging move's side-effect
Details & Effects: Some moves - Fake Out, most prominently - have a chance
to make the opponent Flinch and thus not act on the turn given. Some abilities -
Inner Focus, for example - can prevent this. Such moves - whether 100% chance
like Fake Out or 30% like Rock Slide - are common especially in Double and
Triple Battles since they forcibly pacify the target into being unable to move that
turn, which allow you to temporarily stop that Pokmon from threatening you until
you take it out with someone slower or until you get rid of its partner in
expectation of a combo. Flinching is more of a threat than most would think!

Pokrus
Cures: Time, and time alone (24~48 hours out of the PC)
Immunizers: Having had Pokrus in the past
Details & Effects: This status (also known as the Pokmon Virus) will only be
found by contagion with another Pokmon through wild battles or by infections in
the active party - if you need to find it in the wild, don't bother: it's a 3 in 65,536
chance (about 4x rarer than a Shiny Pokmon). The Pokmon afflicted with this
status will have their EV gains from wild and Trainer battles doubled while under
this status. This doubling will only affect battles, however, and the Pokmon itself
is still limited to 510 EVs for their stat total and 252 per stat. The status will wear
off 24~48 hours (1~2 days) after the wielder is affected, and only then - however,
the EV doubling works forever on that Pokmon. This time is frozen if the
Pokmon is kept in the PC or GTS or other places that are essentially not in the
active six-Pokmon party. During the time that the Pokmon is actively under this
status, they will be marked with a pink "Pokrus" mark in the Summary and PC
screens, and during that time other Pokmon in the party can also catch this as it
is an infectious virus. (It is by no means "bad".) After the status goes away, the
Pokmon will be marked with a pink smiley face to note that they are no longer
contagious but, again, will continue to have their EV growth doubled. In other
words: your EV gains are always doubled, the big pink "Pokrus" marks the
contagious period of 1~2 days, and the pink smiley face denotes the "you can't
spread it anymore but still have your EV gains from battles doubled" period.

Minor Ailments

Air Balloon
Cures: Hitting the Pokmon with a damaging move
Immunizers: None
Details & Effects: The Pokmon cannot be hit by Ground-type moves until
they are hit with a damaging move, at which point the Air Balloon pops, making
them vulnerable to Ground moves again. The wielder of the Air Balloon will then
be considered to have no item on-hand.

Aqua Ring
 Cures: Switching out
Immunizers: Already having Aqua Ring
Details & Effects: The afflicted Pokmon has used the move Aqua Ring and
will regain 1/16 of its max HP at the end of every turn until it switches out.

Aurora Veil
Cures: Waiting five turns
Immunizers: Already having it active
Details & Effects: This works like a combo of Reflect and Light Screen,
halving damage from both Physical and Special moves against your party for five
turns.

Baneful Bunker
Cures: None
Immunizers: None
Details & Effects: The Pokmon will not be affected by Physical or Special
moves this turn. Additionally, contact attackers will be Poisoned! (However, if the
contact move would not affect the user, had this not been used, then the Poison
induction is ignored.) However, status moves will still hit. This has a chance of
failing with consecutive use: 1/X, where X is the number of consecutive uses this
use of the move will make. Feint, Hyperspace Hole, Phantom Force, and Shadow
Force will ignore the use of this move, bypassing the target to still attack them.

Charging & Recharging

Cures: None, though Power Herb can circumvent the charging-up turns
Immunizers: None
Details & Effects: The Pokmon is either charging up for a move (e.g. Solar
Beam, Sky Attack) or is recovering from a move (e.g. Hyper Beam, Blast Burn).
Thus, they will not act for one turn. Depending on the move, other effects may be
attributed to this.

Chopped Throat
Cures: Waiting two turns, switching
Immunizers: None
Details & Effects: When hit by Throat Chop and afflicted with this ailment,
they cannot use any sound-based moves for two turns. These include moves like
Growl, Screech, Bug Buzz, Boomburst, among others.

Crafty Shield
Cures: None
 Immunizers: Already having used Crafty Shield
Details & Effects: The move Crafty Shield will immunize the user and its allies
from all Status-class moves that turn, but only status moves, meaning non-status
moves (such as anything that directly deals damage) will still work. This works
well against Pokmon that tend to be status trolls, such as Sableye and some
Prankster Meowstics, among others.

Destiny Bond
Cures: None - it evaporates upon the Pokmon using a different move
Immunizers: None
Details & Effects: The Pokmon will be under this status for one turn. When it
is killed whilst under this status, the attacker will also be KO'ed. That means, if it
is slower than you, don't attack on the next turn, but rather switch out or attack an
ally or forcibly miss or something, but don't attack. You know, unless it's their last
Pokmon. (But, then, if you are also on your last Pokmon, don't attack since it
counts as a loss for you - you killed the opponent, knowing (or could've known)
that you would also die, That is the general basis for breaking ties in competitions
with same-turn, last-Pokmon double-KOs.) Note that this will now fail with
repeated use, unlike in pre-Sun/Moon games.

Disabled
Cures: Switching out, Mental Herbs, waiting several turns
Immunizers: Having already been disabled; Aroma Veil (ability); Magic
Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move
Details & Effects: This simply implies that, for some reason, one of the
Pokmon's moves cannot be used: the last-used one. This isn't used often in
official competition, and it's not too big of a problem unless the Pokmon is a
Choice item wielder, in which case they should switch out immediately.

Diving & Digging

Cures: None
Immunizers: None
Details & Effects: The Pokmon is using the moves Dive or Dig, and cannot
be hit by most moves - however, Diving Pokmon can be hit with Surf, and
Digging Pokmon with Earthquake or Magnitude, each for double the normal
power. They will attack on the next turn.

Embargoed
Cures: Switching out, waiting it out
Immunizers: Having already been embargoed; having used Safeguard; Magic
Bounce (ability) if done via status-class move
Details & Effects: The afflicted Pokmon cannot use its hold item, nor can
their Trainer use items on them. It can be quite effective in disabling a Pokmon
whose strategy relies heavily on its use of items, such as Power Herb/Geomancy
Xerneas or most Guts/Flame Orb Pokmon (if they actually attack on the first turn
- most Protect).