Multi-strike move: Difference between revisions

Fury Swipes, a multi-strike move

Multi-strike moves are moves that strike an opponent more than one time in the same turn. Most multi-strike moves will hit the opponent 2-5 times in a turn, but some work differently. Multi-strike moves generally have low base power and imperfect accuracy to compensate for the fact that they hit multiple times. Bide, Counter, and Mirror Coat only take the final hit of a multi-strike move into consideration.

Effect

Generation I

If an opponent is knocked out by a multi-strike move, the game does not state how many times the attack hit.

Although only the first strike can be a critical hit, each successive one will deal the same amount of damage. In this generation only, multi-strike moves end instantly upon breaking a substitute. Bide and Counter deal damage based on the last strike alone.

Generation II

If the target faints, the number of strikes is shown afterward.

Each strike has an independent chance of being a critical hit.

Multi-strike moves can now continue hitting even after breaking a substitute, then dealing damage directly to the targeted Pokémon. If a multi-strike move activates a target's Focus Band, no subsequent hits can knock it out.

If the user is holding a King's Rock, the chance of causing the target to flinch is independent of how many times the move hit (i.e., always ~12% in Generation II), except with Beat Up, where each hit has an independent chance of causing the target to flinch.

Generation III

The number of hits is now shown before the target faints.

Color Change will activate after the first hit of a multi-strike move, possibly changing the type effectiveness of the remaining strikes.

Each strike from a multi-strike move has an independent chance of activating an Ability that activates on taking damage, and each strike of a multi-strike move that makes contact has an independent chance of activating an Ability that activates on contact. If a Pokémon using a multi-strike move falls asleep or faints between strikes, such as due to Effect Spore or Rough Skin, the move will end immediately. In every Generation III game except for Emerald and XD: Gale of Darkness, due to a glitch, if a Pokémon uses a multi-strike move other than Triple Kick against a target with an Ability that inflicts a status condition on contact, and the move's user triggers this Ability with the move's final strike, there is a 1% chance that the target also becomes afflicted by the status condition inflicted by their Ability.

If the user is holding a King's Rock, each strike now has an independent chance of causing the target to flinch.

Shell Bell activates after each strike, considering the damage from that strike only.

Generation IV

If a multi-strike move activates a target's Focus Sash, no subsequent hits can knock it out. Each strike has an independent chance of activating a Razor Fang. Shell Bell activates after the last strike, considering the damage from all of the strikes.

Pokémon with Skill Link will always hit five times when using a 2-5 hit multi-strike move.

Generation V

The number of strikes is now shown after the target faints.

The Focus Sash, Focus Band, and Sturdy need to activate for each individual strike. A Focus Band can still activate repeatedly to prevent fainting, but each chance is independent.

Color Change now activates after the last hit of a multi-strike move, so type effectiveness will not change during the attack.

Each individual strike from a physical multi-strike move will activate Weak Armor. Each individual strike from a Dark-type multi-strike move will activate Justified; however, a Grass-type multi-strike move will only activate Sap Sipper once. Each individual strike from a contact multi-strike move will activate a Rocky Helmet.

Each strike has an independent chance of activating Stench (but this does not stack with the Razor Fang or King's Rock).

Items like Cell Battery, etc. activate on the first strike and are consumed in the first strike itself.

Generation VI

Parental Bond turns most single-strike damaging moves into multi-strike moves that hit twice per use.

If a contact multi-strike move is blocked by Spiky Shield or King's Shield, the negative effect will only apply once.

Generation VII

Each individual strike from a multi-strike move will activate Stamina.

Generation IX

If a Loaded Dice is held, moves that hit 2-5 times now hit 4-5 times; Triple Axel and Triple Kick will only have one accuracy check; Population Bomb will also only have one accuracy check, and it will hit 4-10 times.

List of multi-strike moves

Variable number of strikes

Most multi-strike moves will hit an opponent 2, 3, 4, or 5 times for each use. These moves are more likely to hit 2 or 3 times than 4 or 5, but will always hit 5 times when used by a Pokémon with the Skill Link Ability.

In Generations IV and earlier, moves in the below list will hit on average 3 times, provided that the move does not miss. From Generation V onward, the average number of hits is now 3.1, provided that the move does not miss.

• Average power is equal to the move's base power per hit multiplied by the average number of hits, provided that the move does not miss. To take accuracy into account in the average power, multiply the two together (possibly after making adjustments for accuracy and evasion modifiers).
• Prior to Generation IX, if Battle Bond is activated, Water Shuriken will always hit three times, and its base power will increase to 20.

Fixed number of multiple strikes

Several multi-strike moves hit an opponent a specific number of times per use. Most of these moves always hit exactly twice, but Surging Strikes and Triple Dive always hit exactly 3 times.

These moves are typically less common than multi-strike moves that hit 2-5 strikes per use, with several of them being signature moves. They generally have higher power than multi-strike moves that hit 2-5 strikes per use, as they only hit twice. Moves affected by Parental Bond become this type of multi-strike move.

Uniquely for a multi-strike move, Dragon Darts can hit different targets with each of its strikes.

Accuracy-dependent multiple strikes

Triple Kick and Triple Axel can hit up to three times per use, while Population Bomb can hit up to ten times. An accuracy check is performed before each strike to determine if the move continues. From Generation V onward, if the user has Skill Link, only the initial accuracy check is performed.

For Triple Kick and Triple Axel, the power of each subsequent hit is greater: Triple Kick has 10 power on its first hit, 20 on its second hit, and 30 on its third hit; Triple Axel has 20 power on its first hit, 40 on its second hit, and 60 on its third hit. Population Bomb has a power of 20 for each hit.

In the table above, effective power is average power with all three accuracy checks taken into account (modifiers to accuracy and evasion, including taking aim and No Guard, are not considered).

Party-dependent multiple strikes

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.

Beat Up uniquely hits a number of times equal to the number of Pokémon in the user's party, excluding those who are fainted or who have a non-volatile status. Its base power and damage mechanics have varied between generations.

In Generation II, each strike of Beat Up deals typeless damage with a base power of 10, but uses each individual team member's Attack stat and level to calculate damage; as a result, its damage is unaffected by any changes to the user's Attack stat (such as Swords Dance). Because it deals typeless damage, Beat Up receives no benefit from Same-type attack bonus and ignores Wonder Guard.

Starting in Generation V, Beat Up deals Dark-type damage, benefits from STAB, and interacts normally with Wonder Guard. Instead of using each party member's Attack stat to calculate damage, Beat Up only considers the user's Attack, meaning any change to the user's Attack through moves like Swords Dance now applies normally. Instead, party members' base Attack stats are used to calculate their strikes' base power, with the new formula:

${\displaystyle BasePower={\dfrac {BaseAttack_{PartyMember}}{10}}+5}$

For example, a Weavile using Beat Up with active team members Shuckle and Conkeldurr would make three strikes with base powers of 17, 6, and 19, respectively.

Trivia

• Double Slap is the only multi-strike move with "double" in its name that can hit 2-5 times, though its Japanese name おうふくビンタ Round Trip Slap is more accurate.

This article is part of Project Moves and Abilities, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on two related aspects of the Pokémon games.