If you’re playingPokemon Pocket, chances are you may know all about status conditions already. After all, they play a big role in the Pokemon video games too. You’ll find all the familiar-sounding suspects in this digital version of the trading card game that can inflict extra damage or even put your Pokemon to sleep.
But this isn’t a one-for-one example as there are a lot of key differences between each of the conditions, how they function, and how you deal with them. This guide will explain each condition in detail, as well as the secondary effects that could target your Pokemon and impact their turn.
The Status Conditions
There arefive status conditionsPokemon can inflict on othersduring the course of any battle. Each of them has different effects, but canall be cured through similar methods. That will be explored further down in this guide.
Burn
Take20 damageeach turn.
During each of your turns, you will flip a coin.If it lands on heads, the burn condition heals.
Confusion
Pokemon attackscan fail.
During each of your turns, you will flip a coin.If it lands on heads, your attack will hit.
Pokemoncan’t attack or retreat.
Sleep
During each of your turns, you will flip a coin.If it lands on heads, your Pokemon wakes up.
These conditions activate bothat the end of your turn(s), but, in the case of poison, it also takes effect at theend of your opponent’s turn(s). Many of these conditionscan cure themselveson their own, even if it takesbeing lucky in a coin toss.Poison and Confusionare the outliers. For them, you’ll have touse another wayof curing your Pokemon.
Methods For Curing Status Conditions
While most of the conditions will cure or end on their own or through a coin flip, thereare other ways to healall of them.
Evolving Your Pokemon
This is as easy as it sounds. If you havea basic or stage one Pokemonthat you may evolve, play the evolution on top of the one with the status condition. Althoughthey retain the damagethat was done to them, thestatus effect will end.
Retreat To The Bench
If your Pokemon has enough energy on it, or if you’re able to lower their retreat cost, you canswap the affected Pokemonwith one that is currently on your Bench.
While thisonly works on Poison and Confusion, this saves your Pokemon from takingtons of unnecessary damageor repeatedlymissing their moves. If you do not remove these two conditions, they will continue until removed or untilyour Pokemon runs out of HP.
Coin Toss
As listed,Burn and Sleepwill allow you to makea coin toss, leaving it up to the digital fates to cure your Pokemon. While this may not be ideal, if you don’t have another way to cure these conditions, there’s at least a way out.
For both of those conditions, you’ll be hoping thatthe coin lands on heads. As soon as it does, even if it’son the first turn, your Pokemonwill be cured.
Lum Berry
Lum Berry is a card knownas a Pokemon Tool. You can attach this to any of your Pokemon. Once attached, it will checkat the end of each of your turnsfor a status condition.
If a condition is present or multiple for that matter, the Lum Berrywill be discarded, healing your Pokemonfromeverycondition affecting it.
A Forced Retreat
There are Trainer cardsthat you can use to take some select Pokemonout of battle quickly.
If you haveMuk or Wheezingin your Active Spot in a match, you canplay the Koga Trainer card. This will put them back into your hand immediately.
Similarly, if you havea Mew ex cardin your Active Spot, you may alsouse the Budding Expeditionerto force it to retreat back to your hand.
Koga can be found in theMewtwo-themed Genetic Apexcard packs, while the Budding Expeditioner can be found in theMythical Island expansion packs.
Secondary Effects
While there are conditions that Pokemon can inflict on each other, there are also someless-standard effectsyou can cause in battle. There arefour in total.
Damage taken is either reduced or increased.
Retreat Lock
Pokemon cannot retreat until a stated condition is met.
Most secondary effects will beinflicted by Pokemon onto Pokemon.However, there are also Trainer cards that can causedamage modification. Unlike conditions, these secondary effectscan’t be curedwith any of the above methods. As forMove and Retreat Lock, thesetypically last for a turn.
However, they can bereapplied by the attacking Pokemon. For instance, every time you are attacked by an Arbok, Retreat Lock is applied, keeping youstuck in a loopuntil it isdiscarded, does not, or can not attackyou.
