Introduction
This thread is specifically for reporting Pokémon Showdown bugs with battle mechanics or chat commands.
If you have a different issue, there is probably another thread somewhere related to that topic:
Rules
Before reporting a bug,
Known Mechanics Bugs
NOT BUGS
- Air Lock and Cloud Nine do not actually end weather or prevent weather from beginning, just stop its effects while the Pokemon is active.
- Hypnosis, Sand Attack, Glare, Eerie Impulse, and Gastro Acid can hit Dark, Flying, Ghost, Ground, and Steel types, respectively. The only Status move that checks type immunity is Thunder Wave.
- Sheer Force prevents the user's Life Orb recoil and Shell Bell recovery, as well as the target's Color Change, Emergency Exit, Pickpocket, Wimp Out, Red Card, Eject Button, Kee Berry, and Maranga Berry from activating only when using moves that have a secondary effect removed by Sheer Force.
- Speed Boost does not activate on the turn you switch in: yes, this is different from most other abilities/items that activate at the end of a turn.
- If Fake Out didn't cause a flinch, your opponent probably had Shield Dust or Inner Focus, or your Pokemon had Sheer Force.
- Wish doesn't take effect if the Pokemon in its place faints the turn it would've healed it.
- Wonder Guard is not an immunity: Shedinja is not immune to Ground: it takes damage from Spikes. Shedinja is not immune to Poison: it is still affected by Toxic
- That Pokemon taking incorrect hazard damage is probably a Zoroark (which is a Dark, not a Bug, lolololol)
- Payback boosts damage for moving second, whether or not damage was taken. Also, since Gen 5, its power is not doubled if the opponent switches.
- Pursuit will deal double damage immediately before any switch-out, as long as Pursuit has not been used at regular priority yet. This includes U-turn and Volt Switch, but not Baton Pass.
- Sucker Punch fails if the target uses a faster priority move.
- Illusion, Air Balloon, Destiny Bond, Wonder Guard, etc only take effect if the damage was from a move, not an indirect effect such as entry hazards, Poison damage, etc.
- Destiny Bond lasts until the move user makes another move (or would've made another move, if not for confusion or Truant or a similar effect).
- Focus Sash and Sturdy affect all move damage (including static damage moves like Final Gambit, Seismic Toss, SonicBoom, and Counter).
- Outrage/Thrash/Petal Dance can be stopped during effect and not cause confusion if Protect/Detect is used on the second turn of a three-turn duration.
- If the user faints from Iron Barbs/Rough Skin/Rocky Helmet damage, Rapid Spin does not remove hazards, and Knock Off does not remove the target's item.
- Since Gen 5, a Flying-type Pokemon holding Iron Ball takes neutral damage from Ground-type moves regardless of its other type(s), unless another effect is also grounding it.
- Roost removes the user's Flying type for the rest of the turn only if the user was successfully healed.
- A status condition remains on a Pokemon even if it later gains a typing that makes it immune to that status condition.
- Doom Desire/Future Sight do not get boosts from the user's item or Ability if the user is not active when the move hits.
ALSO NOT BUGS (XY Mechanics)
- Arceus is affected by Trick or Treat and Forest's Curse.
- The turn a Pokemon Mega Evolves, its place in turn order is decided before Mega Evolution actually happens. Thus, Mega Banette's Prankster will only be effective after the first turn, while a Chlorophyll Venusaur will still be likely to move first under sun the turn it Mega Evolves. This idea also applies to previous gens: e.g. in Doubles, if a Pokemon is paralyzed by a foe, its turn order won't be affected that turn.
- Ghosts cannot be trapped by any means.
- When used by a Poison type, Toxic has a No Guard-like effect, never missing even during semi-invulnerable turns.
- Powder moves, as well as the Effect Spore Ability, don't affect Pokemon with the Grass type, the Overcoat Ability, or Safety Googles.
- Sound moves, as well as the Infiltrator Ability, bypass substitutes.
EVEN MORE NOT BUGS (SM Mechanics)
- Dark types are immune to Status moves used by opposing Pokemon with Prankster.
- Unlike Gen 6, turn order is now decided after Mega Evolution, so, for example, Mega Pinsir will act on its 105 base Speed the turn it Mega Evolves rather than the turns after.
- Terrains only benefit grounded Pokemon. For example, Celesteela would still be hit by priority moves under the effects of Psychic Terrain.
NOT BUGS 3.0 (SS Mechanics)
- Weight-based moves (Heavy Slam, Low Kick, etc.) fails when used against a dynamaxed target.
- Heavy-Duty Boots is a held item that negate all hazards, so Pokémon using this won't take Stealth Rock damage or get poisoned by Toxic Spikes.
This thread is specifically for reporting Pokémon Showdown bugs with battle mechanics or chat commands.
If you have a different issue, there is probably another thread somewhere related to that topic:
Want to ask a question and not report a bug? Use the Simple Question Simple Answer thread.
Having trouble connecting to the main server? Use the Technical Support thread.
Want to request a feature? Use the Suggestions thread.
If your bug is about the Damage Calculator, it has its own dedicated thread.
If your issue is with the current-gen sprites, check the Model Fixing thread.
Got a really terrible Random Battle set? Report it in the Singles or Doubles thread.
In all cases, be sure to read the first post of the thread you're posting in!
Having trouble connecting to the main server? Use the Technical Support thread.
Want to request a feature? Use the Suggestions thread.
If your bug is about the Damage Calculator, it has its own dedicated thread.
If your issue is with the current-gen sprites, check the Model Fixing thread.
Got a really terrible Random Battle set? Report it in the Singles or Doubles thread.
In all cases, be sure to read the first post of the thread you're posting in!
Before reporting a bug,
- Check the lists of Not Bugs and Known Bugs below.
- Look up the relevant Pokemon/moves/Abilities/items on the PSdex and the first post of the Smogon Research thread. If neither source explains the behaviour you saw, consider asking about it in the Help room. If no one there can explain it, feel free to post the bug here.
- Make sure your opponent's Pokemon isn't Zorua or Zoroark.
- Depending on the situation, save a replay (the
- Make sure no one has reported this bug on, say, the last page or two of the thread. No one expects you to go through the whole thread, but it's kind of ridiculous when three posts in a row report the same problem.
- Make sure this bug exists on the official server, with no custom styles enabled.
[HIDE]a screenshot[/HIDE]
Known Mechanics Bugs
NOT BUGS
- Air Lock and Cloud Nine do not actually end weather or prevent weather from beginning, just stop its effects while the Pokemon is active.
- Hypnosis, Sand Attack, Glare, Eerie Impulse, and Gastro Acid can hit Dark, Flying, Ghost, Ground, and Steel types, respectively. The only Status move that checks type immunity is Thunder Wave.
- Sheer Force prevents the user's Life Orb recoil and Shell Bell recovery, as well as the target's Color Change, Emergency Exit, Pickpocket, Wimp Out, Red Card, Eject Button, Kee Berry, and Maranga Berry from activating only when using moves that have a secondary effect removed by Sheer Force.
- Speed Boost does not activate on the turn you switch in: yes, this is different from most other abilities/items that activate at the end of a turn.
- If Fake Out didn't cause a flinch, your opponent probably had Shield Dust or Inner Focus, or your Pokemon had Sheer Force.
- Wish doesn't take effect if the Pokemon in its place faints the turn it would've healed it.
- Wonder Guard is not an immunity: Shedinja is not immune to Ground: it takes damage from Spikes. Shedinja is not immune to Poison: it is still affected by Toxic
- That Pokemon taking incorrect hazard damage is probably a Zoroark (which is a Dark, not a Bug, lolololol)
- Payback boosts damage for moving second, whether or not damage was taken. Also, since Gen 5, its power is not doubled if the opponent switches.
- Pursuit will deal double damage immediately before any switch-out, as long as Pursuit has not been used at regular priority yet. This includes U-turn and Volt Switch, but not Baton Pass.
- Sucker Punch fails if the target uses a faster priority move.
- Illusion, Air Balloon, Destiny Bond, Wonder Guard, etc only take effect if the damage was from a move, not an indirect effect such as entry hazards, Poison damage, etc.
- Destiny Bond lasts until the move user makes another move (or would've made another move, if not for confusion or Truant or a similar effect).
- Focus Sash and Sturdy affect all move damage (including static damage moves like Final Gambit, Seismic Toss, SonicBoom, and Counter).
- Outrage/Thrash/Petal Dance can be stopped during effect and not cause confusion if Protect/Detect is used on the second turn of a three-turn duration.
- If the user faints from Iron Barbs/Rough Skin/Rocky Helmet damage, Rapid Spin does not remove hazards, and Knock Off does not remove the target's item.
- Since Gen 5, a Flying-type Pokemon holding Iron Ball takes neutral damage from Ground-type moves regardless of its other type(s), unless another effect is also grounding it.
- Roost removes the user's Flying type for the rest of the turn only if the user was successfully healed.
- A status condition remains on a Pokemon even if it later gains a typing that makes it immune to that status condition.
- Doom Desire/Future Sight do not get boosts from the user's item or Ability if the user is not active when the move hits.
ALSO NOT BUGS (XY Mechanics)
- Arceus is affected by Trick or Treat and Forest's Curse.
- The turn a Pokemon Mega Evolves, its place in turn order is decided before Mega Evolution actually happens. Thus, Mega Banette's Prankster will only be effective after the first turn, while a Chlorophyll Venusaur will still be likely to move first under sun the turn it Mega Evolves. This idea also applies to previous gens: e.g. in Doubles, if a Pokemon is paralyzed by a foe, its turn order won't be affected that turn.
- Ghosts cannot be trapped by any means.
- When used by a Poison type, Toxic has a No Guard-like effect, never missing even during semi-invulnerable turns.
- Powder moves, as well as the Effect Spore Ability, don't affect Pokemon with the Grass type, the Overcoat Ability, or Safety Googles.
- Sound moves, as well as the Infiltrator Ability, bypass substitutes.
EVEN MORE NOT BUGS (SM Mechanics)
- Dark types are immune to Status moves used by opposing Pokemon with Prankster.
- Unlike Gen 6, turn order is now decided after Mega Evolution, so, for example, Mega Pinsir will act on its 105 base Speed the turn it Mega Evolves rather than the turns after.
- Terrains only benefit grounded Pokemon. For example, Celesteela would still be hit by priority moves under the effects of Psychic Terrain.
NOT BUGS 3.0 (SS Mechanics)
- Weight-based moves (Heavy Slam, Low Kick, etc.) fails when used against a dynamaxed target.
- Heavy-Duty Boots is a held item that negate all hazards, so Pokémon using this won't take Stealth Rock damage or get poisoned by Toxic Spikes.
There are three types of damage: Move damage, residual damage, and direct damage.
Most abilities, moves, and items that affect damage will only affect one type of damage: either move damage or residual damage. There are zero effects that apply to direct damage. The only effect that applies to both move and residual damage is Heatproof.
Examples of move damage:
- damage dealt, during a move that hits, to the target(s) of a Physical or Special move
- includes static damage: Final Gambit, Seismic Toss, SonicBoom, and Counter
- does not include the secondary target of Flame Burst (which would be residual damage)
Examples of direct damage:
- hurting yourself in confusion
- damaging yourself during Substitute, Curse, Belly Drum, or Struggle (but not the damage to your opponent, if applicable)
- does NOT include other forms of recoil (which would be residual damage)
Examples of residual damage:
- all other damage
- includes recoil, poison/burn, Leech Seed, weather, hazards, damage from abilities, damage from items...
Things that affect move damage only:
- Wonder Guard
- Sturdy, Focus Sash, Focus Band, Endeavor
- Illusion, Balloon, Destiny Bond
Things that affect residual damage only:
- Magic Guard
- most other effects only affect specific types of residual damage, such as: Poison Heal (poison damage), Rock Head (recoil damage)
Most abilities, moves, and items that affect damage will only affect one type of damage: either move damage or residual damage. There are zero effects that apply to direct damage. The only effect that applies to both move and residual damage is Heatproof.
Examples of move damage:
- damage dealt, during a move that hits, to the target(s) of a Physical or Special move
- includes static damage: Final Gambit, Seismic Toss, SonicBoom, and Counter
- does not include the secondary target of Flame Burst (which would be residual damage)
Examples of direct damage:
- hurting yourself in confusion
- damaging yourself during Substitute, Curse, Belly Drum, or Struggle (but not the damage to your opponent, if applicable)
- does NOT include other forms of recoil (which would be residual damage)
Examples of residual damage:
- all other damage
- includes recoil, poison/burn, Leech Seed, weather, hazards, damage from abilities, damage from items...
Things that affect move damage only:
- Wonder Guard
- Sturdy, Focus Sash, Focus Band, Endeavor
- Illusion, Balloon, Destiny Bond
Things that affect residual damage only:
- Magic Guard
- most other effects only affect specific types of residual damage, such as: Poison Heal (poison damage), Rock Head (recoil damage)
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