Find the strongest Pokemon to defeat your opponent
Analyzing battle matchups...
Analyzing team matchups...
The Counter Finder analyzes every Pokemon available in your selected game and simulates battles against your target. Each potential counter is scored based on multiple factors to determine who would perform best in actual gameplay.
All calculations use the actual damage formulas from the Pokemon games, including type effectiveness, STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), and stat-based calculations appropriate to the selected game.
Pokemon are ranked using a combination of the following factors, listed from highest to lowest priority:
The system only considers moves that each Pokemon can actually learn in the selected game through level-up. This ensures recommendations are practical and achievable without trading or special events.
For each counter, the best available move is automatically selected based on damage output against the specific target, taking into account type effectiveness and whether the move receives STAB.
Each matchup simulates a full battle between the counter and the target to determine the winner and how much HP the counter has remaining afterward.
The target Pokemon also gets to attack back using its best available move. The system calculates the target's optimal move against each counter using the same damage formula, considering the target's Attack/Sp. Atk stats and the counter's Defense/Sp. Def stats.
The faster Pokemon attacks first each turn. This matters because if your counter can knock out the target before getting hit, it takes less damage. A faster counter that can 2HKO will take only one hit, while a slower counter needs to survive two hits before winning.
The "HP Left" percentage shows how much health your counter would have after winning the battle. This is calculated by simulating each turn: the faster Pokemon attacks, then the slower one (if still alive), repeating until one faints. Higher remaining HP means the counter is better positioned for the next battle.
Different Pokemon games use different damage formulas and mechanics. The calculator automatically adjusts for the selected game:
Uses the unique damage formula from Legends: Arceus, which differs significantly from mainline games. Alpha Pokemon receive appropriate stat boosts when enabled.
Uses the simplified mechanics from Let's Go games, including their specific stat calculations.
All other games use the standard damage formula that has been consistent across generations, with level-appropriate stat calculations.
The battle simulation accounts for many advanced mechanics that affect real Pokemon battles:
Pokemon with immunity abilities are properly handled. For example, Levitate grants immunity to Ground moves, Water Absorb blocks Water moves, Flash Fire blocks Fire moves, Volt Absorb blocks Electric moves, and Motor Drive blocks Electric moves. Hidden abilities are noted but not assumed.
Weather conditions affect damage calculations:
Common competitive items are supported:
Move priority is factored into turn order. High priority moves like Extreme Speed (+2), Quick Attack, Mach Punch, Bullet Punch, Aqua Jet, and Shadow Sneak (+1) will strike first regardless of Speed stats. Low priority moves like Trick Room (-7) and Dragon Tail (-6) always move last.
Status effects that impact battle calculations:
Terrain set by moves like Electric Terrain or Grassy Terrain affects grounded Pokemon:
Stat stage modifiers from moves like Swords Dance or Dragon Dance are supported. Stages range from -6 to +6, with multipliers from 0.25x (at -6) to 4x (at +6). For example, +1 is 1.5x, +2 is 2x, -1 is 0.67x.
Defensive screens reduce incoming damage:
Moves that hit multiple times (like Bullet Seed, Pin Missile, Icicle Spear, Rock Blast) calculate damage based on average hit count. Most 2-5 hit moves average 3.1 hits, making a 25-power multi-hit move effectively ~77.5 power on average.
Recoil moves like Brave Bird, Flare Blitz (33% recoil), Head Smash (50% recoil), and Wild Charge (25% recoil) are tracked. While recoil doesn't affect the immediate matchup calculation, it's factored into survivability considerations.