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Flinching cannot often be relied upon to defeat enemies by itself in a Pokemon battle, though, it can be a great tool to enhance other tactics or to hinder the foe at frequent intervals. Its usage and mechanics have changed a bit over the years until the release of Pokemon Sword & Shield, so trainers should be sure to brush up on the modern data pertaining to Flinching before putting together any builds featuring it heavily.
Flinching Throughout The Generations Of Main Series Pokemon Games
Flinching In Generation 1 Pokemon Games
In this early generation, there were only 3 moves that could cause Flinching: Bite, Stomp, and Bone Club. How things worked is that if a pokemon using one of these moves acts first in a turn, if their attack hits, there will be a set percentage chance (see table below for exact figures) that Flinching will occur and will leave the opponent unable to act on their turn.
Flinching In Generation 2 Pokemon Games
When items were introduced in Generation 2, things got more interesting for Flinching mechanics. Holding the item King’s Rock grants its holder a 12% chance to cause Flinching with almost any attacking move (as long as the attacker moves first, of course).
In an oversight, pokemon that are asleep or frozen cannot be affected by Flinching, though this is only in Generation 2 games. This means that it is impossible to interrupt a sleeping pokemon before it can use Sleep Talk or Snore.
Flinching In Generation 3 Pokemon Games
Pokemon holding King’s Rock now only have a 10% chance to cause Flinching with moves affected by this item.
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Flinching In Generation 4 Pokemon Games
The item Razor Fang was added to the game, though, its effect is identical to King’s Rock. Both of these held items possess a 10% chance to cause Flinching, as in the Generation 3 games, and will for all future generations mentioned.
Flinching In Generation 5 Pokemon Games
The list of moves that get affected by King’s Rock’s and Razor Fang’s effects has been changed. It now encompasses every damage-dealing move that does not already have a chance to cause Flinching.
Flinching In Generation 6, Generation 7, & Generation 8 Pokemon Games
After Generation 5, there were no more changes made to the Flinching status condition.
Moves That Cause Flinching In The Main Series Pokemon Games
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Caves Rocky Terrain (only in Generation 4 & Generation 5 games) Burial grounds & cemeteries (only in Generation 6 games) Space
