Attack iconA basic attack (Japanese: 通常攻撃(つうじょうこうげき) ordinary attack) is an attack available to each Pokémon in the Unite Battles from Pokémon UNITE. Moves have a cooldown period between uses, so basic attacks fill the gaps in-between.
Gameplay
A basic attack is a fairly simple attack that all Pokémon have access to. The exact nature of a basic attack varies by the species. The basic attacks used by Ranged Pokémon have a wide range and involve shooting a projectile. The basic attacks used by Melee Pokémon have a short range where something is used to strike the opponent, be that hands, tails, horns, or in Clefable's case, the floating glove seen in the animations for moves like Follow Me. Instead of having the possibility to aim the basic attack like moves do, basic attacks make use of a Lock-On system to determine who they intend to hit.
Unlike moves, basic attacks do not have a cooldown period between uses, but that means they are not as strong as a move. The range of these attacks is an area around the user, where melee attacks only have a small area and ranged attacks have a much larger area. This area can be seen by the player by holding the input for the basic attack.
For the most part, a basic attack inflicts Attack-based damage and calculates the damage it deals using Attack stat of the user and the Defense stat of the Pokémon that are hit. This is even true of basic attacks that appear to resemble special moves in the core series games, ones that fire off blasts of energy or water for instance. However, certain characters, usually ones that lack boosted attacks such as Miraidon, do have basic attacks that inflict Sp. Atk-based damage. Those call for damage calculation using the Special Attack stat of the user and the Special Defense stat of the Pokémon that are hit.
Generally speaking, a Pokémon cannot move while performing a basic attack. This gives opponents the chance to retreat out of range. Some Pokémon are exceptions to this. For example, Charizard's basic attack is to breathe fire, and it is fully capable of strafing about while breathing fire to stay at the optimal distance between itself and its opponent. It is also possible for a move to grant this ability to basic attacks, as seen with Falinks's Iron Head.
When certain criteria are met, the next basic attack a Pokémon performs becomes a boosted attack, which is stronger and can have move-like additional effects and/or modified ranges compared to regular basic attacks. Generally, a boosted attack is performed with every third basic attack, but some Pokémon instead use a boosted attack when a gauge is filled or have to charge up their boosted attack by using moves. Certain moves and Abilities can bypass this, making the next basic attack a boosted attack. Boosted attacks can either deal Attack-based damage or Sp. Atk-based damage, depending on their user. Some boosted attacks seen on Melee Pokémon involve the user leaping or otherwise moving toward their target, which can allow the attacker to keep up against a fleeing foe. An example of this is Mega Mewtwo X's boosted attack.
Basic attacks are separate from moves, so effects that reference moves being used will ignore basic and boosted attacks.
Some moves, such as Dragapult's Dragon Dance, modify the properties of the user's basic attack, which can increase their basic attack speed (how frequently a basic attack can be performed), increase their range, cause them to deal more damage, or have other assorted effects. Other moves change what a basic attack does entirely, such as how Clefable uses a different basic attack while under the effect of its Gravity. Some moves, such as Azumarill's Play Rough and Aqua Tail change their user's basic attacks in lieu of attacking when the move is used.
Some moves allow for using a basic attack during their duration. One example of this is Zeraora's Spark. This can modify the effect of the move.
Ranged basic attacks
Non-boosted ranged basic attacks ignore opponents who are not Locked-Onto, with the projectile phasing right through. Additionally, the projectile will hit the target once fired, even if they move out of the attack's initial range or even warp away with a move like Draco Impact. The projectile just continues to chase the target until it connects.
Lock-On
When a Pokémon uses a basic attack, it locks onto a visible opposing Pokémon within range of that attack or just outside it based on the Opponent Lock-On Priority setting, then attacks that Pokémon. If no opponent is locked-onto, a Pokémon using its basic attack will simply attack in the direction it is facing.
Depending on the setting, the Pokémon that gets locked-onto can be the opposing Pokémon with the least HP, the least percentage of remaining HP, or the closest opponent. Pokémon on the opposing team are prioritized over wild Pokémon, but this can be changed by using the Advanced Controls option to add a second basic attack button that prioritizes wild Pokémon. Opposing Pokémon hidden via Stealth or tall grass cannot be locked on to, nor can opponents who cannot be seen because the user is under the effects of Vision Obscured.
If In-motion pursuit mode is on, and the player's Pokémon performs a basic attack while moving, the game will automatically move that Pokémon toward a nearby opposing Pokémon if one is nearby.
Wild Pokémon
Wild Pokémon are able to use basic attacks in ways similar to player-controlled Pokémon. As expected, the type of attack also varies by species. However, species that evolve from other species generally share the same kind of basic attack. Bunnelby has a melee basic attack, so Diggersby has the same kind as well. This is not true for species who are merely pre-evolutions of species that exist separately: In one case Swablu pecks at opponents, but Altaria fires blue energy instead.
In other languages
See also
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