Pokémon Terrain Effects & Battle Tactics Guide

Terrains overview

Terrains are field effects introduced in Gen VI that modify various aspects of a Pokémon battle. Terrain lasts for a 5 turns (8 when the Pokémon who activates it holds the item terrain extender). When a new terrain is set it replaces the existing one. They are activated by specific moves or abilities and affect all Pokémon on the field, though some effects are type-specific. These are the primary terrain effects that are a staple of the Pokémon games in recent generations:

• Electric Terrain: Boosts the power of Electric-type moves by 30% for grounded Pokémon. Prevents grounded Pokémon from falling asleep or being affected by the yawn status condition.
• Grassy Terrain: Boosts the power of Grass-type moves by 30% for grounded Pokémon. Restores 1/16 of max HP to grounded Pokémon each turn. Halves the power of Earthquake, Magnitude, and Bulldoze.
• Misty Terrain: Halves damages taken of Dragon-type moves by 50% for grounded Pokémon. Prevents grounded Pokémon from being afflicted by any major status condition (Poison, Paralysis, Burn, Sleep, Freeze) and confusion.
• Psychic Terrain: Boosts the power of Psychic-type moves by 30% for grounded Pokémon. Prevents grounded Pokémon from being hit by priority moves (moves with increased priority).

Terrain Strategy

Terrains add a significant strategic layer to Pokémon battles, particularly in competitive play. Understanding how to utilize and counter them can be key to victory.

• Offensive Boosts: Each terrain provides a 30% boost to a specific type's moves. This makes Pokémon of that type, or those with moves of that type, excellent offensive threats under the right terrain. For example, an Electric-type attacker under Electric Terrain can hit incredibly hard.
• Status Prevention and Control: Electric and Misty Terrains are invaluable for preventing status conditions. Electric Terrain protects against sleep, while Misty Terrain offers broader protection against major status conditions and confusion. This can be crucial for sweeping Pokémon or preventing debilitating effects on your key walls.
• Priority Control: Psychic Terrain's ability to block priority moves is a game-changer. It allows slower, powerful Psychic-type Pokémon to attack without fear of being outsped by common priority users like Fake out, Extreme Speed or Sucker Punch. A common strategy is to switch in a Pokémon with psychic surge in order to counter the priority move.
• Damage Mitigation and Recovery: Grassy Terrain offers passive HP recovery and halves the damage from common Ground-type moves like Earthquake. This makes it excellent for bulky Grass-type Pokémon or for generally increasing the longevity of grounded Pokémon on your team.
• Terrain Wars: Since only one terrain can be active at a time, competitive battles often involve "terrain wars" where players try to set their preferred terrain to gain an advantage. This often involves strategic switching of Pokémon with terrain-setting abilities. The lowest speed stat of the Pokémon setting the terrain determines which terrain ultimately takes effect if multiple are set in the same turn.

• Terrain-Specific Items and Moves: Items like the various "Seeds" (Electric Seed, Grassy Seed, Misty Seed, Psychic Seed) consume themselves when their respective terrain is active to provide a stat boost. Moves like Terrain Pulse change type and double in power under terrain, and some moves like Grassy Glide gain priority under their respective terrains.
• Expanding Force Strategy: The Psychic-type move Expanding Force has a unique interaction with Psychic Terrain. When used under Psychic Terrain, Expanding Force doubles in power and hits all opposing Pokémon in Double Battles. This makes it an incredibly potent move for Psychic Terrain teams, often serving as a primary damage output for Pokémon like Indeedee or Psychic Surge users. Combining this with setup moves or items that boost Special Attack can lead to devastating sweeps.
• Counterplay: Just as important as setting your own terrain is the ability to counter an opponent's. This can involve switching in your own terrain setter, using moves like Defog or Steel Roller to remove terrain, or having Pokémon that are unaffected by terrain (Flying types or those with Levitate).

The History of Terrains in Pokémon

Terrains are a relatively newer mechanic compared to status conditions, introduced to add a dynamic environmental element to battles. Their core effects have been refined across generations since their debut.

Generation VI (X, Y) - Introduction of Terrains

• Misty Terrain: Halves the damage of Dragon-type moves against grounded Pokémon and prevents them from being afflicted by major status conditions. Pokémon could still be confused on misty terrain.
• Electric Terrain: Boosts Electric-type moves by 50% and prevents sleep for grounded Pokémon.
• Grassy Terrain: Boosts Grass-type moves by 50%, restores HP each turn, and halves damage from Earthquake, Magnitude, and Bulldoze for grounded Pokémon.

Generation VII (Sun, Moon) - Expansion and Core Systems

• Psychic Terrain: Introduced in this generation. Boosts Psychic-type moves by 50% (later 30%) and blocks priority moves used against grounded Pokémon.
• Misty Terrain: In addition to protecting grounded Pokémon from being afflicted by major status conditions, Pokémon could now not be confused on misty terrain.
• Terrain Abilities: Electric Surge, Grassy Surge, Misty Surge, and Psychic Surge introduced, setting terrains automatically upon entering battle.
• Terrain Extender: Item introduced to extend terrain duration from 5 to 8 turns.

Generation VIII (Sword, Shield) - Standardization and Stability

• Terrain Damage Boosts: Damage boosts for Electric, Grassy, and Psychic terrains for their respective types reduced from 50% to 30%.