In Gen 1, does Slash always crit?

Question

When I played Pokemon stadium, every time I use slash (specifically with Parasect or Charmeleon), it always crits. I played gen 1 in PS! as well, and when I use slash, it still does not fail in landing a critical hit. Am I really lucky, or does gen 1 slash have a 100% crit rate?

Comments

Crit rates in gen 1 are based upon speed. High speed + high crit rate = 100% chance of crit

Answer 1

In Pokemon Stadium (and other Gen 1 games), crit chance was affected by speed. Moves with a high crit chance were 8 times more likely to crit, capping out at 255/256 or ~99.61%. Pokemon Stadium followed the formula:

Crit Chance = | (Base Speed + 76) / 4 | * 8.225

If the "threshold" /number exceeded 255, it would become 255. For a Charmeleon with a base speed of 80, the threshold would be ~321, which exceeds 255, resulting in a chance of 255/256.

So yes, if the Pokemon is fast enough, high crit ratio moves will almost always crit.

Source: Bulbapedia

Comments

If only this mechanic still existed...

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Infinite, defence piercing and 1.5x damage boosted moves sure are fun. Imagine a pokemon with a move that always crit and could strike through protect. Man, that'd be a great idea...