Data Pokemon Sun/Moon Battle Mechanics Research

[Retro64]

I can't remember if this has already been asked, but I could not find it in the OP so here it goes: Since levitating pokemon are not protected by psychic terrain, what happens if a pokemon with mold breaker (or one of its clones) tries to use priority against a pokemon with levitate while under the effects of psychic terrain?

Someone tested this awhile ago I believe. It doesn't bypass psychic terrain because the ability only sets up the terrain. The thing preventing priority from hitting the opponent is a field effect, not an ability.

Incase I misread your question: the Pokemon with mold breaker can still use priority on the levitating opponent. Psychic terrain doesn't stop pokemon from being able to use priority attacks. It just protects grounded Pokemon from receiving damage from them.

Do the seeds only work on grounded pokemon, or can they activate if they are in the air?

Was this tested? I don't see any mention of this in the OP. I'd assume they wouldn't trigger, but the in-game text doesn't have the grounded part like the terrain descriptions.

Was trying to test this myself last night but it seems anything that can use terrain is borderline post game and I'm still early in my copy of Sun. Would appreciate it if someone could test this.

 

[Siggu]

Incase I misread your question: the Pokemon with mold breaker can still use priority on the levitating opponent. Psychic terrain doesn't stop pokemon from being able to use priority attacks. It just protects grounded Pokemon from receiving damage from them.

I guess his question was more on the likes of "Mold Breaker ignores Levitate. Without Levitate, the target would be grounded. Would it prevent priority?".

The problem is the lack of a priority Ground-type move, because it's the only way it would ignore Levitate.

 

[Mood4food77]

The best way to test this i guess is a doubles battle. Can mega gyarados thunder wave latias when misty terrain is out?

 

[Siggu]

The best way to test this i guess is a doubles battle. Can mega gyarados thunder wave latias when misty terrain is out?

Except Thunder Wave is unaffected by Levitate under normal circumnstances. It should not ignore the ability; the target would, then, remain airbone, and unaffected by Psychic Terrain.

And there are no Ground-type moves that have increase priority nor can inflict any kind of status, so you'd have to hack the game to know.

 

[Nighty]

Hmm, considering the use of Specs Ash-ninja with U-Turn... does Battle Bond activate if you KO something with U-Turn?

 

[Morkal]

Don't remember seeing it in thread or see it in OP, but a battle just now caused me to think of it.

Does Corrosion bypass Shields Down and/or Comatose?

No. Corrosion's ability allows it to poison Steel and Poison type Pokemon. It does not allow it to bypass abilities that make a Pokemon immune to poisoning such as Immunity, Comatose, Shields Down, etc

 

[willempju]

I guess his question was more on the likes of "Mold Breaker ignores Levitate. Without Levitate, the target would be grounded. Would it prevent priority?".

The problem is the lack of a priority Ground-type move, because it's the only way it would ignore Levitate.

Well not only that: normally I would be able to hit a levitating pokemon with say quick attack while psychic terrain is up. However, mold breaker ignores levitate so in some sense a mold breaker quick attack used on a pokemon with levitate is a priority move on a grounded pokemon which would not work in psychic terrain.

 

[IcyMan28]

Hmm, considering the use of Specs Ash-ninja with U-Turn... does Battle Bond activate if you KO something with U-Turn?

It does. Battle Bond will activate prior to the switch-out effect.

 

[Schpoonman]

Mold Breaker explicitly ignores defensive Abilities that reduce damage or impart immunities. Levitators can be hit by Ground-type Attacks, Water Absorbers are hit for regular damage (for whatever they would normally take, most WA Pokemon resist Water), and Filter or Solid Rock Pokemon take full damage from super-effective hits.

Since Latios is a Levitator, it is not affected at all by Psychic Terrain, and there's no Ability that Quick Attack trips in the first place, so a Mold Breaker Pokemon attacking Latios with Quick Attack will attack successfully and inflict full damage.

 

[Siggu]

Mold Breaker explicitly ignores defensive Abilities that reduce damage or impart immunities. Levitators can be hit by Ground-type Attacks, Water Absorbers are hit for regular damage (for whatever they would normally take, most WA Pokemon resist Water), and Filter or Solid Rock Pokemon take full damage from super-effective hits.

Since Latios is a Levitator, it is not affected at all by Psychic Terrain, and there's no Ability that Quick Attack trips in the first place, so a Mold Breaker Pokemon attacking Latios with Quick Attack will attack successfully and inflict full damage.

Again, they asked what could happen if you could use a priority Ground-type move (meaning Mold Breaker would ignore Levitate). This is impossible right now, so the point is moot anyways.

 

[Aqqq]

Again, they asked what could happen if you could use a priority Ground-type move (meaning Mold Breaker would ignore Levitate). This is impossible right now, so the point is moot anyways.

No, that's not what the question was at all. You're the only one who ever mentioned Ground-type moves. The question was whether Mold Breaker priority (of any type) affects a mon with Levitate under Psychic Terrain. This is totally possible and it is not obvious how these will interact: does Mold Breaker only ignore Levitate when checking for immunity to a Ground-type move, or does it also ignore it when checking whether the target is grounded and thus affected by Psychic Terrain? Note that in previous gens, Mold Breaker Roar nullifies Levitate on the Pokemon that switches in, so that they are affected by Spikes and Toxic Spikes. So it is not clear that we should expect Mold Breaker to negate Levitate only when using a Ground-type move.

 

[Schpoonman]

No, that's not what the question was at all. You're the only one who ever mentioned Ground-type moves. The question was whether Mold Breaker priority (of any type) affects a mon with Levitate under Psychic Terrain. This is totally possible and it is not obvious how these will interact: does Mold Breaker only ignore Levitate when checking for immunity to a Ground-type move, or does it also ignore it when checking whether the target is grounded and thus affected by Psychic Terrain? Note that in previous gens, Mold Breaker Roar nullifies Levitate on the Pokemon that switches in, so that they are affected by Spikes and Toxic Spikes. So it is not clear that we should expect Mold Breaker to negate Levitate only when using a Ground-type move.

Yes, MB will only check for Levitate if a Ground move is used. Like I said, it explicitly only activates when the defending Pokemon's Ability would interfere with damage dealt. Levitate only affects grounded moves (EQ, Spikes, etc), so there should be no interaction between Mold Breaker priority (as there is currently no Ground-type priority) and Levitate when Psychic Terrain is in effect.

 

[Mood4food77]

Except Thunder Wave is unaffected by Levitate under normal circumnstances. It should not ignore the ability; the target would, then, remain airbone, and unaffected by Psychic Terrain.

And there are no Ground-type moves that have increase priority nor can inflict any kind of status, so you'd have to hack the game to know.

If thunder wave fails, that means levitate ignores the terrains regardless of mold breaker

The other check is using excadrill eq on a levitator with grassy terrain up to see if damage is reduced

 

[TerminusEdge]

If thunder wave fails, that means levitate ignores the terrains regardless of mold breaker

The other check is using excadrill eq on a levitator with grassy terrain up to see if damage is reduced

Does it have to be Excadrill specifically? Rampardos and Haxorus can do Mold Breaker EQ as well.

 

[Marty]

There seems to still be a widespread lack of understanding about how Mold Breaker works. Mold Breaker always ignores the Abilities of anything on the field while the Pokemon is attacking, including Abilities of Pokemon it's not targeting. It doesn't matter whether or not a Ground move is being used, if Mold Breaker can ignore Levitate, it gets ignored all the time. Everything Aqqq said in their post above is true, and has been known for years because it's been the case since Gen 5. This Psychic Terrain business is also known information already anyway; Terrains existed in Gen 6 and Mold Breaker Pokemon couldn't status Levitate Pokemon during Misty Terrain or cause them to fall asleep during Electric Terrain, so no one should think that Psychic Terrain is any different (and it isn't).

 

[Mood4food77]

Does it have to be Excadrill specifically? Rampardos and Haxorus can do Mold Breaker EQ as well.

It's just the most common mold breaker eq, it's just mold breaker eq in general.

I guess also if the levitator starts to heal life when both mold breaker and grassy terrain are there that would answer questions too

 

[viol and bass]

Is the chance of Shed Skin activation still 1/3? Is Harvest activation chance still 1/2 out of sun?

 

[M BLADE]

This is somewhat dumb, but i'll have to ask anyway.
Will the trapping effect of Spirit Shackle stay when it uses Baton Pass (basically, it will work like Mean Look/Block, and the effect can be passed through BP)?

 

[Siggu]

This is somewhat dumb, but i'll have to ask anyway.
Will the trapping effect of Spirit Shackle stay when it uses Baton Pass (basically, it will work like Mean Look/Block, and the effect can be passed through BP)?

AFAIK the trapper cannot Baton Pass the trapping effect since Gen V. The trapped Pokemon could, or so I heard.

 

[readytolose]

Do Z-moves that raise crit chance raise it by one stage or by two?

 

[BlakDragon]

Do Z-moves that raise crit chance raise it by one stage or by two?

They raise the critical-hit ratio by 2 stages. I've tested this with Aerodactyl using Z-Tailwind and Stone Edge against wild Pokémon. Stone Edge was used over 10 times, and a critical hit always landed when the move didn't miss.

 

[readytolose]

They raise the critical-hit ratio by 2 stages. I've tested this with Aerodactyl using Z-Tailwind and Stone Edge against wild Pokémon. Stone Edge was used over 10 times, and a critical hit always landed when the move didn't miss.

It's probably worth testing with a larger sample size but thanks. On Showdown it only raises by one stage.

 

[Jajoken]

If you hack exclusive moves onto a Pokémon that can't use them normally, does the animation still work? It occurred to me that Wooper or whatever would look really silly with Malicious Moonsault.

 

[Siggu]

If you hack exclusive moves onto a Pokémon that can't use them normally, does the animation still work? It occurred to me that Wooper or whatever would look really silly with Malicious Moonsault.

They do work, and it's really creepy:

Look at legless Jirachi during some Z-Moves, or the abomination that comes out with Pulverizing Pancake.

 

[Schpoonman]

That video is Pikaman all over again, isn't it?