Research Scarlet & Violet Battle Mechanics Research

[DarkFE]

Hi.

I just tested this with Slow Start and Intimidate, and both abilities activated when Ability Shield was obtained under Neutralizing Gas. Maybe this was patched? Feel free to retest it to make sure.

Video proof: https://github.com/smogon/pokemon-showdown/pull/11583

Edit: Intimidate still doesn't activate if Ability Shield is acquired after Gastro Acid has been used.
Edit2: If two Pokémon with Ability Shield swap items under Neutralizing Gas, their abilities won't re-activate.

Yep, seems patched. Good catch. They changed several interactions with NGas after I made that post presumably because it wasn't regularly obtainable in the game at the time I ran those old tests. Repeating the same sequence with the same Pokemon in the same trainer battle yields different results in the new footage than what I showed in part 3 of the old video.

Thanks!

I have also a question regarding the interaction between multi-hit moves and Tinted Lens, Technician, and Adaptability. If the user loses their Ability after the first hit (due to Mummy, Wandering Spirit, or Lingering Aroma), do the subsequent hits still receive the damage boost? (I expect the answer to be "No", but I could not find any evidence online).

Tested with Lingering Aroma in this footage. All of Tinted Lens, Technician, and Adaptability seemed to apply on the first hit and ceased applying on subsequent hits of the contact multi-hit attack. PS! itself appears to implement this correctly in all three cases, though interestingly it looks like the damage calculator incorrectly assumes that specifically Adaptability applies for all hits of the move even though it doesn't in-game.

Hope this helps.

 

[Hydrametr0nice]

Yep, seems patched. Good catch. They changed several interactions with NGas after I made that post presumably because it wasn't regularly obtainable in the game at the time I ran those old tests. Repeating the same sequence with the same Pokemon in the same trainer battle yields different results in the new footage than what I showed in part 3 of the old video.

Expanding on this, it would be nice to test what happens if a Pokémon loses Ability Shield while Neutralizing Gas is active. Unfortunately, I think most abilities (if not all) with clear "visual" End events are absent in SV. I've seen that you've done tests with Desolate Land, so if Desolate Land still shuts off under Neutralizing Gas, maybe it could be used to test this.

 

[DarkFE]

Expanding on this, it would be nice to test what happens if a Pokémon loses Ability Shield while Neutralizing Gas is active. Unfortunately, I think most abilities (if not all) with clear "visual" End events are absent in SV. I've seen that you've done tests with Desolate Land, so if Desolate Land still shuts off under Neutralizing Gas, maybe it could be used to test this.

Hi again. Using Corrosive Gas or Trick with Neutralizing Gas Weezing-Galar onto an Ability Shield Desolate Land target in order to remove the Ability Shield results in the Extremely Harsh Sunlight remaining on the field. Neutralizing Gas does disable Desolate Land under non-Ability Shield circumstances, showcased in the same footage. Trick was tested here to make sure nothing funny was happening with Corrosive Gas specifically. Hope this helps.

 

[timeflow]

I think this may not be quite the right place to ask but I'm not sure where else would be relevant - is it possible to load a pokemon into a battle without any moves?

 

[SadisticMystic]

You can't legally have a Pokemon with no moves, but if you have an Assault Vest and nothing but status moves, or if your only move is Belch or Stuff Cheeks, none of the moves are selectable so you get to use Struggle right away.

I actually have a Pokemon that puts this to good use in a specific situation: a level 1 Neutralizing Gas Koffing with only Belch, which I exclusively bring to Ditto raids where the host doesn't know how Ditto raids work and brings something strong. Normally, all Ditto raids are Imposter and will transform into the host immediately, but Neutralizing Gas prevents that--instead, it will transform into whichever Pokemon makes the first move. By using Struggle right away, I can guarantee Koffing wins that race, because it only takes 1 A press on the fight menu to lock in Struggle in this situation, whereas everyone else needs 3: once to select Fight, once to select a move, and once to select a target.

 

[timeflow]

You can't legally have a Pokemon with no moves, but if you have an Assault Vest and nothing but status moves, or if your only move is Belch or Stuff Cheeks, none of the moves are selectable so you get to use Struggle right away.

I actually have a Pokemon that puts this to good use in a specific situation: a level 1 Neutralizing Gas Koffing with only Belch, which I exclusively bring to Ditto raids where the host doesn't know how Ditto raids work and brings something strong. Normally, all Ditto raids are Imposter and will transform into the host immediately, but Neutralizing Gas prevents that--instead, it will transform into whichever Pokemon makes the first move. By using Struggle right away, I can guarantee Koffing wins that race, because it only takes 1 A press on the fight menu to lock in Struggle in this situation, whereas everyone else needs 3: once to select Fight, once to select a move, and once to select a target.

I am pleasantly surprised to see that instant struggle has a worthwhile niche somewhere! my question doesn't have to do with legality though (I am fully aware that the game won't let you try to forget a pokemon's only move), I am more asking if there is anything stopping you from hacking in a pokemon that has an empty moveset and taking it into a wifi battle. if there is something that stops you, what is it? (does the game have a failsafe that gives you a move when you try to take the mon out of the box? is the pokemon data considered unreadable? in the worst case scenario, does something horrible happen to the save file?) I would try myself, but I don't have access to any of the tools necessary for testing this kind of thing.

 

[Anubis]

my question doesn't have to do with legality though (I am fully aware that the game won't let you try to forget a pokemon's only move), I am more asking if there is anything stopping you from hacking in a pokemon that has an empty moveset and taking it into a wifi battle. if there is something that stops you, what is it? (does the game have a failsafe that gives you a move when you try to take the mon out of the box? is the pokemon data considered unreadable? in the worst case scenario, does something horrible happen to the save file?) I would try myself, but I don't have access to any of the tools necessary for testing this kind of thing.

Nothing in SV stops you from grabbing a Pokémon out of the box with all of its moves deleted and starting a battle with a wild Pokémon or a local Link Battle. If you click "Battle", it will say it has no moves and use Struggle.

 

[Simsalagrimm]

Hi, are you still taking requests for Starmobile tests? I have a few questions regarding their mechanics:

• Choice Items: Do Choice items apply both the stat multiplier and the move-lock effect to Starmobiles? (This may apply to all mechanics that involve move restrictions)
• Weather: How is Sandstorm damage calculated for them? Is it the standard 1/16th?
• Copycat: Can Copycat (and similar moves) successfully copy Starmobile moves? I know that Torque moves cannot be copied, but what about the other move they possess?
• Pain Split: Does Pain Split work on them? If so, does it calculate HP based on their visible health bar or an internal value?
• Leech Seed: Does Leech Seed work on them? If so, how does it work? (This may apply to all mechanics that involve HPs)

Thanks in advance.

 

[sumwun]

When a Pokemon uses a multi-target move and there's only one other Pokemon, the damage isn't reduced, right? What if there are only 2 other Pokemon and one of them avoids the move with telepathy?

 

[Hydrametr0nice]

When a Pokemon uses a multi-target move and there's only one other Pokemon, the damage isn't reduced, right? What if there are only 2 other Pokemon and one of them avoids the move with telepathy?

Telepathy is implemented as a regular immunity, like Water Absorb or Soundproof. I'm assuming it behaves the same way and that the damage is still spread. The number of targets is accounted for earlier, right before all kinds of immunities are checked.