Data Pokemon Sun/Moon Battle Mechanics Research

[DaWoblefet]

More tests with Truant:

• Giving Truant to Ultra Necrozma the turn it Ultra Bursts results in the same behavior as Megas; Entrainment Durant passing Truant on the turn it Ultra Bursts does cause it to immediately loaf around.
• A hacked Groudon with Truant as its base Ability -> Primal Reversion -> is NOT loafing around (this is expected, because it doesn't have Truant as Primal Groudon).
• Having Durant Entrainment Pikachu -> Smeargle transforming into Pikachu -> Smeargle NOT loafing around the following turn
• Smeargle transforms into Pikachu -> Durant Entrainments Smeargle -> Smeargle NOT loafing around the following turn

*******
For MacChaeger: when an Illusioned Rayquaza or Necrozma Mega Evolves / Ultra Bursts, the custom text and animation plays that normally accompanies it. That is "<player>'s fervent wish has reached <disguised Pokemon from Illusion>", "Bright light is about to burst out of <disguised Pokemon from Illusion>", and "<disguised Pokemon from Illusion> regained its true power from Ultra Burst".

 

[DragonWhale]

What if you mega evolve into mega sceptile, trigger lightningrod, and then give it truant?

 

[Hugin]

Huh. Is there any way to trigger Imposter and still act in the same turn? Because Imposter Ditto into Slaking would be an interesting bit of info.

Other than that, Castform and Darmanitan-z seem like they should be checked for completeness sake, but they probably work the way everything except megas do.

 

[Siggu]

Huh. Is there any way to trigger Imposter and still act in the same turn? Because Imposter Ditto into Slaking would be an interesting bit of info.

Skill Swap could do the trick.

 

[Quantum Tesseract]

Skill Swap could do the trick.

Doesn't work. Imposter only activates on switch in, skill swapping it to a new mon does nothing.

 

[Siggu]

Doesn't work. Imposter only activates on switch in, skill swapping it to a new mon does nothing.

A Substitute to make Imposter fail? (Of course, you'd have to break the substitute before skill swapping)

 

[Quantum Tesseract]

A Substitute to make Imposter fail? (Of course, you'd have to break the substitute before skill swapping)

That still wouldn't help, imposter only activates on switchin. If I have imposter but can't transform, even if I break your substitute or illusion or you switch out to an untransformed mon, I still don't transform. If you're behind a substitute and I skill swap you imposter, all that happens is I get your ability and you get a dead ability.

 

[Marty]

The thing is, Truant probably hasn't been updated since Gen 5, which causes the also probably unintentional behaviour with Mega Evolution and Ultra Burst.

Let's start with how Mega Evolution works. Have you ever noticed that it happens outside of normal turn order? Priority moves don't affect which Pokemon Mega Evolves first because the event is completely separate from turn order; it's only based on Speed. Speed ties are broken normally, but again this is totally independent from the rest of the turn. You can win a Speed tie and Mega Evolve first but then lose the actual turn's Speed tie when it really matters.

Truant works by flipping a bit (let's say 0 is "no loafing" and 1 is "loafing") every time a Truant check happens (Truant is checked before every "before move check" except sleep/freeze), but what number the bit starts at depends on when you acquired Truant. If you haven't taken an action that turn it starts at 0, but if you have it starts at 1 (much like Encore, Taunt, etc).

Back in Gen 6 when I found Skill Swap could now swap identical Abilities, I tested Truant and sure enough it was possible to loaf around two turns in a row. Say X and Y both have Truant, and X outspeeds Y. If X uses Skill Swap on Y as it switches in, then next turn X will loaf around because it just acquired Truant but already moved that turn, and Y will be free to act because it hadn't moved at all. So X loafs around and Y uses Skill Swap on X. On the following turn, both X and Y loaf around because they both acquired Truant after they moved. Now they're on the same cycle.

Getting to the point of all this, Mega Evolution and Ultra Burst count as actions for Truant, so gaining Truant later in the turn but before actually taking another action, the bit is already 1 and you loaf around. This was more or less clear back in Gen 6 but it's easier to see now that the game truly supports multiple actions per turn with Dancer and Instruct. As you might expect, a Dancer Pokemon copying a dance move, then acquiring Truant, then attempting to make its move all within the same turn has the intended move be loafing instead.

 

[urkerab]

As you might expect, a Dancer Pokemon copying a dance move, then acquiring Truant, then attempting to make its move all within the same turn has the intended move be loafing instead.

And if it then copies a second dance move, that will now succeed, I take it?

 

[SadisticMystic]

Once it gains Truant, it obviously doesn't have Dancer anymore, so it has no reason to copy dance moves. Copying two dances pre-truancy is no different than just one.

 

[sumwun]

Here are three facts that I think I know. Can you guys confirm them?

When dancer calls a move that targets another Pokemon, it targets a random opponent and never targets an ally.
When a Pokemon uses a move that calls another move, the last move used is set to the "caller move" and not the "callee move". For example, if a Pokemon is encored after using tri attack though using nature power, then it gets locked into nature power and not tri attack. (I know this isn't the case with the metronome item; it seems to vary depending on which move/ability/item is used to check the last move used)
A galvanized normal-type status move will activate a target's lightning rod.

 

[MZ]

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7pu-745965800
Sorry if this has been touched upon but I don't see it specifically mentioned anywhere or any reason why mind blown wouldn't deal 50% recoil when calling assist, especially when it's specifically not stopped by rock head/magic guard.
(I know PS mechanics aren't necessarily the right mechanics, just asking if anybody's tested this)

 

[SadisticMystic]

Mind Blown does still give recoil when it's called by another move, such as Sleep Talk or Assist. Rock Head doesn't stop the recoil, but Magic Guard does.

 

[urkerab]

Mind Blown does still give recoil when it's called by another move, such as Sleep Talk or Assist. Rock Head doesn't stop the recoil, but Magic Guard does.

I think it used to, but it stopped doing it when Marty updated it again in commit f849ae0 to make it recoil even if there was no target.

 

[Scuba Diver]

Does Core Enforcer cut the speed of a post-item-consumption Unburden user?

 

[dhelmise]

Does Core Enforcer cut the speed of a post-item-consumption Unburden user?

yes

 

[power]

And if it then copies a second dance move, that will now succeed, I take it?

It won’t have dancer anymore, so how can it copy a dance move?

 

[urkerab]

It won’t have dancer anymore, so how can it copy a dance move?

SadisticMystic already pointed that out, although I guess an Instruct would work in the same way.

 

[DaWoblefet]

I was asked by MacChaeger to do research on the (none) "-" ability (presumably index 0 in the Abilities list). This would be relevant to Hackmons behavior. Here are my findings:

In the summary screen, the Ability appears as a "-" character. When viewing the description for the ability, another "-" is found.

Screenshots

During battle, the Ability information is simply blank. It's blank on both the bottom information screen as well as the summary screen when attempting to switch a Pokemon.

Screenshot

Any Pokemon with the "-" Ability is rejected for any online functionality (battle, trade, etc.). Moreover, my Battle Videos were rejected when I tried to upload them.

Mechanics tests:

• Transforming into a Pokemon with the "-" Ability copies the "-" Ability successfully.
• Skill Swapping the "-" Ability works successfully. A "-" is used as the name of the Ability when any information about Abilities being changed is displayed.
• Role Play works to copy the "-" Ability, and a Pokemon with the "-" Ability can Role Play another Pokemon's Ability successfully.
• The "-" Ability can be successfully overwritten with Entrainment, Simple Beam, and the aforementioned Role Play (I didn't test any others). The "-" Ability can successfully be distributed via Entrainment.
• Gastro Acid will nullify the "-" Ability, and it gives the usual bottom screen info that the Pokemon has no ability. This implies the property of "having no ability" is separate from the "-" Ability. See the screenshot below.
• When a Pokemon with the "-" Ability changes Forme, faints, and subsequently undergoes fainted Forme regression, their Ability is reset to be their default Ability. In the overworld, this change is permanent, but in link battles, the change is only temporary. The Pokemon only regains their default Ability if it was due to fainted Forme regression; regular fainting does not reset the "-" Ability.

Screenshot

The only especially unusual interaction I found was that Trace refuses to copy the "-" Ability. It's not like Stance Change or Multitype where the Ability is ignored, but rather the Trace check seems to be consumed in some way whenever it could potentially Trace the "-" Ability (at least, most of the time). Here were the interactions:

• Mega Alakazam Mega Evolves against two Pokemon with "-" Abilities. Trace does not activate. One of the "-" Ability Pokemon switches for Landorus-T; Trace does not trigger to activate Intimidate (the usual interaction of unTraceable abilities + switching would have been to Trace Intimidate immediately).
• Mega Alakazam switches in against a Pokemon with the "-" Ability, and one without the "-" Ability but with a Traceable Ability (Amoonguss with Regenerator). Trace did not activate. When the "-" Ability Pokemon switched out for Landorus-T, so two Pokemon with Traceable abilities were out on the field, Trace still did not activate. The slot arrangement (left or right) does not matter, Trace just doesn't work.
• Mega Alakazam switches in against two Pokemon with unTraceable abilities (Flower Gift and Zen Mode). Cherrim and Darmanitan switch out. As Cherrim switches out for the "-" Ability Pokemon; Trace does not activate; however, immediately after when Smeargle replaces Darmanitan, Trace DOES activate.

As far as I can tell, the "-" Ability doesn't have any regular effect at all.

EDIT: Some more tests with Trace for clarification.

• In a Single battle: Mega Alakazam Mega Evolves vs. an "-" Ability Pokemon. Next turn, the "-" Ability Pokemon is switched out for Smeargle, and Trace does not activate.
• Mega Alakazam Mega Evolves vs. a "-" Ability Necrozma-Dusk-Mane. Next turn, Necrozma Ultra Bursts, and Trace does not activate.
• All the rest are doubles. Mega Alakazam Mega Evolves vs. an Aegislash and Mimikyu. Next turn, both are switched to two separate "-" Ability Pokemon. Afterwards, each "-" Ability Pokemon is switched to a Smeargle; on the first switch, Trace activates and takes Smeargle's ability.
• Mega Alakazam Mega Evolves vs. an Aegislash and Mimikyu. Next turn, both are switched to two separate "-" Ability Pokemon, and Alakazam uses Skill Swap on its partner. Trace does not activate. Next turn, both "-" Ability are switched for Smeargle. Trace does not activate.
• Mega Alakazam Mega Evolves vs. an Aegislash and a "-" Ability Pokemon. The "-" Ability switches for Smeargle, and Trace does not activate.

My best explanation for this unusual Trace behavior is that the checks for Trace are arranged somewhat in this way:

1. Get the set of Abilities from the opponent
2. Use the RNG to pick one of the two abilities
3. If that ability is unTraceable, choose the other Pokemon's ability
4. If that second ability is unTraceable, wait and watch for some new Traceable ability to switch in
5. On switchin, check if that new ability is Traceable; if so, Trace it, if not, wait again and repeat.

My assumption is that the reason this unusual behavior occurs is that at step 1, the game says "this isn't just an unTraceable Ability, this is an illegal Ability" and errors out, canceling the entire Trace process altogether. That's what I meant by "the Trace check seems to be consumed in some way". That check for illegal abilities probably just isn't present at steps 4/5, so Trace simply treats "-" as an unTraceable ability at that step rather than erroring out.

 

[SadisticMystic]

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-750606387

In-game, if a Pokemon tries to snatch Rest when the Rest user has full health but the Snatch user does not, the full HP causes the move to fail before making the check for "Is it possible to snatch this?", and the Snatch user does not go to sleep or recover health.

 

[urkerab]

In-game, if a Pokemon tries to snatch Rest when the Rest user has full health but the Snatch user does not, the full HP causes the move to fail before making the check for "Is it possible to snatch this?", and the Snatch user does not go to sleep or recover health.

That's the only case in which Rest is unaffected by Snatch?

 

[SadisticMystic]

I haven't yet tested cases like "Airborne Snatch user tries to snatch from a grounded Rest user in electric terrain", but that seems plausible enough to set up even in single-player.

[EDIT] just tested that; the Electric/Misty Terrain checks are not until after the "snatchable" check in this case, so a flying opponent can indeed Snatch the Rest away and succeed with it.

 

[Hugin]

I haven't yet tested cases like "Airborne Snatch user tries to snatch from a grounded Rest user in electric terrain", but that seems plausible enough to set up even in single-player.

[EDIT] just tested that; the Electric/Misty Terrain checks are not until after the "snatchable" check in this case, so a flying opponent can indeed Snatch the Rest away and succeed with it.

Does anyone want to check Belly Drum then? There’s 2 points of failure with that move, attack stat and health, and I could see either of those not working right with Snatch.

 

[prankster20]

What triggers first... Soul-Heart or Power of Alchemy/Receiver?
Say, If a Passimian and a Magearna are on your side, and Magearna faints, will Passimian will receive its Soul-Heart and then immediately get a Soul-Heart boost? (This would/should happen if Receiver procs first)
If Soul-Heart procs first, nothing special would happen I guess.

Also, the first page says that Sheer Force does bypass Emergency Exit

• Sheer Force stops Emergency Exit from activating. (ih8ih8sn0w)

but clicking on the linked post says it does NOT bypass Emergency Exit... which is the right one?

 

[Nexus]

Also, the first page says that Sheer Force does bypass Emergency Exit

but clicking on the linked post says it does NOT bypass Emergency Exit... which is the right one?

whatever the post says, I fixed it.