What type of bug are you reporting? Mechanics
What is the bug?
In Generations II, III, and IV, Freeze Clause will wrongly activate in the following specific set of circumstances:
1. A Pokémon gets frozen.
2. The frozen Pokémon dies to Pursuit while switching out.
3. Another Pokémon on the same team gets "frozen" (This is when Freeze Clause will erroneously prevent this new Pokémon from getting frozen.)
I'm assuming this is a bug related to how Pursuit is coded in Gens II-IV ("Previously chosen switches continue in Gen 2-4 after a Pursuit target faints."), but of course I could easily be wrong.
I encountered this bug during the following Gen III OU ladder game: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen3ou-2296996585-5dc9e43auoomjmg713vi88dclxobawfpw
Notably, Freeze Clause activated multiple times during the same game, on turns 7 and 10.
I have been able to replicate this bug in Gens II and IV too, as evidenced by the replays provided in the "Are you able to replicate it? If so, how?" section.
Are you able to replicate it? If so, how?
Yes, this bug can easily be replicated by following the steps I laid in the previous section (repeated below):
1. Get a Pokémon frozen in a Gen II, III, or IV battle.
2. Have the frozen Pokémon die to Pursuit while switching out.
3. Let another Pokémon on the same team be blasted with freezing moves until Freeze Clause activates.
Below are replays containing this bug for each relevant generation.
GSC:
- https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen2ou-2297099339-herlq8n5bmav1xusyij2i2lj8f1qjlhpw (The clause activates on turns 20 and 28.)
ADV:
- https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen3ou-2297015871-ck9ku8t4p3cyb2j8egyojni45k4q4vqpw (The clause activates on turns 60, 54, 62, 67, and 69.)
- https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen3ou-2296996585-5dc9e43auoomjmg713vi88dclxobawfpw (The clause activates on turns 7 and 10. This is the ladder replay from earlier.)
DPP:
- https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2297091711-ca6g8mm0yq69rpie386yy7lmdky3gl0pw (The clause activates on turns 22, 25, and 42.)
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Just in case, I made sure that Freeze Clause was indeed working properly when the first frozen Pokémon dies without Pursuit being involved. Here's a replay of that: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen3ou-2297105953-cu8msphbq6f1nvn8i6eualytg3p8807pw
(I provide a replay without Pursuit for Gen III only, sadly, because my friends and I were burned out. In the replay, you can see Tyranitar dying normally while frozen, and then you can see Blissey being frozen again. These events happen in turns 36 and 45, respectively.)
What is the bug?
In Generations II, III, and IV, Freeze Clause will wrongly activate in the following specific set of circumstances:
1. A Pokémon gets frozen.
2. The frozen Pokémon dies to Pursuit while switching out.
3. Another Pokémon on the same team gets "frozen" (This is when Freeze Clause will erroneously prevent this new Pokémon from getting frozen.)
I'm assuming this is a bug related to how Pursuit is coded in Gens II-IV ("Previously chosen switches continue in Gen 2-4 after a Pursuit target faints."), but of course I could easily be wrong.
I encountered this bug during the following Gen III OU ladder game: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen3ou-2296996585-5dc9e43auoomjmg713vi88dclxobawfpw
Notably, Freeze Clause activated multiple times during the same game, on turns 7 and 10.
I have been able to replicate this bug in Gens II and IV too, as evidenced by the replays provided in the "Are you able to replicate it? If so, how?" section.
Are you able to replicate it? If so, how?
Yes, this bug can easily be replicated by following the steps I laid in the previous section (repeated below):
1. Get a Pokémon frozen in a Gen II, III, or IV battle.
2. Have the frozen Pokémon die to Pursuit while switching out.
3. Let another Pokémon on the same team be blasted with freezing moves until Freeze Clause activates.
Below are replays containing this bug for each relevant generation.
GSC:
- https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen2ou-2297099339-herlq8n5bmav1xusyij2i2lj8f1qjlhpw (The clause activates on turns 20 and 28.)
ADV:
- https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen3ou-2297015871-ck9ku8t4p3cyb2j8egyojni45k4q4vqpw (The clause activates on turns 60, 54, 62, 67, and 69.)
- https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen3ou-2296996585-5dc9e43auoomjmg713vi88dclxobawfpw (The clause activates on turns 7 and 10. This is the ladder replay from earlier.)
DPP:
- https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen4ou-2297091711-ca6g8mm0yq69rpie386yy7lmdky3gl0pw (The clause activates on turns 22, 25, and 42.)
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Just in case, I made sure that Freeze Clause was indeed working properly when the first frozen Pokémon dies without Pursuit being involved. Here's a replay of that: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen3ou-2297105953-cu8msphbq6f1nvn8i6eualytg3p8807pw
(I provide a replay without Pursuit for Gen III only, sadly, because my friends and I were burned out. In the replay, you can see Tyranitar dying normally while frozen, and then you can see Blissey being frozen again. These events happen in turns 36 and 45, respectively.)