Withdraw

[Objection]

This discussion will be moderated to ensure it is focused.​

Withdraw provides a +1 boost to defence. That's nice and all, but we have Defence Curl, which does that and boosts the power of Rollout and Ice Ball, and we have Harden, which does that and causes 10% recoil on enemies' contact moves, meaning Withdraw is kinda outclassed.

Withdraw's description currently reads:
[box]Withdraw: The Pokemon withdraws into its shell, which glows a bright crimson, increasing its defense one (1) stage. This move locks its changed stat for the round within which it was used.

Attack Power: -- | Accuracy: -- | Energy Cost: 5 | Attack Type: Other | Effect Chance: -- | Contact: N/A | Typing: Water | Priority: 0 | CT: Passive[/box]

Should we give this move something to differentiate it from the other +1 defence moves? If so, what?

------------------------

So far, one possible additional effect has been suggested:

My current idea would reduce all incoming damage that action to 0, should its defense stage be 0.

Is this appropriate? Are there other possible buffs that would be more appropriate? Don't let me stop y'all from discussing this!

 

[Stratos]

If we're continuing the trend of having 'babby' versions of the moves, then I don't think it should reduce incoming damage to 0. A mini-barrier could possibly reduce incoming physical attack damage by 1/3 or 1/2, i'd be fine with that.

more importantly, though, i'm really unconvinced a change is necessary for such a niche move. still, if we're going to give an intentionally shit move a buff, it shouldn't be so large.

 

[Unitas]

Maybe make critical hits unable to hit you for as long as the boost lasts?

 

[Objection]

I disagree with the idea that Withdraw as it stands is fine, on the basis that, for a niche move, it is surprisingly lacking in niche.

However, I agree that reducing all damage to 0 that action (an effect that, outside of specifically protective and evasive manoeuvres, is given to +2 defence moves rather than +1 defence moves) is too much. If we're going to go for a damage reduction effect, perhaps reducing damage that action to 50% would be more suitable.

 

[Unoriginal Name]

My suggestion: Along with the Defense boost, give the user of Withdraw an immunity to status (Burn, Para, etc) until the end of the action once Withdraw is used, though raise the Energy cost to ~8.

Really, this just becomes a pseudo-Substitute which only lasts for 1 action but costs less Energy, doesn't siphon HP and raises Defense. Really, most of the time, Substitute is used to defend from status while giving an immunity to damage, at the cost of HP and more Energy; this only lasts for 1 action, costs less Energy and no HP, and gives a Defense boost.
The only con I can see for this is making status moves a little harder to sub for, with the foe packing Substitute and Withdraw, as you now need 2 substitutions. However, this can be fixed by preventing Withdraw from being used 2 actions in a row, or else having this effect fail (a la Protect/Detect), among other possible methods.

 

[Its_A_Random]

Reducing damage to 0 is too similar to other moves that boost Defence, so we should not be bothering with that. I personally think there should be some damage reduction of some sort, but I think a good idea for Withdraw would be this:
[BOX]Withdraw: The Pokemon withdraws into its shell, which glows a bright crimson, increasing its defense one (1) stage, and halving all damage taken until this Pokemon uses a move other than Chill, Harden, Iron Defense, Rapid Spin, Withdraw, or a combination involving two of the aforementioned moves. If combined with either Harden or Iron Defense, the Defense Boost is increased by a further stage, and the recoil effect of Harden/Iron Defense is both doubled and also applied during the cooldown action. This move locks its changed stat for the round within which it was used.

Attack Power: -- | Accuracy: -- | Energy Cost: 5 | Attack Type: Other | Effect Chance: -- | Contact: N/A | Typing: Water | Priority: 0 | CT: Passive[/BOX]
I am aware that there is nothing that learns both Withdraw & Harden bar Smeargle, but here is some reasoning behind some of the things mentioned here.

• "... and halving all damage taken until this Pokemon uses a move other than Chill, Harden, Iron Defense, Rapid Spin, Withdraw, or a combination involving two of the aforementioned moves."
  The damage halving is the special effect since the Pokémon is generally inside its shell, & the effect remaining until neither of the aforementioned moves is used kinda makes flavour sense here, since...
  • Chill? You are doing nothing, so you can remain inside the shell.
  • Harden/Iron Defence? Again, you really do not have to move at all, since all you do is magically improve your exterior body without moving, so yeah.
  • Rapid Spin is a bit different, but I was generally more thinking of the Squirtle/Wartortle/Blastoise line here, since in order to execute Rapid Spin, all three of them—if I recall correctly—extract into their shells before spinning, & if they are already in their shells, then yeah, they can easily maintain Withdraw while using the move.
• "If combined with either Harden or Iron Defense, the Defense Boost is increased by a further stage, and the recoil effect of Harden/Iron Defense is both doubled and also applied during the cooldown action."
  This is a hard sell, as this is a rather powerful effect. With Iron Defence, you are boosting your Defence by 4 Stages, the boost is being locked for the round, & you are likely to take very little damage across the two actions you are likely to be in the shell for. Not to mention, a consistent recoil damage with normal Iron Defence (The doubling of the recoil compensates for the damage halving), & the potential flushing of impurities. Personally, it makes sense flavour-wise, & if we are going to combo-tech the move, you might as well give it some extra quirks... Not very good reasoning, I know... -.-'

Of course if there is anything that turns out to be unpopular, I can remove it. I did consider a combination with Rapid Spin, but I decided to not include it & see what reception my rather big improvement to an outclassed move is... -.-'

 

[Gerard]

Would Rest be too much to add? It makes sense for you to be capable to rest inside your shell but idk if it would be pretty strong considering all Withdraw users are at least bulky on one side but it makes perfect sense for you to be capable to rest inside your shell while under it's effect, otherwise I think it's a nice niche

 

[akela]

I really, really, really like IAR's suggestion. It makes it so much more than an inferior Acid Armor/Barrier/Iron Defense/Defense Curl. I really cannot get over how the current version is inferior to Defense Curl, [Tangent about Defense Curl]. I think permitting Rest would be overstepping the bounds a bit. A defense boost + Status Cure + Halved Damage + 12 HP (at the end of the action) would be a bit much for a single combo (not even touching the boosts for the next action).

According to Veekun, the following pokemon learn Withdraw:
Squirtle|Wartortle|Blastoise
Slowbro
Shellder|Cloyster
Omanyte|Omastar
Shuckle
Torkoal
Turtwig|Grotle|Torterra
Dwebble|Crustle
Tirtouga|Carracosta

Of them, only the Turtwig line and Shuckle do not learn Iron Defense.

Furthermore, of those lines that learn Withdraw, the following are the only ones to learn Rapid Spin as well:
Squirtle|Wartortle|Blastoise
Shellder|Cloyster
Torkoal

Mollux is the only CAP to get Withdraw, and much like the others, it does not get Harden as well. You would not need to worry about Harden + Withdraw on any pokemon except Smeargle. The only CAP that gets Harden is Scratchet. Even if you factor in event moves, no pokemon besides Smeargle gets Harden + Withdraw.

 

[Engineer Pikachu]

I don't see why we'd worry about Harden + Withdraw when Iron Defense + Withdraw has a better effect?

Other than grammar I like IAR's idea.

 

[ZhengTann]

IAR's proposal seems well constructed (I'm not a grammar nazi, so I'm not gonna nitpick on that). It matches in-anime possibilities, and provides a unique niche, though I think it's a little too over in terms of its intended power levels. Halving damage for a minimum 2 actions while using it in a combo with Harden or Iron Defense, plus recoil effects from the aforementioned 2 moves, is quite a buff for a low-EN-cost combo-tech (see Ember and co.).

I think maybe we could retain EN cost at 5 instead of raising it to compensate, and remove either the "halved damage until you come out of the shell" part, or "combo-tech with Harden and Iron Defense" part.

 

[Elevator Music]

Another option is to make damage 2/3 (or even 3/4) of normal.

 

[Its_A_Random]

Would Rest be too much to add? It makes sense for you to be capable to rest inside your shell but idk if it would be pretty strong considering all Withdraw users are at least bulky on one side but it makes perfect sense for you to be capable to rest inside your shell while under it's effect, otherwise I think it's a nice niche

Rest was considered, but for balance reasons, I omitted it. Besides, given the cooldown action, a rest after Withdraw + Rest would last four actions, meaning not only a net +48 HP, but also a Rest that is very hard to break, which is pretty OP for a 5 EN move. Yes, Sleep Talk & Snore both exist, but still...

I don't see why we'd worry about Harden + Withdraw when Iron Defense + Withdraw has a better effect?

Other than grammar, (comma) I like IAR's idea.

You cannot please everyone with your writing... -.-'

IAR's proposal seems well constructed (I'm not a grammar nazi, so I'm not gonna nitpick on that). It matches in-anime possibilities, and provides a unique niche, though I think it's a little too over in terms of its intended power levels. Halving damage for a minimum 2 actions while using it in a combo with Harden or Iron Defense, plus recoil effects from the aforementioned 2 moves, is quite a buff for a low-EN-cost combo-tech (see Ember and co.).

I think maybe we could retain EN cost at 5 instead of raising it to compensate, and remove either the "halved damage until you come out of the shell" part, or "combo-tech with Harden and Iron Defense" part.

As EM said:

Another option is to make damage 2/3 (or even 3/4) of normal.

Anyhow I revised Withdraw & came up with this:
[BOX]Withdraw: The Pokemon withdraws into its shell, which glows a bright crimson, increasing its defense one (1) stage, and reducing all damage taken by a third (DMG ÷ 1.5) until this Pokemon uses a move other than Chill, Harden, Iron Defense, Rapid Spin, Withdraw, or a combination involving two of the aforementioned moves. If combined with either Harden or Iron Defense, the Defense Boost is not only increased by a further stage, but the recoil effect of Harden/Iron Defense is both doubled (×2) and also applied during the cooldown action. This move locks its changed stat for the round within which it was used. Withdraw cannot be used if this Pokemon is under the effects of Shell Smash.

Attack Power: -- | Accuracy: -- | Energy Cost: 5 | Attack Type: Other | Effect Chance: -- | Contact: N/A | Typing: Water | Priority: 0 | CT: Passive[/BOX]
I nerfed the Damage dealt to 2/3 of normal, & added the line: "Withdraw cannot be used if this Pokemon is under the effects of Shell Smash." This is because you have already smashed your shell, so how are you going to retreat into your shell if it is in a billion pieces?

 

[Stratos]

i really feel like IAR's proposal swings too far in the opposite direction—now withdraw entirely outclasses defense curl / harden. I'd much prefer making a nerfed barrier clone, similar to how harden is a nerfed iron defense clone. Simply reducing oncoming physical attack damage by 1/2 will work. We can even make its niche that this still works if its defense stage is above 0.

[box]The Pokemon withdraws into its shell, which glows a bright crimson, increasing its defense one (1) stage and halving all damage from any oncoming physical attack this action. Other effects of moves blocked in this way still happen. This move locks its changed stat for the round within which it was used. This move cannot be used if the user is under the effects of Shell Smash.

Attack Power: -- | Accuracy: -- | Energy Cost: 5 | Attack Type: Other | Effect Chance: -- | Contact: N/A | Typing: Water | Priority: 0 | CT: Passive[/box]

 

[Gerard]

Honestly I rather have a unique effect considering the amount of mons that get Withdraw in contrast to the HUGE amount that get Defense Curl, while Harden has a smaller pool yet it's still bigger than the Withdraw one and everything with Harden gets Iron Defense, Barrier, etc...

 

[Objection]

i really feel like IAR's proposal swings too far in the opposite direction—now withdraw entirely outclasses defense curl / harden. I'd much prefer making a nerfed barrier clone, similar to how harden is a nerfed iron defense clone. Simply reducing oncoming physical attack damage by 1/2 will work. We can even make its niche that this still works if its defense stage is above 0.

This seems like the best thing to do for Withdraw.

I don't buy arguments about move distribution being a reason to make a move more or less powerful - Sketch and Mimic might not screw this argument up too much, but there's this thing called Unown Soup that effectively means, when determining a power level for a move, you should really assume that everyone can get to it.

 

[zarator]

Unown Soup is far from a balanced set of rules, or really a set of rules we should worry about, in my opinion. It is intended to be a gimmick, so I would not take it into serious consideration.

Now, a lot of the Pokemon that learn Withdraw also learn Harden and Iron Defense, or at least one of these two. Hence, it's a bad idea to make Withdraw similar to these moves, since either one or the others would be outclassed in this eventuality.

The effects of Harden and Iron Defense are very close. They both add recoil damage to incoming contact attacks from the opponent (in addition to additional effect such as corrosion healing etc). My proposal, thus, is to make Withdraw better against non-contact physical moves, such as Earthquake and Stone Edge. For example, Withdraw could reduce the damage of these moves by a small amount (like, 1 BP or something) until the end of the round.

What are the advantages of this proposal?
1) It makes Withdraw clearly distinct from Harden and Iron Defense, at no risk of outclassing or being outclassed by these moves. This should be obvious.
2) The Pokemon that learn Withdraw have a high interest in having some counter to non-contact physical moves. The list is not very large, but it includes the majority of physical Rock-type and Ground-type attacks, as well as some of the best physical Grass-type (Seed Bomb, Bullet Seed) and Ice-type (Icicle Crash, Icicle Spear) moves.
Now, which of the Withdraw users benefit from this?
- Squirtle line often faces Ground/Rock mons (having type advantage against them), and dislikes Grass-type attacks. Same thing goes for Slowbro
- Shellder line, and Omanyte/Tirtouga lines are in the same boat with Squirtle, but they're respectively Rock and Ground weak as well, so they would benefit even more
- Shuckle is notably weak to Rock moves. Same thing with Dwebble line.
- Torkoal is weak to Ground and Rock moves, while often finding himself facing down Grass and Ice mons due to his type advantage
- Turtwig line is commonly used against Rock/Ground mons because of its rare set of resistances, and it absolutely hates Ice-type moves

Bottom line is: All Withdraw users are commonly faced with Rock, Ground, Grass, and Ice attackers - either because they counter them, or because they're countered by them. Therefore, they'd have a vested interest in a version of Withdraw that hampers non-contact Physical attacks (very common among the aforementioned types).

 

[Gerard]

I think that's too little of an advantage to actually be of any use in most circumstances, as many withdraw users have either Light Screen / Reflect to take care of those attacks (Slowbro & Torterra, with Blastoise, Cloyster and Omastar having Reflect), Sluckle has Power Split, Torkoal and Blastoise (and even Carracosta) have ways to burn their opponents and Shuckle, Omastar, Carracosta and Crustle can use Sandstorm to help their SpD by twice your proposed amount, etc... bottom line being all of this mons have something that would outclass your proposed version of Withdraw

I'm of the though that we should try to boost support moves with little distributions, even if in-game they are not the strongest, they would grant their users certain niches over the most commonly used mons that would certainly help bringing some diversity and interesting battles into ASB

 

[zarator]

I think that's too little of an advantage to actually be of any use in most circumstances, as many withdraw users have either Light Screen / Reflect to take care of those attacks (Slowbro & Torterra, with Blastoise, Cloyster and Omastar having Reflect), Sluckle has Power Split, Torkoal and Blastoise (and even Carracosta) have ways to burn their opponents and Shuckle, Omastar, Carracosta and Crustle can use Sandstorm to help their SpD by twice your proposed amount, etc... bottom line being all of this mons have something that would outclass your proposed version of Withdraw

You have misunderstood my point. I perfectly agree with the idea that my proposed version of Withdraw probably sucks (I completely improvised over there). Yet, this doesn't defeat my point that Withdraw could have some effect that addresses non-contact physical moves. Sure, you could still say "Light Screen/Reflect take care of those attacks", but then again - isn't the same true with Harden and Iron Defense too (in that Reflect takes care of physical attacks already)? And, I might add, with the majority of the new versions for Withdraw proposed here?

 

[kingmidas]

Maybe make critical hits unable to hit you for as long as the boost lasts?

I agree with Unitas. Withdraw is a move that involves hiding back into your shell or armor so it would be like a one turn shell armor, preventing crits like the ability. Thus the move has a niche and not a OP effect added.

 

[Gerard]

Cloyster, Omastar, Torkoal, Torterra & Crustle (Read, over half the users of Withdraw) have Shell Armor so that effect is pretty much useless in 5/9's of the FE users of the move (crits aren't even that common that you should waist an action just in case your opponent gets lucky)

 

[deadfox081]

I think it's important to remember that any and all of these proposed changes to Withdraw still retain the benefit of +1 defence. Exactly as the move does and was always intended to do. Yes it is interesting and unique that we add little bits to buff niche moves in our game. But by very definition they should remain niche moves. If we make Withdraw a move that anyone would use in anything than the most unusual or desperate of situations then we have clearly done too much. The move should be outclassed by Reflect or Sandstorm for Rock types because Reflect and Sandstorm are better moves! Something like zarator's proposed change does more than enough to make Withdraw kind-of-maybe useful. There is no need to make every move in ASB super powerful, some moves, like some Pokemon are just inherently weak. Its not like you're even spending MC on the move, since every single Pokemon bar Slowbro who learns the move gets it for free.

 

[ZhengTann]

I can agree with deadfox that zarator's points are valid, in that we could make it a Harden-lookalike (since they both share the properties of granting +1 Def), which means the power levels would definitely be the similar while giving it a unique niche. With his ideas in mind, I am putting forward this:

Withdraw: The Pokemon withdraws into its shell, which glows a bright crimson, increasing its defense by one (1) stage, and reducing final damage from all incoming non-contact physical attacks by two (2) until this Pokemon uses a move other than Chill, Harden, Iron Defense, Rapid Spin, Withdraw, or a combination involving two of the aforementioned moves. This move locks its changed stat for the round within which it was used. Withdraw cannot be used if this Pokemon is under the effects of Shell Smash.

Attack Power: -- | Accuracy: -- | Energy Cost: 5 | Attack Type: Other | Effect Chance: -- | Contact: N/A | Typing: Water | Priority: 0 | CT: Passive

It's basically a modification from IAR's proposal (I have yet to come up of an equally well-thought-up but different idea as of this post). Now compared to Harden:

[box]Harden: The Pokemon hardens its exterior, glowing brightly and lessening the damage from the opponent's physical moves. Harden boosts the user's defense by one (1) stage, and if Harden is used first it causes 10% recoil damage on an opponent that strikes it with a contact attack that action. This move locks its changed stat for the round within which it was used. Harden can also renew the skin of Rock and Steel type Pokemon, and can flush out impurities and external burns if the Pokemon is in water.

Attack Power: -- | Accuracy: -- | Energy Cost: 5 | Attack Type: Other | Effect Chance: -- | Contact: N/A | Typing: Normal | Priority: 0 | CT: Passive[/box]

• A well-timed Harden would on average inflict about 1 to 3 recoil damage to an contact-move attacker, assuming no combos. A Withdraw guarantees 2 final damage reduction from a non-contact physical attack (even if the Withdraw user moves last, the Withdraw effect still applies until the user uses another move on the next action).
• Shell Smash completely destroys what little viability Withdraw has, while Harden has an extra benefit of helping underwater Rock and Steel types. This, IMO, balances out the comparisons on the 1st bullet point.

Savvy?

 

[zarator]

I like Zhengtann's proposal

 

[Deck Knight]

Not that I''m the expert here or anything, but I really do dislike trying to contrive something new when we have existing effects to compare to.

Acid Armor: The Pokemon melts into an external body of water, increasing its defense two (2) stages, and if this Pokemon's Defense stage was initially at 0 or lower, this Pokemon dodges all physical attacks the action it is used. While all Pokemon with Acid Armor can melt into water (even Slugma and Magcargo), any substance similar to their original body structure can also be used. If no external fluid source that a Pokemon is compatible with is available, the move fails. This move locks its changed stat for the round if used on the last action of a round.

Attack Power: -- | Accuracy: -- | Energy Cost: 7 | Attack Type: Other | Effect Chance: -- | Contact: N/A | Typing: Poison | Priority: 0 | CT: Passive

Barrier: The Pokemon erects a sphere of energy around itself, nullifying all damage from any oncoming physical attack if this Pokemon's Defense stage was initially at 0 or lower. Other effects of moves blocked in this way still happen. The barrier also increases the Pokemon's Defense by two (2) stages. This move locks its changed stat for the round if used on the last action of a round.

Attack Power: -- | Accuracy: -- | Energy Cost: 7 | Attack Type: Other | Effect Chance: -- | Contact: N/A | Typing: Psychic | Priority: 0 | CT: Passive

Cotton Guard: The Pokemon gathers cotton around itself to raise its defense by three (3) stages. This move locks its changed stat for the round if used on the last action of a round.

Attack Power: -- | Accuracy: -- | Energy Cost: 11 | Attack Type: Other | Effect Chance: -- | Contact: N/A | Typing: Grass | Priority: 0 | CT: Passive

Defense Curl: The Pokemon curls up into a ball and tenses its muscles, raising its Defense by one (1) stage. This move locks its changed stat for the round within which it was used.

Attack Power: -- | Accuracy: -- | Energy Cost: 5 | Attack Type: Other | Effect Chance: -- | Contact: N/A | Typing: Normal | Priority: 0 | CT: Passive

Harden: The Pokemon hardens its exterior, glowing brightly and lessening the damage from the opponent’s physical moves. Harden boosts the user’s defense by one (1) stage, and if Harden is used first it causes 10% recoil damage on an opponent that strikes it with a contact attack that action. This move locks its changed stat for the round within which it was used. Harden can also renew the skin of Rock and Steel type Pokemon, and can flush out impurities and external burns if the Pokemon is in water.

Attack Power: -- | Accuracy: -- | Energy Cost: 5 | Attack Type: Other | Effect Chance: -- | Contact: N/A | Typing: Normal | Priority: 0 | CT: Passive

Iron Defense: The Pokemon infuses its skin with iron, boosting its defense by two (2) stages and preventing knockback when used. If Iron Defense is used first and an opponent strikes with a contact attack that action, they will receive 25% recoil damage. Iron Defense will remove the corrosive effects of Acid and Acid Spray on Steel-types. Iron Defense can renew the skin of both Rock and Steel type Pokemon, and can flush out impurities and external burns if the Pokemon is in water. This move locks its changed stat for the round if used on the last action of a round.

Attack Power: -- | Accuracy: -- | Energy Cost: 7 | Attack Type: Other | Effect Chance: -- | Contact: N/A | Typing: Steel | Priority: 0 | CT: Passive

Skull Bash: The Pokemon toughens up it skull, increasing its Defense by one (1) stage, then headbutts the foe with its thickened skull. Because of the time to charge, this attack will move second against any normal Attacks or Commands.

Attack Power: 10 | Accuracy: 100% | Energy Cost: 8 | Attack Type: Physical | Effect Chance: -- | Contact: Yes | Typing: Normal | Priority: Defense Raise: 1, Hit: -1 | CT: Passive

These are all the moves that raise the user's defense. Currently Defense Curl also doesn't have an effect, but is mentioned in Rollout and Ice Ball's descriptions. If we really want to tackle this, we should do it comprehensively rather than trying to be fancy with it.

Otherwise we end up with what happened during Splash, and it gets out of control as five different people want it to do different things.

 

[Deck Knight]

Having posted them, my suggestion is the following:

Buff Harden so it has the same recoil level as Iron Defense, but at a weaker stage. Tackle got buffed as a Weight-Based move at low energy so it can add that trait to an attack.

Defense Curl should have Rollout and Ice Ball added to its description, with perhaps another combination tie-in to Gyro Ball, Rapid Spin, and Steamroller

Which brings us to Withdraw. The Withdraw listing is the shortest of the three boosters, but there are a few common themes. I think it should have combinations with user stat-lowering moves, negating those stat lowers (so for example Torterra can use Withdraw + Superpower to deal damage and gain Defense rather than losing Attack/Defense. Torkoal can Withdraw + Overheat to avoid the SpA loss, etc. Withdraw could also combine with Skull Bash effectively. Finally, a combination with Hydro Pump/Cannon and Rock Blast/Wrecker should round it out. Withdraw will not be able to be used if Shell Smash is used.

While I like combinations, I actually think this could be approached differently, much like Water Gun has a unique effect. Withdraw could have the Pokemon go into their shell as a permanent +1 Defense mechanism. As a condition of this, contact attacks would remove Withdraw from the user with the exceptions of Gyro Ball, Rollout, and Rapid Spin. While Withdrawn, non-contact single target and all opponent target attacking moves will have their accuracy increased by a base 10%. If a Pokemon used Shell Smash, they could no longer use Withdraw.

I'd also like to add an additional effect from 0 to Cotton Guard.

Cotton Guard: The Pokemon gathers cotton around itself to raise its defense by three (3) stages, and if this Pokemon's Defense stage was initially at 0 or lower, the final physical damage done of all oncoming attacks this action is further reduced by half (0.5x) This move locks its changed stat for the round if used on the last action of a round.

Attack Power: -- | Accuracy: -- | Energy Cost: 11 | Attack Type: Other | Effect Chance: -- | Contact: N/A | Typing: Grass | Priority: 0 | CT: Passive

Defense Curl: The Pokemon curls up into a ball and tenses its muscles, raising its Defense by one (1) stage. The BAP of Rollout and Ice Ball are doubled if Defense Curl is used the action before those attacks. If Combined with Gyro Ball, Rapid Spin, or Steamroller, the Base Attack Power of the entire combination doubles (2x) and Defense is raised by two (2) stages. This move locks its changed stat for the round within which it was used.

Attack Power: -- | Accuracy: -- | Energy Cost: 5 | Attack Type: Other | Effect Chance: -- | Contact: N/A | Typing: Normal | Priority: 0 | CT: Passive

Harden: The Pokemon hardens its exterior, glowing brightly and lessening the damage from the opponent’s physical moves. Harden boosts the user’s defense by one (1) stage, and if Harden is used before an oncoming contact attack it causes 25% recoil damage on that opponent. This move locks its changed stat for the round within which it was used. Harden can also renew the skin of Rock and Steel type Pokemon, and can flush out impurities and external burns if the Pokemon is in water.

Attack Power: -- | Accuracy: -- | Energy Cost: 5 | Attack Type: Other | Effect Chance: -- | Contact: N/A | Typing: Normal | Priority: 0 | CT: Passive

Withdraw: The Pokemon withdraws into its shell, which glows a bright crimson, increasing its defense one (1) stage and giving the Pokemon "Withdrawn" status. A Pokemon will remain Withdrawn until it uses a contact attack or an attack that targets the entire field (ex. Earthquake). While withdrawn, the accuracy of all non-contact single foe or all opponents targeting attacks will increase by a base 10% (Acc +10 flat). Withdrawn Pokemon will retain the defense boost permanently until they are no longer Withdrawn, where they will lose the defense boost. Switching, being switched out, or using an attack incompatible with Withdrawn status will end the effect. If Skull Bash is used while Withdrawn, defense is raised by three (3) stages before the attack and the BAP of Skull Bash doubles (x2) - Skull Bash will also remove Withdrawn status. An active Pokemon that has used Shell Smash and has not been switched out in the interim cannot use Withdraw, and a use of Shell Smash while Withdrawn will end the effect.

Attack Power: -- | Accuracy: -- | Energy Cost: 8 | Attack Type: Other | Effect Chance: -- | Contact: N/A | Typing: Water | Priority: 0 | CT: Passive