Super Luck - Ability ID 105

In-Game Description

"Raises critical-hit ratio of own moves by +1."

Extended In-Game Description

For use in Elite Redux extended ability UI (IMPORTANT: exactly 280-300 chars counted WITH spaces)

Super Luck adds +1 to the critical hit stage of all the Pokémon's damaging moves. This effectively doubles the critical hit chance for most moves (from 1/16 to 1/8). Stacks with high-crit moves like Slash and items like Scope Lens. Maximum crit stage is still capped at +4 for guaranteed crits.

Character count: 293

Detailed Mechanical Explanation

Super Luck is a passive ability that enhances the critical hit ratio of all damaging moves used by the Pokémon with this ability. Here's how it works:

Core Mechanics

• Adds +1 to the critical hit stage calculation for all damaging moves
• This bonus is applied before the move is executed
• Works with all damaging moves, regardless of type or category (physical/special)

Critical Hit Stage System

The critical hit system in Pokémon uses stages:

• Stage 0: 1/16 chance (6.25%)
• Stage 1: 1/8 chance (12.5%)
• Stage 2: 1/2 chance (50%)
• Stage 3+: Guaranteed critical hit (100%)

With Super Luck:

• Normal moves start at Stage 1 instead of Stage 0
• High-crit moves (like Slash) go from Stage 1 to Stage 2
• Moves with +2 crit ratio go from Stage 2 to Stage 3 (guaranteed crit)

Stacking with Other Effects

Super Luck stacks additively with:

• High critical-hit ratio moves (Slash, Leaf Blade, etc.): +1 stage
• Scope Lens/Razor Claw held items: +1 stage
• Focus Energy status: +2 stages
• Z-Move critical hit boosts
• Any other critical hit stage modifiers

Example Combinations

1. Super Luck + Normal Move: 1/8 chance (12.5%)
2. Super Luck + Slash: 1/2 chance (50%)
3. Super Luck + Slash + Scope Lens: Guaranteed critical hit
4. Super Luck + Focus Energy + Normal Move: Guaranteed critical hit

Implementation Details

From the code in abilities.cc:

constexpr Ability SuperLuck = {
    .onCrit = +[](ON_CRIT) -> int { return 1; },
};

The implementation is straightforward - it returns 1 when calculating critical hit stages, adding exactly one stage to the critical hit calculation. This is checked during damage calculation for all damaging moves.

Strategic Implications

• Excellent on Pokémon with access to high-crit moves
• Pairs well with Scope Lens for reliable critical hits
• Benefits from critical hit damage being 1.5x in modern generations
• Particularly effective on Pokémon with high Attack/Special Attack stats
• Can bypass defensive stat boosts since critical hits ignore them

Notable Users

Super Luck is particularly effective on Pokémon that can learn multiple high-critical-hit-ratio moves, allowing them to achieve guaranteed critical hits with proper setup.