Flower Veil (Ability #166)

Overview

Flower Veil is a protective ability that shields Grass-type allies from harmful status conditions and stat reductions. This ability was introduced in Generation VI and provides comprehensive battlefield protection for Grass-type teammates.

Current Description

Short: "Protects Grass-type allies from status and stat drops."

Extended In-Game Description

For use in Elite Redux extended ability UI (IMPORTANT: exactly 280-300 chars counted WITH spaces) "Surrounds Grass-type allies with a protective veil of petals, preventing all status conditions including poison, burn, paralysis, sleep, and freeze. Also blocks all stat reductions from enemy moves, abilities, and effects. Does not protect the user if they are not Grass-type."

Character count: 295 characters

Mechanics

Status Protection

• Prevents ALL status conditions (poison, burn, paralysis, sleep, freeze, confusion) from affecting Grass-type allies
• Works against both direct status moves and secondary status effects from damaging moves
• Applies through onStatusImmune callback in the battle engine

Stat Reduction Protection

• Blocks ALL stat decreases to Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, Speed, Accuracy, and Evasion
• Protects against moves like Intimidate, stat-lowering moves, and ability-based stat drops
• Handled through IsFlowerVeilProtected() function in battle script commands
• Displays "surrounded itself with a veil of petals!" message when activated

Application Rules

• Target: Only affects Grass-type Pokemon on the same side as the ability user
• Self-Protection: Does NOT protect the user unless they are also Grass-type
• Breakable: Can be bypassed by Mold Breaker and similar abilities
• Activation: Works passively - no turn activation required

Implementation Details

Code Location

• Primary Definition: src/abilities.cc lines 1840-1848 (FlowerVeil struct)
• Status Immunity: Uses onStatusImmune callback with APPLY_ON_ALLY flag
• Stat Protection: Handled in src/battle_script_commands.c via IsFlowerVeilProtected()
• Battle Message: "surrounded itself with a veil of petals!" in battle_message.c

Ability Structure

constexpr Ability FlowerVeil = {
    .onStatusImmune = +[](ABILITY_ON_STATUS_IMMUNE) -> int {
        CHECK(status & CHECK_STATUS1)
        CHECK(IS_BATTLER_OF_TYPE(target, TYPE_GRASS))
        return TRUE;
    },
    .onStatusImmuneFor = APPLY_ON_ALLY,
    .breakable = TRUE,
};

Pokemon That Learn This Ability

Regular Ability

• Sunflora - Primary ability option alongside Grassy Surge and Chlorophyll

Innate Ability

• Bellossom - Has Flower Veil as one of multiple innate abilities

Competitive Analysis

Strengths

1. Comprehensive Protection: Covers both status and stat reduction immunity
2. Team Support: Excellent for protecting Grass-type teammates in doubles
3. Consistent Activation: Works passively without setup requirements
4. Wide Coverage: Protects against many common battle strategies

Weaknesses

1. Type Restriction: Only protects Grass-type Pokemon
2. Breakable: Countered by Mold Breaker abilities
3. No Self-Protection: Doesn't help non-Grass-type users
4. Situational: Less valuable in singles or non-Grass teams

Strategic Use

• Doubles Support: Ideal for protecting valuable Grass-type attackers
• Status Immunity: Counters common status strategies like Spore or Will-O-Wisp
• Anti-Intimidate: Protects physical Grass attackers from Attack drops
• Team Synergy: Works well with powerful but fragile Grass-type sweepers

Related Abilities

• Aroma Veil: Protects team from move restriction (Taunt, Encore, etc.)
• Sweet Veil: Prevents sleep status for entire team
• Jungle's Guard: Custom ability that combines Flower Veil with Leaf Guard effects

Battle Messages

• Activation: "{B_DEF_NAME_WITH_PREFIX} surrounded itself with a veil of petals!"
• Context: Displayed when stat reduction or status condition is blocked

Version History

• Generation VI: Introduced as signature ability of Florges line
• Elite Redux: Enhanced with comprehensive stat reduction immunity
• Current: Functions as both status and stat protection for Grass allies

Notes

• The ability checks for TYPE_GRASS using IS_BATTLER_OF_TYPE() macro
• Status immunity uses the standard CHECK_STATUS1 flag system
• Stat protection integrates with the broader stat modification system
• Battle scripts handle both the immunity check and message display
• Works in both singles and doubles, but most effective in team formats