Aura Break (Ability ID 188)

Current Description

"Cancels aura abilities and makes them 25% weaker instead."

Extended In-Game Description

For use in Elite Redux extended ability UI (IMPORTANT: exactly 280-300 chars counted WITH spaces) Reverses aura abilities' effects, causing Dark Aura and Fairy Aura to reduce their respective type moves by 25% instead of boosting them by 33%. Only affects Dark-type and Fairy-type move power boosts. Battle Aura and other aura-named abilities remain unaffected by this field-wide reversal effect.

Character count: 288 ✓

Mechanics Analysis

Core Functionality

• Field Presence: Aura Break affects the battlefield while the Pokemon is active
• Aura Reversal: Specifically targets Dark Aura and Fairy Aura abilities
• Damage Modifier: Changes aura boost from 1.33x to 0.75x (25% reduction)
• Scope: Only affects offensive move power, not other aura effects

Technical Implementation

// In Dark Aura and Fairy Aura implementations:
if (IsAbilityOnField(ABILITY_AURA_BREAK))
    MUL(.75);  // 25% reduction
else
    MUL(1.33); // Normal 33% boost

Affected Abilities

1. Dark Aura (ID 187): Dark-type moves become 0.75x power instead of 1.33x
2. Fairy Aura (ID 186): Fairy-type moves become 0.75x power instead of 1.33x

Unaffected Abilities

• Battle Aura (ID 490): Critical hit boost remains unchanged
• Other abilities with "Aura" in name but different mechanics

Battle Interactions

Multi-Pokemon Scenarios

• If multiple Pokemon have Dark/Fairy Aura, Aura Break still applies the reversal
• Aura Break's effect applies to all battlers' moves of the affected types
• Effect persists as long as any Pokemon with Aura Break remains on field

Stacking Behavior

• Multiple Aura Break abilities don't stack (effect is binary)
• If both boosting aura and Aura Break are present, Aura Break takes precedence

Strategic Applications

Offensive Use

• Counter teams heavily reliant on Dark Aura or Fairy Aura strategies
• Punish opponents using Xerneas or Yveltal with their signature abilities
• Create defensive advantage against aura-boosted sweepers

Defensive Considerations

• Pokemon with Aura Break should avoid using Dark or Fairy moves themselves
• Teammates benefit from the aura reversal effect
• Effective in doubles/multi-battles where aura effects are more common

Team Synergy

• Pairs well with Pokemon that resist Dark and Fairy types
• Benefits teammates using moves of other types
• Consider as anti-meta pick in aura-heavy environments

Competitive Viability

Strengths

• Hard counter to specific meta strategies
• Field-wide effect benefits entire team
• Cannot be easily bypassed once active

Weaknesses

• Very situational utility
• Useless against teams without Dark/Fairy Aura
• Only available on Zygarde forms
• Self-sabotage if using affected move types

Usage Recommendations

• Meta-dependent: Valuable when Dark/Fairy Aura are common
• Team Role: Specialized counter rather than core strategy
• Format Preference: More effective in doubles than singles

Code References

• Implementation: /src/abilities.cc lines 2013-2016
• Data: /proto/AbilityList.textproto lines 944-948
• Battle Logic: Checked via IsAbilityOnField() in aura ability implementations
• Available on: Zygarde (all forms) in /proto/SpeciesList.textproto