Liquified - Ability ID 311

In-Game Description

"Takes 1/2 dmg from contact moves but Water moves hurt it 2x more."

Extended In-Game Description

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

Liquified reduces contact move damage by 50% but doubles Water-type move damage taken. The ability activates on physical contact moves like Tackle, Punch moves, and Bite, but not on ranged moves like Thunderbolt or Flamethrower. This creates a unique risk-reward dynamic.

Character count: 287

Detailed Mechanical Explanation

For Discord/reference use

Core Mechanics

• Contact Move Resistance: Reduces damage from contact moves by 50% (multiplier of 0.5)
• Water Move Weakness: Doubles damage from Water-type moves (multiplier of 2.0)
• Breakable: Can be suppressed by Mold Breaker, Neutralizing Gas, and similar abilities

Activation Conditions

The ability triggers on the defensive multiplier phase of damage calculation:

1. For Water-type moves: Applies 2x damage multiplier regardless of contact
2. For contact moves: Applies 0.5x damage multiplier regardless of type

Technical Implementation

constexpr Ability Liquified = {
    .onDefensiveMultiplier =
        +[](ON_DEFENSIVE_MULTIPLIER) {
            if (moveType == TYPE_WATER) RESISTANCE(2);
            if (IsMoveMakingContact(move, attacker)) MUL(0.5);
        },
    .breakable = TRUE,
};

Contact Move Detection

The ability uses IsMoveMakingContact(move, attacker) which checks:

• Move's natural contact flag
• Abilities that modify contact (Long Reach removes contact)
• Items that modify contact (Protective Pads prevent contact)

Complete List of Affected Moves

Contact moves (reduced damage):

• Most physical moves: Tackle, Body Slam, Earthquake, etc.
• Punch moves: Fire Punch, Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, etc.
• Bite moves: Bite, Crunch, etc.
• Multi-hit contact moves: Fury Attack, Bullet Seed (if contact), etc.

Water-type moves (increased damage):

• All Water moves: Surf, Hydro Pump, Water Gun, Scald, etc.
• Physical Water moves: Waterfall, Aqua Tail, Liquidation, etc.
• Special Water moves: Hydro Cannon, Origin Pulse, etc.

Interactions with Other Abilities/Mechanics

• Mold Breaker: Suppresses Liquified entirely
• Long Reach: Prevents contact, so no damage reduction
• Protective Pads: Holder's contact moves don't trigger damage reduction
• Type changing abilities: If a move becomes Water-type (e.g., via Normalize), it triggers the weakness
• Fluffy comparison: Similar defensive profile but Fluffy resists Fire instead of being weak to Water

Strategic Implications

Advantages:

• Excellent physical bulk against non-Water contact moves
• Forces opponents to use special attacks or Water moves
• Synergizes with recovery moves and defensive strategies

Disadvantages:

• Severe Water weakness limits usage in water-heavy environments
• Breakable nature makes it unreliable against certain opponents
• No protection against non-contact physical moves (Earthquake, Rock Slide)

Example Damage Calculations

Assuming base 100 damage:

• Contact move: 100 → 50 damage (50% reduction)
• Water move: 100 → 200 damage (100% increase)
• Water contact move: 100 → 200 damage (Water weakness overrides contact resistance)

Common Users

Based on SpeciesList analysis:

• Grimer line: Grimer, Muk - Poison/sludge themed
• Reuniclus line: Solosis, Duosion, Reuniclus - Psychic gel Pokemon
• Swalot line: Gulpin, Swalot - Stomach bag Pokemon
• Goomy line: Goomy - Soft-bodied Dragon
• Oricorio (Sensu Style): Ghost/Flying dancer form
• Snorlax Redux: Modified Snorlax variant

Competitive Usage Notes

• Defensive pivot: Excellent against physical attackers lacking Water moves
• Team support: Pairs well with Water absorbers or resisters
• Meta dependency: Effectiveness varies with Water-type usage in format
• Hazard synergy: Works well with Stealth Rock support to pressure switch-ins

Counters

• Water-type moves: Exploit the doubled weakness
• Special attackers: Bypass the contact move resistance
• Mold Breaker users: Suppress the ability entirely
• Non-contact physical moves: Earthquake, Rock Slide, etc.

Synergies

• Recovery moves: Roost, Recover to maintain bulk
• Water Absorb/Storm Drain teammates: Handle Water attacks
• Intimidate support: Further reduce physical damage
• Stealth Rock: Pressure Water-type switch-ins

Version History

• Elite Redux: Custom ability created for the ROM hack
• ID 311: Assigned in the custom ability expansion
• Implementation: Added via abilities.cc system with breakable flag