Phantom (Ability #324)

Basic Information

• ID: 324
• Constant: ABILITY_PHANTOM
• Name: Phantom
• Short Description: "Adds Ghost type to itself."

Extended In-Game Description

For use in Elite Redux extended ability UI (IMPORTANT: exactly 280-300 chars counted WITH spaces) Phantom adds Ghost-type as a third type upon entering battle. The Pokemon gains all benefits of Ghost-typing including immunity to Normal and Fighting attacks, while retaining its original typing and STAB. Creates triple-typing combinations for strategic advantages and coverage options.

Mechanics

Core Functionality

• Trigger: On entry into battle (onEntry)
• Effect: Adds Ghost-type as the Pokemon's third type using AddBattlerType(battler, TYPE_GHOST)
• Type Storage: Uses the type3 field in the battler's data structure
• Battle Message: Displays "{Pokemon} added the Ghost-type!" when activated

Technical Implementation

constexpr Ability Phantom = {
    .onEntry = +[](ON_ENTRY) -> int { return AddBattlerType(battler, TYPE_GHOST); },
};

Key Mechanics

1. Type Addition: Adds Ghost as a third type without replacing existing types
2. Immunity Check: Before adding the type, checks if the Pokemon already has Ghost-type
3. Battle Display: Shows a message when the type is successfully added
4. Permanent Effect: The Ghost-type remains for the duration of the battle

Battle Effects

Defensive Benefits

• Normal-type Immunity: Immune to all Normal-type attacks
• Fighting-type Immunity: Immune to all Fighting-type attacks
• Status Move Interactions: Can be affected by moves that specifically target Ghost-types

Offensive Benefits

• STAB Retention: Keeps STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) for original types
• Ghost STAB: Gains STAB for Ghost-type moves if the Pokemon learns any
• Triple Coverage: Can potentially have STAB on three different types

Strategic Considerations

• Weakness Addition: May gain new weaknesses (Ghost is weak to Ghost and Dark)
• Resistance Changes: Ghost resists Poison and Bug attacks
• Move Interactions: Affects how certain moves interact with the Pokemon

Similar Abilities

Phantom is part of a family of type-adding abilities that all use the same AddBattlerType function:

• Turboblaze: Adds Fire-type
• Teravolt: Adds Electric-type
• Grounded: Adds Ground-type
• Ice Age: Adds Ice-type
• Half Drake: Adds Dragon-type
• Aquatic: Adds Water-type
• Metallic: Adds Steel-type
• Fairy Tale: Adds Fairy-type
• Hover: Adds Psychic-type
• Lightning Born: Adds Electric-type

Usage Examples

Effective Combinations

1. Fire/Flying + Ghost: Gains immunity to Normal/Fighting while keeping Fire/Flying benefits
2. Psychic + Ghost: Creates a powerful special attacker with multiple immunities
3. Steel + Ghost: Combines Steel's resistances with Ghost's immunities

Strategic Applications

• Wall Breaking: Ghost typing can help bypass Normal-type walls
• Pivot Pokemon: Immunity to common priority moves (like Extreme Speed)
• Coverage Options: Opens up Ghost-type move pools for additional coverage

Code References

• Definition: /Users/joel/Github/eliteredux/eliteredux-source/src/abilities.cc lines 3447-3449
• Registry: Line 9169 in the ability mapping table
• Helper Function: AddBattlerType function at line 218
• Battle Message: sText_BattlerAddedTheType in battle_message.c
• Data Entry: proto/AbilityList.textproto lines 1624-1628

Notes

• The ability only activates once per battle entry
• Does not work if the Pokemon already has Ghost-type
• The type addition is permanent for the duration of the battle
• Can create unique triple-type combinations not found naturally in the game