Beads Of Ruin - Ability ID 581

In-Game Description

"Lowers the Special Defense of other Pokemon by 25%."

Extended In-Game Description

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

Beads of Ruin creates a passive aura that reduces the Special Defense of all other Pokemon on the field by 25%. This effect applies immediately when entering battle and persists while on the field. Cannot be suppressed by abilities like Neutralizing Gas. Stacks with other stat reduction effects.

Character count: 296

Detailed Mechanical Explanation

For Discord/reference use

Core Mechanics:

• Beads of Ruin is a passive field-affecting ability that reduces the Special Defense stat of all other Pokemon (allies and opponents) by 25%
• Part of the "Treasures of Ruin" quartet alongside Tablets of Ruin (Attack reduction), Sword of Ruin (Defense reduction), and Vessel of Ruin (Special Attack reduction)
• The effect is applied as a stat modifier using the RuinEffect function with a 0.75x multiplier

Activation Conditions:

• Activates immediately when the Pokemon enters the battlefield
• Remains active as long as the Pokemon stays on the field
• Does not require any specific trigger or condition beyond presence

Technical Implementation:

constexpr Ability BeadsOfRuin = {
    .onStat = +[](ON_STAT) { RuinEffect(STAT_SPDEF, battler, statId, stat, flags); },
    .onStatFor = APPLY_ON_OTHER,
    .ruinStat = STAT_SPDEF,
};

static void RuinEffect(int ruinStat, int battler, int statId, u32 *stat, NonStackingState *flags) {
    if (statId != ruinStat) return;
    if (*flags & NON_STACKING_RUIN) return;
    ON_ABILITY(battler, FALSE, gAbilities[ability].ruinStat == statId, return) *stat *= .75;
    *flags = static_cast<NonStackingState>(static_cast<int>(*flags) | static_cast<int>(NON_STACKING_RUIN));
}

Note: There appears to be a bug in the current implementation where the code uses STAT_DEF (Defense) instead of STAT_SPDEF (Special Defense), which contradicts the ability description.

Affected Pokemon:

• Only affects other Pokemon on the field (not the user)
• Affects both allies and opponents in doubles battles
• The reduction is calculated before other stat modifiers

Interactions with Other Abilities/Mechanics:

• Multiple Ruin Abilities: Each Ruin ability affects different stats and can stack (e.g., having both Beads of Ruin and Tablets of Ruin on the field reduces Special Defense AND Attack)
• Non-Stacking Protection: Multiple Pokemon with the same Ruin ability do not stack (NON_STACKING_RUIN flag prevents this)
• Neutralizing Gas: Cannot suppress Ruin abilities - they continue to function even under Neutralizing Gas
• Stat Boosts/Drops: The 25% reduction applies to the base Special Defense before stage modifiers are calculated
• Clear Body/White Smoke/etc.: These abilities do not prevent Ruin effects as they are not traditional stat drops

Strategic Implications:

• Excellent for special attackers as it makes all other Pokemon more vulnerable to special attacks
• Chi Yu (the primary user) benefits greatly as it has high Special Attack (145) and can exploit the reduced Special Defense of opponents
• Creates offensive pressure immediately upon switching in
• Forces opponents to account for the permanent field effect when team building

Example Damage Calculations: If a Pokemon normally has 100 Special Defense:

• With Beads of Ruin: 100 × 0.75 = 75 Special Defense (33% more damage taken from special attacks)
• Combined with other effects: If the Pokemon also gets -1 Special Defense stage, the effective Special Defense becomes 75 × 0.67 ≈ 50

Common Users:

• Chi Yu (National Dex #1004): Dark/Fire type legendary with Beads of Ruin as an innate ability
  • High Special Attack (145) to capitalize on the reduced Special Defense
  • Has access to powerful special moves like Mystical Fire, Inferno, and Pyro Ball
  • Part of the Treasures of Ruin legendary quartet

Competitive Usage Notes:

• Extremely powerful in special-attack focused teams
• Creates immediate offensive pressure without requiring setup
• Particularly devastating in doubles battles where it affects multiple targets
• Can turn 2HKOs into OHKOs for special attackers
• Forces defensive teams to run specially bulky Pokemon

Counters:

• Physical attackers are unaffected by the Special Defense reduction
• Pokemon with very high HP can still tank special attacks despite the reduction
• Abilities that boost Special Defense (like Download with Special Defense boost) can partially offset the effect
• Priority moves can bypass the need to survive special attacks

Synergies:

• Special attackers benefit immensely from having a Beads of Ruin teammate
• Works well with Trick Room teams where slow, powerful special attackers can capitalize
• Psychic Terrain + special attackers for guaranteed powerful hits
• Life Orb/Choice Specs users become even more threatening

Version History:

• Introduced in Pokemon Scarlet/Violet as part of the Treasures of Ruin legendary abilities
• Implemented in Elite Redux as part of the comprehensive ability system
• Currently has a bug where the code targets Defense instead of Special Defense (implementation inconsistency)