Arena Trap - Ability ID 71

In-Game Description

"Enemies can't flee. Ghosts and ungrounded Pokémon are immune."

Extended In-Game Description

For use in Elite Redux extended ability UI (280-300 chars max)

Arena Trap prevents grounded enemy Pokémon from fleeing or switching out. Flying-type Pokémon, Pokémon with Levitate, Magnet Rise, Air Balloon, or Telekinesis are immune. Ghost-type Pokémon are also immune. Shed Shell bypasses this trap. Does not work on allies in double battles.

Character count: 285

Detailed Mechanical Explanation

For Discord/reference use

ARENA TRAP is a trapping ability that prevents certain opposing Pokémon from fleeing or switching out voluntarily.

Activation Mechanics:

• Trigger: Passive effect while the Pokémon is on the battlefield
• Target: Grounded opposing Pokémon only
• Function: onTrap hook that checks if the switching Pokémon is grounded

Trapping Conditions:

Arena Trap prevents escape if ALL of the following are true:

1. Target is grounded: Must pass IsBattlerGrounded() check
2. Target is opposing: Does not affect allies in double battles
3. Target is not Ghost-type: Ghost-types are immune (Gen 6+ behavior)
4. Target doesn't have Shed Shell: Shed Shell bypasses all trapping effects

Immunity Conditions:

The following Pokémon are immune to Arena Trap:

• Flying-type Pokémon: Always immune due to not being grounded
• Pokémon with Levitate: Ability makes them ungrounded
• Pokémon affected by Magnet Rise: Temporary levitation
• Pokémon holding Air Balloon: Item-based levitation
• Pokémon affected by Telekinesis: Move-based levitation
• Ghost-type Pokémon: Type-based immunity (Gen 6+ rule)
• Pokémon with Shed Shell: Item bypasses all trapping

Interaction Rules:

• vs Double Battles: Only affects opposing Pokémon, not allies
• vs Grounding Effects: Iron Ball, Gravity, Ingrain, etc. can make Flying-types vulnerable
• vs Run Away: Shed Shell and Ghost-type immunity override Run Away ability
• vs Wild Battles: Prevents fleeing from wild Pokémon battles

Technical Implementation:

constexpr Ability ArenaTrap = {
    .onTrap = +[](ABILITY_ON_TRAP) -> int { 
        return IsBattlerGrounded(switchingBattler); 
    },
};

The ability simply checks if the Pokémon trying to switch is grounded. All other immunity checks (Ghost-type, Shed Shell, etc.) are handled by the battle system's escape logic.

Competitive Notes:

• Extremely powerful for revenge killing and trapping setup sweepers
• Pairs well with fast attackers that can KO trapped Pokémon
• Countered by switching to Ghost-types or Flying-types
• Air Balloon is a common item specifically to counter trapping abilities
• Shed Shell is the universal counter to all trapping abilities

Related Abilities:

• Shadow Tag: Traps all Pokémon except those with Shadow Tag
• Magnet Pull: Traps Steel-type Pokémon specifically
• Mean Look/Block: Move-based trapping with different rules

Version History:

• Gen 3-5: Worked on all non-Flying, non-Levitate Pokémon
• Gen 6+: Ghost-types became immune (Elite Redux follows this rule)
• Elite Redux: Full Gen 6+ implementation with Ghost immunity