Shell Armor - Ability ID 75

In-Game Description

"Immune to critical hits. Takes 20% less damage from attacks."

Extended In-Game Description

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

This Pokémon's shell prevents critical hits from landing. Additionally, all incoming damage is reduced by 20%, making this Pokémon significantly more durable in battle. The damage reduction stacks multiplicatively with other defensive effects, effectively increasing total bulk by 25%.

Character count: 285

Detailed Mechanical Explanation

For Discord/reference use

Core Mechanics

Shell Armor in Elite Redux is functionally identical to Battle Armor, providing two powerful defensive effects:

1. Critical Hit Immunity

   • Completely prevents critical hits from occurring against this Pokémon
   • This includes guaranteed critical hit moves like Frost Breath and Storm Throw
   • Also blocks critical hits from items like Scope Lens or moves like Focus Energy

2. Damage Reduction (20%)

   • All incoming damage is multiplied by 0.8 (80% of original damage)
   • Applies to both physical and special attacks
   • Stacks multiplicatively with other damage reduction effects
   • Applies after all other damage calculations

Technical Implementation

Shell Armor shares the exact same mechanical implementation as Battle Armor:

• Uses the same onDefensiveMultiplier, onCrit, and onCritFor functions
• Both abilities are marked as breakable (can be suppressed by Mold Breaker)
• The only difference is the ability ID (75 vs 4)

constexpr Ability ShellArmor = {
    .onDefensiveMultiplier = BattleArmor.onDefensiveMultiplier,
    .onCrit = BattleArmor.onCrit,
    .onCritFor = BattleArmor.onCritFor,
    .breakable = TRUE,
};

Numerical Values/Percentages

• Critical Hit Prevention: 100% (absolute immunity)
• Damage Reduction: 20% (takes 80% of normal damage)
• Effective HP Increase: ~25% (1/0.8 = 1.25x effective bulk)

Interactions with Other Abilities/Mechanics

• Mold Breaker: Can bypass Shell Armor since it's marked as breakable
• Sniper: Opponent's Sniper ability is useless against Shell Armor
• Super Luck: High crit-rate abilities are neutralized
• Laser Focus: The guaranteed critical hit is prevented
• Other damage reduction: Stacks multiplicatively (e.g., with Friend Guard)

Shell Armor vs Battle Armor

These abilities are functionally identical in Elite Redux:

• Same effects: Critical hit immunity + 20% damage reduction
• Same breakability: Both can be suppressed by Mold Breaker
• Same description: Identical in-game text
• Only difference: Ability ID numbers (Shell Armor = 75, Battle Armor = 4)

Strategic Implications

• Excellent on defensive Pokémon and tanks
• Particularly valuable on Pokémon with low Defense or Special Defense
• Removes the RNG element of critical hits in important battles
• Makes stat calculations more predictable for defensive plays

Example Damage Calculations

For a move that would normally deal 100 damage:

• Normal hit: 100 × 0.8 = 80 damage
• What would be a critical hit: 150 × 0.8 = 120 damage → But crit is prevented, so still 80 damage
• Effective bulk increase: A Pokémon with 400 HP effectively has 500 HP worth of bulk

Common Users

Shell Armor is available on various Pokémon including:

• Water-type Pokémon with shells (Squirtle line, Shellder line)
• Defensive Rock and Steel-types
• Armored Pokémon like Shieldon, Bastiodon
• Various Pokémon as both changeable and innate abilities

Competitive Usage Notes

• S-tier defensive ability combining two powerful effects
• Makes setup sweepers more reliable (no random crits to ruin setup)
• Excellent for stall teams and defensive pivots
• The 20% reduction is more impactful than it initially appears
• Particularly strong in Elite Redux where battles are longer

Counters

• Mold Breaker: Completely bypasses Shell Armor's effects
• Fixed damage moves: Seismic Toss, Night Shade bypass the reduction
• Status conditions: Burn, Poison, etc. deal percentage-based damage
• Stat-lowering moves: Reduce the Pokémon's defenses
• Super effective moves: Still deal significant damage despite reduction
• Knock Off: Can remove items that further boost defense

Synergies

• Leftovers/Black Sludge: Healing is more valuable with increased bulk
• Defense/Sp.Def boosts: Multiplicative stacking makes setup more rewarding
• Weakness Policy: Can survive super effective hits more reliably
• Rest: More turns of effective HP to heal back
• Substitute: Substitutes are harder to break

Version History

• Original Games: Only prevented critical hits
• Elite Redux: Added 20% damage reduction, making it functionally identical to Battle Armor
• Elite Redux: Both Shell Armor and Battle Armor now share the same enhanced mechanics