Deep Freeze - Ability ID 764

In-Game Description

"Boosts Water and Ice by 1.25x. Halves Fire damage taken."

Extended In-Game Description

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

Deep Freeze boosts Water and Ice-type moves by 25% while halving Fire-type damage taken. This dual offensive and defensive ability provides excellent type synergy for Water/Ice Pokemon, enhancing STAB attacks while providing crucial Fire resistance. Stacks with other damage modifiers.

Character count: 285

Detailed Mechanical Explanation

For Discord/reference use

Core Mechanics

Deep Freeze is a dual-purpose ability that provides both offensive and defensive benefits:

Offensive Component:

• Boosts Water-type and Ice-type moves by 25% (1.25x multiplier)
• Applied to moves used by the ability holder
• Functions as a type-specific damage boost similar to abilities like Sheer Force

Defensive Component:

• Reduces Fire-type damage taken by 50% (0.5x multiplier)
• Applied to Fire-type moves targeting the ability holder
• Functions as a type resistance modifier

Technical Implementation

constexpr Ability DeepFreeze = {
    .onOffensiveMultiplier =
        +[](ON_OFFENSIVE_MULTIPLIER) {
            if (moveType == TYPE_WATER || moveType == TYPE_ICE) MUL(1.25);
        },
    .onDefensiveMultiplier =
        +[](ON_DEFENSIVE_MULTIPLIER) {
            if (moveType == TYPE_FIRE) RESISTANCE(.5);
        },
    .breakable = TRUE,
};

Numerical Values

• Offensive Boost: 1.25x (25% increase) for Water and Ice moves
• Defensive Resistance: 0.5x (50% reduction) for Fire damage
• Breakable: Yes (can be suppressed by Mold Breaker, etc.)

Affected Moves

Boosted Moves (Water-type):

• Surf, Hydro Pump, Scald, Water Pulse, Aqua Jet, Waterfall, etc.
• All Water-type moves regardless of physical/special split

Boosted Moves (Ice-type):

• Ice Beam, Blizzard, Ice Punch, Icicle Crash, Freeze-Dry, etc.
• All Ice-type moves regardless of physical/special split

Resisted Moves (Fire-type):

• Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Overheat, Fire Punch, Flame Wheel, etc.
• All Fire-type moves regardless of physical/special split

Interactions with Other Abilities/Mechanics

Stacking with Other Modifiers:

• Stacks multiplicatively with STAB (1.5x), items (Life Orb 1.3x), weather boosts, etc.
• Example: Water move with STAB + Deep Freeze + Life Orb = 1.5 × 1.25 × 1.3 = 2.4375x total

Type Effectiveness Interactions:

• Fire resistance stacks with natural type resistances
• Example: Water/Ice Pokemon takes Fire moves at 0.5x (Deep Freeze) × 0.5x (Water resistance) = 0.25x total

Ability Interactions:

• Can be suppressed by Mold Breaker, Teravolt, Turboblaze
• Cannot be copied by Trace (complex ability)
• Cannot be skill swapped
• Not affected by Simple or Unaware

Strategic Implications

Offensive Usage:

• Provides significant power boost to dual STAB coverage
• Excellent for mixed attackers using both Water and Ice moves
• Makes weaker Water/Ice moves more viable due to consistent boost

Defensive Usage:

• Crucial Fire resistance for Ice-types (typically weak to Fire)
• Helps Water-types better handle Fire coverage moves
• Particularly valuable in formats with prevalent Fire-type threats

Team Synergy:

• Pairs well with Rain teams (Water moves already boosted by weather)
• Excellent in Hail teams (Ice moves get additional power)
• Good pivot ability for balanced teams needing Fire resistance

Example Damage Calculations

Offensive Example:

• Frostula's Ice Beam (90 BP) with STAB + Deep Freeze:
• Base damage × 1.5 (STAB) × 1.25 (Deep Freeze) = 168.75 effective BP

Defensive Example:

• Fire Blast (110 BP) against Water-type with Deep Freeze:
• 110 × 0.5 (Water resistance) × 0.5 (Deep Freeze) = 27.5 effective BP

Common Users

Based on the Elite Redux roster:

• Pikachu Belle: Electric-type forme with unique typing synergy
• Dewpider Redux: Water/Bug-type with enhanced Water STAB
• Araquanid Redux: Water/Bug evolution with powerful Water moves
• Frostula: Ice-type specialist utilizing both offensive and defensive benefits

Competitive Usage Notes

Advantages:

• Dual utility (offense + defense) maximizes ability slot efficiency
• Strong synergy with Water/Ice dual-type Pokemon
• Consistent damage boost without drawbacks
• Excellent Fire-type matchup coverage

Situational Benefits:

• Strong in metas with prominent Fire-types
• Valuable for slow, bulky Water/Ice types
• Good for mixed attackers with diverse movesets

Counters and Weaknesses

Direct Counters:

• Mold Breaker variants ignore the ability entirely
• Grass and Electric moves aren't affected by either component
• Strong physical attackers can overwhelm despite Fire resistance

Strategic Counters:

• Status moves bypass the offensive boost
• Entry hazards reduce effectiveness of switching
• Priority moves can revenge kill despite defensive boost

Synergies

Item Synergies:

• Life Orb: Stacks with offensive boost for maximum damage
• Choice items: Consistent power boost with locked moves
• Leftovers/Sitrus Berry: Complements defensive Fire resistance

Move Synergies:

• Ice Beam + Surf: Dual STAB coverage with consistent boost
• Freeze-Dry: Super effective against Water-types with boost
• Priority moves like Aqua Jet: Boosted priority for revenge kills

Team Synergies:

• Rain teams: Double Water boost (weather + ability)
• Hail teams: Ice move synergy with weather
• Fire-weak teammates: Provides team Fire resistance

Version History

• Introduced in Elite Redux as ID 764
• Designed as a balanced dual-utility ability
• Currently assigned to 4 Pokemon species as innate abilities
• Part of the extended ability system with hybrid offensive/defensive mechanics