Ice Plumes - Ability ID 873

In-Game Description

"Halves damage taken by Special moves. Does NOT double SpDef."

Extended In-Game Description

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

Ice Plumes reduces damage from all special moves by 50% through damage calculation rather than stat boosts. Works against all special attacks including Hidden Power and Weather Ball. Does not affect physical moves or entry hazards. Provides reliable special bulk without stat modification stacking.

Character count: 297

Detailed Mechanical Explanation

For Discord/reference use

Core Mechanics

Ice Plumes is a defensive ability that reduces incoming special move damage by half. Unlike abilities that boost stats, Ice Plumes applies its damage reduction directly during damage calculation, making it immune to stat manipulation.

Activation Conditions

• Move requirement: Target move must be classified as special (not physical or status)
• Damage calculation: Applied as a 0.5x multiplier during final damage calculation
• Trigger timing: Activates for every special move that hits the Pokémon
• No conditions: Always active when ability is not suppressed

Technical Implementation

// Ice Plumes defensive multiplier (same as Ice Scales)
constexpr Ability IcePlumes = {
    .onDefensiveMultiplier = 
        +[](ON_DEFENSIVE_MULTIPLIER) {
            if (IS_MOVE_SPECIAL(move)) MUL(.5);
        },
    .breakable = TRUE,
};

What Counts as Special Moves

• Standard special moves: Surf, Flamethrower, Psychic, etc.
• Variable moves: Hidden Power (always special)
• Weather-based: Weather Ball, Solar Beam, etc.
• Multi-hit specials: Triple Axel (if special), Icicle Spear (if special)
• Z-moves/Max moves: If based on special move

What Ice Plumes DOESN'T Affect

• Physical moves: Any move using Attack vs Defense calculation
• Status moves: Non-damaging moves (Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp)
• Entry hazards: Stealth Rock, Spikes damage on entry
• Residual damage: Poison, burn, weather damage
• Recoil damage: From own moves like Flare Blitz
• Confusion damage: Self-inflicted confusion damage

Important Interactions

• Damage calculation timing: Applied after type effectiveness but before critical hits
• Multi-hit moves: Each hit reduced by 50%
• Substitute: Works normally when behind substitute
• Critical hits: Ice Plumes reduction applied before crit multiplier
• Stat changes: Unaffected by Special Defense boosts/drops since it's not a stat modifier
• Weather: No interaction with weather effects on damage

Key Distinction from Stat Boosts

Unlike abilities that double Special Defense (like Marvel Scale for Defense), Ice Plumes:

• Cannot be negated by stat drops
• Cannot be Psych Up'd or Baton Pass'd
• Doesn't affect damage calculation for confusion
• Stacks multiplicatively with actual Special Defense boosts
• Works even at -6 Special Defense

Stackability

Ice Plumes can stack with other damage reduction:

• Light Screen: 0.5x (doubles) × 0.5x (Ice Plumes) = 0.25x total
• Aurora Veil: 0.5x (singles) × 0.5x (Ice Plumes) = 0.25x total
• Assault Vest: Special Defense boost stacks multiplicatively
• Type resistances: 0.5x resistance × 0.5x Ice Plumes = 0.25x total

Ability Suppression

Ice Plumes can be bypassed by:

• Mold Breaker: Ignores defensive abilities
• Teravolt/Turboblaze: Same as Mold Breaker
• Neutralizing Gas: Suppresses all abilities in play
• Ability swaps: Skill Swap, Role Play, etc.

Strategic Applications

• Special wall: Turns mediocre special bulk into exceptional
• Mixed attackers counter: Handles special moves while team covers physical
• Weather independence: Provides consistent bulk unlike weather-based defenses
• Stat boost immunity: Can't be weakened by Special Attack boosts on opponent
• Setup counter: Remains effective against Calm Mind sweepers

Common Users

Ice Plumes is found as an innate ability on certain Ice-type Pokémon in Elite Redux, particularly:

• Bulky Ice-types that need special defensive presence
• Mixed defensive Pokémon who benefit from selective damage reduction
• Weather-independent defensive options

Competitive Usage Notes

• Pivot potential: Can reliably tank special hits for safe switches
• Stallbreaking: Forces physical attackers or status moves
• Team synergy: Pairs well with physical walls for defensive core
• Item flexibility: No need for Assault Vest, can hold other items
• Prediction reward: Rewards switching into predicted special moves

Counters and Answers

• Physical attackers: Ice Plumes offers no protection against physical moves
• Status moves: Unaffected by damage reduction
• Mixed attackers: Can use physical coverage to exploit
• Mold Breaker users: Bypass the ability entirely
• Stat manipulation: Lower Special Defense, then use physical moves
• Entry hazards: Chip damage not affected by ability

Notable Calculations

With Ice Plumes active:

• Neutral special hit: 252 SpA → ~25% damage becomes ~12.5%
• Super effective hit: 2x effectiveness becomes 1x effective
• STAB + super effective: 3x becomes 1.5x
• Critical hit: Crit multiplier applied after Ice Plumes reduction

Synergies

• Physical bulk items: Assault Vest not needed, can use Leftovers/Berry
• Light Screen support: Stacks for 75% special damage reduction
• Aurora Veil: Similar stacking effect
• Recovery moves: Pairs well with reliable healing
• Physical attacking moves: Complements special defensive role

Version History

• New ability introduced in Elite Redux
• Functions identically to Ice Scales but with different thematic naming
• Available as innate ability on select Ice-type Pokémon
• Part of Elite Redux's expanded ability roster for enhanced team building options