Question Box

[allitersonance]

Doesn't that mean that every time either pokemon uses a contact attack, the sticky barb gets passed between them? That's hilarious. Do it.

 

[blazheirio889]

It's like a game of hot potato, except the potato is very spiky!

I'll leave it open for discussion for a day or so, and implement the changes I described above if there are no objections.

 

[allitersonance]

Should make it not count in the held item slot, except for the very instant that the pokemon brings it into battle. It makes no sense that having something in your paws prevents the sticky barb from catching on your skin. Also this means nothing gets in the way of spiky hot potato.

 

[nastypass]

i am very much pro-spiky hot potato. but does it affect Unburden and similar abilities?

EDIT: and what if a sticky barb is flung at someone already holding a sticky barb? does it stack? can they fling both barbs at once?

 

[Zhorken]

When you agree to e-ref a battle, does the seven-day bonus start counting from there, or from the date on the last commands?

 

[Zekrom_B0lt]

For the tourney does a replacement ref need to finish the battle if the original ref doesn't make the dq time or will the grace period last a very long time for the original refs in the tourney ?

 

[shy ♡]

For the tourney does a replacement ref need to finish the battle if the original ref doesn't make the dq time or will the grace period last a very long time for the original refs in the tourney ?

Could you please calm down about refs taking a bit of time? Reffing is hard work.

 

[M&F]

re held items: The way Recycle works in the games can be made to make the most sense in ASB as well; after all, consuming an item of your own volition gives you the most control over how much of the item is left, so they can make it just enought for Recycle, while a foe using Knock Off or Incinerate is more interested in making it so there's nothing left (in the target's hands or in existance, as it were). Sticky Barb should definitely be an exception in terms of items you can let go of, and Spiky Potato is good for me. However, the problem with letting go of items persists with things like Tricking/Switcherooing your foe into holding Black Sludge or a Flame Orb -- maybe we can make it so, when either of those moves are used, the Pokémon targeted by them can't immediately drop the item, as they haven't noticed it yet/have just been tricked into holding it and are still easily persuaded into continuing to hold it. I'd make it so the Tricked/Switcheroo'd item has to remain held for 2~3 actions.

re Zhorken: It counts from when the e-ref agreed to pick up the battle, although it might not be a bad idea to make it so they don't have as long to benefit from the bonus, since they're essentially agreeing to deliver something soon.

 

[Music Dragon]

re held items: The way Recycle works in the games can be made to make the most sense in ASB as well; after all, consuming an item of your own volition gives you the most control over how much of the item is left, so they can make it just enought for Recycle, while a foe using Knock Off or Incinerate is more interested in making it so there's nothing left (in the target's hands or in existance, as it were). Sticky Barb should definitely be an exception in terms of items you can let go of, and Spiky Potato is good for me. However, the problem with letting go of items persists with things like Tricking/Switcherooing your foe into holding Black Sludge or a Flame Orb -- maybe we can make it so, when either of those moves are used, the Pokémon targeted by them can't immediately drop the item, as they haven't noticed it yet/have just been tricked into holding it and are still easily persuaded into continuing to hold it. I'd make it so the Tricked/Switcheroo'd item has to remain held for 2~3 actions.

I like this version the most, since it enables the greatest number of different tactics. Variety is fun!

 

[Totodile]

If a Pokemon with Protean uses a move that changes its type, and then gets its ability changed, does it retain its new type? Or does it revert back to its original type?

 

[Zhorken]

If your opponent is using a -4 priority move, can you still command your Pokémon to deliberately go second with a 0 priority move?

EDIT: Ooh, another idea: given that the Canonical Combo Example is Thunder Punch + Comet Punch, would Drain Punch + Focus Punch work? And would it still have -3 priority or higher?

 

[Meowth]

If a Pokemon with Protean uses a move that changes its type, and then gets its ability changed, does it retain its new type? Or does it revert back to its original type?

Apparently in the games eliminating Protean doesn't get rid of its effects at the point where it is eliminated; I presume the same would follow in ASB.

If your opponent is using a -4 priority move, can you still command your Pokémon to deliberately go second with a 0 priority move?

Personally I don't think the ability to wait to strike after an opponent should work outside the move's priority bracket.

 

[allitersonance]

Waiting to act with a higher priority move should remain possible (for example, dodging with quick attack), but in this particular situation, the snorunt is waiting to see if you're going to attack first before using avalanche/frost breath. So if you try to wait until after the snorunt moves, the snorunt is just gonna keep waiting (or however the ref resolves the paradox) and you'll also be waiting for something to happen except it never does.

Focus punch combos would never have a higher priority than focus punch, but imo focus punch wouldn't easily become part of a combo precisely because of all the focus it requires.

 

[Mai]

Focus punch combos would never have a higher priority than focus punch, but imo focus punch wouldn't easily become part of a combo precisely because of all the focus it requires.

There is precedent, though! I did it!

I don't think comboing focus punch with another punching move should be impossible. It might be a lot more inefficient than other combos, if you view it as difficult enough - just adding secondary effect and not damage - but I don't think that's necessary.

 

[allitersonance]

ugh res why

I don't think it makes sense that, if a move uses all of your concentration, you can also think of adding shenanigans to it. Also it emits an intense amount of ~fighting energy~ that I think would be disruptive to most other kinds of energy, even other fighting energy that has the magical property of draining stuff; two competing types of energy would be generally hard to use at once. It's similar to how most combos involving special attacks won't work out too well.

 

[Mai]

ugh res why

I don't think it makes sense that, if a move uses all of your concentration, you can also think of adding shenanigans to it. Also it emits an intense amount of ~fighting energy~ that I think would be disruptive to most other kinds of energy, even other fighting energy that has the magical property of draining stuff; two competing types of energy would be generally hard to use at once. It's similar to how most combos involving special attacks won't work out too well.

because why not :(

(because indirect healing, I wanted indirect healing)

I think focus punch could also be logically interpreted as something like (this is a punch; you took a lot of time charging up the punch and therefore it's very strong, but the move in itself isn't inherently uncomboable). Some other punching moves could therefore combo with/charge like focus punch and get a similar effect. That large amount of ~fighting energy~ could be swapped for or added to the other fighting energy, then; I mean, the ~energy~ of thunder punch and comet punch don't interfere (and thunder punch should be able to combo with focus punch for an electric type attack, too - just swap it for ~electric energy~, it's not it being all electric energy makes perfect sense anyway). It's still a physical attack, not a special one.

Also, focus punch's flavor states "The user's fist, glowing with Fighting energy, is impervious to damage during the attack." This is a silly description because it makes it sound like you could block an attack with your fist and, not taking damage, still execute the focus punch. Probably not ideal, but funny.

 

[allitersonance]

It requires so much concentration that being hit by, like, a rock, will disrupt the whole thing. It's not just a punch that requires time charging up. If you did rock throw at a pokemon charging up a solarbeam it wouldn't ruin the whole attack, but it would for focus punch. That's the primary reason for it to be hard to combo - you can't think of doing much else.

The fighting energy might not be the entirety of the damage but it's still something that builds up as you charge up, and is part of what makes focus punch a focus punch, so it wouldn't be something you can simply swap around, imo.

 

[Superbird]

I would ref a Focus Punch+Other Punch Move combo as a Focus-Punch type deal with the damage of Focus Punch and the secondary effects of the combo'ed move (so you could do a Fire-type focus punch with Focus Punch+Fire Punch that would have a 10% chance to burn, or restore half the dealt damage with Focus Punch+Drain Punch). I don't think it would be overpowered or sacrificing the integrity of the move - Solarbeam is canonically a two-turn attack, so it would make sense that charging wouldn't disrupt it, whereas Focus Punch is only one turn, and besides, you're using up the entire next action. You could think of it as the punch needs more time to focus because of the secondary effects, and that puts it essentially between actions, thus taking up both of them.


As for the long-gone Protean issue, the pokémon's type is independent of its ability. Once the pokémon loses the Protean ability, it simply loses the ability to change type any more. Its type stays the same as what it was at the time the pokémon lost Protean. It works the same way as Color Change.

 

[M&F]

Apparently in the games eliminating Protean doesn't get rid of its effects at the point where it is eliminated; I presume the same would follow in ASB.

And moreover, in the games, Protean always takes effect before the used move does; as such, using a move that changes the user's type while the user also has Protean will work like this: the user changes type to the type's move, as per Protean, and then the move takes effect and changes the user's type again. Ultimately, the move's type change prevails. EDIT: And now I realize I misread the question completely, but yes, the user should retain the type they had when Protean was inutilized.

As for the Focus Combo issue: whether it flies at all may largely depend on the referee, as will tend to be the case with combos, but any combos involving Focus Punch should definitely have Focus Punch's lower priority, and should be integrally disrupted if the focusing Pokémon is struck.

 

[Zhorken]

What I was getting at is it's not going to have even lower priority than Focus Punch alone, is it?

Regardless I don't think I'm gonna try it.