Why does Sheer Force+Life Orb affect items and abilities in such strange ways?
Sheer Force has a load of strange side-effects and interesting quirks. For example, Meloetta cannot transform with Relic Song if ithas Sheer Force (via an ability-changing effect, such as Skill Swap).Sheer Force also negates the effects of items that occur after damage,such as Red Card or Eject Button on the defending Pokemon, and ShellBell or Life Orb recoil on the attacking Pokemon, so long as theattack used has a secondary effect. It also negates the effects of theability Color Change on the defending Pokemon, so long as the attackused has a secondary effect.
Smogons article about Sheer Force and Life Orb. Why is does this combo creates such strange effects? Is in good old Game Freak logic or is ther an actual reason?
Pleaselog inorregisterto add a comment.
My guess is that it’s programming doesn’t just eliminate secondary effects, but all other effects besides dealing damage on the affected moves. It’s subtle enough that this hidden glitch likely didn’t show up in playtesting, and as a cartridge type thing Gamefreak can’t patch it. In short, sheer force moves deal damage and nothing else, as the same programming that cancels the secondary effects also removes the hidden effects every other move and ability has, like say, activating colour change. Items that boost ally damage still work, though, and i’m not sure if rocky helmet hurts sheer force ‘mon or not so while it could be deliberate, the scale and pattern of it’s effects suggest it’s not.Basically, my moneys on a programming quirk that either went under the radar or is too tricky to correct, so Gamefreak went with it, thinking it not a big deal and/or interesting enough to keep. I guess whether it’s tweaked/fixed in X&Y will answer how intentional it’s effects are (or whether Gamefreak wanted to fix it, as an ability that ignores game mechanics in that way could require an overhaul just to fix one ability). But, yeah, my money’s on a glitch.
Well, just look at what the ability is called: “Sheer Force”.
It means nothing other than brute force and force alone. That’s why secondary effects are omitted, because the Pokemon with the ability is incapable of using any other method of attacking other than “sheer force”.
As for Life Orb and misc. effects on items - it’s the same logic. When a Pokemon w/ the ability uses a move that activates it, the Pokemon uses pure power and therefore anything that has a secondary effect is ignored, because otherwise it wouldn’t be using ‘pure’ power.
That’s how I saw it anyway.
