Understanding Clear Body: A Deep Dive into this Pokémon Ability
Clear Body is a Pokémon Ability that provides crucial stat protection. In essence, it prevents other Pokémon’s moves and Abilities from lowering the stats of the Pokémon possessing Clear Body. This makes it a valuable asset in competitive battling, shielding against common strategies aimed at weakening your Pokémon’s offensive or defensive capabilities.
The Mechanics of Clear Body
Clear Body functions as a passive ability, meaning it’s always active in battle. When an opposing Pokémon attempts to lower one of the Clear Body Pokémon’s stats using a move or Ability, the attempt is nullified. The stat change simply doesn’t occur.
However, it’s crucial to understand the limitations of Clear Body. It does not provide blanket immunity to all stat reductions. The ability specifically protects against external stat reductions – those inflicted by other Pokémon. Therefore, self-inflicted stat drops, status conditions, or certain field effects are not blocked.
Distinguishing Clear Body from Similar Abilities and Items
It’s also important to distinguish Clear Body from similar abilities and items that offer stat protection. Abilities like White Smoke and Full Metal Body function identically to Clear Body, providing the same protection against external stat reduction. The item Clear Amulet also provides the same effect as Clear Body when held by a Pokémon.
Common Stat-Reducing Threats Mitigated by Clear Body
- Intimidate: Perhaps the most common and prevalent threat, Intimidate lowers the Attack stat of opposing Pokémon upon entering the battle. Clear Body negates this effect entirely.
- Scary Face: This move directly lowers the target’s Speed stat. Clear Body prevents this reduction.
- Sticky Web: This entry hazard reduces the Speed stat of Pokémon switching into the battle. Clear Body prevents this reduction.
- Moves with Stat-Lowering Secondary Effects: Many moves have a chance of lowering the opponent’s stats as a secondary effect. Clear Body negates these effects entirely.
- Max Moves: Certain Max Moves from Dynamaxing also lower stats. Max moves that lower stats (like Max Quake) will be ignored by Clear Body.
Limitations of Clear Body
- Self-Inflicted Stat Reductions: Moves like Superpower, Overheat, and Shell Smash, which lower the user’s stats, are not blocked by Clear Body.
- Status Conditions: Stat reductions caused by status conditions like paralysis (Speed reduction) or burn (Attack reduction) are not prevented.
- Held Items: Stat reductions from held items like the Iron Ball (Speed reduction) are not prevented.
- Moves like Haze and Clear Smog: These moves reset stat changes rather than directly reducing them. Since Clear Body prevents reduction, it has no effect on Haze and Clear Smog.
- Moves that Swap or Redistribute Stats: Moves such as Heart Swap, Guard Swap, Power Swap, Guard Split, and Power Split are unaffected.
- Baton Pass: Clear Body doesn’t influence the stats that are passed on by Baton Pass.
Strategic Implications of Clear Body
Clear Body is a solid choice for Pokémon that rely on their stats to function effectively and are vulnerable to common stat-reducing tactics. A Pokémon immune to Intimidate can switch into battle without suffering an Attack drop, maintaining its offensive pressure. Similarly, a Pokémon protected from Speed drops can maintain its crucial speed tier advantage.
Clear Body helps to ensure that your Pokémon performs consistently, unhindered by opponent’s attempts to weaken them.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Clear Body
Here are some frequently asked questions to clarify the intricacies of the Clear Body ability:
1. Is Clear Body a good ability?
Clear Body is a situationally useful ability. Its value depends heavily on the metagame and the specific Pokémon possessing it. In environments with prevalent Intimidate users or strategies that rely on stat reduction, Clear Body becomes significantly more valuable.
2. Does Clear Body prevent Overheat’s stat drops?
No. Clear Body only protects against stat reduction caused by other Pokémon. Overheat’s stat drops are self-inflicted.
3. Does Clear Body ignore Haze?
No. Haze doesn’t cause stat loss. Haze resets all stat changes to their default values. Clear Body only prevents stat reductions.
4. Is Clear Body a Hidden Ability?
No. Clear Body is not a Hidden Ability. Some Pokémon have it as their standard ability.
5. Does Clear Body affect burn?
No. Clear Body only protects from effects that lower stat stages. The Attack reduction from burn is a status condition effect, not a direct stat stage reduction.
6. What does the Ability Clear Body do in Pokémon?
Clear Body prevents other Pokémon from lowering its stats.
7. Does Haze eliminate your own stat changes?
Yes, Haze resets stat changes on both sides of the field. This can be used to remove your own stat debuffs as well as your opponent’s boosts.
8. Does Haze remove screens like Reflect or Light Screen?
No, Haze does not remove Reflect or Light Screen. It only removes stat changes from both sides of the field.
9. What is Dragapult’s hidden ability?
Dragapult’s Hidden Ability is Clear Body.
10. What is the White Smoke ability?
White Smoke has the same effect as Clear Body. It prevents stat reduction caused by other Pokémon.
11. Which is better, Clear Body or Infiltrator?
The better ability depends entirely on the specific Pokémon and the team composition. Infiltrator allows moves to bypass Substitutes and screens, while Clear Body protects against stat reduction. This is a situational choice that depends on your pokemon’s strengths and weaknesses.
12. Is Liquid Ooze or Clear Body Tentacruel better?
Liquid Ooze is generally considered more useful for Tentacruel. It punishes opponents who use draining moves. Clear Body has niche use when switching in to an intimidate, but Liquid Ooze is almost universally useful.
13. Is Light Metal better than Clear Body Metagross?
Clear Body is widely considered superior to Light Metal on Metagross. Light Metal only reduces damage from specific moves, while Clear Body provides reliable protection against common stat-reducing tactics.
14. Does Psychic Terrain stop Spore?
Yes, Psychic Terrain prevents grounded Pokémon from being affected by status-inducing moves like Spore.
15. Does Mist stop Haze?
No, Mist does not protect the user from Haze. Mist has its own unique effects.
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