Does Magic Guard Protect Against Leech Seed?
The short answer is: Yes, Magic Guard protects against the damage dealt by Leech Seed. This ability is a boon to Pokémon that have it, shielding them from a variety of indirect damage sources. But how exactly does it work, and what else does it protect against? Let’s delve deeper into the specifics of Magic Guard and explore its interactions, especially concerning Leech Seed.
Magic Guard: A Shield Against Indirect Damage
Magic Guard is a Pokémon ability that essentially makes a Pokémon invulnerable to any damage that is not directly inflicted by an attacking move. To clarify, this means a Pokémon with Magic Guard is only harmed by direct attacks, essentially moves that actively cause damage to the opposing Pokemon. This leaves the user immune to a host of debilitating effects.
Understanding Leech Seed’s Interaction with Magic Guard
Leech Seed is a grass-type move that inflicts damage on the opponent each turn while simultaneously restoring the user’s HP. However, the damage caused by Leech Seed is considered indirect damage. This is where Magic Guard shines. A Pokémon with Magic Guard, when affected by Leech Seed, will not take any damage from the move. While the Leech Seed will still be active, causing the opposing Pokemon to recover HP each turn, it will not cause any detriment to the Pokémon that has the Magic Guard ability. Therefore, if a Pokemon with Magic Guard gets hit with Leech Seed, they are not negatively impacted at all by the damage portion of the move.
Beyond Leech Seed: What Else Does Magic Guard Protect Against?
The usefulness of Magic Guard extends far beyond just nullifying Leech Seed damage. Here is a breakdown of what this powerful ability protects against:
- Weather Damage: Pokémon with Magic Guard are immune to damage from hail and sandstorm.
- Status Condition Damage: They are protected from the residual damage caused by poison, bad poison, and burn. It’s important to note that Magic Guard doesn’t prevent the status condition from being inflicted, but the damage they cause is nullified.
- Entry Hazards: Damage from entry hazards like Spikes, Stealth Rock, and Toxic Spikes is also negated.
- Recoil Damage: With the exception of Struggle, Magic Guard prevents damage from recoil moves, such as Double-Edge or Brave Bird.
- Item Damage: Damage from held items like Life Orb is also blocked. This is particularly beneficial as it allows a Pokémon to utilize the stat boosts of these items without the HP drawback.
- Other Indirect Damages: Additionally, Magic Guard protects against indirect damage from moves like Nightmare and Bad Dreams.
In essence, Magic Guard creates a shield against indirect sources of damage, allowing Pokémon to focus on dealing attacks and avoid chip damage caused by other factors.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Magic Guard
Here are some frequently asked questions to further clarify how Magic Guard works and address any potential confusion:
1. Does Magic Guard protect against being Poisoned or Burned?
No, Magic Guard does not prevent the affliction of status conditions such as poison or burn. It only protects against the damage caused by these status conditions. So, a Pokemon can be poisoned or burned but will not take residual damage from them if they have Magic Guard.
2. Does Magic Guard protect against the Speed decrease from Paralysis?
No, Magic Guard only negates the damage associated with status effects, not the effects themselves. Paralysis still causes a speed reduction, even if a Pokémon has the Magic Guard ability.
3. Does Magic Guard protect against confusion damage?
No, Magic Guard does not protect against self-inflicted damage from confusion. When a Pokemon is confused, it can hurt itself, and Magic Guard will not stop this damage.
4. Does Magic Guard prevent damage from Perish Song?
Magic Guard does not prevent damage from Perish Song. This move forces all Pokemon on the field to faint after a set amount of turns, and Magic Guard does not protect against this damage.
5. Does Magic Guard stop sleep?
No, Magic Guard does not stop sleep or its effects. It will not protect from moves that cause the sleep status, and if asleep, the Pokemon will remain asleep.
6. Does Magic Guard work with moves like Belly Drum?
Magic Guard does not prevent HP reduction from moves like Belly Drum. Belly Drum directly reduces a Pokémon’s HP to increase its attack stat. The ability only negates damage sources not directly from an attack.
7. Does Magic Guard nullify the recoil of moves like Steel Beam?
Yes, Magic Guard nullifies the recoil damage from moves like Steel Beam, allowing the user to deal the damage without any HP loss.
8. How does Magic Guard interact with Substitute?
Magic Guard does not stop self-inflicted HP loss from using moves like Substitute, which consumes HP. The Pokemon will create the substitute, but its HP will still decrease.
9. Does Magic Guard work with a Flame Orb and the move Psycho Shift?
While Magic Guard doesn’t prevent the initial burn from a Flame Orb, it makes the Psycho Shift tactic incredibly powerful. The burn will not cause damage but does allow for inflicting it on an opponent.
10. Is Magic Guard the same as Wonder Guard?
No, Magic Guard and Wonder Guard are entirely different abilities. Wonder Guard only allows damage from super-effective hits, while Magic Guard protects against indirect damage.
11. Does Magic Guard protect against Sticky Barb damage?
Yes, Magic Guard protects against the indirect damage caused by the Sticky Barb held item.
12. Does Magic Guard nullify the damage from the Life Orb boost?
Yes, Magic Guard nullifies the HP loss associated with the Life Orb. The user will receive the attack power increase without any drawback in HP.
13. Can a Pokemon with Magic Guard be seeded multiple times?
No, like any other Pokemon, a Magic Guard Pokemon cannot be seeded multiple times. If they are already seeded, a second attempt to leech seed will fail.
14. Is Magic Guard a hidden ability?
Magic Guard is a standard ability for some Pokemon, and does not require the use of a hidden ability patch.
15. Which Pokémon typically have Magic Guard?
The most common Pokémon with Magic Guard are Alakazam and its pre-evolution, Abra, as well as some others such as Clefairy, Clefable, Sigilyph and Reuniclus.
Conclusion
Magic Guard is a highly valuable ability that provides substantial protection against indirect forms of damage, including the damage caused by Leech Seed. By focusing on direct damage sources, Pokémon with this ability can operate more effectively in battles, mitigating many commonly used tactics of opposing Pokémon. Its usefulness makes it a desirable ability for any Pokémon that can have it.