Can anyone explain this Beast Boost glitch?

Question

I know exactly how the ability Beast Boost is supposed to work. After taking out one of your opponents Pokémon, it boosts your highest stat. I have a problem with my Blacephalon. The set I use is as follows:

Blacephalon @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 232 HP / 4 Def / 20 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Shadow Ball
- Substitute
- Calm Mind

The EVs are spread in such a way that Blacephalon’s special attack will be a total of 343, while it’s speed is 344. This makes it’s special attack one point lower than it’s speed, meaning it should get a speed buff from Beast Boost after knocking out a Pokémon.

This did happen as normal when trying it on Showdown.

However, when I trained this Blacephalon in Pokémon Ultra Sun this way, and got exactly those stat points, when I did a battle on the battle spot to test it out, Blacephalon actually got a boost in it’s Special Attack.

Is there a logical reasoning for this? Do I need to change something in the game? The stats for Blacephalon show exactly 343 Special Attack, and 344 Speed.

The question:
Why does my Blacephalon in-game a different Beast Boost buff than it’s supposed to?

Comments

It has maxed out IV's in every other stat?

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Can you somehow record a battle in US?

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At the end of a Battle Spot battle, as long as it ran to a proper conclusion (either full KO or forfeit) instead of a disconnect, you do get a prompt to save the battle video, and can then upload it with a sharable public code. The restrictions are that for each game, you can have a maximum of 100 saved battle videos, and 10 of those uploaded for public viewing.

Answer 1

The key rests in the fact that you were playing on Battle Spot. Those formats normally feature the rule "automatically adjust everything to L50, no matter if it was higher or lower before". Being at level 50 adjusts some of the rounding and the effects of the +nature, so instead of 343/344, that breakdown produces stats of 174/174. In case of a tie between stats for Beast Boost, the tied stats take precedence in the order Atk>Def>SpA>SpD>Spe, so speed ends up losing that tie (as well as any other tie it may be involved in).

If you're playing in level 50 formats, you'll need to drop the special attack by at least one point (4 EVs) to have the desired effect, which makes the level 100 stats 342 vs. 344 as well. The only way Blacephalon can have a single stat spread that gives it maximum speed, while also ensuring that its special attack remains exactly one point below that speed no matter if you play at level 50 or 100 (without adjusting the stats between those levels), is to use a paradoxical Jolly nature, and dump a whole bunch of excess EVs (a total of 176) into SA.

Comments

Thank you, that’d be why! ;-)