Shell (Final Fantasy IX)

Shell is a Wht Mag spell in Final Fantasy IX for Garnet/Dagger and Eiko, used to bestow the status of the same name that mitigates the magical damage the affected takes. Shell is vulnerable to Reflect and would work with Return Magic were enemies to use it on the player party; the enemies that use it upon themselves are Serpion and the final boss.
==Obtained==
Shell is learned from numerous equipment pieces: Multina Racket, Mythril Racket, Mythril Rod, Wizard Rod, Cotton Robe, Gold Choker, and Moonstone.
The earliest the player can gave access is by excelling in the sword-fighting minigame between Zidane and Blank during the play, and impressing Queen Brahne enough that when the point of view changes to Steiner, she will give him a Moonstone. This way, Garnet can use Shell before she even changes her name to Dagger. Missing this chance, the player can synthesize a Cotton Robe in Lindblum on their first visit, or buy the Mythril Rod from the Aerbs Mountains summit station during the time Dagger is the party leader.
==Mechanics==
Shell bestows the Shell status to one target at the cost of 6 MP, which mitigates damage from magic-based abilities by halving the "Bonus" during damage calculation phase, and halving accuracy for many spells that can miss.
:Status duration = Spirit * 360 
The status duration takes into account Battle Speed as set in the Config, as well as the unit's speed status (Stop, Slow, Normal, Haste).
The support ability that affects Shell is Reflect-Null, which allows Shell to pierce target's Reflect.
In Eiko's Trance, Wht Mag turns into Dbl Wht where Eiko can cast two spells on her turn. The spells cost MP and expend the Trance gauge independently.
==Use==
Shell is a status enhancement that helps mitigate magical damage taken. It is mostly useful in long battles, such as boss battles, where the enemy is expected to get multiple turns against the party. However, a superior way to bestow Shell is with Eiko's Carbuncle when she has a Moonstone equipped to bestow the status to all of the party in one go. Quina can also do the same with Mighty Guard, though this is expensive MP-wise.
However, at 6 MP Shell is a cheap spell to cast for one that could stay relevant until the endgame, providing blanket protection to various enemy abilities. Its downside is that Shell lapses, meaning battle animations eat a lot of time from beneficial statuses' durability unless they can be automatically applied via support abilities, but there is no "Auto-Shell" in the game. Status enhancement spells are most relevant in boss battles, but these are also the battles where animations—from both the player party and the boss—take a lot of battle time.
Shell does not hinder curative spells' efficiency.
Category:White Magic in Final Fantasy IX