ST-Def-J (Final Fantasy VIII)

ST-Def-J (status defense junction), ST-Def-Jx2, and ST-Def-Jx4 are junction abilities in Final Fantasy VIII. When a party member junctions a Guardian Force that has ST-Def-J (or x2/4) mastered, they can resist/immunize against status abnormalities by equipping spells from their current Magic inventory to their Status Defense ( twice in the Junction menu). ST-Def-J is a counterpart to ST-Atk-J, and a great protection when fighting enemies who use status ailment attacks, most notably Malboro.
==Obtained==
The GFs Siren, Carbuncle, and Cerberus learn ST-Def-J for 100 AP. Cerberus needs to learn Spr-J first for ST-Def-J to become available. They then get the ability to upgrade to ST-Def-Jx2 by spending further 160 AP. Cerberus can then upgrade to x4 with further 180 AP, whereas Doomtrain learns x4 from the get-go. ST-Def-Jx4 can also be taught to any GF AP-free with the Status Guard item, easiest obtained by modding Doomtrain's card and as a drop from Tiamat.
==Mechanics==
ST-Def-J allows the character equipping a GF who knows the ability to junction a spell to their status defense, which—depending on the number of spells junctioned—allow the character resist or become immune to the junctioned spell's status abnormality. ST-Def-Jx2 lets the player junction two spells, and x4 lets the player junction four spells.
:If (StatusDefense >= 200) Target does not get the status
:else: Infliction% = Attacker's Strength / 4 - Target's Vitality / 4
::Infliction% = Infliction% - StatusDefense + StatusAttack
:StatusDefense and StatusAttack start at 100 (0%).
Only spells with status properties are compatible to being junctioned to ST-Def-J. The spell(s) junctioned to ST-Def-J cannot be junctioned to any other stat at the same time; if the player wants to equip a spell to another stat, it will be unequipped from the current -J ability. When using a draw point, if the offered spell is currently being junctioned to an active party member's stat, it will show a symbol next to it when choosing the recipient upon using the draw point.
Spell 	Status 	Value (%)
Full-life	Death 	0.40
Esuna 	Berserk, Confuse, Curse, Darkness, Petrify, Poison, Silence, Sleep, Slow, Stop	0.20
Aura 	Curse 	2.00
Confuse 	Confuse 	1.00
Silence 	Silence 	1.00
Stop 	Stop 	1.00
Sleep 	Sleep 	1.00
Slow 	Slow 	1.00
Zombie 	Zombie 	1.00
Death 	Death 	1.00
Dispel 	Drain 	0.50
Drain 	Drain 	1.00
Berserk 	Berserk 	1.00
Bio 	Poison 	1.00
Blind 	Darkness 	1.00
Break 	Petrify 	1.00
Pain 	Poison, Darkness, Silence, Curse 	1.00
Holy 	Death, Drain, Confusion, Zombie, Sleep, Curse, Berserk, Poison 	0.40
Reflect 	Poison, Petrify, Darkness, Confusion, Silence, Berserk, Slow, Stop, Sleep 	0.25
Life 	Death 	0.20
It is not possible to use ST-Def-J to defend against Vit 0 or Eject.
==Use==
ST-Def-J is broadly useful and it is worth upgrading to the x2 and x4 versions on the GFs that have the option; once the better ability has been mastered, the player can remove the base version with Amnesia Greens without ill effect. Though Ribbon offers a superior status protection, the ability is difficult to impossible to get depending on version, being a Chocobo World exclusive item for the original versions and an exceedingly rare outcome of Angelo Search in Final Fantasy VIII Remastered. This makes ST-Def-J the most accessible status protection for almost all players.
Good uses include against Edea to resist Curse, Omega Weapon to resist LV5 Death (if on a vulnerable level), and against Gaylas to resist Sleep.
Notable use of ST-Def-J x4 is against Malboros' Bad Breath by junctioning Pain, Confuse, Berserk, and Sleep, negating nearly all the Malboro's status abnormalities, leaving only Slow and Petrifying. With Auto-Haste equipped, Slow will also be prevented. If the player lacks the aforementioned spells (or ST-Def-J x4), they should at least junction Sleep, Berserk, and Confuse, which still leaves a character available to cure the party.
==Citations==
Category:Support abilities in Final Fantasy VIII