Does Struggle Go Through Wonder Guard? The Definitive Answer
Yes, Struggle does go through Wonder Guard. Despite the incredibly powerful defensive ability of Wonder Guard, which makes the user immune to almost all direct attacks, Struggle will bypass it and deal damage to the user. This is a crucial piece of information for anyone battling against, or attempting to utilize, a Pokémon with this unique Ability, such as Shedinja. This means even Shedinja, with its seemingly impenetrable defense, is not invulnerable to the desperation move that is Struggle.
Understanding Wonder Guard
Before diving further into how Struggle interacts with Wonder Guard, it’s essential to understand what this ability actually does. Wonder Guard is a unique ability possessed exclusively by Shedinja. It grants the user immunity to all damage from direct attacks that are not super-effective. This means only attacks that have a 2x, 4x effectiveness multiplier on Shedinja can pierce Wonder Guard.
For Shedinja, a Bug/Ghost type, this translates to being vulnerable only to Fire, Flying, Rock, Ghost, and Dark-type moves. All other types will fail to do any direct damage. However, Wonder Guard has limitations, as other factors such as weather, status conditions, and specific moves, can also bypass its protection.
The Mechanics of Struggle
Struggle is a special case move in the world of Pokémon. It is a Physical Normal-type move that a Pokémon uses as a last resort. This occurs when all of its other moves have no remaining Power Points (PP). It’s important to note that no Pokémon can naturally learn Struggle. It only appears when a Pokémon is entirely out of offensive options.
Struggle has two critical aspects: It deals damage to the opponent and also causes the user to take recoil damage. This recoil damage is not affected by the Ability Reckless. This recoil damage is what ultimately allows the move to pierce Wonder Guard.
How Struggle Bypasses Wonder Guard
The reason Struggle bypasses Wonder Guard is complex. Wonder Guard’s mechanics focus on the direct attack types. When an attacking move would directly deal damage, it checks for type effectiveness to determine if the damage will be applied. However, Struggle doesn’t function as a typical damaging move in that regard. The user still takes recoil damage and that recoil damage is a direct cause of the move.
The recoil damage of Struggle is not classified as a type of move. Therefore, Wonder Guard’s conditional check doesn’t stop the recoil from happening. The recoil damage bypasses Wonder Guard’s immunity, making it a threat to even Shedinja despite it’s defensive prowess. Essentially, it’s more of a “self-inflicted” damage rather than an opposing attack.
Implications for Battle Strategy
The fact that Struggle bypasses Wonder Guard has some significant strategic implications. For example, if a Pokémon is relying on Wonder Guard for invulnerability, they must be wary of running out of PP. This can be induced by a Pokémon using the move “Taunt.”
This vulnerability can be exploited. Strategies could include stalling out a Shedinja or any Pokémon relying on Wonder Guard, until it is forced to use struggle and cause recoil damage to itself. Trainers can also use status-inducing moves, entry hazards, or weather effects to whittle down Shedinja, ensuring it runs out of PP.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What moves hit through Wonder Guard?
Only super-effective moves against the Pokémon’s type can hit through Wonder Guard. For Shedinja, these are Fire, Flying, Rock, Ghost, and Dark-type attacks. Specific moves like Mold Breaker, Turboblaze, Teravolt ignore abilities and can bypass Wonder Guard.
2. What does Wonder Guard protect against?
Wonder Guard protects the user from damage caused by non-super-effective direct attacks. It also does not protect against damage from weather effects, status conditions, or the recoil from Struggle.
3. What abilities bypass Wonder Guard?
Abilities like Mold Breaker, Teravolt, and Turboblaze bypass Wonder Guard. Also, moves that ignore abilities, such as Sunsteel Strike and Moongeist Beam, can also bypass Wonder Guard.
4. What types is Shedinja immune to?
Shedinja is immune to all types except Fire, Flying, Rock, Ghost, and Dark. It is a Bug/Ghost type and any other attacks will fail to deal damage thanks to Wonder Guard.
5. Can Shedinja be killed by recoil damage from Struggle?
Yes, if Shedinja is forced to use Struggle, the recoil damage will kill it, since it cannot be prevented by Wonder Guard.
6. What is Shedinja affected by beyond direct attacks?
Shedinja is affected by status conditions like poison and burn, indirect damage from moves such as toxic spikes, hazards, and weather conditions. It is also vulnerable to the recoil of Struggle, and if it hits itself while confused.
7. Can Shedinja be made invincible?
While Shedinja is extremely resilient with Wonder Guard, there is no true invincibility. Combining items like Defend Globe, Ninja Ruff, and Awe Mantle can make Shedinja immune to its primary weaknesses, but it would still be affected by status conditions and recoil damage. There are also intricate ways of combining abilities with Skill Swap to create a situation of near invulnerability, but this is very situational.
8. How do you beat Wonder Guard on Shedinja?
You can beat Shedinja by using super-effective moves, inducing status effects, using indirect damage, forcing it to use Struggle, or by using abilities and moves that ignore Wonder Guard’s protections.
9. What type is Struggle?
Struggle is a Physical Normal-type move.
10. Why does Shedinja have 1 HP?
Shedinja always has 1 HP due to its unique ability Wonder Guard which essentially makes it immune to all direct damage that is not super effective. Its HP is fixed at one.
11. Does Turboblaze ignore Wonder Guard?
Yes, Turboblaze is an ability that ignores Wonder Guard, along with Mold Breaker and Teravolt, and will inflict damage to Shedinja.
12. Why does Fire Fang bypass Wonder Guard?
Fire Fang’s bypass of Wonder Guard is a unique bug that occurs within the game. The game fails to conduct the proper type-effectiveness check for Fire Fang and instead lets the attack through regardless of type.
13. Does Future Sight go through Wonder Guard?
No, Future Sight does not automatically go through Wonder Guard. It is a Psychic-type move, so its type effectiveness will be checked, which may allow it to deal damage if Shedinja has taken a Flying, Rock, or Ghost type before using it.
14. Does Mold Breaker ignore Shell Armor?
Yes, Mold Breaker and similarly functioning abilities bypass Shell Armor. Mold Breaker ignores abilities that negate or prevent effects, including protective abilities like Shell Armor.
15. Can Shedinja have more than 1 HP in Pokemon Go?
Yes, in Pokémon GO, Shedinja can have between 10 and 13 HP, with 10 being the standard and 13 the maximum possible with power-ups and Best Buddy status. In the main series games, the HP is fixed at 1.
Conclusion
While Wonder Guard makes Shedinja a formidable opponent, it is not invincible. The ability is ultimately unable to defend against Struggle’s recoil, and understanding this weakness can help trainers develop strategies to overcome this unique Pokémon. Using a combination of type advantages, status effects, indirect damage, and PP manipulation can ensure you have a counter to the unique challenge that Shedinja presents.