What Abilities Prevent Self-Destruct in Pokémon? A Comprehensive Guide
The world of Pokémon is filled with strategic battles, and understanding the nuances of abilities can be the key to victory. When it comes to moves like Self-Destruct and Explosion, certain abilities can completely shut them down, turning a potentially devastating attack into a harmless fizzle. The primary ability that prevents these moves is Damp.
Damp: The Ultimate Self-Destruct Deterrent
Damp is a unique ability that prevents any Pokémon on the field from using moves like Self-Destruct, Explosion, Mind Blown, and Misty Explosion. If a Pokémon with Damp is present, any attempt to use these moves will simply fail. The user will not faint, and no damage will be dealt. Furthermore, Damp also nullifies the Aftermath ability, preventing damage from being inflicted when a Pokémon with Aftermath faints.
How Damp Works
When a Pokémon with Damp is active in battle, the game essentially checks for its presence before allowing a Pokémon to execute Self-Destruct or similar moves. If Damp is detected, the move is automatically cancelled. This makes Damp a valuable asset in certain situations, especially against opponents who rely on these high-risk, high-reward attacks.
Pokémon with the Damp Ability
Several Pokémon possess the Damp ability. Some notable examples include:
- Poliwag
- Poliwhirl
- Poliwrath
- Politoed
- Psyduck
- Golduck
- Paras
- Parasect
- Wooper
- Quagsire
- Mudkip
- Marshtomp
- Swampert
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Abilities and Self-Destruct
Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further clarify how abilities interact with Self-Destruct and related mechanics in the Pokémon world:
1. Is Damp a good ability to have?
Yes, Damp can be an excellent ability in specific scenarios. While it may not be universally useful like Intimidate or Speed Boost, it provides complete immunity to Self-Destruct, Explosion, Mind Blown, and Misty Explosion, which can be clutch in certain battles, especially against opponents who heavily rely on these moves. It also stops the Aftermath ability from causing damage.
2. Can Damp prevent all Pokémon from using Self-Destruct, even the user of Damp?
Yes, Damp affects all Pokémon on the field, including the Pokémon with the Damp ability itself. No Pokémon can use Self-Destruct, Explosion, Mind Blown, or Misty Explosion if a Pokémon with Damp is active.
3. Does Self-Destruct ignore abilities like Sturdy?
No, Self-Destruct does not ignore Sturdy. However, Sturdy will not prevent the user of Self-Destruct from fainting. The Sturdy ability protects the Pokémon from being knocked out in one hit when at full health, but Self-Destruct causes the user to faint as part of its move mechanic, bypassing Sturdy’s effect on the user.
4. How does Protect interact with Self-Destruct?
Protect will block the damage from Self-Destruct, preventing the protected Pokémon from taking damage. However, the user of Self-Destruct will still faint, even if Protect is successful.
5. Does Focus Sash or Focus Band prevent the user of Self-Destruct from fainting?
No, Focus Sash and Focus Band will not prevent the user of Self-Destruct from fainting. These items prevent a Pokémon from being knocked out in one hit if they are at full health. Since Self-Destruct causes the user to faint as part of the move’s effect, these items are ineffective.
6. What happens if a Pokémon uses Self-Destruct and knocks out the opponent?
If a Pokémon uses Self-Destruct and knocks out the opponent, the opponent will faint. Because the attacker strikes first in the round and faints as a result of this attack, the enemy will completely lose the chance to do anything that round.
7. Which is better, Explosion or Self-Destruct?
In terms of raw power, Explosion is generally considered better than Self-Destruct. Bulbapedia states that Explosion effectively doubles the power of the move to 500 by halving the target’s defense, while Self-Destruct doubles the power to 400. Both moves cause the user to faint.
8. Are there abilities that ignore Sturdy?
Yes, certain abilities, like Mold Breaker, Teravolt, and Turboblaze, ignore abilities like Sturdy. Pokémon with these abilities can knock out a Pokémon with Sturdy in one hit, even if the Sturdy Pokémon is at full health.
9. Why does Self-Destruct sometimes fail?
Self-Destruct fails if the move misses, if the target is a Ghost-type Pokémon (in some generations), or if a Pokémon with the ability Damp is on the field.
10. Is Self-Destruct a worthwhile move to teach a Pokémon?
Self-Destruct can be a worthwhile move in certain situations, particularly as a last-resort option to take down a problematic opponent. It’s often used by Pokémon with high Attack stats but lower defenses, allowing them to deal significant damage before fainting.
11. Can a Pokémon learn Self-Destruct and not Explosion?
Yes, there are Pokémon that can learn Self-Destruct but not Explosion. For example, in Generation I, Snorlax and Mewtwo could learn Self-Destruct but not Explosion.
12. Does Self-Destruct count as recoil damage?
Generally, Self-Destruct does not count as recoil damage. However, in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Self-Destruct was rebalanced to inflict recoil damage to the user.
13. How do you counter Self-Destruct in battle?
You can counter Self-Destruct by:
- Using a Ghost-type Pokémon (in some generations).
- Using Protect or Detect.
- Having a Pokémon with the ability Damp on the field.
- Knocking out the opponent before they can use Self-Destruct.
14. What happens if Shedinja holds a Focus Sash?
If Shedinja holds a Focus Sash, the Focus Sash will prevent Shedinja from being knocked out in one hit when at full health. This allows Shedinja to survive one attack, but it’s still vulnerable to subsequent attacks or status conditions.
15. Can you use Self-Destruct on a Ghost type?
In earlier generations (Gen 1 and 2), Self-Destruct and Explosion did affect Ghost-type Pokémon. However, from Generation 3 onwards, Ghost-type Pokémon are immune to Self-Destruct and Explosion.
Understanding these interactions between abilities and moves like Self-Destruct can significantly improve your strategic gameplay in Pokémon. For more on the importance of understanding complex systems and strategic decision making through gaming, explore the resources available at the Games Learning Society, an organization dedicated to the intersection of games and education, on their website: GamesLearningSociety.org. Understanding these game systems helps with real world problem solving skills.