What Defeats a Ditto? Unmasking the Shapeshifting Pokémon’s Weaknesses

The elusive and enigmatic Ditto is a Pokémon that can transform into nearly any other creature. This ability makes it a fascinating, and sometimes frustrating, encounter for trainers. However, while its shapeshifting prowess is impressive, Ditto is not invincible. Understanding its limitations is key to effectively countering it in battle. The short answer to what defeats a Ditto is: a Pokémon with a strong base form and strategies that do not heavily rely on Ditto’s transformations. Because Ditto copies stats and moves, it’s best to avoid pokemon with low health stats and pokemon that are more powerful in a transformed state. It’s about having an edge against a Pokemon that, if it has access to the same moves and stats, will always be a carbon copy of the player’s Pokemon. The best strategy isn’t to exploit a type disadvantage, but to have the advantage of a pokemon with a high base form.

The Nature of Ditto’s Transformation

Before delving into specifics, it’s crucial to understand how Ditto’s Transform move works. When Ditto uses Transform, it doesn’t just mimic the opponent’s appearance; it copies their Type, stats, and moveset. However, there are limitations:

• PP Limitations: While Ditto copies the moves, it only has 5 PP for each move, which can become a major factor in prolonged battles.
• Original Stats: Although it transforms, Ditto’s base form has very low stats, meaning that even when transformed, it may still be weaker than the original Pokémon if that Pokémon has high base stats.
• No Item Replication: Ditto does not copy held items, which can make a difference in the battle.

Strategies to Counter Ditto

Given these limitations, here are effective strategies to defeat a Ditto:

1. Use Pokémon with High Base Stats: Pokémon with naturally high HP and Defense/Special Defense stats, like Blissey or Snorlax, can often outlast a transformed Ditto. Even if Ditto transforms, its base form’s weak stats will still be a disadvantage.

2. Prioritize Strong Offense: Utilizing Pokémon with high Attack or Special Attack stats, like Mega Blaziken, Mega Rayquaza, or Lucario before transform will give them the ability to overpower the Ditto version. Ditto will have its PP limited and will often not be able to sustain a long fight against a high-offense pokemon.

3. Take Advantage of PP Limitation: Since Ditto’s transformed state only has 5PP for each move, forcing it to repeatedly use its attacks can render it useless and force it to resort to struggle. Use status moves that don’t cause direct damage to exploit this.

4. Use Moves That Don’t Rely on Transformation: Moves that offer a distinct advantage regardless of transformations, like priority moves or moves that increase the user’s stats or decrease the opponent’s stats, can quickly give you a lead over a transformed Ditto.

5. Avoid Mirror Matches: If possible, avoid bringing a Ditto to a battle against another Ditto, especially in raid battles. The AI will often try to copy your Ditto, and you will be stuck with a weakened version of the opposing Ditto.

Specific Pokémon That Fare Well Against Ditto

Here are some specific Pokémon types that perform well against Ditto:

• Fighting-Type: Strong Fighting-type Pokémon, especially those with high Attack and HP, can easily overpower Ditto. Lucario, Terrakion, and Shadow Hariyama are examples. These pokemon have strong offensive power before they transform, making them able to win against a transformed ditto that has inherited a lower base form.
• Normal-Type: While Normal types don’t have type advantages, Blissey, Slaking, and Snorlax often have high HP and good defense, making them able to survive any onslaught.
• Mega Evolutions: Mega Blaziken and Mega Rayquaza have high stats that give them a significant advantage over Ditto even after transformation.

Limitations of Ditto Counters

While these strategies are effective, it’s important to recognize some limitations:

• RNG Factor: In battles against Ditto, especially in raids, the moves Ditto uses are still somewhat random. Even with good counters, a little luck is often needed.
• Team Composition: The effectiveness of your counters also depends on your entire team composition and overall strategy.
• Ditto’s Move Pool: Though it starts with 5PP per move, this is still all of the opponent’s moveset, so a strong strategy against the opposing Pokemon is still necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Ditto

Is Ditto the strongest Pokémon because it can copy others?

No, Ditto is not the strongest Pokémon. While it can copy the stats and moves of other Pokémon, it doesn’t inherently possess the highest base stats. It only transforms into its opponent, but it is limited by PP per move and low base stats. A Pokemon with a high base stat in its original form, therefore, will still have a better base stat when transformed than the original Ditto.

Why is Ditto so hard to catch?

Ditto disguises itself as other Pokémon in the wild, making it difficult to find. It can appear as common Pokémon, and you only know if it’s a Ditto after catching it.

What Pokémon can Ditto disguise itself as?

Ditto can disguise itself as a variety of Pokémon that are native to the region. This list can change over time, but it often includes Pokemon like Brambleghast, Deerling, Diglett, Grimer, Snubbull, Corphish, Starly, Roggenrola, Tympole, and Litleo.

Can Ditto defeat any Pokémon?

While Ditto can transform into any Pokémon, it cannot win every match. A transformed Ditto is usually only as powerful as the Pokémon it transforms into, so it cannot surpass Pokémon with higher base stats and may struggle when facing those with a higher PP count per move.

Why is Ditto banned in Pokémon Go?

Ditto is not banned in Pokémon Go. However, its Transform move can become a problematic issue in lower leagues because it transforms into a Level 40 version of the opposing Pokemon and that can overpower low-level opponents. It can still be used in any league.

How rare is Ditto?

Ditto has a very low encounter rate. In Pokémon Go, its encounter rate is around 3%. In mainline games, it’s also relatively rare.

Can Ditto breed with Ditto?

No, Ditto cannot breed with another Ditto. Ditto can breed with almost any Pokémon except the Undiscovered egg group and other Dittos.

What is the easiest way to find a Ditto in Pokémon Violet?

There is no specific trick to lure Ditto in Pokémon Violet or any of the games. You simply need to explore areas where Ditto is known to appear, and it is particularly difficult to find because it will disguise itself as another local pokemon.

Can you beat Pokémon Violet using only one Ditto?

It is theoretically possible to beat Pokémon Violet with just one Ditto, but it would be incredibly challenging and require exploiting glitches. It’s not considered a viable way to play through the game and is meant to be a challenge run.

Is there a guaranteed way to get a 6 IV Ditto?

No, there’s no guaranteed way to get a 6 IV Ditto. Six-star Ditto raids are rare, and even then, the odds are low for 6 IVs. Five-star Ditto raids are even worse, dropping the odds considerably.

What is the weakest Pokémon in terms of stats?

The weakest Pokémon in terms of base stats is often considered to be Shedinja, which only has 1 HP. Although it can be powerful offensively, it has a crucial weakness because it can die in one hit.

Which Pokémon has no weakness?

The Eelektross line (Tynamo, Eelektrik, and Eelektross) has no weakness due to being a pure Electric-type with the Levitate ability, making them immune to Ground-type moves.

What Pokémon has the most weaknesses?

Snover has seven weaknesses: Fighting, Flying, Rock, Bug, Poison, Steel, and Fire, with a 4x weakness to fire.

How can I tell if a Pokémon is a disguised Ditto?

You will not know if a Pokemon is a Ditto until you catch it. If a pokemon disguised as a local pokemon is actually a Ditto, then a transformation animation will occur upon capture.

Does Ditto copy the other pokemon’s held item?

No, Ditto does not copy the held item of the Pokémon it transforms into. This is an important distinction as held items can greatly affect battle strategy.

Conclusion

While Ditto’s transformation ability is formidable, it’s not unbeatable. By employing strategic Pokémon choices that leverage high base stats, offense, status moves, and understanding the limitations of Ditto’s transformation, you can consistently defeat this shapeshifting Pokémon. The key is to approach the battle thoughtfully and to exploit Ditto’s inherent weaknesses and reliance on the opposing Pokémon’s stats and moves.