Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (SV)

How to Use Substitute in Competitive Battle

Substitute is a powerful move when utilized correctly, often buying the user an extra turn to defend. Read on to learn how to properly use Substitute in competitive play and how to use it to win Ranked Battles in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (SV)!

What Can We Learn From This Article?
Pokeball Icon How Substitute works
Pokeball Icon When to set up a Substitute
Pokeball Icon What Substitute will and will NOT protect against
Pokeball Icon How to Beat Substitute

What is Substitute?

A Move That Generates a Substitute That Can Take Damage

Pokemon Sword and Shield - Substitute vs Bellossom

Image from Pokemon Sword and Shield

Move Type Effect
Substitute Pokemon Scarlet and Violet SV - Normal Type Moves The user creates a decoy by sacrificing 25% of the user's max HP.

Substitute uses 1/4 of your Pokemon's maximum HP (rounded up) to generate a Substitute which receives damage instead of your Pokemon.

The Substitute's durability is dependent on the HP consumed when using it, and will be destroyed if it takes enough damage.

The move will fail if the user attempts to use Substitute while already behind a Substitute.

What Substitute Protects Against

Substitute will protect your Pokemon from taking large amounts of damage. Status moves targeting a Pokemon behind a Substitute will fail when used, as will moves with secondary effects that lower stats or inflict status conditions. Pokemon behind a Substitute will not flinch if a move like Fake Out is used against it.

Your Pokemon will still take residual damage from Sandstorm because Substitute will not protect the user from weather's residual damage.

Substitute does not protect the user from moves that affect the entire field, such as Perish Song, Haze, and Destiny Bond. If the user was burned or poisoned before using Substitute, the user will still incur damage from these Status Conditions.

Examples of Status Moves That Fail Against Substitute Examples of Status Moves That Work Against Substitute
・Toxic
・Will-O-Wisp
・Thunder Wave
・Leech Seed
Trick
・Leech Seed
・Roar
・Taunt
・Curse
・Destiny Bond
・Perish Song
・Encore
・Disable
・Attract
・Disable
・Haze
・Imprison
・Psych Up
・Taunt
・Transform
・Whirlwind

Effective Use of Substitute

Use As Counterplay to Status Moves

Pokemon Sword and Shield - Hippowdon Stealth Rock

Image from Pokemon Sword and Shield

Placing a Substitute in anticipation of an opponent's status move can earn you a huge advantage. This is a good countermeasure against tanky Pokemon who rely on stalling strategies.
This is also a good strategy for stalling out turns of Trick Room.

Examples of Tanky Stall Pokemon
Slowbro ImageSlowbro Forretress ImageForretress Hippowdon ImageHippowdon

Use to Protect a Set Up

Pokemon Sword and Shield - Volcarona Quiver Dance

Image from Pokemon Sword and Shield

Some Pokemon may want to have a turn to boost their stats and set up a sweep. Substitute allows Pokemon to do that, giving them a layer of durability that they otherwise would not have.

Additionally, Substitutes can get passed to an ally waiting in the back with Baton Pass.

Examples of Setup Pokemon
Drifblim ImageDrifblim Mimikyu ImageMimikyu

How to Beat Substitute

Sound-based Moves Infiltrator
Multi-hitting Moves High-damage Moves
Taunt

Sound-Based Moves

Substitute cannot protect against Sound-based Moves.

Chansey ImageChansey
Sing
Sylveon ImageSylveon
Hyper Voice
Gengar ImageGengar
Perish Song

List of Sound-Based Moves

Infiltrator

Pokemon with the Infiltrator Ability can deal damage through Substitutes.

Dragapult ImageDragapult
Infiltrator
Noivern ImageNoivern
Infiltrator
Jumpluff ImageJumpluff
Infiltrator

Multi-Hitting Moves

Mult-hit moves can cause a Substitute to fade and damage the user with additional hits.

Breloom ImageBreloom
Bullet Seed
Cloyster ImageCloyster
Icicle Spear
Dragonite ImageDragonite
Dual Wingbeat

High-Damage Moves

Moves with high enough damage will cause a Substitute to fade. You can also try outspeeding and damaging an opponent before it can set up a Substitute because lowering its life to below 25% will prevent it from setting one up.

Taunt

Using Taunt in anticipation of an opponent using Substitute can be an effective way of impeding your opponent's gameplan. Do remember that Taunt will still work on an opponent behind a Substitute, preventing it from further setting up.

Additional Information on Substitute

Pokemon Sword and Shield - Substitute Taking Damage

Image from Pokemon Sword and Shield

Making contact with an opposing Pokemon with the Rocky Helmet item, Iron Barbs or Rough Skin Ability will not deal damage to you if they are behind a Substitute.

However, if the attacking Pokemon makes contact with a Pokemon with Rocky Helmet, Iron Barbs or Rough Skin, they will still take damage as normal even if the attacking Pokemon is behind a Substitute.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Related Guides

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet SV - Competitive Battle Partial Banner

Learn Competitive Battling

Team Building Guides
Competitive Team Building for Singles Ranked Battle Competitive Team Building for Doubles Ranked Battle
How to Build a Trick Room Team How to Build a Weather Team
How to Build a Hyper Offense Team Paradox Pokemon Builds for Competitive Battles and Tera Raids
Treasures of Ruin Builds for Competitive Battles and Tera Raids HOME Transfer Pokemon Builds for Ranked Battle and Raids
Competitive Strategy Guides
Best Abilities for Competitive Battle Best Held Items for Competitive Battle
When to Switch Pokemon Team Preview: Which Pokemon to Choose?
How to Use Substitute in Competitive Battle List of Competitive Terms
Battle Timer: Who Wins When Time Runs Out? New DLC Competitive Cores and Matchups
VGC Tournament Results
VGC Tournament Results: 2023 Oceania International Championships VGC Tournament Results: 2023 European International Championships
VGC Tournament Results: 2023 Portland Regional Championships VGC Tournament Results: 2023 Hartford Regional Championships
VGC Tournament Results: 2023 Milwaukee Regional Championships VGC Tournament Results: 2023 Fresno Regional Championships
VGC Tournament Results: 2023 Japan National Championships Pokemon World Championships 2023

Comment

10 Anonymous9 months

I believe the very last part of the article should say: However, if the attacking Pokemon makes contact with a Pokemon with Rocky Helmet, Iron Barbs or Rough Skin, they will still take damage as normal even if the >> attacked << Pokemon is behind a Substitute.

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