Ever encountered a Shedinja in Pokémon and felt utterly helpless? That's the power of Wonder Guard, an ability that makes Shedinja only vulnerable to super-effective attacks. It's a game-changer, forcing players to think strategically about their move choices and team composition. However, some abilities can bypass conventional rules, raising the question: Can abilities like Mold Breaker, Teravolt, and Turboblaze ignore Wonder Guard, turning Shedinja into a much easier target?
The interaction between these abilities and Wonder Guard is a crucial piece of Pokémon battling knowledge. Understanding how they interact can significantly impact your strategy, especially in competitive play. Knowing whether your powerful Earthquake will actually hit a levitating Shedinja because of Mold Breaker is the difference between victory and devastating defeat. It affects team building decisions and in-battle tactical approaches, making it essential for any serious Pokémon player to understand these mechanics.
Does Mold Breaker truly negate Wonder Guard?
Does Mold Breaker bypass Wonder Guard's invulnerability?
Yes, the Ability Mold Breaker, along with similar Abilities like Teravolt and Turboblaze, completely bypasses the effects of the Ability Wonder Guard. This means that a Pokémon with Mold Breaker can hit a Pokémon with Wonder Guard with any attack, regardless of whether that attack would normally be super effective.
Wonder Guard makes a Pokémon invulnerable to any damage that isn't super effective. However, Abilities like Mold Breaker essentially "ignore" the target's Ability. The attack calculation proceeds as if Wonder Guard didn't exist, allowing even moves that are not very effective, normally effective, or even have no effect to hit and deal damage. This makes Mold Breaker a potent counter to Wonder Guard, turning what would normally be an insurmountable defense into a non-factor. The interaction between Mold Breaker (and its variants) and Wonder Guard is a fundamental example of how Abilities can override each other in battle. These "ignore Abilities" Abilities are powerful tools for breaking through defensive walls and surprise strategies, forcing opponents to rely on methods other than simple Ability-based invulnerability. Note that it is the *attacking* Pokemon that needs Mold Breaker to bypass Wonder Guard, not the defending one.What other abilities are similar to Mold Breaker in ignoring Wonder Guard?
Besides Mold Breaker, the abilities Teravolt and Turboblaze also allow moves to bypass Wonder Guard. These three abilities effectively negate the effect of Wonder Guard, allowing any move to hit Shedinja regardless of its typing or stats, as long as the move would normally be allowed to hit another Pokémon.
These abilities function identically in their effect on Wonder Guard. They are all considered "ignore abilities," specifically ignoring abilities that might otherwise block or alter the effectiveness of a move. This is what allows them to bypass Wonder Guard. It is not simply bypassing the type matchup, but bypassing the *ability* Wonder Guard itself. Otherwise, moves like Fire-type attacks would naturally hit Shedinja, bypassing its typing entirely.
These three abilities aren't completely identical however. They are all separate abilities granted to specific Pokémon: Mold Breaker can be found on Pokémon like Rampardos and Haxorus, Teravolt is exclusive to Reshiram, and Turboblaze is exclusive to Zekrom. So, while they function the same, their availability depends on the specific Pokémon possessing each ability.
Are there any exceptions to Mold Breaker ignoring Wonder Guard?
No, there are no exceptions to Mold Breaker, Teravolt, or Turboblaze ignoring Wonder Guard. These abilities completely bypass Wonder Guard, allowing Pokémon with these abilities to hit a Pokémon with Wonder Guard regardless of the attacking move's type.
The abilities Mold Breaker, Teravolt, and Turboblaze are designed to negate abilities that would otherwise prevent a move from connecting or dealing damage. Wonder Guard, which only allows super-effective moves to hit the Pokémon possessing it, is specifically countered by these abilities. When a Pokémon with Mold Breaker (or Teravolt/Turboblaze) uses a move, the game essentially ignores Wonder Guard's effect for that attack, meaning the move will hit and deal damage as normal (assuming other factors like type matchups and accuracy allow it).
It's important to note that while Mold Breaker ignores Wonder Guard, it doesn't bypass other defensive mechanics like Protect, Detect, or immunities granted by typing (e.g., a Ground-type move still won't hit a Flying-type Pokémon, even if the attacker has Mold Breaker). It only specifically bypasses the effect of abilities like Wonder Guard, Levitate, and similar abilities that directly prevent moves from hitting or dealing damage based on specific criteria.
Which Pokemon have Mold Breaker that can effectively target Wonder Guard users?
Yes, Mold Breaker, as well as Teravolt and Turboblaze, effectively bypass the Wonder Guard ability. This means that Pokémon with Mold Breaker or its variants can hit Shedinja and other Wonder Guard users with attacks that would otherwise be ineffective due to the ability, provided the attack is of a type that would normally damage the target.
Mold Breaker and its counterparts, Teravolt and Turboblaze, ignore abilities that could prevent an attack from hitting. Wonder Guard, which only allows super-effective attacks to damage the Pokémon, is one such ability. Therefore, if a Pokémon with Mold Breaker uses a move that is not super-effective but is a damaging type (e.g., a normal-type move against Shedinja after it has been Terastallized into a different type, or a neutral damage rock type move against Shedinja with its original typing), the move will connect and deal damage as if Wonder Guard weren't there. Several Pokémon species can possess Mold Breaker, making them effective counters to Wonder Guard users like Shedinja. These include Pokémon like Pinsir, Rampardos, and Excadrill. Moves like Earthquake or Stone Edge, when used by one of these Mold Breaker Pokémon, can directly damage or even OHKO (one-hit knockout) Shedinja, regardless of its Wonder Guard ability. Teravolt is specific to Reshiram, while Turboblaze is exclusive to Zekrom.How does the interaction between Mold Breaker and Wonder Guard work in double battles?
In double battles, a Pokémon with Mold Breaker (or Teravolt/Turboblaze) completely ignores the Wonder Guard ability of opposing Pokémon, regardless of their position on the field. This means that if a Pokémon with Mold Breaker uses a move that would normally be blocked by Wonder Guard (because it's not a super-effective attack), the attack will hit and deal damage as if Wonder Guard wasn't present.
Mold Breaker essentially negates Wonder Guard's protective effect. This is crucial in double battles because it removes the strategic advantage Wonder Guard would otherwise provide. A Pokémon with Wonder Guard is normally only vulnerable to super-effective attacks, allowing it to wall many common moves. However, Mold Breaker bypasses this limitation, opening up opportunities for teammates to target the Wonder Guard Pokémon with moves it would normally resist or be immune to. Consider a scenario where a Shedinja (which has Wonder Guard) is on the field alongside its partner. If an opposing Haxorus with Mold Breaker uses a non-super-effective move like Dragon Claw, it will hit Shedinja despite Shedinja's Wonder Guard ability. This bypass applies even if Haxorus is targeting Shedinja's partner; the mere presence of Haxorus on the field with Mold Breaker breaks Wonder Guard for its own attacks. The same applies to Teravolt and Turboblaze.Does Terastalization affect Mold Breaker's ability to ignore Wonder Guard?
No, Terastalization does not affect Mold Breaker's ability to ignore Wonder Guard. A Pokémon with the ability Mold Breaker (or similar abilities like Teravolt or Turboblaze) will bypass Wonder Guard regardless of whether the target Pokémon is Terastallized or not. These abilities fundamentally negate Wonder Guard's effect.
Wonder Guard functions by making a Pokémon immune to any attacking move that isn't super effective against it. Mold Breaker (and Teravolt/Turboblaze) bypasses this effect by ignoring the opponent's abilities. The key point is that these abilities do not check for the *existence* of an ability like Wonder Guard, but rather actively bypass its *effects*. Terastalization primarily changes a Pokémon's type, granting it new weaknesses and resistances, but it does not interact with the fundamental mechanics of abilities like Mold Breaker. Therefore, even if a Shedinja Terastallizes into a type resistant to the attacker's move, a Pokémon with Mold Breaker can still damage it with a non-super effective attack. The change in type granted by Terastalization only affects the type matchup, which is bypassed entirely by the Mold Breaker effect.Has the interaction between Mold Breaker and Wonder Guard changed across different generations?
No, the interaction between Mold Breaker and Wonder Guard has remained consistent across all generations of Pokémon games in which both abilities exist. Mold Breaker (along with Teravolt and Turboblaze) consistently allows moves to bypass the effects of Wonder Guard, meaning a Pokémon with Mold Breaker can always hit a Pokémon with Wonder Guard with any attack, regardless of type matchups.
To elaborate, Wonder Guard normally makes a Pokémon immune to all damaging attacks that are not super effective against it. This can make Pokémon with Wonder Guard, like Shedinja, very difficult to deal with if your team lacks appropriate type coverage. However, Mold Breaker, Teravolt, and Turboblaze fundamentally ignore this immunity. The attacking Pokémon's ability effectively negates Wonder Guard, allowing any direct damaging move to hit, dealing damage based on the normal type matchups and stat calculations. The move still needs to be a damaging move (status moves are not affected), but type effectiveness is no longer a barrier. The consistency of this interaction is important for competitive battling and teambuilding. Players can reliably use Mold Breaker Pokémon as a counter to Wonder Guard Pokémon, knowing that the effect will work as intended across all game versions from Generation V onwards (the generation in which Mold Breaker, Teravolt and Turboblaze were introduced). This stable interaction also allows for strategic planning and reliable execution of battle strategies.Alright, so that's the lowdown on Mold Breaker and Wonder Guard – Mold Breaker definitely breaks through! Hopefully, this cleared up any confusion you had. Thanks for reading, and feel free to swing by again if you've got more Pokémon questions brewing. Happy battling!