What Does Mold Breaker Do In Pokemon

Ever been utterly frustrated by a sturdy wall of defense in Pokemon, a pesky ability like Levitate or Magic Bounce that just won't let your attacks connect properly? Abilities are a crucial part of competitive and casual Pokemon battling, often dictating strategy and limiting offensive options. When a Pokemon has an ability that completely negates your team's primary method of attack, it can feel like an insurmountable obstacle. That's where Mold Breaker comes in, an ability that can shatter those defensive walls and allow you to execute your strategy regardless of your opponent's abilities.

Understanding how abilities like Mold Breaker function is essential for building a well-rounded and adaptable team. It's not just about raw power; it's about knowing how to counter common defensive strategies and predict your opponent's moves. Mold Breaker, in particular, can turn the tide of battle by allowing you to land crucial hits that would otherwise be impossible, giving you a significant advantage and ensuring that your hard-hitting Pokemon can actually, well, hit!

What are the Key Aspects of Mold Breaker?

What specific abilities does Mold Breaker ignore?

Mold Breaker ignores abilities that would prevent a Pokémon from being damaged or having its stats lowered by an opponent's moves. This means it bypasses abilities that grant immunity, redirection, damage reduction, or stat protection, allowing the Mold Breaker user to inflict damage and apply stat changes as if the opposing ability didn't exist.

Mold Breaker's primary function is to negate the effects of a wide range of defensive and disruptive abilities that would otherwise hinder the effectiveness of a Pokémon's moves. Instead of specifically listing every single ability, it's easier to think of it in terms of the *types* of effects it bypasses. For example, it ignores abilities like Levitate (which grants immunity to Ground-type moves), allowing the Mold Breaker user to hit Levitating Pokémon with Ground-type attacks. Similarly, abilities like Wonder Guard (which makes a Pokémon immune to all but super-effective attacks) are ignored, so a non-super-effective attack from a Mold Breaker user will deal normal damage. Furthermore, Mold Breaker also circumvents abilities that prevent stat reduction. For instance, Clear Body and White Smoke prevent a Pokémon's stats from being lowered by an opponent's moves or abilities. Mold Breaker negates these, allowing moves like Leer or Growl to successfully lower the target's stats. Abilities that redirect moves, such as Lightning Rod or Storm Drain, are also ignored; the Mold Breaker user can still target the intended Pokémon, even if one with a redirection ability is present. Ultimately, Mold Breaker's effect can be summarized as removing the protective layer offered by the opposing Pokémon's ability, allowing the Mold Breaker user's moves to function as they normally would, based only on type matchups and the Pokémon's own stats.

How does Mold Breaker interact with Sturdy?

Mold Breaker allows moves to bypass the effects of the Sturdy ability. Sturdy normally prevents a Pokémon from being knocked out in one hit when it's at full health, leaving it with 1 HP. However, a Pokémon with Mold Breaker (or Teravolt or Turboblaze, which have the same effect) attacking a Pokémon with Sturdy will ignore this protection, potentially knocking out the Sturdy Pokémon in one hit even when it's at full HP.

Mold Breaker essentially negates the protective effect of Sturdy. Without Mold Breaker, a Pokémon with Sturdy would survive a powerful attack at full health and be left with 1 HP. This allows them to potentially retaliate with a powerful move, set up a hazard, or use a healing item. With Mold Breaker in play, the attacking Pokémon's move hits as if Sturdy wasn't even there, removing the strategic advantage Sturdy provides to the defending Pokémon. It's important to note that Mold Breaker only bypasses the specific effects of Sturdy (preventing a one-hit KO). It does not remove the Sturdy ability itself, nor does it negate other effects that might be triggered by taking damage. For instance, if a Pokémon with Sturdy is holding a Custap Berry (which activates at 25% HP or less), Mold Breaker will bypass the one-hit KO protection, but the Custap Berry will still activate if the attack brings the Sturdy Pokémon below 25% HP.

Which Pokemon have Mold Breaker as an ability?

Mold Breaker is an ability in Pokemon that allows the user to ignore the abilities of the target Pokemon during battle when using a direct attack. In essence, it negates abilities that would otherwise prevent the attack from working or change its outcome.

Mold Breaker essentially bypasses abilities that might grant immunity, redirection, or stat changes upon being hit. For example, a Pokemon with Mold Breaker can hit a Pokemon with the ability Levitate with Ground-type moves, something that is normally impossible. Similarly, abilities like Wonder Guard, which only allows super-effective attacks to hit, are ignored by Mold Breaker, allowing for normal or ineffective attacks to connect. This can be crucial in specific matchups, turning otherwise impossible situations into winnable ones. Here are some examples of Pokemon that possess the Mold Breaker ability:

Is Mold Breaker effective against all abilities?

No, Mold Breaker is not effective against all abilities in Pokémon. It specifically negates the effects of abilities that would otherwise prevent a Pokémon with Mold Breaker from executing its moves normally or that would alter the move's intended effects on the target.

Mold Breaker's primary function is to ignore abilities that interfere with move execution or targeting. For example, it allows a Pokémon with Mold Breaker to use Earthquake against a Pokémon with Levitate, or to hit a Pokémon with Wonder Guard with a non-super effective attack. It bypasses abilities that provide immunities, resistances, or redirection. However, Mold Breaker *does not* negate abilities that affect the user of Mold Breaker itself, or abilities that trigger after a move connects or fails. Think of it this way: Mold Breaker "breaks" down barriers *before* the move connects. Abilities like Intimidate (which lowers Attack on entry) or abilities that activate upon being hit, such as Cursed Body (which can disable the attacker's move), are not affected by Mold Breaker. Similarly, abilities like Speed Boost (which increases Speed each turn) operate independently and are not affected. Mold Breaker focuses on removing impediments preventing the move from *initially* landing and functioning as intended on the target.

What are some strategies to counter Mold Breaker?

Since Mold Breaker bypasses abilities, directly countering it is difficult. The primary strategies involve preventing the Mold Breaker user from attacking, exploiting their weaknesses, or utilizing abilities that are effective regardless of being ignored. Using faster Pokémon to inflict status conditions like paralysis or sleep, employing moves that force a switch, or setting up entry hazards are effective methods. Additionally, focusing on the Mold Breaker user's type weaknesses and lower defenses can lead to a quick knockout before its ability becomes a major factor.

Mold Breaker's ability to ignore abilities can be devastating, rendering strategies built around abilities like Levitate, Magic Bounce, or Wonder Guard useless. Therefore, direct confrontation relying on these abilities is typically a poor choice. Instead, prioritize speed control to outpace the Mold Breaker user. Paralysis, from moves like Thunder Wave, significantly reduces speed, while moves like Icy Wind can provide immediate speed drops. Furthermore, moves such as Roar or Whirlwind can force the Mold Breaker user to switch out, disrupting their strategy and negating their ability's effect, at least temporarily. Another effective approach is to focus on offensive pressure. Mold Breaker, while potent, doesn't inherently boost the user's stats or provide any defensive benefits. Identify the Mold Breaker user's type weaknesses and exploit them with powerful super-effective attacks. Many Pokémon with Mold Breaker have lower defensive stats, making them vulnerable to strong special attacks or physical attacks, depending on their defensive spread. Setting up entry hazards like Stealth Rock or Spikes can also chip away at their health each time they switch in, further weakening them and potentially securing a KO.

Does Mold Breaker affect abilities that activate after a move?

Yes, Mold Breaker (and similar abilities like Teravolt and Turboblaze) bypasses abilities that activate *after* a move, provided the Mold Breaker user is the attacker. This includes abilities that trigger upon taking damage or after a damaging move is used against the Pokémon with the ability.

Mold Breaker's primary function is to ignore abilities that might otherwise prevent a move from working or reduce its effectiveness. While commonly understood to bypass abilities that directly protect a Pokémon, its influence extends to abilities that activate following a damaging move. These abilities that trigger *after* taking damage, such as Aftermath, Cursed Body, Mummy, or Weak Armor are all ignored by Mold Breaker. The attacking move proceeds as if the defending Pokemon had no ability at all. To illustrate, consider a Haxorus with Mold Breaker using a physical attack against a Pokemon with the Aftermath ability. Ordinarily, Aftermath would cause the attacker to lose HP upon fainting the defending Pokémon. However, Mold Breaker negates Aftermath in this scenario, and the Haxorus will not take any damage upon knocking out the target, even if the target faints due to the move used by Haxorus. It's important to note that Mold Breaker only works on abilities of *opposing* Pokémon. It does not negate the Mold Breaker user's own ability or the abilities of its allies.

Does Mold Breaker only work on direct contact moves?

No, Mold Breaker does not only affect direct contact moves. It negates the effects of abilities regardless of whether the move used makes direct contact or not.

Mold Breaker is an ability in Pokémon that allows the Pokémon with the ability to ignore certain abilities of the target Pokémon during battle. This means that abilities like Levitate (which makes a Pokémon immune to Ground-type moves), or abilities that change type matchups, like Water Absorb (which makes a Pokémon immune to Water-type moves and heals when hit by them), are nullified when a Pokémon with Mold Breaker uses a move against them. The attack will then proceed as if the target Pokémon did not have that ability, allowing Ground-type moves to hit Levitate Pokémon and Water-type moves to damage or be absorbed otherwise immune Pokemon. The key is that Mold Breaker bypasses the *effects* of abilities. Direct contact is irrelevant. For example, if a Mold Breaker user uses Earthquake (a non-contact move) against a Pokémon with Levitate, Earthquake will hit as if Levitate didn't exist. Similarly, if a Mold Breaker user uses Fire Blast (another non-contact move) against a Pokémon with Flash Fire (which makes a Pokemon immune to Fire moves), Fire Blast will damage it. The ability to ignore the target's abilities is what matters, not the mechanics of the move used to initiate the attack.

So, there you have it! Hopefully, that clears up how Mold Breaker works and how it can give your Pokémon that extra edge in battle. Thanks for reading, and be sure to check back again for more Pokémon tips and tricks!