Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Shiny hunter devises genius strategy to counter self-destruct
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet players fear encountering a Shiny Pokemon that knows Self-Destruct, but one player has found a genius strategy that counters this frightful move.
One move has been the bane of unprepared Shiny hunters since the alt color schemes were introduced in Gen 2: Self-Destruct. This is a move that deals a massive amount of damage, but it kills the user in the process.
As you can imagine, it’s not ideal for a Shiny Pokemon to destroy itself before the trainer has a chance to catch it. Luckily, there are only a few wild Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet that know this move making it unlikely for a trainer to run across one unprepared.
But for players who plan on hunting Forretress, Glimmet, or Glimmora, you may want to use this strategy.
How to counter Self-Destruct in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
The best way to counter Self-Destruct is to have a Pokemon on the field with the ability Damp. This makes it so Pokemon can’t use Self_Destruct, but the ability can only be found on a few Pokemon, including Golduck.
Reddit user Cloverinepixel devised a strategy to deal with this dreadful move but having their Damp Golduck know the move Skill Swap. This allows the user to swap abilities with the targeted Pokemon. As seen in the clip below, the Golduck gave the Glimmet the Damp ability before switching out for Gallade.
On the next turn, Glimmet attempts to use Self-Destruct, but its own ability is activated, stopping the explosion from occurring, proving this strategy to be effective. The Gallade can then False Swipe the Glimmet to one HP making it much easier to catch.
So, before hunting one of the three Pokemon in Scarlet & Violet that know Self-Destruct, it’s worth throwing together a quick Golduck build with Damp and Skill Swap.
