Substitute

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Move info

For information about the doll produced from the move, see Substitute (doll).

Substitute (みがわり, Scapegoat?) is a Normal-type move introduced in Generation I. It was TM50 in Generation I, but did not retain its TM status in the Generation II and Generation III games. It is TM90 since Generation IV. In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!, it is available as TM08. In Generation VIII, it is TR20 for Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. In Generation IX, it is TM103 for Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet.

Effect[]

Substitute creates a decoy of the user, usually in the form of a doll. However, it is created at the cost of 25% of the user's HP and takes all or most of the incoming damage from the opposing Pokémon's move until it breaks. The doll cannot be created if a Pokémon's HP is at fewer than 25% of its maximum HP. A one-hit knockout move always destroys a substitute if hit.

Limitations[]

With the release of Generation VI, sound-based moves such as Hyper Voice and Growl can bypass a Substitute and affect the user directly. As well, Generation VI made it so that a Pokémon with the Ability Infiltrator can hit a target using Substitute.

Moves that can bypass a substitute and damage the user:

Further, there are moves that do not damage the user but bypass their substitute and affect them in other ways:

Plus, any move used by a Pokémon with the ability infiltrator will bypass the substitute and affect the target directly, opening the door for a wider range of attacks not listed here.

Description[]

Games	Description
Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version	Makes a decoy with 1/4 user's max HP.
Pokémon Crystal Version	Makes a decoy with 1/4 user's max HP.
Pokémon Ruby Version and Pokémon Sapphire Version	Creates a decoy using 1/4 of the user's maximum HP.
Pokémon Emerald Version	Creates a decoy using 1/4 of the user's maximum HP.
Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version	The user creates a decoy using one-quarter of its full HP.
Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version	The user makes a copy of itself using some of its HP. The copy serves as the user's decoy.
Pokémon Platinum Version
Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version
Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version
Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2
Pokémon X and Pokémon Y
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire
Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon
Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon
Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!
Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield	The user creates a substitute for itself using some of its HP. The substitute serves as the user's decoy.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl
Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet	The user creates a substitute for itself using some of its own HP. The substitute serves as the user's decoy.

Spinoffs[]

Games	Description
Pokémon Stadium	Uses 1/4 of the user's maximum HP to create a substitute that takes the opponent's attacks.
Pokémon Stadium 2

Learnset[]

By leveling up[]

Pokémon

Type

Egg groups

Level

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

Kadabra

psychic

Human-Like

26^PE

Alakazam

psychic

Human-Like

26^PE

Mr. Mime

psychic/fairy

Human-Like

47

11

9^RSE
8^FRLG

29

29^SMUSUM
40PE

Kecleon

normal

Field

40

39^DP
37^PtHGSS

37

37^XY
42^ORAS

42

42^BDSP

Mime Jr.

psychic/fairy

Undiscovered

29

Rotom

electric/ghost

Amorphous

36

40

Froakie

water

Water 1

35

Frogadier

water

Water 1

38

40

Greninja

water/dark

Water 1

43

42

Shroodle

poison/normal

Field

36

Grafaiai

poison/normal

Field

40

Gholdengo

steel/ghost

Undiscovered

21

Dipplin

grass/dragon

Grass/Dragon

44

Hydrapple

grass/dragon

Grass/Dragon

44

Bold indicates this Pokémon receives STAB from this move.
Italic indicates an evolved or alternate form of this Pokémon receives STAB from this move.

By TM/TR[]

Every Pokémon can learn this move, even the ones that don't learn TMs and TRs normally. The following Pokémon that cannot learn this move are listed here:

By breeding[]

By Move Tutor[]

Every Pokémon can learn this move, even the ones aren't tutored normally. The following Pokémon that cannot learn this move are listed here:

By event[]

Generation II[]

Gallery[]

Main games

Spinoffs

Main series

Pokémon Adventures

v · d · e List of Normal-type moves

Generation I · Generation II · Generation III · Generation IV · Generation V · Generation VI · Generation VII · Generation VIII · Generation IX

A	Acupressure After You Assist Attract

B	Barrage Baton Pass Belly Drum Bestow Bide Bind Bite Block Blood Moon Body Slam Boomburst

C	Camouflage Captivate Celebrate Charm Chip Away Comet Punch Confide Constrict Conversion Conversion 2 Copycat Court Change Covet Crush Claw Crush Grip Cut

D	Defense Curl Disable Dizzy Punch Doodle Double Hit Double Slap Double Team Double-Edge

E	Echoed Voice Egg Bomb Encore Endeavor Endure Entrainment Explosion Extreme Speed

F	Facade Fake Out False Swipe Feint Fillet Away Flail Flash Focus Energy Follow Me Foresight Frustration Fury Attack Fury Swipes

G	Giga Impact Glare Growl Growth Guillotine Gust

H	Happy Hour Harden Head Charge Headbutt Heal Bell Helping Hand Hidden Power Hold Back Hold Hands Horn Attack Horn Drill Howl Hyper Beam Hyper Drill Hyper Fang Hyper Voice

J	Judgment

K	Karate Chop

L	Laser Focus Last Resort Leer Lock-On Lovely Kiss Lucky Chant

M	Me First Mean Look Mega Kick Mega Punch Metronome Milk Drink Mimic Mind Reader Minimize Moonlight Morning Sun Multi-Attack

N	Natural Gift Nature Power Noble Roar

O	Odor Sleuth

P	Pain Split Pay Day Perish Song Play Nice Population Bomb Pound Power Shift Present Protect Psych Up

Q	Quick Attack

R	Rage Raging Bull Rapid Spin Razor Wind Recover Recycle Reflect Type Refresh Relic Song Retaliate Return Revelation Dance Revival Blessing Roar Rock Climb Round

S	Safeguard Sand Attack Scary Face Scratch Screech Secret Power Self-Destruct Sharpen Shed Tail Shell Smash Simple Beam Sing Sketch Skull Bash Slack Off Slam Slash Sleep Talk Smelling Salts Smokescreen Snore Soft-Boiled Sonic Boom Spike Cannon Spit Up Splash Spotlight Stockpile Stomp Strength Struggle Stuff Cheeks Substitute Super Fang Supersonic Swagger Swallow Sweet Kiss Sweet Scent Swift Swords Dance

T	Tackle Tail Slap Tail Whip Take Down Tearful Look Teatime Techno Blast Teeter Dance Tera Blast Tera Starstorm Terrain Pulse Thrash Tickle Tidy Up Transform Tri Attack Trump Card

U	Uproar

V	Vise Grip

W	Weather Ball Whirlwind Wish Work Up Wrap Wring Out

Y	Yawn

See also	Bug-type Dark-type Dragon-type Electric-type Fairy-type Fighting-type Fire-type Flying-type Ghost-type Grass-type Ground-type Ice-type Poison-type Psychic-type Rock-type Steel-type Water-type

Moves

v · d · e List of moves introduced in Generation I

Bug-type · Dark-type · Dragon-type · Electric-type · Fairy-type · Fighting-type · Fire-type · Flying-type · Ghost-type · Grass-type · Ground-type · Ice-type · Normal-type · Poison-type · Psychic-type · Rock-type · Steel-type · Water-type

A	Absorb Acid Acid Armor Agility Amnesia Aurora Beam

B	Barrage Barrier Bide Bind Bite Blizzard Body Slam Bone Club Bonemerang Bubble Bubble Beam

C	Clamp Comet Punch Confuse Ray Confusion Constrict Conversion Counter Crabhammer Cut

D	Defense Curl Dig Disable Dizzy Punch Double Kick Double Slap Double Team Double-Edge Dragon Rage Dream Eater Drill Peck

E	Earthquake Egg Bomb Ember Explosion

F	Fire Blast Fire Punch Fire Spin Fissure Flamethrower Flash Fly Focus Energy Fury Attack Fury Swipes

G	Glare Growl Growth Guillotine Gust

H	Harden Haze Headbutt High Jump Kick Horn Attack Horn Drill Hydro Pump Hyper Beam Hyper Fang Hypnosis

I	Ice Beam Ice Punch

J	Jump Kick

K	Karate Chop Kinesis

L	Leech Life Leech Seed Leer Lick Light Screen Lovely Kiss Low Kick

M	Meditate Mega Drain Mega Kick Mega Punch Metronome Mimic Minimize Mirror Move Mist

N	Night Shade

P	Pay Day Peck Petal Dance Pin Missile Poison Gas Poison Powder Poison Sting Pound Psybeam Psychic Psywave

Q	Quick Attack

R	Rage Razor Leaf Razor Wind Recover Reflect Rest Roar Rock Slide Rock Throw Rolling Kick

S	Sand Attack Scratch Screech Seismic Toss Self-Destruct Sharpen Sing Skull Bash Sky Attack Slam Slash Sleep Powder Sludge Smog Smokescreen Soft-Boiled Solar Beam Sonic Boom Spike Cannon Splash Spore Stomp Strength String Shot Struggle Stun Spore Submission Substitute Super Fang Supersonic Surf Swift Swords Dance

T	Tackle Tail Whip Take Down Teleport Thrash Thunder Thunder Punch Thunder Shock Thunder Wave Thunderbolt Toxic Transform Tri Attack Twineedle

V	Vine Whip ViceGrip

W	Water Gun Waterfall Whirlwind Wing Attack Withdraw Wrap

See also	Generation II Generation III Generation IV Generation V Generation VI Generation VII Generation VIII Generation IX

Generation I