The Pokémon franchise is known best for its riveting turn-based battles, where various moves and strategies play a crucial role in determining the outcome of confrontations. One such classic move that has long-garnered attention for its tactical nature is Taunt.
Taunt is not your typical offensive or defensive attack, but it serves a unique purpose in battles. In this article, we will explore what the Taunt move does in Pokémon and how it can be employed as an effective strategy in different situations. Read on to find out more about Taunt in Pokémon!
What Does Taunt Do in Pokemon?
Taunt isn’t your average TM (Technical machine) in Pokémon. Rather than a run-of-the-mill offensive or defensive attack, Taunt serves a unique and tactical purpose in battles; when a Pokémon is afflicted with Taunt, it will be unable to use any status-changing moves for at least 3 turns or until the afflicted Pokémon is switched out.
If a Pokémon that only knows status moves is afflicted with Taunt, however, then it will be forced to use Struggle until the Taunt wears off or it is switched out of battle. Interestingly, Taunt is one of the very few status-affecting moves that are able to affect a target with a Substitute.
Taunt is an exceptionally useful move to have in your arsenal when battling Psychic-type Pokémon, especially sneaky, status-affecting powerhouses like Mr. Mime or Wobbuffet.
How to Counter Taunt in Battle
Taunt can easily turn the tides of battle in your favor when you’re the one wielding it, but it can be a whole different ball game when it’s being directed at your own Pokémon instead. With that in mind, it’s not hard to imagine the sheer number of players desperately scrambling to find a way to counter Taunt in battle.
As previously mentioned, Taunt is unaffected by Pokémon using Substitute, so that won’t save you; however, there are a few other ways that you can avoid this frustrating attack in battle:
- Have your Pokémon use Taunt first.
- Hilariously, Taunt is not immune to itself. If you’ll recall, Taunt itself is a status move; if your Pokémon uses Taunt against a rival Pokémon, then the rival Pokémon will not be able to use Taunt (or any other status moves, for that matter) for at least 3 turns!
- Catch a Hatterene with Magic Bounce.
- Hatterene is a Psychic and Fairy-type Pokémon that has the potential to possess a Hidden Ability called Magic Bounce. Hatterenes with the Magic Bounce ability reflect most non-damaging status moves, such as Sleep Powder, Spore, and Taunt, which prevents them from ever succumbing to Taunts, Sleep, etc.
- Stock up on Mental Herbs.
- Mental Herbs are a special type of held item that, when used, can cure a Pokémon of all status ailments, including Infatuation, Encore, Taunt, etc.
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How to Teach Taunt to Your Pokémon
Pretty much every Pokémon can learn Taunt, but not all of them are able to learn it on their own. For some Pokémon, it will be necessary for trainers to teach them Taunt using TMs.
Some Pokémon will simply learn to Taunt all on their own as they level up, and Clobbopus will even evolve into Grapploct once it’s learned. However, there are many Pokémon that will rely on their trainers to learn this one-of-a-kind move; fortunately, teaching your Pokémon Taunt is an incredibly simple process.
Taunt was first introduced to the Pokémon game series all the way back in Gen 3, so its TM title changes depending on what game it’s in. However, you’ll be able to purchase it for a low price at many of the in-game shops that you’ll encounter along your playthrough, regardless of what game you’re playing.
Once the Taunt TM has been purchased, all that’s left for you to do is teach it to whatever Pokémon you want to terrorize other trainers with. Enjoy!
When used strategically, Taunt can tip the scales of any Pokémon battle in your favor, adding a valuable layer of control to your Pokémon battles. If you love having all of the best Pokémon advice, tips, and tricks at your fingertips, then you’ve come to the right website! Check out Gamer Journalist’s ridiculous amount of Pokémon content the next time you need help catching them all!
