The No Guard ability in Pokémon is often misunderstood, especially when it comes to Double Battles. Many trainers wonder, “what does No Guard do in Pokémon?” and how it can be effectively used. If you’ve ever considered a strategy revolving around one-hit KO (OHKO) moves and the No Guard ability in Pokémon Doubles, you’re in for a powerful, albeit risky, tactical approach. Let’s dive deep into how this strategy truly works and how to make it a knockout success.
Clearing Up the Confusion: What No Guard Actually Does
First, it’s crucial to understand exactly what the No Guard ability does. Contrary to some assumptions, No Guard does not make every move from every Pokémon on your team hit without fail. Instead, No Guard has a more specific, yet incredibly potent effect:
- Pokémon with No Guard: All moves used by a Pokémon with the No Guard ability, and all moves targeting a Pokémon with No Guard, will always hit. Accuracy is effectively ignored for these interactions.
This means if your Pokémon with No Guard uses Dynamic Punch, it will always land, bypassing its usual shaky accuracy. However, it also means that if an opponent uses a high-accuracy move like Thunderbolt against your No Guard Pokémon, it too is guaranteed to hit. This two-way street is key to understanding both the strengths and weaknesses of No Guard.
Now, for the OHKO strategy in Doubles, the crucial point is that No Guard only affects the Pokémon that possesses the ability. Your teammate’s moves are not automatically guaranteed to hit unless they also have No Guard, or are targeting a Pokémon with No Guard. This is where many trainers initially misunderstand the ability’s application in Doubles.
The Solution: Ability Swapping for OHKO Success
To make the No Guard + OHKO strategy work effectively in Doubles, you need to get creative and utilize moves that can manipulate abilities. The key moves here are Skill Swap and Role Play.
- Skill Swap: This move exchanges abilities between the user and the target Pokémon.
- Role Play: This move copies the target Pokémon’s ability onto the user, overwriting the user’s original ability.
Using either of these moves, you can transfer the No Guard ability from a supporting Pokémon to a Pokémon that knows a powerful OHKO move like Fissure, Guillotine, Horn Drill, or Sheer Cold. This ingenious combination ensures that your OHKO move will bypass accuracy checks and (assuming type matchups are favorable and protection moves are avoided) land a guaranteed one-hit knockout.
Image showcasing a Machamp, a common No Guard user, executing Dynamic Punch. This illustrates the ability’s benefit in guaranteeing hits for powerful, less accurate moves.
Effective Pokémon Combinations for No Guard OHKO Strategy
Let’s explore some potent Pokémon pairings that can execute this strategy effectively, leveraging both Role Play and Skill Swap:
Role Play Combinations
Role Play is often preferred as it allows the No Guard Pokémon to retain its ability, potentially for further supportive actions.
- Landorus (Incarnate or Therian) & OHKO Users (Fissure): Both Landorus forms learn Role Play, and Landorus-Incarnate even gets Gravity, which removes the Flying-type immunity to Ground-type OHKO moves like Fissure. Pairing Landorus with a Fissure user is a strong option.
- Tauros & OHKO Users (Fissure or Horn Drill): Tauros can learn both Role Play and OHKO moves like Fissure and Horn Drill, making it a self-sufficient option. However, accessing these OHKO moves on Tauros requires transferring from Generation I Virtual Console games, and this Tauros won’t have access to Intimidate.
- Machamp & OHKO Users (Fissure): Similar to Tauros, Machamp can learn both Role Play and Fissure (through Gen I VC transfer). Imagine a Machamp using Role Play to gain No Guard, and then unleashing a No Guard Fissure!
- Bisharp & OHKO Users (Guillotine): Bisharp is unique as a fully evolved Pokémon that learns both Role Play and Guillotine. Its Inner Focus ability can also prevent flinching from Fake Out, allowing for a more reliable setup.
- Smeargle & Any OHKO Move: Smeargle’s incredible movepool means it can learn Role Play and any OHKO move you desire. Combined with the Moody ability, Smeargle could potentially boost its Speed to outpace opponents and deliver surprise OHKOs. Smeargle can also learn Gastro Acid to negate Sturdy, further ensuring the OHKO.
- Alolan Ninetales/Abomasnow & OHKO Users (Sheer Cold): These Ice-types learn Role Play and Sheer Cold. Abomasnow’s Snow Warning can also set up Hail, breaking Focus Sashes that might otherwise protect opponents from OHKOs.
Skill Swap Combinations
Skill Swap offers a different advantage. By swapping abilities, you can remove a problematic ability from an opponent while giving No Guard to your OHKO user.
- Slowbro/Slowking/Wormadam-Sandy & OHKO Users: These Pokémon learn Skill Swap and OHKO moves. While Slowbro and Slowking need moves from Gen I VC transfers for OHKO moves, they and Wormadam-Sandy can Skill Swap No Guard to themselves and then fire off guaranteed OHKOs. A key benefit of Skill Swap is the ability to remove an opponent’s Sturdy ability without needing an extra move like Gastro Acid.
Battle Tree Tactics and Considerations
When using the No Guard OHKO strategy in the Battle Tree, keep these points in mind:
- Speed Control is Key: Outspeeding your opponent is crucial for landing OHKOs before they can react. Speed boosting items like Choice Scarf or moves like Tailwind can be invaluable.
- Protect is Essential: Protect on your No Guard Pokémon can shield it from damage while your OHKO user sets up with Role Play or Skill Swap.
- Type Matchups Matter: OHKO moves are still affected by type matchups. Ground-type OHKOs won’t hit Flying-types (unless Gravity is in play), and so on. Ensure your OHKO move is effective against the target.
- Sturdy and Focus Sash: Abilities like Sturdy and items like Focus Sash can prevent OHKOs. Consider using moves or abilities to negate these, such as Mold Breaker or entry hazards, or in Smeargle’s case, Gastro Acid.
- Opponent Prediction: Battle Tree opponents can be unpredictable. Be prepared for various strategies and potential counters to your OHKO approach.
Conclusion: Embrace the Risk, Reap the Reward
The No Guard + OHKO strategy in Pokémon Doubles is a high-risk, high-reward tactic. While it requires careful setup and can be vulnerable to faster threats or status conditions, the sheer power of guaranteed one-hit knockouts can be incredibly satisfying and effective in the Battle Tree and beyond. By understanding the nuances of No Guard and utilizing ability-swapping moves like Role Play and Skill Swap, you can unlock the full potential of this exciting and devastating strategy. So, next time you’re looking for a bold and impactful approach to Pokémon Doubles, consider harnessing the chaos and control of the No Guard OHKO strategy!
For further exploration of Pokémon moves and abilities, resources like the Pokémon Database moveset searcher are invaluable for planning your own unique combinations.
