What does Mold Breaker ability do in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

It’s no secret that a good ability can be the difference between a decent Pokémon and a top-tier Pokémon. Some Pokémon are defined by their abilities and how these abilities synergize with certain movesets. But there is a way to completely shut down these strategies with the use of Mold Breaker. Here’s our guide on what the Mold Breaker ability does in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Note: For more information about the game, check out our Pokémon Scarlet and Violet guides and features hub.

What does the Mold Breaker ability do in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

Mold Breaker is an ability in Pokémon that is considered one of the best in the franchise. If a Pokémon possesses Mold Breaker, its moves will ignore the abilities of any opposing Pokémon. This means that while Mold Breaker is in play, many key abilities do not function as intended.

In the most literal sense, the Mold Breaker ability in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet breaks the mold. There are certain interactions players have come to expect that are completely negated by Mold Breaker. For example, Rotom’s Levitate ability makes all of its forms immune to Ground-type moves despite it being an electric type. But against a Mold Breaker user, Levitate would be ignored, making it weak to Ground-type moves.

Mold Breaker can ignore abilities like Donphan’s Sturdy. Screenshot by PC Invasion

There are several competitive uses for Mold Breaker. One of the most common is to use it to shut down Gholdengo, arguably Generation 9’s strongest special attacker. Part of what makes Gholdengo so good is its signature ability, Good as Gold. Thanks to this ability, Gholdengo is immune to all status moves. However, Mold Breaker bypasses Good as Gold allowing you to use status moves on Gholdengo, like Defog.

Even though Mold Breaker is one of the best abilities in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, it isn’t flawless. Its biggest drawback is that it only works on active abilities that directly affect used moves. Powerful passive abilities like Commander and Sharpness are completely unaffected.