Pokemon Legends: Z-A has effectively made the longtime staple move Substitute all but completely useless, as the real-time battle system allows trainers to bypass it via strong attacks and movement. Although Substitute is still available as a Technical Machine move in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, it is not worth slotting into a move set due to the game's fast-paced battles.
In the traditional turn-based battle system used by most Pokemon mainline games since Gen 1, Substitute creates a decoy of its user at the cost of 25% of its maximum HP. This decoy then takes damage in place of the main user, though the Substitute will break after taking enough damage. Having a Substitute on the field allows a Pokemon to survive an attack that would otherwise knock it out in one hit, giving it time to counterattack or make a retreat. Using Substitute efficiently is a viable defensive strategy in competitive Pokemon battles, and it can be learned by almost every Pokemon as of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
Although Substitute can still be used to avoid taking debuffs in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, its practical use in a battle is rendered moot due to the game's...
