An Electrode using Explosion against a Mr. Mime under a Substitute and not fainting.
The Selfdestruct and Substitute glitch in Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow allows a Pokémon to use Selfdestruct or Explosion against a Pokémon under a Substitute and not faint.
Performing the glitch
Requirements
- A fast Pokémon knowing Substitute.
- Another Pokémon knowing Explosion or Selfdestruct.
- Both Pokémon must face each other in a battle.
Self-destruction without fainting
- One of the Pokémon must use Substitute.
- The other must then (not necessarily the same turn) use Selfdestruct or Explosion.
- The game will state that "(Pokémon)'s SUBSTITUTE broke !" but the Explosion user won't faint. Its sprite will vanish and won't be revealed again until a new Pokémon is switched in.
Explanation
There are two functions used to deal damage : one for the enemy, one for the player's Pokémon.
However, only one function handles damage to a Substitute. The "forced fainting" is the applied to the Substitute instead of the Explosion user, although the sprite vanishes as this is handled by the attack sprite animation.
See also
- Confusion and Substitute glitch - a glitch in which damage is dealt to the opponent Pokémon's Substitute instead of the user's when a Pokémon under a Substitute is hurt from its confusion.
Video demonstration