Disable

[Ryanide]

Disable: Other Normal PP: 20 Power: --- / Accuracy: 100 Effect: For four to seven rounds, including the current round, the last move used by opponent when this attack was used is disabled for opponent. Fails if opponent doesn't have that move or it has zero PP.

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So it seems Disable gets 100% accuracy now. This has always been a really overlooked move, since it had a pretty high chance of failure and never really seemed to help much in the long run (and was outclassed by Taunt and torment most of the time) but now that it hits reliably at 100%, it could have some very interesting applications.

An advantage of Disable over taunt is that it can disable anything, not just non-attacking moves. This means that it'll take out both keep boosting moves like dragon dance and also key offensive moves that follow them. Sadly, the downside is that the opponent needs to have already used that move in order for it to work, in which case you're already at a disadvantage.

 

[monster]

Hmmm.... interesting. I'd like to see more people use unusual moves like Disable. You know in RBY it would Disable regardless of whether you used a move or not?

But yeah, probably outclassed by Encore or Taunt, but I wonder, can you disable multiple moves? I think you could in previous gens, but now that its accuracy is 100....

 

[Super Mario Bro]

I think this move could be useful on Gengar. A set like Substitute, Disable, Shadow Ball, and Focus Blast effectively shuts down many of its counters.

 

[Platyp]

Hmmm.... interesting. I'd like to see more people use unusual moves like Disable. You know in RBY it would Disable regardless of whether you used a move or not?

That's because it disabled a random move in RBY, so the user didn't need an opponent's preceding move to disable.

 

[VaxtinTheWolf]

Cursed Body(Dream World). has a chance to disable an attacking move. Does that count also?

http://www.serebii.net/abilitydex/cursedbody.shtml

 

[Cshadow]

With 100% accuracy it may prove useful. Disable also has the ability to go through subs (is Taunt capable of doing this?). The advantage this has is that Sub/Healing Move/Set Up Move/Attacking Move can be disabled while the user is behind a Substitute, so slower bulkier Pokemon (Lickilciky for example) could take advantage of a Calm Mind user no longer being able to set up or use a Substitute, or a choice user no longer being able to attack, thus being locked into one move and forced to switch.

But I have no idea if it would actually find use by anybody though. Choice users get shut down by Torment, healing moves and other set up moves used by non sub users get shut down by Taunt. The only real advantage is that it goes through substitutes.

EDIT: Oh, it might work if you incorporate Disable on a Sub set, blocking the move the Pokemon can use to break your sub. That would prove useful (and annoying).

 

[Misty]

Cursed Body is a separate issue. Discuss that in its own topic.

Disable might be fun on Choice Pokemon, since it forces them to either switch or Struggle.

 

[Grammarian]

It would seem that Protect+Disable on a fast Pokemon could become a useful strategy for crippling Choice users and Mono-attackers.

 

[DDRMaster]

It would seem that Protect+Disable on a fast Pokemon could become a useful strategy for crippling Choice users and Mono-attackers.

There used to be a set like that in the analysis for Frosslass but I think it was taken out because Disable was fairly unreliable. Protect+Disable could probably work on something like Gengar since the opponent might only have one move that's effective against it.

 

[extra]

the problem with disabling things is that you have to give the pokemon a chance to use the move, which means you either have to let said pokemon hit you or be faster than it after it kills something (or get in on u-turn or whatever). judging from this list (i don't know what got disable in b/w) not many pokemon that get disable are particularly fast (alakazam, gengar, froslass are about it) and few can take a hit from a powerful Choiced pokemon.

so yeah, more accuracy is cool but i really don't see this being used due to the pokemon that get it not really being able to utilize it very well...

 

[Cshadow]

Alakazam, Slowbro, Mewtwo, Slowking, Lickilicky, Dusknoir, Darkrai, Gengar, Gardevoir, Drifblim, Frosslass, all have potential to use it well. The Pokemon does not have to be fast to make use of it, just able to survive for a long period of time and cause havoc.

 

[deluge]

Disable works best with a substitute so that you can disable moves used to break the sub.
Assuming you start behind a sub, if you're slower you prevent them from using the move next turn and if you're faster you can disable it as they use it on the next turn (with your sub already broken) and the move will fail.
In Gen IV I was experimenting with a Kingdra that used Sub and Disable to get extra DDs before hitting out with a Water or Dragon attack.
Pokemon with Kindgra's bulk and defensive typing work well because disabling a key move could leave the opponent unable to break the sub efficiently.
I'll have more motivation to revisit these now that Disable will hardly ever miss.

 

[oasis]

Disable works well in double/triple battles

One poke uses Encore, another follows up with Disable

 

[Colonel Darren]

It would seem that Protect+Disable on a fast Pokemon could become a useful strategy for crippling Choice users and Mono-attackers.

I remember in 1v1, there was a -nasty- Alakazam set focused on Disable. I think it was with Encore/Protect/Counter. Protect, Disable, Encore, watch them struggle and simply Counter to kill the Struggling enemy faster.

 

[Ryanide]

That's actually quite nice. I wonder if there are bulkier pokemon with more HP who can do it better?

Switching is still a problem though.

 

[Chill]

the problem with disabling things is that you have to give the pokemon a chance to use the move, which means you either have to let said pokemon hit you or be faster than it after it kills something (or get in on u-turn or whatever). judging from this list (i don't know what got disable in b/w) not many pokemon that get disable are particularly fast (alakazam, gengar, froslass are about it) and few can take a hit from a powerful Choiced pokemon.

so yeah, more accuracy is cool but i really don't see this being used due to the pokemon that get it not really being able to utilize it very well...

Not necessarily. Let's say you have Gengar in, they bring in whatever pokemon they choose to counter it with. You use protect first to scout the move and then use disable. There are other things that you would probably rather have Gengar doing but it's an option.

 

[pkmn-taicho321]

Disable works well in double/triple battles

One poke uses Encore, another follows up with Disable

That sounds like a waste of a full turn though, unless both pokemon are incredibly bulky, and you would only be crippling one pokemon.

I think the best niche for this move is pokemon hiding behind subs.

 

[kukki-sama]

Disable actually useful this gen!?! I wonder if any of the shadow tag users have it...

 

[Thee]

So disable functions similiar to Tormentran, except only for
a limited amount of turns, and
a potential to lock more than one move.
I can see this being a gimmick option to seal threats for more pokemon, and I could see this breaking a pokemon that would normally be shut down by a move.
But that brings back the problem of actually having the opponent use the move first. Therefore, that makes it more effective if bulkier pokemon carry it so it can be used more times.

 

[Boomguy]

Disable in the 1v1 tier here it comes. This will encorage more people to have it to stop healing moves or sub disable

 

[Master of the Six Kings]

I figure its like Torment in that it won't be wide spread but still has its uses. Really nice to see it has 100% now, it should've always had it :P