You’ve probably been there. You’re staring at a screen, your Pokémon is healthy, but you literally can't press the button you want. A red box pops up: "[Pokémon Name] can't use [Move] after the taunt!" It’s one of the most frustrating things that can happen in a battle.
Honestly, if you're just playing through the story, Taunt feels like a waste of a turn. Why bother stopping a Rattata from using Tail Whip when you could just blast it with an Ember and move on? But if you step into the world of competitive VGC or high-stakes Nuzlockes, Taunt is basically the king of the "stop-right-there" moves. It’s the ultimate "no fun allowed" button.
What does Taunt do in Pokémon?
Basically, Taunt is a Dark-type status move that forces the target to use only damaging attacks. It shuts down everything else. No healing, no setting up hazards, and definitely no annoying status effects.
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When you hit a Pokémon with Taunt, it becomes "taunted" for three turns. During those turns, any move that doesn't deal direct damage is grayed out. If the target was planning to use a status move the same turn you outspeed it with Taunt, that move fails immediately. You’ve just made them waste their entire turn.
The moves it blocks
Taunt is a blanket ban on the "Status" category (the grey icon). This includes:
- Set-up moves: Swords Dance, Dragon Dance, Calm Mind.
- Hazards: Stealth Rock, Spikes, Sticky Web.
- Healing: Recover, Roost, Soft-Boiled.
- Disruption: Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, Spore.
- Protection: Protect, Detect, Wide Guard (this is huge in doubles).
If a Pokémon is Taunted and only knows status moves—looking at you, Pyukumuku—it is forced to use Struggle. Struggle hurts the user more than the target. It's a death sentence.
Why Taunt is a competitive staple
In the "real" game (online battles against people who actually know what they're doing), everyone is trying to cheat. Not literally, but they’re trying to use moves that make their Pokémon unkillable or ridiculously strong.
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Taunt is the police.
Shutting down the "Stall"
Imagine you're facing a Blissey. It has a billion HP. Every time you hit it, it uses Soft-Boiled. When it isn't healing, it's poisoning you with Toxic. It’s a miserable experience. You click Taunt. Suddenly, Blissey can't heal. It can't poison you. It has to use Seismic Toss, which is predictable and manageable. You’ve turned a 20-minute slog into a 3-turn cleanup.
Preventing the Sweep
We’ve all seen a Gyarados or a Dragonite get off two Dragon Dances and suddenly your whole team is gone. Taunt stops that momentum before it starts. If you lead with a fast Taunter like Tornadus or Aerodactyl, you can keep the opponent from ever getting those stat boosts.
The "Prankster" factor
Some Pokémon have the ability Prankster, which gives status moves priority. This means they almost always go first. Whimsicott or Grimmsnarl using a Prankster Taunt can shut down a strategy before the opponent even breathes. However, there's a catch: in the newer generations (since Gen 7), Dark-type Pokémon are immune to moves powered by Prankster. If you try to Taunt an Incineroar with a Prankster Murkrow, it’ll just fail.
It hasn't always worked this way
Pokémon mechanics change a lot. Back in Generation 3 (Ruby/Sapphire), Taunt only lasted for two turns. It was okay, but not great. By Generation 4, they changed it to a random duration of 2 to 4 turns. That was annoying because you couldn't plan around it.
Finally, in Generation 5, they locked it to a solid 3 turns. This made it reliable. You knew exactly when the effect would wear off, allowing for much tighter strategy.
There's also the weird stuff. In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Taunt is essential for Tera Raids. Raid bosses love to spam shields and stat-boosting moves. If you don't have someone on your team clicking Taunt, that 6-star Dragonite is going to use Dragon Dance six times and wipe your entire squad in thirty seconds.
How to play around it
If you’re the one being Taunted, you aren't totally helpless. The most common way to fix it? Switch out. Switching a Pokémon resets its status, including the Taunt effect. If your support Pokémon gets Taunted, pull it back and send in a heavy hitter. Mental Herb is also a popular item for Pokémon that need to get a move off—like a Trick Room setter. The Mental Herb is a one-use item that instantly cures the Taunt effect, letting the move go through anyway.
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Then there's Magic Bounce. Pokémon like Espeon or Hatterene have this ability, which literally reflects Taunt back at the user. You try to shut them down, and you end up shutting yourself down. It’s a classic "no u" moment.
Is it worth a move slot?
In a casual playthrough? Probably not. You’re better off with more coverage.
In literally any other context? Yes. Taunt is one of the few moves that can win a game without ever dealing a single point of damage. It forces your opponent to play your game, not theirs.
Next Steps for Your Team:
- Check your current roster for a "fast" lead—someone with a Speed stat over 100.
- See if they can learn TM087 (in Scarlet/Violet) or their respective generation's Taunt TM.
- Practice using it on the first turn against "set-up" trainers or in online matches to see how it disrupts their flow.
Stopping a strategy before it happens is always better than trying to survive it.