What it does
Infiltrator causes the holder's moves to bypass four defensive layers:
- Reflect: normally halves physical damage (×2/3 in doubles). Bypassed.
- Light Screen: normally halves special damage (×2/3 in doubles). Bypassed.
- Aurora Veil: halves both physical and special. Bypassed.
- Substitute: normally absorbs incoming moves before they reach the target. Bypassed — the move hits the actual Pokémon.
Infiltrator only applies to the holder's own attacks. Partners still get their damage reduced by screens. When you're using an Infiltrator Pokémon on a team that also has a screen-based opponent, position it as the primary attacker against the screened targets.
Who runs it
Spiritomb (55%) leads adoption here — Ghost-type support with the ability to crack screen setups when needed. Dragapult (10%) is a top-tier speed attacker at base 142 Speed; Infiltrator ensures its first-turn hit against screened opponents isn't cut down. Chandelure (4%) uses Infiltrator as a targeted pick into Light Screen teams that would otherwise blunt its Special Attack. Whimsicott (0%) prioritizes other abilities. Meowstic (0%) and Noivern (8%) see limited adoption.
How to use it
The core scenario: opponent is running a screens team. They use Reflect and Light Screen to halve incoming damage and build behind the protection. Your Infiltrator Pokémon ignores all of that — your attacks hit for full damage through both walls.
Against Substitute users, Infiltrator skips the doll entirely and hits the actual Pokémon. That's particularly useful when an opponent tries to set up behind Substitute — you don't spend turns breaking it.
In doubles, commit your Infiltrator Pokémon to the high-priority target you want to remove. Its attacks hit for full power; route your partner toward a different target to divide the opponent's attention.
Tips & strategy
Infiltrator has no value in games where the opponent doesn't use screens or Substitute. In those matchups, the ability does literally nothing — it's a blank ability. Its competitive usefulness scales with the prevalence of screen teams in the format.
Dragapult is the strongest Infiltrator user here because Speed 142 means it almost always moves first. Screen teams use the protection window to let slower Pokémon survive the first turn and set up; Dragapult with Infiltrator hits first for full damage, removing the entire purpose of the screen. That's the cleanest version of the counter.
Timing your Infiltrator switch matters. If you switch in on the turn screens go up, you gain nothing that turn — screens were just set. Switch in the turn after screens are active, and that's when Infiltrator starts overriding the protection.