The Destiny Knot is another Pokemon item I brushed passed when I was younger playing Pokemon Pearl. But with little means of use, that’s all it was worth, a passing glance.
However, with the release of Pokemon X and Y onwards, the Destiny Knot would get a revamp and become an essential item for the Pokemon breeder. It would not be until I dived into the competitive battle scene that this item stood out to me.
Competitive battles really opened my eyes to what Pokemon could be. The thrill of throwing out my ferocious Tyrantrum into the unknown was unmatched.
It sparked that Pokemon magic that I felt as a kid! The Destiny Knot plays a prominent role in this as it really sped up the process of breeding a high IV Pokemon for me. I will show you how this little ball of thread can land you a powerful competitive-ready Pokemon!
Bottom Line-Up Front
The Destiny Knot is an excellent item introduced in Generation IV. Still, it would not be practical until generation VI, Pokemon X, and Y. I love this item, its ability to speed up the process of acquiring competitive Pokemon is my favorite aspect of Destiny Knot. Before this item, acquiring a strong enough Pokemon for PVP was tough.
The introduction of this item allowed me to delve into the world of competitive battle. As a lover of all ranking systems, I can’t thank Game Freak enough for updating this item.
The Destiny Knot
The Destiny Knot is a hold item first introduced in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. Initially, the Destiny Knot would mirror infatuation back at the opponent that used Attract on it. Infatuated Pokemon may be stunned in battle, making them skip a turn. I find this very annoying in battle as it leaves my Pokemon vulnerable to attacks.
The Destiny Knot somewhat protects the user from infatuation. However, it can seriously draw out a battle with each side struggling to make a move. I find this quite annoying, and I don’t think it’s all that useful as a hold item in battle as there are much better alternatives.
Additionally, the “Attract” move and love fighting strategy isn’t really used in competitive battles. This is due to Attract only working on Pokemon of the opposite gender. This makes it a high-risk move in battle, and there are much better status effect strategies, such as the Para Flinch strategy using Thunder Wave. Leaving much to be desired for the Destiny Knot, but this was all about to change.
Destiny Knot’s Wicked Update
Pokemon X and Y would be the game to get me fully invested in competitive battles. Previous games had a DIY feel too competitive matches with little instruction on how to get into it. However, the release of Pokemon X and Y would significantly improve the ease of access to competitive battles. In my opinion, I believe the community was a bit harsh on Game Freak for lowering the difficulty of the game.
The new and improved Destiny Knot would be a pivotal factor in this as Game Freak added an extra layer of use to this item. Now baby Pokemon inherit five IVs from their parents while the Destiny Knot is held by one parent. This makes Destiny Knot one of the best items to acquire top-quality Pokemon that are useable in competitive battles.
Obtaining The Destiny Knot
There are a few methods of obtaining the Destiny Knot, such as using the Pickup ability in Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire and beyond. As well as finding it in the world to purchasing it at the Battle Royale.
Destiny Knot Locations
| Pokemon Game | Location |
| Diamond, Pearl and Platinum | Route 224 |
| Heart Gold and Soul Silver | Route 27 |
| Black and White | Opelucid City |
| Black 2 and White 2 | Castelia City |
| X and Y | Cyllage City, Lumiose City: reward for beating Beauty Aimee |
| Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire | Contest Hall (Master Rank) |
| Sun and, Moon, | Battle Royale Dome (48 BP) |
| Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon | Route 14, Battle Royale Dome (48 BP) |
| Sword and Shield | Hammerlocke (10 BP) |
| Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl | Route 224 |
Obtainable Through Pickup
If you’re like me and like to challenge yourself with Pokemon Nuzlocke challenges, you are well acquainted with the Pickup ability. If not, the Pickup ability is an excellent utility ability that has no effect in battle but outside of battle gives the Pokemon a chance to pick up an item while exploring the world.
Through this method, you can obtain the Destiny Knot for the following games:
- Pokemon Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire.
- Pokemon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon.
- Pokemon Sword and Shield.
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Pokemon with the Pickup Ability
| Pokemon | EXP Growth Rate | Ability Type |
| Aipom | Fast | Second |
| Zigzagoon | Medium/Fast | First |
| Linoone | Medium/Fast | First |
| Phanpy | Medium/Fast | First |
| Teddiursa | Medium/Fast | First |
| Meowth | Medium/Fast | First |
| Pikipek | Medium/Fast | Hidden |
| Trumbeak | Medium/Fast | Hidden |
| Pachirisu | Medium/Fast | Second |
| Bunnelby | Medium/Fast | First |
| Diggersby | Medium/Fast | First |
| Dedenne | Medium/Fast | First |
| Pumkaboo | Medium/Fast | First |
| Gourgiest | Medium/Fast | First |
| Lillipup | Medium/Slow | Second |
| Munchlax | Slow | First |
Pokemon Breeding with the Destiny Knot
Once upon a time, breeding Pokemon for perfect IVs used to be a grueling process that took a lot of patience hatching eggs and just hoping my math skills were up to the test, which they very rarely are in any scenario. Thankfully the Destiny Knot significantly improved the chances of hatching a better IV Pokemon.
Because the Destiny Knot makes Pokemon inherit a combination of IVs from its parents, I can choose the Pokemon with desired IVs to breed a more powerful version of the Pokemon. To maximize the effectiveness of the Destiny Knot, I recommend pursuing these steps:
- Catch a Ditto with a Pokemon that knows the Synchronize ability to guarantee that it has the exact nature as your party leader. Alternatively, you can use a mint later to change the Ditto’s nature.
- Give your Pokemon of choice the Everstone as this item passes down the holder’s nature to its offspring, and give the Destiny Knot to the Ditto to guarantee its IVs from both parents.
- Hatch eggs until you come across a Pokemon, a preferred IV, and breed it with Ditto using the Destiny Knot.
You can use this process for breeding a Pokemon with perfect IVs. When using this method, I tend to leave either the special attack or attack stat depending on what the Pokemon specializes in. It will be a waste of time if one of the stats is not used. Although it’s possible to obtain multiple Destiny Knots, I advise that you only use one Destiny Knot to breed Pokemon, as a second will have no effect.
Ditto The Shape-Shifting Pokemon
Ditto is hands down the best Pokemon to use when breeding the perfect Pokemon for competitive battles. This is thanks to its ability to copy into any Pokemon it sees. When it transforms, it is identical to the Pokemon it’s copying, excluding its health points. As a result, Ditto can be used to breed with any breedable Pokemon in the game.
As a result, you can only breed the Pokemon that is copied. Therefore you can only acquire Ditto through capture. This is brilliant as it allows me to ensure that I hatch the Pokemon I want. This considerably speeds up obtaining a Pokemon with the IVs I want.
Destiny Knot and Power Items
Pokemon breeding is a process of trial and error and a numbers game. Thankfully the Destiny Knot speeds this process up tenfold. However, I’ve noticed that achieving the target IVs can still take time. To bypass this problem and target specific stat IVs, I used Power Items to narrow down what stats are inherited in the offspring.
For example, breeding a Tyrantrum, I understood that its attack and defense stat is its specialty. So I targeted these stat IVs to ensure that the Tytrum offspring had good attack IVs. I caught a Ditto with superior attack IVs and gave it the Power Bracer to hold.
Power Items are much like the Macho Brace item but increase specific EVs earned through defeating Pokemon instead of increasing all EVs. Additionally, Power Items pass down specific IV stats from the parent Pokemon to the offspring.
Therefore I guaranteed that the next Tytrum would inherit the attack stat. Note that this method will likely change the offspring’s nature due to removing the Everstone from Ditto. However, to fix this, you can change the Pokemon’s nature, either feeding it a mint or breeding it again.
Here is a list of available Power Items:
- Power Weight – HP.
- Power Brace – Atk.
- Power Belt – Def.
- Power Lens – Sp. Atk.
- Power Band – Sp. Def.
- Power Anklet – Spd.
EVs and IVs the Building Blocks of Pokemon
EVs and IVs are two of the most significant factors that affect whether a Pokemon is viable in competitive. These values have always been a hidden part of Pokemon, quietly determining the power of a Pokemon. It wouldn’t be until later games that EVs and IVs would become more accessible but don’t worry. I’m here to explain the differences between your IVs and EVs.
The Destiny Knot only affects Pokemon IVs. This is because Individual values are the Pokemon’s genetics, so to speak. Whereas effort values are values, the Pokemon has gained through training in battle. While you can manipulate EVs with vitamins and through training, you cannot change the Pokemon’s IVs. Making Pokemon breeding extremely important in acquiring powerful Pokemon.
- Identifying a Pokemon’s IVs has become more accessible in Pokemon Sword and Shield, as you can unlock the IV Checker at the Battle Tower. Alternatively, I use Psypoke to calculate my Pokemon’s IVs as this method is much quicker.
Egg Hatching Hacks
By now, you’ll understand how helpful the Destiny Knot is in speeding up the process of acquiring competitive battle-viable Pokemon. In this process, though, you’ll have to hatch a ton of Pokemon eggs, and luckily there are methods to speed up this process too.
Gone are the days where you’d sellotape the arrow key down and walk on mudslides and destroy fingers spamming the arrow keys in different directions that I used to do in Pokemon games passed to hatch eggs. Threat not as including Pokemon in your party with the Magma Armor ability and Flame Body ability decrease the number of steps required to hatching Pokemon eggs.
Moreover, including both will stack the effect, meaning you’ll have to walk even fewer steps. In my curiosity, I tried including Pokemon of the same ability only to discover that Pokemon with the same ability do not stack this effect.
FAQs
Question:Â Can any Pokemon be Used to Breed in the Pokemon Games?
Answer:Â To breed Pokemon, a female and male must be left in the Pokemon Day Care Center. Moreover, both Pokemon must belong to the same Pokemon Egg Group. There are a total of fourteen Egg Groups:
• Monster
• Water 1
• Water 2
• Water 3
• Bug
• Flying
• Field
• Fairy
• Grass
• Human-Like
• Mineral
• Amorphous
• Ditto
• Dragon
Question:Â What do Wings do in Pokemon Black and White?
Answer: Wings can be used to increase a specific EV stat by one point. Wings are stored in the medicine pocket of your bag and will raise a specific stat by one point every three EVs. Wings were later renamed to Feathers in generation VIIIThere are a total of six kinds of Wings for each Pokemon stat:
• Health Wing – Increases the EV of the health stat.
• Muscle Wing – Increases the EV of the Attack stat.
• Resist Wing – Increases the EV of the Defense stat.
• Genius Wing – Increases the EV of the Special Attack stat.
• Clever Wing – Increases the EV of the Special Defense stat.
• Swift Wing – Increases the EV of the Speed stat.
Question: How can I Change My Pokemon’s Ability?
Answer:Â You can change your Pokemon’s ability in Pokemon X and Y and onwards by using an Ability Capsule. A pokemon’s ability cannot be altered in earlier generations.
Moreover, you can change your Pokemon’s ability to a Hidden Ability by using the Ability Patch. This item will only work on species of Pokemon that have access to a Hidden Ability.
I recommend breeding this Pokemon as its offspring will inherit the Hidden Ability alongside a normal ability. The Ability Patch is only available in generation VIII, such as Pokemon Sword, Shield, Brilliant Diamond, and Shining Pearl.
Destiny Knot Guide: Conclusion
In conclusion, the Destiny Knot is a fantastic little item that makes breeding Pokemon for specific IVs easier. It’s a great alternative in Pokemon Sword and Shield if you don’t have access to the Battle Royale yet or much money to spare.
Ultimately in Sword and Shield, you can buy your way to a Pokemon with perfect IVs, and while this would be a lot faster. You can’t do this in earlier games. The introduction of the Destiny Knot update in Pokemon X and Y is an excellent gift from Game Freak to trainers who bred Pokemon for IVs in previous titles.
The Destiny Knot is not just a shortcut to powerful Pokemon. It’s also an invitation to a competitive battle for casual fans of the series. IVs and EVs have always been a feature in Pokemon games.
However, the game barely explains these values, especially in older titles. They were a hidden feature that only true Pokemon masters understood. Therefore it’s nice that the release of Pokemon X and Y shortened the gap between the two types of players.
Some may scoff at Pokemon X and Y due to being able to breeze through the game. But many forget the improvement in accessibility to the game.
