Substitute...?

[Gloom Guy]

If you use substitute it uses 1/4 of your HP to make a copy, until the copy is destroyed & then you go back into battle... but how strong is this substitute? Does your copy take damage as if it had full HP & defense to match your pokemon or is it only worth 1/4 to 1/2 of what your pokemon could take in battle?
Please help! Thanks!

[Gligar_Man]

your hp and defense/s.d. and you are in battle while the substitute is up and you recover from leftovers out of your 3/4 life for example... you can attack, the advantages are if it takes more than one hit to take the sub down, you can get in a status/support move

edit: or you can attack obviously...

[Bug Catcher Daniel]

moves like sand attack and toxic dont work.... i like to use moves like sword dance while subtituting and then attack, like what i do wiht my absol

edit: o it also affected by your weakness and resistance... like if a pokemon does a psychic move to my absol's subtitute, it wouldnt hurt him(cus of the immunity)