Pokémon Abilities Explained: Best Abilities in Battle

Two Pokémon can have the same stats, the same moves, and the same item, and still play completely differently because of their abilities. A Pokémon ability can double a Pokémon's power, make it immune to a type, heal it every time it switches out, or cancel out an opponent's whole strategy.

This guide covers how abilities work, the most important ones to know, and how they change the way you build and play.

How Abilities Work

Abilities were introduced in Generation 3. Every Pokémon has exactly one ability at a time, and most abilities work automatically, with no turn needed to activate them.

Each species can have up to three possible abilities:

• One or two regular abilities, which are what you'll find on most Pokémon caught in the wild.
• A Hidden Ability, introduced in Generation 5. Hidden Abilities are rarer and are often found through special encounters or events.

Two items let you change an ability. An Ability Capsule switches a Pokémon between its two regular abilities. An Ability Patch switches it to its Hidden Ability.

Hidden Abilities are often the best option for competitive play. Some of the most famous examples are Speed Boost on Blaziken and Multiscale on Dragonite, both covered below.

Offensive Abilities

These abilities make a Pokémon hit harder.

• Huge Power and Pure Power double the Pokémon's Attack stat. They are among the strongest abilities in the game, turning Pokémon like Azumarill and Medicham, which have modest base Attack, into heavy hitters.
• Adaptability raises the Same-Type Attack Bonus from 1.5× to 2×. On a Pokémon like Porygon-Z, it makes every STAB move far stronger.
• Technician boosts moves with 60 base power or less by 50%. It's why Scizor's Bullet Punch, a weak priority move, becomes a serious threat.
• Sheer Force removes the extra effects of moves, like a chance to burn or lower stats, in exchange for a 30% power boost. As a bonus, a Sheer Force Pokémon doesn't take Life Orb recoil when using these moves.
• Tough Claws boosts contact moves by 30%.
• Protean and Libero change the Pokémon's type to match the move it uses, giving it STAB on every attack. In Scarlet and Violet, this only happens once each time the Pokémon enters battle.

Speed Abilities

• Speed Boost raises the Pokémon's Speed by one stage at the end of every turn. A Blaziken that survives a turn or two becomes very hard to outspeed.
• Swift Swim, Chlorophyll, Sand Rush, and Slush Rush double Speed in their matching weather, as covered in our weather and terrain guide.

Defensive Abilities

These abilities help a Pokémon take hits and stay in battle longer.

• Intimidate lowers the opponent's Attack by one stage when the Pokémon enters battle. It's one of the most common abilities in competitive play, especially in doubles, where it affects both opponents.
• Multiscale halves the damage the Pokémon takes when it's at full HP. Dragonite can survive attacks that would otherwise knock it out, giving it time to set up.
• Regenerator restores 1/3 of the Pokémon's maximum HP every time it switches out. Pokémon like Toxapex and Slowbro can switch in and out all battle without running low on HP.
• Sturdy lets a Pokémon survive any hit from full HP with 1 HP left, like a built-in Focus Sash. It also blocks one-hit KO moves.
• Thick Fat halves the damage from Fire and Ice moves.
• Unaware ignores the opponent's stat boosts. A Pokémon like Clefable or Quagsire with Unaware is one of the best answers to an opponent that has used Swords Dance or Dragon Dance.
• Magic Bounce reflects status moves, like Toxic, Will-O-Wisp, and Stealth Rock, back at the user.

Immunity Abilities

Some abilities give a Pokémon an immunity it wouldn't normally have, and often a bonus on top.

• Levitate: immune to Ground moves. No bonus.
• Flash Fire: immune to Fire moves and boosts its own Fire moves.
• Water Absorb: immune to Water moves and restores 1/4 of max HP.
• Volt Absorb: immune to Electric moves and restores 1/4 of max HP.
• Lightning Rod: immune to Electric moves and raises Special Attack.
• Storm Drain: immune to Water moves and raises Special Attack.
• Sap Sipper: immune to Grass moves and raises Attack.

These abilities are why it pays to check an opponent's possible abilities before attacking. A Water move into a Pokémon with Water Absorb doesn't just fail, it heals the target.

Abilities That Disrupt the Opponent

• Mold Breaker lets the Pokémon's moves ignore the target's abilities. An Excadrill with Mold Breaker can hit a Levitate Pokémon with Earthquake.
• Prankster gives status moves +1 priority, so moves like Thunder Wave, Reflect, and Taunt go first. Since Generation 7, Dark-type Pokémon are immune to status moves boosted by Prankster.
• Pressure makes the opponent's moves use extra PP.
• Shadow Tag prevents opponents from switching out. Arena Trap does the same, but only for Pokémon on the ground.
• Neutralizing Gas cancels out the abilities of every other Pokémon on the field while it's active.

Abilities That Hold Pokémon Back

Not all abilities are helpful. A few are drawbacks that balance out a Pokémon's high stats:

• Truant makes the Pokémon skip every other turn. It's the reason Slaking, despite its huge base stat total, is rarely used competitively.
• Slow Start halves Regigigas's Attack and Speed for its first five turns in battle.
• Defeatist halves the Pokémon's Attack and Special Attack once its HP falls to half or below.

These Pokémon can sometimes be used with moves like Skill Swap or Entrainment, which change abilities during battle.

Changing Abilities During Battle

A few moves change or remove abilities while the battle is going:

• Skill Swap swaps abilities between the user and the target.
• Gastro Acid suppresses the target's ability.
• Worry Seed replaces the target's ability with Insomnia.
• Entrainment gives the target the user's ability.

These moves are niche, but they can help a teammate get rid of a bad ability or shut down an opponent that depends on its ability.

How to Factor Abilities into Team Building

1. Pick the ability first. For many Pokémon, the ability decides the whole set. Azumarill is built around Huge Power, and Dragonite around Multiscale.
2. Check the opponent's options. Many Pokémon have more than one possible ability, so plan for each one.
3. Use immunity abilities for switching. A Pokémon with Levitate or Flash Fire can safely switch into attacks of that type.
4. Watch for synergy. Pair weather setters with weather abusers, and pair Intimidate with physically weak teammates.

Final Thoughts

Abilities are one of the biggest factors in how a Pokémon performs. They can make a modest Pokémon dangerous, make a strong Pokémon unusable, or completely change a matchup. Knowing the important ones helps you make better decisions, both when building a team and in the middle of a battle.

Check any Pokémon's regular and Hidden Abilities on Pokemondatabase.com to see which one fits your team best.

Related Pokémon Guides

• Pokémon Type Chart Guide: how type matchups, STAB and immunities work
• Pokémon Stats, IVs, EVs and Natures: how base stats, IVs, EVs and natures build a stronger Pokémon
• Pokémon Held Items Guide: the best held items and when to use them
• Pokémon Status Conditions Guide: what burn, paralysis, poison, sleep and freeze do
• Pokémon Weather and Terrain Guide: how weather and terrain change a battle
• How to Build a Competitive Pokémon Team: a step-by-step team building process

Looking something up? Browse the full Pokémon pages, type pages, move pages, item pages, ability pages and location pages on Pokemondatabase.com.