Contrary is an awesome ability. Not a lot of Pokemon get it but they make sure that they all have moves to make use of it (Superpower, Leaf Storm, Shell Smash Shuckle, etc.)

9/10 because it can be used against you.


Next ability to rate is Inner Focus

Inner Focus is a very average ability that prevents the pokemon from flinching. While this is somewhat useful, there are still abilities that can pierce through Inner Focus (like Mold Breaker).

I rate it a 5/10, it has its uses, but nothing really remarkable or game-changing.

The next ability to rate is Neuroforce.

So I actually had to google this one as I have yet to touch Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and while I knew there was a thing called Ultra Necrozma (still think the normal Necrozma looks the best) I had no clue it had a new unique ability.

What it does apparently is power up super effective moves by 25% meaning they go from a usual 200% damage to a 250% damage attack. That's essentially the same as holding a slightly stronger Expert Belt while keeping the item slot open. Or well, I guess you don't really have an item after all since you're forced to use a z-move to utilize this ability.

Still, it's essentially a straight buff to an already great Pokemon so it gets a 10/10 for me.

The next ability to rate is Defiant.

Defiant is a pretty solid ability. Whenever any of the pokemon's stats are lowered, its attack stat receives a sharp increase. While this doesn't work for self inflicted stat lowering moves like close combat for example, it is still a solid ability even though it isn't guaranteed since you do have to rely on a teammate or an enemy pokemon to actually lower your stats.

I rate it a 6/10.

The next ability to rate is Arena Trap.

Arena Trap is an ability that's practically useless during a playthrough of a game. I mean there are a very select amount of trainers with the AI to switch their Pokemon so most of the time it doesn't matter. In game it's also hella annoying when wild diglett prevent you from running away.

Competitively though, it's extremely viable due to the sheer amount of switching Pokemon that happens. If you catch your opponent off guard or send out a choice banded Dugtrio after something of yours dies, you can easily just get rid of a Pokemon for free. Just the threat of Dugtrio being in the game means your opponent has to always play on edge.

3/10 in game

10/10 in competitive play


The next ability to rate will be Protean

Protean is one of the best abilities in all of Pokemon. Being able to change your pokemon's type along with getting STAB boost for any attacking move in the game is insane! It really helps Greninja be one of the best competitive starter Pokemon of all time!

10/10 in game

10/10 in competitive play


The next ability to rate is Moody.

Moody is probably one of the biggest wildcards you can have for an ability. It increases one stat by 2 stages after every turn, but it also lowers another one by one stafe so depending on your luck you can get set up really quickly or get nerfed equally as fast.

After time it obviously builds up to a point where all your stats are in the positives, but only when your opponent allows for it.

Now the Pokemon that actually get this ability sadly aren't the greatest. Bibarel and Glalie, just to name a few, are very mediocre Pokemon in the competitive metagame. It can work in very specific situations but the moment your opponent has like Roar, Whirlwind, Circle Throw, Haze, etc. it gets destroyed.

3/10 in game

5/10 in competitive play

The next ability to rate will be Hydration

Hydration is a situationally useful ability that heals the user of any status conditions (even self inflicted ones like using Rest) while it is raining. There aren't too many pokemon that have this ability, but of the 22 pokemon that do, 16 of them are water types, plus 9 of the ones that could have it get it as a hidden ability which doesn't make it as easy to obtain. Even though most people's team will consist of pokemon with varied typings, Hydration is still a useful ability. I think it can be a lot more useful on a water and rain dance based team though.

I rate it a 6/10.

The next ability to rate is Protean.

Well Protean only has two users so it makes it limited but both users use it well. Kecleon, the clear better of the two, is a solid Assault Vest user that can change its type for stab attacks on all his attacks, including multiple priority moves. It's useful both offensively and defensively as you could for example turn into a ghost type against a fighting type to block their attacks.

Greninja exists as well but nobody cares about Greninja.


But yeah great ability, 10/10

Next ability to rate is Comatose

Comatose is Komala's unique ability; it allows Komala to be treated as if it were asleep. Because of this, it cannot be inflicted with other major status ailments like sleep, freeze, paralysis, burn, confusion, or poison. This ability also can't be removed or replaced with moves like skill swap.

Overall, it is a pretty neat ability that prevents it from being hit with major status ailments since it allows Komala to behave as though it is asleep.

I rate it a 7/10.

The next ability to rate is Tough Claws.

Tough Claws is an awesome ability that increases the damage dealt by contact moves (aka most physical moves) by 30%, essentially granting you a free life orb for them. Without the recoil, of course. It single handedly makes things like Lycanrock Dusk, Mega Charizard X / Aerodactyl and more just that more scary to deal with.

Because it has no drawbacks I can only give it 10/10 due to it being so broken.

The next ability to rate will be Prankster

Prankster is a very solid ability that adds +1 priority to status moves like sleep powder and will-o-wisp. This means that even if the pokemon that has Prankster has a lower speed stat than thee opponent (or is just slow in general), it will have priority if it uses a status type move. Even if an opposing pokemon that is slower than the ability bearer uses a priority move like tackle, the ability bearer will still go first. Most moves have a priority stat of 0, so Prankster can definitely be useful and make all the difference when on the right pokemon with the right status move, especially in competitive.

I rate Prankster an 8/10.

The next ability to rate is Battle Armor.

Battle Armor is decent at best ability that blocks moves from being critical hits.. but like when are critical hits are even that scary that you'd want to waste a pokemon slot with this ability just to not get hit with a crit xD
I give Battle Armor a 5/10

The next ability to rate is Lightning Rod.

Lightningrod is an interesting ability. It makes you immune to electric type attacks and instead of getting hit it gives you +1 special attack.

Now that sounds good and all but in practice it loses viability real quick. Most pokemon that get this ability were immune to electric from the start. Think Marowak, Rhydon (aiming for the horn doesnt work) etc. Others are electric types themselves so it's not like they would've taken a lot of damage.

However, there is one exception. One shining exception. And that Pokemon is the almighty Seaking. A water type getting a hidden immunity to electric? Heck yeah! But sadly Seaking sucks so it's more of a fun fact than a useful ability.

In double battles it does redirect electric attacks aimed at your teammate, so it's useful there.

I'll give it 6/10 for double battle usage.

The next ability to rate will be Power Construct

Power Construct is an interesting ability unique to Zygarde where if Zygarde's 10% or 50% form falls below half of its max HP, it changes to its 100% complete form and gets a massive HP boost.

Pretty cool ability overall, I rate it an 8/10.

The next ability to rate is Swift Swim.

So Swift Swim is one of those abilities that you come across while playing the game and wonder "when the heck is this ever useful", seeing how you'll most likely run all attacking moves and rarely enter a rainy area. And you'll usually only have one water type on your team anyway, sometimes even your starter, so chances are you'll never actually use this ability.

Competitively speaking however, it's really, really good. Being able to DOUBLE your speed is insane, and weather teams have been around since gen 3 when abilities were introduced. You don't have to run much speed investment with it at all so you can invest more freely in offense or even bulk, making your pokemon more lethal. It also helps that Rain is probably the best weather condition in the game, maybe in contention for the title with Sand.

Especially now that more Pokemon are getting access to weather setting abilities like Drizzle, or even due to the +1 speed a Z-Rain Dance gives you, it has become even more prominent from gen 5 onwards. Though that will likely go down a bit due to Z moves not being in Sword and Shield. Bummer.


Probably rate it a 9/10 due to it being situational and temporary.


The next ability to rate will be Simple

Simple is a pretty simple (ba-dum tsss) ability that doubles the effect of all stat changes. For instance, if you use dragon dance, normally attack and speed each go up one stage, but with simple, they'd each be at +2 stages instead. It is a double-edged sword though because stat lowering moves/effects are also doubled.

It can be pretty good and really work in your favor if you use it right, but it has it's drawbacks, so I rate it a 7/10.

The next ability to rate is Download.

Download is a pretty unique ability. It used to be exclusive to the Porygon evolution line until Genesect came along, another man made Pokemon.

Download will raise your Attack or Special Attack by one stage upon entering the field. Sounds great right? Just gotta get lucky with which one you get and you're set.

Well that would be easy and you'd get the boost you want 50% of the time, but in game it looks at whichever of your opponent's Defense or Special Defense is lower, and raises that attacking stat so you can hit them extra hard on their weaker side.

So if you're smart you will be able to send your Pokemon out against an opponent with an obvious lower stat in one of them like Golem. However in competitive play I guess you could also scout what investments some Pokemon with equal defensive stats like Mew are running.

Thing is, you hardly see this ability. I'd say of the three abilities a member of the Porygon line can have, Download is by far the worst of the three. I mean you can really abuse your opponent with Trace by Tracing something like regenerator, or with Analytic you can hit for extra damage when either going after your opponent or catching them on a switch.

So all in all I'll just give Download a 7/10 as it will only really see usage on Genesect.

The next ability to rate will be Shadow Tag

Shadow Tag is an all around useful ability for both in-game and especially competitive battling. Most of the time, in-game battles aren't really difficult enough for Shadow Tag to be necessary, but it's always good to have control of the battle and prevent your opponent from switching out. It's especially useful when used against pokemon your pokemon is strong against. It only ever backfires if you use it against a pokemon you can't hit, but hey, that's what coverage moves are for.

Overall, I rate Shadow Tag a 9/10.

The next ability to rate is Magician.

Not gonna lie I had to google this one to make sure it was what I was thinking of.

Magician basically just allows you to take your opponent's item should you not be holding one yourself. The ability triggers when you hit said opponent with an attack.

Not a lot of pokemon get this ability. In fact, it's limited to the Fennekin line, Klefki and Hoopa.

Now, you should never use this item on a Klefki as its hidden ability prankster is just so much better in every way. You're forced to run it on a Hoopa but how often do you really see this coming in handy? If you're not careful you'll steal a choice item or something like an assault vest when they might not suit your spread and set.

It's an option on Delphox but overall Blaze is probably the better ability. I mean Delphox typically tends to run either a choice scarf set or some Z move set, both of which Magician just does nothing for.

So even though the concept of the ability is fun, on every pokemon that has it it gets outclassed by their other abilities and it can typically only be used once a battle, so I have to give it a low score of 3/10

The next ability to rate will be Natural Cure