PokemonAbilities are just another aspect of the strategic battling side of the series. Every Pokemon has an ability that might raise certain stats, or even prevent opponents from switching out, and, more often than not, Pokemon can have access to multiple abilities. You’ll want to make sure you’re battling partner is caught or bred with the right one before you start to train.
Related:Pokemon Abilities That Are OverpoweredGo a step further than that and find Pokemon that have some of the most underrated abilities around. These are very powerful choices that don’t see too much time in battle. You could use that to you advantage and surprise an opponent with a Pokemon who has an ability they just aren’t prepared for.
10Beast Boost
Beast Boost is an abilityexclusive to the Ultra Beasts. These are other-dimensional beings in Pokemon from the Sun and Moon series, and all 11 of them have this as their ability.
Every time one of the Ultra Beasts knocks out an opposing Pokemon in battle, they receive a boost to their most proficient stat. Not many have collected or care to use Ultra Beasts in battle, but using one and getting a stat boost to keep them going strong is invaluable.
9Cheek Pouch
Cheek Pouch belongs to the likes of Diggersby, Greedent, Dedenne, and Maushold. Whenever the usereats a Berryin battle, HP is restored. This doesn’t have to be an HP restoring Berry either, it works for any kind.
The Pokemon that can have Cheek Pouch as their ability can be made very strong for battle with the right training. If a Berry activates, it could be on that wakes them up from being put to sleep. Even with that, HP will be restored.
8Flash Fire
The majority of Pokemon that can have Flash Fire as their ability have a secondary or Hidden ability that is way better. That shouldn’t take away from the effectiveness of Flash Fire, though. Creatures like Arcanine, Houndoom, and Centiskorch can really make it work.
If you switch in a Pokemon with Flash Fire when you think a Fire-type move is coming, you’ll make the most of this one. Whenhit by a Fire-type move, the user’s Fire-type moves receive a 50 percent power boost. It goes overlooked, but you can never go wrong with more power.
7Technician
Technician can be found on quite a few popular Pokemon, such as Scizor, Roserade, and Marshadow. Nothing needs to happen to activate Technician. Instead, it automatically provides its buff when the user enters battle.
Related:The Most Powerful Pokemon Move Of Every Type, RankedIts description states it powers up the Pokemon’s weaker moves. This mean that any attack with a base power of 60 or less will be boosted by 50 percent. Fixed damage moves won’t be affected, but this allows a lot of moves you normally wouldn’t put on a Pokemon to do some good damage.
6Rattled
Wugtrio, Sudowoodo, and Dudunsparce are some examples of Pokemon who can have Rattled as their standard or hidden ability. Rattled gives an increase to the user’s speed when hit with a Bug, Ghost, or Dark-type move. Most of its users will shrug these types off.
Pokemon battles areoften determined by speed; whoever can move first when it comes down to the wire will deal the damage necessary to take a win. Being able to gain speed when hit by an attack that won’t do too much harm is a very powerful ability.
5Rivalry
Rivalry is a heavily underrated Pokemon ability. Powerful battlers such as Luxray, Haxorus, Nidoking, and Nidoqueen can have it, then, as they battle, they will dish out extra damage to opponents of the same gender. That can make for some tricky tactics to gain a victory.
It does deal less damage to those of the opposite gender, so verify you have a backup plan if using a Pokemon with Rivalry. And forthose that don’t have a gender at all,the damage dealt will have no change.
4Compound Eyes
Compound Eyes is one of the most useful Abilities in all of Pokemon. You don’t see too many trainers use Pokemon with it, though. That’s a shame, because it can do some serious damage with the likes of Butterfree or Dustox available.
Related:The Best Pokemon Abilities, RankedCompound Eyes raises the user’s accuracy by 30 percent. That almost guarantees attacks that normally have a large chance to miss, like Poison Powder, Sleep Powder, and Stun Spore, will land. Those will cause status effects and leave the opposing trainer scrambling to get out of that predicament.
3Infiltrator
Get yourself a Dragapult or Chandelure with Infiltrator. Forget their other abilities andjust breed themuntil you’ve got a Pokemon with this ability. It is seen very infrequently but should be utilized a lot more because of its capabilities.
With Infiltrator, the ability-bearer will ignore the effects of Reflect, Light Screen, and Safeguard. Their attacks will deal the same damage they would normally, rather than succumbing to the debuffs given by the aforementioned defensive moves.
2Effect Spore
Effect Spore’susers are Grass-typeslike Breloom, Amoonguss, and Shiinotic. If an opposing Pokemon hits them with an attack that would see them make contact, there’s a chance it could cause a poison, paralysis, or sleep status effect.
The Pokemon that can have Effect Spore are underrated in their own right. Trainers typically see them as niche Pokemon used here and there to catch another trainer off guard. And rightfully so. The Effect Spore ability is a nightmare to deal with if it lands a contact hit.
1Competitive
The most underrated and powerful ability in Pokemon is Competitive. You’ll find it available for Wigglytuff, Galarian Articuno, and Milotic to name a few. This ability raises the bearer’s Special Attack stat by two stages whenever a stat-lowering move is used on them.
The tradeoff is incredible here. Your Pokemon could have its Attack stat lowered, but be a Special Attack user. As Attack goes down, Special Attack goes up two stages and at that point, you’ve got a massively strong creature ready to fight.
