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Generation 5 opened up players’ options a little with the addition of hidden abilities. Given to almost every monster, these extra abilities are usually quite hard to get hold of, and as such, are much more powerful than their regular ones. Some are regular abilities very well-suited to that particular Pokemon, while others are unique abilities.
Updated January 12, 2022, by Ryan Woodrow: Pokemon’s competitive scene, much like the franchise itself, is always evolving. However, some things remain the same after all these years. In this case, abilities are continuing to be a crucial tool in a trainer’s toolbox when it comes to getting the edge over opponents in battle. Hidden Abilities are now easier to get hold of than ever, which the Ability Patch item in Sword & Shield allows players to get them at will. As such, there is a huge range on offer, and the player who has the best hidden ability Pokemon is sure to make their mark.
15 Dragonite - Multiscale
Multiscale is a rarity in the franchise, as it is an ability that can only exist as a hidden ability. More interestingly, it is only held by two Pokemon, one of which is banned from regular competitive play. With Lugia being unavailable to competitive players, Dragonite takes center stage with this ability.
Multiscale is a move that more or less ensures that Dragonite will stick around for a little while, as it causes the Pokemon to take half damage when it has full HP. That means, save for an uber-powerful Dynamax move, Dragonite will never be taken out before it can strike.
14 Octillery - Moody
Moody is an ability that can be as much a curse as it is a blessing. That might lead one to believe that it’s not seen much competitive use; however, Smeargle has been banned from some formats because of it, especially when paired with a move like Dark Void.
Octillery’s usage of it is more viable, but players will have to be careful. At the end of every turn, Moody will boost one stat by two stages, and drop another stat by one. This means that every turn, players are getting a free stat boost, however, if it’s not in a favorable stat for that Pokemon, they could be in trouble. Thankfully, there are a few options, as both Glalie and Bibarel can use it too.
13 Shuckle - Contrary
Playing around with stat changes can be a dangerous game. Most moves that do so will forgo an attack, meaning they have to be used at the right moment for maximum impact. By the same token, having an opponent try and lower a team member’s stats can be extremely frustrating and can cripple their ability to contribute in the battle.
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Shuckle, and several other Pokemon like Malamar and Serperior, don’t have to worry about it, thanks to Contrary. This simple ability inverses all stat changes done to a Pokemon. Lowerings become boots, and boots become lowering. Not only does this prevent the opponent from dropping stats, but many moves lower the user’s stats. With Contrary, these become boosts instead.
12 Hatterene - Magic Bounce
Both stat changes and status effects can be problems on their own and utterly crippling when paired together. Players need not worry, though, as there is an ability out there which deals with both. A few Mega-Pokemon have it by default, like Absol and Sableye, but there are many regular Pokemon that use it as a hidden ability, like Natu, Espeon, and Hatterene.
With Magic Bounce, any move that serves only to inflict a status effect or stat change is bounced back at the user. This means, not only is it defending the team, but it’s hurting the opponent to boot. That said, it’s not impenetrable, as attacking moves that also inflict those things will still land.
11 Blaziken - Speed Boost
Speed is essential to get the advantage in a battle. Striking first can severely limit the opponent’s options if played well. Boosts in Speed is hard to come by. There aren’t many moves that do it, and several of the ones that do, aren’t worth using.
Thankfully, hidden abilities are here to save the day once again, as Blaziken, Sharpedo and Scoliopede can all use Speed Boost to get them out of a bind. This ability does exactly what it says on the tin and boosts a Pokemon’s speed stat by one stage at the end of each turn. There’s no real downside to it and is a must-have for any Pokemon that can use it.
10 Crawdaunt - Adaptability
While Crawdaunt may not be the greatest option for competitive battling, they definitely have some upsides that can’t be ignored. Their 120 Attack stat is nothing to sniff at, making combining that power with Adaptability absolutely essential.
This ability increases the power of ‘Same Type Attack Bonus’ or ‘STAB’, which is a 50% damage increase to moves that are the same type as the Pokemon using it. With Adaptability, that 50% buff becomes a 100% buff, meaning all of Crawdaunt’s Water and Dark-type moves will be hitting for double damage.
9 Alakazam - Magic Guard
While attacks are the primary way of dealing damage in a battle, they’re not the only way. There are plenty of ways that other elements can damage Pokemon, which can be a real nuisance for trainers to have to deal with.
Magic Guard is here to help, as it negates any damage that doesn’t come from a direct attack. This means that things like Entry Hazards, Weather Effects, or Status Ailments are now completely null and void. As such, the powerful Alakazam can now hold a Life Orb to boost their attacks without slowly draining their health.
8 Luxray - Guts
Status Ailments are a pain. Several of them inflict chip damage every turn, but even when that’s negated, the other adverse effects can wreak havoc with a team. Trainers know they’re sure to get hit with at least one in every battle, which is why they should prepare to turn it into an advantage with Guts.
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Guts doesn’t stop Pokemon getting hit by Status Ailments, but they turn them into a source of power, with them granting a 50% power boost to all attacks while they’re under the effects of the Ailment. This is especially great at disabling Burn, which usually drops attacking power instead of increasing it.
7 Absol - Justified
There are many Dark-type Pokemon with powerful Attack stats, Absol is one of them, but their movepool isn’t shifted towards dealing significant damage. This can make many of them not competitive viable, as getting things like STAB bonuses are the key between winning and losing.
Thankfully, such Pokemon come with a hidden ability to fix that problem. Justified boosts the user’s attack every time they’re hit with a Dark-type move. That may not sound great, as they have to get hit by an attack, but in a double battle, getting an opponent to use a weak Dark-type move like Beat Up gives several buffs and can turn a Pokemon like Absol into a destroyer of worlds.
6 Cinderace - Libero
Starter Pokemon have slowly become more competitively viable over the past couple of Generations, with at least one of the trio getting a featured spot on competitive rosters. As it stands, they almost entirely have hidden abilities to thank for that. Overgrowth, Blaze, and Torrent aren’t easily usable in competitive battles, but replacing them makes things far more interesting.
Cinderace’s Libero is an excellent example of this, as it changes the Pokemon’s type on the fly. This ability is unique to Cinderace and causes its type to change to the same as whatever attack it’s about to use. This not only means that it always gets STAB on its attacks but that a varied moveset will give it plenty of options to turn an unfavorable matchup into a favorable one.
5 Garchomp - Rough Skin
Garchomp, sitting amongst the all-time great competitive Pokemon, has some fantastic abilities. Its default ability, Sand Veil, was so good that it’s been banned in several formats for making Garchomp impossible to hit. However, its hidden ability gives it plenty of power to shine too.
Quite simply, Rough Skin makes any Pokemon whose attack physically connects with Garchomp will take damage. In some cases, it’s a small price to pay to get such a powerhouse off the field, but if Garchomp can keep their defenses up, they can deal some serious damage just by repeatedly taking hits.
4 Greninja - Protean
Greninja is not a popular Pokemon for competitive battles. Water/Dark is an unfavorable type combination that leaves it with a few too many weaknesses. Its Torrent ability wasn’t doing it any favors either, as it would rarely be in the right amount of health to activate. Protean gives it a saving grace, though.
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Usable only by Greninja and Kecleon, its effects are identical to Libero, change its type to match that of its attack. The STAB bonus is a huge help, but it also means that Greninja can shake off its bad typing and significantly reduce its weaknesses.
3 Venusaur - Chlorophyll
While there are generally better choices nowadays, Venusaur will still occasionally see competitive usage as tanky Pokemon that can dole out Status Ailments on opponents. There are a couple of different ways to make it work, but what’s mandatory is Chlorophyll.
Teams built around the sunny weather effect live for abilities like this. With Chlorophyll, Venusaur, a typically slow Pokemon, increases its Speed by 50% in the sun. This makes getting it out onto the field a lot easier, as even if it gets burned away in a single hit, it will have gotten out a vital attack first.
2 Rillaboom - Grassy Surge
Hidden abilities seem like they were almost entirely designed to make Starter Pokemon competitively viable, as Cinderace, Greninja, Venusaur, and now Rillaboom can attest. Used frequently in the current era of competitive Pokemon, Rillaboom can deal heavy damage, but its ability benefits the whole team.
An ability previously only usable by Tapu Bulu, Grassy Surge turns the battle’s terrain to Grass when it enters combat. This gives a whole bunch of beneficial effects. Grass-type moves get a damage boost, increasing Rillaboom’s power, and all Pokemon touching the ground recover a small amount of health each turn. It makes Rillaboom simultaneously great for both support and attack.
1 Incineroar - Intimidate
One of Generation 7 and 8’s biggest forces to be reckoned with, Incineroar’s universal usage in competitive play comes from its brilliant Hidden Ability. Incineroar has incredible attacking power and has all the tools it needs to use it, so being able to weaken its opponents as soon as it arrives is perfect.
Intimidate lowers the Attack stat of all opposing Pokemon when it enters the field, meaning immediately the opponents can’t hit as hard. It gives Incineroar staying power, not because it’s great defensively, but because it nullifies the opponent’s ability to hit it. That’s why it’s been such a mainstay on teams for years.
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