0 - only ability
1 - no competition: other ability is worthless or next-to-worthless.
2 - mild competition: other ability has its rare usages
3 - moderate competition: other ability has some uses
4 - fair competition: about a 50-50 toss-up
5 - some competition: other ability is generally more useful
6 - major competition: other ability is significantly more useful
7 - serious competition: ability is worthless compared to other ability
Early Bird
Effect: Halves the number of turns Pokemon stays asleep, rounding down. This means there is a chance a Pokemon wakes up without ever wasting any turns, Rest only lasts 1 turn, and the Pokemon will never be asleep more than 3 turns.
How to use: Ideally, the way to use this is one-turn Rests. Next to HydraRest abuse, it's one of the best ways to mess with your opponents, by sleeping off your damage and status and being right back in the game after just one turn of possible Sleep Talk bad luck. However, only one Pokemon is even close to having the defensive stats for that to work, so instead, the ability's main draw is helping you against anyone who might try to Sleep you.
Users:
1: Dodrio (Run Away)
2: Ledian (Swarm)
4: Girafarig (Inner Focus), Shiftry (Chlorophyll, okay choice if sun support is not expected)
5: Xatu (Synchronize)
6: Kangaskhan (Scrappy), Houndoom (Flash Fire)
Overall: Not a horrible ability. Maybe one day, we'll get a Pokemon who can really abuse Early Bird Rest.
Effect Spore
Effect: When hit with a contact move, the Pokemon has a 10% chance of releasing spores that will poison, paralyze, or sleep the enemy.
How to use: Hope it triggers and hope it triggers a status you want.
Users:
7: Parasect (Dry Skin), Breloom (Poison Heal)
Overall: The lack of control and the low chance of triggering makes this ability near worthless as it is... not only that, but its users all have abilities that are far superior to this one.
Filter/Solid Rock
Effect: Super-effective attacks do 25% less damage. The net effect is that a x2 SE move becomes x1.5, while a x4 SE move becomes x3.
How to use: In general, it's nice to know that your Pokemon won't die as easily to a super-effective move; however, it does not make the Pokemon "no weak". While it certainly prolongs its longevity, you'd still be a fool to switch it into a super-effective attack on purpose. That said, at least if you do so by a prediction mistake, you might be spared somewhat.
Users:
1: Rhyperior (S: Lightningrod; increased competition if to be used in Doubles)
2: Camerupt (S: Magma Armor)
4: Mr. Mime (F: Soundproof; Soundproof is more useful on Baton Pass teams, but other than that it's a toss-up)
Overall: Overhyped as it was, the ability is still decent for softening those x2 blows a bit. Just remember, though: you will still die to a double-weakness.
Flame Body
Effect: Contact moves have a 30% chance of burning the opponent.
Outside Effect: Approximately halves the number of steps needed to hatch an egg (every 256 steps has twice the effect).
How to use: In many ways, this is the best of the contact moves; if a Pokemon made contact with you, it likely is a physical (or mixed) attacker, and that Attack cut is going to hurt. However, Earthquake and Stone Edge are not affected, limiting its usefulness. Trying to invite such hits can be hard, but when it is triggered, it will usually be a good thing. Oh, and do use this ability to hatch Eggs.
Users:
0: Magmortar
1: Magcargo (Magma Armor)
Overall: The best of the contact abilities, if that says anything. Oh, and it's great for hatching Eggs. Could be improved, though, namely by giving it to something that can actually take hits.
Flash Fire
Effect: When the Pokemon is hit with a Fire-type attack (including Will-o-Wisp), the Pokemon takes no damage, and powers up its own Fire attacks by 1.5x until it switches out (does not stack with additional Fire attacks). Non-Fire types can still be burned by Will-o-Wisp. The ability activates even through a Substitute. Being frozen blocks this ability until a Fire attack melts the ice.
How to use: For maximum effectiveness, draw out or predict a Fire-type attack and switch out to the Flash Fire Pokemon to get the boost.
Users:
0: Ninetales, Flareon, Heatran*
1: Rapidash (Run Away)
2: Houndoom (Early Bird)
4: Arcanine (Intimidate)
*Heatran gets special notice as, without the ability, it takes neutral damage to Fire, meaning the ability adds Fire to its list of resistances and immunities.
Overall: One of the game's great abilities, Flash Fire provides an immunity and an opportunity to wreak real havoc upon switching in.
Flower Gift
Effect: In strong sunlight, both the user and its teammate in a Double Battle get an Attack and Special Defense boost (1.5x) in strong sunlight.
How to use: Primarily in Double Battles, apparently. The description should give you an idea of how to use it.
Users:
0: Cherrim
Overall: I have no idea how to use this ability, or if it's even worth using. It's certainly the only reason to use Cherrim, and it doesn't have anything else to use for an ability, so...
Forecast
Effect: Changes the Pokemon's type according to the weather: Fire-type for sunlight, Water-type for rain, and Ice-type for hail. Notably, it currently only works for the Pokemon that naturally holds the ability.
How to use: The ability seems to be designed to maximize the damage done by Weather Ball by ensuring its STAB. (Although Blizzard is still better in Hail form.)
Users:
0: Castform
Overall: Another gimmick ability that's hard to judge its overall usefulness. It makes Castform interesting, for sure... now if only Castform had better stats.
Forewarn
Effect: Notifies the user of one of the moves of the opponents' with the highest Base Power, not counting STAB, and including certain moves like Counter that don't come with Base Power on their own.
How to use: If it brings up useful info, good for you!
Users:
1: Jynx (Oblivious, which is useless)
6: Hypno (Insomnia, which is far better)
Overall: With some fixes, it might be more useful, but most of the time it tells you what you already know, or doesn't tell you what you need to know. But hey, it's better than Oblivious, at least...
Frisk
Effect: Checks and reveals the opponent's held item.
How to use: In addition to potentially revealing info about an opponent, this has most of its use off the field, where it can be used to check at a glance whether a Pokemon has an item to take.
Users:
5: Banette (Insomnia)
6: Stantler (Intimidate)
Overall: Could be useful on Pokemon with more useless alternate abilities... as it is, its users have better abilities to be taking advantage of. Still, keep at least one Frisker around to check for items on wild Pokemon.
Gluttony
Effect: Consumes a "pinch" berry at 50% health instead of at 25% health.
How to use: Ah, how to use an ability with this kind of weird effect, you may ask? Well, here's a recipe for success:
Belly Drum to get to 50% health instantly -> Ability activates a Salac berry -> Sweep
Watch out for this one.
Users:
1: Linoone (Pickup)
2: Shuckle (Sturdy, only in-game)
Infamous users: Linoone - Linoone can Belly Drum and instantly activate a Salac berry to sweep. Think priority will stop it? A certain Zigzagoon from the Pokemon Box carries ExtremeSpeed to deal with that...
Overall: What seems like a strange and useless ability is what ended up turning Linoone into a surprisingly dangerous Pokemon. Go figure.
No comments:
Post a Comment