10 Crimson & Lavender Pokemon with Average Hidden Abilities in The Aqua Disguise

Article Key Points

Abilities in Pokémon can enhance a Pokémon's performance in battle, but Hidden Abilities aren't always the best choice compared to regular abilities.

Pokémon such as Poliwrath, Probopass, Swanna, Magcargo, Yanma/Yanmega, Munchlax/Snorlax, Conkeldurr, Dusknoir, Kommo-o, and Milotic possess regular abilities that provide greater advantages in battle than their Hidden Abilities. These regular abilities enhance attributes like defense, attack, speed, and special attack, making them superior choices for combat when compared to their Hidden Abilities.

Abilities in Pokemon are a game mechanic that provides effects to a Pokemon during battles, and sometimes even outside of battles. Each Pokemon can have up to three Abilities, but the specific Ability they possess is determined randomly based on their species. Certain Pokemon only possess one Ability, such as Rotom with its Levitate Ability. While most Pokemon will have either their first or second Ability, the presence of a third Ability is much more uncommon, known as a Hidden Ability.

Hidden Abilities are often sought after, but this is not always the case. In some instances, it may be more advantageous to stick with one of the Pokemon's regular Abilities, as it can offer greater benefits during battles compared to their Hidden Ability. The Pokemon featured in the Teal Mask, part 1 of the expansion pack for Pokemon Scarlet/Violet, arguably possess less desirable Hidden Abilities.

10. Poliwrath

Hidden Ability: Swift Swim

Swift Swim is a beneficial Ability that heightens the user's Speed stat during battles affected by rain. This Ability is not to be underestimated, as an additional Speed boost can prove advantageous in numerous encounters. Nevertheless, the drawback of Swift Swim lies in the necessity of setting up rain through either Rain Dance, Drizzle (Ability), or the prevailing weather conditions.

Poliwrath's two main/common Abilities are Water Absorb and Damp:

Water Absorb

will restore Poliwrath's HP if it's

hit by a Water-type attack

Damp

Poliwrath's ability hinders the use of Self-Destruct, Explosion, and similar moves. Despite having lower base Speed compared to its pre-evolved form, Poliwhirl, trainers relying on Poliwrath in battles prioritize its other stats over its Speed. As a result, it is advisable to opt for one of its normal abilities. These abilities do not depend on weather conditions and can be activated whenever the opposing Pokemon utilizes the corresponding move.

9. Probopass

Hidden Ability: Sand Force

During a sandstorm, Sand Force enhances the strength of Steel, Rock, and Ground-type moves. Similar to Swift Swim, Sand Force only functions when the appropriate weather condition is present or if one of the Pokemon engaged in battle triggers a Sandstorm.

Magnet Pull is a much more valuable Ability, especially in competitive battles.

will prevent trainers from swapping out their Steel-types in battle.

Sturdy

ensures Probopass cannot be 1HKO'd. Sturdy has the same effect as a Focus Sash but won't "break" after one "use."

8. Swanna

Hidden Ability: Hydration

Swanna's Hidden Ability, Hydration, provides the ability to heal any Status Effects, such as Burn, at the end of each turn. However, this ability only works when it is raining, similar to Swift Swim. While Swanna may be faster than Poliwrath and capable of setting up Rain Dance, trainers need to be cautious of it being knocked out in the same turn. Therefore, the most effective way to utilize Hydration is by having another Pokemon set up Rain before Swanna's turn.

On the other hand, trainers have the option to utilize Swanna's regular Abilities: Big Pecks or Keen Eye.

Big Pecks

prevents Swanna's Defense stat from being lowered in battle.

Keen Eye

prevents Swanna's Accuracy from being lowered in battle.

Plus

, it allows Swanna to ignore any of the target's

evasiveness

when attacking.

7. Magcargo

Hidden Ability: Weak Armor

When a Pokemon is attacked, the Ability Weak Armor is activated. This results in a decrease in the Pokemon's Defense stat, but simultaneously, its Speed stat is boosted by two levels. Although this Ability is advantageous for fast Pokemon, it is not as beneficial for slower ones like Magcargo.

Magcargo's Defense is its strongest attribute, while its Speed is its weakest. Although increasing its Speed may seem appealing, it is not worth compromising Magcargo's Defense. However, Magcargo does have two significant vulnerabilities, susceptible to 4x damage from Water-type and Ground-type attacks rather than the typical 2x. Consequently, there is a high likelihood of Magcargo being completely defeated by a special attack that exploits these weaknesses. Trainers may want to contemplate using its alternative Abilities, Magma Armor or Flame Body.

Magma Armor

Magcargo can't be

frozen

in battle.

Flame Body

Any Pokemon that hits Magcargo with a

physical move

has a 30% chance of receiving a Burn. Flame Body also makes it easier to hatch Eggs outside of battle.

6. Yanma & Yanmega

Hidden Ability: Frisk

In battle, trainers can use Frisk to determine if the opposing Pokemon is holding any items. However, if the Pokemon is not carrying anything, Frisk will not activate. Although Frisk is a useful Ability in competitive matches, it has limited utility in the story mode of Scarlet/Violet, as most trainers do not equip their Pokemon with items.

Yanma and Yanmega already have excellent regular abilities: Speed Boost or * Compound Eyes (Yanma)/Tinted Lens (Yanmega):

Speed Boost

Increases Yanma/Yanmega's Speed by one stage at the end of each turn.

Compound Eyes

Raises the accuracy of Yanma's moves in battle

Tinted Lens

Yanmega's "not-very-effective" moves in battle are intensified, effectively amplifying their strength.

When a Yanma possesses the Compound Eyes ability and evolves into Yanmega, its ability will transform into Tinted Lens. Conversely, if it possesses Speed Boost, it will retain this ability upon evolving into Yanmega.

Speed Boost is beneficial when facing faster Pokemon than Yanma/Yanmega. Nevertheless, once Yanma/Yanmega reaches its maximum Speed, the Ability becomes essentially worthless. Conversely, Compound Eyes and Tinted Lens have an impact on the attacks of the Yanma-line, rendering them more useful since these Abilities do not have any limitations.

5. Munchlax & Snorlax

Hidden Ability: Gluttony

Munchlax and Snorlax's Hidden Ability, Gluttony, allows them to consume the Berry they are holding at 50% HP instead of the usual 1/3 HP. This can be advantageous as it allows for a quicker restoration of HP. However, it is important to note that Gluttony is dependent on the Pokémon holding a Berry, and once the Berry is consumed, the Ability becomes less useful. On the other hand, the Abilities of Immunity (for Snorlax) and Thick Fat are generally considered more beneficial.

Immunity

prevents Snorlax from being Poisoned.

Thick Fat

reduces the damage received from Fire and Ice-type moves by half.

Munchlax possesses another regular Ability called Pick Up, giving it the ability to randomly obtain an item as long as it is not already holding one. The type of item it acquires is determined by its level.

For Snorlax, both Thick Fat and Immunity are advantageous Abilities. Immunity allows it to resist poisoning from moves like Toxic, while Thick Fat provides protection against powerful Fire and Ice-type attacks such as Blast Burn and Blizzard.

4. Conkeldurr

Hidden Ability: Iron Fist

Conkeldurr possesses a Hidden Ability called Iron Fist, which significantly increases the strength of its punching moves, including Drain Punch and Ice Punch, by a factor of 1.2x. However, Conkeldurr's movepool by leveling up is limited to Focus Punch and Dynamic Punch. To expand its repertoire of formidable punches like Drain Punch, it will require the usage of Technical Machines (TMs).

Conkeldurr's other Abilities, Guts and Sheer Force, may be preferred over Iron Fist:

Guts:

Raises its Attack in battle if it has a Status Ailment such as Poison or Paralysis.

Sheer Force

Increases the power of moves with second effects in exchange for nullifying these effects. Ex: Dynamic Punch has 100 power and causes Confusion.

If Conkeldurr has Sheer Force

, then Dynamic Punch will lose its second effect: its ability to Confuse the target.

3. Dusknoir

Hidden Ability: Frisk

Dusknoir possesses the Frisk Hidden Ability, which grants it the ability to observe the held item of the target Pokemon. Unlike many other Pokemon, Dusknoir only has one primary/common Ability and one Hidden Ability. Interestingly, trainers might opt for its regular Ability instead of the Hidden one.

Dusknoir's primary Ability is Pressure. This Ability raises the PP consumption of any move used against Dusknoir. It is a commonly seen Ability among Legendary Pokemon, making it advantageous to have on a Pokemon like Dusknoir, which is generally easier to acquire. Pressure does not rely on the opponent having an item and activates whenever Dusknoir is targeted with an attack.

2. Kommo-o

Hidden Ability: Overcoat

The Overcoat ability provides protection against Sandstorm, powder moves (such as Stun Spore), and Spore. Although it is a decent ability, it is not as advantageous as the Hidden Ability for a Pokemon like Kommo-o. Many fans believe that Mutliscale would have been a better choice for Kommo-o, considering its appearance and the fact that it is known as the Scaly Pokemon.

Instead, trainers may get better use out of a Kommo-o with its Bulletproof or Soundproof Ability:

Bulletproof:

Prevents Kommo-o from being damaged by bullet/seed moves (ex: Aura Sphere, Sludge Bomb).

Soundproof:

Kommo-o is granted immunity to sound-based moves, such as Disarming Voice and Boomburst. Either of Kommo-o's main Abilities will nullify damage rather than nullifying the effects of Sandstorm or powder moves. Both Abilities are reliant on the opposing Pokemon's movesets and are more likely to be used in battle compared to Kommo-o's Hidden Ability. Bulletproof allows Kommo-o to shrug off a strong special attack like Aura Sphere, while Soundproof prevents Kommo-o from being put to sleep by Sing and being damaged by moves like Torch Song that would benefit the opposing Pokemon's stats.

1. Milotic

Hidden Ability: Cute Charm

While Milotic has impressive original Abilities for battles, its Hidden Ability falls short instead of providing an improvement. Cute Charm has a 30% chance to inflict the "infatuation" effect on an opponent that makes contact with Milotic. However, this Ability only activates if the opponent is of the opposite gender, rendering it ineffective otherwise.

The main abilities for Milotic are Marvel Scale and Competitive:

Marvel Scale:

Defense is increased by 50% if Milotic is poisoned, burned, or paralyzed.

Competitive:

If any of Milotic's stats are lowered in battle, its Special Attack is raised by

two stages

Milotic boasts impressive Special Defense and Special Attack stats, making it a formidable Pokemon. When its Defense is boosted by a status effect, it becomes even more challenging to defeat. Additionally, if Milotic possesses the Competitive ability, it has the potential to swiftly defeat opponents with a single attack if the ability is activated frequently. It's important to note that Marvel Scale solely enhances Defense, whereas Competitive exclusively impacts Special Attack. Therefore, utilizing Competitive is more effective when Milotic's moveset consists primarily of special attacks rather than physical ones.

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available for Nintendo Switch.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Franchise PokemonPlatform(s) SwitchReleased November 18, 2022Developer(s) Game FreakGenre(s) RPG

Editor's P/S

As a Gen Z netizen, I have mixed feelings about the underwhelming side of hidden abilities in Pokémon. On one hand, I understand that not all hidden abilities are created equal, and some are bound to be less useful than others. On the other hand, I feel that it's a bit of a letdown when a Pokémon's hidden ability doesn't live up to the hype. After all, hidden abilities are supposed to be special and unique, so it's disappointing when they turn out to be underwhelming.

Overall, I think it's important to remember that hidden abilities are just one part of a Pokémon's overall moveset and strategy. Even if a Pokémon's hidden ability isn't the best, it doesn't mean that the Pokémon is useless. There are plenty of other ways to make a Pokémon strong and competitive, so don't let a disappointing hidden ability get you down.