Top 10 Worst Pokemon Abilities
You know that thrill when your Pokémon enters the battle with an awesome moveset, type advantage, and that one hidden edge to tip the scales in your favor? That edge disappears real fast when your ability is a total dumpster fire. Some of these abilities don't just offer zero benefit. They actively sabotage your chances of winning. They're the digital equivalent of tying your shoelaces together before a sprint.
This list is all about those frustrating, confusing, or downright useless abilities that make you question what the game designers were thinking. The ones that sound like they might be cool until you realize they're just there to mess with you. Maybe they hold you back with crippling drawbacks. Maybe they only activate in situations that almost never happen. Or maybe they just do nothing helpful at all.
You've probably run into a few of these and felt the sting. Now's your chance to get some catharsis. Vote for the abilities that left you shaking your head, facepalming in disbelief, or screaming at your screen.
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Truant
It doesn't have any redeeming factors. It makes you immobile every other turn. The opponent can just use Protect every other turn, and you can't do anything.
The only good thing about Truant is using it with Entrainment, which lets you get long streaks in the Battle Maison with Durant.
This ability is not that good, but it does describe how lazy Slaking is.
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Slow Start
This ability renders Regigigas pretty much useless competitively, especially when you consider that the 5 turns reset when you switch out. It doesn't even learn Protect to stall for time, making you have to wait for status effects inflicted on the opponent to kick in (like paralysis, confusion, a rare freeze or even a burn) to help with stalling just so Regigigas has a chance to overcome its ability, but Regigigas is just as prone to status effects itself being a plain Normal type that grants no status immunities, only an underwhelming defensive immunity to Ghost type attacks. Might be more feasible if Regigigas was a Fighting type at all.
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Defeatist
Why would any Pokémon have an ability that halves its own stats? Game Freak does odd things sometimes.
Halving stats? This is one of the worst things (after Garbodor) that Gen V introduced.
I love Archeops, but this ability made me question putting him on my team.
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Stall
Slow Start and Truant are given to Pokémon that would be broken otherwise, but THIS is just bad. I mean, really bad. And I know, Payback exists, but that doesn't stop it from being terrible.
The thing about Sableye is this: Would you rather have the ability that makes your status moves go first or the one that kills your Speed stat?
The fact that Sableye was mediocre and then they gave it an ability that makes it even more mediocre really harms Sableye.
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Klutz
It's pointless. Just teach your Pokémon Toxic.
Okay, sure, put this on random Pokémon to severely cripple them so you have to get another one.
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Run Away
At least this has some use in-game (but definitely not competitive).
HM slave with Run Away is decent for getting through caves... although you could just use repels or lead with your fastest Pokémon.
Run Away is an ability that lets you run away. That's pretty much it. This ability is worthless in battle and is just a waste of an ability slot.
"You met a Shiny Entei in this cave!" Nope, just Zubats. Yes, now's my chance - accidentally pressed the Run Away button. "You ran away successfully with Run Away!"
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Illuminate
I actually didn't know Starmie could have this ability. I used one in Pokémon B2W2 and had it at the front of my party. I got so annoyed with running into wild Pokémon that I threw my DS against the wall and broke it...
Thankfully, an already useless early-game Pokémon is the only one to actually have this ability.
It makes the encounter rate higher. Why would you want that unless you're hunting shiny Pokémon?
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Infiltrator
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Weak Armor
Weak Armor is mainly used by defensive Pokémon with barely any Speed. This ability is so backwards that it turns a physical tank into a failure. Thus, it should be higher on the list.
This ability ruined Skarmory. The Swords Dance setup and sweep with this ability just don't work.
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Normalize
This ability makes all the moves the Pokémon uses Normal-type. This is useless, as Normal is the worst of all types, being super effective against nothing. If it turned all moves into a better type, such as Ice, it might be better. However, even then, your coverage would still be pathetic.
What's the point? Congratulations, you now literally cannot hit a single Ghost-type. Also, Normal type sucks.
This ability can be okay under some circumstances, but if you're up against a Ghost-type, you're screwed.
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Lightning Rod
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Battle Armor
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Gluttony
God, I hate Gluttony. It makes every Nuzlocke of the Gen 3 remakes a crapshoot. I could get Zigzagoon with Pickup (a good HM slave with a decent ability) or good death fodder.
It only works with certain berries, and depending on your remaining HP, Sitrus Berries are often better anyway.
The name itself makes me hate it.
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Frisk
What's the point of this ability? Every Pokémon with this ability has another, much better ability.
Alolan Exeggutor has Harvest.
Yanma has Speed Boost.
Stantler has Sap Sipper.
Duskull has Levitate.
Even Noivern's Telepathy is more useful.
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Honey Gather
Honey is just useless outside of the Sinnoh games.
Honey is bad anyway. Just use Sweet Scent.
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Wonder Guard
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Emergency Exit
Do you hate setting up with Swords Dance? Were you too slow and the other Pokémon hit you for half health? Do you hate winning? This is the ability for you.
Golisopod has too low Speed and Special Defense to be useful with this ability. I mean, Stealth Rock does 1/4 damage, and then a fast, powerful move by the opponent activates it. When it comes out again, the same thing happens, only now it is defeated.
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Heavy Metal
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Hustle
It's not so bad if you have an accuracy-boosting move or an X Accuracy, but other than that, it's easily the worst non-negative ability of all time. Sure, physical attacks hit harder, but you can't land them anymore. This should be in 5th place, just below the intentionally bad abilities.
If an ability has the original Japanese name alluding to seppuku and its French name literally means "agitation," you would be better off without it. It's especially unnecessary for strictly special attackers like Togekiss.
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Pure Power
It's just Huge Power with a way better name.
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Damp
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No Guard
I probably use this for one or maybe two moves with low accuracy. Meanwhile, my opponent swaps to a Pokémon with Horn Drill and takes me out. Yay.
This ability is great and terrible all at once.
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Zen Mode
Darmanitan is a good Pokémon with high Attack and strong physical moves. It also has Belly Drum, which maximizes Attack. Why should it turn into a Psychic-type special attacker? This mode doesn't suit its moveset. Its only good special move is Overheat, which lowers Special Attack by two stages, so it's a one-time use. Some use special TMs, but this ability doesn't activate until Darmanitan has reached 50% health. Thus, Darmanitan's special moves are useless until it has reached half health, and it will be quickly KO'd because of its low Speed.
Zen Mode increases Darmanitan's stats to 540, but it's still quite useless.
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Plus
I couldn't find Minus on here, but besides the fact that it's useless outside of a double battle, Plusle and Minun just aren't that good.
This ability only does anything if your opponent happens to have Minus, and most Pokémon with this ability are not very useful anyway.
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Aura Break
No one should ever use this unless you know for a fact an aura will be there. Power Construct is way better.
This ability just cancels the effects of auras.
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Pickpocket
It requires you to not have an item for this ability to work. Stupid ability.
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Water Absorb
It's bad! Do you know what it does? It heals the Pokémon with that ability if hit by a Water-type move! I hate it! Unless it's my Pokémon that has that ability!