Picking the right moveset and training the right EV's are a big part of every Pokemon game, but as experienced trainers can attest, a lot of the gameplay also relies on the luck of the draw. One such aspect is a Pokemon's ability, a passive effect that they carry either inside or outside of battle. Many Pokemon have two potential abilities, with random chance determining which they possess.
While some abilities are game-breakingly useful, others are less handy or even detrimental. The following abilities might have some niche uses, but by and large, they have little effect on the player's strategy in battle — or can even put players at a disadvantage.
9 Plus & Minus
These two rank here together, because they're dependent on each other to work. When two Pokemon with the Plus and Minus abilities enter a Double or Triple battle together, they boost each other's Special Attack by 50%. This can be useful in niche scenarios; however, both these abilities are useless in single battles, which make up the bulk of gameplay in most mainline Pokemon games.
What's more, it's often more trouble than it's worth to get one's hands on a Pokemon with each ability in the first place. Plusle and Minun, who originated the respective abilities, are typically version exclusives. Others who can have Plus or Minus, such as Klink, rely on random chance to determine whether they actually have version of the abilitiy that the player needs.
8 Anticipation
This ability can help players gain information, but ultimately has no practical application. A Pokemon with Anticipation will "shudder" if their opponent has any of the following, alerting players to the presence of dangerous attacks:
- A super-effective move
- A One-Hit KO move
- Selfdestruct
- Explosion
Most often, this move provides players with information they already know. Skilled Pokemon players tend to have most type matchups committed to memory, and a solid understanding of Pokemon's learnsets. The most that players can do is swap out their Pokemon upon learning that the opponent has a dangerous attack. Still, if it was anything but a super-effective move that caused the shudder, switching won't do much good.
7 Illuminate
Many out-of-battle abilities are fairly useless, but Illuminate takes the cake. This ability doubles the player's chance of encountering wild Pokemon when the Pokemon is in the first spot in the party. If it is not in the first spot, the ability has no effect; what's more, Illuminate does nothing in battle.
At the end of the day, it's highly unlikely that any trainer will find Illuminate useful. After all, "I'm not encountering enough wild Pokemon" is an extremely rare complaint among Pokemon players. What's more, most Pokemon who can have Illuminate have a much more useful alternative Ability, like Lanturn's Volt Absorb or Starmie's Natural Cure.
6 Run Away
Introduced in Gen III, this ability ensures a Pokemon's ability to flee from wild encounters. Run Away can have some practical use when traversing the wilds; for example, getting stuck in a battle with a wild Pokemon of a ridiculously high level. However, there are items that allow trainers to replicate its effects, such as the Poké Doll.
Ultimately, Run Away is just a disappointment. It has no effect on a Pokemon's fighting capabilities, making it useless in trainer battles. What's more, like Illuminate, most Pokemon that can have Run Away as an ability have a much more useful alternative, such as Ponyta's Flash Fire or Furret's Keen Eye.
5 Stall
Sableye's signature ability is unfortunately a bit of a letdown. This ability ensures that the Pokemon who has it will move last in battle, regardless of Speed or move priority. There's only one situation in which Stall can possibly be useful, and that's with the move Payback. This Dark-type attack will inflict additional damage if the user moves after the target — and fortunately, Sableye can indeed learn Payback via TM.
More often, though, Stall is a detriment in battle. When two opposing Pokemon are slowly whittling down each other's health, the one who moves first will win most often. In such a situation, even Payback won't do much good if Sableye never gets a chance to use it.
4 Normalize
Poor, poor Normal-type. It's got some cute Pokemon in its roster, but unfortunately Normal moves aren't super effective against any type. That's what makes Normalize such a bizarre ability: it transforms all of a Pokemon's moves into Normal-type moves. Thus, a Pokemon with this ability can never deal super-effective damage. Granted, moves effected by Normalize do deal +20% damage. However, this boost wasn't even implemented until Gen VII.
Normalize can occasionally come in handy, if it results in a move causing regular damage instead of half-damage on a resistant opponent. In most cases, though, it's not worth giving up the double damage of a super-effective move. The Normal type is not exactly an offensive powerhouse, so turning all attacks Normal isn't a very strategic move.
3 Klutz
What good did held items ever do for trainers in battle? Well…kind of a lot, actually, from restoring HP to damaging opponents. That's why the Klutz ability is such a letdown, as it completely prevents a Pokemon from using held items.
From Berries to Leftovers to Rocky Helmets, giving an item to a Pokemon with Klutz will do absolutely nothing. As held items are so often integral to battle strategy, having that option taken away reduces a Pokemon's flexibility in battle and severely limits a trainer's potential strategies.
2 Truant
Among abilities that are actually detrimental to a Pokemon's battle capabilities, Truant is one of the worst. Pokemon with this Ability can only move every other turn in battle. If it has moved on a previous turn, the player cannot select a move or even use an item; instead, they will simply receive a message stating, "[Pokemon] is loafing around."
There's really no practical application to be had when it comes to Truant. Slaking and its lazy breathren don't gain any stat boosts or other buffs from the time they spend resting. Charging moves will fail unless the user has a Power Herb, as the Pokemon will be loafing around on the turn they would normally attack. Losing a turn is never a good thing in a Pokemon battle, and thus Truant puts players at a massive disadvantage.
1 Defeatist
The signature ability of Archen and Archeops is potentially one of the worst in the entire franchise. When these Pokemon fall to half health or below, this Ability halves their Attack and Special Attack stats. There's no trade-off, no buff in exchange for the stat drop. The name "Defeatist" is quite fitting — the Pokemon simply gives up on attempting to deal damage.
It's hard to imagine exactly what the intention was behind this ability, or how players are meant to strategize in order to use Archen and Archeops effectively in light of Defeatist. Was it intended as a motivator for players to keep their Pokemon's health from dropping too low? Whatever the idea behind it, Defeatist has wound up frustrating and dooming many Pokemon players in battle.