What Pokémon Abilities Do Nothing?
In the world of Pokémon, each Pokémon has unique abilities that can greatly affect its performance in battles. Some abilities are extremely powerful, while others may seem useless at first glance. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some of the abilities that may seem to do nothing.
1. Defeatist
One of the most infamous abilities in the Pokémon franchise, Defeatist is considered to be one of the worst abilities in the game. It halves the user’s speed and attack power as soon as their HP falls below 50%. While it may be useful in certain situations, it often ends up crippling the Pokémon rather than helping it. Archen and Archeops are the only two Pokémon that possess this ability, making them quite unique, but also quite challenging to use.
2. Truant
Truant is an ability that may seem cute at first, but it has some significant downsides. It gives the user a 100% chance of not being able to move on its turn if the opponent has a Pokémon that is already knocked out. This means that Truant’s user will simply sit out the turn and do nothing, making it a wasted opportunity. Only Mudbray and Munchlax have this ability, which can be a bit frustrating to work with.
3. Klutz
Klutz is another ability that may seem pointless at first. It forces any held item on the user to be removed and unusable. While it may be a good deterrent against opponents that rely heavily on items, it often ends up doing more harm than good to the Pokémon itself. Only a few Pokémon have this ability, including Whismur, Joltik, and Swoobat.
4. Normalize
Normalize is an ability that makes the user’s moves normalize, which means they become physical rather than special moves. However, it doesn’t actually change anything in the battle, aside from making the move classification different. This makes it essentially a useless ability, especially considering that the user has to waste their turn just to change the move’s classification. Only one Pokémon, Castform, has this ability.
5. Stall
Stall is an ability that makes the user unable to be damaged by one-hit knockout (OHKO) moves, such as Fissure, Horn Drill, and Spacial Rend. While this may seem like a decent ability, it has no effect against any other type of attack, making it quite niche and rarely useful. Only two Pokémon, Gengar and Banette, have this ability.
Table: Pokémon Abilities That Do Nothing
| Ability | Effect | Pokémon |
|---|---|---|
| Defeatist | Halves speed and attack power at low HP | Archen, Archeops |
| Truant | Can’t move on its turn if an opponent has knocked out a Pokémon | Mudbray, Munchlax |
| Klutz | Removes and disables held items | Whismur, Joltik, Swoobat |
| Normalize | Normalizes move classification | Castform |
| Stall | Protects against OHKO moves, but not others | Gengar, Banette |
Conclusions
While these abilities may not be the most powerful or useful, they can still be interesting and unique aspects of certain Pokémon. For trainers who love to experiment and try out new strategies, these abilities can provide a fun challenge. Additionally, they can also help to create an interesting contrast between Pokémon, making each one more distinctive and special.