The 10 Best Pokemon Abilities [Ranked]

Beast Boost

The signature Ability for the fearsome Ultra Beasts, Beast Boost is a really cool Ability with a fantastic utility in battle. Conceptually similar to some other Abilities, this Ability boosts the best stat whenever its user knocks out an opposing Pokemon.

This is a really good Ability for any offensive oriented Ultra Beast because it makes its best stats even better. This is one of the best Abilities in the Pokémon franchise, easily.

And since it's a collective Ability held by every Ultra Beast it's actually quite available, so it sees great use.

Some notable users include Kartana, who appears on this list of the best Grass type Pokemon, and Celesteela, who made it onto this list of the heaviest Pokemon!

Huge Power/Pure Power

Huge Power and Pure Power are the exact same thing with different names. Medicham gets Pure Power as a Signature Ability, and Azumarill gets Huge Power instead.

But both of these Abilities double the Attack stat of the user making this an extremely effective choice in battle. This is a really massive boost when it comes to stat boosts, and it's no wonder that these Abilities are really popular choices.

Although each one is an exclusive Ability in Generation IX, Medicham and Azumarill are great Pokemon, and so the Abilities are able to really shine.

Huge Power Azumarill has seen really great use in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Tera Raids! Shiny Azumarill even punched its way to a spot on this list of the best shiny Pokemon!

Magic Guard

Magic Guard is a nifty little Ability that means its owner only takes damage from direct attacks. This is a great Ability because it eliminates damage from status conditions such as Poison or Burn, as well as from weather effects like Sandstorm.

It even prevents its user from taking damage from Life Orb, which can be a great way to boost the user's power without the nasty side effects of Life Orb or even Flame Orb.

Unfortunately, Magic Guard is a signature Ability of Clefable and its evolutionary line, so the choices are somewhat limited. But for fans of Clefable that's no problem at all, and since Clefable is a useful little Pokemon with competitive viability, that's not so bad.

Clefable even made it onto this list of the best Fairy type Pokemon!

Protean/Libero

Greninja's Hidden Ability Protean, along with Cinderace's Hidden Ability Libero, really are two of the best Abilities in the entire Pokémon franchise. These Abilities were so good that they got nerfed, but even after the nerf they're still great Abilities.

Protean and Libero change the user's type to the type of move the user is about to use. This is great for competitive battles because it lets the user gain same type attack bonus for any attack used! When these Abilities debuted it worked multiple times per appearance in battle, but this was recently changed to work only once per appearance.

Not quite as useful or as cool as before, but still a great Ability for two fantastic Pokemon!

Greninja even made it onto this list of the best frog Pokemon!

Prankster

Prankster is a tricky little Ability that's got quite a bit of competitive viability. Possessed by some great Pokemon like Sableye, Murkrow, and Grimmsnarl, Prankster boosts the priority of status moves used by the Pokemon.

Grimmsnarl pranked its way onto this list of the best Fairy type Pokemon, so any fans might want to check it out!

This is a really good way to get the maximum use out of any strategy which relies heavily on status effects. These are moves that cause things like Paralyze, Burn, and Poison, but also moves like Calm Mind and Agility.

This is an extremely frustrating strategy to fight against, so Prankster absolutely has to be one of the best Pokemon Abilities.

Wonder Guard

The Signature Ability of Bug type Pokemon Shedinja, Wonder Guard is a great Ability that means its user takes damage only from a super effective attack. In the right hands this means a Pokemon can avoid taking any damage at all!

Unfortunately, the only Pokemon with this Ability is Shedinja, a very unusual Pokemon with 1 HP. This Bug and Ghost type Pokemon is something of a gimmick Pokemon and its Ability has never been given to any other Pokemon in the franchise.

Shedinja did, however, make it onto this list of the best Bug type Pokemon!

But if it ever does see more widespread use it's certainly going to be a popular Ability for any Pokemon with it!

Guts

Guts is a cool Ability that boosts a Pokemon's Attack stat when it has a status condition. As status moves are very common in competitive battles, this Ability is able to shine there - especially where an attack boost is really needed!

Not only that, but Guts ignores the stat loss usually inflicted by the Burn condition.

And it's not an exclusive Ability either, as quite the long list of Pokemon get to use it, including brand-new bear Pokemon Ursaluna!

Ursaluna managed a spot on this list of the best bear Pokemon, so check it out if you're a fan!

Since there's so much choice, Guts as an Ability sees a decent amount of use especially given the prevalence of status effects in battles, and with how useful it is, is an easy pick for a list of the best Pokémon Abilities.

Supreme Overlord

Supreme Overlord is a brand new Signature Ability introduced in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. This Ability is exclusive to Kingambit, the new evolution for Bisharp.

This great Ability boosts Kingambit's Special Attack and Attack stat by 10% for every fainted team mate when it enters the battle. This makes Kingambit a great choice as a last line of defense for any team.

For a Pokemon with an already high base Attack stat, Supreme Overlord is a great choice of Ability.

Intimidate

Intimidate is quite a common Ability shared by many Pokemon, but it's a really useful tool. Whenever an Intimidate Pokemon enters battle the Attack stat of the opposing Pokemon is lowered one stage.

This is a really great Ability to use, especially if you have multiple Pokemon with Intimidate on your team, as it can really chip away at an opponent's ability to deal damage.

And with some really great choices of Intimidate Pokemon such as Incineroar, Staraptor, and Gyarados it's easy to use as well!

Gyarados even got a spot on this list of the best Flying type Pokemon!

Speed Boost

One of a few stat boosting Abilities, Speed Boost is a really useful Ability that boosts the Speed stat of its Pokemon every turn. This is really great for getting off attacks faster than your opponent.

Many Pokemon have this Ability so it's a good choice for trainers looking for a speedy attacker. There are some really great Pokemon with this Ability too, such as Blaziken which has it as a Hidden Ability.

Blaziken Blaze Kicked its way onto this list of the best bird Pokemon, too!