First introduced in Generation Five of the Pokemon series, Hidden Abilities are, as the name implies, rare Abilities that you’ll usually need to breed certain Pokemon together for in order to get them (with the exception of special event Pokemon). Not all Pokemon have a Hidden Ability, but the ones that do are often worth seeking out.
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Hidden Abilities can give you an edge in battle, whether that be by increasing your damage output, changing the typing of moves, or affecting how an opponent can influence your Pokemon’s stats. They might be more difficult to find than normal Abilities, but Hidden Abilities usually have unique effects that make them worthwhile.
10 Ripe For Harvesting: Harvest
An example of a Hidden Ability that doesn’t affect attack moves, Harvest, as the name suggests, involves harvesting Berries. This Hidden Ability has a 50 percent chance of generating another berry after the original has been used. Although Harvest is a somewhat luck-based Hidden Ability, the odds are manipulated when the battlefield is under harsh sunlight, as it will always activate under these conditions.
This Hidden Ability is available to Tropius, the Exeggcute line, and the Phantump line. It's a helpful Ability to have if your strategy relies on using Berries.
9 Ditto In Disguise: Imposter
Imposter is the preferable Hidden Ability to have on your Ditto if you want to make it more competitively viable. This Hidden Ability allows Ditto to transform into whichever opponent it’s facing on its first turn in battle. Despite being similar to the move Transform, Imposter ensures you don’t waste a turn on a move, something that’s critical when it comes to battling.
Paired with the Choice Scarf, this combination allows Ditto to outspeed its opponent and use its own moves against it before it has a chance to attack.
8 Pop Star: Liquid Voice
Introduced in Generation Seven as the Popplio line’s signature Hidden Ability, Liquid Voice converts sound-based attack moves into Water-type moves, making the most of this Pokemon line’s same-type attack bonus.
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Through this Hidden Ability, this evolutionary line can use moves such as Hyper Voice and Uproar, changing them into Water-type moves to deal the most damage. However, other moves such as Sing and Growl are unaffected by this type change as they’re status moves and non-damaging. Still, this Hidden Ability is great for dealing additional damage consistently.
7 Take A Gamble: Moody
One of the first Hidden Abilities, Moody randomly raises one stat of the Pokemon with the Ability by two stages, but at the cost of another stat being lowered by one stage. However, the Ability won’t lower a stat if it’s already at -6, or raise a stat if it’s already at +6.
While the stat increases this Hidden Ability can provide are random, you can optimize the Pokemon’s move set to take advantage of certain stat boosts should they fall into your favor or avoid attacks entirely with boosted evasiveness. You could also cover your bases by having both an Attack and Special Attack move in your arsenal.
6 From Me To You: Symbiosis
A Hidden Ability that is beneficial for Double Battles, Symbiosis makes the most out of held items by allowing you to pass one along to another of your Pokemon. The Hidden Ability works by passing a Pokemon’s held item to the other Pokemon after it has used up its own one.
This is especially helpful, as you normally wouldn’t be able to have a Pokemon use two held items in battle. For example, if your strategy relies on using a consumable item, you can use it once more with the help of this Hidden Ability.
5 Bounce Back: Mirror Armor
The Flying and Steel-type Pokemon Corviknight’s Hidden Ability, Mirror Armor, alters stats by reflecting the opposing Pokemon’s stat-lowering Abilities and moves back onto them. Not only does this save your Pokemon from having lowered stats, but it also gives your foe a taste of their own medicine.
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Although Corviknight also has a great normal ability, Mirror Armor offers overall stat protection that you won’t want to miss, especially if you plan to bulk up with moves like Iron Defense or boost your accuracy and attack with Hone Claws.
4 Shocking Moves: Galvanize
Geodude and its evolutionary forms received Alolan variants in Pokemon Sun and Moon, gaining the Electric type as well as a new Hidden Ability - Galvanize. The Hidden Ability Galvanize changes Normal-type moves into Electric-type moves and powers them up by 20 percent.
For example, if you were to get your friendship with an Alolan Golem to the highest possible level and teach it the move Return, it would maximize the move’s attack power and transform it into the Electric-type. Combine this with the 20 percent power boost, and you have an Electric-type move that rivals that of Thunder, and with 100 accuracy to boot.
3 Poison Paradise: Toxic Boost
As the name implies, Toxic Boost increases the damage dealt by physical attack moves by 50 percent when a Pokemon is afflicted with the Poison status. This Hidden Ability is useful when going up against commonly used moves such as Toxic.
This Hidden Ability is exclusive to Zangoose, and goes well with this Pokemon’s lore. In the Pokemon universe, Zangoose and Seviper are “eternal rivals” according to Seviper’s Pokedex entry in Pokemon Emerald. Seviper is a Poison type, making Toxic Boost the perfect counter.
2 Sport Star: Libero
Libero first appeared in Pokemon Sword and Shield as the Scorbunny line’s Hidden Ability. This Hidden Ability allows the Scorbunny line to consistently do more damage, as it transforms the Pokemon’s type to match the type of move it's using. This activates the same-type attack bonus, powering up all of the Pokemon’s moves by 50 percent.
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Corresponding with this Pokemon line’s football theme, the name Libero references a position in the same sport, making for a Hidden Ability that marries together both style and substance.
1 Power Of Scales: Multiscale
Introduced in Generation Five, Multiscale is a Hidden Ability that halves the damage taken by the Pokemon when it’s at full HP. This Hidden Ability is exclusive to the pseudo-legendary Dragonite and the legendary Pokemon Lugia.
This Hidden Ability gives you an edge at the beginning of a battle, allowing your Pokemon to take damage that might have otherwise been devastating. However, since Lugia already has high Defense and Special Defense stats, and Dragonite has passable ones, this Hidden Ability might have been better suited to a Pokemon with a weakness in this area.
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