Why abilities change the math
The type chart only looks at types, but many abilities change how much damage a Pokémon takes from a type. A Pokémon’s listed weaknesses can be wrong in battle if its ability blocks or halves one of them. The Ability menu in the type calculator applies the most common ones so the results match what happens on the field.
Abilities that halve damage from a type
These keep the Pokémon’s typing but reduce damage from specific types.
- Thick Fat: halves Fire and Ice damage, which turns Snorlax’s neutral Fire and Ice matchups into resistances and removes Mamoswine’s Fire weakness.
- Heatproof and Water Bubble: halve Fire damage.
- Purifying Salt: halves Ghost damage.
- Filter, Solid Rock and Prism Armor: cut super-effective damage to three quarters.
Abilities that block a type completely
Levitate is the most common: many Ghost, Psychic and Electric Pokémon float, so Ground moves cannot touch them. Flash Fire blocks Fire and powers up the Pokémon’s own Fire moves. Water Absorb, Volt Absorb and Sap Sipper block a type and heal or boost the user. Storm Drain and Lightning Rod also pull single-target moves of that type toward the Pokémon in double battles.
Abilities that make a matchup worse
A few abilities add a weakness. Dry Skin blocks Water but takes 1.25× damage from Fire. Fluffy halves damage from contact moves but doubles Fire damage. Wonder Guard is the extreme case: the Pokémon takes damage only from super-effective moves, which on Shedinja means only Fire, Flying, Rock, Ghost and Dark can hit it.
Checking abilities quickly
Most species can have one of two or three abilities, and you often cannot tell which one an opponent has until it activates. In battle, assume the more common or more dangerous ability. In team building, check the ability your own Pokémon actually has, because a Levitate Pokémon covers Ground weaknesses that a similar Pokémon without it does not.
Sources and further reading
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