Ability buffs/nerfs for Sword and Shield

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

Not really sure why Inner Focus needs a buff at all to be honest. It's a solid ability and one of the primary reasons Crobat is as popular in VGC as it is.

 

[Zaide]

What I wish to see:

Turboblaze: Also gives any Fire-type attacks used by the Pokemon with this ability, an additional 20% chance to Burn the opponent (Fire moves that originally doesn't have a Burn chance now gains 20% chance to Burn, while Fire moves that already can Burn, have their chance increased by 20%).
Teravolt: Also removes Ground-type's immunity to Electric moves used by the Pokemon with this ability, with the Electric moves dealing SE damage instead.
Shadow Shield: Now also prevent damage from Ground-type moves.
Full Metal Body: Now also raises Defense by 1 stage after taking SE damage.
Normalize: The changed moves now ignore the target's resistance and immunity.
Grass Pelt: Now also activates if the Pokemon with this ability is targeted with a Grass move, and also increase the healing from healing moves (including attacks with healing as its effect) by 20%.
Surge Surfer: Now also activates if the Pokemon with this ability is targeted with an Electric move, and also prevent damage from Ground-type moves.
Ice Body: Now also has 10% chance to freeze an opponent that makes physical contact.
Illuminate: When the Pokemon is sent out (or when it gained this Ability via things like Skill Swap or Trace), it casts the effects of Foresight on all opponents, and has 10% chance to also reduce their Accuracy by 1 stage.
Inner Focus: Now also prevent Focus Punch from failing due to the user getting hit.
Keen Eye: Now also increases the accuracy of moves by 20%.
Rivalry: Now no longer reduces damage done to opposite-gender opponents.
Slow Start: The effect now go away after three turns instead of five, also, when the effect goes away, the Pokemon with this ability gains +1 stage to its Atk and Speed stat, and +2 stage to its SpAtk. If the Pokemon is switched out, the Slow Start counter does not reset when it is switched back in.
Liquid Voice: Effect completely changed, now increases the power of sound moves by 100%, without any type change.
Magician: Effect completely changed, now gives Knock Off effect to all moves used by the Pokemon with this ability.
Aura Break: Now also has Mold Breaker effect in addition to its current effect.
Receiver & Power of Alchemy: Now also works in Singles (if the Pokemon with this ability is sent out after a fainted Pokemon, the Pokemon with this ability gains the ability of that fainted Pokemon).




Anyway, we know that Moody is going to get a change, my guess is that either they are removing Evasiveness from the list of possible boost, or they reduce the boost from +2 to +1. Even better if they do both XD

I find ironic that you make that comment about moody after suggesting so many unbalanced stuff. Most of these abilities really don't need a change.

 

[Shayminslicker]

This probably won't happen, but I think the Tapu's abilities are kinda ridiculous at times. Though I'm not sure how you would nerf it. Maybe have it last for three turns? Not sure.

 

[Hanto]

Pressure is kinda useless. Maybe it would increase the chance of flinch just like a Kings Rock?

 

[WishIhadaManafi5]

Pressure is kinda useless. Maybe it would increase the chance of flinch just like a Kings Rock?

I have a bit of fun with it. It comes in handy against any Pokémon that can be a pain.

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

This probably won't happen, but I think the Tapu's abilities are kinda ridiculous at times. Though I'm not sure how you would nerf it. Maybe have it last for three turns? Not sure.

I agree. Reducing them to four turns but keeping the moves on five (or even extending those to six) would help. I think the terrain moves should also become more widespread through tutor or TM just like weather.

 

[Shine]

I find ironic that you make that comment about moody after suggesting so many unbalanced stuff. Most of these abilities really don't need a change.

lol yeah, I know. It's just a wishlist, most of those won't happen.

Although, I just now noticed an error in the Teravolt entry XD
I'm very sure I removed the SE bit (should be neutral damage instead), I guess I forgot to save the change.

 

[KillerDraco]

Pressure is kinda useless. Maybe it would increase the chance of flinch just like a Kings Rock?

Pressure absolutely isn't useless. It's not a top tier ability by any means but with things that have Bulk/Recovery, you can find that those 5/8 PP moves can be gone in a flash if you're careless using them around Pressure users.

I would concur with a buff to Overgrow/Blaze/Torrent/etc., they've always been incredibly situational. The HP threshold is difficult to reach without being KO'ed, and the damage increase only affecting a single type makes it rather limited. Increase the HP threshold to 50% IMO, or if you keep it 33%, increase the damage multiplier. As it stands those abilities are literally in the "Only use if you have nothing better" category because their scope is so limited.

The anime tends to overrate its significance.

 

[Kingudora]

Pressure is kinda useless. Maybe it would increase the chance of flinch just like a Kings Rock?

It is a good ability, but it is distributed to a lot of pokémon where it is kinda useless. I think Weavile is the worst case of this.

I wonder how good Overgrow/Blaze/Torrent would be if its effect scaled to the pokémon's remaining HP. Like at 66% HP, Grass/Fire/Water attacks deal 33% more damage, at 50% HP they deal 50% more etc. So at <1%, the Grass/Fire/Water attacks would do almost twice as much damage than usual.

 

[Ignition]

Water Compaction (Palossand’s signature ability) should make the user immune to Water Type Moves.

 

[Ivannis]

How do you think Ball Fetch works exactly? Yamper needs to be battling in the field, or it works like Pickup (just being in the team is enough)?
If it needs to be in the field, I think Ball Fetch would need a buff: maybe the same effect outside the battle as Pickup but only finding pokeballs (and the higher the level, the higher the % of find a rare ball or even apricorn balls)

 

[CHETTHEFAN]

I just want an ability like intimidate that hits special attack instead of attack.

 

[WhiteBlair]

I want a new ability to activate Trick Room upon entering the battle. I know people either refrain wasting a turn for it or build a slow Pokémon team. That might be a good start to turn stuff around a bit.

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

I want a new ability to activate Trick Room upon entering the battle. I know people either refrain wasting a turn for it or build a slow Pokémon team. That might be a good start to turn stuff around a bit.

Trick Room is way too strong for that. It'd be horribly broken as an ability that can't be prevented to go up.

 

[CHETTHEFAN]

I would also like to see a trick room ability like that. Have it be like a tapu ability that is like a terrain. So that it can be gotten rid of in a smiliar fashion

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

I would also like to see a trick room ability like that. Have it be like a tapu ability that is like a terrain. So that it can be gotten rid of in a smiliar fashion

Rooms don't work like that, there can be multiple different rooms active at the same time. And just running your own Trick Room setting ability to neutralise an enemy one is a severe liability against foes that do not use Trick Room, or that predict you'll bring it and use yours to set up Trick Room for them.

Here's the thing, Trick Room as it is now is already powerful. But it is balanced out by having to set it up first with a negative priority move, which leaves the setter open to being attacked with powerful hits and taken out before it gets the chance to, open to Taunt, vulnerable to Fake Out blocking the setup that turn, and so on. Because well-built Trick Room teams have an enormous advantage once it goes up. Trick Room attackers can invest fully into their offensive stat of choice including their nature, and then spend the rest into their defences, while fast attackers like Tapu Koko and Greninja lose a lot of effective bulk simply because they have to invest in speed. Slow pokémon also tend to be naturally bulkier than fast pokémon. All that together just means that when Trick Room is up slow pokémon have both the speed advantage and the bulk advantage without sacrificing any offensive power, when played well that advantage is more than enough to win games. Having the setup being unreliable is their weakness that balances that out. But with an ability that entire weakness is gone.

 

[Divine Retribution]

Auto Trick Room would definitely be unbalanced no matter how you implement it, but you know what I'd like to see? A Gravity-inducing ability. Gravity may not be as potent as Trick Room but it's still a neat little effect, but most Pokemon can't find the room to carry it, nor can they justify using up a turn to set it up.

 

[Sceptile Leaf Blade]

Auto Trick Room would definitely be unbalanced no matter how you implement it, but you know what I'd like to see? A Gravity-inducing ability. Gravity may not be as potent as Trick Room but it's still a neat little effect, but most Pokemon can't find the room to carry it, nor can they justify using up a turn to set it up.

A tad worried how much of a monster Primal Groudon (as in, more than it already is) would become if this were a thing. Primal Groudon's STAB combination is unresisted under Gravity conditions aside from the Araquanid line, and Groudon gets Swords Dance. I think the Primals need some nerfs regardless, auto-setting weather that can't be removed conventionally is stupidly broken. Primals aside, I can see merit there. Pokémon like Garchomp would really benefit from it (run moves like Earthquake, Dragon Rush, and so on).

What I'd really like to see is an ability to set up Mist. If the pokémon is fast enough, it'd set up Mist before enemy Intimidates, allowing it to dampen Intimidate dominance somewhat. Right now you can't realistically use Mist for that because the abilities go off and switching happens before you even get to set it up. You can Z-power Mist for a full heal, but there's a bit of a mismatch there in the timing. You'd want the heal a bit later on in the battle after you've taken some damage, but you'd want Mist to go up early on before the enemy can reduce stats.

 

[TheWanderingMist]

This probably won't happen, but I think the Tapu's abilities are kinda ridiculous at times. Though I'm not sure how you would nerf it. Maybe have it last for three turns? Not sure.

Before the Tapus, Terrains were not used. The Tapus are still the only way they get used outside of Genesis Supernova.

 

[Fairy Queen]

Before the Tapus, Terrains were not used. The Tapus are still the only way they get used outside of Genesis Supernova.

In my opinion, I think giving their abilities to some other pokemon can help balance it out (like they did with the weather summoning abilities).

I think it should personally go like this:
Electric Surge: Zebstrika, Stunfisk or Electrobe
Psychic Surge: Grumpig, Musharna or Beheyeem
Grassy Surge: Gogoat, Levanny, Maractus, or Florges
Misty Surge: Carbink, Morelull or Wigglytuff
I think it would increase their viability without making them too hax.