Pokemon Sword & Shield Abilities and Moves: every new ability and attack in this game listed
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Pokemon abilities and moves are a major part of any battle, and in Pokemon Sword & Shield there are a range of new abilities and new moves you'll find attached to certain newcomers and returning creatures alike.
New Abilities for Pokemon Sword & Shield
Adding new abilities is a tradition with each new generation of Pokemon games, and Sword & Shield is no different in this regard. While existing skills that fans will be familiar with from throughout the rest of the Pokemon series will also be present in Sword & Shield, probably what's most interesting of all are the new abilities that come attached to some of the new Pokemon in the game. A few old Pokemon also get new abilities in this game, too - Mr. Mime, Koffing and Weezing all sport new abilities, while the Galarian form of Ponyta and Rapidash likewise level up with a new ability.
These abilities range greatly, and some of them - such as Libero, which resembles a previous ability, are likely to become competitive-worthy skills. Others, like Hunger Switch or Ice Face, are key to the way an entire Pokemon plays, giving that Pokemon a very unique battle mechanic. Here's the full list of new Pokemon Sword & Shield Abilities:
| Ability | Pokemon | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Libero | Scorbunny & evolutions | Changes the Pokemon's type to the type of the move it’s about to use. |
| Ball Fetch | Yamper | If the Pokemon is not holding an item, it will fetch the Poke Ball from the first failed throw of the battle. |
| Cotton Down | Gossifleur & Eldegoss | When the Pokemon is hit by an attack, it scatters cotton fluff around and lowers the Speed stat of all Pokemon except itself. |
| Propeller Tail | Arrokuda & Barraskewda | Ignores the effects of opposing Pokemon’s Abilities and moves that draw in moves. |
| Mirror Armor | Corviknight | Bounces back only the stat-lowering effects that the Pokemon receives. |
| Hunger Switch | Morpeko | The Pokemon changes its form, alternating between its Full Belly Mode and Hangry Mode after the end of each turn. |
| Gulp Missile | Cramorant | When the Pokemon uses Surf or Dive, it will come back with prey. When it takes damage, it will spit out the prey to attack. |
| Stalwart | Duraludon | Ignores the effects of opposing Pokemon’s Abilities and moves that draw in moves. |
| Steam Engine | Rolycoly & evolutions | Boosts the Pokemon's Speed stat drastically if hit by a Fire- or Water-type move. |
| Punk Rock | Toxtricity | Boosts the power of sound-based moves. The Pokemon also takes half the damage from these kinds of moves. |
| Sand Spit | Silicobra & Sandaconda | The Pokemon creates a sandstorm when it’s hit by an attack. |
| Ice Scales | Snom & Frosmoth | The Pokemon is protected by ice scales, which halve the damage taken from special moves. |
| Ripen | Applin & evolutions | Ripens Berries and doubles their effect. |
| Ice Face | Eiscue | The Pokemon’s ice head can take a physical attack as a substitute, but the attack also changes the Pokemon’s appearance. The ice will be restored when it hails. |
| Power Spot | Stonjourner | Just being next to the Pokemon powers up moves. |
| Mimicry | Stunfisk | Changes the Pokemon’s type depending on the terrain. |
| Screen Cleaner | Mr. Mime & Mr. Rime | When the Pokemon enters a battle, the effects of Light Screen, Reflect, and Aurora Veil are nullified for both opposing and ally Pokemon. |
| Steely Spirit | Perrserker | Powers up ally Pokemon’s Steel-type moves. |
| Perish Body | Cursola | When hit by a move that makes direct contact, the Pokemon and the attacker will faint after three turns unless they switch out of battle. |
| Wandering Spirit | Yamask & Runerigus | The Pokemon exchanges Abilities with a Pokemon that hits it with a move that makes direct contact. |
| Gorilla Tactics | Darmanitan | Boosts the Pokemon’s Attack stat but only allows the use of the first selected move. |
| Neutralizing Gas | Koffing, Weezing & Galarian Weezing | If the Pokemon with Neutralizing Gas is in the battle, the effects of all Pokemon’s Abilities will be nullified or will not be triggered. |
| Pastel Veil | Galarian Ponyta & Rapidash | Protects the Pokemon and its ally Pokémon from being poisoned. |
| Intrepid Sword | Zacian | Boosts the Pokemon’s Attack stat when the Pokemon enters a battle. |
| Dauntless Shield | Zamazenta | Boosts the Pokemon’s Defense stat when the Pokemon enters a battle. |
New Moves for Pokemon Sword & Shield
As well as all-new abilities, Pokemon Sword & Shield of course introduce a handful of all-new attacks and moves that Pokemon can learn. Here's a list of the new moves, plus the Pokemon that can learn them naturally. In many cases, additional Pokemon can learn these new moves via TMs or TRs, if you can lay your hands on them.
| Move | Type | Power & Accuracy | Description | Pokemon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Acid | Grass | 80 Power 100 Accuracy | The user attacks the target with an acidic liquid created from tart apples. This also lowers the target's Sp. Def stat. | Appletun |
| Aura Wheel | Electric | 110 Power 100 Accuracy | Morpeko attacks and raises its Speed with the energy stored in its cheeks. This move's type changes depending on the user's form. | Morpeko |
| Behemoth Blade | Steel | 100 Power 100 Accuracy | The user becomes a gigantic sword and cuts the target. This move deals twice the damage if the target is Dynamaxed. | Zacian |
| Behemoth Bash | Steel | 5 Power 100 Accuracy | The user becomes a gigantic shield and slams into the target. This move deals twice the damage if the target is Dynamaxed. | Zamazenta |
| Body Press | Fighting | 80 Power 100 Accuracy | The user attacks by slamming its body into the target. The higher the user's Defense, the more damage it can inflict on the target. | Many, via TR99 |
| Bolt Beak | Electric | 85 Power 100 Accuracy | The user stabs the target with its electrified beak. If the user attacks before the target, the power of this move is doubled. | Dracozolt Arctozolt |
| Branch Poke | Grass | 40 Power 100 Accuracy | The user attacks the target by poking it with a sharply pointed branch. | Grookey Thwackey Rillaboom Phantump Trevenant |
| Breaking Swipe | Dragon | 60 Power 100 Accuracy | The user swings its tough tail wildly and attacks opposing Pokémon. This also lowers their Attack stats. | Duraludon Others via TM |
| Clangorous Soul | Dragon | 100 Accuracy | The user raises all its stats by using some of its HP. | Kommo-o |
| Court Change | Normal | 100 Accuracy | With its mysterious power, the user swaps the effects on either side of the field. | Cinderace |
| Dragon Darts | Dragon | 50 Power 100 Accuracy | The user attacks twice using Dreepy. If there are two targets, this move hits each target once. | Dragapult |
| Decorate | Fairy | 100 Accuracy | The user sharply raises the target's Attack and Sp. Atk stats by decorating the target. | Alcremie |
| Drum Beating | Grass | 80 Power 100 Accuracy | The user plays its drum, controlling the drum's roots to attack the target. This also lowers the target's Speed stat. | Rillaboom |
| Dynamax Cannon | Dragon | 100 Power 100 Accuracy | The user unleashes a strong beam from its core. This move deals twice the damage if the target is Dynamaxed. | Eternatus |
| Eternabeam | Dragon | 160 Power 90 Accuracy | This is Eternatus's most powerful attack in its original form. The user can't move on the next turn. | Eternatus |
| False Surrender | Dark | 80 Power 101 Accuracy | The user pretends to bow its head, but then it stabs the target with its disheveled hair. This attack never misses. | Morgrem Grimmsnarl |
| Fishious Rend | Water | 85 Power 100 Accuracy | The user rends the target with its hard gills. If the user attacks before the target, the power of this move is doubled. | Dracovish Arctovish |
| Grav Apple | Grass | 80 Power 100 Accuracy | The user inflicts damage by dropping an apple from high above. This also lowers the target's Defense stat. | Flapple |
| Jaw Lock | Dark | 80 Power 100 Accuracy | This move prevents the user and the target from switching out until either of them faints. The effect goes away if either of the Pokémon leaves the field. | Chewtle Dreadnaw |
| Life Dew | Water | 100 Accuracy | The user scatters mysterious water around and restores the HP of itself and its ally Pokémon in the battle. | Clefairy Clefable Lapras Mewtwo Mew Togepi Togetic Corsola Celebi Ralts Kirlia Gardevoir Milotic Jirachi Lucario Togekiss Gallade Hatenna Hattrem Hatterene |
| Magic Powder | Psychic | 100 Accuracy | The user scatters a cloud of magic powder that changes the target to Psychic type. | Hatterene |
| Meteor Assault | Fighting | 150 Power 100 Accuracy | The user attacks wildly with its thick leek. The user can't move on the next turn, because the force of this move makes it stagger. | Sirfetch'd |
| No Retreat | Fighting | 101 Accuracy | This move raises all the user's stats but prevents the user from switching out or fleeing. | Falinks |
| Obstruct | Dark | 100 Accuracy | This move enables the user to protect itself from all attacks. Its chance of failing rises if it is used in succession. Direct contact harshly lowers the attacker's Defense stat. | Obstagoon |
| Octolock | Fighting | 100 Accuracy | The user locks the target in and prevents it from fleeing. This move also lowers the target's Defense and Sp. Def every turn. | Grapploct |
| Overdrive | Electric | 80 Power 100 Accuracy | The user attacks opposing Pokémon by twanging a guitar or bass guitar, causing a huge echo and strong vibration. | Toxtricity |
| Pyro Ball | Fire | 120 Power 90 Accuracy | The user attacks by igniting a small stone and launching it as a fiery ball at the target. This may also leave the target with a burn. | Cinderace |
| Snap Trap | Grass | 35 Power 100 Accuracy | The user snares the target in a snap trap for four to five turns. | Stunfisk |
| Snipe Shot | Water | 80 Power 100 Accuracy | The user ignores the effects of opposing Pokémon's moves and Abilities that draw in moves, allowing this move to hit the chosen target. | Inteleon |
| Spirit Break | Fairy | 75 Power 100 Accuracy | The user attacks the target with so much force that it could break the target's spirit. This also lowers the target's Sp. Atk stat. | Grimmsnarl |
| Strange Steam | Fairy | 90 Power 95 Accuracy | The user attacks the target by emitting steam. This may also confuse the target. | Galarian Weezing |
| Stuff Cheeks | Normal | 101 Accuracy | The user eats its held Berry, then sharply raises its Defense stat. | Skwovet Greedent |
| Tar Shot | Rock | 100 Accuracy | The user pours sticky tar over the target, lowering the target's Speed stat. The target becomes weaker to Fire-type moves. | Coalossal |
| Teatime | Normal | 101 Accuracy | The user has teatime with all the Pokémon in the battle. Each Pokémon eats its held Berry. | Polteageist |