Summary
Legendary Pokemonare the most powerful creatures in thePokemonworld. They earned this reputation, not only due to their powerful signature moves and their extremely high stats but also thanks to their unique abilities that no other Pokemon can normally use.
Most Legendaries have theirsignature abilitiesthat are often related to their lore and origins, while also giving them a huge advantage in battle. Some of these abilities are so overpowered that they have helped their respective user break the competitivePokemonmetagame in the past. There are a lot of good ones to choose from, but the following are the absolute best in the entire franchise.
The Box Art Legendaries ofPokemon X and Ywere not the first ones to have their signature abilities, but they definitely were some of the biggest standouts in the series. Their abilities, namedFairy AuraandDark Aurarespectively, are very simple yet both work extremely well.
Fairy Aura increases the power of all Fairy-type moves by around 33%, and Dark Aura does the same with Dark-type moves. The twist is that they not only power up the moves used by Xerneas and Yveltal but also the moves of those types that every other Pokemon uses on the battlefield. This means that these two abilities are especially useful for Double Battles.
As the Box Art Legendaries ofSword and Shield,it makes a lot of sense for Zacian to focus on Attack and Zamazenta on Defense, and their signature abilities are very useful on that front.Intrepid Swordraises Zacian’s Attack by one stage every time it enters the battlefield, whileDauntless Shieldraises Zamazenta’s Defense by one stage every time it enters the battlefield.
Zacian and Zamazenta will always have one guaranteed extra point in Attack and Defense whenever they’re sent out by their trainers, which may not seem like much, but it can actually change the entire tide of the battle if used carefully. Even though both abilities have been changed in subsequent generations, and they can only work once per battle now, they are still very effective.
As Pokemon battles have become more and more complex, so have their abilities.Hadron Engineis a solid example of this phenomenon since it can do two things at the same time: it summons Electric Terrain automatically, and it also raises Miraidon’s Special Attack stat on said terrain.
As a Dragon and Electric-type Pokemon, Miraidon greatly benefits from Electric Terrain, especially since it also increases the power of its amazing signature move, Electro Drift. This is way better than its counterpart, Koraidon, who can summon sunlight with its signature ability, even though it’s a Dragon and Fighting-type Pokemon who doesn’t immediately benefit from this weather change.
Most fans tend to forget that Silvally is a Legendary Pokemon and they can’t be blamed,since this is actually an artificial being created by Aether Foundationwho is supposed to mimic the Mythical Pokemon Arceus. As a result of this intentional resemblance, its signature ability,RKS System, works just like Arceus’ Multitype, and it lets Silvally change its type depending on which memory disc it is holding.
People who have the opportunity to train this Legendary are very lucky because this gives Silvally a lot of adaptability and versatility since it can practically turn into any type they need in each battle. This is the main gimmick of this Pokemon, and it revolves entirely around the RKS System, so it’s obvious that its signature ability is of extreme importance.
5Shadow Shield
Lunala’s Signature Ability
Unlike the two generations that came before it, Generation Seven featured two Box Art Legendaries with completely distinct signature abilities. While Solgaleo’s Full Metal Body is far from useless,it doesn’t hold a candle to Lunala’s incredibleShadow Shield, which gives it a much-needed advantage in battle.
This ability reduces the damage that Lunala takes when it has full HP. So, competitivePokemonplayers immediately gravitated toward Lunala when it was revealed, seeing that Shadow Shield works exactly like Dragonite’s Multiscale, which has always been considered one of the best signature abilities in the series. The Moone Pokemon needed this buff because the combination of Psychic-type and Ghost-type is one of the weakest ones in the game, and it would’ve been very frail without Shadow Shield.
Groudon and Kyogre are almost always some of the first Legendary Pokemon with practical signature abilities that come to people’s minds. Their original weather-summoning abilities – Drought and Drizzle – were already excellent for their time, but they were greatly enhanced in the Generation Six remakes,where both Pokemon got access to Primal Reversion.
Desolate Landlets Primal Groudon summon harsh sunlight andPrimordial Sealets Primal Kyogre summon heavy rain, which are enhanced versions of sunlight and rain that can’t be invalidated by other weather summoning moves or abilities (except for each other). Groudon has a significant upper hand in this case because Desolate Land nullifies all Water-type moves, which would normally be super effective on it, as a Ground and Fire-type Pokemon. Of course, Primordial Sea nullifies all Fire-type moves, but Kyogre can already resist them without this ability.
Prism Armorlets its user reduce the power of any super effective attack that it receives. This is a very simple yet effective ability that makes it feel like Necrozma has the ultimate defense in battle. Things get even better when it uses Ultra Burst to turn into the mighty Ultra Necrozma.
With a base stat total of 754, the type combination of Psychic and Dragon,and the destructive Z-Move known as Light That Burns the Sky, Ultra Necrozma is already extremely strong. But its signature ability, Neuroforce, takes it to a whole new level, as it increases the power of any super effective move that it uses on its opponents. So it ultimately feels like Necrozma has the ultimate offense as well.
8As One
Calyrex’s Signature Ability
Sometimes, signature abilities can get so complex that it’s easy to say that they work as if the Pokemon had two abilities at the same time. But in the case of Calyrex’sAs One, this is actually true. When it enters its Ice Rider or Shadow Rider forms, it can both use its original ability, Unnerve, alongside Gastrier’s and Spectrier’s respective signature abilities, Chilling Neigh and Grim Neigh.
As a result of this powerful combination, Calyrex can prevent enemies from eating their berries while also raising its Attack or Special Attack every time it knocks out an opposing Pokemon. This is a lot, and it makes it clear that As One was one of many deciding factors that made Calyrex so infamous within competitivePokemoncircles.
9Unseen Fist
Urshifu’s Signature Ability
Both forms of Urshifu became absolute beasts of the competitivePokemonmetagame in Generation Eight. And while this was due to several factors - like its typing, its Gigantamax form, and its two signature moves - its signature ability,Unseen Fist, was also of great help. This ability lets it ignore protection moves, like Protect or Detect, whenever it uses an attack that makes direct contact.
The thing is that Urshifu is a Fighting-type Pokemon with an Attack stat of 130, meaning that almost every attacking move that it’ll use is inevitably going to make direct contact. Protect has always been a key element of competitive battles, so the fact that there is a Pokemon that can completely ignore it almost broke the balance of the game. It feels like no other Pokemon is safe when they’re facing Urshifu.
10Delta Stream
Mega Rayquaza’s Signature Ability
As the third member of the Weather Trio, Rayquaza always had abilities that let it counter both Groudon and Kyogre. So, when Primal Reversion and Mega Evolution were added toOmega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Mega Rayquaza needed something much more powerful to counter Desolate Land and Primordial Sea. Thus,Delta Streamwas created specifically for this reason.
This ability summons powerful, strong winds that can nullify Desolate Land and Primordial Sea. That’s already very useful in and of itself, but what makes Delta Stream such an amazing signature ability is the fact that it also eliminates every weakness of the Flying-type. This means that Rayquaza not only takes complete control of the weather but that it’s also nullifying half of its weaknesses in the process, including its double weakness to Ice-type moves. This is one of many reasons that explain whyMega Rayquaza is often considered one of the most overpowered Pokemon ever created.
