Pokemon Ability Changes: Levitate

[ty_taurus]

So I think there are a lot of Pokemon who could benefit from some changes to the abilities they have access to. This is a pretty broad statement because most Pokemon could obviously become stronger with a change in abilities. Throw Huge Power on basically anything and you get the point, but I don't necessarily mean just upgrading abilities haphazardly. I think there are many Pokemon where a certain ability they don't currently have access to could both make sense on them as well as benefit their play style (and hopefully make them a bit stronger for many of the weaker Pokemon). A simple example could be swapping Rattled on Granbull for Strong Jaw. It fits more with Granbull's theme and would make her a bit stronger, and along with a bit of a stat buff, we could see Granbull becoming a bit more prominent. But this time, I don't want to focus anymore on Granbull, I want to talk specifically about the ability: Levitate.

 

Levitate is a great ability for many Pokemon, but lots of those Pokemon also ONLY get Levitate and thus have no hidden abilities. Let's go through these Pokemon and talk about a potential Hidden Ability that could replace it.

 

Weezing - Levitate/Regenerator

 

Weezing is a tough one because he really likes having that Ground immunity that could otherwise cause problems for his poison-typing. Since we have Galarian Weezing around the corner bringing something new too, regular Weezing seems like he'll be left behind. But what about maybe the ability "Regenerator?" It's hard to tell exactly how Regenerator is supposed to function, but perhaps we could interpret it for Weezing as a way to refuel his gasses when switching out. That way you could opt to forgo your Ground immunity for more reliable recovery, depending on the team.

 

Mismagius - Levitate/Shadow Shield

 

I think for Mismagius, "Shadow Shield" would feel very appropriate. Yes, it's Lunala's signature ability currently, but we've seen Legendary signature moves and abilities become accessible to non-legendary Pokemon before. Drizzle and Drought, anyone? Mismagius is pretty frail, so having that layer of defense in front could help Mismagius set up.

 

Flygon - Levitate/Compound Eyes

 

Flygon has a hard time because he's typically outclassed by Garchomp in every way. I do believe he needs a small stat boost to give him at least something that he does better than Garchomp, maybe like +10 to speed to make him faster for example. Beyond that, Compound Eyes makes a lot of sense with his bug-like features, and would really help out with the accuracy for moves like Dragon Rush and Stone Edge.

 

Lunatone - Levitate/Sturdy

 

This one's kinda rough because Lunatone needs a lot more than a new ability to be more useful and really like's the ground immunity like Weezing. Sturdy is an odd trade-off, but it does give you the option to endure a 1-shot from all your potential weaknesses as opposed to letting you ignore only 1 of them. This could allow you to get off something like Rock Polish with more reliability, set up screens, or prepare for a super effective hit with Pain Split.

 

Solrock - Levitate/Drought

 

I really wanted to go with Solar Power, but that's for Special Attackers, which Solrock definitely isn't. The idea that Solrock brings out the sun does make some sense, though, so Drought isn't too crazy. This definitely wouldn't make them replace Charizard-Y as a Drought setter in the higher tiers, but maybe could work as an alternative option to Ninetales in lower tiers.

 

Claydol - Levitate/Unaware

 

A bit more interesting, Claydol could opt to forgo Levitate for setup up immunity. Thematically, this does kinda fit in with Claydol being this enigmatic creature, and would help it's defensive nature against more than just Ground attacks for Swords Dancers, Calm Minds, and the like.

 

Chimecho - Levitate/Magic Guard

 

Magic Guard can make sense to go with Chimecho's mystical healing properties and allows him to be a better cleric, staller, or wall than Levitate does. What's more, Chimecho's stats and moves are actually pretty decent already, and this kind of ability could really help to allow Chimecho to set up without fear of being toxicked out.

 

Carnivine - Levitate/Intimidate

 

Carnivine really needs a bit more to have more uses. He suffers from a lot of the same problems pure grass-type Pokemon suffer from: No coverage. On top of that, he's super slow and not too defensive. Intimidate does feel appropriate given his natures as a carnivorous plant, and could help him endure all sorts of physical attackers a bit better. Maybe this would give him some potential doubles uses as a grass-type intimidator.

 

Rotom - Levitate/Motor Drive

 

Some of the different Rotom forms are already fairly strong, but others, not so much. Many appreciate Levitate and wouldn't give that up for Motor Drive, but if nothing else, Rotom-Fan would certainly appreciate an ability that wasn't completely useless. Electric/Flying Rotom-Fan has no use for Levitate, and could benefit from swapping into a Thunderbolt and getting a lot faster as a result. It might not be that easy of a choice for the other forms of Rotom, but I think there are some that might consider it as an alternative.

 

Uxie - Levitate/Comatose

 

Uxie definitely appears to be asleep in all their artwork. Being able to ignore status conditions could definitely stand to give them a slight defensive advantage for sure.

 

Mesprit - Levitate/Moody

 

Alright, so this one wouldn't really help Mesprit in terms of competitive use, since Moody is commonly seen as a no-go, but I do think it fits Mesprit's identity as the being of emotion. Rapidly changing emotions on the battlefield does make sense, and would potentially make Mesprit a wild card in Anything Goes.

 

Azelf - Levitate/Defiant

 

Defiant goes along with Azelf's theme of perseverance in the face of adversity, and works better thematically and functionally than Competitive. Azelf tends to carry physical attacks more than special, and potentially getting an extra oomph from Intimidators could make Azelf a little scarier.

 

Giratina (Origin Forme) - Levitate/Infiltrator

 

Well if we're doing every Levitate Pokemon, we might as well talk about Giratina also, despite really not needing more power. Infiltrator isn't a crazy alternative, and makes sense if you think about Giratina using distortion world to bypass screens, though you might still stick with Levitate anyway. Nothing anymore OP then we already have.

 

Cresselia - Levitate/Serene Grace

 

Also a Pokemon with plenty of power, but gotta do all the Levitate Pokemon, right? Serene Grace could potentially have some nice impact, and I think it fits pretty well for a graceful Pokemon like Cresselia.

 

Eelektross - Levitate/Analytic

 

This one feels a little sacrilegious to be honest. It seems like Eelektross' defining feature is being the one Pokemon without a weakness only because of Levitate. I figure, if you're willing to sacrifice the safety of Levitate, Eelektross is fairly slow. Analytic makes as much sense thematically as with Starmie, I imagine, so it wouldn't feel out of place and could allow you to get some extra oomph to your attacks instead.

 

Cryogonal - Levitate/Steam Engine

 

Steam Engine is a new confirmed ability for the Gen 8 Pokemon: Rolycoly. It increases your speed by 3 stages when hit with Fire. For Cryoganal, their Pokedex entry specifies they turn to steam when their temperature gets too high, so I think this can actually make quite a bit of sense, and Cryogonal has the special defense to eat a well-predicted Flamethrower and turn into a lightning-quick attacker.

 

Hydreigon - Levitate/Unnerve

 

Hydreigon also doesn't need any more power really, so something more subtle seems appropriate. Unnerve has some use, but isn't too game breaking, and works thematically with Hydreigon's scary appearance.

 

Vikavolt - Levitate/Battery

 

This one seems like a no-brainer to me. Charjabug's signature Battery is interesting, but is lost upon evolution. Maybe Vikavolt should retain access to it to function as a doubles Pokemon who can dish out high damage and enhance her partner too.

 

Alolan Raichu - Surge Surfer/Levitate

 

Surprise! Alolan Raichu isn't restricted to only Levitate, but to only Surge Surfer. It's a cool ability and all, but Electric Terrain is difficult to set up without Tapu Koko, and if you have Tapu Koko, do you really need Alolan Raichu, who's already fairly fast to begin with? By making Levitate Alolan Raichu's Hidden Ability, you also get that sweet ground immunity that electric-type Pokemon love.

 

Phew! That was a lot more Pokemon than I remember having Levitate... But I think these additional hidden abilities could make some of them a lot more interesting and powerful. What do you think about these choices? Are there abilities that could suit certain Pokemon more than these suggestions?