AOTW: Contrary

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Ooooooh, we’ve got a good’un this week, folks. Well, at least a cool one with a lot of potential. Nintendo, why do you keep doing this to me? Some of the new Abilities that were released in generation five are really cool, but then you give it to a pokémon that gets almost no benefit from it! Man… The irony of this statement is that that’s pretty much exactly what this week’s Ability does. Mary, Mary, this is quite the Ability of the Week: Contrary!

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AOTW: Solid Rock and Filter

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How’s it going, trainer-faces? Still pitting digital manifestations of elementally-powered animals against each other for fun and bragging rights, I trust? Good, good. Today, we’re gonna talk about some basic strategy, real Pokémon 101 stuff. And what’s the most basic battling component? Type advantages and disadvantages. Even some of the better wall pokémon in the game can be unseated by a well-placed super effective attack. But, there are a few ways to undermine an opponent’s advantageous attacks, and wouldn’t you know it, one of them is an Ability! Let’s point and laugh at your friends’ Expert Belts- this is Ability of the Week: Solid Rock AND Filter!

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AOTW: Pressure

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You know, guys, I’ve been under a lot of stress lately. Between it being convention season, trying to work on the next issue of The Redeemers, my day job, I’ve been one busy little Ability Editor. Makes it difficult to decide on a topic and write an article every week, you know? It’s a lot of pressure! Wait… wait! That’s it! That’s the weak lead-in for this week’s editorial! This is Ability of the Week: Pressure!
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AOTW Rapid-Fire!! Flame Body, Early Bird, and Imposter

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Oh, Abilities. You are so varied. Some of you are awesome, some of you are useless. And while many of your are complicated and mutli-faceted, still others are elementary and straight-forward. Well, at least the latter get company when I do these articles! It’s another three-pack of pokémon powers this week, folks. This is Ability of the Week Rapid-Fire: Flame Body, Early Bird, and Imposter!
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AOTW: Harvest

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What’s up, kids! Welcome back to your weekly Abilities class! I’m sure that many of you have used a strategy that hinges on the use of a held Berry, but it sure sucks when you can only use that strategy once, and even more if you were on your last Berry. I’m sure you can guess- we’re gonna see about fixing that today. This is Ability of the Week: Harvest!
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AOTW: No Guard

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Hey there, trainers and trainerettes! Thanks for showing back up to your weekly Abilities class. As the resident Move Maniac Aaron Spriggs will gladly tell you (and likely shout from the rooftops), powerhouse moves are great, but if you can’t hit your target, all of the base damage in the world doesn’t mean jack-squat. Some people try to negate low-accuracy issues with items like the Wide Lens, or else moves like Lock-On or Hone Claws. Well, I’m here to tell you that there’s a way to bypass the need for such things with, what else? Another Ability! No stopping me now- this is Ability of the Week: No Guard!

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AOTW: Cloud Nine and Air Lock

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Weather effects on the field are some of my favorite additions to the basic formula of monster wrangling and battling laid down in the classic Pokemon Red and Blue Versions. Each one has its own unique properties, and in some cases, can be the crux of a team’s strategy. But hey, to each his own, and maybe you’re not like me and hate weather effects! Who am I to tell you you’re wrong, even though you are? There are a few pokémon in the game who can totally negate a weather effect without spending a single PP, such is the nature of the mighty passive Ability. May as well put away the raincoats- this is Ability of the Week: Cloud Nine AND Air Lock!

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AOTW: Sheer Force

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Last time on Ability of the Week, we talked about Liquid Ooze, which turns your opponent’s HP-stealing moves against them. We also discussed adding onto the effect with moves like Toxic for some damage over time. While building damage slowly is fun (particularly watching your friend’s reaction), sometimes you just wanna get in there with some blunt-force trauma to Pikachu’s cutesy little face. This week we’re talking about an Ability that can give an automatic boost to your damage-dealing moves and Hulk out your pokémon! This is Ability of the Week: Sheer Force!
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AOTW: Liquid Ooze

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You know what one of my favorite moves is? Well, yeah, Thunderbolt. But I’m not talking abou- okay, yeah, Ice Beam is pretty sweet t- yes, we all love Toxic, I kno- who just said Sand Attack? Really? Shut up. I’m talking about Leech Seed. 90% accuracy and you get to steal 1/16th of your opponent’s HP each turn. And if you have a Big Root attached, you steal even more HP! Now, I bet your asking, “Wil, why are you writing Aaron’s column?” I like to build you up, buttercup. Leech Seed and all the other HP-draining moves are great, but what if your opponent has an ace up their sleeve that would cause it to backfire? We have just that today. This is Ability of the Week: Liquid Ooze!
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AOTW Rapid-Fire!!: Scrappy, Adaptability, and White Smoke/Clear Body

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LAST TIME, on Ability of the Week!

Just a short one this week, but with such a straightforward set of Abilities, it’s a little tough to stretch that into a decent-length article. Should probably come up with something to fix that problem… See you next week, pokémaniacs…

Well trainers, I’m back this week, and contrary to the date, I’d call it a pretty lucky day. The best solution to a problem is often the simplest one, and I’ve devised a simple solution to the short article conundrum. This week I’m introducing a sub-section of my article for your reading pleasure. Every so often, I’ll line up a few easy-to-understand straightforward Abilities and shoot ‘em on down in one go! Hit that jump, and settle in for the debut of Ability of the Week Rapid-Fire! This is Scrappy, Adaptability, and White Smoke AND Clear Body!

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