Good thing I have about 50 lines in a word document about changes to existing abilities. Very convenient.
Ability: Anticipation
New Effect: Defensive clone of Download: the opponent's higher attack stat raises the user's Physical/Special defense by one stage in response. In return, it lowers the other defensive stat. The original effect is removed.
Competitive Reasoning: Pretty similar to Robot7620's submission, but works based on the opponent. Anticipation is a interesting ability for a couple key users who suffer from 4x weaknesses to a type. Being able to scout for this coverage is "useful", but with Hidden Power gone, a lot less necessary. A clone of Download which improves the Pokemon's defensive potential is really powerful, as it provides both protection and scouting. I did feel it might be a bit too strong, so the other defensive stat is decreased as well, making it vulnerable to mixed attackers or surprise tech.
Thematic Reasoning: If the Pokemon is able to detect what move(s) a Pokemon may have, then it follows it could "anticipate" the strength of a Pokemon and prepare for an attack in response. As it does this, it sacrifices its other defenses.
Comments:
Does this make Ferrothorn too bulky? It definitely takes hits better, but losing the passive damage from Iron Barbs makes it a lot safer for Pokemon to hit it with contact moves. The ability also makes itself known immediately, so you can play around it rather quickly.
Probably not going to be used over Magic Bounce, but it could still definitely use it for slower setup attempts. Also means you don't get Parting Shot'd out of existence.
A meme, but it's definitely much more of a bulky Water/Ground type now that it can have a +1 defensive advantage.
Ability: Emergency Exit
New Effect: The user now switches out at the very end of the turn, instead of during the turn.
Competitive Reasoning: This is a much more user-friendly version of Emergency Exit, keeping the interesting effects and potential "balance reasons" that it embraces. It allows you to get a strong attack off after going under 50% HP, and then leave to bring a teammate in. Makes the ability a lot more tactical than frustrating.
Thematic Reasoning: Golisopod leaving at the first moment of danger goes against its powerful presence. At the same time, this value seems intrinsic towards its design. Now it continues to switch out forcefully when threatened, but won't do so until the opponent is retaliated against.
Comments:
Much more reliable now, while retaining the drawbacks. Being the original First Impression user, it can continue its gimmick of high-priority pressure as it switches around, but won't be prevented from an attack once knocked below 50%. This means that, if your in a match-up that looks good, but suddenly isn't, you can still get damage off and then reposition yourself at the same time.
Ability: Klutz
New Effect: The user's contact moves will remove the opponent's items, but it will lose its own item upon being hit by any attack.
Competitive Reasoning: Klutz is a bad ability limited to tricking garbage items onto your opponents, and nobody has ever made this work effectively and consistently. A Pokemon with Klutz is now able to remove items from the opponent with any contact move, making it a very powerful disruptive tool, but is also prone to losing their own items from any form of direct damage.
Thematic Reasoning: A klutz would clumsily knock off items from its opponents as it attacks them directly, while also being unable to hold onto its own item when hurt.
Comments:
Giving up Fluffy can be hard, but the ability to hit hard and cripple the opponent further could make it a devastating breaker.
Similar case here. No Guard and Iron Fist are both pretty good on it, so you'd have to be willing to sacrifice them (and your item, generally) for Klutz.
Despite the bad Attack and limited movepool, imagine combining U-Turn and Knock Off in the same slot.
Ability: Rivalry
New Effect: Increases damage dealt to Pokemon that share a type by 30%. Original effect removed.
Competitive Reasoning: Being based on Gender is interesting, but completely random most of the time. Being based on a shared type makes it easier to build around and adjustable to the current state of a given metagame.
Thematic Reasoning: Imagine being a really cool Dragon with great Attack and Speed, but not being OU because people think the other Dragon's are better. I'd be right miffed, and so is Haxorus. In general, the Pokemon sees another with similar typing and becomes more aggressive to assert dominance.
Ability: Steelworker
New Effect: Now also gains 1/2 the defensive affects of the Steel type, including resistances and weaknesses. No immunity to Poison damage, but does gain a 1/2 resistance to Poison.
Competitive Reasoning: With the introduction of Steely Spirit, this ability is entirely outclassed in functionality. It now gains partial Steel typing, including both positive and negatives, but without the Poison Immunity.
Thematic Reasoning: Although the main body of Dhelmise is the dead seaweed, it is completely defined by the ship wreckage it has taken control of, namely the anchor is swings around to attack.
Comments:
Now the Steel it always wanted to be. Adds a lot to its defensive potential and gives it a completely unique set of resistances.
A couple less interesting changes
Ability: Leaf Guard
New Effect: Sun clone of Hydration.
Competitive Reasoning: You know all the fun things you can do with Hydration + Rest? Leaf Guard doesn't know.
Thematic Reasoning: Works similarly to Hydration in the first place. Exciting.
Ability: Limber
New Effect: User is also immune to trapping effects of all kinds.
Competitive Reasoning: The main forms of trapping may be banned, but other methods still exist, like Mean Look and Spirit Shackle. Limber adds to the pool of Pokemon which can ignore the effects.
Thematic Reasoning: A limber Pokemon would be able to work their way out of a trap.
And, the most potentially dangerous of them all...
Ability: Receiver
New Effect: The user receives a teammate's stat changes when the original Pokemon switches via a pivot move (U-Turn, Teleport), but with a hard cap of no more than +2. Original effect removed.
Competitive Reasoning: Useless in Singles play. This change gives it a use in Singles, allowing a Pokemon to set itself up for a teammate similar to Baton Pass, but limited to itself and its recipient in a one-way interaction and without going to extremes.
Thematic Reasoning: A different interpretation of the term receiver. Rather than taking an ability, it gains the stat changes of a teammate to either complete a set-up attempt. You could have a Pokemon set itself up, but if they are threatened out, can pass those boosts to another Pokemon to take advantage of them.
Comments:
Wow, okay. You could use Klinklang to Shift Gear and then Volt Switch for some great Speed and Attack, Shell Smash with Cloyster and Teleport out for some insane boosts, have one Pokemon increase Special Defense and pivot out so you can start using Bulk Up, or just have a really fat Pokemon give you Bulk Ups for free. The +2 limit is so that you don't have TeleDrum Clefable giving it a free +6 Attack, among other things.
Ability: Anticipation
New Effect: Defensive clone of Download: the opponent's higher attack stat raises the user's Physical/Special defense by one stage in response. In return, it lowers the other defensive stat. The original effect is removed.
Competitive Reasoning: Pretty similar to Robot7620's submission, but works based on the opponent. Anticipation is a interesting ability for a couple key users who suffer from 4x weaknesses to a type. Being able to scout for this coverage is "useful", but with Hidden Power gone, a lot less necessary. A clone of Download which improves the Pokemon's defensive potential is really powerful, as it provides both protection and scouting. I did feel it might be a bit too strong, so the other defensive stat is decreased as well, making it vulnerable to mixed attackers or surprise tech.
Thematic Reasoning: If the Pokemon is able to detect what move(s) a Pokemon may have, then it follows it could "anticipate" the strength of a Pokemon and prepare for an attack in response. As it does this, it sacrifices its other defenses.
Comments:
Does this make Ferrothorn too bulky? It definitely takes hits better, but losing the passive damage from Iron Barbs makes it a lot safer for Pokemon to hit it with contact moves. The ability also makes itself known immediately, so you can play around it rather quickly.Probably not going to be used over Magic Bounce, but it could still definitely use it for slower setup attempts. Also means you don't get Parting Shot'd out of existence.A meme, but it's definitely much more of a bulky Water/Ground type now that it can have a +1 defensive advantage.Ability: Emergency Exit
New Effect: The user now switches out at the very end of the turn, instead of during the turn.
Competitive Reasoning: This is a much more user-friendly version of Emergency Exit, keeping the interesting effects and potential "balance reasons" that it embraces. It allows you to get a strong attack off after going under 50% HP, and then leave to bring a teammate in. Makes the ability a lot more tactical than frustrating.
Thematic Reasoning: Golisopod leaving at the first moment of danger goes against its powerful presence. At the same time, this value seems intrinsic towards its design. Now it continues to switch out forcefully when threatened, but won't do so until the opponent is retaliated against.
Comments:
Much more reliable now, while retaining the drawbacks. Being the original First Impression user, it can continue its gimmick of high-priority pressure as it switches around, but won't be prevented from an attack once knocked below 50%. This means that, if your in a match-up that looks good, but suddenly isn't, you can still get damage off and then reposition yourself at the same time.Ability: Klutz
New Effect: The user's contact moves will remove the opponent's items, but it will lose its own item upon being hit by any attack.
Competitive Reasoning: Klutz is a bad ability limited to tricking garbage items onto your opponents, and nobody has ever made this work effectively and consistently. A Pokemon with Klutz is now able to remove items from the opponent with any contact move, making it a very powerful disruptive tool, but is also prone to losing their own items from any form of direct damage.
Thematic Reasoning: A klutz would clumsily knock off items from its opponents as it attacks them directly, while also being unable to hold onto its own item when hurt.
Comments:
Giving up Fluffy can be hard, but the ability to hit hard and cripple the opponent further could make it a devastating breaker.Similar case here. No Guard and Iron Fist are both pretty good on it, so you'd have to be willing to sacrifice them (and your item, generally) for Klutz.Despite the bad Attack and limited movepool, imagine combining U-Turn and Knock Off in the same slot.Ability: Rivalry
New Effect: Increases damage dealt to Pokemon that share a type by 30%. Original effect removed.
Competitive Reasoning: Being based on Gender is interesting, but completely random most of the time. Being based on a shared type makes it easier to build around and adjustable to the current state of a given metagame.
Thematic Reasoning: Imagine being a really cool Dragon with great Attack and Speed, but not being OU because people think the other Dragon's are better. I'd be right miffed, and so is Haxorus. In general, the Pokemon sees another with similar typing and becomes more aggressive to assert dominance.
Ability: Steelworker
New Effect: Now also gains 1/2 the defensive affects of the Steel type, including resistances and weaknesses. No immunity to Poison damage, but does gain a 1/2 resistance to Poison.
Competitive Reasoning: With the introduction of Steely Spirit, this ability is entirely outclassed in functionality. It now gains partial Steel typing, including both positive and negatives, but without the Poison Immunity.
Thematic Reasoning: Although the main body of Dhelmise is the dead seaweed, it is completely defined by the ship wreckage it has taken control of, namely the anchor is swings around to attack.
Comments:
Now the Steel it always wanted to be. Adds a lot to its defensive potential and gives it a completely unique set of resistances.A couple less interesting changes
Ability: Leaf Guard
New Effect: Sun clone of Hydration.
Competitive Reasoning: You know all the fun things you can do with Hydration + Rest? Leaf Guard doesn't know.
Thematic Reasoning: Works similarly to Hydration in the first place. Exciting.
Ability: Limber
New Effect: User is also immune to trapping effects of all kinds.
Competitive Reasoning: The main forms of trapping may be banned, but other methods still exist, like Mean Look and Spirit Shackle. Limber adds to the pool of Pokemon which can ignore the effects.
Thematic Reasoning: A limber Pokemon would be able to work their way out of a trap.
And, the most potentially dangerous of them all...
Ability: Receiver
New Effect: The user receives a teammate's stat changes when the original Pokemon switches via a pivot move (U-Turn, Teleport), but with a hard cap of no more than +2. Original effect removed.
Competitive Reasoning: Useless in Singles play. This change gives it a use in Singles, allowing a Pokemon to set itself up for a teammate similar to Baton Pass, but limited to itself and its recipient in a one-way interaction and without going to extremes.
Thematic Reasoning: A different interpretation of the term receiver. Rather than taking an ability, it gains the stat changes of a teammate to either complete a set-up attempt. You could have a Pokemon set itself up, but if they are threatened out, can pass those boosts to another Pokemon to take advantage of them.
Comments:
Wow, okay. You could use Klinklang to Shift Gear and then Volt Switch for some great Speed and Attack, Shell Smash with Cloyster and Teleport out for some insane boosts, have one Pokemon increase Special Defense and pivot out so you can start using Bulk Up, or just have a really fat Pokemon give you Bulk Ups for free. The +2 limit is so that you don't have TeleDrum Clefable giving it a free +6 Attack, among other things.
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and 
packing a faster Speed as a punishment to anything carrying a coverage move (i.e. Flash Cannon against Galarian Rapidash) and to make up for their average Attack stat. While 
's Unburden offer doubling Speed, this version of Run Away doesn't require an item consumption which is generally one-time.
, 
and 
don't have Attack as their highest stat, they would definitely appreciate not losing their item just because of a cheeky Knock Off click.
