Some moves, Abilities, and special effects can copy, suppress, replace, swap, or ignore Abilities during battle. Skill Swap, Entrainment-like moves, Gastro Acid-like suppression, and trace-style Abilities are examples, but availability differs across games. These interactions can create advanced strategies or remove an opponent’s defensive Ability. However, certain Abilities may be protected from being copied or changed, and some transformations reset or preserve Ability behavior differently. Because exceptions are common, verify the exact move and generation before building a strategy around it. In ordinary play, direct damage and type advantage are usually more reliable.
