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Skill Swap

In Pokémon ChampionsGen III
Game

Pokémon Champions

PsychicStatus

The user and the target trade Abilities.

Power
–
Accuracy
—
PP
12 Scarlet & Violet: 10
Hits
One Pokémon next to the user
On Showdown
0.1% of Champions VGC Pokémon run it
Properties
Through Substitute

Changes over time

How Skill Swap changed from game to game, newest first.

  1. Champions

    PP 10 → 12 Buffed

  2. Gen IX

    … target's Ability is As One, Battle Bond, Comatose, added: Commander, Disguise, dropped: Gulp Missile, added: Embody Aspect, Hunger Switch, Ice Face, Illusion, Multitype, Neutralizing Gas, added: Poison Puppeteer, Power Construct, added: Protosynthesis, Quark Drive, RKS System, Schooling, Shields Down, Stance Change, added: Tera Shell, Tera Shift, Teraform Zero, Wonder Guard, added: Zen Mode, or dropped: Zen Mode. added: Zero to Hero.

  3. Gen VIII

    … user or the target's Ability is added: As One, Battle Bond, Comatose, Disguise, added: Gulp Missile, Hunger Switch, Ice Face, Illusion, Multitype, added: Neutralizing Gas, Power Construct, RKS System, Schooling, Shields Down, Stance Change, Wonder Guard, or Zen Mode.

  4. Gen VII

    … user or the target's Ability is added: Battle Bond, Comatose, Disguise, Illusion, Multitype, added: Power Construct, RKS System, Schooling, Shields Down, Stance Change, added: Wonder Guard, or dropped: Wonder Guard. added: Zen Mode.

  5. Gen VI

    … the target's Ability is Illusion, Multitype, added: Stance Change, or dropped: Wonder Guard, or if both have the same Ability. added: Wonder Guard.

  6. Gen V

    … user or the target's Ability is dropped: Multitype added: Illusion, Multitype, or Wonder Guard, added: or if both have the same dropped: Ability, or if either is holding a Griseous Orb. added: Ability.

  7. Gen IV

    … user or the target's Ability is dropped: Wonder Guard. added: Multitype or Wonder Guard, if both have the same Ability, or if either is holding a Griseous Orb.

Numbers: PokéAPI’s changelog. Descriptions: Pokémon Showdown’s for each generation, PokéAPI’s notes where Showdown’s don’t differ. Champions: Pokémon Showdown.

See it in the games

No clip of Skill Swap here yet. Find Skill Swap on YouTube →

How it works in Champions

The user swaps its Ability with the target's Ability. Fails if either the user or the target's Ability is As One, Battle Bond, Comatose, Commander, Disguise, Embody Aspect, Hunger Switch, Ice Face, Illusion, Multitype, Neutralizing Gas, Poison Puppeteer, Power Construct, Protosynthesis, Quark Drive, RKS System, Schooling, Shields Down, Stance Change, Tera Shell, Tera Shift, Teraform Zero, Wonder Guard, Zen Mode, or Zero to Hero.

“The user employs its psychic power to exchange Abilities with the target.”

In-game text, Scarlet & Violet

What interacts

Abilities and items that boost Skill Swap, block it, punish its user or change how it works.

Boosts it

1

Who runs Skill Swap on Showdown

  1. Malamar54.4% of its sets
  2. Wyrdeer69.1% of its sets
  3. Clefable9.2% of its sets
  4. Espathra2.3% of its sets
  5. Meowstic33.2% of its sets
  6. Mega Starmie8.2% of its sets
  7. Mr. Rime9.8% of its sets
  8. Mega Audino6.3% of its sets

Smogon · Showdown Champions VGC · Sep 2026: Smogon’s usage stats from Pokémon Showdown, not the in-game ladder.

On the ladder today

Ranked Doubles Pokémon with Skill Swap among their most used moves.

Malamar, ladder rank #88Wyrdeer, ladder rank #130Medicham, ladder rank #160

Who learns Skill Swap

61 Pokémon can learn it in Pokémon Champions.

Show all 61 in Champions
ClefableAlakazamSlowbroGengarStarmieEspeonUmbreonSlowkingGardevoirSableyeMedichamBanetteChimechoSpiritombGalladeMusharnaAudinoCofagrigusReuniclusDelphoxFlorgesMeowsticAromatisseMalamarSylveonTrevenantGourgeistOranguruPolteageistHattereneMr. RimeRunerigusWyrdeerMeowscaradaEspathraTinkatonFarigirafSmall GourgeistLarge GourgeistSuper GourgeistMega AlakazamMega GengarMega GardevoirMega MedichamMega BanetteEternal FloetteMega SableyeMega GalladeMega AudinoMega SlowbroAlolan RaichuGalarian SlowbroGalarian SlowkingMega ClefableMega StarmieMega DelphoxMega FloetteMega MalamarMega ChimechoMega MeowsticMega Meowstic

All 149 Pokémon that learn it in any game → Filter the Pokédex to Champions →