Skill Link (Ability)

Skill Link スキルリンク
Skill Link
Flavor text
Generation IV
Increases the frequency of multi-strike moves.
Generation V
Increases the frequency of multi-strike moves.
Generation VI
Increases the number of times multi-strike moves hit.
Generation VII
Currently unknown
Generation VIII
Currently unknown
Generation IX
Currently unknown

Skill Link (Japanese: スキルリンク Skill Link) is an Ability introduced in Generation IV. Eight Pokémon can have this Ability. Prior to Generation V, it was the signature Ability of Shellder and Cloyster.

Effect

In battle

Generation IV

Skill Link enables multi-strike moves that hit 2-5 times per use to always strike five times.

Generation V

Even if the Ability is lost in the middle of move (such as via Mummy), the user will still hit the maximum number of times on the turn in progress.

Skill Link now affects Triple Kick. When used by Pokémon with this Ability, there will be one accuracy check for all strikes instead of individual checks for each strike.

Affected moves

Move Type Cat. Pow. Acc. Max strikes Learned*
Arm Thrust  Fighting  Physical 15 100% 5  
Barrage  Normal  Physical 15 85% 5  
Bone Rush  Ground  Physical 25 90% 5  
Bullet Seed  Grass  Physical 25 100% 5   
Comet Punch  Normal  Physical 18 85% 5  
Double Slap  Normal  Physical 15 85% 5     
Fury Attack  Normal  Physical 15 85% 5  
Fury Swipes  Normal  Physical 18 80% 5   
Icicle Spear  Ice  Physical 25 100% 5   
Pin Missile  Bug  Physical 25 95% 5  
Rock Blast  Rock  Physical 25 90% 5     
Spike Cannon  Normal  Physical 20 100% 5  
Tail Slap  Normal  Physical 25 85% 5   
Triple Kick*  Fighting  Physical 10 90% 3  
Water Shuriken  Water  Physical 15 100% 5  

Outside of battle

Skill Link has no effect outside of battle.

Pokémon with Skill Link

# Pokémon Types First Ability Second Ability Hidden Ability
0090   Shellder
Water Water Shell Armor Skill Link Overcoat
0091   Cloyster
Water Ice Shell Armor Skill Link Overcoat
0190   Aipom
Normal Normal Run Away Pickup Skill Link
214M Heracross Heracross
Bug Fighting Skill Link None None
0424   Ambipom
Normal Normal Technician Pickup Skill Link
0572   Minccino
Normal Normal Cute Charm Technician Skill Link
0573   Cinccino
Normal Normal Cute Charm Technician Skill Link
0731   Pikipek
Normal Flying Keen Eye Skill Link Unknown
Please note that abilities marked with a superscript are only available in the stated generation or later.
  • For Generation III and IV games, ignore Hidden Abilities.

Trivia

  • If a Pokémon with this Ability holds a King's Rock or Razor Fang and uses a move that can hit five times, the target has a ~40.951% chance of flinching, due to each hit having its own chance to flinch the target.

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 連續攻擊 Lìhnjuhk Gūnggīk
Mandarin 連續攻擊 / 连续攻击 Liánxù Gōngjí / Liánxù Gōngjī
  French Multi-Coups
  German Wertelink
  Italian Abillegame
  Korean 스킬링크 Skill Link
  Portuguese Liga Habilidade
  Russian Навык Связки Navyk Svyazki
  Spanish Encadenado


  This article is part of Project Moves and Abilities, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on two related aspects of the Pokémon games.