Contrary (Ability)

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Contrary	あまのじゃく
	Devil's Advocate
Flavor text Generation V Makes stat changes have an opposite effect. Generation VI Makes stat changes have an opposite effect. Generation VII Makes stat changes have an opposite effect. Generation VIII Makes stat changes have an opposite effect. Generation IX Reverses any stat changes affecting the Pokémon so that attempts to boost its stats instead lower them—and attempts to lower its stats will boost them.

Contrary (Japanese: あまのじゃく Devil's Advocate) is an Ability introduced in Generation V.

Effect

In battle

Generation V

This Ability inverts all changes to the stat stages of a Pokémon with this Ability; if an effect would lower a stat, it is increased instead, and if an effect would increase a stat, it is decreased instead. Effects that change a Pokémon's stats without affecting stat stages, such as Guts and paralysis, are not affected by Contrary.

This also applies to self-inflicted changes, such as Curse and Leaf Storm. This Ability only inverts the changes when they are applied; it does not passively cause all existing changes to reverse; therefore, if the Ability Contrary is no longer in effect or the stats are passed by Baton Pass, all existing stat stage changes remain the same. Stats passed by Baton Pass onto a Pokémon with Contrary are not reversed.

Mist (including from Guard Spec.) takes into account Contrary's inversion before determining whether to block the stat change. For example, if a Pokémon with Contrary is targeted by String Shot while protected by Mist, it will gain Speed; if a Pokémon with Contrary is targeted by Swagger while protected by Mist, its Attack will not be changed.

If a Pokémon with Contrary uses Belly Drum, its Attack will be lowered to -6 stages (although the message will still say that the user maximized its Attack); if the user's Attack is already at -6 stages, Belly Drum will still deduct HP. Even if the user has Contrary, Belly Drum fails if the user's Attack is already at +6.

If a move used by a Pokémon with Mold Breaker, Teravolt, or Turboblaze would change a stat stage of a Pokémon with Contrary, the change will not be inverted.

Generation VI

Flower Veil takes into account Contrary's inversion before determining whether to block the stat change.

Stat boosts granted by O-Powers used by other players are still inverted.

Generation VII

Stat stage increases caused by the Z-Power effects of status Z-Moves are not inverted by Contrary. However, the stat stage increases as a result of Extreme Evoboost and Clangorous Soulblaze are inverted.

If a target with Contrary is affected by Strength Sap, even if its Attack stat is at +6 stages, Strength Sap will restore the user's HP by up to the target's effective Attack stat value at +5 stages.

Generation VIII

If a Pokémon with Contrary is hit with a Max Move that would lower stats, or uses a Max Move that would raise stats, the change will be inverted, but the message describing the stat change will not be displayed.

Outside of battle

Contrary has no effect outside of battle.

Pokémon with Contrary

#	Pokémon		Types		First Ability	Second Ability	Hidden Ability
0213		Shuckle	Bug	Rock	Sturdy	Gluttony	Contrary
0327		Spinda	Normal		Normal	Own Tempo	Tangled Feet	Contrary
0495		Snivy	Grass		Grass	Overgrow	None	Contrary
0496		Servine	Grass		Grass	Overgrow	None	Contrary
0497		Serperior	Grass		Grass	Overgrow	None	Contrary
0686		Inkay	Dark	Psychic	Contrary	Suction Cups	Infiltrator
0687		Malamar	Dark	Psychic	Contrary	Suction Cups	Infiltrator
0753		Fomantis	Grass		Grass	Leaf Guard	None	Contrary
0754		Lurantis	Grass		Grass	Leaf Guard	None	Contrary
0905		Enamorus Incarnate Forme	Fairy	Flying	Cute Charm	None	Contrary
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.

In other games

Description

Games Description MDGtI Unavailable SMD It reverses changes in the Pokémon's stats such as Attack and Travel Speed!

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

Malamar
The effects of stat-changing moves on the Pokémon are reversed.
Pokémon	Method
User	First Chapter Used In		Notes
	When Malamar is hit by a stat-changing move, the move's effect is reversed.
Xerosic's Malamar	Chesnaught Protects		Debut

In other languages

Language Title Chinese Cantonese 唱反調 Cheungfáandiuh Mandarin 唱反調 / 唱反调 Chàngfǎndiào French Contestation German Umkehrung Italian Inversione Korean 심술꾸러기 Simsul Kkureogi Brazilian Portuguese Contrário Spanish Respondón

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.