Insomnia

Summary

Insomnia is a Pokémon ability introduced in Generation III.

Effect:

  • Prevents the Pokémon with this ability from falling asleep
  • Causes moves like Spore, Sleep Powder, and Hypnosis to fail
  • Stops the Pokémon from using Rest
  • If a Pokémon is asleep and gains this ability, it will wake up immediately
  • Functions identically to the ability Vital Spirit

In Battle:

  • Provides significant utility by completely negating sleep-based strategies
  • Useful for countering opponents that rely on moves like Spore or Hypnosis
  • Allows the user to safely switch into sleep-inducing moves
  • Particularly effective in battles where sleep is a common strategy

Pokémon with this Ability:

  • Hoothoot and Noctowl (standard ability)
  • Shuppet and Banette (standard ability)
  • Delibird (hidden ability)
  • Several other Pokémon with sleep-related themes

Competitive Use:

  • Useful in competitive play to counter common sleep-inducing strategies
  • Typically found on Pokémon that are expected to face status-inducing opponents
  • Allows for more aggressive playstyles without the risk of being incapacitated by sleep
  • Often seen on teams that focus on status-infliction prevention

Interesting Facts:

  • Thematically linked to Pokémon known for staying awake or having nocturnal attributes
  • Despite its utility, overshadowed by other abilities in some competitive formats due to its niche application
  • Its name and effect reference the real-world condition of insomnia, which prevents sleep
  • Often paired with Pokémon that have other status prevention strategies, enhancing team synergy

This structured information provides a comprehensive overview of the Insomnia ability, aligning with the format and depth of detail as seen in the Intimidate example.

Effects

Flavor Texts

Pokémon with the Insomnia ability