Early Bird

Sleep conditions lasts for half as long, rounding down. For example, half of three turns is 1.5, which rounds down to one turn. When the number of turns to sleep is one, half of this rounded down is zero, and the Pokémon wakes up instantly.

Early Bird is a tier C ability. The Pokémon awakens twice as fast as other Pokémon from sleep. Common users include kangaskhan, houndoom, dodrio, xatu, girafarig, sunflora. Sleep conditions lasts for half as long, rounding down. For example, half of three turns is 1.5, which rounds down to one turn. When the number of turns to sleep is one, half of this rounded down is zero, and the Pokémon wakes up instantly.

Positioning matters with Early Bird. Think about when the ability triggers — on entry, on hit, on switch out, or continuously — and build your turns around those moments. Abilities that trigger on entry pair well with pivot moves, while continuous abilities reward careful lead selection. If the ability affects the whole field, consider how long you expect that field condition to last and whether your opponent can override it.

In team building, Early Bird should justify at least one team slot and ideally shape several. Ask which Pokémon benefit directly from the ability and which opponents will try to play around it. Build redundant answers to the ability's common counters so the rest of the team still functions when the ability is negated, overridden or ignored.

Matchup value depends on whether the opponent's team can ignore, copy or remove the ability's effect. Bring Early Bird when you expect the opposing strategy to rely on the mechanics it counters, and consider a backup plan for games where that interaction does not come up. Test these matchups in the team builder and analyzer before finalizing your roster.

Explore related Pokémon, team examples and guides to see Early Bird in action.