Rough Skin

The opponent is hurt by 1/8th of his maxium Hit Points of recoil when using an attack, that requires physical contact, against this Pokémon.

Rough Skin is a tier C ability. This Pokémon inflicts damage with its rough skin to the attacker on contact. Common users include garchomp, druddigon, sharpedo, gabite, carvanha, gible. The opponent is hurt by 1/8th of his maxium Hit Points of recoil when using an attack, that requires physical contact, against this Pokémon.

Positioning matters with Rough Skin. 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, Rough Skin 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 Rough Skin 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 Rough Skin in action.