Tough Claws

Tough Claws provides a substantial 1.33× power boost to any move that makes direct contact with the target, making it one of the more potent offensive abilities in the game. Contact moves are those where the attacking Pokemon physically touches its opponent, which includes most physical attacks like Tackle, Slash, and Earthquake, but excludes ranged moves like Rock Slide or projectile-based attacks. This ability effectively transforms moderately powered contact moves into formidable threats, while already strong contact moves become devastating.

The ability has remained mechanically unchanged since its introduction in Generation 6, consistently providing the same damage multiplier across all generations. What makes Tough Claws particularly valuable is that it applies to a wide variety of moves, giving Pokemon with this ability significant versatility in their offensive options. Unlike abilities that boost only specific move types, Tough Claws works with any physical move that involves direct contact, regardless of typing.

Competitively, Tough Claws finds its most notable application on Barbaracle, where it amplifies the power of moves like Shell Smash-boosted physical attacks, making this Pokemon a legitimate late-game sweeper. The ability's broad application means that Pokemon possessing it can run diverse movesets while still benefiting from consistent damage output, making it a reliable choice for offensive strategies that don't want to be locked into specific move types or prediction-heavy gameplay.