Arena Trap (Ability)

Arena Trap (Japanese: ありじごく Antlion) is an Ability introduced in Generation III.

Effect

In battle

Arena Trap prevents all grounded adjacent opponents from fleeing (including Teleport) or switching out as long as the user remains in battle. However, if a Pokémon with Arena Trap switches in, opponents are not prevented from switching out for that turn. Arena Trap does not affect Flying-type opponents, opponents with the ability Levitate, or opponents under the effect of Magnet Rise.

Using Baton Pass, U-turn, Volt Switch, Flip Turn, or Parting Shot will still cause the Pokémon to switch out. Holding a Shed Shell allows the Pokémon to switch out, but not flee or Teleport. Having the Ability Run Away or holding a Smoke Ball allows the Pokémon to flee or Teleport, but not switch.

If a wild Pokémon has Arena Trap and the player's Pokémon faints, if the player attempts to flee instead of sending out another Pokémon, they are unaffected by Arena Trap.

Arena Trap does not affect allies.

Generation III

Due to an oversight, enemy trainers will not try to switch out against the player's arena trap when the enemy has a Flying-type Pokémon or a Pokémon with the ability Levitate.

Generation VI

Ghost-type Pokémon who are normally grounded are now immune to Arena Trap.

Outside of battle

From Pokémon Emerald onwards, if a Pokémon with Arena Trap is in the first place in the party (even if fainted), the wild Pokémon encounter rate of all Pokémon is doubled. It shares this trait with Illuminate and No Guard. In Emerald, Arena Trap does not affect Rock Smash encounter rate.

Generation VIII

In Pokémon Sword and Shield, this Ability only affects the rate at which hidden encounters happen.

Generation IX

In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, this Ability has no effect outside of battle.

Pokémon with Arena Trap

#	Pokémon		Types		First Ability	Second Ability	Hidden Ability
0050		Diglett	Ground		Ground	Sand Veil		Sand Force
0051		Dugtrio	Ground		Ground	Sand Veil		Sand Force
0328		Trapinch	Ground		Ground	Hyper Cutter		Sheer Force
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

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

In Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, Explorers of Time, Darkness and Sky, when an enemy Pokémon attacks a Pokémon with Arena Trap, there is a 12% chance of the attacking Pokémon becoming immobilized. Flying-type and Pokémon with the Ability Levitate are unaffected.

In Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon, any Pokémon adjacent to a Pokémon with the Ability Arena Trap cannot move, but are still able to use moves and items. Flying- and Ghost-type Pokémon, and Pokémon with the Ability Levitate and Run Away are unaffected.

Description

In animation

Pokémon animated series

Trapinch
The Pokémon can trap the opponent by digging a large hole.
Pokémon	Method
User	First Used In		Notes
	Trapinch traps the opponent in a big hole.
A wild Trapinch	A Rivalry to Gible On!		Debut

Trivia

• Arena Trap's names in English, Spanish, and Italian are puns. "Arena" refers to a place of combat, and also means sand in Latin and Spanish; as such, it can be interpreted both as "a trap on the battlefield" and "sand trap", the latter having a similar meaning to its name in other languages.

In other languages

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.