Cobalion (BW2 Revamp)【QC 3/3】【GP 2/2】


QC approvals: 3/3 [ jc104 || PK Gaming || shrang ]
GP approvals: 2/2 [ SuperJOCKE || Zystral ]


[Overview]

<p>When talking about the Musketeers, everyone comes up with Terrakion and Keldeo, due to their very potent offensive options. Cobalion, which looks at least as badass as Terrakion, sadly cannot even come close to them when it comes to raw power. However, it has its very own merits, which make it worth using in OU. In addition to Cobalion's great defensive typing, its outstanding base 129 Defense and solid base 91 HP and 108 Speed certainly help Cobalion in finding itself a role as a defensive pivot for almost any team. Access to a variety of supportive moves—such as Thunder Wave, Stealth Rock, and Volt Switch—which are extremely uncommon for a Fighting-type Pokemon gives Cobalion a notable niche in OU. In fact, it is the only Musketeer that can join in in the ever-so-common VoltTurn mindgames.</p>

<p>The only other Pokemon that shares its Steel / Fighting typing is Lucario; however, these two play entirely different to each other. Lucario has clearly better offensive stats, compared to Cobalion's still useable base 90 Attack and Special Attack, but doesn't even come close to Cobalion's Speed and Defense. Nonetheless, even though Cobalion's physical Defense is impressive, its Special Defense is simply underwhelming and thus its only real downpoint. Being unable to deal with any special Fire-type move, Focus Blast, and even Earth Power, is what gives Cobalion the most trouble. But such things can be easily fixed by the team it will be on.</p>

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Stealth Rock / Taunt
move 3: Close Combat / Volt Switch
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spe
ivs: 30 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Cobalion's great physical Defense is what makes it worthwhile; with this set, it has all the toys it needs to do its best in that role. Tanking physical hits with almost no effort is just great, so Cobalion can spread Thunder Wave across the opponent's team very easily, opening up ways for its sweeper teammates to rip through the opponent's team. Stealth Rock is almost indispensable on any successful team, so Cobalion shoul carry it. If something else runs Stealth Rock on your team already, Taunt can replace it, giving Cobalion an option to stop the opponent from any form of setup and healing; thanks to its naturally high base Speed, it can stop a good number of threats from doing so, even with so little EV investment.</p>

<p>Close Combat is Cobalion's most powerful STAB move. Even when running a Bold nature, it is the more preferable option over Focus Blast, because Focus Blast's accuracy is just too shaky for Cobalion to use. Defensive Pokemon can all use the momentum advantage gained by Volt Switch extremely well; Cobalion follows suit on this rule. Volt Switch also grants BoltBeam coverage along with Hidden Power Ice, which is an irreplaceable move for Cobalion, denting most Ground-types that switch into it, such as Dugtrio or Landorus, and most importantly, it's a clean 2HKO on 252 / 0 Gliscor. It also catches the common Dragon-types that are running rampant in OU—mostly Dragonite and Salamence—thanks to its amazing ability to take almost no damage from unboosted Outrage.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>With the given Speed EVs, Cobalion outspeeds positive natured base 70 Speed Pokemon, including Politoed and Breloom; the rest of the EVs are put into HP and Defense to maximize its bulk. Cobalion is able to take even super effective hits—for example, even Choice Band Mamoswine has just a small chance to KO Cobalion at full health. Choice Band Jolly Breloom Low Sweep fails to OHKO (71.5 - 84.72%), and same goes for Jolly Life Orb Terrakion's Close Combat (82.38 - 96.37%). Cobalion can paralyze both with Thunder Wave to essentially remove them as potential threats. However, Choice Band Terrakion has a vital chance to OHKO Cobalion, so it's advised to not stay in on it. When running Volt Switch, Cobalion gains immediate momentum for the team, either switching into an appropriate teammate or checking the upcoming switch-in.</p>

<p>Even though Cobalion's Special Defense isn't nearly as amazing as its Defense, it can take weaker super effective and neutral hits rather well, even when factoring in potential Stealth Rock damage. Outside of rain, Life Orb Starmie and Rotom-W can't KO with Hydro Pump. Politoed needs Choice Specs to safely OHKO with Hydro Pump in the rain. Choice Scarf +1 Genesect (which always gets +1 SpA when switching into Cobalion's lower SpD) fails to OHKO with Flamethrower, as does uninvested Life Orb Salamence with Fire Blast. Even Life Orb Tornadus-T can't achieve an OHKO with Hurricane. In return, however, Cobalion can't hurt any of them particularly hard. Salamence is an exception, as it is OHKOed by a Bold Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock damage. In fact, Cobalion doesn't do much damage to anything that is not named Lucario or isn't 4x weak to either Close Combat or Hidden Power Ice.</p>

<p>Cobalion has some other move options it can run on this set. Iron Head gets STAB, and can work well with Thunder Wave, possibly creating a ParaFlinch combo to take the opponent down. Toxic might seem weird at first, but Cobalion naturally scares out most Steel-types that don't have a secondary Bug typing or are named Heatran, so it can cripple bulky Water-types to reduce their survivability. Roar can be used over Thunder Wave if your team has problems with Substitute users and setup sweepers, while it also racks up additional entry hazard damage against the opponent.</p>

<p>Bulky Latias is one of Cobalion's best partners to form a defensive core with; not only do they resist each other's weaknesses, but also a total of 16 out of the 17 attacking types in the game—only Flying-type attacks will hit the two neutrally. Wish is pretty much mandatory in order to keep Cobalion healthy. Latias can use it, but Jirachi and Vaporeon also perform well in the role of Wish-passing; however, they can't replace Latias's spot by any means. Cobalion's Thunder Wave supports slower, bulkier Pokemon, such as Dragonite, Tyranitar, Conkeldurr, and Metagross, letting them set up easier, and giving them better chances to attempt a sweep once their checks and counters are crippled. When running a sandstorm team, Gliscor makes an ideal choice for a sweeper, as it can come in on most attacks aimed at Cobalion and takes advantage of paralyzed opponents, making a set with Substitute and Swords Dance even more reliable.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Cobalion has a nice list of setup moves, such as Swords Dance, Calm Mind, Work Up, and Rock Polish. However, if you're looking for a Steel / Fighting-type setup sweeper, Lucario does it way better thanks to its higher offensive stats and access to Swords Dance, Nasty Plot and priority moves. Rest and Sleep Talk increase Cobalion's survivability and can work along with Calm Mind as a mono-attacker, however, outside of Flash Cannon, it's hard to find a move that might work on such a set.</p>

<p>In terms of offensive moves, Cobalion can use the Musketeers' signature move, Sacred Sword, to bypass Bulk Up users, giving it a chance to beat things such as weakened Conkeldurr, dealing 24.4 - 29.13% when uninvested and 40.94 - 48.29% when running 252 Atk with a Life Orb. It can also use Focus Blast, Metal Burst, Bounce, X-Scissor, Zen Headbutt, Retaliate, and maybe even Poison Jab. Its supportive movepool also includes Reflect, Toxic, and Safeguard. </p>

<p>An offensive EV spread of 120 Atk / 136 SpA / 252 Spe combined with a Hasty or Naive nature can be used along with Close Combat and Hidden Power Ice to severely dent most Pokemon, if not straight up OHKOing them in the case that they are hit for super effective damage. In the last two slots, one can chose between Volt Switch, Thunder Wave, and Taunt, which all have their merits.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Cobalion can deal with almost any physical threat, but struggles against special attackers. Especially users of Flamethrower, such as Volcarona, Infernape, Salamence, and Hydreigon, as well as Pokemon with access to Focus Blast and Aura Sphere, such as Gengar, Reuniclus, Alakazam, and Lucario as they will deal heavy damage to Cobalion without question. Volcarona, however, can't manage to KO Cobalion with an unboosted Fiery Dance from full health, and bulky sets are being outsped by Cobalion, so at least Cobalion can paralyze it before going down, rendering Quiver Dance almost useless.</p>

<p>Bulky Water-type Pokemon, such as Politoed, Vaporeon, Jellicent, Tentacruel, and even Starmie—due to Natural Cure—don't care much about Thunder Wave, while tanking uninvested Volt Switches. Magic Bounce is a problem, as it stops Cobalion's defensive playstyle. Espeon outspeeds Cobalion, but even Life Orb boosted Hidden Power Fighting is not able to OHKO it. Bulky Ground-types, such as Hippowdon and Donphan, have an easy time against defensive Cobalion, as unboosted Hidden Power Ice is completely unable to 2HKOeither of them. Donphan might be 3HKOed (32.81 - 39.06%), but Hippowdon is out of reach (26.19 - 30.95%) due to its access to Slack Off.</p>
 

Pocket

be the upgraded version of me
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Does Cobalion need a revamp? I thought all we needed to do was drop the SD set into OO. Please correct me if I am wrong

The Offensive set looks quite interesting, though.
 

jc104

Humblest person ever
is a Top Contributor Alumnus
Cobalion definitely needs a revamp, based on it recieving Stealth Rock, and volt switch being curiously missing from the old analysis. I'll get to what I think the sets should be later.

The CM set should probably be added for consideration, too. Cobalion has a stat spread almost designed for it.

I've never seen the offensive set before, but I'll wait for you to finish the skeleton and explain beore deciding what to do.

edit: Deciding what should go on the defensive set isn't easy. Stealth Rock is one of the main things Cobalion does, so it should be a main slash at the very least. Also, Volt Switch is a really good move on defensive pokemon in my opinion, as it allows you to maintain your momentum and let a more powerful attacker do the damage. Also, looking at some calcs for HP Ice, the Impish nature is in fact very significant. So we have a dilemma. Focus Blast can be used for STAB letting you run a bold nature, but we all know how terrible a move it is. I suppose CC is hardly ideal for a defensive pokemon either.

I hope to remove some of the slashes in the end, but at the moment, this is what I think (and roughly what AccidentalGreed thinks):

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Stealth Rock / Taunt
move 3: Close Combat / Volt Switch
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Volt Switch
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 204 Def / 48 Spe
ivs: 30 Spe

Speed outruns jolly breloom and timid politoed now. No idea why you had 248 HP, given that Cobalion's health is not even divisible by 4 with 252 EVs.

edit2: OK I seemed to have forgotten for a second there that focus blast is an awful, awful move. Removed it, but left the slashes the same. A neutral nature was also briefly brought up but it turns out that's completely outclassed by lax (not a nature you see often, + Def / -SpD) with investment in SpD to restore the stat to its original vaule. Still not sure if the loss of defense (76 EVs) is worth it.

edit3: only one defensive set please
 

alexwolf

lurks in the shadows
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Roar may deserve a slash on the defensive set. It is very useful for the things you can wall or check, but cannot damage with HP Ice and CC, such as SubDD Gyarados, which you otherwise canot check at all, as Sub blocks T-Wave and no move that you have can break its Sub, CM Baton Pass Celebi, Baton Pass Gliscor, CM Latias, Lum Berry Haxorus, and some others that i may be missing. If it would make it in the set, i suppose that it would be the third slash in the second slot. Yeah i know too many slashes, but what can you do?
 
Ok, quick word out of the PC from work: I initially intended to split the Defensive set into two sets, one where its main purpose is to get up Stealth Rock and spread Thunder Wave, the other was more of a bulky attacker, similar to the current analysis on site.
I just merged them for now as they were way to similar in my opinion, as only Stealth Rock were the main difference. If you don't have any probs with it, I'll split them again as it would definately prevent slashitis.
@Calm Mind Set: I'm still playtesting this one as even though its stats are pretty much crying for it, there's literally no other attacking option for it than Focus Blast, Flash Cannon and Hidden Power. Volt Switch, albeit awesome, doesn't really find any use on it. Flash Cannon is pretty much useless as only the OU Psychics are hit best with it (which most are too fast anyways, quite likely KOing with FB before Coba can attempt to attack).. *sigh* Guess I'll have to find a way around it.


//€
Skeleton more or less done, will finish Checks and Counters tomorrow and will do playtests with CM set.
 
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Stealth Rock / Taunt
move 3: Close Combat / Volt Switch
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Volt Switch
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 204 Def / 48 Spe
ivs: 30 Spe

Speed outruns jolly breloom and timid politoed now. No idea why you had 248 HP, given that Cobalion's health is not even divisible by 4 with 252 EVs.
Possibly because with 248 HP, you hit 385 HP, which is a Leftovers number for added recovery. Seems good to me, especially because of how little you take from SR. Also, that spread is missing 4 EV points.
 

jc104

Humblest person ever
is a Top Contributor Alumnus
I've looked into this stuff a lot (I'm writing an article about it) and I can say leftovers numbers make a minimal difference, especially in this case. It is occasionally worth going up to the next lefties number but almost never worth dropping down. I'll concede that I missed 4 evs though.

Max HP again please, as opposed to that bonus point. The small difference to physical defense does not justify the larger drop in special defense. Also you DO now drop below the lefties number and that's not a good thing.
 

jc104

Humblest person ever
is a Top Contributor Alumnus
Apologies for double posting, but I want to clarify that these thoughts now have some testing in the BW2 Metagame behind them.

Defensive: This is the only set that I am 100% sure deserves its place in the analysis. Its slightly annoying that some teams at the moment seem to run nothing but special attackers, but if the opponent IS using physical attackers Cobalion will most probably deal with them. I think you currently have the slashes right, although my opinion might change after I test roar.

Offensive: I didn't really like this set much at all. It tended merely to use a weak volt switch repeatedly, doing about as much damage to itself as it could do the opponent. Cobalion does not have the power or the coverage to run a set like that. As for changes I might consider using SR over Taunt. At least then Cobalion might do something productive.

Calm Mind: Flash Cannon is not bad at all. It's the one move that absolutely MUST be on the set without question. It's reasonably powerful, it's accurate, and it hits everything for at least some damage. The set should look like this:

Calm Mind | Flash Cannon | Focus Blast | Hidden Power Electric / Hidden Power Ice / Taunt

HP Electric is the an option because it his Jellicent, Tentacruel and Gyarados as well as some of the flying types previously hit by HP Ice. You'll notice that with this set you get a reasonable hit on most opponents, which makes Cobalion more effective after set up, although you do lose the ability to check some threats you previously could deal with.

edit: spent a while trying to make the offensive CM set work, and it doesn't really. HP Ice does work better but only really because I ended up using cobalion to check stuff rather than as a CM sweeper. I'm going to try a more defensive version instead.

Finally, I think a bulky spread should be considered on that set. With some HP investment and after a CM, Cobalion should become extremely difficult to take down. I have yet to test this though.
 

Adamant Zoroark

catchy catchphrase
is a Contributor Alumnus
I tried the offensive Cobalion, and all I can say is I agree with jc104; it is really, really bad. Cobalion is piss weak, even with the Life Orb boost. Its Volt Switches do nothing, Close Combat hits nothing for good damage unless the Pokemon in question is weak to it. I just didn't find it doing anything except dying. Volt Switch is really its only advantage over, say, Lucario or Terrakion. Even then, its Volt Switch is so piss weak that if you really wanna use Volt Switch you may as well use Rotom-W, so I see absolutely no reason to use it over another Fighting-type such as Lucario or Terrakion, or another Volt Switch user such as Rotom-W.
 
30 Atk/ 30 Def are notable as IVs for Hidden Power, as they allow you to keep Max Speed, letting you speed tie with other base 108 speed Pokemon. Dropping one IV in defense shouldn't make a notable difference, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
 

jc104

Humblest person ever
is a Top Contributor Alumnus
@MrMew72: If Speed is not being maximised, an extra ev can simply be added. That way you get an extra stat point

I've decided that offensive Cobalion sets are just bad, I'm afraid. I'm rejecting the bottom two sets. If you add a little more to checks and counters, I'll aprove the defensive set. In checks and counters, you should be thinking about dealing with Cobalion's moves rather than just killing it; the switchins need to be able to deal with Thunder Wave and ideally even SR. Great counters therefore include pokemon such as Espeon and Starmie (must beware of VS), perhaps some Ground types that can take HP Ice easily.
 
Well, I told you that CM isn't worth it anymore as it simply lacks the attacking options to work.

I'm rather disappointed that the Offensive set hasn't got any friends apparently, but I accept when it doesn't offer the power everyone wants thus being removed from the analysis.

I'll mention both in OO however, CM in the lines of setup, the possibility of an offensive set as I made this set a long time ago and it served me fairly well over the time.

Checks and Counters will be completed soon, as I already stated lately. But thanks for the reminder that Pokemon that can deal with Cobalion's moves will definately need to be mentioned.
 
Did anyone try a mixed Work Up Coballion set as offense? Close Combat serves as an offensive option to Focus Blast's lack of accuracy, you have Stone Edge and you can run Hidden Power to complete Coverage and wall-breaking in general. I know Work Up is frowned upon in general, but if you can pull off a Justified switch it can do some damage. I suppose Hone Claws in a mixed set with Focus Blast could be used too, but the lack of power sounds disappointing from the get to go.
 
252Atk Choice Band Terrakion (Neutral) Close Combat vs 252HP/208Def Leftovers Cobalion (+Def): 93% - 110% (362 - 428 HP). Guaranteed 2HKO. 63% chance to OHKO.

"However, Choice Band Terrakion will OHKO Cobalion without fail, so it's adviced to not staying in on it, if Terrakion already revealed its item.</p>"

"Without fail" is an exaggeraion as Cobalion has a chance to survive even after stealth rock(3.125% hp is lost when switching in).
 
Whoa, shouldn't close combat be on every set? IMO it should look like this:
Close combat
Stealth rock/taunt
Thunder wave/volt switch
Hidden power ice/volt switch
 

JockeMS

formerly SuperJOCKE
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
GP placeholder. I'm all over this.

EDIT:

In progress...

Add
Remove
[Overview]

<p>When talking about the Musketeers, everyone comes up with Terrakion and Keldeo lately, due to their very potent offensive options. Cobalion, which looks at least as badass as Terrakion, sadly cannot even come close to them when it comes to raw power. However, it has its very own merits, which make it worth using in OU. In addition to Cobalion's great defensive typing, its outstanding base 129 Defense and solid base 91 HP and 108 Speed certainly help Cobalion finding itself very easily in the role of a defensive pivot for almost any team. Access to a variety of supportive moves, such as Thunder Wave, Stealth Rock, and Volt Switch, which are extremely uncommon for a Fighting-type Pokemon, give Cobalion a notable niche in OU. In fact, it is the only Musketeer that can join the ever so common VoltTurn mindgames.</p>

<p>The only other Pokemon,[remove] that shares its Steel / Fighting typing is Lucario; however, these two are played entirely different. Lucario has clearly better offensive stats, compared to Cobalion's still useable base 90 Attack and Special Attack, but doesn't even come close at Cobalion's Speed and Defense. Nonetheless, even though Cobalion's physical Defense is impressive, its Special Defense is simply underwhelming and thus its only real downpoint. Being unable to deal well with any special Fire-type move, Flamethrower, Fiery Dance, and anything stronger, Focus Blast,[add] and even Earth Power,[add] is what gives it Cobalion the most trouble. But such things can be easily fixed by the team it will be in on.</p>

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Stealth Rock / Taunt
move 3: Close Combat / Volt Switch
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spe
ivs: 30 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>As stated already, (people might skip reading the Overview, so I think it's better to remove this) Cobalion's great physical Defense is what makes it worthwhile; and with this set, it has all the toys it needs to do best in that role. Tanking physical hits with almost no effort is just great, so Cobalion can spread Thunder Wave over across the opponents opponent's team very easily, opening up ways for own its sweeper teammates in mid-game and late-game. Stealth Rock is almost indespendable on any successful team, so Cobalion carry them it for the team. If something else runs them Stealth Rock on the your team already, Taunt can replace it, giving Cobalion an option to stop the opponent from any form of setups or and healing; thanks to its naturally high base Speed, it can stop a good number of threats to do from doing so, even when almost uninvested with so little EV investment.</p>

<p>Close Combat is Cobalion's most powerful STAB move,[remove] it has access to. Even when running a Bold nature, it is the more preferable option over Focus Blast, which accuracy is just too shaky for Cobalion to use. Volt Switch, however, can replace it, giving your team momentum, which many Defensive Pokemon can make good use of,[remove] and Cobalion is no exception. It also grants pseudo BoltBeam coverage along with Hidden Power Ice, which is an irreplaceable move for Cobalion, denting most Ground-types that switch into it, like such as Dugtrio, Landorus, and most importantly, it's a clean 2HKO on 252[space]/[space]0 Gliscor. It also catches common Dragon-types that are running rampage in OU lately—mostly Dragonite and Salamence—thanks to its amazing ability to take almost no damage from unboosted Outrage.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>With the given Speed EVs, Cobalion outspeeds positive natured base 70's 70 Speed Pokemon, including Politoed and Breloom,[remove];[add] the rest went of the EVs are put into HP and Defense,[remove] to maximize its bulk. It Cobalion is able to take even super effective hits—for example, even with a Choice Bance, Choice Band Mamoswine has just a small chance to KO from Cobalion at full health. Choice Band Jolly Breloom Low Sweep fails to OHKO (71.5 - 84.72%), same does goes for Jolly Life Orb Jolly Terrakion's Close Combat (82.38 - 96.37%). Cobalion can paralyze both with Thunder Wave to essentially remove them as potential threats. However, Choice Band Terrakion has a vital chance to OHKO Cobalion, so it's adviced to not stay in on it. When running Volt Switch, Cobalion gains immediately momentum for the team, either switching into an resistance to the appropriate move teammate or checking the upcoming switch-in. However, Choice Band Terrakion has a vital chance to OHKO Cobalion, so it's adviced to not staying in on it, if Terrakion already revealed its item.</p>

<p>Even though Cobalion's Special Defense isn't nearly as amazing as its Defense, it can take neutral STABs and super effective unSTABed hits weaker super effective and neutral attacks rather well, even when factoring in potential Stealth Rock damage. Outside of Rain rain, Life Orb Starmie and Rotom-W,[remove] can't manage to KO with Hydro Pump,[remove].[add] in Rain, Politoed needs Choice Specs to safely OHKO with Hydro Pump in rain,[remove].[add] Choice Scarf +1 Genesect (which always gets +1 SpA when switching into Cobalion's lower SpD) fails to OHKO with Flamethrower, so does uninvested Life Orb Salamence with Fire Blast. Even Life Orb Tornadus-T can't achieve a OHKO with Hurricane. In return, however, Cobalion can't hurt any of them that particularly hard; except for.[add] Salamence is an exception, who as it is OHKOed by a Bold Hidden Power Ice, when switching into after Stealth Rock damage. In fact, Cobalion doesn't do much damage to anything not named Lucario or that is 4x weak to either Close Combat or Hidden Power Ice.</p>

<p>Cobalion has some other move options,[remove] it can run on this set. Iron Head gets STAB, and can works well with Thunder Wave,[add] possibly creating the to ParaFlinch combo to take the opponent down. Toxic might seem weird at first, but Cobalion still naturally scares out most Steel-types,[remove] that doesn't have a secondary Bug typing or are named Heatran, so it can cripple bulky Water-types hard to reduce their survivability. Roar can be used over Thunder Wave,[remove] when if your team has problems with Substitute users and setup sweepers, and additionally while it racks up additional entry hazard damage on the opponents team against the opponent.</p>

<p>Bulky Latias is still one of Cobalions Cobalion's best partners to form a defensive core,[remove];[add] not just resisting all of only do they resist each others weaknesses,[add] but also resisting a total of 16 out of the 17 attacking types in the game—[add]([remove]only Flying-type attacks will hit the two neutrally)[remove]. Wish is pretty much a mandatory in order to keep Cobalion healthy. Latias can use it, but Jirachi and Vaporeon also perform well in a the role of Wish-passing, but can't replace Latias' Latias's spot by any means. Cobalion's Thunder Wave spreading supports slower, bulkier Pokemon, such as Dragonite, Tyranitar, Conkeldurr, and Metagross, letting them set up easier, and giving them better chances to attempt a sweep more quickly, once their checks and counters are crippled. When running a Sandstorm sandstorm team, Gliscor makes an ideal choice for a sweeper, as it can come in on most attacks aimed at Cobalion and takes advantage from of paralyzed opponents, making a set with Substitute and Swords Dance more even more reliable.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Cobalion has a nice list in of setup moves,[add] such as with Swords Dance, Calm Mind, Work Up,[add] and Rock Polish. However, if you're looking for a Steel[space]/[space]Fighting-type setup Sweeper sweeper, Lucario does this it way better,[remove] thanks to its higher offensive stats,[remove] and access to Swords Dance,[add] and Nasty Plot,[add] and access to priority moves. Rest and Sleep Talk increases Cobalion's survivability and can work along with Calm Mind as a mono-attacker, however, outside of Flash Cannon, it's hard to find a move,[remove] that might work on such a set.</p>

<p>In terms of offensive moves, Cobalion can use the Musketeer's signature move, Sacred Sword, to bypass Bulk Up users, giving it a chance to beat things like hurted such as weakened Conkeldurr, dealing 24.4 - 29.13% when uninvested and 40.94 - 48.29% when running 252 Atk with a Life Orb. It can also use Focus Blast, Metal Burst, Bounce, X-Scissor, Zen Headbutt, Retaliate,[add] and maybe even Poison Jab. Its supportive movepool also includes Reflect, Toxic, and Safeguard. </p>

<p>An offensive EV spread of 120 Atk / 136 SpA / 252 Spe combined with a Hasty or Naive nature can be used along with Close Combat and Hidden Power Ice to severely dent most Pokemon, if not straight out up OHKOing them in case they're are hit for super effective damage. On In the last two slots, one can chose between Volt Switch, Thunder Wave,[add] and Taunt, which all have their merits on it.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

</p><p>Cobalion can deal with almost any physical threat, but struggles with against special Attackers attackers. Especially users of Flamethrower, such as Volcarona, Infernape, Salamence, and Hydreigon, and as well as Pokemon with access to Focus Blast and Aura Sphere, including such as Gengar, Reuniclus, Alakazam, and Aura Sphere Lucario as they will deal heavy damage on to Cobalion without question. Volcarona, however, can't manage to KO Cobalion with an unboosted Fiery Dance from full health, and bulky sets are being outsped by it, so at least Cobalion can paralyse paralyze them it before going down, rendering Quiver Dance almost useless.</p>

<p>Bulky Water-type Pokemon, such as Politoed, Vaporeon, Jellicent, Tentacruel, and even Starmie—due to Natural Cure—don't care much about Thunder Wave, while tanking uninvested Volt Switch's Switches. Magic Bounce is a problem, as it stops Cobalion's defensive playstyle quite hard. Espeon outspeeds Cobalion, but at least even Life Orb boosted Hidden Power Fighting is not able to OHKO it. Bulky Ground-types, such as Hippowdon and Donphan, have an easy time on against defensive Cobalion, since unboosted Hidden Power Ice is far away from able to 2HKOing them. Donphan might be 3HKOed (32.81 - 39.06%) but Hippowdon is out of reach (26.19 - 30.95%) due to its access to Slack Off.</p>


You have some things to work on until next time, but keep up the hard work.

[gp]1/2[/gp]
 
Implemented all the changes, but two minor things I found:

<p>[...] When running Volt Switch, Cobalion gains immediate momentum for the team, either switching into an appropriate teammate or checking the upcoming switch-in.</p>
from: AC, paragraph 1
probably just overread.

<p>Cobalion has some other move options it can run on this set. Iron Head gets STAB, and can work well with Thunder Wave, possibly creating the ParaFlinch combo to take the opponent down. [...]
from: AC, paragraph 3
English isn't my first language, but I'm quite certain, there is no "h" in that word.


Still, big thanks for your check and stamp ;3
 

michael

m as in mancy
is a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Amateur GP check

Changes Additions Deletions

QC approvals: 3/3 [ jc104 || PK Gaming || shrang ]
GP approvals: 1/2 [ SuperJOCKE || --- ]


[Overview]

<p>When talking about the Musketeers, everyone comes up with Terrakion and Keldeo, due to their very potent offensive options. Cobalion, which looks at least as badass as Terrakion, sadly cannot even come close to them when it comes to raw power. However, it has its very own merits, which make it worth using in OU. In addition to Cobalion's great defensive typing, its outstanding base 129 Defense and solid base 91 HP and 108 Speed certainly help Cobalion finding itself in the role of a defensive pivot for almost any team. Access to a variety of supporting [or possibly just remove the ending] moves, such as Thunder Wave, Stealth Rock, and Volt Switch, which are extremely uncommon for a Fighting-type Pokemon, give Cobalion a notable niche in OU. In fact, it is the only Musketeer that can join the ever-so-common VoltTurn mindgames.</p>

<p>The only other Pokemon that shares its Steel / Fighting typing is Lucario; however, these two are played entirely differently. Lucario has clearly better offensive stats, compared to Cobalion's still useable base 90 Attack and Special Attack, but doesn't even come close to Cobalion's Speed and Defense. Nonetheless, even though Cobalion's physical Defense is impressive, its Special Defense is simply underwhelming and thus its main weakness. Being unable to deal with any special Fire-type move, Focus Blast, and even Earth Power, is what gives Cobalion the most trouble. But such things can be easily fixed by the team it will be on.</p>

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Stealth Rock / Taunt
move 3: Close Combat / Volt Switch
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spe
ivs: 30 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Cobalion's great physical Defense is what makes it worth using, and with this set, it has all the toys it needs to do best in that role. Tanking physical hits with almost no effort is just great, so Cobalion can spread Thunder Wave across the opponent's team very easily, opening up ways for its sweeper teammates. Stealth Rock is almost indispensable on any successful team, so Cobalion can carry it for the team. If something else already runs Stealth Rock on your team already, Taunt can replace it, giving Cobalion an option to stop the opponent from any form of setups or healing; thanks to its naturally high base Speed, it can stop a good number of threats from doing so, even with so little EV investment.</p>

<p>Close Combat is Cobalion's most powerful STAB move it has access to. Even when running a Bold nature, it is the preferred option over Focus Blast, whose accuracy is just too shaky for Cobalion to use. Volt Switch, however, can replace it, giving your team momentum, which many defensive Pokemon can make good use of, and Cobalion is no exception. It also grants BoltBeam coverage along with Hidden Power Ice, which is an irreplaceable move for Cobalion, denting most Ground-types that switch into it, such as Dugtrio, Landorus, and most importantly, it's a clean 2HKO on 252 / 0 Gliscor. It also catches common Dragon-types that run rampant in OU—in particular Dragonite and Salamence—thanks to its amazing ability to take almost no damage from an unboosted Outrage.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>With the listed Speed EVs, Cobalion outspeeds positive natured base 70 Speed Pokemon, including Politoed and Breloom; the rest of the EVs are put into HP and Defense to maximize its bulk. Cobalion is able to take even super effective hits—for example, even Choice Band Mamoswine has just a small chance to KO Cobalion at full health. Choice Band Jolly Breloom Low Sweep fails to OHKO (71.5 - 84.72%), same goes for Jolly Life Orb Terrakion's Close Combat (82.38 - 96.37%). Cobalion can paralyze both with Thunder Wave to essentially remove them as potential threats. However, Choice Band Terrakion has a good chance to OHKO Cobalion, so it's advised to not stay in on it. When running Volt Switch, Cobalion gains immediate momentum for the team, either switching into an appropriate teammate or checking the upcoming switch-in.</p>

<p>Even though Cobalion's Special Defense isn't nearly as amazing as its Defense, it can take weaker super effective and neutral hits rather well, even when factoring in potential Stealth Rock damage. Outside of rain, Life Orb Starmie and Rotom-W can't manage to KO with Hydro Pump. Politoed needs Choice Specs to safely OHKO with Hydro Pump [added space] in rain. Choice Scarf +1 Genesect (which always gets +1 SpA when switching into Cobalion's lower SpD) fails to OHKO with Flamethrower, so does uninvested Life Orb Salamence with Fire Blast. Even Life Orb Tornadus-T can't achieve a OHKO with Hurricane. In return, however, Cobalion can't hit any of them particularly hard. Salamence is an exception, as it is OHKOed by a Bold Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock damage. In fact, Cobalion doesn't do much damage to anything not named Lucario or that is 4x weak to either Close Combat or Hidden Power Ice.</p>

<p>Cobalion has some other move options it can run on this set. Iron Head gets STAB, and can work well with Thunder Wave, possibly creating the ParaFlinch combo to take the opponent down. Toxic might seem weird at first, but Cobalion still naturally scares out most Steel-types that doesn't have a secondary Bug typing or are named Heatran, so it can cripple bulky Water-types to reduce their survivability. Roar can be used over Thunder Wave if your team has problems with Substitute users and setup sweepers, while it racks up additional entry hazard damage against the opponent.</p>

<p>Bulky Latias is still one of Cobalion's best partners to form a defensive core; not only do they resist each others weaknesses, but also a total of 16 out of the 17 attacking types in the game—only Flying-type attacks will hit the two neutrally. Wish is pretty much a mandatory in order to keep Cobalion healthy. Latias can use it, but Jirachi and Vaporeon also perform well in the role of Wish-passing, but can't replace Latias's spot by any means. Cobalion's Thunder Wave supports slower, bulkier Pokemon, such as Dragonite, Tyranitar, Conkeldurr, and Metagross, letting them set up more easily, and giving them better chances to attempt a sweep once their checks and counters are crippled. When running a sandstorm team, Gliscor makes an ideal choice for a sweeper, as it can come in on most attacks aimed at Cobalion and takes advantage of paralyzed opponents, making a set with Substitute and Swords Dance even more reliable.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Cobalion has a nice list of setup moves, such as Swords Dance, Calm Mind, Work Up, and Rock Polish. However, if you're looking for a Steel / Fighting-type setup sweeper, Lucario does it way better thanks to its higher offensive stats and access to Swords Dance, Nasty Plot, and priority moves. Rest and Sleep Talk increases Cobalion's survivability and can work along with Calm Mind as a mono-attacker; however, outside of Flash Cannon, it's hard to find a move that might work on such a set.</p>

<p>In terms of offensive moves, Cobalion can use the Musketeers' signature move, Sacred Sword, to bypass Bulk Up users, giving it a chance to beat things such as weakened Conkeldurr, dealing 24.4 - 29.13% when uninvested and 40.94 - 48.29% when running 252 Atk with a Life Orb. It can also use Focus Blast, Metal Burst, Bounce, X-Scissor, Zen Headbutt, Retaliate, and maybe even Poison Jab. Its supportive movepool also includes Reflect, Toxic, and Safeguard.</p> [removed space between period and end tag]

<p>An offensive EV spread of 120 Atk / 136 SpA / 252 Spe combined with a Hasty or Naive nature can be used along with Close Combat and Hidden Power Ice to severely dent most Pokemon, if not straight up OHKOing them, if they are hit for super effective damage. In the last two slots, one can chose between Volt Switch, Thunder Wave, and Taunt, which all have their merits.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Cobalion can deal with almost any physical threat, but struggles against special attackers, especially users of Flamethrower, such as Volcarona, Infernape, Salamence, and Hydreigon, as well as Pokemon with access to Focus Blast and Aura Sphere, such as Gengar, Reuniclus, Alakazam, and Lucario, as they will deal heavy damage to Cobalion without question. Volcarona, however, can't manage to KO Cobalion with an unboosted Fiery Dance from full health, and bulky sets are being outsped by it, so at the least Cobalion can paralyze it before going down, rendering Quiver Dance almost useless.</p>

<p>Bulky Water-type Pokemon, such as Politoed, Vaporeon, Jellicent, Tentacruel, and even Starmie—due to Natural Cure—don't care much about Thunder Wave, while tanking uninvested Volt Switches. Magic Bounce is a problem, as it stops Cobalion's defensive playstyle. Espeon outspeeds Cobalion, but at least even Life Orb boosted Hidden Power Fighting is not able to OHKO it. Bulky Ground-types, such as Hippowdon and Donphan, have an easy time against defensive Cobalion, since unboosted Hidden Power Ice is far from able to 2HKO them. Donphan might be 3HKOed (32.81 - 39.06%) but Hippowdon is out of reach (26.19 - 30.95%) due to its access to Slack Off.</p>
 
I noticed that in Other Options, you mentioned Metal Burst as a decent option. Isn't Cobalion a bit too fast to use it effectively?
 
I noticed that in Other Options, you mentioned Metal Burst as a decent option. Isn't Cobalion a bit too fast to use it effectively?
On a defensive set, if it doesn't have any or low speed investment, it's outsped by a couple of Pokemon, making it work against those. Else, there's a good reason, Metal Burst is only in OO as you pointed out yourself..
 

Zystral

めんどくさい、な~
is a Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
[Overview]

<p>When talking about the Musketeers, everyone comes up with Terrakion and Keldeo, due to their very potent offensive options. Cobalion, which looks at least as badass as Terrakion, sadly cannot even come close to them when it comes to raw power. However, it has its very own merits, which make it worth using in OU. In addition to Cobalion's great defensive typing, its outstanding base 129 Defense and solid base 91 HP and 108 Speed certainly help Cobalion in finding itself in the a role as a defensive pivot for almost any team. Access to a variety of supportive moves such as Thunder Wave, Stealth Rock, and Volt Switch which are extremely uncommon for a Fighting-type Pokemon, gives Cobalion a notable niche in OU. In fact, it is the only Musketeer that can join in in the ever-so-common VoltTurn mindgames.</p>

<p>The only other Pokemon that shares its Steel / Fighting typing is Lucario; however, these two are played play entirely differently to each other. Lucario has clearly better offensive stats, compared to Cobalion's still useable base 90 Attack and Special Attack, but doesn't even come close to Cobalion's Speed and Defense. Nonetheless, even though Cobalion's physical Defense is impressive, its Special Defense is simply underwhelming and thus its only real downpoint. Being unable to deal with any special Fire-type move, Focus Blast, and even Earth Power, is what gives Cobalion the most trouble. But such things can be easily fixed by the team it will be on.</p>

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Thunder Wave
move 2: Stealth Rock / Taunt
move 3: Close Combat / Volt Switch
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 48 Spe
ivs: 30 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Cobalion's great physical Defense is what makes it worthwhile; and with this set, it has all the toys it needs to do its best in that role. Tanking physical hits with almost no effort is just great, so Cobalion can spread Thunder Wave across the opponent's team very easily, opening up ways for its sweeper teammates to rip through the opponent's team. Stealth Rock is almost indispensable on any successful team, so Cobalion should carry it for the team. If something else runs Stealth Rock on your team already, Taunt can replace it, giving Cobalion an option to stop the opponent from any form of setup and healing; thanks to its naturally high base Speed, it can stop a good number of threats from doing so, even with so little EV investment.</p>

<p>Close Combat is Cobalion's most powerful STAB move it has access to. Even when running a Bold nature, it is the more preferable option over Focus Blast, which because Focus Blast's accuracy is just too shaky for Cobalion to use. Volt Switch, however, can replace it, giving your team momentum, which many Defensive Pokemon can make good use of and Cobalion is no exception. Defensive Pokemon can all use the momentum advantage gained from Volt Switch extremely well; Cobalion follows suit on this rule. Volt Switch also grants BoltBeam coverage along with Hidden Power Ice, which is an irreplaceable move for Cobalion, denting most Ground-types that switch into it, such as Dugtrio, or Landorus, and most importantly, it's a clean 2HKO on 252 / 0 Gliscor. It also catches the common Dragon-types that are running rampantin OU—mostly Dragonite and Salamence—thanks to its amazing ability to take almost no damage from unboosted Outrage.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>With the given Speed EVs, Cobalion outspeeds positive-natured base 70 Speed Pokemon, including Politoed and Breloom; the rest of the EVs are put into HP and Defense to maximize its bulk. Cobalion is able to take even super effective hits—for example, even Choice Band Mamoswine has just a small chance to KO Cobalion at full health. Choice Band Jolly Breloom Low Sweep fails to OHKO (71.5 - 84.72%), and same goes for Jolly Life Orb Terrakion's Close Combat (82.38 - 96.37%). Cobalion can paralyze both with Thunder Wave to essentially remove them as potential threats. However, Choice Band Terrakion has a vital chance to OHKO Cobalion, so it's advised to not stay in on it. When running Volt Switch, Cobalion gains immediate momentum for the team, either switching into an appropriate teammate or checking the upcoming switch-in.</p>

<p>Even though Cobalion's Special Defense isn't nearly as amazing as its Defense, it can take weaker super effective and neutral hits rather well, even when factoring in potential Stealth Rock damage. Outside of rain, Life Orb Starmie and Rotom-W can't manage to KO with Hydro Pump. Politoed needs Choice Specs to safely OHKO with Hydro Pump in the rain. Choice Scarf +1 Genesect (which always gets +1 SpA when switching into Cobalion's lower SpD) fails to OHKO with Flamethrower, as does uninvested Life Orb Salamence with Fire Blast. Even Life Orb Tornadus-T can't achieve an OHKO with Hurricane. In return, however, Cobalion can't hurt any of them particularly hard. Salamence is an exception, as it is OHKOed by a Bold Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock damage. In fact, Cobalion doesn't do much damage to anything that is not named Lucario or that isn't 4x weak to either Close Combat or Hidden Power Ice.</p>

<p>Cobalion has some other move options it can run on this set. Iron Head gets STAB, and can work well with Thunder Wave, possibly creating a ParaFlinch combo to take the opponent down. Toxic might seem weird at first, but Cobalion still naturally scares out most Steel-types that don't have a secondary Bug typing or are named Heatran, so it can cripple bulky Water-types to reduce their survivability. Roar can be used over Thunder Wave if your team has problems with Substitute users and set-up sweepers, while it also racks up additional entry hazard damage against the opponent.</p>

<p>Bulky Latias is still one of Cobalion's best partners to form a defensive core with; not only do they resist each other's weaknesses, but also a total of 16 out of the 17 attacking types in the game: only Flying-type attacks will hit the two neutrally. Wish is pretty much a mandatory in order to keep Cobalion healthy. Latias can use it, but Jirachi and Vaporeon also perform well in the role of Wish-passing; however, they can't replace Latias's spot by any means. Cobalion's Thunder Wave supports slower, bulkier Pokemon, such as Dragonite, Tyranitar, Conkeldurr, and Metagross, letting them set up easier, and giving them better chances to attempt a sweep once their checks and counters are crippled. When running a sandstorm team, Gliscor makes an ideal choice for a sweeper, as it can come in on most attacks aimed at Cobalion and takes advantage of paralyzed opponents, making a set with Substitute and Swords Dance even more reliable.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Cobalion has a nice list of setup moves, such as Swords Dance, Calm Mind, Work Up, and Rock Polish. However, if you're looking for a Steel / Fighting-type setup sweeper, Lucario does it way better thanks to its higher offensive stats and access to Swords Dance, Nasty Plot, and priority moves. Rest and Sleep Talk increase Cobalion's survivability and can work along with Calm Mind as a mono-attacker, however, outside of Flash Cannon, it's hard to find a move that might work on such a set.</p>

<p>In terms of offensive moves, Cobalion can use the Musketeers' signature move, Sacred Sword, to bypass Bulk Up users, giving it a chance to beat things such as weakened Conkeldurr, dealing 24.4 - 29.13% when uninvested and 40.94 - 48.29% when running 252 Atk with a Life Orb. It can also use Focus Blast, Metal Burst, Bounce, X-Scissor, Zen Headbutt, Retaliate, and maybe even Poison Jab. Its supportive movepool also includes Reflect, Toxic, and Safeguard. </p>

<p>An offensive EV spread of 120 Atk / 136 SpA / 252 Spe combined with a Hasty or Naive nature can be used along with Close Combat and Hidden Power Ice to severely dent most Pokemon, if not straight up OHKOing them in the case that they are hit for super effective damage. In the last two slots, one can chose between Volt Switch, Thunder Wave, and Taunt, which all have their merits.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Cobalion can deal with almost any physical threat, but struggles against special attackers. Especially users of Flamethrower, such as Volcarona, Infernape, Salamence, and Hydreigon, as well as Pokemon with access to Focus Blast and Aura Sphere, such as Gengar, Reuniclus, Alakazam, and Lucario, as they will deal heavy damage to Cobalion without question. Volcarona, however, can't manage to KO Cobalion with an unboosted Fiery Dance from full health, and bulky sets are being outsped by Cobalion, so at least Cobalion can paralyze it before going down, rendering Quiver Dance almost useless.</p>

<p>Bulky Water-type Pokemon, such as Politoed, Vaporeon, Jellicent, Tentacruel, and even Starmie—due to Natural Cure—don't care much about Thunder Wave, while tanking uninvested Volt Switches. Magic Bounce is a problem, as it stops Cobalion's defensive playstyle. Espeon outspeeds Cobalion, but at least even Life Orb boosted Hidden Power Fighting is not able to OHKO it. Bulky Ground-types, such as Hippowdon and Donphan, have an easy time against defensive Cobalion, as unboosted Hidden Power Ice is far from able completely unable to 2HKO either of them. Donphan might be 3HKOed (32.81 - 39.06%), but Hippowdon is out of reach (26.19 - 30.95%) due to its access to Slack Off.</p>
[gp]2/2[/gp]
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top