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Underused Pokemon Matchmaking Phase 2 [Week 29 - Nasty Plot Infernape]
- Thread starter nv
- Start date
Cactrune I like whimsacott typing with doom
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Ok so with Arifeen being a "banned deucer." I decided to take him out of the running for this week, which of course he was a shoo-in to win. That left me with a tie between Lilligant for OU and Cactrune and I decided to choose Cactrune's submission as Lilligant for OU voted for hisself lol. Anyways, with the archive being updated, I am going to pick another Pokemon. This week's mon is going to be...
Cobalion rose to UU "recently" and it is currently being nommed for A+ in Viability Rankings so I feel like it is time to let this goat shine! Have fun finding partners for this guy and see you guys next week!
Cobalion rose to UU "recently" and it is currently being nommed for A+ in Viability Rankings so I feel like it is time to let this goat shine! Have fun finding partners for this guy and see you guys next week!
"Night, what are you doing?"
Being awesome and preying on Shedinja's weakness to boost Cobalion's strengths, and running Taunt on Cobalion to stop hazards from going up. It's actually a good thing to lose an item, for Cobalion, since it'll be taking a free boost from Knock Off and can taunt or proceed to wallbreak. Shedinja, on the other hand, benefits from not having hazards up, and can sweep after threats are sufficiently weakened with twin priorities, and almost instantly KO'ing any mon that is weak to it at +2, as well as having the mandatory Focus Sash to make sure it doesn't get bopped.
Overall, you're still weak to fire types. I personally run Mega Camerupt to cover the fire weakness and absorb status headed their ways, but this is a two-mon competition, so none of that for now.
Shedinja @ Focus Sash
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Shadow Sneak
- X-Scissor
Cobalion @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Iron Head
- Taunt
Ability: Wonder Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Def / 0 SpA / 0 SpD
- Swords Dance
- Sucker Punch
- Shadow Sneak
- X-Scissor
Cobalion @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Iron Head
- Taunt
Salamence @ Lum Berry / Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate / Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage / Dragon Claw
- Fire Blast
- Iron Tail / Earthquake
When you look at Cobalion, its common weaknesses to Fire, Fighting, and Ground immediately stand out to a player. In addition, Cobalion is hampered by bulky Psychic types, along with bulky Water types and Ghost types, especially Doublade. Salamence's typing grants it resistances to everything Cobalion is weak to, and is able to set up on the majority of things that threaten Cobalion. In return, Cobalion provides Stealth Rock support while laso checking dangerous threats to Salamence, such as Porygon2, while also temporarily preventing SR from getting set up with Taunt.
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Because Cobalion is usually used as an offensive threat, when pairing it with a teammate it doesn't matter if they cover each others weaknesses or not since we are trying to make an offensive core here. Despite the pokemon i chose also shares a weakness to fighting type moves they still form a great synergy together.
Krookodile @ Choice Band / Dread Plate
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Filler
Cobalion struggles passing through most ghost, psychic and poison types such as Chandelure, Doublade, Slowking, Nidoqueen and Dragalge. That's when Krokodile shines. It can hit all of them with its powerful STAB moves super effectively and can even pursuit trap them in order to open up the path of a Cobalion sweep. Cobalion also fares well against stuff that annoys Krookodile such as Mandibuzz, Hydreigon and Whimsicott. I've used these two numerous times and i can guarantee that they work incredibly well together and i encourage you to try them out if you haven't yet.
Krookodile @ Choice Band / Dread Plate
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Filler
Cobalion struggles passing through most ghost, psychic and poison types such as Chandelure, Doublade, Slowking, Nidoqueen and Dragalge. That's when Krokodile shines. It can hit all of them with its powerful STAB moves super effectively and can even pursuit trap them in order to open up the path of a Cobalion sweep. Cobalion also fares well against stuff that annoys Krookodile such as Mandibuzz, Hydreigon and Whimsicott. I've used these two numerous times and i can guarantee that they work incredibly well together and i encourage you to try them out if you haven't yet.
I changes this to Cresslia
Cresselia @ Leftovers
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Moonblast
- Moonlight
Cobalion @ Lum Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Iron Head
- Taunt / Volt Switch
The only difference between this and standard Cob is that I added Lum Berry, because this duo doesn't do so well hard switching into Cune -- though Volt Switch or Taunt does shut down a lot of set up
I chose Cresselia because of Cobalion's ability to effectively stop Hydreigon, Mega Sharpedo, Steel Types (minus Doublade), Blissey and CurseLax. All of these threats stop Cresselia from setting up and proceeding to use natural bulk and enhanced Special Attack to bust holes in a large portion of the metagame. Afterwards, Cobalion's incredibly base 108 speed can usually outspeed and clean up any remaining mons with naturally high speed, defense and good attack stats to take down special walls who may have survived.
Doublade still wrecks both of these pokemon, as neither can do anything against it, and it proceeds to set-up,
Krookodile is also scary, as with good prediction it can be beaten by Cobalion, but with poor prediction it can easily take out both.
Heracross and Mega Beedrill need to be taken care of ASAP, as Cresselia cannot set-up with them in the back, and though Cobalion can take a bug-type attack, Close Combat and Drill Run, respectively, destroy it without it being able to deal a ton of damage without a few boosts.
Good teammates include: Krookodile, Mamoswine, Forretress, Entei and Rotom-Heat, for their ability to take hits and check the aforementioned threats.
Cresselia @ Leftovers
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Moonblast
- Moonlight
Cobalion @ Lum Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Iron Head
- Taunt / Volt Switch
The only difference between this and standard Cob is that I added Lum Berry, because this duo doesn't do so well hard switching into Cune -- though Volt Switch or Taunt does shut down a lot of set up
I chose Cresselia because of Cobalion's ability to effectively stop Hydreigon, Mega Sharpedo, Steel Types (minus Doublade), Blissey and CurseLax. All of these threats stop Cresselia from setting up and proceeding to use natural bulk and enhanced Special Attack to bust holes in a large portion of the metagame. Afterwards, Cobalion's incredibly base 108 speed can usually outspeed and clean up any remaining mons with naturally high speed, defense and good attack stats to take down special walls who may have survived.
Good teammates include: Krookodile, Mamoswine, Forretress, Entei and Rotom-Heat, for their ability to take hits and check the aforementioned threats.
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Qwilfish
have on your team! Its typing along with its godly ability know as intimidate, ensures that Qwilfish can check a multitude of threats within the UU meta-game namely Entei, Infernape, and Mega Beedrill. Two of these threaten Cobalion which is why I have chosen Qwilfish as a matchmaking partner.
What Does Qwilfish do for Cobalion?
Qwilfish walls the physical fighting and fire types that like to come in and threaten Cobalion. All you do is switch in Qwilfish and paralyze the threat. Another option is to set up entry hazards in the form of spikes or toxic spikes. Qwilfish does tend to force a lot of switches so having something to lay up becomes a necessity. Laying down spikes can help with a Cobalion SD clean up. Oh Doublade is a problem for Cobalion as well. Qwilfish walls most variants of it while taunting Doublade so it can't get too powerful.
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
Spikes
Waterfall
Taunt
Thunder Wave
What does Cobalion do for Qwilfish?
Cobalion is the power of the combo. While threatening with a 120 base stab and incredible speed, this steel woven lion likes to clean up the mess that Qwilfish makes of the opposing team. Qwilfish's only form of recovery is its item so having something to benefit from a knock off is a small niche Cobalion provides for Qwilfish but a useful one. Psyshock is something Qwilfish does not want to take and Cobalion can sponge the physical psychic moves. Cobalion benefits from paralyzed pokemon possible getting free turns to set up SD or to lay up some rocks. Also some scary fast pokes like MBeedrill and Maero are not as scary to Cobalion when they are paralyzed.
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Stealth Rock
Swords Dance
Close Combat
Iron Head
(!) Threats (!)
Special attackers are of course going to be a problem against a physical core. Electric, psychic, and fire will give you a rough time. Nido's will make you cry! Ghost is neutral to the core so it can be a problem if its powerful and special. Also Mega Swampert is a mean guy.
($)Other Teammates($)
Special walls and special checks will benefit the core immensely. Some ground resists will be great for checking stuff like Krookodile and Swampert. Assault Vest Tangrowth takes on special electric types and ground types like swamp and krook. It also takes care of azelf with knock off. Porygon2 is a great special wall and can benefit from qwilfish as a fighting check. Empoleon while not resisting electric can be a nice defogger and resist Psychic and check scarf chandy.
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Lol I hate to repeat myself, but I already posted what is, in my opinion, the best defensive partner for Cobalion in the UU cores thread. So I'm just going to plagiarize myself on this one, I hope nobody minds...
Cobalion @ Leftovers / Shuca Berry
Ability: Justified
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Iron Head
- Substitute / Stealth Rock / Magnet Rise
Cobalion is an incredibly threatening sweeper against most playstyles, but it often runs into quite a few problems when it tries to set up. Bulky Water-types (Alomomola, Suicune, Swampert, Slowking), Psychic-types (Cresselia, Reuniclus, Slowking again), and Ghost-types often threaten Cobalion's chances of sweeping, and can even set up on it on some occasions. It also struggles with a number of fat stall cores. Here's where Jellicent swoops in to save the day.
Jellicent @ Leftovers / Colbur Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Hex / Scald
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
Jellicent can't really help Cobalion against powerful Ghost-types, but it can help it with almost everything else that checks Cobalion thanks to its incredibly diverse set of utility moves, typing, and utility. Taunt stops stall and bulky setup sweepers alike, while Will-O-Wisp allows Jellicent to wear down Pokemon and cripple offensive teams. If you choose Hex (which I recommend), bulky Psychic-types don't really stand a chance against you either. Jellicent also checks a few other Pokemon that are troublesome in general but don't necessarily scare Cobalion as much, including CurseLax and opposing Cobalion. Leftovers is a cool item for any defensive Pokemon to have, but Colbur Berry can sometimes be better to prevent you from being Pursuit-trapped, while also giving you a chance to Will-O-Wisp Knock Off users like Krookodile, Mamoswine, Beedrill, etc. This Pokemon takes on a lot of different threats, and it brings lots of utility to the table on top of that.
This core is pretty effective against a large portion of the meta, but it still faces a few obstacles that can prevent it from being truly great. Ghost-types do severe damage to this core, and Chandelure in particular can singlehandedly destroy it, so a Ghost check like Porygon2, Krookodile, or Hydreigon is helpful. Grass-types are also threatening, because neither Jellicent nor Cobalion can really damage them. Finally, despite Jellicent's Fire and Fighting-resistances, you should probably pack additional checks to Pokemon such as Entei, Heracross, Infernape, and Lucario, because Jellicent's physical bulk isn't the best. Florges works well as a teammate because it can absorb most Fighting attacks and heal these two whenever status gets them.
Cobalion @ Leftovers / Shuca Berry
Ability: Justified
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Iron Head
- Substitute / Stealth Rock / Magnet Rise
Cobalion is an incredibly threatening sweeper against most playstyles, but it often runs into quite a few problems when it tries to set up. Bulky Water-types (Alomomola, Suicune, Swampert, Slowking), Psychic-types (Cresselia, Reuniclus, Slowking again), and Ghost-types often threaten Cobalion's chances of sweeping, and can even set up on it on some occasions. It also struggles with a number of fat stall cores. Here's where Jellicent swoops in to save the day.
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Hex / Scald
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
Jellicent can't really help Cobalion against powerful Ghost-types, but it can help it with almost everything else that checks Cobalion thanks to its incredibly diverse set of utility moves, typing, and utility. Taunt stops stall and bulky setup sweepers alike, while Will-O-Wisp allows Jellicent to wear down Pokemon and cripple offensive teams. If you choose Hex (which I recommend), bulky Psychic-types don't really stand a chance against you either. Jellicent also checks a few other Pokemon that are troublesome in general but don't necessarily scare Cobalion as much, including CurseLax and opposing Cobalion. Leftovers is a cool item for any defensive Pokemon to have, but Colbur Berry can sometimes be better to prevent you from being Pursuit-trapped, while also giving you a chance to Will-O-Wisp Knock Off users like Krookodile, Mamoswine, Beedrill, etc. This Pokemon takes on a lot of different threats, and it brings lots of utility to the table on top of that.
This core is pretty effective against a large portion of the meta, but it still faces a few obstacles that can prevent it from being truly great. Ghost-types do severe damage to this core, and Chandelure in particular can singlehandedly destroy it, so a Ghost check like Porygon2, Krookodile, or Hydreigon is helpful. Grass-types are also threatening, because neither Jellicent nor Cobalion can really damage them. Finally, despite Jellicent's Fire and Fighting-resistances, you should probably pack additional checks to Pokemon such as Entei, Heracross, Infernape, and Lucario, because Jellicent's physical bulk isn't the best. Florges works well as a teammate because it can absorb most Fighting attacks and heal these two whenever status gets them.
Vote Goes for Cactrune, have been using both a lot, Jellicent crippling the things that usually stomp Cobalion ez is awesome.
DaSpoofy because Qwilfish is bea <3
lol stop.
Erm I dont want to give him more points but Cactrune is my vote. Eeyore was a close second place.
Voting for Cactrune is too mainstream
Nightingales is cooler and more hip
Nightingales is cooler and more hip
cactrune