RU Utility Cobalion

[FlamPoke]

[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Body Press
move 3: Iron Head / Stone Edge
move 4: Thunder Wave / Volt Switch / Stone Edge
item: Leftovers
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 80 HP / 176 Def / 252 Spe
tera type: Flying / Ghost

[SET COMMENTS]

Cobalion functions well as a team's entry hazard setter because of its natural bulk, excellent Speed tier, and ability to pivot, which can provide safe entry for its teammates. Cobalion makes it difficult for teams with Cyclizar as their spinner to reliably remove entry hazards and pivot notable wallbreakers like Crawdaunt in, unlike other hazard setting options such as Hippowdon and Rhyperior. Cobalion gives teams a reliable switch-in to Knock Off by taking advantage of its physical bulk and ability Justified, which makes it even more imposing against the common Knock Off users like Crawdaunt, Cyclizar, and Alolan Muk. Access to a diverse movepool that is difficult to switch into, including Roar, Taunt, and Thunder Wave, gives Cobalion favorable matchups into would-be checks like Calm Mind Slowbro, Bulk Up Okidogi, and Dragon Dance Salamence, all of which are too slow to setup before a Taunt and susceptible to getting paralyzed. Hyper offense teams notably struggle into Cobalion because of its favorable matchup into most of the setup Pokemon used like Bisharp, Maushold, and Mimikyu, which Cobalion is faster than and can comfortably take multiple hits from while threatening an OHKO in return. Stone Edge is an optional move for Cobalion to run in order to hit Armarouge, Moltres, and Thundurus. Volt Switch allows Cobalion to pivot out of matchups into physical walls like Amoonguss, Moltres, and Slowbro. Cobalion prefers Leftovers, as it does not have access to recovery otherwise and is often used as a Knock Off switch-in. A Jolly nature allows Cobalion to outspeed relevant threats such as Jirachi, Mienshao, and Salamence. The spread provided guarantees Cobalion can OHKO maximum HP Bisharp while also surviving a Choice Scarf Terrakion Close Combat, allowing it to then revenge kill them with Body Press. Tera Flying helps against opposing Choice Scarf users like Krookodile and Galarian Zapdos. Tera Ghost helps against opposing Cobalion and other Fighting-type attacks.

Cobalion fits best on balance and bulky offense teams that can take advantage of its notable role compression and utility, as it is capable of acting as a hazard setter, defensive and offensive presence, pivot, and status spreader. Teammates that can mitigate Cobalion's weaknesses, notably to Fairy- and Psychic-type attacks from strong Pokemon like Azelf and Gardevoir, are important to get the most out of the utility Cobalion brings to a team. Pokemon like Fezandipiti, Moltres, and Rotom-H take Fairy-type attacks while forming bulky VoltTurn cores. Alolan Muk, Krookodile, and Reuniclus can absorb Psychic-type attacks comfortably and use Knock Off to help wear down opposing Cobalion checks like Cresselia and Slowbro. Fezandipiti is an especially good teammate for Cobalion because of its ability to set up on Cobalion switch-ins like Amoonguss and Slither Wing while spreading Toxic through its ability Toxic Chain. It can either run a Calm Mind or U-turn variant that can threaten Moltres and Slowbro. Frail offensive teammates such as Armarouge, Gardevoir, and Gengar can get safe entry points against Pokemon that often switch into Cobalion like Amoonguss, Chesnaught, and Slither Wing, giving them opportunities to use strong STAB attacks that can wear teams down. Teammates such as Bellibolt, Slowbro, and Thundurus work well in forming a paralysis-spam core that can enable setup sweepers like Bisharp, Hex Gengar, and Okidogi. Stone Edge can lure Moltres for physical attacking teammates like Bisharp, Mimikyu, and Slither Wing, though Cobalion without Stone Edge needs support in the form of defensive answers to Moltres like Slowbro and Umbreon. Noivern is a notable teammate for Cobalion, as it provides an immunity to Ground-type attacks while being able to remove hazards, provide additional pivot support, and threaten Cobalion checks such as Armarouge, Okidogi, and Galarian Zapdos.

[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/flamingopokeman.654091/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rarelyme.513635/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/goldcat.359771/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/autumn.384270/

 

[FlamPoke]

Ready for QC

 

[Rarelyme]

qc 1/2

Cobalion functions well as a team’s hazard setter because of its natural bulk, excellent speed tier and ability to pivot, which can allow safe entry for its teammates. add a quick sentence saying that it's a very relevant sr setter thanks to its excellent matchup against Cyclizar Stone Edge is an optional move for Cobalion to run in order to hit opposing Moltres while Thunder Wave can be used to cripple setup sweepers such as Okidogi or Revavroom. move Twave before Stone Edge to respect the set order and add something about Volt Switch too (mention Slowbro in there) Cobalion prefers Leftovers as it does not have access to recovery otherwise. A Jolly nature allows Cobalion to out speed relevant threats such as Jirachi, Mienshao and Salamence and the spread provided guarantees Cobalion lives a Terrakion Close Combat, which it can then revenge kill with Body Press. add that it's also to OHKO max HP Bisharp with Body Press Tera Ghost is the preferred Tera type to become immune to Fighting and neutral to Ground, while Tera Flying has a similar effect, becoming resistant to Fighting and immune to Ground. swap the two Teras on the set and explain more in detail in which specific matchups these Tera are effective

Utility Cobalion is often run on balance and bulky offense teams due to its combination of good defensive typing and access to a diverse move pool. Common teammates of Cobalion are Amoonguss, Fezandipiti and Salamence because of their resistances to Fighting-type moves. rephrase this to make it a proper sentence and Armarouge, Gardevoir and Gengar which can get safe entry points because of Cobalion’s access to Volt Switch. add paraspam teammates to go with the Thunder Wave option + Pokemon that are walled by Moltres which benefit from Cobalion luring it in and weakening it with Stone Edge (follow the set order for the sentences) Cyclizar is the most common form of removal in the tier, though Noivern and Talonflame are is a good teammates for Cobalion because they both are it is immune to Ground while also being able to remove hazards, provide additional pivot support and threaten Cobalion checks such as Armarouge, Okidogi and Zapdos-Galar.

Good job, tag me when these are implemented

 

[FlamPoke]

QC 1/2 implemented, thanks Rarelyme :)

 

[GoldCat]

Cobalion

[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Body Press
move 3: Iron Head / Stone Edge
move 4: Thunder Wave / Volt Switch / Stone Edge
item: Leftovers
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 80 HP / 176 Def / 252 Spe
tera type: Flying / Ghost

[SET COMMENTS]

Cobalion functions well as a team’s hazard setter because of its natural bulk, excellent speed tier, and ability to pivot, which can allow safe entry for its teammates. (This is good in the abstract but you haven't explained to the reader why these good attributes of Cobalion correlate to its effectiveness as a Stealth Rock setter. You need to more concretely answer "Why should I use Cobalion as my Stealth Rock setter over any other option?". Why shouldn't I stick to Hippowdon/Jirachi instead of Cobalion/Krookodile? I have a Ground- and Steel-type in both cases. In the next sentence, you mention Cobalion's winning matchup against Cyclizar but doesn't Hippowdon also do well against it? Yes, but what if Cyclizar U-turns instead of using Rapid Spin? The opponent gets a free switch to their Crawdaunt but wouldn't against Cobalion. That's where Cobalion's Speed comes into play. Cobalion is also more proactive, as it can spread Paralyzise or pivot with Volt Switch to make progress. It's also not blanked by every popular Ground-type, as Krookodile and Rhyperior don't want to risk switching in. Slow, exploitable walls like Amoonguss, Slowbro, etc typically switch into Cobalion, which Cobalion can Volt Switch against and bring in its wallbreaker partner like Armarouge. These are the things I would rather you see bring up. More concrete with practical examples.) Because of its typing, Cobalion is an excellent Stealth Rock setter against teams who use Cyclizar as their main form of hazard removal. Thunder Wave can be used to cripple setup sweepers such as Okidogi or Revavroom, Armarouge, and Feraligatr while Stone Edge is an optional move for Cobalion to run in order to hit opposing (yeah, I hope you're not trying to hit your Moltres) Moltres, Thundurus, and Armarouge. Volt Switch allows Cobalion to pivot out of matchups into physical walls like Amoonguss, Moltres, and Slowbro. Cobalion prefers Leftovers as it does not have access to recovery otherwise. A Jolly nature allows Cobalion to out speed outspeed (it's one word) relevant threats such as Jirachi, Mienshao, and Salamence. The spread provided guarantees Cobalion can OHKO max HP Bisharp while also living a Choice Scarf Terrakion Close Combat, which it can then revenge kill with Body Press. Tera Flying becomes resistant to Fighting and immune to Ground, which (they know their type chart already) helps against opposing Choice Scarfers like Krookodile or Zapdos-Galar Galarian Zapdos (Alolan/Galarian/Hisuian etc is always first, never "Pokemon-Region"), while Tera Ghost becomes immune to Fighting, neutral to Ground and prevents opposing Rapid Spin attempts from Forretress or Cyclizar if they've committed their Tera. (The main appeal of Tera Ghost is more so the Cobalion mirror. Spin immune is more niche, as it only helps against Forry.)

Utility Cobalion is often run on balance and bulky offense teams due to its combination of good defensive typing and access to a diverse move pool. (Again, being good on balance and BO doesn't necessarily follow from "good defensive typing and access to a diverse move pool". Ask yourself, "What does utility Cobalion do for balance and BO that is unneeded, redundant, or suboptimal on stall and HO?". For example, stall teams are usually fine vs Bisharp with Unaware Quagsire, and HO might be fine trading their Blastoise for the Bisharp.) Common defensive teammates of Cobalion are Amoonguss, Fezandipiti, and Salamence because of their resistances to Fighting-type moves. (Every SV RU team needs Fighting resists, Cobalion or no Cobalion. You can't load "6-0d by Tera Fighting Gapdos by clicking CC 7 times". How do these 'mons forward Cobalion's game plan? How does Cobalion do the same in return? This is what you need to ask yourself.) Offensive options such as Armarouge, Gardevoir, and Gengar (Why these three? Because you like them? First three that came to your mind? Or is it because they can take advantage of Cobalion's switch-ins and start to make progress? You've to point this out.) can get safe entry points because of Cobalion’s access to Volt Switch. Teammates such as Bellibolt, Thundurus, and Slowbro also work great in forming a Paralysis-spam core that can enable setup sweepers. (Like?) Stone Edge can lure opposing Moltres, which can also enable physical attacking teammates like Bisharp or Mimikyu. (You probably also don't want to build a team with Moltres switch-in Cyclizar with a non-Stone Edge Cobalion.) Noivern is a good teammate for Cobalion because it is immune to Ground while also being able to remove hazards, provide additional pivot support and threaten Cobalion checks such as Armarouge, Okidogi, and Galarian Zapdos. (Mentioning a single 'mon is fine but it should only be done in cases of strong two-'mon cores like SkarmBliss. See if you can generalize the case.)

[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/flamingopokeman.654091/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rarelyme.513635/
Grammar checked by:

 

[FlamPoke]

QC 2/2 implemented, will tag GP team once I review with QC team some things of note

 

[GoldCat]

"Cobalion functions well as a team’s hazard setter because of its natural bulk, excellent speed tier, and ability to pivot, which can allow safe entry for its teammates. Utility Cobalion has notable advantages to other Stealth Rock setters..."

My point wasn't to strictly compare Cobalion to other setters but to expand on the first sentence with how that looks in practice; why those qualities make Cobalion a good choice for a setter in the context of the tier. For example, I mentioned how Cyclizar couldn't pivot in wallbreakers like Crawdaunt to take advantage of Cobalion due to its higher Speed, unlike Hippowdon and Rhyperior.

"...because of the speed advantage over Jirachi, access to multiple utility moves like Roar, Taunt, and Thunder Wave which are difficult for teams to handle, and ability to pivot, which Hippowdon and Krookodile lack."

All you have said is that Cobalion is faster than Jirachi (which the audience already knows), that it learns Roar, Taunt, and Thunder Wave (also known), and that Cobalion can pivot, but Hippowdon and Krookodile can't (nope, no pivot moves in either's movepools) and not why all of that matters. The "why" is very important and is what you, as an analysis writer, need to explain and teach the reader.

"Utility Cobalion is often run on balance and bulky offense teams due to its combination of good defensive typing and access to a diverse move pool."

You still haven't explained why Cobalion's defensive typing and diverse movepool necessitate that it's run on balance and BO.

"Cobalion, while it's not mentioned here, has access to Roar and Taunt, which can cause problems for teams that are weak to hazards or prevent opposing hazard setters from establishing their own, respectively."

It shouldn't be in the team description if it isn't mentioned in the set comments.

"Common defensive teammates of Cobalion are Amoonguss, Fezandipiti, and Salamence because of their resistances to Fighting-type attacks and, in the case of the first two, Fairy-type attacks, giving adequate switch-ins to common Choice Band and Choice Scarf Pokemon like Gardevoir, Galarian Zapdos, and Terrakion."

You ignored implementing my original QC. When you teambuild you don't merely build by covering a Pokemon's weaknesses. You build around Pokemon as functions and roles that come together to form, at least one, gameplan. However, one flaw of Cobalion's typing is notable and needs to be addressed when building. Cobalion is a Steel-type that doesn't resist Psychic and Fairy. This is big, as Cobalion can't switch into Gardevoir and Fezandipiti. So, you have to cover this flaw with secondary resists.

"Frail offensive options that struggle to get onto the field such as Armarouge, Gardevoir, and Hisuian Zoroark appreciate safe entry points that Cobalion provides with Volt Switch."

Okej, they are frail and have a hard time hitting the field but what's the point of getting them in if they don't beat Cobalion's switch-ins, the Pokemon they pivoted in against? Go over and answer my initial QC.

"Teammates such as Bellibolt, Slowbro, and Thundurus work great in forming a Paralysis-spam core that can enable setup sweepers like Hex Gengar and Salamence."

Is Salamence the best example? I guess you can cheese Slowbro with enough lucky full Paralysis turns. I think Bisharp gets more from Paralysed Moltres, Volcanion, etc.

"Stone Edge can lure Moltres, which enables physical attacking teammates like Bisharp, Mimikyu, and Revavroom."

You can remove Revavroom, it has Gunk Shot to hit Moltres. Slither Wing or Galarian Zapdos fits better. You also ignored mentioning how robust answers to Moltres are necessary when building with Cobalion without Stone Edge.

"Other hazard removal options like Cyclizar, which shares the weakness to Fighting-type attacks, and Talonflame, which is frail and reliant on Heavy-Duty Boots for longevity, can pair with Cobalion as well."

You can remove this.

 

[GoldCat]

Cobalion

Cobalion functions well as a team's hazard setter because of its natural bulk, excellent speed tier, and ability to pivot, which can allow safe entry for its teammates. With its dual-typing of Steel and Fighting, Cobalion makes it difficult for teams with Cyclizar as their Rapid Spinner to reliably remove entry hazards from their side of the field and get notable wallbreakers like Crawdaunt into the game, unlike other hazard setting options such as Hippowdon or Rhyperior. Cobalion gives teams a reliable switch-in to Knock Off's, taking advantage of Cobalion's resistance to Dark-type attacks physical bulk, and ability Justified which gives an Attack boost that makes Cobalion even more imposing into the common Knock Off users like Crawdaunt, Cyclizar, and Alolan Muk Empoleon. (Justify does not boost Body Press.) Access to a diverse and difficult to switch into movepool, including Roar, Taunt, and Thunder Wave gives Cobalion favorable matchups into otherwise checks like Calm Mind Slowbro, Bulk Up Okidogi, and Dragon Dance Salamence, all of whom are too slow to setup before a Taunt and susceptible to getting Paralyzed. Hyper Offense teams notably struggle into Cobalion because of its favorable matchup into most of the setup Pokemon used, like Bisharp, Maushold-Four, and Mimikyu, all of which Cobalion is faster than and can comfortably take multiple hits from while threatening an OHKO in return. Stone Edge is an optional move for Cobalion to run in order to hit Armarouge, Moltres, and Thundurus. Volt Switch allows Cobalion to pivot out of matchups into physical walls like Amoonguss, Moltres, and Slowbro. Cobalion prefers Leftovers as it does not have access to recovery otherwise and is often used as a Knock Off switch-in. A Jolly nature allows Cobalion to outspeed relevant threats such as Jirachi, Mienshao, and Salamence. The spread provided guarantees Cobalion can OHKO maximum HP Bisharp while also living a Choice Scarf Terrakion Close Combat, both of which it can then revenge kill with Body Press. Tera Flying helps against opposing Choice Scarfers like Krookodile or Galarian-Zapdos. Tera Ghost helps against opposing Cobalion and other Fighting-type attacks.

Cobalion fits best on balance and bulky offense teams that can take advantage of its notable role compression and utility, capable of acting as a hazard setter, defensive and offensive presence, pivot, and/or status spreader. Despite being a Steel type that does not resist Fairy- or Psychic-type attacks from offensive threats like Fezandipiti or Gardevoir, Cobalion synergizes defensively with teammates such as Fezandipiti, that also switches into Fighting-type attacks for Cobalion, or Magnezone, which can trap opposing Klefki and Jirachi. (Reword this to say you need to cover Cobalion's lack of resistance to Fairy- and Psychic-type attacks with complimentary Fairy resists like Fezandipiti, Moltres, and Rotom-Heat and the same for Psychic switch-ins like Krookodile, Alolan Muk, and Reuniclus, or a secondary Steel-type such as a Jirachi and Empoleon. Instead of mentioning how Fezandipiti resists Fighting, talk about how it and Cobalion form an effective VoltTurn core. Fezanpiditi either sets up on Cobalion's switch-ins like Amoonguss and Slither Wing, or it can badly poison Slowbro and shared checks like Moltres through Toxic Chain and U-turn. I was getting at this earlier about how you should think about how the 'mons functionally complement each other.) Frail offensive teammates such as Armarouge, Gardevoir, and Gengar can get safe entry points against the Pokemon that often switch into Cobalion like Chesnaught, Deoxys-Defense Amoonguss, and Slither Wing, giving them opportunities to click strong STAB attacks that can wear teams down. Teammates such as Bellibolt, Slowbro, and Thundurus work great in forming a Paralysis-spam core that can enable setup sweepers like Bisharp, Hex Gengar, or Okidogi. Stone Edge can lure Moltres for physical attacking teammates like Bisharp, Mimikyu, or Slither Wing, though Cobalion without Stone Edge needs support in the form of defensive answers to Moltres like Slowbro Suicune or Umbreon. Noivern is a notable teammate for Cobalion as it provides an immunity to Ground-type attacks while being able to remove hazards, provide additional pivot support and threaten Cobalion checks such as Armarouge, Okidogi, and Galarian Zapdos.

[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/flamingopokeman.654091/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rarelyme.513635/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/goldcat.359771/
Grammar checked by:

Should be the last one.

 

[FlamPoke]

A couple rounds of adjustments later and here we are - ready for GP GP Team

 

[autumn]

1/1 GP Team done

Hide

[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Body Press
move 3: Iron Head / Stone Edge
move 4: Thunder Wave / Volt Switch / Stone Edge
item: Leftovers
ability: Justified
nature: Jolly
evs: 80 HP / 176 Def / 252 Spe
tera type: Flying / Ghost

[SET COMMENTS]
Cobalion functions well as a team's entry hazard setter because of its natural bulk, excellent Speed tier, and ability to pivot, which can allow provide safe entry for its teammates. Cobalion makes it difficult for teams with Cyclizar as their Rapid Spinner spinner to reliably remove entry hazards from their side of the field and get pivot notable wallbreakers like Crawdaunt into the game in, unlike other hazard setting options such as Hippowdon or and Rhyperior. Cobalion gives teams a reliable switch-in to Knock Off's, by taking advantage of Cobalion's its physical bulk and ability Justified, which gives an Attack boost that (dex info) makes Cobalion it even more imposing into against the common Knock Off users like Crawdaunt, Cyclizar, and Alolan Muk. Access to a diverse and moveppol that is difficult to switch into movepool, including Roar, Taunt, and Thunder Wave, (AC) gives Cobalion favorable matchups into otherwise would-be checks like Calm Mind Slowbro, Bulk Up Okidogi, and Dragon Dance Salamence, all of whom which are too slow to setup set up before a Taunt and susceptible to getting paralyzed. Hyper offense teams notably struggle into Cobalion because of its favorable matchup into most of the setup Pokemon used, (RC) like Bisharp, Maushold-Four, and Mimikyu, all of which Cobalion is faster than and can comfortably take multiple hits from while threatening an OHKO in return. Stone Edge is an optional move for Cobalion to run in order to hit Armarouge, Moltres, and Thundurus. Volt Switch allows Cobalion to pivot out of matchups into physical walls like Amoonguss, Moltres, and Slowbro. Cobalion prefers Leftovers, (AC) as it does not have access to recovery otherwise and is often used as a Knock Off switch-in. A Jolly nature allows Cobalion to outspeed relevant threats such as Jirachi, Mienshao, and Salamence. The spread provided guarantees Cobalion can OHKO maximum HP Bisharp while also living surviving a Choice Scarf Terrakion Close Combat, both of which allowing it can to then revenge kill them with Body Press. Tera Flying helps against opposing Choice Scarfers Scarf users like Krookodile or and Galarian-Zapdos Galarian Zapdos. Tera Ghost helps against opposing Cobalion and other Fighting-type attacks.

Cobalion fits best on balance and bulky offense teams that can take advantage of its notable role compression and utility, as it is capable of acting as a hazard setter, defensive and offensive presence, pivot, and /or status spreader. Teammates who that can support mitigate Cobalion's weaknesses, notably to Fairy- and Psychic-type attacks, are important to get the most out of the utility Cobalion brings to a team. *are there any relevant examples for pokemon that use these moves? without that, it doesn't really link back to this specific meta) Pokemon like Fezandipiti, Moltres, and Rotom-HeatH can provide Cobalion support in taking take Fairy-type attacks while forming bulky VoltTurn cores. Alolan Muk, Krookodile, and Reuniclus can absorb Psychic-type attacks comfortably and use Knock Off to help wear down opposing Cobalion checks like Cresselia and Slowbro. Fezandipiti is an especially good teammate for Cobalion because of its ability to set up on Cobalion switch-ins like Amoonguss and Slither Wing while spreading Toxic through its ability Toxic Chain, allowing it to be either. (period) It can either run a Calm Mind or U-turn variant that can threaten Moltres and Slowbro. Frail offensive teammates such as Armarouge, Gardevoir, and Gengar can get safe entry points against the Pokemon that often switch into Cobalion like Amoonguss, Chesnaught, and Slither Wing, giving them opportunities to click use strong STAB attacks that can wear teams down. Teammates such as Bellibolt, Slowbro, and Thundurus work great well in forming a paralysis-spam core that can enable setup sweepers like Bisharp, Hex Gengar, or and Okidogi. Stone Edge can lure Moltres for physical attacking teammates like Bisharp, Mimikyu, or and Slither Wing, though Cobalion without Stone Edge needs support in the form of defensive answers to Moltres like Slowbro or and Umbreon. Noivern is a notable teammate for Cobalion, (AC) as it provides an immunity to Ground-type attacks while being able to remove hazards, provide additional pivot support, and threaten Cobalion checks such as Armarouge, Okidogi, and Galarian Zapdos.


[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/flamingopokeman.654091/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rarelyme.513635/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/goldcat.359771/
Grammar checked by:

 

[FlamPoke]

GP done, thanks again everyone, should be ready for upload!