Building Teams for Rain, Sun, and Sandstorm

Weather effects can have a major impact on Cobblemon battles, boosting the power of certain moves and abilities while weakening others. Building a team around specific weather conditions—like rain, sun, or sandstorm—can give you a significant tactical advantage. In this guide, we’ll explore how weather works in Cobblemon, the benefits of each weather type, and how to build effective teams to take full advantage of these conditions.

What Are Weather Effects?

Weather effects are temporary changes in the battlefield environment that influence the power and behavior of certain moves and abilities. Weather can be triggered by using moves like Rain Dance or Sunny Day, or by sending out Cobblemon with weather-related abilities like Drizzle or Drought.

The four main weather effects in Cobblemon are:

1. Rain
2. Sun
3. Sandstorm
4. Hail (Note: Hail teams are less common but can still be effective.)

Each weather type provides specific boosts to certain types of moves and abilities, allowing you to build teams that capitalize on these bonuses.

1. Rain Teams

Rain is one of the most popular weather conditions in Cobblemon due to the powerful boosts it gives to Water-type moves and the utility of certain abilities.

Key Effects of Rain:

• Boosts Water-type moves by 50%.
• Weakens Fire-type moves by 50%.
• Activates abilities like Swift Swim, Rain Dish, and Drizzle.

Best Cobblemon for Rain Teams:

• Kingdra (Water/Dragon): With the ability Swift Swim, Kingdra’s Speed doubles in the rain, making it a dangerous Water-type sweeper. Pair this with moves like Hydro Pump or Surf to take full advantage of the rain boost.
• Ludicolo (Water/Grass): Another Swift Swim user, Ludicolo benefits from the Speed boost while also having a diverse movepool that includes Grass-type moves like Giga Drain, making it a strong counter to Water-type opponents.
• Pelipper (Water/Flying): Pelipper’s Drizzle ability automatically sets up rain when it enters the battlefield. It can also support the team with Hurricane, which never misses in rain, and Scald to inflict burns.

Key Moves for Rain Teams:

• Rain Dance: Manually sets up rain for five turns, boosting Water-type moves and activating Swift Swim for your Cobblemon.
• Hydro Pump/Surf: Both moves gain a 50% power boost in rain, making them devastating to opponents.
• Thunder: Thunder has 100% accuracy in rain, making it a perfect addition to rain teams for taking down Water-resistant threats like Flying or Water-type Cobblemon.

Rain Team Strategy:

• Use a Cobblemon with Drizzle, like Pelipper, to automatically start the rain as soon as it enters battle.
• Sweep with Swift Swim users like Kingdra or Ludicolo, taking advantage of the Speed boost and increased Water-type damage.
• Use Thunder to target Water-type Cobblemon that resist Water moves, ensuring you have coverage against any threats.

2. Sun Teams

Sunlight boosts the power of Fire-type moves and enhances abilities that rely on heat. Sun teams are all about overwhelming opponents with Fire-type damage while also benefiting from fast, Solar-powered moves.

Key Effects of Sun:

• Boosts Fire-type moves by 50%.
• Weakens Water-type moves by 50%.
• Activates abilities like Chlorophyll, Solar Power, and Drought.

Best Cobblemon for Sun Teams:

• Charizard (Fire/Flying): With Solar Power, Charizard’s Special Attack increases in the sun, making moves like Fire Blast or Flamethrower incredibly powerful. Paired with Sunny Day, Charizard becomes a deadly special sweeper.
• Venusaur (Grass/Poison): Chlorophyll doubles Venusaur’s Speed in the sun, allowing it to outspeed many threats. Combine this with Solar Beam, which doesn’t require a charging turn under sunlight, to deal massive damage.
• Torkoal (Fire): Torkoal’s Drought ability automatically sets up sunlight when it enters battle. It also has access to powerful Fire-type moves like Lava Plume and can support the team with Stealth Rock.

Key Moves for Sun Teams:

• Sunny Day: Manually sets up sunlight, boosting Fire-type moves and allowing for moves like Solar Beam to be used instantly.
• Solar Beam: A 120-power Grass-type move that charges in one turn but can be used instantly in sunlight. Great for countering Water, Ground, and Rock-types.
• Fire Blast/Flamethrower: These Fire-type moves receive a 50% power boost in sunlight, making them devastating against neutral or weak opponents.

Sun Team Strategy:

• Use a Cobblemon with Drought, like Torkoal, to set up sun immediately upon entering battle.
• Sweep with Chlorophyll users like Venusaur or Solar Power Cobblemon like Charizard, using boosted Fire-type and Grass-type moves.
• Keep Water-type opponents in check by weakening their attacks and using Solar Beam to take them down.

3. Sandstorm Teams

Sandstorm teams excel at wearing down opponents with passive damage while boosting the defenses of Rock-types. These teams are great for long, drawn-out battles, as Sandstorm teams tend to focus on tanky Cobblemon that can outlast their opponents.

Key Effects of Sandstorm:

• Deals 1/16th damage to all non-Steel, Rock, or Ground-types at the end of each turn.
• Boosts the Special Defense of Rock-types by 50%.
• Activates abilities like Sand Stream, Sand Rush, and Sand Force.

Best Cobblemon for Sandstorm Teams:

• Tyranitar (Rock/Dark): With its Sand Stream ability, Tyranitar automatically sets up sandstorm upon entering battle. Its Rock-typing gives it a Special Defense boost in the sand, making it a formidable tank and physical attacker with moves like Stone Edge.
• Excadrill (Ground/Steel): Excadrill’s Sand Rush ability doubles its Speed in a sandstorm, turning it into a fast, powerful sweeper. Use moves like Earthquake and Iron Head to devastate opponents.
• Garchomp (Dragon/Ground): Garchomp benefits from sandstorm due to its Sand Veil ability, which increases its evasiveness in a sandstorm. Combine this with powerful moves like Earthquake and Dragon Claw for a balanced offense.

Key Moves for Sandstorm Teams:

• Sandstorm: Manually sets up sandstorm for five turns, boosting the Special Defense of Rock-types and dealing chip damage to non-Ground, Rock, or Steel-types.
• Stone Edge/Rock Slide: Powerful Rock-type moves that benefit from the Special Defense boost Rock-types receive in sand.
• Earthquake: A powerful Ground-type move that pairs well with Ground- and Steel-types on sand teams.

Sandstorm Team Strategy:

• Start the battle with a Cobblemon that has Sand Stream, like Tyranitar, to set up a sandstorm immediately.
• Take advantage of the Special Defense boost for Rock-types, making them harder to take down while dealing passive damage to opponents.
• Use Sand Rush sweepers like Excadrill to outspeed and defeat opponents while they take chip damage from the storm.

4. Building a Balanced Weather Team

To build a balanced weather team, you’ll want to include Cobblemon that complement each other’s strengths and cover weaknesses. Here are some tips:

Include a Weather Setter

• Each team should have a Cobblemon that can set up weather automatically, such as Pelipper with Drizzle for rain or Torkoal with Drought for sun. This ensures you can maintain weather control throughout the battle.

Balance Offense and Defense

• While weather teams tend to focus on offensive sweepers, include at least one defensive Cobblemon to take hits and stall out turns if needed. For example, Torkoal can tank hits while setting up sun for your sweepers.

Cover Type Weaknesses

• Make sure your team has coverage for any weaknesses your weather brings. For instance, Sun teams are weak to Water-types, so include a Grass-type like Venusaur to handle them.

Sample Weather Teams

Rain Team:

1. Pelipper (Water/Flying) – Drizzle, sets up rain
   • Moves: Scald, Hurricane, U-turn, Roost
2. Kingdra (Water/Dragon) – Swift Swim, special sweeper
   • Moves: Hydro Pump, Draco Meteor, Ice Beam, Rain Dance
3. Ludicolo (Water/Grass) – Swift Swim, special attacker
   • Moves: Giga Drain, Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, Rain Dance

Sun Team:

1. Torkoal (Fire) – Drought, sets up sun
   • Moves: Lava Plume, Stealth Rock, Rapid Spin, Solar Beam
2. Charizard (Fire/Flying) – Solar Power, special sweeper
   • Moves: Fire Blast, Solar Beam, Air Slash, Roost
3. Venusaur (Grass/Poison) – Chlorophyll, fast special attacker
   • Moves: Solar Beam, Sludge Bomb, Growth, Sleep Powder

Sandstorm Team:

1. Tyranitar (Rock/Dark) – Sand Stream, sets up sandstorm
   • Moves: Stone Edge, Earthquake, Crunch, Stealth Rock
2. Excadrill (Ground/Steel) – Sand Rush, physical sweeper
   • Moves: Earthquake, Iron Head, Swords Dance, Rapid Spin
3. Garchomp (Dragon/Ground) – Sand Veil, physical sweeper
   • Moves: Earthquake, Dragon Claw, Stone Edge, Swords Dance

Conclusion

Building a weather-based Cobblemon team is all about taking advantage of the boosts provided by different weather conditions. Whether you’re unleashing devastating Water-type moves in the rain, setting up fast sweepers in the sun, or grinding down opponents in a sandstorm, weather teams can give you the edge in battle. Experiment with different weather conditions to find the one that best fits your playstyle, and watch your team dominate the battlefield.

Have you tried building a weather team in Cobblemon? Share your strategies in our Discord!