Cobblemon Move Priorities to Outspeed and Outplay Others

In Cobblemon battles, speed and move priority are crucial elements that can often determine the outcome of a match. While many players focus on raw power, understanding how move priority works can give you a significant tactical advantage. Whether you’re up against a speedy opponent or trying to land that last crucial hit, mastering move priorities allows you to control the pace of battle and consistently outplay your opponents. This guide will break down how move priorities work, which moves you should keep an eye on, and how to build a team that takes full advantage of priority moves.

What Is Move Priority?

Move priority determines the order in which Cobblemon act during a battle. While a Cobblemon’s Speed stat usually dictates who moves first, certain moves have inherent priority that allows them to act before faster opponents. Move priority is represented by positive and negative values, with higher-priority moves always going first, regardless of Speed.

Priority Breakdown:

• +1 and higher: Moves with positive priority act before standard moves.
• 0: Standard priority. Moves act according to Speed stat.
• -1 and lower: Moves with negative priority act after standard moves, even if your Cobblemon is faster.

Step 1: Key Priority Moves to Know

Here are some of the most important priority moves that can turn the tide in battle:

1. Quick Attack

• Priority: +1
• Type: Normal
• Effect: A basic move that strikes first, useful for finishing off weakened opponents.
• Best Users: Pikachu, Weavile, Zigzagoon
• When to Use: When your opponent is low on health and might outspeed your Cobblemon, Quick Attack can finish them off before they get a chance to strike.

2. Extreme Speed

• Priority: +2
• Type: Normal
• Effect: A stronger version of Quick Attack with even higher priority.
• Best Users: Dragonite, Arcanine
• When to Use: Extreme Speed is especially useful for dealing damage when you absolutely need to strike first, even against other priority users.

3. Sucker Punch

• Priority: +1
• Type: Dark
• Effect: Only works if the opponent is using an attack move. Deals damage before the opponent can strike.
• Best Users: Bisharp, Weavile, Toxicroak
• When to Use: Use Sucker Punch when you expect your opponent to attack directly. It’s a great way to counter faster sweepers or frail attackers.

4. Aqua Jet

• Priority: +1
• Type: Water
• Effect: Similar to Quick Attack, but a Water-type move. Great for Water-type Cobblemon with physical attack stats.
• Best Users: Azumarill, Kabutops
• When to Use: Aqua Jet is perfect for Water-type Cobblemon to counter Fire, Rock, or Ground-types before they can land a devastating hit.

5. Ice Shard

• Priority: +1
• Type: Ice
• Effect: A priority Ice-type move that’s useful for finishing off Dragon, Flying, Grass, and Ground-type opponents.
• Best Users: Weavile, Mamoswine, Froslass
• When to Use: Use Ice Shard to outspeed opponents that are weak to Ice-type moves, especially Dragons, which often have high Speed stats.

Step 2: How Speed and Priority Interact

While Speed is the default determinant for move order, priority overrides Speed in most cases. However, if two Cobblemon use moves with the same priority, Speed will still determine which Cobblemon acts first. For example:

• If both Cobblemon use a +1 priority move like Aqua Jet, the Cobblemon with the higher Speed stat will act first.
• If one Cobblemon uses a +1 priority move and the other uses a 0 priority move, the +1 priority move will always act first, regardless of Speed.

Speed-Boosting Abilities and Moves:

• Abilities like Swift Swim (which doubles Speed in rain) or moves like Agility (which sharply boosts Speed) can help outspeed your opponent, but they won’t affect priority moves. For instance, a Quick Attack will always go before a Flamethrower, even if Flamethrower is used by a Cobblemon with a Speed boost from Agility.

Step 3: Understanding Negative Priority Moves

Negative priority moves are moves that intentionally go last, even if your Cobblemon is faster than the opponent. These moves are often strategic and can change the momentum of the battle:

1. Roar

• Priority: -6
• Type: Normal
• Effect: Forces the opponent to switch out to another Cobblemon. Great for disrupting setups or removing stat-boosted opponents.
• Best Users: Arcanine, Tyranitar, Hippowdon
• When to Use: Use Roar when your opponent is setting up stat boosts, like Swords Dance or Calm Mind. The negative priority means you’ll act last, but you’ll remove their setup after they’ve already used a move.

2. Counter

• Priority: -5
• Type: Fighting
• Effect: If the opponent hits you with a physical move, you return double the damage.
• Best Users: Wobbuffet, Lucario
• When to Use: Use Counter against physical attackers to turn their own power against them, especially when you can survive their hit.

3. Trick Room

• Priority: -7
• Type: Psychic
• Effect: Reverses the turn order, making slower Cobblemon act first for five turns.
• Best Users: Bronzong, Reuniclus, Porygon2
• When to Use: Trick Room benefits slow, bulky Cobblemon by allowing them to act before faster opponents. Use this when your team is built around slower but more powerful Cobblemon.

Step 4: Priority-Boosting Abilities

Certain abilities can boost the priority of specific moves, making your Cobblemon even more versatile and dangerous in battle:

1. Prankster

• Effect: Gives +1 priority to all non-damaging status moves.
• Best Users: Whimsicott, Sableye, Grimmsnarl
• When to Use: Prankster allows you to disrupt your opponent with moves like Thunder Wave or Encore before they can attack. It’s perfect for shutting down setup moves or applying status conditions early in battle.

2. Gale Wings

• Effect: Gives +1 priority to all Flying-type moves, but only when the user is at full HP.
• Best Users: Talonflame
• When to Use: Gale Wings makes Brave Bird or Acrobatics hit first as long as your Cobblemon’s HP is full. It’s great for getting the jump on faster opponents, but be cautious as it loses effectiveness if your HP drops.

Step 5: Building a Team with Priority in Mind

A well-constructed team that uses priority moves effectively can outspeed even the fastest opponents and turn losing battles into victories. Here’s how to build a priority-focused team:

1. Mix Offense and Support

• Include physical and special attackers with priority moves like Sucker Punch or Aqua Jet to cover various types and situations. Add support Cobblemon with priority status moves using Prankster for disruption.

2. Balance Priority with Speed

• Not every Cobblemon on your team needs a priority move. Balance priority users with fast sweepers to cover more ground in battle.

3. Watch for Counters

• Be aware of abilities like Psychic Terrain, which prevents priority moves from being used. Ensure you have backup options in case your priority strategy gets shut down.

Sample Priority-Based Team

Here’s a sample team that uses priority moves to gain an advantage over opponents:

1. Weavile (Dark/Ice) – Physical Attacker
   • Moves: Ice Shard, Sucker Punch, Knock Off, Icicle Crash
   • Ability: Pressure
   • Role: Weavile is a fast attacker that can use priority moves like Ice Shard and Sucker Punch to finish off opponents.
2. Talonflame (Fire/Flying) – Physical Attacker
   • Moves: Brave Bird, Roost, U-turn, Flame Charge
   • Ability: Gale Wings
   • Role: Talonflame’s Gale Wings gives it +1 priority on Brave Bird and other Flying-type moves, allowing it to outspeed many threats early on.
3. Whimsicott (Grass/Fairy) – Support
   • Moves: Tailwind, Encore, Leech Seed, Moonblast
   • Ability: Prankster
   • Role: Prankster allows Whimsicott to set up support moves like Tailwind and Encore with +1 priority, disrupting opponents and giving your team an advantage.
4. Lucario (Fighting/Steel) – Mixed Attacker
   • Moves: Bullet Punch, Extreme Speed, Close Combat, Swords Dance
   • Ability: Inner Focus
   • Role: Lucario uses Extreme Speed and Bullet Punch to outspeed opponents and deal quick damage, especially after setting up with Swords Dance.
5. Toxapex (Water/Poison) – Defensive Wall
   • Moves: Scald, Toxic, Recover, Haze
   • Ability: Regenerator
   • Role: Toxapex provides defensive support and stalls with Recover and Toxic. Its high defenses make it a great tank for switching into tougher hits.

Conclusion

Understanding move priorities is a critical part of outplaying your opponent in Cobblemon battles. By incorporating priority moves, abilities, and clever strategies into your team, you can consistently act first and maintain control over the flow of battle. Whether you’re using Sucker Punch to outsmart your opponent or setting up Trick Room to reverse the Speed order, mastering priority moves will give you the edge you need to dominate the battlefield.

What are your favorite priority moves or strategies? Let us know in our Discord!