Penguin the Magical Bird
One of the most important and often overlooked aspects is understanding nature modifiers. Natures are essential in determining how your Cobblemon's stats grow and ultimately how well they perform in battles. With over 25 different nature combinations, each influencing two of a Cobblemon’s six key stats, choosing the right nature can be a game-changer in your competitive or adventure-based strategy.
In this guide, we will dive deep into how Cobblemon natures work, how they impact gameplay, and provide insights on selecting the perfect nature for each Cobblemon in your roster.
What Are Cobblemon Natures?
A Cobblemon’s nature is a hidden mechanic that influences how its stats develop as it levels up. Each nature boosts one of the Cobblemon's six stats—Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, Speed, or HP—by 10%, while simultaneously reducing another stat by 10%. Choosing the right nature for a Cobblemon based on its role in your team can significantly improve its performance in battle.
For example:
- Adamant Nature increases Attack by 10% but decreases Special Attack by 10%.
- Modest Nature increases Special Attack by 10% while lowering Attack by 10%.
- Jolly Nature increases Speed by 10% and reduces Special Attack by 10%.
By leveraging these boosts and understanding how to compensate for stat reductions, you can fine-tune each Cobblemon to fit its role in battle. The right nature can turn a good Cobblemon into a powerhouse that excels in specific combat situations, whether it's dealing heavy damage, defending against tough opponents, or supporting the rest of your team.
How Nature Impacts Your Cobblemon’s Performance
Selecting the correct nature is crucial because it allows you to play to the strengths of each Cobblemon. A well-matched nature can accentuate a Cobblemon's natural capabilities, while an incorrect choice might leave it vulnerable or underpowered in crucial battles. Here's how natures affect specific Cobblemon types and their ideal roles:
Physical Attackers
For Cobblemon that rely primarily on physical moves to deal damage, increasing the Attack stat while sacrificing Special Attack is often the best strategy. These Cobblemon benefit most from natures like:
- Adamant (Attack ↑, Special Attack ↓): Maximizes physical damage output, perfect for heavy hitters like Charizard or Garchomp.
- Jolly (Speed ↑, Special Attack ↓): Allows your Cobblemon to outspeed opponents while maintaining strong physical attacks.
Physical attackers focus on hitting hard and fast, making Attack and Speed key stats. Choosing a nature that boosts either of these stats while reducing an irrelevant one, like Special Attack, helps optimize their damage potential.
Special Attackers
Cobblemon that specialize in special attacks rely heavily on their Special Attack stat and benefit from natures that enhance it while reducing less important stats. Ideal natures for special attackers include:
- Modest (Special Attack ↑, Attack ↓): Enhances special moves while sacrificing Attack, ideal for Cobblemon like Alakazam and Jolteon.
- Timid (Speed ↑, Attack ↓): Prioritizes speed while keeping the Special Attack high for Pokémon like Espeon or Gengar.
For special attackers, you’ll want to focus on natures that make them faster or more powerful in special damage, as their physical attack moves are rarely used.
Defensive Tanks
Tanks are Cobblemon that focus on soaking up damage rather than dishing it out. Their natures should boost defensive stats, such as Defense or Special Defense, while sacrificing Attack or Special Attack, as they’re not often relied on for dealing damage. Ideal natures include:
- Impish (Defense ↑, Special Attack ↓): Increases physical defense, great for Cobblemon like Steelix or Cloyster.
- Calm (Special Defense ↑, Attack ↓): Provides extra protection against special moves, ideal for tanks like Blissey or Slowbro.
Tanks are essential for team survival in longer battles, and choosing a nature that helps them survive more hits will give your Cobblemon team a significant advantage in durability.
Speedsters
Speedsters prioritize going first in battle, making Speed their most important stat. Cobblemon that rely on quick moves to outpace opponents should look for natures that boost Speed while lowering a stat they don’t rely on, like Attack. The best natures for speedsters include:
- Jolly (Speed ↑, Special Attack ↓): Ensures fast physical attackers like Scyther strike first.
- Timid (Speed ↑, Attack ↓): Best for fast special attackers like Starmie or Gengar.
Speed is often the deciding factor in many battles, as going first can make or break the outcome, especially in close matches.
Choosing the Right Nature for Each Cobblemon
Selecting the ideal nature isn’t just about boosting a Cobblemon’s strongest stat—it’s about understanding how that Cobblemon fits into your team. A well-balanced team will have a mixture of attackers, defenders, and support roles, each benefiting from a different nature. Here are a few factors to keep in mind when choosing natures:
Evaluate the Base Stats
Each Cobblemon has unique base stats that determine its natural strengths and weaknesses. If a Cobblemon already has high Speed, boosting Speed further can give you the upper hand. On the other hand, if a Cobblemon is naturally defensive, choosing a nature that enhances Defense can turn it into an unbreakable wall.
Understand the Role
Knowing a Cobblemon’s role in your team is crucial. Are you building it to be a powerhouse that deals massive damage? A sturdy defender? Or perhaps a speedster that strikes first? The role will heavily influence which stats are worth increasing and which can be sacrificed.
Consider the Move Set
Take a close look at the moves your Cobblemon can learn. If it primarily uses physical moves, you’ll want a nature that boosts Attack. If its moveset focuses on special attacks, go for a nature that enhances Special Attack. Additionally, Cobblemon that need to move quickly to land their attacks will benefit from Speed-boosting natures.
Common Nature Recommendations
With so many natures available, here’s a quick reference guide to the most useful ones for different types of Cobblemon:
- Adamant (Attack ↑, Special Attack ↓): Ideal for physical attackers like Gyarados, Lucario, and Dragonite.
- Timid (Speed ↑, Attack ↓): Excellent for speedy special attackers like Gengar, Espeon, and Alakazam.
- Jolly (Speed ↑, Special Attack ↓): Best for physical speedsters like Garchomp, Weavile, and Talonflame.
- Modest (Special Attack ↑, Attack ↓): Perfect for special attackers like Alakazam, Jolteon, and Charizard.
- Impish (Defense ↑, Special Attack ↓): A top choice for defensive Cobblemon like Skarmory, Steelix, and Umbreon.
- Calm (Special Defense ↑, Attack ↓): Best for special defenders like Blissey, Clefable, and Slowbro.
Conclusion: Perfecting Your Team
Understanding and using nature modifiers to your advantage can turn an average Cobblemon team into a finely-tuned winning machine. By carefully selecting natures that align with each Cobblemon’s role in your team, you can maximize their potential and set yourself up for victory in battles.
Whether you’re focusing on sweeping opponents with powerful attacks, outlasting them with defensive tanks, or striking first with speedsters, the right nature will ensure that your Cobblemon are performing at their best.
By putting these tips into practice, you'll be well on your way to mastering nature modifiers and building the ultimate Cobblemon team.
