Exploiting Move Priority in Cobblemon Battles

Move priority is one of the most critical yet overlooked mechanics in Cobblemon battles. It determines which move goes first in a turn, regardless of the Cobblemon’s Speed. Understanding how priority works and learning to exploit it can give you a significant edge in both offensive and defensive plays. This guide explains move priority, its mechanics, and how to use it effectively to outplay your opponents.

What is Move Priority?

Each move in Cobblemon has a priority bracket, ranging from negative to positive values. Moves with higher priority values are executed first, regardless of Speed stats. If two moves have the same priority, the faster Cobblemon goes first.

• Examples:
  • Positive priority: Moves like Quick Attack (+1) and Protect (+4).
  • Neutral priority: Standard moves like Earthquake (0).
  • Negative priority: Moves like Trick Room (-7) and Dragon Tail (-6).

The Priority System

Priority brackets determine the order of moves during a turn:

• +5 and higher: Moves like Helping Hand and Switch-Out actions.
• +4: Moves like Protect, Detect, and Endure.
• +3: Moves like Wide Guard and Quick Guard.
• +2: Moves like Ally Switch.
• +1: Priority attacks like Ice Shard, Extreme Speed, and Aqua Jet.
• 0: Standard moves like Thunderbolt or Flamethrower.
• -1 and below: Moves that intentionally go last, such as Roar (-6) or Focus Punch (-3).

Key Priority Moves and Their Applications

1. Offensive Priority Moves

These moves allow slower Cobblemon to hit first, often finishing off weakened opponents.

• Examples:
  • Ice Shard: A reliable Ice-type move to counter Dragon- or Flying-types.
  • Extreme Speed: A powerful Normal-type move with +2 priority.
  • Aqua Jet: Great for dealing with Rock- or Fire-types.
  • Shadow Sneak: A Ghost-type move that adds priority to surprise frail threats.
• Best Users:
  • Weavile: Utilizes Ice Shard to check Dragon-types.
  • Dragonite: Leverages Extreme Speed for a strong finishing move.
  • Mimikyu: Combines Shadow Sneak with setup moves for surprise knockouts.

2. Defensive Priority Moves

These moves ensure defensive actions happen before the opponent can attack.

• Examples:
  • Protect: Shields from all damage for one turn.
  • Detect: Similar to Protect, often used to scout moves.
  • Wide Guard: Blocks multi-target moves like Earthquake or Rock Slide.
• Best Users:
  • Togekiss: Uses Protect to stall and spread status.
  • Aegislash: Combines Protect with stance changes for strategic plays.

3. Supportive Priority Moves

These moves assist your team with utility or status effects.

• Examples:
  • Helping Hand: Boosts an ally’s move power.
  • Tailwind: Doubles your team’s Speed for four turns (neutral priority but impactful).
  • Ally Switch: Swaps the user’s position in Doubles, often confusing opponents.
• Best Users:
  • Whimsicott: Uses Prankster to gain +1 priority on status moves like Tailwind.
  • Togekiss: Helps set up Tailwind while staying defensive.

4. Negative Priority Moves

These moves deliberately act last, often used to force switches or disrupt strategies.

• Examples:
  • Trick Room: Reverses Speed order for five turns, allowing slow Cobblemon to move first.
  • Roar: Forces the opponent to switch out.
  • Dragon Tail: Deals damage and forces a switch.
• Best Users:
  • Dusclops: Combines Trick Room with high bulk for slow teams.
  • Hippowdon: Uses Roar to disrupt setup sweepers.

Exploiting Move Priority in Battles

1. Counter Faster Opponents

Priority moves allow slower Cobblemon to check faster threats.

• Example: Use Ice Shard on Weavile to counter Dragapult or Salamence.

2. Finish Off Low-Health Opponents

Low-HP opponents are vulnerable to quick priority attacks.

• Example: Shadow Sneak from Mimikyu ensures a KO on weakened foes.

3. Scout Opponent’s Moves

Priority defensive moves like Protect or Detect help you anticipate your opponent’s strategy.

• Example: Protect on Togekiss lets you identify if the opponent is targeting it with a super-effective move.

4. Set Up the Field

Support moves like Tailwind and Trick Room manipulate Speed dynamics to your advantage.

• Example: Use Tailwind on Whimsicott to give your team a Speed advantage for several turns.

5. Stall and Recover

Moves like Protect or Endure can buy time for residual damage from burn, poison, or entry hazards to weaken your opponent.

• Example: Protect combined with Toxic from Toxapex can wear down even the bulkiest Cobblemon.

Common Mistakes with Move Priority

1. Overusing Protect:
   • Repeatedly using Protect reduces its success rate, making it predictable and risky.
2. Ignoring Speed Advantage:
   • Using priority moves when you already outspeed wastes potential.
3. Misjudging Opponent’s Priority:
   • Failing to account for moves like Extreme Speed can cost a critical turn.

Priority in Team Building

Include Multiple Priority Users

Having diverse priority moves increases your options during battle. For example:

• Defensive Priority: Protect on Toxapex.
• Offensive Priority: Ice Shard on Weavile.
• Supportive Priority: Tailwind on Whimsicott.

Pair with Speed Control

Combine priority moves with Speed-altering strategies like Sticky Web, Tailwind, or Trick Room to maintain control over the battlefield.

Cover Common Threats

Ensure your priority moves target prevalent meta threats, such as Dragon-types or setup sweepers.

Sample Team with Move Priority

1. Weavile (Offensive Priority)

• Moves: Ice Shard, Knock Off, Icicle Crash, Swords Dance
• Role: Priority user and physical sweeper.

2. Toxapex (Defensive Priority)

• Moves: Protect, Toxic, Scald, Recover
• Role: Stalls and spreads status while protecting itself.

3. Whimsicott (Support Priority)

• Moves: Tailwind, Moonblast, Encore, U-turn
• Role: Sets up Speed advantage with Prankster Tailwind.

4. Mimikyu (Versatile Priority)

• Moves: Shadow Sneak, Play Rough, Swords Dance, Taunt
• Role: Priority attacker and setup sweeper.

5. Togekiss (Defensive and Support Priority)

• Moves: Protect, Thunder Wave, Air Slash, Roost
• Role: Status spreader and disruptor.

6. Garchomp (Standard Offensive)

• Moves: Earthquake, Dragon Claw, Fire Fang, Stealth Rock
• Role: Hazard setter and physical wallbreaker.

Conclusion

Mastering move priority in Cobblemon battles is a game-changer. By understanding the priority system, choosing the right moves, and incorporating them into your strategy, you can outpace opponents, counter threats, and seize control of the battlefield. Experiment with different priority moves and Cobblemon to find the perfect combination for your team.