How to Build the Perfect Lead Cobblemon

In Cobblemon battles, your lead Cobblemon is often the most crucial part of your strategy. A well-chosen lead can set the tone for the entire battle, giving you early momentum by setting up hazards, applying pressure, or disrupting the opponent's game plan. In this guide, we’ll explore the key elements to building the perfect lead Cobblemon and provide tips on what makes a good lead, from movesets to stats and abilities.

What Is a Lead Cobblemon?

A lead Cobblemon is the first Cobblemon you send out at the start of a battle. The primary role of a lead is to establish control early in the game, whether by setting up hazards, disrupting your opponent’s strategy, or scouting their team. Lead Cobblemon often have a mix of utility, speed, and bulk, depending on the role they are designed to play.

Key Elements of a Perfect Lead Cobblemon

1. Speed and Priority Moves

Speed is one of the most important factors for a lead Cobblemon. A fast lead allows you to outspeed your opponent’s lead Cobblemon and execute your strategy first, whether that’s setting up entry hazards, taunting to prevent setups, or attacking to deal immediate damage.

Priority moves are another key factor. These moves let you act first, regardless of speed, which can be useful for dealing with faster opponents. Moves like Fake Out, Bullet Punch, and Extreme Speed can give you a critical advantage in the opening turns.

2. Entry Hazards

One of the most common roles for a lead Cobblemon is to set up entry hazards like Stealth Rock, Spikes, or Toxic Spikes. These hazards chip away at your opponent’s Cobblemon every time they switch in, making it harder for them to pivot or maintain momentum.

Setting up entry hazards early can pressure your opponent into making suboptimal moves, as they’ll want to avoid switching as much as possible.

3. Disruption Moves

Disruption is an effective way to cripple your opponent’s strategy from the start. Moves like Taunt prevent your opponent from using non-attacking moves (like setups or healing), while Encore forces them to repeat their last move, locking them into a potentially useless or dangerous option. Thunder Wave or Toxic can paralyze or poison the opposing lead, putting them on the back foot.

Disruption is especially useful against opponents who rely on setting up with moves like Swords Dance or Calm Mind. By disrupting their setup, you force them to rethink their strategy and gain early control of the match.

4. Bulk and Recovery

While speed and disruption are key, having a lead Cobblemon with good bulk or recovery can be just as important. Bulkier leads can survive multiple hits, allowing them to stay on the field longer and keep applying pressure. Recovery moves like Roost or Recover help your lead stay healthy while maintaining momentum.

Leads like Togekiss or Gliscor, which have both bulk and access to recovery, are excellent choices for those who want their lead to stay in play for longer periods of time.

5. Offensive Pressure

Some lead Cobblemon focus on dealing immediate damage to put pressure on the opponent from the start. These offensive leads often have powerful moves and high-speed stats, allowing them to take down or severely weaken the opposing lead. Offensive pressure forces the opponent to switch, which can play into your hands if you have entry hazards set up.

Top Moves for Lead Cobblemon

Here are some of the most effective moves for lead Cobblemon:

• Stealth Rock: Sets up entry hazards that deal damage to opponents switching in, based on their type. Essential for whittling down Flying and Fire-type Cobblemon.
• Spikes: Similar to Stealth Rock, Spikes deal damage to grounded opponents that switch in.
• Taunt: Prevents the opposing Cobblemon from using non-attacking moves for a few turns, great for stopping setups and hazard setters.
• Fake Out: A priority move that always makes the opponent flinch, giving you a free hit on the first turn.
• Encore: Forces the opponent to repeat their last move, locking them into a potentially unfavorable move.
• U-turn: A pivot move that lets your lead deal damage and switch out, keeping momentum in your favor.
• Thunder Wave/Toxic: Paralyzes or poisons the opponent, forcing them to deal with a status condition from the start of the battle.

Top 5 Cobblemon Lead Choices

1. Ferrothorn (Grass/Steel)

Ferrothorn is one of the best defensive leads, able to set up Stealth Rock or Spikes while being incredibly bulky. Its Iron Barbs ability punishes physical attackers, and it can chip away at opponents with Leech Seed and Gyro Ball.

Key Moves:

• Stealth Rock
• Leech Seed
• Gyro Ball
• Spikes

Strategy:

• Use Stealth Rock or Spikes to set up hazards early, then chip away at the opponent with Leech Seed. Gyro Ball provides a strong offensive move based on Ferrothorn’s low speed.

2. Excadrill (Ground/Steel)

With access to Stealth Rock and powerful physical moves, Excadrill is a versatile lead that can set up hazards while also pressuring the opponent with Earthquake and Iron Head. Its Mold Breaker ability ignores abilities like Levitate, making it even more dangerous.

Key Moves:

• Stealth Rock
• Earthquake
• Iron Head
• Rapid Spin (removes hazards on your side while boosting Speed)

Strategy:

• Set up Stealth Rock early, then apply pressure with Earthquake and Iron Head. Use Rapid Spin to remove hazards while increasing your Speed.

3. Aerodactyl (Rock/Flying)

Aerodactyl is a fast and offensive lead that can quickly set up Stealth Rock and then pivot out with U-turn. Its speed allows it to outspeed most opponents, making it a great choice for hyper-offensive teams.

Key Moves:

• Stealth Rock
• Stone Edge
• Taunt
• U-turn

Strategy:

• Use Stealth Rock to set up hazards, then disrupt opponents with Taunt to prevent them from setting up their own hazards or using status moves. U-turn lets Aerodactyl switch out while maintaining momentum.

4. Mamoswine (Ice/Ground)

Mamoswine excels as a lead with access to Stealth Rock and high-attack moves like Earthquake and Ice Shard. Ice Shard gives it priority, allowing Mamoswine to take down faster opponents after setting up hazards.

Key Moves:

• Stealth Rock
• Earthquake
• Ice Shard
• Knock Off

Strategy:

• Use Stealth Rock early, then apply offensive pressure with Earthquake. Ice Shard provides priority, while Knock Off removes the opponent’s items.

5. Garchomp (Dragon/Ground)

Garchomp is an excellent lead due to its high speed and access to Stealth Rock and strong attacking moves. Its Rough Skin ability punishes physical attackers, and it can pivot with U-turn or sweep with Swords Dance if left unchecked.

Key Moves:

• Stealth Rock
• Earthquake
• Dragon Claw
• Swords Dance

Strategy:

• Set up Stealth Rock, then either attack immediately with Earthquake or boost your Attack with Swords Dance to apply pressure. Garchomp’s ability to both set up hazards and act as a sweeper makes it a versatile lead.

Conclusion

Building the perfect lead Cobblemon is about finding the right balance between setting up, disrupting, and applying pressure. Whether you’re using defensive leads like Ferrothorn to set up hazards or offensive leads like Garchomp to quickly gain momentum, the goal is to control the pace of the battle from the very first turn. By understanding your team’s needs and your opponent’s potential strategy, you can craft the perfect lead to start every match on the right foot.

Which lead Cobblemon do you rely on to control your battles? Share your favorites in our Discord!