Top 5 Cobblemon Abilities You Should Be Using

Abilities can be game-changers in Cobblemon battles, enhancing moves, resisting attacks, or even giving your team unique advantages under certain conditions. Knowing which abilities to use—and how to use them effectively—can give you the upper hand in battle. In this guide, we’ll cover the top five Cobblemon abilities that can make a difference in your strategies, with tips on which Cobblemon to use and how to leverage these abilities to control the battlefield.

1. Intimidate

What It Does: Lowers the opposing Cobblemon’s Attack stat by one stage upon entering the battlefield.

Why You Should Use It:

• Intimidate is one of the best defensive abilities in Cobblemon, allowing you to weaken physical attackers immediately. By reducing the opponent’s Attack, Intimidate gives your Cobblemon a better chance to survive physical hits and limits the damage done by sweepers.

Best Users:

• Gyarados (Water/Flying): Intimidate pairs well with Gyarados’s tanky nature, letting it resist attacks while setting up moves like Dragon Dance.
• Arcanine (Fire): With a naturally high Defense stat and moves like Will-O-Wisp, Arcanine can use Intimidate to reduce incoming damage and wear down opponents.

Strategic Use:

• Use Intimidate Cobblemon as pivots to repeatedly enter the field, weakening physical attackers and forcing your opponent to switch.
• Pair with defensive Cobblemon to create a wall against physical attackers, making it difficult for them to break through.

2. Magic Guard

What It Does: Prevents damage from all indirect sources, including status conditions, entry hazards, and weather effects. The Cobblemon only takes direct damage from attacks.

Why You Should Use It:

• Magic Guard protects against damaging effects like Toxic, Stealth Rock, and sandstorm or hail. This makes it invaluable for both offensive and defensive Cobblemon, as it prevents them from being chipped down by indirect damage.

Best Users:

• Clefable (Fairy): Clefable can tank hits and spread status with moves like Thunder Wave, while Magic Guard keeps it immune to hazards.
• Alakazam (Psychic): Alakazam can run a Life Orb for extra damage without taking recoil, thanks to Magic Guard, making it a formidable special sweeper.

Strategic Use:

• Clefable with Magic Guard is great for stall tactics, as it’s immune to Toxic damage and can heal itself with Soft-Boiled.
• Alakazam with a Life Orb gains a boost in power without suffering recoil, making it a deadly attacker that remains healthy for longer.

3. Prankster

What It Does: Gives priority to all non-damaging moves, allowing the user to act first even if they are slower than the opponent.

Why You Should Use It:

• Prankster is excellent for setting up support moves like Thunder Wave, Taunt, or Light Screen before your opponent can act. This ability can control the tempo of battle, disable setups, and quickly inflict status conditions on threats.

Best Users:

• Whimsicott (Grass/Fairy): Whimsicott can use Tailwind and Encore with priority, controlling the battle’s pace and preventing opponents from setting up.
• Grimmsnarl (Dark/Fairy): With access to Reflect, Light Screen, and Thunder Wave, Grimmsnarl can provide excellent support with Prankster priority.

Strategic Use:

• Use Prankster Cobblemon to set up status moves or disrupt opponents with Taunt before they can use setup moves.
• Pair Prankster with screens (Reflect and Light Screen) for long-lasting defensive support, giving your team more durability.

4. Regenerator

What It Does: Restores 1/3 of the Cobblemon’s max HP every time it switches out of battle.

Why You Should Use It:

• Regenerator is an amazing ability for Cobblemon that frequently pivot in and out of battle, as it allows them to heal passively. This ability enhances a team’s longevity, letting you play defensively while keeping your Cobblemon healthy for long battles.

Best Users:

• Toxapex (Water/Poison): Known for its durability, Toxapex can pivot in and out with Regenerator, allowing it to stall and heal without relying on recovery moves.
• Amoonguss (Grass/Poison): With moves like Spore and Giga Drain, Amoonguss can support its team while staying healthy thanks to Regenerator.

Strategic Use:

• Use Regenerator to sustain Cobblemon that frequently switch in to absorb hits or spread status moves, keeping them healthy throughout the battle.
• Pair with pivots like U-turn or Volt Switch to allow easy exits while restoring health, maximizing Regenerator’s value.

5. Mold Breaker

What It Does: Allows moves to bypass the effects of certain abilities, like Levitate or Sturdy.

Why You Should Use It:

• Mold Breaker is perfect for dealing with defensive abilities that would otherwise prevent your attacks from being effective. It allows your Cobblemon to land hits that ignore abilities like Levitate, making it a great tool for offensive strategies.

Best Users:

• Excadrill (Ground/Steel): Excadrill can use Earthquake on Cobblemon with Levitate (like Rotom), making it a highly effective offensive choice.
• Haxorus (Dragon): With powerful moves like Outrage and Earthquake, Haxorus can ignore abilities like Unaware and Sturdy, making it a deadly physical attacker.

Strategic Use:

• Excadrill with Mold Breaker is invaluable for bypassing Levitate Cobblemon that would otherwise be immune to Ground-type moves.
• Use Haxorus with Mold Breaker to counter defensive Cobblemon that rely on abilities like Unaware or Multiscale, breaking through their defenses.

Honorable Mentions

Several other abilities deserve recognition for their usefulness in specific situations:

• Levitate: Grants immunity to Ground-type moves, useful for Cobblemon like Rotom-Wash and Gengar.
• Sturdy: Prevents one-hit KOs from full HP, giving Cobblemon like Skarmory a chance to set up entry hazards.
• Multiscale: Reduces damage taken from attacks when at full HP, making Dragonite a powerful bulky attacker.

Conclusion

Selecting the right abilities can take your Cobblemon team to the next level, giving you strategic advantages and helping you control the flow of battle. Abilities like Intimidate, Magic Guard, and Prankster add depth to your team’s tactics, while Regenerator and Mold Breaker increase your team’s resilience and offensive versatility. By choosing and utilizing these abilities effectively, you can create a balanced and formidable Cobblemon team that’s ready for any challenge.