[SET]
Swords Dance (Cobalion) @ Leftovers / Air Balloon
Ability: Justified
Tera Type: Ghost / Flying / Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
[SET COMMENTS]
Swords Dance Cobalion sets itself apart from other physical setup sweepers such as Terrakion and Revavroom by trading sheer breaking power in exchange for a fantastic defensive profile, which lets it also act as an answer to many common Pokemon and find plenty of switch-in opportunities. Stone Edge nails Flying-type Pokemon such as Moltres and Thundurus-T that would normally answer Cobalion's other sets. Leftovers allows it to shrug off Stealth Rock damage, as well as resisted attacks such as Maushold's Population Bomb and Jirachi's Iron Head, which, in conjunction with its good defensive typing and natural bulk, lets Cobalion get many opportunities to enter the field throughout the game. Air Balloon is an option that allows Cobalion to switch aggressively into Ground-type Pokemon such as Hippowdon early in the game. Note that Hippowdon variants without Stone Edge cannot hit Cobalion while its Air Balloon has not been popped yet, which turns them into setup fodder. After its Air Balloon has been popped, Cobalion can act as an excellent Knock Off absorber due to it not having to worry about losing its Leftovers, its Dark resistance, and its Justified ability giving it an Attack boost. Tera Ghost turns the tables against Fighting-type Pokemon such as Mienshao, Terrakion, and opposing Cobalion by turning Cobalion's Fighting weakness into an immunity. Tera Flying follows this idea but turns Cobalion's Fighting weakness into a resistance while also granting an immunity to Ground, which helps against Ground-type attacks such as Hippowdon's Earthquake, Enamorus-T Earth Power, and Revavroom's High Horsepower. Tera Fighting elevates Close Combat's power even higher, which can help it break past common answers such as Hippowdon while removing Cobalion's Fighting and Ground weaknesses. Cobalion does not need to Terastallize to function efficiently, but it is a fairly common Tera user, as it appreciates the ability to combine its natural bulk with another typing to answer different matchups and create setup opportunities against would-be checks.
This set is one of the cornerstones of the bulky offense archetype due to Cobalion's typing and bulk, which lets it act as a check or counter to a variety of common Pokemon. Thanks to Swords Dance and its great Speed tier, it can threaten KOs or break defensive cores. This set requires the opponent's physical walls to already be chipped decently in order to efficiently break apart balance cores, so Spikes support from Pokemon such as Gastrodon, Deoxys-D, and Forretress is very appreciated. Moltres provides an immunity to Ground-type attacks and a resistance to Fighting-type attacks, acts as a pivot with U-turn, and spreads burn through Flame Body and Will-O-Wisp to further chip at walls. Fezandipiti brings a 4x resistance to Fighting-type attacks and is adept at breaking down walls through poison and Taunt while Cobalion answers the Steel-types that Fezandipiti struggles against, but be wary that both Fezandipiti and Cobalion are weak to Ground-type attacks. Special attackers threaten Cobalion due to its lackluster Special Defense, so Pokemon such as Assault Vest Cyclizar, specially defensive Empoleon, and Gastrodon are good teammates. Grass Knot Jirachi can bait in and smack bulky Ground-types such as Hippowdon and Quagsire while being a solid switch-in against Choice Scarf Gardevoir. Iron Leaves and Galarian Zapdos are powerful wallbreakers that share checks with Cobalion and help overwhelm said checks. Healing Wish support from teammates such as Gardevoir and Enamorus-T circumvents Cobalion's lack of a recovery option and can also heal off status, allowing for more aggressive plays and extending its longevity.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/fluff.614438/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rarelyme.513635/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sneakyplanner.598717/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
Swords Dance (Cobalion) @ Leftovers / Air Balloon
Ability: Justified
Tera Type: Ghost / Flying / Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
[SET COMMENTS]
Swords Dance Cobalion sets itself apart from other physical setup sweepers such as Terrakion and Revavroom by trading sheer breaking power in exchange for a fantastic defensive profile, which lets it also act as an answer to many common Pokemon and find plenty of switch-in opportunities. Stone Edge nails Flying-type Pokemon such as Moltres and Thundurus-T that would normally answer Cobalion's other sets. Leftovers allows it to shrug off Stealth Rock damage, as well as resisted attacks such as Maushold's Population Bomb and Jirachi's Iron Head, which, in conjunction with its good defensive typing and natural bulk, lets Cobalion get many opportunities to enter the field throughout the game. Air Balloon is an option that allows Cobalion to switch aggressively into Ground-type Pokemon such as Hippowdon early in the game. Note that Hippowdon variants without Stone Edge cannot hit Cobalion while its Air Balloon has not been popped yet, which turns them into setup fodder. After its Air Balloon has been popped, Cobalion can act as an excellent Knock Off absorber due to it not having to worry about losing its Leftovers, its Dark resistance, and its Justified ability giving it an Attack boost. Tera Ghost turns the tables against Fighting-type Pokemon such as Mienshao, Terrakion, and opposing Cobalion by turning Cobalion's Fighting weakness into an immunity. Tera Flying follows this idea but turns Cobalion's Fighting weakness into a resistance while also granting an immunity to Ground, which helps against Ground-type attacks such as Hippowdon's Earthquake, Enamorus-T Earth Power, and Revavroom's High Horsepower. Tera Fighting elevates Close Combat's power even higher, which can help it break past common answers such as Hippowdon while removing Cobalion's Fighting and Ground weaknesses. Cobalion does not need to Terastallize to function efficiently, but it is a fairly common Tera user, as it appreciates the ability to combine its natural bulk with another typing to answer different matchups and create setup opportunities against would-be checks.
This set is one of the cornerstones of the bulky offense archetype due to Cobalion's typing and bulk, which lets it act as a check or counter to a variety of common Pokemon. Thanks to Swords Dance and its great Speed tier, it can threaten KOs or break defensive cores. This set requires the opponent's physical walls to already be chipped decently in order to efficiently break apart balance cores, so Spikes support from Pokemon such as Gastrodon, Deoxys-D, and Forretress is very appreciated. Moltres provides an immunity to Ground-type attacks and a resistance to Fighting-type attacks, acts as a pivot with U-turn, and spreads burn through Flame Body and Will-O-Wisp to further chip at walls. Fezandipiti brings a 4x resistance to Fighting-type attacks and is adept at breaking down walls through poison and Taunt while Cobalion answers the Steel-types that Fezandipiti struggles against, but be wary that both Fezandipiti and Cobalion are weak to Ground-type attacks. Special attackers threaten Cobalion due to its lackluster Special Defense, so Pokemon such as Assault Vest Cyclizar, specially defensive Empoleon, and Gastrodon are good teammates. Grass Knot Jirachi can bait in and smack bulky Ground-types such as Hippowdon and Quagsire while being a solid switch-in against Choice Scarf Gardevoir. Iron Leaves and Galarian Zapdos are powerful wallbreakers that share checks with Cobalion and help overwhelm said checks. Healing Wish support from teammates such as Gardevoir and Enamorus-T circumvents Cobalion's lack of a recovery option and can also heal off status, allowing for more aggressive plays and extending its longevity.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/fluff.614438/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/rarelyme.513635/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sneakyplanner.598717/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/adorluigi.528364/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/tbolt.555379/
Last edited: