Cobalion @ Lum Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
Nature: Jolly
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge / Magnet Rise
Role: Physical Sweeper
What It Does: SD Cobalion is a physical sweeper that depends on its enormous physical bulk to set up. With Swords Dance and access to good STABs in Iron Head and Close Combat, it can hit pretty hard at +2. It's high speed means it's good against offensive teams and able to outspeed key threats such as Delphox, Mismagius, Moltres, and Drapion (Zoroark and Yanmega too but they're being suspected during the writing of this post) and hit them hard, possibly OHKOing them with a boost using the respective attacking move. It's also got incredible typing which, when combined with its good bulk, allows it to check some Pokemon such as Cinccino, Drapion, and Ambipom with relative ease. With its Steel typing it is also immune to toxic (spikes) meaning it can't be stalled out with that. With Lum Berry, it can set up on status moves or not get entirely crippled by a Scald burn. Magnet Rise allows Cobalion to set up on Pokemon it otherwise wouldn't be able to, such as Rhyperior and Gligar.
Good Teammates: Since Cobalion is primarily a sweeper and not a wallbreaker, it struggles to get past dedicated walls and stall in general. For that reason, wallbreakers such as Druddigon, Delphox, and Choice Specs Meloetta and stallbreakers such as SubCM Meloetta, SubCM Braviary, and CM Reuniclus are preferred. It also likes hazards to function better, and therefore Stealth Rock setters such as Druddigon and Rhyperior pair well with Cobalion. The same applies for Spikes stackers which Cobalion can work with, and those include Omastar, Accelgor, and Qwilfish. Because SD Cobalion struggles to get past Pokemon such as Slowking and Doublade, Pokemon that can deal with them are good teammates. Moltres can easily counter Doublade assuming no Stealth Rock on the field, and special attackers in general can easily keep Doublade in check. Slowking can be checked by SubCM Meloetta and Grass-types such as Rotom-C, although they must watch out for Fire Blast.
What Counters It: Dedicated physical walls can easily take on Cobalion. Alomomola can switch in relatively easy and has Scald to fish for a burn even with Lum Berry or after enough special defense drops from Close Combat, KO with Scald. It also has Wish to keep itself healthy in the process, but it has to watch out as Protect can easily be exploited and a +4 CC can wear down Alomomola quickly, while +6 CC OHKOs. Gligar can counter it easily and Earthquake for a 3HKO but has to watch out for Magnet Rise since that allows Cobalion to beat it 1v1. Cofagrigus can outright counter with its access to Will-O-Wisp and ridiculous physical bulk. Doublade fears nothing and uses Cobalion as set up fodder. Slowking resists both STABs and can KO with Scald or Fire Blast.
Any Additional Info: Don't use Life Orb, it's counterproductive considering Cobalion has good bulk.
Delphox @ Choice Specs
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Psyshock / Psychic
- Grass Knot
- Switcheroo
Role: Wallbreaker
What It Does: Delphox is one of the scariest wallbreakers in the tiers. Its only safe switch-in is Slowking, and even then it has to watch out for Grass Knot which can 2HKO with SR and a litle bit of prior damage. Delphxo's dual STAB moves have great coverage, allowing it to hit a lot of the tier neutrally, with Grass Knot to round up its coverage and hit Rhyperior (and rock-types in general) OHKOing it, while also hitting Water-types such as Jellicent, Gastrodon, Alomomola (if not using Psychic) and the aforementioned Slowking. Fire Blast has high base power and is preferred over Flamethrower for that reason, and because it wallbreaks better with it. Psyshock allows Delphox to hit Specially Defensive Aromatisse and Assault Vest users such as Gallade and Druddigon harder than Psychic or Fire Blast, while Psychic has 10 more base power and hits Rhyperior and Alomomola harder if you wish to not be locked on Grass Knot or give the Specs away with Switcheroo, which can be used to cripple some walls/clerics such as Aromatisse and Lickilicky. Be careful of giving the specs to Slowking though, as it doesn't mind it as much as other walls since it has Regenerator.
Good Teammates: Because Delphox is a Fire-type it needs Stealth Rock (and hazards in general) out of the field before it switches in and therefore Rapid Spin/Defog support is essential. Shiftry can work well with it since it can kill Slowking and has access to Defog. Gligar can work on more balanced teams since it is the most reliable user of Defog in the tier with its excellent physical bulk with Eviolite, and reliable recovery. Skuntank cna Defog and trap Slowking and Jellicent in one, and Hitmonlee is an excellent choice for offensive teams with its access to Rapid Spin and a ridiculously strong High Jump Kick as well as Knock Off. Stealth Rock (and hazard setters in general) is good to have as it pressures Slowking, and therefore Druddigon, Cobalion, and Rhyperior are good teammates for their ability to set up SR, and Sandslash can both Spin and SR in one.
What Counters It: The most reliable counter defensively is Slowking, outside of that nothing much can reliably switch in. Lickilicky can take a beating and has Knock Off, but has to watch out since SR + Fire Blast or Psyshock do a lot. Assault Vest Druddigon is a good check, able to eat up Fire Blasts and hit back with Sucker Punch, but Psyshock does a lot. Outside of defensive counters, offensive teams have to rely on outspeeding it to counter it. Choice Scarf users and Stone Edge Cobalion and Virizion can KO after Stealth Rock, and Rock Slide/Crunch Durant can easily revenge kill, and priority in general keeps Delphox in check with Pokemon like Sucker Punch Banette. Hazards are a nuisance for Delphox so keeping them on the field will make its life a lot shorter.
Any Additional Info:
