How to beat Pokémon Go’s latest Legendary Raid: Cobalion

The first of the Swords of Justice, Cobalion is here and we have everything you need to know to beat this Legendary Raid Boss!

Starting November 4, 2019, Pokémon go introduced a new Legendary Raid Boss. The first and leader of the Swords of Justice, Cobalion is a Fighting and Steel-type Pokémon and players can challenge it for three weeks. While this means it is especially weak against Fire, Fighting and Ground types, there are definitely some real contenders in this fight and other Pokémon who just won't make the cut. We're here to walk you through building the perfect team for taking on this Legendary Pokémon!

Who is Cobalion and what are the Swords of Justice?

Like most Legendary Pokémon, Cobalion is one of a set. This particular set is known as the Swords of Justice and Cobalion is their leader. Based on The Three Musketeers, Cobalion represents Athos, the oldest and de facto leader of the group. The other three members of the group are Terrakion (a Rock and Fighting-type) representing Porthos, the strongest member of the group, Virizion (a Grass and Fighting-type) representing Aramis, the feminine and romantic member of the group, and Keldeo (a Water and Fighting-type with two forms) representing d'Artagnan, the young new addition to the group.

While these four form a quartet in both the core games and their own Pokémon movie, the announcement for Cobalion only referenced the three original members, suggesting that Keldeo will be introduced later on and perhaps in a different way. Given that Keldeo is a Mythical Pokémon, not a Legendary like the other Swords of Justice, it would be in keeping with how other Mythical Pokémon have been handled in Pokémon Go.

For the time being, Cobalion is not all that impressive. Despite being a Legendary Pokémon, its stats aren't particularly outstanding. What really puts Cobalion at a disadvantage, however, is its abysmal move pool. However, not all hope is lost. Pokémon Go could eventually introduce the move Sacred Sword and, if implemented well, Cobalion could become much more useful in the future. Either way, it is an easy addition to your Pokédex so don't miss out on your chance to catch one!

What are the best counters?

Of the many Fire, Fighting and Ground-type Pokémon and even more with those type moves, there are three Pokémon that stand above the crowd for taking on Cobalion.

Chandelure

The newest of the best counters, Chandelure is the final evolution of Litwick and the best counter for Cobalion when the weather is cloudy. While many players don't even have one Chandelure yet, much less a team of them, if you happen to have one or more at your disposal, Fire Spin and Overheat are the preferred moves. While Chandelure doesn't perform as well under clear skies, as Cobalion is not particularly tough, you may still want to bring it along.

Machamp

The oldest of the best counters, most players already have at least one good Machamp (if not an entire team.) Machamp does the most damage under clear skies and is an especially good choice when Cobalion has the Rock-type move, Stone Edge. You want your Machamps going into this battle with Counter and Dynamic Punch.

Blaziken

A Fire and Fighting-type, Blaziken is the best of both worlds when it comes to countering Cobalion. With a fast move of Counter with clear skies or Fire Spin under cloudy, and Overheat for the charged move, Blaziken can take on Cobalion no matter the weather.

Back ups

You might not have a full team of battle-ready Chandelure, Machamp and Blaziken. Fortunately, there are plenty of other Pokémon make for solid counters.

• Moltres with Fire Spin and Overheat
• Breloom with Counter and Dynamic Punch
• Hariyama with Counter and Dynamic Punch
• Flareon with Fire Spin and Overheat
• Entei with Fire Fang and Overheat
• Charizard with Fire Spin and Blast Burn
• Heatran with Fire Spin and Fire Blast
• Groudon with Mud Shot and Earthquake
• Excadrill with Mud Slap and Drill Run

How many players does it take to beat Cobalion?

Despite being the leader of a team of Legendary Pokémon, Cobalion is not particularly strong in Pokémon Go. While this may be unfortunate for Cobalion fans, this is quite fortunate for players trying to catch this Raid Boss. It is possible for just two level 40 players with excellent counters and weather conditions to take on Cobalion. If you're not level 40 or don't have the best counters, you will need more players but not that many. This Raid will definitely be easy with five or six decent players.

Questions about taking on Cobalion?

There you have it. With these Pokémon, Cobalion should be an easy addition to your Pokédex. Do you have any questions? Drop them in the comments below and be sure to check out our other Pokémon Go guides!