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Pokemon Sword and Shield gave one of the more ordinary Pokemon, Linoone, a tremendous buff when they gave it a new evolution in the form of the menacing Obstagoon.
Game Freak made several improvements to this Pokemon that makes it a valuable asset to any Pokemon team. By gaining the Dark typing, Obstagoon can deal with Ghost-types and Psychic-types, the latter perhaps being more valuable since the rival Bede uses Psychic-type Pokemon.
Obstagoon also has great power, great bulk, and can even outspeed certain Pokemon like Excadrill and Mamoswine. Anyone who is lucky to get an Obstagoon with the Guts ability, however, will definitely enjoy the attack boost it gets from being statused. This is the best moveset Obstagoon can learn:
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinion of the writer.
The best moveset for Obstagoon in Pokemon Sword and Shield
Since Obstagoon can take a hit and dish out a bigger hit in return, a Bulk Up set can do wonders for the Pokemon. This is a Bulk Up set that Obstagoon can excel with:
-Bulk Up
-Throat Chop
-Facade
-Close Combat
Given its impressive 101 defense stat, one Bulk Up can be all Obstagoon needs to shake off any damage from an opposing Pokemon. Since Bulk Up raises both Defense and Attack, Obstagoon will become more powerful as well. There are several gyms, like Nessa’s Water Gym, Chichester’s Rock Gym, and even Raihan’s Dragon Gym with many physical attacking Pokemon. These are situations where Obstagoon can set up, guard itself against damage, and blaze through the team.
Obstagoon is in an odd spot in terms of dark moves. If a player purchases the Isle of Armor DLC, they can teach Lash Out, which is a 75 base power move that gets stronger if the Pokemon had stats lowered that turn. Throat Chop, however, is more accessible than Lash Out. It’s also less situational than Lash Out, which makes Throat Chop the most desirable move.
Facade is a strong move that can be very useful in certain situations. A 70 base power move isn’t bad. If a trainer can throw Obstagoon in front of a Pokemon that’s going to use Toxic or Will-o-wisp, though, Facade becomes way more potent.
On an Obstagoon with the Guts ability, if it gets status inflicted upon it, Obstagoon’s Facade will do an exponentially larger amount of damage. If Obstagoon were to hold a Flame Orb or Toxic Orb, it could have a powered up Facade at any time, but it’s sadly only obtainable after beating the League at Wyndon Stadium. It’s still a good move to run, though, especially given all of the Pokemon with status-inflicting abilities like Flame Body and Static.
One of the best coverage moves in the game, Close Combat can destroy many common types of Pokemon, like Normal-types and Rock-types. Interestingly enough, Obstagoon can counter its own type with this move as well. This makes Obstagoon the perfect counter to Piers, the Spikemuth punk rocker/gym leader.
