The Legendary Generation V Pokémon Cobalion was recently introduced to Pokémon GO via Raid Battles. Like all 5-Star Raid Battles, beating and catching Cobalion can be particularly difficult. Here are some suggestions on how to do this.
Defeat the Cobalion
Once you find a Raid Battle featuring Cobalion as the Raid Leader, you must defeat it in combat. Given the strength of five-star Raid Bosses, you'll want to go with as many teammates as possible. You can try attacking Cobalion on your own, but you probably won't last long. It is recommended to accompany at least 10 to 15 other coaches. Try to reach 20, if you can. Also remember that you will get strength bonuses if you team up with players on your friends list.
As for the Pokemon you should use when fighting the Cobalion, be sure to only take strong ones with at least 2 CP. It's best to bring a team of Pokémon whose CP is between 000 and 2 or more. You will also want to consider the benefits of the type. Cobalion is a Fighting/Steel-type Pokémon, so it's vulnerable to shooting, fighting, and ground moves. On the other hand, it resists Normal, Grass, Ice, Poison, Bug, Rock, Dragon, Dark, and Steel moves.
If you have a Groudon or a Ho-Oh, it would be good to put them into battle due to Cobalion's weakness to Ground and Fire. If you don't have these legendaries, Magmortar, Hippowdon, Machamp, and Arcanine, or any other powerful fire, combat, or ground type, are a good choice.
Cobalion Capture
Once you've defeated Cobalion in battle, your next challenge is to catch him. During this catch phase, you will receive a number of Premier Balls based on your performance in battle. You will only be able to use these Premier Balls, nor any Poké, Great, or Ultra Balls you have collected. As such, you'll want to earn as many Premier Balls as possible.
You will be rewarded with Premier Balls based on several factors, such as your contribution to the fight against Cobalion. Some things you can do to increase the number of Premier Balls you get are fighting alongside coaches on your friends list or coaches of the same color team as you. Another point to bring your most powerful Pokemon, you will be rewarded with more Premier Balls if you deal more damage to Cobalion than your teammates. Other factors, such as contesting Cobalion in a Raid Battle that takes place in a Gym your color team controls, will likely be out of your control.
Once you've assigned your Premier balls, it's time to catch Cobalion. It will work like trying to catch another Pokemon, in that you'll throw balls, try to land in the circle, and hope Cobalion doesn't break free. However, Cobalion will likely jump around the screen a lot, making it difficult to hit your target. He also has an incredibly low catch rate, making him very likely to get off a ball from Premier, even if you managed to hit it hard. Golden Razz Berries are going to help a lot here, as they will increase your chances of a successful capture. However, given Cobalion's low catch rate, it will still be extremely difficult to catch, even if you're using a Golden Razz Berry. If you don't have the Golden Razz Berries, you can also try regular Razz Berries, which might also help a bit.
Regardless of how you use Berry, chances are you won't be able to catch Cobalion on your first try. If you fail, you'll need to find a new Raid Battle featuring the Legendary Pokemon (assuming you have a Raid Pass in reserve) and try again. Hopefully, if you follow these tips, you can eventually catch the Pokemon Iron Will before it's replaced by another five-star raid.
