Cobblemon implements turn-based Pokemon battles directly inside Minecraft. Battles use the same type effectiveness, moves, abilities, and stat system as the main Pokemon games, because Cobblemon runs them on the Pokemon Showdown battle engine.
Version: checked on 3 November 2026 against Cobblemon 1.8.4 (27 October 2026), the newest release, for Minecraft 1.21.1 on Fabric and NeoForge. The 1.8 updates added Alpha Pokemon, TMs and two new experience options, and fixed several battle bugs. Everything below matches 1.8.4.
How Battles Start
- Wild battles: Select a party Pokemon, look at a wild Pokemon within 12 blocks and press R. Your Pokemon is sent out and the battle starts.
- Alpha Pokemon (new in 1.8.0): Larger wild Pokemon with red eyes that lead herds. When you come within 16 blocks, an Alpha sets its level above your strongest party Pokemon (4 to 20 levels higher, capped at 100). At the start of a battle it gets random stat boosts: one guaranteed, plus one for every 10 levels. Alphas always know at least one TM move.
- Player battles: Look at another player within 32 blocks, press R and pick Battle on the interaction wheel. In the Battle Request screen you choose the format and the rules, and the other player accepts or declines. A request that nobody answers times out.
- Trainer battles: Cobblemon's own NPC trainers are set up through datapacks, and 1.8.0 added party pools and party compositions for building their teams. Addons such as Radical Cobblemon Trainers spawn trainers naturally in the world.
Battle Mechanics
Turns
Battles are turn-based. Each turn, both sides choose an action in the battle window:
- Fight: use a move
- Switch: send in another party Pokemon
- Use an item: medicine such as Potions, Full Heal and revives, or battle items like Dire Hit and Guard Spec
- Catch: throw a Poke Ball (wild battles only)
- Run: leave a wild battle; walking away also works, 32 blocks on the default config
- Forfeit: give up a PvP battle, which counts as a loss
Press R during a battle to hide the window and move around. You can build, mine or fight mobs in the meantime, and press R again to return to the battle.
Type Effectiveness
Cobblemon uses the standard 18-type system. Fire beats Grass, Water beats Fire, etc. The same type chart from the main games applies.
Moves
Pokemon learn moves as they level up, and moves they learned before can be relearned. Since 1.8.0 there are TMs as well: you make them in the TM Machine from Type Gems, and a TM's recipe opens up once you own a Pokemon that knows that move. The Move Dex in the Pokedex, also new in 1.8.0, shows which Pokemon can learn a move.
Two 1.8 changes affect what you face in battle. Wild Pokemon now always carry at least one damaging move when they can learn one at their level (1.8.0). A Pokemon that leaves a form also loses that form's signature move, so Rotom no longer keeps Overheat outside its Heat form (1.8.2).
Abilities
Each Pokemon has an ability that provides a passive effect in battle. Abilities like Intimidate, Levitate, and Flame Body work as expected. Since 1.8.0 you can brew Ability Capsules from Medicinal Brew and Dragon Breath, and 1.8.4 fixed Minior's Shields Down ability.
Held Items
Pokemon can hold items that affect battle performance, such as Leftovers and Choice Band. Hold the item, Shift + right-click your sent-out Pokemon and pick Change held item. Since 1.8.0, Type Gems are used up when they take effect in battle, and since 1.8.2, Terrain Seeds are used up in PvP and NPC battles. 1.8.0 also fixed Full Heal, which did not cure status conditions in battle before.
Multiplayer Battles
PvP
Players can challenge each other to battles. The server runs every battle through the Showdown engine bundled with Cobblemon, so the server's config and game rules apply to all of them.
In the Battle Request screen you can also pick a level rule: Anything Goes, or a flat level of 5, 50 or 100 for every Pokemon during that battle. Flat battles give no experience and no EVs.
To watch a battle, look at a player who is battling, press R and pick Spectate. That works from up to 64 blocks away on the default config.
Double, Triple and Multi Battles
Since 1.6.0, base Cobblemon supports double battles, triple battles and multi battles, where two players team up against two others. You pick the format in the Battle Request screen. For a multi battle, each pair teams up first: look at your partner, press R and pick Team up. The command /abandonmultiteam leaves the team again.
Server Configuration
The battle settings live in config/cobblemon/main.json. Stop the server before you edit the file and start it again afterwards. These are the battle options in 1.8.4 with their defaults:
| Option | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
defaultFleeDistance | 32 | Blocks a player must walk away to flee a non-PvP battle; -1 means battles cannot be fled |
battleWildMaxDistance | 12 | Maximum distance to start a wild battle |
battlePvPMaxDistance | 32 | Maximum distance to challenge another player |
allowSpectating | true | Lets players watch battles |
battleSpectateMaxDistance | 64 | Maximum distance for spectating |
allowExperienceFromPvP | true | Experience from PvP battles |
awardExperienceToFaintedPokemon | false | New in 1.8.0: experience for fainted Pokemon that helped defeat an opponent |
awardExperienceOnBattleLoss | false | New in 1.8.0: experience for defeated opponents even after a loss or forfeit |
experienceMultiplier | 2 | Extra multiplier on all experience |
experienceShareMultiplier | 0.5 | Share of the experience for a Pokemon holding an Exp. Share |
luckyEggMultiplier | 1.5 | Experience multiplier for a Pokemon holding a Lucky Egg |
maxPokemonLevel | 100 | Highest level any Pokemon can reach |
infiniteTmUses | false | New in 1.8.0: TMs are not used up |
unlockAllMoveDexMovesByDefault | false | New in 1.8.0: every Move Dex move, and so every TM recipe, is available from the start |
Two game rules also change battles:
/gamerule battleInvulnerability true
/gamerule mobTargetInBattle false
The first stops players taking damage during a battle (default false). The second stops mobs targeting players who are in a battle (default true).
Cobblemon has no setting for a turn timer, battle animation speed, banned moves or abilities, or the number of battles at once. A level cap for PvP comes from the flat level rule in the Battle Request screen instead.
Performance Impact
Every battle runs on the server, and each concurrent battle runs turn calculations and entity updates. For servers with many simultaneous battles:
- Size the RAM by player count. On our Cobblemon server hosting we suggest 8 GB for up to 10 players, 12 GB for 10 to 25 players or with sidemods like Mega Showdown, and 16 GB past 25 players.
- Monitor TPS during peak battle hours. Alpha herds, new in 1.8.0, also put more Pokemon entities around your players.
- Cobblemon cannot cap the number of battles at once, so stagger tournament rounds if TPS drops.
FAQ
Are Cobblemon battles like real Pokemon battles? Yes. Cobblemon runs them on the Pokemon Showdown engine, with the same type chart, moves, abilities, held items and turn-based mechanics.
Can I PvP in Cobblemon? Yes. Look at another player within 32 blocks, press R and pick Battle. You can choose singles, doubles, triples or a multi battle, and a flat level of 5, 50 or 100.
Do battles affect server performance? Multiple concurrent battles increase server load. Monitor TPS on busy servers.
What did Cobblemon 1.8 change in battles? It added Alpha Pokemon with level scaling and stat boosts, TMs with the TM Machine and Move Dex, and two experience options for fainted Pokemon and lost battles. It also fixed Full Heal in battle, Type Gem use and Minior's Shields Down. On 3 November 2026 the newest release is 1.8.4.
Related: Cobblemon server hosting, Cobblemon IV/EV guide, Cobblemon Mega Showdown, Cobblemon server optimization, Why Your Villager Prices Suddenly Went Up
Sources
All opened on 3 November 2026:
- Cobblemon changelogs on Modrinth: 1.8.4, 1.8.3, 1.8.2, 1.8.1, 1.8.0, 1.6.0, 1.5.0, 1.3.0
- Cobblemon on Modrinth (features list, Showdown engine)
- Cobblemon source at tag 1.8.4: CobblemonConfig.kt, CobblemonGameRules.kt, Cobblemon.kt (config path)
- Official Cobblemon wiki: Config, Alpha Pokemon, Commands, Held items
- Radical Cobblemon Trainers on Modrinth