Probopass

Using Probopass in a Playthrough

Nosepass begins as an extremely slow pure Rock Pokemon whose base 135 Defense and 90 Special Defense make it sturdier than its tiny base 30 HP initially suggests, but poor offenses and base 30 Speed can make ordinary battles slow. In Generation III Nosepass has no evolution and is primarily a defensive novelty, while Generation IV introduces Probopass, obtained historically by leveling Nosepass in a special magnetic field; from Pokemon Legends: Arceus onward a Thunder Stone can also trigger the evolution in supported games. Probopass becomes Rock/Steel and reaches base 145 Defense and 150 Special Defense, gaining numerous resistances and a Poison immunity but also acquiring quadruple weaknesses to both Fighting and Ground plus a Water weakness. Its offense remains modest, yet Power Gem or Flash Cannon, Earth Power, Thunderbolt, Volt Switch, Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave, and other support moves can make it a useful defensive utility Pokemon in later games. Sturdy provides valuable emergency insurance from full HP in modern generations, while Magnet Pull can trap opposing Steel-types, but Probopass is best used only when its severe Fighting and Ground weaknesses are safely accounted for.

Probopass in Competitive Pokémon

Probopass has generally remained a lower-tier competitive Pokemon, but its extreme mixed defenses and Magnet Pull give it a genuine niche that goes beyond simply setting Stealth Rock. Magnet Pull prevents opposing Steel-types from switching, allowing Probopass to trap selected targets and eliminate or weaken them with Earth Power, Hidden Power in older generations, or other coverage so that teammates no longer have to break through those Steel-type walls. Its low base 40 Speed also makes Volt Switch useful because Probopass can absorb an attack and then bring a frailer teammate into battle safely after the opponent has already moved. Sturdy provides an alternative utility role by helping guarantee Stealth Rock or another crucial action from full HP, and the 145 Defense and 150 Special Defense stats allow it to check selected Normal-, Flying-, Psychic-, Fairy-, Ice-, Rock-, and Dragon-type attackers. The drawbacks are severe: quadruple Fighting and Ground weaknesses, a Water weakness, low HP, weak offensive stats, and no reliable recovery make Probopass easy to exploit when the opponent carries the correct coverage.

Probopass in Nuzlockes

Nosepass and Probopass can be useful defensive Nuzlocke specialists, but their safety depends much more on typing than their enormous Defense numbers might suggest. Nosepass is slow and weak offensively, yet pure Rock typing and high defenses can make known Normal-, Flying-, Poison-, and Fire-related physical matchups manageable while Sturdy in later generations may provide emergency protection. Probopass dramatically increases both defenses and gains many Steel-type resistances, but the new quadruple Fighting and Ground weaknesses are dangerous enough that an unexpected Brick Break, Low Kick, Earthquake, or similar coverage move can cause an immediate loss. Its slow Volt Switch can be an excellent safety tool in games where available, allowing Probopass to take the incoming attack before bringing a teammate into battle without exposing that teammate on the switch. The evolution method can also restrict usefulness in specific games, so a Nuzlocke player should confirm whether a magnetic evolution area or later Thunder Stone method is actually available before planning around Probopass.

Probopass generates such a powerful magnetic field that it can levitate its massive rock body and remotely control three smaller magnetic structures called Mini-Noses around itself. Those Mini-Noses can surround prey or opponents and attack from three directions at once, although individual units occasionally wander too far away and become permanently lost. The black mustache-like material beneath its main nose is actually iron sand gathered and held in place by magnetism, and Probopass can shape magnetic iron material into projectiles or rocks used to crush prey. Its field is powerful enough to interfere with nearby electrical appliances, making close contact with human technology potentially disruptive. Wild Probopass are rarely seen outside mountainous regions, and the strange combination of levitation, remote-controlled Mini-Noses, and a body surrounded by intense magnetism makes it less like a conventional animal than a self-contained magnetic system.