If you think Muk outclasses Swalot, think again. This set requires some prediction to use, but is something Muk can't do, and is also Swalot's best bet in OU. Encore lets it screw walls like Gliscor if you think they're going to use a move like Stealth Rock. It also makes the opponent think twice about raising their stats against Swalot. However, if you think they're going to switch instead, you can use Yawn or an appropriate attack from your final slot and screw their switch-in. Pain Split is a poor, unreliable recovery move, but aside from Rest, it's Swalot's only option. The last slot is really up to what you want to hit. In OU, Ice Beam hits Gliscor and other Ground-types; Shadow Ball screws Gengar switch-ins, while Earthquake lets you nail Heatran. In UU, Ice Beam hits Altaria and Scyther. Shadow Ball lets you hit Rotom hard in the face, and Earthquake hits Kabutops, the Nidos, and Muk. The EV spread does not provide absolute maximum defenses for Swalot. However, the reason that this EV spread is preferred is due to Pain Split. With Swalot's high base HP, it is a much better idea to max out both defenses and to leave HP with only 4 EVs to get the most out of Pain Split's recovery. A Special Defense raising nature is preferred to a Defense raising nature because of the Earthquake weakness. Taking Earthquakes is still a very hard job for Swalot even with a +Defense nature, therefore the Special Defense will be of more use.
Since Pain Split is a very unreliable move, Rest + Sleep Talk is viable for Swalot. The Rest-talk set is a great status absorber and counters both Jumpluff and Parasect in UU. Rotom, Manectric, and Altaria without Earthquake also do poorly against this set. It is a decent switch-in to Roserade and Gengar in OU. Ice Beam hits Jumpluff and Altaria in UU and Roserade in OU. Shadow Ball hits Rotom and Gengar, while Earthquake nails Manectric. The EV spread on this set gives Swalot its maximum defenses, as Pain Split is not used on this set, making HP EVs much more important to ensure Swalot's survival. Other OptionsIn NU (whenever the real tier comes out) Choice Band and Choice Specs are viable options. Shuca Berry can be used to take Ground moves from random Pokemon. Curse can be used on the ResTalk set for survivability and the power to hit hard, but Swalot won't be staying on the field for too long. Body Slam and Toxic are decent options to screw sweepers and walls, respectively. Stockpile works like Cosmic Power and can be used to boost Swalot's relatively average defenses. Counter is a viable option against physical sweepers thanks to Swalot's good HP stat. Giga Drain can be used for Gastrodon, Quagsire, and Swampert. On the Encorer's final slot, Hidden Power Fire hits Steels in both environments; Forretress absolutely hates it in OU, and Steelix is seared in UU. Hidden Power Electric or Thunderpunch to hit Gyarados in OU and Mantine in UU. Basically any move that provides coverage for your team will work on this set. EVsOn the Encorer, the EVs don't provide maximum defenses, but allow Pain Split's recovery to be more help than hurt due to Swalot's high base HP. On the Rest-talk set, the provided EVs maximize Swalot's defensive potential. The nature depends on your attacking move(s). If you decide to go with special moves such as Ice Beam, use Calm. On the other hand, if you're using a physical move, you should go with Careful. If you're using Swalot on a Heavy Stall Team, you can run some Special Attack or Attack, depending on which attacking move you pick. OpinionWhen using Swalot in UU, be sure that Muk doesn't outclass it. Swalot can screw walls over and counter some threats, but a Ground weakness undermines much of Swalot's defensive prowess. Swalot has a good number of choices backed by its excellent movepool. Quite underrated, Swalot has many more options than at first glance it would appear to have. CountersIn OU, Swalot's top counters are Cresselia, Celebi, Mesprit, and other bulky Psychic Pokemon. Gliscor and Hippowdon do a good job against it provided they don't come in on Ice Beam. Heatran and Tyranitar also work well as long they avoid Earthquake. Swampert generally counters Swalot quite well. In UU, Gastrodon and Quagsire do a good job. Scyther can come in on anything but Ice Beam. Kabutops can get in easily and obtain a free Sword Dance if Swalot doesn't have Earthquake. Altaria also does a good job if Swalot doesn't have Ice Beam. Rotom can screw Swalot over with Trick, though that will fail if Swalot has Sticky Hold. Mawile and Steelix can take repeated Earthquakes and hit back with their own Earthquake, but they don't particularly enjoy super effective Hidden Powers. Grumpig and Hypno are decent but can't take repeated Shadow Balls. |
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