Swablu
(Taking this over for Dracoyoshi8)
Status: Done.
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[OVERVIEW]
<p>The bad news is that Swablu is another one of those Normal / Flying-types that are so common in the game we call Pokemon. The good news is that Swablu is different from its fellow Normal / Flying-types. Unlike Doduo, Taillow, and company, Swablu is focused more defensively than offensively. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is a matter of opinion, but it gives Swablu a nice little niche (although the little cotton bird still has nothing on Munchlax and Gligar when it comes to defense). Natural Cure should also be noted, as it allows Swablu to be one of the best status absorbers in Little Cup.</p>
[SET]
name: King Cotton
move 1: Roost
move 2: Pluck
move 3: Protect / Toxic
move 4: Toxic / Heat Wave / Ice Beam
item: Oran Berry / Leftovers
nature: Impish / Relaxed
evs: 236 HP / 196 Def / 76 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>If you are using Swablu, this is the best set to run. It's also probably the only set you should ever run. Roost is the heart of this set as it gives Swablu a reliable form of recovery, and eliminates its Rock-, Electric-, and Ice-type weaknesses. Swablu is usually too slow to take advantage of this, however. Pluck is not only useful for STAB, but it also has the bonus effect of eating the opponents' Oran Berries, which can reduce their survivability as well as increasing your own. Protect works well with Toxic, allowing Swablu to inflict more poison damage over a period of time. This is especially useful considering Swablu has rather poor attacking stats. Of course, you can always run Toxic without Protect and try to stall your opponent with just Roost. Heat Wave hits Steel-types like Bronzor super effectively, while Ice Beam hits Rock- and Ground-types and OHKOs most Gligar.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Oran Berry is useful for recovering a large amount of HP at one time. However, Leftovers works well with Protect and Roost, allowing Swablu to regain HP over a period of time. It also helps Swablu counteract sandstorm and hail's passive damage. A Relaxed nature should only be used over an Impish one if you are running Ice Beam or Heat Wave. If you want Swablu to take special hits better, you can run a Careful or Sassy nature to increase its Special Defense.</p>
<p>Swablu loves having entry hazards on the opponent's side of the field and not having them on its side. This makes Pineco an extremely good teammate for Swablu, as it can set up Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes, and can use Rapid Spin to remove Stealth Rock. Baltoy and Kabuto can also use both Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin. Omanyte can use both Stealth Rock and Spikes, and Tentacool possesses both Toxic Spikes and Rapid Spin. Using Pokemon with two entry hazards or an entry hazard and Rapid Spin can be extremely helpful when trying to save space on a team. Chinchou makes an excellent partner for Swablu, since it can switch in on Electric- and Ice-type moves. It can even threaten Rock-types with STAB Hydro Pump or Surf, giving it offensive as well as defensive synergy.</p>
<p>Swablu can also benefit from hail and sandstorm, since the residual damage from entry hazards, weather, and Toxic will stack up very quickly. Hippopotas and Snover deserve a mention as teammates because of this. Lileep resists Electric-type moves, and its bulk in sandstorm and Swablu's natural defenses make an annoying combination. Spheal can work in hail, but both Spheal and Swablu have a weakness to Rock- and Electric-type moves.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Pokemon that can set up entry hazards and spin them away are great teammates for Swablu. Pineco gets every entry hazard in the game as well as Rapid Spin, making it an excellent choice. Baltoy, Kabuto, and Anorith get the combination of Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin, while Tentacool gets Toxic Spikes and Rapid Spin. Omanyte gets both Spikes and Stealth Rock, so it can be a decent teammate too. Defensively, Chinchou works great with Swablu; it can come in on Ice- and Electric-type moves aimed at Swablu, and in return Swablu can handle Ground- and Grass-type moves for Chinchou. Rock-types can cause some problems for the pair, but Chinchou's STAB Water-type moves are usually enough to keep them from switching in.</p>
<p>Swablu can benefit from hail and sandstorm's residual damage. Hippopotas and Snover make fair teammates because of this. If you are running sandstorm, Lileep makes a great partner because it resists Electric-type moves; its bulk in sandstorm combined with Swablu can be an annoying combination. Spheal can work somewhat in hail with Swablu, but they share Electric- and Rock-type weaknesses, making this partnership unfavorable.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Heal Bell can be used to heal the status of team members, but Swablu itself hardly needs it since it has Natural Cure. Speaking of which, Rest can work well with Natural Cure, as Swablu will lose the sleep condition when it switches out, but Roost is usually superior. Haze can remove stat boosts from the opponent, and Substitute can protect Swablu from status. Perish Song is an interesting option, being able to put a Pokemon's sweep on a timer or force the opponent to switch, thus racking up entry hazard damage. Sing is horribly inaccurate, but can be used to put one of Swablu's counters out of play.</p>
<p>If you are feeling bold, you can try running Swablu as a sweeper. Agility can boost its Speed, and Dragon Pulse gets great coverage with Heat Wave. Hidden Power Ground or Hidden Power Grass can be used to hit Chinchou for super effective damage, while Return can be used for Normal-type STAB. Lastly, if you are feeling more adventurous, you can use Power Swap to hopefully steal an opponent's stat boosts.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Aside from being an excellent teammate, Chinchou is an excellent counter, since it resists Pluck, Heat Wave, and Ice Beam. It can then use Thunderbolt or Ice Beam to devastate Swablu. Chinchou will hate getting hit with Toxic, however. Taillow and Teddiursa can take advantage of Toxic to activate Guts and Quick Feet respectively, and proceed to hit hard with Facade. Pure Poison-types in general fare well against Swablu due to their immunity to Toxic. Koffing is exceptionally good, since it can hit Swablu with Thunderbolt or Ice Beam.</p>
