Governess
A Beautiful Blossom Waiting to Bloom
[box][qc]3/3[/qc]
[Raseri, Sweet Jesus, EBeast]
[gp]2/2[/gp]
[melvni, GatoDelFuego]
QC Rejected: 0/3
Current State: Done
[/box]
Swanna
[Overview]
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Surf
move 2: Hurricane
move 3: Rain Dance / Substitute
move 4: Rest / Roost
item: Life Orb
ability: Hydration
nature: Timid
EV's: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[OTHER OPTIONS]
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
- Looks like an average Pokemon at best; peculiar speed of 98.
- Definitely a Pokemon to watch for, however.
- In rain, has great reputation of of sweeping and destroying with its two STAB moves, Surf and Hurricane.
- Amazing coverage moves, along with access to a recovery move, Roost, to increase its durability, along with Hydration.
- Unfortunately, has a weakness to the common Stealth Rock.
- Less than par abilities, Hydration is the only viable choice.
- Par from SR, one of has the best defensive typing in the tier. Though lacking defenses prevents it from countering many of the threads in NU.
- Only can be truly useful in rain conditions.
- Let's out its true potential in rain, both STAB moves gets benefits from it, making Swanna a great ally for any Rain team.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Surf
move 2: Hurricane
move 3: Rain Dance / Substitute
move 4: Rest / Roost
item: Life Orb
ability: Hydration
nature: Timid
EV's: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Uses Swanna's great coverage, along with it's good offenses enhanced in rain.
- Last two slots depend on your preference, either with the Rain Rest or SubRoost.
- Functions in rain conditions; more focused on powerful moves than the variety of them.
- No set up for this set; its 98 base speed is enough to outspeed the 95's and below of NU, such as Braviary, Gardevoir, etc.
- Surf is the primary STAB move, having a power increase in rain, granting it extra power.
- Hurricane is its secondary STAB move, having an astounding base 120, + 100% accuracy in rain.
- Rain Rest is one of the options for the final two moveslots; as long as rain continues to fall, Swanna can heal herself to full health with Rest due to Hydration. Rain Rest is also useful as it provides rain for Swanna's STAB move, which both benefit from it. However, rain must be kept up for this combo to work, or Swanna will be prevented from recovering at any time.
- SubRoost is the other option for the final two moveslots; SubRoost helps ward against statuses, and uses prediction to heal from Roost. This combo doesn't need rain, so it can heal whenever it needs to. However, once Swanna gets inflicted with a status, there is no way to heal it off, and once rain ends, Swanna can't summon it again to boost/enhance its STAB moves.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Timid Nature to increase Swanna's speed; enabling it to sweep easier.
- 252 EV's on both SpA and Speed, allowing Swanna to make the best out of its offensives and speed.
- Life Orb increases damage, but recoil damage can be troublesome at times.
- Both Keen Eye and Big Pecks aren't useful enough in this metagame to be used in sets; Hydration is the only choice.
- Ice Beam could be used for additional coverage, but honestly, Ice Beam really doesnt help much but defeat Altaria, who isn't very common.
- Air Slash can be used over Hurricane if used outside of rain.
- Hidden Power Grass can be used for the fourth slot for maximum coverage to deal with Pokemon like Seismitoad and Carracosta. Hidden Power Electric can also be an option against facing Pokemon like Mantine.
- Leftovers could be used in place of Life Orb, though the power drop is easily noticed.
- Volbeat and Electrode can be used as Rain Starters as well.
- Stealth Rock is a huge deal breaker for Swanna; Armaldo and Wartortle are both good spinners for it.
- Hazards should be in play to help Swanna cause more KO's. Garbodor and Cacturne are both good spike users, and Swanna has good synergy with both.
- Revenge killers can outspeed Swanna; specifically Sawk with Choice Scarf. Rotom-S is a good partner to outspeed Sawk, and handle any other revenge killers.
- Zebstrika and Raichu are good partners as well to absorb those Electric attacks.
- Hazards are usually a problem for Swanna; spinners like Armaldo and Wartortle are recommend.
- Fighting types, such as Gurdurr, can handle those bulky Pokemon Swanna can't KO, suck as Lickilicky and Miltank.
- Cradily is a great partner; it can set up SR, and handle Swanna's most common weakness- Rotom S.
- Golurk and Mold Breaker Sawk are excellent partners as well; they both can handle the things Swanna has trouble with; Sawk has the potential to stop any SR users in its tracks, while Golurk can set set up SR for their own, and handle any powerful normal types.
[OTHER OPTIONS]
- Small movepool, not many viable sets left.
- Damp Rock Swanna could be used, but isn't very common.
- Brave Bird Swanna can be used as well, but isn't as common nor recommended, since there isn't any use for it.
- Scald > Surf for burn chance, but the power drop is noticeable.
- Tailwind, Featherdance, for team support role.
- Choice Scarf on Swanna are viable, but only should be used if Swanna was on a regular, non weather team.
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
- Scarf Rotom A- great check to Swanna, can 1HKO Swanna with Volt Turn; as it can't switch in to survive a boosted Surf.
- Bulky Pokemon; Lickilicky and Musharna, for instance, can take several STAB Hurricanes. Could also Toxic Swanna, but SubRoost set prevents that from happening as much.
- Altaria is a big counter; without Ice Beam on Swanna, Altaria walls Swanna well.
- Eletric types, such as Ampharos, specifically, in general are a huge threat to Swanna, as it
takes x4 times the damage from their Eletric attacks, not even adding the STAB. However, they can't switch out to Swanna if it's raining, as it takes big damage from the boosted Surf attack. - Choice Scarf Sawk can outspeed Swanna and KO it with Stone Edge. Most Scarfs are checks to Swanna, as it outspeeds her to attack.
- Articuno can wall Swanna of any of it's attacks, due to its high Sp.Def.
- Regice walls Swanna completly with high SpD and Lapras's bulk is hard to get by as well. They both have access to Thunderbolt, which can check Swanna.
[Overview]
<p>At first glance, Swanna looks mediocre at best, with no base stats over 100. However, believe it or not, she's definitely a threat to watch out for. In rain, Swanna becomes a powerhouse with Hurricane, a move that sets her apart from other rain sweepers. Swanna has amazing offensive stats and a great Speed of 98, which allows her to outspeed many threats in NU, such as Gardevoir and Braviary. She also has access to Roost as well as Rest, which pairs well with her Hydration ability.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Swanna is far from invincible, and she faces many obstacles in NU. Stealth Rock happens to be one of them, as Swanna has a weakness to it. Swanna's movepool is decent but not amazing, leaving her with only one good set. Despite boasting one of the best typings in NU, Swanna's subpar bulk holds her back; 75 / 63 / 63 defenses are far from great. However, Swanna is still an amazing ally to any rain team.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Surf
move 2: Hurricane
move 3: Rain Dance / Substitute
move 4: Rest / Roost
item: Life Orb
ability: Hydration
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Swanna's best set for the NU environment. Boasting two STAB moves that benefit greatly from rain and a great Speed stat, Swanna has immense potential as a sweeper. Surf is the primary STAB move, getting a power increase from rain. Hurricane is Swanna's secondary STAB move, and it boasts a high 120 Base Power, perfect accuracy in rain, and a 30% chance of confusing the foe; this is something that even the most defensive Pokemon in NU struggle to handle if they don't resist it.</p>
<p>For the final two moveslots, you should use the combination of either Rain Dance and Rest or Substitute and Roost. With the former, Swanna can heal herself to full HP at any time as long as the rain she provides is up thanks to Hydration, making her much more self-sufficient. Alternatively, the latter lets Swanna heal without rain up and ward off status with Substitute. Substitute also lets Swanna take advantage of obvious switches and dodge Sucker Punch. The downside of this combination is that once rain subsides Swanna doesn't have a way to summon it again, preventing her from healing herself if she is inflicted with a status and from boosting the power of her Surf and accuracy of her Hurricane.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>While Leftovers is great for healing off damage Swanna takes, Swanna greatly appreciates Life Orb's increase in power; any damage she takes can easily be healed off with Rest or Roost anyway, making Life Orb the superior option in most cases. Big Pecks and Keen Eye aren't useful abilities in this metagame, making Hydration the only viable option. Ice Beam can be used for extra coverage, although it's usually not worth the slot in the long run, as it only deals with Altaria, which isn't common enough to justify running a move for it. Hidden Power Grass can be used to handle Seismitoad and Carracosta, Hidden Power Electric is an option to deal with Mantine and other Swanna, and Air Slash can be used in place of Hurricane if Swanna isn't used in rain.</p>
<p>As this set is best used in rain conditions, partners such as Volbeat and Electrode are great, as they can provide constant rain. Revenge killers, such as Choice Scarf Sawk, can outspeed Swanna and proceed to KO it. Choice Scarf Rotom-S is thus a good ally to handle Sawk and other revenge killers. Zebstrika and Raichu are also good partners, as they can absorb Electric-type attacks that Swanna attracts. Stealth Rock is a problem for Swanna as well; spinners such as Armaldo and Wartortle are good partners for this reason. Mold Breaker Sawk can also prevent Pokemon with the ability Sturdy from setting up Stealth Rock, something that aids Swanna greatly. Lickilicky and Miltank are bulky Pokemon that are difficult for Swanna to defeat; Fighting-types, such as Gurdurr, are good choices to use against them. Entry hazards are great to have on the field to aid Swanna in sweeping. Garbodor and Cacturne are both great Spikes users that also have good synergy with Swanna. Pokemon who can set up Stealth Rock, such as Cradily and Golurk, are good partners as well.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Swanna doesn't have a very large movepool, so she doesn't have many other viable sets. Damp Rock is an option, but it wastes Swanna's offensive power, which should be taken advantage of whenever she is used due to her sad defenses. Brave Bird is plausible, but it doesn't have much use. Scald could be used in place of Surf for the burn chance, but the power drop is noticeable. Tailwind and FeatherDance could be used for support moves. Choice Scarf Swanna is one of the few viable options left for her and is the only option if she isn't used in rain.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Swanna has her fair share of checks. Choice Scarf Rotom-S is one of them, checking Swanna with Volt Switch. It can't switch in, however, as it is KOed by Surf in rain. The same applies for any Electric-type, specifically Ampharos and Electabuzz, that resist Hurricane and can OHKO Swanna. Bulky Pokemon, such as Musharna and Lickilicky, can take several STAB Hurricanes and proceed to do as they please. Altaria is a counter to any Swanna that doesn't carry Ice Beam, as it can wall her all day without it. Revenge killers can outspeed Swanna and easily KO her; an example would be Choice Scarf Sawk, which can get rid of Swanna with Stone Edge. Articuno, Regice, and Lapras can take any of Swanna's attacks due to their high Special Defense. The latter two have access to Thunderbolt, which OHKOes Swanna.</p>