C/ping most of the stuff and making changes atm.
Bulbapedia | Serebii | Smogon
[Overview]
<p>Swoobat is a mediocre Pokemon, but has one decent niche. The combination of Simple and Calm Mind grants Swoobat a +2 boost in both Special Attack and Special Defense after only one turn of setup. In addition to this, it also gets access to Stored Power, a 100 Base Power STAB attack after only one Calm Mind. While this might make Swoobat seem like a top-tier threat, it has quite a few flaws holding it back. Aside from its great Speed stat, all its other stats are terrible. A mediocre base 77 Special Attack means it needs at least one boost to do any sort of significant damage. Its 67 / 55 / 55 bulk doesn't do it any favors, and it is weak to Sucker Punch, the most common form of priority in NU.</p>
[SET]
name: SubSalac
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Stored Power
move 4: Heat Wave
item: Salac Berry
ability: Simple
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Swoobat's only set, but it performs it well, with a great base Speed that lets it outspeed most of the tier, and access to Calm Mind along with the Simple ability. After a single boost, Stored Power reaches 100 Base Power, which combined with Swoobat's increased Special Attack and STAB is devastating. Due to its high Speed, the only things Swoobat fears being revenge killed by are Choice Scarf Pokemon and priority users. Substitute is a great move that remedies this by preventing Swoobat from being revenge killed by the likes of Skuntank. Stored Power takes advantage of Calm Mind to the fullest with its high Base Power after a Calm Mind or two, and Heat Wave provides excellent coverage with Stored Power, hitting the Dark-, Psychic-, and Steel-types in the tier, such as Jynx, Metang, and Probopass. Salac Berry is the item of choice here, as the +2 Speed boost it gives Swoobat upon falling into the last 25% of its HP both allows it to outspeed the entire tier and further boosts the power of Stored Power.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Out of the additional items that can be considered, Life Orb seems like a great alternative over Salac Berry, but greatly lowers Swoobat's longevity when used in tandem with Substitute. In addition, Salac Berry prevents Choice Scarf users from outspeeding it, and with the Speed boost, Stored Power actually hits harder than it would with Life Orb. Leftovers is another option to increase its longevity, but Swoobat is very frail anyway. In the place of Stored Power, Psyshock and Psychic are alternative STABs that can hit harder without the boost, but Swoobat is very weak without the boost and prefers the higher Base Power of Stored Power after setup. Hidden Power Ground can be used to hit Probopass, Bastiodon, and Skuntank super effectively, but then Swoobat loses the ability to OHKO Jynx, which in turn KOes it after Stealth Rock, even after a Calm Mind boost. Giga Drain is an interesting coverage move as it heals Swoobat after it gets into Salac Berry range, but it provides somewhat redundant coverage along with Stored Power.</p>
<p>Swoobat despises having Stealth Rock on its side of the field, which makes Taunt users such as Serperior and Misdreavus, as well as Rapid Spinners such as Torkoal and Wartortle, good partners; all of them except Misdreavus also share decent synergy with Swoobat. Choice Band Sawk can also help against Stealth Rock setters, OHKOing many as Mold Breaker negates Sturdy. Probopass is a good choice for a partner as it takes Rock-, Ghost-, Ice-, and Dark-type attacks aimed at Swoobat, while also providing a slow Volt Switch to bring Swoobat in safely. Finally, dual screens support from the likes of the aforementioned Serperior is appreciated by Swoobat due to its paper-thin defenses.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Swoobat has an excellent support movepool, such as Toxic, Tailwind, Taunt, Trick, dual screens, Knock Off, Magic Coat, and U-turn, but it has nowhere near the bulk required to effectively use it. Roost is a reliable recovery move, but Swoobat will never find the time to use it; using Roost will also take away a precious moveslot that could be used for a coverage move. Charge Beam can be used to do a little bit of Electric-type damage while also having a good chance to boost Swoobat's Special Attack, but Calm Mind is much better as it provides a guaranteed boost, and boosts Special Defense as well. Klutz in conjunction with Trick is a usable gimmick, but it is hard to pull off because of Swoobat's frailty, so Swoobat is better off as a Simple Calm Mind sweeper. Choice items are out of the question because of Swoobat's disappointing offensive stats; in addition, Jynx and Gardevoir severely outclass it.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best way to counter Swoobat is to prevent it from setting up or Encoring it into Calm Mind. Liepard gets a notable mention for being able to switch into a predicted Stored Power, Encore Swoobat, and KO it with STAB Pursuit. Skuntank is immune to Stored Power, can take a +2 Heat Wave, and can defeat Swoobat with the combination of Pursuit and Sucker Punch. Regice can take any move Swoobat throws at it with ease and OHKO with Ice Beam after Stealth Rock, even if Swoobat has a Calm Mind boost under its belt. However, if Swoobat uses Calm Mind twice, it can survive an Ice Beam, get the Salac Berry boost, and OHKO with a +4 Stored Power. Bastiodon can phaze away Swoobat's boosts with Roar and only really fears Hidden Power Ground, which it can survive provided Sturdy is intact. Audino and Lickilicky can take a Stored Power after one Calm Mind and a Salac boost,and severely damage Swoobat with Body Slam and Double-Edge, respectively.</p>
<p>While it is difficult to counter Swoobat due to the sheer power of a boosted Stored Power, there exist many checks. Although Swoobat can avoid being revenge killed with Substitute, most Choice Scarf Pokemon, such as Glaceon and Jynx, can take out Swoobat if it hasn't gotten its Salac boost due to its frailty. Priority moves, such as Aqua Jet and Sucker Punch from the likes of Carracosta and Cacturne, can defeat Swoobat provided it isn't behind a Substitute. Golem can KO Swoobat through its Substitute with Rock Blast, though Swoobat can OHKO it with a boosted Stored Power if Golem's Sturdy is broken, making it a very shaky check. Finally, Choice Scarf Impostor Ditto can copy Swoobat's boosts if it is not behind a Substitute, outspeed it, and possibly sweep the rest of Swoobat's team.</p>
[Overview]
name: SubSalac
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Stored Power
move 4: Heat Wave
item: Salac Berry
ability: Simple
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP/ 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Stats are strictly mediocre barring Speed
- Extreme frailty + SR weakness
- Weak to Dark-type attacks, making it easy pickings for Pokemon such as Skuntank and Kangaskhan
- Faces stiff competition from the likes of Musharna, Jynx, and Gardevoir
- Simple turns it into a good sweeper, as CM now gives it an Amnesia and a Nasty Plot boost in one turn; but it NEEDS a boost to do any good damage
- Access to Stored Power allows Swoobat hit really hard with a boost under its belt, even with a measly 77 Special Attack stat
name: SubSalac
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Stored Power
move 4: Heat Wave
item: Salac Berry
ability: Simple
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP/ 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
- Simple enables Calm Mind to give Swoobat a Nasty Plot and Amnesia boost in one turn; it also doubles the Speed boost Salac Berry provides, making Swoobat nigh-impossible to revenge kill without priority
- Substitute lets Swoobat have an easier time getting into Salac Berry range, while also protecting it from priority if the Substitute stays intact (which might happen thanks to the Special Defense boosts Calm Mind provides)
- Stored Power reaches a whopping 140 Base Power after a Calm Mind and Salac Berry boost, annihilating anything that doesn't resist it
- Heat Wave gets the OHKO on Jynx, and also allows you to hit the annoying Regice super effectively
- Life Orb can be used for additional power, but without Salac Berry, Swoobat is susceptible to revenge killers and Stored Power actually loses power when it trades the Salac Berry boost for the Life Orb boost
- Likewise, Leftovers can also be used if you desire longevity
- Psyshock and Psychic are alternate Psychic STAB options that allow Swoobat to hit hard as soon as it enters the field, but coming off of its terrible Special Attack, it won't be doing much
- Hidden Power Ground can be used to hit Probopass, Bastiodon, and Skuntank super effectively, but then Swoobat won't be able to OHKO Jynx, who in turn KOes it after Stealth Rock, even after a boost
- Giga Drain is an interesting coverage move that lets Swoobat heal health after it has activated Salac Berry
- Swoobat needs Stealth Rock off the field; Taunt Serperior and Misdreavus can beat almost every Stealth Rock user and prevent them from setting up
- Choice Band Sawk can OHKO many Stealth Rock users while also breaking pesky walls such as Audino, Lickilicky, and Regice
- Torkoal is a good choice for a spinner, as it can set up Stealth Rock to aid Swoobat's sweep, and lures Ground-type attacks for Swoobat to switch in on
- Probopass can take Rock-, Ghost-, Ice-, and Dark-type attacks aimed at Swoobat, while also providing a slow Volt Switch to bring Swoobat in safely
- Swoobat really likes dual screens support from the likes of Serperior, as it gives Swoobat twice as many set up turns
- Swoobat has an excellent support movepool filled with goodies such as Toxic, Tailwind, Taunt, Trick, dual screens, Knock Off, Magic Coat, and U-turn, but it has nowhere near the bulk required to effectively use it
- Roost is a reliable recovery move, but Swoobat will never find the time to use it; using Roost will also take away a precious moveslot
- Charge Beam can be used to do a little bit of Electric-type damage while also having a great chance to boost Swoobat's Special Attack, but it's outclassed by Calm Mind, which also boosts Special Defense
- The Klutz + Trick combination can work to Trick opponents harmful items, but this strategy is very gimmicky and hard to pull off because of Swoobat's frailty
- Choice items are out of the question because of Swoobat's disappointing offensive stats; in addition, Jynx and Gardevoir severely outclass it in this regard
- Avoid letting it set up; Encore + Pursuit Liepard can do this
- Regice can take any move Swoobat throws at it with ease, and OHKOes with Ice Beam after Stealth Rock, even with a Calm Mind boost, however if it uses Calm Mind twice it can survive an Ice Beam and OHKO with Stored Power at +4
- Bastiodon can phaze with Whirlwind and only really fears Hidden Power Ground, which it can take with Sturdy intact
- Audino and Lickilicky can take 140 BP Stored Power and KO back
- Most Scarfers can take it out if it hasn't gotten its Salac boost due to frailty
- Priority moves such as Aqua Jet can defeat it as long as it isn't behind Substitute
- Golem with Sturdy intact can KO through Substitute with Rock Blast
- Finally, Imposter Choice Scarf Ditto can beat Substitute-less Swoobat and can then sweep through the rest of its team
[Overview]
<p>Swoobat is a mediocre Pokemon, but has one decent niche. The combination of Simple and Calm Mind grants Swoobat a +2 boost in both Special Attack and Special Defense after only one turn of setup. In addition to this, it also gets access to Stored Power, a 100 Base Power STAB attack after only one Calm Mind. While this might make Swoobat seem like a top-tier threat, it has quite a few flaws holding it back. Aside from its great Speed stat, all its other stats are terrible. A mediocre base 77 Special Attack means it needs at least one boost to do any sort of significant damage. Its 67 / 55 / 55 bulk doesn't do it any favors, and it is weak to Sucker Punch, the most common form of priority in NU.</p>
[SET]
name: SubSalac
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Stored Power
move 4: Heat Wave
item: Salac Berry
ability: Simple
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This is Swoobat's only set, but it performs it well, with a great base Speed that lets it outspeed most of the tier, and access to Calm Mind along with the Simple ability. After a single boost, Stored Power reaches 100 Base Power, which combined with Swoobat's increased Special Attack and STAB is devastating. Due to its high Speed, the only things Swoobat fears being revenge killed by are Choice Scarf Pokemon and priority users. Substitute is a great move that remedies this by preventing Swoobat from being revenge killed by the likes of Skuntank. Stored Power takes advantage of Calm Mind to the fullest with its high Base Power after a Calm Mind or two, and Heat Wave provides excellent coverage with Stored Power, hitting the Dark-, Psychic-, and Steel-types in the tier, such as Jynx, Metang, and Probopass. Salac Berry is the item of choice here, as the +2 Speed boost it gives Swoobat upon falling into the last 25% of its HP both allows it to outspeed the entire tier and further boosts the power of Stored Power.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Out of the additional items that can be considered, Life Orb seems like a great alternative over Salac Berry, but greatly lowers Swoobat's longevity when used in tandem with Substitute. In addition, Salac Berry prevents Choice Scarf users from outspeeding it, and with the Speed boost, Stored Power actually hits harder than it would with Life Orb. Leftovers is another option to increase its longevity, but Swoobat is very frail anyway. In the place of Stored Power, Psyshock and Psychic are alternative STABs that can hit harder without the boost, but Swoobat is very weak without the boost and prefers the higher Base Power of Stored Power after setup. Hidden Power Ground can be used to hit Probopass, Bastiodon, and Skuntank super effectively, but then Swoobat loses the ability to OHKO Jynx, which in turn KOes it after Stealth Rock, even after a Calm Mind boost. Giga Drain is an interesting coverage move as it heals Swoobat after it gets into Salac Berry range, but it provides somewhat redundant coverage along with Stored Power.</p>
<p>Swoobat despises having Stealth Rock on its side of the field, which makes Taunt users such as Serperior and Misdreavus, as well as Rapid Spinners such as Torkoal and Wartortle, good partners; all of them except Misdreavus also share decent synergy with Swoobat. Choice Band Sawk can also help against Stealth Rock setters, OHKOing many as Mold Breaker negates Sturdy. Probopass is a good choice for a partner as it takes Rock-, Ghost-, Ice-, and Dark-type attacks aimed at Swoobat, while also providing a slow Volt Switch to bring Swoobat in safely. Finally, dual screens support from the likes of the aforementioned Serperior is appreciated by Swoobat due to its paper-thin defenses.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Swoobat has an excellent support movepool, such as Toxic, Tailwind, Taunt, Trick, dual screens, Knock Off, Magic Coat, and U-turn, but it has nowhere near the bulk required to effectively use it. Roost is a reliable recovery move, but Swoobat will never find the time to use it; using Roost will also take away a precious moveslot that could be used for a coverage move. Charge Beam can be used to do a little bit of Electric-type damage while also having a good chance to boost Swoobat's Special Attack, but Calm Mind is much better as it provides a guaranteed boost, and boosts Special Defense as well. Klutz in conjunction with Trick is a usable gimmick, but it is hard to pull off because of Swoobat's frailty, so Swoobat is better off as a Simple Calm Mind sweeper. Choice items are out of the question because of Swoobat's disappointing offensive stats; in addition, Jynx and Gardevoir severely outclass it.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best way to counter Swoobat is to prevent it from setting up or Encoring it into Calm Mind. Liepard gets a notable mention for being able to switch into a predicted Stored Power, Encore Swoobat, and KO it with STAB Pursuit. Skuntank is immune to Stored Power, can take a +2 Heat Wave, and can defeat Swoobat with the combination of Pursuit and Sucker Punch. Regice can take any move Swoobat throws at it with ease and OHKO with Ice Beam after Stealth Rock, even if Swoobat has a Calm Mind boost under its belt. However, if Swoobat uses Calm Mind twice, it can survive an Ice Beam, get the Salac Berry boost, and OHKO with a +4 Stored Power. Bastiodon can phaze away Swoobat's boosts with Roar and only really fears Hidden Power Ground, which it can survive provided Sturdy is intact. Audino and Lickilicky can take a Stored Power after one Calm Mind and a Salac boost,and severely damage Swoobat with Body Slam and Double-Edge, respectively.</p>
<p>While it is difficult to counter Swoobat due to the sheer power of a boosted Stored Power, there exist many checks. Although Swoobat can avoid being revenge killed with Substitute, most Choice Scarf Pokemon, such as Glaceon and Jynx, can take out Swoobat if it hasn't gotten its Salac boost due to its frailty. Priority moves, such as Aqua Jet and Sucker Punch from the likes of Carracosta and Cacturne, can defeat Swoobat provided it isn't behind a Substitute. Golem can KO Swoobat through its Substitute with Rock Blast, though Swoobat can OHKO it with a boosted Stored Power if Golem's Sturdy is broken, making it a very shaky check. Finally, Choice Scarf Impostor Ditto can copy Swoobat's boosts if it is not behind a Substitute, outspeed it, and possibly sweep the rest of Swoobat's team.</p>
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