wrote the endeavor set and how to beat it, added curse as an option to both rest and utility after a discussion with dekzeh chaos and others. an easier analysis to write after the long ones we're currently working on (flygon and celebi are killing us :[)
[Overview]
<p>Swampert is one of the most important Pokemon in the ADV metagame and makes a great defensive pivot. Whenever you have a Swampert in your team, it's usually in the thick of the action. It shapes the metagame to the extent that everyone and their dog eschews Hidden Power Ice for Hidden Power Grass on Electric-type Pokemon, such as Raikou, solely to nail Swampert.</p>
<p>Swampert's ability to counter common physical powerhouses (such as Flygon, Metagross, Dragon Dance Tyranitar and Salamence, and Aerodactyl), combined with its all-important Rock resistance and very good bulk, are excellent attributes to have. It is a reliable phazer as well, and it can even clean up opposing teams late-game with Curse. Swampert is one of the few bulky Water-types that is immune to sandstorm damage, and is therefore relatively hard to wear down.</p>
<p>However, Swampert does suffer from a crippling quadruple weakness to Grass, which hinders its ability to check Electric-types that run Hidden Power Grass. Furthermore, Swampert is vulnerable to Spikes damage, which is particularly undesirable as it often must switch in multiple times in a game. It also fears status, especially poison, as residual damage reduces its ability to tank hits. Finally, though Swampert is excellent at forcing switches, it often has trouble doing much damage to switch-ins. Overall, Swampert is a key threat in ADV OU.</p>
[SET]
name: Standard Utility
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Hydro Pump / Surf / Toxic / Curse
move 4: Protect / Roar
item: Leftovers
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>As opposed to being an offensive threat itself, this set aims to act as a solid utility counter and defensive pivot; it is excellent at forcing switches. Earthquake is a strong STAB move that threatens many Pokemon that Swampert counters, such as Metagross and Jirachi. Ice Beam provides excellent coverage and, in conjunction with Earthquake, enables Swampert to hit everything in OU for neutral damage. Ice Beam takes a decent chunk out of any Celebi switching in and forces it to Recover, which in turn allows a teammate to switch in without fear of Leech Seed or Psychic. Hydro Pump is the primary option in the third moveslot because it takes a good 50% out of standard Skarmory, stopping Skarmory from setting up on Swampert; it also deals good damage to Gengar. Surf is worth considering due to its higher accuracy. Toxic is an excellent move on Swampert as many of its counters, such as Gyarados, Vaporeon, Milotic, and Ludicolo, have difficulty with poison; it also allows Swampert to beat other Swampert with ease. However, Toxic only works well in conjunction with Protect, and is best used on stall teams. Curse is another option that works with Protect, allowing you to slowly regain health and scout for Grass-type attacks. Curse allows Swampert to beat Blissey one-on-one, while also threatening unprepared teams. Protect is the primary fourth option as it lets Swampert scout its switch-ins for deadly attacks such as Hidden Power Grass or Explosion. The extra turn of recovery that Protect provides is also extremely useful and helps Swampert Toxic stall its opponents. Roar is an alternative because Swampert is excellent at forcing switches; it can consistently rack up Spikes damage by using Roar on a predicted switch.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>With the given EV spread, Swampert reaches 404 HP, which enables it to switch into three layers of Spikes four times or survive five Seismic Tosses thanks to Leftovers. The Special Attack EVs boost Ice Beam's damage output enough to force Celebi to Recover and give up momentum.</p>
<p>Swampert's best partner is probably Skarmory. The pair has excellent type synergy and together they can check numerous threats, such as Tyranitar, Metagross, Heracross, and Salamence. Thanks to its ability to force so many switches, Swampert also makes great use of the Spikes Skarmory can lay. Celebi, Venusaur, and Flygon deserve mentions as well, as any one of the three can pair with Swampert for a surefire answer to any Electric-type, regardless of the Hidden Power of choice. Furthermore, Celebi can provide valuable cleric support for Swampert.</p>
<p>Swampert also appreciates Rapid Spin support; however, none of the OU spinners—namely Claydol, Starmie, Donphan, Forretress, and Cloyster—form good synergy with the mudfish. Of the above, Starmie is probably the best option. Depending on its coverage move alongside Surf, Rapid Spin, and Recover, Starmie covers different counters to Swampert. If it runs Ice Beam, it beats Celebi without a Grass-type move, while Thunderbolt lets it beat Suicune and Gyarados. Swampert likes the support of other bulky Water-types as well, because those Water-types can act as emergency counters to certain Pokemon—such as Flygon, Tyranitar, and Metagross—should Swampert go down to a powerful Choice Band-boosted Focus Punch from Tyranitar or a sneaky Hidden Power Grass. Especially if it carries Roar, this Swampert set appreciates Wish support from the likes of Vaporeon and Blissey, as it does not have a reliable way of healing itself.</p>
[SET]
name: Rest
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk / Curse
item: Leftovers
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>RestTalk is the most durable variant of Swampert, although it struggles to do notable damage against anything that isn't weak to Earthquake or Ice Beam, which is why Curse is an alternative to Sleep Talk. Rest enables Swampert to stay alive for a long period of time. Sleep Talk allows Swampert to attack without being dead weight while asleep, while Curse prevents Swampert from being setup bait for physical attackers. Despite being the most durable, this set loses phazing utility and the ability to threaten Gengar with Hydro Pump, and as such is only really useful for being an incredibly solid counter to threats such as Tyranitar, Metagross, and Salamence.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>40 Special Attack EVs boost Ice Beam's power to wear down Celebi switch-ins and force it to eventually Recover; this enables your Salamence, Skarmory, or other Celebi counter to switch in freely.</p>
<p>Swampert's greatest enemy is Spikes damage, so Rapid Spin users are recommended partners. Starmie is your best bet by far here, as Ice Beam and Thunderbolt let it beat Psychic Celebi and check Gyarados, respectively; both of these Pokemon threaten Swampert immensely, especially this set. RestTalk Swampert reaches its fullest potential on teams based around Toxic, Spikes, and sandstorm, as it can force a lot of switches and has enough bulk and longevity to be successful on such teams. Skarmory is the best provider of Spikes support, which lets Swampert wear down its opponents. Tyranitar provides the sand that this set is best used in; it can also take on Celebi and Zapdos to a certain extent, both of which threaten Swampert. Swampert's ability to wear the opposing team down might also facilitate a late-game Dragon Dance Tyranitar sweep.</p>
[SET]
name: Endeavor
move 1: Endeavor
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 4: Ice Beam
item: Salac Berry
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Keep using Substitute on attacks and then spam Endeavor. That's all there really is to this set. Hydro Pump and Ice Beam are used for coverage on Pokemon that might not want to attack you. The Timid nature allows you to outspeed max Speed Gengar after the boost from Salac Berry, and then nail it with a Torrent-boosted Hydro Pump. While the set may seem basic, it can be deadly for unprepared players. Despite how dangerous it can be, this set does have many noticeable flaws which you should be aware of if you're inclined to use it, or if you're looking for ways to stop it.
<p>Starmie, Celebi, and Blissey are hard counters to this variant of Swampert. Starmie can switch in right away on Swampert and continuously use Rapid Spin to waste all of its PP. Swampert can't even Hydro Pump or Ice Beam to force an attack, as Starmie will easily Recover it off. Starmie's 361 Speed is enough to outspeed Swampert after a Salac Berry boost, meaning that Starmie can revenge kill it afterwards as well. Celebi and Blissey counter a bit differently. While they can both stall Swampert out of general PP as well, and if Swampert does manage to get into Endeavor range, Celebi and Blissey can begin using Recover and Softboiled, respectively, to waste Endeavor's PP. Swampert will eventually be forced to switch attacks to Ice Beam before Endeavor runs out of PP in the hopes of receiving a freeze. However, an attempted Ice Beam while Celebi or Blissey attacks will result in a dead Swampert.</p>
<p>Because Swampert only reaches 360 Speed after the boost, it will likely only be able to take down one Pokemon before being revenge killed. The issue is that Swampert will be sacrificing itself for a Pokemon that the opponent gets to choose, which may not be a trade you want to make. Swampert also needs Sandstorm up for this set to be truly effective, as otherwise Endeavor will fail to actually kill things. This isn't a flaw as much as it is restricting yourself, but it is important to know. Despite all of these shortcomings, this set has become widely popular and will take down inexperienced opponents who lack answers.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Thanks to its good base 110 Attack, Swampert can utilize a Choice Band to surprise a few of its usual switch-ins. Celebi, for example, is OHKOed by Hidden Power Bug, and Ludicolo doesn't enjoy taking one either. However, this set is a worse check to the likes of Salamence and Tyranitar, who will wear it down more quickly than defensive sets, and Swampert really needs Leftovers recovery in order to stick around. The main niche of a Choice Band set is the element of surprise, so make sure that you get it in without taking any damage. Swampert can also pull off a CounterCoat set alongside one of its STAB moves and Roar to punish opponents that set up on it. However, it will only work with Spikes support, as a good opponent will otherwise continually switch out of Swampert to burn its PP. Curse with three attacks can be used, but it throws Swampert into a sweeping role rather than a supportive role since it loses out on phazing, Protect, and Rest. Swampert can go with a SubPunch set, but Substitute taxes its HP too much for this to be worthwhile, and Swampert has better things to do in general. Swampert's movepool isn't particularly big, so it's best to stick to the listed sets.</p>
<p>Special Defense EVs can be used to help Swampert take random attacks better late in a game from Jirachi and Gengar. Still, don't expect your Swampert to stand up to many Grass-type attacks thrown your way.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Celebi is an excellent answer to Swampert, as it can set up Calm Mind boosts with impunity while dealing residual damage with Leech Seed; it can also just bash away at Swampert with Hidden Power Grass. Ice Beam does at most around 40% to Celebi—although this depends on the EV spreads both Pokemon run—so Celebi has little to fear from Swampert. Specially defensive Zapdos with Hidden Power Grass is good counter to Swampert, as it takes little from Ice Beam and is immune to both Spikes and Earthquake. Its fellow legendary bird Articuno also does a pretty good job at countering Swampert thanks to its immunity to Earthquake, Spikes, and Ice Beam's freeze chance, along with its high Special Defense. Toxic will quickly wear down any Swampert without Rest.</p>
<p>Heracross does a pretty good job against Swampert as it resists Earthquake and has the Special Defense to take Hydro Pump and Ice Beam with relative ease. Heracross can then proceed to take chunks of HP out of Swampert with Megahorn. Venusaur does a number on Swampert with its strong Grass-type STAB. Giga Drain Gengar is a decent answer to Swampert, as it is immune to Earthquake and only fears being hit by Hydro Pump or Surf on the switch. Skarmory can deal with any Swampert that lack Hydro Pump or Surf by freely setting up Spikes on it.</p>
<p>Gyarados is an excellent answer to Swampert that lack Rock Slide, and can set up multiple Dragon Dance boosts while using Taunt to stop Swampert from phazing it out. Suicune is also a strong Swampert counter, as it takes little from anything Swampert can throw at it and can either inflict decent damage with Surf, set up with Calm Mind, or even phaze it to rack up Spikes damage. Milotic can use Recover to heal off any damage, and can whittle away at Swampert's HP with Surf and Toxic. However, Milotic itself must be cautious of Swampert's Toxic. Vaporeon can Wish in Swampert's face and only fears Toxic. Ludicolo is a solid counter to Swampert as it takes pitiful damage from any of Swampert's attacks—once again, it only fears Toxic—and can either OHKO Swampert with Hidden Power Grass or wear it down with Leech Seed, should it lack a Grass-type attack.</p>
[Overview]
<p>Swampert is one of the most important Pokemon in the ADV metagame and makes a great defensive pivot. Whenever you have a Swampert in your team, it's usually in the thick of the action. It shapes the metagame to the extent that everyone and their dog eschews Hidden Power Ice for Hidden Power Grass on Electric-type Pokemon, such as Raikou, solely to nail Swampert.</p>
<p>Swampert's ability to counter common physical powerhouses (such as Flygon, Metagross, Dragon Dance Tyranitar and Salamence, and Aerodactyl), combined with its all-important Rock resistance and very good bulk, are excellent attributes to have. It is a reliable phazer as well, and it can even clean up opposing teams late-game with Curse. Swampert is one of the few bulky Water-types that is immune to sandstorm damage, and is therefore relatively hard to wear down.</p>
<p>However, Swampert does suffer from a crippling quadruple weakness to Grass, which hinders its ability to check Electric-types that run Hidden Power Grass. Furthermore, Swampert is vulnerable to Spikes damage, which is particularly undesirable as it often must switch in multiple times in a game. It also fears status, especially poison, as residual damage reduces its ability to tank hits. Finally, though Swampert is excellent at forcing switches, it often has trouble doing much damage to switch-ins. Overall, Swampert is a key threat in ADV OU.</p>
[SET]
name: Standard Utility
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Hydro Pump / Surf / Toxic / Curse
move 4: Protect / Roar
item: Leftovers
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>As opposed to being an offensive threat itself, this set aims to act as a solid utility counter and defensive pivot; it is excellent at forcing switches. Earthquake is a strong STAB move that threatens many Pokemon that Swampert counters, such as Metagross and Jirachi. Ice Beam provides excellent coverage and, in conjunction with Earthquake, enables Swampert to hit everything in OU for neutral damage. Ice Beam takes a decent chunk out of any Celebi switching in and forces it to Recover, which in turn allows a teammate to switch in without fear of Leech Seed or Psychic. Hydro Pump is the primary option in the third moveslot because it takes a good 50% out of standard Skarmory, stopping Skarmory from setting up on Swampert; it also deals good damage to Gengar. Surf is worth considering due to its higher accuracy. Toxic is an excellent move on Swampert as many of its counters, such as Gyarados, Vaporeon, Milotic, and Ludicolo, have difficulty with poison; it also allows Swampert to beat other Swampert with ease. However, Toxic only works well in conjunction with Protect, and is best used on stall teams. Curse is another option that works with Protect, allowing you to slowly regain health and scout for Grass-type attacks. Curse allows Swampert to beat Blissey one-on-one, while also threatening unprepared teams. Protect is the primary fourth option as it lets Swampert scout its switch-ins for deadly attacks such as Hidden Power Grass or Explosion. The extra turn of recovery that Protect provides is also extremely useful and helps Swampert Toxic stall its opponents. Roar is an alternative because Swampert is excellent at forcing switches; it can consistently rack up Spikes damage by using Roar on a predicted switch.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>With the given EV spread, Swampert reaches 404 HP, which enables it to switch into three layers of Spikes four times or survive five Seismic Tosses thanks to Leftovers. The Special Attack EVs boost Ice Beam's damage output enough to force Celebi to Recover and give up momentum.</p>
<p>Swampert's best partner is probably Skarmory. The pair has excellent type synergy and together they can check numerous threats, such as Tyranitar, Metagross, Heracross, and Salamence. Thanks to its ability to force so many switches, Swampert also makes great use of the Spikes Skarmory can lay. Celebi, Venusaur, and Flygon deserve mentions as well, as any one of the three can pair with Swampert for a surefire answer to any Electric-type, regardless of the Hidden Power of choice. Furthermore, Celebi can provide valuable cleric support for Swampert.</p>
<p>Swampert also appreciates Rapid Spin support; however, none of the OU spinners—namely Claydol, Starmie, Donphan, Forretress, and Cloyster—form good synergy with the mudfish. Of the above, Starmie is probably the best option. Depending on its coverage move alongside Surf, Rapid Spin, and Recover, Starmie covers different counters to Swampert. If it runs Ice Beam, it beats Celebi without a Grass-type move, while Thunderbolt lets it beat Suicune and Gyarados. Swampert likes the support of other bulky Water-types as well, because those Water-types can act as emergency counters to certain Pokemon—such as Flygon, Tyranitar, and Metagross—should Swampert go down to a powerful Choice Band-boosted Focus Punch from Tyranitar or a sneaky Hidden Power Grass. Especially if it carries Roar, this Swampert set appreciates Wish support from the likes of Vaporeon and Blissey, as it does not have a reliable way of healing itself.</p>
[SET]
name: Rest
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Ice Beam
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk / Curse
item: Leftovers
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>RestTalk is the most durable variant of Swampert, although it struggles to do notable damage against anything that isn't weak to Earthquake or Ice Beam, which is why Curse is an alternative to Sleep Talk. Rest enables Swampert to stay alive for a long period of time. Sleep Talk allows Swampert to attack without being dead weight while asleep, while Curse prevents Swampert from being setup bait for physical attackers. Despite being the most durable, this set loses phazing utility and the ability to threaten Gengar with Hydro Pump, and as such is only really useful for being an incredibly solid counter to threats such as Tyranitar, Metagross, and Salamence.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>40 Special Attack EVs boost Ice Beam's power to wear down Celebi switch-ins and force it to eventually Recover; this enables your Salamence, Skarmory, or other Celebi counter to switch in freely.</p>
<p>Swampert's greatest enemy is Spikes damage, so Rapid Spin users are recommended partners. Starmie is your best bet by far here, as Ice Beam and Thunderbolt let it beat Psychic Celebi and check Gyarados, respectively; both of these Pokemon threaten Swampert immensely, especially this set. RestTalk Swampert reaches its fullest potential on teams based around Toxic, Spikes, and sandstorm, as it can force a lot of switches and has enough bulk and longevity to be successful on such teams. Skarmory is the best provider of Spikes support, which lets Swampert wear down its opponents. Tyranitar provides the sand that this set is best used in; it can also take on Celebi and Zapdos to a certain extent, both of which threaten Swampert. Swampert's ability to wear the opposing team down might also facilitate a late-game Dragon Dance Tyranitar sweep.</p>
[SET]
name: Endeavor
move 1: Endeavor
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Hydro Pump / Surf
move 4: Ice Beam
item: Salac Berry
nature: Timid
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Keep using Substitute on attacks and then spam Endeavor. That's all there really is to this set. Hydro Pump and Ice Beam are used for coverage on Pokemon that might not want to attack you. The Timid nature allows you to outspeed max Speed Gengar after the boost from Salac Berry, and then nail it with a Torrent-boosted Hydro Pump. While the set may seem basic, it can be deadly for unprepared players. Despite how dangerous it can be, this set does have many noticeable flaws which you should be aware of if you're inclined to use it, or if you're looking for ways to stop it.
<p>Starmie, Celebi, and Blissey are hard counters to this variant of Swampert. Starmie can switch in right away on Swampert and continuously use Rapid Spin to waste all of its PP. Swampert can't even Hydro Pump or Ice Beam to force an attack, as Starmie will easily Recover it off. Starmie's 361 Speed is enough to outspeed Swampert after a Salac Berry boost, meaning that Starmie can revenge kill it afterwards as well. Celebi and Blissey counter a bit differently. While they can both stall Swampert out of general PP as well, and if Swampert does manage to get into Endeavor range, Celebi and Blissey can begin using Recover and Softboiled, respectively, to waste Endeavor's PP. Swampert will eventually be forced to switch attacks to Ice Beam before Endeavor runs out of PP in the hopes of receiving a freeze. However, an attempted Ice Beam while Celebi or Blissey attacks will result in a dead Swampert.</p>
<p>Because Swampert only reaches 360 Speed after the boost, it will likely only be able to take down one Pokemon before being revenge killed. The issue is that Swampert will be sacrificing itself for a Pokemon that the opponent gets to choose, which may not be a trade you want to make. Swampert also needs Sandstorm up for this set to be truly effective, as otherwise Endeavor will fail to actually kill things. This isn't a flaw as much as it is restricting yourself, but it is important to know. Despite all of these shortcomings, this set has become widely popular and will take down inexperienced opponents who lack answers.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Thanks to its good base 110 Attack, Swampert can utilize a Choice Band to surprise a few of its usual switch-ins. Celebi, for example, is OHKOed by Hidden Power Bug, and Ludicolo doesn't enjoy taking one either. However, this set is a worse check to the likes of Salamence and Tyranitar, who will wear it down more quickly than defensive sets, and Swampert really needs Leftovers recovery in order to stick around. The main niche of a Choice Band set is the element of surprise, so make sure that you get it in without taking any damage. Swampert can also pull off a CounterCoat set alongside one of its STAB moves and Roar to punish opponents that set up on it. However, it will only work with Spikes support, as a good opponent will otherwise continually switch out of Swampert to burn its PP. Curse with three attacks can be used, but it throws Swampert into a sweeping role rather than a supportive role since it loses out on phazing, Protect, and Rest. Swampert can go with a SubPunch set, but Substitute taxes its HP too much for this to be worthwhile, and Swampert has better things to do in general. Swampert's movepool isn't particularly big, so it's best to stick to the listed sets.</p>
<p>Special Defense EVs can be used to help Swampert take random attacks better late in a game from Jirachi and Gengar. Still, don't expect your Swampert to stand up to many Grass-type attacks thrown your way.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Celebi is an excellent answer to Swampert, as it can set up Calm Mind boosts with impunity while dealing residual damage with Leech Seed; it can also just bash away at Swampert with Hidden Power Grass. Ice Beam does at most around 40% to Celebi—although this depends on the EV spreads both Pokemon run—so Celebi has little to fear from Swampert. Specially defensive Zapdos with Hidden Power Grass is good counter to Swampert, as it takes little from Ice Beam and is immune to both Spikes and Earthquake. Its fellow legendary bird Articuno also does a pretty good job at countering Swampert thanks to its immunity to Earthquake, Spikes, and Ice Beam's freeze chance, along with its high Special Defense. Toxic will quickly wear down any Swampert without Rest.</p>
<p>Heracross does a pretty good job against Swampert as it resists Earthquake and has the Special Defense to take Hydro Pump and Ice Beam with relative ease. Heracross can then proceed to take chunks of HP out of Swampert with Megahorn. Venusaur does a number on Swampert with its strong Grass-type STAB. Giga Drain Gengar is a decent answer to Swampert, as it is immune to Earthquake and only fears being hit by Hydro Pump or Surf on the switch. Skarmory can deal with any Swampert that lack Hydro Pump or Surf by freely setting up Spikes on it.</p>
<p>Gyarados is an excellent answer to Swampert that lack Rock Slide, and can set up multiple Dragon Dance boosts while using Taunt to stop Swampert from phazing it out. Suicune is also a strong Swampert counter, as it takes little from anything Swampert can throw at it and can either inflict decent damage with Surf, set up with Calm Mind, or even phaze it to rack up Spikes damage. Milotic can use Recover to heal off any damage, and can whittle away at Swampert's HP with Surf and Toxic. However, Milotic itself must be cautious of Swampert's Toxic. Vaporeon can Wish in Swampert's face and only fears Toxic. Ludicolo is a solid counter to Swampert as it takes pitiful damage from any of Swampert's attacks—once again, it only fears Toxic—and can either OHKO Swampert with Hidden Power Grass or wear it down with Leech Seed, should it lack a Grass-type attack.</p>
