[Overview]
<p>Swampert hasn't seen any significant improvements with the coming of generation five, and as such it has lost popularity within the current metagame. It has great typing that leaves it with only one weakness
to Grass-type moves
, which can be easily played around through proper team support. While Swampert is damaged greatly by powerful special attacks and has no reliable means of recovery, it has key resistances to Rock- and Fire-type attacks, as well as immunity to Electric-type attacks, granting it plenty of opportunities to switch in. Its stats are no pushover either; it has respectable Defense and Attack, allowing it to play both defensively and offensively. Access to Stealth Rock and Roar make it a solid choice for almost any team, but it has seen better days,
with other Pokemon such as Ferrothorn being much better suited to the metagame.</p>
[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Roar /
Scald
item: Leftovers
nature: Relaxed
evs: 240 HP / 216 Def / 52 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Swampert still makes a great team player with its ability to set up Stealth Rock on many common leads thanks to its awesome Defense and great typing. Its above
-average bulk
stat allows it to function exceptionally well as a mid-game defensive Pokemon, not to mention that it is capable of taking on many popular threats, such as Tyranitar and Excadrill
, with ease, and can serve as a great defensive pivot.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock starts of
f the set, immediately putting pressure on the opposing team as well as rendering Focus Sash useless. Earthquake is used in the second moveslot and is Swampert's primary STAB attack, hitting anything that does not resist it for a nice chunk of damage. Ground-types immune to Earthquake such as Gliscor, and Dragon-types such as Salamence are dealt with by Ice Beam, which OHKOes the aforementioned Pokemon after Stealth Rock damage. It also gives Swampert something to hurt Grass-types that would usually switch in on an anticipated Earthquake. The last slot can be
occupied by designated for either Roar or
Scald. Roar is great when used in conjunction with Stealth Rock, racking up damage on every Pokemon that is switched in.
Scald also has its uses as it gives Swampert a secondary STAB move, not to mention the 30% chance on inflicting a burn on the opposing Pokemon.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The Defense EVs on this set grant Swampert exceptional physical bulk, letting it take most resisted and neutral physical attacks with ease. 240 HP EVs give Swampert more all-around bulk, and 52 Special Defense EVs are used to allow Swampert to take neutral and resisted special attacks, such as Salamence's Draco Meteor and Heatran's Fire Blast, more easily. An alternate EV spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA can be used to maximize Swampert's physical bulk, although it leaves Swampert more vulnerable to special attacks.</p>
<p>Swampert, despite having a great number of resistances and immunities, has a glaring 4x weakness to Grass-type attacks, and thus requires team support to cover it. Steel-types in general can easily take any Grass-type attack aimed at Swampert. Good teammates include Scizor and Ferrothorn, both of wh
ich have 4x resistance to Grass
; although they should watch out for Hidden power Fire, which is quite common
ly used amongst Grass-type Pokemon. Salamence and Dragonite
, in addition to having great synergy with Swampert and
can the ability to take Grass-type attacks with ease, threaten
ing Grass-types with Fire Blast. Heatran falls in a similar category, taking negligible amounts from incoming Grass-type attacks, and can hit back with a STAB Fire-type move.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Waterfall / Aqua Tail
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Ice Punch / Hammer Arm
item: Choice Band / Expert Belt
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Swampert, although primarily defensive, excels at playing an offensive role with its impressive base 110 Attack stat. When using this set, it is important that you predict well. A single incorrect prediction could be catastrophic when using this Swampert, so tread carefully.</p>
<p>Earthquake and Waterfall form a solid STAB duo with great coverage, allowing Swampert to hit most Pokemon in OU hard. Aqua Tail, despite having lower accuracy than Waterfall, has 10 more base power, allowing Swampert to OHKO or 2HKO certain foes it simply could not with Waterfall, such as specially defensive Skarmory. The third moveslot features Stone Edge, granting Swampert some means of hitting Gyarados and Kyuremu for super effective damage as well as providing Swampert with the infamous QuakeEdge attacking combination. Ice Punch is used in the final slot, granting Swampert valuable OHKOs on Dragonite and Salamence. It can also hit pesky Grass-types such as Celebi and Shaymin
who that switch in on Swampert, only to be struck by Ice Punch coming from an impressive 479 Attack (taking Choice Band into account). Hammer Arm is a good alternative for hitting foes such as Balloon Excadrill and Chansey for super effective damage, easily taking them out of commission if you are using Choice Band. Expert Belt is a solid alternative item, bluffing a choice item, which can cause the opponent to predict accordingly, giving you the edge.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are allotted so as to maximize Swampert's Attack while maintaining its bulk. 252 Attack EVs grant Swampert a respectable 350 Attack stat (without the boost from Choice Band), while the 84 Speed EVs allow Swampert to outspeed minimum Speed Skarmory, although you would require more investment to outspeed faster Taunt variants. The rest of the EVs are dumped into HP, adding to Swampert's overall bulk.</p>
<p>Entry Hazard support is vital for this set to function well. Heatran and Ferrothorn share great synergy with Swampert and can consistently set up Stealth Rock, the latter being able to set up Spikes also. Pseudo-hazers such as Skarmory are great teammates as they, in addition to setting up entry hazards, shuffle the opponent's team, thereby racking up residual damage on each switch-in. Since Swampert will be locked into a single move if holding Choice Band, it is prone
to being revenge killed or set up on. Therefore, good teammates are required to patch up Swampert
's weaknesses as well as to deal with common threats to it. Choice Scarf Flygon is a good check to both Dragon Dance Dragonite and Gyarados, revenge killing them both as well as dealing with a myriad of other threats. Steel-types love to switch in on a Swampert that is locked into Stone Edge or Ice Punch. Magnezone makes a good check to them, trapping them thanks to its ability and making quick work of them with Hidden power Fire.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>As stated before, one of Swampert's biggest problems is its crippling 4x weakness to Grass-type moves. Therefore it is vital to have teammates who can soak up these attacks. Fire- and Steel-types have good synergy with Swampert, being able to take Grass-types attacks with ease. Scizor
and Heatran are
all great choices as they are able to dispose of Grass-type Pokemon with U-turn and Fire Blast respectively. Ferrothorn is also an excellent choice, as it can set up Spikes or cripple Grass-types with Thunder Wave. It is important to note that most Grass-types tend to use either Hidden Power Fire or Earth Power in conjunction with their STAB attacks to fend of Steel- and Fire-types. For this reason, Dragon-types also make great teammates as they generally boast great Speed and power as well as excellent synergy with Swampert. Salamence and Latios are solid choices, Salamence disposing of the likes of Ferrothorn and Celebi with Fire Blast, and Latios potentially setting up Calm Mind with its impressive special bulk. Blissey with its outstanding special bulk can easily take on Grass-types, with the exception of Leech Seed Ferrothorn as it is immune to Toxic.</p>
<p>There is no doubt that Swampert is a solid tank, although one big factor that keeps it away from being among the best is its lack of a reliable recovery move. For this reason Wish support is very beneficial to its longevity. Jirachi, who resists Grass-type attacks, comes
by across as one of the best Wish passers, due to its excellent all around stats. Blissey and Vaporeon are welcomed
also as well, as they can switch into powerful special attacks aimed at Swampert and Wish away. As stated previously, entry hazard support is vital, especially to the Offensive set. Skarmory and Ferrothorn share almost perfect synergy with Swampert, and can both set up Spikes and Stealth Rock. Leech Seed support is another way to heal Swampert. Ferrothorn with its superior bulk can get Leech Seed to Swampert consistently throughout the match. Venusaur also synergizes well with Swampert and can replenish its health with Leech Seed.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Swampert doesn't have a vast movepool to choose from. Interestingly, Swampert learns both Mirror Coat and Counter, which can be utilized well thanks to Swampert's bulk. Superpower is a good alternative to Ice Punch on the offensive set, as it gives Swampert good neutral coverage in tandem with its other moves. However, the Attack and Defense drops that come after using it will often force Swampert to switch out the next turn. A RestTalk Curse set seems viable although Swampert loses out on coverage and is prone to set up, so stay alert. Yawn can force switches, racking up damage on the opposing team if entry hazards have been set up beforehand. Swampert can run a specially based set with
Scald, Earth Power, Ice Beam and Hidden Power Electric although it
s special offensive prowess is outclassed by many other Water-types
in that aspect. Slime Wave doesn't have many uses
apart from nailing but can be used to nail Grass-types on the switch-in while having a 10% chance of poisoning the foe.</p>
[Counters]
<p>The best counters for Swampert are Grass-types, such as Celebi and Ferrothorn. They can easily switch in and proceed to OHKO Swampert with their STAB attacks. However, be warned: a smart Swampert user will almost always have a teammate
who that can deal with Grass-types. Other bulky Water-types, such as Suicune and
Jellicent, can't really damage Swampert too much, but
it cannot damage them, either. However, the aforementioned bulky Waters can set up on Swampert (the latter being able to completely cripple Swampert with Will-o-Wisp) and will almost always beat it one-on-one. Skarmory and Forretress can easily set up entry hazards on Swampert thanks to their sky-high Defense, the former being able to Taunt it while the latter can Spin away Stealth Rock. Overall, any Pokemon
that can take a few hits and dish out consistent damage will be able to defeat Swampert one-on-one. Gyarados can Taunt Stealth Rock sets, preventing them from Roaring it away as it sets up Dragon Dance
(maybe move this sentence up to the bit about bulky waters).</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Swampert's Dream World ability, Damp, is possibly one of the most useless abilities it could have received. Explosion
's has become very rare this generation thanks to its power being nerfed, not to mention that if using Damp, Swampert cannot learn Superpower
or Stealth Rock. Overall, both of Swampert's abilities have little use, although Torrent is the better one, especially on the offensive set, where a 50% boost to its STAB Water-type attack is welcomed.</p>
