Swellow (BW2 Update) [QC 4/3] [GP 2/2]

[EonX]

Bird is the Word

[Overview]

<p>With fantastic Speed, solid Attack, and a great ability, Swellow makes its mark in RU as one of the premier late-game sweepers in the tier. Swellow's gives it the edge against Pokemon such as Sceptile, Choice Scarf Emboar, and Cinccino, three big threats in RU that few other Pokemon can claim to outspeed. Swellow also has a great ability in Guts, which boosts its decent Attack to very high levels when afflicted with a status condition. Two high-powered STAB moves and priority in Quick Attack only augment this firepower and cleaning ability, making it quite difficult to stop Swellow with sheer bulk or Speed once it gets going.</p>

<p>In spite of all of these good qualities, Swellow has next to no coverage against the numerous Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon in RU. It doesn't help that Steelix and Rhydon are two of the premier physical walls in the tier, as both can handle Swellow without much difficulty. With paltry defenses, a weakness to Stealth Rock, the use of a Toxic Orb to activate Guts, and recoil from possible Brave Birds, Swellow's lifespan is very short and generally relegates it to the late-game sweeping role. In spite of this, Swellow is very good at what it does and should always be considered if you feel your team needs a late-game cleaner.</p>

[SET]
name: Guts
move 1: Facade
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Quick Attack / Protect
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is Swellow's best set to run in RU and lets it perform as a great late-game cleaner. This set aims to activate Swellow's Guts ability to power up its moves and go on a late-game sweep. Facade should be the move you use under most circumstances. After Guts is activated, Facade has an incredible 210 Base Power after STAB, allowing it to get through even frailer resistances such as Archeops and Aerodactyl. Brave Bird is useful for hitting defensive Grass-types such as Tangrowth, Torterra, and Amoonguss hard enough to OHKO them. U-turn lets Swellow hit its checks and counters as they come in and switch to a teammate to either take them out or force them out to take more entry hazard damage. The final move is mostly used to ensure Swellow can activate Guts safely. Quick Attack has the more general use as it allows Swellow to revenge kill weakened threats while activating Guts. It's also useful to get in front of other priority users such as Absol, which might be sent in to revenge kill Swellow with its STAB Sucker Punch. Protect is an option to ensure Guts is activated safely. However, keep in mind that once the Toxic Orb is activated, Swellow takes poison damage every turn, which makes it somewhat counter-productive to scout for moves later with Protect.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Although it might be tempting to use Adamant, Swellow absolutely needs to run Jolly in order to outspeed dangerous threats such as Sceptile, Choice Scarf Emboar, and Cinccino so that it can beat them one-on-one if the opponent uses one of them as his or her late-game cleaner. Swellow's movepool is rather shallow, but there are a couple of options to at least consider using in the last slot. Work Up boosts Swellow's Attack to absolutely ridiculous levels and lets it OHKO defensive Spiritomb, Druddigon, and Golurk without question. Roost is another option, allowing Swellow to regain some health and possibly prolong its chance at sweeping. However, neither of these options get used that much in practice due to Swellow's extreme frailty. Finally, one can use Protect over U-turn if you desire to keep Quick Attack on the set.</p>

<p>Steelix and Rhydon are the two biggest problems for Swellow as they resist both of its STABs and have great physical bulk. Mixed Emboar can destroy both with Fire Blast and Grass Knot respectively, and Samurott can take them out with its powerful STAB Hydro Pump. Magneton can trap and KO most Steel-types, Pokemon Swellow struggles with in general due to its inability to hit them for effective damage, but note that it will struggle to reliably KO Steelix due to Earthquake. One of the more unique partners for Swellow is Acrobatics Drifblim. Drifblim shares many checks and counters with Swellow, so one can typically be used to weaken checks and counters for the other to sweep. Fighting-types such as Gallade, Medicham, and Hitmonlee can all reliably take out Steel- and Rock-types. A Rapid Spin user is helpful to keep Stealth Rock off the field so Swellow has as much HP as possible for taking poison damage. Kabutops is the best choice for this as it can draw out defensive Grass-types for Swellow to switch in on. Slow, bulky pivots such as Eelektross and Musharna can be used to get Swellow in safely. Eelektross even matches up well against most Steel- and Rock-types thanks to its access to Flamethrower and Giga Drain. Finally, Spikes support is recommended to not only take advantage of U-turn but also exploit Steelix and Rhydon's lack of reliable recovery. Roselia is a good choice as it can handle many of the Choice Scarf-equipped Electric-types that are often used to attempt to revenge kill Swellow. Scolipede is a more offensive choice that can weaken Steelix and Rhydon with Aqua Tail as well as smashing Uxie and Slowking with Megahorn.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Quite frankly, Swellow has an incredibly limited movepool. However, there are a couple of options you could consider. A Choice Band set seems decent thanks to Guts allowing Swellow to not be crippled by burns and it having a strong STAB move in Brave Bird. However, Braviary not only has a much higher Attack stat but also has the ability to overwhelm opposing Rock- and Steel-types with Superpower. Pursuit can catch fleeing Ghost- and Psychic-types, but Swellow is better off just firing off one of its STAB moves. Toxic is an interesting option to cripple Rhydon for the remainder of the match. Steel Wing can catch Rhydon for some damage, but its low Base Power and Rhydon's insane physical bulk makes this a lesser option. Finally, Endeavor can be used as a last-ditch effort to damage an opposing threat if Swellow is really low on HP and can't finish off a sweep.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Steelix and Rhydon are, bar none, the best counters to Swellow. With a resistance to both STAB moves and very high physical bulk, both can take numerous attacks from Swellow and respond with Gyro Ball or Rock Blast respectively. Aggron is the most notable offensive counter to Swellow as it sports a 4x resistance to both of Swellow's STABs and has a powerful Head Smash to decimate Swellow or any teammate that tries to switch in. Choice Scarf Rotom is incredibly annoying for Swellow as it's immune to Facade and Quick Attack and has STAB Volt Switch to build momentum or outright KO Swellow if it stays in. Choice Scarf Rotom-C is also problematic, although a weakened one will have trouble dealing with Quick Attack. Aerodactyl and Accelgor are two of the very few Pokemon that naturally outspeed Swellow, but Accelgor's frailty makes it hard for it to deal with Quick Attack.</p>

<p>Priority users are always an option to revenge kill Swellow, but keep in mind that most will have to deal with Quick Attack first as Swellow outspeeds them. Entei is one of the two exceptions as ExtremeSpeed's +2 priority lets it hit before Swellow can move. The other exception is Spiritomb as its Ghost typing makes it immune to Quick Attack. Samurott and Kabutops can use Aqua Jet and Kabutops even resists Quick Attack. Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee can use Mach Punch. Hitmonchan's is boosted by Iron Fist, and Hitmonlee's is usually backed by a Fighting Gem. Although it will have difficulty tanking it, Ferroseed can force Swellow to take a ridiculous amount of damage from using Brave Bird due to Iron Barbs and the recoil incurred from using Brave Bird in the first place. Pokemon with high physical bulk such as Alomomola and Uxie can take a hit and strike back with their STAB moves, but both must be careful about taking too much prior damage, especially Uxie as Alomomola has Wish and Regenerator to stay in good health throughout the match.</p>

Skeleton

[Overview]

• Fantastic Speed and Guts makes Swellow a great late-game cleaner
• Outspeeds Sceptile, Scarf Emboar, and Cinccino, 3 very potent threats that few others can outspeed
• 2 high-powered STABs and priority in Quick Attack make Swellow hard to stop once it gets going
• Has no coverage on Steel- and Rock-types though, so prominent physical walls such as Steelix and Rhydon can stop it without much difficulty
• SR weakness, paltry defenses, the use of Toxic Orb, and Brave Bird recoil all serverely limit Swellow’s longevity
• Still quite the relevant threat despite the fair amount of support needed as its one of the fastest unboosted threats in RU
• Support it well and Swellow will rarely let you down as a late-game cleaner

[SET]
name: Guts
move 1: Facade
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Quick Attack / Protect
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

• Best set Swellow can use and an incredibly potent late-game cleaner
• Very good 403 Attack after Guts is activated
• Facade reaches 210 BP after STAB with Guts active. It will be your main STAB and cleaning move
• Brave Bird also is powerful and takes out stuff like Tangrowth, Amoonguss, and Torterra reliably
• U-turn to scout for checks and counters early on and to slowly weaken them
• Final move is used primarily to ensure Guts gets activated
• Quick Attack can pick off a weakened threat and is still useful to avoid Sucker Punch from Absol
• Protect is the lesser option, but is more secure in activating Guts. Loses all use after Guts is active though as it just stacks another round of poison damage

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

• You’re frail. You use a status Orb to activate Guts. You’re really fast. Why would you not use a fully offensive EV spread again?
• Jolly is used to outspeed Sceptile, Scarf Emboar, and Cinccino. Big plus as these three are common revenge killers and/or late-game cleaners themselves
• Toxic Orb is preferred as Swellow is not taking hits and shouldn’t be in for more than 3 turns at a time anyways. If it is, it’s probably getting blasted by something
• Work Up to do stupid amounts of damage
• Roost to get some health back and possibly prolong a sweep
• Absolutely can’t touch Steel- and Rock-types
• Magneton traps and KOes most Steel-types, but struggles a bit against Steelix due to EQ
• Mixed and Choice Band Emboar sets can easily dump Rock- and Steel-types.
• Other Fighting-types such as Gallade, Medicham, and Hitmonlee can also take out Rock- and Steel-types
• Acrobatics Drifblim forms a sort of one-two punch with Swellow. Drifblim can force out Swellow's checks and weaken them to ease Swellow's sweep
• Spikes support to exploit the fact Steelix and Rhydon have no reliable recovery, thus limiting the chances they have to come in on Swellow
• Roselia and Ferroseed are both good as they handle Scarfed Electric-types like Manectric and Rotom-C quite easily
• Rapid Spin support to keep Stealth Rock off the field
• Kabutops is probably best as it attracts defensive Grass-types for Swellow to switch-in on

[Other Options]

• Choice Band, but there’s Braviary for that
• Pursuit
• Toxic to screw over Rhydon
• Steel Wing to actually touch Rock-types
• Endeavor if you're low on HP and know you can't finish a sweep

[Checks and Counters]

• Steelix and Rhydon just laugh at Swellow’s attacks
• Scarf Rotom-C is an a$$
• P. much anything that can hit Swellow will KO or deal massive damage
• Priority from Entei, Kabutops, and Spiritomb is lethal (note that Swellow can get around Absol thanks to Quick Attack, but Tomb is immune to Quick Attack)
• Aggron 4x resists both STABs and has a brutal Head Smash to unleash
• Ferroseed makes Swellow take stupid amounts of recoil from Brave Bird + Iron Barbs
• Aerodactyl and Accelgor are faster, but Accelgor doesn’t like Quick Attack
• Scarf Rotom really sucks; it’s even immune to Quick Attack
• Super bulky mons like Alomomola and Uxie can take a hit and strike back

 

[Oglemi]

Don't do the cedilla on the c in Facade, it's not written that way in the games.

Really stress that you shouldn't use anything other than Facade while using Swellow unless you absolutely need to, even if it's not very effective Facade deals an incredible amount of damage and it lengthens its lifespan.

Again, back from when Molk last wrote this, Roost and Work Up probably still deserve a mention in AC. Using them on a predicted switch can be insanely game changing, particularly if they still have a Steelix or Rhydon waiting in the wings; if they have either one SR is probably going to be on the field, so Roosting as they come in and continuing to chip them with U-turn is awesome. At +1 Swellow gets the guaranteed OHKO against defensive Tomb, OHKO after SR on Slowking, OHKO vs defensive Druddigon, OHKO on Golurk, OHKO on Esca after SR, and OHKO on Lanturn. I mean you're not always going to find a time to use either one but if you ever do it's totally worth it, especially considering U-turn, Quick Attack, and Protect aren't totally needed or always used either.

 

[Swamp-Rocket]

Also has to compete with the likes of Braviary, Tauros, and Zangoose for a teamslot as all can perform in similar fashions

I don't really like this part tbh. I mean, no matter how good these three are, they are all... still NU Pokemon competing with another NU Pokemon. This means they offer not very relevant competition in this tier. Honestly, I don't really think competition is anything Swellow has to worry about since it is so much different from these three and everything else (ridic. speed and flying stab make it so much different than tauros, zangoose, and braviary who are all mostly wallbreakers, not sweepers, and on Tauros, its still a much different Pokemon). I would honestly just remove this point entirely.

I also think Protect should be slashed with U-turn (as well as Quick Attack). Maybe its just me but usually when I use Swellow I really want priority and Protect most of the time, because I don't really always feel like I need the momentum.

I would probably also add Toxic to OO (Toxicing a Rhydon could be funny) and possibly weather moves (fastest user of U-turn + weather), but Swellow has such a limited movepool that I'm mainly just trying to make the section longer if at all possible since Work Up and Roost are AC moves.

 

[Molk]

One teammates that i'd really like mentioned and stressed when using Swellow is Acrobatics Drifblim. Drifblim and Swellow work wonderfully, and often the help of one can help the other clean up rather easily. Because of the threat of a Flight Gem boosted Acrobatics and Unburden boost from Drifblim, people will often send in on their swellow checks in on Drifblim to try and deal with it. This is where the fun begins, as Drifblim is a master at wearing down and crippling these Pokemon to the point that they can't deal with Swellow later on in the game. A fast Will-O-Wisp wears down and cripples the vast majority of Rock- and Steel-types such as Steelix and Rhydon, and Drifblim can alternate between Substitute and Acrobatics to weaken these Pokemon as much as possible. If all else fails, Drifblim has one more trick up its sleeve: a fast destiny bond to take out the Steel- or Rock-type Pokemon down with it, clearing the way for Swellow. Even if the opponent plays around Destiny Bond, the mere threat of it is really helpful to rack up burn damage and/or hazards damage if they switch. Speaking of hazards, Drifblim can function as an emergency spinblocker to preserve hazards while getting a teammate in in a pinch, although it matches up poorly vs Kabutops and Cryogonal, it can use Destiny Bond to force a double down vs both as a desperation move.

 

[EonX]

Not sure what Word was doing with Facade, but fixed it nonetheless. Removed the competition part and moved Work Up and Roost to AC (will expand a bit more on them during the writeup)

Also added Acro Drifblim. Not sure how I forgot about it as I'm well aware that Molk has been quite successful with it in the past. Also added Toxic to OO. Don't really want to slash Protect with U-turn. I don't view U-turn as a momentum move for Swellow, but rather a way for it to force out its checks and make them repeatedly take hazards damage (ideally, before Swellow activates Guts) so it has less to worry about when it's ready to sweep. I'll slash Protect if others feel it should be though.

 

[Molk]

Steel Wing and Possibly Endeavor might deserve mentions in OO, Steel Wing gives swellow a decent way to hit Rock-type Pokemon at the very least, and endeavor lets swellow get a nice last ditch hit off if it can't do anything else for the rest of the match if its at low enough HP, otherwise this looks pretty good.

QC Approved 1/3

 

[EonX]

Ok, added Steel Wing to OO (and Endeavor too, considering OO is damn short lol) Thanks for the check Molk

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

Mention a slow pivot such as Eelektross or Musharna is advised to get Swellow in safely and get the Guts boost if it's running Quick Attack. Scolipede is also nice as a Spiker to handle Uxie and Slowking decently too. Other than that,

QC Approved 2/3

KACAW

 

[EonX]

Thanks for the check Scrafty. This is written (with Scrafty's suggestions implemented) and ready for its 3rd QC check.

 

[Swamp-Rocket]

[Everything]

• Word autocorrected several instances of Facade in this analysis. Remove all the ç things.

[Overview]

• Don't point out that Swellow is NU (this usually only works if it is a NU analysis), as it REALLY gives a negative light when you have to say "it isn't even good enough to be in this tier" and its unneeded. Stuck also implies it has no chance of being RU when in reality it probably deserves to be ;)

[Set Comments]

• Hitmomlee isn't a good example of a priority user. It's not because its bad but its because its Mach Punch STILL activates after Quick Attack, and then Unburden means it can then just outspeed and go for the kill. Fake Out variants do the same thing in a different order. The fact you mention Hitmonlee as a check makes its inclusion even less fitting. I would add something that frequently uses Sucker Punch because that way the move fails against Swellow.
• On a similar note, Quick Attack doesn't really make Guts activate easier. It's only real use is to avoid Sucker Punches so then it doesn't die right there. Against a non-Guts-activated Swellow I would, most of the time, hit it hard and kill it right then and there if possible.

[Additional Comments]

• I'm fine with Roselia but not Ferroseed. Manectric can Overheat Ferroseed and OHKO it, but Roselia I'm pretty sure can take an unSTABbed overheat, supported by the fact it's usually specially defensive.

[Other Options]

• No mention of Toxic although its in the skeleton.

That's all I can find - nice job!

QC Approved 3/3 EonX-

 

[DittoCrow]

Mention in AC that Protect can be used instead of U-turn. There were times where I wanted Quick Attack and didn't really need U-turn for a late-game sweep.

QC 4/3 ?_?

 

[EonX]

Think I got everything. Remind me to not use autocorrect if I ever do an analysis with Facade mentions. smh. Thanks for the checks S-R and DC. Have at it GP!

 

[GatoDelFuego]

EonX-

REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS

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[Overview]

<p>With fantastic Speed, solid Attack, and a great ability in Guts, Swellow makes its mark in RU as one of the premier late-game sweepers in the tier. Swellow's incredible Speed lets it outspeed threats such as Sceptile, Choice Scarf Emboar, and Cinccino, three big threats in RU that few other Pokemon can claim to outspeed. Swellow also has a great ability in Guts, which boosts its decent Attack to very high levels when afflicted with a status condition. Two high-powered STAB moves and priority in Quick Attack only augment this firepower and cleaning ability as this combination makes it quite difficult to stop Swellow with sheer bulk or Speed once it gets going.</p>

<p>So, with all of these good qualities, one might wonder why Swellow is stuck in NU. For starters, Swellow has next to no coverage on the numerous Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon in RU. It doesn't help that Steelix and Rhydon are two of the premier physical walls in the tier, (AC) as both can handle Swellow without much difficulty. With paltry defenses, a weakness to Stealth Rock, the use of a Toxic Orb to activate Guts, and recoil from possible Brave Birds, Swellow's lifespan is very short and generally relegates it to the late-game sweeping role. In spite of this, Swellow is very good at what it does and should always be considered if you feel your team needs a late-game cleaner. If you give it the proper support, Swellow will finish up many games for you.</p>

[SET]
name: Guts
move 1: Facade
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Quick Attack / Protect
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is Swellow's best set to run in RU and it lets it perform as a great late-game cleaner. This set aims to activate Swellow's Guts ability to power up its moves and go on a late-game sweep. Facade is Swellow's primary STAB move and should be the move you use under most circumstances. After Guts is activated, Facade has an incredible 210 Base Power after STAB, allowing it to get through even frailer resistances such as Arceops and Aerodactyl. Brave Bird is Swellow's secondary STAB and it's useful for hitting defensive Grass-types such as Tangrowth, Torterra, and Amoonguss hard enough to OHKO them. U-turn fills in the third slot for Swellow. This lets Swellow hit its checks and counters as they come in and resort to a teammate to either take them out or force them out to take more entry hazards damage. The final move is mostly used to ensure Swellow can activate Guts safely. Quick Attack has the more general use as it allows Swellow to revenge kill weakened threats while activating Guts. It's also useful to get in front of other priority users such as Absol, who which may be sent in to revenge kill Swellow with its STAB Sucker Punch. Protect is an option to ensure Guts is activated safely. However, keep in mind that once the Toxic Orb is activated, Swellow takes poison damage every turn, which makes it somewhat counter-productive to scout for moves later with Protect.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Although it might be tempting to use Adamant, Swellow absolutely needs to run Jolly in order to outspeed dangerous threats such as Sceptile, Choice Scarf Emboar, and Cinccino, thus allowing Swellow to beat them one-on-one if the opponent uses one of them as his or her late-game cleaner. Swellow's movepool is rather shallow, but there are a couple of options to at least consider using in the last slot. Work Up boosts Swellow's Attack to absolutely ridiculous levels and lets it OHKO defensive Spiritomb, Druddigon, and Golurk without question. Roost is another option and allows Swellow to regain some health and possibly prolong its chance at sweeping. However, neither of these options get used that much in practice due to Swellow's extreme frailty. Finally, one can use Protect over U-turn if you desire to keep Quick Attack on the set.</p>

<p>Steelix and Rhydon are the two biggest problems for Swellow as they resist both STABs and have great physical bulk. Mixed Emboar can destroy both with Fire Blast and Grass Knot respectively while Samurott can take them out with its powerful STAB Hydro Pump. Magneton can trap and KO most Steel-types, which Swellow struggles with in general due to its inability to hit them for effective damage, but note that it will struggle to reliably KO Steelix thanks to Earthquake. One of the more unique partners for Swellow is Acrobatics Drifblim. Drifblim shares many of the same checks and counters that Swellow has, so one can typically be used to weaken checks and counters for the other to sweep. Fighting-types such as Gallade, Medicham, and Hitmonlee can all reliably take out Steel- and Rock-types. A Rapid Spin user is helpful to keep Stealth Rock off the field so Swellow has as much HP as possible to lose to poison. Kabutops is the best choice for this as it can draw out defensive Grass-types for Swellow to switch in on. Slow, bulky pivots such as Eelektross and Musharna can be used to get Swellow in safely. Eelektross even matches up well against most Steel- and Rock-types thanks to its access to Flamethrower and Giga Drain. Finally, Spikes support is recommended to not only take advantage of U-turn, but also to exploit Steelix's and Rhydon's lack of reliable recovery. Roselia is a good choice as it can handle many of the Choice Scarf-equipped Electric-types that may be used to revenge kill Swellow. Scolipede is a more offensive choice that can weaken Steelix and Rhydon with Aqua Tail as well as smashing Uxie and Slowking with Megahorn.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Quite frankly, Swellow has an incredibly limited movepool. However, there are a couple of options you could consider. A Choice Band set seems decent thanks to Guts allowing Swellow to not be crippled by take residual damage from burns and it having a strong STAB move in Brave Bird. However, Braviary not only has a much higher Attack stat, but it also has the ability to overwhelm opposing Rock- and Steel-types with Superpower. Pursuit can catch fleeing Ghost- and Psychic-types, but Swellow is better off just firing off one of its STAB moves. Toxic is an interesting option to cripple Rhydon for the remainder of the match. Steel Wing can catch Rhydon for some damage, but its low Base Power and Rhydon's insane physical bulk makes this a lesser option. Finally, Endeavor can be used as a last-ditch effort to damage an opposing threat if Swellow is really low on HP and you can’t finish off a sweep.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Steelix and Rhydon are, bar none, the best counters to Swellow. With a resistance to both STAB moves and very high physical bulk, both can take numerous attacks from Swellow and respond with Gyro Ball and Rock Blast respectively. Aggron is the most notable offensive counter to Swellow as it sports a 4x resistance to both of Swellow's STABs and it has a powerful Head Smash to decimate Swellow or any teammate that tries to switch in. Choice Scarf Rotom is incredibly annoying for Swellow as it's immune to Facade and Quick Attack while having STAB Volt Switch to build momentum or outright KO Swellow if it stays in. Choice Scarf Rotom-C is also problematic, although a weakened one will have trouble dealing with Quick Attack. Aerodactyl and Accelgor are two of the very few Pokemon that naturally outspeed Swellow, but Accelgor's frailty makes it hard for it to deal with Quick Attack.</p>

<p>Priority users are always an option to revenge kill Swellow, but keep in mind that most will have to deal with Quick Attack first as Swellow outspeeds them. Entei is one of the two exceptions as ExtremeSpeed's +2 priority lets it hit before Swellow. The other exception is Spiritomb, (AC) as its Ghost typing makes it immune to Quick Attack. Samurott and Kabutops can use Aqua Jet and Kabutops even resists Quick Attack. Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee can use Mach Punch. Hitmonchan's is boosted by Iron Fist while Hitmonlee's is usually backed by a Fighting Gem. Although it will have difficulty taking it, Ferroseed can force Swellow to take a ridiculous amount of recoil damage by using Brave Bird thanks to Iron Barbs and the recoil incurred from using Brave Bird in the first place. Pokemon with high physical bulk such as Alomomola and Uxie can take a hit and strike back with their STAB moves, but both must be careful about taking too much prior damage, especially Uxie as Alomomola has Wish and Regenerator to stay in good health throughout the match.</p>

1/2

 

[EonX]

Thanks Gato. Ready for check #2!

 

[Kingler]

Facade has an incredible 210 Base Power after STAB, allowing it to get through even frailer resistances such as Arceops and Aerodactyl.

Archeops. Not qc or gp but js.

 

[melvni]

Additions in Blue
Subtractions in Red
Comments in Purple

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[Overview]

<p>With fantastic Speed, solid Attack, and a great ability, Swellow makes its mark in RU as one of the premier late-game sweepers in the tier. Swellow's incredible Speed lets it outspeed threats gives it the edge against Pokemon (there are other changes that work here to if you don't like this, but this sentence felt very redundant) such as Sceptile, Choice Scarf Emboar, and Cinccino, three big threats in RU that few other Pokemon can claim to outspeed. Swellow also has a great ability in Guts, which boosts its decent Attack to very high levels when afflicted with a status condition. Two high-powered STAB moves and priority in Quick Attack only augment this firepower and cleaning ability (add comma) as this combination makes making it quite difficult to stop Swellow with sheer bulk or Speed once it gets going.</p>

<p>In spite of all of these good qualities, Swellow has next to no coverage on against the numerous Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon in RU. It doesn't help that Steelix and Rhydon are two of the premier physical walls in the tier, as both can handle Swellow without much difficulty. With paltry defenses, a weakness to Stealth Rock, the use of a Toxic Orb to activate Guts, and recoil from possible Brave Birds, Swellow's lifespan is very short and generally relegates it to the late-game sweeping role. In spite of this, Swellow is very good at what it does and should always be considered if you feel your team needs a late-game cleaner. If you give it the proper support, Swellow will finish up many games for you.</p>

[SET]
name: Guts
move 1: Facade
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Quick Attack / Protect
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is Swellow's best set to run in RU and it lets it perform as a great late-game cleaner. This set aims to activate Swellow's Guts ability to power up its moves and go on a late-game sweep. Facade is Swellow's primary STAB move and should be the move you use under most circumstances. After Guts is activated, Facade has an incredible 210 Base Power after STAB, allowing it to get through even frailer resistances such as Archeops and Aerodactyl. Brave Bird is Swellow's secondary STAB and is useful for hitting defensive Grass-types such as Tangrowth, Torterra, and Amoonguss hard enough to OHKO them. U-turn fills in the third slot for Swellow. This lets Swellow hit its checks and counters as they come in and resort switch to a teammate to either take them out or force them out to take more entry hazard damage. The final move is mostly used to ensure Swellow can activate Guts safely. Quick Attack has the more general use as it allows Swellow to revenge kill weakened threats while activating Guts. It's also useful to get in front of other priority users such as Absol, which may might be sent in to revenge kill Swellow with its STAB Sucker Punch. Protect is an option to ensure Guts is activated safely. However, keep in mind that once the Toxic Orb is activated, Swellow takes poison damage every turn, which makes it somewhat counter-productive to scout for moves later with Protect.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Although it might be tempting to use Adamant, Swellow absolutely needs to run Jolly in order to outspeed dangerous threats such as Sceptile, Choice Scarf Emboar, and Cinccino, (remove comma) thus allowing Swellow to so that it can beat them one-on-one if the opponent uses one of them as his or her late-game cleaner. Swellow's movepool is rather shallow, but there are a couple of options to at least consider using in the last slot. Work Up boosts Swellow's Attack to absolutely ridiculous levels and lets it OHKO defensive Spiritomb, Druddigon, and Golurk without question. Roost is another option (add comma) and allows allowing Swellow to regain some health and possibly prolong its chance at sweeping. However, neither of these options get used that much in practice due to Swellow's extreme frailty. Finally, one can use Protect over U-turn if you desire to keep Quick Attack on the set.</p>

<p>Steelix and Rhydon are the two biggest problems for Swellow as they resist both its STABs and have great physical bulk. Mixed Emboar can destroy both with Fire Blast and Grass Knot respectively (add comma) while and Samurott can take them out with its powerful STAB Hydro Pump. Magneton can trap and KO most Steel-types, which Pokemon Swellow struggles with in general due to its inability to hit them for effective damage, but note that it will struggle to reliably KO Steelix thanks due to Earthquake. One of the more unique partners for Swellow is Acrobatics Drifblim. Drifblim shares many of the same checks and counters that with Swellow has, so one can typically be used to weaken checks and counters for the other to sweep. Fighting-types such as Gallade, Medicham, and Hitmonlee can all reliably take out Steel- and Rock-types. A Rapid Spin user is helpful to keep Stealth Rock off the field so Swellow has as much HP as possible to lose to poison for taking poison damage. Kabutops is the best choice for this as it can draw out defensive Grass-types for Swellow to switch in on. Slow, bulky pivots such as Eelektross and Musharna can be used to get Swellow in safely. Eelektross even matches up well against most Steel- and Rock-types thanks to its access to Flamethrower and Giga Drain. Finally, Spikes support is recommended to not only take advantage of U-turn, (remove comma) but also to exploit Steelix's Steelix and Rhydon's lack of reliable recovery. Roselia is a good choice as it can handle many of the Choice Scarf-equipped Electric-types that may be are often used to attempt to revenge kill Swellow. Scolipede is a more offensive choice that can weaken Steelix and Rhydon with Aqua Tail as well as smashing Uxie and Slowking with Megahorn.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Quite frankly, Swellow has an incredibly limited movepool. However, there are a couple of options you could consider. A Choice Band set seems decent thanks to Guts allowing Swellow to not be crippled by burns and it having a strong STAB move in Brave Bird. However, Braviary not only has a much higher Attack stat, (remove comma) but it also has the ability to overwhelm opposing Rock- and Steel-types with Superpower. Pursuit can catch fleeing Ghost- and Psychic-types, but Swellow is better off just firing off one of its STAB moves. Toxic is an interesting option to cripple Rhydon for the remainder of the match. Steel Wing can catch Rhydon for some damage, but its low Base Power and Rhydon's insane physical bulk makes this a lesser option. Finally, Endeavor can be used as a last-ditch effort to damage an opposing threat if Swellow is really low on HP and you can’t (change to straight apostrophe) finish off a sweep.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Steelix and Rhydon are, bar none, the best counters to Swellow. With a resistance to both STAB moves and very high physical bulk, both can take numerous attacks from Swellow and respond with Gyro Ball and or Rock Blast respectively. Aggron is the most notable offensive counter to Swellow as it sports a 4x resistance to both of Swellow's STABs and has a powerful Head Smash to decimate Swellow or any teammate that tries to switch in. Choice Scarf Rotom is incredibly annoying for Swellow as it's immune to Facade and Quick Attack while having and has STAB Volt Switch to build momentum or outright KO Swellow if it stays in. Choice Scarf Rotom-C is also problematic, although a weakened one will have trouble dealing with Quick Attack. Aerodactyl and Accelgor are two of the very few Pokemon that naturally outspeed Swellow, but Accelgor's frailty makes it hard for it to deal with Quick Attack.</p>

<p>Priority users are always an option to revenge kill Swellow, but keep in mind that most will have to deal with Quick Attack first as Swellow outspeeds them. Entei is one of the two exceptions as ExtremeSpeed's +2 priority lets it hit before Swellow can move. The other exception is Spiritomb as its Ghost typing makes it immune to Quick Attack. Samurott and Kabutops can use Aqua Jet and Kabutops even resists Quick Attack. Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee can use Mach Punch. Hitmonchan's is boosted by Iron Fist (add comma) while and Hitmonlee's is usually backed by a Fighting Gem. Although it will have difficulty taking tanking it, Ferroseed can force Swellow to take a ridiculous amount of recoil damage by from using Brave Bird thanks due to Iron Barbs and the recoil incurred from using Brave Bird in the first place. Pokemon with high physical bulk such as Alomomola and Uxie can take a hit and strike back with their STAB moves, but both must be careful about taking too much prior damage, especially Uxie as Alomomola has Wish and Regenerator to stay in good health throughout the match.</p>

GP: 2/2

 

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[Overview]

<p>With fantastic Speed, solid Attack, and a great ability, Swellow makes its mark in RU as one of the premier late-game sweepers in the tier. Swellow's gives it the edge against Pokemon such as Sceptile, Choice Scarf Emboar, and Cinccino, three big threats in RU that few other Pokemon can claim to outspeed. Swellow also has a great ability in Guts, which boosts its decent Attack to very high levels when afflicted with a status condition. Two high-powered STAB moves and priority in Quick Attack only augment this firepower and cleaning ability, making it quite difficult to stop Swellow with sheer bulk or Speed once it gets going.</p>

<p>In spite of all of these good qualities, Swellow has next to no coverage against the numerous Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon in RU. It doesn't help that Steelix and Rhydon are two of the premier physical walls in the tier, as both can handle Swellow without much difficulty. With paltry defenses, a weakness to Stealth Rock, the use of a Toxic Orb to activate Guts, and recoil from possible Brave Birds, Swellow's lifespan is very short and generally relegates it to the late-game sweeping role. In spite of this, Swellow is very good at what it does and should always be considered if you feel your team needs a late-game cleanermakes for a great a late-game cleaner with the right support. This phrase is way overused.</p>

[SET]
name: Guts
move 1: Facade
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Quick Attack / Protect
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>This is Swellow's best set to run in RU and lets it perform as a great late-game cleaner. This set aims to activate Swellow's Guts ability to power up its moves and go on a late-game sweep. Facade should be the move you use under most circumstances. After Guts is activated, Facade has an incredible 210 Base Power after STAB, allowing it to get through even frailer resistances such as Archeops and Aerodactyl. Brave Bird is useful for hitting defensive Grass-types such as Tangrowth, Torterra, and Amoonguss hard enough to OHKO themas well as Pokemon that resist Facade like Escavalier, Durant, and Spiritomb. It actually can't OHKO Tangrowth or 252/252+ Torterra U-turn lets Swellow hit its checks and counters as they come in and switch to a teammate to either take them out or force them out to take more entry hazard damage. The final move is mostly used to ensure Swellow can activate Guts safely. Quick Attack has the more general use as it allows Swellow to revenge kill weakened threats while activating Guts. It's also useful to get in front of other priority users such as Absol, which might be sent in to revenge kill Swellow with its STAB Sucker Punch. Protect is an option to ensure Guts is activated safely. However, keep in mind that once the Toxic Orb is activated, Swellow takes poison damage every turn, which makes it somewhat counter-productive to scout for moves later with Protect.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Although it might be tempting to use Adamant, Swellow absolutely needs to run Jolly in order to outspeed dangerous threats such as Sceptile, Choice Scarf Emboar, and Cinccino so that it can beat them one-on-one if the opponent uses one of them as his or her late-game cleaner. Swellow's movepool is rather shallow, but there are a couple of options to at least consider using in the last slot. Work Up boosts Swellow's Attack to absolutely ridiculous levels and lets it OHKO defensive Spiritomb, Druddigon, and Golurk without question. Roost is another option, allowing Swellow to regain some health and possibly prolong its chance at sweeping. However, neither of these options get used that much in practice due to Swellow's extreme frailty. Finally, one can use Protect over U-turn if you desire to keep Quick Attack on the set.</p>

<p>Steelix and Rhydon are the two biggest problems for Swellow as they resist both of its STABs and have great physical bulk. Mixed Emboar can destroy both with Fire Blast and Grass Knot respectively, and Samurott can take them out with its powerful STAB Hydro Pump. Magneton can trap and KO most Steel-types, Pokemon Swellow struggles with in general due to its inability to hit them for effective damage, but note that it will struggle to reliably KO Steelix due to Earthquake. One of the more unique partners for Swellow is Acrobatics Drifblim. Drifblim shares many checks and counters with Swellow, so one can typically be used to weaken checks and counters for the other to sweep. Fighting-types such as Gallade, Medicham, and Hitmonlee can all reliably take out Steel- and Rock-types. A Rapid Spin user is helpful to keep Stealth Rock off the field so Swellow has as much HP as possible for taking poison damage. Kabutops is the best choice for this as it can draw out defensive Grass-types for Swellow to switch in on. Slow, bulky pivots such as Eelektross and Musharna can be used to get Swellow in safely. Eelektross even matches up well against most Steel- and Rock-types thanks to its access to Flamethrower and Giga Drain. Finally, Spikes support is recommended to not only take advantage of U-turn but also exploit Steelix and Rhydon's lack of reliable recovery. Roselia is a good choice as it can handle many of the Choice Scarf-equipped Electric-types that are often used to attempt to revenge kill Swellow. Scolipede is a more offensive choice that can weaken Steelix and Rhydon with Aqua Tail as well as smashing Uxie and Slowking with Megahorn.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Quite frankly, Swellow has an incredibly limited movepool. However, there are a couple of options you could consider. A Choice Band set seems decent thanks to Guts allowing Swellow to not be crippled by burns and it having a strong STAB move in Brave Bird. However, Braviary not only has a much higher Attack stat but also has the ability to overwhelm opposing Rock- and Steel-types with Superpower. Pursuit can catch fleeing Ghost- and Psychic-types, but Swellow is better off just firing off one of its STAB moves. Toxic is an interesting option to cripple Rhydon for the remainder of the match. Steel Wing can catch Rhydon for some damage, but its low Base Power and Rhydon's insane physical bulk makes this a lesser option. Finally, Endeavor can be used as a last-ditch effort to damage an opposing threat if Swellow is really low on HP and can't finish off a sweep.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Steelix and Rhydon are, bar none, the best counters to Swellow. With a resistance to both STAB moves and very high physical bulk, both can take numerous attacks from Swellow and respond with Gyro Ball or Rock Blast respectively. Aggron is the most notable offensive counter to Swellow as it sports a 4x resistance to both of Swellow's STABs and has a powerful Head Smash to decimate Swellow or any teammate that tries to switch in. Choice Scarf Rotom is incredibly annoying for Swellow as it's immune to Facade and Quick Attack and has STAB Volt Switch to build momentum or outright KO Swellow if it stays in. Choice Scarf Rotom-C is also problematic, although a weakened one will have trouble dealing with Quick Attack. Aerodactyl and Accelgor are two of the very few Pokemon that naturally outspeed Swellow, but Accelgor's frailty makes it hard for it to deal with Quick Attack.</p>

<p>Priority users are always an option to revenge kill Swellow, but keep in mind that most will have to deal with Quick Attack first as Swellow outspeeds them. Entei is one of the two exceptions as ExtremeSpeed's +2 priority lets it hit before Swellow can move. The other exception is Spiritomb as its Ghost typing makes it immune to Quick Attack. Samurott and Kabutops can use Aqua Jet and Kabutops even resists Quick Attack. Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee can use Mach Punch. Hitmonchan's is boosted by Iron Fist, and Hitmonlee's is usually backed by a Fighting Gem. Although it will have difficulty tanking it, Ferroseed can force Swellow to take a ridiculous amount of damage from using Brave Bird due to Iron Barbs and the recoil incurred from using Brave Bird in the first place. Pokemon with high physical bulk such as Alomomola and Uxie can take a hit and strike back with their STAB moves, but both must be careful about taking too much prior damage, especially Uxie as Alomomola has Wish and Regenerator to stay in good health throughout the match.</p>