[OVERVIEW]
*Mega Swampert is the great Pokemon on rain teams due to its ability Swift Swim, and a crucial immunity to Electric, which prevents Tapu Koko and Zapdos, from spamming their STAB moves freely.
*Many offensive teams struggle to switch into Mega Swampert due to its great attacking options and good offensive stats, notably its great Speed under rain, allowing it to outspeed +2 Magearna and Choice Scarf Kartana with a Jolly nature.
*It deals with common rain answers like Toxapex, Ferrothorn, and Tapu Fini relatively well, as they all take hefty amounts of damage from Earthquake.
*Its access to Stealth Rock is also useful, as rain teams will not have to put it an additional Stealth Rock user that might fit awkwardly. This allows Ferrothorn to use Spikes.
*Having no recovery means it is relatively easy to wear down for more balanced teams with residual damage from entry hazards or Rocky Helmet and chip damage like U-turn from Tapu Koko.
*Mega Swampert is also heavily dependent on rain as it is rather slow without the Swift Swim boost, and Waterfall will miss out on crucial KOs.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: Stealth Rock
item: Swampertite
ability: Damp
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
*Waterfall is chosen over Aqua Tail due to its more reliable accuracy and chance to flinch.
*While Stealth Rock might seem weird on an offensive sweeper like Mega Swampert, it takes advantage of how Mega Swampert is able to force out many common Defoggers.
*Superpower can be used over Stealth Rock to deal more damage to Kartana and Ferrothorn
*Substitute punishes pivoting around Mega Swampert and allows it to reliably beat bulky Pokemon like Toxapex which rely on chip damage. It should be used over Stealth Rock.
Set Details
========
*An Adamant nature boosts Mega Swampert's power, although Jolly should be used when using Superpower to outspeed Choice Scarf Kartana when Swift Swim is activated
*Damp is the preferred ability to stop the occasional Explosion from Landorus-T.
Usage Tips
========
*Try preserving Mega Swampert's health as much as possible in case threats like Mega Mawile and Ash-Greninja are present on the opposing team.
*Pivoting through VoltTurn is also a good way to get Mega Swampert in without taking a hit.
*Using Mega Swampert depends hugely on the opponent's checks to it. When solid checks like Tangrowth and Rotom-W are present, it is best to weaken these Pokemon with powerful attacks and entry hazards, making it difficult for them to also check Pokemo nlike Ash-Greninja and Manaphy, allowing them to overwhelm shared checks.
*Some teams struggle to deal with Mega Swampert outside of residual damage, making the matchup very favourable to Mega Swampert. In this case, Mega Swampert should not be played recklessly, but have teammates like Tapu Koko and Tornadus-T weaken the potential pivots that may annoy and chip down Mega Swampert in order to pave a successful sweep late-game.
*If Superpower is used, it is best not to use it mindlessly as it forces Mega Swampert to switch out the next turn. More often that not, it is better for Mega Swampert to use Waterfall or Earthquake as checks come in to chip them down, and then go for a Superpower if they are in range of being KOed.
Team Options
========
*Pelipper is a mandatory teammate to set up rain for Mega Swampert.
*Secondary rain abusers like Ash-Greninja, Manaphy, and Azumarill can take advantage of the rain as well, and weaken shared checks like Grass- and Water-types.
*Tornadus-T and Tapu Koko can act as a pivot with U-turn, and Tornadus-T can also Defog away entry hazards and check Kartana.
*Magearna also provides Volt Switch and checks Tapu Lele and Mega Alakazam, which are huge threats as rain teams usually struggle to take their hits, and Mega Alakazam can even outspeed Mega Swampert under rain thanks to Trace. Magearna also enjoys Fire moves being weakened by rain.
*Spikes users like Ash-Greninja and Ferrothorn can help chip down grounded checks even quicker, like Tangrowth and Slowbro. Ferrothorn also provides a Water-resist and secondary Electric check, as well as benefitting from the weakened Fire-type moves.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
*Power-Up Punch can boost Mega Swampert's Attack even further and make it quite difficult to pivot around. However, it is difficult to fit into Mega Swampert's moveset as it will be giving up either one of its crucial attacking options, or lose Stealth Rock, forcing the team to put in another Stealth Rock user.
*Toxic is a decent option to catch Pokemon like Tangrowth, Rotom-W, and Mega Latias, greatly pressuring them as they come in to check Mega Swampert the next time.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass-types**: Tangrowth, Tapu Bulu, and Ferrothorn can switch in on Waterfall and Earthquake in the former two's case. They can threaten Mega Swampert up with their super effective Grass-type moves and has enough bulk to prevent the 2HKO from Ice Punch. Choice Scarf Kartanaoutspeed Adamant Mega Swampert under rain.
**Water-types**: Bulky Water-types like Rotom-W, Pelipper, Alomomola, and Slowbro are able to take Mega Swampert's hits comfortably and retalitate with their Water-type moves or status it, crippling it in the process. Offensive Water-types like Ash-Greninja, Greninja, and Gyarados can also deal respectable amounts of damage with their attacks, while Greninja cannot reliably switch in, Gyarados can switch in safely as it resists and is immune to Mega Swampert's STAB moves.
**Revenge killing**: Mega Alakazam that has Traced Swift Swim and Unburden-activated Hawlucha can outspeed Jolly Mega Swampert, while Pokemon with positive-natured base 100 Speed at +1 like Mega Charizard X and Victini or Magearna at +2 can all outspeed Adamant variants, the most important one being Choice Scarf Kartana. Priority moves like Water Shuriken are also a threat. Water Shuriken from Ash-Greninja under rain does at least 66.8%, and while other priority moves like Mega Mawile's Sucker Punch are not as strong against Mega Swampert, getting it in range of such priority moves is not too difficult to accomplish with Mega Swampert being quite easily chipped from entry hazards, Rocky Helmet, Iron Barbs, and U-turn from Tapu Koko.
**Other weathers**: While they struggle to switch into Mega Swampert, Tyranitar and Mega Charizard Y can change the weather and switch out accordingly, rendering Mega Swampert quite helpless until rain is back up and therefore forcing Pelipper to come in again.
**Mega Latias**: With resistances to Mega Swampert's STAB moves and great natural bulk, Mega Latias can comfortably take any hit from Mega Swampert and retaliate with its powerful moves. It does struggle to switch in safely to Ice Punch if Stealth Rock is up, but otherwise Mega Swampert has only a very low chance to 2HKO it at all.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[xapx, 406162]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
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