Current Status: Completed, ready to be uploaded after a moderator's approval; additional proofreading still welcome.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/swampert
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Changes:
[SET]
name: MixPert (Lead)
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Protect / Surf / Roar
nature: Relaxed
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This particular Swampert set makes an extremely useful lead in today's fast paced metagame, since you will nearly always get Stealth Rock up, assuming you don't get hit by Taunt from the likes of Azelf or Aerodactyl. Swampert functions relatively the same as it did in ADV by using its naturally high defensive stats to take hits while being able to dish out fair amounts of damage in return, meaning Swampert can be used in any phase of the battle to a good degree of success unlike other frailer leads.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is a must on Swampert if you are using it as a lead, since only a handful of Pokemon can actually set up Stealth Rock early game without a high risk of fainting, due to the higher popularity of bulky leads like Metagross. Earthquake is an obligatory attacking option for Swampert, since it not only receives STAB due to Swampert's typing, but it also makes good use of Swampert's above average Attack stat. Ice Beam allows you to hit Celebi and Latias for a fair amount of damage, as they love to come in on Swampert, thanks to their resistance (or immunity in the case of Latias) to Earthquake. However, Ice Beam is unable to prevent both from actually setting up, as both Celebi and Latias have access to Recover and Ice Beam will not outdamage the 50% recovery Recover provides. To make it even worse, both have access to Calm Mind, further lessening the damage they will take from Ice Beam. Ice Punch is an option to hit Latias harder than by using Ice Beam, but other than that, there are no other noteworthy advantages to using Ice Punch over Ice Beam. Protect often makes the best choice for the last slot, since it allows Swampert to scout for Choiced attacks and lead Metagross' Explosion, as well as netting some useful recovery through Leftovers; however, Surf allows you to hit Skarmory and Rotom-A much harder than with Ice Beam. While Hydro Pump does 2HKO Skarmory (if you make an investment of 52 Special Attack EVS, which can be taken out of Defense), Surf is generally the better option for its reliable accuracy and higher PP. Lastly, Roar makes a solid option if Swampert is being used on a stall team, which mainly revolves around residual damage through entry hazards.</p>
<p>While the EVs may look simple at first, they work to maximize Swampert's defensive potential. Since Garchomp has been moved to the Uber tier, Swampert no longer needs EVs in Special Attack to KO Garchomp with Ice Beam. With the given EV spread, a positively natured Salamence will never OHKO Swampert with a Life Orb Outrage after a Dragon Dance, even with Stealth Rock damage factored in, thanks to Leftovers recovery on the switch-in, meaning Swampert is one of the best physical Salamence counters in the game. One should also be careful though, as Salamence does manage to 2HKO Swampert with a non-boosted Outrage if it attacks on the switch, but many players will opt to use Dragon Dance when given the chance. In return, Ice Beam will always KO Salamence after Stealth Rock damage, regardless of the nature it's running. One should also note that Swampert will have a tougher time switching into special attacks, since even Naive Choice Scarf Heatran manages to hit Swampert for a minimum of 34.41% with Fire Blast.</p>
<p>Other options that are available to Swampert include Stone Edge, which allows Swampert to also serve as a decent Gyarados counter and still deal a fair amount of damage to Salamence, and Toxic, which allows you to hit Latias on the switch and cripple it if it lacks Refresh.</p>
<p>Swampert's typing leaves it vulnerable to only Grass-type attacks, which, thankfully, are resisted by a large portion of the metagame. However, there are specific Pokémon that work best with Swampert. On an offensive team, Scizor makes an excellent partner to Swampert for its ability to hit Celebi and Latias with a STAB U-turn or a boosted Pursuit, but it is recommended you scout for Hidden Power Fire before attacking, since both of these Pokémon will occasionally run it to beat Scizor, especially the former. U-turn also has the added benefit of racking up additional damage from Swampert's Stealth Rock. Additionally, Scizor is 4x resistant to Grass, while Swampert can take Fire-type attacks directed at Scizor. An offensive variant of Rotom-A, particularly the "Substitute + Charge Beam" set, also has an easy time coming in on Celebi, provided it doesn't switch in on Thunder Wave, as Grass Knot will be unable to break Rotom-A's Substitute, while Rotom-A can take the opportunity to nab some Special Attack boosts with Charge Beam.</p>
<p>On a stall team, Swampert will greatly benefit from Wish support, since it lacks any form of recovery outside of Leftovers. Blissey is easily one of the best users of Wish in the game, and she also has the added benefit of taking special attacks directed at Swampert. In return, Swampert is able to take on Tyranitar, a common switch-in to Blissey, as Swampert can brush off Tyranitar's Stone Edges and Crunchs while being able to hit it hard with Earthquake. However, Lucario is able to set up on Blissey without much trouble, so you will also need to run Gyarados, Zapdos, or Rotom-A (depending on the set) to prevent it from running through your team. Rotom-A also allows you to switch into lead Metagross if Swampert does not have Protect to block Explosion.</p>
[SET]
name: Curse + ResTalk
move 1: Curse
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
nature: Careful
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 216 SpD / 40 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Functioning similarly to CroCune, this Swampert has the possibility of boosting its stats even while sleeping. Curse boosts Swampert's Attack and Defense stats, allowing it to take a number of physical assaults while retaining the ability to hit hard. Rest allows Swampert to instantly cure itself of any damage or status taken during the course of the battle, at the cost of being inflicted with sleep status. However, Sleep Talk helps to mitigate this problem, as it allows Swampert to continue to boost its stats or attack with Waterfall, even while asleep. Because Swampert only has one move slot to use for attacking, Waterfall is the best option. However, it should be noted that this Swampert should be saved for late game, once any Water Absorbing Pokémon, such as Vaporeon, are removed from play. Earthquake could be used in place of Waterfall, but there are many more Flying-types and Levitating Pokémon than there are Pokémon who are immune to Water-type attacks.</p>
<p>Because Swampert is boosting its Defense, EVs are focused into HP and Special Defense. Life Orb max Special Attack Infernape can only deal, at most, 91% damage with Grass Knot to Swampert, while Swampert has a 67% chance to OHKO with an unboosted Waterfall, when factoring in Life Orb recoil. With 216 Special Defense EVs, Swampert also gains a bonus Special Defense point. With such heavy investment in HP and Special Defense, Swampert becomes a reliable counter for Heatran, but one has to be wary of Hidden Power Grass. Although slightly arbitrary, 40 Defense EVs allow Swampert to survive +2 Life Orb Adamant Lucario's Close Combat 97% of the time after a single Curse and OHKO with Waterfall after Close Combat's Defense drop.</p>
<p>While this set is unarguably Swampert's preferred option when sweeping, it still has issues that must be resolved through other team members. Obviously, this set's biggest drawback is being unable to even scratch common Water-types, most notably Vaporeon, due to Water Absorb. Strong physical attackers such as Gyarados and Salamence can attempt to set up on Swampert as well, although Gyarados won't enjoy taking +6 Waterfalls, even if resisted, and Salamence will struggle to damage a +6 Swampert with the standard Dragon Dance set. As such, you will want teammates that can lure out Swampert's counters and either cripple them or take them out. Roserade is one of the best partners possible for Swampert, since they not only cover each other's weaknesses, but Roserade can also set up Toxic Spikes, effectively crippling Vaporeon, and other Water-types outside of Suicune carrying Rest, for the rest of the match. Additionally, Roserade's Leaf Storm deals a significant amount of damage to any Water-type brave enough to stay in on it.</p>
<p>With Roserade handling Water-types standing in Swampert's path, you will also need to consider another Pokémon to weaken non-grounded Pokémon which resist Waterfall. The most common Pokémon you will encounter are Salamence, Latias, and Gyarados. As such, a strong mixed sweeper can easily lure out and handle these threats. A good option to consider is using Heatran to lure out all of these counters. The best strategy would be to use Substitute on a Pokémon like Scizor, forcing a switch, and hit Latias with Toxic, and Salamence and Gyarados with Dragon Pulse, Fire Blast, Explosion, or any other attacking option Heatran might be carrying. Another good choice is Physical Mix Jirachi, who functions on surprise value to hinder Pokémon like Salamence, Gyarados, and Latias.</p>
[SET]
name: CursePert
move 1: Curse
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Avalanche / Stone Edge
move 4: Waterfall / Rest
nature: Careful
item: Leftovers / Chesto Berry
evs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Not unlike Snorlax, Swampert has the potential in being able to set up by using Curse against a good number of opponents due to it only having a weakness to Grass-type attacks; however, don't expect it to hit hard without having set up Curse a few times, especially since Swampert is lacking EVs in Attack in exchange for bolstering its defenses. The strategy is quite simple: once potential counters for Swampert have been eliminated, proceed by using Curse or Rest, should you be low on health or inflicted with a status condition.</p>
<p>The given attacking options are usually the best to go with as they provide Swampert with the best possible coverage. Earthquake is a tad stronger than Waterfall, making it the primary option over Swampert's other STAB. Avalanche is Swampert's secondary form of attack, allowing you to hit Flying-types who are immune to Earthquake for super effective damage. Stone Edge is also a good option if you want to be able to hit Gyarados, but Avalanche is usually the better choice due to the higher amount of PP and overall better accuracy. For the final slot, both Waterfall and Rest are usable options. Waterfall gives additional coverage in being able to hit Pokémon like Rotom-A and Bronzong, but Rest allows you to recover your health or relieve yourself of status and keep repeating the cycle of setting up, so it really comes down to whether you prefer additional coverage or longevity.</p>
<p>The provided EV spread gives Swampert an easier time setting up Curse, as the Special Defense EVs largely reduces the amount of damage Heatran and other special attackers deal to Swampert, which is largely important is Swampert is running Rest. The use of Defense EVs is objectional, as Curse already raises Swampert's fairly impressive Defense stat, but more initial Defense EVs can be used to your liking.</p>
<p>The success of this set depends upon one's ability to eliminate counters preventing Swampert from being able to sweep, and as such, you should pair Swampert with Pokémon that can easily take on Swampert's counters, which include Grass-types like Celebi and bulky waters like Suicune. Phazers such as Skarmory and Hippowdon can also give this set trouble, as they can use Whirlwind or Roar to negate your stat boosts. Rotom-A is a good option in taking on all of the above Pokémon, due to its STAB in Ghost and Electric. Rotom-A takes extremely low damage from Celebi's Grass Knot and can hit it back with Shadow Ball, and Water-types are hit by either Thunderbolt or Discharge. SubCharge Rotom-A is the best set if you want to hit Swampert's counters as hard as possible, by having another form of offense outside of Swampert. On an interesting note, Nasty Plot Infernape manages to beat almost, if not all, of Swampert's counters with a boosted Flamethrower or Grass Knot, and also has an easy time setting up on Celebi since it will more than likely switch out.</p>
<p>If using Rest, Swampert will become particularly vulnerable to high powered special attacks such as Draco Meteor from either Latias or Salamence, and even Shadow Ball from Rotom-A, as you won't be able to do much in return, especially if it uses Will-O-Wisp. For this reason, Swampert can be paired with a Pokémon that is adept at taking special hits, such as a Latias of your own, or even Blissey if you are daring to use it on an offensively oriented team. Steel-types also become useful partners to Swampert, since they pack a large amount of resistances to types Swampert might have trouble retaliating against, particularly Ghost-, Dragon-, and Grass-types; Scizor once again makes a good choice due to its access to Bullet Punch and Pursuit. At the same time, you will need checks against Pokémon that may attempt to set up on you while asleep, so a revenge killer can often become another useful companion to this type of Swampert.</p>
[SET]
name: Rest + Sleep Talk
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Avalanche / Stone Edge
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
nature: Impish
item: Leftovers
evs: 240 HP / 216 Def / 52 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although Swampert is considered to be one of the best physical walls in today's metagame, it is unfortunately hindered by not having a reliable source of recovery outside of Leftovers, excluding Wish support. This set attempts to make up for that problem by providing Swampert with a feasible form of recovery at the cost of not being able to use support moves such as Stealth Rock or Roar. Swampert is already capable of walling physical Salamence and Tyranitar with relative ease, and this set makes it much easier to do so, since you can Rest off any damage taken and have a 2/3 chance of dealing damage to your opponent while asleep.</p>
<p>The choice in attacking moves allow Swampert to have the best coverage possible in two moves. Earthquake is recommended over Waterfall due to a higher Base Power and overall better neutrality. Avalanche is generally preferred in the second slot to hit Flying-types such as Salamence, but Stone Edge can be used if you want to attempt to counter Gyarados, but the low PP and accuracy is unreliable on a Pokémon meant to be sticking around for a while. Rest and Sleep Talk are obvious choices for the third and fourth slots, as implied by the name of this set.</p>
<p>The EVs are quite standard for this set, allowing for the best defensive potential Swampert can claim. The EVs function relatively the same as for the MixPert set, allowing you to have a high chance of surviving Dragon Dance Salamence's +1 Outrage and not get 2HKOed by Choice Band Tyranitar's Crunch about 97% of the time with both Stealth Rock damage and Leftovers recovery factored in. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Attack to give Swampert a slightly better damage output with its attacks, but the EVs can also be relocated to Special Defense if you desire.</p>
<p>As always, you will want Swampert to avoid getting hit by Grass-type attacks for obvious reasons. Since this Swampert is meant to be played defensively, one should focus on making sure that Swampert will survive the attacks it is meant to survive. For this reason, a user of Rapid Spin can serve as a good partner for Swampert. Forretress gets a particular mention because it complements Swampert by covering each other's weaknesses, and also has access to Toxic Spikes, which allows Swampert to outstall opponents through Rest + Sleep Talk.</p>
<p>Swampert will also have trouble with durable, physical attackers, such as Gyarados and Machamp, who are not really bothered by anything you can throw at them (unless Swampert is carrying Stone Edge to hit Gyarados) and can hit extremely hard after a few boosts, or in Machamp's case, repeated confusion from DynamicPunch. Celebi is able to take on both of these Pokemon with relative ease, but must watch out for Gyarados's Bounce or Taunt and Machamp's Payback; however, the latter is outsped and can be hit hard by Grass Knot or Leaf Storm, especially on an offensive set, such as the Offensive Calm Minder or Tinkerbell. Additional coverage can be brought in the form of your own Gyarados, since it counters most Machamp and can threaten Gyarados with Stone Edge, although it is highly likely opposing Gyarados will be carrying the same move.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Ice Punch
nature: Adamant
item: Choice Band
evs: 136 HP / 204 Atk / 68 Def / 100 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although not as effective as the other sets, using Choice Band on Swampert allows you to hit incoming counters much harder than before, at the cost of being locked into one move. However, this set has many drawbacks that need to be addressed, primarily in being unable to outspeed most Pokémon that will try switching into Swampert. For this reason, one must be able to predict successfully in order to make the best use of this set.</p>
<p>Swampert loses the ability to take repeated hits with this set due to a lack of Leftovers and a high number of defensive EVs, but Swampert manages to reach a fantastic Attack stat of 505 when using the given EV spread, along with Choice Band. Even with a lower EV investment in HP and defenses, Swampert still manages to avoid getting 2HKOed by Choice Band Tyranitar's Stone Edge and 3HKOed by neutral natured Heatran's Fire Blast, assuming Stealth Rock is not set up. The given Speed EVs allows Swampert to sit at a comfortable 181 Speed, allowing you to outspeed most Skarmory, Tyranitar, and Metagross.</p>
<p>The attacks presented for this set give Swampert the best coverage possible. While Superpower can replace either Stone Edge or Ice Punch for a higher damage output outside of Earthquake, it is generally not a wise option because Ground- and Fighting-type attacks offer similar coverage. When using this set, it is generally a good idea to use either Waterfall or Stone Edge to scout for incoming counters, since many Pokémon in OU are immune to Earthquake. Also note that previous counters like Celebi will still wall this set with ease.</p>
<p>Since Swampert's biggest hindrance is its low base Speed, it is a very good idea to provide Swampert with paralysis support so it has a higher chance of being able to beat incoming counters without relying heavily on prediction. The best inducers of paralysis in OU include Jirachi and Togekiss, both good Pokémon to pair with Swampert in terms of resistances. Jirachi has access to either Body Slam or Thunder Wave to paralyze opponents, while Togekiss also has access to Thunder Wave and more support moves like Encore. It is also worth noting that both of these Pokémon also have access to Wish, being necessary if you want to keep Swampert healthy throughout the match, since it tends to get worn down easily.</p>
<p>Another large problem with Choice Band Swampert is that Pokémon like Salamence and Gyarados tend to set up on it easily when switching into a resisted attack, which will occur more often than not, due to Water- and Ground-type attacks being resisted by a fair amount of Pokémon in OU. As such, it is vital that you have a way to work around problematic Pokémon, such as those previously listed. Additionally, Stealth Rock support will prevent these Pokémon from switching in too freely. Choice Scarf Latias is an effective revenge killer that can defeat most set-up Pokémon 1-on-1, and also has the added benefit of being a good partner with Swampert in terms of defensive synergy. However, a strong Pursuit user such as Scizor and Tyranitar will prove problematic when relying on this strategy, so make sure you have scouted for Pursuit users beforehand. Porygon2 works in a similar fashion by being a dual counter to both Salamence and Gyarados, due to its Trace ability and access to the "BoltBeam" combo; Latias is also crippled by Toxic, although Porygon2 is not a recommended counter to Latias because of Calm Mind.</p>
<p>As stated before, bulky Grass-types, such as Celebi and Tangrowth, will wall this set without much difficulty, especially the former, due to it outspeeding you and having access to Recover. Heatran manages to set up on most Celebi as long as you avoid Thunder Wave, and a strong Pursuit user in Scizor or Tyranitar can weaken it to a point where it can no longer come in on Ice Punch, provided you predict correctly.</p>
<p>In short, to use Swampert effectively, you must be able to predict incoming counters while having checks to Pokémon that may attempt to set up on Swampert when locked into the wrong move.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>While Swampert is an outstanding Pokémon capable of functioning on its own without major team support, there are supportive environments that lessen the work Swampert has to handle on a team, especially since it will often be called on to take boosted hits from the likes of Tyranitar or Salamence. Since Swampert lacks a form of recovery outside of Leftovers, Wish support is a great aid in allowing Swampert to remain healthy throughout the match. Both Jirachi and Blissey make good teammates, as Jirachi and Swampert cover each other's weaknesses quite well, while Blissey can take special attacks aimed at Swampert with ease. Swampert is also susceptible to Toxic, especially non-Rest versions, so a user of Aromatherapy or Heal Bell, such as Blissey or Celebi, can be paired with Swampert to eliminate any afflicted status. If running Roar, Swampert will also appreciate Spikes support in order to maximize the damage output from entry hazards.</p>
<p>Swampert can also run a set consisting of Substitute, Endeavor, and a Salac Berry, along with your choice of other attacking moves. Swampert can use Substitute on a Pokémon likely to switch out, such as Heatran, and keep using Substitute until Swampert is low on HP, which is where Endeavor would come in handy. With a Salac Berry, Swampert can outspeed a major portion of the OU metagame, nearly guaranteeing that Endeavor will prove successful. Swampert's Torrent ability also allows Swampert to have a chance of sweeping with Waterfall. However, this set is not a main option because constantly whittling down Swampert's HP is counter-productive to Swampert's main purpose on a team, where is usually wants to be high on HP.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, the combination of a Ground- and Ice-type attack will give Swampert the best possible coverage, but bulkier Pokémon which can shrug off either Ice Beam or Avalanche will have an easy time against Swampert, assuming they resist or are immune Earthquake to begin with. A prime example of this is Celebi, which is often considered the best possible Swampert counter; however, Celebi packs a horrible weakness to Pursuit, so by using either Scizor or Tyranitar, you should have an easy time against Celebi, provided you avoid Hidden Power Fire or Leaf Storm (Grass Knot won't OHKO Tyranitar). Pokémon like Infernape and Rotom-A will enjoy setting up on Celebi (provided they avoid Thunder Wave), since Grass Knot deals mediocre damage to the two. Latias can be dispatched in a similar fashion. Some Gyarados will also attempt to set up on you since it doesn't fear taking much from Ice Beam, so Rotom-A once again makes a good offensive partner if you want to tackle Gyarados. In addition, Calm Mind Latias has an easy time setting up on just about every Pokémon that Swampert has trouble with, ranging from the aforementioned Celebi to even Infernape, who will often carry Grass Knot to deal with Bulky Waters such as Swampert.</p>
<p>Defensive support is rather simple on a Pokémon like Swampert, since its only weakness to Grass-type attacks are covered by a multitude of Pokémon in OU. Jirachi makes for an interesting partner to Swampert, since it not only resists Grass-type attacks, but can also provide Swampert with Wish support, as already mentioned. Heatran is another excellent Pokémon to consider pairing with Swampert, since it handles Grass-types with ease due to a 120 Base Power attack in Fire Blast, along with STAB. In addition, you can also pair Celebi with Swampert, and when combined with Heatran, will form the defensive combo normally regarded as "CelePertTran", which walls all 17 types; in addition, each of these Pokémon is bulky enough to shrug off several hits, making it difficult for the opponent to break through your team. If using this combo, you will also need an additional teammate to handle Pokémon attempting to set up on you, since the aforementioned defensive core has trouble taking on Pokémon like Gyarados carrying Bounce or even Dragon Dance Salamence. Choice Scarf Latias or a Choice Band Scizor with Quick Attack will often be your best choice, since both are useful in taking out Pokémon in emergencies.</p>
<p>As already mentioned quite enough, the biggest problem to watch out for is Celebi and Latias. Celebi is more than not partnered with Heatran due to their typing complementing each other defensively; however, that is not to say that the defensive combo is without its flaws. A strong mixed sweeper such as Salamence has an easy time dealing with both Celebi and Heatran, as a boosted Fire Blast or Outrage deals severe damage to Celebi while Earthquake dispatches Heatran without a problem. Scizor is not far behind Heatran in teammate usage, and can be dispatched by Salamence as well, assuming you are in good enough health to survive Bullet Punch, which normally deals around 65% average (a possible KO after Stealth Rock damage and Life Orb recoil); otherwise, Scizor can be dispatched by any Fire-type attack or can be crippled by Will-O-Wisp. Latias shares similar partners, which include Metagross and Salamence, both taken on by Swampert without much effort.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Hidden Power Electric can 2HKO Gyarados, but doesn't really hurt any of the other Water-types like Milotic or Suicune. Hidden Power Bug can catch Celebi and Ludicolo off guard, but won't OHKO either of them. Counter or Mirror Coat can grab a surprise KO on certain attackers that Swampert would otherwise have problems hurting. Swampert can Focus Punch from behind 101 Substitutes to block Blissey's Seismic Toss and hurt her badly, but sapping Swampert's HP when it's usually relied upon to take hits is counter productive. Hydro Cannon gets a mention simply to say this—do not use it. The extra power over Hydro Pump isn't worth the second turn recharge and inability to switch. Swampert can make use of its decent base 85 Special Attack stat and run a Choice Specs set with Surf, Earth Power, Ice Beam, and Hidden Power Electric, although it is generally inferior to other sets. Rain Dance can also be used on Swampert on a Rain Dance team, as many teams have trouble against Tyranitar (due to its Sand Stream ability), and Swampert makes a fine counter to it.</p>
[EVs]
<p>MixPert can be Relaxed with 240 HP / 216 Def / 52 SpA. The Special Attack EVs allow Swampert to reach a stat of 219, which is sufficient to score a likely OHKO on Salamence with Ice Beam (94–100%, against a minimum HP Salamence). To guarantee an OHKO on the same Salamence, 235 Special Attack (116 EVs) is required. 219 also allows for a likely 2HKO on Weezing and Skarmory with Hydro Pump, with both taking 48–57% (assuming max HP/0 Special Defense).</p>
<p>Dumping 20 EVs into Speed allows Swampert to outrun Weezing (although you're not doing much damage to him), and "Tyraniboah" as well.</p>
<p>The Curse set should have the recommended EV spread to allow Swampert to have an easier time taking special attacks. With Curse, the use of Defense EVs is not as particularly useful as the high investment in Special Defense EVs, since Curse boosts your already decent Defense stat anyways.</p>
<p>The Sleep Talker can follow the same EV spread as the MixPert set, but it is advised that you invest in Special Defense instead. The Sleep Talker Curse set will be able to set up Curses more easily, making Defense EVs less necessary.</p>
<p>The Choice Bander should invest around 100 EVs in Speed to outrun neutral natured Skarmory and Metagross. A decent amount of EVs should be invested in Attack and the remaining between HP and Defense.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>In ADV, Swampert fell into the category of "Bulky Water" alongside the likes of Suicune and Milotic. Swampert's Rock-type resistance, Sandstorm immunity, and Electric-type immunity gave it a nice advantage over those two back then, and it's of even greater importance in the 4th generation. This is due to the addition of a new Sand Stream Pokémon in Hippowdon, a more powerful Rock attack in Stone Edge, and the introduction of Stealth Rock. Albeit not as common, Donphan, Hippowdon, and Rhyperior are stiff competition for Swampert for the position of Ground-type on a team. Swampert's advantages over those three include its neutrality to Water and Ice-type attacks, higher Special Defense, and usable Special Attack stat. It's also worth noting that it will almost always beat those three one on one.</p>
<p>While its movepool upgrades from the previous generation are slight, they are both significant and welcome. Physical Water- and Ice-type attacks are a nice bonus, as is its ability to provide support with Stealth Rock. Stone Edge is also a useful new addition, giving Swampert the opportunity to take on Gyarados with some degree of success without having to resort to Hidden Power Electric. Its ability to counter heavy hitters such as Tyranitar, Metagross, and Salamence has taken a hit from the previous generation, as all three now have 80 base power STAB attacks to hit it for neutral damage. In the case of Metagross, Grass Knot can easily 2HKO Swampert, and Salamence's Draco Meteor can OHKO it on a Choice Specs set. The new Grass-type attacks such as Energy Ball and Grass Knot pose an obvious threat to Swampert, but are fairly predictable. Overall, Swampert is an solid choice on any team, and will rarely let you down.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Ludicolo is an excellent counter: Ground- and Water-type resists, neutralilty to Ice- and Rock-type attacks, and a STAB Grass-type attack to batter Swampert with. Almost any other Grass-type that can take at least one Ice-type attack should finish it with ease. The best candidates for this include Celebi, Venusaur, Leafeon, Tangrowth, Exeggutor, Meganium, and Shaymin.</p>
<p>Rotom-A, Dusknoir, and Spiritomb shrug off Swampert's attacks and can cripple most variants with Will-O-Wisp.</p>
<p>Cresselia, Uxie, and Mesprit are immune to its STAB Earthquake and possess sufficient defenses to take hits from its other attacks. All three can hit back with Energy Ball or Grass Knot. Azelf works in a similar way, but its lower defenses mean it can't take quite as much a repeated beating from Swampert's Water-type attacks.</p>
<p>Gengar doesn't enjoy taking hits from Swampert's STAB Water-type attacks, but will usually survive them and can either cripple Swampert with Hypnosis or Will-O-Wisp, or simply throw powerful Energy Balls at it. Mismagius works in much the same way, but her high Special Defense means she can sponge Surfs and Hydro Pumps more effectively than Gengar.</p>
<p>Zapdos can survive a Stone Edge and any of Swampert's Ice-type attacks, and take it down with Hidden Power Grass. It can also use Light Screen to sponge hits from Ice Beam.</p>
<p>Heracross resists Earthquake and 2HKOes Swampert with a Choice Banded Megahorn or Close Combat. Waterfall is a possible 2HKO on the bug, but requires more Attack EVs than most Swampert usually carry (280 for a possible 2HKO, 320 for guaranteed 2HKO on a minimum HP Heracross).</p>
<p>Milotic can Recover off Swampert's Earthquakes, and wear it down with Surf. Vaporeon can fill a similar role by alternating between Wish and Protect to stall out Swampert while hitting him with Surf. Suicune does the same job with its incredible Defense. All three can Haze / Roar the Cursing set.</p>
<p>Latias is immune to Swampert's STAB Earthquake, resists Water-type attacks, and can take Ice Beams with its monstrous Special Defense. In general it is a very safe switch-in, but you should watch out for Ice Punch, as it has a chance to OHKO Latias if Swampert is holding a Choice Band.</p>
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The rest of the update will be completed in a timely, manageable manner. I appreciate everyone's patience so far!
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/swampert
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Changes:
- Complete revamp of individual set descriptions
- Removed Physical Swampert set, as it was not much different than MixPert
- Removed Endeavor set, as it seemed as too much of a gimmick, but am willing to re-add if requested
- Addition of team support options for each set
- Addition of team options section
- Revamped descriptions will be in blue
- Team support options will be in red
[SET]
name: MixPert (Lead)
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Protect / Surf / Roar
nature: Relaxed
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This particular Swampert set makes an extremely useful lead in today's fast paced metagame, since you will nearly always get Stealth Rock up, assuming you don't get hit by Taunt from the likes of Azelf or Aerodactyl. Swampert functions relatively the same as it did in ADV by using its naturally high defensive stats to take hits while being able to dish out fair amounts of damage in return, meaning Swampert can be used in any phase of the battle to a good degree of success unlike other frailer leads.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is a must on Swampert if you are using it as a lead, since only a handful of Pokemon can actually set up Stealth Rock early game without a high risk of fainting, due to the higher popularity of bulky leads like Metagross. Earthquake is an obligatory attacking option for Swampert, since it not only receives STAB due to Swampert's typing, but it also makes good use of Swampert's above average Attack stat. Ice Beam allows you to hit Celebi and Latias for a fair amount of damage, as they love to come in on Swampert, thanks to their resistance (or immunity in the case of Latias) to Earthquake. However, Ice Beam is unable to prevent both from actually setting up, as both Celebi and Latias have access to Recover and Ice Beam will not outdamage the 50% recovery Recover provides. To make it even worse, both have access to Calm Mind, further lessening the damage they will take from Ice Beam. Ice Punch is an option to hit Latias harder than by using Ice Beam, but other than that, there are no other noteworthy advantages to using Ice Punch over Ice Beam. Protect often makes the best choice for the last slot, since it allows Swampert to scout for Choiced attacks and lead Metagross' Explosion, as well as netting some useful recovery through Leftovers; however, Surf allows you to hit Skarmory and Rotom-A much harder than with Ice Beam. While Hydro Pump does 2HKO Skarmory (if you make an investment of 52 Special Attack EVS, which can be taken out of Defense), Surf is generally the better option for its reliable accuracy and higher PP. Lastly, Roar makes a solid option if Swampert is being used on a stall team, which mainly revolves around residual damage through entry hazards.</p>
<p>While the EVs may look simple at first, they work to maximize Swampert's defensive potential. Since Garchomp has been moved to the Uber tier, Swampert no longer needs EVs in Special Attack to KO Garchomp with Ice Beam. With the given EV spread, a positively natured Salamence will never OHKO Swampert with a Life Orb Outrage after a Dragon Dance, even with Stealth Rock damage factored in, thanks to Leftovers recovery on the switch-in, meaning Swampert is one of the best physical Salamence counters in the game. One should also be careful though, as Salamence does manage to 2HKO Swampert with a non-boosted Outrage if it attacks on the switch, but many players will opt to use Dragon Dance when given the chance. In return, Ice Beam will always KO Salamence after Stealth Rock damage, regardless of the nature it's running. One should also note that Swampert will have a tougher time switching into special attacks, since even Naive Choice Scarf Heatran manages to hit Swampert for a minimum of 34.41% with Fire Blast.</p>
<p>Other options that are available to Swampert include Stone Edge, which allows Swampert to also serve as a decent Gyarados counter and still deal a fair amount of damage to Salamence, and Toxic, which allows you to hit Latias on the switch and cripple it if it lacks Refresh.</p>
<p>Swampert's typing leaves it vulnerable to only Grass-type attacks, which, thankfully, are resisted by a large portion of the metagame. However, there are specific Pokémon that work best with Swampert. On an offensive team, Scizor makes an excellent partner to Swampert for its ability to hit Celebi and Latias with a STAB U-turn or a boosted Pursuit, but it is recommended you scout for Hidden Power Fire before attacking, since both of these Pokémon will occasionally run it to beat Scizor, especially the former. U-turn also has the added benefit of racking up additional damage from Swampert's Stealth Rock. Additionally, Scizor is 4x resistant to Grass, while Swampert can take Fire-type attacks directed at Scizor. An offensive variant of Rotom-A, particularly the "Substitute + Charge Beam" set, also has an easy time coming in on Celebi, provided it doesn't switch in on Thunder Wave, as Grass Knot will be unable to break Rotom-A's Substitute, while Rotom-A can take the opportunity to nab some Special Attack boosts with Charge Beam.</p>
<p>On a stall team, Swampert will greatly benefit from Wish support, since it lacks any form of recovery outside of Leftovers. Blissey is easily one of the best users of Wish in the game, and she also has the added benefit of taking special attacks directed at Swampert. In return, Swampert is able to take on Tyranitar, a common switch-in to Blissey, as Swampert can brush off Tyranitar's Stone Edges and Crunchs while being able to hit it hard with Earthquake. However, Lucario is able to set up on Blissey without much trouble, so you will also need to run Gyarados, Zapdos, or Rotom-A (depending on the set) to prevent it from running through your team. Rotom-A also allows you to switch into lead Metagross if Swampert does not have Protect to block Explosion.</p>
[SET]
name: Curse + ResTalk
move 1: Curse
move 2: Waterfall
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
nature: Careful
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 216 SpD / 40 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Functioning similarly to CroCune, this Swampert has the possibility of boosting its stats even while sleeping. Curse boosts Swampert's Attack and Defense stats, allowing it to take a number of physical assaults while retaining the ability to hit hard. Rest allows Swampert to instantly cure itself of any damage or status taken during the course of the battle, at the cost of being inflicted with sleep status. However, Sleep Talk helps to mitigate this problem, as it allows Swampert to continue to boost its stats or attack with Waterfall, even while asleep. Because Swampert only has one move slot to use for attacking, Waterfall is the best option. However, it should be noted that this Swampert should be saved for late game, once any Water Absorbing Pokémon, such as Vaporeon, are removed from play. Earthquake could be used in place of Waterfall, but there are many more Flying-types and Levitating Pokémon than there are Pokémon who are immune to Water-type attacks.</p>
<p>Because Swampert is boosting its Defense, EVs are focused into HP and Special Defense. Life Orb max Special Attack Infernape can only deal, at most, 91% damage with Grass Knot to Swampert, while Swampert has a 67% chance to OHKO with an unboosted Waterfall, when factoring in Life Orb recoil. With 216 Special Defense EVs, Swampert also gains a bonus Special Defense point. With such heavy investment in HP and Special Defense, Swampert becomes a reliable counter for Heatran, but one has to be wary of Hidden Power Grass. Although slightly arbitrary, 40 Defense EVs allow Swampert to survive +2 Life Orb Adamant Lucario's Close Combat 97% of the time after a single Curse and OHKO with Waterfall after Close Combat's Defense drop.</p>
<p>While this set is unarguably Swampert's preferred option when sweeping, it still has issues that must be resolved through other team members. Obviously, this set's biggest drawback is being unable to even scratch common Water-types, most notably Vaporeon, due to Water Absorb. Strong physical attackers such as Gyarados and Salamence can attempt to set up on Swampert as well, although Gyarados won't enjoy taking +6 Waterfalls, even if resisted, and Salamence will struggle to damage a +6 Swampert with the standard Dragon Dance set. As such, you will want teammates that can lure out Swampert's counters and either cripple them or take them out. Roserade is one of the best partners possible for Swampert, since they not only cover each other's weaknesses, but Roserade can also set up Toxic Spikes, effectively crippling Vaporeon, and other Water-types outside of Suicune carrying Rest, for the rest of the match. Additionally, Roserade's Leaf Storm deals a significant amount of damage to any Water-type brave enough to stay in on it.</p>
<p>With Roserade handling Water-types standing in Swampert's path, you will also need to consider another Pokémon to weaken non-grounded Pokémon which resist Waterfall. The most common Pokémon you will encounter are Salamence, Latias, and Gyarados. As such, a strong mixed sweeper can easily lure out and handle these threats. A good option to consider is using Heatran to lure out all of these counters. The best strategy would be to use Substitute on a Pokémon like Scizor, forcing a switch, and hit Latias with Toxic, and Salamence and Gyarados with Dragon Pulse, Fire Blast, Explosion, or any other attacking option Heatran might be carrying. Another good choice is Physical Mix Jirachi, who functions on surprise value to hinder Pokémon like Salamence, Gyarados, and Latias.</p>
[SET]
name: CursePert
move 1: Curse
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Avalanche / Stone Edge
move 4: Waterfall / Rest
nature: Careful
item: Leftovers / Chesto Berry
evs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Not unlike Snorlax, Swampert has the potential in being able to set up by using Curse against a good number of opponents due to it only having a weakness to Grass-type attacks; however, don't expect it to hit hard without having set up Curse a few times, especially since Swampert is lacking EVs in Attack in exchange for bolstering its defenses. The strategy is quite simple: once potential counters for Swampert have been eliminated, proceed by using Curse or Rest, should you be low on health or inflicted with a status condition.</p>
<p>The given attacking options are usually the best to go with as they provide Swampert with the best possible coverage. Earthquake is a tad stronger than Waterfall, making it the primary option over Swampert's other STAB. Avalanche is Swampert's secondary form of attack, allowing you to hit Flying-types who are immune to Earthquake for super effective damage. Stone Edge is also a good option if you want to be able to hit Gyarados, but Avalanche is usually the better choice due to the higher amount of PP and overall better accuracy. For the final slot, both Waterfall and Rest are usable options. Waterfall gives additional coverage in being able to hit Pokémon like Rotom-A and Bronzong, but Rest allows you to recover your health or relieve yourself of status and keep repeating the cycle of setting up, so it really comes down to whether you prefer additional coverage or longevity.</p>
<p>The provided EV spread gives Swampert an easier time setting up Curse, as the Special Defense EVs largely reduces the amount of damage Heatran and other special attackers deal to Swampert, which is largely important is Swampert is running Rest. The use of Defense EVs is objectional, as Curse already raises Swampert's fairly impressive Defense stat, but more initial Defense EVs can be used to your liking.</p>
<p>The success of this set depends upon one's ability to eliminate counters preventing Swampert from being able to sweep, and as such, you should pair Swampert with Pokémon that can easily take on Swampert's counters, which include Grass-types like Celebi and bulky waters like Suicune. Phazers such as Skarmory and Hippowdon can also give this set trouble, as they can use Whirlwind or Roar to negate your stat boosts. Rotom-A is a good option in taking on all of the above Pokémon, due to its STAB in Ghost and Electric. Rotom-A takes extremely low damage from Celebi's Grass Knot and can hit it back with Shadow Ball, and Water-types are hit by either Thunderbolt or Discharge. SubCharge Rotom-A is the best set if you want to hit Swampert's counters as hard as possible, by having another form of offense outside of Swampert. On an interesting note, Nasty Plot Infernape manages to beat almost, if not all, of Swampert's counters with a boosted Flamethrower or Grass Knot, and also has an easy time setting up on Celebi since it will more than likely switch out.</p>
<p>If using Rest, Swampert will become particularly vulnerable to high powered special attacks such as Draco Meteor from either Latias or Salamence, and even Shadow Ball from Rotom-A, as you won't be able to do much in return, especially if it uses Will-O-Wisp. For this reason, Swampert can be paired with a Pokémon that is adept at taking special hits, such as a Latias of your own, or even Blissey if you are daring to use it on an offensively oriented team. Steel-types also become useful partners to Swampert, since they pack a large amount of resistances to types Swampert might have trouble retaliating against, particularly Ghost-, Dragon-, and Grass-types; Scizor once again makes a good choice due to its access to Bullet Punch and Pursuit. At the same time, you will need checks against Pokémon that may attempt to set up on you while asleep, so a revenge killer can often become another useful companion to this type of Swampert.</p>
[SET]
name: Rest + Sleep Talk
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Avalanche / Stone Edge
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
nature: Impish
item: Leftovers
evs: 240 HP / 216 Def / 52 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although Swampert is considered to be one of the best physical walls in today's metagame, it is unfortunately hindered by not having a reliable source of recovery outside of Leftovers, excluding Wish support. This set attempts to make up for that problem by providing Swampert with a feasible form of recovery at the cost of not being able to use support moves such as Stealth Rock or Roar. Swampert is already capable of walling physical Salamence and Tyranitar with relative ease, and this set makes it much easier to do so, since you can Rest off any damage taken and have a 2/3 chance of dealing damage to your opponent while asleep.</p>
<p>The choice in attacking moves allow Swampert to have the best coverage possible in two moves. Earthquake is recommended over Waterfall due to a higher Base Power and overall better neutrality. Avalanche is generally preferred in the second slot to hit Flying-types such as Salamence, but Stone Edge can be used if you want to attempt to counter Gyarados, but the low PP and accuracy is unreliable on a Pokémon meant to be sticking around for a while. Rest and Sleep Talk are obvious choices for the third and fourth slots, as implied by the name of this set.</p>
<p>The EVs are quite standard for this set, allowing for the best defensive potential Swampert can claim. The EVs function relatively the same as for the MixPert set, allowing you to have a high chance of surviving Dragon Dance Salamence's +1 Outrage and not get 2HKOed by Choice Band Tyranitar's Crunch about 97% of the time with both Stealth Rock damage and Leftovers recovery factored in. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Attack to give Swampert a slightly better damage output with its attacks, but the EVs can also be relocated to Special Defense if you desire.</p>
<p>As always, you will want Swampert to avoid getting hit by Grass-type attacks for obvious reasons. Since this Swampert is meant to be played defensively, one should focus on making sure that Swampert will survive the attacks it is meant to survive. For this reason, a user of Rapid Spin can serve as a good partner for Swampert. Forretress gets a particular mention because it complements Swampert by covering each other's weaknesses, and also has access to Toxic Spikes, which allows Swampert to outstall opponents through Rest + Sleep Talk.</p>
<p>Swampert will also have trouble with durable, physical attackers, such as Gyarados and Machamp, who are not really bothered by anything you can throw at them (unless Swampert is carrying Stone Edge to hit Gyarados) and can hit extremely hard after a few boosts, or in Machamp's case, repeated confusion from DynamicPunch. Celebi is able to take on both of these Pokemon with relative ease, but must watch out for Gyarados's Bounce or Taunt and Machamp's Payback; however, the latter is outsped and can be hit hard by Grass Knot or Leaf Storm, especially on an offensive set, such as the Offensive Calm Minder or Tinkerbell. Additional coverage can be brought in the form of your own Gyarados, since it counters most Machamp and can threaten Gyarados with Stone Edge, although it is highly likely opposing Gyarados will be carrying the same move.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Stone Edge
move 4: Ice Punch
nature: Adamant
item: Choice Band
evs: 136 HP / 204 Atk / 68 Def / 100 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although not as effective as the other sets, using Choice Band on Swampert allows you to hit incoming counters much harder than before, at the cost of being locked into one move. However, this set has many drawbacks that need to be addressed, primarily in being unable to outspeed most Pokémon that will try switching into Swampert. For this reason, one must be able to predict successfully in order to make the best use of this set.</p>
<p>Swampert loses the ability to take repeated hits with this set due to a lack of Leftovers and a high number of defensive EVs, but Swampert manages to reach a fantastic Attack stat of 505 when using the given EV spread, along with Choice Band. Even with a lower EV investment in HP and defenses, Swampert still manages to avoid getting 2HKOed by Choice Band Tyranitar's Stone Edge and 3HKOed by neutral natured Heatran's Fire Blast, assuming Stealth Rock is not set up. The given Speed EVs allows Swampert to sit at a comfortable 181 Speed, allowing you to outspeed most Skarmory, Tyranitar, and Metagross.</p>
<p>The attacks presented for this set give Swampert the best coverage possible. While Superpower can replace either Stone Edge or Ice Punch for a higher damage output outside of Earthquake, it is generally not a wise option because Ground- and Fighting-type attacks offer similar coverage. When using this set, it is generally a good idea to use either Waterfall or Stone Edge to scout for incoming counters, since many Pokémon in OU are immune to Earthquake. Also note that previous counters like Celebi will still wall this set with ease.</p>
<p>Since Swampert's biggest hindrance is its low base Speed, it is a very good idea to provide Swampert with paralysis support so it has a higher chance of being able to beat incoming counters without relying heavily on prediction. The best inducers of paralysis in OU include Jirachi and Togekiss, both good Pokémon to pair with Swampert in terms of resistances. Jirachi has access to either Body Slam or Thunder Wave to paralyze opponents, while Togekiss also has access to Thunder Wave and more support moves like Encore. It is also worth noting that both of these Pokémon also have access to Wish, being necessary if you want to keep Swampert healthy throughout the match, since it tends to get worn down easily.</p>
<p>Another large problem with Choice Band Swampert is that Pokémon like Salamence and Gyarados tend to set up on it easily when switching into a resisted attack, which will occur more often than not, due to Water- and Ground-type attacks being resisted by a fair amount of Pokémon in OU. As such, it is vital that you have a way to work around problematic Pokémon, such as those previously listed. Additionally, Stealth Rock support will prevent these Pokémon from switching in too freely. Choice Scarf Latias is an effective revenge killer that can defeat most set-up Pokémon 1-on-1, and also has the added benefit of being a good partner with Swampert in terms of defensive synergy. However, a strong Pursuit user such as Scizor and Tyranitar will prove problematic when relying on this strategy, so make sure you have scouted for Pursuit users beforehand. Porygon2 works in a similar fashion by being a dual counter to both Salamence and Gyarados, due to its Trace ability and access to the "BoltBeam" combo; Latias is also crippled by Toxic, although Porygon2 is not a recommended counter to Latias because of Calm Mind.</p>
<p>As stated before, bulky Grass-types, such as Celebi and Tangrowth, will wall this set without much difficulty, especially the former, due to it outspeeding you and having access to Recover. Heatran manages to set up on most Celebi as long as you avoid Thunder Wave, and a strong Pursuit user in Scizor or Tyranitar can weaken it to a point where it can no longer come in on Ice Punch, provided you predict correctly.</p>
<p>In short, to use Swampert effectively, you must be able to predict incoming counters while having checks to Pokémon that may attempt to set up on Swampert when locked into the wrong move.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>While Swampert is an outstanding Pokémon capable of functioning on its own without major team support, there are supportive environments that lessen the work Swampert has to handle on a team, especially since it will often be called on to take boosted hits from the likes of Tyranitar or Salamence. Since Swampert lacks a form of recovery outside of Leftovers, Wish support is a great aid in allowing Swampert to remain healthy throughout the match. Both Jirachi and Blissey make good teammates, as Jirachi and Swampert cover each other's weaknesses quite well, while Blissey can take special attacks aimed at Swampert with ease. Swampert is also susceptible to Toxic, especially non-Rest versions, so a user of Aromatherapy or Heal Bell, such as Blissey or Celebi, can be paired with Swampert to eliminate any afflicted status. If running Roar, Swampert will also appreciate Spikes support in order to maximize the damage output from entry hazards.</p>
<p>Swampert can also run a set consisting of Substitute, Endeavor, and a Salac Berry, along with your choice of other attacking moves. Swampert can use Substitute on a Pokémon likely to switch out, such as Heatran, and keep using Substitute until Swampert is low on HP, which is where Endeavor would come in handy. With a Salac Berry, Swampert can outspeed a major portion of the OU metagame, nearly guaranteeing that Endeavor will prove successful. Swampert's Torrent ability also allows Swampert to have a chance of sweeping with Waterfall. However, this set is not a main option because constantly whittling down Swampert's HP is counter-productive to Swampert's main purpose on a team, where is usually wants to be high on HP.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, the combination of a Ground- and Ice-type attack will give Swampert the best possible coverage, but bulkier Pokémon which can shrug off either Ice Beam or Avalanche will have an easy time against Swampert, assuming they resist or are immune Earthquake to begin with. A prime example of this is Celebi, which is often considered the best possible Swampert counter; however, Celebi packs a horrible weakness to Pursuit, so by using either Scizor or Tyranitar, you should have an easy time against Celebi, provided you avoid Hidden Power Fire or Leaf Storm (Grass Knot won't OHKO Tyranitar). Pokémon like Infernape and Rotom-A will enjoy setting up on Celebi (provided they avoid Thunder Wave), since Grass Knot deals mediocre damage to the two. Latias can be dispatched in a similar fashion. Some Gyarados will also attempt to set up on you since it doesn't fear taking much from Ice Beam, so Rotom-A once again makes a good offensive partner if you want to tackle Gyarados. In addition, Calm Mind Latias has an easy time setting up on just about every Pokémon that Swampert has trouble with, ranging from the aforementioned Celebi to even Infernape, who will often carry Grass Knot to deal with Bulky Waters such as Swampert.</p>
<p>Defensive support is rather simple on a Pokémon like Swampert, since its only weakness to Grass-type attacks are covered by a multitude of Pokémon in OU. Jirachi makes for an interesting partner to Swampert, since it not only resists Grass-type attacks, but can also provide Swampert with Wish support, as already mentioned. Heatran is another excellent Pokémon to consider pairing with Swampert, since it handles Grass-types with ease due to a 120 Base Power attack in Fire Blast, along with STAB. In addition, you can also pair Celebi with Swampert, and when combined with Heatran, will form the defensive combo normally regarded as "CelePertTran", which walls all 17 types; in addition, each of these Pokémon is bulky enough to shrug off several hits, making it difficult for the opponent to break through your team. If using this combo, you will also need an additional teammate to handle Pokémon attempting to set up on you, since the aforementioned defensive core has trouble taking on Pokémon like Gyarados carrying Bounce or even Dragon Dance Salamence. Choice Scarf Latias or a Choice Band Scizor with Quick Attack will often be your best choice, since both are useful in taking out Pokémon in emergencies.</p>
<p>As already mentioned quite enough, the biggest problem to watch out for is Celebi and Latias. Celebi is more than not partnered with Heatran due to their typing complementing each other defensively; however, that is not to say that the defensive combo is without its flaws. A strong mixed sweeper such as Salamence has an easy time dealing with both Celebi and Heatran, as a boosted Fire Blast or Outrage deals severe damage to Celebi while Earthquake dispatches Heatran without a problem. Scizor is not far behind Heatran in teammate usage, and can be dispatched by Salamence as well, assuming you are in good enough health to survive Bullet Punch, which normally deals around 65% average (a possible KO after Stealth Rock damage and Life Orb recoil); otherwise, Scizor can be dispatched by any Fire-type attack or can be crippled by Will-O-Wisp. Latias shares similar partners, which include Metagross and Salamence, both taken on by Swampert without much effort.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Hidden Power Electric can 2HKO Gyarados, but doesn't really hurt any of the other Water-types like Milotic or Suicune. Hidden Power Bug can catch Celebi and Ludicolo off guard, but won't OHKO either of them. Counter or Mirror Coat can grab a surprise KO on certain attackers that Swampert would otherwise have problems hurting. Swampert can Focus Punch from behind 101 Substitutes to block Blissey's Seismic Toss and hurt her badly, but sapping Swampert's HP when it's usually relied upon to take hits is counter productive. Hydro Cannon gets a mention simply to say this—do not use it. The extra power over Hydro Pump isn't worth the second turn recharge and inability to switch. Swampert can make use of its decent base 85 Special Attack stat and run a Choice Specs set with Surf, Earth Power, Ice Beam, and Hidden Power Electric, although it is generally inferior to other sets. Rain Dance can also be used on Swampert on a Rain Dance team, as many teams have trouble against Tyranitar (due to its Sand Stream ability), and Swampert makes a fine counter to it.</p>
[EVs]
<p>MixPert can be Relaxed with 240 HP / 216 Def / 52 SpA. The Special Attack EVs allow Swampert to reach a stat of 219, which is sufficient to score a likely OHKO on Salamence with Ice Beam (94–100%, against a minimum HP Salamence). To guarantee an OHKO on the same Salamence, 235 Special Attack (116 EVs) is required. 219 also allows for a likely 2HKO on Weezing and Skarmory with Hydro Pump, with both taking 48–57% (assuming max HP/0 Special Defense).</p>
<p>Dumping 20 EVs into Speed allows Swampert to outrun Weezing (although you're not doing much damage to him), and "Tyraniboah" as well.</p>
<p>The Curse set should have the recommended EV spread to allow Swampert to have an easier time taking special attacks. With Curse, the use of Defense EVs is not as particularly useful as the high investment in Special Defense EVs, since Curse boosts your already decent Defense stat anyways.</p>
<p>The Sleep Talker can follow the same EV spread as the MixPert set, but it is advised that you invest in Special Defense instead. The Sleep Talker Curse set will be able to set up Curses more easily, making Defense EVs less necessary.</p>
<p>The Choice Bander should invest around 100 EVs in Speed to outrun neutral natured Skarmory and Metagross. A decent amount of EVs should be invested in Attack and the remaining between HP and Defense.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>In ADV, Swampert fell into the category of "Bulky Water" alongside the likes of Suicune and Milotic. Swampert's Rock-type resistance, Sandstorm immunity, and Electric-type immunity gave it a nice advantage over those two back then, and it's of even greater importance in the 4th generation. This is due to the addition of a new Sand Stream Pokémon in Hippowdon, a more powerful Rock attack in Stone Edge, and the introduction of Stealth Rock. Albeit not as common, Donphan, Hippowdon, and Rhyperior are stiff competition for Swampert for the position of Ground-type on a team. Swampert's advantages over those three include its neutrality to Water and Ice-type attacks, higher Special Defense, and usable Special Attack stat. It's also worth noting that it will almost always beat those three one on one.</p>
<p>While its movepool upgrades from the previous generation are slight, they are both significant and welcome. Physical Water- and Ice-type attacks are a nice bonus, as is its ability to provide support with Stealth Rock. Stone Edge is also a useful new addition, giving Swampert the opportunity to take on Gyarados with some degree of success without having to resort to Hidden Power Electric. Its ability to counter heavy hitters such as Tyranitar, Metagross, and Salamence has taken a hit from the previous generation, as all three now have 80 base power STAB attacks to hit it for neutral damage. In the case of Metagross, Grass Knot can easily 2HKO Swampert, and Salamence's Draco Meteor can OHKO it on a Choice Specs set. The new Grass-type attacks such as Energy Ball and Grass Knot pose an obvious threat to Swampert, but are fairly predictable. Overall, Swampert is an solid choice on any team, and will rarely let you down.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Ludicolo is an excellent counter: Ground- and Water-type resists, neutralilty to Ice- and Rock-type attacks, and a STAB Grass-type attack to batter Swampert with. Almost any other Grass-type that can take at least one Ice-type attack should finish it with ease. The best candidates for this include Celebi, Venusaur, Leafeon, Tangrowth, Exeggutor, Meganium, and Shaymin.</p>
<p>Rotom-A, Dusknoir, and Spiritomb shrug off Swampert's attacks and can cripple most variants with Will-O-Wisp.</p>
<p>Cresselia, Uxie, and Mesprit are immune to its STAB Earthquake and possess sufficient defenses to take hits from its other attacks. All three can hit back with Energy Ball or Grass Knot. Azelf works in a similar way, but its lower defenses mean it can't take quite as much a repeated beating from Swampert's Water-type attacks.</p>
<p>Gengar doesn't enjoy taking hits from Swampert's STAB Water-type attacks, but will usually survive them and can either cripple Swampert with Hypnosis or Will-O-Wisp, or simply throw powerful Energy Balls at it. Mismagius works in much the same way, but her high Special Defense means she can sponge Surfs and Hydro Pumps more effectively than Gengar.</p>
<p>Zapdos can survive a Stone Edge and any of Swampert's Ice-type attacks, and take it down with Hidden Power Grass. It can also use Light Screen to sponge hits from Ice Beam.</p>
<p>Heracross resists Earthquake and 2HKOes Swampert with a Choice Banded Megahorn or Close Combat. Waterfall is a possible 2HKO on the bug, but requires more Attack EVs than most Swampert usually carry (280 for a possible 2HKO, 320 for guaranteed 2HKO on a minimum HP Heracross).</p>
<p>Milotic can Recover off Swampert's Earthquakes, and wear it down with Surf. Vaporeon can fill a similar role by alternating between Wish and Protect to stall out Swampert while hitting him with Surf. Suicune does the same job with its incredible Defense. All three can Haze / Roar the Cursing set.</p>
<p>Latias is immune to Swampert's STAB Earthquake, resists Water-type attacks, and can take Ice Beams with its monstrous Special Defense. In general it is a very safe switch-in, but you should watch out for Ice Punch, as it has a chance to OHKO Latias if Swampert is holding a Choice Band.</p>
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The rest of the update will be completed in a timely, manageable manner. I appreciate everyone's patience so far!
