Hey real quick, what's (RC) mean?GP 1/2
[OVERVIEW]
Mega Swampert is a very niche rain attacker. It's the only viable physical Swift Swim attacker, as well asandthe only onewhothat can reliably beat Thundurus, Sylveon, and, depending onyourits coverage, Ferrothorn.It'sIts immunity to paralysis due to its Ground typing means its Speed cannot be crippled like the others'. Also, it's a rain sweeper with some good natural bulk, which is really nice because it. This natural bulk alsomakes it less weak to priority moves than other rain sweepers, notably Talonflame's Brave Bird and Kangaskhan's Sucker Punch. However, being a physical attacker,itSwampert is especially weak to ("weak to" isn't quite right imo, is something like "bothered by" fine with you?) Intimidate and burns. It also, and it is extremely weak to Grass-types, more so than other rain staplesmons. Unlike other Swift Swimmers, it needs to Mega Evolve before it gains Swift Swim, usually giving your opponent a free turn. Finally,unlike other swift swimmers,its secondary STAB move, (RC)Earthquake, (RC)is significantly weaker due to its spread reduction, and it also hitsyourMega Swampert's partner.
[SET]
name: Swift Swim Attacker
move 1: Waterfall
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Ice Punch / Superpower
move 4: Protect
item: Swampertite
ability: Damp
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Waterfall is almost alwaysyourSwampert's best attack, as it is a reliable and strong physical attack that is boosted by rain. Earthquake isyourits strongest Ground-type STAB move and also gives Swampert a spread option while providing super effective coverage against Volcanion and Steel-types such as Aegislash. ForyourSwampert's third move,you will typically run either Ice Punch.Ice Punch hits Grass- and Dragon-types like Amoonguss and Latios for good damage, which Swampert's STAB moveswhen your STABscan't, while Superpower provides solid coverage versus Mega Kangaskhan, Kyurem-Black, and Ferrothorn. Protect is necessary because Swampert mustyou need tosafely Mega Evolve beforeyou gainit gains Swift Swim. It also either allowsyourSwampert to stay safe from a threat for a turn while itsyourpartner deals with said threat, (RC)or allows you to safely scout for a threat.
Set Details
========
Running 252 Attack EVs with an Adamant nature allowsyouMega Swampert to hit as hard as possible, while 252 Speed EVs lets youit outspeed all relevant threats while under rain, including Jolly Choice Scarf Landorus-T, Choice Scarf Genesect, and Deoxys-Attack. For pre-Mega abilities, Damp is superior to Torrent, as you won't ever use Torrent due to Swampert needing to Mega EvolveASAPas soon as possible.However,Damp can also let Swampertpotentiallyprevent an Explosion while switching in on occasion.
Usage Tips
========
MegaSwampert is only good once it has Mega Evolved and is in rain, because otherwisewhen Mega Swampert is not in rain or not Mega Evolved,its damage output is relativelyweaklow and its Speed is pretty poor. Because of this, try to maximize its time in rain, (RC)by bringing itin as earlyinto the drizzle as early possible. When Mega Evolving Swampert, make smart use of Protect so that ityoucansafely(redundant with "without consequences") gain the Swift Swim Speed boost without consequences. Mega Swampert is best used as a mid- to late-game sweeper, as it can easily clean up once its threats, such as Grass-types and Water-types, are removed. You can also remove said threats while Swampert is on the field by having another Pokemonpartnerthat can remove them, like Kyurem-B, Latios, or Talonflame, do so before they threaten Swamperton the field at the same time.
Team Options
========
First and foremost, you almost always needaPolitoed, as Drizzle automatically sets rain so that you don't need to waste a turnindoing so. You should also have someassets againstanswers to Grass-types, such as Kyurem-B and Talonflame, as they will almost always beat Mega Swampert, so counter them with pokemon like Kyurem-B and Talonflame. Swampert is really weak to sun due to it being OHKOed by common sunmonsPokemon, like Mega Charizard Y with Solar Beam and Venusaurwhile in sun, so bring a few good sun checks, such asbeingThundurus and Talonflame. If you aren't running Superpower, strong Fighting-types like Terrakionorand Conkeldurr are also good to have in order to beat Ferrothorn and Kyurem-B, huge threats to Swampert rain (what od you mean by "Swampert rain"). Finally, Ground-immune Pokemonimmuneslike Latios and Talonflamethat you can Earthquake next toshould be on the team so that you can attack with themyour partnerwhile Swampert usesclickingEarthquake.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
You can run various Speed EVs other than 252 to have some EVs left over for bulk. Some of these speeds are, such as 176 Speed EVs to outspeed Deoxys-Attackand 144 Speed EVs to outspeed Adamant Choice Scarf Landorus-T, bothinside ofunder rain. For Swampert's Water-typeyour waterSTAB move, Aqua Tail is slightly more powerful than Waterfall, but it lacks perfect accuracy and a chance to induce flinch. Swampert'sYourcoverage move can also be replaced by Stone Edge or Rock Slide to hit Mega Charizard Y outside of rain, but you are almost always better off with Ice Punch or Superpower. You can forgoea coverage move and run Substitute, as a smart Substitute can significantly boost Mega Swampert's field time. Swampert can run Rain Dance over a coverage move in order to reduce your need to rely on Politoed to set rain.And whileWhile regular Swampert has a niche as a Wide Guard user, it's mostly outclassed by Conkeldurr or Aegislash and only really decent when you need its typing.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Grass--type Pokemon**: Grass-types, namely Breloom, Amoonguss, Ludicolo, and Ferrothorn, resist or take very little damage from both of Swampert's STAB attacks and can either OHKO or cripple it in return.
**Water-type Pokemon**: Bulkier Water-types like Gyarados and Rotom-W resist Swampert's strongest STAB move, Waterfall, takeit'sits coverage options with ease, and can do moderate damage to it (especially in rain,) and reduce its overall effectiveness.
**Intimidate and Burns**: Because Swampert is a physical sweeper, it is crippled by burns that can be spread by Sableye and Rotom-W, the latter of which can reliably take Swampert's attacks. It's also hindered by Intimidate, which isthat arebest provided by Gyarados and Salamence, as they can usually take Swampert's attacks (Salamence only if Swampert isn't running Ice Punch,); (ASC)andScrafty also can utilize Fake Out to stall rain turns.
**Opposing Weather**: Swampert relies heavily on rain and is relatively weak to most sun and hail teams, so replacingit'sits weather hindersit'sits effectivenesscapabilitytremendously. Mega Charizard Y can set sun and threaten to OHKO Mega Swampert with Solar Beam, while Abomasnow threatens it with a Grass-type STAB moveStab,while replacing rain with Hail.
**Tailwind&and Trick Room**: These moves take away Mega Swampert's speed advantage, crippling its ability to stay productive on the field. Cresselia, Porygon2, and Jellicent can reliably take anything Swampert has to offer and set Trick Room. Whimsicott can set Tailwind really easily in front of Mega Swampert by making use of Prankster and then potentially OHKO it with apossibleGrass-type STAB move, while Suicune and Zapdos can reliably take Swampert's attacks and set Tailwind in front of it.
p^2 edit: remove comma
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