[OVERVIEW]
<p>Swellow is a very an extremely underrated threat in the RU metagame. Clocking in at At a blazingly fast base 125 speed, it nearly outspeeds the entire tier. it is one of the fastest Pokemon in the tier. Despite a relatively low base 85 Attack, Swellow is no joke offensively, . (< Period) It has the Swellow's ability, (< Comma) Guts, which raises its damage output to incredible levels. (< Period) alongside Facade. Coupled with it's powerful STAB moves, Facade and Brave Bird, Swellow packs frightening power. Not all is good for Swellow, though,as it lacks attacks to hit Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon neutrally or super effectively, relying on its teammates to take these down. This speedy birdy does have one glaring weakness; it lacks a usable Ground or Fighting-type move, and is therefore walled by the many Steel-type Pokemon in the RU tier. Swellow is also incredibly frail and will die to nearly every attack after Stealth Rock damage. Swellow must also be mindful of residual damage; On top of it's weakness to Stealth Rock, the use of Brave Bird and a status orb can quickly drain its health. Do not let this fool you into thinking Swellow is useless though. It can be a great asset to several teams, just needing a little team support to work. your team if given proper support. this blazing fast swallow can still amaze you both early game and late game if you give it the chance.</p>
[SET]
name: Guts
move 1: Facade
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: U-turn / Pursuit
move 4: Quick Attack / Protect
item: Toxic Orb / Flame Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set is what makes Swellow viable, This set is Swellow's bread and butter. After a guts Guts boost it reaches the equivalent of a base 134 attack, it's Attack stat shoots up to a wing-breaking 403. Swellow's main attack, Facade also gets a boost Additionally, the base power of Swellow's main STAB move, Facade, is ruffled up to base 140 140 base power. Yeah, thats pretty scary coming off of the equivilant of base 134 attack. Brave Bird is Swellow's second best secondary STAB, and allows you to hit Sableye on the switch in. provides coverage against opponents who either resist, or are immune to Facade, such as Magneton and Sableye. Protect is a great move on Swellow, allowing for scouting and also allows you to get a free guts boost. as it ensures a free turn to activate the chosen status orb, and can scout for dangerous moves. U-turn is the second scouting move in Swellow's aresenal, when using Swellow early game, its best to start out with Protect, and if Swellow cannot KO the opposing pokemon, U-turn out to a counter. Quick Attack and Pursuit are more viable on a Swellow that is going to be used late game, By sending in Swellow against an opponent that has been considerably weakened, you can use Quick attack or Pursuit depending on if you think they will switch out or stay in, Quick Attack also allows Swellow to hit +1 Sharpedo and opposing priority users before being hit itself. The choice of the item depends on how you want to use Swellow, if you use Swellow as more of a hit and run pokemon, then Toxic Orb is the preferred item, otherwise use Flame Orb as it deals less damage over time.
Protect is often the best opening play for Swellow. The free turn allows you to scout your opponent's response, and act accordingly. U-turn provides further scouting, and can get Swellow out of unsafe matchups. Quick Attack is a fairly powerful STAB priority move, preying on weakened Choice Scarfers, priority users and notably, +1 Speed Sharpedo. Pursuit can rid your opponent of their Ghost or Psychic-type, and pairs fairly well with Swellow's Ghost immunity. Your choice of status orb should be based on how you intend to use Swellow; A Toxic Orb will deal less damage than a Flame orb over the first three turns, but any longer and the Flame Orb will be the less damaging choice. </p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p> Swellow enjoys entry hazards on the opposing side support from Pokemon such as Ferroseed and Steelix, . (< Period) Swellow needs the extra breathing room when up against physically bulky Pokemon such as Tangrowth. Swellow also enjoys Pokemon such as Wynaut, Dugtrio, and Magneton as are all excellent teammates, as they can trap and KO the Rock and Steel-type Pokemon that plague Swellow. (< Period) hates and KO them so they no longer threaten Swellow. As a Flying type, Swellow is Stealth Rock weak, Swellow and needs Rapid Spin support to function at its best, . (< Period) this This can be provided by Pokemon such as Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Sandslash, and Claydol. These Pokemon also threaten Swellow's counters and can help keep your opponent on their toes when switching in a attempting to counter to Swellow. General Fighting-type pokemon such as Sawk, Primeape, and Hariyama are also good at threateningSwellow's counters and should also be considered for team support. provide decent offensive synergy for Swellow, and can score a super effective hit on the Rock and Steel-types that wall our blue bird. As you most likely wont be using the moves in the last slot as often, Work Up and Roost can be considered over Quick Attack and Pursuit. Work Up can be used when you think you can force a switch Swellow and can boost your attack further, Roost allows you heal off residual damage, but with Swellow's Fraility it may be hard to find a chance to use it. </p>
[OTHER OPTIONS]
<p>Swellow can run a Choice Band set to get some extra immediate power, but with Coverage issues Swellow already has, this is not the best idea, Swellow can also use Endeavor to get a last ditch hit in on the opposing pokemon, but with Swellow's fraility, it may not survive long enough to get to that crucial point, as mentioned before,
A Choice Band set can be used for immediate power, sacrificing the ability to switch moves for longevity. Rapid Spin support is required for this set, which will often be forced out due to Swellow's easily walled STABs. Endeavor can be used to get in a last-ditch hit when Swellow's health is low, but is unreliable, and usually inferior to it's other moves. Work Up and Roost can be used in the third and fourth slots if you feel one of the mentioned above moves is uneeded, but thanks to Swellows fraility, they have limited use.</p>
[CHECKS AND COUNTERS]
<p>Most Steel and Rock-Types Rock and Steel-types (Nyah) can easily counter Swellow, . (< Period) Aggron gets a special mention, (< Comma) as a counter as he 4x resists both of Swellow's main attacks STABs and can strike back with a powerful STAB, Recoiless Head Smash. Steelix and Ferroseed also give Swellow issues, ; (< Semicolon) Ferroseed may take neutral damage from Brave bird, but the residual damage will really rape Swellow while Ferroseed strikes back with a Gyro Ball, Steelix can set up all over Swellow, and can also strike back with a Gyro Ball. Regirock goes into a similar vein to Steelix, setting up on Swellow and striking back with a STAB Stone Edge, Although Ferroseed takes neutral damage from Swellow's Brave Bird, the painful recoil is worsened by Ferroseed's Iron Thorns. Steelix and Regirock are both excellent counters, as they take little damage from any of Swellow's attacks, and can strike back with Gyro Ball or Stone Edge, respectively. Scarfers Choice Scarf users and Sharpedo also have an easy time revenging Swellow, outspeeding and KOing it.</p>
[DREAM WORLD]
<p> Swellow's Dream World ability is Scrappy, . (< Period) despite Though normally being a great ability, it has little use on Swellow, . (< Period) it It can run a gimmicky, unblockable F.E.A.R set, But but aside from that, in most cases, you should stick to Guts.</p>