don't fly away swellow! i don't know why i picked you even though you're probably going to ru
oh... you're still nu :)
qc'd: tennis, omicron, zurich
gp'd: dtc+rittercat, shame that
[Overview]
<p>Despite being a notorious late-game sweeper in DPP UU, Swellow was continuously shafted in the new generation by the physically gifted BW newcomers such as Darmanitan, Conkeldurr, and Haxorus. Since plummeting to NU, Swellow was finally recognized as arguably one of the best sweepers available. Swellow's base stats aren't exactly telling of its might: however, even with an insignificant base 85 Attack stat, access to Guts and a STAB Facade leave Swellow with power comparable to a Life Orb boosted Haxorus Outrage. The lack of reliable Rapid Spin users in the tier makes Swellow even better—all Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon that resist Facade are weakened by Spikes, making entry hazards nearly vital when using Swellow. It also has access to U-turn, wearing down the incoming Rock- and Steel-type switch-ins and forcing them out with an appropriate counter.</p>
<p>However, the prevalence of entry hazards in NU is a double-edged sword for Swellow. Stealth Rock limits the number of times that Swellow can come in to wreak havoc, and it's difficult to spin them away because of the lack of reliable Rapid Spin users in NU. Swellow is also worn down by its own Toxic Orb and Brave Bird recoil, effectively placing a timer on each sweep. Lastly, despite having an excellent base 125 Speed, priority such as Absol's Sucker Punch is disastrous to those hoping for a clean sweep. Regardless, Swellow is easily one of the most prominent offensive threats in NU and should be kept in mind when building a team.</p>
[SET]
name: Guts
move 1: Facade
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Protect / Quick Attack
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to abuse Guts to the fullest extent. Once Toxic Orb is activated, Swellow's Attack stat is propelled to an imposing 403, nearly as high as behemoths such as Rampardos and Slaking. Facade's Base Power is doubled after activation as well, leaving Swellow with an impressive 140 Base Power STAB move. Brave Bird offers an additional STAB move to hit the Ghost-types immune to Facade, though most of the time Facade is preferable as it has more power and no recoil damage. U-turn is best used when a Rock- or Steel-type is likely to enter the fray; Swellow has no business trying to break through those Pokemon, so wearing them down with U-turn and switching to a counter is the best way to deal with them. The last moveslot is the only toss-up on this set; Protect offers a free turn to activate the Toxic Orb and scout for dangerous moves to Swellow, whereas Quick Attack is more useful to pick off weakened Pokemon who attempt to revenge you. Quick Attack is also notable because it can evade opposing Absol's Sucker Punch.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Flame Orb does less damage over a longer period of time than Toxic Orb, but is generally a poor choice on Swellow because it will almost never be in for more than three turns, thus taking less damage overall from Toxic Orb. Swellow performs best with Spikes support because all of its counters are grounded and will take full damage from entry hazards. Cacturne can be an effective teammate, as it has no issue coming in on Alomomola and can threaten bulky Rock-types with Seed Bomb. A teammate that can use Rapid Spin is also greatly appreciated by Swellow, as it takes 25% from Stealth Rock every switch-in. Wartortle is perhaps the best partner in this regard, as it can handle strong attacks aimed at Swellow, thanks to Wartortle's bulk after Eviolite. Not only can it act as a bodyguard for Swellow, it can threaten Swellow's counters with Scald. Swellow already has issues with the recoil from Brave Bird and poison damage from its Toxic Orb, so keeping Stealth Rock off the field is of utmost importance to minimize the residual damage taken.</p>
<p>Roost is an option in the last slot, as it can revitalize a sweep when it seems that Swellow is down for the count. Roost is also best used with Flame Orb, as the damage doesn't increase after every turn and provides Swellow with more longevity. However, Swellow doesn't have enough bulk to take a hit while it's Roosting, and would almost always prefer to be using Facade when on its last legs. The best partners for Swellow would be those that deal with Rock- and Steel-types such as Bastiodon, Regirock, and Carracosta. Powerful Water-types such as Gorebyss can blow those counters out of the water. Quagsire can tank Earthquakes and Stone Edges with ease, as well as set up on them with Curse. Bulky Fighting-types such as Gurdurr and Throh have little issues with any of the aforementioned counters as well.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>A Choice Band set could work decently on Swellow, and would be especially effective if it nabbed a status through Toxic or Will-O-Wisp on the switch-in. Work Up is also a similar option, though with its so-so defenses, Swellow will hardly find the time to actually set up. Endeavor is a last-ditch option to drop the opponent to low health, but in most cases Facade will be more efficient and do more damage. Swellow gets Scrappy through Dream World, but there are very few Ghost-type Pokemon in NU. Scrappy Swellow will also have to rely on the weaker Return, meaning Guts is almost always the superior option.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Swellow cannot break through any of the Rock- or Steel-types in the tier without prior damage. Bastiodon, Carracosta, Golem, Gigalith and Regirock are all incredibly solid counters that can OHKO Swellow with little offensive investment. While not a Rock-type, physically defensive Alomomola can tank any of Swellow's hits and stall it out of Toxic damage with a combination of Wish and Protect. Common Choice Scarf users such as Sawk, Jynx, Braviary, and Mesprit can all outspeed Swellow and revenge kill it. Even though it's fairly uncommon in NU, priority moves such as Absol's Sucker Punch or Basculin's Aqua Jet will easily wipe out Swellow. The simplest way to manage Swellow, however, is with residual damage. With Stealth Rock, Brave Bird recoil, and its own Toxic Orb poisoning, Swellow will quickly wear itself out.</p>
oh... you're still nu :)
qc'd: tennis, omicron, zurich
gp'd: dtc+rittercat, shame that
[Overview]
<p>Despite being a notorious late-game sweeper in DPP UU, Swellow was continuously shafted in the new generation by the physically gifted BW newcomers such as Darmanitan, Conkeldurr, and Haxorus. Since plummeting to NU, Swellow was finally recognized as arguably one of the best sweepers available. Swellow's base stats aren't exactly telling of its might: however, even with an insignificant base 85 Attack stat, access to Guts and a STAB Facade leave Swellow with power comparable to a Life Orb boosted Haxorus Outrage. The lack of reliable Rapid Spin users in the tier makes Swellow even better—all Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon that resist Facade are weakened by Spikes, making entry hazards nearly vital when using Swellow. It also has access to U-turn, wearing down the incoming Rock- and Steel-type switch-ins and forcing them out with an appropriate counter.</p>
<p>However, the prevalence of entry hazards in NU is a double-edged sword for Swellow. Stealth Rock limits the number of times that Swellow can come in to wreak havoc, and it's difficult to spin them away because of the lack of reliable Rapid Spin users in NU. Swellow is also worn down by its own Toxic Orb and Brave Bird recoil, effectively placing a timer on each sweep. Lastly, despite having an excellent base 125 Speed, priority such as Absol's Sucker Punch is disastrous to those hoping for a clean sweep. Regardless, Swellow is easily one of the most prominent offensive threats in NU and should be kept in mind when building a team.</p>
[SET]
name: Guts
move 1: Facade
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Protect / Quick Attack
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Guts
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to abuse Guts to the fullest extent. Once Toxic Orb is activated, Swellow's Attack stat is propelled to an imposing 403, nearly as high as behemoths such as Rampardos and Slaking. Facade's Base Power is doubled after activation as well, leaving Swellow with an impressive 140 Base Power STAB move. Brave Bird offers an additional STAB move to hit the Ghost-types immune to Facade, though most of the time Facade is preferable as it has more power and no recoil damage. U-turn is best used when a Rock- or Steel-type is likely to enter the fray; Swellow has no business trying to break through those Pokemon, so wearing them down with U-turn and switching to a counter is the best way to deal with them. The last moveslot is the only toss-up on this set; Protect offers a free turn to activate the Toxic Orb and scout for dangerous moves to Swellow, whereas Quick Attack is more useful to pick off weakened Pokemon who attempt to revenge you. Quick Attack is also notable because it can evade opposing Absol's Sucker Punch.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Flame Orb does less damage over a longer period of time than Toxic Orb, but is generally a poor choice on Swellow because it will almost never be in for more than three turns, thus taking less damage overall from Toxic Orb. Swellow performs best with Spikes support because all of its counters are grounded and will take full damage from entry hazards. Cacturne can be an effective teammate, as it has no issue coming in on Alomomola and can threaten bulky Rock-types with Seed Bomb. A teammate that can use Rapid Spin is also greatly appreciated by Swellow, as it takes 25% from Stealth Rock every switch-in. Wartortle is perhaps the best partner in this regard, as it can handle strong attacks aimed at Swellow, thanks to Wartortle's bulk after Eviolite. Not only can it act as a bodyguard for Swellow, it can threaten Swellow's counters with Scald. Swellow already has issues with the recoil from Brave Bird and poison damage from its Toxic Orb, so keeping Stealth Rock off the field is of utmost importance to minimize the residual damage taken.</p>
<p>Roost is an option in the last slot, as it can revitalize a sweep when it seems that Swellow is down for the count. Roost is also best used with Flame Orb, as the damage doesn't increase after every turn and provides Swellow with more longevity. However, Swellow doesn't have enough bulk to take a hit while it's Roosting, and would almost always prefer to be using Facade when on its last legs. The best partners for Swellow would be those that deal with Rock- and Steel-types such as Bastiodon, Regirock, and Carracosta. Powerful Water-types such as Gorebyss can blow those counters out of the water. Quagsire can tank Earthquakes and Stone Edges with ease, as well as set up on them with Curse. Bulky Fighting-types such as Gurdurr and Throh have little issues with any of the aforementioned counters as well.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>A Choice Band set could work decently on Swellow, and would be especially effective if it nabbed a status through Toxic or Will-O-Wisp on the switch-in. Work Up is also a similar option, though with its so-so defenses, Swellow will hardly find the time to actually set up. Endeavor is a last-ditch option to drop the opponent to low health, but in most cases Facade will be more efficient and do more damage. Swellow gets Scrappy through Dream World, but there are very few Ghost-type Pokemon in NU. Scrappy Swellow will also have to rely on the weaker Return, meaning Guts is almost always the superior option.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Swellow cannot break through any of the Rock- or Steel-types in the tier without prior damage. Bastiodon, Carracosta, Golem, Gigalith and Regirock are all incredibly solid counters that can OHKO Swellow with little offensive investment. While not a Rock-type, physically defensive Alomomola can tank any of Swellow's hits and stall it out of Toxic damage with a combination of Wish and Protect. Common Choice Scarf users such as Sawk, Jynx, Braviary, and Mesprit can all outspeed Swellow and revenge kill it. Even though it's fairly uncommon in NU, priority moves such as Absol's Sucker Punch or Basculin's Aqua Jet will easily wipe out Swellow. The simplest way to manage Swellow, however, is with residual damage. With Stealth Rock, Brave Bird recoil, and its own Toxic Orb poisoning, Swellow will quickly wear itself out.</p>
