QC: CanadianWifier, Raseri, boltsandbombers
GP: P Squared, The Dutch Plumberjacker
Overview
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Having the highest Speed stat in the tier and the ability to use both physically and specially offensive sets makes Swellow a force to be reckoned with. Its role as a physical attacker is greatly enhanced by the combination of its Flying typing and Guts ability, which allows Swellow to reliably beat common Grass-type defensive Pokemon, such as Vileplume and Gourgeist, without having to worry about status. The offensive power that it holds does come with a drawback: it quickly whittles itself down with self-inflicted status conditions and recoil damage from Brave Bird. Swellow can manage to run a Choice Specs set thanks to its access to STAB Boomburst and Scrappy. Because its physically offensive set is the more common one, Choice Specs Swellow can be an effective lure for Pokemon that may wall its other variants, such as Mawile and Klinklang, and also clean up late-game with Boomburst. The main flaw of Swellow lies in its low overall bulk, which often forces it out and limits its sweeping potential.
Choice Specs
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name: Choice Specs
move 1: Boomburst
move 2: Heat Wave
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Tailwind / Sleep Talk
ability: Scrappy
item: Choice Specs
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
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Boomburst reaches an outstanding 210 Base Power due to STAB, managing to hit incredibly hard even coming from a Pokemon with a low base Special Attack stat. As Steel-types such as Mawile, Klinklang, and Ferroseed are very often inclined to switch into Swellow, Heat Wave is a great means of weakening them or even scoring a 2HKO. U-turn maintains momentum on your side of the field during the early-game, when Swellow's checks are not weakened enough. Tailwind can take advantage of Swellow's high Speed stat and create a sweeping opportunity for a teammate when Swellow's job is done. Sleep Talk makes Swellow a decent sleep absorber, coming in on Pokemon such as Vileplume and Liligant while also being able to dish out huge damage and burn sleep turns. Hidden Power Grass can be used to hit Rock-types, such as Rhydon and Carracosta, that take little damage from Swellow's other moves.
Set Details
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Choice Specs and 252 Special Attack EVs increase Swellow's damage output to considerable levels. Fully invested Speed and a Timid nature allow Swellow to outspeed a huge part of the metagame. The remaining 4 EVs are used in either Defense or Special Defense in order to leave Swellow's HP as an odd number, allowing five switches into Stealth Rock. Scrappy allows Swellow to hit Ghost-types without being forced to run an extra coverage move.
Usage Tips
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Swellow's lack of bulk means that in order to deal damage, it has to get a free switch into the battle, which is why getting switch opportunities with U-turn, Volt Switch, and Baton Pass is very important for its longevity. Swellow fails to OHKO a lot of bulkier Pokemon, such as Mantine and Seismitoad, so taking them on when they are at full health is not suggested, because Swellow can be heavily damaged even by defensive Pokemon. Given that Swellow is usually expected to be physically offensive, Choice Specs Swellow should be preserved for mid- or late-game when bulky Pokemon have been weakened, providing a surprise factor and being able to clean up or severely damage the opposing team. Keeping entry hazards up on the opposite side of the field, especially Stealth Rock, is very appreciated to help Swellow 2HKO bulky Pokemon such as Musharna and physically defensive Mantine.
Team Options
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Water- and Grass-type Pokemon, such as Samurott, Ludicolo, and Lilligant, are great offensive partners for Choice Specs Swellow because they can break through bulky Rock-types, while Swellow lures in and defeats their checks, such as Ferroseed. Powerful Normal-types, such as Kangaskhan, Tauros, and Zangoose, are also great offensive teammates for Swellow, as they constantly pressure the same defensive Pokemon, such as Rock- or Steel-types trying to wall them. Claydol and Sandslash are two entry hazard removers that pair up well with Swellow, resisting Rock- and Electric-type attacks, which are often targeted at it. Lanturn resists Ice-type attacks, is immune to Electric-type moves, and provides switch initiative with Volt Switch. Bulky Ground-types that can set up Stealth Rock, such as Piloswine and Rhydon, can easily come in on the Rock-types that threaten Swellow.
Guts Attacker
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name: Guts Attacker
move 1: Facade
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: U-turn
move 4: Quick Attack / Protect
ability: Guts
item: Toxic Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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Facade is the most spammable move on this set, getting boosted to 140 Base Power and having no recoil. Brave Bird lets Swellow hit Ghost-types while also allowing it to defeat bulky defensive Pokemon such, as Vileplume and Gourgeist, and Normal-resistant Pokemon, such as Crustle, Cradily, and Ferroseed. U-turn keeps momentum on your side of the field and slowly whittles down common switch-ins such as Rhydon. Quick Attack is a STAB priority move that picks off weakened faster Pokemon, especially Choice Scarf users such as Jynx, Mesprit, and Sawk. Protect allows Swellow to safely activate Guts.
Set Details
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A Jolly nature and 252 Speed EVs maximize Swellow's Speed, allowing it to outpace most of the metagame. Guts increases Swellow's Attack to considerable levels. 252 Attack EVs further augment Swellow's offensive presence. The 4 extra EVs are placed in either Defense or Special Defense, leaving Swellow's HP as an odd number and thus allowing it to take less damage from entry hazards. Toxic Orb is the most reliable way of activating Guts, inflicting a status condition that whittles it down the least over a longer period of time.
Usage Tips
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Activating Guts early in the game offers Swellow as much offensive pressure as it can achieve. Unless it can ensure an OHKO or heavily damage the foe, staying in with Swellow over an extended period of time is detrimental to its longevity, as it will gradually lose HP. Brave Bird further weakens Swellow with recoil damage, and therefore it should only be used when it will be able to pick off a Pokemon that Facade wouldn't, such as Vileplume or Gourgeist. In the early stages of the game, Swellow can be used as a momentum gainer through the use of U-turn, while also being able to heavily weaken the opposing team with Guts-boosted Facade during the mid- or late-game. Entry hazard control on your side of the field will help Swellow a lot, as Stealth Rock damage, possible recoil from Rocky Helmet users, and poison damage can lead to an early demise.
Team Options
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Offensive Fire-type Pokemon, such as Magmortar, Pyroar, and Typhlosion, threaten any Steel-type Pokemon that attempts to wall Swellow. Offensive Water- and Grass-type Pokemon, such as Samurott and Ludicolo, can easily dispatch of bulky Rock-types that threaten Swellow, such as Rhydon and Regirock. Offensive Normal-types, such as Kangaskhan, Tauros, and Zangoose, have the same switch-ins as Swellow and can whittle down one another's checks and counters, such as Rhydon and Ferroseed. Claydol and Sandslash have decent defensive synergy with Swellow and are able to clear the field of entry hazards, allowing Swellow to repeatedly switch in. Bulky Ground-types such as Rhydon and Piloswine can take Rock- and Electric-type attacks aimed at Swellow while also pressuring opposing Rock- and Steel-types with their STAB Earthquake. Lanturn resists Ice- and Electric-type attacks, even regaining HP from the latter, and helps create switch-in opportunities for Swellow with a slow Volt Switch.
Other Options
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Pursuit can be an option for Guts Swellow, as its immunity to Ghost-type attacks may often force switches, allowing it to take out Pokemon such as Rotom or Mismagius. As Swellow forces many switches, Roost offers it a means of recovery to further prolong its longevity. Endeavor can weaken bulky Rock- and Steel-types that wall Swellow if it has already lost a signifiant portion of its HP.
Checks & Counters
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**Rock-types**: Rock-type Pokemon, such as Regirock and Rhydon, take little damage from Swellow's moves and directly threaten it with their Rock-type STAB moves. Only Choice Specs Swellow has a chance to break through some Rock-types, but only those whose dual typing gives them a 4x weakness to Grass, such as Rhydon and Carracosta.
**Steel-types**: Steel-type Pokemon, such as Klinklang and Pawniard, resist both of Swellow's STAB moves and can obtain free setup opportunities against it. However, they have to look out for the Choice Specs set, as Heat Wave will 2HKO most of them.
**Choice Scarf Users**: Due to Swellow's poor bulk, most Choice Scarf users such as Jynx, Mesprit, Rotom, and Sawk can threaten to OHKO it, though they cannot freely switch into its attacks.
**Priority**: Swellow's poor bulk makes it take huge amounts of damage from neutral priority moves, such as Sucker Punch and Fake Out. Being weak to Ice-type moves leaves Swellow susceptible to being easily revenge killed by the likes of Piloswine and Sneasel. Guts Swellow has a small advantage over opposing priority users due to its high Speed stat, which allows it to outprioritize them and gives it the chance to render useless incoming Sucker Punches from Pokemon such as Cacturne and Pawniard.
**Residual Damage**: Even if it is immune to other types of entry hazards, Swellow loses a quarter of its HP when switching into Stealth Rock. Multiple switches into Stealth Rock, self-inflicted status conditions, and possibly attacking a Pokemon with Rocky Helmet or Iron Barbs, such as Garbodor or Ferroseed, respectively, will harshly reduce Swellow's longevity.
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