Oglemi
Borf
http://www.smogon.com/rs/pokemon/swalot
[Overview]
Swalot has some of the best defenses in the NU tier and only really loses the title of "best defensive Pokemon" to Sableye, which hinges largely on the latter's access to Recover. Unfortunately, that also means that viability in the tier is almost invalidated, despite it sporting way better base stats and a much more colorful movepool. Even though Swalot's somewhat outclassed, its resistance to Fighting and relatively few weaknesses across the board make it a decent choice for balanced defensive teams. By being a great check to Hitmonchan, disrupting stall tactics by the likes of Sableye and Roselia, and packing an atom bomb in Explosion, Swalot performs amicably in the tier and has a place on balanced teams that need to condense roles into a couple of Pokemon.
[SET]
name: Specially Defensive
move 1: Sludge Bomb
move 2: Hidden Power Ground / Encore
move 3: Toxic / Yawn / Shadow Ball
move 4: Explosion
item: Leftovers
ability: Liquid Ooze
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Swalot can make a spectacular special wall and use Explosion on the only special sweeper that really scares it, Chimecho. It's also one of the few Pokemon that's not 2HKOed by Rain Dance Huntail, assuming it is running Surf over Hydro Pump; even if things go south, Swalot can Explode on it as well. Physical attacks like Sludge Bomb and Hidden Power Ground are preferred with a specially defensive spread as most special attackers tend to have a lower Defense stat, which is particularly true of most of the Grass-types save for Tangela.
Encore can be used over Hidden Power Ground to lock the foe into a useless move like Toxic to force switches. Toxic is the best option in the third slot to allow Swalot to spread damage around defensive teams, though it may be a bit redundant with the poison chance from Sludge Bomb. Yawn can be used to force switches and works super well with Spikes on the opponent's side of the field. Shadow Ball is another good option for the third slot to complete Swalot's neutral coverage with Sludge Bomb and Hidden Power Ground, destroy Haunter, and land a good hit on Chimecho without having to resort to Explosion. The last slot goes to Explosion, which gives Swalot a nearly guaranteed way to take out the foe and ensures the opponent can't use Swalot as setup bait.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
Specially defensive Swalot is one of, if not the, best counters to Grass-types in the tier, due largely to its massive bulk, resistance to both Grass and Poison, and Liquid Ooze ability, the latter of which punishes the use of Leech Seed. Maximum Special Defense is the preferred EV spread to allow Swalot the best possible chance of tanking an attack from Huntail and being able to retaliate in some manner.
Special attacks like Ice Beam and Thunder Punch can be used over Sludge Bomb and Hidden Power Ground, and doing so comes with the benefit of being able to hit Tangela, Huntail, and Seadra super effectively while targeting their weaker defensive stat, but the stronger hits on most other special attackers are more desired. Chimecho and Haunter are probably the safest switches into Swalot, though the former needs to be really careful of Explosion and Swalot's specially defensive set may just be luring it in for that exact reason. Regardless, Pokemon that can take them on like Kecleon and Murkrow can be used to switch into and KO them.
Steel- and Rock-types have a harder time consistently switching into Hidden Power Ground, but they have an almost free switch into Sludge Bomb, meaning physically defensive Pokemon like Wailord and Mawile can be good teammates to take them on. Physically defensive Lickitung makes a good teammate in particular, as Swalot can easily switch into most Hitmonchan variants for it and Lickitung takes on most other physical attackers for Swalot in return.
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Counter
move 3: Toxic / Yawn / Thunder Punch
move 4: Explosion
item: Leftovers
ability: Liquid Ooze
nature: Relaxed
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
This set is one of the best physical walls around and sports only one physical weakness in Ground. With this set, Swalot becomes one of the best counters to Hitmonchan, giving it an almost assured spot on many defensive teams if Sableye doesn't fit anyway. Ice Beam is used as the general attacking move, as it hits the Ground-types looking to switch into Swalot for super effective or neutral damage and nails the Flying- and Grass-types that Swalot counters super effectively. Counter is a major move that sets Swalot apart from other defensive Pokemon like Chimecho and Sableye, giving it a tool to take a powerful physical attack and eliminate the attacker in one turn.
Toxic is the best option in the third slot to allow Swalot to spread damage around defensive teams and force Chimecho to switch out or use Heal Bell or Rest. Yawn can be used to force switches, which works extra well with Spikes on the opponent's side of the field. Thunder Punch is another option for this slot to give Swalot amazing neutral coverage and let it hit the Water-types that can otherwise tank Ice Beam super effectively. The last slot goes to Explosion, which gives Swalot another tool to take out the foe and is a great way to ensure that the opponent can't use Swalot as setup bait for a sweeper like Vigoroth.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
A fully physically defensive EV spread gives Swalot the ability to counter physical threats as well as possible, with a Relaxed nature used because Swalot's Speed is largely unimportant and it doesn't weaken the power of Ice Beam or Explosion. Physical attacks such as Sludge Bomb and Hidden Power Ground can be used over Ice Beam and Thunder Punch, but most of the physical threats that Swalot can counter have lower Special Defense (the major exception being Hitmonchan). Running a physical move also allows Swalot to run a neutral Speed nature, which can sometimes come in handy to get the Explosion off against a defensive Pokemon like Kecleon before getting hit.
Chimecho is probably the best immediate safe switch-in to Swalot, as it destroys Swalot with its STAB Psychic, but it really needs to be wary of Explosion. Haunter with Psychic is probably a better switch-in to Swalot for this reason alone, though it takes far more damage from Ice Beam than Chimecho does. Still, these two Pokemon and others like Venomoth can be kind of threatening for Swalot, making specially defensive Pokemon like Kecleon and Lickitung good teammates that can form an almost impenetrable defensive core together with Swalot.
Steel-types like Mawile and Metang are immune to Toxic and resist Ice Beam and Explosion, but they need to watch out for Counter. Mawile with Substitute, however, is particularly threatening for Swalot, and may force it to use Explosion or risk having it set up Swords Dance and Baton Passing to a teammate. Water- and Fire-types make good teammates for Swalot for this reason, Flareon in particular because it can pass Wish to Swalot on top of checking Mawile.
Rock-types not weak to Ice Beam like Sudowoodo and Relicanth can nail Swalot super effectively with Earthquake and resist Explosion, though they too have to be extremely wary of Counter. A Grass-type like Bellossom or Tangela can be a good teammate to have to switch into Earthquake anyway, and they enjoy having Swalot around to tank attacks from Murkrow and Pidgeot.
[SET]
name: Mixed RestTalk
move 1: Ice Beam / Sludge Bomb
move 2: Toxic / Hidden Power Ground
move 3: Rest
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Liquid Ooze
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 252 HP / 84 Def / 172 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
A slightly different approach to Swalot, this set aims to do one thing: not faint, ever. Amazing mixed bulk, immunity to Toxic, and great longevity provided by RestTalk make this set extremely hard to take out, especially for balanced defensive teams. Ice Beam is Swalot's best general attacking move, as it sports good power and has no immunities, although Sludge Bomb can be used instead, as it has a good poison chance and hits slightly harder on neutral targets, in particular Hitmonchan, thanks to STAB, though at the cost of Swalot being completely walled by Steel-types if not also running Hidden Power Ground.
Toxic pairs best with Ice Beam to spread as much residual damage as possible and allows Swalot to outstall certain threats like Sableye and Flareon, which cannot do much in return thanks to Swalot's immunity to Toxic. Sludge Bomb + Toxic may be kind of redundant and leaves Swalot completely exposed to Steel-types and Rock-types with Substitute, meaning Hidden Power Ground is the better move to run when using Sludge Bomb. Yawn is a viable third option for the second slot, but it doesn't really allow Swalot to outstall other Pokemon except for the chance to put Chimecho or Lickitung with Heal Bell to sleep.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
The EV spread and nature let Swalot avoid being 3HKOed by Timid Plusle's Thunderbolt and any of Choice Band Hitmonchan's attacks aside from Earthquake. There are a lot of moves that can be used in the first and second slots not mentioned above, and they depend largely on what your team needs. Counter is the most prominent and can ensure that Choice Band attackers think twice before trying to take out Swalot.
Spikes are a near must with this set, meaning Roselia and Glalie are good teammates to consider. Chimecho is particularly dangerous for this set, as it can set up Calm Mind or use Heal Bell in front of Swalot without it being able to do much in return. Haunter also doesn't care for much of anything Swalot does with this set. Lickitung, Sableye, or an offensive check like Murkrow or Kecleon is an almost required teammate due to this fact. Steel-, Ground-, and Rock-types have an easier time with this set as well, as they don't need to really watch out for Counter, Explosion, or Hidden Power Ground in most cases. Defensive teammates like Pelipper and Relicanth or offensive checks like Hitmonchan are therefore needed to ensure that Swalot isn't just complete setup bait for these Pokemon.
[Other Options]
Luckily for Swalot, its usable movepool is actually quite expansive. A specially attacking tank set is definitely viable, as Swalot has a decent base 73 Special Attack and a very nice special movepool with Ice Beam, Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, and Hidden Power Grass; the surprise moves Counter and Explosion can still make an appearance here too. A Choice Band set can also be done, as a Choice Band-boosted Explosion is absolutely ridiculous, and STAB Sludge Bomb is going to leave a huge mark in targets like Chimecho.
As for individual moves, Pain Split is Swalot's best chance at reliable recovery outside of Rest, but it's pretty hard to use considering Swalot's massive HP stat. Swalot gets both Sunny Day and Rain Dance; it can use either to good effect and get a weather sweeper in for free with Explosion. Sing can be used to put a target to sleep, but its accuracy sucks and Yawn is about as effective overall. A combination of Acid Armor and Amnesia can make Swalot nigh-impenetrable save for a critical hit, but they do nothing to prevent the opponent from setting up on Swalot as usual.
[Checks and Counters]
The best general switch-ins to Swalot are Chimecho and Haunter, the latter being probably better since it is immune to Explosion and 4x resists Sludge Bomb. Sableye is another great switch-in for the same reasons and can set up Calm Mind in front of Swalot, though it will need to watch out for Toxic. Otherwise, Steel-types like Mawile and Metang are probably the safest switch-ins to Swalot, as they resist Ice Beam and Explosion and are immune to Toxic. In general, anything with Earthquake like Piloswine, Graveler, Relicanth, or Whiscash will be effective against Swalot, though they must be prepared for Counter. In the same vein, Diglett can trap and nail Swalot with a Choice Band-boosted Earthquake, coming close to OHKOing the specially defensive set, but it will be only doing 68% at most to the physically defensive set. Setup sweepers like Dragon Dance Pupitar and Bulk Up Vigoroth definitely give Swalot some problems as well. Finally, immediately strong special or physical attackers like Rain Dance Huntail, Choice Band Kingler, and Abra will be able to plow through Swalot without many issues.
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