manly mudkip
[Overview]
<p>Swampert has always been a down-to-earth kind of Pokemon, never receiving the many technical or crafty moves its competition has. Swampert's nice coverage and well rounded stats are usually overshadowed either by Pokemon with neat abilities such as Gastrodon, or Pokemon that have a similiar typing but can hit harder, such as Rhyperior and Kabutops. However, Swampert has one move its competitors cannot use: Wide Guard. With this small perk in its movepool, Swampert maintains a niche as a reliable Wide Guard user that resists common spread moves and lacks Psychic-, Ice- and Flying-type weaknesses.</p>
[SET]
name: Wide Guardian
move 1: Wide Guard
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Waterfall
move 4: Ice Beam / Rock Slide / Protect
item: Sitrus Berry / Rindo Berry
nature: Brave / Adamant
ability: Torrent
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Swampert is a great Wide Guard user, blessed with formidable bulk and an excellent typing that makes Fighting-types such as Hitmontop and Conkeldurr jealous. Swampert can take common spread moves such as Blizzard, Rock Slide, and Heat Wave admirably, and the use of Earthquake and Waterfall makes a great STAB combo. When using Swampert as a lead, keep in mind that Fake Out is in the same priority bracket as Wide Guard, which means that Wide Guard can be stopped. Protect runs on the same counter as Wide Guard, but is a solid move all around to keep Swampert safe from gang attacks and Fake Out. Rock Slide is also an old favorite, as spread moves are appreciated on any team. Ice Beam may look weak given Swampert's average Special Attack, but it still does respectable damage to common Dragon-types.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Pokemon that can make use of Wide Guard and take care of Grass-types make great teammates in general. Examples of this are Volcarona, Zapdos, Abomasnow, and Chandelure. Hail teams are usually weak to Heat Wave and Rock Slide, though the buffeting hail can also be a problem for Swampert. Volcarona can actually find time to use Quiver Dance when under Rock Slide protection, or simply singe the competition with its powerful STAB moves. Zapdos can use Heat Wave and form a Discharge-Earthquake combination, while Chandelure appreciates Surf and Rock Slide protection, and can support Swampert with Trick Room. Sandstorm teams love additional protection from rain teams, and Swampert is granted immunity to sandstorm's damaging effects courtesy of its Ground typing.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Swampert's movepool is quite shallow, but is left with a few options to consider. Hammer Arm has a nice 100 Base Power, along with raising Swampert's Speed in Trick Room, but doesn't hit much that Swampert's STABs don't cover already. Aqua Tail is an option over Waterfall, having higher base power; however, the slight gain in power is overshadowed by the drop in accuracy. Yawn can put an opponent to sleep, but requires one turn after use to work. However, as your opponent probably isn't going to Protect on the first turn of Yawn, it makes them a little more predictable. Chesto Berry in conjunction with Rest can make a great 1-turn recovery combo, especially given Swampert's solid bulk. Muddy Water and Scald can be used if you're feeling lucky, though if you find yourself with some free turns, Waterfall and Earthquake are more useful. Surf can be used in the same vein as Rock Slide and Muddy Water, though without a secondary effect or Pokemon to abuse it such as Toxicroak, it's not worth a moveslot. Ice Punch and Icy Wind are both great moves, but they are unfortunately illegal with Wide Guard.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Bulky Grass-types are the bane of Swampert's existence, especially Ferrothorn and Breloom. Ferrothorn laughs at any attempt to do damage to it, and has access to Power Whip and Seed Bomb. Breloom can outspeed and KO Swampert with STAB Seed Bomb before Swampert has a chance to move, and can also incapacitate Swampert with Spore. Similarly, sun teams that carry Grass-types such as Shiftry or Sawsbuck can mop the floor with Swampert. Abomasnow is annoyed that it can't use Blizzard freely around Swampert, but has STAB Grass Knot or Giga Drain to deal with the mudfish. Swampert has a hard time with bulky Water-types, especially those that don't use STAB spread moves. Gyarados and Rotom-W are fine examples of this, as they take almost nothing from Swampert's assaults and can hit through Wide Guard. If you're scared of Wide Guard, you can simply opt to use single-target moves such as Stone Edge or Rock Blast instead of Rock Slide, when available.</p>