Doubles NU threat: Swellow (featuring finally)

Swellow 	Normal/Flying type	60 HP / 85 Attack / 60 Def / 50 Sp.Atk / 50 Sp.Def / 125 Spd
Abilities:	Guts (If this Pokemon is statused, its Attack is 1.5x; burns Attack drop is ignored)
		Scrappy (This Pokemon can hit Ghost-types with Normal- and Fighting-type moves)

Swellow's potential lies in its ability: Guts. With a Guts boost, Swellow can obliterate unprepared teams however Swellow lacks good coverage moves and is easy to stop with bulky Rock and Steel types. Swellow is also vulnerable to priority attacks and is worn down quickly by status and Brave Bird recoil.

also it is literally tops in speed. like it pretty much has galewings without wasting an ability. like goddamn. -finally


Swellow @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Protect
- Brave Bird
- U-turn / Quick Attack

Swellow's best and most common set is 3 attacks with Guts + Status Orb. This set performs best when the opponents bulky Rock/Steel types like Golem or Bastiodon are out of the way, and Swellow is free to OHKO whatever is left. Toxic Orb is used over Flame Orb on this set because Toxic Orb will do less damage after 2 turns than Flame Orb and it is unlikely Swellow will stay on the field that long unless it is finishing the game.
Facade is Swellow's main STAB move on this set, hitting a 210 Base Power with all of the Boosts factored in. Brave Bird is Swellow's second STAB hitting ghost Pokemin like Misdreavus and Haunter, and the common Parasect for 4x Super Effective damage. U-turn is used to pivot into an opponents switch-in, giving you the momentum and reseting Toxic Damage. Quick Attack can be used over U-Turn to revenge kill weak threats and dodge most Sucker Punches from all users as Swellow naturally outspeeds all of them.
Any Pokemon that can take out Bulky Steel and Rock types makes a good partner for this set, Sawk in particular can handle even the bulkiet of these types in Doubles NU with ease. Having a slow U-Turn/Volt-Switch/Baton Pass user on the team is recommended as it will allow Swellow a safe switch-in and will activate the Status Orb and therefore Guts. Musharna is a great example, underspeeding most of the NU tier and being able to sponge hits from special and physical attacks. Eelektross deserves a special mention as it can not only hit Rock and Steel Types with Giga Drain and Flamethrower respectively, but can also be used to provide a slow Volt Switch for Swellow.

adamant if real bc you already outspeed 9/10 of the tier. only fake [frens] and zebra (zebstrika) haters run jolly. whose side are YOU on? -finally

Other Options
Roost can be used in the fourth moveslot if you want to be able to recover some of the damage dealt to swellow, however this requires a lot of team support as Swellow is frail. If Roost is used, used Flame Orb as the item. Swellow has access to Tailwind which can be nice for supporting the team, but Swellow cannot stay on the field for long with status damage increasing and mediocre bulk. Overall Swellow should not drift far from the above set.

do not use tailwind b/c toxic orb and you are supposed to be attacking. let altaria do the tailwind setting. do not use peck. do not use focus energy. -finally

Checks and Counters
Bulky Rock and Steel Pokemon like Golem, Bastiodon, and Klinklang take little damage from any of Swellow's Attacks and can OHKO or set up on Swellow. Metang completely walls Swellow and also has access to priority Bullet Punch. Choice Scarf Pokemon are the best way to beat Swellow; Primeape, Sawk, Jynx, Rotom, and Zebstrika are all viable users. Electrode also naturally outspeeds Swellow and OHKOs with Thunderbolt. Ghost types often force Swellow to Switch out, and rack up status damage.

yfw you are your own biggest counter with recoil. yfw you are your own worst enemy. -finally

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