Moves
Substitute allows Swoobat to set up on Pokemon Choice-locked into moves that can't break its Substitute or passive Pokemon attempting to afflict it with status conditions. The Choice-locked Pokemon can include Golem, Electivire, and Torterra locked into Earthquake, while passive Pokemon that are vulnerable to Swoobat include Pyukumuku, Bronzor, and Dusclops. Stored Power becomes extremely powerful if Swoobat accrues all the boosts it is aiming to; it reaches 140 Base Power after one Calm Mind and the Salac Berry boost. Heat Wave provides the best coverage alongside Stored Power, as it hits most of the tier's Psychic-resistant Pokemon neutrally and notably hits Bronzor, Pawniard, and Metang super effectively.
Set Details
Salac Berry gives Swoobat +2 to its Speed thanks to Simple, making it extremely fast and juicing up Stored Power even more. 4 HP EVs allow Swoobat to get into range of its Salac Berry after three uses of Substitute from full health.
Usage Tips
Swoobat is a very all-or-nothing sweeper; it usually only gets one chance to sweep, and it will achieve very little if the field is not prepared for it. Therefore, heavily weakening or removing checks and counters like Silvally-Dark and Pawniard is highly recommended before sending out Swoobat. Attempt to use Swoobat as a mid-game wallbreaker if a sweep looks unlikely. Using it mid-game can also bait out checks like Kecleon and Silvally-Dark that can be capitalized on by its teammates if you switch intelligently. Deciding when to use Calm Mind or Substitute is key to using Swoobat properly. Calm Mind can be used in the face of some of the tier's weaker special attackers and against slower special attackers that don't run coverage for Swoobat. These can include Servine, Exeggutor, and special Combusken, but you should keep in mind that directly switching into these threats is out of the question. Substitute, on the other hand, can be used on passive Pokemon such as Altaria, Pyukumuku, and Mareanie. Swoobat will often find itself behind a Substitute and unboosted while a faster Pokemon like Choice Scarf Electivire or Choice Scarf Rotom-S is in front of it. If this is the case, continuously use Substitute on the anticipated attacks to get Swoobat into Salac Berry range while behind a Substitute. While Swoobat is pretty weak without a boost, it can use its Speed stat to revenge kill certain weakened threats such as Leafeon, Mawile, and Simisage in an emergency.
Team Options
Swoobat fits best on hyper offense teams that can wear down the opposition for Swoobat and get it in. Dual screens support is very useful for Swoobat, as the damage reduction gives it many more opportunities to set up and actually allows it to make use of its resistances to an extent. Electrode is a standout option, as it can also get Swoobat in safely via Volt Switch. Other hyper offense staples make for good teammates for Swoobat. Dugtrio, Golem, and Crustle are all good leads; Dugtrio and Golem can potentially give Swoobat a free switch via Memento and Explosion, although this usually won't happen, as Swoobat is usually not seen early-game and these Pokemon are almost always dispatched within the first few turns. Crustle can also set Spikes, chipping down Swoobat's checks even more. Hyper offense sweepers include Rock Polish Torterra, Combusken, and Swords Dance Bibarel. These can help Swoobat out by breaking down checks like Bronzor, Silvally-Dark, and Kecleon, therefore allowing Swoobat to clean up easily. Swoobat can also potentially break down the opposing team early-game by getting rid of Silvally-Fighting, Gourgeist-XL, and Mareanie for them. Directly switching Swoobat in is not recommended, as it needs to be as healthy as possible to start a sweep and even hard resisted hits will do a ton of damage to it. Pivoting it in via U-turn or Volt Switch from the likes of Electrode and Silvally is a good idea. Bringing it in after Dugtrio's Memento or after one of your Pokemon has fainted is another way to do this.