Illus. Shin Nagasawa
It is time to make a splash in your game. The Pokemon card that we are going to talk about evolves from a fan favorite Pokemon but can hit pretty hard. If played correctly then this card can really turn the tide of the battle in an offensive and supportive way. If you want to go offensively then all you need to do is flood this Pokemon with energy. This card can become a supportive player by allowing you to dive into your deck for anything you need. Either way, this week’s card can really drown your opponent. Join us as we feature Swampert from Primal Clash!
Swampert is a Stage 2 Water type Pokemon with 140 HP. It has a weakness to the Grass type and a three energy retreat cost. Swampert is one of the unique Pokemon with both an Ancient Trait and Ability. This Pokemon has the Alpha Growth Ancient Trait which allows you to attach two energy on to Swampert instead of one. Swampert also has an Ability that is called Diving Search. This ability allows you to search your deck for a card and then put it at the top of your deck. Lastly, Swampert has Hydro Pump which cost three energy to use. This attack does 40 damage plus 30 more for every Water type energy attached to Swampert.
Pros
Swampert is an interesting card. It has attack power with an attack similar to Keldeo EX‘s Sacred Sword. If you also include the fact that Swampert has an Ancient Trait which flow well with Swampert’s attack. If you play your card right then Swampert can hit for 160 damage after being on the field for two turns.
Meanwhile, Swampert can be used in a supporting role thanks to Diving Search. You can search your deck for a Muscle Band and put it on the top of your deck. A prime spot where you can easily draw for it next turn. If you are eager then can use a draw card such as Professor Juniper after you Diving Search to retrieve the card that you had put at the top of your deck.
Another pro for Swampert is all the Water type support in the game thanks to Primal Clash. You have Dive Ball to help search for Swampert. Then you have something that may end up becoming Swampert’s most powerful ally: Archie’s Ace in the Hole. If you have just the right cards in just the right places then you can have Swampert on your bench and a new hand.
Swampert reminds me of Empoleon where it could be used for utility or offense. It has a strong attack that can really bring the hurt on your opponent’s Pokemon and a useful ability. The fact that it has an Ancient Trait is a great bonus and perfect seeing that Hydro Pump does more damage for every Water Energy on it. Swampert has a high enough HP where it can survive most attacks.
Cons
The fact that Swampert is similar to Empoleon is maybe one of the biggest cons against Swampert. Empoleon gives you draw support while Swampert only gives you search support. Search support is nice but it is slow seeing that you need to wait a turn in order to get the card that you are looking for. In a metagame where speed is king, the type of draw support that Empoleon provides is highly valued. There could be a combo involving Empoleon and Swampert but if you are tight for space and unsure on how many times you can pull off the Archie’s Ace in the Hole combo then Empoleon is the better choice to use. Perhaps when Empoleon leaves the format then Swampert could see more usage as a utility Pokemon.
Another thing to consider involving Swampert is getting it on the field. It is a Stage 2 Pokemon in a meta that isn’t too kind towards them. Seismitoad EX makes it difficult to use the tools needed to quickly evolve Pokemon. You could play Archie’s Ace in the Hole but that could involve throwing away a lot of resources to get Archie’s as your only card in your hand.
Lastly, you also have some EX Pokemon that can knock out Swampert with just one hit. Especially with Yveltal EX who will take advantage of all the energy attached to Swampert. You also have Grass types like Virizion EX and Genesect EX who can hit Swampert for weakness.
How to Use
It is highly unlikely that Swampert will be a focus of a deck anytime soon but it could prove to be useful thanks to Diving Search. You will want to make use of Swampert’s Diving Search by combining it with Empoleon’s Diving Draw ability. You will need to use Swampert’s Diving Search ability to search your deck for a card that you need. May it be a Supporter, Pokemon or item. Anything to help gain an edge in the battle or maintain your lead. Once you have done this, you can use Empoleon’s Diving Draw to draw the card that you have just searched for. Diving Draw requires you to discard a card but if you are playing Empoleon then must likely you are already playing Exeggcute with the Propagation ability. This ability allows Exeggcute to be brought back from the discard and into your hand as many times as you want. This kind of engine will help you get anything you want from you deck.
Now the question is how will you get Swampert on the field. You could evolve Swampert from Mudkip using the usual ways such as manually evolving it up. There are also options such as using Rare Candy or Evosoda on Mudkip.
Though, the most popular way as of right now to put Swampert on the board is though the use of Archie’s Ace in the Hole. It shouldn’t be too hard to get a Swampert in the discard thanks to Ultra Ball, Battle Compressor or Professor Juniper. It would be troublesome pulling off Archie’s though. If you are running Swampert with Empoleon then that most likely mean you are going have to pull off using Archie’s twice. Though, it is possible to pull off Archie’s during your first or second turn. If you plan your hand correctly and a few VS Seeker then you can pull off Archie’s quite regularity and have an Empoleon and Swampert on your bench quickly.
If you need to attack with Swampert then it is possible. Just make sure you have at least three Water energy on you to do 130 damage. If you can get four Water energy on Swampert then it can hit for 160 damage. If you stick a Muscle Band on Swampert EX with four Water energy on it then you are knocking out EX Pokemon.
Swampert may not be making a direct splash in battle but it will surely help turn the tide of battle in your flavor once things are set up. This big guy can flood the battle easily if you play your cards right. Make sure to keep an eye out on Swampert in the future!
