We’re back for the Normal-type reviews, and today we’re going to focus on Taillow and Swellow, the smallest early-game birds, and are quite fast fliers too! If you are ready with this one, please proceed.
Selected Fan Art (Artist: Keijimatsu)
With a forked tail, it’s no doubt that Taillow and Swellow are the swallows of Pokémon. Taillow looks a bit like a welcome swallow because of similar colouration, while Swellow has the barn swallow’s colours while resembling a falcon somewhat. Their excellent flying skills come into play thanks to their tails, though the wings are certainly integral to its flight. As far as early-game birds go, these Pokémon are pretty standard. It’s interesting to note that in this group, Swellow is the smallest of them all, only being 0.7 metres tall.
Even though Taillow is a small bird, it has a lot of courage even when facing larger Pokémon. The example used in the PokéDex is Skarmory, which could also be found in Hoenn. Even if it lost against larger opponents, it will remain defiant, which could be why it has Guts as its ability. Technically it’s not Defiant (ability), but it’s pretty close considering that Defiant was introduced later. However, if it’s hungry, it will be in a weakened state and won’t be able to skirmish easily. Its preferred food for this occasion is Wurmple, another Pokémon found in Hoenn.
The cry from Taillow could get loud if it were to be deprived of something. One such deprivation is when it is hungry, which is understandable. This might only happen when it hasn’t left the nest because it might be able to hunt if it were on its own. Even when Taillow left that nest, it could be alone when on its own. When that happens, it will let out a cry during the night, probably so that others of its kind would be in its company. The fact that it has a loud cry might be why it’s one of the few Pokémon to have access to Boomburst.
After evolving from Taillow, Swellow demonstrates more prowess when it comes to flying and hunting. Its flying isn’t just limited to being able to making graceful arcs in the sky; it could also make quick dives that almost never miss on its prey when it spots one, taking them before they are aware of their fate. When it realised it will be eventual food, it won’t be able to escape from Swellow’s tight grasp.
Swellow is also conscientious about its wings, preferring to keep them in good condition in terms of glossiness. Perhaps it could be to ensure it could have better flight, perhaps it could just be vain about them, but preening is pretty standard fare for birds. When it comes to preening, it would prefer to have the cooperation of another Swellow for maintenance. The Swellow’s tail should also be standing at attention, in order to indicate that it’s in good health. Having optimally well-done parts are important for better flight.
Swellow’s Speed is one of the most integral aspects when in battle, allowing it to effectively attack. One would opt for using Guts to effectively increase its Attack if it holds a status Orb, allowing you to prevent Paralysis while you are at it. It goes well with Facade because of the bonus power when it is inflicted with status. Together with Brave Bird, Swellow could do a lot of damage to anything not a Rock- or Steel-type, but when Swellow is low on HP, Endeavour will come in handy. Its low Special Attack won’t make Boomburst strong, but since it has Scrappy, it could use said move against Ghost-types without a problem.
Swallows are one of the birds that will migrate to warmer climates if it begins to get cold, because of the availability of food, or perhaps the warmer climate suits their lifestyle better. It should be noted that not every species of swallow migrates, likely because they might have the food they need or the climate is warm in where they live. Both Pokémon are known to migrate to warmer climates for long distances if it gets cold, so they might stay in that place until it gets cold, continuing the journey. The possibility of returning to the same spot could be similar to real swallows, who only return to mate and breed, usually at the same time in a year.
Swallows are a special kind of bird, because they are very good at flying and they are a joy to look at while they are doing it. The Pokémon are likewise quite good at flying. However, these Pokémon doesn’t seem to be as interesting as other birds because the only thing they are well-known for is great flying. In other words, they are alright.
+ Capable despite smaller size
+ Adopts the swallow’s good traits
± Not much to stand out in talents
– Can be quite noisy
Taillow’s TCG Card
Unusually for a Pokémon card, there are a herd of that species. Normally, you only get to focus on one of that species, and in less common cases, there will be a few of that species. Here, there is a flock of Taillow, who are no doubt migrating to a warmer location, going by the migration behaviour in real swallows. In fact, if you don’t look closely, the flock of Taillow in the background might be mistaken for real swallows!
Swellow’s TCG Card
In this card, only Swellow can be seen clearly. The blurry background is no doubt a way for Swellow to express its swiftness in flight. If this were to be a photograph, I wonder how the photographer manages to get a shot like this.
Endeavor
Since Taillow and Swellow are characterised by their bravery in facing larger threats, even when they’re not in a healthy condition, Endeavour is their type of move. Endeavour is a move that makes the opponent’s HP the same as yours, so it works best when your HP is lower than the opponent’s.
Endeavour’s HP-lowering effect works best when the user is at 1 HP, and there are a few ways to accomplish this. Endure is one way, as with Sturdy, but Focus Sash is the most popular way to make full use of Endeavour. Essentially, the user is knocked down to 1 HP, and then they use Endeavour to make the opponent 1 HP. This is then followed up with a priority attack or weather damage to KO them. One Pokémon that is known to use this strategy is Rattata, where the F.E.A.R. derives its name from (Focus Sash, Endeavour, Quick Attack, Rattata).
Overall, Endeavour is a move that allows for creative ways to bring the opponent down to their knees, so it should not be underestimated.
That’s all for today’s article. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I have writing it.
Next Article: Tauros
