Swellow
Normal
Best attacking moveset: Wing Attack and Brave Bird, worth 11.1 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Swellow can learn 6 combinations. Wing Attack with Brave Bird does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steel Wing | Steel | 14 | 1.0s | +8 |
| Wing Attack | 10 | 1.0s | +11 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerial Ace | 55 | 2.5s | -33 | |
| Brave Bird | 130 | 2.0s | -100 | |
| Sky Attack | 80 | 2.0s | -50 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Swellow has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, evolution, photobomb.
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 2,170 at level 50, 1,920 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 1,097 CP at level 20, or 1,371 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 1,034 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 185 attack · 124 defense · 155 stamina |
What it costs
| Second charged move | 10,000 Stardust and 25 Candy |
|---|---|
| Buddy distance | 1 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 3,000 Stardust and 3 Candy |
| Size | 0.71 m and 19.8 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Swellow does not have one best moveset, it has 2. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Fighting, Bug, Grass.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Fighting | Wing Attack + Brave Bird | 17.3 |
| Bug | Wing Attack + Brave Bird | 17.3 |
| Grass | Wing Attack + Brave Bird | 17.3 |
| Ice | Steel Wing + Brave Bird | 13.4 |
| Fairy | Steel Wing + Brave Bird | 13.4 |
| Rock | Steel Wing + Brave Bird | 11.6 |
| Normal | Wing Attack + Brave Bird | 11.1 |
| Wing Attack + Brave Bird | 11.1 | |
| Poison | Wing Attack + Brave Bird | 11.1 |
| Ground | Wing Attack + Brave Bird | 11.1 |
| Ghost | Wing Attack + Brave Bird | 11.1 |
| Fire | Wing Attack + Brave Bird | 11.1 |
| Water | Wing Attack + Brave Bird | 11.1 |
| Psychic | Wing Attack + Brave Bird | 11.1 |
| Dragon | Wing Attack + Brave Bird | 11.1 |
| Dark | Wing Attack + Brave Bird | 11.1 |
| Steel | Wing Attack + Brave Bird | 7.2 |
| Electric | Wing Attack + Brave Bird | 7.2 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Swellow is actually for.
Counters: what beats Swellow
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Regieleki | Electric | Lock On + Thunder Cage Legacy | 49.6 |
 Zeraora | Electric | Volt Switch + Plasma Fists | 42.6 |
 Zekrom | DragonElectric | Charge Beam + Fusion Bolt Legacy | 41.6 |
 Xurkitree | Electric | Thunder Shock + Discharge | 41.1 |
 Glimmora | RockPoison | Rock Throw + Meteor Beam | 37.6 |
 Rampardos | Rock | Smack Down + Rock Slide | 37.3 |
 Eternatus | PoisonDragon | Poison Jab + Dynamax Cannon Legacy | 36.0 |
 Deoxys | Psychic | Charge Beam + Thunderbolt | 35.8 |
 Gigalith | Rock | Lock On + Meteor Beam Legacy | 35.8 |
 Electivire | Electric | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 35.6 |
Ranked by damage per second against Swellow's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.