The last of the Hoenn starters appears with May & Swampert and a grid that becomes key for any Rain teams. Swampert and her Rain Dance MP Refresh 2 means she can be a potentially infinite source of rain, which means she’ll be a staple for any Rain team. Couple that with strong Sp. Atk and moves that can debuff opponents and she stands on her own well.
The best May and Swampert sync grid builds are, Earth Power, Sustain Rain, and Muddy Water Sync Nuke.
Pair them with Sygna Sygna Suit Elesa & Rotom to benefit from Muddy Water’s accuracy reduction. Any other Water-type Striker sync pair, such as Sygna Suit Grimsley & Sharpedo, will benefit from the increased damage due to rainy weather.
Universal Upgrades
HP +10
Defense +5
Sp. Atk +10
Sp. Def +5
Speed +5
Universal Recommended Lucky Skill:
Critical Strike 2
No build shares a single tile together except for the core six, so each build will include all tiles that cost energy. But all builds want to use Critical Strike 2 as the lucky skill because May’s Trainer move, Ready for This?, increases Swampert’s critical-hit rate by +1 for each use.
Sync Grid Builds
Earth Power Build (Sync Level 3/5)
Total Sync Orb Cost: 750
Total Energy Used: 60
Unique Upgrades:
HP +10
Defense +5
Earth Power Power +12
Earth Power Move Gauge Refresh 3
Earth Power Surging Sand 5
Ready for This? MP Refresh 2
On a Roll 1
Sand Shelter
Sync Level 2:
Not recommended
While much of Swampert’s grid and skills revolve around being on a Rain team, she also can fit in on a Sand team with her Earth Power attack. The most important tile is Sand Shelter, which will stop Swampert from being damaged by the sandstorm when she uses a move. Earth Power gains +12 power and a Move Gauge Refresh 3 to improve damage and reduce the cost on the move gauge.
When in a sandstorm, Earth Power Surging Sand 5 increases the attack’s damage by 50%. The move also has a natural 10% chance of lowering the opponent’s Sp. Def but On a Roll 1 will add another roll. This means there are two 10% chances of lowering the opponent’s stats. On a Roll 1 also affects Muddy Water in the same way.
Finally, Ready for This? MP Refresh 2 will give you a 30% chance to regain a use of the move, meaning Swampert could max out her critical-hit rate with the third use.
Sustain Rain Build (Sync Level 2/5 & 3/5)
Total Sync Orb Cost: 750
Total Energy Used: 60
Unique Upgrades:
Sp. Atk +10
Speed +5
Muddy Water Power +9
Muddy Water Accuracy +10
Rain Dance MP Refresh 2
Ready for This? MP Refresh 2
Inclement Intellect 6
Refreshing Rain 1
Swampert has decent defenses that allow her to remain on the battlefield in longer battles, such as in the Legendary Arena or Full-Force Battles. With Rain Dance MP Refresh 2, she is absolutely needed for any Rain teams in a long brawl. Coupled with Refreshing Rain 1 to restore a little HP each time she attacks in a rain and Swampert can manage herself pretty well.
Muddy Water gains +9 power and +10 accuracy, which will bring it up to 95 accuracy. An ally can bring it up to 100 easily. If you need better move gauge management and Racing Rain 2 is not enough, you can give up +6 power to pick up Muddy Water Move Gauge Refresh 3. At three-cost, Muddy Water is expensive unless you plan for her to be your main Striker.
Grabbing Ready for This? MP Refresh 2 is mainly to get that third and final +1 to critical-hit rate and reach 100% crit chance. The Trainer move also gives Sp. Atk +1, but Inclement Intellect 6 has a 70% chance of raising the stat by +1 whenever Swampert uses an attack while it is raining.
Sync Level 2:
– Sp. Atk +5
– Inclement Intellect 6
– Refreshing Rain 1
+Muddy Water Power +3
+Muddy Water Move Gauge Refresh 3
+ Earth Power Power +2
+ Hide and Sync
If you are limited to sync level 2, you lose out on both the health restore and the easy way for Swampert to max her Sp. Atk. To make up for it, picking up Muddy Water Move Gauge Refresh 3 and keeping the +6 power lets her hit harder and faster.
There is enough energy to pick up Hide and Sync, which will power up her sync move against opponents that have their accuracy lowered. Since Muddy Water only has a 10% chance of lowering accuracy, an ally that has a more reliable way will help Swampert reach her max potential more quickly.
Muddy Water Sync Nuke Build (Sync Level 3/5)
Total Sync Orb Cost: 750
Total Energy Used: 60
Unique Upgrades:
Defense +20
Sp. Def +5
Speed +5
Muddy Water Accuracy +5
Muddy Water Move Gauge Refresh 3
Rain Dance MP Refresh 2
Earth Power Power +2
Best Buddy Muddy Water Power +50
Hide and Sync
On a Roll 1
Sync Level 2:
Not Recommended
If you’re looking for Swampert to be the main damage dealer on the team, your focus is on reducing the opponent’s accuracy for an extra powerful sync move. Best Buddy Muddy Water gains +50 power, but is also improved upon by Hide and Sync, which increases damage against an opponent with lowered accuracy. If the opponent reaches -6 accuracy, this means Swampert’s sync move will deal 200% damage.
Muddy Water only has a 10% chance of lowering an opponent’s accuracy, but On a Roll 1 adds another chance. While extremely rare, there is a 1% chance of decreasing an opponent’s accuracy by -2 after a successful hit. By picking up only +5 accuracy on Muddy Water, you may want to consider an ally that can improve Swampert’s accuracy as the move only reaches 90 accuracy. The move also picks up a Move Gauge Refresh 3 which will help recover from any untimely misses.
Finally, Rain Dance MP Refresh 2 increases damage and move gauge recharge for Swampert’s regular attacks, but it also increases the power of Best Buddy Muddy Water. Keeping it rainy will be key for Swampert and her allies to deal out the most damage quickly.