While Pokemon Scarlet & Violet's base game provides 400 Pokemon for trainers to catch, the Hidden Treasure of Area Zero expansion pass expands this number by including Pokemon from previous regions and Pokemon introduced specifically in Gen 9. In part 1 of the expansion pass, the Teal Mask, Swinub and its evolutions can now be registered in the Pokedex.
When it comes to battling other trainers, you will want a balanced team. Swinub's final evolution, Mamoswine, has a good base Attack stat and is a potential candidate for a physical attacker. Evolving Swinub to Pilowsine, then Piloswine to Mamoswine is the same as it's been since Gen 4. In Scarlet/Violet, there are multiple ways of obtaining a Swinub, so choose which one works better.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet DLC: Indigo Disk Release Time
Those hoping to find out when they can download Indigo Disk have come to the right place, as this guide contains release times for the Pokemon DLC.
Where to Find Swinub (& How to Evolve Swinub into Piloswine)
Swinub can be caught in Kitakami, which is the region exclusive to the Teal Mask DLC. While you may be lucky to find one wandering about Mossfell Confluence, you'll have better luck searching for it on Oni Mountain.
- If you head in the direction of Ogerpon's Den, there will be a waterfall that splits the road (Oni's Maw). On the other side of this road is a cave that leads to a den full of Swinub (refer to the objective flag on the above image for the exact location).
- Another way to reach this den is to drop in from above. Go to the Crystal Pool, which is at the summit of Oni Mountain, and drop through the back of the hill on the other side of the bridge (refer to the video below for the exact location).
- Finally, Swinub also spawns in 2-star Tera Raids, but only in Kitakami.
Swinbu's level will be scaled to match your current progress in Scarlet/Violet's story. If you haven't completed "The Way Home" main quest, then Swinub will be around level 17-20. If you have completed the main story, then Swinub will be at a much higher level (around level 50). It shouldn't be difficult to catch, and if you're catching one in Oni's Maw, then you can use a Dusk Ball to make things a bit easier.
How to Evolve Swinub
Swinub evolves into Piloswine when it reaches level 33. You can level up Swinub faster by having it auto-battle Pokemon around its level and that it has a type advantage against, or you can feed it Rare Candies/Exp. Candies. Keep in mind that if you're leveling it up via auto-battling, Swinub won't evolve at level 33. You'll need to give it a Rare Candy to raise its level once more to trigger the evolution.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: How to Evolve Goomy & Sliggoo into Goodra
In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, there is a trick that players will need to use to evolve a Goomy & Sliggoo into a Goodra.
How to Evolve Piloswine into Mamoswine
Like Yanma, Piloswine will evolve when it levels up while knowing Ancient Power. Since it doesn't learn Ancient Power by leveling up, you'll need to go into Piloswine's Moves page in its summary and have it Remember Ancient Power. If you level up Piloswine when Ancient Power is not one of its four moves, then it will not evolve.
An alternative to getting Piloswine is to try your luck with 4-star Tera Raids. The 4-star Raids only spawn after you've obtained 7 Gym Badges. Also, since it will be a level 45/4-star Pokemon, Piloswines caught in Tera Raids have a random chance of having their Hidden Ability. Thus, if you're looking to use Mamoswine competitively, you may want to catch a Piloswine in the 4-star Raid instead.
You can also find Mamoswine in 5-star or 6-star Tera Raids. To unlock the 5-star Tera Raids, you'll need to complete "The Way Home" main quest. To get 6-star Tera Raids, you'll need to complete the Academy Ace Tournament (in the postgame), then complete a few Tera Raids until Jacq calls you about the mysterious black Tera Raid Crystals.
Is Mamoswine Good in Scarlet/Violet?
Mamoswine's dual Ice/Ground-type means it can shrug off Electric-type moves, but it has type weaknesses that mono Ice-type Pokemon do not. However, like with any Pokemon, a Mamoswine with the right moveset, Ability, and EVs can be a formidable opponent. Here's what you will be looking at in terms of Mamoswine's base stats, type effectiveness, and more:
|
HP: |
110 |
|---|---|
|
Attack: |
130 |
|
Special Attack: |
70 |
|
Defense: |
80 |
|
Special Defense: |
60 |
|
Speed: |
80 |
|
Total: |
530 |
Mamoswine has great HP and Attack, meaning it can take a while for some Pokemon to chip away at its health. Unfortunately, Mamoswine's low Special Defense and not-so-great Defense means that a high base HP may not be enough to prevent it from getting KO'd rather easily. Its slow base Speed also means it's more than likely to move last. If Mamoswine is up against a powerful and quick Special Attacker, then it may not even get its turn in battle.
A recommended Nature for Mamoswine is Adamant, which raises its Attack growth at the cost of slower Special Attack. You can also try and run a Jolly Nature, which increases Speed and lowers Special Attack. The general rule is to avoid Natures that lower its Attack stat, such as Timid or Modest.
Despite these setbacks, Mamoswine's base 130 Attack means it can run powerful physical moves such as Earthquake and Icicle Crash. It can also learn/remember the move Ice Shard, which is a priority Ice-type move and can help Mamoswine when battling speedy opponents. Because of its low Special Attack, you may want to refrain from teaching it moves like Ice Beam or Earth Power. While they're strong moves, they'll have better use on a special attacking Pokemon than they would on Mamoswine.
|
Can have Moves that are super-effective against: |
Grass, Ground, Dragon, Flying, Electric, Rock, Poison, Steel, Fire |
|---|---|
|
Weak against: |
Fire, Fighting, Grass, Steel, Water |
|
Resistances: |
Poison |
|
Immunities: |
Electric |
Mamoswine can learn moves via leveling or TM that can potentially knock out most of the Typings in its "super-effective" list. Unfortunately, while Ground-typing does mean that Mamoswine can learn moves that are powerful against Steel and Fire-types (two of its weaknesses), it is susceptible to more common Types, such as Grass and Water-types. You can give Mamoswine some coverage against Water-types by teaching it Trailblaze via TM, and since this is a physical move, it will take advantage of Mamoswine's base Attack instead of Special Attack.
The thing you will notice with Mamoswine is that it has a lot of types it's good against, but these same Types can also be its weakness. For example, it can know moves that can take care of Fire-type Pokemon, but it's also weak to Fire-type moves.
On the plus side, Mamoswine's Ground-typing gives it immunity to Electric-type attacks and resists Poison-type moves. While it can still be poisoned, Mamoswine can't be paralyzed by Electric-type moves such as Thunder Wave.
|
Ability 1 |
Oblivious: Prevents Mamoswine from being Intimidated, falling for taunts, and being infatuated. |
|---|---|
|
Ability 2 |
Snow Cloak: Raises Mamoswine's evasiveness during a snowstorm. |
|
Hidden Ability |
Thick Fat: Reduces damage taken from Fire and Ice-type moves by 50%. |
Mamoswine's Snow Cloak Ability is probably the least useful out of its three potential Abilities. Rather it's useful, but only if you make sure to set up a snowstorm before swapping in Mamoswine. Since not everyone can master weather effects like Sword/Shield's Raihan, you may want Mamoswine to have Oblivious or Thick Fat.
Oblivious can be good when batlting opponents with Intimidate (such as Gyarados). Mamoswine's best way to deal damage is going to be through its Attack, so anything that prevents this stat from being lowered is generally a good thing. Being impervious to moves like Attract or the Cute Charm Ability is also a plus. As for not being able to fall for Taunts, this can be useful if Mamoswine has status moves in its moveset. If you intend on using it to lower the opponent's stats or use a move like Substitute, then Oblivious can come in handy. Otherwise, it's an unfortunate case of being too situational.
The Thick Fat Ability is Mamoswine's most ideal because it will cover one of its type weaknesses: Fire-type. Thick Fat cuts the power of the opponent's Fire and Ice-type moves (when used on Mamoswine) in half. It doesn't matter if the move is a special or physical move; Thick Fat works regardless of the category. It pretty much goes without saying why this Ability is preferred over Snow Cloak and Oblivious, as most opponents will try to exploit Mamoswine's weakness with a Fire-type move. Unlike most Ground-types, Mamoswine suffers normal damage from Ice-type attacks thanks to its dual-typing. A Mamoswine with Thick Fat will lower the power of the opponent's Ice-type attacks to 1/2x.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet is available for Nintendo Switch.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
- Released
- November 18, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
- Franchise
- Pokemon
- Platform(s)
- Switch
- Genre(s)
- RPG
