What is the best moveset for Swoobat in Pokemon GO? (February 2023)

With Woobat in the limelight following Pokemon GO's recent Spotlight Hour, players everywhere may find themselves with a new Swoobat in their collection. With this being the case, some trainers may want to use the Pocket Monster in the game's competitive Battle League.

As experienced battlers may be aware, Pokemon GO is host to an ever-expanding competitive scene, with the game even having a seat at the Pokemon World Championships. With all this attention on what could appear to be just a humble mobile game, many players would want to give it a shot.

However, more goes into using a creature in Battle League than just knowing a type matchup and a couple of attacks. Players looking to use any Pocket Monster should be aware of every aspect that makes a pick unique and how they can make the best use of its strengths.

Note: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the opinions of the writer

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Most effective moves for Swoobat in Pokemon GO

Swoobat as it appears in the anime (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The first thing every player should know about a creature if they intend on using it in Pokemon GO's Battle League is its elemental typing.

Swoobat is a Flying and Psychic-type Pokemon. This combination of elements is shared by Sigilyph and Galarian Articuno. It is much better suited for offense rather than defense as it is vulnerable to five different elements compared to the three resistances.

Swoobat's stat spread in Pokemon GO leaves a lot to be desired. The creature is meant to be an offensive stamina tank similar to Azumarill, but it lacks any synergy between its typing.

This leaves Swoobat in a terrible spot as its highest stat is its stamina at only 167, with a pitiful defense stat of 119. Almost every contender in Great League can get rid of it with close to a single charged attack.

Looking towards Swoobat's potential movesets in Pokemon GO, one particular combination seems to work best considering the role the creature is made to take. For its fast attack, players will see the most success running Confusion. This attack has the best value in terms of energy generation and damage compared to Air Slash, the other choice

For potential charged attacks, Swoobat was just recently hit with a decent buff that granted it access to the attack Psychic Fangs. This is Swoobat's best charged attack as it deals great damage, can easily be spammed, and is granted bonus power thanks to the same-type attack bonus from its partial Psychic typing.

For the dedicated few who truly want to take their Swoobat to the next level and max it out for battle, Air Slash should be a secondary charged attack. This move deals great damage, has a fairly low energy cost, and provides coverage options, increasing the number of matchups Swoobat can take.

Overall, Swoobat is a relatively weak Pokemon, but dedicated players may find that it has the best chance in Pokemon GO's Great League. Even there, the Pocket Monster does little against the oppressive Steel and Ground-type metagame that the league fosters. However, players should always be encouraged to experiment with team compositions.