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WhilePokemon 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. InScarlet/Violet, there are multiple ways of obtaining a Swinub, so choose which one works better.
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 aboutMossfell Confluence, you’ll have better luck searching for it onOni Mountain.
Swinbu’s level will be scaled to match your current progress inScarlet/Violet’s story. If you haven’t completed “The Way Home” main quest, then Swinub will be aroundlevel 17-20. If youhavecompleted the main story, then Swinub will be at a much higher level (aroundlevel 50). It shouldn’t be difficult to catch, and if you’re catching one inOni’s Maw, then you can use a Dusk Ball tomake things a bit easier.
How to Evolve Swinub
Swinub evolves into Piloswine when it reacheslevel 33. You can level up Swinub faster by having itauto-battlePokemon around its level and that it has a type advantage against, or you can feed it Rare Candies/Exp. Candies.Keep in mindthat 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.
How to Evolve Piloswine into Mamoswine
Like Yanma, Piloswine will evolve when itlevels up while knowing Ancient Power.Since it doesn’t learn Ancient Power by leveling up, you’ll need togo into Piloswine’s Moves page in its summaryandhave it RememberAncient Power. If you level up Piloswine when Ancient Power isnotone of its four moves, then it will not evolve.
An alternative to getting Piloswine is totry your luck with 4-star Tera Raids. The 4-star Raids only spawn after you’ve obtained7 Gym Badges. Also, since it will be a level 45/4-star Pokemon, Piloswines caught in Tera Raids have arandom chanceof having theirHidden 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 in5-staror6-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 tocomplete 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:
110
130
70
80
60
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 toprevent it from getting KO’d rather easily. Its slow base Speed also means it’s more than likely to movelast. 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 isAdamant, which raises its Attack growth at the cost of slower Special Attack. you’re able to also try and run aJollyNature, 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 meansit can run powerful physical movessuch asEarthquakeandIcicle Crash. It can also learn/remember the moveIce Shard, which is a priority Ice-type move and can help Mamoswine when battling speedy opponents. Because of itslow Special Attack, you may want torefrain 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.
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-typingdoesmean 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 itTrailblazevia 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.
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’sSnow CloakAbility is probably the least useful out of its three potential Abilities. Rather it’s useful, but only if you ensure to set up a snowstorm before swapping in Mamoswine. Since not everyone can master weather effects likeSword/Shield’s Raihan, you may want Mamoswine to have Oblivious or Thick Fat.
Obliviouscan 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 hasstatus 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.
TheThick FatAbility 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 attacksthanks to its dual-typing. A Mamoswine with Thick Fat will lower the power of the opponent’s Ice-type attacks to 1/2x.
