Pokemon GO Mega Swampert raid (December 2022): Best counters, weaknesses, and more

Loved by every player in the Pokemon community, Mega Swampert is finally coming to Pokemon GO. The Hoenn Mega Raid Day will be hitting live servers at 2:00 pm on December 3, 2022. This event will also mark the debut of each of the Hoenn Starters' Mega Evolutions coming into the game.

Known for its excellent Water and Ground typing, as well as the lovable design of Mudkip, its pre-evolution, Swampert is a creature in the franchise that most fans look at with a positive perspective. With the opportunity to finally obtain its Mega Evolution and Niantic giving players an easy way to do so, many are gearing up for the upcoming Raid Day.

For some, preparing for these events can be fairly difficult, with Mega Raids being one of the hardest events in Pokemon GO. Players cannot just jump into these battles without first knowing everything they can about the Raid Boss ahead of time. So, what should trainers keep in mind when going up against Mega Swampert?

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Mega Swampert Raid Boss in Pokemon GO: Everything to know

Official imagery for Pokemon GO's Hoenn Mega Raid Day (Image via Niantic)

Upon Mega Evolving, Swampert retains its potent Water and Ground typing. With this defensive type, Mega Swampert is only weak to Grass-type moves. However, matters are made much more complicated when players consider the abundance of Grass-types that have the secondary Poison typing.

Thanks to Mega Swampert potentially having Ground-type moves, having Grass and Poison-type Pokemon significantly decreases the odds of success instead of improving them. Creatures like Venusaur, Vileploom, Victreebel, and Roserade can be easily taken down with Mud Shot.

Currently, players can challenge Virizion in five-star Raid Battles. Virizion is a Grass and Fighting-type Legendary Pokemon with balanced stats allowing for both offensive and defensive prowess. However, this comes with the issue of having to complete an entire five-star Raid Battle before they can challenge this new boss.

Tangrowth, Torterra, and Zarude are some of the best possible counters for Mega Swampert in Pokemon GO. With many players interested in these kinds of challenges being long-time players, it would be reasonable to assume that a majority of Raid Battlers have the Zarude that was distributed earlier this year.

As for Tangrowth and Torterra, their incredible bulk and powerful Grass-type moves allow them to easily cleave through Mega Swampert. Players may also already have a Mega Sceptile from earlier in the event. Taking on Mega Swampert is a great opportunity to try out this new addition.

A Raid Team of around seven or eight trainers should work perfectly for this level of Raid Battle in Pokemon GO. Given Mega Swampert's sheer bulk, it may sometimes require more trainers depending on the creatures the other players are bringing to this battle. If every player has a solid Pokemon team, seven should do the trick.

In general, Mega Swampert will be quite the challenge for inexperienced Raid Battlers in Pokemon GO. Its sheer bulk and lack of abundant weaknesses severely constricts trainers' freedom of team building that the franchise is known for. Fortunately, the reward for defeating Mega Swampert is worth the effort.