Introduced in generation five with the Pokemon Black and White games, Swanna is a dual type water and flying Pokemon. It is the second stage evolution of its two stage evolution line and evolves from Ducklett once it reaches the level threshold. Swanna is classified by the Pokedex as the “White Bird Pokemon” which may be a reference to its general design. This guide will showcase Swanna’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Swanna.
About Swanna
As a generation five Pokemon, Swanna first appeared in the Black and White season of the anime in the episode Cilan Takes Flight!. In this episode, Gym Leader Skyla uses a Swanna in battle against Cilan. The Pokedex mentions that despite their elegant and frail appearance, they have high endurance. Swanna are known to be able to fly over thousands of miles.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Series: Black and White Cilan Takes Flight! |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Black and White |
| Region | Unova |
| Evolution | Evolves from Ducklett, not known to evolve into another Pokemon |
| 1st Evo level | 35 |
| 2nd Evo level | N/A |
| Pokedex Entry | It administers sharp, powerful pecks with its bill. It whips its long neck to deliver forceful repeated strikes. |
Swanna Base Stats
| HP | 75 |
| ATTACK | 87 |
| DEFENCE | 63 |
| SP. ATTACK | 87 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 63 |
| SPEED | 98 |
| TOTAL | 473 |
Appearance
Swanna is a large white and blue Pokemon that resembles a swan in real life and much like swans in real life, it has a long, curving neck. Most of its body is white but it has a blue breast and blue tail feathers. It has a large, pointed, yellow beak and small tufts of feathers around its head. While it lacks actual arms, its wingspan is impressive and they often curl up to resemble arms. Swanna is an average sized pokemon at 4 feet and 3 inches, or 1.3 meters, tall.
Behavior
Most of what we know about Swanna comes from the anime. Throughout its appearances, it is often portrayed as a reliable battler and capable of fighting against multiple Pokemon. The Pokedex mentions that Swanna has high endurance and can fly for over a thousand miles. Despite Swanna’s elegant appearance, its beak and wings are capable of delivering powerful blows. They are social Pokemon and flocks of Swanna are known to dance together.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Swanna has a fairly balanced base stat distribution as its overall defenses are weaker than its offensive capability, but it has no glaring weaknesses. Swanna’s strongest stat is its speed which allows it to function in many different roles. Typically, Swanna will be utilized as a defensive Pokemon with access to utility moves. As a dual type water and flying Pokemon, Swanna takes 2x damage from rock type moves and 4x damage from electric type moves. It is immune to ground type moves, and will resist fighting, bug, steel, fire, and water type moves.
Best Moveset
In competitive play, Swanna is not highly ranked in competitive tiers. While it has the makings of a useful Pokemon, its lack of specialized stats makes it difficult to find success in any role. It can, however, provide a useful amount of utility to your team as well as offer an offensive threat. But it would be better to consider Pokemon more dedicated to the roles rather than try to fulfill two different roles with Swanna.
Nevertheless, Swanna can function as an offensive Pokemon with the capability to remove hazards from your own side of the field. It can suffer from hazards like Stealth Rock, but Defog can prevent the situation entirely. Roost can keep Swanna healthy during battle and finally, Scald and Hurricane can be used offensively.
| Hurricane | Scald |
| Defog | Roost |
How to Catch Swanna in Pokemon Go?
If you would like to obtain a Swanna in Pokemon Go, the easiest way to do so would be to first obtain a Ducklett and eventually evolve it into Swanna. Like most final evolution Pokemon, the base evolution spawns more commonly in the wild and thus it’s easier to find than its final evolution. You can find Ducklett in the wild, at a boosted rate, near residential areas, canals, harbors, docks, rivers, lakes, oceans, college campuses, farms, open fields, and parks. You can also hatch a Ducklett from 5 km eggs but while Swanna has not appeared as a raid boss in the past, Ducklett has been a tier one raid boss at Pokemon Gyms. To evolve a Ducklett into a Swanna, you will need 50 candies.
Trivia
- Swanna is the only Pokemon in the entire franchise to have a base stat total of 473.
- The inspiration for Swanna’s design is likely based on a mute swan, the same swan featured in the children’s tale The Ugly Duckling.
- The name Swanna is a combination of the words swan and ballerina.
FAQ
Is Swanna a good Pokemon?
Historically Swanna has been rated lowly on competitive tier lists. While its base stats are powerful enough for it to function as a threat, its lack of specialized stats prevents it from being a menacing Pokemon in battle. Swanna becomes stronger with teams that care about the rain weather effect, so try to combine the two if you want to utilize Swanna.
How do you evolve Swanna?
Swanna will evolve naturally as long as you level it up. Ducklett will evolve into Swanna once it reaches level 35. There are no special conditions to fulfill for this evolution and Ducklett will evolve as long as it is leveled up. Once Ducklett evolves into a Swanna, you have finished the Pokemon’s evolution line and can move on to collecting other Pokemon.
Is Swanna in Pokemon Sword?
Unfortunately, Swanna is unobtainable in the generation eight games. Swanna was available in generation five, six, and seven, but it did not return for generation eight. As such, Swanna cannot be utilized in Pokemon Sword or Pokemon Shield.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “White Bird Pokemon”. While Swanna has not made the biggest impact on competitive play, it is a powerful Pokemon nonetheless. It has access to many supportive and damaging moves which can make it powerful in its own right. While its offensive powers may be weaker than others, it can still fulfill a role on many teams. Reserve a slot on your team for Swanna if you want a supportive water and flying type Pokemon.
