Shadow Swablu
Shadow modifiers apply at battle-calc time. Base stats stored on the card are unchanged — only damage dealt and taken shift. Net DPS uplift on offence almost always outweighs the bulk penalty, which is why shadows dominate raid top-6 lists. See the shadow guide for the full multiplier breakdown.
Purifying drops the shadow modifier and refunds stardust / candy. Worth it for hundo-track shadows where +2 IVs would cross thresholds (e.g. 13/13/13 → 15/15/15).
Match the catch screen CP against the cards above to verify a hundo. Shadow Raids and Giovanni have a 6 / 6 / 6 IV floor — lower than the 10 / 10 / 10 of normal raids — so the min CP shown is the realistic floor for those encounters. Grunt and Leader catches have no floor; any IV from 0 to 15 is possible, and only the hundo number tells you for sure. See /shadow for current Team Rocket lineups.
Same typing as base Swablu (Normal / Flying) — shadow doesn't change type matchups. Doubly weak: none. Resists: Grass, Bug. Full chart on /dex/333.
Shadow versions inherit the same move pool as base Swablubut hit ~20 % harder due to the attack modifier. No curated tier-list pick — auto-ranked from the learnable-move pool:
- #1Astonish + Ice Beam
- #2Astonish + Aerial Ace
- #3Astonish + Disarming Voice
What is the IV floor for Shadow Swablu?
It depends on the encounter source. Shadow Raids and Giovanni catches have a 6 / 6 / 6 floor. Rocket grunts and leaders (Cliff / Sierra / Arlo) have no floor — IVs roll the full 0–15 range, so the 1-in-4,096 hundo rate is unchanged from a wild catch.
What level does Shadow Swablu catch at?
Defeated grunts release a Level 8 shadow. Cliff / Sierra / Arlo and Shadow Raids both catch at Level 20 (Level 25 with weather boost). Giovanni gives Level 8 normally, Level 13 if the weather boosts the species' primary type.
Is Shadow Swablu worth using over the regular Swablu?
Almost always yes for raid offence. The ×1.2 attack modifier translates to roughly 20 % more DPS, which outweighs the ×0.833 defence penalty in attacker scenarios. Shadows dominate top-6 counter lists for nearly every raid boss. Save normal Swablu for PvP or stamina-dependent roles.
Should I purify my Shadow Swablu?
Purify if the +2-per-IV boost crosses a meaningful threshold (e.g. 13 / 13 / 13 → 15 / 15 / 15 unlocks hundo status, level resets to L25 = same as L25-best-buddy effective). Keep the shadow if it's already 15s and you want raid DPS — purification permanently removes the attack modifier.
Does Shadow Swablu have different type matchups?
No. Shadow keeps the same Normal / Flying-typing as the base species. Weather boosts and weakness charts apply identically. The only mechanical change is the battle-time stat modifier.