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CARD INFORMATION

  • SUBTYPES:
    • Stage 1
  • HP: 90
  • TYPES:
    • Psychic
  • EVOLVES FROM: Woobat
  • WEAKNESSES:
    • TYPE: Lightning
    • VALUE: ×2
  • RESISTANCES:
    • TYPE: Fighting
    • VALUE: -30
  • RETREATCOST:
    • Colorless
  • RETREAT COST: 1
  • RARITY: Uncommon
  • FLAVOR TEXT: It emits sound waves of various frequencies from its nose, including some powerful enough to destroy rocks.
  • REGULATIONMARK: I

CARD ABILITIES

This card has no abilities

CARD ATTACKS

  • NAME: Happy Return
  • COST:
    • Colorless
  • ENERGY COST: 1
  • DAMAGE:
  • DETAILS: Put 1 of your Benched Pokémon and all attached cards into your hand.
  • NAME: Gust
  • COST:
    • Colorless
    • Colorless
  • ENERGY COST: 2
  • DAMAGE: 50
  • DETAILS:

MARKET PRICES FOR SWOOBAT 💰

Last updated: 2026/02/24
HIGH

2.22

USD
MID

0.09

USDTREND
LOW

0.03

USD

Check the latest prices on:
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Swoobat flies into the competitive scene with a unique toolkit that might not immediately catch your eye.

This Psychic-type Stage 1 evolution brings a combination of utility and modest offensive capability that deserves closer examination.

With its ability to return Pokémon to hand and deal moderate damage, Swoobat offers some intriguing tactical options for trainers looking beyond raw power.




Offensive Score Image Offensive rating: 4/10

Swoobat's offensive capabilities are underwhelming when viewed purely through a damage lens.

Its primary attack, Gust, deals only 50 damage for 2 Colorless Energy - a mediocre return on investment in the current meta where high damage output is crucial.

The damage-to-energy ratio is particularly inefficient compared to modern attackers that can easily hit 100+ for similar costs.

However, its first attack, Happy Return, provides utility rather than direct damage, allowing you to return a benched Pokémon (and all attached cards) to hand.

This can be leveraged as pseudo-healing or to reuse powerful come-into-play effects, but fails to advance your board state from an offensive perspective.




Survival Score Image Survival rating: 6/10

Swoobat shows modest resilience with 90 HP - below average for a Stage 1 Pokémon in current competitive play.

Its Lightning weakness is problematic in a meta where Electric types appear frequently, making it vulnerable to one-hit KOs from common attackers.

The silver lining is Swoobat's Fighting resistance (-30), providing significant protection against a relevant type and potentially allowing it to survive hits from popular Fighting Pokémon.

With a single Colorless Energy retreat cost, Swoobat can easily pivot to safety when threatened, giving it tactical flexibility.

The Happy Return attack also enables a form of self-preservation, allowing Swoobat to pick itself up when damaged and effectively reset.




Versatility Score Image Versatility rating: 6/10

Versatility is where Swoobat starts to show some merit.

Happy Return creates interesting strategic opportunities by allowing you to recall any benched Pokémon along with all its attachments.

This enables reuse of powerful come-into-play abilities, protection of valuable Pokémon from knockout, recovery of important Energy cards, and even disruption of your own negative status conditions.

The attack requires just one Colorless Energy, making it splashable in virtually any deck.

However, Swoobat lacks the raw power or game-changing effects necessary to serve as a primary attacker or defender.

Its utility is situational rather than universally applicable, limiting its versatility to specific strategic scenarios rather than broad effectiveness across matchups.




setup Score Image Speed/Setup rating: 7/10

As a Stage 1 Pokémon, Swoobat requires finding and playing both Woobat and either waiting a turn to evolve or using a card like Rare Candy.

This evolution chain introduces consistency challenges and slows its battlefield impact.

The Colorless Energy requirements for both attacks are a significant advantage, making energy attachment straightforward in practically any deck.

Happy Return is immediately available with just one energy attachment, allowing Swoobat to contribute utility on its first active turn.

However, the setup investment rarely feels worthwhile given the modest payoff - other Stage 1 Pokémon offer more impactful effects for similar setup requirements.

Swoobat's primary function can often be accomplished more efficiently by trainer cards with similar effects.




Swoobat performs best alongside Pokémon with powerful come-into-play abilities that benefit from being reused multiple times.

Cards that accelerate energy attachment also enhance Swoobat's effectiveness by enabling faster deployment of its Happy Return utility.

Consider pairing it with support Pokémon that provide defensive boosts to compensate for Swoobat's fragility.

Perfect Partners examples:

Jirachi variants with powerful come-into-play abilities like drawing cards or searching for specific pieces can be repeatedly bounced and replayed using Happy Return, creating consistent advantage engines that opponents struggle to disrupt.

Mew can copy Swoobat's attacks while offering a different typing and resistance profile, providing flexibility in matchups where Swoobat might be disadvantaged. This partnership allows you to use Happy Return utilities without exposing Swoobat to the active position.

Radiant Greninja provides crucial card draw while its ability accelerates energy attachment, helping Swoobat reach its Gust attack faster. The water typing also covers different matchups, creating a more balanced team composition.




Swoobat occupies an unusual niche in the current competitive landscape - not powerful enough to serve as a primary attacker, yet offering utility that certain specialized decks might value.

Its greatest strength lies in Happy Return's ability to reuse powerful come-into-play effects or save important Pokémon from being knocked out.

In the right deck architecture, this can generate incremental advantage over several turns.

However, the investment required to get Swoobat into play rarely justifies its modest payoff in most competitive settings.

Its low HP, mediocre damage output, and two-card evolution line create significant drawbacks.

Consider Swoobat as a tech option in decks specifically built to capitalize on recycling abilities or as a budget option for casual play, but competitive players seeking tournament success will typically find more efficient alternatives for similar functions.



POWER INDEX

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48

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